You can't really tell this from the picture, but this musician, Jay Reatard (in the red shirt), played his entire set with his hair covering his face, Cousin Itt style. That was the most interesting thing about his performance, the fact that he managed to play a guitar like that. I'm assuming he has a face under there, but I guess I'll never know for sure.
Remember how I got labeled an Unaccompanied Minor last month? I went to the Deadmau5 concert yesterday - I was laughing, drinking a beer when this kid appears out of nowhere and shines a pen light on the back of my hand. I couldn't figure out what was going on, then I realized, "Ohhh, he thinks I am under 21 and drinking illegally."
Once again, I am 25. He singled me out - I was the only one for miles around to get the pen light treatment. Oh, the injustice of it all! Suddenly I felt so very uncool. I need to hold onto every shred of cool I can, and this just isn't helping. The worst part is that the guy who tried to bust me looked like he was 17 himself.
Whatever. Then someone gave me these psychedelic glasses and all was right with the world. (They are a little worse for wear.)
Second year at the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco. My friend Julie was nice enough to invite me again, and it was awesome, so laidback, cheerfully wacky and just plain fun. Super fun!
The weather was gorgeous the first day, the second day, it was chilly and windy. People in San Francisco seem to be immune to the cold - all around me girls were wearing sundresses, but I had on a sleeping bag-style parka, gloves and a scarf. Nobody would've guessed I was from a place where it actually snows on occasion.
At least I was warm. Do you know the feeling you get when you pack exactly everything you need for a trip, like the perfect clothes for every meteorological situation? It's great. Usually never happens to me because I end up throwing things frantically in a suitcase the night before. Then on vacation, I realize everything I've forgotten. "Socks. Socks would've been good."
Anyway, here is the ferris wheel at the festival.
Julie said people in San Francisco love dressing up. True to form, here are some people wearing motorized cupcake costumes (maybe those are GoCars under there!).
"Why are you dressed as cupcakes?" Julie asked. "No reason," they said.
At one booth, Saucony teamed up with The Universal Record Database - it's an organization devoted to setting mundane and pointless world records like "Most Metallica Songs Named in 30 Seconds" and "Fastest Time to Ball 10 Pairs of Socks." You could sign up to try to break a record and win international fame and fortune.
Sadly, this fellow did not beat the world record for most t-shirts put on in under a minute. A valiant effort, for sure! Note the yellow-jacketed referees with stop watches. So official.
Not keen on attempting to fit more than 27 sporks in your mouth in order to beat a world record? You could try your hand at some old-timey, handmade arcade games at the Traveling Midway of Curiosities and Delight.
This guy shoved a butter knife up his nose, pretty far up there in fact, with seemingly no ill effects. Why? You know, he never said why.
Music! Oh yeah, there was music there. Like Thao Nguyen.
I also saw: Dan Deacon, the Streets, Brazilian Girls, MSTRKRFT, Girl Talk, MGMT, Grizzly Bear, Beirut, the Walkmen, The Decemberists and The Flaming Lips.
My advice: Don't pay money to see MGMT! Yes, I know you love their songs and so do I, but they will play the four songs that everyone knows and then you are stuck with low energy, shoe-gaze stuff as the audience trickles towards the exits. Girl Talk on the other hand, was way fun but perhaps I am judging that almost entirely on the impressive firework display at the end of his set.
The city skyline is visible in this picture if you look closely.
Blurry sunset picture with palm tree
(Andy Brown)
