Rock Mama Birthday

Happy (belated) Birthday Rock Mama!
A big three cheers for you (and your happy family).

Pilobolus

If you watched the Oscars last night, you may have noticed the interpretive dance troupe who tumbled into formation to create characters that represented movie titles. Believe it or not, I have a childhood connection to this group -- Pilobolus. When I was a kid my mother insisted that we all get "cultured" through enforced attendance of an arts & performance series that was presented in the Sentry Insurance theatre in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Every year she bought season tickets, and every year we had to get all dressed up (gripe) and drive forty five minutes to attend whatever orchestra, opera, ballet, musical that was being performed there. Standouts for me include HMS Pinafore and Chinese acrobats. However, also EXTREMELY memorable was the performance by the interpretive dance troupe Pilobolus. For some reason (my siblings were older and much better at excuses for why they were busy?) I think that night it was just me & my mom. Midway through the very modern what-the-heck-are-they-doing "dancing", the members of Pilobolus came out wearing um, next-to-nothing. I mean REALLY next to nothing. I think the men just had jock straps on and the women had sheer nude tights. This being a small town in the Midwest, everyone was aghast -- you could hear the shocked gasps rumble through the audience. I looked at my mom with big eyes of surprise -- you have taken me to see naked people?!?!? but she was surprised as I was yet shot me a look that said -- pretend this is normal. Wow, I thought. Naked people! I especially liked the crowd reaction -- lots of tittering and uncomfortable air. This was much more shocking than performance art, because well, you expect to be shocked by performance art, and this was completely unexpected. The thing that is most amazing about Pilobolus, is that after awhile their bodies cease to matter, as they expertly create bizarre formations and you stop noticing that the men (and women) are not wearing pants. (Again, a much greater achievement than performance art.)

However, when we got home I told EVERYONE that MY MOM had taken me to see NAKED PEOPLE dance. Yeah, NAKED! I was delighted to share this with EVERYONE. I SAW NAKED PEOPLE LAST NIGHT! MY MOM TOOK ME TO SEE THEM!

In the last twenty five years or so I've always enjoyed reminding my mother of this naked people grade school outing. So it was with great pleasure and divine timing that when I took my mom on a mother/daughter trip to Chicago for her 70th Birthday I noticed that -- who was scheduled to perform the weekend we were there? PILOBOLUS!!!!!!! It was their 35th Anniversary tour!! I told my mom I had "theatre" tickets but I kept it a secret until we arrived. There it was lit up on the marquee -- I pointed and squealed -- PILOBOLUS! It must have been a success because she got a little teary as we laughed on the sidewalk. It was fun that night to see them perform again, because even though they were still nearly nude, it didn't seem that shocking. We both enjoyed it and there were no gasps from the audience.

So this morning post-Oscars I sent my mom an e-mail. Subject line -- "PILOBOLUS!"

There was other stuff on the Oscars aside from interpretive dancing (safely hidden behind a screen.) My favorite speeches were from the Best Costume Design winner, Milena Canonero and the ultra-cool queen of film editing Thelma Schoonmaker. Knowing that someone like Thelma exists makes you feel that believing in dreams CAN make them possible (just like Forest Whitaker said). I'm so pleased how gaga everyone was over Helen Mirren, because that's how things should be. Gaga over Helen Mirren.

Also, please go and rent "Half Nelson" -- it's good. Ryan Gosling deserved his nomination, but Shareeka Epps should have been sitting next to Penelope Cruz in the best actress category. Broken Social Scene (who did the soundtrack) would have been a good wake up performance after Celine Dion. That was the only time I had to physically leave the room.

Shake-A-Shake

There was an earthquake here this afternoon. The Chinese guy who lives across the street and I both ran to our windows and looked at each other. We share a common bond, as we are usually the only people on our block who have an interest in loud outside noises, or as in today's case, the house shaking. Now that he has his curtains open I notice that he has some lucky tall red flowers too!

He is still looking out his window -- he is way more persistent than I am. Or maybe something else is going on outside, I better go to the window again and check.

