natural child/hunx & his punx at will's pub

i'm so stoked that i've finally rediscovered my formerly show-loving self in the past few weeks. there's nothing like seeing great live music whilst drinking cheap beer in a dingy dive bar. despite my now slightly more buttoned-up appearance, it's still one of the environments where i'm legitimately the happiest.

the will's pub show last night began with two local bands, tamtam the sandwich man and the magical sugar cookies (yes, really)-who entertained us with songs about hating your job as a pizza hut delivery driver- and girls on the beach, whose bespectacled and totally nerdy looks were the complete opposite of their loud, 60's-esque surfer rock, which they performed with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths. it was a sight to see.

most importantly, i had the fortune of seeing my favorite stones-y stoners, natural child, who completely won me over at last year's SXSW after my friend gleni and i sort of accidentally wandered into their set. they're completely hilarious (see interview below), "fascinating-looking" (to quote my friend who attended the show with me last night) and most importantly...really, really, REALLY good live (again, see below). somehow, all of their songs sound like that old classic that you love but can't put your finger on, yet are totally original and awesome at the same time. the dudes behind us pretty much summed up my feelings about them after their set: "i just wanna party with those guys." amen, brother.

and THEN! hunx and his punx played.

i'd be lying if i said i didn't buy my ticket for natty child, but i was familiar with some of hunx's bubblegum/garage-y pop tunes, and intrigued by the promise of ridiculousness after seeing some of his videos. my oh my, i did not realized that the man and his band had such a rowdy cult following. everything started out innocently enough, with people bopping along and acting normal. but suddenly, my friend and i were smooshed to the side as a full-on mosh pit broke out, people started crowd-surfing, cigarette smoke and fog filled the air, and general insanity ensued. after some chick stepped on my friend's bare toes for the 3rd time, we had to get out of there. but, as with most things, it was good while it lasted!

tv shows that no one remembers (except me).

i swear that all of the following shows are IMDB legit. yet, every time i’ve ever tried to describe any of them to someone, they either change the subject or run away. rude! i proudly claim these weird, forgotten, and awesomely terrible blips in tv history.

1. today's special

the one with the creepy department store mannequin that came to life at night and hung out with the chick that worked there. i think it was canadian. the mannequin was actually kind of cute when he became human, as my 5 year-old self remembers. but, um, he was also a mannequin, so....

2. on our own

the one about the six orphaned siblings struggling to make it in the ‘hood. It was part of the TGIF lineup for like, two weeks, and starred real-life siblings whose names all began with “j”. and they played characters whose names all began with “j”, but were different than their real names. oh dear, i’m beginning to understand why this didn’t last very long.

3. second noah

the one in hawaii with all of the pets and all of the kids. oh, and james marsden. no, i don’t mean 7th heaven, but i think the dad might have also been played by stephen collins or someone that looked a lot like him. “noah” is a reference to the ark. get it?!

4. fred penner's place

the one with the guy that had the guitar and sat on rocks and sang children’s folk songs. sometimes animal puppets would even join him,i think. he also instructed us viewers how to deal if we got sprayed by a skunk in one episode. there may have been some serious hallucinogenic drug overtones going on, but guys, he was basically the original man vs. wild! give the man some credit.

show i love: parenthood

if you haven't seen nbc's "parenthood" yet, you're dead to me. okay, kidding - but only sort of, because i honestly haven't enjoyed a show this much in ages. it's funny, it's poignant, and most of all, it's heartwarming. and who doesn't love a good warm heart, huh? 

basically, the gist is that sarah (lauren graham) moves back into her parents' house with her teenage kids. all of her brothers and sisters still live in the area, so lots of interesting family dynamics ensue. and while i was very, very afraid that lauren graham would get all gilmore girls-y on me - i love that show, but c'mon - she is refreshingly un-lorelai like. also, hello random, dax shephard stars as the endearingly immature brother crosby and i somehow don't hate him. understand that this is a major achievement for me. peter krause of "dirty sexy money" and erika christensen round out the sibs and craig t. nelson (COACH!) plays the stubbornly adorable dad. basically, you can't go wrong.

i seriously must sound like an NBC suit, but legit- tuesdays at 10...you're gonna love it. if you don't, complain here and we'll hash it out.