×   14-Sep-2005 (wed)

You know what's sad? That there are some alcohols that we hadn't been carrying because they're too good. The theory goes that there are certain alcohols that are only ordered by people who are getting free drinks: people will ask for it if they have a drink ticket, but if they have to pay for it, they won't. So we end up buying these bottles that cost us twice as much as the regular stuff, and then giving it all away. Examples include Patrón, Fernet, Chartreuse, Captain Morgan Private Stock, and pretty much all the high end whiskeys.

Well, we're trying an experiment, and we've got the good stuff at all of the bars now. Please don't spoil it for everybody, ok?

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This weekend we had a reggae show with this guy called Sizzla. It sold out with a $30 ticket, so I gather he's popular or something. But the surprising thing that I learned a couple days before the show is that this Sizzla guy hates him some homos! Apparently most of his songs are on the topic of gay men, specifically, lynching them and set them on fire. Here's an article about him:

"Throughout the night, Capleton, Sizzla and others sang almost exclusively about gay men," Amnesty International reported in a May 17 alert. "Using the derogatory terms for gay men - 'chi chi men' or 'battybwoys' - they urged the audience to 'kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem. Who want to see dem dead put up his hand' (kill them, gay men have got to die, gun shots in their head, whoever wants to see them dead, put up your hand)."

Apparently the KKK admits Rastafarians now. Who knew.

Also, isn't the entire function of reggae music to facilitate the consumption of pot? ("What did the Deadhead say when the drugs wore off?" "Hey, this music sucks!") How can a pothead even manage to be so aggro about anything? This is puzzling to me.

I suggested that maybe we ought to find a way to get the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence up on stage to clown him, but that probably would have gotten someone killed.

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Photos are up of the Grendel + Equilibrium show.

Equilibrium were ok, but they didn't really grab me. However, it's Grendel I'd like to describe for you. I guess they played here before, but I had blanked them out completely. They consisted of a girl doing something inconsequential behind a keyboard, and a guy jumping around in a paintball outfit, shaking his fist and miming crucifiction -- or, as Jared so aptly put it, "it's good to see that Cobra Commander is still getting work."

Same vocal effect on every song, which made it sound like he was gargling. Even between songs: "Thang-a-lang-a-lang-a-lank yooga-looga-loo Sala-lala-lan Franga-langa-lang cigil-igil-igil-is clowa-lowa-low!"

It was really hard to watch, in that "I feel embarassed for you" kind of way. But there were about 15 people right up front who seemed to think it was the greatest thing ever -- even when the backing CD started skipping -- so more power to them.

Jess said: "Dear industrial music, We have to break up now. It's been over for years."

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Upcoming events of note:

Sun, Sep 25:	Folsom Street Fair: we'll be open all afternoon and and evening of the fair, so if you need a goth/industrial respite from all the hairy men sweating on you, come on down.
Fri, Sep 30:	Pop Roxx. This party has the rarely simultaneous properties that A) we enjoy it, and B) we get a decent turn-out!
Thu, Oct 06:	Stromkern + Battery Cage.
Sat, Oct 08:	New Wave City, who haven't been back here in many moons.
Sat, Oct 09:	Madad: a bellydance performance to benefit the Red Cross. (One of the troupes performing is from from New Orleans.)
Thu, Oct 13:	Genitorturers, who always put on a very elaborate stage show.
Sat, Oct 29:	The world famous DNA Lounge Halloween Extravaganza, featuring Spectacular Spectacular and Rosin Coven. Get started on those costumes! It's sooner than you think.
Sun, Nov 06:	Front 242, one of my favorite bands in the world!

We can't have nice things. Actually we can't even have crappy things.

I'm sure whoever did this said, "I don't know what happened! All I was doing was standing on it!"