Monday, February 22, 2010

Iguana Love



When I was just a pup, one sunny afternoon I was walking down Warren Road in Lakewood just north of the corner at Detroit Avenue. In my peripheral, I noticed something move on the side of the building I was inches away from. By the time I had the chance to turn my head and look, this green blur of quickness dove right off the wall and scurried across the sidewalk in front of me.

It was a lizard! An iguana! Loose in the suburban businesscape! I immediately knew I had to catch it, to get it the hell away from the busy intersection. This little green lunatic then ran right into Warren, I chased him back up onto the sidewalk, then up to Detroit where he hung a sharp right. I pursued like a maniac, but tiny lizard legs move fast- and I was just an awkward clumsy hooligan. I finally flanked him into the doorway to the now departed Lakewood seafood staple, Barnacle Bill's. He tried to climb the glass door, but there found himself trapped. In my hand, pressed to my chest, he freaked out for only a couple seconds before fright turned him to stoic stone up against me. I had some lunch crowd person call the APL in Barnacle Bill's, then waited.



The Wrangler showed up a half hour later with a giant claw looking grabber thing, probably expecting to find a dragon-esque villain he would have to corral into good behavior. By now the iguana was cool as a cucumber, both our heart rates slowed to about a quarter of what they had been for the escape attempt and capture. He was just a little skinny reptile, maybe two feet long, tail included. Where he came from, we will never know. Not a single owner of a lost iguana came to claim him at the APL. After a couple of the longest weeks of my young life, I took him home and named him Iggy (I know, weaksauce, but cut me some slack, I was like, 12). Man, I loved that iguana. I though about him as I drew this poster.



Record Store Day, is April 17th in year 2010. To celebrate, Permanent Records in Brooklyn is having Mystery of Two in as their house band for the day. If you're curious as to what Mystery of Two sounds like, this week is the last week of Free Download Month at Exit Stencil Records' website. You can grip mp3s of all their records. I highly recommend those Roué jams.

EDIT: Speaking of Dragons, I've been really into the group Lucky Dragons lately. Here's their myspace page, but also this webiste, and then this place to buy awesome. I'd love to get them to play in Cleveland sometime.

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