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The Night and Sighs
Sep. 17th, 2017 10:09 amHad a really awesome day trip to Nashville. There were like three near-disasters, but in each case disaster was avoided and things worked out! I'll back up just a hair. Friday night, Mary Beth and I watched Before Sunrise. I'd only seen the last one in the trilogy (this first one is much better). Oh, and I never mentioned that Thursday night I went out and bought a new headlight to replace the one that had gone out (and had been out for a while). I installed it which was mostly easy, but reaching my hand in that small space did cut it up a bit.
Okay, so I got up early and picked Jacques up and we were on the road just a little after eight. When my tank gets low, I'm thinking oh we need to get gas soon. I think we may have passed some things and I'd spaced out on it. Dang. The light comes on and I know we really need to stop so see there's a gas station at a certain exit ahead. Well, we get there and then I'm all, "derp is this actually the right exit" and when I realize it is I'd JUST passed it and missed getting on. Luckily we're able to make it the next ten or so miles to the next exit and get gas. It was the most I'd ever put into my tank (though I googled to see how big my tank is and there's actually still even a few more spare gallons so it wasn't cutting it as quite close as I'd thought). But it was a level of nerve-wracking approaching that previous trip across the Lake Pontchartrain bridge (still not quite that nerve-wracking, but I was worried we'd end up on the side of the road having to walk or some shit).
We made good time so we stopped at this one record store thing that's just a little outside the city as you're coming in called McKay's. It's like a chain of used media warehouses. Looking through the cds I got a few: John Coltrane: Crescent, The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru, Future: DS2, The Ex: Turn, Front 242: No Comment, and Star Trek Sound Effects (real excited about this one, it's just as it describes, a bunch of sound effects from the tv show!). We were there a little longer than intended and that threw plans a little out of whack. We had to catch the movie at a certain time but it's a long movie and it's already lunchtime and we needed lunch and I really wanted to hit Riverside Grillshack. Oh yeah, and leaving the parking lot of this place a piece of my car just fucking falls off. The plastic thing that surrounds the tire, I guess keeping mud and dirt and rocks and stuff from being kicked up into the engine area. At least this is while we're still in the parking lot. I think a piece may have fallen earlier while driving (and I assumed it was just something on the road I'd driven over), not as big a piece but this was then the whole thing. I got out, tossed it in the trunk, hoped this didn't involve anything prohibiting the car from driving, and continued on (looks like it didn't prohibit driving!).
Okay, on to the Riverside Grillshack and lunch. So I'm calculating we can still make it and worst-case scenario we can eat in the car on the way to the movie. The grillshack is across the other side of town (and then the movie is going back across to another part of town). We get there and I know we're not quite going to make it. So when our food is ready we eat on the way, a little challenge but that burger was worth it. We in theory made it to where the theater is just about right on time, but then the next challenge was parking.
The area the Belcourt is in is really crowded so it took almost ten minutes to find a spot and then we had to walk a little bit over. But we made it in before the movie started. They were showing credits and stuff so it's that difficult thing where you walk into a theater and it's already dark and you have to search for empty seats while you can't see anything. La Notte was, of course, really good on the screen. It was the first Antonioni I saw and I hadn't seen it since first watching it a few years ago. It was fun revisiting it after just watching all those other movies of his real close together. There was a discussion about it upstairs afterwards by some professor of Italian film. It was enjoyable. I'm a nerd and like shit like that. One of the most interesting things was talking about how he admired Rothko and felt an affinity with him in doing a similar thing with a different medium. Leaving we somehow ended up talking to this other guy who was at the movie named Chris. Real nice guy, a metal dude who's real into movies. Talked about Nashville and movies and such while walking back to our car.
Next we went and checked out this music gear store called Corner Music 'cuz I saw they might have some modular stuff in their synth section. They had a little: some basic Pittsburgh modules and a little bit of Roland stuff. Even that stuff was a little hidden and I wasn't sure if it was even for sale. It was. So I picked up a Pittsburgh Sequencer.
