The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Line Out: Mischief

Vampire Weekend Light Cars on Fire, Piss Off Car Lovers

Megan Seling — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:54:08 -0700

In their new video for the song "Diane Young," Vampire Weekend destroy a couple cars, specifically Saab 900s. The band bought the cars from two different owners, without disclosing what they were planning on doing with the vehicles, and now some car enthusiasts are pissed.

Here's the video:

Of couse material things get destroyed all the time in the name of art, and perhaps it would've been more responsible to use cars that weren't running, or just CG that shit and then give the car to someone who could really use it, but alas, that is not what happened. The cars were torched, they're gone forever, whether it was a dick move or not.

So does this make Vampire Weekend complete jerks?

Let's have a poll!

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Whatever Happened to Neanderfuck?: Mudhoney on Six Local Bands That Couldn't Last as Long as Mudhoney

Megan Seling — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:26:45 -0700

Emily Nokes
Smelly Fred of Pub Nosh

Can you believe that Mudhoney have been spewing sweat, spit, and guitar riffs for 25 fucking years? It's true! They're celebrating the occasion with a new album, Vanishing Point, and a record-release show with Unnatural Helpers and Universe People—obviously, it's going to rule.

But the music industry is a ruthless land, and you don't last a quarter of a century without witnessing a lot of ugliness along the way. Bands come and go, sometimes for the better, oftentimes for the worse, and Mudhoney have seen it all.

If the world were fair, all the great bands would manage to survive as long as Mudhoney have, but alas, sometimes the good die young. I asked the boys to tell me about a few bands they wish would have been able to stay the course into their 25th year—they responded with six forgotten Northwest greats that flew under the radar, never achieving the fame they probably deserved. Here's what they said:

Zoot Pickle and the Grudge (1988—1991): The nonstop, gender-bending, funk-fun blast from Renton. Crazy costumes, strange stage secretions? Sunk by the weight of costly operations and artistic differences.

Neanderfuck (1992—1998): The most primitive garage-punk thug band from the Northwest. They made RPA and Extreme Hate look like doily-knitting dilettantes.

Mudhoney's record release show is Saturday, March 30, at Neumos with Unnatural Helpers and Universe People. They're also playing a free, all-ages in-store at Easy Street West Seattle on Monday, April 1.

"The Jazz Age Is Bullshit," Says the SF Weekly

Anna Minard — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:08:43 -0700

Some generations are force-fed misremembered vainglory, some are led off the marbled cliffs of excess—let's take a moment to appreciate Manjula Martin's take on John Roderick's punk-failed-me screed, the exceptional parody "The Jazz Age Is Bullshit." Take it away, Martin:

My experience of my youth subculture is indicative of everyone else's experience.
I, a heterosexual white male in my 40s, really got what the Jazz Age meant. And jazz definitely meant exactly the same thing to other people as it did to me, especially people of color and women and queer folk and younger generations who came after me. I mean, come on. It's not like jazz provided a viable subculture for youth to turn to at a time when many kids were caught between eras, struggling to figure out what to keep and reject of their parents' worlds while battling the larger economic and geopolitical changes at work in the world, not to mention the common brutality of adolescence.

And it's not like flapperism did anything for women, either. I mean, an entire subset of young women doing the things boys did and wearing short hair and showing their gams without fear certainly didn't provide other young women with a vision of life beyond the oppressive gender and sexual norms of the past. I mean, people don't even wear corsets anymore, so what's even the point of the so-called flapper rebellion?

There's seriousness and silliness and it's a hell of a lot of fun. Read the whole thing!

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Long Lost Footage: The Postal Service Auditions

Megan Seling — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:15:43 -0800

The Postal Service Auditions from Ben Gibbard

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Aw Shit, We've Got Some Stone Temple Pilots Drama

Megan Seling — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:25:59 -0800

Breaking news! Stone Temple Pilots have fired Scott Weiland!

The band said, simply, via press release: "Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland."

And it turns out Weiland didn't find out about his termination until this morning, when the rest of us did. He tells Rolling Stone:

'I learned of my supposed "termination" from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press. Not sure how I can be "terminated" from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour which starts this Friday.

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Sexy Pope Gossip Playlist

Emily Nokes — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 08:34:19 -0800

When faced with POPE GOSSIP THIS HOT last night, there was nothing left to do but make a Spotify playlist. It's an hour long, but there must be so many more songs that would be perfect for the Sexy Pope Gossip Playlist! Anything missing?

