Saturday night, we went to the Radiohead show. In a word, it was amazing. They played in an outdoor theater and the weather was awesome which is somewhat unusual for this time of the year. As we were driving up we talking about how many weirdos would be there, but surprisingly enough, it was a pretty tame crowd. Make no mistake, an inordinate amount of weed was being smoked, but all in all, a pretty tame crowd.
Anyway, they were incredible. They're definitely not one of those bands that you hear live and realize that they're all a studio creation. Thom's voice was dead on, and it's amazing when you see all of the things they do to make the sounds that come out of their instruments. They played everything from In Rainbows, quite a bit from Kid A, some Thief and two songs from The Bends, but only Lucky from OK Computer. I always think it's interesting to see what songs the band picks from their albums because I think it kind of shows what songs they like. The light show was really cool too. All in all my favorites were Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Reckoner, National Anthem, and Planet Telex. Here's the set list:
15 Step,
Bodysnatchers
Lucky
Morning Bell
Nude, Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
National Anthem
Faust Arp
Videotape
Optimistic
Where I End and You Begin
Reckoner
Everything in Its Right Place
All I Need
There There
Encore 1:
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
House of Cards
Climbing Up The Walls
Planet Telex
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Encore 2:
You And Whose Army?
Idioteque
So here is one of the videos I shot. They aren't that great, but you get the idea. We really weren't as far from the stage as the video looks! Our camera also cuts out after 3 minutes, and the memory card filled up pretty quick. If you want to see some better one take a look at these.
Also, apparently Radiohead soundchecked a cover of Portishead's new song The Rip, but they didn't play it at the show. They've soundchecked it one other time, so maybe they'll be playing it later in the tour. Radiohead covering Portishead--it really doesn't get any better than that!
5.18.2008
In Rainbows Live
Posted by Neal at 8:24 PM 7 comments
4.13.2008
2.19.2008
If you play with your Benelli button, your legs will fall off . . .
With the recent account about the visit we had from our friend Tom posted on that other blog, and the subsequent purchase, and the subsequent onslaught of anonymous comments, I figured I'd weigh in on the topic. First, let me post a few things about the gun that I purchased. If you're looking for something for home protection, a shotgun is much better than a handgun for several reasons (in my opinion). First, is safety. A shotgun is much more difficult for a child to accidentally or non-accidentally fire. It is pretty much impossible for a young child to be able to load it and lift it up to fire it. It would also be impossible for the child to fire the gun at himself due to the distance between the end of the barrel and the trigger. Also, even though some handguns have some limited "safety" features, they don't have a safety like shotguns do. The second reason to buy a shotgun is the fact that it shoots a "spray" of bullets in a wide pattern. If it comes down to actually having to fire the gun at an intruder, this makes it much more likely that you will actually hit your target. It is very difficult to hit a target with a handgun--especially when your adrenaline is pumping, you're shaking, the target is moving, etc. So those are the main reasons I opted for a shotgun. Now for the fun part--the gun itself.
There are a lot of shotguns made for the specific purpose of home protection--pistol grips, 18.5" barrel, tactical lighting, etc., that make it ideal for protection. I didn't opt for one of these because I like to shoot skeet on occasion and I also go hunting once in a blue moon so I wanted something a bit more versatile. Here's what I got:
It's a Benelli Nova 20 gauge pump. Benelli is one of the best gun manufacturers around, so I knew I couldn't go wrong. I got the 20 gauge because it's a nice versatile caliber that doesn't kick too much. That's important so Leslie can learn how to shoot it without breaking her shoulder! I got a pump for safety reasons--it's next to impossible for a child to pump a shell into the chamber. On top of that, just the sound of a pump action shotgun is often enough to scare away unwanted visitors. It's a bit futuristic looking since it's all synthetic polymer and metal, but I like the look of it. So anyway, that's the low down on the gun. In case you were interested.
This post is getting long, so I'll save my rant about the comments made concerning gun ownership for another day. I know you'll be interested.
Posted by Neal at 9:23 PM 16 comments
12.06.2007
Happy Birthday to You
Today is Leslie's birthday. After all this time of me telling her she was almost there, today she turns the big 3-0! Happy birthday, baby!
Posted by Neal at 8:49 AM 5 comments
10.30.2007
Strawberries and cream in a public toilet . . .
