2012年11月7日星期三

Born Under Punches

Last week I took off to Chicago to attend a college newspaper conference with The Clock. They gave me a good amount of cash and told me to learn something. Naturally I took that cash and blew it on concerts. After all, what reasonable person wouldn't do such a thing?

The first concert I wound up at was Crystal Castles, a band I had only heard a few singles from at that point. The show was without a doubt the loudest I've ever been too and was mixed terribly. The band had torn through three songs and I hadn't seen or heard the lead singer yet so I assumed she was letting the other members of the band warm the crowd up a bit for her.

The second I thought this was when I saw her stepping on some guy's head for the first time as she dove into the crowd about ten feet away from me. Turned out she had been singing the whole time but the mix was so terrible that you couldn't hear her unless she screamed at the top of her lungs.

In the end the mix didn't matter. Crystal Castles isn't a show you go to for the lyrics. You go so you can dance your ass off and sweat off five pounds and to struggle through conversations for the next three or four days because your ears are still ringing.

The other concert I went to in Chicago was to see Daniel Johnston at The Bottom Lounge. Johnston is on the other end of the spectrum when compared to the dance vibe of Crystal Castles. He is known for his quiet acoustic and piano driven songs, particularly the songs off his famous mid 80's release “Hi, How Are You?” which was brought to prominence through a ratty t-shirt of the album cover worn by Kurt Cobain.

Nowadays Johnston releases music still but tours irregularly. He has longstanding mental issues that are documented fully in the amazing film “The Devil And Daniel Johnston” and is now on so much medication that he can hardly play guitar anymore. Having gone through a slight phase with Johnston's music in high school, I decided that I had to go see him, if only because I had no idea if the opportunity would ever rise again.

Going in I had no idea what to expect. I wasn't sure if Johnston would try to play guitar due to the state he was in.Hi guys, I just had a few questions about the Men's Tremblant Jacket. It ended up that Johnston, who marched right past me in a lumpy winter jacket with all of his lyrics printed out and shoved under his arm so that he could read them as he played on his way to backstage, was going to try and play himself. When he took the stage a bit later it took him less than thirty seconds to mess up. The crowd supported him regardless, but overall it was an uncomfortable thing to watch.Cheap Canada Goose Mystique Parka Parka For Sale.

Instead of trying to enjoy the concert thoughts began formulating in my mind wondering if Johnston had wanted to tour at all. The idea that he was forced into it seemed easier to believe than it should have. It was around this time the concert began to remind me of a zoo with all these people standing around and watching a caged animal that should be running free in the wild. It was around then I left. He hadn't even been playing half an hour. It was one of the sadder moments I've ever had.

Later in the taxi back to the hotel I tried to justify my attending that concert to myself.The Canada Goose Chilliwack Parka Hooded Parka is one of the newest models from the Lightweight Series. I told myself that it would have been a shame if I hadn't seen him before he had passed on. Yet even as I said it, I doubted it. I still do.

It's strange to think how these concerts were a day a part and a few miles away from each other.For sale is a Men's HyBridge Jacket men's jacket. How could something so fun and so loud be so close to something that was so painful and quiet? In the end I realize it encapsulates the great city of Chicago that I saw in my four days there.Canada Goose Sale high quality Canada Goose D'Alpago Bomber with best price. In the bustling hotel I saw the youth of this world, these young journalists from all over the country full of life and vigor.

And by wandering the streets I saw the sad scene of women and men trying to sleep in the cold city streets with a cup in front of them and a sign begging for any spare change a passerby could give. No matter where you go, to concerts or the streets, the high and lows of the city will always show themselves to you.

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