So Long and Good Night

Hope you enjoyed the blog, I'm starting to get pretty busy with moving, school, ect. so I don't have the time or will to keep this up.  Sorry.

Whatever It Takes

The thought of moving to a new city and going back to school has really made me think about what it is I want to do with the rest of my life and I think I’ve finally settled on something, I want to be a writier for Degrassi: The Next Generation.  Well, not really, I mean why spend 80 grand on law school just to move to Canada and write for a teen drama but, I watched an episode today, the one where Ashley takes extacy at her 7th grade slumber party, and I realized how much fun it must be to write for this show.  Having to think up new problems for the characters each week and subsequently solve these problems within the 30 min. episode.  Think about it, in the course of 6 or 7 seasons they’ve dealt with child molestation, rape, drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, coming out, STD’s, unplanned pregnancy, mental illness and on and on.  If this were a real school these kids would be seriously fucked up but, of course, they manage to find resolution at the end of every episode.  I’m kind of embarressed to admit that I watch a show that is marketed to Canadian teens but it is just so good.  Also, I love all the random 80s references, example, the title of each episode is a song from the 80s, When Doves Cry, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, ect.  They really perfected teen angst back in the 80s and I think its a pretty clever way to reference the time period in each episode.  So, fuck law school, I’m moving to Toronto to work on Degrassi.

Yay! A New Post!

Sorry it has taken me so long to write a new post, I’ve been too busy being fabulous.  Just kidding.  I hadn’t written one in a while because I didn’t really think all 5 of my readers would care too much.  Anyway, on to business.

I think I’ve decided to get a new haircut.  A person can only walk around looking like the 5th member of Fall Out Boy for so long.  I really want to just shave it all off but, I’m not sure if that is a good idea.  I’m going to have to come up with some stuff and then see what Will (my hairdresser) thinks.  If you live in New York and are looking for a good salon/hairdresser, seriously, go to Will at Whistle.  Amazing haircuts, friendly staff, celebrity clientele.  They are the best kept secret in the city.

I started listening to Joy Division’s Closer album for the first time in like 2 years and I suddenly remembered how great this album is.  My favorite song on it is easily Decades, I could listen to it on repeat for like 6 hours I like it so much.  The whole album just makes me want to start a band with some random German name (maybe Sprokets!) where I stand around wearing sunglasses and pushing buttons on a synth.  Yeah, that would be really lame but so cool at the same time.

I haven’t really been doing much since I got back from Canada.  I went to Memphis, TN to visit some friends.  It was fun but, they have all these dogs that bark incessantly and jump around and shed.  If I had a dog it would have to be a quiet one because all that barking drove me crazy.  We went to Tunica MS one night, which is a town south of Memphis where there gambling is legal.  It’s like a redneck version of Las Vegas.  I played blackjack and lost, as always. 

Yeah, so big news, I’m moving to Chicago in like 2 months.  I got into law school there, I start in August.  I guess my stupid clubkid days are numbered, no Joan Rivers Show for me.  I suppose this is a good thing.  I need to grow up some.  One of the best things about Chicago is how friggin’ cheap it is.  I can afford to get my own apartment, and not even a studio, a full one-bedroom for like $800 a month.  How great is that.  I’m so excited to not have to deal with dumb roommates anymore.  I’m excited about law school too, it is very reassuring to know that as long as I do well in school, I’ll never have to worry about money again.  Holla!!!

That’s about it.  If you are going/want to go to South by Southwest let me know.  I’m not going myself but can get you listed for certain shows if you want.  The Urb party on saturday with Gang of Four sounds pretty freakin great, I’d go to that if I were there.  Plus loads of house parties and stuff.  E-mail me if you want me to get you listed for any of that crap.

Je Suis Désolé

I think this is so random but, Madonna has signed up to play the Coachella Music Festival in Palm Springs this year.  Coachella is great but, she just seems a little too big for a festival.  The press release is below:

Madonna appearing at Coachella

Madonna has joined this year’s line-up for the seventh annual COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA (Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30). Look for Madonna Sunday in the Sahara dance tent with a performance that comes prior to the launch of her summer concert tour. This announcement comes on the heels of the recent line-up additions of Massive Attack and Daft Punk.

“I’ve never performed at a festival”, says Madonna, “and I’m especially excited about playing at Coachella before I start my own tour.”

Tickets for the 2006 COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL can be purchased via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 and at all Ticketmaster retail ticket centers or at www.ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets are priced at $85.00 for a one-day ticket and $165.00 for two-day pass, plus applicable service charges and a $1 donation per day for charity. In addition, camping passes are still available at $35 for a three-night stay (Friday, April 28 at 3:00 PM through Monday, May 1 at 10:00 AM). The campground facilities include a general store, food court, restrooms, showers and shade areas. The COACHELLA campground is conveniently located adjacent to the festival grounds and campers may park in a special camping parking lot next to the campground. Parking is included with the price of each camping ticket. In the COACHELLA festival tradition, there is free parking and the doors to the venue will open at 11:00 AM on both days. Parking lots and the box office open at 9:00 AM.

