thirteen ways

I understand that my recent obsession with “miscellany” entries is a bit out of control. We’ve been on the road for 3 1/2 weeks, and the sort of clear thinking required for a semi-intelligible blog entry is impossible during either semi-comatose travel days or hectic, balls-to-the-wall concert days. And taking photos of ridiculous things is a great distraction from the bizarreness of 8bb touring.

Below, just a block away from Hotel Rex (our San Francisco pad) was Australia Fair, a tragic little shop selling boomerangs, Milo, Vegemite, little stuffed kangaroos, rugby jerseys and Dryza-Bones. Obviously the popularity of Aussie culture in the US has seen better days, judging from the “Sale” sign in the window…

Below, “The most perfect day in San Francisco…ever,” according to the bloke who took my photo on this dirt running track near the Golden Gate. My job really does bloody kick ass some days:

Below, a view of Alcatraz on the same crystal clear day. The background/foreground in this shot does make an interesting juxtaposition:

Below, a chance meeting with Rinde Eckert in the gargantuan United wing (actually, “city” would almost be more appropriate, as there are literally hundreds of boarding gates) of the Dallas Airport. Rinde is one of the country’s great performers in any and all genres, and 8bb is collaboratoring with him and Steve Mackey on a project, tentatively titled Slide, to premiere in May 2009. Note the Ing’s green-and-gold jersey: a well-worn Aussie rugby jersey.

Below, the Duv sharing his deepest secrets with the UMich percussion studio. Laid out on a table in front of him is the curious percussion setup for Stephen Hartke’s Meanwhile drawn on a piece of cloth, so that the Duv can do something in hotel rooms other than eat room service and watch reruns of Top Chef:

Below, 8bb’s obsession with ripping airport luggage tags off bags the moment they come off the baggage claim belt always struck me as curious:

“Why?”

“Um, to avoid confusion?”

“What sort of confusion?

“Um, to reduce clutter?”

“What clutter?”

Below, the “uneven surfaces” man, looking more like a dancer on Broadway than a traveler in imminent danger:

Below, our zip-lock bags of “keepin’ you regular in 07/08″ grains, necessary for our touring show. These must have provided some bemusement and perhaps amusement for TSA officials:

“Ha! ‘Free airport booties!’”

“Actually, Tim, it’s ‘booties,’ as in ‘little shoes,’ not ‘booty,’ as in, well ‘booty.’”

“Awwww, still seems bloody funny to me.”

Below, this sign was found in the same Costa Mesa concert hall as the notice at the bottom of this miscellany. Informing people that the alarm sounds “like whoop tone” seems slightly redundant to me; if nervous patrons hear a loud, whooping noise, what else will they think it is? A flock of whooping cranes in the area?