ace of wands

No update since Elvis's birthday because...

2009-06-06T12:39:00.007-05:00

Blogger is dead to me. My new Wordpress install lives here.

$2 ya'll!

2009-01-08T12:40:00.000-06:00

When I was in high school, my dad had given me a couple of $2 bills to use as an emergency fund if I ever ran out of cash. I kept them for a long time, but ended up having to use them to buy gas one day. After I drove off, I noticed a cop car following me. I was pulled over. I had to account for where the bills had come from, was told there had been some incidents with counterfeiting or some such, and let go.

I hadn't thought of that in a long time, it was probably 15 years or so ago, when I found this story online today:

A tale of customer service, justice and currency as funny as a $2 bill
Michael Olesker

March 8, 2005

PUT YOURSELF in Mike Bolesta's place. On the morning of Feb. 20, he buys a new radio-CD player for his 17-year-old son Christopher's car. He pays the $114 installation charge with 57 crisp new $2 bills, which, when last observed, were still considered legitimate currency in the United States proper. The $2 bills are Bolesta's idea of payment, and his little comic protest, too.

For this, Bolesta, Baltimore County resident, innocent citizen, owner of Capital City Student Tours, finds himself under arrest.

Finds himself, in front of a store full of customers at the Best Buy on York Road in Lutherville, locked into handcuffs and leg irons.

Finds himself transported to the Baltimore County lockup in Cockeysville, where he's handcuffed to a pole for three hours while the U.S. Secret Service is called into the case.

Have a nice day, Mike.

"Humiliating," the 57-year old Bolesta was saying now. "I am 6 feet 5 inches tall, and I felt like 8 inches high. To be handcuffed, to have all those people looking on, to be cuffed to a pole -- and to know you haven't done anything wrong. And me, with a brother, Joe, who spent 33 years on the city police force. It was humiliating."

What we have here, besides humiliation, is a sense of caution resulting in screw-ups all around.

"When I bought the stereo player," Bolesta explains, "the technician said it'd fit perfectly into my son's dashboard. But it didn't. So they called back and said they had another model that would fit perfectly, and it was cheaper. We got a $67 refund, which was fine. As long as it fit, that's all.

"So we go back and pay for it, and they tell us to go around front with our receipt and pick up the difference in the cost. I ask about installation charges. They said, 'No installation charge, because of the mix-up. Our mistake, no charge.' Swell.

"But then, the next day, I get a call at home. They're telling me, 'If you don't come in and pay the installation fee, we're calling the police.' Jeez, where did we go from them admitting a mistake to suddenly calling the police? So I say, 'Fine, I'll be in tomorrow.' But, overnight, I'm starting to steam a little. It's not the money -- it's the threat. So I thought, I'll count out a few $2 bills."

He has lots and lots of them.

With his Capital City Student Tours, he arranges class trips for school kids around the country traveling to large East Coast cities, including Baltimore. He's been doing this for the last 18 years. He makes all the arrangements: hotels, meals, entertainment. And it's part of his schtick that, when Bolesta hands out meal money to students, he does it in $2 bills, which he picks up from his regular bank, Sun Trust.

"The kids don't see that many $2 bills, so they think this is the greatest thing in the world," Bolesta says. "They don't want to spend 'em. They want to save 'em. I've been doing this since I started the company. So I'm thinking, 'I'll stage my little comic protest. I'll pay the $114 with $2 bills.'"

At Best Buy, they may have perceived the protest -- but did not sense the comic aspect of 57 $2 bills.

"I'm just here to pay the bill," Bolesta says he told a cashier. "She looked at the $2 bills and told me, 'I don't have to take these if I don't want to.' I said, 'If you don't, I'm leaving. I've tried to pay my bill twice. You don't want these bills, you can sue me.' So she took the money. Like she's doing me a favor."

He remembers the cashier marking each bill with a pen. Then other store personnel began to gather, a few of them asking, "Are these real?"

"Of course they are," Bolesta said. "They're legal tender."

A Best Buy manager refused comment last week. But, according to a Baltimore County police arrest report, suspicions were roused when an employee noticed some smearing of ink. So the cops were called in. One officer noticed the bills ran in sequential order.

"I told them, 'I'm a tour operator. I've got thousands of these bills. I get them from my bank. You got a problem, call the bank,'" Bolesta says. "I'm sitting there in a chair. The store's full of people watching this. All of a sudden, he's standing me up and handcuffing me behind my back, telling me, 'We have to do this until we get it straightened out.'

"Meanwhile, everybody's looking at me. I've lived here 18 years. I'm hoping my kids don't walk in and see this. And I'm saying, 'I can't believe you're doing this. I'm paying with legal American money.'"

Bolesta was then taken to the county police lockup in Cockeysville, where he sat handcuffed to a pole and in leg irons while the Secret Service was called in.

"At this point," he says, "I'm a mass murderer."

Finally, Secret Service agent Leigh Turner arrived, examined the bills and said they were legitimate, adding, according to the police report, "Sometimes ink on money can smear."

This will be important news to all concerned.

For Baltimore County police, said spokesman Bill Toohey, "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

The other day, one of Bolesta's sons needed a few bucks. Bolesta pulled out his wallet and "whipped out a couple of $2 bills. But my son turned away. He said he doesn't want 'em any more."

He's seen where such money can lead.

Copyright © 2005, The Baltimore Sun

Post-9/11 world my ass!

fragment of a conversation:

2009-01-08T09:03:00.000-06:00

Me: how can you bitch about me not being on twitter when you haven't updated in forever?

