I'm going to make a plea here. Einstürzende Neubauten is playing the Marquee Theater in Tempe, AZ on May 9th (as well as other dates across the U.S.). If you care about contemporary art -- visual, aural, conceptual -- you need to make every effort to see them. The show Kim and I saw at the Trocadero back in the mid-1990s was truly one of the highlights of my cultural existence. I can't imagine the concert next month coming close to that experience. But even if it falls far short, it will still be worth every cent.

Here's how much I need to be there. I'm flying back from the Cultural Studies Association conference in Boston, leaving right after I deliver my paper, into Phoenix so that I will be sure not to miss the show, knowing full well that I will be totally spent after four days of listening to scholarly presentations and "networking." Not only that, I paid the absurd Ticketmaster extortion to secure my advance tickets, a little over $30 for the actual tickets and $20 for the assorted fees levied by the monopolist, including a $2.50 charge for giving me the privilege of printing my own tickets. That's all liquidity under the bridge, though, because I'm psyched as can be.

tommix is driving up to Sky Harbor to pick me up and will then see the concert with me. Is he awesome or what?

Mode: imploding
Muse: Architektur Ist Geiselnahme - Einstürzende Neubauten - Strategies Against Architecture III (Disc