good music, drunken flirting, and mosh pits.

Once again it was time for New Model Army. I really disliked the venue in LA, so when NMA came 'round again I decided to forego The Knitting Factory and went to the Friday Long Beach show instead. It was at Alex's Bar, a sort of hole in the wall dive with Day of the Dead/voodoo/naked lady/Jesus decor. Sounds odd? It was. :)

We got there fairly early, I wanted to secure a barstool since my back is still twingy. Had a few beers and giggled at the opening bands. I noticed an attractive guy who seemed to be checking me out. The drunker he got, the more foreward he became. He stared at me nonstop for about 15 minutes, so I finally smiled at him. Big mistake. He stuck next to me for the next 2 hours and got progressively more wasted and unintelligible. At one point he asked to "Nibble on my earrings" and I flatly refused. He then informed me he "Lived around the corner." Right. Like I'm going back to some drunk's apartment. I tried to escape him by going out for a smoke and he followed me. What followed was, I think, an account of how he got a grant from the NEA to write a play and he wrote about Bush Part 1 (stealing money? conspiring with bankers? I'm not entirely sure what he was talking about but it somehow involved a revolution.) Anyway about the time he started relating guys in black suits and ties showing up at his doorstep I was confused if this was in the play or if it was real life. He fixed me with a somewhat askew glare and said it was classified. I burst out laughing and think I offended him. Not that it stopped him from flirting some more. Then NMA took the stage, so I went back to the bar and actively ignored him again. He disappeared shortly after.

I decided I wanted to see the band better and worked my way into the crowd. It was midnight and everyone was pretty drunk. A couple of fights broke out and the moshing made me fear for my back so I went back to the bar. It's been years since I've seen a peculiar move I've always privately called the 'Mosh Duck Walk'. Anyone who seen old style mosh pits will probably know what I mean... sort of a stilted shuffle with direction changes wherein the participants behave like bumper cars? Not the best description, but it looks damn funny.

Of course NMA was great and they played a few songs from the new album... which I bought. :) Justin wasn't much on the Bush Bashing™ which was disappointing, but I'm guessing he was being subdued because of the recent Natural Disaster™. He did however dedicate a song to New Orleans. But he picked Ocean Rising, which if you've heard it, is kind of inappropriate, though the title sounds correct. When they finished the main set, the band filed off the stage and walked through the crowd at which time I discovered Justin is TINY!!! I hate when my illusions are shattered like that. I always expect my rock gods to be GIANTS and when they end up being my mom's height I die a little inside. *snicker* I'm such a height queen.

All in all a fun night, and a good time. I took PCH home and reminisced on when I used to do that at Rocky Horror back in the day. Got home around 2.30 and listened to the new album all the way through.

And I finally got to wear the black taffeta skirt I got on my birthday!