For information about nearby hotels, camping facilities, restaurants and more, check out www.coachella.com.

The COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL line-up (as of 2/23/2006) is as follows:

Saturday, April 29th Depeche Mode, Daft Punk (in the dance tent), Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Common, Atmosphere, Carl Cox, My Morning Jacket, TV on the Radio, Ladytron, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Tosca, Cat Power, Animal Collective, HARD-Fi, Derrick Carter, Devendra Banhart, She Wants Revenge, The Walkmen, The Juan Maclean, Imogen Heap, Audio Bullys, Lady Sovereign, Deerhoof, The Duke Spirit, Eagles of Death Metal, Lyrics Born, Matt Costa, The New Amsterdams, The Zutons, Platinum Pied Pipers, White Rose Movement, Chris Liberator, Colette, Joey Beltram, Hybrid, Living Things, Wolfmother, The Like, Nine Black Alps, Celebration, The Section Quartet, Shy FX & T Power, Infusion.

Sunday, April 30th Tool, Massive Attack, Madonna (in the dance tent), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Paul Oakenfold, Scissor Sisters, Matisyahu, James Blunt, Sleater-Kinney, Mogwai, Coheed and Cambria, Wolf Parade, Gnarls Barkley, Phoenix, Coldcut, Digable Planets, Amadou & Mariam, Louie Vega, Mylo (DJ Set), Seu Jorge, Ted Leo / Pharmacists , The Go! Team, Kaskade, Metric, Editors, Art Brut, Dungen, The Dears, Jamie Lidell, The Magic Numbers, Los Amigos Invisibles, Jazzanova, stellastarr*, Michael Mayer, Murs featuring 9th Wonder, Mates of State, Gilles Peterson, Infadels, Gabriel & Dresden, The Subways, Minus the Bear, OneRepublic, Be Your Own Pet, Youth Group, Giant Drag, Kristina Sky, The Octopus Project.

For more information on Coachella, please contact: MSO: 818-380-0400

Not That Much Of A Junkie

Pete Doherty was arrested yet again in London today.  This time it was not only for  class-A drug possesion but also for car theft.  This occured just recently after Mr Doherty recieved 12 months of community service for 2 previous drug possesion arrests.  Pete’s band, Babyshambles, postponed several shows that had been scheduled for the next few months.  At this point, there is a better chance that a Babyshambles concert won’t occur than it will, such a waste.  The best part is that when asked about the arrest by the news media, Doherty insisted that he plans to clean up his act and reassured them that he wasn’t that much of a junkie. 

Washington, DC: The New Murray Hill

A recent Bloomberg.com article suggested that Washington, DC has undergone somewhat of a makeover and now has many of the same characteristics that make Manhattan “glitzy” (whatever that means).  This could not be any further from the truth.  I was unfortunately forced to live in the shit-hole of a town that is DC for a year and a half and I can safely say that the only part of Manhattan that is remotely like DC is Murray Hill.  Bland looking yuppies in suits they bought at Men’s Warehouse? check; Bad restaurants that are only one step above strip-mall staples like TGI Fridays? check; Annoying 30-something parents and their more annoying children? check; Republicans? check!

Montréal Gorgeousness

I decided to bring my camera along with me today on what is Day 7 of my near month-long winter holiday in Montréal.  The city is quite remarkable and while it lacks in the architectual beauty of somewhere like Rome it definitely makes up for it with loads of quaint bohemian nooks tucked throughout the city. 

I sublet an apartment for the month of February in the Mile End district of Montréal, just off Boul. St-Laurent.  It can be classified as “up-and-coming” and I think it is best equated to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in terms of look and feel.  The buildings are all industrial and working class structures from the 1970’s, large utilitarian and box-like.  One added touch is that most of them are covered with really great grafitti. The neighborhood is a mix of working-class (mexican groceries, small dimly lit dive bars) and urban renewal (art spaces, trendy shops, cafes).  One thing I’ve noticed that differs this neighborhood from its US counterparts like Williamsburg, Echo Park or Bucktown is a lack of any real crime.  While Montréal  assuredly has its problems with poverty there is no sense of crime or fear for one’s safety while in Montréal.  The last time I noticed this in a city was while I was living in Madrid.  One could walk about the poorest neighborhoods of Madrid without any real sense of danger.  I think there is an inherent aggresion that exists in the US and when venturing to other 1st world countries the lack of this aggresion is definitely noticeable. 

