Last weekend was the big weekend for Pride throughout the Gay & Lesbian community. The last weekend in June is traditionally the final hurrah of Pride, which runs throughout the entire month of June. The folks in St. Louis had a relatively large turnout despite the blistering heat. I was so lucky to actually participate in the grand parade on Sunday, which added to the festivities. Next year, we shall return to Chicago for Pride 2006 as they throw a huge all-weekend extravaganza to celebrate pride, diversity, and awareness among the community.
What else? Ahh yes..... Summer concert updates. The lineups this Summer across the metro area have been, well shall we say a little weak. However, there are a few shows out there worth catching. Here's the skinny:
7/7 Billy Corgan @ The Pageant
7/12 They Might Be Giants @ The Pageant
7/21 The Killers @ The Pageant (Sold Out)
7/29 Billy Idol @ The Pageant
8/2 Elvis Costello @ The Pageant
8/7 Jem @ The Pageant
9/25 Keane @ The Pageant
Now if you think I'm biased as far as location, you're wrong. There are simply no grand shows worth spending $$ on at the other venues at this time. UMB's (aka Riverport) lineup this summer has been disappointing. Coldplay is their one big gig of the summer, but I refrained from listing those details.
Now I have some sh#t to stir up in regards to the last edition of Spin. In this edition, they list the 100 greatest albums between 1985 & 2005. Before I tear the panel a new @sshole, I will give them credit for some of their selections. They kept out the pure & utter crap....for the most part. Here are my beefs..
- First and foremost, Radiohead OK Computer in at #1?!?!?! Picking that album as the overall best album of that timeframe is humorous in itself, but why not select an even better Radiohead album such as Bends or Pablo Honey? Mercy...
- There were some outstanding selections representing the rap folks.... Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique, N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet. Better albums than Spin's #2 selection, which was Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. My opinion..of course.
- There were several instances where there were multiple albums from the same artists. Come now... let's try to expand our our musical catalogue past The Smiths, PJ Harvey, and De La f#cking Soul. There were hundreds if not thousands of great albums released over the past 20 years, but apparently not according to Spin.
- U2's Achtung Baby was selected as #11, which was surprising. It generally gets shite ratings, but it's one of my personal U2 favorites.
- NIN's The Downward Spiral came in at #25. However, Pretty Hate Machine is nowhere to be found. Honestly....
- All these bands with multiple albums, and The Smiths can only score with The Queen is Dead? What about Strangeways, Here We Come? Where's the love?
Here are a handful of albums I felt should have been included on the list but were not.
- The Cure - Disintegration
- Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour
- Ice Cube - The Predator
- Depeche Mode - Violator and/or Music For the Masses
- Ministry - Twitch and/or The Land of Rape & Honey
- Daft Punk - Homework
- Big Black - Songs About F#cking
- Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of the Bewilderbeast
- Blur - Leisure/Modern Life is Rubbish
However, the panel did well in representing artists from a broad range of genres & styles. The artist selection was good, but the panel seemed to pick the usual album favorites rather than selecting some of the less commercially played titles. At any rate, stay tuned for my review of the latest top whatever music list compliments of Blender.
Until next time...
Pardon my poor DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince impersonation.
. I keep it near and dear to my heart during the warm season. There are loads of other fun-filled activities to do throughout the summer if you don't like drinking in the morning and smelling of campfire all weekend. For example, we recently embarked on an all-day Six Flags excursion. These types of thrill seeker environments make one appreciate the fearlessness of youth not to mention agility. I spent most of the day suffering from nausea but attempted to make the most of the day without wretching my guts up. It had been nearly 10 long years since I put my life in the hands of hired help consisting of college kids & teens looking for fat cash for the summer. Perhaps I'm getting too old to throw myself through inverted loops and corkscrews, but I'm pleading for the hangover case (which I was slightly).
is underway. It seems like just yesterday the world (or at least HBO subscribers) was introduced to the Fishers and their family business. It appears that this season is the season of mental illness. How will it all end? Who will flip out and who will die? Sorry...trying to heighten the suspense. At any rate, it's on Monday night at 8pm CST or you can catch the rerun several times throughout the week or watch it on demand. Besides SFU, there are several other final seasons this year including the Sopranos and Queer as Folk. 
