Ballroom on Fire

What's up guys, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. Ya know, I couldn't decide whether I should write this post. On the one hand, I didn't want to do anything to detract from Sip's excellent piece below (really a must-read on an important story, don't miss it -- it appears immediately beneath mine under the title "Wheel and Deal's Biggest Slip").

But on the other I don't want any of our readers to get complacent, to feel like they know exactly what they can expect at this site without tuning in. And besides, between how excited I am for tonight and how bored I am at my job today, writing this just seems like a good idea. You know, kill two birds with one stone.

So what's so exciting? Is it tonight's Japan-Chinese Taipei showdown on the WBC? Is it the arrival of my transatlantic pal Denver Dave, or of the jet-setting A Friend of Mrs. Glass'? Exciting as all those things are, none of them can compete with what I've got lined up for this evening.

(Side note I: Of all the regions in the WBC, the Far East pool containing China, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Korea is easily the most interesting for me. Granted, the best ball probably isn't going to come out of that heat. But I was a big World War II buff in college and I keep an eye on international events, and one thing I can tell you for sure is that non-Japanese Asian people, as a general rule, hate Japanese people.

This isn't exactly an unwarranted hatred. See, the whole Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere thing that a feisty, WWII-era Japan was pushing didn't quite go over as well with other East Asian nations. Might have had something to do with the bonzai charges. Or the rapes of Nanking. Or the death marchs of Bataan, and what have you. Not trying to dredge up anti-Japanese sentiment by any means, just giving a little back story.

So yeah, that didn't go over well. Nor does it go over well today when Junichiro Koizumi, Japan's awesomely-haired, Segway-riding Prime Minister, visits a shrine devoted to Japan's war dead, where various war criminals are buried.

All of which is to say that where the Dominican Republic's nationalistic support of their team will surely be intense, it will be fun-loving. This won't be the case with the Far East heat, where each team will try desperately to upset Japan and thereby avenge the scars of Japanese militarism. Just as in World War II, however, they won't have much luck without the Americans intervening. Or maybe it's the Dominicans' turn. Who knows?

Side Note II: Just talked it over with B.O.A.F.O.M.G. -- what the hell is Chinese Taipei anyway?)

But yeah, that's not what I'm looking forward to tonight. I'll tell you what I am looking forward to though.

Tonight. Hammerstein Ballroom. Me. A bunch of my buddy Cameron's Med School friends I hardly know. And most importantly, The Strokes.

See, I was never much of a music savant in my youth. While a youthful A.F.O.M.G. couldn't get enough of Tom Petty, his musical interests were by no means broad. Things started to change after Kurt Cobain's death, when I jumped on the Nirvana bandwagon with the kind of zest normally reserved for transplanted North Carolina-natives who all of a sudden become Yankee fans upon moving to NYC post-college.

So I took my cue from Nirvana and never looked back. Some of what I've listened to I'm proud of (Paul Simon, The Killers, Bloc Party), others I'm ashamed of (Dashboard Confessional, 50 Cent, Sum 41), and others I'm just sort of baffled by, not necessarily in a bad way mind you (Dr. Octagon, System of a Down, Team Facelift).

But then there's a group like The Strokes that just does it for me in every possible way. I know a lot of people don't like them. I know a lot of people think they're overrated, all hype, whatever.

For me though, this group just has what I'm looking for. I think the best I can explain it is that their music for me is like pounding five Red Bulls and just letting that shit sink in and electrify you. I just get amped. Simple as that.

So they've got a new album out called First Impressions of Earth. As with all new releases, this one is being accompanied by a tour that will likely highlight the band's newer work, but doubtlessly incorporate older songs as well.

(With that in mind, the songs I'd be devastated if I didn't hear consist of 1. The Modern Age, 2. Someday, 3. Last Night, 4. Hard to Explain, 5. Reptilia, 6. 12:51, 7. Under Control, 8. Redlight, 9. Electricityscape, 10. Ize of the World, 11. You Only Live Once, 12. Juicebox*).

Will it be the life-changing experience I expect it to be? Who knows. Probably not. But I can tell you this much: I will do everything in my power to pass one of the limited edition Yankees 2000 business cards (coming soon to a urinal top near you) off to the guys in the band. They're Mets fans, so they get the official Y2K seal of approval.

Now go read Sip's post. And if you hate The Strokes like I hate the Yankees, feel free to create a website called strokes2001.blogspot.com, but don't expect me to visit it. Just remember to link to us.

I said please don't slow me down, if I'm going tooooo faaaaaaaaaast...

- A.F.O.M.G.

*: Update -- I did pretty well. They played 10 of those 12, with Under Control and Electricityscape failing to make the cut. I should be happy about hearing 10 out of 12, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't severely disappointed by the two they left off. Under Control (which I've learned they played on Saturday) and Electricityscape (which they didn't play either night, though possibly on Wednesday) are two of the Glass' favorites. The former may not be a classic concert song, but Electricityscape is a definite upper so I was surprised by its omission.

All in all, it was a little like the Mets winning 10 of 12, with the two losses coming against the Braves. You're pissed, yes, but in the end you find a way to keep it in perspective.

Meanwhile, that concert fucking rocked. Being a full head taller than seemingly everyone else in the concert hall gave me an excellent view of the performance, although it also made for numerous people asking me if I could move, which got annoying after a while. It's Monday as I write this and I still have a slight pain in my neck from repeatedly nodding my head up and down as if to say "yes, yes, this rocks!" and in my lower stomach from jumping up and down/being out of shape. But all in all, that ballroom was on fire, and what more could I have asked for?