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Nov 25, 2008The Chicago Sound MachineAll day today I thought about my review of yesterday's Smashing Pumpkins show. I read some other reviews and watched as die-hard fans defended Billy Corgan's set choices. "He was sick. He needed to rest his voice. The anniversary shows are for the real fans." Even taking all that into account, I stood by my review. However, there was one comment that was worth consideration, "This tour is in a two-night format. You have to go to both shows. It's like a live box set or double-album." Okay, I'm willing to admit when I've jumped the gun. After some more research, I found out how disconnected I am from a band that I truly enjoy. In fact the shows are in a two-night format called Black Sunshine & White Crosses. And although I've made the appropriate name change to yesterday's review, I still stand by it. Smashing Pumpkins: White Crosses, Midland Theater 11/25/08 Tuesday was a new night. Armed with a slight embarrassment over the two-night format, TW and I went into the second night of Billy and Friends with open eyes, hoping to see the "sonic exploration" of the night before as the middle of the concert instead of the end. This time there was no time for conversations with friends. We stepped into the theater just as the intro music started and we quickly made our way to our seats. It was nice to have not only and emotional but physical change in perspective as the band walked onstage. Eight songs into the setlist, I realized that although I may be disconnected with Billy's two-night concert concept, I am still very connected to the Smashing Pumpkins' music. Cherub Rock capped a run of amazing songs that included two of my personal show highlights, Sunkissed and Soma. All the sound issues from the night before had seemingly been worked out, and a true rock show was definitely under way. I leaned over to TW and affirmed that this was shaping up to be the show we didn't get the night before. She somewhat agreed. Coincidentally, sitting next to TW was the brother in-law of one of her close friends. I saw him lean over and ask TW a few questions. She later told me that he was asking, "Did they rock last night or did they play all this acoustic shit?" and "Did Billy talk this much last night?" Unfortunately, this is where I agree with the die-hards. If you own only one CD of a band, don't pay $50+ to seen them live. They WILL NOT play the three songs you like. I got a little concerned during the next nine songs when Billy stopped to talk it up with the crowd before playing Landslide. But the mood was cold-medicine slap-happy and Billy only insulted the crowd twice. Once, when he asked, "Is this a red state or a blue state?" The embarrassed silence told the story. But he followed by asking, "How many of you say you're a blue state but are really a red state?" And then, when he said, "I'm in a good mood. I'm enjoying this rapport. Normally, I despise the audience and hate everything you represent." Both times were definitely jokes, I think. If not, who cares? I came to see the monkey dance and play music. And fortunately, the run included the other personal highlights Galapagos and the newest Pumpkins song, Song for a Son. At that point, I thought nothing could derail this show. They were in the clear. And looking at the two shows as a whole, it was a unique and amazing experience. But there was still time. And like any good box set, there are songs that ended up on the cutting room floor for a reason. And unfortunately, these were the songs Billy chose as the finale. Like the night before, it was time for new arrangements of songs that can't end a rock show. The Sounds of Silence, The March Hare and Suffer were the Jenga piece that toppled a perfectly built show. Again, it was amateur, not something you'd expect from a band that's been in the business for over 20 years. Billy even poked fun at himself by calling it "The Chicago Sound Machine." Needless to say, my expectation that a band brings their A-game to a show, builds it up and finishes strong, is irrelevant. Smashing Pumpkins have been doing this kind of show since Lollapalooza in '94, no new tricks for Billy and Co. And that's why I will be eagerly awaiting the next album but it may be another 14 years before I see them live. 
