BLOGZIL!

Whenever I feel bored, which is much of the time, I monitor the progress of the Arcade Fire from afar. I do this for three reasons. First, I really like their music. Second, the lead singer, Win, was a good friend of mine in high school. We wrote a play together, edited a poetry journal together, started Winter Thaw Weekend together, created an improv comedy troupe together, etc. It is very fun to see a friend of mine famous, and to read various accounts of hipsters... gasp... being three inches away from him!!!! The third reason is that, although I have an outwardly globe-trotting life, in fact things have been pretty sedate for me lately and so I read of the Arcade Fire's exploits, their European tours, and I live vicariously the rock star life. Of course, Win is married and quite religious so his rock star life is probably slightly different from the rock star life of my imagination, yet it works for me all the same.

Another reason, unmentioned above, is that though I've listened to their CD countless times, and heard Win and Regine fooling around in their own living room, I've never actually seen the band perform. My one attempt, summer 2004, was foiled. They were opening for the Unicorns somewhere in Boston, and I'd been told that they were going on at 8:30pm. Dutifully, I arrived at 8:30 sharp, only to find them packing up their instruments. They'd gone on at 8, and now were done. This is before people gave a shit about them. I then had to suffer a set of the Unicorns themselves, but was rewarded by a nice sleepover in Boston with the high-school crew that had come to see them. Now I read the rapturous accounts of their shows, written by the hippest hipsters in the blogosphere, and my mouth can only salivate. This is their golden era, and I have a fear that by the time I come back stateside all the love will be gone. They'll be playing stadiums with the can-do attitude of a post-rehab Axl Rose. Win himself will be rancorous and morbidly obese, throwing beer bottles at reporters and fans alike. They'll be on their seventh drummer, and Win his third wife/collaborator. Regine will have divorced him, written a tell-all biography, and started her own psychic hotline.

Or not. I think they'll be fine, actually.

Photos via Us Kids Know, le blog exuberance, and me.