Friday, April 6, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Of Staplers and Lies
The first lie I remember telling – the first one with knowing, deceptive intent behind it (beyond just the white lie fibbing of telling Mom “no” when you did something wrong and you really did do it) – was sometime around second grade. I remember one of my classmates had a mini stapler in his art box, and I was somehow convinced I needed to have one too.
They sold them at the drugstore at the corner of my street, so I knew where to get one and how much it cost and everything. I told my mom I had to have one for school. I remember her being skeptical about the whole additional-item-that-wasn’t-on-the-original-school-supply-list story, but I tried to be as convincing as possible. My mom was a school teacher in the district, so I have to believe my naiveté emboldened me in my lying, otherwise I probably would never have attempted it.
I have fuzzy memories of my mom or dad talking about sending in a note to the teacher about why this mini stapler was necessary or some such, and me dancing around the issue telling them that a note wasn’t necessary and that I really just needed to get this stapler and couldn’t they just give me the money so I could go up to the drugstore and buy it myself and then everything will be fine. Please?
I did end up getting the mini stapler. What I didn’t realize was that the Swingline people had somehow conspired with my parents and found a way to cram a seemingly unending amount of catholic guilt into the box with it! I don’t remember if I have ever confessed to the con before now. It’s as likely that I cracked at some point shortly after acquiring the mini stapler as it is that this is the first time my parents are hearing about my scam. (Of course, being a parent now and having that instinct of knowing when your kid is trying to pull one over on you, I’d be pretty surprised if my parents didn’t at least suspect I was completely making shit up at the time.)
Regardless, the guilty echoes have always remained. (Why else am I writing about it over 30 years later?!) I wish I could remember why that mini stapler was so damn important to second grade me. Ultimately, I have to figure it probably wasn’t worth it.
They sold them at the drugstore at the corner of my street, so I knew where to get one and how much it cost and everything. I told my mom I had to have one for school. I remember her being skeptical about the whole additional-item-that-wasn’t-on-the-original-school-supply-list story, but I tried to be as convincing as possible. My mom was a school teacher in the district, so I have to believe my naiveté emboldened me in my lying, otherwise I probably would never have attempted it.I have fuzzy memories of my mom or dad talking about sending in a note to the teacher about why this mini stapler was necessary or some such, and me dancing around the issue telling them that a note wasn’t necessary and that I really just needed to get this stapler and couldn’t they just give me the money so I could go up to the drugstore and buy it myself and then everything will be fine. Please?
I did end up getting the mini stapler. What I didn’t realize was that the Swingline people had somehow conspired with my parents and found a way to cram a seemingly unending amount of catholic guilt into the box with it! I don’t remember if I have ever confessed to the con before now. It’s as likely that I cracked at some point shortly after acquiring the mini stapler as it is that this is the first time my parents are hearing about my scam. (Of course, being a parent now and having that instinct of knowing when your kid is trying to pull one over on you, I’d be pretty surprised if my parents didn’t at least suspect I was completely making shit up at the time.)
Regardless, the guilty echoes have always remained. (Why else am I writing about it over 30 years later?!) I wish I could remember why that mini stapler was so damn important to second grade me. Ultimately, I have to figure it probably wasn’t worth it.
Monday, April 2, 2012
In My Highwire Days
The Psychedelic Furs
30 March 2012: The Kent Stage, Kent, Ohio
When I think of Kent I think of near-indecipherable streets and crappy parking options. I remember alternative nights at JB’s back in the ’80s, and getting into trouble behind the bar on the train tracks. But the college town setting was appropriate for this night as the Psychedelic Furs infused a boost of energy into the New Wave throwback nostalgia of Adam & Jeff’s ’80s Alternative Rewind Adventure.
After some pre-concert noshing and imbibing around the corner at Ray’s Place, Tracy, Jeff, Anna, and I made our way through the damp spring air to the Kent Stage. What the venue might lack in ambiance, it more than makes up for with acoustical warmth, and when Richard Butler began singing “Into You Like a Train” to kick off a crisp 16 song set, you knew everything was going to be alright. Easily transporting the audience back 30 years, Butler’s gravelly, melodic voice was as rock solid as it’s always been. Seeing people we knew from high school and the old Akron punk scene only served to reinforce the wormhole effect.
