Conan and One Big Holiday

[Coltrane]

Thanks to the amazing Deanna, I finally downloaded this clip and watched it again. I hadn't really seen it since it first aired, and I have chills up and down my spine. I have fallen in love with this band all over again (this is like the 8th time that's happened, by the way).

I remember I had been listening to the band for about a year or so before their Conan appearance. I wore out my copies of At Dawn and TTF, and soon enough, ISM. I kind of kept them to myself (well, along with my friend who helped me discover them) as I often do with my most beloved music. Then I found this magical place online where I could share my addiction/obsession with like minded souls: the almighty Forum.

But oddly enough, I had never really even seen pictures of the guys. I really didn't even know how old they were or much of the back story beyond the hometown. I saw a few streams of live shows here on the site for when they opened up for Doves, etc, but it was on my shitty dial-up PC. I had to wait 10 minutes for 30 seconds of music. And then it was just a dark, gloomy, grainy shot of hair flying in an almost stop-motion animation style. It didn't match the music at all (or so I thought), and the band became even more mysterious and glorious for me. And then I heard they were going to be on Conan.

I forced my girlfriend (now my wife!) to listen to them . I think she liked them, some of the songs, I guess, but she certainly didn't love them like I did. But we bought tickets to an upcoming show, anyway, and planned to watch the Conan performance. I stayed up late and watched it by myself (Lissa couldn't stay up and went home). It was a thursday, as I recall, and I had to be at work by 7:00 am the next day, but it didn't matter.

The boys exploded on stage. My adrenaline had never flown that way before, ever. Jim's massive mane flowing and smashing through the air. It was all so exciting. And I still couldn't see Jim's face! OBH was so tight and just blew my face off. I was actually jumping up and down in my bedroom. I didn't sleep a wink.

Lissa watched the replay on Comedy Central with me the following Sunday and fell in love with the band too. She also got sick. And some of you may know the story after that. About a few weeks later at our first Jacket show in L.A. at the Roxy. About Jim playing "I Will Be There When You Die" for us while Lissa stood on crutches. About how Jim and the boys made us forget that the cancer almost came back. About how I knew I would spend the rest of my life with her and that the Jacket would always be there too.

Sorry for rambling........but i FUCKING LOVE THIS BAND! ! !

I love this Forum, and everyone here. This place, this band, these people, make life just a little more bearable. And seeing that performance again just brings all those emotions rushing back.

Thank you all! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !



(although, I must say, I am getting a little tired of Flava Flav...anyone second that? ? ? ?)

[BH]

 :)

[MMJ_fanatic]

Coltrane--don't ya love the awestruck look on Conan's face at the end of the performance?  Its only there for a moment so if you're not paying attention you can miss it easily.  I remember being glued to every second cuz there was my favorite band on the coolest late night show and when I saw his face I was like--yea bro' that's what live Jacket is all about... :D

[Coltrane]

yeah...i think he was converted that night along with thousands of others. he shook all five guys' hands and was kinda wandering around like he didn't know what to do next....just like i do now after a Jacket show!

God bless Conan! (and the Masturbating Bear!)

[Dee.]

*high fives Coltrane*

I had to watch the video again after reading your post.  It never gets old.  :)

[dragonboy]

I had to watch the video again after reading your post.  It never gets old.  :)

Me too, that performance is simply amazing!

The guys seem to be totally absorbed in their own world, almost oblivious to the fact they're being filmed. I thought the same thing when I watched the Freebird scene at the weekend. Of course, that was acting but I felt the same thing, that they were in their own little world, carefree of the other actors & crew around them.

Like Coltrane said, i fucking love this band (please come to Japan soon!!!)

[john_coktoseton]

My girl is a convert (thank the Lord) and sharing the experience vwith a loved one makes it that much sweeter. They move me, so I guess "It Still Moves".

[wolof]

having friends and better yet a girl be just as into the jacket as me has been a blessing.

I've played them at parties and everyone has to ask who is on the stereo and i respond "oh yeah thats MMJ only the saviors of rock and roll"

My 23rd birthday is on Dec 1 and the next day 13 of my friends and i will be at the boston show.  Only 5 have seen them before so it will be a special night for me especially considering the slip is my second favorite band (it's so cool they are touring together it's like those 2 friends you always knew that should hookup and eventually marry).