"Journalist David Gibson, who wrote the latest biography on Pope Benedict, said the Pope's resignation was likely due to numerous factors, mainly revolving around the internal problems of the Vatican, of which sexual shenanigans were likely one."

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50 Cent Doesn't Believe That Rick Ross Was the Target of a Drive-By Shooting

Grant Brissey — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:06:23 -0800

Megan mentioned the alleged drive-by executed on Rick Ross a few days back, and it's getting some scrutiny:

According to the report, the shooting occurred at 5 a.m. near the intersection of Southwest 15th Avenue and East Las Olas Boulevard. Ross is reported to have heard multiple gunshots fired in his direction, lost control of his luxury car and crashed into an apartment building. There were no injuries and the suspects fled the scene; some media outlets are even reporting that the car miraculously wasn't hit by any bullets.

Upon seeing hearing that last part, 50 Cent, the pinnacle of authenticity, took to Twitter and started shooting internet-tweet bullets. It probably doesn't have anything to do with the fact that he just released a record, either.

As for Ross's Twitter activity, he "hasn't logged onto to the social networking site since the shooting but spent the better part of the night retweeting b-day messages from his flock." Twitter game got real.

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Let It Out: Seattle Music Folks Get 2012 Off Their Chests

Musicians, Radio DJs, and Bookers — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:46:00 -0800

KELLY O
DIY JUDAS PRIEST: Barely living after midnight.

Cat (THEESatisfaction): There was this show on Mars—I regret not being able to do it.

The Lonely Forest: We deeply regret trusting major label executives.

Brian Foss (Funhouse owner): I regret that I am not a millionaire, so I was unable to buy the building the Funhouse was in.

Wimps: Wimps regret to inform you that: An all-pizza diet does actually provide you with all your daily nutrients. Sometimes, venues think it's acceptable to pay a band in breakfast pastries. Motel microwaves aren't the best appliances to use when drying wet underpants. A hot dog can't actually ride a skateboard. Our next album will be all freestyle raps. In 2012, good venues closed and good people passed on—they will be missed.

Nathan Chambers (Rendezvous booker): I regret wearing "skinny jeans." That's right, Levi's 511s, I quit you. No more will I awkwardly adjust the dangly bits or struggle to take you off after a night of drinking. The holes you get only in the crotch have shamed me long enough. Your tyranny of uncomfortable cool is over. Viva la dad-washed 501s.

Joe Axler (Samothrace/Skarp): I regret looking at Facebook this morning after not having time to see the season finale of Sons of Anarchy last night. Thanks, spoiling assholes.

"House of the Rising Sun" = Karaoke Buzzkill

Grant Brissey — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:16:24 -0800

So, for years I've been all proud that the only song I can sing ka-rakaroke style is "House of the Rising Sun," as rendered in 1964 by Eric Burdon's the Animals. (The song is a traditional number whose "origins are believed to date back to the 17th century" and has been reinterpreted by many over the years.) But lately, I've been clueing in that this number is not the best route to take in a party-zone/horrible-singing bonanza. The reasons are at least two-fold:

1) The lyrics! Like those of many old folk/blues standards that proliferated in the American South (ever heard the Leadbelly version of "In the Pines," which you likely know from Kurt Cobain?), are a TOTAL BUMMER. Various accounts carry that "Sun" is about "the life of ruin following exposure to an opium den," but I've always thought of it as a tale of a traveling salesman father and a prostitute mother. Either way, the first known recording of the song is downright eerie:

2) The instrumental breaks! Despite how people might repsond when you belt out the first few lines of "Sun," there comes the inevitable instrumental break. They come often in the song, and they are not short. These parts wash over the party-ready crowd like a net of frowns. Worse, you don't know what the fuck to do with yourself when they're plodding along. It'd be one thing if the crowd were screaming for you, but at this point they're already kind of wondering why the hell you've chosen this song. You might as well have chosen "The End" and wished everyone a depressing walk home. Fuck off, guy!

Conclusion: Obviously, the only songs I'm ever singing at karaoke again are "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," the Seeds' "Pushin' Too Hard," or the Sonics' "Have Love, Will Travel."

*Note to all karaoke sound-system providers: Get some dang reverb on your setup or GTFO.