MHGL: same way
i can bitch about obama
without voting
THIS IS AMERICA BITCH!

Rest in Peace...

2008-11-12T17:15:00.000-06:00

From Variety:

Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience..., was found dead Wednesday morning in a hotel room in Portland, Ore. He was 61.

Studio

2008-09-13T11:37:00.000-05:00

Since I now am a happy daddy, buying new equipment is not going to happen. I alternate between selling everything and getting the most out of it, and this post involves the latter. To the best of my recollection, here's what I have:

*Moog Little Phatty
*Hohner Pianet T
*Johnson J-Station
*Ross Flanger
*Ross Phaser
*Boss Bass Flanger
*MXR Distortion+
*Alesis Multimix 16
*Pearl Drum-X module
*Peavey ED-300 amp
*Roland Microcube amp
*Roland KD-7 Kick Drum pad
*Roland KD-5 Kick Drum pad
*Roland FD-8 Hihat pedal
*Roland CY-8 Cymbal pad
*Slingerland drums
*Paiste/Sabian Cymbals
*Yamaha RHP-80 pads
*Yamaha RHP-120SD pad
*Yamaha Drum Rack
*OLP MM1 Electric Guitar
*Ibanez Acoustic Guitar
*Various microphones

Hrmm. I think that's it. At a glance, I'd love to get rid of all my electronic drum stuff, along with that Peavey amp. Everything else still has its place. For now.

Gustav

2008-09-11T09:08:00.000-05:00

We got out before it hit. Spent the week in north Louisiana and missed most of the carnage that followed. By the time we returned, the power in our area was restored and the gas lines were short to nonexistent. Food has been a problem though. The grocery stores are still opening late and closing early for the most part and there isn't much to choose from when you go. The staples are there, so it's a hamburger helper lovefest these days.

Overall, we were pretty lucky. We had more than one family member willing to take us in when we fled, unlike some folks. Our house sustained little damage, just a few broken shingles, when some friends had trees destroy their home. We had power restored the day we returned and cable the day after, while some friends are still without power. So we did OK.

I'm tired of hurricanes. Katrina and Gustav have changed Baton Rouge. New Orleans gets the press, sure, but the impact on BR and its surrounding areas is undeniable. Who knows what the ultimate fallout of this one will be? For now, everyone is really tired and either ill or feeling that they will be soon.

We did the right thing for once by evacuating before it got bad. If not for Emma, we probably would have stayed as we did for Katrina. Living in the middle of nowhere in north Louisiana for a week just drove home what I miss about being there. It's not much different, but it feels so in a way I can't really articulate. I miss it a lot.

Stuff

2008-08-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

I own a lot of technology, most of which I seldom use these days... My Moog, Pianet T, Yamaha edrums, Alesis recording interface have all been gathering dust since the baby was born. When I have time, all I want to do is play my good old acoustic drums. That's just the way it is. Every now and again I look over my possessions and attempt to simplify. What is it that I am actually using? Macbook: every day. Xbox: every day. Nikon: at least once a week. Flip video: a few times a month. Outside of those things, everything else is a paperweight. Some things, like my old videogames, I keep for sentimental reasons, but even those are just taking up space. Even so, there are some devices that I think would make my life easier and that I'm pretty sure would not end up on the dust pile:

1. Iphone 3G. I never bought an ipod. I have had the same crappy cellphone for more than three years. I am intrigued by the media features (great for showing off baby pics!) and I don't want to carry around more than one device. It's pricy, and seems to have a shitload of problems right now, so I'm waiting until the smoke clears to jump...

2. Kindle. I love big expensive hardback books. Rather than doing away with those, I see the Kindle as replacing my paperbacks, which would save shelf space in my house (always at a premium) as well as allow me to read one-handed while holding the little one. As of now, reading is impossible with her in my arms, even sleeping. It's just too awkward. Being able to turn pages with one hand is the main draw here. As it stands now, I can only read when I am alone, which is pretty much never these days. Price is the main problem here, too, but it keeps going down. Maybe by Christmas...

Hrmm... seems like there was one more. Oh, well. Maybe it'll come to me.

I could have told you that

2008-07-22T07:24:00.000-05:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7518888.stm

Revelation

2008-06-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

I am an unashamed Journey fan. Have been since I was a kid, and I have followed the band through their many attempts to get moving again after Steve Perry vacated the front man position. Yesterday they released a new album, Revelation, with yet another new singer, Arnel Pineda. They are getting a lot of mileage with the press out of that guy's rags to riches story, which is fine... The good news is that anyone who caught them on the telly and decides to give their new CD a chance is in for a treat. I've liked bits and pieces of their post-Perry work, but this one is a step above anything they've done in at least ten years. Pineda brings it. It's as simple as that. He sings his balls off, and the rest of the band sound like they are trying to match his enthusiasm which is something they have been lacking for a long time. Damn good.

late spring cleaning

2008-06-02T13:57:00.000-05:00

I just finished shredding ten years worth of detritus and am left with a short list of creative projects that have languished for many years. I have a bad habit of saving every scrap of paper I have ever written a phrase or drawn a stick figure on and my next step has to be to brutally weed this accumulated mass. What am I keeping them for?

I imagine that buried in all the shit is the germ of a good idea. If I am especially lucky, maybe two. It's time to find out. Not only to find out but to take the next step... which is the recurring theme of this thing.

Taking stock...

2008-05-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

I am an artist that hasn't finished a comic in eight years.

I am a drummer who hasn't drummed in 2 months.