I remember hearing their name around the time they were gonna be on Conan so me and my roomate at the time checked it out. From that moment on they have been my favorite band no words could describe that performance and how it and their music has changed my life by making everything seem so much more beautiful.

I saw MMJ a month or two later in northampton mass for the first time (carl and bo's like 3rd show) it was one of if not the best concert experiences of my life. My roomate and was pretty much on the stage which came maybe a foot off the ground in the basement of the pearl st theatre. there was a drunk guy screaming for Tyrone all night and while playing run thru jim and i were headbanging so much his hair whipped me in the face. Kinda gross but one of the greatest moments of my life i've never connected with a musician more so in that moment.

Thanks Coltrane for your story it was really touching and i know where you are coming from. And more cheers for the jacket and all of us who have found them great fans great music great times

[evilPaauwe]

where i live... no one has even heard of MMJ.     i've showed them to my friends... a few of them really like'em the others just think there ok.     i don't have a girlfriend. when meeting a girl, one of the first few questions i ask her is if she has heard of them...        none....    poor me.    but whatever.          so..  it has been bestowed upon me to spread the MMJ spirit in western michigan.

[MMJ_fanatic]

Best of luck young squire in your quest to spread the MMJ honey across the frozen wasteland of western Michigan... ;)

[Willard1979]

Sorry if this is off-topic...I'm replying to Paauwe's post.  Like him, no one I know likes or has even heard of MMJ.  I've finally found someone to share them with!  My stepsister is going to see them with me on Jan. 5.  I really hope she enjoys it as much as I'm going to.  Who knows?  Maybe she'll become a fan! I'mm crossing my fingers

[EAZYE]

Sorry if this is off-topic...I'm replying to Paauwe's post.  Like him, no one I know likes or has even heard of MMJ.  I've finally found someone to share them with!  My stepsister is going to see them with me on Jan. 5.  I really hope she enjoys it as much as I'm going to.  Who knows?  Maybe she'll become a fan! I'mm crossing my fingers

If seeing a live jacket show doesn't make her fall head over heels you might want to check her pulse at some point during the show.  Congrats on seein a show, I'm sure she will like it.  ;)

[ChiefOKONO]

great post! thanks for sharing.. it sure is wonderful to have a special girl who loves the jacket as much as I do, or maybe even more!!!!

now i gotta watch the conan clip again too!!!
 :D ;D

[ali]

where i live... no one has even heard of MMJ.     i've showed them to my friends... a few of them really like'em the others just think there ok.     i don't have a girlfriend. when meeting a girl, one of the first few questions i ask her is if she has heard of them...   none....    poor me.    but whatever.     so..  it has been bestowed upon me to spread the MMJ spirit in western michigan.

rather than getting disappointed these girls haven't heard of the jacket, you should maybe introduce them to the joys of mmj... dunno about them, but it always goes down well with me when someone gets me into a new band... just a suggestion?

i think the conan show was the first (recorded) performance i'd seen mmj do (i think i watched it last christmas, so was fairly new to the jacket at that stage) and it completely blew me away how much they rocked live!!! particularly all the hair everywhere, and jim jumping round the stage.... i can remember thinking shit, these guys are AMAZING!

[MMJ_fanatic]

I have actually got a kick out of teaching people about MMJ--the best part is getting the name stuck in their head:  they always want to say something else "My Morning Coat"  goofy shit like that...

[Cobra]

"Wow! Yah!"

"Thank you Sir!"

"Thank you!  Wow, that was great!  I am buying that record!"

[JacketGal]

Wow, that was really a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing, in no way was that rambling....

And yes, it is nice to have a soul mate who gets this band like you. I'm so lucky!! ...and we get to see the Jacket together next week--- "Oh, I can't wait, no I can't wait..."  ;D ;D ;D

[Tahoe Kat]

I am right there with all of you! I've seen them more times this year alone than any other band ever!!! And I must see the Conan video compliments of Deanna. Where can I find it on the forum? And my sympathy goes out to Paauwe as I can relate. No one here knows them any more than "the name sounds familiar". How can that be?

[Paulaner]

its on youtube in crappy quality.  you can find a lot of clips of MMJ there.  One of my favorites is them on Letterman with the Boston Pops

[Dee.]

Where can I find it on the forum?

Here's the link, have fun:
http://www.savefile.com/projects/646887