The Light Year and maybe Paul Plagens, who has an awesome Myspace photo, will join Diana Arena on her radio show "Free Things Are Cool" airing 9-11 p.m. tonight on KAOS 89.3 FM. â€" Ron Swarner

Listerine now sports a vanilla minty taste.  Now, with one hand, pinch your index finger and thumb together, raise them to the bridge of your nose, hold the bridge of your nose, close your eyes, lean forward and exhale thoroughly. You may now proceed with your night. â€" Suzy Stump

There’s an avocado on the front, and it’s blue. These were my first, very elementary observations upon picking up Pearl Jam’s latest self-titled record yesterday.
But none of that’s important, now that it’s in my CD player.
What’s important is the pummeling this disc hides behind its unassuming packaging. So, you thought they were old? Like me, you’d seen the advertisement running for the band in all the papers, the one where they’re all smiling like success stories and there’s not an ounce of angst among them, and you thought â€" “Hmm. Maybe they don’t have it anymore. Maybe it’s downhill from here.” Like me, you halfway expected to open the CD only to be welcomed by a picture of the band grinning and spending their advance.
Prepare to be pleasantly surprised, if that was the case.
Pearl Jam’s latest record is everything you could hope for. The first four songs shoot off the starting line, rocking like the band hasn’t since Yield and songs like “Brain of J” or “Evolution.” It’s an amazing start. You keep expecting the old bastards to slow it down, but they don’t. They won’t. They whiz through “Life Wasted,” “World Wide Suicide,” and possibly the best song on the record, “Comatose,” and by the time you realize what’s hit you, “Severed Hand” is in your ear â€" a tricky number that leads in with a slow organ for long enough to make you sure the band is taking a breather, only to once again nail you, after 30 seconds or so, with some of the most exhilarating rock I’ve heard in some time.
Bottom line: the new record’s good. It’s great, in fact.  But I’m biased. â€" Matt Driscoll

When Doyle's Public House first threw its doors open, the thought was it would be a "soft rollout."
Fat chance.
Maybe the proprietors of Doyle's didn't realize how desperately downtown Tacoma had needed  a hip Irish bar and that people would immediately be drawn to it. They showed up so swiftly that Doyle's ran out of food in its first week, every kind of food, but the establishment is quickly learning what to expect.
I dropped in based on insider information I received from the cute guy at King's Books (next door to Doyle's). He'd already had great experiences there and recommended the Cheesy British sandwich. I had no excuse to skip it; Doyle's is approximately 1.5 minutes from my day job (score!).
With architectural drafts still rolled up in the corner, every table in the house was taken by 5:30 p.m. on the Thursday that I was there. Finally, a happy hour spot with lots of people. The whole place was abuzz about how downtown - and especially the St. Helen's neighborhood - is transforming. Go T-Town! Business owners were stopping by to exchange pleasantries and welcoming gestures. Enough businesses are starting to line the streets now, and the owners are able to get good at the referral game.
The menu features hummus (incredible), sandwiches, soup, salads, spicy nuts and chicken wings. Doyle's just started serving lunch, and Irish delectables such as bangers and mash, shepherd's pie and Guinness stew will be available.
Doyle's maintains 12 beers on tap with such greats as Stella, Harp, Guinness (it's what's for dinner) and what was referred to as the Caucasian Guinness: Boddingtons. I recommend the Ayinger, a German banana-clove hefeweizen, which will be fantastic during the approaching sunny days. They also have Irish essentials such as Bushmill's and Jaimison.
There's no glass cooler, so instead, patrons get to marvel at what we early adopters are calling the "beer bidet," a little whirly bird that shoots water like a fountain in each glass, cleaning any potential residue, while chilling the glass. You even get to drink out of the specialized glass from whichever of the beers you choose.
The weekly specials sound promising: Blue Monday, $2 Labatt's Blue and $2 bottled beers; Tuesday, $2 bottled beers, Wednesday, knowlege night, starting at 8 p.m.; Sunday bloody Sunday, $3 bloody marys all day long. Sign me up!
The ambiance is unbeatable, and is right in step with the funk of St. Helen's. Doyle's features a long oak bar with a brandy-wine finish, brick walls with exposed support beams, concrete floors and soft green and mustard walls in the back. In Irish step, "It's a great day for a Guinness" and all of the other Guinesss renderings are mounted on the walls.
Doyle's is Dave, one of the owners, first bar. He previously worked as a food and wine wholesaler. Dave skillfully bartended and took care of the entire restaurant. When he dropped a glass, he recovered with "Hey! It's a Greek restaurant now!"
A very steady stream of people continued to enter all night long. I reluctantly had to leave early, but I can only image how fun the late nights are going to be.
More than anything, it's just nice to watch the American dream in action.
As the antique Irish prayer goes, "May the road rise up to meet you."
*Wink.*
Doyle's Public House, 208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, (253) 238-5359.

Tell me where you like to party at sceneofthecrime.

PERMANENT LIPSTICK by Ginger Knoxx
I cannot be the only one who feels like she is pretending to be an upstanding member of society at her day job.  Am I the only person who feels like when the alarm clock goes off each morning that it's time to play dress-up for the people who sign my paychecks? I caught a glance of my reflection in the conference room window and was appalled at what could have been (gulp) the image of a conservative woman looking back at me. I felt death run around my ankles and immediately vowed to start wearing thick black eyeliner to work again.

Wednesday, April 26
Hoping to get a peak inside King's X tour bus, I lost my nerve at the door to Hell's Kitchen and just asked Metal Jason if I could talk to Mike Corvin, the sound guy, instead. He was busy setting up new equipment for the night's show, so The Italian and I headed to the West End for dinner and a little sippy sip of the nippy nip (vodka and whiskey, that is). How have I never noticed the shoplifter photo gallery at the convenience store at Sixth and Procotor? The store owners have printed still surveillance camera images and posted them right above the counter for all to see. So be warned, don't five finger it unless you're ready for your close-up to be made public.

