Archive for August, 2004

Back home from the final trip this year to CA for work. I’m gonna miss the people I worked with and miss my home away from home.

I’ll have an update tonite or tomorrow with pix of the trip and the JFA show.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of a Chicago institution. The Fireside Bowl. They no longer will be doing shows. For those not aware, The Fireside was an old, run-down bowling alley on the northwest side of town. The lanes were tired and worn, but not nearly as bad as the rest of the place. Someone had the bright idea to book some punk shows there many years ago and a legend was born. Countless bands played there, they had a show nearly every nite. They long since stopped the bowling (in the early days you could bowl during the show) and it was soley a punk rock venue for a good number of years, along with a bar with affordable beer.

I could not tell you how many shows I saw at the place, it was too many to count. I can tell you that every time I saw a show there, it was a good experience. It was at the Fireside that I bowled during a Bollweevils show and tried to get youngdave drunk for the first time but was boozeblocked by his sister, Alison. It was at the Firesdie that I got super drunk and tried to pick up some girl I met, much to the entertainment of my fellow friends (and no, I did not succeed in charming said girl into a date). It was at the Fireside Bowl that I got so drunk at a show that Bob had to drive my car home because I was in no shape to drive and I grabbed his then-girlfriend’s knee while I was “looking for my phone”. It was at the Fireside that I interviewed 7 Seconds, DI, and JFA (whom I had been such a huge fan of for years, and it was that show that was responsible fro me putting out 2 of their records) among others, and it was at the Fireside Bowl that I discovered so many good newer bands and saw friends’ bands play.

When I was at the place a month ago to see Since By Man and These Arms Are Snakes, the place was under construction. They were resurfacing the lanes, they put up a coat of paint on the wall, and they were putting in computer scoring gimmicks and going all out. I knew then that there was no way when it was done that they were going to continue to do shows there. Why invest all that money in a place only to have a bunch of filthy punks trash it?

Much like Lounge Ax, The Fireside was one of my all time favorite places to attend a show. Sure, it was a dump, but it was “our dump”, a place for the punks and fans of good music. The bathrooms were disgusting, so much so that you didn’t even want to take a leak in them. The place had terrible ventilation, so if it was a really crowded show, you’d be dying from the second hand smoke and/or heat. The place had a good sound system and a good atmosphere though. I am really gonna miss that shithole. Goodbye Fireside Bowl, and thank you for the many years of good times. You had a really good run and I’m sorry to see it end.

United officially is on my shit list for the following:

1. When you book a flight, and specify Aisle seating, they will put you in the middle anyway.
2. They will be late.
3. Now, instead of a free shitty meal on yr flight, they will SELL you a shitty meal. You have a choice of bad sandwich w/chips and a cookie, or a salad with what is allegedly chicken on it, the price? 10 DOLLARS! For 10 bucks, I can eat dinner at Del Taco 3 times! And the food will be better! So to put this in perspective; Southwest, who typically are cheaper to fly with, will give you a box with 3 or 4 snack items in it on yr flight to LAX, for free, while on United, you now get the opportunity to pay for yr meal. What’s next, will they go back to making you buy those craptastic dirty headphones to watch their shitty inflight movies?! And here’s a thought. You were an hour late with our flight, and it was a shittly, long, and rough and turbulent flight. Why not give us yr shitty salads and sandwiches for free to make up for the extra hour of our lives you robbed from us by being late.
4. Did I mention that you don’t get yr still-free-for-the-time-being pop or starsucks coffee and lame half ounce bag of salty snack until after they are done shilling their 10 dollar crappy meals? I got my pop at the 2 hour mark on the flight!
5. They no longer have any Coca-Cola products. Just that asswater known as pepsi. I wonder how much of a payola they got to go “exclusive”. You’d think it would be enough to be able to afford to give away their rubber meat sandwiches and wilted lettuce and not have to gouge their passengers for them, but I guess they didn’t have a good negotiator in charge of that deal.

So goodbye United, after this trip, I shant be flying with you again.

While it didn’t get my full attention because I was packing and preparing for my journey back to CA again, last nite’s Raw really was pretty lousy. Between the stupid as fuck Diva Search to the uber-ghey Lita/Kane bullshit, it didn’t leave much in the way of entertainment and you know, actual WRESTLING. Edge/Jericho was the only standout last nite. Even The Rock wasn’t able to save that abismal Diva Search crap last nite.

Today I’m off to my home away from home, Los Angeles, for the last time this year. The Lady Combustion is pissed at me for going on a second “last trip” but it couldn’t be avoided. I do wish she was able to go with me this time, and I am sure gonna miss her while I’m gone.

As luck will have it, I’ll be in town for this…

Who is going with me? This is the first time JFA has played in a few years!