Next we hit the main record store attraction: Grimey's. On the used side I picked up a few: Unrest: Imperial F.F.R.R., Sun Ra: At Inter-Media Arts April 1991, Thelonious Monk: The Complete Blue Note Recordings, Glenn Branca: Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses, and Tony Conrad: Bryant Park Moratorium Rally (1969). Over in the main store Jacques ended up talking to this employee who does electronic music named Will and then another employee named Jess came over (I'd already had some cds with the sticker recommendations in my hand). We had a good talk about electronic music and Nashville and Memphis and I told them about Belly Full of Stars and Jess wrote down a whole list of stuff for me. It was pretty cool. So I picked up: Astro Sounds from Beyond the Year 2000: The Astro-Sound of Magnificence, Harmonia: Documents-1975, Charles Hayward/Gigi Masin: Les Nouvelles Musiques de Chambre #2, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: Ears, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: Euclid, Pharmakon: Contact, Wolf Eyes: Undertow, Danny Brown: Atrocity Exhibition, Matmos: Ultimate Care II, v/a: Venezuela 70, Space, v/a: Space, Energy & Light, and Kelly Lee Owens: s/t.
Next we decided to stop for food. Jacques had a recommendation of a place called Rotier's because they have poutin (though neither of us ended up getting poutine). This was kinda like a diner or sort of a run-down type Huey's place (kinda sorta). Was burgered out so I ended up getting a meat and two with barbecue on cornbread. The barbecue was a little dry though the vinegar sauce helped that and was good. The real joy was in the two: fried okra and squash casserole (the latter being really goddamn amazing).
Okay, so then we have time to hit the one more record store: Great Escape. Ended up going to one a bit out (it wasn't the one Jacques thought it was and the one I'd gone to back in the day apparently closed a long time ago). It ended up being just fine 'cuz I got a couple unexpectedly choice finds in my haul: Son of Bazerk: Featuring No Self Control and the Band, Parliament: The 12" Collection and More, Prurient: Bermuda Drain, Prurient: Through the Window, Luke Vibert: Bizarster, Skinny Puppy: Inquisition single, and Skinny Puppy: Back and Forth Vol 5: Live in Dresden.
We made it back to the Belcourt in good time. We got lucky with a parking spot as someone ended up leaving the theater's lot as we arrived and we were able to swoop it up. There was a bit of a line that had just been let in as we arrived. As I think I mentioned earlier, Zach didn't end up coming 'cuz it'd sold out before he went to get his ticket. So of course there was a big crowd, but we managed to get pretty good seats only a little to the side. It was a bit of a magical experience. This is a tour of an original print so it's old film. The colors had washed out just a little on the red side and it was a little dirty but overall pretty good condition considering its age. It was definitely a nice experience being immersed in it on the big screen. Worth the trip. Had a good time and enjoyed the movies! We drove back right after and it was thankfully a pretty uneventful return trip. Made it back in about 2:30 am and Mary Beth had been waiting up so we talked a bit before I went to sleep. Now I've had some sleep and it's a "new" day.
Okay, so I got up early and picked Jacques up and we were on the road just a little after eight. When my tank gets low, I'm thinking oh we need to get gas soon. I think we may have passed some things and I'd spaced out on it. Dang. The light comes on and I know we really need to stop so see there's a gas station at a certain exit ahead. Well, we get there and then I'm all, "derp is this actually the right exit" and when I realize it is I'd JUST passed it and missed getting on. Luckily we're able to make it the next ten or so miles to the next exit and get gas. It was the most I'd ever put into my tank (though I googled to see how big my tank is and there's actually still even a few more spare gallons so it wasn't cutting it as quite close as I'd thought). But it was a level of nerve-wracking approaching that previous trip across the Lake Pontchartrain bridge (still not quite that nerve-wracking, but I was worried we'd end up on the side of the road having to walk or some shit).
We made good time so we stopped at this one record store thing that's just a little outside the city as you're coming in called McKay's. It's like a chain of used media warehouses. Looking through the cds I got a few: John Coltrane: Crescent, The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru, Future: DS2, The Ex: Turn, Front 242: No Comment, and Star Trek Sound Effects (real excited about this one, it's just as it describes, a bunch of sound effects from the tv show!). We were there a little longer than intended and that threw plans a little out of whack. We had to catch the movie at a certain time but it's a long movie and it's already lunchtime and we needed lunch and I really wanted to hit Riverside Grillshack. Oh yeah, and leaving the parking lot of this place a piece of my car just fucking falls off. The plastic thing that surrounds the tire, I guess keeping mud and dirt and rocks and stuff from being kicked up into the engine area. At least this is while we're still in the parking lot. I think a piece may have fallen earlier while driving (and I assumed it was just something on the road I'd driven over), not as big a piece but this was then the whole thing. I got out, tossed it in the trunk, hoped this didn't involve anything prohibiting the car from driving, and continued on (looks like it didn't prohibit driving!).