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Re: Eighteen Individual Eyes Bonus Marion Barry Crack Smoking Question

Trent Moorman — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:26:34 -0700

foodista.com

Eighteen Individual Eyes’ bassist Samantha Wood and drummer Andy King have chimed in on this interview. Plus a special Marion Barry crack smoking question.

18.5 What do you have to say about the 1989 incident involving Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry who was caught on video smoking crack in a Ramada Inn? In ’94, they re-elected him. In 2002 they found traces of coke and weed in his car. And re-elected him. Then I think they caught him doing cocaine again, and made a wax statue of him. He could literally smoke crack and win elections.

Samantha Wood: The part that really gets me is the wax statue.

8. What is a unique habit or talent you have?

Andy King: I can identify just about any aircraft, not joking.

9. Do you like regular shrimp?

SW: I draw the line at cocktail shrimp. They're creepy.

10. What is your favorite song of all time?

SW: "Golden Slumbers" by the Beatles. My mum would sing a soft, mellow version of the chorus to me as a lullaby when I was a baby. That song, and the Beatles, have been with me my entire life.

AK: NIN, “Love is not Enough.”

11. What is the first music you ever purchased in your life?

AK: Rush, Roll The Bones.

SW: Pretty sure it was Nirvana.

12. Pick up whatever book you’re reading right now, open it to a random page, and read a sentence from that page.

SW: "For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation." - Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke.

14. Talk about mayonnaise.

SW: I read something recently that suggested filling an empty mayonnaise jar with vanilla pudding, and then walking around town eating it.

18. If you were a dessert, what would you be?

SW: Earl Grey ice cream with fresh peaches on top.

AK: Apple pie.

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Hey, Happy Halloween From Good To Die Records!

Kelly O — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:30:09 -0700

One of may favorite-ist local labels made a lil' video in honor of Hallow's Eve.
I love the song—"It's Bad" by Absolute Monarchs. Halloween ain't nothin' but "good" bad.

The idea for Best Saturday Ever was conceived by Good to Die Productions mainman Jerry Howard, and was shot and edited by Wes Johnson. Though not an official music video, Best Saturday Ever also features "It's Bad" by Good to Die Records band Absolute Monarchs. Debut album "1" is available now on LP/CD/Digital.

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Don't Let the Trashies Steal Your Bike

Kelly O — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:27:07 -0700

(Funhouse) Seattle trash punks the Trashies have a song called "Steal Your Bike." Recently, much to the dismay of bassist Andrew Sullivan (aka Billy Goat Trash), the song hit a little too close to home. "I caught a man in the act of stealing my bike at Bartell Drugs at the Harvard Market. The thief was riding away, when I caught him from behind, and got my bike back." The Trashies are exactly the sort of band that will chase you down and knock you off a stolen bicycle. That's what makes them so good. Don't miss this last opportunity to see them in Seattle's trashiest and best (and about to close its doors) punk club, the Funhouse.

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Time for Another White Hot Friday Night Line Out Giveaway!!!

Anna Minard — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:24:55 -0700

Woohoo! We were not actually kidding last week when we sort of implied that this might be a regular thing, where we go through our purses/desks/shorts pockets on Friday night and find you cool treasures, then ask you a dumb question so you can WIN THE PRIZE!!! Dedicated to you Line Outers who work late at a desk on Friday nights, or who read the blog on the weekend. Go you!

Also, a bit of Housekeeping: Hey there, last week's winner, carnivorous chicken, wanna contact us to pick up your stuff? Just like Santa, we love giving you free stuff, if you sit on our laps and stay on your very best behavior! Those fries aren't gonna eat themselves!

This week's prize package only contains two items, but one of them is HOT HOT HOT enough to put behind a jump, because BOOBZ. You're welcome! The prize package contains:

ONE (1) pack of glue-on fake nails, French Manicure-style. Oooh, classy! Says music editor Emily Nokes, "Those nails have touched Gary Smith's torso." It's true!

and ONE (1) very special, Spanish-language, lesbian edition card game called, appropriately, "¡SEXO!"

Redeem your prize by leaving the answer to this question, which honors our spirit animal Alanis Morissette, in comments (we'll alert the winner here in comments on Monday, when we sober up again):

What fellow '90s icons played guitar and bass on Alanis Morissette's best-karaoke-song-ever hit "You Oughta Know"?

PRIZE PACKAGE PIC...

GILLIAN ANDERSON
WHITE HOT! Win it!