Looking like he just rolled off the bus in an endearingly rumpled dark suit, Butler’s joy seemed unstoppable as he shared high fives with the first few rows throughout the night, autographed an album from the stage, and connected with the audience of old schoolers through broad smiles and genuine appreciation. Fueled by a row of Coca-Cola cans on the drum riser, between songs he was all theatrical bows and pogoing.
Singing along with his brother despite not being mic’d, co-founder and bassist Tim Butler continually worked his way back and forth across the stage, striking the requisite rock star poses as necessary. With saxophonist Mars Williams and drummer Paul Garisto, who’ve both been with the band since the mid-’80s, the Butler brothers were joined by long-time Furs touring keyboardist Amanda Kramer (Information Society) and newcomer Rich Good on guitar. The playing was loose and engaging, matching the frontman’s playfulness.
Together with the charging opener, “Pretty In Pink”, “Imitation of Christ”, “The Ghost In You”, “Highwire Days”, “Love My Way”, and “Heartbreak Beat” were all highlights. For me, though, the peak was the mid-set appearance of “Heaven”. Butler’s performance embodied all the reflections of my youth… the perfect pop nuggets of late-middle school, the transformative alternative churning of high school, the postpunk reminiscence of my shared history with my wife, and the music-fueled camaraderie of close friends.
Looking for all the world like they were having as much fun as the fans reveling in their collective timelessness, the Furs delivered what the show closer promised: Forever Now.
When I think of Kent I think of near-indecipherable streets and crappy parking options. I remember alternative nights at JB’s back in the ’80s, and getting into trouble behind the bar on the train tracks. But the college town setting was appropriate for this night as the Psychedelic Furs infused a boost of energy into the New Wave throwback nostalgia of Adam & Jeff’s ’80s Alternative Rewind Adventure.After some pre-concert noshing and imbibing around the corner at Ray’s Place, Tracy, Jeff, Anna, and I made our way through the damp spring air to the Kent Stage. What the venue might lack in ambiance, it more than makes up for with acoustical warmth, and when Richard Butler began singing “Into You Like a Train” to kick off a crisp 16 song set, you knew everything was going to be alright. Easily transporting the audience back 30 years, Butler’s gravelly, melodic voice was as rock solid as it’s always been. Seeing people we knew from high school and the old Akron punk scene only served to reinforce the wormhole effect.
Looking like he just rolled off the bus in an endearingly rumpled dark suit, Butler’s joy seemed unstoppable as he shared high fives with the first few rows throughout the night, autographed an album from the stage, and connected with the audience of old schoolers through broad smiles and genuine appreciation. Fueled by a row of Coca-Cola cans on the drum riser, between songs he was all theatrical bows and pogoing.
Singing along with his brother despite not being mic’d, co-founder and bassist Tim Butler continually worked his way back and forth across the stage, striking the requisite rock star poses as necessary. With saxophonist Mars Williams and drummer Paul Garisto, who’ve both been with the band since the mid-’80s, the Butler brothers were joined by long-time Furs touring keyboardist Amanda Kramer (Information Society) and newcomer Rich Good on guitar. The playing was loose and engaging, matching the frontman’s playfulness.
Together with the charging opener, “Pretty In Pink”, “Imitation of Christ”, “The Ghost In You”, “Highwire Days”, “Love My Way”, and “Heartbreak Beat” were all highlights. For me, though, the peak was the mid-set appearance of “Heaven”. Butler’s performance embodied all the reflections of my youth… the perfect pop nuggets of late-middle school, the transformative alternative churning of high school, the postpunk reminiscence of my shared history with my wife, and the music-fueled camaraderie of close friends.Looking for all the world like they were having as much fun as the fans reveling in their collective timelessness, the Furs delivered what the show closer promised: Forever Now.
(All photos by Adam and Tracy Besenyodi.)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Magical Myth-stery Tour
Adam Savage & Jamie Hyneman – MythBusters Live: Behind the Myths Tour
22 March 2012: State Theatre at Playhouse Square, Cleveland, Ohio
For the second time in three days, we had a late night Cleveland family outing. This time, we were headed to the State Theatre to catch Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman for their MythBusters Live: Behind the Myths Tour!
