In the early '80s, the then-shit-hot Murphy could do no wrong: he ruled Saturday Night Live (playing Gumby, Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, among others), he starred in a few decent films (48 Hrs., Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop), and he recorded the novelty classic "Boogie in Your Butt" (above). Pretty much everything since then sucked... What happened?
What made the biggest impression on me by far was his 1983 standup special Delirious. I first saw it at the relatively tender age of 14, after school one day at the home of a pal who taped it off HBO. I'd never heard anything so incredibly filthy in my young life, and despite its grossly homophobic moments, I'd never heard anything so incredibly hilarious either. I don't think I'd even seen a full standup performance before, and though I was too young (and sheltered) to get many of the 22-year-old's jokes, Delirious thoroughly blew my mind.
Toeing the company line, Mudhoney frontman Mark Arm mentioned today's 25th anniversary during tonight's in-store show at the West Seattle Easy Street Records. A good performance, and afterwards I went into total fanboy mode: I had all four band members shake my hand and sign my free Ed Fotheringhamposter, and I even got a photo with Mark Arm himself, one of my all-time rock 'n' roll idols...
Sub Pop was the shit in late-'80s/early-'90s Seattle, when Mudhoney was king (tho' soon dethroned by lesser label-mates Soundgarden and Nirvana). While Sub Pop worked with heaps of cool acts, my other all-time favorite band to record for the label is Girl Trouble.
The Pixies' first full-length record hits the big two-five today.
Surfer Rosa was released in the UK on March 21, 1988, and it came out in the US that August. Sometime that summer I first heard the album's lead single, "Gigantic," on Seattle's KJET. Then that fall, my college roommate had the full-length LP, which I immediately dug (though I was disappointed that "Gigantic" was the record's only song sung by "Mrs. John Murphy"). I soon bought myself Rough Trade's import CD, which also had 1987's Come on Pilgrim EP tacked on at the end. To me, the two releases on that single disc have always run together like double album -- Rosa's "Brick is Red" flows seamlessly into Pilgrim's "Caribou."
Part of the fascination was that, at the time, the Pixies were largely a mystery to me. I had no idea what the band members looked like, nor was even sure of their real names. The CD booklet, designed by Vaughan Oliver, just had those sepia photos of a topless senorita.
Twenty-five years later, it's still my second-favorite album ever of all-time ever. This remains my number one.
***
This occurred to me today, upon reading that "Iggy and the Stooges" will be releasing a follow-up record in April. The new album apparently shouldn't be confused with The Weirdness, which "The Stooges" released in 2007 as a follow-up to 1970's Fun House. (I was too kind to The Weirdnesshere -- it totally sucked.)
Anyway, here's hoping Ready to Die -- featuring Raw Power guitar ace James Williamson -- doesn't totally suck.
***
In this, the last of this blog's measly 26 posts in 2012, I'll recap the stuff I've covered over the previous year, along with some things I didn't address. For starters, in February, Eliza and I installed a chicken coop in our backyard, and then brought home four two-month-old pullets: Rocky, Dolly, Rhodey, and Li'l Sweetie (above, shot by Eliza). Sadly, Rocky and Dolly succumbed to Marek's Disease, but Sweetie and Rhodey have thrived - since May, those gals have pumped out a whopping 334 eggs!
In other bird news, a day after Rocky was put to sleep, three robins were hatched in a nest by our back porch. Here are two of the eggs...
Within a day, all three robin chicks were eaten by some goddamn crows.
In non-bird deaths, in 2012 we said goodbye to the Beastie Boys and Ween, Ralph McQuarrie, and John Belushi (albeit 30 years after the fact). Also passing this year, but unacknowledged by this blog, were Matt Groening's Life in Hell, and the Seattle TV clown who inspired Krusty the Clown on Groening's The Simpsons, JP Patches... In July was I driving through the U-District when I happened upon the demolition of the UW's Lander Hall, a dormitory where I lived for a couple years in my late teens and did many grown-up, um, things, that I never done before...
On top of this being the sixth full calendar year of the SteveMandich.com blog, I continued to maintain two other blogs -- Super Ichiro Crazy! (where the big news was his trade from Seattle to the Yankees) and Bigfoot is Real (which I just put on "temporary hiatus"). Upon the (galaxy) golden anniversary of the Seattle World's Fair, I started a commemorative blog. It was soon aborted, due to lack of both interest and inspiration. Still, I came away with this cool photo of some Space Needle models, taken at an art gallery near the Needle itself...
I visited Minnesota and New Mexico in 2012, though I didn't blog about my April SoCal trip -- in San Diego I met up with another Steve Mandich, a swell guy who's a credit to our name...
In Anaheim, my pal JP and I saw the Edmonton Oilers beat the Ducks, and the next night, we saw the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Kings beat the Oilers in L.A. I stupidly lost all my photos from those games, so here's a picture I took of the Watts Towers...
Earlier, and closer to home, I rode the Amtrak Cascades up to Vancouver, where I witnessed the Canucks beat the Coyotes in an overtime shootout. While in town, I attended the Vancouver International Boat Show, if only to see the insides of the revamped BC Place Stadium...