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Today's Music News: Sex, Streams, and Songs

Pamela Sternin — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:32:56 -0700

Throwing Down on the Puget Sound: Seattle rap artist, Raz drops his new video "Brave" with some North West flavah. Give the man some props, yo.

Gay Paris!: Do you like music? Do you like bagguettes and berrets? Do you wanna go to Paris? Then enter to win tickets and more to Pitchfork Music Festival Paris! Entries accepted until October 12th.

Discount Grind: Metal label, Earache is offering an 8GB USB stick stocked with almost 2,000 songs from their back catalog for only $160. Let the good times roll!

When Forever Comes Crashing: Good deals aplenty today! You can stream Converge's new album, All We Love We Leave Behind for free right here.

Try This At Home: Watch as this Rube Goldberg machine answers the age old question: How many people does it take to turn on a television?

Sexy Hulkster: Here's a drinking game: Every time Hulk Hogan mentions "Nick" or complains of a full belly in this edited sex flick, you knock one back. By the way, You're awesome.

Obama and Romney Get Their Song On: While you were hurling obscenities and empty beer cans at the televised presidential debates last night, the Gregory Brothers were busy compiling those soapbox statements into an auto-tuned visual orchestra.

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Hot Hot Friday Night Line Out Giveaway!

Anna Minard — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:09:44 -0700

This is the inaugural edition of the "Fuck, It's Late, We're Bored, Everybody Left in the Office Donate One Thing to This Pile" Line Out trivia contest! This goes out to you, people who work late on Fridays (we're sorry!) and people who read Line Out on the weekend (that's dedication!).

Trivia Question: What song did Negative Approach's John Brannon sing at karaoke in New Orleans last June?

One lucky winner will receive:

KELLY O
FREE! FREE! FREE! Enter now!

· A signed* copy of Wilson Phillips's newest album, Dedicated!
· One Caffé Vita gift card with "like, a dollar" on it!
· One WINNING Lucky Kelly O™ Scratch ticket (value: $1)!
· A McDonald's Monopoly sticker thing for a FREE medium fries!
· A coupon for a free 7-Eleven brand bag of chips!

Leave your answer and/or dumb jokes in the comments! Winner will be chosen at random and notified in the comments, and can pick up the prize package at our offices. IT'S FRIDAY! HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND! GOOD NIGHT!

*by "Dave Coulier"

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Willie Nelson at the Puyallup Fair

Trent Moorman — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 11:02:46 -0700

J. Dixon

This past Friday, the great and mythical Willie Nelson played the Puyallup Fair. The show was on the heels of an August scare, where the 79-year-old Nelson was hospitalized for breathing problems. He was supposed to appear at an animal shelter fundraiser in Denver, CO but had to cancel when he woke up with breathing complications due to high altitude and emphysema. Line Out correspondent Josh Dixon was at the Puyallup show, and made the following observations:

- The grandstands were full of happy fans in cowboy hats. More cowboys, cowgirls, and state fair goers were in the dirt in front of the stage for a more intimate Willie experience.

- Willie and his family band looked good and played well. Although they've been on the road forever, the show wasn't a predictable medley of worn out tunes. Instead, it was a great take on a wonderful catalog of classics that span six decades.

- Willie can play guitar with the best of ‘em. Soloing and picking sublimely, making a sound that only he and his guitar Trigger can produce.

- Toward the end of the show, Willie played "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die." (The studio version FEATURES SNOOP DOGG —Trent). The rodeo ring smelled of reefer and I heard a bull rider in Wranglers and a Stetson laugh and say, "Wish I had some."

- There were fireworks and the harvest moon lit up the night sky as Willie thanked the crowd and signed anything passed his way. I walked out of the rodeo into the fairground and found a corndog. Willie’s bus was soon gone and he was... on the road again.

J. Dixon
Jumbotron

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Feeding People - Island Universe EP

Sean Jewell — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:40:11 -0700

This week, prodigious LA psych-rock outfit, Feeding People released a five song EP that is better than most albums. The EP is called Island Universe, and is their first since signing with Innovative Leisure Records. Their previous effort "Peace, Victory, and The Devil" was released on Burger Records on LP and cassette, and was an album so good that I lied to my girlfriend about how much time I was spending with it.

