Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
I can think of two - a couple of years ago, my oldest boy and I were at a Nationals game with pretty good seats. At one point, Aramis Ramirez hit a screaming foul shot. It was right on track with my son's face and I stuck my hand right in front of his face and snared it. It hurt like heck, but I held on. It was one of those where everyone cheers and the crowd was going crazy. A few rows up, a man with binoculars turned to my son, handed him the binoculars and said "Hey kid, the president of the United States is cheering for your dad." Sure enough I looked over and there was W. in his suite standing and clapping in my direction. The look of awe that my son gave me for the rest of the game was so special and I would pay a shit-ton of money to get that look all the time.
The second happened when we took the boys to China. On our fourth night in Beijing, the phone rang in the middle of the night. Some guy was screaming at me in Chinese - I assumed it was a wrong number and hung up. Couple minutes later, the phone rang again. Same Chinese voice, same screaming. I hung up again. But this time, I noticed a weird smell. I got up and saw smoke pouring into our room from under the door, jumped up grabbed the boys, went back to get my wife, and opened the door. Smoke started pouring in the room and had already filled the hallway. The kids started panicking as we were looking for the exit. Two of them ran right past the stairway for the elevators, so I pushed my wife and the littlest one into the stairwell, ran down the other two, grabbed them, back to the stairwell. Finally a fireman came and was yelling at us to do something, but we couldn't understand anything - he handed us two wet rags which we kept alternating over the boys faces. I kept pushing the two older boys down the stairs and then running back up and dragging my wife, who was carrying the little guy. Back and forth for 12 flights and all I kept thinking was "this is China, if the fire door at the bottom of these stairs is locked, we're finished." Thankfully, the door opened out into an alley and we poured out puking and falling into the street. After about 15 minutes, we were all sitting on the curb trying to get our shiz together and figure out what to do next, and a paramedic came over and spoke a little English. He asked what we needed, and my middle boy said, "we don't need anything - daddy saved us." I think I peaked early on proud moments with that one.
Just refer to your sig. You might want to bold the whole thing or something for emphasis.
I know, sorry. But she did ask for a moment of pride!
To be honest, the first one was mostly luck and with the hotel fire, my wife did as much or more in keeping her head straight and getting the kids out of there. But that is what the kid said.
I go through beer and wine phases. Not much of a liquor drinker. Right this second, I'd have to say my favorite is:
Snack food?
And the rest of my family don't like them at all - which makes it the perfect snack food.
Sweets?
I don't eat a lot of sweets and I don't generally care for chocolate, but I really like German chocolate cake for some reason.
Muppet?
Easy. This guy.
Book?
It's cliche, but To Kill A Mockingbird. I get something out of every rereading. My wife bought me a beautiful 40th anniversary edition that I was reading the night my first son was born, and to this day I still call him "Boo."
Movie?
If I have to pick one, I guess I'm going with This is Spinal Tap. I love the classics and Godfather and Shawshank etc., but this one just makes me laugh and laugh every time I watch it.
Song?
Hoo boy. I've always refused to answer this in the past because it literally gives me a stomachache deciding. But for you, I'll answer - Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone. Some songs hit you a certain way, in a certain time or place and become immovable from the pantheon no matter what may come later.
Actor?
Daniel Day Lewis
Actress?
Katharine Hepburn (you can lock this one up)
TV show?
Comedy - Seinfeld. Drama - Homicide: Like on the Street.
My TV watching is way, way down from the 90s. This is the point in time where I become persona non grata on Inforoo - I have only seen three episodes of the Sopranos, and I've never seen a single episode of The Wire, Family Guy, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire {ducks head}
Radio show? (if applicable )
Well back in the late 80s, there was an awesome underground college radio show called Tom's Turntable that ROCKED the 200 yard radius in which it was broadcast. It was on Thursday nights from 8-11 and did not gain much of an audience due to it being up against the killer NBC lineup of Cosby, Different World, and Cheers.
Today, I still listen to your hometown 91X Resurrection show - thanks to the app, but my favorite is a Norfolk-based NPR show called Out of the Box that plays new music in all sorts of genres every night before the albums are released.
Childhood toy?
Does an Atari 2600 count as a toy?
Childhood memory?
When we brought home my favorite dog, Black Magic, for the first time.
Did you enjoy dressing up in drag? Was that your first time in women's clothing? Did you wear heels and hose?
