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Gerritt's Homepage Classic - August 2003 gerritt.net FOOTBALL!! August 31, 2003. 9:00 PM Please indulge me, I must talk briefly about... FOOOTBALLLLL!!!!! See, here in Blacksburg, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies, football is a way of life for the entire fall semester. Currently ranked at number 9 in the nation, and soon to move up, the Hokies draw 65,000 insane, screaming fans to Lane Stadium for their seven home games this season, plus they draw a national TV audience for all their games. This afternoon saw the beginning of Virginia Tech's run for another fantastic season, as the University of Central Florida brought their 'A' game to Blacksburg. Now 0-1, UCF floundered in the first quarter, as the Hokies quickly took the lead and protected it throughout the game, scoring 28 unanswered points. By halftime, however, the Golden Knights of UCF had found their sweet spot against the Hokies second-string defense, and the score got as close as 28-21 in the beginning of the fourth quarter. However, Tech got back in the game and scored another 3 touchdowns unanswered, taking the final score to 49-28 with the Hokies on top all game. We love Hokie football here at VT, and most students find a way to make it out for every home game. Today's game, with the off-season additions to Lane Stadium, saw the largest crowd ever to fill the seats, 65,115 voices shouting with every play. Marcus Vick, the younger brother of NFL star Michael, came in to give starting QB Brian Randall a rest.. after he'd completed 12 of 14 for 169 yards in the first 20 minutes of play. Vick went 7 for 10 in the game, and capped his first drive with a touchdown handoff to Kevin Jones, who also played an amazing game. This season shows great promise for the Hokies, and just 4 years after their run for the national championship, led by big brother Vick. Next Saturday at 1:00, James Madison comes to town. Enough said. GLAD I WASN'T UNDERNEATH August 28, 2003. 3:00 PM In between my class that gets out early and my 11 AM class, I was sitting outside at the tables by the GBJ, and at about quarter-till I started walking up towards Randolph for my 11 o'clock. As I walked behind Burruss where the big trees are, something fell out of the high branches of one of the big oaks up ahead of me. Thinking it was some leaves or a bird's nest or something, I changed my heading to satisfy my curiosity and see what had fallen. As I approached, sitting on the sidewalk I saw a small gray squirrel, chirping and chattering at me, both of his hind legs broken and crumpled underneath of him. He was propped up on his two good front legs and trying to drag himself away. Although very tragic, it was just a squirrel, and I couldn't help but snicker at him for falling out of the tree like that. I shuffled my feet and got him to pull himself over to the side of the concrete and closer to the trees, hoping maybe the squirrel ambulance would be along soon or something. The strangest thing, though, is the sound he was making, a long, bird-like scream that resounded through the quad. Such a loud squeal for a tiny rodent. I'd like to think it was a distress call to his friends. Did you know squirrels could make that kind of noise? He also chirped a lot, like a rodent should, and he quivered when I bent down to take a closer look. "Sorry, little guy. Not much I can do for ya," I said as I stood and walked away. When I came by after class, he was gone, so I can only assume that he'd been taken care of in some way. I'm glad it was a squirrel and not a cat or a monkey or something cute and pet-like, because I'd surely have tried to care for it in some way, and that type of thing never ends well. I just hope that little creature found its way back home, where his momma called Doc Baker who came and set his legs in casts and he spent the next six weeks inside playing Nintendo until he could go play in the tree again. ASK NOT FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS August 25, 2003. 9:15 PM Virginia Tech's first day of classes was today. The throngs of students filing across the drillfield every 50 minutes, the exhaust from the BT spewing out a thick black haze, and of course, that great unknown odor that wafts out of the roof of Owens Dining Hall and over anyone within 5 miles downwind. The freshmen, wandering around tightly gripping thier colorful campus map and printed-out "Student Detail Schedule" and trying to figure out what building 'EMPOR' is without having to ask a senior. Well kids, from now until November 21st, there are no breaks and no days off. Unlike most colleges, Tech decided at some point that we should get a week-long Thanksgiving Break at the end of November instead of just three days at the end of the week, but that we should have to go to school on Labor Day. I have mixed feelings about this, because on Labor Day all I want is to not have to go to class, but then when November rolls around it all seems worthwhile. The same thing