A warning to non-creative garbage.

I saw on This Modern World that the guy who draws the
Doonsbury comic strip is doing a segment on blogging. Tom Tomorrow said that he thinks Troudeau misunderstands the nature of blogging. Yeah, he does. But it also seems to me to be elitism. How dare the masses express their opinions? Maybe he's afraid we'll stop reading Doonsbury if were too busy reading each other's blogs? I stopped reading his strip years ago. Honestly, I don't think it's all that funny anymore.

Ed and James go to Sleater-Kinney

We drove up to Chapel Hill last night to see the rock band Sleater-Kinney who are on the label Kill Rock Stars which is almost as good a label name as Sympathy for the Record Industry.

Like seeing any band for the first time you are curious to see if they can pull off live what they offer you on their releases. The ladies delivered. It was great to see a three-woman power trio sell out a fairly large club and draw the incredibly enthusiastic response that they got last night. This was not self-conscious are or a statement. It was a rock and roll show, pure and simple. Unlike the two opening bands who felt the need to proselytized on the subjects of gender rights and queer power between songs,Sleater-Kinney let the songs do their talking. You could have walked into Cat's Cradle last night with no previous knowledge of the band and just enjoyed a fine rock and roll show. Unlike other bands with prominant female members, SK doesn't stoop to exploiting their feminimity while onstage. It was all about the music.

The crowd was really with band the whole night. I haven't heard girls scream like that since I saw Ani Difranco at the Tremont Music Hall here in Charlotte several years ago.

Their musicianship was impeccable. They play some rather intricate duel guitar parts that they pulled off flawlessy. The drummer, Janet Weiss who shook James' hand, was not afraid to hit those skins hard. She can bash with the best of them.

Also, the club was full of the cutest punk girls from all over North Carolina. Pick my favorite? I can't, although the tall girl with the bleached blonde hair, giant Paul Stanley boots, raggedy jean miniskirt and ashen complexion with way too much eye shadow is a contender.

Before the show James and I went to a record store called Schoolkid Records. I picked up the new
Waco Brothers' album. It's playing right now for the third time in a row, so, yeah, it's good.