Caught my first rock and roll show here on Thursday...finally. A triple bill of And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Thurston Moore and Dinosaur Jr. I wont bore you with an extended review, but Dinosaur Jr. was solid and super loud (as always), Thurston's new post Sonic Youth band was a big disappointment, and I absolutely loved AYWKUBTTOD. Had always avoided them for some reason, probably due to the dorky name, but they rocked it hard and would recommend them to anyone that enjoys some loud driving rock and roll.
Am happy to report that seeing a show in Taipei was much like the experience one would find in the States. The sound was excellent (they make excellent high-end speakers here), very crisp and clear sound at high volume...I could feel the sound in my colon during Dino Jr. A couple of things that were better is that I could see over the heads of the crowd better. I wouldn't say the Taiwanese are short, their nutrition has been good far too long to be N. Koreanesque, but they aren't farm raised/steroid fed from birth sized like you get in the States, so I could be a few rows back and have a relatively unobstructed view. They also don't get totally shit-faced and make an ass out of themselves. There is some boozing for sure, but the only douche bags that I saw getting loaded and making a display of themselves were a couple of Westerners (embarrassingly enough). There was a decent moshpit going at times...as the bands were from the U.S., there was a liberal sprinkling off Westerners in the club, and they were leading the way in the pit, so you could compare the dance stylings of the two cultures easily. The Westerners had a much more bruising style (think rugby where you beat the crap out of each other and then hug it out after), while the TW's were more dancey/pushy/laughing. Personally, I like to go to a show and not get my head pounded in (plus the knees can't take the abuse), so give the nod to the Asian mosh pit. I think the lower contact in the pit can be attributed to the fact that everyone in it wears big thick glasses, and you wouldn't hit a kid with glasses.
One minor complaint, and it wouldn't be a diary entry without at least one, was the high volume of backpacks. I've noticed that they are not uptight about security here. Living for the last 10 years in post 9/11 America, there is a huge difference in the feel of security in a country that has not been a target of terrorism. For instance, when going to a baseball game or a show, no one looks in your bag and you can bring in whatever you want and ingest it freely. Saw a bunch of people loading up with tall boy beers at the 7-11 pre-show and drinking them inside. The downside of that is that 1 in 4 people had this big sack on their back so you're constantly getting jostled by people's swinging backpacks. I understand that with a scooter culture, you have to carry your gear on your back and can't just leave it in the scooter. Really, it was really a minor inconvenience that can be navigated easily enough and making (vodka infused) lemonade out of lemons, you know I'm gonna be packing my booze in next time. So overall, a very positive and fun experience and am excited to start checking out some local stuff.
Briefly, Betty and I went to Paul's 8th grade parent-teacher conference yesterday. All the teacher's had a table and you would get 10 minutes with each (if needed). Like everything at this school, the event was extremely well organized and we were able to meet all of his teachers without waiting more than 10 minutes for any of them. After 8+ years of schooling, we've grown used to the reaction we get when meeting his teachers for the first time...goes something like this;
Us: "Hello, we're Paul's parents."
Teacher: "Ohhhhhh...so you're Paul's parents."
Once they get over the disdain of meeting the Demon seeds parents, we are then told about how "spirited" (at best) or disruptive he is in their class, so Betty and I are always ready for the worst.
So every teacher we met yesterday gave us the same, "ohh, you're Paul's parents" line, to which we instinctively gave each other a knowing glance, but then they (all) launched into how much the loved having him in class. He has earned really good grades in quarter 1, and other than the need for him to slow down, talk about his work effort was positive. What surprised us was that they all loved his "spirit" in class. Engaged, leader, fun, actively participant..how can things that were always disruptive before seem to be able to be channeled into positive attributes over a summer? The (very cute) drama teacher mentioned three times as to how Paul would stick his head in her door between periods to say hello and would get mad at her if she didn't respond in kind back to him (a bit stalky sounding, but way to go boy). His History/Homeroom teacher is an organizer of the Model UN team and appreciates his "gift of gab" so much that she recruited him onto their team that will travel to Malaysia in the Spring to compete with other schools. The science teacher was the funniest of all when he leaned over the table and said in a whisper that, "this school probably has as high a concentration of nerds as any in the world, so a kid with Paul's social skills and intellect would do really well.". WTF!!?? All hail the King of the Nerds. Obviously, Betty and I were out of our minds ecstatic, and there is too much of a history of bad parent-teacher conferences to completely believe what we heard, but have been trying to understand the night/day change. Could it be that Asian kids are so ingrained in study and not to express themselves openly, that all the teachers are appreciative of a kid that will offer up opinions and to not be afraid to embarrass himself in public? Is it that teacher's in America are frustrated that they have a classroom full of kids that are "full of personality"? Is it a commentary on the difference between private and public education, where a teacher is recruited and their employment is judged (and renewed) based on merit? Or is it something else...? Whatever it is, the change in this students effort and desire is palpable and pray that it is something he can build upon.
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