Train, The Fray and Matt Nathanson Concert July 24 Ridgefield, Washington

I don’t go to many concerts these days.  It’s tough when one can only sit comfortably for ten minutes, or stand for fifteen minutes. The last concert we attended at Portland’s famed “Crystal Ballroom” was two hours of standing and sweating hell.  It took me days to recover.  I figured I would try to the Train concert because it was at the Northwest Amphitheater where one could bring a low profile chair and chill out on the lawn. This still was a challenge, but the experience was worth it.

All these artists have been around for twenty years or so.  The crowd was all ages with many millenials in attendance.  We got there in time for the first song, “Girl in the Kinks shirt” by Matt Nathansan.  He is an artist who received a big boost from my favorite Bay Area radio station, KFOG.  His songs have been featured on several of KFOG’s charity CD’s. (I might have been his biggest fan on the lawn!) People kept streaming in during his performance.  I was surprised at how funny he was. He gave a shout out to us folks on the lawn and even came into the audience, including the lawn. His music is as good as the “headliner” and I felt bad for him that he doesn’t get the same recognition. He talked about performing on “The Bachelor” as a surreal experience.   Perhaps he picked up some fans from the show.

It seems most of the crowd was there for The Fray, the band made famous by their song on Grey’s Anatomy, “How to Save a Life.”  I never watched the show, but as a former ICU nurse the song has a special meaning for me.  I couldn’t resist a quick Wikipedia search of the band and discovered they are from Colorado and got their start as a Christian band playing in mega-churches.  It made me view some of their lyrics in a different light, but I still enjoy the agnosticism of “You Found Me.” (A song detailing a meeting with God on the streets smoking, reminiscent of Joan Osborne’s “90’s hit “One of Us”) Isaac Slade, the lead singer, also made it up to the cheap seats and was rushed by a crowd of teenage girls.

The headline act was Train.  It’s strange how you remember the first time you heard a band.  I recall listening to “Meet Virginia” working the night shift in cardiac care in Marin General with a nurse named Virginia. (She hated me.) Like many artists, the band focused on their new material before playing their hits.  Early in the show, lead singer Pat Monahan offered to take “selfies” for people who handed them their phones from the front row.  Many people kept their phones on the entire show.  I guess the decision Train made is why fight the cell phone.  As an older audience member, I’d much prefer the memories of BEING THERE to some horrible video of it.  Many people also were simply photographing themselves at the concert.  My question is, “Were we always this narcissistic or has Twitter and Instagram simply tapped into our innate self absorption? Pat also selected some kids from the audience to come on stage and dance with the band. Another crowd pleaser, throwing out free t-shirts, donning one, then have the band autograph it and throw it out for one lucky concertgoer. (Morbid curiosity if the person kept it or auctioned it on EBay.)

The band is pretty much unchanged, except for the drummer who joined last year and is a native of Portland.  One of my favorite songs was “Save Me San Francisco” which has great parts to sing along with.  It also mentions three places I’ve lived and loved: Oregon, San Francisco and Marin. The opening acts returned to sing “Little Help from my Friends.” They mentioned this was their forty-first concert on this tour and it definitely seemed the guys liked playing together. Pat did a little crowd surfing but didn’t make it up to the lawn.

Watching the crowd was sometimes as interesting as watching the stage. During the Fray’s set, a intoxicated woman striped down to her bra. Several people tried to assist her from embarrassing herself further. The girls in front of us filmed it and had it up on YouTube in no time. The woman to our left cringed ever time Matt Nathansan said “God damn.” Leading me to think they may be Christian fans of the Fray. There was also a large amount of kids at the show, doing cartwheels and trying to make their own fun while their parents danced.

The encores were good. The second song was a cover of Aerosmith’s classic “Dream On” and it was probably as good as the original. Predictably, “Drops of Jupiter” was the final song.  I enjoyed Pat’s goofy tae bo moves. (Remember Tae Bo kids?) It was interesting to see some bands of “my generation” try to stay relevant and attract the younger fans. Pat now has a weekly Podcast, wow!

Overall, it was a great night of music under the stars, despite the discomfort and nine dollar beer. I made some nice memories with my husband, which no grainy selfie can compete with! I’m looking forward to seeing Chris Isaak next month at the Zoo.

