Notes from the Quasi-Mosh Pit: The White Stripes & The Shins Concert

This past Sunday, went to see the White Stripes and the Shins play at Coney Island's Keyspan Park. Talk about a damn good show, both acts were electric.

Eight disjointed thoughts from the concert:
1) I feel old. It seems the NYU gals and the hipsters are getting younger every year.

2) Some band called M. Ward started off-- the only worthwhile thing worth mentioning about is that I confused the band name with that of Mike Watt, he of fIREHOSE and the Minutemen. Oh, silly me.

3) Coors Light goes through me really fast. Not so good when you're ten feet from the stage, in the center. Love the looks of annoyance as I wormed through the crowd more than once. The solution for the next show, in order to show my age I guess, is adult diapers. Sigh. (e.b. approves!)

4) This is the first time I've seen the Shins in concert, had bought their most recent album, "Oh, Inverted World" when it originally came out, but discarded their album after a couple of listens (sorry, "Garden State" fans). After listening to their really tight set and re-hearing the songs in a live setting, though, have re-discovered their CD. Damn, they're good. There isn't too much of a difference between them live and on CD, but "Know Your Onion!," "Caring is Creepy" and "New Slang" are all gems.

5) Suggestion to all: Find the rowdy Brits in any audience (suggested Brit type is like those found in "Eurotrip") and hang out with them. Always a good time.

6) I don't care ift Meg White is not talented, she is cute. Jack White, why did you divorce her?

7) The White Stripes are on a whole other level when they play live. Mike White's showmanship and stagecraft antics are exquisite.

8) "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)" is the best song the White Stripes have ever written-- it's a revelation live.

Related thought from when I stumbled home: The fish in the fishtank are always staring at me. Staring. At. Me.

By the by, NPR presently is hosting the full sets from the bands' September 27 show in Maryland. For all those who missed out, check the bands' live sets here.

The Genius of Thrillist

For those not in the know, Thrillist is a new NYC-centric e-mail on happenings, a Daily Candy for men. And it's probably brought me the most laughs so far of any e-mails I've read, plus they were the first to break the news on the hip-for-a-second speakeasy La Esquina.

So, I laughed a little more this morning, as the second Thrillist pop quiz is in. A flavor of the questions this week:

At job interviews, it's essential you:
A. maintain eye contact, answer questions earnestly, and send a follow up thank-you note
B. have your fraudulent resume committed to memory
C. not be drunk
D. not appear drunk

And if you want to see how their first quiz went, on dating, check this out. Bottom-line, men are cheap, drunks and cannot be trusted. Duh. But editor David Blend makes it riotous. Rock on, Thrillist.

The "Lost" DVD is Here, Hooray!

Yes, among my other geeky attributes, I am also a "Lost" fan. Don't even try to get me to go out on a Wednesday night when there is a first-run episode scheduled, it's that bad. I'll come up with a lame excuse, I'm sure, if you were to ask-- tis that good a series, on par with "The Wire".

(No comment on where "Rock Star" lies in this current schema, I've taken enough flak for revealing that guilty pleasure already.)

But I disgress. While today may be a Tuesday, it's still a "Lost" day-- the first season DVD finally hit store shelves today. Think of it like a second Christmas.

So, I skip out of work at 6:30 p.m. and head to the Best Buy on Broadway, between Bleecker and Houston. Nary a "Lost" DVD to be found. Argh. After the salesperson tells me they're out, I spy one in a promotional area-- I buy that one.

While I haven't watched all 1,124 minutes (about three-quarters of a day, probably not counting the easter eggs) of the disc yet, have viewed most of the extras. Good stuff. The extras make it worth its worth in gold. While I may have essentially said in the past that extras don't mean that much, it's definitely not true here-- they make the package special, especially with the fanatical audience this show has.

The only quibble is that, on the first disc, it takes about 15 minutes to get through the ads, which you can't skip. This drives me absolutely nuts, just as frustrating as this show sometimes is with its twists and turns-- so why should the DVD be any different?

I will say, though, that the release strategy for the disc is wonderful, partly because the 7-DVD set costs, on average, about $40 to $45. With such a low cost, not a bad method for attracting new viewers who may not want to pick up the series on the fly.

Looking for a discussion on the "Lost" DVD? Check out the thread at Lost-tv.com here (day of release discussion begins on page 18)-- talk about devoted.

Pauly Shore: "You're taking his TV? What are you? Some cast member of "The Surreal Life"?"

I'm a casual fan of "Entourage" and have found myself enamored with the show this summer (along with "Rock Star: INXS"-- more on that later). Thought last night's show was staisfying, yet also maddening. We have to wait until at least May 2006 to find out what's next with Vince, Eric, Drama Turtle and Ari? Argh.

The show has been doing extremely well, building on the ratings each week. So, I was not surprised to find an article in the today's New York Times, by Hillary De Vries, on one of the key demographics it reaches.

As it says there: "This summer, no show captivated Hollywood's "10 percenters" the way that "Entourage" did, thanks largely to Mr. Piven, whose scene-stealing, motor-mouthed antics have earned him an Emmy nomination while skewing the series' storylines much the way David Spade stole the spotlight on NBC's "Just Shoot Me." Many insiders call it the most accurately nuanced satire of the entertainment industry since the 1992 HBO comedy "The Larry Sanders Show." Mr. Piven's Ari Gold, likewise, is regarded as the most incisive portrait of a big-stakes talent agent since Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire.""

You had me up until you said David Spade. While Piven and Spade may both be midgets, that's just cold to equate the two old "PCU" stars like this. One was a shitty NBC comedy (no matter how you looked at it and despite Laura San Giacomo), the other a league above all of the comedies on the air today.

OK, Who Was This?

Picture at right, as found in Freeman Alley. Another has been sighted in on Rivington Street, between Eldridge and Allen streets.

Allow me to be a little vain right now: Who is graffiti-ing about me on the Lower East Side? Because I absolutely love it. Especially the heart above the "i".

(And before certain wiseass friends chime in: No, I did not do and this is not a cry for help.)

I have a couple of suspects in mind, but...who is this mystery crush? Reveal yourself!