I am a songwriter who has never finished a song.

I am a gamer who never finishes any games.

Hrmmm...

append to last entry:

2008-05-18T21:22:00.001-05:00

oh, and I get to keep that old SC-750a warhorse of a case in action. Good times.

screw wireless

2008-05-18T21:15:00.000-05:00

After trying to budget and figure out if I needed G, A, or N wireless, I spent $14 today and ran a cable through my wall to connect my Media Center PC and Xbox 360. Works like a damn charm. Thanks to Jess's dad, it looks good, too. This is something I have wanted to do since we moved into the house, and it feels good to finally be done. The media server and wireless printer are safely tucked away in their own closet , with a cat6 connection to my router. Pretty sweet.

Finally! Some things to write about or things about which to write or...

2008-05-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

When I last posted I was but a man... now I have become one of the wretched and sleep deprived parents of the world, with a lovely daughter to dote on and love all my days. Nice work if you can get it, but this sort of forum is all about the naval gazing and I feel that must continue. To that end:

I have a homebuilt computer in an enormous Supermicro SC-750 tower that has had little to do since November of '06 (pronounced aught six) when I purchased my Macbook Pro. Igor became my studio workhorse, which lasted for a while, but the 'book soon took over those chores as well, leaving him in a lurch really. For the past year he has been little more than a doorstop.

Tivo's monthly fees have finally changed all that. In an effort to thwart yet another attempt to nickel and dime my monthly income away, I decided to turn Igor into a Media Center PC. This has worked out surprisingly well. Igor is a Pentium IV 2.4 ghz which is fairly low end for a Vista box, but he's performing like a chance. Even if he sometimes forgets he has a monitor connected (he is 5 years old... well, parts of him are 10!)...

Overall though, mission accomplished. Tivo functionality for the price of a TV PCI card. None too shabby. Now if I could just figure out which protocol to use when I update my wireless network...

Yep.

2008-01-18T11:24:00.000-06:00

You Are 66% Evil

You are very evil. And you're too evil to care.
Those who love you probably also fear you. A lot.

How Evil Are You?

The Rentals

2007-12-10T11:33:00.000-06:00

Not sure why (my guess is the Moog) but I am all about the Rentals these days. I have been listening to the debut and the EP nonstop, and have taught myself to play Friends of P on my Little Phatty (not as dirty as it sounds), which is quite an accomplishment, as it represents the first time I have picked out and played a melody by ear. A simple melody, sure, but I'm still pretty excited by the prospect.

Last night I took it further and worked out the violin part on my M-tron, then managed to switch back and forth between the two when necessary. It sounds really good, and the rest of the song is easy enough that I may record all this just to prove I can.

The main thing is that I'm playing again after about six months of nothing. Pretty exciting!

vaguely disturbing...

2007-12-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

saw a school bus driver talking on her cellphone behind the wheel yesterday...

from a press conference Tuesday...

2007-12-06T13:59:00.000-06:00

THE PRESIDENT: Wait a minute, that's not a diss on the front row, is it?

Q Not at all, sir.

Emma Madison at 22 weeks...

2007-11-20T12:34:00.000-06:00

uh oh

2007-11-05T15:23:00.000-06:00

A couple friends and I went to a driving range last night and hit a few (around 180 balls or so) and it looks like we are hooked. Whether we'll improve is up in the air, but I am mighty surprised at how much fun we had. And how sore I am today just from swinging a club around.

Tools

2007-10-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

I have a running bet with a friend. We are both creative people who are inherently lazy and can't seem to get anything done anymore outside of work, and we both say we want that to change. So by June 30, 2008, we shall each have created a good example of our particular interests: a five minute or so animated short for me... a painting or two from her. I suppose the key here is that it should be something we are actually proud of and not just crap we threw together to meet the deadline. I have started my usual gathering of tools that is the standard accompaniment of these endeavors. To that end I now possess the following:

Photoshop CS3 (for backgrounds and various visual manipulations)

Toonboom Studio 4.0 (the nuts and bolts animation software I will be utilizing)

Painter 8.0 (for experiments and possible limited rotoscoping)

A variety of reference books (to facilitate the actual process of animation)

A Wacom tablet (to draw the damn thing)

Aside from Photoshop, these are things I have owned for years (almost ten years for the Wacom) and have used almost never. (Except the books. I do love to read me some books.) It's fascinating to me how I pretty much have acquired everything I set out to acquire when I sat down in 1999 and decided what was necessary to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish. Never mind that a pencil and piece of paper would probably work just as well. My lizard brain would have none of that. (Though a pencil and paper is where this project will start without a doubt.)

I guess the point here is that I am out of excuses. I have everything I could possibly need to make this thing happen. As usual with these pep talks I have with myself it comes down to an idea and my execution being the deciding factors.

Let's see where I am in eight months.

Slumberland

2007-09-25T12:02:00.000-05:00

It is thought that 140 years ago today, Winsor McKay was born. An incredible artist, he is also pretty much the father of film animation. The following is his first film, completed in 1910. The colors you see were painted on the frames by McKay. This film was the result of a gentleman's bet that he could not produce 4000 drawings in a month. The last two minutes you will see are the results of his efforts. Astonishing and incredibly inspiring.

2007-09-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

There are times when music affects me in such a way that I physically hurt, damaged by the emotion of the piece. The pain is double because I still feel deep down that I am incapable of producing such a thing myself. Trying to prove myself wrong is a constant exercise in frustration...

No A/C...

