The Funhouse got rid of their pool table. They also acquired some more pinball machines and built new booths. I was sitting in one of the new booths when an inebriated step-dad tumbled into me and told me to move. Then he sat next to me and touched all of the things that were placed on the table in front of me: a bottle of beer, a phone and two waxy crumpled balls of paper that had been in my ears. My eyes grew wide from surprise and he walked away. Seconds later the guitar player from Tit Pig was yelling for the door person, notifying him that the drunk person was annoying. High five, guy!

All of the bands had ruled so far. Botherations play extremely competent punker music that I'll stoop to call a cross between Christian Death & Bad Religion. I'm stooping because comparisons are dumb to make. I was involved in a three minute conversation on the patio about how good the drummer is. The Pharmacy is quickly becoming my favorite band in town. I had shivers when they played "Chinese Finger Trap." Of course the Unnatural Helpers were as wonderful as usual. As Tit Pig sound checked, I went outside because it was so loud. Soon after Lacey came outside and made the finger helicopter motion which meant we were leaving. Apparently Sean Evoy kicked the inebriated step-dad in the chest as he chose to climb the stairs during Tit Pig's set. I was told that he was flung into a wall with great force and collapsed to the ground. Somebody lifted his arm and it dropped lifelessly when released. Lacey's not wild about death, so she was in a bad mood for the next hour. Travis Ritter called an ambulance. Tit Pig played on.

As soon as we got outside, I noticed two girls yelling at each other in the McDonald's parking lot twenty feet away. Then the yelling became punching and hair pulling. I became a zombie and walked closer without thinking. Some people tried to step in but they kept fighting intermittently, arguing about one of them calling or not calling the other one a "motherfucking dirty ho." There was so much traffic, the McDonald's parking lot was crammed full. Somebody remarked that all of the traffic was from the Katy Perry show at the Key Arena. Soon the fighting started again with more intensity. One of the girls started yelling that she wanted to stop. The other girl stood up while picking a clump of her hair off of the ground. She walked away while repeatedly yelling, "Yeah, that's right!" to nobody in particular. As she passed me she put the clump of hair back on her head.

Seconds later an obvious panhandler approached and asked if he could ask me a question. I could only answer, "Another one?" It's no wonder why I hardly ever leave the house. The only question I could think to ask was, "I mean like people, who's fighting and what for?"

In the last week, I've heard NightraiN & Atomic Bride mentioned at least six times each in different (or the same) conversations. I figured I'd ask roughly the same questions to each band so we can all go ahead and get an idea of what is happening in the world of music today. It's insight, for free! NightraiN first:

Can you please explain to me what you're going after musically?
Rachael F: I think we're going after your mom, musically. Maybe your hot ass sister. She digs pre-programmed midis on keyboard and dancing in polyester. Aside from that I think we try to connect with our audience through driving rhythms and soul-like harmonics. Our destination is balls deep.
Selena: To express our diverse musical influences and create our own voice and unique sound which we have dubbed “Locomotive Punk” that is sort of a punk/funk/soul fusion.

• NighTraiN: "Like the cheap wine, son! Hop on it, mother fucker!"

When did NighTraiN form?
Selena: We were formed approximately 3.5 years ago for a stage production called "Hot Grits."

What are your prime musical influences?
Rachael F: Ike Turner, Parliament, ODB, The Dictators, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, ACE, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Grace Jones, Diana Ross, Cee-Lo, Dolemite, Chaka Khan and Rufus.
Selena: Glam punk like the New York Dolls, Motown, James Brown and classical jazz.
Nicole: Blues, Florence and the Machine, Kurt Cobain, Christina Aguilera, and The Wallflowers.

(MORE AFTER THE CUT)

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Me: I want to write about the song "In The Air Tonight".
Lacey Swain: The one about his wife getting raped?
Me: Huh?
Lacey Swain: That song is about his wife getting raped.
Me: HUH?

Sometimes things appear more interesting when you imagine how they may have originated. There's a rather well known urban legend that claims the 1981 Phil Collins hit "In The Air Tonight" was written about a man who witnessed another man drowning. Apparently the man didn't do anything to save the drowning man and Collins made mention of the incident with these lyrics:

Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before, my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am
Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off the grin
I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies

• I remember, don't worry.

Some tales have Collins watching the man who watched the man drown, seeing it with his own two eyes. In that case, Collins is just as guilty of not helping. The best part of the legend reveals that before the song was released, Phil Collins gave front row tickets to the man in question and sang the song directly to him. Phil Collins singled him out in front of a crowd of, you know, 5,000,000 people.

But where on earth did this story come from? Somebody invented it! Somebody somewhere just decided that this was the case and told some people who told even more people!

Phil Collins isn't really sure what the song is about himself. When asked about the legend, Collins told the BBC World Service, "I don't know what this song is about. When I was writing this I was going through a divorce. And the only thing I can say about it is that it's obviously in anger. It's the angry side, or the bitter side of a separation. So what makes it even more comical is when I hear these stories which started many years ago, particularly in America, of someone come up to me and say, 'Did you really see someone drowning?' I said, 'No, wrong'. And then every time I go back to America the story gets Chinese whispers, it gets more and more elaborate. It's so frustrating, 'cos this is one song out of all the songs probably that I've ever written that I really don't know what it's about, you know."

But what if Phil Collins maybe found the incident too traumatic to deal with, repressing the memory? That also would take care of the fact that it's the only song that he's written of which he cannot explain the origins. Also, the song "Sussudio" is about a woman in Yelm, WA who stole change from MDA collection cups on convenience store counters, eventually amassing a fortune with which she began the natural and organic food company known as Amy's Kitchen.

Jason Baxter's Underage. This week, Yellingham and BirthDIYFest.

People really like good music writing. Who knew?

• Kelly O

Like this:

Sun 10/31
THRILLER PARTY AT PLUM BISTRO
Featuring DJ T Top, Prince vs. Michael, food, and drink specials. Plum Bistro, 1429 12th Ave, 838-5333, 10 pm, free.

And this:

Sat-Sun 10/30-31
FIRST ANNUAL BIG MARIO'S HALLOWEEN PARTY AND LOOKALIKE CONTEST
"Dress up as Big Mario and win big prizes" including a $250 tab at Mario's. That's a lot of pizza. Big Mario's, 1009 E Pike St, 922-3875, free.

And this:

Sat 10/30
PROCESSION OF LOST SOULS COSTUME PARADE AND CONTEST
Show of your costume in a parade down Broadway! It starts at 7 pm at SCCC Plaza at Broadway and Pine and will head north to Republican Street. SCCC Plaza, Broadway and Pike, all ages, free more info here.

Click here to see 'em all! And if you know of even more things to do, leave the information in the comments. Hooray for choices! Hooray for Halloween! Hooray for America!

4 days and counting. Are you ready? There's some stellar costume ideas over at Drunk of the Week. Wiccans, pagans, and a shit-ton of good ideas in Questionland. Oh, and if you don't know WHERE the hell you're going, you better go read these.

• comicbookmovie.com
• Sexy Chewbacca, Stone Gropin'