Yes I did actually. It was interesting to put myself in someone else’s place so to speak. Sadly, no it was not my first time. I did it first for Halloween of my sophomore year in college and I really got into it, creating this whole persona named Victoria LeChapeau who was a perfume model and former women’s professional gymnast before a thyroid condition cut her career short. Someone asked me to resurrect her on a dare to raise money for a group in Mexico and so I did it a few times. Then a couple more. The school then decided to have a full-fledged drag beauty contest to raise more money for charity. This was the first time I went all out – shaved legs, hose, heels, plucked eyebrows etc. What the guys making fun of me didn’t realize was a/I didn't care what they thought or said, but more importantly, b/that the girls loved it! I got to sit in their bathrooms and bedrooms while they did my hair and makeup – they almost forgot I was a dude while we all got ready together. Alas, Victoria LeChapeau died in a freak hair spray aerosol/cigarette lighter fire in 1991.
What charities are close to your heart?
There are several, but the one closest to my heart, by far, is the March of Dimes. My oldest was born two months early and weighed only 2 pounds. His heart completely stopped beating twice his first day. He needed tons of different surgeries and procedures those first few months before we were even allowed to bring him home. We were scared, clueless, and soon we were broke too. I don’t know what would have happened if it weren’t for some of the technologies, the NICU, and the support groups. So many of these things were either paid for out of MoD grants, or sponsored/advertised via the MoD – they were amazing for our family. We decided to help however we could to help keep other parents from not having to go through what we did that first year of Will’s life.
Who are you voting for tomorrow (or last week if you are an early voter) and why?
I really want to vote third party as I have issues with both major parties, but I’m going to vote for Obama. I’ve been upset with some of the things he promised before this term that he didn’t do or didn’t do the way he said he would (Guantanamo closure, cap and trade, among others). But I’m not naïve – I realize that these aren’t all his fault (cough Congress cough), and I can’t stomach the thought of Romney in office for many reasons.
How did you meet your wife?
I used to go to this sports bar for Redskins games on Sunday and she used to go to the same bar – it was the only one that showed her hometown Chargers games. So usually I’d leave around 4 and she’d arrive around 4. There was a hard core group of folks (read: drunks) who would stay for the whole day of football – they kept trying to get me to stay late to meet this cute single girl and get her to come early to meet this not-so-cute, but kind and funny single guy. Never happened. Then one night in a different bar, we both happened to be there and met and started talking and ended up talking at the bar all night – the same group of drunks came into the bar toward closing time and couldn’t believe it when they saw us hitting it off without any help from them.
What are your biggest parenting mistakes?
Oh man, so many. I make so many mistakes. I can be inconsistent and that's a terrible thing to be as a parent. Something that might make me sigh one day might make me really mad another day, depending on my mood. It's something I'm really working on. Another one I’m really working on correcting right now is I’ve realized that Mrs. toml30 and I are both guilty of asking for our 6-year old to be capable of things or behaviors that we never expected our 12-year-old to be capable of when he was that age. I need to keep telling myself to take a step back and remember he’s only 6, and that just because the 9 and 12 year old can do it or get it together, it took them time and much repetition and reminding before they got it, and be more patient with the little guy.
One piece of advice to give to other parents?
Well I have two - one I follow, and one I don't always follow. The first is to make sure that mom and dad have time together. For one, I think it's important for our boys to see us happy together - but the boys have friends whose parents got divorced and it causes them to question their own security. By us going on dates and showing affection and staying connected and disagreeing with each other privately as much as possible, I think helps them feel more stable.
The second is a piece of advice I give to myself all the time but don’t always follow – everything is always new – we’ve never been parents before and a lot of this is figuring it out as we go along. So stop beating yourself up because you screwed up. But be strong enough to apologize to them when you do screw up. I have every intention of starting every conversation with my kids, whatever the topic, as Atticus Finch. More often than not, I end up more Homer Simpson than Atticus, but guess what, Atticus is fictional – if my kids know they’re loved and that I’m not even remotely close to perfect but I’m really trying, maybe, just maybe, they will end up okay.
Have completely flip flopped on any beliefs you had as a young adult? What was it and how did you come to change your mind?
I gave this a lot of thought but the answer is not really. I constantly challenge myself on what I believe but the changes in belief have all been more incremental than flip flop. At least I think so. I was a total bleeding heart liberal in college and I’m still pretty liberal in most things – but I tend to understand the other side more. Not agree with, just better understand.
How did you find Inforoo and what is your favorite thread?
