Thoughtless for the Day

Hey there, swinging members of Stalin's inner circle,

Before I get to the events of May 10th, 2012, a brief word about the events of July 5th, 2012: And that brief word is "Go!". Or, the put that word in a larger context Go see the END OF DAYS TOUR, featuring iVardensphere and special guests, when it rolls into Philly on the aformentioned date. We almost lost this show to Wilmington, so catching this show is also a matter of civic pride...and it's only $5!

I wake up in San Francisco, which is something I haven't done in nearly twenty years. One of the great things about San Francisco (which is pretty much Philly with some hills and better weather) is that it's dotted with excellent coffee shops. Not a Starbucks in sight, and that's the way I like it. Small wonder no one ever seems to go to sleep here. Anyway, I grab a white mocha and start walking. My plan is to find out how close I got to the Cat Club the night before. The answer is "So close that I kick myself around the city for the rest of the day". I call Vienna, and she chides me for wussing out on what could've been a fun evening. There's a lesson to be learned in all of this...

Rant Number Two: If you're headed somewhere, DO NOT turn back. In a worst case scenario, you can always flag down a taxi, or hijack a school bus - JUST KEEP MOVING!

I spend most of the morning exploring the City by the Bay that is Prominently Featured in Harold & Maude.  In fact, I do so much exploring (why, oh why doesn't Wicked Grounds - the kinky cafe - open until 3 PM?) that end end up with a minor case of sunstroke. By noon, I'm crashed out in the hotel, resting and listening to one of my favorite bands, San Francisco residents Stripmall Architecture :

Now, most of what you need know about that night's Dead Milkmen show (other than
the fact I was sick as a dog), you can read in the two following, very complimentary
articles:

• Live Review, 5/10/12: Dead Milkmen Decimate Slim's in First S.F. Show in 17 Years (Sorry about decimating your club, Slim's. I'm just gonna blame Joe for that)
• Show Review: The Dead Milkmen with Terry Malts at Slim's, 5/10/2012

There are, however, a few small tidbits, not found in the articles above that you might find of interest. 1) There is a bar almost directly across the street from Slim's known as The Butter (the entire building is yellow) which serves a drink called "The Bitchin' Camaro". 2) Before we came on, the DJ played the theme from Rocky (Rocky being to Philly what stepladders and light-bulbs are to Poland). When the music ended, the screen separating us from the audience refused to budge for another 5 minutes or so that seemed like an eternity to the band. You know that scene in This is Spinal Tap wherein the bass player is trapped in a pod? Well, we were living that scene. 3) After the show, I went back upstairs to meet the audience, and a woman offered me $100 for my Angelspit shirt. She thought it was a one-of-a-kind "art shirt". I explained to here that she could buy five of 'em, on line, for $100 bucks. 4) There was almost a fist-fight (the first, but not the last of the tour) backstage as some drunk accused both me and Dan, our friend and soundman, of stealing his backpack. Discretion won the day, as we decided not to wallop the guy as he was clearly his own worst enemy.

Next time: The Battle for Seattle!

Related articles

• My Belated, Yet Totally Fuckin' Awesome, Tour Diary Part I (rodneyanonymous.com)
• Rock N' Roll Diary Extra: Led Zeppelin Live in '69 [Audio] (wzlx.radio.com)