Various Shenanigans

Been awhile since I’ve updated the weblog. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I hope to write posts in the next couple of days on specific topics, but here’s some highlights:

* Spent a lot of time and energy helping out in preparation for Kimmy’s Wedding (where I was her “best man”) on July 13.
* In addition to the wedding, July 13 was also my 35th birthday. I couldn’t have asked for a better b-day present than to give one of my dearest friends away to the man of her dreams.
* Finished the book/story for the wedding “Auggie’s Wedding Gift”, will post pictures of it when I do the full-on wedding recap.
* Spent the last week trying to get everything ready for three different writing contests, as well as laying the groundwork for what I’ll be writing and submitting over the next couple of months.
* More coming…

Fightin’ Foo

All that and more is coming (I promise I intend). In the meantime, I’d like to just post a bit about seeing the Foo Fighters on July 11, here in sunny old Portland.

Took my brother Sean as part of his high school graduation gift (we went to the Sasquatch Festival over Memorial Day Weekend for the other part). The show was pretty good. I’m not a huge Foo Fighters fan, but I do appreciate good music, and the show qualified. Generally speaking, I think the assembled fighters of foo suffer from a 60-40 problem where-in 60% of their albums are mediocre and 40% really kick-ass. This leads to some fantastic hits, but albums that never quick coalesce as well as some artists do.

That said, in a two-hour concert with some dozen albums to pull from, they were able to play all the kick-ass and none of the mediocre, so the show was fairly entertaining. Dave Grohl (who I last saw live during Nirvana’s last show ever) has become a full-blown rock star in the Robert Plant mode, strutting around the stage and catwalks, making gestures, egging the audience on and soaking in every minute of the love. This comes in a bit of a start contrast to Kurt Corbain’s anti-rock star persona, but this just helps prove that Grohl is his own man and the band is not simply some blood from a Nirvana-clone. (Nod to George Harrison’s Somewhere In England fully intended.)

For me, the highlight of the Foo Fighters show was their rendition of the blues standard (and The Who hit) “Young Man Blues”. Not only was it’s a great rendition, but I always love the “Respect Your Elders” portion of a rock show, where the band (if they’re any good) play a couple of songs from their idols. Since I’m such a classic rock nut, invariably I end up being the person most rocking out on the floor while the slack-jawed masses who turned up for a Foo Fighters show collectively go, “What the fuck song are they playing?” and then sit on their hands. Never fails to amuse me.

3 Responses to “Fightin’ Foo and other shenanigans”

1. Jessica Says:
   August 12th, 2008 at 7:50 am

   I whole-heartedly agree with your assessment of the Foo Fighters. I always thought of Dave Grohl as the kind of guy you’d want to play laser tag with.

   I just discovered your blog and will be randomly commenting. The comments may pertain to your posts; they may not.

2. TakKendrick Says:
   August 12th, 2008 at 9:19 am

   Jessica, long time!

   Next time I have a BBQ, I’m going to have to invite Dave Grohl over for some laser tag, he’d be awesome. You’re welcome to comment at random any time. – TK

3. DrunkenDumbshow.com » Blog Archive » Beck, post-game commentary Says:
   August 25th, 2008 at 4:43 am

   [...] and caused the audience to do that, “What’s this song?” routine I outlined in a previous post. But everything was amazing the whole way through. I can’t say it enough, there are some [...]

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