True Detective, Season 2, Episodes 4-6

I had major food poisoning the night “Other Lives” aired.  After viewing it, I decided I really didn’t want to take the effort to review the episode.  This season has been a big disappointment.  It’s hard to pin down what exactly has made it so tedious, but it’s a combination of the actors, plot and artifice of the story.  It’s been hard to care why Frank is such a bad guy or why Ani can’t maintain a relationship.  The series is trying very hard to be strange and deep and the result has left this viewer too fatigued to want to figure out if the eight episode series is like the California high speed rail, a train to nowhere.

In “Other Lives” we are treated to a full on “Sons of Anarchy” type massacre, which is both ridiculous and cathartic. The aftermath allowed for a fresh start for our motley crew of detectives.  All members, including Frank, have been humbled by their failings.  It was almost enough to reignite my interest, but the main problem remains, it’s hard to be interested in the “focal crime.” Ben Caspere remains an elusive ghost. (Is his last name an intentional reference to “Casper the friendly ghost?)

Episode five highlighted the difficulties of being a family. Frank and Jordon are unable to conceive after her three abortions. Ray is desperate to retain his role as Chad’s father. Paul agrees to marry his pregnant girlfriend, as he confronts his terrible trailer trash mother. And, Ani continues to be haunted by the ghost of her cult upbringing and strained relationship with her sister.

The “Church in Ruins” opens with a standoff between Ray and Frank, after Ray has discovered his wife’s rapist isn’t the man he killed. The men square off in the kitchen, each with their hand under the table on their respective guns. Frank denies intentionally misleading the former detective.  Ray wants to know who gave him the name. A tense truce is reached; Frank desperately wants the hard-drive from Caspere’s apartment in exchange for the man who provided him with the “rapist’s” information.  After Ray leaves, Jordon appears with a small pistol drawn and appears shaken.

Ani and Paul call the local authorities to deal with the possible crime scene they discovered last week in Northern California. They fear it maybe connected to the missing woman Vera, who was last heard from in the area. There is no body however.

Ray visits the man who attacked his wife in prison. The man denies knowing him or the crime. Ray promises a graphic torture scenario, should the man ever be paroled. Mmm, okay.

Paul contacts a retired cop regarding the blue diamonds stolen from Caspere’s apartment. The gems were stolen during the ’92 riots and resulted in a double homicide that left two young children orphaned. The theme of orphans is alluded to as the retired cop confesses how this case really disturbed him. (Frank was an orphan, Paul, Ani and Ray all had crazy parents who failed them.)

Ani meets with her sister to discuss the upcoming escort party, the type of event they theorize Caspere frequented with other politicians. The previous episode revealed the connection between Rick Springfield’s plastic surgery practice, Vinci mayor Chessani and the escort parties. Ani shows off her knife skills on a wooden dummy while Athena warns her to be careful, as the women aren’t allowed cellphones or weapons.

Frank and Jordon meet with Stan’s widow. He offers her some “death benefits” and then gives a sappy speech to Stan’s grieving son. Ray endures a supervised visit with Chad, who’d rather watch “Friends” then build a model plan with him. Ray cuts his visit short to use massive amounts of cocaine and tequila. (Since that always makes one relax and feel positive about the world!) As Ray sobers up a little, he calls his ex to rescind his custody of the boy, if she promises not to tell him of his true paternity.

Frank does his gangster torture routine on a Mexican man, trying to find the woman who pawned the blue diamonds.  It leads him to a house where he has a standoff with the same men who visited his club last week. “Cross that off my bucket list, a Mexican standoff with real Mexicans!” (Too bad Donald Trump wasn’t there to get blasted!) The men negotiate a deal involving running heroine through the club for intelligence on the woman’s whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Ani gets on the escort bus and Ray and Paul follow her in a car. Ani is wearing a tracking transponder. Once she’s at the party, she is forced to ingest some “liquid Molly” and it makes her woozy.  In the crowd, she sees Richard Geldof, who is running for district attorney and leading the Vinci corruption case. Outside, Ray and Paul pick off guards to get closer to the action.

Frank calls Irina and offers her money to meet with him. She explains she already meet with “El Jefe” and is reluctant to meet anyone else. (Mayor Chessani?) She finally agrees when Frank assures her she can bring her people.  Frank arrives at the meeting spot to find her throat slit.  The Mexican mobsters appear out of the shadows.  Their killing “an innocent” and the fact he can no longer question her about the missing tape upsets Frank. (But as James Darmondy explained in Boardwalk Empire, “You can’t be half a gangster.”)

