the Muffs rock my world

Tonight, I decided to shirk my responsibilities and see the Muffs in Ann Arbor. Wow. Just...wow. The crowd was small but amped and the sound was impeccable (as it always is at the Blind Pig). Kim has such a presence on stage; she's one of the greats. She writes gorgeous melodies - some of the prettiest you'll ever hear - but still rocks as hard as anyone in a live setting. I wasn't sure if she could scream like that live, but my doubts were quickly dispelled. Her screams are even BETTER live; not cheesy skid rock wails, but passionate gutteral shouts that sound almost posessed. And beautiful. The best screams I've ever heard from anyone, save for the likes of John Lennon and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. I was just thrilled to be in the same room with that voice (see also: Neko Case). Also, the band was insanely tight, shifting effortlessly from beautiful pop songs to full throttle punk rock n' roll without missing a beat. Sounded huge for a three piece. Overall, just a great experience.

Check 'em out:

http://www.the-muffs.com/

Funny

For those who have a limited interest in music but enjoy the act of shopping:

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4038&n=1

If you're a fan of Matchbox 20...sorry.

Not sorry for posting this...just sorry that you like Matchbox 20.

Blogging Dangers?

So I'm new to the blog thing, but apparently they're making news.

Check out this little nugget of alarmist journalism:

http://www.detnews.com/2004/technology/0409/26/a01-284745.htm

This article purports to detail both positive and negative aspects of blogging. And it does, for the most part...but there is an obvious angle here. I mean, look at the title:

"Teens Spill Deep Secrets in Web Logs"

C 'mon! They may as well just call it "Another Reason Your Children May Be in Danger." The media feeds on your fear. They subsist on it. The #1 priority of the media is NOT fair and balanced reporting, it's NOT even to communicate news events clearly and accurately. The media is in business to make a profit. That's it. Any socially redeeming qualitites are purely incidental. They can and do sell fear to YOU. Hell, local news couldn't exist without it. Case in point: those panicky trailers for upcoming health segments...

"You may already be dead...details at 11."

ALSO...

I found it particularly abhorrent that Ms. Bissonnette (quoted within the article) reads her 13 year-old daughter's blogs (shame on you) and requires that they be "generic and upbeat." Umm...what? She's 13!!! Generic and upbeat??? Look, I realize safety is a concern here, but you can teach your kids about predatory internet creeps and how to avoid them WITHOUT reading their blogs or - worse yet - censoring them, replacing honesty with fatuous feelgoodism. Can you imagine?

"OK, here's an outlet for you, honey, a place that is all yours, a place where you can go and write about anything you want...provided that it is bland, innocuous, generic and upbeat." Christ. Add another mindless sheep to the herd, compliments of Ms. Bissonnette's compulsive need to keep her daughter blissfully ignorant.

Here's another winner of a quote from the aforementioned article:

>>While some educators love them as a learning environment, others balk at the writing they see on blogs, which often adopt a Web-speak that is notorious for bad grammar, poor spelling and little punctuation.<<

This is a joke, right? OK, I don't mean to trivialize the importance of sentence-level mechanics, but who - other than a pedantic dope - would ever "balk at" such a thing? If you agree AT ALL with the above statement, you have no business being an educator. The primary function of language is communication, in which most bloggers are doing a fine job. A blog is a like a journal. As an English teacher, I would never correct journals for grammar, spelling, or punctuation. These blogs are not research papers. So far as I can see, most people use them as places to rant, as places to type random thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way. Which makes them more like diaries; would you read someone's diary and correct it for mechanical errors? If you answered "yes," get your soulless uninspired ass out of the education profession.

I have more to say on this, and when I get some time and get my thoughts together, you'll get to hear it all. Try to contain your excitement.

I am not a writer

So it's official; I've become so enamored with my own inane little scribblings that I will now publish them online for all to see. Right now, I'm not exactly sure what this is, let alone what it's going to be. I hesitate to call it a journal or diary; actually, a blog belies the very notion of a private diary, since the author is constantly putting his/her words on display. There will always be an element of performance here, however slight. Unless I get really drunk...which is altogether likely.

In any event, don't labor under the delusion that you - the reader - will be digging deep, peeling back the layers and getting to know the real PJ. I am not here to bare my soul.

I am not a writer. I do not call myself an artist. I write. I do so compulsively, and with no expectations from anyone else.

So it begins. On a Sunday in September, appropriately enough. Let's hear it for autumnal disenchantment.