“I never realized that Memphis was so Jewish!”
-Ira Kaplan, Yo La Tengo, 1/18/08, Memphis, TN
I suspect that several readers have walked into a local rock show and thought, “I’ve never seen any of these people before.” It becomes more frequent after one passes a certain age, as the show-going range tends to hover around 18 - 28. This is especially true when, perhaps like me, you still fervently listen to music that fits into the extreme metal category (I don’t know, those guys are getting a lot older).
Last night, “I’ve never seen any of these people before” went through my head. I went to a special Storytellers-style performance by Yo La Tengo at the soon-to-be-shuttered Gibson Guitar Factory Lounge. This venue’s failure shouldn’t come as a surprise to readers that have attended a show there. The factory and museum will stay open. I’M TRAILING OFF HERE……ok; the thought went through my head. It didn’t, however, go through my head because of the age issue (obviously). Still, it appeared as though a lot of folks traveled to see this show. Either that, or the ReadyMade Magazine Subscriber Appreciation Party was scheduled to start right after Yo La Tengo left the stage. If you took every out-of-print issue of McSweeney’s Quarterly owned by members of last night’s audience, and gave them to me, I’d be living off of eBay for the next year. Unfunny thing is, I visually fit right in.
Now you’re supposed to watch this.