Here's another Vancouver photo, taken in Stanley Park...
In medical news, my Morton's toe that I viciously stubbed in 2004 finally got fixed in October -- the good foot doctor shaved away some arthritic bone and inserted a temporary three-inch pin. Here's a gnarly pic of how it looked a week after surgery...
Though 2012 was the Year of the Chickens, Eliza and I figure 2013 will be the Year of the Babies -- we're expecting fraternal twin girls on January 9! Here we are in our backyard on Thanksgiving...
Going into the new year, if I'm not blogging about it here, I'll be posting it on facebook.
Movies The Dark Knight Rises I'm Now: The Story of Mudhoney Searching for Sugar Man Notes: Of the 19 movies I saw this year, eleven of which were 2012 releases, and just these three of those I deemed list-worthy... I got myself all psyched for The Amazing Spider-Man, but it turned out to be a proverbial turd in the punchbowl... And the less said about Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the better.
Video Breaking Bad: Season 4 Eastbound & Down: Season 3 Get a Life: The Complete Series Louie: Season 2 Notes: This doesn't include stuff from the "Movies" list above, just TV shows... Still need to see season five of Mad Men, released this year... Can't wait 'til the latest seasons of Breaking Bad and Louie are out on video, hopefully in 2013.
Songs
Best Coast - "Mean Girls"
Dum Dum Girls - "I Got Nothing"
Bob Dylan - "Pay in Blood"
Ben Gibbard - "Ichiro's Theme"
Japandroids - "The House That Heaven Built"
King Tuff - "Bad Thing"
Melvins - "Let Me Roll It"
Bob Mould - "The Descent"
Public Image Ltd. - "One Drop"
The Rolling Stones - "Doom and Gloom"
Soundgarden - "Been Away Too Long"
Bruce Springsteen - "We Take Care of Our Own"
TacocaT - "Cat Fancy"
Thee Oh Sees - "Lupine Dominus"
Jack White - "I'm Shakin'" Notes: I just don't get into new albums as much as individual songs anymore, though the exception this year would be Best Coast's The Only Place... A couple older acts I became obsessed with in 2012 are the Beach Boys and Hüsker Dü (the first rock concert I ever saw was the Beach Boys, at the Puyallup Fair in 1981 or '82, and I regret not seeing them on their 50th anniversary tour this year; I saw Bob Mould open for the Pixies in '89 and thought he sucked)... I'm also bummed that I again missed the original Dinosaur Jr. lineup when they came through town... Otherwise, I saw some classic rock bands for the first time (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Heart) as well as a couple new favorites (Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls), plus some old standbys (Girl Trouble, Melvins, Young Fresh Fellows).
Books The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman The Obamas by Jodi Kantor Everybody Loves Our Town by Mark Yarm Notes: I didn't read much this year. The other ten books I did read were either published in previous years (the best of which was Duff McKagan's It's So Easy (And Other Lies)), or comics...
Comics The Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist by Alvin Buenaventura Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland by Harvey Pekar New York Drawings by Adrian Tomine Notes: I still wanna read Chris Ware's Building Stories.
Alright, this coffee-table book took maybe ten minutes to actually read, but I could pour over Bob Gruen's classic rock 'n' roll photos for hours. Above, the Clash; below, Kiss...
Johnny Thunders...
Mick...
Patti...
I borrowed a copy from the Seattle Pvblic Library (Colvmbia City branch), but you can buy it here.
***
I spent a few days last week in New Mexico, bringing the number of states I've visited to 43. (However, 15 of those I haven't spent a night in, and in two of 'em -- Florida and Nebraska -- I didn't even get outside the airport. Still haven't been to Iowa, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Vermont, or either Dakota.)
Anyway, upon touching down last Sunday at the Albuquerque airportSunport, I visited Isotopes Park (above), home of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (so named after a certain Simpsons episode). Then I drove down a nearby stretch of Route 66, though I was disappointed that it didn't look as cool as in this 1969 Ernst Haas photo. Time for a late lunch, so I had a footlong and Frito pie at the Dog House...
After checking into my downtown hotel, I drove up to the Santa Ana Star Center (a small arena on the edge of the desert) for a performance of Batman Live. Despite the Cirque du Soleil-type bullshit, I enjoyed it anyhow -- it was a good story, and besides, I'm a sucker for all stuff Batman. For dinner I ate a burrito at the Frontier Restaurant, then headed over to the Launchpad to see the Melvins on their record-setting tour. Nobody rocks a muumuu like King Buzzo...
Monday morning I rode the Sandia Peak Tramway to its 10,378-foot summit, the highest elevation I've ever been on land...
Back in the city I had a so-so Lotaburger at local chain Blake’s...
Belly full, I motored four hours to the south and west through desert, mountains, and Truth or Consequences to my sister and her husband's house outside Silver City, where I spent a couple nights in their Airstream...
