After Hours

Alice Cooper. Clones (We're All)

For several weeks back in 1980 - I remember it well - this song was the rage of the radio playlists. Alice Cooper had gone new wave and it was very big news. Back then, AC was a major player, nearly as big as Bowie and far, far more important than Springsteen or Costello. These days, the latter two have surpassed him. But still, in 1980 they played this tune every 15 minutes on KZAM. And it was a joy to hear. I find this video a bit surprising for its stripper-iffic qualities. I mean, I didn't think they invented lap dancing until the nineties. How wrong I was! The truly ironic thing is that in contemporary times - such as they are - all of these women would be deemed too fat for video work by casting agents. I would disagree. And if this video taught me anything, it's that all the people looking after clones walk and act like robots. That seems right. But I really must stress that this is one hell of a great song. Alice's album, Flush the Fashion, short as it may be, was one of the unsung masterpieces of the wave era. The guy had some very interesting stuff to say about the bygone modern times before he eventually became a harmless, heavy-metal boogeyman and a subsequent born-again Christian. For a while, though, he seemed like a genius. Just listen to Billion Dollar Babies and tell me that what you're hearing isn't completely brilliant. I dare you. That is all.

Your Sunday Squirrel

Here's another shot of the guy from last week. I gave him so many peanuts that he's probably still full. Anyhow, enjoy!

After Hours

The Kinks. Till the End of the Day

Here's a bit of a shaky performance from one of the finest British bands of the sixties. Still, they sound quite good. The reason for the wavering tempo and occasionally bizarre harmonies is probably that they can't hear each other so good. Hey, I just heard that their original bassist, Pete Quaife, recently died. Well, as long as Ray Davies is safe, the world is still in good shape. A few years back, he played the good Samaritan in New Orleans and came to the rescue of a woman getting mugging. He got shot for his efforts. He was hit in the leg and he was fine, but it was a close call for everyone who digs classic songwriting. Well, anyway, poor Pete Quaife.

Your Sunday Squirrel

I went to Denny Park yesterday, not expecting much. I mean, there is a whole regiment of bums around the place. That seems to dampen squirrel activity. But there were two little guys out running around. This one pictured above was really quite friendly and cooperative. He kept coming back for peanuts. He was very hungry, I guess. Usually, you toss a squirrel a peanut and he runs off and buries it. But this fellow just devoured everything I gave him (some six peanuts) and came back for more. In the meantime, he stood still long enough for me to take some pretty nice, reasonably in-focus pictures of him. I'll post another next week.

After Hours

The Moody Blues. Ride My See-Saw

OK, I'm not a huge fan of the MBs, but I really do dig this tune. It's about as rockin' as they got in the sixties. And yes, I realize they're lipsynching here, but the alternative is much worse. They weren't able to pull their stuff off live till the eighties, and by that time, they were pretty much a nostalgia act. So if you check out the version of this number live in Paris in 1970, you'll probably be disappointed. But, I mean, it's a free country. Do whatever you want. I'm not the music police. Not yet, at least. And tell me this: didn't one of those guys go on to become the Galloping Gourmet?

After 20 Years, Yakov Smirnoff Is Finally Funny

He just needs a little help from the Cheezburger Hive-Mind and a complete shift of context:

Complete genius. I'm pretty sure the dog and cat are good friends by now.

All this Commie nostalgia reminds me of that joke, sometimes attributed to Polish sources, sometimes to Russian. It goes like this:

Under Capitalism, man exploits man. Under Socialism, the opposite is true.

Ha! Thank you, I'll be here all week!

Here's Something Taking Place in Belltown!

