The sea shakes like an empty morocco . (Day 169)

The lyrics from this update come from The Blood Brothers song, Peacock Skeleton with Crooked Feathers. It comes off of their very diverse and amazing album Crimes.

The Blood Brothers were always a band that amazed me at far they went. Unfortunately they've since ceased to be an active band, but when they were around they definitely caught your attention. Whether you liked them or not, they really did push something quite unique. They were always put into the category of punk, or hardcore. I don't necessarily disagree that they had a lot of elements that were obviously from those genres, but to be honest...they were a lot more than that.

For a great portion of their career they put out chaotic albums that always resembled an organ grinder going to town on a super nova exploding. When they released Crimes, it was so different from anything they'd done up that point..I loved it immensely.

What I always disliked about them, were things they never really had control over to begin with. They couldn't necessarily help the kind of kids they attracted at their shows. The other is that I feel people never appreciated the depth and literacy of their lyrics and musicianship; instead focusing more on the high pitched duel-vocal-screaming.

Seeing them live was always a treat. The best I could ever describe them as would be...chaotic. Simply fucking chaotic. I had the chance to see them four times, and every single time they left an impression that I'll never forget.

One of my favorite shows of theirs that I ever went too (which is in my top ten favorite shows of all time) saw something happened to me that...I wish didn't.

Their support sucked. I mean flat out, it just was not enjoyable. But you kinda just stood through it all, clapped when they finished their song. It kind of helped having a crappy under card, though. All that anxiety built up, and when they took the stage, you could bet it would be a wild ride for the next hour.

So many times you ducked instruments, bottles, lit cigarettes (people could still smoke in clubs at this point. That makes it feel like decades ago) bodies, microphones and whatever else.

This guy in front of me was fall down drunk. Literally, he fell down at one point, and trust me...that's completely relevant to the story.

So this guy was sloshed. It was the break between sets before the Blood Brothers would take the stage. I often think back as to why no one (security or his friends) stopped him from doing this. Maybe it was because everyone was excited and preoccupied with what was about to happen. Maybe it was because those who actually saw what happened were too amused to say anything, or maybe it was because people never really pay attention to what happens.

Don't get me wrong. I've seen almost anything you could imagine at punk shows. I've seen a chick blow a guy during a Thrice set, I've seen people fucking while the legendary Suicide Machines tore the roof off of the place. Drug abuse, fighting, a girl fighting too guys at once in a mosh pit, people catapulted, a band showered with water bottles, all of that. But up until now, I'd never seen this happen.

This kid went to a corner next to the left speaker, pulled it out and started pissing. The house lights were on, people were standing near him, his friends were dying of laughter...yet, it happened. And he pissed for about a good minute.

It was a huge puddle. I made a mental note to try and stay in the middle of the crowd, and figured, "Eh, someone pissed. Worst case scenario, I might step on it. No biggie." But oh, I was wrong.

Remember when I said he was literally fall down drunk? Well, he fell down right into it, and then proceeded to sit in it for 15 minutes while smoking, and talking to his friends. He ever questioned why the floor was wet. This kid was gone.

That settled it. I was on my way to the middle of the crowd.

So the Blood Brothers came onto stage, and were just absolutely killing it. I mean it. It was fast paced, energetic, bodies and instruments and microphones swinging all over the place. A lot of mic sharing, a lot of stage diving...a lot of fun.

Until who should wind up in front of me besides Lushy McPeepants. The crowd was swaying, a lot of circle pits exploded, and all of that.

At one point I wound up catching a rogue microphone, and a bunch of us were sharing it. That's when Lushy fell, ass first, into the front of me. To my chagrin, his pants were still sopping wet from urine. How's that for a fuck my life moment?

Anyway, here's a live video of the song (sans the urine) It's a little crappy, the audio I mean (but it's not that bad at all) but if you get a chance to check it out recorded, I highly suggest it. It's catchy like syphills just, you know...without the pain and shame of an STD.

Check it out:




I've been pretty bored all day. I've resorted to watching early episodes of the Simpsons, and reading. I'm starting to get a touch of cabin fever, and I really need to do something fun tonight or my head will explode. Or my lungs will flood with boredom. Who knows? The point is...I'll die because of boredom.

I had a discussion with a friend today, and she said she felt that it was impossible to ever have free health care, that that system would fail and that the government had more important things to deal with.

It's this general opinion that the average American has that simply signifies that we will not be able to keep up with the rest of the modern world. Honestly, I truly believe that.

"What about the people who go to college to be doctors or pharmacists? They won't have a job."

Many people feel this way in America. They feel it's improbable. They feel it's too socialist, for God's sake. They never stop to think that they pay a cops salary with their taxes, that they pay a firemans salary, or public school teachers salaries with their taxes. And all of those services could be construed as "too socialist" in anyone took a damned moment to think.

God Bless propaganda.

But the statement that there's more important issues the government has to deal with...really? The health of the people who put you in office shouldn't be a top priority in the minds of any citizen? Especially with a recession where hundreds of thousands of people have lost jobs, and can no longer afford bullshit insurance?

When I mentioned that Europe had free care, and has had free care forever, she went on to say she would rather be an American. Now, don't get me wrong, this girl is highly intelligent and is extremely awesome. But that question really set me off to where I couldn't think of anything else to say.

This isn't an attack of paitriotism. I'm happy I'm an American. It's because I love my country that I feel this is something we should be implementing. To help better so many peoples lives. It has nothing to do with socialism, or saying Europe is better than America (or vice versa). It's about the evolution of a country, the progression to think and act and do things differently, instead of attempting to revert to some 50's mentality that's both counterproductive, archaic and at this point damaging to the progression of a nation that helped spawn ideas of freedom,

I wish more people took the time to try to convince their representitives this was a good idea. I wish people stopped being so apathetic and closed minded. I wish people would stop falling prey to propaganda and saw that these ideas ingrained in them by politicians were only the in the interest of the lobbyists who paid them off, and instead demanded more of their government.

I wish people didn't simply view politics as boring and tiresome. I wish that people would stop thinking that it's not their problem, that they elected someone to do their thinking for them. Because the truth of the matter is...it's hurt us more than anything.

People have stated they want change and elected a person selling the idea of it. But so far it's all cosmetic, and now the savior they wanted is slowly revealing himself to be just as tyranical as the previous administration. Just recently, Obama has stated he will be sticking with Bush's policy of not submitting some detainees suspected of terrorism to a fair trial. This is a country that stated every person is subject to a fair trial of their peers, and yet just because a rock star with a bigger paycheck and fancy white house can charm even the most staunch world leaders against America is in office, people are content. It's all cosmetic. There's no fucking substance anymore, and that has to change, or else it's the end of the road.

-Until tomorrow.