Best Song EVER to have a dramatic moment to:

Something in the Air by Thunderclap Newman

That is – until about 1:58 into the song… and the weird-ass saloon piano jam starts. At three minutes it becomes Polyphonic Spree-like and glorious again.

Eleven seconds in when the singer starts in, is arguably the best moment - perfect for taking one of those dramatic movie sighs and leaning back, either onto your pillow, maybe just the couch... you have to utilize the sigh for full effect. You could use it in a frustrated car slump at night too.

Another suggestion for feeling this song's true glory - Put both of your arms out of an open sunroof , a convertible if you're lucky or car window if you're slumming it. Make sure you are in motion. This moment is least compatable with Wintertime.

My goal before the summer is over – running off a dock into a lake with the song in my head… Anyone want to join in on this with me? I do have a boombox we could use.

(A slightly more intense alternative would be to use Trouble by Cat Stevens – but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re feeling especially sensitive. Another song for another moment, I suppose...)

Weird Al's First Television Appearance

I found this while obsessing about Monday night's Weird Al show at the State Fair - His first TV appearance on the late, great Tom Snyder's show...

Is he even wearing shoes?? Wow, this clip is just ABSURD...

This really doesn't have anything to do with anything that I usually post on here, but I just had to share. I think I just had the best birthday ever. I went to Valleyfair with a bunch of my girlfriends. It was so fun to run around in the late-afternoon sunshine and yell and scream and carry on. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Well, except for the fact that those bastards closed Steel Venom early, after I almost sprinted across the park to get a few rides in before they closed. STEEEEEEEEEL VENOM IS THE BEST!! Also, Extreme Swing lived up to my expectations as well.

For the record, that new rollercoaster, Renegade, is super bad-ass. It might not have the same scream-squelching drop that Wild Thing has, but it more than makes up for it in sharp turns, unsurpassed (well, at the smallish park that is Valleyfair) speed, and fast-paced, thrilling excitement.

Best moment: While waiting to get on that old white rickety rollercoaster, we were standing on the platform waiting for the group ahead of us to load on and go. The girl in the front row says to the ride operator...

Girl: Play some music!
Ride Operator: There is no music...
My best friend, Michelle: sing Happy Birthday! It's her birthday! (points at me)

I look away and then look at him and sort-of shake my head, like - please don't sing.

Ride Operator: No it isn't...
Michelle: Yes it is! It's actually her birthday...

He looks at me and asks - "Is it?" I sheepishy say yes. And then he starts singing. And then the ENTIRE group of people that were seated on the coaster and waiting to go ALL START SINGING ME HAPPY BIRTHDAY. And I'm not talking, Minnesotans implored to sing and then just mumble. They sang it clear and loud and with heart. It was so surreal, and really just an amazing moment of my life. Waaaaaaaay better than when they sing to you at say - TGIFridays or something. I probably turned beet red. But even thinking of it now, I just get giddy... All those strangers singing to another stranger on her 28th birthday.

I closed out the night by riding the Scrambler by myself, because it's one of my ultimate favorites from my childhood. It was a nice, calm moment zipping about that little Scrambler pen, and it was a great way to sit and reflect on the great evening I had while gripping onto the handbar of the ride, trying not to fly over to the other side of the car, and thinking that this might have been the best birthday ever.

This is how I started out my birthday around 1am this morning...


The more I think about it, I don't know why I am sharing this with the world. But it's too funny to not. We were taking a bunch of Gossip Girls photos at The Spins and for some reason we were jumping about, and I tripped over the wood ledge of the bocce court and I fell in. So yes, get a good laugh in and go about your business. At least my underpants aren't showing.. but I am flashing a fair amount of lower back, ass fat.

Yes boys, I am single...

Happy Birthday to me.

Whee!!

I have been writing for HowWasTheShow.com since April of 2003, with some big gaps and some smaller gaps here and there. I've been back in full effect for awhile now. I love having the opportunity to work with everyone and consider it something that I have great pride in. We have lots of fun, let me tell you.

Sooo... they let me book a show for my birthday this year and let's just say that I am pretty damn excited about it. If you read my blog, you are hereby required to show up. Them's the rules, guys. See you Friday!!!

Everybody's talkin'...

Photo of the City on the Make crowd by David de Young

With a recent feature on Reveille, Andrea Myers featured the bad-ass mofos of City on the Make. I caught 'em at the Nomad with The Kingpin on Friday, it rocked my face off. So, buy the album, read my review, go light it up.

As some of the anonymous posters say over on MNSpeak... just sayin'...

The REVIEW
Andrea Myers' Reveille Magazine feature
City on the Make on the three-headed devil that is MYSPACE
...and the interwebs

Don't just sit there...

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I can be a movie freak, so the 30th of July was a pretty sad day for film lovers. The world of cinema lost two of it's most important auteurs with the passing of both Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni.

I used to frequent Cinema Revolution big time when it was on Hennepin. It has since moved over to South Minneapolis, off Nicollet, right by The Bad Waitress and my favorite late-night, cheese-haven - Little Tijuana's. I make no secret about the fact that I am a lazy girl, and have since become a pathetic Netflix devotee. However, Cinema Revolution rocks out beyond belief in terms of selection and it's just a great outfit. They're running a deal for the month of August where they are renting out their Bergman and Antonioni's movies for free in honor of what the directors did for cinema as a whole. This is super cool, kids. So get over there, check them out and rent some great movies you might have missed....

Cinema Revolution's website HERE...