Richard’s Life Blog

Local pub is open until 5:00 am. It has karaoke nights and stand up comedy night. It is a helluva good place.

Yesterday, I flew to Nueva York. New Buck Biloxi & Lothario were set to perform at the venerated club TV Eye.

I love New York. I love that band. I love that club.

It was amazing and I had a really good experience. Zondar is about as nice as he can be. We chilled and talked at the club.

The set was imo one of the best performances I have witnessed to date.

New York punks are chill. No one shoved me and moshpit problems just did not happen.

I remember how the velvet curtain closed and that was it, no cheering for an encore. Though, the crowd loved Buck.

Lothario opened. Then, Prison. I hope I always remember this. It was such a good experience!

I’m trying to savor the memory of it, because it meant a lot to me.

I also got a tattoo from Angel Garcia that is very beautiful fun sexy cute.

I tried to leave early to rest up and make it to my plane on time, which I managed to do; however, I got completely lost and missed karaoke night at TV Eye with the clique. Oh, well. These things are momentary and there is nothing in mem’ry to sour how good and purely awesome it was.

Gist: parallels of life and the film are discussed

The Last Voyage of the Demeter’s plot is derived from one chapter of Dracula by Bram Stoker. It is NOT A POPULAR MOVIE, a mere 6 million gross compared to Barbie’s 155 million. I would say Demeter is enjoyable to literature and horror fans alike,. The film’s scariness is lacking due to its predictability. Target audience for it is younger than allowed in an R-rated film. It could scare someone who has never read it. They might be emoted. Director Schut’s adaptation is different, because his Dracula is a blood-thirsty animal, who lacks the panache of the original.

I am always down for a vampire flick. I love many, including: the Lost Boys, Interview With The Vampire, Bela Lugosi’s classical interpretation of Dracula from 1931, Only Lovers Left Alive.

I do not fucking know the textual consistency between these films, but I wish I did. I’d fucking write one half as good and be happy.

I recently quit sobriety, so I am back to going to bars. Sometimes it still feels like there is nothing to do. I discovered Demeter release, because I checked Fandango a million times while I was sober with nothing to do.

Word to the wise, don’t arm wrestle in bars. At the tiki bar, a happy picnic table adjacent invited me over to arm wrestle. The big guy had just stripped his hoodie, staff reminding him no shirts, no service.

“You gotta keep your shirt on. We won’t allow that.”

 

“Okay. But, I’m hot.”

I FUCKING WON TWICE, but I wounded my right shoulder. It feels like a shark bit my arm off. This looks can be deceiving thing is a parallel of the movie. The sailors who boarded the Demeter, thought the job looked good, like high seas adventure. Unbeknownst to them, Grendel lurked in the shadows.

After the movie, I dreamt that Leonardo DiCaprio taught me to speak New Englander. I study Carl Jung, whose dream theory said our base desires hide in the unconscious. He called this darkness “the shadow.” To know oneself, one must let their secrets out from the shadow. For example, one night I dreamed I stalked my ex around her home. “The shadow” is a parallel of Demeter, because as much as the crew hide from the monster, malevolence returns every time it’s dark.

There’s no reason to question for how long we’ll be on earth: I have a jar of sweet pickled peppers that is muy rico and I can order in Outback Steakhouse. The film says “I have seen ugly, and I have seen beautiful. I have seen people who were willing to die to protect beautiful from ugly.” I feel like eating rico things is what I would die to save. The food in the movie was britfood, and I don’t know how I feel about that as far as rico goes. The crew gave their lives though, dying to protect life, mushy peas, etc.

Brief review of passages:

Passages is amazing. The film is fun. I imagined that I was an actor or director who has a lot of sex with the female star who also plays a flight attendant in that one movie…I am inspired by this movie to do something artistic and famous. I hate to say it, but the truth is that before I saw this, my life was about eating. After this movie, I want a new life that is more fashionable, fit, and famous. Franz Rogowski is always inspiring in his pictures, the way he can create a dramatic moment and portray the right demeanor. I liked the way he dealt with his girlfriend’s mom, when she said something over the line. I loved the ending, because it was soothing but still not melodramatic.

Brief review of AFIRE:

Christian Petzold’s newest is good. There are so many bad pictures out there. I saw a movie called Dogs the other day that was so bad I wanted to walk out. Petzold loves to make the plotline that has a surprise twist at the end, that makes you say “Ooh” out loud. I identify with the moody writer protagonist. The ticket seller even told me that I remind him of him. It was the kind of movie that takes a looooong time for the action to kick it. It was most exciting in the last ten minutes.

