Monday, February 7, 2011

Society of Spectacle

So, last night I headed out to a local pub (I live in the Tavern District) to watch some OLD TIME (American) FOOTBALL!!! Of course, copious amounts of beer and free chicken wings and ziti during halftime figured into my plans as well. The game itself was a great one- the last quarter was amazing, with the Steelers almost catching up to Green Bay... a little suspense always makes for an interesting watch. Of course, I was cheering on the Packers, because I can't stand Ben Roethlisberger, and because the Packers are a bunch of socialists. Yeah, an exciting game that the good guys won- USA!!! USA!!! WISCONSIN!!!

As for the half-time show... well, I was in a noisy bar, drinking dirty big pints of stout Smithwick's, so the audio wasn't so hot. I have no animus toward the Black Eyed Peas, they seem like they're likeable people- I just have no familiarity with their ouvre. though I am sure I'd heard some of their songs, I couldn't name one besides that really silly, one may venture to say st00pid, Humps song. Yeah, I really don't know about the Black Eyed Peas, and I will readily admit to preferring gandules at any rate.

So, the half time show starts, and the group is dressed up in outfits which reminded me a bit of KISS' getup, though without the kabuki style makeup. One member of the band (I can't be arsed looking up who he was), was wearing headgear reminiscent of Devo's plastic hair- for me, the costuming evoked an image of an parallel universe Devo which originated in a multi-culti coastal city rather than a rust belt town. Of course, I am a huge Devo fan, so my inability to hear much of the music was a plus. The dancers in glowing suits and the appearance of performers wearing large white plastic cubes on their heads gave the impression of a Tron/Legoland mashup. I have to say that a multicultural KISS/Devo mashup playing with a Tron/Legoland mashup as a backdrop should have been incredible, but I just couldn't get too excited about it all. I guess I am just not a fan of big, intricate spectacles (no offense to Elton John intended).

As a coda to this post, I can mimic Average Joe customs and mores pretty well, being a big, thick-necked galoot, but I always give myself away... not too many Average Joes name-dropping Guy Debord. Pity, that!
at

24 comments:

  1. ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©February 7, 2011 at 5:50 PM

    Be glad you couldn't hear the music.

    Game was great, though.
    ~

    ReplyDelete
  2. vacuumslayerFebruary 7, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    *I'm not wild about maybe-rapist Big Ben, either, though I have to root for the Steelers because hubby is a HUGE fan.

    *"My Humps" is a horrible, horrible song that somehow robs the female form of all its eroticism. Some BEP songs are good for dancin' or working out to...

    *I don't know if I should be embarrassed about this or not, but I do not understand football...because I do not watch sports. I watched part of the Puppy Bowl is all.

    *Did you eat any good food? I made amazing wings last night.

    ReplyDelete
  3. fishFebruary 7, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    and because the Packers are a bunch of socialists.

    This is the exact same reason the Packers are my second favorite team...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Big Bad Bald BastardFebruary 7, 2011 at 6:22 PM

    I don't know if I should be embarrassed about this or not, but I do not understand football...

    The basic outline of the game is easy to understand- the team that possesses the ball has four attempts to move the ball ten yards. If they are successful, they get four more attempts to move the ball ten yards, until they move the ball across the goal line. If they are unsuccessful the first three tries, they have the option to kick the ball across the goal line for fewer points. If they do not succeed on the fourth attempt, they lose possession of the ball. If they score, the other team gets possession of the ball.

    Of course, the subtleties of the game are legion, but the basic gist of the game is move the damn ball forward.

    Did you eat any good food?

    I consider beer a food, so yes! The wings were good, a spicy barbecue sauce, rather than traditional Buffalo. The ziti was pretty typical- simple yet effective.

    ReplyDelete
  5. vacuumslayerFebruary 7, 2011 at 6:30 PM

    I giggled a little because your explaining the game was just so not condescending and sweet. I was like "omg, he's actually explaining it!"

    Seriously, though I think you put in really understandable terms. Athankee!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Big Bad Bald BastardFebruary 7, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    I giggled a little because your explaining the game was just so not condescending and sweet. I was like "omg, he's actually explaining it!"

    Just the facts, ma'am! It's not that hard to get the gist of the game. Knowing what's going on makes watching the game more enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
  7. vacuumslayerFebruary 7, 2011 at 7:25 PM

    Yes, muchly, I would assume. Though it's hard for me to imagine ever being truly engrossed in watching a sport on tv.

    So when you drop knowledge bombs on the ladeez, how do they react? Is it blank stares? Or are they down with it? I have NO idea who that GUY guy is, and the link didnt clarify things much for me. FTR, I would not stare blankly, but you'd prolly have lots of splaining to do.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Substance McGravitasFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    I'd like to see Woody Tobias Jr. do My Humps.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dragon-King WangchuckFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:02 PM

    Surely you know Where Is The Love. I think Apl has great delivery, jump to 2:55 for the chiptune bridge.