Back at the sex party, Ray and Paul observe the CEO of the Catalyst Corp making a new land deal with Russian mobster Osip. Paul manages to break in and steal the documents.  Ani fends off middle age creeps and miraculously discovers Vera drugged out in a corner. (How would she recognize her while high and having never seen her except in a photograph; I have no idea.) Ani manages to stab the man who wants to have sex with her and a guard, all while hallucinating about being molested as a young cult girl!

Ani and the boys escape, with Vera.  Paul reads the incriminating contracts by the light of the full moon.  The gang has finally found some real evidence to expose the Catalyst Corp’s involvement with organized crime and the rail project.  How that solves the murder, I don’t know.

Two episodes left in this disastrous season. Please no more aerial freeway shots of L.A.! My best guess is that Pitlor (Rick Springfield) did everything, not that I even care who tortured a dirty politician. Vince Vaughn should never act in a drama again, and watch the spray tan as he looks more and more like John Boehner.  I don’t know if True Detective has been renewed, but I don’t think I’d watch it again. But like a freeway accident, it’s hard to look away.  I still want to see where this season lands.

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

In simple, yet intense prose, Toni Morrison has created a painfully moving story weaving together stories of loss, hatred trauma and healing.  Given the current state of race relations in this country, the novel is both timely and timeless.

In the book’s opening, a light skinned African-American woman gives birth to a baby girl whom she rejects as “too black.”  The mother continues to reject the girl, insisting she call her “Sweetness” not mom. The girl grows up embrace her beauty and becomes a successful model and businesswoman.  She wears white to enhance the contrast with her skin and renames herself Bride.  She meets a musician named Booker and they develop an effortless loving relationship.

Until one day, Bride is confronted by a mistake from her childhood, which she seeks to rectify.  Booker leaves her abruptly stating, “You ain’t the woman for me.”  As Bride attempts to locate her boyfriend, she goes on a journey to the deeply wounded parts of herself.  The story is at once bleak and painful, but ultimately hopeful. Each character is lovely and flawed but with transformative power of love can be reborn.

I can’t recommend this novel more highly as a unique and powerful study on trauma and perseverance. A great book for a reading group to explore and discuss.

Inside Out

Little secret, I had a child so we'd have an excuse to see Pixar movies! Just kidding! But, I have been a long time fan of the innovative studio which has been somewhat diminished by their acquisition by Disney. But with this latest release, the creative team at Pixar is back to what they do best, telling original stories.

Inside Out is the story of one's emotional voices and memories.  It begins with the birth of a baby girl named Riley who spends the first eleven years of her life forming lots of joyous memories.  Joy, played by Amy Poehler, runs the show and tries to keep, Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Sadness (The Office's Phyllis White) in check. Inside her head are "islands" of security representing family, goofiness, ice hockey,  and friendship.

But young Riley's world is suddenly uprooted as her parents move from Minnesota to San Francisco. Riley finds it hard to adjust to her new school and life without her favorite sport and best friend. Soon, there is a crisis of emotions and Joy must work with Sadness to help save Riley's "core memories."

The movie has nuances and jokes present for adults.  There is a sense of sadness reminincent of Toy Story 3, as Riley is forced to grow up due to her circumstances.  Richard Kind does a wonderful job voicing Riley's imaginary friend. A very creative and playful look at what makes us tick. I highly recommend this soon to be Pixar classic.

True Detective Season 2 Episode 3, Maybe Tomorrow

Paging David Lynch!  The episode opens with an Elvis-like impersonator in aquamarine suit singing Conway Twitty’s version of “The Rose” under a single spotlight.  Ray watches from his usual booth at the seedy bar.  Across from him sits an old man in police uniform who notes, “You got your father’s hands.”  The old man continues with a non-sequitor about a dream he had of running though the trees being chased by men who kill Ray.  Ray asks his father, “Where is this?”  His dad sighs,  “I don’t know, you’re here first.”