Feeding People have been playing every festival and psych rock gathering from LA to Austin the last year, and somehow also found the time to fit in a recording session at Johnny Bell's (yeah, Crystal Antler's Johnny Bell) new home studio. While the fulcrum of Feeding People's music has always been the concussive resonance of lead singer Jessi Jone's achingly beautiful voice, the likes of which hasn't been heard since 60,000,000 Buffalo's Judy Roderick (but which every music writer from Seattle to Austin will say sounds like Grace Slick or Janis Joplin, you get the point), what's special about this new EP is the evidence of especially siginificant growth from the band altogether. Two of the tracks on the EP are instrumental, yet do not suffer whatsoever without the vocals, and I'd say even add the the solidarity of the effort.

Like a good record geek, the B-side is already my favorite, it's called "Silent Violent" and plays like a medley of the last 60 years of music condensed into four minutes and six seconds. It showcases the abilities of the band, from Jessi's delicate, indoor volume, folk songstress voice all the way up to her batshit crazy, "you'll never make it out of this mushroom overdose" banshee wail. The band beats behind her with a force that makes your primal urges stand on end and will likely have that dead animal inside your heart jumping out of its stupid human skin. Then, just when you think you know them, the whole song breaks down into a honky-tonk outro that proclaims, if nothing else, that these kids have been studying hard.

I'd love to drop a clip on you, but Feeding People have gone the way of the ancients they so well represent and made their EP available via vinyl directly from Innovative Leisure or for purchase on that "iTunes" the kids are using. You'll have to dig in the digital record crates yourself to get a listen, or wait until early 2013 to get the whole album. If you don't have time for all that, atleast give their track Big Mother below to get your priorities straight:

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Central District Watch

Emily Nokes — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:17:11 -0700

A shopping scooter (or "Mart-Cart") apparently escaped from a Central District grocery store last night before running out of batteries three blocks away. It was later spotted on the other side of the street looking forlorn. Hope you make it home lil' buddy!

Now I'm free to see the world!

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Mountainss Invade the Capitol Hill Block Party (In Their Underpants!)

Megan Seling — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:35:31 -0700

Just minutes ago Seattle band Mountainss rolled up outside one of the Block Party exits on 11th Ave and confused/shocked/entertained/enthralled onlookers with their maze of experimental/nutso/math rock. A small circle of people grew into dozens, then maybe hundreds? Or at least a hundred. Bubbles were blown, beach balls were thrown, and jaws were dropped.

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Major Lazer : "Diplo" and Other Drugs

Sean Jewell — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 12:18:44 -0700

Seattle was treated to the whole Major Lazer experience Saturday night. Diplo and crew took the Main Stage in a perfect time slot following Aesop Rock’s set that had people crammed into Pike Street like fish on ice. At first I began to think that maybe Major Lazer was not ready for Seattle, as the signature drops just weren’t resonating with the body-shaking volume they should’ve been, but about four songs in it seemed the DJs found the volume knob and turned it up to overwhelming.

Part of the appeal of Major Lazer’s dancehall on DMT shtick is the constant oscillation of glitched-out squeals tensely building to bumping bass drops, which they delivered that time and time and time again for an hour and a half (dudes, you don’t need to yell at Diplo to “Drop the Beat!”; he knows what to do). The other part is the stage show; ML’s musical fantasy world entails several gimmicks to get the crowd “free,” including calling for the crowd to disrobe (and disrobing themselves), fly girl dancers, confetti, a hypeman, and of course, lazers.

Whitman Dewey-Smith
Dancehall on DMT

The whole reggaeton troop ran through mixes of Major Lazer numbers, while the crowd, primed by Seattle sunshine and a whole day of Capitol Hill Beer Garden chicanery, absolutely lost their shit. There was a constant flow in the crowd of people escaping, pushing forward, jumping, dancing, and otherwise acting a fool. (overheard: "Anyone got weed?" "Anyone got molly?" and "Sorry for acting like a complete fucking douchebag!")

The air turned to weed smoke, and everyone (following Diplo’s demands) was shirts off and slick with sweat. Some playfully anarchistic apartment dwellers above the crowd used super squirters and buckets to drench the under-21 side of the street, so the hypeman worked that into the show, too, commanding showers of water to be timed with the bass drops.

Whitman Dewey-Smith
Major Lazer

The best moment of the night, however, was not the shirtless girls from the crowd called to dance on stage, or the lucky male member called up to lay down on stage so that the Major Lazer dancing ladies could express themselves all over his face, but the expertly placed MCA tribute near the end of the set that got everyone rapping along to the Beastie Boys' "Intergalactic." It was then, while enjoying the marijuana and molly mix of electronic meets dancehall, I got a little lump in my throat watching all the Capitol Hill Block Party people bounce in unison, like one huge, sweaty, drunk, dancing organism.

