Chicago: Become Familiar with its Distinctive Neighborhoods

Jesse, most 'catchy' musical theatre songs of the last 45 years absolutely suck.

do people not even try to understand the movie they are paying to see before plopping down the ten bucks?

by all evidence, NO. tipsy mothra posted a pre-I'm Not There overheard conversation whose theme was "Who's this about? Bob who?"

speaking of musical theatre i can not wait until jersey boys closes and i don't have to be greeted by frankie valli as soon as i come up from the blue line subway every morning.

Chicago needs its own version of Jersey Boys.

"The story of how four everyday guys from Rockford made it to the top!"

And you will be greeted by "Surrender" every morning.

hi guys

i am looking out at beaver lake, n.c., as i work from my parents' house. also there is a french broad river here

I don't really like any musicals (notable exceptions being Hedwig and... something else I'm sure) but if they're gonna happen, they need to be memorable. One review got it right when they criticized the songs for not being hummable.

I have dipped my neck in the French Broad River.

hummable and memorable are different things.

ie are you complaining that the songs were boring or that they weren't catchy or both or neither

haha, who was that critic? Sondheim is recognized as the living king of musicals, hummable or not. That "Memories" song from Cats is "memorable" for all the wrong reasons...

I prefer them screechable, like Angela Lansbury's version of "The Worst Pies in London."

I don't know/care what I meant. What I do know is that I like to have a tune that I can later sing to myself in the shower. Even though I don't like the plays Oklahoma or Singing in the Rain that much, I still can sing a couple of the tunes from them.

I think hummable and memorable are pretty similar things.

i guess they could be, but something like a glenn branca composition or a free jazz freakout is memorable without being hummable. it depends on how you're defining memorable, really

And you will be greeted by "Surrender" every morning.

change it to "Dream Police" or better yet, "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School" and i'd sit outside the box office like one of those chubby high school girls.

also, i woke up with the nick lowe song "i knew the bride when she used to rock 'n' roll" in my head this morning but the lyrics were replaced by "mauled by a tiger at the san francisco zoo".

now i can't stop singing it.

Whence this weird anxiety that is hovering around my head? I feel like something bad is right around the corner.

i hope you work in a circular office.

It's this whole Pakistan thing, Jesse.

For a bachelor party a few years ago I saw Dream Police, a Cheap Trick tribute band, out in Downers Grove. They had the outfits just right.

Thanks, that sentiment has greeting card potential.

Kevin's I meant.

I would like to borrow that Six Feet Under book from you, Eric, once I'm done with the show. We just started Season 5 (the final season) last night.

I remember shortly after I first moved to Chicago checking out a book of academic essays on Twin Peaks from the library and reading a few chapters at Uncommon Ground.

also, i woke up with the nick lowe song "i knew the bride when she used to rock 'n' roll" in my head this morning but the lyrics were replaced by "mauled by a tiger at the san francisco zoo".

Yesterday I was singing Depeche Mode's "Blasphemous Rumours" to the tune of and in the style of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."

currently eating: delta airlines biscotti, or as they call it "biscoff"

my dad made some waffles

i have been eating way way too much food and have been sleeping bad from eating too much sugar

Those Biscoff or good. I knew a guy who liked them so much he ordered a case of them.

Then he married them.

or as they call it "biscoff"

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/bischoff.jpg

fuck, i have a gig the night roy haynes is playing in town this summer. :( i really want to see him, he's like 107 years old.

did you guys ever fly midwest express when they would give you fucking fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies?

No. But we stayed at the Doubletree in Bay City, MI over Christmas. They gave us fresh-baked oatmeal raisin cookies when we checked in.

guys i am bringing home a box of my old comics to try and sell somewhere and i opened it up and there are three copies of the Green Banana in there, which is the underground newspaper my friends and i made in early high school. it is very heavily influenced by hunter s. thompson and douglas adams and it's pretty terrible. i wish i had a scanner

Perfect name for a paper made by teenagers. Not ripe yet, eh? eh?

dude, go to kinko's and scan that shit.

Bay City in the house. Woo.

http://www.toomeys-mardigras.com/ShoppingCart/ProductImages%5Ccd-bay%20city%20brass%20band.jpg

Man. It's dead around here. I meant my office, but also ILX.

same. there are no manuscripts left to be done and i just fiddled with the last of figure files. this would be somewhat tolerable if the ladies who make the coffee were here but it looks like they're closed until january 6th. i've got a lack of caffeine headache.

Can you not make coffee?

I guess I could go file some shit. Probably should do that while I have the opportunity before we get busy again, but damn I hate filing.

Honestly I might lie down on couch for a while.

jesse, i had the same vague anxiety all day yesterday, and nothing bad has happened yet!

Hmmm.... The boss just called and asked if I would water his plants while he is out of the office.

Can you not make coffee?

i don't have the implements to make coffee here. i have the implements for tea however so i'm hoping there's a suitable amount of caffeine in that.

I have an outlook meeting request from some plants that I'm supposed to water today.

Hi guys.

Dan.

Yep.

Jesse!

Man. I just had a unexpectedly good slice of pizza and now I want one more. It was from Dominick's. Their panini are good too.

I am lingering over a styrofoam bowl of chili.