When we were planning to go to Bonnaroo in 2010, Inforoo came up in a web search. At first, I just used it for the survival type posts. Then after we went in 2011, I started reading the posts to see what folks thought - if they agreed with me on best sets, conflicts, etc. I stopped being a guest in January, but didn't really start posting regularly until like April or May, I think.
Favorite thread is Now Playing. I actually write down every album that gets posted there if I've never heard of the band or heard the album yet. I listen to at least a little bit of every one and then either cross it off, stream it, or download it.
Who's posts make you LOL?
Good question. There are lots of people who make me laugh, smile or at least entertain me. It's one of the reasons I became a more regular member - the amount of witty people here is quite staggering. But specifically:
iamthehorn and Ned both make me laugh - when I first joined, they would post on top of each other so often, I thought they were the same person.
Dave Maynar, Flanzo, and FASITA all entertain me with their wit and ways with words - although they each have very different styles, obvs.
ITM always has the perfect .gif and Druid has some of the best zingers.
Even whoreshack and phi have posted bizarro things that have made me laugh.
If you could only reply with gifs or music lyrics, which would you pick?
Music lyrics. I stink at finding or making gifs, and my whole life seems composed of events that are either a lyric from a song or a scene from Seinfeld.
How much of the election coverage are you going to watch? Did you really bring all three kids with you to Roo? Are you tired of being BMOTM?
I wasn't going to watch any until later - but I took the kids out of school early to come vote with me and they really got into it more than I thought, so we're watching it together right now. They're grasping the intricacies of the electoral college surprisingly well. Once they go to bed, I'll probably watch a DVR'd Revolution and Walking Dead, then go back to coverage to watch Obama and Tim Kaine's victory speeches.
We really did bring them to Roo - best family trip ever. They're amazing little guys - great travelers who can really roll with change and kookiness. They LOVED the ladies at the big ass water slide with the painted boobies - they all hung out together for a while (Holy Christ I'm a shitty parent). They're festival and concert pros now - oldest is begging to go back to Bonnaroo this year if they get Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar - he might get his wish.
As to being tired of being the BMOTM - not at all. It's only been two days.
Do you ever find yourself daydreaming in random places what you would do in that moment if the zombie apocalypse finally happened, and if so, where would you want to be when it started? Where in the world do you think would be the most exciting/interesting place to battle it out in said apocalypse?
If you could punch/bodyslam/slap in the back of head any one person in your real life, who would it be? What about which celebrity? Which fictional character?
If you could be a fictional character for a week, who would it be?
Well growing up it was the Redskins. They were always good when I was younger - 4 Super Bowls in 10 years. Plus I didn't have a baseball team so I rooted for the Orioles by default. But with the Nationals here now and the Redskins so mired in so much crap with a terrible owner, the Nationals are currently #1 in my heart. Capitals and Redskins tied for #2. Terrapin basketball #4, SD Chargers #5, Barcelona #6, Chelsea #7, and Wizards #8.
Favorite fanhood moment?
When the Redskins won the Super Bowl on my birthday. I was in college and the rule was I had to either shotgun a beer or down a huge shot every time the Redskins scored (and extra points counted as separate scoring events). At the start of the second quarter, it was 10-0 Broncos, but then the Redskins scored 35 points in just the 2nd quarter - so it got ugly. I woke up outside of some random dorm room with a partially shaved head, cuddling a huge stuffed Christmas polar bear.
Runner Up - the day it was announced that Washington DC was getting another baseball team.
Worst fanhood moment?
When Danny-boy Snyder bought the Redskins.
What are your top 5 games/events you've been in attendance?
#5 - Seeing four Orioles pitchers combine for a no-hitter against the A's - with one of the four being my favorite southpaw when I was a kid - Mike Flanagan. #4 - The game after the Nats clinched the AL East. It was a day game, so M and I skipped work and watched Teddy win the President's race for the first time ever.
#3 - The Capitals/Senators game that sent the Caps to the Eastern Conference Finals en route to their only Stanley Cup Finals (1998). Darned Red Wings. #2 - First Redskins/Cowboys game with my oldest son. Okay, he was 1 year old, but still, it was magical. #1 - Stephen Strasburg's debut. Incredible night - real fan energy for the first time in that stadium, and the party in the beer garden outside the stadium went on all night.
Post by Longtime and Frequent Poster on Nov 9, 2012 12:19:23 GMT -5
Robert Griffin III and Stephen Strasburg are both hanging off the side of a cliff as you walk by. Both are slipping very quickly, and you only have time to save one. Who do you choose to save?
