'what part of an inverse tangent approaching an asymptote don't you understand?'

I was ridiculously happy to hear that industrial outfit VNV Nation was coming to town, only to find out it was another one of their halfhearted DJ sets. Not that their performances are half-assed; infact I'm sure they're quite good. However, i just cannot justify shelling out the big bucks to watch a (relatively) famous person spin records that my local DJ spins week in and week out. I don't know. Maybe they do have an edge on us with their access to otherwise unknown foreign acts, but still, it's nothing I want to spend exorbitant amounts of money for. If I'm going to pay to see Ronan Harris, I expect to see Mark Jackson there as well, along with their synthesizers and wicked backdrops. Hah.

AND while I'm on the subject, why haven't Steve Naghavi and/or And One returned to the United States?

Granted, Mr. Naghavi could take the stage in nothing but a towel and proceed to perform the greatest acoustic hits of ABBA, and I would still be front row. But that's neither here nor there...

It just irks me that these great, underappreciated artists are getting the shaft because apparently, it costs too much to tour the states. Or they get stuck playing venues like VFW Halls and whatnot. In Europe, they can sell out clubs three times over... it;s just frustrating, really.

Then again, it can't be the bands' fault. At least not all the time. Maybe their record labels just don't see the potential of it. Bastards.

Oh but speaking of record labels, Wax Trax! founder Dannie Fleischer recently passed away. So sad. If you read the tributes below this article found in the Chicago Tribune, as well as the posts on their Facebook fan page, it's actually quite touching.


Bonus Astronomy Awesomeness: For the next few weekends at the Cernan Earth and Space Center (part of Triton College) in River Grove, they will be running a planetarium show narrated by our favorite astrophysicist, Phil Plait, aka The Bad Astronomer. Based on his first book, the show will debunk such myths as the "faked" moon landing and explain random scientific inaccuracies... great for the space geek as well as the layperson. Clicky here for more info. Yayyyyyyy

Mark Your Calendars!

April 18 is International Record Store Day, according to Greg Kot. So awesome!!!

To find participating stores, go here.

dance dance dance to the radio

This girl's blog is amazing. She posted a picture that brought me back to my youth and it just brought a giddy smile to my face. It really made me miss growing up in Chicago.

I still want my Joy Division tattoo. I know it's a fashionable thing now, but I don't care. I love the design.

I know I promised more blogging, but I really haven't had the time. Between work and attempting to move, I haven't had much to say.

2.4.6.8 Motorway

I came across this cute place on my ride home Saturday morning. The Esquire Motel, located at 6145 N Elston, isn't quite the place I'd like to end up staying at now, but I'm sure in it's heyday it was just a quaint little stop for young travellers, or maybe a handsome businessman or two.



I don't know what fascinates me about places like this. I love imagining what it was like in the fifties or sixties, which I'm assuming is around when it was built. What kind of people stayed there, what the walls could tell you...



...but I guess I'm just weird like that.

"You're welcome!"

Last night I was fortunate enough to catch the live premiere of sketch comedy duo Sausage. Playing to a sold out crowd at the Theatre Building Chicago, Sausage managed to blend pop culture snarkishness and self-deprecating humor, with a dash of ridiculousness.

Highlights? The shooting of Pete Wentz bit was pretty goddamn hilarious.

Also, unbeknownst to me, I was featured in one of their sketches, via old footage from an audition tape. Huzzah!

cheap cologne and that damn song too.

Something about seeing/hearing Naked Raygun on a jukebox makes me ridiculously happy. Sunday I was at Schuba's for an open mic, and not once, but TWICE, I heard the sweet sounds of Raygun. I was so giddy about it, I not only expressed my squealy girly excitement to my long-suffering boyfriend, who barely batted an eye, but I also explained it to his brother, who had no idea what I was talking about.

It's gotta be the Chicago pride thing. It's the same reason I have the Wax Trax! power lines tattooed on my arm. At any rate, here's a couple of the local bars with halfway decent jukeboxes:

● Inner Town Pub: 1935 W Thomas Street

If I remember correctly, they have Throb Throb and All Rise on the jukebox, which is my favorite album anyway. It's a little bit hipster, but the bar is neat and old. They've got Iggy and The Dolls on the box too, and pool tables. Overall, it's a cute little place.

● The Gingerman Tavern? 3740 N. Clark

Well, considering I was drunk the last time I was here, I could be completely wrong on the name and location. BUT, I know it's right next to the Metro, and it has a really great jukebox. As far as the Raygun goes, it only has Understand? on it, but that has the classics Treason and Wonder Beer, so that's good enough for me.

I'll post more when I remember.



Next week: A list of the best Mexican restaurants in the area that still have the game Burgertime.