Wednesday, May 11th, 2005

There Is No Sanctuary

“We’ve got a runner!”

Today, I mark the end of my third decade and start the fourth. Which now that I read back over it, makes me sound even older than I am. But yeah, it’s my 30th birthday and I’m surprisingly okay with it. If you talked to me about it four or five months ago, I was damn near freaking out. I was making all these absurd, “things I must accomplish before I turn 30” lists that, well, I didn’t really get anywhere with. I was certain that a full-on third-life crisis was in the offing (I’d already had a quarter-life crisis a few years back) and that I’d have quit my job to go work as a distant early warning station janitor up on Baffin Island or something (while still managing to blog daily).

And yet here I am, same job, new old apartment, bascially staying the same course as I’ve been on for the last few years. Am I at peace now or have I just given up? Not sure, but I sleep fine at night so whichever it is, it can’t be all bad. My life is completely unlike what I would have imagined it to be ten years ago, but then again I probably wasn’t very imaginative. No, again you can probably take that in both a positive and negative sense. Things I had taken for granted have turned out to be far more elusive than I ever would have thought, and yet I’ve also done things I couldn’t have even imagined in my salad days. Overall evaluation at the three-decade mark? Not bad, much room for improvement. Possibly a social idiot savant. Poor penmanship.

Anyway, this is turning into a LiveJournal entry so I’ll turn the naval-gazing off for now. Henceforth, I will concentrate on perfecting the various “old man” personas. Grumpy old man, dirty old man, etc. “You damn kids and your music!” Yes, that’ll do nicely.

And I know that in the original Logan’s Run the cut-off age was 18, not 30. Screw you, man.

Oh, and if anyone wants to come out, I think I’ll be heading to Pop Noir this Saturday night at Lot 16 out by Queen and Dufferin. I’ve never been but I hear it’s a good time. Not that it really matters as I intend to be moderately drunk off my face.

The used CD gods were smiling on me yesterday as I turned up copies of Husker Du’s Flip Your Wig, which I’ve been looking for for well over a year now, and the first British Sea Power album which I’ve only been seeking for maybe a month, but was happy to find damn cheap. And I picked up Explosions In The Sky’s The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place new for good measure, ’cause a friend lent it to me for a week and damn it’s good.

The not-so-secret history of Doves, as told to Paste. Doves are at the Kool Haus next Monday.

Another day, another Mountain Goats link from Largehearted Boy (Thanks for the birthday wishes, David!). Today, a piece in New City Chicago and a Q&A with Nerve. They talk about sex, pornography and children (but not in combination with each other!). It’s kinda weird. Come to Lee’s Palace tonight to see the Goats make their Toronto debut! And buy me a drink. It’s my birthday.

Pitchfork has an interview with John Vanderslice about what we can expect from this next album, Pixel Revolt, due out August 23.

Some show announcements – miserablist popsters Eels will be at the Phoenix on June 25 with a string section in tow to plug their latest double-album opus, Blinking Lights And Other Revelations.

And if you like your 70s revival to be equal parts prog and Southern rock, then the Secret Machines/Kings Of Leon tour should be as much fun as, um, some suitably relevant 70s reference. I was working on something involving the General Lee and the Starsky & Hutch-mobile, but it just didn’t come together. That tour hits the Kool Haus on August 3.

Natalie Portman is bald. Darlin’ don’t you go and cut your hair, do you think it’s gonna make him change?

np – British Sea Power / The Decline Of British Sea Power

By : Frank Yang at 9:15 am
Category: Uncategorized
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  1. information leafblower says:

    Happt Bday Frank. I hit the three oh last year and it’s honestly not as bad as you think it’ll be. But that’s no reason not to get drunk off your face.

  2. mike says:

    Have fun at The Mountain Goats show and maybe they’ll even sing you happy b’day!

  3. D. says:

    Happy Birthday, mister.

  4. Justin says:

    Happy Birthday and welcome to the 30s club!

  5. Paul says:

    Happy Birthday! w00t

  6. sam says:

    Happy Birthday, Frank.

    i turned 30 last fall so i know how freaky it is running up to the bday, but soon you do realize how cool it actually all is. enjoy it.

  7. Five One Seven says:

    Happy Birthday Frank!

  8. mishie says:

    happy birthday sexy, i like a man who knows his rock.

  9. joyce says:

    Happy Birthday, Frank!

    (it was too much of a sausage fest in here ;)

  10. tom says:

    Happy Birthday! Thanks to you for introducing me to Feist. Picked it up on your recommendation and it’s made me (and my wife) very happy.

  11. solace says:

    EITS kick ace

  12. Jason says:

    Happy Birthday you old fart! I hit the big 3-0 later this year. Not looking forward to it.

  13. JOSH says:

    Happy Birthday! Enjoy The Mountain Goats. Surely you will.

  14. mr g says:

    happy 30th. good luck on the new decade. rawk.

  15. Matt says:

    Happy Birthday Frank!

    I miss Natalie Portman’s hair.

  16. duus says:

    happy birthday, man.

  17. timothy says:

    happy birthday

  18. david says:

    Happy birthday… and enjoy the Mountain Goats’ show.

  19. mike says:

    Happy birthday Frank,

    Don’t know ye, but I read your stuff evreryday at lunchtime. Keeps me informed.

    Barely got me a Rilo Kiley ticket. Brunettes and Nada Surf really sweetens the pot.

    Later,

    m

  20. Frank says:

    thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone. They’re muchly appreciated.

    I had a giant deli smoked meat sandwich for lunch and am going to fall asleep now.

  21. Andy says:

    Happy birthday you young whippersnapper

  22. Kristen says:

    Happy birthday! I’m "turning" 30 on June 28. Yikes.

  23. Keith says:

    Frank,

    Mountain Goats on your birthday! If John and Peter are HALF as good as they were in Montreal last night, you are in for a T-R-E-A-T.

    Make sure you scream out a request for "It’s Raining Men"

    Cheers.

    FC

  24. Mark says:

    Happy Birthday! Great blog!

  25. sean says:

    happy birthday, frank! many happy returns.

  26. Uncle Grambo says:

    Happy birthday and welcome to the club!

  27. Ieinz says:

    You got a few years on me, oldie. Happy Birthday.

  28. Ninja says:

    happy birthday dude.

  29. Alia says:

    Hey, happy birthday! Congratulations on the Husker find, that’s an awesome album.

  30. Bryan says:

    comment #30. I’m also 30. Welcome to 30!

  31. audrey says:

    Happy Birthday!! I’m exactly 13 months away from today, and i’m already freaking out…

  32. Heather says:

    Happy Birthday Frank.

  33. thomaus says:

    Happy Birthday. I vaguely remember turning thirty, a long, long time ago. Back up your blog so you can read what you did in a decade or so, because the memories fade over time.

  34. Carla says:

    Happy Big One Frank. If I make it out to Pop Noir on Saturday, I’ll buy you a drink for sure (they’re pricey over there but for you, worth it!)

  35. Garry says:

    Happy Bday, dude!

    Natalie Portman looks like Sinead O’Connor!

  36. shaunana says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUY

    HERE’S NATALIE PORTMAN’S YEARBOOK PIC:

    http://…/

  37. troy steele says:

    Feliz Birthidad!

  38. brads says:

    Hey, happy 30th to ya, Frank. Twenty-ten was a watershed year for me, so here’s hoping the same for you.

    (and since Natalie had to shave her head for ‘vendetta’… at least it was for a good cause. i hope.)

  39. Susan says:

    Hope you had a blast on your birthday.

  40. DJMonsterMo says:

    Happy Birthday! I won’t stop rockin’ at any age.