Jem

Jem Cohen is in town. I'm a big fan of "Instrument" -- the "document" he did of Fugazi. This week he's flitting about at a few local film screenings. The one we are going to tonight is "Building a Broken Mousetrap" featuring a live performance from my all-time favorite anarchists from Holland, The Ex. Later he'll show up to present some shorts, one starring sad sack troubadour Elliott Smith. Save yourself a trip out into the rain, because you can watch it (Lucky Three) here:

Insert Baby

This was the second year that we ordered a special Mardi Gras King Cake from Arizmendi Bakery. Except that last year (as it should be a surprise) the baby was baked inside the cake. I'm guessing that something bad must have happened involving someone choking on melted plastic or other hazardous injury, because this year we found the baby in a plastic bag on top of the King Cake with these instructions.

When the Chef wasn't looking, I tried to insert the baby by using the above helpful tips. However the baby was too big for just one underside gash in the cake so when I shoved it in, some frosting fell off the top and there was a suspicious bulge. I tried to cover it up, but there was not a way to then turn the cake so that we both wouldn't know where the baby was, creating an easy opportunity for me to pick the slice with the baby --- and then I would be QUEEN FOR THE DAY. But you know me, I immediately 'fessed up to the Chef and told him I knew where the baby was, so we just picked pieces without the baby and ate them. That makes us BOTH King and Queen for the day because we got to eat delicious steaming bowls of gumbo and eat King Cake. Double Mardi Gras royalty. The piece with the baby is still left -- come and get it Helen Mirren!

Shirley & Lee

I've become obsessed with Shirley & Lee. They were a New Orleans R&B singing duo from the 1950's who are best known for their hit "C'mon Baby, Let the Good Times Roll." I re-discovered them last month when I was "working" on Mardi Gras programming and realized that Shirley Mae Goodman has this amazingly shrill out-of-tune voice! Granted, I had heard their hit song many times, but it seems that this was the first time I was paying attention. Not only is it a great happy party song, but it's also a great make out song. Of course when it was popular (1957) there were protests about it being played on the radio because of all the "close the door, let's ROCK some more" (if you know what I mean) -- maybe even "roll all night long" (nudge nudge). My favorite line is when Shirley sings "Feels so good, when you're home." So simple, so true! Need more happy feel good? Shirley & Lee also sing the songs "I Feel Good" and "Feel So Good" and "Two Happy People."

Take another listen to Shirley & Lee (and the rest of these Mardi Gras party songs) and laissez les bon temps roulez!


1. When The Saints Go Marching In - Louis Armstrong
2. Bon Ton Roulet - Bo Dollis
3. Big Chief - Professor Longhair
4. Go to the Mardi Gras - Preservation Hall Jazz Band
5. Hey Hey (Indians Coming) - Wild Tchoupitoulas
6. Yella Pocahontas - Champion Jack Dupree
7. Mardi Gras Day - Dr. John
8. Dance All Night - Boozoo Chavis
9. My Feet Can't Fail Me Now - Buckwheat Zydeco
10. Mardi Gras Mambo - The Meters
11. Bon Ton Roulet - Clifton Chenier
12. Gumbo Filet - Booker Ervin
13. Voodoo - The Neville Brothers
14. Street Talk - The Mardi Gras Indians
15. Mardi Gras! - Queen Ida
16. Beau's Mardi Gras - Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers
17. Do The Fat Tuesday - Kermit Ruffins
18. Let The Good Times Roll - Shirley and Lee
19. Boogie Louisiane - Clifton Chenier
20. Junco Partner - James Booker
21. Mardi Gras In New Orleans - The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
22. What A Party - Fats Domino
23. Cajun Two-Step - Nathan Abshire
24. Jambalaya Stomp - Dr. Michael White
25. Do Whatcha Wanna (Part 3) - Rebirth Brass Band

Gung Hay Fat Choy

I love the symbolism of Chinese New Year. Tall red flowers (lucky!) mandarin oranges with the leaves on (lucky!) Pomelos (lucky!). We like to jump in whenever there are reasons to do things for luck. We went to the farmer's market with a list.

However, there are so many things to do (wear red) and not do today (no sweeping) to ensure good fortune it's hard to keep track of all of them so we just stick to a few and try not to worry about the rest. It's too much pressure to eat a bowl of noodles without breaking one of them in fear that this will shorten your life.

