First off, it's pretty cool that one of my favorite SGs is finally keeping a journal.
Secondly, riding the Metro last night I realized my discomfort with Washington. Fifty years ago, every city had an industry; people needed jobs to survive. KC had the meatpacking, Batlimore had the harbor, New York had everything, LA had the film industry, Pittsburgh had its steel. Some of those things still exist and are indentified with those towns. Washington, of course, has one business and it's a pretty important one: run the damned country.
The problem with this is the way the government staffs itself. A lot of legislators, lobbying groups and other employers working with the Feds employ a whole fucking lot of people like me: straight out of college, broke and interested in politics (Of course, I'm a journalist, but you get the idea).
Couple that with several colleges (UMd., GW, Georgetown, JMU, UDC, American, CUA, etc.) and there's a healthy youth prescence. There are a lot of people around my age.
Of course, as anyone who lives here knows, no one stays here. Terms in the federal government are, at the longest, six years, and most of the jobs for young people are simply there as first jobs. It's a very transient city. (This is well-documented at, of all things, sporting events. Other than the racist football team, the fans at pro sporting events are always rooting for the other team. No one grows up here, and if they do, they don't identify with the area)
What this makes for, of course, is a fast-paced, cutthroat, vanilla city full of young people. It's a city full of Dave Matthews Band fans, dressing the exact same. I'm no punk rock superstar, but I was MD of my college station and indie rock is important to me. DC has such a crap music scene, the only junk that comes out of here is hardcore and bad hardcore, at that. Half of the shows at Black Cat are shit local bands or political documentaries filmed by anarchists. That's fine, but it's a music club, show me some good fucking bands other than Trouble Hubble and Trans Am (both of whom I like).
Considering the amount of colleges, there should be a good college station here or there. Maryland's is awful and WAMU is an NPR affiliate. That's the essence of DC; the best college station is an NPR affiliate.
I noticed on the train last night. As we went past all the quasi-hipster neighborhoods on the train, the only people getting on and off were frat guys and sorority girls.
I look like that, I know. I always have. I don't take the punk rock risks that I did in high school, but even the high schoolers look like Greek-System rejects. And, for me, it's incredibly comforting to have that culture around. It gives a city life and gives a city promise in its youth.
I know DC is teeming with culture. There are wonderful restaurants of every type and nation. There are art galleries and museums everywhere. But, there are, like, three punk rock clubs, and the biggest one, 9:30, has fucking Macy Gray and Trapt there.
Shit, there isn't even a record label here. Dischord, I guess, still exists, but there's, like two bands on that label.
I miss Chicago. I miss WNUR and Loyola's station and WGCI. , I miss Thrill Jockey, Thick Records, Drag City and T&G/Quarterstick. I miss Schuba's, Abbey Pub and the Fireside Bowl. I miss Tortoise, Trouble Hubble, Wilco and The Braves. Shit, even one of Chicago's commerical stations, WXRT, is better than most college stations.
This is, by far, the longest journal entry I have on this site. Despite being a writer, I don't always have a place for this sort of output (the bitching ones). I'm always fearful that someone that I don't want to see it will. While SG isn't anonymous, most people I know are not on it. I think I'm safe here; strangers may see it, but not people who might actually care about what I'm saying, bringing their own biases.
Secondly, riding the Metro last night I realized my discomfort with Washington. Fifty years ago, every city had an industry; people needed jobs to survive. KC had the meatpacking, Batlimore had the harbor, New York had everything, LA had the film industry, Pittsburgh had its steel. Some of those things still exist and are indentified with those towns. Washington, of course, has one business and it's a pretty important one: run the damned country.
The problem with this is the way the government staffs itself. A lot of legislators, lobbying groups and other employers working with the Feds employ a whole fucking lot of people like me: straight out of college, broke and interested in politics (Of course, I'm a journalist, but you get the idea).
Couple that with several colleges (UMd., GW, Georgetown, JMU, UDC, American, CUA, etc.) and there's a healthy youth prescence. There are a lot of people around my age.
Of course, as anyone who lives here knows, no one stays here. Terms in the federal government are, at the longest, six years, and most of the jobs for young people are simply there as first jobs. It's a very transient city. (This is well-documented at, of all things, sporting events. Other than the racist football team, the fans at pro sporting events are always rooting for the other team. No one grows up here, and if they do, they don't identify with the area)
What this makes for, of course, is a fast-paced, cutthroat, vanilla city full of young people. It's a city full of Dave Matthews Band fans, dressing the exact same. I'm no punk rock superstar, but I was MD of my college station and indie rock is important to me. DC has such a crap music scene, the only junk that comes out of here is hardcore and bad hardcore, at that. Half of the shows at Black Cat are shit local bands or political documentaries filmed by anarchists. That's fine, but it's a music club, show me some good fucking bands other than Trouble Hubble and Trans Am (both of whom I like).
Considering the amount of colleges, there should be a good college station here or there. Maryland's is awful and WAMU is an NPR affiliate. That's the essence of DC; the best college station is an NPR affiliate.
I noticed on the train last night. As we went past all the quasi-hipster neighborhoods on the train, the only people getting on and off were frat guys and sorority girls.
I look like that, I know. I always have. I don't take the punk rock risks that I did in high school, but even the high schoolers look like Greek-System rejects. And, for me, it's incredibly comforting to have that culture around. It gives a city life and gives a city promise in its youth.
I know DC is teeming with culture. There are wonderful restaurants of every type and nation. There are art galleries and museums everywhere. But, there are, like, three punk rock clubs, and the biggest one, 9:30, has fucking Macy Gray and Trapt there.
Shit, there isn't even a record label here. Dischord, I guess, still exists, but there's, like two bands on that label.
I miss Chicago. I miss WNUR and Loyola's station and WGCI. , I miss Thrill Jockey, Thick Records, Drag City and T&G/Quarterstick. I miss Schuba's, Abbey Pub and the Fireside Bowl. I miss Tortoise, Trouble Hubble, Wilco and The Braves. Shit, even one of Chicago's commerical stations, WXRT, is better than most college stations.
This is, by far, the longest journal entry I have on this site. Despite being a writer, I don't always have a place for this sort of output (the bitching ones). I'm always fearful that someone that I don't want to see it will. While SG isn't anonymous, most people I know are not on it. I think I'm safe here; strangers may see it, but not people who might actually care about what I'm saying, bringing their own biases.