Hongkie Town

I was a huge fan of some of Mel Gibson's movies. All three Mad Max films, the first two Lethal Weapon movies, Year of Living Dangerously, even Braveheart. The fact that he's one of the few major stars in Hollywood to be a conservative Republican and a deeply religious Catholic did not put me off.

When he made The Passion, a lot of tales made the rounds about his father, a prominent lunatic Holocaust denier. When people accused Gibson of being an anti-Semite for making The Passion, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

However, if you believe that in vino veritas, then the truth is out and Gibson is scum. TMZ got their hands on a transcript of Gibson's comments when he was arrested last week for drunk driving in Malibu.

Gibson repeatedly said, "My life is f****d." Law enforcement sources say the deputy, worried that Gibson might become violent, told the actor that he was supposed to cuff him but would not, as long as Gibson cooperated. As the two stood next to the hood of the patrol car, the deputy asked Gibson to get inside. Deputy Mee then walked over to the passenger door and opened it. The report says Gibson then said, "I'm not going to get in your car," and bolted to his car. The deputy quickly subdued Gibson, cuffed him and put him inside the patrol car.

Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

In other words, Gibson is flagrantly breaking the law by speeding and driving under the influence (Fumier would have a ball with this, no?) and when a police officer does his job and treats Gibson like a law-breaker and not a star, Gibson accuses the cop of being Jewish! Back at the station house, Gibson seemed like he was going to pee in his pants and addressed a female sargeant as "sugar tits."

Now the Malibu police are under fire for attempting to cover this all up:

Deputy Mee was then ordered to write another report, leaving out the incendiary comments and conduct. Sources say Deputy Mee was told the sanitized report would eventually end up in the media and that he could write a supplemental report that contained the redacted information -- a report that would be locked in the watch commander's safe.

But there's more. Gibson was stopped in Malibu two other times in the past three years for reckless driving and each time got off without a ticket and without being arrested. It seems like most of the police there are star struck:

At one point at the Sheriff's station, sources say Gibson was "jumping like a monkey" on a steel cage and told the arresting deputy, "I'm not going to hurt you physically. I'm gonna hurt you. I'm gonna make you lose."

We're also told that deputies at the Sheriff's station were star struck by Gibson and a number of them went to Gibson's holding cell to get a look of the star. The problem for the Sheriff's department -- there's a mounted camera in the station and the deputies can be seen fawning over the actor. Sheriff's officials have called some of the officers who were caught on tape in and warned them they might be subject to discipline.

There's another piece on TMZ by TV lawyer Harvey Levin which will hopefully fan flames that deserve to be fanned.

Let me just say, I am privy to incontrovertible evidence that he did indeed try to bolt. It will come out, and it will shock you.

But even worse is that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has become a shill to celebrities. I knew this 11 years ago with Tony Danza, who beat up a photographer and stole his camera. The Sheriffs were ridiculous -- they merely asked him to return the camera, which Danza did after removing the film. That was just fine with the Sheriffs.

Well, it's gotten a lot worse. In the Mel Gibson case, I called the lieutenant who was on duty Friday, who told me that Gibson's arrest was "without incident." And I asked her about the anti-Semitic comments around mid-day. She said, in the phoniest of ways, "Oh, I'm just sure that's not the case." It was such a lying comment -- I just felt it.

Well, turns out that this time I was right on target. The lieutenant who gave me the bogus statement is the same person who told the arresting Deputy to 86 the truth and create a bullshit explanation for what went down.

The Sheriff's Department is so screwed. They thought they could protect their celebrity resident who did not deserve protection. What they didn't know is that we'd get a copy of the report that they tried to censor. And what's worse, there's evidence that I'm not allowed to report that will nail them to the wall.

UPDATE: My previous closing comment was a bit extreme so I've removed it. Gibson has checked himself into rehab. I expect in two months that he will appear on Oprah and all will be forgiven - by some - and his career will not go into the toilet.

I've turned on "moderate comments" which doesn't mean that you can only post moderate comments, it means I get to see them before they are on public display. I understand that the situation in the Middle East is an emotional issue and that there is validity to a wide spectrum of views. However I do not see the need to let this blog be a forum for juvenile hate messages; there are plenty of other venues for that. If you want to believe that by my doing this, you have riled me or gotten to me in some sense - well, you haven't, but I know you will believe what you want to believe, so go ahead and believe that, and if it gives you some satisfaction in your sad life, then I'm happy you're happy.

A letter received from Dah Sing Bank:

Please be informed that we highly suspected your card information has been illegally captured by fraudster at the time of your some purchases.

Those of us who blog in HK in English may (or may not) forget that there is a huge Chinese language blogging community here. And I suspect many of those are attracting far more readers on a daily basis than us gwei lo and gwei pah mui.

Anyway, still can't sort out what I want to do for dinner. With my dogs sleeping at my feet, I'm cruising through the blogs I regularly. Many have not been updated in a long time.

DGNYHK - a bit about music.

ESWN - more on Taiwan.

Expat@Large - says people he knows in real life shouldn't read his blog, then he changes his mind.

