Ballad of a Thin Man -- Godfathers of Glam Who Can Still Rock a Skinny Suit.





















































Fierce.

You know how you psych yourself up for something and then it is impossible for it to live up to your expectations? Not so last night with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...















...at the newly refurbished Warfield.















Red Sparowes opened, and I enjoyed their opener show as much as when I saw them headline at Bottom of the Hill. They did a fantastic job of bringing the atmospheric guitar assault, but because of the hypnotic visuals, rumbly soundscape, and being seated, both Trevor and I got kind of sleepy during their performance.

But on to Mr. Cave: I have been waiting for years to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and I was completely blown away. They were phenomenal! Nick Cave is turning 51 tomorrow, and he rocked harder than boys half his age.















I was seated in the balcony, and the only way it would have been better was if I had been right in front of the stage. We got a great setlist, with old favorites like 'Tupelo,' 'The Weeping Song,' 'Papa Won't Leave You Henry,' and 'Hard-On for Love,' as well as a few from the newest record, Dig!!!, Lazarus, Dig!!!. But the final song of the night was truly a finale: their intense and graphic version of 'Stagger Lee' from the Murder Ballads album.

The reserved countenance of the band was a perfect foundational backdrop for the wild antics of Cave and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis. And aside from the confessional, Jesus-laden, fire and brimstone quality of most of the Bad Seeds' catalog, Nick Cave himself is a showman, so the atmosphere was like a religious revival onstage and in the audience.

You have your slick preacher with dodgy facial hair...



















and your guru:



















Do you love it?!?

I have to hand it to Warren Ellis and his violin. Whether he was leaving my mouth agape at his unorthodox use of violin as frenzied guitar or feedback instrument, or bringing tears to my eyes with a few mournful draws of his bow, that man infused his violin with his raw essence. Intense.

I also really dug his haphazard suitcase of tricks (maracas, flute, looping machines, strange homemade-looking instruments) strewn about the stage. Oi, and how his tiny guitars made me smile.



















There are musicians whose music is actually hindered by live shows, and then there are musicians whose catalogs take on a deeper flavor when you experience it live. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds demonstrate clearly why seeing a live show is still a must. What a wonderful night!

(pics of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds by seancodysf)

Oi, I feel like I can barely fit in eating today, much less blogging -- which means a ginormous post dump of things in the queue.

Hold on to your hats!

Things making me happy right now:



















:D

***

The Miss Piggy sandwich and a glass of Rosé at 900 Grayson. I could eat this every day:















***

Oh how I love Juliette Binoche.

Botox makes people look older. You look at women who have had it, you see the fear of aging on their face.

***

Not a big watcher of fanvids, but this is so awesome. Plus, random Michael McDonald. Those crazy Minnesotans!



***

Recent acquisitions:

Billy Bragg -- Mr. Love and Justice
Lyrics Born -- Everywhere at Once
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds -- Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
Portishead -- Third

***



For those of you on the edge of your seat in suspense, I was deemed Dee Dualla.

A young but capable bridge officer, your loyalties are more to your people than to your job. You're willing to bend — even break — the so-called “rules” if necessary, and you have a very strong sense of what's right and what's fair. You're always up for a little constructive conspiracy, and you're great at keeping things quiet.

Which is not so bad except for the whole Apollo thing -- girl, have some respect for yourself. I would never ever go there. Run away!

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Announce European Tour

Since this tour is to support the new album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, fingers crossed they're coming to the Americas! And not to bitch, but please not like the Grinderman tour with 2 measly dates on each coast that sold out in 30 seconds.

Am excited to hear too that the album features artwork by Tim Noble and Sue Webster. The album's cover definitely has the touch of their electric light work. Though I've never had the opportunity to see any of their work in person, I'm much more for their sculpture -- absolutely love their piece, Black Narcissus. Hope the sleeve will feature some more of their work.

Nice little article in the San Francisco Chronicle today on my honey's workplace, Diesel, a Bookstore.

While I would have liked a little more concrete discussion about why people should shop at local businesses (community character, supporting your local economy, ethical consumerism, and how all of that ultimately protects your interests, etc.), I am impressed that an independent, local shop is getting ink in one of the biggest newspapers in the country. And I suppose it is an article in the business section -- not so much a place to proselytize.

But I am happy at the very least that the guts of how a small business works is being conveyed to consumers. The real in and out, everyday workings of a small business is an important piece of the puzzle in educating consumers about the difference between a place like Diesel and a place like Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Now just get the piece out of the business section and into the parts of the paper people actually read!

For me, the importance of knowing how a small business must conduct itself is this: I still find it funny that it isn't common sense -- and that small businesses have to defend -- why they can't offer the same deep discounts as Amazon or why they don't have every fucking thing under the sun in stock. I am blown away by how annoyed customers get when something not in stock is offered as a special order, or in the case of a bookstore, questions are asked of the customer and something else is suggested. It's like for those folks, customer service only matters when they want to complain.

Amazing to me too is a debate that periodically rages in my hometown paper's Letters to the Editor as to why a local hardware store (that provides benefits and a living wage for knowledgable employees and doesn't have bulk-buying power) charges a dollar more than Lowes or Home Depot for the same piece of lumber or whatever. Duh. And oh so related, I am equally shocked at how often some consumers act like they are getting one over on the little guy by getting it cheaper or without waiting for a special order at the megachain -- like the local shop was trying to fuck the consumer over and "they showed them." Right.

Recently, my friend and super manga expert, Domi, who works at local comic purveyor Dr. Comics and Mr. Games related her funny big chain bookstore manga experience. Crouched down in the children's manga section, checking out the competition's wares, she found amongst the Doraemon and other such kiddie fare many sexually explicit yaoi and other adult manga. Shocked, she pulled them all out and took them to the counter. Thumbing through them to illustrate why they shouldn't be housed in the children's manga, she was told to put them back in the section because that is where "the manager told us to put them."

Hmmmm, okay. I think I'd rather pay that dollar more to a business where the employee is more likely given the freedom to think and use common sense, and therefore hopefully invest themselves in their employer, stock, and customers. Sheesh.

Alright, this is spiraling into a diatribe of black-hole ickiness. Let's lighten the mood, shall we?

--

I'm loving Sex in a Can. Only in Asia, baby. Or possibly a Tijuana pharmacy.

And in the era of the 3 ounce only rule and cavity searches, Violet Blue tells us how to safely fly with your sex toys.

--

Ever notice how much the new Blonde Redhead sounds like Lush? The hubby just put it on and I thought it was Miki and Co.

NP: Grinderman. Slow to pick this up because of all the hype, though I heart Nick Cave (I even heart his child molester moustache). I am not disappointed. Brilliant, as hyped. Definitely reminiscient of The Birthday Party, but less chaotic or bewildered in its longing and vitriol. There's an understanding there, finally. Still primal, yet seasoned. Superb.