Friday 13/07/07 Day One @ Pitchfork Festival, Union Park, Chicago

Hirsute well-read aesthete duo whine about the lineup on the Green Line. 

“Dude, Pitchfork really lost its mojo.”

“How’s that?”

“Check it out, man.  Last year we had, like, Spank Rock, who incited, like, this big orgiastic stage invasion, right?  Then we had the chubby chick in Bonde do Role break her ****in arm in half, all followed up by CSS looking real like ****in leotardy and hot.  My question to you, dude, is, what do we got this year?”

“The New Pornographers.”

“Last year’s Lollapalooza.  Who else?”

“Uh, Cat Power.”

“Last year’s Bonnaroo.  Next.”

“Sonic Youth.”

“Lollapalooza.  Last year.”

“Yeah, but they’re playing—“

“I don’t care what they’re playing.  Were you even born in 1988?”

“Hold on….give me a minute….Yoko Ono.  We got Yoko Ono.  She didn’t play anywhere last year.”

“She killed The Beatles, man.”

“What do you care?  Were you like born in 1963 or something?”

The duo disembarks.  The two of them amble down the stairs toward Ashland.  Yes gentlemen, the same bands do play the same festivals, year in, year out.  Everyone knows that.  What you should be debating instead is the structure of this opening night Pitchfork kick-off.  Three acts playing three albums from the 20th Century, first track to last?  How exactly will Generation ADD react to something like that?  And let’s pause for a moment to honor our sponsors – Don’t Look Back/All Tomorrow’s Parties, take a bow.  Did you catch those names?  All systems go, next stop: The Future.  We are gonna bear witness to some cutting-edge stuff.  Right?

On the contrary, nostalgia is the order of the day.  Brash move, Pitchfork.  Pushing full-length albums in an iTune txtmsg Girl Talk world.  Nothing less than anathema to the soundbite zeitgeist.  Slint, Sonic Youth, and the GZA.  Can’t say we’ve done any undue drooling over any of these performers.  Although the radio-friendly Sonic Youth stuff is nothing to scoff at.  What was that one with the Macauley Culkin video?  Yeah, 'Sunday.'  Good song.  And what’s not to like about 'Bull in the Heather'?