Flagrant Harbour - no update since the 24th.

Fumier - veers from driving tips to restaurant reviews.

Glutter - in her "just a grrl" mode

Hemlock - anxiously awaits Krispy Kreme

Madame Chiang - off on holiday and deciding to have a life rather than sitting in a hotel room and writing about having one.

Milton J Madison - takes a break from attacking the NY Times because he's found something he hates even more

Shenzhen Zen - dispensing sage advice to our visiting military

Simon World - Saturday night palsy?

Babe in Toyland - no update since July 10

Asia Pundit - some links, including one to a news story on Mahathir opening a "bakery and bistro" that surprisingly will not be called The Bread Nazi.

Cha Xiu Bao - discovers there are scammers in Nigeria!

Far East Cynic - trainspotting

HKMacs - giving out Mac advice

Lost Horizons - a night out in Wanchai

Nude King on the Blog - thinks Tahiti needs to be more like Hong Kong

Ordinary Gweilo - bemused by letters in the SCMP

Piece of Mind - no update since July 5

See Lai - some new nudes

Shaky Kaiser - a friend's tattoo

A something or other Mia - claims to have resolved some life issues and said "bye" a week ago

Walk the Talk - no update since July 17

Chopped Onions - no update since July 20

Natives Are Restless - more happy with his running

Outside Looking In - off to the UK

BWG - recycling

Singabore - no update since June 17

HK Foodie - finds good chicken rice

Spirit Fingers - time saving tips

Chakrahongkies - getting Biblical

Sailinghome - funny football club names

HKClubbing - six new ways to poison yourself lunch specials at Dozo

Another Day in Hong Kong - decides to quit blogging

Friskodude - No update since July 22

Ordinary Gal - wonders where the year went, but at least her mood seems to have improved?

Exordinarily Ordinary - a cyber best friend she has never met

Fai Mao's Sandbox - sad that Patten and Tang didn't have a fistfight

And me? Still no idea what I wanna do for dinner ....

Not a horrible weekend, all things considered.

On Saturday, I purchased the Mediaman, a splendid bit of Korean technology. Basically it's a hard disk enclosure with all sorts of outputs and firmware. Once you drop in a hard disk (in my case, 300 gig) and fill it up, you can then disconnect it from your PC, carry it into another room and hook it to your stereo and TV. It will output HD level picture quality and 5.1 surround sound and play AVI, MP3, MPEG, JPEG and a whole host of other media formats, complete with onscreen menu and a remote control. I filled up the drive and it works as advertised - finally I can lie in bed or stretch out on the sofa and watch downloaded movies in DIVX and XVID formats on a big screen and with surround sound. The cost for all of this goodness was a relatively modest $2480 (300 gig drive included), that's roughly US$325 or so. In my case, well worth it.

The US Navy's in town, in larger numbers than usual, and they've been uncharacteristically tearing up Wanchai. The police had to be called in to Joe Banana's to break up a fight and JB's had to shut down for a while to clean up the mess. Clearly a night like that calls for Lan Kwai Fong.

Believe it or don't, but in all the years I've been here, I've never been to any of the "food festivals" in Lan Kwai Fong. After checking out the one this weekend, I shall not be going out of my way to attend any others. For such a wonderful food city, a place where so many of the world's great cuisines are so well represented, what was on offer was woefully bland and unimaginative.

You could get hot dogs from Al's Diner, bratwurst from Schnurrbart, hummus from Beirut, another place was selling "mini satays" and fishballs, another place had samosas and other bits of Indian food. I don't like playing the partisan New Yorker but if you have ever been to the food festival along 9th Avenue, it makes this one look weak. Hell, walk down Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok and you'll be offered wider and more imaginative choices than were on offer here. Didn't seem to matter much to most of the other people there, they were mainly queueing for beer. But there are so many great places to eat in LKF, and you would think they might have prepared more imaginative offerings as a way to not just make a little money but also to whet your appetite to try the restaurant. I think it made LKF look bland and boring. Then again, the streets were packed with people so what the hell do I know?

Well, I will be heading back down to LKF or Soho for dinner tonight, unless I feel ambitious enough to schlep over to Causeway Bay and walk around there for a bit. Discretion being the better part of valor, avoiding Wanchai till the fleet leaves seems like a wise choice.

In 24 Hour Party People, a wonderful film from director Michael Winterbottom that covers the early days of the Madchester scene, Steve Coogan portrays Tony Wilson. The film often breaks the 4th wall, with characters talking directly to the camera and the real people stepping into frames to comment on how they are being portrayed.

In Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, Michael Winterbottom's latest film (apparently just called A Cock and Bull Story in the UK), Steve Coogan portrays Tristram Shandy, Shandy's father and Steve Coogan. I have not read the book but every review of the film mentions that the book is completely unfilmable. The film effortlessly moves between scenes from the book to behind the scenes "footage" of the cast and crew interacting, planning, fighting, loving, doing Alan Partridge impressions and making fun of Coogan's appearance in the remake of Around the World in 80 Days.

In one scene, Tony Wilson interviews Steve Coogan about the film Tristram Shandy. A voice-over announces that the entire interview will be available as an extra on the DVD.

