“480 Minutes” - I’ve Seen Her Naked Twice
I was fortunate enough to see Art Brut perform live several times in the aughts including at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco & in a small tent at Coachella & recall enjoying them each time. What I failed to recall is that one of the reasons why the shows were so enjoyable was front man Eddie Argos’ improvisations: extended monologues, jokes, & commentary, often preceded by a quote he admittedly lifted from Craig Finn of The Hold Steady: “I’m not going to pretend this is the first time I’ve said this…” Art Brut played at The Mercury Lounge this week, which is a block from Katz’s Deli (a neighborhood restaurant that was already 100 years old when it was made famous again by Meg Ryan’s fake orgasm in When Harry Met Sally). Despite being a sizable space Katz’s often has a long line of people waiting to fork over $30 for a sandwich (if you want a side of fries that will be an additional $10). Eddie commented on how sobering it is for bands playing the Mercury Lounge to see so many people queueing up for a sandwich: “That must be some sandwich!”
The show reminded me once again that there’s nothing quite like seeing live music you love performed live. Many thanks to Julie from the East Village for keeping me company & being a most excellent gig buddy. It also reminded me that getting out & wandering aimlessly around Manhattan is more than worthwhile. Talking with people face-to-face, even people one doesn’t know, can be also be a more than worthwhile endeavor.
As for what’s going on in the world, Trump is clearly an insane danger to humanity the planet yet congressional Republicans & at least 50 million other Americans are, too. Dubyah had his War on Terror, Trump has his War of Terror. In just 20 years the U.S. has gone from (at least pretending to) defending the free world from terror to the country terrorizing the entire planet on which billions were rightly concerned that maybe the ridiculous bluster was real this time, or that Teheran would react accordingly to the existential threat of being wiped off the map, or maybe Trump would forget to tell the military that, haha, he was only joking.
Someone needs to present a simple, clear drawing (in Sharpie? crayon?) explaining the reality that “empty threats weaken your position” to Trump (& then stay clear of windows they could be pushed out of).
We finally have an American Pope & what does this administration do? It has tried to intimidate the Vatican into unquestioningly siding with U.S. foreign policy uber alles. Fuck all those teachings about morality, peace, love, fairness, “thou shalt not kill,” etc.
The damage being done here at home to the economy & the social safety net & the mental health of the citizenry & the Bill of Rights is inconceivable yet does not compare to the long-term damage being done to America’s greatest superpower — the respect & faith built up over decades by actual political leaders of both parties has been completely squandered. America no longer resembles the beacon of freedom & democracy & human rights, instead we are viewed by free nations as an untrustworthy pariah nation along the lines of Russia, North Korea, & Hungary.
So…much…winning.
On a lighter note, April just started yet we’re halfway to 4/20.
The award-winning live-hosted 480 Minutes today will once again feature tons new music including 🎵 by The Bevis Frond (Walthamstow, East London, England, @TheBevisFrond), deary (London, England, @dearyband), Death Lens (Los Angeles, CA, @DeathLensLA), Electric Six (Detroit, MI, @ElectricSixOfficial), Galvezton (Galveston, TX, @glvztn), Holy Fuck (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, @HolyFBand), Lambrini Girls (Brighton, England, @LambriniGirlz), Makthaverskan (Gothenburg, Sweden, @makthaverskans), mclusky (Bristol, England, @_shit_rock_), Population II (Montreal, Quebec, Canada, @PopulationII), Soft Palms (Los Angeles, CA, @SoftPalmsMusic), Two-Man Giant Squid (Brooklyn, NY, @TwoManGiantSquid), & Weird Nightmare (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, @WeirdNightmare).
Check out bagelconcertfinder.com to see a BAGeL-curated list of artists who will be performing near you.
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Video
480 Minutes / Episode 964
