notes from backstage: how i met morrissey!

Guess who met Moz (the one and only Morrissey) last night?! Yup! Your’s truly! How did this all happen? It all happened courtesy of Girl in a Coma –this amazing all-female rock band hailing from Texas. They were doing an East Coast tour and asked my band, Plastiq Passion to join them for a few dates! (3 dates to be exact!) Then Friday, we get word from them that they were no longer doing their tour dates because Morrissey asked them to be his opening band for the rest of his east Coast tour dates. So we were bummed because we weren’t playing with them anymore, but thrilled for their good fortune. BUT…

Because the girls of Girl in a Coma are so darn nice, they offered us two free tickets to Morrissey’s Sunday show (his last night in NYC) PLUS backstage and aftershow passes!! *cue-angels-singing* So my bandmate Jes and I took them up on their offer and showed up for the show last night. It was great. The bouncers and security let us in everywhere! We hung out in the catering hall and watched people eat (apparently, Morrissey does not eat though) and made friends with some of the roadies and catering folks (we got some free food and drinks).

We watched the entire show from the sidelines and saw the inner workings of the Hammerstein Ballroom. The only bad thing about the night was that my stupid camera was dying! I couldn’t take that many pictures because the screen was pitch black and had to use the view finder (which is not very reliable). So my pics of Morrissey sucked even though I was bloody close!

After the show, we gathered in the meet-and-greet area and waited for Morrissey and Girl in a Coma to show up. While we were there, we met James Iha (guitarist for Smashing Pumpkins) –he declined to take a pic with us but we did give him our CD; he was nice enough to listen to Jes. We also saw all the musicians in Morrissey’s band and his friends and family. There were a lot of industry types and lot of rocker type who all looked vaguely familiar. Then after a half hour or so, Morrissey walked into the room! He walked right past us (I could’ve kicked him if I wanted to) and Jes and I both clapped for him. (Incidentally, we were the only ones who acknowledged his presence. Jes said everyone else must be screaming inside =). I told him “amazing show Morrissey!” and he said “thanks!” as he was passing by. But that was that. He walked straight to his friends-and-family table and was immediately flanked by two bodyguards. All Jes and I can do was watch him; Jes eventually did ask the bodyguard guy if we could approach Moz, and he said no pics at this time. Actually, they would prefer no pics in the area at all. As it turns out, Morrissey is not a big fan of fans approaching him and asking to take pics. He’s not a fan of anyone touching him either. Gah!

Then the girls of Girl in a Coma came by and chatted and thanked them profusely for their generosity. We also took some pics with them with my nearly-dead camera. Then they left to go drive up to Boston for the next part of their tour. Jes and I went back to staring at Morrissey and then eventually gave up our hope of taking a pic with him. I made sure I was always less than 10 feet away from him in the hopes he would stand up and say hi. Hee-hee. Yes, I am a geek.

I went home all thrilled despite not having any proof of having met him. I swear I did though.

Girl in a Coma on stage:

Plastiq Passion with Girl in a Coma:

SPECIAL THANKS TO PHANIE, JENN, and NINA!! You guys are definitely going places!

this charming boy (or girl)!

Place your bets, folks! Do you think I’m having a boy or girl? The hubs and a few of our family and friends think it’s a boy. I also think it’s a boy. Today, we found out….and it is a…wait for it.

Wait for it!

It’s a GIRL!

The hubs and I were really surprised. Both of us kinda just went along thinking it was another boy and already referred to “it” as being Jakey’s little brother. Guess we have to change our tune! Hahaha. To be honest, I’m a little apprehensive already because I have my own mom-daughter issues to deal with; I am still working on my relationship with my own momma. Plus, girls are pretty darn expensive, are moody creatures, and can be quite sensitive. Growing up, I was closer to my boy cousins than any girl cousins, and it takes me a while to warm up to fellow women (not cuz I’m snooty. I always feel so intimidated by other chicks). And shit! I’ll have to worry about BOYS too. Ugh. I so feel my mom’s pain! But…there’s plenty of time for that, right?

The important thing is that my baby girl is healthy! The doc says everything’s A-ok and everything’s going smoothly! Now on to the hard part: naming her and buying cute little outfits! I hope she turns out to be a cool rocker chick like her momma and big brother! She’s already been to a few shows with me, of course.