2007-09-22T01:30:00.000-05:00

Hopefully Monday will see this turn around, but for now, I am hot as hell and not feeling too great...

Click to hear!

2007-09-12T21:49:00.000-05:00

Who am I?

2007-08-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

lately...

2007-08-23T14:27:00.000-05:00

I have been contemplating the one man band scenario a bit more. Basically taking my laptop and Moog into tiny venues and playing a few tunes, a la Thomas Dolby. This would involve me singing, which is quite a leap for me, and a bit of work coming up with simplified arrangements of a few tunes. Or completing 4 or 5 of my own. Hrm.

Bioshock LE arrived today...

2007-08-21T22:16:00.000-05:00

Childhood's end...

2007-08-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

So I'm going to be a dad soon, and I find myself taking stock of things. There are many aspects of my life that aren't what they could be at the moment... these are things that can be changed fairly easily, though. My marriage and family are good. The job is fine. The rest comes and goes. Musically, I'm dead in the water, and the weird thing is that I'm OK with that. I haven't played in a couple of months and I don't see that changing unless a band finds me. I'm just too tired after the last couple of years to bother looking anymore. I keep my hand in it, noodling on the piano and synth, but nothing of consequence these days. I am seriously considering selling everything: drums, guitars, microphones, recording equipment... all of it except my two keyboards and just stopping for a while. I've done this before. After I quit my first band in the mid-90s, I didn't seriously play again for five years or so. I came back to it refreshed and recharged but have been unable to sustain anything for more than a few months. I have even stopped listening to music for the most part, which is a little strange, too. Tomorrow I will see Rush for the first (and possibly only) time. No doubt it will be an incredible show, but I'm doubtful I will come away inspired. At this point, it seems more of a fitting end to a long, frustrating chapter of my life. Guess I'll soon know.

inspiration...

2007-08-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

Band issues...

2007-07-17T15:15:00.000-05:00

Two situations I've dealt with in the past year, repeatedly:

1. Music I love to play, but no personal connection. Basically, assholes who have weird little Napolean complexes run these projects. Usually they are older with no musical success, but attempt to exert control over things in such a manner that you would think they had a room full of platinum records and a proven track record of top 40 hits. Two very promising things imploded because of this bullshit last year, and I am sick of it.

2. This one is worse though. In these situations I enjoy hanging out with the people involved but am unmoved by the music. It sucks because I have a lot of fun at first, but see no future and am less likely to put in the work needed because I am indifferent to the music. So I bail, and basically lose out on some friendships because of it.

The only thing that is going to make me happy is to start my own band. But then, won't I just be one of the little Napoleans I hate so much? Maybe it would work better if I make it clear what my expectations are up front. No one does that, and it always leads to problems. Seems simple enough.

I am disappointed today because one of those guys (#1) who is obsessive compulsive to a ridiculous degree "recorded over" an incredible day's work from the last time we played together. If that's true, then he's a bigger jackass than I imagined, but no doubt he has it and just doesn't want me to have it. Either way: some of the best playing I have done on tape is lost to me. It just saddens me.

Another new addition...

2007-05-31T19:37:00.000-05:00

Please welcome a Hohner Pianet T to my growing collection of keyboards. He joins his big brother (Little Phatty) in a steadily shrinking recording room. Isn't he cute?

new things

2007-05-07T09:05:00.000-05:00

I have decided to simplify. I have been selling equipment I don't use anymore on ebay in an effort just to clear house. It's working. Along these lines, I am looking at what I have and what I actually use. Simplicity is definitely the order of the day, so more stuff will go before it's over. At the end, the house will be less cluttered, and with any luck, so will my process for creating.

I am debating on whether or not to buy another 4 track cassette recorder. I was almost convinced I should, but last night I just used my laptop and Garageband and got more done than I have in months. A small mixer would help, just so I wouldn't have to plug and unplug and replug, but it's not necessary. So my choice might be made. I would like to pick one up on the cheap to transfer my old tapes, but I'm not sure there's much on them worth saving really. For working, GB is probably the way forward.

Last night was the beginning of my next project. I completed an EP a while ago. It was a short collection of instrumental tracks. I think it came to around 11 minutes and it sounds pretty rough, but there are ideas on there that I really like, and I wanted to get them out. Even if it's in the extremely limited fashion of a few burned CDs to close friends, that music has been released. So I can let myself move on to other things.

Doing just that I spent the last year trying to join/start a band, and out of a half dozen false starts, partially succeeded twice in finding projects that were musically challenging and satisfying. Both of those imploded after a couple months and took with them my desire to try again. So now I am not playing drums. I just have no desire to play at all.

It will come back. In the meantime, I am concentrating on other instruments and voice. This new project will reflect that. I am using my Moog synth, an old Roland sampler for drums, my acoustic guitar, and my fake mellotron and nothing else. On top of these, I am attempting to sing, but I am a long way from happy with the results. Maybe that will change. No one else will hear it if it doesn't.

I have a list of songs I want to try. I will hopefully add one or two of my own. This is doable, and should be fun, if last night is any indication. As always, playing music for myself first. Covers maybe, but no compromises.

Before and after...

2007-04-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

Drummer's Translation Guide

2007-04-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

"Hey, we love your playing!"

-Shut up and play what we tell you.

"Welcome to the band!"

-We can't afford to pay a session guy, so we need someone who will play for free. Oh, and shut up and play what we tell you.

"Help us pick out a kit for the studio so we can save time and you won't have to carry so much stuff!"