The kiddo is a HUGE MythBusters fan. It’s one of those shows that he will watch non-stop, soaking up the science-y goodness wrapped in entertaining premises and splashed with a dose of humor, and it all translated to a live show just like you’d expect it would. We got Jack tickets to the show for Christmas and the payoff was well worth the wait.
It’s clear Savage and Hyneman have a great relationship, with their personalities acting as perfect counterpoints to one another. There was an ample supply of laughter and clapping and cheering throughout as the hosts bantered with the crowd, demonstrated laws of physics and science and special effects, each held Q&A segments, and pulled kids and adults alike on stage to participate. But, to be fair, any humiliation the volunteers were exposed to was nothing Savage doesn’t willingly subject himself to on the show.
The audience seemed to be mostly families with plenty of kids Jack’s age, but the great thing about MythBusters – both the television show and the stage show – is that Savage and Hyneman don’t talk down to kids. When explaining how the friction between the pages of a telephone book can hold Savage’s weight suspended above the stage, or addressing the errant cannonball that careened into a neighborhood during one of their MythBusters tapings, it’s clear these guys have a passion for all things STEM related.
While the stage show didn’t actually bust any myths, and the setup didn’t lend itself well to allowing anyone outside of the floor seats to actually pose any questions or participate in any onstage experiments, I think everyone had a pretty good time… even the guy who, celebrating his 21st birthday, was pelted with a hail of paintball gunfire during the show’s finale, then given a beer by Savage!
For the second time in three days, we had a late night Cleveland family outing. This time, we were headed to the State Theatre to catch Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman for their MythBusters Live: Behind the Myths Tour!
The kiddo is a HUGE MythBusters fan. It’s one of those shows that he will watch non-stop, soaking up the science-y goodness wrapped in entertaining premises and splashed with a dose of humor, and it all translated to a live show just like you’d expect it would. We got Jack tickets to the show for Christmas and the payoff was well worth the wait.It’s clear Savage and Hyneman have a great relationship, with their personalities acting as perfect counterpoints to one another. There was an ample supply of laughter and clapping and cheering throughout as the hosts bantered with the crowd, demonstrated laws of physics and science and special effects, each held Q&A segments, and pulled kids and adults alike on stage to participate. But, to be fair, any humiliation the volunteers were exposed to was nothing Savage doesn’t willingly subject himself to on the show.
The audience seemed to be mostly families with plenty of kids Jack’s age, but the great thing about MythBusters – both the television show and the stage show – is that Savage and Hyneman don’t talk down to kids. When explaining how the friction between the pages of a telephone book can hold Savage’s weight suspended above the stage, or addressing the errant cannonball that careened into a neighborhood during one of their MythBusters tapings, it’s clear these guys have a passion for all things STEM related.While the stage show didn’t actually bust any myths, and the setup didn’t lend itself well to allowing anyone outside of the floor seats to actually pose any questions or participate in any onstage experiments, I think everyone had a pretty good time… even the guy who, celebrating his 21st birthday, was pelted with a hail of paintball gunfire during the show’s finale, then given a beer by Savage!
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Big Come Up
The Black Keys
20 March 2012: Quicken Loans Area, Cleveland, Ohio
It is a strange thing to witness firsthand as a local band you have followed and championed ascends. To see the group evolve and, ultimately, achieve widespread acceptance from the masses is bittersweet. Alongside the feeling of vindication in your personal taste, there is the feeling of losing something that belonged to you, something you shared with a core group of fans. The Black Keys is to my mid-life what Nine Inch Nails was to my young adulthood.
Over the last decade, the Black Keys have risen to bona fide rock stardom. And now, they’ve proven it with an arena tour by selling out Madison Square Garden, then turning around and adding a second date that promptly sold out, too. But on this night in Cleveland, it was about perspective. And the magnitude of playing their hometown arena didn’t escape drummer Pat Carney and singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach. The latter taking the stage in a Firestone High School “Beat Green” t-shirt (Green High School being one of his alma mater’s rivals), and extending a “Hello, our hometown!” greeting that seemed to include genuine wonderment at where they’ve found themselves.
