Comments on: Wishing You Nothing But The Finest Mardi Gras, The Holiday For Assholes

By: Patricio

Patricio — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:26:16 +0000

February in Philadelphia = April in half of the country.

By: expat attack

expat attack — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:45:56 +0000

@CTI

Give me the day off on your religious holiday and you can show your muffaletta and plastic bead bejewelled tits to two year olds for all I care. Otherwise, I can do without trash and drunks until Jan. 1, 2010 or another World Series, whichever comes first.

By: lg

lg — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:45:10 +0000

i remember leaving out from a certain future phileb managing director’s spot on rodman that night in ’01 with ck to go down to look at all the crazies in front of fat tuesday’s. just after we arrived at the drunksterfuck at 5th and south there was a 40 of olde E thrown at the head of an nbc10 cameraman who was hanging out a second floor window of cheers to you. suddenly everyone seemed to agree that a riot was in order. a bunch of jersey party shirts and so. phila guidos (mummers in training no doubt) jumped on top of the nbc10 news van and started rocking it back an forth trying to break off the satellite antenna. we walked down a couple of blocks to get a some slices and be out of the way of any meatheads that might accuse us of being “sum fahggits” for our lack of l.a. looks xtreme hold styling gel or roid rage. the owner of the pizza spot locked the doors while we were ordering slices and turned out the entry way light while the violence passed by going west to find things to wreck. for some reason there was construction all along south st. with pallets of bricks waiting pre-ordained to be riot fodder. we were let out after the people passed by to find that we were in between the police who were taking over intersections one by one and pushing the crowd further west. i saw way more than five store window broken out by bricks. it was sad seeing some mrs. officer pulled off her bike and thrown to the ground. i also almost felt bad for the owner of early 90s ford escort that got flipped (i know that dude doesn’t have money for a new whip). i remember walking by wondering about what sort of overtime the poor schmucks at the gap were getting paid to stand in every window of the locked store hoping that there was some humanity to appeal to that would prevent a brick coming at them. i worry sometimes about winter in this city. it becomes so manic depressive. the doldrums of cold and dreary days drag us into depression with the occasional outburst of batshit crazy celebreviolence. the election/wordseries bender was a good time but i still can’t wait for spring. we can get calm with some pickup games of basketball and take some walks with our ladies at fairmount park. the thickneck dudes can start hitting the gym to get ready for the shore and the people on the el might even start smiling again. if you see a dude on the street smiling more than seems reasonable when the weather turns (for good) in march its probably me or someone like me who is ready for good sense to return to this city.

By: tips

tips — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:20:55 +0000

Impaler! Holy shit! Where ya been?At first, I thought it might have been an impostor, as your comment had a typo, which is NOT how you roll.
In any case, for the record, I hear what you are saying about the quandary to “enculturate the masses or it can continue on its strange ‘sinners in the hands of an angry god’ trajectory,” but damn, if you wanted evangelism all the time, why not go to Uwishunu?

By: Fagnew

Fagnew — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:10:59 +0000

Let us remember the real reason why. Cause it was like 75 degrees on a Tuesday in February. Also someone was shot on the Broad Street line AND one of the helicopters was broadcasting video of a car driving into a crowd of people!

By: C. The Impaler

C. The Impaler — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:54:57 +0000

Yes, expat, no one in the rest of the U.S. outside of New Orleans who’s a practicing or raised Catholic has any right to have any sort of carnivalesque indulgence prior to the beginning of the Lenten season tomorrow. This “Philly Mardi Gras ’01″ scandel doesn’t really say anything about today in particular that can’t be said under the general “this is why you can’t have nice things” admonition Philly’s given whenever there’s an opportunity to celebrate (let’s see the Sween get all Andy Rooney about Thanksgiving Eve this year too). It ain’t the occasion, it’s the people. Philebrity can enculturate the masses or it can continue on its strange “sinners in the hands of an angry god” trajectory.

Now besides the closet Papistry reflex, some of us actually dig Mardi Gras as an opportunity to bring our mad mixological and cullinary skills. None of CTI’s muffulatta, pancakes, Sazaracs or Vieux Carres for expat and the lot of Philebrity’s crew.

Tomorrow I will be so fat.

By: expat attack

expat attack — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:53:19 +0000

I remember when that happened and thinking the exact same thing – “Why in god’s name are people celebrating Mardi Gras HERE?” I mean come on, is anyone in New Orleans having a Mummers Day parade on the 1st of Jan.? We have our own get-absolutely-drunk-and-crossdress-for-no-apparent-reason holiday, like it or not, and should just stick to that.

By: towncrier

towncrier — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:43:36 +0000

Happy Fastnacht Day!