Went to see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at Union South last night. I won\’t bore people with details, but the show was great. Surprising that he\’d be playing such a small venue – I would think he could easily fill the Annex or High Noon. If he were in Chicago, he\’d probably be playing the Metro or somewhere big. I\’m anxiously awaiting my next milestone, when I go from only being twice as old as everyone else at these shows to being three times as old.

Anyway, if there\’s one good reason to support the war in Iraq, it\’s so it compels Ted Leo to write more really good anti-war albums. It seems to get his creative dander up. That\’s what was so disappointing about the last R.E.M. album – you think the starts would have all been aligned, with the U.S. being at war. It should have been right in Michael Stipe\’s wheelhouse, and he totally whiffed.

On the way to the concert, I seriously missed being hit by a car by inches while crossing Regent Street. After the show, my buddy Barrett and I discussed whether it would be better to be run over by a car going really fast or really slow. Think about it – if the car was going fast, the tires would hit you from the front more quickly, but there\’s a chance that the initial blow might pop the car into the air a little – and the car would actually be on to of you for less time. With the slow car, the actual hit wouldn\’t be as bad, but the tires would be on top of you crushing your ribs for a longer period of time.

Personal preference, I guess.

Watch a live solo performance of \”Bottle of Buckie\” here.