The Ringleader

I bought the new Morrissey CD, "Ringleader of the Tormentors", the other day and have had a chance to listen to it a couple times. As with most of Morrissey's albums, it doesn't disappoint! I'm not sure if he'll win over any new fans with this one, but if you're a fan from long ago you'll really appreciate this one. The vocals are great, with some tracks using the signature-Morrissey "echo" effects. There are richly textured melodies as well which draw influence from many sources. "I Will See You In Far Off Places" has a distinct middle-eastern flavor. "In The Future When All's Well" could just as well be a T-Rex or Bowie track (both big influences on Morrissey). My personal favorite is "The Father Who Must Be Killed", which sounds light and boppy with children's choir backing vocals, but has some pretty gruesome lyrics. Morrissey may be getting up there in years but he still croons with best of them! Anyway, I highly recommend this CD.

Jack Johnson

Hello kiddies! On Saturday, 15 April, I went with fellow dentists and friends Peter and Marjie Barndt and ultra-hipster physician Paul Slovin to the Jack Johnson concert in Chiba. The show was great, but not only that, we had a great time before and after the show. Jack's performance was right on the money. We have all of his CDs, but I would be pressed to name off all of the songs that he played live off of them. Needless to say, the show sounded as good as if not better than the CDs. His music is probably best heard live anyway, especially on a warm, breezy summer evening at an outdoor venue (preferrably in a tropical location). We had to settle for an indoor venue just north of Tokyo, and unfortunately the weather still had an uncomfortable chill. But hey, the Lowenbrau was flowing like water (brought to you by the Asahi corporation) and everyone was having fun. We'll let the photos do the talking...

Just outside Shibuya station, the world's busiest intersection









Ticket in hand...












How kawaii!!! Me and the Barndts.










Beer it up a little bit...

Jack!

Me, the Barndts, Rachel (another dentist), and Paul (striped sweater)

Show's over folks. Nothin' to see here.

Oh, the afterglow!

How you hold the overhead handles on the train says alot about a person. Examples:

The polite two-fingered grasp

The "Birdie"

The Greedy American

The Drunken Canadian Stranglehold (by the way, we didn't know this jackass)

Rainy Days

Sorry I haven't posted any new entries recently. This whole last week was spent recovering from jetlag from Hawaii. The weather here in Yokosuka sucks right now. Winter won't release it's miserable grip, and it's raining to boot. I went to the Jack Johnson concert last night in Chiba and it was really cool. I'll try to post some pics if I can.

In the meantime, check out this blog site if you get the chance. If you're fans of 'Ren & Stimpy', you'll love it!

http://http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2006/02/calling-all-cool-girls.html

Here we go....

Like the Jane's Addiction song says, "here we goooooo......"! This is my first blog site, and in fact my first foray into blogging. Hope all of you find some miniscule aspect that amuses, entertains, or otherwise interests you! I'll cut this short, but hope to hear from you soon!