An interesting effect with the “in the background” “Madonna Mania” which is blowing through the town on the eve of the first concert she’s had in this city since the 1980s…

And which the city hasn’t been in the grips of Madonna Mania since she filmed a bad move here in the early 1990s…

I have no strong opinion of Madonna — there are worse things that could filter in as occasional background music and noise — and I suppose I wish I had gone ahead and taped that damned Letterman appearance of hers circa 1994 …

But the thing here is that as I read the free alt weeklies coverage of Madonna, and sit in a laundromat with a radio ad for a station I’d never listen to on my own with an ad promoting the concert — breathlessly the voice intones “Iconic.  Legendary”– I find that I have any number of Madonna songs shuffle into my head.  And understand, it’s sort of having the Madonna’s Greatest Hits on shuffle … completely random and arbitrary in terms of what’s playing… music I’ve never sat and listened to …

Oh for a one hit wonder to make the musical selection down to one song.

The Rolling Stone magazine was pulled back on the supermarket checkout line, so instead of Donald Trump staring at us it was the ad for Jimmy Fallon.

I wonder if this was done on purpose.  A political message by a customer?  Staff?

2 guys walk up to me.  Seem to be people who should know the answer more assertively than I.  (They’re wearing leather in a couple spots?)

“Hey.  What band did Keith Richards play for?”
Me… just a tad uncertainly and afraid I’m wrong with something that ought be obvious… “Rolling… Stones?”
“Right.  Guitarist, Right?”
Me:  “Er… Sure.”

“Who was the lead singer?”
Me:  “Can’t remember.”

“Something like… Nick… Rick… this is killing us.”

Me:  Shrug.

Minute passes by.  I think “Oh, crap!”  Have to run over to them.  “MICK.  MICK.  MICK JAGGER!!!”

“Oh.  Wow.  Thanks.”

I shake my head.  Have to turn in any card signifying me as some classic rock aficionado… but again… SHOULDN’T THOSE TWO KNOW THIS CRAP?

I take the new flier of “Riot Cop” out of the Willamette box.  On one side it’s the riot gear of a cop, with some hand in the way with a picture of said riot gear cop.  On the back, Says “Your online rat fink isn’t working for you, is it?” (or something to the effect).

I smile and nod as the guy I recognize by sight and am not surprised pulls out another copy and replaces that which I just took out of the box.

Does this blog entry make me ironic?  Or does the fact I deleted identifiers put me in the clear?

It appears to be a fraternity / sorority thingy going on.  A bunch of young college kids running around in white sheets — something that never happened before the movie Animal Farm, incidentally.

Overheard conversation: “Hey.  What is this?”
“I  don’t know.”  Then he yells “Hey!  White Power!”
“Should I go up to them and ask?”
“No.  I think you blew it with that ‘White Power’ thing.”

Curiously, given the history of the Klan as a Fraternal organization, and the intermingling of college fraternities in the same sort of thing, and the status of frats as just the play-thing of rich college kids… it’s not so far off the mark, is it?

Oh.  Forget I said that.

Hm.  Random piece of sci fi dystopian fiction.  People can be really creative in leaving random junk about public places.  (Better than most of the damned graffiti I report here.)

……………………

I’m from the future.  (2056).  I came back to tell you that the computers take over the world in 2017!!

FIGHT

…………………………..

More questions than answers… I’d like to think this person has written an entire back story to this thing, like… maybe they’ll start scattering more items about filling in the details on how to “Fight” the coming techno-dictatorship.  But my guess this is the end all and be all of the thing.

Also… if he came back from the year 2056… does that mean the computers have aided humanity by figuring out time travel, and if so… is this future really so bad?  Vive la our Techno Overlords!!!

Not as interesting as this sci fi?

“Look Up.  Chem-trails.  Mind Controlling the Population.  Look Up.”

Random graffiti spotted.  Reported at this blog for no real reason.

For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s associated with this thing round about here.  Not all nuts are terrorists, though some terrorists are nuts…

There was a man walking around, at a spot near some prominent gay clubs… a spot that is going to be tacked off for “Gay Pride” events this weekend…

He was holding a sign saying “I Am An Ex-Gay”.

To which I can only think, “Yeah, good luck with that one.”

The temporary portapotties at the grocery store are right next to the flowers to alleviate the smell.

“Which Tele-tubby are?”
I immediately felt silly for asking.  What other Tele-tubby could he possibly be?”Tinky Winky.”
“That’s right…”
Nobody ever turned Poe or Lala into a gay icon… or gave them individual fame… The only teleubby that’s famous is Tinky Winky.
I also regret not letting him take a picture of him standing next to me…