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The Capitol Hill Block Party Is Haunted

Megan Seling — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 18:00:19 -0700

Watch out for ghosts!

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Come Drink With Us at the Cha Cha! TONIGHT!

Megan Seling — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:48:29 -0700

As reported early, this week is the Vera Project's annual Drink for the Kids event!

And tonight, the Stranger is co-hosting the good times at the Cha Cha! Also hosting? ggnzla karaoke! Dude.

When you go to the designated bar during A Drink for the Kids, 100% of the proceeds from Ninkasi beer and Fremont Mischief Liquor go directly to the Vera Project. And! You can also come down, drink whatever the hell you want, and they will have donation buckets for you to drunkenly throw your money into.

My promise to you: YOU WILL NOT HAVE A BAD TIME. So come drink with us tonight! It starts at 7 pm.

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Where to Party for Pride 2012

Megan Seling — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:11:49 -0700

Kelly O

Heading out to celebrate Pride week? Well we have a giant list of all the places you can party starting tonight!

Going all weekend:

The Second Annual Gay Pride Hill Climb
Make your way up Olive Way all weekend long by stopping at participating bars Tommy Gun, the Crescent, Bleu Bistro's Grotto, C.C. Attle's, the Elite, and the Social. Through Sunday. Tommy Gun, 1703 E Olive Way, 323-GUNN; the Crescent, 1413 E Olive Way, 659-4476; C.C. Attle's, 1701 E Olive Way, 726-0565; Bleu Bistro's Grotto, 1801 E Olive Way, 329-3087; the Elite, 1520 E Olive Way, 860-0999; the Social, 1725 E Olive Way, thesocialseattle.com.

Pride at Pony
The party lasts three days with performances by Ade, DJ Pavone, DJ Porq, Ms. Pony Drag competition, and a beer garden that goes all weekend long. See more information at facebook.com/ponyseattle. Pony, 1221 E Madison St, ponyseattle.com, no cover.

Friday

Wildrose Pride
With DJs Mathematix, Amateur Youth, Joy, B'More Free, a wet T-shirt contest, Raine Supreme, and many more. $2 off with a June 22 Storm ticket stub. Wildrose, 1021 E Pike St, thewildrosebar.com, 6 pm–2 am.

Sixth Annual Gay Pride Hot Dog Blessing
This year's Hot Dog Blessing will be bestowed by Kris Hermanns, executive director of Pride Foundation. Party starts at 8 pm, with the blessing at 10 pm. Free hot dogs and drink specials all night! BottleNeck Lounge, 2328 E Madison St, bottlenecklounge.com, 8 pm, no cover.

Absolut Underwear Party
With drink specials and "giveaways for boys in underwear." The Lobby, 916 E Pike St, thelobbyseattle.com, 9 pm, no cover.

Saturday

Capitol Hill Pride 2012
With music, guest speakers, and over 100 food and information booths. There will be performances and appearances by Mark Mom Finley, DJ novaTRON, the Unibroz, and many more. Plus: a doggie drag costume contest! On Broadway, between Denny and Harrison St, capitolhillpridefestival.info, 11 am, free, all ages.

Red Men's Party
With DJ Phil B and DJ Brian Gorr. Twenty percent of ticket cost will be donated to Washington United for Marriage. VIP passes are available. Neumos, 925 E Pike St, neumos.com, 9 pm, $25 adv.

Red Women's Party
With DJ Tina T, Roy G. Biv, and Mr. Charming. Twenty percent of ticket cost will be donated to Washington United for Marriage. VIP passes are available. Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St, 625-4444, 10 pm, $20 adv.

Wildrose Pride
With performances by Imperial Teen, Fly Moon Royalty, Hoot 'n' Howl, Noddy, the Redwood Plan, DJ Damaged Goods, DJ Riz, DJ El Toro, and many more. And! Games, beer pong, and happy hour from 2–4 pm. Wildrose, 1021 E Pike, thewildrosebar.com, 1 pm.

Sunday

Seattle Pride Parade
The 38th annual Pride Parade will start at Fourth Ave and Union St at 11 am and travel north toward Denny Way. Festivities continue at the Seattle Center. This year's theme is The Many Faces of Pride. Fourth Ave and Union St, seattlepride.org, 11 am, free, all ages.

