Well, as for roller derby: how to escape the big corporations?
Easy: Say No.
Just like they've been doing.
And in non-profit, privately owned businesses, the women and men keep coming out of the woodwork to play a sport and absorb their own costs to do it. Hell, that's passion. Breaking an ankle? Losing teeth? Concussions? For FREE? You bet. I use Rat City as a source to cite often, because they've been around a long time, and learned how to do it right. They hold fund raisers that the public likes, and they charge prices relative to the upkeep and maintenance of the league. Getting on the inside shows me how much bigger the gears are when they're able to say "Yeah, we have the draw, and need, and cash to rent the big sports/entertainment arena in town, thank you very much."
That's some big brass balls right there. They grew from a "Rat City WHAT?" to a sport and venue and team that they keep outgrowing. And nobody there wants to be "Rat City Rollergirls, brought to you by Budweiser, the Kin.. er.. Queen... of beers!" because then the whole thing goes down the toilet. Once the first team sets the precident, they're either gonna be blacklisted, or they're going to be the leaders in the downfall of the game. So far, it's all underground and indy owned - DerbyNewsNetwork was created by a couple of guys from town close to Rat City that wanted a central online source and even broadcasting bouts from their own pocket money... holy crap. I don't think you'll really ever see Roller Derby say "sure, let's just go corporate..." and become a dead sport.
As for Cobain's guitar on the Hard Rock Cafe, yeah... I wasn't surprised that a gimmick like that would pop up locally. We had a place in music history for what ever it was - or wasn't- worth, and until Kurt's death, I never realized how deeply rooted the world was to Seattle for a few years. It's too easy of a tie in for Hard Rock Cafe - they're lazy to do that sort of familiarity, but they're going for tourism, not class or taste. And that's what will get people's attention. Hell, that lump on the east side of the Space Needle was Hendrix's half-assed tribute, Hard Rock Cafe will no doubt re-stir the local bands of the time. Hell, Soundgarden just got back together last week. Who'da thunk?! Kim Thayil often hangs about town up on Capitol Hill and is no stranger to the scene here still.
I have yet to see how Seattle treats their HRC. I'll give it a couple months, which is about the time all of the local rags will have given it to test the waters. I'm optimistic that they'll have some decent live music, but the food or the name doesn't necessarily draw me in as a chain bar/restaurant. I'm sure I'll eat there... I have to know. But I don't expect to be impressed by the prices or the fare. If their stage is worthwhile (and I suspect it will be) I will have no qualms about paying for a show there. Otherwise, it's gonna be the hottest reason to clog the sidewalk for people out of town from May to September.
Hilariously enough, as the town gentrified, and people were embarrassed to wear flannel even if they normally wore it or loved it, the hoodie has replaced the flannel shirts over the last decade. It's the new flannel for the northwest. Once again, always was a common garment. Here, with batshit crazy weather, we gotsta LAYER our clothing to stay normal depending on what it does every 10 minutes. A hoodie has always been part of that, but it doesn't have the stigma that 'flannel' did, and perhaps still does, unfortunately. Watch the next big thing out of Seattle, and see then how hoodies suddenly become a new 'fasion' that never was fashion and has always been here. The rest of the world will do it, and then we'll have to find something new. Say, it's been about 20 years now, flannel should be back any moment.
Ug. The tequila got me last night. I didn't drink that much, but it doesn't take that much. A dash for the food, and a dash for me. A dash for the food and TWO dashes for me! It sure was tasty stuff! I finally had to put it away, because it was taunting me.
It's good to see a sport that hasn't been corrupted. I hope it stays that way. I vaguely remember roller derby being on black and white TV, when I was a kid. It was probably corporate back then. I don't know. This new grass roots structure sounds like a winner. Maybe it will spread to other sports. One can only hope.
I just hope this whole retro '50s rockabilly fad translates into people wanting tons of neon. I'd be happy with that.
San Diego is a big tourist town. It's one of the top 3 industries, beside manufacturing and the military. The whole coastline is a tourist attraction, especially the bays. Then there's Seaworld, Old Town San Diego, the old Catholic Missions, and even Tijuana is a tourist attraction. Just about everywhere around here is a tourist destination. The weather is almost perfect all the time. The average temperature is right around 70°. During the winter, all the 'Snowbirds' come here to escape winter. During the summer, all the 'Zonies' escape Arizona for the relatively cooler climate in San Diego. I also see a lot of Nevada plates during the summer, too. I don't blame them. The desert sucks during the summer, with temperatures approaching 120° and higher. My point is that I'm no stranger to tourism. I can spot tourist traps a mile away. In ways, I kinda hate it. I almost never spend any money at tourist traps, 'cause I'm jaded. San Diego has had a Hard Rock Cafe for years, and I've never been there.