happens in the spring semester. We have no breaks other than spring break, which is first week of March. No President's Day, no MLK Day, no chance for a long weekend. Its much more toilsome in the spring, when the weather is cold and the days are short, and its much harder to get motivated to get out of bed. Classes in the spring are usually more difficult, everyone's eaten too much over winter break, and Tech starts classes two weeks earlier in January than anyone in Maryland. Plus there's no football. We get through it, though, and just once more for me. I can't wait. A quick update: Pictures from Brian and Jessica's Wedding Pictures from my trip to New York City My new and improved class schedule Are we there yet?? THESE GO TO ELEVEN August 24, 2003. 9:30 AM Same apartment, two new roomies. Dave and Tom moved into the free spaces in my three bedroom apartment this semester, and we've begun to finally fill in the empty spots with couches and TVs and all that. One problem: a coffee table. You wouldn't think that'd be hard to find on a Saturday morning in a college town. I drove around all morning, stopping at about 10 different yard sales, two thrift stores, and three discount stores. The best we could find was a $50 table at target. We decided to wait and try again next Saturday. I love yard sales. Walking around looking at all the junk people have collected, talking prices down to collect more junk for ourselves, then turning around and selling it at a yard sale the following year. But it was worth my $5 for a blender that leaks and two lampshades, right? While out looking for a coffee table, I saw a practice guitar amp sitting on the ground, and went over to check it out. When the yard salesman approached me, I shrugged it off, saying I didn't need to spend money on it right now. He offered it to me for $7, so I said "Sure! Even if its broken or whatnot, that's a great price for a Peavey amp." So then he proceeded to tell me that you have to "kinda jiggle the cable around" and "it's a little touchy" and offered it to me for $5. This man is obviously not familiar with proper yard sale conduct. Its not reasonable to talk yourself down after the buyer has already agreed to the higher price. I guess he just didn't want to have to make change for $7, or maybe he was feeling guilty about selling me a broken amp, but whatever the case, I got a practice amp for $5. I plugged it in, and it made some unnerving popping sounds, but otherwise worked quite well. And its much better than my old-school Park practice amp. Now all I need is a performance amp and a new electric guitar. And some gigs. And a roadie. And maybe a fan or two. VT OR BUST August 21, 2003. 12:30 AM This morning I left Maryland to head back to Blacksburg for my last year of school. The wagon was packed tight with the abundance of random stuff I had to bring with me. On the way down, I passed a kid in his Explorer with three signs taped to his trunk: 'College Bound' 'Elon or Bust' and 'Wish Me Luck: CB Channel 2.' I had no CB with which to wish him luck, so I honked and waved as I passed. In front of him, I noticed a minivan containing a middle-aged couple that had a sign posted on it also: 'We're paying for it.' They probably got a kick out of seeing the back of my car, too, since I had a Sam's Club 60-pack of toilet paper rolls crammed up inside my rear window, and my dirty laundry in a big mesh bag on my front seat, plus all of my worldly possesions stuffed in between. I made it to Blacksburg, classes start on Monday, and the senior year begins. My last college summer comes to an abrupt close. Just like this journal entry. READ MY LIST August 18, 2003. 3:00 PM Gerritt's list of the best* video double-features to rent for a night in: - Independence Day and Mars Attacks! - Jurassic Park and Raptor (or substitute The Land That Time Forgot) - Joe Versus the Volcano and Castaway - Star Wars and Space Balls - The Time Machine (2002) and Planet of the Apes (2001) - Congo and Born to be Wild - Mr. Deeds and The Hudsucker Proxy - Cutthroat Island and Muppet Treasure Island - Top Gun and Hot Shots - Glitter and A Walk to Remember (or substitute Crossroads) - Lake Placid and Deep Blue Sea (or substitute Anaconda) - Antz and A Bug's Life - Batman: The Movie (1966) and Batman Forever (1995) - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Disney's Robin Hood (or substitute Men in Tights) - Pee-wee's Great Adventure and Edward Scissorhands - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and The Wizard of Oz (or substitute Alice in Wonderland) *"best" is relative to entertainment value, not quality of movie What's your favorite double rental? I'd like to know: g@vt.edu. THE KIND OF TRAFFIC THAT LASTS ALL AFTERNOON August 16, 2003. 