RARB Review

The RARB review is up of the DJCD, and it's disappointing, but I don't think the CD is really disappointing. I lean more towards Corey Slutsky's review than the other two bimbos. They will be receiving horses' heads in their beds shortly.

I'll post more about this later.

The Top 5 DJ Series Part I: Countersoloists

I'd like to start a thread of Top 5 Topics for DJ's. The first thread is the top five countersoloists ever in the group. I'll list mine, and feel free to agree, disagree, or list your own, and make sure to give support to your reasons.

5. Nathan Younger. Probably the most underrated of the harmonizers, his countersolo on Babylon alone from the '01 Spring Concert was the reason he made my list. It was only eight words-- "Let go your heart, let go your hand"-- but it could push an ambivalent freshman MT out of the closet.

4. Kat Bockli. Kat had great countersolo on Love You Out Loud. I can't remember other songs that she sang harmony on, but I remember her singing that one often. This looks like an unsupported choice, I will think of another song she sang.

3. Shirley Bartov. Shirley was (I think) the first freshman to make it on a DJCD. I've been karaoking with Shirley a lot lately, and she has a great ear. Shirley was part of the dynamic '01-'02 trio of Melinda, Christy, and her on songs like Everywhere, The Way You Love Me, and Lady Marmalade. Although it wasn't a countersolo per se, what I remember most was her and Melinda on the wa na na's at the start of Everything You Want.

2. Melinda Wenner. Melinda was part of the aforementioned M-C-S trio. She also did great work on Galileo. I was sitting in the sound booth when she was recording her countersolo for Private Emotion at Solid Sound, and after she sang her first line the owner Rob Martaans went, "WHOA!" and made a dolphin-flogging motion. Indigo Girls recorded in that studio, so when Rob does that, that means she's good.

1. Stephanie Fajuri. Steph is dead-on with her harmonies, and with Train Wreck, she proved she's a rocking soloist too. She was part of the dynamic I Wanna Dance trio, the Porcelain duo (although it was unison), and the Why Georgia Why countersolo (did she sing the counter on Tonight remix, too?). When a chorus is coming up and I need someone to flank the soloist at the right or left mic, I choose her.

Honorable Mention: Ben Hammargren, Clark Haynes

Guy on Guy Action

The first time I ever saw a guy kiss a guy live was on tour in California. We were at USC with Reverse Osmosis. Mary was hot for a cowboy that night, who was gay the second time we visited USC two years later. I came around the corner in the house and OP! Adam has his tongue down some dude's throat.

I think we went to UC-Berkeley the next day, and Adam tried unsuccessfully to get the gay guy in the group to cheat on his boyfriend by making out with Adam. Then Adam apologized the next day.

Those are my gay stories. Not like stupid gay but gay gay.

Weddings...

For a while, everybody in the group seemed to be getting married, right around the time I first joined. I believe we had a wedding three years in a row (Mike & Erin, Andy & Jessica, Rick & Karen). But then that sort of stopped... any insightful thoughts as to why this is the case?

Questions

We were at Mallika's elementary school for a gig, and the kids liked us a lot.

Afterwards...

Teacher: Ok kids, I think we have time for a few questions

(Kid raises his hand)

Teacher: Yes?

Kid (Points at Trey): You look like Tony Hawk.

Teacher: QUESTIONS!

The Few. The Proud.

We were in Claremont or Pomona or whatevertf that place is really called and there was some huge marine dude that was harassing Mary for like the whole night. And she was so off that she never recognized him when he'd come back to her time after time. Finally we had to step in and smuggle her away to the least comfortable sleeping arrangements I can ever remember. And she kept falling off the couch onto me.

But only after trying to get ready for bed, but was seeing triple or whatever so she couldn't see if her contacts were in.

"Feel my eye."

Stanford: The Prequel

The first time we went to Stanford was the last traveling night of tour. We got retarded drunk (I can say that word because I work in mental health), and that was the first time I made my own drinks. There are also several pictures of girls playing strip pool that Clark took which are as blurry as his vision was that night. Trey, Clark, and I were stupid drunk. I remember we all walked to a party about two miles away from the party hall, and from 100 yards away we could tell the house was just teeming with people, and there was no way we could get in. So, we turned around and walked back, and the only reason I didn't throw up was 4 miles of walking it off.

stanford.

i remember the night we went to stanford. and hearing 'bring me to life'...again. Someone's parents were at the gig we had there, though I don't remember whose.

i also remember the party afterwards and that there was green jungle juice that they made with jello and the drunkest i've ever been to this day.

there are MANY pictures that document this night, several of which include stephanie and i sitting on the couch laughing hysterically with various other people.

there is also a video that trav took on his camera of kat and i. Kat found a palm tree branch and was dragging it back to the dorm with us because she thought it was cool and travis said he was going to take a picture but really he was taking a video. the dialogue goes something like this:
Travis: Guys, guys, where are we?
Me and Kat [standing with giant palm tree branch]: Travissss, take the picturrrreee!!!

then while we were semisleeping people came through the dorm and were throwing animal crackers at us but we were too wasted to do anything about it.

(another random memory: the phrase "I want babies. maRIaa.....", uttered by hammar and christy and some others throughout my dj career.)

IRDTS

I remember singing "I Really Don't Think So" and some of the syllables were, "Plume plume plume."

And I remember singing Virtual Insanity and we tried to change the syllables to "banana nut".

And I remember during the West Coast Tour I didn't feel like dropping the F bomb at a Parents Weekend concert in San Diego, so Adam took the solo away from me. Then there was general drama and I got it back.