Yesterday we even went to Chinatown to find a Pi Yao charm. It's meant to ward off "bad energies" for Snakes during the Year of the Pig. The Chef (a dragon) read this somewhere and became very concerned for my well-being. Now I'm set! Fellow snakes, please let us know if you need a Pi Yao. It took us a while and involved some embarrassing crank yanker mispronunciation (uh, Pee Ying anyone?) but we finally found it.

We wish you all a Happy Year of the Pig --- full of luck and good fortune!

Chinatown

That's PortaSTATIC

Finger Food

We like a good excuse to be gluttons, so the Chef & I went to one of our favorite restaurants on Valentine's Day. It's a tiny diner-type place that only seats twenty people -- as this whole joynt seems to be the folly of the chef. Everyone who works there (all four of them?) is quite friendly, and despite the innovative fancy food, it's a casual place -- a five star meal in a diner.

By the time we got to the third course, we realized the trick. No cutlery! Even the meaty stuff was skewered on licorice sticks (not the droopy candy kind, but the stick-like root that tastes like licorice when you suck on it -- but do not tell anyone that I did indeed suck on a stick.)

Everything was finger-lickin' delicious and completely fork-less. Good trick!

Valentine's Day Make Out Mix

1. Hello From Cupid - Jonathan Richman
2. My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
3. Valentine - Billy Joe Shaver
4. Be My Somebody - Norah Jones
5. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
6. Lovely Day - Bill Withers
7. Valentine's Day - (with Steve Earle) - The Fairfield Four
8. Love's A Real Thing - Super Eagles
9. I Got Sumpin' For You - Guitar Slim
10. You Rock - Teenage Fanclub and Jad Fair
11. Sweet Talk - Peggy Lee
12. Valentine - Merle Haggard
13. To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
14. My Baby Loves Me - Martha and the Vandellas
15. Picture In A Frame - Tom Waits

Happy Valentine's Day -- press play.

(psssst, even non-subscribers get 25 free songs).

Arrest Warrant

Dear Grammy Awards -- were you not aware that it is illegal to use the words "Bob Wills" and the words "Don Henley" in the same sentence?

A warrant has been issued for your arrest.

Saturday Speakeasy

On Saturday night Dr. & Mrs. Virus invited us to join them at a speakeasy cocktail bar downtown. It's so secret that the exact address is a mystery and you have to make reservations and have a password to get in. While the place is called "Bourbon & Branch" on the sign outside it says "San Francisco Anti-Tavern League."

Once we got inside and were seated at one of the cozy booths, the lights were so dim we had to hold the giant book of esoteric cocktails up to the tiny light at the end of the table. I was all ready to dislike the people there for being foo-foo-trendy-heads, but our waitress was really sweet and friendly so I had to give up on that idea.

My favorite drink was the "Cracked Thumb" which involved Junipero Gin (I love you Fritz Maytag), mint leaves, lemon oil, and elderflower cordial. The Chef had a "Blackberry Bramble," Dr. Virus quaffed a fancy cucumber cocktail and Mrs. Virus loved her "El Diablo". We had another round including "The Aviation," the "1794" and um, well, perhaps we had too many cocktails because we can't quite remember the other Virus picks. "The Democrat" and a Tequila gimlet? Oh, Mrs. Virus -- please jog our memory! (aha! it was the "Rolls Royce")

We noticed that people were streaming into a secret room through a door that looked like a bookcase. We assumed that there was a party, or this was the room for people cooler than us, until our nice waitress told us that this is just where the riff raff without reservations go.... ha! losers!

Next time the Chef wants to sit at the bar and watch the bartenders make all the drinks.

Neko & Merle

Last night Neko Case and Merle Haggard performed at the historic Paramount Theatre in Oakland. While we had great seats (row 7!) we discovered that sometimes sitting way up close but far off to the left under the giant speaker creates not the best overall mix of sound. Oh well, at least we had a great view of the stage. I double dared the ushers to scold me for taking pictures, but they never did.

Despite the lopsided sound, Neko's set was fantastic as usual (though not as wonderful as the packed-with-stage-patter Bimbo's shows last summer.) Highlights -- the great cover of "Look for Me (I'll Be Around) and a few of my favorite Neko songs, "Favorite," "Star Witness" and a sped up swingier version of "Deep Red Bells."