1:00 PM Ben and I had tickets to see John Mayer and Counting Crows at Nissan Pavilion last night, so he planned to meet me at the New Carrollton Metro, where I leave my car during the day, and we were gonna drive the capitol beltway around to 66 and over to Manassas for the show. We left New Carrollton, MD, at 5:30 PM, and didn't get to the pavilion, near Manassas, VA, until almost 9 PM. Three and a half hours of traffic to go 50 miles. It was terrible. We got there just in time to see the Crows' encore, which was quite good. John came out at 9:45 or so, played some great electric bluesy music mixed around with his unique acoustic playing style (left thumb?), and then played a one song encore and was back in his bus by 11 PM. A short set, I guess because he's co-headlining he doesn't have the freedom to play all night (plus all his fans have to be home by midnight). He played a few songs from his new album, which I'm very skeptical about. They were all on electric guitar, and didn't really sound much like his old 'Room for Squares' stuff. We'll see how it sounds when its released. This is the second time I've been to see John. The first time was a year and a half ago, in February 2002, in a very intimate crowd of around 500. He played at Roanoke College in their small, old 'Alumni Gym' in front of a bunch of college-age music fans. We were standing close enough to be spit on. This was well before his music made it into main-stream radio, and only four months after releasing Squares. He played on into the night, and really made me into a fan. Last night, an hour set in front of 25,000 screaming fans, driving four hours to get there and waiting in the parking lot for an hour before we could even leave, just made me want my money back. But it was fun, as tiring and crazy as it was. Maybe he'll come through Roanoke again. Ha ha. SOMEONE GET A FLASHLIGHT AND GO CHECK THE FUSEBOX August 15, 2003. 8:00 AM It seems that we left New York just in time. In case you haven't heard, New York City, Detroit, Toronto, and spots in the northeast lost power last night due to a lightning strike and a collection of bad things gone worse up at a plant near Niagara, NY. I just can't imagine New York City without traffic lights or subway trains. Time to hitch up your horse and buggy and get back to the 19th century. Daryl called from Brooklyn during the outage, saying he'd walked the 2.5 hours home from work, and judging from how hot it was at the O's game last night, it seems unimaginable without anywhere air conditioned to retreat to. The Orioles lost to the Yankees last night at Camden Yards. I know, its my fault. I think that makes my record for games I've been to... 1-seventy billion. And it was hot and moist, hazy, still, and stifling, and we were surrounded by Yankees fans. Redeeming quality? Well, the company of course, and the free club-level box seats, complete with the special escalator and the air conditioned lobby and the waiters who take orders and bring you your food. Yeah, it was cool. Did I mention it was free? AND I GOT NEW SHOES, TOO. August 13, 2003. 11:00 PM BROOKLYN, NY - What I did on my summer vacation: - Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, then ate ice cream underneath it. - Went to see Tom Petty and Bob Dylan in concert in New Jersey, fighting rain and rowdy crowds to get there. - Stayed three nights at Daryl's apartment in Brooklyn. (Thanks, bro.) - Learned about interesting animals at The Bronx Zoo, an impressively designed place. - Ate dinner at "the greatest diner in New York," Juniors, in Brooklyn. - Watched "The Manchurian Candidate," be on the lookout for a re-make due out next year. - Toured the South Street Seaport, I mean the Baltimore Inner Harb-, I mean, wait... am I in Boston? - Explored the USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, a decommissioned WWII aircraft carrier. 90,000 tons of diplomacy. - Meandered through noisy Grand Central Station. - Dined at a quiet Italian restaurant. - Chatted with the new CEO of Martha Stewart Living, Sharon Patrick. - Climbed around in the Frying Pan, an old Coast Guard light-ship-turned-rental-hall, tied up to an old barge-turned-bar. - Met up with Tim and Melanie, and decided to stay with them in their hotel, the Double-Tree Suites, Times Square. - Strolled through Times Square, Central Park, down Fifth Avenue, and up 42nd Street. - Helped apprehend an evil international weapons dealer trying to sell a surface-to-air missile in the Diamond District of Manhattan. - Chowed down on sandwiches at the 79th Street Boat Basin, on the Hudson River. - Slept in a freezing-cold hotel suite on the 32nd floor of the Double-Tree, directly above Times Square. - Gazed in hushed awe at Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center towers. - Sat on a bench at Battery Park next to the old ferry terminal. (I helped design a new terminal being built to replace it.) - Rode the New York Water Taxi around the southern point of Manhattan and over to the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn. - Made it back to Maryland in time to write this up and get ready for going back to work tomorrow. OH MY August 11, 2003. 