    ReplyDelete
  10. zombie rotten mcdonaldFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    Actually, I thought Slash was auditioning Fergie for the 2011 version of GnR. She's already got the drug habit, right? Luna's version of "Sweet Child" is still the best though.

    I focused mostly on the game. And the eating. And the drinking.

    But I found myself thinking that perhaps the advertising industry has been completely infiltrated by aliens, and not just because of the number of commercials featuring aliens; but so many of them seemed to be written by someone who has heard about human behavior and humor, but hasn't quite grasped it. Lots of misogyny, misanthropy, aiming for shock and just being appalling.

    Most years, I just ignore the game AND the commercials in favor of eating, drinking and talking, and barely pay attention to the halftime show because I KNOW how bad it will be. But I was pretty surprised at how low the lowest common denominator had fallen.

    Plus, they kept showing GWB. What an asshole.

    I liked the game though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hamish MackFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    I will come and watch that throwing the ball game with Mr. Bastard some day. It sounds like a good time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. vacuumslayerFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    Were the commercials really bad this year? Only one I saw was Little Darth, which I found really cute and funny.

    In past years I remember the commercials being just APPALLINGLY misogynistic.

    ReplyDelete
  13. zombie rotten mcdonaldFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:34 PM

    this year, they seem to have added misanthropy to the palette.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mendacious DFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:41 PM

    I just have no familiarity with their ouvre...

    Bilingual editor adds:

    Oeuvre is the word you're looking for. Ouvre is the infinitive of "to open."

    Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with big dirty pints of stout. Or Smithwick's.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aunt Snow )g)February 7, 2011 at 11:18 PM

    In past years I remember the commercials being just APPALLINGLY misogynistic.

    I thought this year they were equally opportunity violent. Except for little Darth, maybe, but why do ad execs think it's funny to have people injured?

    ReplyDelete
  16. zombie rotten mcdonaldFebruary 8, 2011 at 12:06 AM

    but why do ad execs think it's funny to have people injured?

    see my above comment about aliens.

    Also, too much veneration of The Three Stooges.

    ReplyDelete
  17. LarkspurFebruary 8, 2011 at 12:20 AM

    I learned the basics of football from a book for kids by John Madden. I can't find the book in my collection, but it was funny. He described the defensive line as the guys with the messy lockers, and offense as the neat guys.

    When I was first learning about football, I got a lot of things wrong. For example, I thought there was Theisman Trophy, and I kept wondering how it could be such a big deal every year. All Theisman did was get his leg horribly broken on live TV, which is sad but not laudable in itself, and besides, he's not even dead yet. Then I found out that the trophy is the Heisman and has nothing to do with Joe.

    It was an honest mistake, nothing like how I used to wonder how it could be second down when clearly, four players had hit the turf on that play. And how at the two minute warning, you might want to set the table, but you don't want to serve the food, because it's not a normal two minutes. Also I don't cook, so there's no point.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Smut ClydeFebruary 8, 2011 at 3:39 AM

    Of course, the subtleties of the game are legion

    And yet Americans mock the rules of cricket.

    NO idea who that GUY guy is, and the link didnt clarify things much for me.
    Guy Debord and the Situations were on the Top 10 for a while with their hit single "Society of Spectacle". I have a copy ON VINYL. Then they went commercial.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Smut ClydeFebruary 8, 2011 at 6:21 AM

    Also I prefer Constant's solo albums.

    ReplyDelete
  20. fishFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    americans have too short attention spans for cricket.

    Anyone who thinks maybe a sporting event shouldn't break for tea has too short an attention span.

    Then I found out that the trophy is the Heisman and has nothing to do with Joe.

    He did almost win it and changed the pronunciation of his name to rhyme.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Big Bad Bald BastardFebruary 8, 2011 at 12:53 PM

    Lots of misogyny, misanthropy, aiming for shock and just being appalling.

    I only remember the VW commercial with the beetle, which was awesome, and the "baby hits the glass" commercial, which was disturbing as hell.

    Commercial breaks were typically the "buy another round" time for me.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Big Bad Bald BastardFebruary 8, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    Uh, and my "basics of football" comment was only partially correct- on another level, American football is about large, sweaty, muscular men in skin-tight stretch pants slamming their bodies into one another, but it's totally not gay because SHUT UP, THAT'S WHY, AND WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA??!!!?

    ReplyDelete
  23. VonnieFebruary 8, 2011 at 3:18 PM

    Lots of misogyny, misanthropy, aiming for shock and just being appalling.

    Sounds like some blogs I know.....

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dragon-King WangchuckFebruary 8, 2011 at 3:29 PM

    Sounds like some blogs I know.....

    I can't help myself - something something someone's mom.

    Were the commercials really bad this year?

    Not all of them.

    ReplyDelete