Strange Reports and Sightings So Far This Week...

Two people have told me that they saw on TV that the battle of Armageddon was imminent.  This would have been cause for alarm had they not both given different locations that the battle was supposed to take place. Kind of like the weather reports it does depend on which station you watch sometime. They don't always get it right. Then there was the other guy who just no said "aren't you Mandy Patinkin?" I was standing in line at at Old Souls food truck. I was was not singing and apparently just getting by on looks alone. I said "Who?" He said "Haven't you seen the Princess Bride?" I haven't. Again watching different stations. 

I saw the thrash metal band Gwar and made their photo this summer at Riot Fest in Chicago. Some parts of the theatrics had an apocalyptic feel to them. If you don't know Gwar and I admit I did not before this show. They are a band that has created a huge barbaric interplanetary display of violence, blood, political, scatological and sexual shock rock. A little bit of deft maneuvering of props and sage presence and Ammageddon could be worked in.  At riot fest that day you could always tell who had been up front for this set. They were covered in fake blood. 

And before you say "well mudbelly, I was shocked to see a nice boy like you at the concert." Well I was shocked to see you there because a little internet research shows that since 1984 Gwar has sold 800,000 records as well as comic books, games, lunch boxes, a cartoon, a board game (I have bought none of this) and well you know just all those shameless self promotion things an artist can get sucked into and that I wish I could break into myself. 

Here's the photos. 

Ok, I understand if you are a little more comfortable with Mandy Patinkin and want to stand in a food truck line with him. To be honest I have not thought about Gwar since the day I made these photos, I watch very little TV and am certainly in no position to be guessing on Armageddon. 

Blue Man Group...

I have wanted to see Blue Man Group for years and had a couple of convenient opportunities but the price of a big city show always put me off. For the last two nights the Angelina Arts Alliance brought the group, and I had a balcony seat for $55. That's about my limit for concerts these days and I might pay more for a day long festival but once again I stress how much a bargain these AAA shows are and after years of crowding stages at the front in my golden years I have come to appreciate how well you can see from a comfortable balcony seat. 

I like a good drum show. My youngest children, Morgan and Mary were drum line kids and I remember taking them to see the show Stomp. They later were the beginning of putting on similar spring shows each year with the Lufkin High School Drumline. Blue Man Group is a drum show and as you can see from the photos they leave a messy stage and if you sit in the front rows they give you a raincoat. It's not Gwar but it's a good show.  

Blue Man Group is a corporation, a theater company putting on shows all over the work. The are owned by Cirque di Soleil. It's origins date to 1987 when the group was formed by three friends in New York City. The themes of the group, which probably don't get enough attention in this town are from the Wiki site:

• Science and technology, especially the topics of plumbing, fractals, human sight, DNA, and the Internet
• Information overload and information pollution, such as when the audience is asked to choose one of three simultaneous streams of information to read
• Innocence, as when the Blue Men appear to be surprised and perplexed by common artifacts of modern society or by audience reactions
• Self-conscious and naïve imitation of cultural norms, such as attempting to stage an elegant dinner of Twinkies for an audience member; or following the Rock Concert Instruction Manual with the expectation that following instructions is all it takes to put on a rock concert
• Rooftops, or climbing to the top, a metaphor for the directive from Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers's PBS program The Power of Myth, namely "following your bliss"

I did not make a bunch of photos of this show as lately some of the AAA shows have request no photos for a screen free performance and that fits well with the band's themes. I could not resist this one as it shows the good mess they make.

Get together with three friends. Form a band. Play in the streets. Develop themes. Buy tickets to AAA shows.