Poor Dumb Bastards
I think one of the times I'd written
about Poor Dumb Bastards I'd said their show was a barely controlled riot.
I may have to revisit that statement and amend it by taking out the controlled
part. Normally I'm not one to embrace the need for security, actually
I think rock n roll and order should have little to do with each other.
However I also was standing there on the side stage and worrying that
shit might just be getting out of hand. Fans were tackling the singer,
throwing mic stands, pouring beer on the band dancing on stage and even
wresting each other. Yet PDB carried on with their particular style of
mayhem no matter what happened around them, and it all worked out in the
end. I think though I may make up a t-shirt that says "I Survived
a Poor Dumb Bastards Show".
They played the Red Room at the Meridian,
a stage and room I loathe with a passion. Lighting sucks and the sound
most of the time does as well. I remember thinking I'll go see it anyway
cause I love this particular show. Although I was thinking since the ad
said Totimoshi was the "headliner" and Donkey Punch, PDB and
Suplex were listed in smaller print, poor Totimoshi.. They have to go
on after Poor Dumb Bastards? No band should ever have to try to take the
stage after those guys. Everything is covered in beer and/or spam and
chicken feathers (don't ask), and the audience is going to be worked up
and foaming at the mouths. Nope I wouldn't want to ever try to follow
them on the bill. Lucky for Totimoshi they were playing at a much more
civilized hour of around 10pm, then Suplex and finally after midnight
PDB.
Using my newly learned skill of shooting with a flash during a show I
think I did an admirable job of getting shots that didn't look like they
were "flash shots", you know shots where the singer is illuminated
like Nagasaki on a bad day in 1944 and shadow is burned into the wall.
Or if the wall is far enough back all you see is black surrounding the
guy. Anyway so I'm happy enough with the style I was shooting and the
band of course always interesting to shoot. Though for the first time
I got a couple of shots that will never see the light of day or the web
for that matter. The drunk masochistic bastards ripped Byron's diaper
off during the second to last song. But like a true pro he carried on
with the song and at the end he found and put back on his dress. I decided
I probably won't be posting all of those shots.
When the insanity stopped, one of the members of the band told me. "We
are killing rock n roll.. a couple more shows like this and rock n roll
will be dead" I asked him couldn't they kill rap instead since I
like rock n roll.. He assured me that P.Diddy or whatever the hell he's
calling himself this month is doing a fine job of that on his own and
didn't need their help.
Satyr
10/22/2006
satyr at satyrgraphs.com