Returning to the crime scene, Ray lies on the floor motionless, “The Rose” plays in the background.  Suddenly, he gasps.  He’s alive!  (I had a feeling they weren’t going to really kill off a major character after two episodes.)  The crime scene is swarming with activity and we learn Ray is alive because the shots were rubber pellets used by police to break up crowds.  Ray’s scratched up, but okay.  Ani reads Ray the riot act for going to the scene alone.  A special Vinci task force shows up to the crime scene. (Even though the house was in Hollywood.)  Ani surveys the scene and notes the soundproof walls.

Frank looks pained as his wife gives him oral attention at the doctor’s office.  Jordon is angry he’s not able to perform and he’s not taking her desire for a child seriously. Frank explodes, “My whole life right now is life and death importance! It’s unnatural!”  He adds his sperm were deemed normal and the problem is hers, not his.  His wife is understandably upset as he storms out.

Paul and Ani are partnered due to Ray’s injury.  Paul notes Caspere and the Catalast Corporation are linked. Ani asks Paul about the actress’s allegations against him. Paul is very defensive and threatens to get out of the vehicle. (And walk along the LA freeway? Right!)  Ani explains she’s just concerned if the exposure from the case will hamper the investigation.  Paul calms down and makes a snarky comment about Ani’s vaping habit.  It may be the most interesting thing about her.

Frank and Ray meet at the dingy bar.  Ray asks, “Who else knew about the location?” Ray is livid and thinks Frank walked him into a trap.  Ray demands to know what other business he and Caspere had.  They toss around the word “apoplectic” which is an old fashioned term for stroke.  This vocabulary extravagance seems to add another layer of the artifice of this show.  I don’t personally know many burned out cops and gangsters, but I doubt they banter using 19^th century words.  Ray is drinking water because he “Wants to feel his anger.” (Which the alcohol would numb.)  Ray notes there was a video recording of his shooting and undoubtedly other crimes.  Ray leaves in disgust. The scarred waitress asks what’s wrong with Ray, and Frank deadpans, “Someone murdered him.”

Ani and Paul arrive at the mayor of Vinci’s Bel Aire mansion.  Ani identifies herself as “State Police.” (Still confusing, Paul is highway patrol and Ani is Sheriff, I understand this is a special investigation, but they still would have to be truthful in stating which department they are from.) A haggard looking blonde in a gold gown and Russian accent answers the door.  She looks disinterested as Paul brings up the phone records indicating numerous calls to the residence. She huffs a mysterious gas from a plastic container, “Medicine, for my eyes!” she explains.  The house looks like it’s in the throws of a hangover.  The woman says she’s been married to the mayor for about a year and they met at “a party.”  A woman jumps off a balcony into the pool below followed by the yelling of a man upstairs.  Ani ventures upstairs and meets a scantly clad man.  The man is the mayor’s son, an “event organizer” and orders Ani and Paul out.

Ray gets a check up from a doctor.  His liver is failing and his habits are wreaking havoc on his body, but his most recent injury is minor.  He’s cleared to go back to work.  The doctor asks him pointedly, “Do you want to live?”

Frank visits a construction site to intimidate the boss.  Frank notes their history of “quid pro quo” deals and offers veiled threats if the man doesn’t keep paying him. Frank is broke and a little desperate.

Ani and Paul go to empty Caspere’s security deposit box.  It contains several documents regarding LLC’s and some blue diamonds.  It’s mentioned, again, Caspere was deeply involved in the Catalast Corporation.

Ani and Ray split up to visit and debrief their respective bosses.  Ani meets with the D.A. Davis who is eager to expose Velcoro as a dirty cop.  Ray meets with the irate mayor who refers to Ani by crude word for female anatomy.  The mayor wants the Caspere case closed, and preferably using the “hooker/pimp” angle.  Davis tells Ani if she can “get” Velcoro, she’ll get a bonus.  Exasperated, Ray tells the mayor, “I’m not Colombo!”  To which the mayor responds, “Do you believe this guy?”

Ani goes back to the Sheriff’s office where she encounters the man she was sleeping with in the first episode.  She abruptly breaks up with him, displaying her aversion to men.  The deputy notes, “You got problems!” Ani retorts, “And I’m whittling them down.” (By dumping him.) Her partner Elvis is there to give Ani moral support.

Prompted by his near death experience, Ray visits his father.  He helps his father drink whiskey and delivers some herbal medicine.  Ray tells him he had a “dream” about him.  He fishes his father’s old badge, which has been encapsulated in plastic, out of the trash.  It seems the old man routinely throw it away.  His father waxes nostalgic about the “good old days” under the infamous L.A. police chief Darryl Gates, back when “real police work” could be done.  His father notes he retired with “Half a pension.”  He must have been dirty too.  His dad adds, “This ain’t no country for white men!”