If you praise originality in film (or if you're just a fan of Alan Partridge, ah ha!), you must see this.

Video Mash-up - Star Trek vs. Monty Python & the Holy Grail. Here.

As promised, some pictures from the Udo Rock Festival at the Fuji Speedway last Saturday. They're not great, not horrible either.

"Pirate radio" with the Pretenders.



The Doobie Brothers get out of their wheel chairs to go rockin' down the highway.


All of my Jeff Beck photos are a bit blurry.



I was closest to the stage (and turned on the digital zoom, ugh) for Santana's set.


Like I said, every shot with Jeff Beck came out blurry, here he joins the Santana band. (Note - the video I have is a 175 meg file and the youtube limit is 100 meg, so I need to figure out a way to resize it before I can upload it there.)


I never saw her from the front but that's okay - could the reality have possibly lived up to the fantasy?
Jim Beam promo girl - she did look as good from the front as from the back.


Mmmmm ... humburger. Goes great with franch frais and a Koke.

I suppose you don't need to be able to spell it in order to cook it but I didn't care to find out.



Special bonus shots of Ganguro Girls in Shibuya. Too many shots coming out blurry with this new camera (Sony T30) though in this case it's probably because I was trying to be inconspicuous about taking photos of strangers. But maybe time to take another look at the Ixus.

Geek heaven - new mega Yodabashi-Akiba shop in Akihabara, floor after floor of audio, video, cameras, watches, computer hardware and software, Zippo lighters, heated toilet seats, etc.

I'm worthless, especially when it comes to women. Here is yet the latest example:

Flying back from Tokyo yesterday on Cathay Pacific, business class. One of the flight attendants is walking around, greeting customers, handing out menus. She comes to me and, as always, pauses and looks at my name on the page, trying to figure out how to pronounce it. She doesn't come close. I give her the right pronunciation, she repeats it three times, and then says to me I have a very sexy name.

Later, when I head to the toilet, she's standing there at her station. She notes my tattoos and rolls up the sleeve on my t-shirt to see them better. We talk awhile more.

Still later, she's doing something for someone sitting across the aisle from me. She turns around, sees me sitting there, does a little double take. And another attendant, standing next to her, says to me, "she's waiting for a kiss from you."

In the past five years, I have been flying at least twice a month, often more. I have NEVER had a flight attendant flirt so openly with me.

The flight lands. I pull out a business card and figure I will hand it to her on the way out and ask if she wants to meet at Lan Kwai Fong later for a drink. But as I walk to the exit, she is nowhere to be seen. I frantically look around but I can't find her. I don't know what to do. Do I ask another stewardess where she is? Do I sit back down and wait for the plane to get emptier and take another look around? No, I get off the plane and head for immigration, business card still in my back pocket.

I'm worthless and weak. I will now drop and give you twenty.

I've been reading my way through all of Anthony Bourdain's books and watching his TV shows on Discovery Travel and Living. How could I not love a celebrity TV chef who is a former heroin addict and lifelong Ramones junkie and who says things like "I do not work out. I have a healthy regimen of cigarettes, alcohol, red meat and runny cheese. I call that Keith Richard diet."

Bourdain was in Beirut when the shit came down and now he's back in the USSR US of A. He recently did an online chat hosted by the Washington Post; you can find a transcript here. He expresses a love for Beirut and Lebanese people, disdain for the way the U.S. embassy handled the situation in Beirut, and full admiration for the U.S Marines.

As it happened, I was standing with a Sunni, Shiite and a Christian when Hezbollah supporters started to fire automatic weapons in the air celebrating the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers as a few supporters drove by the three people I was with all instantaneously took on a look of shame and embarrassment as if a dangerous and unstable little brother had once again brought the whole family into peril. At no time during my 10 days in Beirut did I ever hear an anti-Semitic or even explicitly anti-Israeli statement. To the contrary, there was a universal sense of grim resignation and inevitability to what Israel's reaction would be.

We're trying to figure some way to show how beautiful and hopeful Beirut was before the bombing, how terrible a thing it is that happened, what we've lost, the pride and hopefulness and optimism that was smashed. The surprising tenderness and sensitivity of the Marines who evacuated us. We're struggling with a way to tell that story without it being about me or about us. It will not be a regular episode of No Reservations.

Preface: In Tokyo, there are four people who report to me. Three are men, one is a woman.

Now, this is the Big Red Button of Doom:


Version 1 is the box above. Version 2 is the box above as USB 2.0 hub, and it makes various noises when you flick the switches and press the button. The link I have is from a mail order site. So I showed the page to my staff and asked them if they thought I might be able to find this in some shop in Akihabara.

Two of the men said they were not sure but gave me the name of a shop to try. One man said he didn't know but if I could find it, would I buy one for him as well.

The woman didn't say if she knew or didn't know where to find it. Rather than say she didn't know and keep quiet, she asked, "why do you need it?"

This is probably why I am single. If I was still married, my wife would have probably asked the same question. Only in this case it would have led to a fight. At least with a junior employee I can politely say the equivalent of "go away" or "shut the fuck up."