posted by Jim at 11:35 PM
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Nov 24, 2008My Other Favorite Band from ChicagoIt's no secret that one of my Top 5 Favorite Bands is Smashing Pumpkins. So if you want to stop reading now, knowing how biased this review will be, I won't hold it against you. For those of you reading on, it wasn't long ago I saw my second favorite band from Chicago, Smoking Popes, blow the roof off the Record Bar (that's right, I used a 1930's turn of phrase). So when I heard that The Billy Corgan Show was coming to Kansas City for two nights, I rushed out and got tickets for both shows. I mean, Twisted Wife and I have run the gambit of amazing shows this year (minus Robert Smith's cold). How could I go wrong? Smashing Pumpkins: Black Sunshine, Midland Theater 11/24/08 For years, I refused to see the Pumpkins live. I listened to their CD's religiously and became what some would call a super fan. So, you would think I'd jump at any chance to see them live. Well, you'd be wrong. As I listened to the recorded songs and read countless interviews about the band, I noticed that what was happening on tape could not happen live. Why? There was a tumultuous dynamic that wasn't right to me. Not like the turmoil I've seen with other famous bands, something that made this band special and sad at the same time. It was in the music and it was in the band's words when interviewed. It made for great recordings but, in my mind, it couldn't translate to the stage. Finally, I got over this hesitation in 1994 and saw them at Lollapalooza. And maybe the years of telling myself this music wouldn't work for me live made the show terrible... or maybe I was right all those years and it was simply terrible. Either way, it kept me from seeing another Smashing Pumpkins show until tonight. I decided it was time to let go of my fourteen-year grudge. I remained committed to my belief that the Pumpkins were one of the best recorded bands ever, buying the albums and proselytizing on their merits. And with the reincarnation of the band, I had to see if things had changed. I was pleasantly surprised. TW and I got to the show on time, quickly parked and made our way inside. I knew she was a bit apprehensive. The Pumpkins were not her favorite band and knowing that she was going to spend her next two nights at their concerts did not put her in her best mood. Or, maybe it was the fact that I'd been kind of a jerk lately. What can I say? Like you think I'm easy to live with? So, it was a great surprise to see our friends, James and Meg, as soon as we walked in the theater. TW likes talking to people. So, if nothing else, James and Meg lightened her mood a bit. As a sidenote, it was Meg's birthday. Happy birthday, Meg! The whole time we talked to our friends, I kept thinking what a great birthday present. I couldn't remember the last time a great band was in town on my birthday, or if I'd ever gone to a concert on my birthday. I was easily sidetracked from the fact that I was lifting the moratorium on Smashing Pumpkins concerts. The dimming lights and intro music stopped our conversation. We stood there for a moment, fully expecting to have to yell over whatever shitty opening band had been slapped on the bill. To our delight, there was no shitty opening band. What? Excuse me! Who the fuck does Billy Corgan think he is? Neil Diamond? No opening band? WTF? How can I write a review of a show without an opening band to ridicule? Two songs into the show I got over my disgust at this faux pas in concert etiquette and realized that would not be the last one of the night. Fortunately, this was not the deadly one. The next two-thirds of the show made me start to regret my decision to stay away from Pumpkins concerts. They played a great mixture of new songs and hits. Highlights included a phenomenal version of Eye and an acoustic set that included Rose March, a song I never expected them to play. Billy joked with the crowd about Sarah Palin, bloggers and "blowing" being part of the music industry. All in all, it was a great rock show. But then, it all went to hell. The final third of the show was filled with the laziest bit in music. Granted, Billy had a cold and this may account for what happened. I'd like to say he was saving his voice... or it was the cold medicine... or anything beyond what I think actually happened. The final thirty minutes were spent on a distortion and feedback filled sonic exploration on a cover of Pink Floyd's Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. LAME! This is what bands do when they have nothing left to play. It's not interesting and it kills what would have otherwise been a good show. This tactic was cool when everyone in the crowd was on acid. But if you are celebrating your 20th anniversary, guess what? Your crowd is old enough that they have jobs to go to (especially when the show is on a Monday). It was sad watching people stream out the door. TW and I stayed, hoping that the encore would be worth the wait. Instead, it was a kazoo version of We Only Come Out at Night. Way to tear a page out of the Polyphonic Spree's playbook, Billy. As we filed out of the theater I looked at TW and said, "Show review, he sounded better than Robert Smith with a cold. But Robert Smith knows to stick to the material. Tomorrow we're leaving early." Stay tuned for the review of show #2.
