Jul
14
2012

Bastards Of Young

And Our Metal Pasts

(Add / View Comments) (0)Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 05:19:26 pm
(Posted Under: Music Music)
This afternoon was spent watching the movie Bastards Of Young. Despite the fact that the movie focuses on a music scene I'm not at all interested in, there was enough in the movie to speak to anyone who cares about music, or a scene.

A particularly enjoyable part was one of the bonus interviews with Jim Adkins who says that no matter what they play these days, every male of his generation has some sort of metal past, whether it be 80's hair metal, Sepultura or Slayer. I'm not sure a truer statement has ever been made.
Jul
14
2012

A New Look Monti's

Who Comes Up With This Stuff?!?

(Add / View Comments) (0)Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 01:44:39 pm
(Posted Under: This Desert Life This Desert Life)
It seems like I'm always bitching about some change happening in Tempe. Maybe I just don't like change. Or maybe this city is top notch at making completely stoopid changes. Yes, stoopid with two O's. The subject in my latest episode of what feels like never ending rants: Monti's La Casa Vieja.

I remember writing years ago about the two cool things on Mill Avenue the first time I came here. I'll save you finding the blog entry from 7 years ago: they were the abandoned building that was Long Wongs on Mill at the south end; and Monti's La Casa Vieja at the north end. The latter being the oldest building in town, the home of Tempe's founder Charles Trunbull Hayden. Beyond it's historic stature, the adobe building looks really cool amongst the run of the mill (no pun intended...mostly) red brick buildings. Unlike Wongs, it's historically listed, and at least in theory, isn't going anywhere.

A month or two I first noticed changes happening at Monti's coming into town off the Mill Avenue bridge. The huge sign on top of the building was gone. A few weeks later, it looked like the exterior was being painted white. A bit of a face lift? The older paint job I thought gave it more character, but hey, no harm, no foul. Not long after that, a section of the patio bricks had been pulled up. Maybe that was just a little remodeling also.

One morning this week we took a scenic route to work, down Rio Salado. On arriving at the corner of Mill, we discovered why all these changes we'd noticed were happening...



Yes, that is the entrance to Monti's. Behind that monstrosity. Holy shit. Over the last few months, the Hayden Mill has been somewhat renovated, the fence removed and the area mostly opened to the public. On the east corner of Mill and Rio Salado went a huge metal wall with information on it. I don't know that it's the most attractive I've ever seen, but there was at least enough space on that corner for it.

The monstrosity in the photo outside of Monti's is what I can only assume to be the same thing, for the other side of the street. Only it is a few feet from the entrance of Monti's, and towers over and blocks the view of the building. It seems like I'm always surprised by the completely ridiculous things this city does to what was once a really cool town, but honestly, this takes the cake. What sort of complete moron makes a decision like this? I don't know for a fact that it was a decision made by the city, but given how this structure obstructs the building, as well no doubt making getting in an out more difficult, it seems highly unlikely to me that it would be something that Michael Monti would have a) come up with or b) wanted it. That shit just can't be good for business.

Here's a slow sarcastic clap for whoever decided this was a good idea. Idiots.
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