I didn't spend a single penny at Pike Place Public Market. I didn't even buy a fish. Not one single trinket. I rode to top of the Space Space Needle once, but we got the two for one deal coupon at the ice rink. That worked out to 3 bucks a piece, which wasn't bad. Later, I bought a laser keychain at the gift shop there, but it was really inexpensive, and about the same price as it would be at a discount store. I kind of wanted to see the inside of the EMP but they wanted WAY too much money. It's a cool looking building, though it looks like the architect was on acid. I never did see Pioneer Square or the underground. I figured if I was living there, I would see it...eventually. I'm weird like that. I was more interested in Archie McPhee. Even there, all I bought was a bumper sticker that reads, "ARCHiE McPHEE BALLARD U.S.A". That cost me a whole dollar. It's stuck to my computer desk. I may have to cut out that panel when I demolish the old desk to make room for the new one. It's just too cool, in my opinion, not to save it.
As far as flannel shirts go, I was wearing them in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Most of them I got as gifts for birthdays and Christmas. I think I still have some vintage ones from the '70s. I quit wearing them sometime in the late '80s, right around the time that grunge was hitting the big time. I don't know why I quit wearing them. I just did. Instead, I started wearing hoodies from Mexico. The kind that look like they are made out of colorful burlap, like what Sammy Hagar wears. Yeah, those kind. During the '90s, I started wearing a Levi's jacket, but it eventually fell apart. So I went back to the Mexican hoodies for a while, 'cause I could buy them for real cheap in Tijuana. Now, I just wear my leather jacket when it's cold. Mr Moneybags gave me that one. It's a nice Wilson, with a removable liner. It probably cost $300. I think it's the coolest jacket I ever had. I may, eventually, go back to flannel shirts. The funny thing about that is I hardly ever buttoned them up, or tucked them in. I wore them as a jacket, cause it was perfect for San Diego weather; where it's warm during the day, and cools off at night. Currently, almost everyone in San Diego is wearing hoodies and those knit beanie/crew cap/ski hats, just like Seattle. The fashion is exactly the same here as it is there. It was like some sort of a parallel universe, black hole, alternate reality sort of thing for me, when I was living up there. There was absolutely no difference in fashion, or accents in speech patterns. It was shocking, because I expected the culture to be different, and there was barely any. I even heard the word "dude" used as frequently as it is here.
The flannel here wasn't really worn tucked in or buttoned either - except but uptight folks when they bought a 'dressy' one during winter. LOL. It was really just another jacket/hoodie to go between the t-shirt and the outer jacket of whatever.
I'm kind of disturbed the the beanie/ski hat trend as a regular head accessory. I don't get it, short of actual cold weather (which we don't have enough of) or having a perpetual bad/unwashed hair day, which is a personal problem. I suppose for some sub cultures or personalities it's ok, but I don't really get the widespread appeal of having a too-warm sweaty head in knit fabric. Ew.
Yeah, the beanies aren't really my style. I tend to associate them with gang members. Actually, hats aren't really my style. I rarely wear one. That black leather hat that I wore up there I bought specifically to be my rain hat. It worked well, except for if the wind was blowing real hard. I hardly wear it down here. I bought it more for function than form. I get compliments on it, but I'm not trying to make a fashion statement with it. I got it at Disneyland for $13. A hat like that normally sells for about $50.
I keep telling myself one day I'll buy a fedora, but to do that I'd have to upgrade my wardrobe. Y'know, I bought a footstool once, and it didn't match, so I re-decorated the house.
Otherwise, I tend to wear hats for function, also. These days, it's often to contain sweaty post-boxing or skating hair, or from wind/rain/sun depending on the context.
Down here, I've been noticing some young kids wearing Alpine style hats, Like what you would see during Octoberfest, or on Bing Crosby's head. I don't get it, but whatever works for them.
The only accessory that I almost always wear on my head is sunglasses. I like to protect my eyes from UV light, 'cause I don't want cataracts later on. I also use them as safety glasses. I even wear them when it's raining, because if the sun comes out the glare off the wet streets is a little too much for me. I usually get polarized sunglasses. They enable me to see things I wouldn't normally be able to see.
