Monday, September 03, 2007

What I Did On My Summer Break(Down) Pt. IV - I Wore a Superhero Cape to Lollapalooza

Other people my blogroll can give you better descriptions about what happened at this year's Lollapalooza, Aug. 5-7 in Grant Park (yeah, it was a month ago, get over it) than I can. But I will say that it was fun. Not as good as last year, but a good time nonetheless.

AT&T, a major sponsor of the festival, "accidentally" deleted an anti-Bush comment by Pearl Jam as part of their webcast of the event (apparently AT&T did the same thing last year during the Flaming Lips set?), so that was really awesome. I
love AT&T. Also, I could not make long distance overseas calls in the AT&T tent, like I could last year. And the little plastic fans they gave out were useless landfill. So in my opinion, their presence as a sponsor is totally useless. AT&T sucks and needs to go.

I did want to discuss, however, how awesome me, Richard and our friends Tomas and Sarah are because we got ahold of some sweet-ass sup
erhero capes and wore them on Days 2 and 3 of the show, as seen in the photo below.


[Sarah and I in our amazing superhero capes, Saturday at Lolla.]

Why did we wear superhero capes to Lollapalooza, you ask? Because we are awesome, I said
(geez you people need to pay attention).

Here's pretty much how it happened.
On Friday, after a few* drinks of vodka and Smartwater (yeah, it tasted about as good as it sounds), and Budweiser Select (yeah, it tasted about as good as it sounds too) and watching the antics of the keyboardist from Ghostland Observatory rocking a cool sliver cape, a history-making conversation ensued that went something like this:

Sarah: "Check out the keyboardist's cool cape. So sweet."

Me: "Yeah, that is awesome. People don't wear enough capes these days. This is a major problem with society, I believe."
Sarah: "I wish
we had capes that we could wear to Lollapalooza!"
Me: "Yeah! Like, if each of us had a sweet sparkly superhero-looking ones."

Sarah: "Yes! With those cool old-school big collars."

Richard: "We could each have different colored ones. I want a red one."

Me: "This is actually one of the best ideas ever devised in the history of mankind.
** Let me make a few phones calls."

Some of you may remember how my Grandma made my and
Niner's cool Panda costumes for Halloween last year (chronicled here and here). Grandma was a professional seamstress for decades, and she loves making stuff for me - since I will never give her great grandkids, in times like this I can serve as both her grandson and great grandson. When I called to ask if she could whip out four different colored adult-sized shiny capes with collars in less than 24 hours, she didn't bat an eye.

According to my mother, who went with Grandma to the fabric store, there was a conversation between with the clerk that went like this:


Grandma: "I need 3 yards each of the following fabrics."

Clerk: "Wow, how colorful! What is this for?"

Grandma: "I am making my grandson and his friends some capes."

Clerk: "How adorable! Is your grandson in a play at camp or something?"

Grandma: "No."

Clerk: "Is this for a school project then?"

Grandma: "No, he just wants them for some concert he's going to. For Halloween, I made him a panda costume."

Clerk: "Is your grandson a special needs
child or something?"***

And so it came to pass. For most of Saturday and parts of Sunday, we walked around all day with our capes on, like we were superheroes, like it was the most normal, logical thing a person could do
(it helped that we drank heavily again). We got a few looks, but we also got even more "awesome!" and "sweet capes, dudes!" comments. Everyone was jealous of our awesomeness.

Plus, it made us easy to spot when we got separated from each other.

[Even Superheroes need cash sometimes.]

* And of course by a "few" I really mean a crapload - or, at least enough to make the idea of wearing capes to Lolla seem like a good one.

** OK, maybe I didn't really say that. But I can tell you that I was so excited about wearing a cape that I was at least thinking it.

*** OK, so the clerk didn't say this, but ten bucks it was what she was thinking.

28 comments:

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater said...

Special needs!!! Hilarious.

If it makes granny happy to make costumes, I can help you think of ideas.

How's about we do a production of Bambi in Grant Park? I get to be the hunter that ices the mom.

