Stand By Me My Apprentice - Be Brave - Clenched Fists

So tonight I saw Lady Sovereign and The Streets perform at Webster Hall with my brother and Dasha. It was ridiculous and it blew my mind, which as Rachel pointed out, happens a lot. It appears I have an easily blown mind. Eh.

If you've never heard or seen Lady Sovereign, she's like a five-foot roman candle (with an English accent) pointed directly at your crotch and ears. Her music assaults your ears and her attitude makes one unable to put it past her to also attempt to assault your physical body - probably with small British punches to the crotch and face.

hahahaha - it was a cool show.

During The Streets, Mike Skinner took it upon himself to give shots of whiskey and vodka (straight from the bottle) to everyone in the front row. He said he was abstaining from drinking, however, as he is currently training to run a marathon in November. He also stage dived into the crowd, which was pretty rad.

After the show, Hunter and I got some eats at Whitecastle. If you've never been to a Whitecastle, you can easily recreate their hamburger by simply dipping raw meat into scalding water and then festooning it with onions and placing the finished product on damp bread. Not many people know that Whitecastle hamburgers are what Buddhists are really referring to when they talk of attaining Nirvana. So I guess you could say it's damn good.

I'll post something of a serious nature on here within the next few days - I promise. The following are some hints of what it may be about:

Adventure
The Soul
Beyul Pemako
Kerouac
Tibet
Fashion
Words

See you then.

There's Only New Music So That There's New Ringtones

The Arctic Monkeys defy their own lyrics, their music most assuredly being more important and crucial than a simple ringtone. Last night they played at the Roseland Ballroom, which was absolutely incredible. It's a miracle I managed to get in given the fact that I showed up 30 minutes after the doors opened with no ticket, but thanks to those sweet little scalpers, I cautiously paid my $40 for a ticket that actually worked and made my way inside. We Are Scientists were OK - the only aspect of their set that really stood out was their phenomenal drummer and when Alex Turner and the drummer for Arctic Monkeys came onstage to help them out with one song.

When the Arctic Monkeys finally took the stage at about 9PM, the Douche Troop to my left were thoroughly smashed and ready to mosh the hell out of anyone that stood in their way. Other than that, however, the show blew me away. See the Arctic Monkeys if you get the chance - buy their album now - love every song.

Also, Regina Spektor played an in-store at Tower Records two nights ago to celebrate the release of her new album "Begin To Hope" featuring Nick Valensi on minimal guitars to add a little depth to her previously stark, yet intimate sound. The entire CD is wonderful and (thank God) managed to escape being the victim of over-production that is so common with the first big release from a previously small-time artist. See Regina Spektor if you get the chance - buy her album now - love every song.

Brooklyn Playground

"well shut my mouth the woman said washing me this child got wings like a hawk
boys this is going to be a long song so you better take off your boots and spit"
Frank Stanford

Yesterday I was smoking a cigarette during my lunch break from work at Buffalo Exchange - leaning against a graffiti-covered building on Driggs St. in Brooklyn. I noticed a rock skitter by my feet and soon after a big piece of black plastic also ran down the sidewalk in front of me. I looked up to see a group of about ten to fifteen teenagers walking towards me throwing debris my way. Blown away by their audacity to actually throw things at a complete stranger, I just stared at them from my sitting position - they walked slowly by, almost every single one glaring at me as I glared back. Even after they had passed they continued to turn around and stare at me, as if this street was nowhere for me to be sitting.

It seems as if Brooklyn is just a playground for adults where the stakes are much higher than milk money and scraped knees - the bullies have become the "thugs" and the nerds the "hipsters". It's a strange and unsettling dichotomy - as if neither group wants the other to be anywhere near their turf. What's the basis for all this racist shit these days anyway? Every hipster out there has heard of TV on the Radio (a band comprised mainly of African Americans and termed "indie rock") and what about The Streets? - a white Brit who can definitely hold his own in the rap world.

You're black - who gives a shit.

I'm white - who gives a shit.

Unfortunately a lot of people do give a shit and those are the people who have their heads up their asses and can't think anything aside from what their parents or society taught them.

Turn your damn bass down, burn your Confederate flag - stop acting like you've got something to prove and just walk down the damn street.

The Tale of the Occurrence at Woodpoint and Skillman

I've thought to myself on more than once occasion, "Man, Sam, wouldn't it be crazy if you got mugged in New York?" - to which I replied, "Dude, that would be so ridiculous." I realize now that statements such as these are silly ones and should never be made - a conclusion I reached last night after the following occurred:

So the plan was for me to meet up with Kevin in Times Square after the Broadway play (Jersey Boys) that he was seeing ended, which was supposed to be sometime around 10PM. I was sitting in my apartment feeling restless at about 9:30, so I decided to go ahead and make my way to Manhattan - on with the jeans, the jacket, and the shirt. The night before, Kevin and I had gone to see Cocorosie (one of Rachel's favorite bands) at the Bowery Ballroom, so shortly after I left my apartment, I gave her a call to tell her about the show and see how she was doing.

So we were talking - this and that, etcetera, etcetera - laughing and the like. As our conversation was going on I was approaching the corner of Woodpoint and Skillman, slightly past the halfway point from my apartment to the Graham Metro stop. Now Hunter had told me to always be aware of my surroundings in this neighborhood, and I had previously done so, but on this particular night, Rachel and I were talking and I was paying less than the usual amount of attention to the Brooklyn night.

And suddenly, in the midst of laughing, I looked up to find two young men had stepped rather quickly and aggressively in my path - a very intimidating presence. Before I could grab hold of what was happening, one of the men quickly reached for my hand and phone, saying in a strong and commanding tone, "Hold the conversation!". As he said this, both he and his accomplice reached into their pants to grab what I am assuming was one of three things, 1: a knife, 2: a gun, or 3: nothing. I'm not quite sure what it was exactly inside of me that assessed the situation, because I had less than enough time to think, but I immediately realized that I was about get mugged.

Let me take this time to reiterate that it is never a good idea to wish to get mugged for the sake of a crazy story, much like the hope of breaking one's arm in second grade so people will sign your cast is a bad idea.

So something inside of me realized the danger of the situation and almost simultaneously sent the words "Hold on" out of my mouth via the cell phone to Rachel's curious ear. Another something within me threw my legs into a full sprint around my would-be muggers, across the street, and down the block - all the while holding the phone to my ear as if to remind myself that just in case, I've got somewhat of a witness on the other line.

I've realized through past experiences that when my life or well-being becomes endangered, I react quickly and calmly and once the danger is gone, I proceed to laugh and watch my hands shake - in this case, the purchasing of cigarettes also occurred shortly after the incident.

The next day Hunter informed me that when he walked by the intersection later that night, the police were already there after someone else had apparently reported either an attempted or completed mugging, I'm not sure of the details.

Needless to say, however, I have marked "Getting Mugged" off my Wish List, which I replaced with "Winning a Lifetime Supply of Yoohoo". I suggest you do the same.