Because of this odd double-bill, the audience was a mix of hipsters, old school country music fans, some rednecks and a few cowboy hat wearing frat boys out for a night of hick music (who the Chef said made him "embarrassed to be white.") However, there were also plenty of regular folks who like good music and during intermission DJ Big Cookie & Damon spotted us, so we had the pleasure of hanging out with them.

Merle hit the stage after his band (The Strangers) warmed the audience up with a few numbers, creating the delayed BIG INTRO which doesn't happen much these days but is very SHOWBIZ. Can't decide if the BIG INTRO is a good idea, but it works for Merle. He came out to a roaring crowd of hoots and hollers and lots of guys making the #1 sign - woo hoo! Perhaps it was then I started to not warm up to him. I'm all for the quitting-your-job-and-drinking-all-day songs, and who can resist the appeal of classics like "Closing Time", "Swinging Doors" and of course "The Fightin' Side of Me" (woooo hoooooo!) But, with the combination of the Branson-esque stage show, the badly written ballads and the semi-creepy uncomfortable vibe between the balding band members and Merle, I just wasn't feeling it. The duet of "Jackson" between Merle and his thirty years younger back up singer wife Theresa ( a hard livin' Chloe Sevigny look-a-like) made me wince. The only thing that could have saved it was if he had asked Neko to join him. Sigh. I do not deny that the man is a country music legend, but I prefer the enthusiasm and humour of Johnny Cash (who we also saw perform in his golden years) --- and Willie Nelson, Bill Monroe, Wanda Jackson, Dolly Parton, they've still got it going on.

Here is Merle doing his best Bob Wills impression.

After the show, we were able to find our uber-creative chopstick sculpture building/Holga camera toting/Chinese menu collecting/artist musician writer friends Indigo & Donna (as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the few good uses for cell phones -- as concert crowd friend trackers.) Indigo & Donna took us to a cafe in Oakland's Chinatown where we ate moon cakes and other tasty bakery items involving sweet beans. We hadn't seen them for a while (as the bridge between the Berkeley and San Francisco can be a staunch divider for procrastinators) so it was fun to catch up and trade stories about falling off horses (ouch), purple smudges, new jobs and being in a cool all grrlz cover band. After one more cup of hot tea the cafe owners kicked us out, which was a lucky thing otherwise we would have missed the last BART train home. Thanks for whisking us to the train station Indigo & Donna -- we made it!

When we got home there was a message from DJ Big Cookie on our answering machine. DJ Big Cookie had designed a t-shirt that Neko Case wore at her last performance in San Francisco (and on the cover of a magazine!) Since then, they had exchanged gushing e-mails to each other. In a very excited voice, DJ Big Cookie said "I'm calling you because on my way out, guess who we ran into?" (happy laughter) "None other than NEKO CASE, who was walking her very best friend to the BART station. (happy laughter) I introduced myself and she HUGGED ME! andshewasreallyniceandreallysweet. Ok Bye Bye."

Hooray for DJ Big Cookie!

Ripe Cherimoya

The exotic fruit smelled sweet today, so we guessed that it was ripe. It was! The Chef took this cool zoom picture (above) and finally I had to grab it away and spoon in. The only hard part is eating around the big black seeds, which the Chef tells me are toxic. How exotic. I just read here, "The seeds, like those of other Annona species, are crushed and used as insecticide." eek! Now my tongue feels numb.

Exotic Fruit II

When they are in season, we buy Cherimoyas from the tropical fruit lady at the farmer's market. They look like prehistoric artichoke eggs, but inside, they are white & creamy and taste like a cross between a tart apple and an avocado. It's true! These Cherimoyas aren't ripe yet. Stay tuned!

Ladybugs Get Busy

Yesterday there was a big football game on TV, so we thought we'd go where there would be less people -- outside! We went on a hike. It was quite peaceful and woodsy and we spotted just a few people there. When we were tramping down one of the trails, one of those people advised us "Keep an eye out for the big bunches of ladybugs mating!"

Huh?

So for about a mile, everytime the Chef would stop and look at a flower, or a stump, or moss growing on a rock, I would frantically ask "What? What are you looking at?! Is that the wild ladybug orgy?!?" and then "Where are they?!?! Do you think we missed it?" "Do you think it's subtle?" "Do you think we'll step on them?" "Do you think we need to be going the other way to spot it?" The Chef knows how to deal with this constant questioning, he just doesn't respond.