That's how one person described the so-called "king of fruits." I can't remember where I first heard about durian, but ever since I did, I've wanted to try it. I've always been a bit of an adventurer when it comes to trying odd or off-the-wall foods. When I was little and my mom would let us get a treat at the grocery store, I always managed to find something completely random to get--like a tiny jar of caviar, or sour pickled Japanese plums. I was in good company, though--my older sister would almost always insist on getting a jar of green olives and my older brother would usually opt for a tin of sardines. We would beg my mom not to let him open them in the car on the way home. The grocery store always brings back good childhood memories. I won't go into our obsession with grocery store gumball machines here, though. Charlotte, can you say rabbit's foot? Anyway, back to my story.
Durian is this fruit that grows in southeast Asia and is considered one of the most exquisite delicacies. The problem with it is that it is a bit on the stinky side. When I say a bit, I mean REALLY, REALLY stinky. Descriptions of it's smell abound. Here's how one travel and food writer described it: "... its odor is best described as pig-@#&*, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia." Appetizing, huh? I guess the thing that intrigued me most is how something that smells so bad could possibly taste so good. How is that possible? So imagine my delight when I found it for sale in a local Asian market.
I think I've mentioned before that I moonlight at this Vietnamese office that's in this huge shopping center called the Hong Kong City Mall. When you step into this place, you truly are in a different country. Most signs for the businesses are in Vietnamese and pretty much everyone is speaking Vietnamese. There are some perks to working there, though--well a perk, which is the Vietnamese sandwich shop across from the dental office. If you've never had one, you need to find your nearest Vietnamese bakery/sandwich shop and pick yourself up one of these. So a couple of weeks ago, I had some time to kill between patients so I took a stroll through the grocery store that is in the Hong Kong City Mall.
Much to my delight, there next to the check out was a big crate of spiky durian. The glaring red sign that said "No Returns" should have been a warning, but no, I pressed on. I thought the price was $4.00 for the whole thing, but when I got to the checkout I quickly learned it was $4.00 per pound, and this is no small fruit. But, I thought, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to try the "king of fruits," so I shelled out the 20 bucks to buy the stinky thing. The checkout lady again reiterated to me "no returns," as I paid.
I had to ride home with my windows open. At first the smell was almost overpowering--even with the windows open. But strangely enough, after a while it started to smell not-so-bad--almost good. I was getting excited that it was actually going to be good. So I got home and cracked the thing open.
Let's just say that the smell of the unopened fruit didn't even compare to the smell when I got wind of the white, custardy clumps that were inside. It's hard to describe the smell--almost like an over-ripe fruit smell overlaid with maybe a bit of poop and garlic? It truly is something you have to smell for yourself. So I pulled out a couple of the clumps. I brought it in the house and needless to say it sent Audrey and Parker running--they wouldn't try it, let alone even come near it. Even Moe pushed it away without hesitation. So I tasted it.
You would think that since it is a fruit, it would taste, well, fruity. Au contraire mon frère. Nothing fruity AT ALL here. To me, it tasted kind of like really intense roast beef with garlic with again, poop. Not that I know what poop tastes like, but I can imagine. And the consistency made it even worse--like a squishy custard. Funny that those who like it often cite the texture as part of its appeal. I didn't swallow it, it was just too bad.
So along with a really gross taste in my mouth, I was left wondering what is so fundamentally different about the taste buds of people of Northern European descent and those of Southeast Asian descent? How could one group be so enamored by something so repulsive to the other? I guess I'll never figure it out. So if you ever find yourself in Bangkok, or the Hong Kong City Mall, and you get a hankering for some durian, don't say I didn't warn you. Go for the bánh mì thịt nướng instead.
Posted by Neal at 7:45 PM 12 comments
10.10.2007
In Rainbows, In Review
So there you have it. My take on each track. Overall I like it--a lot. It seems to me to be kind of a mix of The Bends, Airbag, and Hail to the Thief but without some of the negatives from those albums. Leslie once told me that she wants her own iPod because "it would have way less Radiohead on it." Well, there are now 10 more tracks on it that will be in heavy rotation. My picks--tracks 1, 2 and 4. There you go.
And, by the way, if I'm on anyone's Christmas list, the £40 boxed set can be ordered for December delivery. Just FYI.
Posted by Neal at 5:49 PM 12 comments
Radiohead Update
I finally got the confirmation email yesterday, and I successfully downloaded the album this morning. I haven't finished listening to it yet--I'll let you know how it is later!
Posted by Neal at 7:46 AM 3 comments