What all festivals have you been to? Are there ones you haven't attended that you plan on going to one day?
I've been to Bonnaroo, ACL, Lollapalooza, New Orleans JazzFest, Firefly, Virgin MobileFest (and Freefest), Red Cross Waterfront Music Fest (think that one's dead), Farm Aid and back before they had all these multi-day festivals (before many of you were born) I used to go to the HFSTIVAL and the Xmas Festival Ball every year. I've been to a bunch of reggae and jazz festivals too.
I have a bucket list of festivals and still need Glastonbury, Newport Folk, Coachella, Moog and Sasquatch off the top of my head.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
Well my two favorite jobs were working in a record store and owning a comic book/baseball card store. I would do either one of those again in a heartbeat if money were not an issue. But most likely something with music - whether as a writer, a promoter or a DJ or something.
Best gift you have ever given?
Probably taking my wife to Paris for her 40th - that was an amazing trip and it was such a tough year for us that it was perfect timing. If you mean like a tangible "thing", I'd have to say this African wood-carved sculpture of a mother holding a son that I gave my mom. It's sort of abstract, but it's beautiful and she still talks about it all the time.
Best gift you have ever received?
Right after I got my first record player, my uncle knew I was getting into all kinds of "weird" music already and gave me the albums Mott the Hoople's Greatest Hits, Pink Floyd's The Wall, and Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. Changed my life.
Worst gift you have ever received?
That same birthday, one of my mom's friends knew I was getting into music, but not, apparently, that I was getting into "weird" music because she gave me Barry Manilow's Even Now.
Favorite fast food restaurant?
We don't do a ton of fast food, but I am a sucker for a Five Guys burger every once in a while. If I still worked out West, it'd probably be In-N-Out burgers.
Quick, someone has offered to keep the kids for the weekend. If you're like me that's a rare surprise. What would you & Mrs. Tom do with yourselves?
If there were no music festivals that weekend? Hmm, we like to go to the ocean, even when it's cold, and just walk a lot and read a lot and listen to music and drink wine. Oh, and sleep past 6:40am. Man that sounds good right now.
Do you ever find yourself daydreaming in random places what you would do in that moment if the zombie apocalypse finally happened, and if so, where would you want to be when it started? Where in the world do you think would be the most exciting/interesting place to battle it out in said apocalypse?
Most definitely. I would like to be on a well stocked island off the Carolina coast. That way I could move North or South if one of the big cities figured things out, but I'd be able to clear out a living space separated by water if I had to and could sail East from there as a last resort. My thinking kinda mirrors Michonne's...If I had to be somewhere to battle it out, the most interesting place would be a military base. Pre-built fortifications, long lasting rations, armories, and stocked supplies. Preferably one in a flat land area.
If you could punch/bodyslam/slap in the back of head any one person in your real life, who would it be? What about which celebrity? Which fictional character?
Well I'm generally a pacifist, but in real life I would say the bully at work. I hate bullies more than anything. For celebrity, either Ann Coulter or Jerry Sandusky. For fictional character, I always thought Desire from Sandman needed to be slapped hard. Nadine and Harold from The Stand are also good candidates although there's some redemption for them in the end.
If you could be a fictional character for a week, who would it be?
Other than Nina Simone, I've never listened to much jazz. How should I go about fixing that?
Oh my - this is a good one. I mean two of my kids' middle names are Davis and Cole(trane), so I'm happy to talk about jazz.
First of all, Nina Simone is brilliant and beautiful. I would start with the classics and work backwards. That's what I did. I think what most people don't realize is that there are as many styles of jazz as there are of rock. This means you may gravitate to one type of jazz more than another. I love the bebop and modal and free stuff, but can't get into any of the smooth jazz or post 70s stuff. Free jazz - like Coltrane's A Love Supreme - can be wonderful, but I don't recommend starting there. I always start with Miles Davis. He incorporated stuff from the 20s and 30s, messed with chords and modality and created different stuff throughout the 50s and 60s. Also, some folks don't like the sound of certain instruments - I don't like stuff that relies too heavily on the vibraphone or electric organ (even though I think Lionel Hampton was a genius).
So...start with Kind of Blue by Miles. Then spiral away from there. Try piano-dominated stuff by Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, or Oscar Peterson. Try sax stuff like Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, or Sonny Rollins. Even bass-heavy stuff like Charles Mingus. If you want specific albums to start with for each of those, I'd be happy to chat with you about it. But then once you listened to all that - then try Coltrane's A Love Supreme. If you think it's bizzare, difficult, genius, and incredible all at the same time - you're a jazz fan.
