I saw Wilco on Saturday night. I used to be crazy into Wilco, but the last time I saw them was 1997. Since then, I’ve been underwhelmed by the records they were putting out – until their new album came out. At first I was hesitant – it took a while, but I tell you what, this new album is brilliant – and it transferred incredibly good live. I do miss Jay Bennett a little bit, but they still put on a great show – 2 hours worth. In the space of 5 years, they’ve completely reinvented themselves from cowboy country-rockers into knob-twiddling, experimental sparse songsmiths – a complete 360 turnaround. Did I really just type that? About Wilco? Yes, I did. And they sold out the Orpheum, a 2,800 seat theatre. I neverthought I’d ever see the day….
Surreal moment at the gym yesterday – the fire alarm went off. So they herded us all outside – hellooooooo COLD! – and we stood there for a half-hour as our muscles all contracted to the size of a raisin. Got back in there and it took me fifteen minutes just to feel normal again. It was some restaurant cooking breakfast or whatever. Fuckers.
Sometimes I get into these obsessive moments where if I need to do something, I feel like I need to get it done NOW NOW NOW so I can slack later. It’s a little thing that happens to me now and then. So I try and cram as much errands and chores into as little time as possible, in some cases doing things simultaneously in order to maximize my relaxing. Yesterday I found myself doing three things at once – brushing my teeth, making a smoothie and getting dressed all the same time, so I could hurry up and do nothing (in this case, it was watching game 1 of the World Series, which I taped on Saturday because I went to see Wilco.
And that’s another thing – I was OBSESSED about not seeing the score of the game or hearing anyone talk about it, because I taped it. I was so afraid some dude in the locker room or on the street was going to say something about the outcome of the game and ruin it for me. The gym would have been the prime suspect for such an event, since it’s filled with jocks who talk about sports all the time. So while on the treadmill, with the TV’s directly in front of me showing sports highlights, I had to look down the whole time, with my Discman cranked so I wouldn’t hear or see any of it. It worked. And I acknowledge I have lost my mind.
And how ’bout that World Series!!!!!???? God damn these first two games have been just splendid! I watched Game One yesterday afternoon on tape (awesome to fast forward through commercials!) and the pitching and defense were tremendous. Then about three hours later Game Two started (live) and that was completely opposite – and one of the best games I have ever seen. That Barry Bonds’ home run in the 9th last night was an epic blast, but not enough to win it. The World Series is the greatest sports event in the world. Someone dispute that!