Why do I need it? Just look at it! "Need" doesn't even enter into the equation.

A militant Islamic group in Indonesia has filed a police complaint against the Indonesian entry in the Miss Universe competition, accusing her of insulting the dignity of Indonesian women by posing in a swimsuit. And technically there is a law in Indonesia that makes participation in beauty contests illegal.

Either they are a bunch of complete wackos using this as a method to gain media exposure (in which case I am playing directly into their fiendishly clever plot, foolish infidel that I am) or they're pissed off that she failed to make the finals.

This group also staged violent protests against the Indonesian publication of Playboy and encourages people to attack bars selling alcohol during Ramadan. They have so far not filed suit against Indonesians who murdered hundreds in the Bali bombing, as apparently that's okay. Killing people good, showing cleavage bad.

Ate massive amounts of cow tonight at the Tokyo outpost of "Lawry's The Prime Rib." Was gonna hit Roppongi bars afterwards to see if I could bump into any of my Tokyo krewe, but, well, it's a rainy Monday night. Sitting in my hotel room, TV selection is crap, checking out new movie trailers over at the Apple website.

From Darren Aronofsky, director of Pi, a new film starring his wife girlfriend Rachel Weisz and Peter Allen Hugh Jackman, The Fountain. Watch the trailer here and then tell me you don't wanna see this. (Hint: I wont believe you.)

Yeah, I know, the great majority of recent flicks have seriously disappointed, and this could turn out to be a lame retread of Highlander. Having seen Pi, I think not.

Also looking promising, The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman (again), Scarlet Johansson, Michael Caine.

The US vs. John Lennon, documentary. Quotes from the trailer: "Their [Nixon and his aides] distortion of the Constitution was the greatest disloyalty to this country." - Mario Cuomo. "Lennon represented life and Mr. Nixon and Mr. Bush represent death." - Gore Vidal. "Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives and I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that." - John Lennon.

Remake of The Wicker Man from director Neil LaBute starring Nicolas Cage. Somehow I don't think Cage will burn alive at the end. More importantly, will they recreate Britt Ekland's nude dancing and with whom?

Not looking so hot: The Daily Show's Rob Corddry makes the leap to lead Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story.

A movie that will never screen in HK and that I will buy on DVD the second it comes out: Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. "My reputation as a ladies' man was a joke that caused me to laugh bitterly through the ten thousand nights I spent alone."

Luke Wilson breaks up with girlfriend Uma Thurman. She's not happy. And she has super powers. My Super Ex-Girlfriend. From the director of Ghostbusters.

The Science of Sleep - Michel Gondry's follow-up to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

I Am a Sex Addict - "autobiographical filmmaker Caveh Zahedi ... comic reconstruction of his ten-year struggle with sex addiction." Another film that will never screen in HK, another DVD I will buy instantly (need you ask why?).

Okay, enough for one night, gonna put on some music and try to get something resembling sleep.

...which is the title of DJ Shadow's upcoming album.

After a weekend wallowing in nostalgia in a parking lot in Japan somewhere underneath Mt. Fuji, I'm kvelling over the fact that DJ Shadow will be setting down in Hongkie Town for one night only. (Yeah, okay, he won't be sharing a bill with Massive Attack like he will in California in September.) Lots of DJs claim to be influential, Shadow's the real deal.

It's in Western Market????? Hmmm, kind of an odd venue, innit? And, hmmm, lessee, it starts at 8 PM, which means he'll probably start spinning around 4 AM.

If I do go, I'll be easy to spot - I'll be twice the age of everyone else there. But he is the real deal and if I can find anyone else among the wheelchair set that's even heard of him, I shall be there.

It is Saturday night/Sunday morning, 1:15 AM Tokyo time and I have not had dinner. My choices are:

• Walk to the nearest open food spots, which are McDonald's and Denny's
• Take a taxi to Kabuki-cho and walk through the meanest, nastiest (and funnest?) red light district in Tokyo in search of an all night ramen shop
• Take a taxi to Roppongi where there are lots of late night restaurants (and possibly some bars?) but the taxi will cost US$20 each way
• Order room service and pay US$25 for a hamburger
• Sit here and stuff my face with Oreo Chocolate Pies while blogging

The last option suits me right now and I may go for the next-to-last as the night wears on.

Anyway, I'm one of those guys who buys Q, Mojo and Uncut magazines each month. And it drives me crazy to see the ads for the summer rock festivals in the UK. Every band in the world that ever existed playing in some cow pasture within a three day period. I usually think about making a trip to the UK but traveling halfway around the world just to watch some kids jitterbug to the latest fab sounds from Swinging England seems a tad decadent.

This summer I'm saved. Overdue for a trip to Tokyo, I was informed of the Udo Rock Festival so I scheduled my business trip around it. At least the airfare is covered.

So this morning, one of my staff members picked me up nice 'n early from the hotel and we headed out towards the Fuji Speedway. Unfortunately, this racetrack does not show up on this guy's GPS map, so we end up driving halfway up the volcano before we realize we may have gone in the wrong direction. After finally finding the place, parking the car and walking what seems like two miles to the concert stage, the Pretenders are about halfway through their set.