I apologize as I think this answer is all over the place and maybe not exactly what you were looking for - but a vein opened up and just started pouring. So seriously - PM me if you want to chat more about it - would love to.
Thanks dude. I've never heard of Charles Mingus, but with a name that awesome he has to be good. Checking him out now.
Fantastic! I'd recommend Mingus Ah Um to start. Totally accessible with one of the best funeral dirges of all time - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. I really feel the saying farewell to an old friend in this song.
Robert Griffin III and Stephen Strasburg are both hanging off the side of a cliff as you walk by. Both are slipping very quickly, and you only have time to save one. Who do you choose to save?
Ouch. This was a tough one. I think I'd save RGIII. Nervous about Strasburg's longevity and I think the Redskins need RGIII to be successful down the road, whereas I think the Nationals have built such a great farm system that they'd still be pretty good without Stras.
Post by EthnicallyCrimean98476 on Nov 12, 2012 18:21:23 GMT -5
Ok, so I wikipedia'd Hob Gadling- great username. How into comics are you? Favorite series? Have you ever read Watchmen? What do you think of it? How do you feel about Hollywood's bastardization of almost every classic superhero franchise?
Thanks. One of my favorite all-time characters in any type of literature. And yes, comic books and graphic novels are literature.
How into comics are you?
Well, I worked at a comic book store for a year, just to get the employee discount. THEN, I opened up my own comic book (and baseball card) store and ran it with a friend for almost 2 years. So I used to live and breathe them. The superhero ones were alright, but once they started combining real writing, lettering, and storytelling with different types of art, I was addicted. Now? Not so much. I soured on them for a long time after I had to sell my store, but have recently begun re-appreciating them when I take my boys to the local comic shop.
Favorite series?
Hands down it's The Sandman. One of the most beautiful, intriguing, thought-provoking pieces of literature in any form. I've probably reread them 15 times over the years. I was also a huge fan of Hellblazer, Shade, Love and Rockets, a lot of the alternative comics of the mid to late 80s into the early 90s, all the Alan Moore Swamp Thing issues, the Peter David Incredible Hulk run, the Dark Horse stuff, and Cerebus.
Have you ever read Watchmen? What do you think of it?
I left out the Watchmen in my list above because I get to talk about it here. Oh yes, I've read it many, many times. I think it's brilliant frankly. It's weird, I was always an Alan Moore fan, but not big into Dave Gibbons until I read this. The amount of subtle things in both the words and the art is incredible and makes it worth multiple readings. The movie could not even come close to capturing it all.
How do you feel about Hollywood's bastardization of almost every classic superhero franchise?
I left out my strong feelings about the Watchmen movie because I get to talk about it here. Actually - I get it - people want to see movies about superheroes, and it's really hard to continue to get people excited about these movies if you stuck with a character's comic storyline, with their mythos, their full origin story, etc. With comics, you could slow down for an episode and present some backstory or side thing that becomes important later on, 'cause you can pick up the action a month later. You don't have that luxury in the movies.
That being said, there are some really, really good superhero movies. They're still not quite the comic books themselves. I mean, if Frank Miller himself can't capture HIS OWN comic book work with the Sin City movies, let alone any of his Batman stories, then it's not going to be easy for anyone, even Christopher Nolan.
Okay - cool comic book story (is that an oxymoron?). When I had my store, it was in Potomac, MD near where a lot of wealthy people live. One day, who comes in to buy comic books for her son's 5th birthday party? Lynda Carter.
Yeah - that's right, I sold comic books to Wonder Woman.
which lyrics do you find stuck in your head most often?
Generally Bob Dylan lyrics. It's like the Seinfeld of lyrics - everything reminds me of a Dylan lyric. If someone mentions something being vandalized *boom* it's all "the pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handle," if someone talks about how bad weatherpersons are at weather predicting *boom* it's "you don't need a weatherman to know which the way blows."
So I guess if I had to pick an actual song, it would be Subterranean Homesick Blues.
Wow - those are pretty much my two favorite flavors, BUT, I prefer Old Bay on fries, fish, burgers, things on the grill. I prefer c0ck sauce in soups, eggs (especially eggs!), tacos/burritos, rice, etc. They both have a hallowed space in our kitchen.