Corner Booth

The song list for my next Demo/CD/Medium for Narcissism has essentially been completed. Not that these mean anything to any of you (unless Beam or Q read this because they got an advanced release of the first 5 songs), but I thought I'd throw them out there in order to peak your enthusiasm. I've decided to title this one instead of just calling it "Bo's Demo #2." "Through the Drinking Glass" was a title I kicked around for the first demo, and would probably be more appropriate for that one because most of the songs were written through an alcoholic haze, but it fits well enough for this one as well. So without further ado...here's the list:

1. Through Dreams
2. Late Night Affairs
3. Dance On
4. Gracefully
5. Hush
6. I'm Gone (tentative)
7. Chicken Little
8. Tequila For Two
9. Through The Drinking Glass

As I mentioned before, I was aiming for 10 tunes on this one, but threw out a couple of shit songs. Also, "I'm Gone" may be tossed as well depending on if I can smooth out a few of the rough spots. I'm particularly proud of "Through Dreams," and "Tequila For Two," but I think the next "Headlights" is "Hush." I'll let you guys be the judges of that as soon as I finish. Finally, I had enrolled my little brother to lay down some piano for a few of the songs, but he's been casted in two separate plays this season (which we're all extremely proud of) so he's pretty busy. There are two or three that I think would really benefit from his talent, but I think most of them are fine being guitar driven. There's still a chance that his piano may show up on a hidden track when all is said and done, too, so hold your collective breath.
Much Love,
Bo

First of all, WHO-DEY WHO-DEY WHO-DEY WHO-DEY. Alright now that I've gotten that out of my system here are a few Good and Bad observations from our trip to Chi-town.

THE BAD
1. Kemer and I decided that Chicago fans, in general, cannot talk shit. They try, God help them they try, but it just kind of comes out as the last desperate whimper of a lost and soulless team. After we waxed Soldier Field with them, they were reduced to chanting "Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh." Cheering for another team...Sad. Chants of "Bengals suck" were also uttered by the fallen, but we had just beaten them...Sad. They were also fond of bringing up the fact that Cincinnati has been an awful football team for the past 15 years. No dispute there, but I found this the most perplexing. Why would a city who hasn't won a World Series since Jesus was a child bring up the past? Seems to me, every Spring Training they're talking about how they're "living in the now," and the past doesn't matter...Sad.
2. Chicago fans, in general, are completely classless. At one point in the game Chad Johnson appeared to be hurt. As he lay there on the ground the Chicago fans actually started cheering. I don't care where you are or who you're playing, that's fucking ridiculous. To this I turned to the heartless douche bags behind me and said, "It could be worse, it could be our starting quarterback." They did not respond, but did quiet down considerably.
3. Whoever engineered Soldier Field is a dick. Granted, we were pretty high up, but we had to climb an insane amount of stairs to get to our seats. Legs burning and hearts ready to rip from our chests we did get to see a beautiful view of Lake Michigan as our backdrop to our first 3-0 start in ten fifteen years, so I guess it's not all bad.
4. Blair was nice enough to drive us, which was fully appreciated during the ride home, but he did try to kill us on one specific occasion. As we attempted to find our hotel we were required to get off of Lakeshore Drive. Easy enough, some would say, and some would be incorrect. As we came to the end of the off-ramp it became increasingly evident that Mark had no intention of stopping at the big, red, hexagonal sign. Rex and I sat up tall in the back seat and were speachless, which is rare for us. Through the stop sign we sped like a blur while other cars braked and stared, and right onto the on-ramp back to Lakeshore Drive we went. (Later, when the adrenaline had passed and the fear of death was gone, Rex and I would hold each other and share a good cry when we realized how close we had come to dying and missing the Bengals game the next day). Mark claims he never saw the big red sign, but I still have no idea why he exited the highway only to drive directly back onto it. It may be one of those eternal mysteries like the Great Pyramids, or who convinced Hasselhoff it would be a good career move to become a singer....silly Germans.
5. There are faaaaaar too many people in Chicago. I have no idea how some of you live there.
THE GOOD
1. Sully's bachelor party was a complete success. A fine time was had by all in a bar FULL of Who Dey fans. When I first arrived to the bar, I only knew bits and pieces of the Bengals fight song, but after the 39th or 40th time we sang it, I think I had it down pretty well. Cheers of Who-Dey were as abundant as the golden ale that spewed forth from the taps and out from our laps (I'm a poet and I didn't even realize it). It was also nice that they rented buses to take us to and from the game for a mere $5, hard to find that in the 'nati. It is extremely easy to blow large amounts of cash when on a 15 hour bender though, I would only recommend it for special occasions or Sundays.
2. Grover, if you read this, I may have to marry one of your sisters just so I can hang out with your father again. Spencer is the man.
3. My love for Nude Photo Hunt was reinforced this weekend as Sully, Rex, and I spent the better part of three hours playing it...always check the hair length and for the presence or absence of nipples.
4. Dickman, it was great to see you, but if I seemed a little off (I believe at one time I actually inexplicably had my sunglasses on in the bar) you have to realize that you joined us in the final hour of an 15 hour marathon following the previous night, which was a 9 hour warm-up. I fear my liver may revolt and my kidneys may be divided in their allegiance.
5. Drunk Sully and Drunk Army were in full effect. Words cannot describe them, they are a treat that can only be appreciated in their presence.
All in all the trip to Chicago was amazing. The Who-Dey nation was primed and ready to go. Personally, I couldn't believe how many Bengals fans were there and I was filled with a pride that I think most people in the 'nati had previously forgotten. In Marvin We Trust.
Much Love,
Bo