posted by Jim at 11:36 PM
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Nov 21, 2008The Price of My Stupidity... $21.49I am not automotive-ly inclined. Sure, I understand how cars work, but I'm terrible when it comes to maintenance. Yesterday was the day of reckoning for the Twistedmobile. It needed new tires, alignment and oil change. Me, at my most intelligent, thought I could just take the car to the shop and wait while Sean (new Twisted pal) did the work. After all, he assured me the work could be done in under two hours when he gave me the estimate only days before. And estimates are always dead on. Three and a half hours later while paying for the work, Sean let me know that they disconnected my battery. "Okay, what does that mean?" After a very sarcastic explanation of car batteries, he said I may need to reset my radio station presets. Of course, I found this a small price to pay for maintenance that has needed to be done for nearly three months. I was getting off easy. For those of you unlucky folks that have never been in the Twistedmobile, I listen to my iPod exclusively in my car. I hate the radio and CD's are so 1999. So as soon as I slide into the driver's seat, I instinctively reach for my iPod. I clicked on my favorite playlist... nothing. What? Are you fucking kidding me? Tires, alignment, oil change, none of these things are even remotely musical. And then I happened to glance at my stereo. Blinking at me with it's ugly LED smile, it said, "Enter Code." Huh? What code? After a few minutes of research, I realized that somewhere along the way I had activated the security code on my stereo. Fortunately, I also refused to write the code down thinking it was a number I use so frequently how could I possibly forget it. Two customer service calls and 14 combinations of various codes later, I realized my stupidity has locked me out of my stereo. Once I got past the initial crying, I decided to make one last call to customer service. This time I connected with Tom. He sounded very put out by having to answer the phone. But he did give me the best piece of info. If you are locked out of your stereo, first, you're an idiot. Second, you can take your car to an authorized dealer and they can delete the code from the stereo's memory. All you need is the receipt. As paper's flew out of my file cabinet, I continued to run possible number combinations in my head. I knew that the receipt had to be slowly decaying in the local landfill and I would be listening to the songs in my head until I could afford a new stereo. Just then, I spotted a yellow work order. Although I couldn't make out most of the handwriting, I saw the one word I needed, Kenwood. And with that I was off to the installation shop. I knew it was going to be rough as soon as I walked in the door. Warren laughed as he looked at the year-old ticket, "Hey, I installed this one. Why'd you set the code?" After explaining my lack of intelligence, Warren took my keys and told me it would be about 15 minutes. Amazingly, only 15 minutes passed when Warren reappeared with my keys. "You're all set. That'll be $21.49." I stepped up to the register and swiped my card. The little machine flipped through some confirmation screens followed by the question that made my heart sink. "Please enter your PIN." As soon as I saw those three capital letters, I realized the one four-digit combination that had slipped my mind. Posted with LifeCast
posted by Jim at 2:04 PM
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Nov 19, 2008Books... Really?With the soft release of my third book, Letters from Satan (buy it... BUY it... BUY IT!), I have begun to notice that less and less people are interested in my books. I don't know if less and less people are reading, or that my audience is just dwindling. In either case, I am going to try and do something about it: 1. Twisted Jim iPhone Application This may not appeal to all of you, but I know that many of my readers are carrying around the fancy new status symbol from Apple (I've got the version without the phone, camera or pricey data plan). For them, I am building an iPhone App. And because I can't hire a real programmer, I will be doing the app programming myself. Since this, in itself, should be pretty entertaining, I am going to blog about my experience building this new piece of the Twisted Jim digital empire. For those of you not technically inclined, this may still be funny because of my lack of skills. 2. Twistedjim.com Redesign The design you see now is five years old. I consider it more "vintage" than outdated. Hey, all the links still work and a few thousand of you still show up every month. But no matter how you look at it, it's time for a change. 3. Return of Story Time with Twisted Jim The iTunes store has canceled my podcast due to lack of updates. They decided it was time to cut loose some of the dead wood. I immediately asked myself, "Why did you let that idea die? People loved the Story Time." I felt like a drunk waking up next to a dead hooker. After I got off the phone with Fredo, I decided I should roll the podcast into the iPhone App idea and simply force the return of twisted podcasting to the Interweb. Trust me, I will resubmit to iTunes once things are up and running again. They can't keep Twisted Jim down forever. P.S. Unfortunately, Reverend Jim will not be part of the programming for the time being. 4. Books on Hold I will be writing new stories. I will continue working on Bar Codes and Bloodstains and The Last Alien. The only change here may be their delivery. These will undoubtedly be eBooks or audio books. Printed books may eventually find their way back into my plan for world domination. But for today, they are part of Plan B. 5. Bedlam City Return Questionable Bedlam City will not be returning as an online film festival. I know the two people that participated are sad. I don't know what I am going to do with it. The best idea so far... turn it into yet another blog. I've been asked to write about my experience as a father by some very drunk friends. It was almost like the conversation that goes on in college bars every night, "Dude, we should totally buy a bar!" Except this was more like, "Dude, you should write about being a dad!" At one point this spawned Rock Fathers, which never got off the ground. Maybe Bedlam City will, but don't count on it until 2010. All in all, I am going to refocus on my digital endeavors. I'm tired of looking at my "classic" web site, with my canceled podcast and ten-day-old posts. Twisted Jim has become an online ghost town. So, now I'm going to show the politicians what real revitalization looks like... on a much smaller scale... on the Internet. Okay, so it won't be very impressive. But, they'll get the idea.