God bless Chrissie Hynde, still a true rocker. She's 55 years old now but I'd still do her (like I have a shot, right?). She still looks good in tight Levis and still commands the stage the way she did when I saw her more than 25 years ago. Drummer Martin Chambers is still there but I never caught the names of the guitarist or bass player. (Thought it might be Chris Spedding but seems he's on tour elsewhere in the world at the moment. If anyone knows, please let me know cause this guy was not bad.) The set itself was a run through of greatest hits, mostly mid tempo stuff and hard to get the crowd really going at 2 in the afternoon.

We took a walk down "Gourmet Street" - doner kebabs, "Mexican" food, some Chinese food, lots of Japanese food (mostly noodles) and then - eureka! - Nathan's hot dogs! At the stand selling "official merchandise," it seems that none of the t-shirts came in fat white guy size. I held one against me, the girls behind the counter said it looked perfect, and as they were darned cute, I figured okay, at least I'll get to wear it once before it shrinks so much that it fits my maid.

Next up, the Doobie Brothers. Featuring two original Doobies, they realized there's a mint to be made on the oldies circuit and they sort of tear up the stage as an 8 piece band - 3 guitars, sax and keyboards, two drummers and a bass. They started off strong, hitting some of their best known hits and then died a bit in the middle as they attempted some blues and one or two of their lesser known songs and found it hard to recover their momentum, especially when they tackled some of the Michael McDonald-era hits without Michael McDonald.

Scouted the crowd in search of some talent not on the stage. This was my first rock festival in Japan, after all, and I had visions of a crowd filled with gorgeous J-girls in minimal outfits. But all of these older acts were attracting an older crowd. And with the temperature around 19 degrees and the skies a foggy shade of grey, the crowd was also a foggy shade of grey. If there were any cute rockin' J-girls in search of some fat old white rocker type dude, I never found them.

But next up was Jeff Beck, who basically gave a one hour master class in jazz rock guitar. He started by reaching way back, opening with Beck's Bolero and just kept cranking them out. Drummer Vinny Coliuta kept working at a feverish pace, I didn't catch the names of the guys on keyboards or bass. The crowd knew this material well and they were brought back for two encores.

Last up, the headliner for the day, Santana. Backed by a nine piece band, opening with a couple of hardcore salsa numbers before moving into some jazz before serving up the expected hits, the crowd was on its feet and dancing for the whole set. I remember last seeing Santana around 97 or so when he played at the HK Coliseum, prior to his commercial revival. Either his band wasn't as good or he wasn't as motivated in those days, but this show was significantly better in every way. The band was great and Carlos was clearly enjoying the band and the crowd and in top form. Midway through I called my sort-of-girlfriend in HK, who is a big Santana fan, and held the phone up so she could listen in for awhile (hooray for 3G phones).

The famous singers who showed up to duet on the last three albums were not missed at all. Instead, we were treated to a duet of a different nature as Jeff Beck came out to tear up the stage alongside Carlos for a ten minute guitar rave-up. I captured most of it on my Sony T-30 in video mode - seems okay enough on the little three inch screen; if it's not horrendous when I check it on my PC at home, I'll upload it to YouTube.

The encore kicked off with a blistering version of Soul Sacrifice, which also brought back one of the more unfortunate trends of that era - a great solo from the timbale player, so-so solo from the conga guy, a boring few minutes from a bass player who thought he was Jaco Pastorius reincarnated, and then a very extended drum solo (the drummer was quite talented but, really, it wasn't anything you haven't heard before). A couple more numbers and then the "HMV fireworks show" began as we headed back to the car.

So some of the music was pretty darned good, a little bit was great, some was mediocre, but I was just thrilled to be at this sort of concert again for the first time in longer than I care to remember.

(For those who are curious, I'm not attending day 2 as most of the acts on the bill are of no interest to me - Kiss and Paul Rodgers are headlining.)

(Next weekend is the more famous Fuji Rock Festival. The line-up includes Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, The Raconteurs, Sonic Youth, KT Tunstall, Happy Mondays, Madness, Scissor Sisters, Gnarls Barkley, Zutons, Kula Shaker, Junior Senior, Killing Joke, Nightmares on Wax, Lisa Ono and what seems like hundreds more spread across multiple stages and tents, but I can't extend my visit to include that. Maybe next year.)

Driving back to Tokyo, my friend's radar detector failed him - he was clocked at 131 kph in an 80 zone. We had to follow the cops for about 10 kilometers to the next exit. One cop got out of the car and lit a flare and put an orange cone behind us while my friend was "invited" to sit in the rear seat of the police car to find out what a bad person he was.

He's a smart guy though (I try not to hire idiots). He pointed to the white guy in the passenger seat (me), told the cops I was his boss and that I was in a rush and pressuring him to drive faster. He was facing a 30 day driving suspension, a 90,000 yen fine, 12 points on his license and the possibility of immediate arrest. Instead he received a 6,000 yen fine and a stern warning.

Not a bad day out.

