ACAB

Made it to Eagles 34 last night in time to see someone (who I’d later learn was one of the people tabling for MIRAC that night) getting mobbed by people for trying to break up some weird transvestigating boomer shit. The cops got called. Two SUVs parked with flashing lights. I found myself thinking about them like dogs. “Wow they were so well behaved they didn’t try and kill anyone.” That’s probably unfair to dogs. Some old shit ass looking guy spent waaaay too much time flapping gums to anyone who gave him the time of day. I didn’t get the full story. I feel stupid rubbernecking, or approaching the clearly very shaken up people and asking what they just went through. I don’t know if the shit ass looking guy had any valid arguments. The cops eventually fucked off.

I hardly use the women’s room under the best of circumstances. I certainly didn’t that night. When I was in the men’s room, someone walked into a stall, accidentally dropped the seat really loudly, and went for “oopsiedoodle” as his cuss of choice. I started laughing audibly. His name was Neil. I’m glad I got to chat with him a little through the stall wall. I warned him the sinks were really high pressured.

Scaphe was really good. Really fucking tuff. Loud and angry. Great sound.

Watches got me to sob like a stupid child with their last song. It had been a long day. For my money, they’re still the absolute best act in town. One of these days I’m going to work up the courage to chat with them a little more than just coming up and going “hey I love you guys so much great show” and then running away.

The Friday show was also profoundly fucking sick. Every single band was playing their fucking hearts out. Extermination Day had a really fun classic sound. Melpomene was amazing, I’m so glad they’re back in action. The drummer remembered me from like, months ago and that made me feel very special. I was so excited to see them I broke my own stupid rule and wore the shirt for the band I was going to see… I just wanted them to feel loved and supported X_X

Flummox. Good god. What an unbelievable performance. I’m not sure how to describe it? It was a blur. It was so artistic. It was insane. It involved nudity and a like… furry opossum mask. The opossum had us all count her 13 nipples, twice. There was a handpuppet (ok a lot of this was from the one song about opossums but it was memorable, all their other songs were fucking insane too).

After Melpomene, I remember telling Kenny “Alright, that was my one set in the mosh pit, I don’t have another one of those in me unless someone else fucks really hard.” Flummox closed their set out with a rousing rendition of “Trans Girls Need Guns” and I got in the fucking pit. Anyways I’m deeply sad they’re not local because I’d like to go to about 10 more of their shows like now.

We stepped out for a breather and came in halfway thru Anita Velveeta, and I spent the rest of the night in the pit. I was positively fucking drenched with sweat by the end of the night. I got to do a wall of death!!! There was an annoying really young trans girl who had cut in line at the merch table earlier and she was across from me in the wall of death and I got to kinda ruminate on what a fucking blessing it was to have young trans people in our community. I wish I’d been an annoying young trans girl at a show like this. Anita Velveeta was great, totally get why she’s a mainstay, will be prioritizing her shows going forward. Also her merch is killer. I wore my “clocky girl summer” shirt the very next day, and received several compliments.

When I was in high school, the only friend of mine with *cool* music taste was two years older than me. They’d burn me cds full of les claypool and buckethead and melt-banana and mr bungle. I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately. We bonded in the kind of instant and instinctual way that makes me suspect that they had similar things to discover about their gender and sexuality that I did, in the way that we always find each other without knowing that’s what we’re doing. They took me to a local show. I wasn’t ready for it, I had a weird night. It was intense. It was too much for me, at this time when I was still devastatingly unsure of who I was or what I wanted or why I couldn’t feel authentic in any setting. I wish I’d gone to more shows with them. I can’t find them on any social media. I hope they moved the fuck out of their shitty living situation, changed their name, figured shit out about themselves. I worry they killed themselves, or vanished into a life that is the equivalent of being dead. Friday was the kind of show that would have blown their mind. Flummox in particular feels like it’s modeled on that bizarre experimental noise that I grew up on in the 2000s, that Sye introduced me to. It was nice to have a night that felt… I dunno. It helped me feel that connection more solidly. It let me reach out to them even in just a metaphysical way. I’m glad I got to mosh so much. I didn’t fall over at all! And I helped people up a lot! I’m getting better at all this.

I think that’s all I’ve got for this last week. Next week has some shows. I’ll get them up in a bit. Dollfest (on saturday) in particular should be pretty hot. I love you all. Be good. Don’t fucking call the cops.