The market is a strange tourist trap, but never entirely set out to be one, I think. I got that way for its quaintness and never set out to be more than a local market for the people in the city, with a special purpose on being absolutely dynamic on the top level for local crafters, farmers, etc., to bring their wares down daily to sell. I suppose if you're in a distinctly small or insanely huge town, the Pike Place Market concept as a tourist is a sight to see.
EMP can be worth the price of admission, but only if you devote enough time to see it all for the money's worth. You've got to be a patient absolute music enthusiast to stomach it all in one visit, and to really delve into it would be the better part of 4 hours. It's fascinating in there. I bought a membership in the early years and wore that place out. Live music in the sky church is unbelievable. No, seriously. It's fucking magic in there.
I was watching youtube roller derby from the 70's, and there wasn't anything corporate about those clips. It was mockery, schlockery, and all bullshit like the wrestling is. No sports going on there. Only pure entertainment, and that was a stretch.
Yeah, I've read up on the history of Pike Place Public Market. It's kind of cool that it's still in existence. I didn't realize it had 3 levels until the second time I visited it.
I might visit the EMP one of these days, but it's not high on my priority list. My first priority is making money, which I haven't been doing a whole lot of lately.
I THOUGHT that roller derby was fake back then, but I wasn't sure. I vaguely remember my family talking about it. That's probably why it failed as a business model. I wasn't into it. I remember my mom telling me about her playing roller derby on the streets of New York City, when she was growing up. They used the man hole covers as the inner boundary. I'll have to ask her about that again. She's probably got some interesting stories about that.
Yeah - here are some clips of painfully obvious staged or fake fights, and while maybe the rules of derby have changed over the decades (drastically, at this rate) none of the things the skaters are doing are even remotely safe or sportsmanlike with their blocks and contact and shit. No wonder it got a comedy reputation for a buncha people just going apeshit and fighting on skates...
Those're a couple easy examples. That wasn't a sport.
Granted, there are some real fights in roller derby, but they're few and far between just like most pro sports teams don't fight for the risks or the simple integrity of 'fighting' over a game or a play. Few of the participants have so little restraint.
The most recent real example of violence was from the 2009 Nationals when this famous clip happened:
Shoulder check to the face, and the woman hauled off with an overhand punch to the head which got her expelled from further play during the championships. No room for kids throwing fists like the stuff in the 70's and 80's that was all theatre.
But otherwise, it's all good. Especially when leagues bout within each other (example, Rat City has 4 teams that play against each other) they're all friends (or at least not enemies) off the track, and to fight amongst themselves on the track just hurts the whole team. Derby has more spine than that.
Those old videos were pretty funny! It was almost like watching a really bad Kung Fu movie! Someone should put a bunch of those clips together and show them at the Sunset.
I can see a distinct difference between now and then. Big penalties for bad behavior now.
Yeah, the old stuff was just 'action skating' by comparison. There looked to be some competitive aspects in a few of the women's bouts, but it really left a lot wide open for interpretation and style and rules and it seemed like they also thought "hey, let's distract the people with some skating between staged fights!" in style. I recall RCRG having a couple 'fights' in their early days - back when they were a young league and the crowd roared, and they were all still learning how to skate, by comparison. It was all in good fun, and I think it stopped after it was time to get serious, and there was momentum behind the league. It's fascinating for me to watch them in the old days (hint: Blood on the flat track is available from NetFlix Feb 23rd... if you only rent one movie this year....) and see them progress to a very serious and well skilled unit that shows the other leagues how it's done, but lets them slither away from their loss with dignity. I marvel at how well the veteran skaters move when I see the lesser experienced leagues, or even the Fresh Meat coming into Rat City - when I watched their bout in Lynnwood last year, and the Fresh Meat (new recruits) skated at halftime, it all became clear at the amazing difference.
Ah, well, if you have a decent video store nearby, you can beg 'em to get a copy. I mentioned netflix mostly because it's what all the kids are doing these days, and that even they had to be influenced to offer it (a few thousand rollergirls can't be wrong!) because netflix thought there would be no demand for it. HA! A documentary about roller derby that already sold out theatres around the world? Dear netflix - pull yer head outta the sand.
Easy: Say No.
Just like they've been doing.
And in non-profit, privately owned businesses, the women and men keep coming out of the woodwork to play a sport and absorb their own costs to do it. Hell, that's passion. Breaking an ankle? Losing teeth? Concussions? For FREE? You bet. I use Rat City as a source to cite often, because they've been around a long time, and learned how to do it right. They hold fund raisers that the public likes, and they charge prices relative to the upkeep and maintenance of the league. Getting on the inside shows me how much bigger the gears are when they're able to say "Yeah, we have the draw, and need, and cash to rent the big sports/entertainment arena in town, thank you very much."