Temporary cap in place, I'm ready to fly to Tokyo today and rock out, but I think this concert will mostly make me feel old. The last time I saw the Doobie Brothers live was 1971 or 1972. I saw the Pretenders live when their first album came out, more than 25 years ago. Last time I saw Jeff Beck live was around 1975. Santana, that's recent, 96 or 97 when he came to HK, prior to his commercial re-emergence.

(Doobie Bros show was interesting. It was a taping for the ABC late night series "In Concert." It was at Madison Square Garden in NYC, starting at midnight and running all night. They gave out about a thousand or two free tickets at my school, enough to fill the lower levels of the Garden, which has a 20,000 seat capacity, so that it would look full for the cameras. Also on the bill were War, Edgar Winter, Jim Croce. Before Croce came out, an assistant director came out on stage and announced, "Jim Croce is about to come out and sing his hit. We want you to give him a standing ovation. If you don't get it right, we'll keep repeating it until you do." Several months later, the ads appeared: "On (date), Jim Croce walked out on the stage of Madison Square Garden to a standing ovation." My friends and I thought he was crap but loved all the other acts, especially War.)

Anyway, not back to HK till Wednesday but will try to blog my impressions of the concert within a couple of days.

The "President" of the United States and the whatchamacallit of Germany getting along.

Scenario #1:

Him - Hmmm, German, blonde, must be a hooker! Hey baby, lemme show ya how everything's bigger in Texas!

Her - What the fuck?

Scenario #2:

Him - German lady bad. Me no like. Me give Vulcan nerve pinch to knock her out and shut her piehole. [thanks to boingboing for the star trek idea]

Her - What the fuck?

I suspect it's because he forgot to pack this for his trip:

Dinner date tonight.

But let me digress. I have terrible teeth. My teeth are so bad people sometimes think I'm British. Last year, visited the periodontist and he listed a bunch of things I need to get done and said the total cost (to be done by a dentist, not by him) would probably be somewhere around HK$40,000. "Couldn't I go to Bumrungrad in Bangkok to get it done? It would cost 75% less there." "I don't think the dentists there have the skills for what you need to have done."

Okay, so found a million reasons not to do it. Until a year later, when I said, "okay, let's get it on." Went back to the periodontist today; he informed me it's been exactly a year since my last visit. Going to get started as soon as I get back from Tokyo next week.

So. Dinner. Sitting there chatting at a semi-fashionable Soho venue. As we're talking and eating, I feel a cap starting to come loose. I want to excuse myself from the table, hit the bathroom and check it out privately. But she's in the middle of something and I don't want to appear rude. She's going on and I feel it getting looser and looser. Finally when she pauses for breath, I leap in and say, "Sorry, excuse me for a minute, I need to go to the bathroom." And on the "th" in "bathroom", the cap goes flying out of my mouth, landing right in the chili sauce.

And she's so sweet, she says, "it's all right, don't worry, I've had the same thing happen to me."

And we did spend another hour after dinner talking, although as you can imagine I was lisping horribly. But the fact that she didn't run away when she had the chance suggests that there could be another date with her. I hope.

Growing older sometimes seems like a series of reductions or subtractions. You hit this point where you start to realize that you can't always do the things you took for granted any more.

#1 Milk

My stomach has been kind of weird ever since my Shanghai trip last month. I went to the doctor last week and he wondered if I might have become lactose-intolerant and suggested that I cut out milk products for a while and see what happens. I don't drink milk but cannot imagine life without cheese!

#2 Alcohol

("I never drink water; fish fuck in it." W.C. Fields)

In my college days, I could really drink. In my senior year, I stopped doing drugs for a spell and went for the bottle and often drank at least a pint of Cuervo Gold per day, still able to function and no hangover the next day. That was 30 years ago.

Tonight, dinner at Harlan's. It's been good each time I was there but tonight was the best, in terms of both the food and the service. It didn't hurt that the hostess was flirting with me all evening and that, when we said we were too full for dessert, she sent over some cheesecake and ice cream because she "wanted us to try it anyway." I was with a person from my company who is in town for a couple of days, and the two of us put away the better part of two bottles of wine. After dinner, it was all I could do to make it home and pass out. And then I woke up at 2:30, worshipped at the throne of the porcelain goddess for a bit, and now it's 5 AM and I'm wide awake.

So that's life, innit?

(When discussing how he manages to stay on the road doing a hundred or so concerts per year despite being 80 years old and in somewhat failing health, B.B. King commented that he has three great doctors who keep him in shape - Dr. Viagra, Dr. Cialis, Dr. Levitra.)

Then again, this weekend I'm off to the Udo Rock Festival in Japan, where I will indulge in the nostalgic sounds of Santana, Doobie Brothers, Jeff Beck and The Pretenders, amongst others. If I can figure out some way to stretch out the trip, the following weekend is the Fuji Rock Festival, which includes Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Scissor Sisters and dozens of others. It's gonna be very hot and I expect there to be a lot of talent at the concert, not all of it on stage....