AFIRE features a mind-bending ending, when there is a very sad twist of the plot and it is spliced by images of lovers holding each other preserved for centuries in lava from the explosion of mount Vesuvius in Pompeii.

Israel handed me a coffee, big as a soccer ball, on his pretty damn fine screened-in porch.

I told him I wanted to road trip down to old New Orleans.

“Let’s go man. YOLO, right?”

“I don’t know, man. The thing is, I have to work.”

“Well, if you want to stay, stay. We will be back tomorrow, though.”

“As long as we will be back tomorrow, I’ll go.”

Good friend that he is, he needed little convincing.

So, we took off on a five-hour drive.

In edge city Memphis, we saw a phallic statue, like the Washington monument. I think we should have gotten out to take immature photos in front of it, blasting imaginary crème filling.

“Watch for them gators,” I twanged.

“I reckon,” said Israel.

We crossed into Louisiana as it started getting pitch-blue dark, vast miles of evergreen trees, later water, all around, the road suspended above, a massive fire raging at an oil refinery on the horizon.

We talked the whole damn way there and back. I sounded like I had just read Nonviolent Communication. Constantly with the, “I feels” and the “I thinks.” I know. But I keep on with it. Israel said, “I guess…” then something he thought about what I was saying, as has been his habit for as long as I’ve known him.

On Royal St. in the French Quarter, Los Tigres Del Norte echoed out our rolled-down windows. I felt cool, like un gringo who’s cool with los latinos.\

We pulled up at our haunted hotel. I felt a wee bit para, because a gas-station-stranger had severely warned me of danger in the city.

We walked a mile to the Goat, past a fashionista sleeping on the sidewalk, to a Halloween-themed niteclub loved by punks everywhere.

At the bar, neither of us drank. We agreed not to.

Zondar performed, a lone guitarist schralping over PA blasting punk deep cuts with a phosphorescent vocalist. I saw the singer on the sidewalk.

“Hi,” I said. “Where are you from?”

“Zondar is from the planet Zondar.”

That stuck with me, having a stage persona that is most likely just an act.

Israel talked to a fit girl, the bass player in Fault. They grinned conspiratorially.

I felt weird. Was it the lack of alcohol or the memory that it might be a hard to relate while sober? Across the street, I ate pierogies and borscht and felt tons better.

I returned to watch Pyrex, of course.

Later, at the haunted hotel, we slept on our cloudy beds, road-weary. Phantasms boo-ed through the walls.

I felt like a warrior, out hunting fun times. The beet-y taste of borscht.

Easing the pain of knowing I would have to help drive back was the promise that it would be a delicious pain. Just like I knew it would, me and him held the conversation the whole way way back to the capital of the mid-south, Memphis.

Richard Harrison Miami writes…

Richard Harrison Florida Atlantic writes…

There is a cheap wine that I have come to love. This show with Idris Elba is easy to get lost in. Trying to book bands as I am, Concrete Lawn needs to come to Miami, imo. The sentiment that colonialists are bad betches came over me, so I researched the prisoner colony in New South Wales, which later became Australia. If you need an authoritative document on that, see this Bob Hoskins movie. Australia was a place that allowed an ex-con to live a second life, make something of themselves. I wish there could be an American colony for prisoners. That sure would be better than our for-profit prison system in America. This song always gets me when my phone dies and I listen to vinyl in stead. Don’t sleep on this candle that smells really good. There were rumors flying around that leather smells BAD. I think this rico candle very much so dispels those.

Richard Harrison Miami writes…

Richard Harrison Florida Atlantic writes…

Last Friday night, Drew Owen of New Orleans performed with his band Sick Thoughts at Naomi’s Garden, an outdoor creole restaurant in Miami, because local punk Emmanuel “Gordo” of Hardcore for Punx and the booking agency Alt Miami were able to put on the concert for music lovers’ benefit.

Naomi’s food was lecker, rico. An order of a large chicken soup came with creamed spinach, creole potatoes, regular potatoes, all mixed in with the soup.

It was an enjoyable time, sitting, drinking IPA, talking to concert-goers.

Drew Owen had Sick Thoughts T-shirts and LPs for sale for the dirt cheap.

Alt Miami had Shitstorm’s new LP “Only In Dade” for sale, as well as T-shirts that said Ejecutador, and Caveman Cult on LP.

Ejecutador joked, “this song is about junkies,” to which some foos cheered. “Losers,” the singer then chimed, after a priceless pause.

