New Snaps 5.19.05

Periodically, we here at Nothing Terribly Grandiose (read: Joe, at home, in boxers and a smile) will comb the files of recent pics we (I) took and post them under the "New Snaps" heading. Be warned: the word "snaps" refers to the snapping of the camera shutter, not to the presence of ginger snaps. Our ginger snap reserves are lamentably empty. Why do we (I) have no ginger snaps here? I need to troll around online and order the greatest cookie known to man:

Ladies and Gentlemen...

The Legendary...

SWEETZEL'S SPICED WAFERS



But before I go on my cyberquest for spicy satiety, and since I didn't actually take the above photo, thus disqualifying it as MY snap, here are a few of my recent LEGITIMATE snaps from an early afternoon stroll near Union Square:

The Metronome



Being that this is one of tens of thousands of photos probably taken of the Metronome in an average week, this picture wins nothing in the originality column, but that's not the point. The point is that the formatting of the numbers is different than I've ever seen it.

Usually the 'Nome features an uninterrupted string of digits, the last several of which tick the seconds (and I suppose, milliseconds) upward as time passes. Today was different, however...I haven't been back since, so I don't know where the counter stands now, but what's creepy is that the numbers were descending, counting DOWN to something purportedly 59 days in the future (the column breakdown from left to right: days, hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds).

Based on the day/time I took the picture (Saturday May 7th 2005, around noon), my calculations show the approximate zero hour for this countdown is around 3am, Wednesday July 6th. What is slated to happen on this day, at that hour of the morning? Should we be prepared for cataclysmic disaster, or perhaps a 3am Circuit City blowout sale? Whatever this imminent happening may be, we know that the foundations of the very world in which we live may be rocked when the final seconds tick away!

Maybe I'll try to score a 3am exchange on the new phone I bought at that very Circuit City a few short weeks ago...

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King of Candy Apples



I later passed through a street fair, gladly treating myself to a plastic cup of ice cold lemonade. New York City street fairs play host to some of the most satisfying and inexpensive foods, including the always-delicious lemonade, $1 Thai food, grilled corn on the cob, freshly made sweet potato fries, and, as the photo shows, candy apples.

This pic needs little, if any, explanation. This guy simply must be the King of the Land of Candy Apples. He has selflessly taken a break from the pressing duties of his monarchy to share the fruit of his underlings with New York City.

This would mean more to me if I actually ate candy apples.

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Moonshadow #3



The night before my stroll, I was barhopping in this neighborhood with Ben and our good friends Steve May and Andy Levine. Rounding the corner on the way to the subway, we came upon the third installment (that WE'VE seen...these advertisements could go back for years) of the Luis Jimenez and Moonshadow series. Not only was this a brand new ad, but someone who preceded us decided to augment it with a blank speech balloon sticker. Ben, always with a pen handy, took the opportunity to fill the speech balloon with a thought pressing heavily on his mind these days:



[For those who can't decipher Ben's scrawl, it says "The U.S. Government is complicit in the attacks of 9/11!"]

Sadly, I was without my camera for this, which was actually the catalyst for the Saturday walk itself.

Now, some backstory on Ben's and my relationship with these Luis & Moon ads:

Well over a year ago, Ben and I came upon a subway ad we both found hilarious.



We both loved the fact that these were two dudes, buried up to their shoulders in wads of cash, apparently howling out of sheer delight. Or insanity. We weren't sure. At any rate, we loved this ad so much that we wrote a song called "Moonshadow" (which will appear on our next album, once we actually take the initiative to make it). We feel it's a fitting tribute to the show's madcap lunacy.

In fact, I listened to MEGA 97.9 (http://www.lamega.com/) in the mornings on and off for several months around this time, and the ad perfectly captures the Luis/Moon dynamic. Luis is at the forefront, handling most of the on air banter/conversation/commentary. He's backed by a colorful cast of characters including the illustrious Moonshadow, who punctuates Luis' mile-a-minute shtick with his trademark howl: HOO-OO-OO-OO-OOOOOO!!!!!!

Months later, while on the First Annual Two Man March, Ben and I found this ad:



The relationship between Luis and Moon seems entirely different than before. Luis seems to have regressed to his late adolescence, when he could sport a soul patch, a beaded necklace, and a carefree un-jaded grin. Moonshadow, on the other hand, has apparently aged several years, now playing the quiet father, eyeing his ne'er-do-well son with a mix of wary disapproval and pride. Ben and I are currently penning another song called "Wayward Son," based on this ad.

Who knows what musical output will spring from this third ad, but it is without doubt a return to form for Luis & Moon. They're once again on the same level, in the same predicament. They're a pair of wild men, speaking their minds, howling at will, only to be controlled by metal plates riveted to their faces! What words of wisdom stand poised to spring from the mouths of our heroes once they break the bonds of their detractors? My guess is Luis will frantically rattle off something in Spanish, followed by Moon's unmistakable primal howl!

HOO-OO-OO-OO-OOOOOO indeed, my friend...HOO-OO-OO-OO-OOOOOO INDEED!!!!!!