11:00 AM BROOKLYN, NY - Riding the subway around New York City is an adventure in itself, especially trying to ride from Brooklyn to The Bronx. Daryl, an expert subway rider, was able to get us there in just under two hours, with a stop for lunch. Our destination: The Bronx Zoo, a world famous spot amongst the thousands of other world famous spots in New York. I love zoos, and we stayed for as long as I could stand up. The designers of The Bronx Zoo do a fantastic job of making the spectators feel like they're in the natural habitats of the animals, using moats and glass and walls instead of bars and cages. Very high quality, and worth every penny. We had dinner in downtown Brooklyn at a strange old diner called Juniors. The waiters and hosts wear suits and bowties, and there's a guy in the bathroom who hands you a towel, but the atmosphere is casual, and the food is standard diner fare. Very cool place, and not too expensive for New York. I tried my first New York City Egg Cream, and some of the best cheesecake ever. Today, I'm heading out on my own to prove that this city really is the most photogenic place ever, I'll be posting my pictures when I get back to Maryland at the end of the week. LOTS OF PLACES TO RUN TO August 10, 2003. 11:30 AM BROOKYLN, NY - This week I'll be spending about four days in New York City with Daryl, my big brother, at his apartment in Brooklyn. I drove up here from Maryland yesterday to meet him, got attacked by his cat, Sterling, and then we spent the afternoon walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Yesterday evening, we drove down to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, just off the Garden State Parkway, to see Bob Dylan and Tom Petty in concert. Dylan opened the show, with a great mumbling dialog and some very talented bluesy rock guitar. Only two songs were recognizable to anyone, and both of them were part of his encore, "Everybody Must Get Stoned" and "All Along the Watchtower." The latter was neat to hear because it has such a legacy of talented musicians who have covered Dylan's original version of it over the years. Dylan's act was a struggle to get through, and most people sat down and talked over the whole thing. He had no light or set changes, the big TVs showed the same zoomed-out angle of the stage the whole time, and none of us could recognize any of the songs other than his encore. But then, as it started pouring rain, Tom Petty came out and rocked us, opening with "American Girl" and taking off from there, with great light changes, camera angles, and his sing-along rock and roll. I enjoyed it, though the rain and the threat of horrible traffic and the rowdy drunk crowd forced us back to the comfort of his car a little early. This being my third Petty show, he now sits in a tie for third place on my list of repeat performances I've been to, just below Dave Matthews Band (4) and Jimmy Buffett (4). Each time I'm more impressed. OH GRATE August 8, 2003. 11:30 PM My commute to work consists of a 30 minute drive, a 50 minute metro train ride, and a 15 minute walk. And that's if there's not many people in the way. Its really funny how I can commute to and from work at the same time every day, and each time there's a different volume of people. Today, the trains were packed because of a delay. Yesterday, at the exact same time, I had almost an entire car to myself. And then there's the escalators. I walk four escalators each day: one up to the station at New Carrolton, one up to my transfer at L'Effant Plaza, and two up to get to street level in Crystal City. On any given day, I'd say two of the four are broken. Of course, that's the great thing about escalators: when they break, you get steps. You'd think I'd be used to them by now, but I still feel uneasy and anxious when I walk on moving stairs, especially broken ones. And for good reason, they can turn evil at any moment. The machines are taking over. Until recently, I'd always thought that escalators were just a fun novelty that I'd only encounter at ballparks, airports, and the mall. I never thought they'd take me to work every day. Do you have stuff like this that creeps you out, but seems perfectly natural to everyone around you? Another one for me is walking through the city over those stupid grates they put down over open pits in the sidewalk. Those things really freak me out, probably because I'm afraid of heights and those pits are usually pretty deep. But in places like Manhattan, where I'll be this weekend, they're simply unavoidable. I just try not to think about it. And then a subway train goes zooming by right under my feet, and somehow I can't help but feel a little nervous. SUCKER FOR SOCCER August 7, 2003. 