That's some big brass balls right there. They grew from a "Rat City WHAT?" to a sport and venue and team that they keep outgrowing. And nobody there wants to be "Rat City Rollergirls, brought to you by Budweiser, the Kin.. er.. Queen... of beers!" because then the whole thing goes down the toilet. Once the first team sets the precident, they're either gonna be blacklisted, or they're going to be the leaders in the downfall of the game. So far, it's all underground and indy owned - DerbyNewsNetwork was created by a couple of guys from town close to Rat City that wanted a central online source and even broadcasting bouts from their own pocket money... holy crap. I don't think you'll really ever see Roller Derby say "sure, let's just go corporate..." and become a dead sport.
As for Cobain's guitar on the Hard Rock Cafe, yeah... I wasn't surprised that a gimmick like that would pop up locally. We had a place in music history for what ever it was - or wasn't- worth, and until Kurt's death, I never realized how deeply rooted the world was to Seattle for a few years. It's too easy of a tie in for Hard Rock Cafe - they're lazy to do that sort of familiarity, but they're going for tourism, not class or taste. And that's what will get people's attention. Hell, that lump on the east side of the Space Needle was Hendrix's half-assed tribute, Hard Rock Cafe will no doubt re-stir the local bands of the time. Hell, Soundgarden just got back together last week. Who'da thunk?! Kim Thayil often hangs about town up on Capitol Hill and is no stranger to the scene here still.
I have yet to see how Seattle treats their HRC. I'll give it a couple months, which is about the time all of the local rags will have given it to test the waters. I'm optimistic that they'll have some decent live music, but the food or the name doesn't necessarily draw me in as a chain bar/restaurant. I'm sure I'll eat there... I have to know. But I don't expect to be impressed by the prices or the fare. If their stage is worthwhile (and I suspect it will be) I will have no qualms about paying for a show there. Otherwise, it's gonna be the hottest reason to clog the sidewalk for people out of town from May to September.
Hilariously enough, as the town gentrified, and people were embarrassed to wear flannel even if they normally wore it or loved it, the hoodie has replaced the flannel shirts over the last decade. It's the new flannel for the northwest. Once again, always was a common garment. Here, with batshit crazy weather, we gotsta LAYER our clothing to stay normal depending on what it does every 10 minutes. A hoodie has always been part of that, but it doesn't have the stigma that 'flannel' did, and perhaps still does, unfortunately. Watch the next big thing out of Seattle, and see then how hoodies suddenly become a new 'fasion' that never was fashion and has always been here. The rest of the world will do it, and then we'll have to find something new. Say, it's been about 20 years now, flannel should be back any moment.
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It's good to see a sport that hasn't been corrupted. I hope it stays that way. I vaguely remember roller derby being on black and white TV, when I was a kid. It was probably corporate back then. I don't know. This new grass roots structure sounds like a winner. Maybe it will spread to other sports. One can only hope.
I just hope this whole retro '50s rockabilly fad translates into people wanting tons of neon. I'd be happy with that.
San Diego is a big tourist town. It's one of the top 3 industries, beside manufacturing and the military. The whole coastline is a tourist attraction, especially the bays. Then there's Seaworld, Old Town San Diego, the old Catholic Missions, and even Tijuana is a tourist attraction. Just about everywhere around here is a tourist destination. The weather is almost perfect all the time. The average temperature is right around 70°. During the winter, all the 'Snowbirds' come here to escape winter. During the summer, all the 'Zonies' escape Arizona for the relatively cooler climate in San Diego. I also see a lot of Nevada plates during the summer, too. I don't blame them. The desert sucks during the summer, with temperatures approaching 120° and higher. My point is that I'm no stranger to tourism. I can spot tourist traps a mile away. In ways, I kinda hate it. I almost never spend any money at tourist traps, 'cause I'm jaded. San Diego has had a Hard Rock Cafe for years, and I've never been there.
I didn't spend a single penny at Pike Place Public Market. I didn't even buy a fish. Not one single trinket. I rode to top of the Space Space Needle once, but we got the two for one deal coupon at the ice rink. That worked out to 3 bucks a piece, which wasn't bad. Later, I bought a laser keychain at the gift shop there, but it was really inexpensive, and about the same price as it would be at a discount store. I kind of wanted to see the inside of the EMP but they wanted WAY too much money. It's a cool looking building, though it looks like the architect was on acid. I never did see Pioneer Square or the underground. I figured if I was living there, I would see it...eventually. I'm weird like that. I was more interested in Archie McPhee. Even there, all I bought was a bumper sticker that reads, "ARCHiE McPHEE BALLARD U.S.A". That cost me a whole dollar. It's stuck to my computer desk. I may have to cut out that panel when I demolish the old desk to make room for the new one. It's just too cool, in my opinion, not to save it.
