In Case You Were Wondering...

The McGuire is still there. But this time next year, it'll probably be gone. Speaking of still-there-but-going-away, there are still quite a few Zeb tags around, but I find them rapidly disappearing.

Someday, all traces of this douchebag will be gone. That's a day we can all look forward to.

From the Obvious File...

I'm pretty sure that everybody knows about this, but Belltown Feed & Seed has closed. How long were they open? Gosh, at least 17 years. I don't know whether they were put out of business by Mud Bay or simply just got tired of the game, but they're gone now. Me, I've never had pets, so it's not like I was really attached to the place, but staying open for 17 years is quite an accomplishment. Anyhow, their dogsitting business continues.

After Hours

Pearl Bailey & Nat King Cole. Two to Tango

We tend to forget the master performers of yesterday. Pearl Bailey was one of those supreme beings. Here she sings a double-entendre song from the fifties, which happened to be a pretty big hit for her. Of course, she and Nat corn it up quite a bit for the viewers at home, but it's all in good fun. I mean, I thought Argentina was all about the tango, but hey, why mention a four-syllable country when single-syllable one will do? Besides that, what's not to like?

Coming Soon to the Moore!

You remember this guy? He came through town last year. He's the Hasid who sings reggae tunes about religious devotion. Yeah, it's every bit as terrible as you can imagine. Me, after listening to Joanna Newsom sing on the YouTube, I have been to the edge. He's not as bad as that. It's just that pop music is all about conciseness and when you have a guy singing about the "foundation of the essence of the being," it sounds kind of clunky and contrived. But I've gotta hand it to him, he does fake reggae better than most. But he's still pretty terrible.

Just a Tiny Bit Outside of Belltown

This is the scene at Westlake & Virginia:

I ask you this: is there anything more depressing than tearing up a street on a rainy Saturday afternoon? Honestly, I don't think there is.

After Hours

Hector Berlioz. Requiem: Dies Irae

In addition to George Shangrow, I just learned that a former coworker of mine died over the weekend. I hope this bit of bombast will help pave their way to the Great Beyond. And George, when I get there, I'll still have words for you. Until then, rest in peace. You too, Melissa.

Shangrow Dies

I don't know whether you've heard about this, but you can read the details here. George Shangrow was a pretty prominent figure in the local classical scene. Five years ago when I was trying like hell to put on my own large-scale music production, I partnered up with him. He ended up royally screwing me over. Because of him, the performance of my piece ended up costing thousands more and was delayed by almost a year. I'm pretty sure that the experience took 10 years off my life. I thought that at some point, our paths would cross again, so that I could clear the air with the guy. Well, that's not gonna happen. Shangrow was a great musician, a fine conductor and a nice enough guy, but he was not a man of his word. That is as ill as I'll speak of the dead. This was not a fitting end for him. He deserved better. Rest in peace, George.

Coming Soon to the Moore!

No matter how hard we try, some sounds cannot be unheard. Newsom's voice is one of those. Sure, she's quite cute and a very capable harp player. But that voice... I'll try to describe it. OK, she sounds like a cross between an angry six-year-old and a crazy person. Her tone is grating, her pitch is uncertain at all times and she's constantly singing out of her range. Listening to her is a painful experience. Yes, I know that in the realm of indie music, having a distinctive voice is very important. Singing out of tune is pretty much de rigeur - or at least there are so many indie singers who can't carry a tune in a bucket that it seems like an unwritten rule. I realize that. That's fine. But Newsom's voice truly crosses the line from "distinctive" to "terrible." Anyone going to this show truly has my sympathy.

Torchlight Parade 2010!

OK, it was totally cold. I was freezin' my ass off, sweet people. This is July! That's not supposed to happen! Anyhow, the parade occurred. And I was there. I stood by for more than an hour. There were lots of armed forces bands. There was the Army...

...and their many flags...

...the Navy...

...the Marines...

...and, uh, the Coast Guard. Well, they didn't have enough talent to assemble a band, but they managed to get people together who could carry a very large flag.


Well, good for them! Conspicuously absent: the Merchant Marine. There were also balloons:



In case you're confused, that's a killer whale, a pirate and same pirate, different position. Last year, there were more balloons. But there were fewer Seahawks cheerleaders. This year, there were too many:


In addition, there were Koreans...

...bagpiping firemen...

...young ladies from Sunnyside...

...Mike McGinn, who, incidentally, want bars to stay open till 4am...

...(following the death of my camera's battery) the Budweiser horses...

...and the wonderful Chinese contingent:

Of course, it's impossible to have a Torchlight Parade without the dragon. Here it is:

If you can possibly stand it, here's more:

Yeah, beautiful, isn't it? After the dragon was gone, the parade was over for me. I didn't even see the hydros. Besides, it was totally cold. And there weren't nearly enough balloons. The end.

Your Sunday Squirrel

Here's more of last week's featured guy. I believe I saw him today, but the photo I took this morning isn't quite as good as this. I gave him a peanut and he followed me around. A crow also followed. I decided to toss the crow a peanut and he caught it in the air. I had no idea that crows were such artists. Whenever I throw a peanut to a squirrel, nine times out of ten, it ends up hitting them in the head. Crows are larger and possibly smarter, but they still can't climb trees very well.