3:30 PM I thought I'd never say this, but last night I went to a professional soccer game. Before yesterday, my experiences with soccer were limited to 6th grade gym class, when we were forced to play it, and occasionally walking by the soccer fields during high school games. Oh yeah, and there was that time at Philmont, but that's a whole journal entry in of itself. So, soccer, as it seems, is played in two halves, each of which is 45 minutes... but sometimes they add two extra minutes at the end. I haven't quite figured that part out yet. And they don't restart the clock after halftime, it just runs all the way up to 90:00. And there's out-of-bounds, and goal keepers, and something about primary colors and cards, and lots of hitting the ball with your head. Well, I got in for free thanks to Mel's boss, who also happens to own the Virginia Beach Mariners. And a couple car dealerships, a ski lodge, and some other stuff. This game was played at the Germantown Soccerplex, and it was a tournament game for some kind of cup, for which any teams can compete, including major league, minor league, amateur, or whatever. So the Mariners, a minor A-league pro team, played against the DC United, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. (I keep typing 'DC Untied', which I suppose is what happens when they don't double-knot their cleats.) After 90 minutes of grueling, exciting action, the score was... zero-zero. Apparently this is not at all uncommon. Because soccer is boring. On top of that we were feeling a little too European, so we left and had to wonder if anyone would win in the 30 minute overtime period. It turns out that DC won 1-0 on a goal 'in the ninety-seventh minute', scored by Hristo Stoitchkov, a guy with grey hair who we called 'old guy'. He had spent the first 75 minutes of the game stretching on the sideline, but they put him in, and he came through in the clutch. DC United has a big fan base, at least enough that they play at the 56,000 capacity RFK Stadium during regular season games, and VA Beach has their own sportsplex where they play homegames, which seats 10,000. This game had 2,800 fans in attendance, which I guess is just what happens when a minor league team plays a major league team. I thought the score would've been more lopsided, but I guess soccer is just like that. Being out under the lights on the metal bleachers made me crave the start of Tech football, which begins in exactly... WHAT'S UP DOG? August 6, 2003. 3:30 PM Okay, so, most convenience stores, gas stations, and snack stands will sell you a hot dog for a dollar. But, have you ever eaten a dollar dog at a professional sporting event? Yeah. I have. Last night was Esskay Dollar Hot Dog Night at Oriole Park. So I ate four. (Roughly the price of one hot dog during regular games.) And, get this, the Orioles actually won when I was there! A great nail-biter that came down to a ninth inning save with O's on top 3-2 over the Twins. Let's see, so in the past 4 years I have been to a total of... ONE game in which the Orioles have won. My Dad and Joanne had gotten a big block of tickets with a bunch of Joanne's family, and they had a few extra, so I was able to bring Katie, who was up from Blacksburg for a few days, and Kent, who came up from Annapolis. We had a good old time out at the yard. I find it interesting how much stuff changes over the years. For example, Pat, one of my coworkers, brought in a ship design book from 1938, Design and Cost Estimating of Merchant and Passenger Ships, by Alexander Kari. A quick excerpt from the chapter called 'The Preliminary General Arrangement for a Cargo or a Passenger Vessel': "When a vessel is worked by a native crew of seamen and firemen, allowance must be made for their much lower labour efficiency and the 'gang hire' system. As a rule a native crew's efficiency is only about 50 per cent. of that of a white crew." Later in the paragraph, "Europeans, including petty officers, such as a cook, donkeyman, carpenter, boatswain, and storekeeper, are usually accommodated amidships or at any other place situated at a reasonable distance from the native quarters. Such accommodation is provided, of course, with a separate galley and hospital." My how times have changed. CRY ME A RIVER August 4, 2003. 7:40 PM Have you heard about Justin Timberlake's latest adventure? Turns out he's still trying too hard to make himself seem less like a pop star and more like an enduring musical icon. Last week he sang as an opening act for some classic rock bands at a SARS benefit show in Toronto, and all the old rock fans threw trash at him. Can't help but feel sorry for him, though he probably should've expected this. Just go back your cheesy pop fans. They throw teenage girls at you instead. My name is cool. Well, unique anyway. Someone has decided that there's a formula for figuring out your personality by your first name. It seems I have a deep artistic side with a love for music, that writing is a more natural mode of expression for my deeper thoughts and feelings than the spoken word, and I enjoy the out-of-doors. And a bunch more stuff that's ridiculously accurate. How'd they know all this? FREE TIME August 3, 2003. 