First stop - HSBC. I've been starting to get my financial "house" in order and was thinking that I might wanna invest in some HK stocks or a mutual fund, maybe a little piece o' China as well. The woman at HSBC spent an hour with me. First she weighed my wallet. Finding it suitable, she then determined my Risk Profile (TM). And then we went over prospectuses (prospecti?) for a variety of funds. After an hour, she went to fetch the paperwork to get the account started. And only then did it occur to her to ask my nationality. And then I found out something I didn't know ... that as a US citizen I'm apparently not allowed to purchase stocks or mutual funds through an HK bank. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, probably she doesn't get Americans walking through the door every day, but still, she knows I ain't Chinese, presumably she's had some training (her card reads "Financial Planning Manager"), you'd think she could have asked that question at the beginning and saved us both an hour?

Second stop - walking through CityPlaza shopping mall, I was stunned to see a shop selling CBGB t-shirts. They even had a photo of the place in the window, with something in Chinese explaining its importance and a list of some of the bands that played there. It was a hangout for me decades ago. I even used to manage some acts that played there. So I thought, "sure, why not" and entered the shop. But guess what? They don't carry "fat white guy size" at CityPlaza.
Third stop - Mix, a vaguely healthy fast food chain in town. I stood there looking at the different sandwiches and wraps in the glass, refrigerated counter. And as I was trying to decide between a "Bombay Beef Wrap" and some sort of Lebanese lamb concoction (now that would have been ironic if I'd gotten that one given my last post), I saw two cockroaches scurrying around the "power pretzels," just having a grand old time. Kind of lost my appetite at that point.

Four - a very frustrating phone conversation with the woman I've recently been dating. I'm starting to get the feeling there's no future there.

Can't wait to see what comes next ....

For the most part, newspapers seem to be showing a lot of photos of the bombings in Beirut, which to me is presenting a one-sided picture of a horrendous story. The BBC web site has shown some of the devastation caused by Hezbollah's nonstop rocket attacks in Israel. I've read blog entries from westerners and Chinese expressing anti-Israeli feelings and it just completely puzzles me. While it's nothing new, news media outlets seem to slant their stories towards the better graphics. Firestorms sell papers, draw ratings, draw people to web sites. If you look at the NY Times web site right now, the main photo is of Muslims grieving at the death of a terrorist. You don't see the terrorist or his acts, you see people looking very, very sad and naturally that attracts your sympathy. Where are the photos of the families of the 8 people killed in the bombing of the Haifa railway yards?

Interestingly enough, some Arab leaders are publicly condemning Hezbollah - and not Israel - for the events of the past week. This almost never happens. The odds of Arab leaders pointing fingers at other Arabs are almost as astronomical as the odds of Simon Patkin turning off his air conditioners when he leaves his house.

The reason is relatively simple. Israel, if left alone, would be a good neighbor. Hezbollah, on the other hand, receives a large amount of its funding and weaponry from Iran, and will spread terror throughout the region in an attempt to spread its fanatical version of Islam. Moderate Muslim countries would not be safe from them.

So leaders from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and other Arab states have said that it's Hezbollah's actions that are not acceptable. Meanwhile, leaders of the G8 have blamed both Hezbollah and Hamas for attempting to destabilize the region and frustrate the painfully slow peace process.

Except, it seems, for France. The BBC says Chirac spoke out in defense of Lebanon. I haven't seen a transcript/translation of his speech. But I am wondering how you can defend a country that gives shelter to a terrorist organization - hell, they more than shelter them, their coalition government includes these terrorists. Lebanon ignored a UN directive to disarm and control Hezbollah and is now reaping what it has sowed.

"President" George Bush, pocket pal of the al Saud family, once argued that a U.S. invasion of Iraq would lead to peace in the region and more democracy. Three years down the line, Iraq threatens to be engulfed by extremists and terrorists, Hezbollah is continues to commit international atrocities and the Palestinians elected a terrorist organization to run their government while Iran elected a president who might be even more insane than Bush. "I just love it when a plan comes together!"

Sitting in Mes Amis, watching the world go by, the place was kind of empty and it was dusk, so the streets weren't too busy. Some guy walks by and compliments me on my Clash "London Calling" t-shirt. From the looks of things, he was probably born the year the album was released, whereas for me, it came at a time when new releases from my favorite bands were major events and this was one album that surpassed all my expectations.

Anyway, thinking about stuff and while it's really hard to censor myself and not blog about it, I'm determined that I will no longer wear my heart on my sleeve, or on my blog, as it were. Anyway, I realized what I wanted most (well, maybe second most) was different music from what I was likely to hear in any HK bar. So went home, got this playlist of some recent favorite tracks, just let it run through in alphabetical order, some of what came up ....

Killers - All These Things That I've Done
Doves - Almost Forgot Myself
Foo Fighters - Best of You
Chas Jankel - Ai No Corrida
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californification
Kasabian - Club Foot
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To
Mylo - Drop the Pressure
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
Elbow - Forget Myself
Paul Weller - From the Floorboards Up
Razorlight - Golden Touch
Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats
Robert Plant - I Believe
Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
Oasis - Importance of Being Idle
Depeche Mode - John the Revelator
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #2
Cream vs. the Hoxtons - Sunshine of Your Love
Hard-Fi - Tied Up Too Tight
Kaiser Chiefs - You Can Have It All

Yeah, okay, for some of you, this is probably a list from hell. For me, it's working just fine ...