Wednesday I headed back to Albuquerque and flew home, changing planes at the Phoenix airportSky Harbor. Next time I visit, I'll fly into either Tucson or El Paso, both of which are closer to Silver City than Albuquerque, and neither of which has a stupid airport name.
New Mexico's license plates refer to the state as a "Land of Enchantment," though I also found it a land of hot-air balloons, Kokopellis, dreamcatchers, green chile, blue crystal meth, and bloody, crusty boogers, which I woke up to every morning (I'm not used to the dry climate). However, thanks to melatonin and proper hydration, I slept much better at these relatively high altitudes than I had in the past. Still, I was glad to get home, down at sea level during a rainy stretch of weather.
Other than the MAD Presents Batman special I picked up over the summer, I probably haven't bought a single issue since the '80s. (For that matter, I don't think I've ever sat through a full episode of MADtv.) Perhaps the best MAD-related thing to come out in the last 25 years is the awesome, unauthorized Roctober tribute issue -- here's a better look at the cover.
MAD meant the most to me between 1977 and 1984 or so (ages 8 through 15), when it spoofed the first Star Wars and Indiana Jones installments, along with the other movies and TV shows and video games (above) that I was tuned into. I didn't quite get all the political humor and social commentary, but I dug Spy vs. Spy, the Fold-ins, and all the stuff by Al Jaffee, Don Martin, Mort Drucker, and especially Jack Davis. And I must've played that stupid Makin' Out flex-disc a million times.
Yesterday I returned from the latest of my annual ballparks-I've-never-been-to-before road trips, this time to Minneapolis. There I saw the Mariners take two out of three from the Twins, though I didn't stick around for the series finale, which the M's also won. (I've now attended games at 26 of the 30 current MLB stadiums, leaving only Toronto, Tampa Bay, Miami and Wrigley Field.) The series highlight was easily Monday's game, in which King Felix threw a complete-game five-hit shutout. On top of that, Root Sports showed me on the M's Seattle telecast, thanks to some behind-the-scenes arrangements by my pals Curtis and Amy. Here I am, game face on...
A couple days later, I took a tour of the Twins' former home, the Metrodome, where the Vikings still play...
Another day I ventured down to Bloomington to see the rocket-powered Human Fly motorcycle, built in 1977 by Rocketman Ky Michaelson. Ky welcomed me into his home, showing me his custom cycles and homemade rockets and celebrity photos and heaps of other memorabilia, and regaling me with stories of working with the Human Fly and other daredevils throughout his career. All in all, a great guy.
Here's video of the Fly's rocket-powered jump (it starts at the 5:15 mark), and here's the bike's gas tank (which wasn't actually on the bike at the time of the jump)...
Also in Bloomington I visited the Mall of America, just to gawk at the monstrosity of it all (I bought an Orange Julius to enhance the experience). It's built on the site of the former Twins/Vikings home, Metropolitan Stadium, while the nearby Ikea is built on the site of the former North Stars home, the Met Center. These are my feet...
I got around the Twin Cities via bus, taxi, light rail and bicycle. The bike rental system is way better than what I experienced a few years back in Copenhagen, and even if the bikes themselves are somewhat cumbersome, they're easier to ride in flat Minneapolis than a lightweight 18-speed is in hilly Seattle. This is what a rental kiosk looks like...
Foodwise, the best thing I ate was an amazing mushroom tart at Fika, the American Swedish Institute's cafe (and I got Eliza this tea towel in the ASI gift shop). I also liked the Jucy Lucy at Matt's, and Black Sheep's meatball pizza, which I shared with my pal Nicole. Along the way, I enjoyed plenty of Surly, Summit, and especially Grain Belt beer...
At The Depot (part of the famed First Avenue/7th Street Entry rock 'n' roll complex), I had the pleasure of meeting up with Tom, the guy who does my favorite baseball blog, It’s a Long Season. The building is covered with stars commemorating the more noteworthy acts that have performed there over the years, including this personal favorite...
Besides the 'Mats, songs by Husker Du and Soul Asylum ran through my head throughout the trip.
What else? I played Spider-Man and Rolling Stones pinball at Grumpy’s, saw statues of Mary Tyler Moore, Kirby Puckett, and several Peanuts characters, bought some Batman Legos at the flagship Target store downtown, walked through a bit of the Skyway, and took in the view from the Foshay Tower...
So yeah, I crammed a whole lot into three days, yet I still found time for a couple naps and a dip in the hotel pool. Still, I missed a few things that'll have to wait 'til next time: the Witch's Hat Water Tower, Nye’s Polonaise Room, the 5-8 Club, the CC Club, and a Silver Butter Knife Steak from Murray's (currently closed for renovations)...
At least it was 50 years ago this month that Spidey made his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15.
I've always dug Spider-Man, even if I didn't actively read his comics as a kid. Instead, I watched his cartoons on TV and had this Mead folder and listened to this book/record set over and over...
I also had one of these...
Sam Raimi's film trilogy of the '00s was pretty awesome (the first two, anyway). I was really looking forward to this summer's reboot, but was pretty much underwhelmed by its cliches and redundancy and general pointlessness. Still, I'll probably watch it again sometime.