-We're going to ignore your recommendations and buy you a kit that is more expensive for no good reason, smaller than you need, a different wood than you prefer, set up however we want. And you're an ass if you don't like it, because we're making your life easier. All you need is stuff to hit anyway, it's not like drums are a real musical instrument and drummers might make informed choices based on musical knowledge or past experience.

"Yeah, we're gonna have to disagree on that point."

-You're out of the band.

*SIGH*

Analog bliss...

2007-04-01T17:11:00.000-05:00

Eventful weekend!

2007-03-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

Spent the last couple of days in Jackson, MS for St. Patty's Day. We met Lori's mom there and witnessed some Sweet Potato Queen debauchery. To wit:

And this, post, uh, lapdance...

Anyway, I also joined a band. Check them out here:

myspace.com/slychosisprog

Lots of goings on and such!

Wow...

2007-03-13T14:43:00.000-05:00

Van Halen's induction into the rock hall of fame was ridiculous. The most influential members weren't there (Eddie, Dave, and, yes, even Alex), leaving the two nice guys, Mike and Sammy, to pick up the slack. They were thrilled (Hagar embarassingly so) to be recognized as peers with the likes of REM and Patti Smith. It was obvious, however, that their induction was not accorded the same care as the other inductees. Instead of an emotional, informative declaration of their importance by someone who might have actually heard a Van Halen song before last week, we had Velvet Revolver read a two minute statement, each member taking half a line or so, about how they were a "party band." That was it. The VR performance was even less considered. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love, a song my brother mastered on guitar when he was around 15 or 16 years old, a song well known as the simplest in Van Halen's entire catalogue, was butchered by Slash. Scott Weiland "sang" like he had never been on stage before. It looked like a high school band who had practiced, well, never before the performance. Then they segued into something that appeared to be an attempt at the song Runaround, but it was incomprehensible. What respect. Bah.

Sam and Mike came out with Dave Letterman's band to do an impromptu Why Can't This Be Love, which was OK. A horn section, a guitarist using single coil pickups, and Sam screeching his way through the high notes did them no favors, though.

All in all, the naysayers proved themselves right, and gave Van Halen the bare minimum associated with the "honor." Bah.

The only good thing that can come of this is that finally, it is over. The last twenty years may as well have never happened, and the last ten pretty much didn't. Ed needs to get his shit together and get to work. They are a laughing stock and have everything to prove all over again. I don't care who plays bass, but I think Ed, Alex, and Dave can come back from this and kick some ass again. Come on Ed. You can do it.

Practice journal, entry one...

2007-02-17T21:52:00.000-06:00

Alright. I started yesterday, as planned. The routine takes about two hours, though the last half hour is just playtime. I am starting slowly, and increasing the metronome by 2 increments each day. I am two days in, which means only 28 left to go. This is not a huge commitment, but it is already making a difference. I am fired up, and am going to finish this. So far so good.

happenings...

2007-02-16T09:21:00.000-06:00

I'll revisit my concert posting at a later date, but this is a quick addition:

The Police are playing New Orleans. Oh, happy day!

Alright, what else?

Today starts my new practice routine. I'll be using Pete Sweeney's 30 Day Drum Workout as a guideline. There's a lot of good information in there and it is set up in such a way that as long as I can get the ball rolling, continuing is a no-brainer. So let's see how the next month goes. If I do succeed in practicing every day, it'll be the first time since I was in my teens that I have accomplished that. I was pretty good back then, too.

Three main goals:

1. Stop playing so tight. It's counterproductive, and limits me more the older I get.

2. Get my feet together. Double kick has remained out of my reach for a long time, mainly due to laziness. This will help me move forward. Why did I have to start listening to Dragonforce? Bastards.

3. Establish a practice routine and STAY WITH IT. This is priority one, even if it comes last on my list.

Jimmy Chamberlin said in an interview once that we all decide how good we want to be. I've floated for years on a lot of natural ability, but have not put in the work since I left home ten years ago. That fact, getting older, and the damage I did to myself on my little rubber pad e-kit have all accumulated into a huge mess now. I can play, yes. But I can't play like I did ten years ago without supreme effort. I want to get better, and correct my technique, so that ten years from NOW I will be talking about how far I've come. I can see it.

Before... and after.

2007-01-27T02:23:00.000-06:00

OK... maybe not.

2007-01-27T02:06:00.000-06:00

My last post was me in crisis mode over this drum shit. Obviously. Things are better now. I have everything done but my kick, and they look incredible, but more importantly, they tuned up fine and sound great. That laid my fears to rest instantly. I still am concerned about my kick, but I am now optimistic that it will be fine. Amazing what 24 hours or so will do for you.

I took a couple of pics, but they don't do the kit justice at all, so I'll take some more and post them then. Yesterday I was upset and 75% happy with this whole thing. Today I am optimistic and around 90% pleased. If the kick drum turns out well, then it's all good. Indeed.

Recovering project...

2007-01-25T10:25:00.000-06:00

What have I learned?

I overpaid for the wrap. I was entirely too worried about the "precut" sizes, to make the job easier. In truth, they don't fit well, and probably will need to be trimmed on at least 3 of my 6 drums.

The tape method is bullshit. Easier, yes, but I am not satisfied with how the larger drums are coming out. The wrap is tight around the body of the drum, but not against the edge, which may lead to problems with tuning. Since the tape is only on the very end of each piece of wrap, there is nothing to secure the edges to the drum. Disappointing.