The setlist remained steady, virtually unchanged since the U.S. tour began, opening with Brothers’ “Howlin’ for You” and “Next Girl”, followed by El Camino’s “Run Right Back”. Carney’s elastic pacesetting for the opening trio of songs seemed to speed things up considerably from their familiar album versions, with Auerbach matching him stride for stride. The mid-set quartet of classics kicked off with Thickfreakness’ title track, keeping the faithful in thrall.
Although I don't think the new album's material is as strong as their previous efforts, as is often the case, it came off well in the live setting. The two El Camino songs that proved most revelatory were “Little Black Submarine” and “Nova Baby”. “Submarine” is probably my least favorite track off the new album, but its Led Zeppelin vibe translated epically to the live setting. “Nova Baby”, which feels like a late-album filler track, was transformed into a percussive powerhouse by virtue of Carney’s chest-thrumming beats.
The main set closer, the single “Lonely Boy”, had the 11,000 individual bodies churning as one, and the three-song encore opened with a giant disco ball and Auerbach in the sickeningly sweet falsetto of Brothers’ “Everlasting Light”. The fan club seats we secured were great (and priced incredibly). Five rows from the floor on the stage-side aisle, we were positioned perfectly for the kiddo to enjoy his second Black Keys show and first Quicken Loans Arena concert. And as some of the GA attendees started to make their way past us and up to the exits while the band was still jamming, the kiddo was on the receiving end of multiple high-fives as he rocked out on his air guitar along with Auerbach and danced in the aisle!
Things have clearly changed. It was a setlist for the converted with 14 of the 21 songs pulled from 2010 or later, but the deep-catalog nuggets (one track each from the first four albums) were well-picked. And the Black Keys are no longer strictly just a two-man operation, but similar to the Brothers Tour, Carney and Auerbach were able to preserve their history with in-show selections that stripped away the supplemental musicians and reestablished their past glory as a duo. Ten years and ten days since their first gig at the Beachland Ballroom, the Akron duo delivered on all the promise of their first arena stop to the hometown crowd.
20 March 2012: Quicken Loans Area, Cleveland, Ohio
It is a strange thing to witness firsthand as a local band you have followed and championed ascends. To see the group evolve and, ultimately, achieve widespread acceptance from the masses is bittersweet. Alongside the feeling of vindication in your personal taste, there is the feeling of losing something that belonged to you, something you shared with a core group of fans. The Black Keys is to my mid-life what Nine Inch Nails was to my young adulthood.Over the last decade, the Black Keys have risen to bona fide rock stardom. And now, they’ve proven it with an arena tour by selling out Madison Square Garden, then turning around and adding a second date that promptly sold out, too. But on this night in Cleveland, it was about perspective. And the magnitude of playing their hometown arena didn’t escape drummer Pat Carney and singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach. The latter taking the stage in a Firestone High School “Beat Green” t-shirt (Green High School being one of his alma mater’s rivals), and extending a “Hello, our hometown!” greeting that seemed to include genuine wonderment at where they’ve found themselves.
The setlist remained steady, virtually unchanged since the U.S. tour began, opening with Brothers’ “Howlin’ for You” and “Next Girl”, followed by El Camino’s “Run Right Back”. Carney’s elastic pacesetting for the opening trio of songs seemed to speed things up considerably from their familiar album versions, with Auerbach matching him stride for stride. The mid-set quartet of classics kicked off with Thickfreakness’ title track, keeping the faithful in thrall.
Although I don't think the new album's material is as strong as their previous efforts, as is often the case, it came off well in the live setting. The two El Camino songs that proved most revelatory were “Little Black Submarine” and “Nova Baby”. “Submarine” is probably my least favorite track off the new album, but its Led Zeppelin vibe translated epically to the live setting. “Nova Baby”, which feels like a late-album filler track, was transformed into a percussive powerhouse by virtue of Carney’s chest-thrumming beats.