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As far as flannel shirts go, I was wearing them in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Most of them I got as gifts for birthdays and Christmas. I think I still have some vintage ones from the '70s. I quit wearing them sometime in the late '80s, right around the time that grunge was hitting the big time. I don't know why I quit wearing them. I just did. Instead, I started wearing hoodies from Mexico. The kind that look like they are made out of colorful burlap, like what Sammy Hagar wears. Yeah, those kind. During the '90s, I started wearing a Levi's jacket, but it eventually fell apart. So I went back to the Mexican hoodies for a while, 'cause I could buy them for real cheap in Tijuana. Now, I just wear my leather jacket when it's cold. Mr Moneybags gave me that one. It's a nice Wilson, with a removable liner. It probably cost $300. I think it's the coolest jacket I ever had. I may, eventually, go back to flannel shirts. The funny thing about that is I hardly ever buttoned them up, or tucked them in. I wore them as a jacket, cause it was perfect for San Diego weather; where it's warm during the day, and cools off at night. Currently, almost everyone in San Diego is wearing hoodies and those knit beanie/crew cap/ski hats, just like Seattle. The fashion is exactly the same here as it is there. It was like some sort of a parallel universe, black hole, alternate reality sort of thing for me, when I was living up there. There was absolutely no difference in fashion, or accents in speech patterns. It was shocking, because I expected the culture to be different, and there was barely any. I even heard the word "dude" used as frequently as it is here.
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I'm kind of disturbed the the beanie/ski hat trend as a regular head accessory. I don't get it, short of actual cold weather (which we don't have enough of) or having a perpetual bad/unwashed hair day, which is a personal problem. I suppose for some sub cultures or personalities it's ok, but I don't really get the widespread appeal of having a too-warm sweaty head in knit fabric. Ew.
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Otherwise, I tend to wear hats for function, also. These days, it's often to contain sweaty post-boxing or skating hair, or from wind/rain/sun depending on the context.
Reply
The only accessory that I almost always wear on my head is sunglasses. I like to protect my eyes from UV light, 'cause I don't want cataracts later on. I also use them as safety glasses. I even wear them when it's raining, because if the sun comes out the glare off the wet streets is a little too much for me. I usually get polarized sunglasses. They enable me to see things I wouldn't normally be able to see.
Reply
EMP can be worth the price of admission, but only if you devote enough time to see it all for the money's worth. You've got to be a patient absolute music enthusiast to stomach it all in one visit, and to really delve into it would be the better part of 4 hours. It's fascinating in there. I bought a membership in the early years and wore that place out. Live music in the sky church is unbelievable. No, seriously. It's fucking magic in there.
I was watching youtube roller derby from the 70's, and there wasn't anything corporate about those clips. It was mockery, schlockery, and all bullshit like the wrestling is. No sports going on there. Only pure entertainment, and that was a stretch.
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I might visit the EMP one of these days, but it's not high on my priority list. My first priority is making money, which I haven't been doing a whole lot of lately.
I THOUGHT that roller derby was fake back then, but I wasn't sure. I vaguely remember my family talking about it. That's probably why it failed as a business model. I wasn't into it. I remember my mom telling me about her playing roller derby on the streets of New York City, when she was growing up. They used the man hole covers as the inner boundary. I'll have to ask her about that again. She's probably got some interesting stories about that.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0hVHn4l0Dk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwgxx5mtkcw
Those're a couple easy examples. That wasn't a sport.
Granted, there are some real fights in roller derby, but they're few and far between just like most pro sports teams don't fight for the risks or the simple integrity of 'fighting' over a game or a play. Few of the participants have so little restraint.
The most recent real example of violence was from the 2009 Nationals when this famous clip happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oMNKa_FHOg
Shoulder check to the face, and the woman hauled off with an overhand punch to the head which got her expelled from further play during the championships. No room for kids throwing fists like the stuff in the 70's and 80's that was all theatre.
But otherwise, it's all good. Especially when leagues bout within each other (example, Rat City has 4 teams that play against each other) they're all friends (or at least not enemies) off the track, and to fight amongst themselves on the track just hurts the whole team. Derby has more spine than that.
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I can see a distinct difference between now and then. Big penalties for bad behavior now.
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