Thursday, April 27
After running stupid errands (yeah, I said stupid), we stopped in at Dave's place - Meconi's down on Pacific and Seventh - for a quick dinner. I had forgotten that the place serves booze and was tickled right down to my little pink toes to slurp a strong vodka tall while chomping on the Thursday night special of hot wings. The leggy blonde stylist from the Chop Shop around the corner took a seat at the table next to ours with her cute as heck doggie, Mai Ling. What's that, Renee? You feel another Girls' Night coming on?

Friday, April 28
I can't get enough of the Monsoon Room, and I can't seem to get there enough. Bartender Johanna made a fresh squeezed orange juice and cranberry as my pick-me-up after my fantastic day at the office. Now repeat those last six words with enough sarcasm to shock an old lady and kill a pious nun - that's the kind of day I'm talking about. Johanna was like a friendly balm to my razor wire shredded nerves. James Hume met me so I could pick his brain about his next move in the art scene, and Teddy Haggerty came by right as I was heading out. He showed me the great article in The News Tribune about the Monsoon and Tempest and how the two places are encouraging change in the area. In the photo of Tempest, guess who's in the background? Yep, Teddy is.

Saturday, April 29
Helped friends hang art for half the day and then hit some estate sales. Two hours later and many, many dead presidents lighter, The Italian and I stopped in to see Eve at Six Olives. That woman really tries to kill you softly with the drinks she makes. I swear I love her, but holy crap! Eve makes a 32-ounce drink called the Emergency Room - no lie. I can't drink it by myself, that is I shouldn't drink it by myself because I'm trying out this new thing called "responsible public behavior." The Italian and I split it, looking like teen-agers sucking away on two straws in a milkshake at a '50s diner. Thank you, Eve, for another night that ended fuzzy. Just like I like 'em. We called it a night before we got to see Pappi's sister sing at Chopstix. Damn.

Severus Party Bus
These three words make past attendees pull faces ranging from grimaces as they recall major hangovers to goofy grins as memories of ridiculous behavior resurface. The key thing here is that you don't drive to the show; you get in a bus with other metal fans and drink your ass off the whole way to El Corazon with beer provided by your hosts - the band. Friday, May 5, KISW Metal Shop presents "Cinco De Mayo @ El Corazon" with ASESINO, Drown Mary, Expiration Date, SEVERUS, and Barefoot Barnacle. Go to Severus' Myspace site for more information and tickets.

Give me a wink and a kiss here. Knoxx knows.

Pearl Jam will perform a live Webcast concert tonight, following their appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman." The concert will be streamed live on the "Late Show" Web site after the taping of the talk show. â€" Brad Allen

Dig out that Jedi costume you wore last year for Halloween and head down to Spy Comics and Comic Book Ink for free comics and prizes.  The store is joining in for the fifth annual Free Comic Book Day.  From superheroes to Disney favorites, the store will have beaucoup comics to choose from.
“The wide array of comic books published today ensures that readers of all ages can find something appropriate that will stir their imaginations,” says John Munn, store owner.
Costumed comic customers will be eligible to win X-MEN 3 prizes during the event. You might want to bring a camera along to capture a memory of store security â€" members of the Garrison Titan of the 501st Star Wars Stormtrooper Division will be making sure you comic book lovers stay in line. Saturday, May 6, Spy Comics, 10909 Portland Ave. E., Suite P, Tacoma, (253) 584-2201; Comic Book Ink, 1625 E. 72nd, Suite 800, Tacoma, (253) 761-4651. â€" Sarah Kahne

Take a drive out on the Peninsula and you’ll find down an ordinary road of Western Washington’s landscape a not-so-ordinary roadside attraction. Located across from Belfair State Park, Wild Bill & Jo’s is a stop that travelers and day-trippers must make. Serving up the best burger this connoisseur of flat top grilled burgers has laid hands to in years and a spectacular six-inch smoked Polish dog complete with an out of this world condiment bar, the food is outdone only by the friendly, welcoming personalities of Wild Bill and his lovely lady rider and business partner, Jo. Wild Bill started selling hot dogs 13 years ago from a cart. He’s come a long way since those days; he now has a corner lot that combines a general store, live music, beer bar, outdoor grill and patio area into one. You can get leathers, souvenir panties with Wild Bill’s name emblazoned across the behind, listen to a local blues band fronted by one of Heart’s former backup singers, swill back a good ol’ Rainier beer (canned, of course) and stuff your gut with Jo’s fine cooking.  30 N.E. Mission Creek Rd., Belfair, (360) 275-0656. â€" Jennifer Johnson

After appearing on stage last Saturday with Billy Corgan in LA, at a benefit for a gay and lesbian community center, Courtney Love was quoted by Britain's New Music Express as saying, "Billy and me have never been onstage before and it was intense. His guitar parts are haunting and beautiful. It was me, him, Linda and two-thousand lesbians."
Call me crude, but I can't help but wonder if, back in the day, when Courtney was fooling around with Billy, before she realized whoring herself to Kurt would be a far more beneficial career move, if Corgan was "Intense, haunting, and beautiful" in the sack?
I guarantee you there weren't 2000 lesbians, however, though that's a far more satisfying visual.
On a brighter note, depending on your taste, the Smashing Pumpkins have officially reunited, according to their Web site, and plan to start recording a new record this summer. Those hoping for a Zwan reunion seem shit out of luck. â€" Matt Driscoll

Bobble Tiki's favorite watering hole has a new episode.