If I Just BREEEAATTTHHHEEE!

I posted recently about the Pete Yorn concert I went to last summer that will go down in infamy - at least, the infamy of my soul. I still dream about it occasionally and how wonderful it was to be within five hundred yards of those sweaty, unwashed locks of Pete's while he strummed away and rocked my world forever.

Looking back on it, though, I realize that as awesome as it might have been for myself, it probably was a little less so for my buddy Shaker who was nice enough to go with me when I had no one else willing to sacrifice their weekend for my happiness.

He's actually, probably, going to kill me for this, considering I don't think I've even really talked to him since last summer. Let's just not tell him I posted his picture on the internet, ok? Ok. But how cool is this Fedora, right? Also, the night of the concert he bought me a really great sandwich and introduced me to The Black Keys. The evening was a ten! (Ladies, interested? I'll see what I can do for you. If, you know, he doesn't murder me. For posting his picture on the internet. Holy crap, we really can't tell him about this).

What's great about Shaker is that when you go see a concert with him and the terrible opening act comes out on stage in cowboy boots and a throw back to seventies lingerie-style night gown to warble on and on AND ON about the woes of her Asian life (this isn't racist! It's simply an observation! I love Asians!) he doesn't just stand there and awkwardly live through every horrifying moment because he can only assume you WANT to listen to it.

Nope, he talks through it and helps you make fun of this chick for as long and as much as you'd like and makes sure you always have booze so that it just keeps getting funnier the longer she sings. It was refreshing.

However, during our discussion, we let it rip about all kinds of music and concerts we'd been to and we even treaded into the badlands of "what was the first CD you ever bought?"and I, LIKE A MORON, admitted that Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill might have been mine and sure, Shaker had a good laugh about that. I'm sure you are too. WHATEVER. LAUGH AWAY. But just know that every time you make fun of me and my junior high sense of style, a puppy dies. And that I'm keeping tally marks against you. Karma's a bitch. I'm just saying.

What was great also, was that once he had a good laugh about this...and I'm talking a GOOD LAUGH, he willingly admitted that he had a serious thing for Michelle Branch right around the same time.

That's right.

Michelle. Branch.

So I've been doing some digging recently in an attempt to fulfill my own sense of "where are they now?" stars of my childhood ever since they found Boner from Growing Pains dead in Vancouver. (I'm not making fun of it. There have been enough jokes at this poor boys unfortunate nickname and such. My prayers are with his family. And with the Olympics who are currently also in Vancouver and are trying to turn this negative publicity around. Which they're not having much luck with after that unfortunate luge accident. Seriously, Vancouver, WTF?)

Wow. I'm really bad at staying on topic.

Michelle Branch. She's still alive. She used to be with a band called The Wreckers that I absolutely loved, with all of my hillbilly twang girlpowered heart. However, Michelle is still holding her own since the band broke up. This song is sappy and sweet but more importantly, Michelle Branch isn't in Vancouver, so she's still alive and able to sing it.

This one is for Shaker, wherever you might be. And there's a good chance you might be biking in Guatemala because you're just that kind of dude. Just remember when viewing this video to breathe. Let it fill the space between. I know, everything is alright. Breathe.