I went with the tape because I didn't want the permanence of glue. I was thinking of rewrapping them in the future, blah blah blah. Given the expense and effort involved, I now know that was ridiculous. This is it. For what I paid for the privilege of flexibility, I could have had the job professionally done.

Now my heads don't fit anymore. Specifically, the 8 and 10 inch toms are fine, the 13 inch is tight, but the 12 inch tom no longer accepts Remo or Aquarian heads. Evans appear to fit just fine, but I play Remo Ebony Pinstripe. This sucks.

Is there a bright side?

Sure. They look spectacular. Really, really good, which was kind of the whole point here. I am just disappointed in the process. Mainly because I paid so much. This stuff is very expensive. Given the money involved, I know now that I should have paid a professional to do it, and then I wouldn't have had these problems. At a minimum, I should have sucked it up and used the glue method on the larger drums (I may yet). I will start replacing the hardware tomorrow, so I should know the final result by Sunday.

Not sure yet what I will do if all this ends with my drums being beautiful, but unplayable...

Merry Christmas, ladies.

2006-12-18T23:45:00.000-06:00

itinerary - updated 12/18/2006

2006-12-06T11:09:00.000-06:00

~~12/8: Thomas Dolby, Houston~~ - GREAT show. Watched him from the front of the stage, about eight feet away, if that.

~~12/11: Thomas Dolby, New Orleans~~ - SKIPPED. The only way it could have been better than the Houston show is if he played Airwaves or I Love you, Goodbye, which he didn't.

~~12/16: Zappa plays Zappa, Dallas OR 12/18 New Orleans~~ - Dallas didn't happen, of course, and New Orleans was sold out...

1/29: Lindsay Buckingham, New Orleans

~~1/30: John Mayer, Baton Rouge~~ - SOLD OUT

yep. as long as my compadres don't drop out on me, I should be pretty busy for the next month or two. here's hoping!

Oh, and uh...

2006-11-18T21:30:00.000-06:00

My Macbook Pro rocks. That is all.

Busy week...

2006-11-18T21:13:00.000-06:00

Wednesday night the wife and I hit New Orleans and caught My Morning Jacket at the House of Blues. I really don't know much about them, but it was a great show. On Friday, we just turned around and did it all again. This time it was Journey/Def Leppard at the New Orleans Arena. Really great show. Journey played a different set than Houston, so I got to hear more stuff this time. Pretty great. Def Leppard did the same set, but I enjoyed it a lot more this time. Sadly, I missed Foolin' and Bringin' On the Heartbreak this go around because I was waiting in line for booze, but I guess I'll live.

In other news, my hunger for old games has reestablished itself with a fervor unseen in many moons. I finally picked up Panzer Dragoon Saga and Dragon Force for Sega Saturn, which I have been after for years and years. I didn't overpay either, so I am very pleased. Tonight I scored a huge Sega extravaganza: A first generation Genesis, Sega CD, and Game Gear with a slew of games as well. The only game I still hunger for but don't own will soon be mine. Everything else after that is just lagniappe.

More tech stuff...

2006-10-29T18:03:00.000-06:00

Well, this is the last lap for my G3 powerbook. She's been very useful over the last year, but I am no longer satisfied with circa 2000 technology. The portable is now my primary computer, and in that capacity, I need more.

So I took the plunge. Head first.

Sometime within the next week, my shiny new Macbook Pro will arrive and I will rejoin the modern world. Huzzah!

Good ol' XP...

2006-10-17T13:24:00.000-05:00

Well, after around 2 1/2 years of faithful service, I am reinstalling Windows XP on my primary machine. It's been so long since I had to do this that I don't even know where all my driver discs and such are anymore. I have been considering an upgrade to Media Center, and this would be a good time for that, but I'll pass for now. Why?

Because since June I have been trying to record audio on my lil Pismo, and she just hasn't been able to handle it. It took a long time for me to decide on an interface for my studio, and my choice was partly made due to Alesis's assurances that a G3 Powerbook could handle what I wanted to do. It couldn't. After some initial success, I have been able to record nothing for a frustrating four months now. Enough.

My homebuilt P4 has found a new home in my shed, as it becomes the muscle behind my studio. A clean XP install is probably unnecessary, but it feels right, if only to clean off a good four years of crud from my system drive. It handles my audio needs with aplomb, or it did before this reinstall, so my troubles should be over. That would be nice.

In the last 19 months, I have progressed from a cassette four track, which broke as soon as it's warranty expired (but it's not broken! it doesn't work. at all. but tascam tech support says it does, so i must be imagining things...) to a laptop based studio that was wholly unreliable, to my current setup which will hopefully enable me to make music again.

I'm not sure I remember what that feels like...

disappointment tempered with material goods...

2006-10-14T11:05:00.000-05:00

Wow. Mastodon is amazing. I may be late to this party, but I love this band. Blood Mountain is a fantastic album, and I will be picking up Leviathan next surely. Very inspiring stuff.

PT's DVD, however, kind of sucks. It plays like a very longform video, with no indication that it is actually LIVE. It's all very pretty to look at, but extremely lifeless for that reason. Musically, it's fine, but I should want to WATCH it, and I don't. It may as well be a studio recording, which is fine and dandy, but rather boring after a while. Disappointing.

Thankfully I have other things to occupy me, not least of which is volume one of
Ultimate Sandman. Delicious!

Passing the time...