Seattle PrideFest
With live music, DJs, food, performances, and more. Speakers and performers include DJ Kid Amiga, DJ Skiddle, Vockah Redu & the Cru, the Fascination Movement, Comeback DJs, and many more. See the full schedule at seattlepridefest.org. Seattle Center, seattlepridefest.org, noon, free, all ages.

The 2012 KEXP Pride Party
With music from KEXP DJs (El Toro, Riz, Larry Rose, and Mel), a beer garden, and pig roasts (with all the fixings). Tilikum Place Park, Fifth Ave and Denny Way, 11 am, free to get in/$15 to eat, 21+.

Pride at the Cha Cha
With Glitterbang, Fabulous Downey Brothers, and Artstar Charlatan. All bar proceeds will be donated to Music for Marriage Equality, with donations also taken at the door. Plus: happy hour all night! Cha Cha Lounge, 1013 E Pike St, 9 pm, by donation.

And that's not all! See everything here.

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You Can Grow Ideas In The Garden Of Your Mind

Kelly O — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:51:12 -0700

I will never forgive my 8-year old self for writing Mr. Rogers that nasty piece of hate mail. When he personally wrote back, my mom read the letter with me, and told me, "I'd never get anywhere in life by being a mean little girl."

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Stuff the Jubilee

Dean Fawkes — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:04:14 -0700

But Grace Jones, now 64 years-old, with a hula-hoop and one of the most ground-shifting pop singles of the entire 1980s, proves that she's the one that should've been celebrated all weekend-long.

A friend writes, "This is in the running to be the greatest performance I've ever seen — especially with the Happy Birthday non-sequitur/error at the end."

Bonus: aging, domestic, Royalist audience, staring back at everything, confused.

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What's the First Record That You Shoplifted?

Derek Erdman — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:19:35 -0700

Most mornings I spring out of bed with the bass line from the Dead Milkmen's "Serrated Edge" going through my head. Today was different though; I woke up to the intro of Hüsker Dü's "Friend, You've Got to Fall," for whatever reason. I was compelled to dig that record out and listen to it, when I remembered it was the first piece of music that I shoplifted.

I'd guess there are some people who've never stolen a thing in their life. Is it common practice as an early teen to go though a phase of theft? Stealing from friends is certainly a total bummer, but is shoplifting a recognized rite of passage?

I remember stealing the copy of Hüsker Dü's Warehouse: Songs and Stories. I found myself in one of those mostly tapes music shops of the late 1980s, I think it was called Tape World or maybe Tape Land. It was at Great Northern Mall in North Olmstead, Ohio. I was into skateboarding and girls and I think I was with my friend Tony. The copy that I stole was in a cassette anti-theft plastic keeper, but Tony assured me that we could tear it apart when we were outside. I jammed it into my shirt and we bolted out of the door.

Aside for that, I took a handful of Jam singles from a record store in Kent, Ohio. Also, there was a Fall 7" box set that I took from a record store in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by a really grumpy old guy who would yell at customers almost all of the time. I guess I took that out of spite.

Now I'm feeling pretty awful for contributing in my small way to the collapse of the music industry. What was the first piece of music that you shoplifted?

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Drunk Tanks, Enlarged Prostates, and Homosexual Necrophilia: An Interview with Greer McGettrick of the Mallard (After Her First Night in Jail)

Grant Brissey — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:59:22 -0700

LUIS WOLF
Greer McGettrick Trash-can abuser.

Greer McGettrick is the Mallard, and whether she's playing alone or with her backing band—currently Dylan Tidyman-Jones ("Boy Dylan") on drums/keys/vocals and Dylan Edrich ("Girl Dylan") on bass/guitar—the vibe is woozy, hallucinogenic garage rock that sounds like it was recorded from the basement through the heat vent in the upstairs kitchen. In other words, they're your new favorite band to listen to while getting drunk. The Stranger spoke with McGettrick the day after she had a minor mix-up with the San Francisco Police Department. Here's what she said on no sleep for about 36 hours.

Towards an Apologia for Jimmy Buffett, Part 2

Brendan Kiley — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:28:18 -0700

As I posted yesterday, I'm slowly trying to make sense of Jimmy Buffett's twenty-six studio albums, eleven live albums, sixty-seven singles, and long-ass career. I believe there is more to this man—who cites Mark Twain as his artistic polestar—than wet-brained "parrotheads" on one side and people who are too cool for him on the other.