Ms. Laaw-yuhr said...

You are now my personal superhero.

This just confirms my new belief that everyone cool lives in or around Chicago.

Michael5000 said...

There you go. Nobody ever gives the crafters any respect, but then when you want a bitchin' concert cape, who do you call? That's right. Someone with a sewing machine.

Geeky Tai-Tai said...

Awesome super heros, awesome grandma!

carolyn says said...

awesomest granny ever
and awesomest capes ever

and how thoughtful of you to try to fulfill her needs for great grandchildren without actually adding to the problem of overpopulation!

ADW said...

Next time have her make wings. Pretty wings make everything all better.

Rockin' capes though - great idea!!

mysterygirl! said...

I love your capes, but I love even more the fact that your grandma made you panda costumes for Halloween. I must not have been reading you regularly yet-- those posts were hilarious.

blythe said...

man, just when i thought i couldn't love/totally be freaked out by you anymore...

captain corky said...

Lucky!!! Those capes are sweet dude.

Mood Indigo said...

I love capes. I had a superman one when I was little I refused to take off. It just felt like it gave me freaking WINGS.

Loaf said...

This is the kind of awesome idea that only excessive alcohol can bring.

I did see these pictures, and for a moment, thought "Why is he wearing a cape". Then thought "It's Cherry. There doesn't need to be a rational reason".

Good work!

Mighty Dyckerson said...

Can you enlarge that last photo? I'm trying to make out her PIN.

t.k.foster said...

Yeah, you can be my superhero too. I've been needing someone with a cape in my life, but that does look pretty smooth, got to tell ya'.

Mr. Shain said...

jesus christ, does it get any more gay than this?

ReckenRoll said...

Can we break out the capes again for my visit?

minijonb said...

just don't try to show up at a superhero convention in those... you'll get beaten up.

blythe said...

@mr. shain. it does. have you read *the life and times? totes gay.

classyandfancy said...

My computer just overheated due to your awesomeness.

The [Cherry] Ride said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The [Cherry] Ride said...

Dr. Ken:: I just don't want to be Thumper. I bet Classy would be Thumper.

Laww-yur:: Your belief is 100% correct.

Michael5K: Hey, I give props to Grandma whenever I can. She's the bomb.

Geeky:: Our awesomeness goes tips the scales.

Carolyn:: Exactly. I do this for the betterment of Planet Earth.

ADW:: Hmmm... definitely something to consider.

MG!:: Yeah, Halloween was a lot of fun.

Blythe:: That is my goal in life.

Corky:: I knew you could appreciate it!

Indigo:: I cannot lie, it was fun feeling like a little kid again. A drunk little kid, but a kid nonetheless.

Loaf:: How well you know me!

Dyck:: You said "make out" and "enlarge" hee hee.

Names:: Happy to be your superhero! But I can't fly (yet) so it may be awhile until I make it down to Texas.

Mr. Shain:: Suck it! I suppose it could get more gay... I could start posting photos of beef and taco cake like you do. Would that make you happy?

Wingman:: Sure! You and Kate can wear the capes, and I'll wear the panda outfit.

MiniJB:: Yeah, they're pretty bottom-shelf for the superhero convention crowd. But I can take those geeks!

Blythe:: Good one!

Classy:: Thanks - I knew you would appreciate! Plus, I have that efect on computers.

Jenny! said...

I laughed way too hard at your super hero pic! Great stuff!

Rambling Canuck said...

Love the capes!

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater said...

Cherry: That leaves you with Flower, the skunk. You sure you don't want to be Thumper?

Dykerson: After enlarging the pic, I think I can make out Cargo Shorts' code. I bet there's a fanny pack slung around the front of him.

Mr. Shain said...

leave my tacocake out of your cape wearing blog.

LORMO said...

Hey! Congrats on the firing!

blythe said...

cherry? where are you?

ReckenRoll said...

Where for art thou CherryRide?

Mr. Shain said...

take off the damn cape and blog.