Shut Up About the Birchmere
As many are trying to prevent some sort of Scott Farcas Affair from erupting between Live Nation and IMP (9:30 Club), we now have a new group of idiots saying that, and I quote:
“…we are disappointed in County Executive Ike Leggett in NOT closing the deal with the owners of The Birchmere and instead, behind closed doors, signing a letter of intent with Live Nation before making it publicly known that he was considering proposals from other promotion companies.”
This is from a Web site that says they are “NOT ANTI ‘LIVE NATION’ AS A COMPANY” (with a big [sic] on the ALL CAPS stupidity), yet their domain name distinctly indicates otherwise. I will not do them the honor of repeating their domain name here, but as of this writing the only supporter listed on their site is IFI Music, and there are not yet any “Supporters [sic] Comments” in that eponymous section.
I did a WHO IS search to see who owns the domain name, and whoever it is made the domain registration private. So I assume they don’t want the public to know who’s behind it. All I can think of is the comment from the Silver Spring Penguin on the Silver Spring, Singular blog that says:
However, one middle-aged woman tore into council member Phil Andrews immediately after the gig [at the AFI], saying that the Birchmere would have been better suited to the neighborhood.
“What were you thinking?!?” she yelled at Andrews.
I know what he was thinking. He was thinking that the music venue should have a broader appeal to the community – particularly to those younger people who are coming into the city in droves with more disposable income than her. How you like them apples?
I’m going to guess that this site is run by some outdated hippy who plays guitar in a local folk band, and their specialty is somewhere between the Mamas and the Papas and The Carpenters. They’re too old to understand that you should pay for a proper Web site if you want any credibility (the site is a free, templated site from GoDaddy.com – meaning there are ads all over it and, aesthetically, it sucks), and they still haven’t learned that if Mama Cass had given Karen Carpenter that ham sandwich, they might both be alive today to play at The Birchmere (which will be built shortly in College Park). I expect someone to post this URL soon, and even if it’s as a comment on this site, that’s fine. I just can’t bring myself to do it.
Harsh, you say? Perhaps. But true. The Birchmere is gone. Those of you who know me know I just want live music here. When The Birchmere was coming, I thought it was grand. When Live Nation came into the mix, I thought it was even better. When Seth Hurwitz stuck his nose into the mix, I got angry because I assumed it would prolong the process of getting a good live music venue here. Now these people send out their site to the community bitching and moaning about how Ike hosed The Birchmere? 2006 called, and they want their development deal back. Get over it.
The last several shows I’ve been to included Neko Case, Martha Wainwright, The Reverend Horton Heat, and Rob Zombie/Ozzie Osbourne. My tastes run the gamut, so it’s not about genre (except new country). Just shut the hell up and build me a live music venue.
On a different and much happier note…
Thank God the Patriots didn’t win. I’m not Giants fan, but I’d have much rather seen Eli get the MVP trophy than that other guy. More power to ‘em all. And thanks to K & N for a kick ass party, even though I didn’t win any squares.
21 Comments so far
8/30/06 – 7/25/07: Time period in which it was assumed that the county was dealing exclusively with the Birchmere.
Where was the public outcry and demand for a “free and open” process then? Where was Seth?
“…if Mama Cass had given Karen Carpenter that ham sandwich, they might both be alive today to play at The Birchmere”
Oh, that’s funny.
I’m 98% sure that IFI Music is actually the proprietor of the website in question. How else would they be listed as a “supporter” as soon as the website went up?
[...] is a valid argument indeed but Sligo from the Silver Spring, Singular brings up a valid point on ThayerAve.com…Where were all these people crying for an open bidding process when the Birchmere was dragging [...]
First off, I’m ready to rock at the Fillmore. As to the ham sandwich, Mama Cass died of a heart attact, Karen Carpenter would have just puked it back up, and Seth, well judging by his name, he probably can’t eat it due to religious dietary restrictions, so if it’s still available, I’m hungry.
Where does the myth come from that says Mama Cass choked on a ham sandwich? Or did she have a heart attack trying to cough it up?
This post inspired me to go back and look at some of the unsolicited petitions from IFI that were sent to my email address. I found a gem in there.
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/mamacass.asp
It seems the first doctor on the scene assumed that she died of asphyxia, noting the ham sandwich & coke on her bed table. What he failed to notice was that the sandwich hadn’t been touched, as reported by the police inspector who investigated her death.
Maybe it was some Scooby Doo villain out of jail and looking for payback.
Or a crime of passion perpetrated by H.R. Pufnstuf. (They were in a movie together.)
Puff-in’stuff was required when we watched ol’ H.R. back in the day.
Look, I know I’m old. I saw Pink Floyd 3 years before Dark Side of the Moon made them popular. I saw The Stones when they were cool. (Stop laughing). When I’m at physical therapy (knee surgery), I listen to Bad Brains & NIN on my ipod. And my favotite new group is Arcade Fire. Their Neon Bible CD rocks.
“…if Mama Cass had given Karen Carpenter that ham sandwich, they might both be alive today to play at The Birchmere”
Oh man, that is the funniest thing I’ve read on a Silver Spring blog since I started reading them two years ago. I’m still laughing. Keep up the good work and let’s get Live Nation built already. RIP Birchmere, RIP Seth Hurwitz’s BS’ing Territorialism, and RIP to the kaleidescope of vinyl canopies on that side of Colesville Road!
So someone please cut through the crap for me, has there been a decision as to who the new promoter will be?
The short answer is “no.” Ike wants it to be a done deal, and some on the Council think it’s not a good deal. Not to mention the lobbying machine Seth Hurwitz is trying to establish. JUTP has a recent update, too.
I say this is a perfect opportunity for another episode of “CCM Smackdown” on TATV (Thayer Avenue Television).
Eric
I have to disagree. The lease was signed, and that piece of paper certainly has more legal standing than some BS memo of understanding.
And despite all the bitching out of county council, none of its members gave any indication of rejecting the necessary zoning amendments or the funding. As one legislative aide told me: Who would reject something billed as an “economic stimulus” project?
I say this: Stick a fork in it. IT’S DONE.
Then more power to ‘em. I’d be happy to stick a fork in it and get on with the show!
Jennifer and all,
Make no assumptions about the council. Anyone who wants this to happen needs to e-mail all the council members. When push comes to shove and the have to vote for the money and the ZTA, they’ll be looking for cover in the form of support from the community, however that’s defined.
mmmmm…. ham…..
I spoke too soon.
I’m SO glad Mr. Thayer Avenue has found a new audience for that Mama Cass-Karen Carpenter joke.
You know how when you’ve been married for ten years you’ve heard all his jokes a hundred times? Well, I’ve heard this one about three hundred times. So it’s really nice for him that other people appreciate it. [Insert patronizing pat on head here.]
(I love you, honey!)
Editor’s note: Against my better judgment, I’ll leave this comment unedited. I never claimed to be the original author of the joke, but at least I got more mileage out of it without you having to hear it again. xoxoxo