Thighs Wide Shut

Parcels
Irving Plaza
February 22

Sometimes a new band enters your life and they penetrate your ears so easily, so quickly, so dang smoothilieie, that you juss know that they will now and forever remain in your heart AND soul (this is what happened when I heard Air and their Moon Safari for the first time).  This is apparently what happened when the two robots from Daft Punk heard the band Parcels, and this is what happened when someone introduced me to them and their incredible Incredible INCREDIBLE song ‘Lightenup’

Their sound is so fresh, and yet it’s a sound so familiar and dated (in the best possible way ever), but whatever their sound is, the Parcels are so mod AND so rocker, and they rock me to the core.  They have only one full album to their name, and played a majority of it and their previous singles in a super-inter-stellar evening that had me questioning whether they were one of the best bands I have ever heard live, or if they were the world’s finest lip-syncers.  I think these guys are the real thing.  Perhaps even better than the real thing

Setlist – Comedown / Lightenup / Hideout / Gamesofluck / Withorwithout / Exotica / Bemyself / Every Night (Paul McCartney cover) / Older / Yourfault / Everyroad / Tieduprightnow / Closetowhy / Overnight / IknowhowIfeel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuNbLfXhWGm/

Groupon is great!  It makes things that you want to do and see and eat cheaper!  This past weekend, I used 4 of dems and what a weekend it was…

Indignation
Trying The Old College That Doesn’t Want To Give
Official Site | Trailer
R | 110 min

Didn’t realize good ole Philip Roth released a book called Indignation 8 years ago, mainly cause I don’t read books, although I have read two of his books!  It’s true!  But I’m game for anything Roth – mainly cause I know it will involve Jews, neuroses, and Jewish neuroses!

This book was turned into a movie by former Focus Features studio chief, James Schamus, making his writing/directing debut! And it’s pretty good stuff!  It kinda feels like a stage play, and kinda staged like one – but it has one blow job and TWO hand job scenes!!!  STAGE THAT!!!

Our protagonist is an atheist Jew Logan Lerman (the Wallflower showing some acting chops here), who’s just gettin started at a WASPy Ohio college in the early 50s.  All he wants to do is work and study hard, but runs into trouble when a bedeviling shiksa (Sarah Gadon) gives him said BJ and saids HJs.  She’s unstable, and throws him for a loop.  Then he throws the dean (Tracy Letts, in full a$$hole mode) for a loop, and the two clash in a war of words – in two scenes which are easily the best parts of the film – yes, even more than the scenes involving the BJ and the HJs.  This tête–à–tête is the definition of the word ‘indignation’ - anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment – which was great, cause this movie made me learn a new word AND the movie entertained me!  Learning AND being entertained – a deadly combo that is actually very lively!  STAGE THAT!!!

In case you were wondering what Groupon was used here – it was for Fandango monies!

Verdictgo:  Jeepers Worth A Peepers

dig into Indignation, currently playing in limited release

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

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and then if was off to use a Groupon for dinner at this Georgian (USSR style, not the Peachy state) restaurant called Pepela.  it was a really cool space, but when we arrived, we were the only customers in the entire place for 20 minutes.  we literally thought we were going to get murdered, but the only things that died were our fears after we delved into the delicious meal – featuring a thing that’s better than a pizza – a khachapuri!!!

(this isn’t an actual picture of the one I ate, but this is what ours looked like)

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next night, and new Groupon adventures awaited!

first it was dinner – at Serenata, a nice modern Mexican restaurant.  I stuffed my face on gauc, queso fundido, some empanadas, some enchiladas and a quesadilla. MUY BIEN!!!!

and then off to see..

The Bangles
Irving Plaza
August 27th, 2016

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJos_lzjl11/

in 75 RAWKING minutes, the three Bangles (Michael Steele left in 2005) rawked the fcuk outta 22 songs for a thousand dudes in their 50s who came to relive the 80s.  I’m close to 40, but I’m old in thought, and young in farts.  Age and decades aside, their spirit is still strong and their fans still love them (and they all still look pretty mad fly)  

While the ladies have written some timeless tunes in their time, they can cover the crap outta other people’s ditties.  Personally, their cover of Simon & Garf’s ‘Hazy Shady of Winter’ (see video above), might Might MIGHT be, my most flavorite cover version of a song EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.  Yes, ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  EAT THAT BEATLES!!!!  (who were like a male Bangles of their time)

Man, is Susana Hoffs like the all time hottest Jew mt EVERest* and Sinai or wat????

*that isn’t my wife :)

Setlist - Mary Street / Some Dreams Come True / Manic Monday / Restless / James / He’s Got a Secret / Going Down to Liverpool (Katrina and the Waves cover) / September Gurls (Big Star cover) / I’m in Line / The Real World / Live (The Merry‐Go‐Round cover) / A Hazy Shade of Winter(Simon & Garfunke cover) / If She Knew What She Wants (Jules Shear cover) / Want You / Dover Beach / Open My Eyes (Nazz cover) / Silent Treatment / In Your Room / Hero Takes a Fall

Encore – How Is the Air Up There (The Changin’ Times cover) / Walk Like an Egyptian / Eternal Flame

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to cap the weekend, I got to see my beloved Peabs, but no Groupon exists for such hotness - as love don’t cost a thing.  although we bought pizza at face value and got to see Edie Brickell do the same thing with her kin!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJqrRH7jSgs/

•Art Garfunkel AND Sean Lennon
The Allen Room @ Jazz at Lincoln Center
& The Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza
April 13th

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Yes, in one night, I basically saw Art Garfunkel open for John Lennon’s son. Both shows were sorta homecomings, since both fellas originally hail from NYC, and both had some minor celeb thighspottin goings on (Art’s wife Kim and Albert Ham Jr at Sean’s show), but other den dat, the two shows didn’t have much in common. While Sean’s gig was bearific, at times it was a bit too mellow. DNA or not, the kid’s got talent, and on stage he mos certainly displayed it, but I sure wish he’d rock out a bit smores. Even when he played his bestest tune from his latestist (and yesh, bestestiestest) album, ‘Headlights’, tit twas a tad too and three underwhelming for my pastes. But hey, this is the cloestestest I’ll ever get to seeing John Lennon perform. Good call then for Sean to grow that hobo beard!

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As for Art, it’s was an absolute honor and a darn right privilege to see the Jewfro’d man belt out tunes again. When we last caught him and Paul Simon at MSG back in the ‘003, chills were endlessly running down our spine. Hell, it’s the greatestist concert we hath ever darn seen EVER. And yes, we mean that, even after seeing Public Enemy and Ice-T share a stage back in the early ’90s. While Art’s solo show aint a non-stop Bookends fest, the rest of the tracks he throws down, mainly covers since he’s not known as a songwriter, are still worth the price of admission. Don’t spank me and him wrong though, cause the ‘funk-master gives the peeps what they came to hear: the S&G masterpieces, like ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘The Boxer’, ‘Mrs Robinson’, ‘The Sound Of Silence’, and ‘Cecilia’, which was adorably dueteded with his teenaged son James, who, for butter or for wurst, is a spittin image of his papa, and even dances as poorly as his ole man too!

By the gay, before you die, u muss see one concert in The Allen Room. Probs the mos enchanting venues mt EVERESt and mt fuji!! Art loved it fo shazzles. When refs in his songs mentioned parts of NYC, he’d point out them thru the looking glass. Dude loves himself some come-ons from the whores on Seventh Avenue!