Osip meets with Frank at the casino.  He tells Frank he’s heading to Las Vegas to explore other business options.  Frank wishes him a sarcastic “Bon Voyage!” and calls him some racial and ethnic epitaphs behind his back.  Frank speaks to his cronies, wondering if Osip possibly had something to do with Caspere’s murder.

Paul and a friend watch some monster truck show.  They were in the war together and the friend asks why Paul doesn’t attend support group meetings anymore. (For PTSD?) Paul responds he’s just trying to forget.  The friend states he’s working on becoming an electrician but he misses the excitement of combat.  Paul gets upset, were these too a little more then friends in the desert?

Back at the Quonset hut, Paul reports they have CCT of the Cadillac used to transport Caspere’s body.  The car was stolen from a film being shot in Vinci.  Ray and Ani visit the film set to ask if anybody recognizes Caspere.  They learn from a set photographer he liked to attend parties with “industry” types.  Caspere’s office manager meets them on the set to bring them tax documents.

Frank is fuming in his office, wondering where his associate Stan is.  Another lackey informs him, Stan is dead.  Frank views Stan’s body, which is in a box in a large warehouse facility.  Frank yells at the his assembled crew, “Who is after me?”  Frank orders a meeting be set up with rival organizations.

Paul speaks to the street prostitutes, showing them a picture of Caspere. (I’m not an expert on prostitutes but it seems the wealthier client would not go to the street to look for entertainment, but would use the Internet as to be less visible.) Paul stands in front of a billboard for “American Sniper.”  A song plays about killers, as Paul watches a male “angel” give oral services behind fence nearby.  Paul finally finds a male hustler who’s seen Caspere and says he frequented a nearby club.  He states Paul, with his “angsty cop vibe,” probably wouldn’t get into the club.  Paul has a hard time making eye contact with the man.

Ani is at Ray’s house.  Ray’s ex-wife is at the door.  She speaks to him outside, imploring him to take ten thousand dollars in cash and leave town because internal affairs is close to making their case against him.  Ray is disgusted she thought he would relinquish his custody rights for money.  He seems unconcerned about his own fate.  The ex and her husband leave in the Volvo.  Ray returns inside to Ani and they get back to work on the case.

Paul and the hustler are in Frank’s former club.  Paul speaks to another male prostitute about Caspere.  The man states Caspere liked to go to parties and watch rather then participate.

Frank meets with rival gangs.  He asks them about Stan and who wants to “Fuck with him!” The various leaders plead ignorance. The “Fuck You” grill man challenges Frank, calling him a weak has-been.  Frank prepares to fight him, telling the man, “You can leave your rings on!”  They engage in a fistfight, which Frank surprisingly wins.  At the end of the fight, Frank asks for some pliers to remove the man’s gold grill, saying, “I hate those things, what a way to greet the world!”  Ouch and yuck!

Ani and Ray go to visit the man who quit the movie set prior to the Cadillac’s theft. The man claims he quit to take care of his mother and denies stealing the car.  An explosion booms behind them, and Ray investigates to see their car is burning.  A masked man in a hoodie is across the street and Ray and Ani take off after him.  It appears the suspect wants to be seen and chased.  The race through a homeless camp and across a freeway ends with the suspect escaping through the bushes.  Ray saves Ani from being hit by a semi, by rolling her to the ground out of its path.

Jordon waits for Frank in a silky bathrobe by the fire.  She wants to make up after their fight at the doctor’s office.  Frank ignores her and pours some whiskey.  His face is distorted like he’s smelling rotten eggs, and I suppose that’s Vince Vaughn’s attempt at acting conflicted.  He tells Jordon, “Maybe tomorrow.”

What did we learn this week?  No main detectives are dead or are likely to be killed off before the finale.  Catalast and Caspere were in a lot of financial dealings together.  The mayor and the D.A. want different things to happen as a result of this investigation.  And please, leave the Twin Peak type sequences out of this show, because it’s not as clever as the David Lynch series it wants to be.  It’s all feeling a bit heady and clichéd.  Who killed the scum Caspere, I’m not sure I care.  I miss McConaughey and Carcuza…