Although it doesn't look like it, the picture to the left is a picture of the Mountain Goats.
Conversely, the second picture you see looks like a mountain goat, but is in fact a species of big horned sheep. Yet these two pictures were taken in the same room on the same night. What gives? John Darnielle, who performs music under the Mountain Goats moniker, was playing a concert in the Hall of North American Mammals at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. A little more than a decade ago, by random circumstance, I ended up spending a few days with John Darnielle and his then girlfriend, now wife. A mutual friend of ours was allowing us all to stay at his parents' lake cabin near Olympia, Washington, where John was playing at an indie rock festival, and I had brought along another old friend of mine, who was just getting started in his career as an actor. Over those few days, we sat around and told stories around the campfire, toured the now defunct Olympia Brewery, and played craps at a local Indian casino. (I had never played, but John patiently explained the rules.) This was the first and only time that this group of people would hang out together, but we all got along famously. Everyone was just getting started on their chosen paths, and we were there for the festival, but also just to kick back by the lake in the summer. Fast forward 11 years. After the show at the museum tonight, that same actor friend and I found ourselves walking out next to a lucky girl who had gotten her hands on that night's Mountain Goats setlist. She held on to that list with a desperate strength, as John might say, her hands literally shaking with excitement. We were a long way from Olympia.
Conversely, the second picture you see looks like a mountain goat, but is in fact a species of big horned sheep. Yet these two pictures were taken in the same room on the same night. What gives? John Darnielle, who performs music under the Mountain Goats moniker, was playing a concert in the Hall of North American Mammals at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. A little more than a decade ago, by random circumstance, I ended up spending a few days with John Darnielle and his then girlfriend, now wife. A mutual friend of ours was allowing us all to stay at his parents' lake cabin near Olympia, Washington, where John was playing at an indie rock festival, and I had brought along another old friend of mine, who was just getting started in his career as an actor. Over those few days, we sat around and told stories around the campfire, toured the now defunct Olympia Brewery, and played craps at a local Indian casino. (I had never played, but John patiently explained the rules.) This was the first and only time that this group of people would hang out together, but we all got along famously. Everyone was just getting started on their chosen paths, and we were there for the festival, but also just to kick back by the lake in the summer. Fast forward 11 years. After the show at the museum tonight, that same actor friend and I found ourselves walking out next to a lucky girl who had gotten her hands on that night's Mountain Goats setlist. She held on to that list with a desperate strength, as John might say, her hands literally shaking with excitement. We were a long way from Olympia.
1 comment:
The Mountain Goats in the hall of mammals is truly excellent. (We'll always have the empty bottle)
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