The main set closer, the single “Lonely Boy”, had the 11,000 individual bodies churning as one, and the three-song encore opened with a giant disco ball and Auerbach in the sickeningly sweet falsetto of Brothers’ “Everlasting Light”. The fan club seats we secured were great (and priced incredibly). Five rows from the floor on the stage-side aisle, we were positioned perfectly for the kiddo to enjoy his second Black Keys show and first Quicken Loans Arena concert. And as some of the GA attendees started to make their way past us and up to the exits while the band was still jamming, the kiddo was on the receiving end of multiple high-fives as he rocked out on his air guitar along with Auerbach and danced in the aisle!
Things have clearly changed. It was a setlist for the converted with 14 of the 21 songs pulled from 2010 or later, but the deep-catalog nuggets (one track each from the first four albums) were well-picked. And the Black Keys are no longer strictly just a two-man operation, but similar to the Brothers Tour, Carney and Auerbach were able to preserve their history with in-show selections that stripped away the supplemental musicians and reestablished their past glory as a duo. Ten years and ten days since their first gig at the Beachland Ballroom, the Akron duo delivered on all the promise of their first arena stop to the hometown crowd.(All photos by Adam and Tracy Besenyodi, original artwork by Marq Spusta.)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
When You’re Really Good, They Call You “Cracker Jack!”
There are certain ads that were ubiquitous in comic books when I was growing up. There was the “Win a Columbia Ten-Speed Formula 10 Racer” banner across the front cover of every Marvel comic in November 1981. Inside there were ads for Mile High Comics and Robert Bell selling back issues, D&D sets, model kits, Bubble Yum gum, Saturday morning cartoon blocks, you name it. And in the issues cover dated October 1982 (which means they would have been on the spinner racks of the Lawson’s convenience store at the corner of my street sometime around July of that year), there was an inside-the-front-cover ad for “Special Limited Edition Baseball Cards” from Cracker Jack!
I played little league (poorly) for a few years and grew up in the geographical center of the pro sports Bermuda Triangle (Northeast Ohio). My dad never seemed to have any interest in baseball and never took me to an Indians game. As a result of all this, I’ve never been a big baseball fan, but I do love comics, and I liked Cracker Jack. So I guess that’s why I saved up my eight box tops and shipped them off to Borden with my thirty-five cents. My reward was two sheets of all-time baseball greats.
I don’t know why I kept them over the years, but I have. I stumbled on them when we were cleaning the basement last summer. They were in a large box that also included my relatively meager collection of other sports cards – football, baseball, basketball – along with my Topps 1981 Football and Baseball Sticker Albums.
In Deus ex Comica, I talk about how playing with my toys never equated to destroying my toys, and the same was true for any of my other possessions. My comics were always neatly stored and my various cards were always kept in tidy little boxes. And the Cracker Jack sheets have remained uncut for the past three decades now.
A quick search on the interwebs, and it appears the cards were commissioned from Topps and aren’t worth too much. But immediately after scanning them for this blog post, they went right back into the box they came out of. And they’ll probably stay there for another 30 years.
I played little league (poorly) for a few years and grew up in the geographical center of the pro sports Bermuda Triangle (Northeast Ohio). My dad never seemed to have any interest in baseball and never took me to an Indians game. As a result of all this, I’ve never been a big baseball fan, but I do love comics, and I liked Cracker Jack. So I guess that’s why I saved up my eight box tops and shipped them off to Borden with my thirty-five cents. My reward was two sheets of all-time baseball greats.
I don’t know why I kept them over the years, but I have. I stumbled on them when we were cleaning the basement last summer. They were in a large box that also included my relatively meager collection of other sports cards – football, baseball, basketball – along with my Topps 1981 Football and Baseball Sticker Albums.
In Deus ex Comica, I talk about how playing with my toys never equated to destroying my toys, and the same was true for any of my other possessions. My comics were always neatly stored and my various cards were always kept in tidy little boxes. And the Cracker Jack sheets have remained uncut for the past three decades now.A quick search on the interwebs, and it appears the cards were commissioned from Topps and aren’t worth too much. But immediately after scanning them for this blog post, they went right back into the box they came out of. And they’ll probably stay there for another 30 years.
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