THIS is a CLOSE-UP?

For a large chunk of 2018, I had a pretty staid daily pattern: I engaged briefly with the news of the outside world, and once the incredulity and nausea reached a certain threshold, I would immediately retreat into the largely imaginary landscapes offered up by Netflix. This isn't to say that my time wasn't occupied with other pursuits, from reading comics and books to watching movies and sports, but after looking at my viewing history for the year, it was clear that Netflix had a hold on my time. I also worked and slept. Keep that in mind when you see the following list: Adamantium Status (in that it is bonded to my bones now and forevermore) Springsteen on Broadway Let me first say that I'm not the world's biggest Bruce Springsteen fan. To me, that means that I love his work from pretty much every period of his career, but I'm not a trading-bootlegs deep-cut sort of fellow. I first saw him in '96 on a solo tour, and I last saw him in an all-star grea...

2012 was supposed to be the year of the Mayan apocalypse, but instead, we got the Presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, who went on to lose to Obama (but by a smaller margin than predicted). It was also the year where I thought my friend Graham would be hired by NCMC (he wasn't), and it was my last full year as a single white male. So I also plugged my ears and went to some shows: Cinematic Titanic Early Show [Royal Oak Music Theatre 2.25.12] There's just something about a live MST3K-ish experience, surrounded by infectious laughter and giggle pros at the top of their games. This was about the time where the CT gang were winding down the live show, so it was nice to get another one in. The Black Keys wsg Arctic Monkeys [Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids 3.10.12] It's always nice when the opener is a band you'd like to see, and so it was at this show. In fact, as much as I like the Black Keys, they just don't have the advantage of a natural-born and battle-h...

It's taken me a long time to get on the John Grant train, but now that I'm officially on it, I'm staying. Later this evening, John Grant will be playing at the El Club on the outskirts of Detroit, and while it's killing me not to go, listening to my favorite tracks on his new album Love Is Magic will help soften the blow. If you're not familiar with John Grant, you can go here to get some background on what appears to be a rather interesting life. (We have some minor similarities in that we were both born in Michigan and we both moved to Colorado -- and we both have vocal ranges that approximate nicely when I'm bleating his songs in my car -- but that's largely where the connection points end.) His work isn't for everyone, which most certainly appeals to the contrarian in me. Love Is Magic starts off with the song "Metamorphosis," which blends affected seemingly non sequitir verses with his more familiar smooth crooning on the chorus, an...

Now and again, I enjoy spending some time in this Tumblr featuring a slice of the esoteric weirdness of Russia. I'm sure that there are robust Tumblr collections of American eccentricities -- hell, Florida alone would be nightmare fodder for years -- but there's just something about the former U.S.S.R. that really makes me feel warm and cold inside. Here's a few highlights: The real fun, of course, is to take these photographs in sequence and tell a story of human remains from a land far, far away. Hope you find some gems, too.

The concerts of 2011 were fewer in number, but generally strong from start to finish. And the winners were: The Decemberists [Royal Oak Music Theatre 2.2.11] So here's where my ticket stub and memory diverge from the hive mind of the internet, which puts this show on 22 April. Hmm. What I do remember without a doubt is that this show was much better than the East Lansing show in '08, which nearly put me off live shows from The Decemberists. A band I've always loved, back when I first heard their debut CD at Record World in Petoskey (my last record store job, sadly). Cinematic Titanic Double Feature [Royal Oak Music Theatre 2.26.11] Speaking of the internet, Wikipedia has no record of this show happening, but my tickets prove otherwise. We did the double feature of early and late show from the MST3K alumni, and I recall laughing all fucking night. I believe "JACKPOT!" may have been the closer for one of the movies. Scissor Sisters [Royal Oak M...