You know, ever since I got back from my trip in June, you could accuse me of profound disinterest in my own neighborhood. And you'd be right. Sure, I've been working down in Pioneer Square for most of the summer, but that's no excuse. The truth is that since my return, instead of thinking about Seattle as a collection of neighborhoods - with Belltown being the king of them all - I'm really seeing this town as a whole community - and not necessarily an interesting one. I can't help it at the moment. I'm pretty sure that will change - I mean, last year I was posting 2-5 times a day (on average) about all kinds of small stuff taking place around here. And it was very fun for me. I suppose that my recent travel experience and in particular my time in Istanbul may have changed the way I look at Belltown. OK, let's blame those wonderful, friendly Turks and not the dour, unhelpful, semi-civilized Ukrainians for this change of heart. Sure, I've lived here for 20 years and all, but I didn't really expect to become this indifferent. Well, like I said, that will probably change. And to prove that I'm at least making an effort, I give you this:

Behold, the Cristalla! When I wrote about this place a while back, I spent some time ridiculing their south wall, saying that for a ritzy condo tower, such blankness was quite unbecoming - especially since the wall was gradually turning into a graffiti magnet. But it's a new day for the Cristalla! I'm not sure what they're doing, but at least it's something! Let's give them a round of applause.

Anyhow, so there you have it: developments in Belltown! Hooray! I'm sure my interest in the community will rekindle after I return from my next trip: October, same countries, slightly shorter time away. I think the key is to not have such a good time.

Happy Fun Joy Crane!

Whenever you see his sight, you always know that something cool is happening. This is the scene on 2nd, between University & Seneca, if my eyes serve me right. It's not Belltown, but big deal. I have no idea what they're trying to accomplish, but I'd like to think that they're moving somebody's pet elephant to the top of one of those buildings. See, the trick is to get them up there while they're still small enough to ride in the elevator. Once they're the elephant equivalent of a teenager, you'll need a crane like this one. Or perhaps they're installing a cell phone relay tower or a new HVAC unit. Yeah, yawn. I want elephants on top of our buildings.

Coming Soon to the Moore!

At first, this show reminded me in a very tangential way of The Office episode where Michael has a fun run to combat rabies. The point is made over and over again that rabies is a treatable disease and that the event is completely unnecessary. I kind of felt the same way about this show. I mean, BP has at least $20 billion to give away. That much cash can smooth over quite a few financial bumps amongst those who were impacted by the disaster. Plus the oil seems to be dissipating quite nicely, thank you very much. So why have a benefit concert? Well, it turns out that the proceeds go to the Gulf Restoration Network, an organization keeping a close eye on both the government and BP. That's a fine thing. In addition to having various Seattle musicians of note (Duff McKagan, Mike McCready, Kim Virant, Mark Pickerel and my personal backgammon nemesis, Ty Bailie, among others) onstage, there will be a silent auction AND a couple guys from Deadliest Catch talking about stuff. So yeah, my verdict: necessary.

Prisoner of Obama!

Well folks, as you may have heard, Obama was in town today. What I didn't know was that he was actually visiting the Grand Central Bakery building in Pioneer Square. I work in the creaky and fabulous Buttnick Building right next door. So yeah, we were on lockdown for his entire visit. It was supposed to last 20 minutes, but ended up being more than an hour. There was quite a crowd there just to catch a glimpse. Here's what it looked like at 1st S & Washington:

This was our dilemma: we were having this all-hands meeting. They had ordered pizza and its delivery time was uncertain. Of course, the guy showed up about five minutes after Obama (none of us could see him - Obama, not the delivery guy - but the throng gave a mighty cheer). The problem was that we couldn't get our pizzas. The guy was 50 feet away on the corner and there was this Bellevue cop who kept yelling at us when we touched the sidewalk. I contemplated making a dash for it, but that probably would have landed me in handcuffs. Instead, we had to send him away, go back upstairs and be hungry. When Obama did leave, one guy claimed to have seen his hand. I saw nothing. Soon they re-opened everything: streets, sidewalks, Occidental Square, etc. The pizzas (newer, fresher ones) eventually showed up and all was well. It's not every day when your movement is restricted by the president. It's also quite rare getting yelled at by a Bellevue cop in Seattle. But despite all that, I still like Obama quite a bit.

Oh, and on the way home, I went past the Larouchies at the Market with their Obama-with-Hitler-mustache signs. I don't think anyone ever told them that whenever somebody has to resort to Nazi symbolism or accusations, they've already lost the argument. Way to change minds, dumbasses.