2006-10-09T15:16:00.000-05:00

I have been planning to recover my Slingerland kit for years now, at least since '99, but could never bring myself to bite the bullet and start the project. That's about to change. I picked up that five piece kit in a pawn shop a long time ago. It had a slightly marred lacquer finish then, and playing shows without bags or cases only served to damage them further. They still sound great, but I am ready for something new. Recently, I perused a variety of new drums, but never found one that sounded as good to me as these, although that Yamaha kit in Houston was spectacular. So, reconditioning these has become my preferred option. Having made the choice, I picked up a couple of smaller toms on ebay to augment the kit, and am in the process of upgrading the hardware. When I am done, this will be a fully modern kit, with that same mindblowing sound these shells provide.

The next issue is whether or not to do the job myself. There are two methods for refinishing drums, tape and glue. Tape is easier, and widely used, but I have seen two of my kits with taped finishes buckle in the Louisiana heat, so glue it is. Given my inexperience, I will rework a couple of my snare drums to get a feel for the technique first. If those go well, I will then wrap my smaller kit. After those, I feel I will be ready for the real deal.

And, it'll give me something to do that doesn't involve sitting in front of damn computer...

bon of a sitch!

2006-10-04T00:39:00.000-05:00

Lindsey Buckingham released a new album today!!! And Porcupine Tree have a live DVD coming out!!! And Journey is coming to New Orleans!!! Yay!!!

damn hippie!

2006-10-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

BAD ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

2006-09-27T01:08:00.000-05:00

people with talent disgust me...

2006-09-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

Orange Beach

2006-08-13T22:53:00.000-05:00

Yep. It was pretty sweet.

Back to work tomorrow, though...

Well shit...

2006-07-10T09:50:00.000-05:00

My band broke up yesterday. We almost made it five months. I am so not happy.

new studio setup

2006-06-26T10:26:00.000-05:00

Guitar Center was running a 15 months no interest sale this week, so I went a little crazy and finally upgraded my studio. No more cassettes, as everything now will be running through my lil G3 Pismo. I made a solemn vow to not look at another computer until one of my current three (!) dies, and thankfully, these machines are making that an easy one to keep. I did some test recording with the band yesterday, which was great until the guitarists decided they needed to be louder and completely hosed everything. One good take in two hours, with that being the off the cuff "let's see how she sounds" take at that! Ah well...

I can finally record my drums to separate tracks, and to my ears anyway, it sounds really, really good. I'm back!!!

spectrum

2006-05-23T13:43:00.000-05:00

Early in the afternoon yesterday, I found out that Billy Cobham was going to be in BR for a clinic later in the evening. I grabbed my tickets and the wife and headed on over. I didn't really know what to expect but it seemed that it would be somewhat interesting. I am not a huge fan of his most famous work (Mahavishnu Orchestra, lots and lots of 70s fusion) but he is a living legend in the drum community, so I went.

It's interesting how many faces I recognized in the crowd, even if I don't know many local musicians. BR is a small world musically, and drummers even more so it seems. There were many difficulties for Cobham on this one. Flight delayed, technical difficulties which compromised a large portion of his planned show, etc. So the show was about an hour behind before it even started. A good size crowd had shown up by then, though, probably a couple hundred people, which for a solo drum performance is not bad.

He came out and played a very musical solo to "introduce himself." It was a nice piece of music, but he was dropping sticks here and there, and admitted in his remarks after that he was exhausted. He must have been, because with the exception of two very short solos at the end of the evening, that was all the playing we got to hear. He opened the floor to questions and spoke to the audience for around 90 minutes. It was interesting, and he seemed a very nice and personable man, but I would have liked to hear him play a bit more. Especially since he seems to have evolved so far beyond his wanking 70s persona. When he played I could literally feel the pulse of his solo, no matter what he was actually playing. This pulse just seemed to move through me, and I hate that I didn't get to experience more of it.

All in all, I am glad I went (though I'm sure Lori isn't) and it was an interesting conversation with the man who has influenced countless others in his field. My favorite moment of the night was when someone asked him one of those bullshit drummer questions: what kind of heads do you use on the tops and bottoms of your drums? He started to speak and then admitted that he didn't know! He looked at his kit and read the names of them back to the audience. For the guys who get caught up in equipment and other meaningless nonsense, I thought that was a priceless lesson, and Lori laughed out loud with me at that one.

Chi-town

2006-05-19T11:58:00.000-05:00

Wednesday I flew up to Chicago for the Dolby show at Martyr's. The trip to Houston was uneventful, but the trip to the windy city proves my contention yet again that God hates me. On a normal day, it is around a two hour flight, which would have left me plenty of time to meet up with my friend Jess, grab some dinner, and make the show. Fate had other plans for me, though. We were in the air for a long time. Seven hours total. Turns out we were circling O'Hare because of horrendous weather. We continued to do so until we had to divert to St. Louis to refuel. Showtime was 8pm, and a glance at my watch revealed that the best I could hope for was to miss the opener but still make the main show. Maybe. If he didn't go on until 9 pm. And I was on the ground in St. Louis. Unhappiness. Despair. Ultimately, I made it to the show about fifteen minutes after he started playing, so I missed Liepzig and, regrettably, One of Our Submarines. I also had to settle for the last half of I Live in a Suitcase, one of the two songs I came to hear. Budapest By Blimp, however, I heard in its wondrous entirety and it made the trip worthwhile. But I won't be getting on a plane again anytime soon.