I'll admit right up front that my affection for the high points of his career (and my strong revulsion for his low points) is personal. I am, in fact, the son of a sailor. My father-sailor's job took him (and my mother, brother, sister, and me) back and forth across the country, on weeks-long trips during which Jimmy Buffett tapes were on heavy rotation. For better or for worse, they're drilled into my brain.

And I have spent serious chunks of time (as a kid and as an adult) in the Caribbean and Latin America, in some of the places he sings about. And, per my experience, he gets them right more often than not. He nails their syncretism, their loosey-goosey relationship to the law, their multiculturalism, and the tension between the local communities and the expatriates, whether they come from North America, Africa, Europe, or Asia. ("Tampico Trauma," "African Friend," and "Twelve-Volt Man" are good examples of these themes, but I can't find good videos of them to post here.) He always sings from his perspective as a white guy, but is not blind to the experiences and perspectives of the people around him who are not like him. He is a pop-anthropologist of a sort.

Would it surprise you to learn that I did a brief stint in grad school at the University of Chicago studying anthropology, and won a research grant to hang out with North African immigrants living on the Mediterranean coast of Spain? And that my main interest was the mechanics of smuggling themselves from Africa to Spain on homemade boats? And that, viewed through the childhood Buffett-saturated lens, that makes perversely perfect sense? And that I quit that money-padded world to become a dirtbag journalist because that seemed like the more fun, more romantic path?

Anyway.

Most of all, many, many of Buffett's lyrics resonate with my experience growing up—living on the Gulf Coast, living in the South, and standing on the docks as a kid with other families to greet our dads as they came home from months away at sea. (I have an extremely vivid memory of standing on one of those docks as a boy, with my mother brother and sister and all the other sailors' families, watching my father's boat come in while it was blasting Jimmy Buffett's "One Particular Harbor"—which is about sailing, homecoming, and death, and has a Tahitian chant for its chorus—over the boat's loudspeakers. It sounds goofy, but it was a stark and emotional moment in my childhood memory. It still makes me a little misty when I think about it.)

Here is one song whose opening lyrics could be the opening lines to my autobiography:

I was supposed to have been a Jesuit priest or a Naval Academy grad.
That was way that my parents perceived me, those were the plans that they had.
But I couldn't get the part—too dumb or too smart—ain't it funny how we all turned out?
I guess we are the people our parents warned us about.

I apologize for the photos in the video—like Ani DiFranco and Tori Amos, Buffett is a musician whose fans are sometimes their worst enemies.

So. My interest in the Buffett canon is clearly tainted by childhood memories and silly personal stuff. But I still think his songwriting career includes moments that are worthwhile to people who aren't "parrotheads" and aren't me.

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Towards an Apologia for Jimmy Buffett

Brendan Kiley — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:46:05 -0700

Writing a convincing apologia of the Buffett canon has been a years-long goal of mine. I keep putting it off because it won't be easy. Those twenty-six studio albums, eleven live albums, sixty-seven singles, and long-ass career include some serious flaws, absurd mawkishness, and spectacular errors in judgement.

Not to mention that, for some people, the man is morally problematic: romanticizing the early Caribbean drug trade, being ejected from basketball games for "cursing" too loudly, being detained in France for maybe/allegedly carrying a bunch of ecstasy, and playing high-paying mercenary gigs for corporate CEOs. Plus the chain restaurants. Plus the books. Plus the whole Margaritaville-merch insanity. But when the going gets tacky, the tacky get rich. For me, all of this only ups his self-proclaimed "pirate" cred. Pirates are mercenary by definition.

But that's not the point. The point is looking across that long-ass discography and seeing its (often obscure) highs as well as its (gaudy and public) lows.

Take "Havana Daydreaming," for example, a record that Robert Christgau (of all people) gave a B.

I have no idea why the YouTube video for the song is all about Hemingway. Hemingway spent time in Havana, but the song doesn't have anything to do with him:

As Christgau wrote about this album:

Undeniably, this romantic individualist has staked out his surf; perhaps it is because his utopian sunland is Florida (rooted in the South) rather than California (headed toward the Orient) that his songs are so adult, skeptical, and closely observed. He doesn't sentimentalize in any obvious sense—the outsiders he sings about (including himself) are neither pitiable victims nor heirs of unacknowledged privilege.

There's more to the man than wet-brained "parrotheads" and the sneering and bile of the cool kids who loathe him.

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