Finally, we turned a corner and there it was -- kind of hard to miss. Giant bunches of ladybugs mating. It was odd. Are they really mating or are they just bunching? Will there be a giant baby ladybug swarm in a few weeks? Will they attack hikers? Where do they lay the eggs? Will we step on them if we hike again on that trail? Have you ever seen so many ladybugs? Which ones are the ladies?

That's okay, you don't have to respond.





Oh yeah, we saw some big trees and stuff too.

Girl Geek Music Club #1

Saturday night was the inaugural meeting of the Girl Geek Music Club (although if the Chef is around, just call it the Geek Music Club so he doesn't feel left out.) A few girl geek pals of mine (Polyvinyl Chloride and Usher Grrrl) came over to our house to watch obscure music DVDs. We dined on jambalaya and garlic mustard greens (thanks Chef!) and watched:

"Dear John" (the BBC tribute to John Peel)
"The Fall -- The Wonderful & Frightening World of Mark E. Smith"
"The Passing Show -- The Life & Music of Ronnie Lane"
"Dee Dee Ramone -- Hey, Is Dee Dee Home"

I contributed the first two because not everyone is so lucky to have a great pal in London who records one-of-a-kind music documentaries on your musical heroes that only show on the BBC (thanks Marybeth - I'm still showing these off!) PVC & Super Usher were very interested in seeing them, so I was happy to watch them again. John Peel is my DJ idol and Mark E. Smith was just as hysterical the second time.

Usher Grrrl brought the Ronnie Lane documentary, which was quite a touching look at a talented soul who had lots of bad luck throughout his life. There were loads of great live music clips of the Small Faces (huh, they certainly were small!) and Ronni Lane's solo projects.

PVC (the world's biggest Ramones' fan) contributed the Dee Dee Ramone interview, which we all agreed, basically just encapsulated the tiny sad world of a junkie. We did roar with laughter when Dee Dee told the twentieth story about "Chinese Rocks' and someone turning blue and being put into the bathtub and then he "kind of forgot about them." I guess it's not that funny, but that's how some rock stars live their lives and well, as they say, that's why they call it dope. This Dee Dee interview was filmed for a movie about Johnny Thunders, but of course, when Dee Dee died the filmmaker released it, ka-ching!

Along with this evening of entertainment, there was Flaming Whiskey! Usher Grrrl was just getting over a bad cold, so the Chef offered to make everyone cure-all hot whiskeys. Naturally, they weren't any old hot whiskeys, but a flaming whiskey drink called "the Blue Blazer" (recipe found in the Savoy Cocktail Book.)

In the process of this drink, there is flaming whiskey (ON FIRE) passed from one shaker to another (ON FIRE) -- this process (LIQUID ON FIRE) was so spectacular that I didn't even have an opportunity to worry about our house burning down. I tried to take pictures of the flaming liquid pouring but (naturally) it could not be captured on film, or digital image. Really, you had to be there and I'm very sorry that you missed it.

However, the flame sort of shows up on these pictures. Just imagine that the flame is much larger (viewed minus the bright flash.) Later, the Chef said we should have turned the lights out to get better pictures. ha!


Fire! Whiskey! Music Geeks! It was a fun night. And, the house didn't burn down!

Girl Geek Music Club #2 is next month at Usher Grrrl's house.

Irrepressible

Molly Ivins

Tea Leaf Salad

If you go to Burma Superstar, order the tea leaf salad -- yum. Who knew that fermented tea leaves (imported from Burma, or rather, Myanmar) were delicious. Especially mixed with lettuce, tomatoes, fried garlic, sunflower seeds, peanuts and split yellow peas. It sounds like a strange combination, but sometimes strange combinations work.

The traditional name for this dish is Lephet Thote -- and also serves to "welcome guests to the house, as a peace offering after an argument, as a snack in front of the TV, as an appetizer or last course, a palate cleanser after a meal, and as a stimulant to ward off sleep."

Just in case you need to offer someone this salad as a peace offering after an argument, here's the recipe.

I hope I get some sleep tonight. I didn't know that it was like sprinkling no-doze on a salad.