ONLY THIS TIME, WHAT A TIME IT IS

I've been steadily listening to my dubiously obtained copy of the forthcoming Dandy Warhols album, Odditorium or Warlord of Mars, since I so dubiously obtained it. Readers may recall I had some intitial misgivings, as the songs are longer with less of a hook-laden structure than the straight-to-the-ear-drum rock the Dandys are known for. As I suspected, however, it's a record that just needs to sink in. Once you find its groove, it's actually quite good. You just have to be strapped in and prepared to be its passenger.

So, when design-man extraordinaire Steve Birch called me last night and asked if I wanted to go to a listening party and eat some free sushi and drink some free booze, I looked at the pile of DVDs I had ready to watch, thought for a second, and said, "Sure." Even if I wasn't curious to rejoin the spectacle of the rock world (it's been years since I was "in the scene," as they say), the first rule of freelance life is never say no to free.

The event was set up at MasuSushi in downtown Portland. The restaurant was right across the street from the Crystal Ballroom, so I could look over at the big "CURSE" graffiti tag that an old coworker of mine once got arrested for making. Which sort of did put me in the mind that I was somehow back at the turn of the century.

The night really was about just listening to the record. A DJ was set up in one corner, and while at one point he did deviate from Odditorium to play some Bowie and Thin Lizzy (fuckin' Thin Lizzy?!), it was mainly a Dandys all-nighter. Not that you could actually hear the music most of the time. Once the band and their entourage strolled in, making the regular diners nearly choke on their spicy tuna rolls with their outlandish rock 'n' roll circus get-ups, the noise of the schmoozing overwhelmed all. I did catch up with a few people I hadn't seen in a while, including Courtney Taylor-Taylor, the head Dandy. Additionally, I was reintroduced to keyboard maven Zia McCabe, saw Guy Burwell for the first time since he got back into town (apparently seven months ago), and chatted a bit with Sean Gothman, the all-around good guy of the Dandy Warhols brigade who once appeared on a couple of episodes of my mercifully defunct cable-access show @lright. Most of the night, though, I was just being reminded of why I didn't do this kind of social thing more often, as I darted around looking for a safe place to stand, hoping I wouldn't look awkward in that weird way that makes people actually want to talk to you.

Anyway, thanks Dandy Warhols for the drinks (I kept having something called the Hello Kitty, though per the restaurant owner's recommendation, with whiskey instead of vodka). Despite the nervous look in my eyes, I had a good time. And seriously, I really am digging the new record. I was even before you got me buzzed!

Current Soundtrack: Dandy Warhols, Odditorium or Warlord of Mars

Current Mood: silly

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[to leave comments, click on the time-stamp below, then scroll down on the new page] – All text (c) 2005 Jamie S. Rich