posted by Jim at 5:43 PM
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Nov 9, 2008Extreme Movie Night Reviews... is Back!There was a long grieving period after the local Hollywood Video closed. Twisted Wife had nowhere to rent multiple movies, ignore them for three days and then rush to watch them with the hope of returning them without late fees. Our friends and relatives kept saying, “Are you two stupid? Why can’t you just join Netflix like the rest of us? You can ignore the movies and no late fees. Christ, we’ll sign you up as a gift!” But still we resisted the ‘Flix. I knew that someday Twisted Wife would find a new way to rent movies and bring Extreme Movie Night Reviews back to life. Her search ended at the most unlikely place, McDonald’s. And the new love of her life was the big red movie vending machine so lazily named… Redbox. With the promise of $1 rentals, she has brought back the most fun game we play outside of the bedroom. She brings home multiple movies, we ignore them for a day and then rush to watch them and return them before 9:00 pm. And although I love the fact the Redbox has single-handedly brought back my favorite segment to Twistedjim.com, I absolutely hate the evil machines. If you haven’t had the pleasure of renting from the Redbox, you are in for the most frustrating experience of your life. First, most of these infernal boxes are in McDonald’s or Wal-Marts, otherwise known as the The Dumb Zones. It’s not a mistake. The Redbox people definitely know their audience, and now I do too. Keeping in tradition with Extreme Movie Night Reviews’ rules, I am always in a hurry to return the movies. This inevitably leaves me standing in line behind two teenagers, an old person that still can’t believe touch screens exist and someone who thinks just because the picture of the movie is on the machine then movie has to be in the machine. I know you can all do the math. I arrive at 8:45 pm. It takes the teenagers four minutes to scroll through all the movies and decide they don’t even have a fucking dollar to begin with. It takes three minutes for the old person to realize they can’t figure out how to rent a movie and ask the McDonald’s cashier to come help. It takes an additional two minutes for the cashier to show the old person how to rent movies in Spanish. Then, it’s a crapshoot as to whether or not the final person will give up after five minutes of staring at the picture of the movie they want with the large print that says “NOT AVAILABLE.” Yes, I have been known to say, “Thanks for costing me another dollar, dick.” Iron Man Some of you may remember how Twisted Daughter ruined my opportunity to see and review a blockbuster movie only days after it opened. I’m over it, really. Too bad TD was not. When TW said she had rented Iron Man, TD cried for an hour. She was still a little scarred by the whole experience, which made it even more fun for me to force her to watch the movie. Okay, so I didn’t force a five year-old to watch a movie that obviously was going to scare her. TD watched willingly… and she loved it. So now, I’m sure you are all as relieved as I am that Iron Man is once again the favorite superhero of the Twisted Family. As for the movie, it was a great effort by Jon Favreau. It was not nearly as impressive as the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, but Robert Downey Jr. was a perfect Tony Stark. He was just the right amount of douche bag to be believable when he realizes his destiny is to protect the world from fear mongering douche bags. His performance, coupled with brilliant performances by Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow, made me yearn to break out the old comics. And that is exactly what a good comic book movie is supposed to do. Forgetting Sarah Marshall The problem with putting derivatives of forget in the title of a movie is that it almost commands that I do just that. Unfortunately, Peter Segal’s full frontal nudity and Paul Rudd’s character are forever burned into my memory.
posted by Jim at 11:58 PM
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Nov 1, 2008Twists in the JimAs I prepare to release my second book of 2008, I've decided Twistedjim.com is looking its age. So, over the next two months you may see some lifts, nips and tucks to make this old bitch into a milf. In an attempt to keep me posting on a regular basis, I'm trying out some new mobile apps. Today's app is Lifecast. I'm hoping it will become my new bff. We'll see. Posted with LifeCast
posted by Jim at 6:03 PM
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