So I just returned from looking for sunglasses at the mall (by the way, being a male walking alone through a crowded mall may be one of the most awkward situations in the world), and I've discovered that my head is too big for normal human sunglasses. Every pair I tried on were dwarfed by my melon. The weird thing is, as human craniums go, mine's not that big. (Tee-hee-hee). So I conceided and walked away. I next started to look for a hat. Not a baseball cap, but a full brimmed, kick-ass hat. I mean, lots of musicians get away with wearing all kinds of shit on their heads, bandanas, mohawks, Courtney Love. Upon finding a black, full brimmed hat I tried it on and realized...my head is too small to wear a hat with a full brim. (sigh). I'm currently running out of options. Although I did break out the earring for the European Box Wine night this past weekend, I'm getting too old for that (plus my lobe still hurts from where I had to punch it through the back). My eyes are 20/20 so I can't justify wearing specs. It's probably for the best though, now that I think about it I'm not sure I want to attract attention to my face. After all, that would take everyone's eyes away from my smoking ass, and I wouldn't want to deprive the public.
Much Love,
Bo

Just a few random thoughts:
1. I was watching the news tonight and it appears that Wal-Mart has opened stores in China. "Good for them," one might say. After all there are a billion consumers there who have to be clamoring for cheap, knock-off, bullshit items. Also, most of the stores over there are of the Super Wal-Mart persuasion so they can sell petite Hello Kitty t-shirts in the young girls' department, and they can sell Hello Kitty, herself, in the grocery department (simultaneously quenching the Chinese hunger for both). You have to realize, though, that Wal-Mart is a self-proclaimed "Bible Belt" store. This is the same franchise that refused to sell CD's with obscene lyrics on them because they went against the high moral standards that Wal-Mart claims to uphold. Now, however, they have moved to a communist country which has, in the past, promoted the drowning of infants who were penisly challenged. Kudos Wal-Mart...way to stick to your guns.
-On a side note, does anyone else feel like China is kind of half-assing the whole Commy thing lately?
2. Whoever invented the Swiffer is a dick. I was using said item this past week in an attempt to sanitize the atrocity that was my bathroom floor. I've seen the commercials where the Swiffer moves through a nasty floor, leaving an immaculate shine in it's trail...bullshit. Not only does it fail to pick anything up (here I would admit that my floor was littered with random hair and unidentifiable scum, but I won't because I'm too embarrassed and far too much of a gentleman), but it just clumps the filth together and leaves behind a residue that smells nothing like springtime. Save yourself the heartbreak...invest in a broom.
3. What the Hell is up with people riding their 10-speeds in the middle of the road??? First of all, you're not Lance Armstrong so do yourself a favor and lay off the skin-tight riding suit and goofy looking aerodynamic helmet. Spandex is a privilege, not a right. Secondly, and most importantly, the city has invested in sidewalks for a reason...fucking use them!!! Nothing pisses me off more than driving 10 miles an hour so that some douche on a Schwinn can pretend he's climbing the Alps wearing the yellow jersey when there's a sidewalk three feet to his right.
4. Insomnia sucks...that's all, it just blows.
5. I've decided to take a hiatus from playing the open-mics. I tried doing the whole cover thing, but it's just not the same. Half the reason I play is to convey what I'm feeling in my songs and it doesn't work like that when you're singing someone else's poetry (the other half is a mix of narcissism and the desire to get laid, but neither of those are working for me lately either). As most people in "the square" only want to hear covers I'm gonna take some time off. On the plus side, though, I am still writing and should have the second demo's song list ready fairly soon. I'm trying to get 10 songs done for it, but if I feel a couple of them are just shit then the amount will decrease. In the mean time, just listen to the first disc and enjoy it. The next one has a much more "folky, singer song-writer" feel to it and is much slower.
6. Finally, we're headed to Chicago this weekend for Sully's bachelor party this weekend so I'm sure there will be many-a-story for myself, Rex, and Currin to write about next week (probably about how one of us got beat up for wearing Bengals gear to the Chicago game). Who-Dey!
Much Love,
Bo