What was the name of the building where the first ever Republican National Convention was held in 1856?
Happy Birthday RZA!!!
Just wanted to send a shout out to one of my favorite hip hop producers of all time, the RZA. Here’s a really good audio interview with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air a couple of months ago. And here’s a pretty interesting interview with Bobby Digital in the Onion. It’s also Huey Lewis’s birthday, but really, who gives a s***. In Atlantic City last year, I did meet Lewis’s drummer, and have a signed drumstick.
Live 8
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I arrived at the Parkway at about 11:30. My friends (Chet, Rob, Jesse, and Logan) had been there since 6, but I had hit silence on my phone when they had sent my wake up call. So I was gonna have to slice thru the crowd. They were near the front of the trees on Eakins Oval, and people were not overly pleased to let me slip thru. I got my first, “What the f*** is wrong with you” at around 11:48 as I slipped past a girls blanket. Finally, after about 45 minutes, I slithered up to my friends. By this time the show had already started.
Beat the Champs
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They are the most reviled team in quizzo, perhaps the most hated in the history of the sport. They aren’t even regulars, just a group of guys who tend to show up when there’s money on the line. They make disparaging comments about the other teams and carry themselves with a smugness that borders on conceit. One of them even accepted the loss of points during quizzo one time so he could play with his collar up! And the sick thing about it is: They can back it up. They won Quizzo Bowl, and were well on their way to winning Doc Watson’s Big $$$ Bonanza when Doc Watson’s ran out of Big $$$. They have only lost twice during regular quizzo events, and told me after each loss that it was a “fluke”. But you will have a chance to knock them off their high horse on one of the grandest stages in the city. On August 28th, 2005, you will have a chance to Beat the Champs at the World Cafe Live. And here’s the thing: they’re so confident that they will win that they told me to give the other teams points, because they’ll get bored if they don’t have a handicap. Of course, I don’t just give away points. You will have to earn them. And so, next week, I will reveal what physical challenges you will have to undertake to acquire points in your quest to Beat the Champs.
Sick of the whining
I usually love this city. I love the fact that everybody tells it like it is and wears their emotions on their sleeves and is fiercely loyal to the city, even as they insult it. But I am so sick of the whining concerning Live 8 that I gotta just say: Shut up! First, a disclosure. I have been guilty of it myself. Yeah, I was miffed that the Roots got turned away, and a band as crappy as Maroon 5 got invited. But it was put in perspective when somebody said, “Did Woodstock end up being a crappy event because Sha Na Na was there and Dylan wasn’t?” Good point.
New petition
Remember when I told you that there was a petition out there encouraging Bruce Springsteen to come to Philly? Well, Jam Master Sean has started one to keep Bruce away. It really seems to be gathering steam.
Wanna see Def Leppard a day early?
You wanna see Def Leppard, but you want it in an intimate setting, without 1,000,000 people nearby? Well, they’re gonna be playing tonight at Campbell’s Field in Camden with…are you ready for this…Bryan Adams! This one’s gonna cut like a knife!
Goodtimes on Craigslist!
I have no idea who wrote this. I promise I didn’t write it. I’m not saying that I’m above writing flattering notes to myself on Craigslist, but I didn’t write this particular one. Oh come on, I didn’t write it. Why don’t you believe me?
Not everybody’s feeling the love on craigslist. This person doesn’t seem like a big fan of hipsters.
Quizzo Player in City Paper
Quizzo player Charles Bischof (Locust Rendezvous) wrote a rather interesting slant piece for this week’s City Paper, saying that Live 8 is trying to oversimplify a complex problem.
Curt Schilling blasts WIP
You mighta already seen this, but if not, check it out. Curt Schilling totally blows away WIP. “They are some of the biggest pieces of trash.” It’s great, even though Schilling took a nose-dive on the old respect-o-meter when he stumped for Bush right after the Series last year (stay in the sports pages, pal).