People loved the concert and showed it with their moshpit-dancing and singing along.

by Richard Harrison, on instagram @yeahsoletsdoit

Really feeling this Sick Thoughts song called “Acid Flashback.” It is on YouTube. I transcribed it into my songbook. Almost ready to post my performance. First, I would like to discuss a few things that have me buzzing. Queso Duro, a Honduran cheese is deliciously sour. It is made from spoiled milk and tastes amazing in a baleada. Edible things besides that include: lion’s mane, cordyceps, and turkey tail mushrooms. As much as the ads were driving me crazy I went and bought some at Whole Foods. Still you might like to try them, as they promise to increase awareness and gut health, while tasting like coffee. I am really excited to get in my PJs and attend the Memphis punk rock music festival on GonerFest TV, a broadcast performance of bands like Thee Oh sees, miscelaneous aussie punks, and the Gories. This blog Men Explain Things to Me is pretty hilarious. This story about a surfer being harrassed by a sea otter is interesting, because it touches on animal law. I do not want to get bitten when I am on my surfboard. Still, it seems crazy to me when the law tries to punish animals. Juxtapoze this harsh punishment on the sea otter with examples of humans having fun with pointless killing of sharks. It is a conundrum. In other nautical info, this short story by Robert Louis Stevenson is really doing it for me. If you love tiki huts and island romance and adventure, it is for you. In that same vein of brit lit, this movie called The Nightingale is an easy and exciting watch. It changed the way I look at reality. Since it is summer, you may be thinking you will find happiness in a bottle: and here it is. Combine with the outdoors on a sunny day for maximum enjoyment. Tomorrow is the birthday of my friend Lee, who owns a shipping container house with a pool table inside. These houses go for the cheap.

Have you ever been to a concert and found it an uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing experience?

If you have anxiety, like I do then you probably get nervous at shows and find yourself alone in a corner sipping a cold beer and ignoring everything.

You go there thinking you will meet someone and forge a social connection that will make you happy. You get nervous in the moment. You overthink everything you say. You wind up talking to someone who never really interested you. You come home with a sense of rejection.

Maybe you are at a punk concert and the singer is angry and their spittle is flying and people are pushing you from all around. That scares you. Or maybe you’ve come to your senses and go to safer concerts in stead. You are queueing for drinks and there is a cool person in front of you, so you want to talk to them. Do you? You’re not pretending to enjoy the silence at the concert, are you?

Aside from work, where else are you going to make friends? That is why you might want to meet someone at a concert. You have a mutual interest. Bang! You might both play music. Boom! Do something about it! Shabam!

Well, here is a list of 8 things you can do to break through that repression.

1. Shout at the crowd, “wassup donkeys?” This garners attention. People will remember you.

2. Approach someone attractive and ask them a question about their whatzit. A whatzit is a launch ramp for conversation, like a band T-shirt. It displays a person’s interests.

3. Speak to people in a casual, conversational way. Try not to say “yeah” in response. Use an anecdote or funny story that you practiced in the mirror.

4. If someone says something that bothers you, say “I feel ______ (insert emotion) about what you said, because I need _______ (insert need) and I’m not getting that.” Don’t get confused or confrontational.

5. Express emotions. There’s no reason not to. If that feels embarrassing, then unpack that. Our brains challenge as a rule, and your ability to speak to someone new will set off alarms. Don’t let anyone stop you.

6. Listen closely. Respond with your interpretation of what people said to you.

7. Attend the concert alone. This will keep you from being tied down to a friend. You will be able to meet folks.

8. Know the lyrics to the songs. Listen to them heavily before the concert. That way, people will notice you singing and join in.

I hope you enjoy this list. I also hope you stop going to concerts just to support bands who are mean to you and that you get a real job.

I hope you make some friends. Too often life feels disconnected.

If you really give this meeting people thing the old college try, then you will be happier, whether or not you do get somebodies number. To be real, I would go for the number. Having somebody to lean on any old time is unmatched in enjoyment.

Richard Harrison Miami writes…

Richard Harrison Florida Atlantic writes…

Richard Harrison Memphis writes…

Do you have a game plan for where you are going to go when this on-fire world becomes truly deadly? I’m asking for a friend.

Wish I knew what I am gonna do when the climate changes to a deathray.

I was talking to my pal Bianca from the Paradis cafe today about how crazy hot it is already and how this is the coldest summer of the rest of history. It left me with the sense I ought to get more tattoos and maybe move off to Germany, like I dream of doing.

That will be the only help I offer this blogpost: Do your bucket list now, while you still can.

Before I forget, yes, this movie is good as das geld and definitely lives up to expectations one has of Christian Petzold. It is Yella good. It is Transit good.

Go see it at an indie theatre. This film is still hot off the presses. It will probably be out on the Mubi streaming service. I’m only telling you to go see it, because it is mind-bending and exciting and fun. I feel so lucky to have a place where I can see great movies, because this is a great one.