Last night, I went to see Morrissey in concert! I think the little bebe dug the music since she kicked a lot during the show (either that or she was annoyed cuz it was too loud! Hahaha). I was lucky enough to score $30 tickets although I ended up sitting in the nosebleed section (up in the mezzanine) and not on the main floor. In retrospect though, that was probably the best area for me since it would be hard to maneuver my pregnant self on the floor packed with thousands of other people! Anyway, I was so happy I went. I’ve never seen Morrissey live before since a) he cancelled his tour way back in the 90’s when I got a ticket to see him at the Rose Bowl in L.A. and I held a grudge AND b) I prefer the Smiths stuff anyway. But I went with the anticipation that he’d play some Smiths stuff and he did!! He opened with “Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before.” He also performed one of my all-time faves: How Soon is Now which was fucking amazing! I love, love, love the guitars on that song and it was great to bask in its glory. *swoon*

The most amusing part of the show was at the end when a few guys bum-rushed the stage to give Morrissey a hug. A lot of them, of course, got thrown off by the bouncers, but some lucky guys did make it and practically tackled Morrissey. So amusing!

All in all, it was a good day.

20/20 vision

Today marks two occassions: (1) Rockstar baby is 20 months old and (2) I’m in the 20th week of my pregnancy – also known as the halfway mark. I think it’s pretty cool that both fall on the same day. Then again, both babies were due early March: Rockstar baby was due on March 3, 2006 and this baby is due March 6, 2008!

I haven’t really written much about being preggo this time around. Like a friend said to me, there’s really nothing like your first pregnancy. When I was preggo with rockstar baby, the hubs and I were super-excited. I, like every other first-time mom, read up on everything and chronicled (or at least committed to memory) every little detail. Heck, I would even know exactly how many weeks and days of pregnancy I have left. I also took a monthly belly pic.

This time around, we’re still super-excited about the baby-to-be. But the pregnancy itself? Well I’m taking it in stride as if I were a seasoned pro. I haven’t even opened a pregnancy book, and I don’t leap for the phone to call the doctor for every little thing. Of course I still get giddy over every little movement I feel, but as of last week I couldn’t even remember what week of pregnancy I was in! I haven’t taken a single belly pic as of today. What we’re more excited about is that fact that rockstar baby is interacting with this pregnancy, and the fact that he is going to be a big brother! I’m already imagining what this little bean is going to look like. And we can’t wait to find out if it’s a boy or a girl (we’ll find out next Wednesday!). It’s still very exciting for the hubs and I. I’m also planning on taking professional maternity photos this time around since I didn’t get to the last time (the week I scheduled it was the week I gave birth).

Right now, we’re enjoying our time being a trio. The hubs and I are so fascinated and amused by rockstar baby and our life revolves around him. Lucky for us, he’s developing nicely in all aspects –intellectually, physically, etc. He has a vocabulary of more than 30 words right now and he’s constantly learning new words all the time. He’s also starting to say phrases like “big car” or “bye mommy.” If you ask him to repeat a word, he’ll do his best to do so even though it won’t come out exactly the way it’s supposed to sound. If he can’t do it, he’ll say “no.”

Me: Jacob, can you say mommy?
Jakey: Mommy!
Me: Can you say daddy?
Jakey: Daddy!
Me: Can you say Elmo?
Jakey: Elmo-Ernie-Oscar!! Elmo-Ernie-Oscar!!
Me: (laughing) very good! Can you say shoes?
Jakey: Soos!!
Me: Can you say socks?
Jakey: Cocks!!

<img src=”http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2290/1603472836_4877706624_m.jpg” width=”240″ height=”191″ alt=”rockstar baby @ 19 months” align=”left” hspace=”3″ vpsace=”3″

Rockstar baby has a great personality (most of the time). He’s chatty and tries to carry a conversation with you (even though he speaks in gibberish with real words thrown in). But when’s he’s cranky, watch out! We at least know he’s aware of the baby-on-the-way because I ask him “where’s mommy’s baby” and he’ll point to my tummy. He’ll even give my tummy a hug and kiss if I ask him to. He’s such a sweetie.