For the uninformed visitor, I imagine Montréal would be somewhat of a disappointment.  The city lacks a real architectual beauty and there are almost no outright tourist attractions however, if one is willing to invest a little more time or effort into the city a multitude of quaint, bohemian gems can be found.  Places like Café Esperanza on St-Laurent (@ St-Viateur) are to me the reason to come to Montréal.  Café Esperanza is a small café and vegetarian restaurant in Mile End.  It is decidely kitsch, filled with lots of mismatched furniture from the 1950’s.  It looks as if it were an exact replica of the café in Amelie.  It is quiet,  has decent, inexpensive food, and great background music (when I was there this afternoon they were playing a Velvet Underground record).  The crowd is pretty great too, McGill students, local artists, ect.  I go there almost everyday, get a café au lait and read (currently Watership Down, it’s great).  Along this strip of St-Laurent there are also a number of art gallery/clothing stores.  I especially like the one pictured below. It has no name nor does it post any type of hours and while I walk by it everyday, I have never seen it open.  

While this place never seems to be open, one thing Montréal does not lack is great vintage stores.  You can find the same indie rock tees and mod dresses you’d find at Screaming Mimi’s but for a quarter of the price.  I’ve seriously considered buying a ton of stuff and selling to places back in New York, think of the profit you could make.  One of the best places I’ve found so far is a place on Ave du Mont Royal (@ Rue Bullion) called Meow.  While it lacks in stuff for girls, it has tons of great guy stuff, vintage tees, legit vintage indie rock buttons, cool sunglasses from the 80s, ect.  Plus, the staff are super friendly and will help you find that specific item for which you are looking.  I spent like 2 hours in this place recently and left with a Pixies t-shirt, four or five little buttons, a pair of 80s sunglasses, an old gold-plated watch…well you get the point. 

Meow is located in the heart of Plateau-Mont Royal.  This neighborhood is located directly to the south and east of Mile End and is a little more developed than its northwesterly neighbor.  I would equate it to maybe SoHo or the Village.  The two main drags of the Plateau are St-Laurent and St-Denis.  When I first came to Montréal in December I stayed at a great hotel on St-Denis (@ Rue Rachel) called the Anne ma soeur Anne.  It is decently cheap but still has a lot of luxe benefits, like a stocked minibar that is free to use.  Also, you can’t beat its location, half-way between the the Mont Royal and Sherbrooke metro stops, this part of St-Denis is filled with boutiques, decent restaurants and upscale bars. From what I can tell this is also the heart of French-speaking Montréal, thus giving you the ability to have all of the touristy necesities one needs for a short holiday (central location, good restaurants, ect.) but, still giving you a real feel for the city.  Of course, you can also find an American Apparel (two actually!) in this neighborhood, not surprising given this is where AA founder Dov Charney grew up.

American Apparel has become so ubiquitous in most major cities that I have a feeling once their urban boho style wears thin they will become nothing more than replicas of the Gap.  I think this is probably true in a larger sense for Montréal as well.  What makes this city so great are the people that live here.  Artists, musicians, free-thinkers and once everyone else discovers the beautiful community they’ve created here it will most likely fade and dilute, much like the East Village or London’s Soho.  However, it hasn’t happened yet.  So, to the discerning traveler, come to Montréal!  Just don’t tell any of those assholes at your office.

I’ll be in Montréal for 2 more weeks and undoubtedly will discover many more gems in this great city, which I will happily share with you.  Until then, aurevoir!

 

Dislikes

Ok, so there is this whole subspecies of New York guys that I really dislike.  You know the type, they like wearing black yankees caps with the really flat brims, big parkas with fur on the hood and in the case of my recent assailant, they love getting chrome plated grillz on their lower bicuspid.  I just think these guys seem like douchebags, with all their macho bravado.  I realize that these type of guys exist everywhere, I certainly can remember the redneck version of them while I was going to school in Tennessee but, they seem particularly aggressive in New York.  I just think their whole schtick is played out; we get it, you get mad pussy, hip hop is da bomb, and you give love to the street.  I’m pretty open-minded and wouldn’t even think about this except I absolutely hate it when they walk into a bar and act like they own the fucking place.  I guess this is why so many places have great door guys like Thomas (thank god!) to weed these assholes out.  And I suppose, you should really just expect to have to co-exist with them when out at lame LES dive bars but, seriously guys, give it a rest.  And what’s up with the choking?  Who does that?

Vanity Fair

Tom Ford was the creative director for this year’s Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair and while normally I think Vanity Fair is a pretty blah magazine, this issue is definitely worth checking out.  Somehow Mr Ford was able to get almost every major hollywood “it girl” to pose nude for the magazine.  Sienna Miller, Scarlett Johannson, Kiera Knightley, Jennifer Aniston, ect., ect.  Honestly, I’ve never really liked Tom Ford’s take on “sexyness” even from his days at Gucci, to me it all just seems really vulgar.  But, if you want to check out loads of celebrity boobs, go buy it.

Yikes!

This is kind of blurry but, it says Right now in Montreal, PQ 10 degrees Farenheit (feels like -1).  Why didn’t I pick somewhere tropical to spend the month of February?