A non-stop torrent of emails spanning several different accounts. The cynical amongst you may think that what I was searching for was a pat on the back, an "atta boy," a validation of what I've been doing. I can't deny that would play into it. After all, who doesn't have an ego that likes being stroked? And I will also admit that I have taken a lot of pride in whatever small accomplishment the old blog does (or doesn't) represent.

But I got tired of worrying about the blog. It was becoming a millstone, a figurative albatross around my literal neck. Talking with friends, trading emails with acquaintances, sitting around and thinking about it, I realized I was introducing unnecessary levels of stress.

So, figuring that I would keep on doing this, but just refocus the content away from the more personal aspects of my life. If I lose readers, if the hit count doesn't ascend as quickly, so be it.

Next decision was in which format to continue? Stay with Blogger? Move to another hosted service? Get my own domain? The key word is "lazy." I know how to use Blogger's crap and it does pretty much everything I would want, at least for now. (I haven't ruled out squarespace yet, but have to investigate the features further and decide if I want to pay to do what I've been doing for free for so long.)

Am I back too soon? Should I have played the blushing virgin longer? I'm sure some of you will say yes and leave the arbitrary nasty comments. Like I care.

So ....

Superman Returns. Problematic.

Superman was always the white bread of super heroes. He's never had the dark undercurrents of Batman, the angst of Spiderman, the hip appeal of whomever is hip at the moment. In short, he's kind of boring. Add to that the fact that the last two Superman movies were horrendous and the problems just compound.

After a decade of tinkering, we have the latest version. Brandon Routh plays Christopher Reeve, Kevin Spacey is Gene Hackman, Kate Bosworth is Margot Kidder and Parker Posey is Valerie Perrine. I put it that way because it seems that the actors are consciously channeling their predecessors, and it limits them, especially Posey and Spacey.

And we have Bryan Singer, who somehow has gone from semi-adult fare like Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil to being the king of comic book movies. Singer is a very talented film-maker - if you have any doubts, watch what he did with the first two X-Men movies, then look at the third one. Hell, compare X3 with Superman, which may not be great but at least manages to effortlessly tap emotional wells that are far beyond the reach of X3.

Singer plays it restrained for the most part, and that may be part of the problem. He downplays the "cute" lines - they're there but not emphasized. When Lois is rescued not by Superman but by her husand, and he says he flew there, there's no wink, no close-up, no rimshot, the line is there for some to notice, some to pass over. Also, while Brandon Routh doesn't embarass himself on screen, he is nowhere near the talent that Christopher Reeve was - CR had so much fun with the comic edges of Clark Kent's persona and Routh doesn't seem to possess those dimensions.

And the film doesn't end on a rousing high note. The last 15 minutes or so are quite downbeat. And I think it's those 15 minutes that haven't led to great word-of-mouth. People want populist film making for their comic books, they want to see Superman squash the villain and fly off with the American flag in hand, and this doesn't have that kind of ending. Is it Singer trying to say, "yes, this is kiddie crap but I'm still an artiste"? It wraps up the plot but leaves enough lose ends for a sixth film (coming in 2009).

It's also too long at almost two and a half hours, and the length makes it ponderous.

Overall, a vast improvement on Supe 3 or 4. If you ain't a comic book movie fan, this isn't the one to convert you. If you like your super heroes, then it ain't exactly Spiderman, but it ain't Daredevil either.

A more proper, less cryptic farewell.

I'm driven to write - and to express myself. That's one reason I started the blog. Another reason is that I wanted to write about a lifestyle that I didn't see covered anywhere else. Comments on the blog have been okay - on rare occasions, some have "made my day" and, despite the best attempts by some, nothing has really hurt me. Having once served time as a professional writer, I enjoyed having an outlet for my thoughts and seeing the reactions.

The question I have been asking myself recently is: why I am so relentlessly publicizing my private life and what benefits do I receive from it? Okay, that's two questions. But I could not come up with answers strong enough to continue doing what I was doing. Meanwhile, the list of potential negatives just kept growing and began to far outweigh the meager positives.

In part, one commenter hit the nail on the head. Writing "I went to this bar, I fucked this hooker" repeatedly gets really old after awhile. But that's just a part of it and I don't care to go into the other parts.

To those who have enjoyed this tiny little corner of the blogosphere, I do plan to keep writing. I'll have a blog that will be everything that Hongkie Town used to be, with one major exception - I will no longer be writing about my personal life. I'll continue to write about music, movies, TV, travel, politics and life in Hong Kong. Maybe I'll be as twee as those bloggers who write entire entries that read, "I had a splendid day today, hope you did too!" Um, maybe not.

I just have not decided on the details yet. Will I keep this URL or go someplace else? Will I still be "Spike"? Right now I don't know.

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write - both positive and negative. See you soon.

Comments have convinced me that taking this down is the right thing to do and probably long overdue. I may do something different in a short while but this one is finished.