Okay, on to the Riverside Grillshack and lunch. So I'm calculating we can still make it and worst-case scenario we can eat in the car on the way to the movie. The grillshack is across the other side of town (and then the movie is going back across to another part of town). We get there and I know we're not quite going to make it. So when our food is ready we eat on the way, a little challenge but that burger was worth it. We in theory made it to where the theater is just about right on time, but then the next challenge was parking.
The area the Belcourt is in is really crowded so it took almost ten minutes to find a spot and then we had to walk a little bit over. But we made it in before the movie started. They were showing credits and stuff so it's that difficult thing where you walk into a theater and it's already dark and you have to search for empty seats while you can't see anything. La Notte was, of course, really good on the screen. It was the first Antonioni I saw and I hadn't seen it since first watching it a few years ago. It was fun revisiting it after just watching all those other movies of his real close together. There was a discussion about it upstairs afterwards by some professor of Italian film. It was enjoyable. I'm a nerd and like shit like that. One of the most interesting things was talking about how he admired Rothko and felt an affinity with him in doing a similar thing with a different medium. Leaving we somehow ended up talking to this other guy who was at the movie named Chris. Real nice guy, a metal dude who's real into movies. Talked about Nashville and movies and such while walking back to our car.
Next we went and checked out this music gear store called Corner Music 'cuz I saw they might have some modular stuff in their synth section. They had a little: some basic Pittsburgh modules and a little bit of Roland stuff. Even that stuff was a little hidden and I wasn't sure if it was even for sale. It was. So I picked up a Pittsburgh Sequencer.
Next we hit the main record store attraction: Grimey's. On the used side I picked up a few: Unrest: Imperial F.F.R.R., Sun Ra: At Inter-Media Arts April 1991, Thelonious Monk: The Complete Blue Note Recordings, Glenn Branca: Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses, and Tony Conrad: Bryant Park Moratorium Rally (1969). Over in the main store Jacques ended up talking to this employee who does electronic music named Will and then another employee named Jess came over (I'd already had some cds with the sticker recommendations in my hand). We had a good talk about electronic music and Nashville and Memphis and I told them about Belly Full of Stars and Jess wrote down a whole list of stuff for me. It was pretty cool. So I picked up: Astro Sounds from Beyond the Year 2000: The Astro-Sound of Magnificence, Harmonia: Documents-1975, Charles Hayward/Gigi Masin: Les Nouvelles Musiques de Chambre #2, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: Ears, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: Euclid, Pharmakon: Contact, Wolf Eyes: Undertow, Danny Brown: Atrocity Exhibition, Matmos: Ultimate Care II, v/a: Venezuela 70, Space, v/a: Space, Energy & Light, and Kelly Lee Owens: s/t.
Next we decided to stop for food. Jacques had a recommendation of a place called Rotier's because they have poutin (though neither of us ended up getting poutine). This was kinda like a diner or sort of a run-down type Huey's place (kinda sorta). Was burgered out so I ended up getting a meat and two with barbecue on cornbread. The barbecue was a little dry though the vinegar sauce helped that and was good. The real joy was in the two: fried okra and squash casserole (the latter being really goddamn amazing).
Okay, so then we have time to hit the one more record store: Great Escape. Ended up going to one a bit out (it wasn't the one Jacques thought it was and the one I'd gone to back in the day apparently closed a long time ago). It ended up being just fine 'cuz I got a couple unexpectedly choice finds in my haul: Son of Bazerk: Featuring No Self Control and the Band, Parliament: The 12" Collection and More, Prurient: Bermuda Drain, Prurient: Through the Window, Luke Vibert: Bizarster, Skinny Puppy: Inquisition single, and Skinny Puppy: Back and Forth Vol 5: Live in Dresden.
We made it back to the Belcourt in good time. We got lucky with a parking spot as someone ended up leaving the theater's lot as we arrived and we were able to swoop it up. There was a bit of a line that had just been let in as we arrived. As I think I mentioned earlier, Zach didn't end up coming 'cuz it'd sold out before he went to get his ticket. So of course there was a big crowd, but we managed to get pretty good seats only a little to the side. It was a bit of a magical experience. This is a tour of an original print so it's old film. The colors had washed out just a little on the red side and it was a little dirty but overall pretty good condition considering its age. It was definitely a nice experience being immersed in it on the big screen. Worth the trip. Had a good time and enjoyed the movies! We drove back right after and it was thankfully a pretty uneventful return trip. Made it back in about 2:30 am and Mary Beth had been waiting up so we talked a bit before I went to sleep. Now I've had some sleep and it's a "new" day.