I’m just scared about the new one on the way because I know it’ll be tough to take care of two kids at the same time. Yeah I know everyone and their mom has/is going through the same thing everyday, but it’s still daunting to think about it. We’ll be pulling rockstar baby out from daycare when I go on maternity leave so I’ll definitely have to take care of both kids running on only 2-3 hours of sleep! Yikes. But I’ll take it day by day, of course. I get tired just by thinking about it.

But here’s to my expanding family! I wouldn’t trade it for the world. And now that we’re going to be a quartet, I can definitely form a band with the hubs and two kids.

did i ever tell you about the time i was a groupie?

It was a short-lived phase. It lasted exactly one night to be exact. Picture this: London, Summer of 1998. I was in London for a summer study-abroad stint and still well within my hip-hop phase. A few of us scored tickets to this show in a seedy part of London to see a hip-hop act that is now a one-hit-wonder (therefore, I will not tell you which group it is *hangs head in shame*). Let me just say, their song was one of those hit summer songs of the year that the radio played over and over again.

So I watched them, and noticed that one of the guys guys was really cute. Or so I thought. I’ve always thought this act was a duo so I was suprised to see this third guy on stage. After the show, we hung around for drinks, and saw that he was mingling with the crowd. To keep a short story short, I ended making out with him and exchanged numbers. He knew I lived in NYC and said he’d call when he got back from his tour. Yeah. Heard that one before!

So several months pass. I was back in NYC, now dating the hubs-to-be, and I get a phone call. It went something like:

Me: Hello?
Him: Uhm. Yeah. I’m looking for that girl I was chilling with.
Me: Huh?
Him: This was back in the day yo. In London. We was kissing, man and I got her number and said I’d call.
Me: Holy shit. You’re that guy from ——?!
Him: Is this you? I don’t even remember your name. But you were so sweet. Dayam.
Me: Yeah. Uhm. Don’t know your name either.
Him: Yo, you didn’t get fat did you?
Me: Uhm no, but I’m with someone now. But thanks for calling.
Him: Aw shit, that’s too bad. So you’re not interested?
Me: Nah. Sorry man. Maybe next time.

Like that call would really entice me to get with someone, right? Bwahahahah. And what’s even sadder is that he wasn’t even really in the band to begin with. He’s just one of those “yes men” guys who yell “Yeah! Yeah!” and repeat lines in the background. Uhm. Yeah. The one time I was “gutsy” enough to be a groupie, I didn’t even get with a guy in the band. I’m such a loser. I just find this so memorable though because of his “you didn’t get fat did you?” question!

party like a rockstar weekend…

Why is it the one time I’m actually treated like a rockstar and offered unlimited free booze, I happen to be pregnant and not able to partake in any? Eh. At least I still got to experience it.
My band plastiq passion played at REBEL this past Saturday with UK punk legends The Vibrators. We were invited to be the opening act by Rebel bookie Melody (such a sweetie, by the way), and we were happy to accept!

Rebel is a darn cool place to play. It’s a three-level nightclub and it’s quite swanky. The bands actually got a “dressing room” type place to chill, and there was a spread of free food (snacks galore!), drinks, and booze all for us to enjoy! I was quite pleased.

We got on at 7:30 pm and despite it being an early time slot, the place was already filling up with fans. A lot of folks were there not only for the Vibrators, but also for the second-act: glam-band Semi-Precious Weapons. We were well-received, I must say. A few people came up to us, and a couple of photographers grabbed our shots! It was a sweet night, even though I didn’t actually stay for the headliners (I was tired, what can I say? I can party like a rockstar, but only until 10 pm! hahhaha).

Plastiq Passion as Couch Potatoes

Photo by Chris Frump

The Vibrators! (photo by Chris Frump)

More photos here. We met Frump, this cool photographer who took loads of pics of us in campy poses! We’re waiting for the full set, but you can find a few if you click the link.

The rest of the weekend was spent moping around the house (long story). But I did try to make myself feel better! Check out my shiny new toy:

I got myself some bling! (yes, I know the word ‘bling’ is passe…but I still use it!)

More next week… I’ve got 2 trials coming up at work which will take up my time…wish me luck!