Man, it's been a bit since I've mogged, but I have to let everyone know that if you get a chance to see Graham Parker and the Latest Clowns this summer, DO IT! I saw them at the great Old Town School of Folk Music theater in the second of two sold-out shows. There's not a bad seat in the house, and opening act Jon Langford and Graham Parker did not disappoint--we didn't leave the venue until after 1 a.m.I've always thought that Graham Parker has been more victimized by the criminal production values of the 1980s than any other single musician. His lyrics and melodies really stand up to the test of the time, as I witnessed last weekend, but listening to the CD themselves can sometimes be tough. Here, though, both old and new stuff was performed with gracious aplomb.Graham himself is gray-hared and nearly bald, but he doesn't act like he's anything but that. No, he left the posing, preening, hard-drinking antics to The Latest Clowns, his backing band of 20- and 30-somethings who have me sold on the fact that they could be the next Attractions. The organist, in particular, was AWESOME in his Nieve-ity, with his overexaggerated keyboard sweeps and nonchalant melodies. I also think, like many critics, that world events have given Parker enough inspiration for his best album in years--the only single of his I've really loved from the past decade was 2001's Syphilis and Religion, but Don't Tell Columbus is pretty startling and good. It can get maudlin and obvious sometimes, as Parker is wont to be, but all in all it's a tremendous ode from an expatriate to his adopted country. Great stuff, and he played "Durban Poison," one of my favorites. The only bad thing about the whole show was the all-too-jaded socialites sitting behind me who only cared to hear songs from Squeezing Out Sparks and couldn't be bothered to appreciate any of his other works. All in all, the best show I've seen in a year, and definitely worth the $20 admission.