1:40 PM So what's even better than seeing three concerts and a movie in one weekend? How about seeing three free concerts and a free movie in one weekend? Thursday night, the Spin Doctors played at Power Plant Live in Baltimore. For free. They were good, still strong performers, but a little on the boring side. But still making good rock and roll. Went out to the new AMC Theater in Owings Mills Friday night to see a movie, and ended up seeing Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. The one and only redeeming thing about the movie? I didn't pay to see it (thanks to Ezra and his free movie passes). I also think I missed a lot of the underlying theme since I'd never seen the first movie or played the video game. Not that I'm complaining. So, I know you're thinking, "so what, Gerritt? You saw two crappy shows for free. Big deal." Now here's the kicker: Saturday afternoon at Merriweather Post in Columbia, there was a big folk music festival called A Day in the Woods, with a bunch of bands like Dar Williams, Matt Nathanson, Keller Williams, and people like that. I wanted to go because of the headliner, Eddie from Ohio, who was scheduled to perform at 7. So I met up with Melanie and we walked over to the box office, thinking maybe we could get cheap seats and sit and listen to Eddie play their set. We get there to find an empty ticket sales booth with a sign saying tickets were $39 dollars, and we ask the security guard if we can get in without a ticket. He says no, but, as we're turning around, Stranger #1 enters, hands us two free tickets, accepts no money for them, and tells us to have a good time. We say thanks, Security Guy tears our tickets, and we sit and listen to two hours of great Virginian acoustic music. For free. I have finally scammed Ticketmaster. Be it only once, it was glorious and sweet. Oh, and if you've never heard of Eddie from Ohio, check them out, and go to their show. You won't be disappointed. Then, as we're walking towards the car after the show, we hear music coming from the lakefront and walk over there to find a bluegrass quintet, Blue Daze, playing some more down-home old-timey music. Also for free. Yeah, it's been a great couple of days. Next weekend? Tom Petty and Bob Dylan in New Jersey: $52. Hey, it can't all be free. CAN'T BE WRONG August 1, 2003. 3:55 PM Last night I met up with my old friend Catherine and her friends Michelle and Whitney (sorry if I spelled those wrong) for a free Spin Doctors concert at Power Plant Live in Baltimore. That's what I said, now. They haven't vanished. Part of the ongoing series of summer concerts at Power Plant, they decided not to charge a cover for this show, and with good reason I suppose. After a nice dinner at the Babalu Grill, a new Cuban restaurant with sloped tables (I sat at the downhill side) and pushy waiters (not Cuban), we stood around the little courtyard in between Have a Nice Day Cafe and Bar Baltimore waiting for the Spin Doctors. The ads I read for this show said something like 'Spin Doctors at Power Plant Live! Thursday at 7 PM, no cover, all ages.' So at 9:30, when they started playing, there was a reasonably big crowd gathered around, lots of young people and even a few older couples hanging around the edges. They kicked off with their crowd-pleasing 'Big Fat Funky Booty' and dug deep into a jam while lead singer Chris Barron dancing around like a crazy hippie. Uh huh. Finally they got most of the crowd into it with a fresh-from-93 rendition of their first of two top-10 hits, "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong." We left before we got to hear the other, "Two Princes," which was the most-played song on American radio in 1993. Their set was fun and peppy, well mixed between vocals and guitar, and well written. I think their biggest problem is that plain old bluesy rock and roll doesn't sell records anymore. They can wail, and it shows, but their only gimmick is that they're reminiscent. I bet very few people at the show were interested in the new album that they claim is on the way. For those of you who don't know their story, in 1999, eight years after their two-hit album 'Pocket Full of Kryptonite' was released, Barron lost his voice to what their record company called "a rare paralysis of his vocal chords". Their fourth attempt, 'Here Comes the Bride', had just finished production, and any chance of selling it from live performance advertising was shot. So, they continued their slink into where-are-they-now obscurity, releasing a compilation in 2000 called 'Just Go Ahead Now: A Retrospective'. Although his chances were slim, Barron's voice came back strong, and in 2002 the Spin Doctors began touring again. All four original members are back together despite their personal differences, which led to the replacement of guitarist Eric Schenkman in 1994 and bassist Mark White in 1998. Here's something cool: John Popper, lead singer of Blues Traveler, was part of a band with Chris Barron when they lived in Princeton, NJ. Blues Traveler made it big time, and they're touring again, too, only angrier! Don't bother going to see them, though, its only worth it for the first harmonica solo. Then its just loud and boring. Whatcha gonna do, to get into another one of these here rock 'n' roll songs? |