The rest of the evening was more successful. Jess took me from one kick ass bar to another until around 3 AM or so. We had a great time. Needless to say, I missed my return flight at 8 AM, but managed to score a seat on a 9:15 and made my original connection back to BR. I was home a little after 1 PM, so it was a quick trip. But I'm glad I went.

uh huh

2006-05-06T09:52:00.000-05:00

Our last two shows have been interesting. April 28 we played a local pizza joint, Rotolo's, and I thought it was a horrible gig. Listening back to the tape, we were OK, but none of us could hear anything and the sound guys were uh, yep. Anyway, lots of people who said they were coming didn't, which turned out to be a blessing for me. Lori's brother came down and said he enjoyed it, but I really didn't think we were at 100 %, and I'm being charitable. We did make it into the paper, with a nice picture taken in my practice space, Ol' Doc Jenkins' Woodshed, so some good came of it in the end, I suppose.

Last night, May 5, Cinco de Mayo, however, was a different story altogether. We were playing a little joint called Artmosphere in downtown Lafayette which is basically a house with a bar in it. Great atmosphere and very cozy. I have a ton of family in Lafayette, and they pretty much were all there, with the exception of a cousin or two. My friend Danny was there, which was great, and we rocked the house. We were dead on, and it felt spectacular. Once again, I was in that totally relaxed state and whatever I wanted to play I played effortlessly. My hands were bleeding when it was over, which is always a good sign.

Afterwards, we walked down the street to the Blue Moon, which is some kind of hostel/bar, where a great band was playing, the Weary Boys. Great crowd there, with lots of dancing, and hootin' and hollerin'. Lori was called the hottest woman on the planet by the most weaselly looking drunk guy I've ever seen. He was barely 5 feet tall, if that, and made Steve Buscemi look great by comparison. Good times.

Rock and somesuch...

2006-04-05T11:57:00.000-05:00

My band played their first show on March 31, my 31st birthday. We played well, for a great crowd, and a good time was had by all. It was the first time I had played drums on stage in at least five years, and my first full set in more than eight. It's interesting how different it felt. First, I was apprehensive for a variety of reasons beforehand, but when I sat down behind the kit, that all disappeared. Completely. I used to play on a mix of nerves and adrenalin, but then, I was barely in my twenties, and I hit a LOT harder then. All I felt was joy. The joy of playing original music in an instrumental band with a group of people who can really play. Our music is still in its developmental stages, so it is pretty simple at the moment, and we don't really know each other as people all that well yet, but it's fun. It's so much fun. And I made it back into live performance with no compromise. I am not playing any fucking brown eyed girl. If I had to wait eight years for that to happen, then it was well worth it.

On another note, the wife dragged me to see the Von Bondies last night. It was a free show at a reasonable hour, so there was really no way for me to say no. As it turns out, it's a good thing I went. I was blown away. Just an incredible show and the drummer didn't even have a hi hat! The turnout was poor, so I doubt they'll be back, which is a real shame, because BR needs more bands like that to come in and bring the rock. I scored Yasmine's setlist and got to shake her hand, so that was pretty cool, and she was bumping and grinding her bass about an inch from my face during the encore. No complaints.

Topic C today is the upcoming tour by Thomas Dolby. The closest he is coming to me is Chicago, but I think I am going to go. That's in May, but the dates are selling out quickly, so I'll have to decide in the next day or two. I really, really do not want to miss this.

Last month...

2006-03-02T09:56:00.000-06:00

I managed to piece together a marginal electronic kit, so I headed out to Houston for what I hope is the first of a new era of jams with Rod. Mainly I confirmed what I had suspected for a while... those hard rubber pads are death on my wrists and knees. So I began to look in earnest for an alternative. I lucked out and found some great pads and a new drum rack at Drumbalaya, a shop in Seattle that specializes in this sort of thing. They are Yamaha RHP-80s, and I grabbed up the four they had left at a great price. They are real drums, with real heads, and they feel great. No pain at all. They are eight inches in diameter, which is a little small, but portability is a factor here, so I can make the adjustment. To replace my kick pad, I am going with a Drumtech Fat Pedal, which is basically a pedal with no beater. Extremely compact. If I like it, I'll get another for that sweet double bass action.

Which brings me to my second point. I have long hated double bass drumming. Only maybe 2% of all drummers use it creatively, and even most of those guys end up doing the generic "solo over sixteenth notes" eventually. I never saw the potential of it, other than some flash in fills, and had decided it held nothing for me. I had made my peace with it. And then I heard Porcupine Tree.

Gavin Harrison plays for them, and his work is incredibly exciting. He reminds me of Danny Carey, but seems so much more musical in his choices. I liked the band the moment I heard them, and the more I listen to them, the more I realise how much I have left to learn. So I was pleased to discover that Harrison has written two books about his approach, and released a DVD, which is on its way to me. He managed to get me excited about technique in a way I haven't felt since I was 11 and just starting to play. Bastard.

And playing... I am auditioning for an instrumental band this week. It's the first thing I've heard since I moved here 8 years ago that I feel like I will be happy playing and to which I can make an honest contribution. First audition in a year, which could lead to my first shows in eight. I hope I manage not to suck.

and the answer is... 25%

2006-01-10T13:43:00.000-06:00

First, my post from January 11, 2005:

"Well, I'm going to adapt a rule that Robert X. Cringely uses for his yearly predictions for my resolutions this year: I will revisit this record in a year's time, and see what percentage I accomplished. This will be the first time I have actually kept more than mental record of this stuff, so it should be interesting.

1. Complete an adventure game with Rod.

We have begun, in earnest this time, the project we first talked about at least 12 years ago. We have our game engine picked out, and we have our deadlines established. This has to be the year.

2. Complete and record at least five songs.

Last year, this began as "join a band," but in August morphed into "write and record ten songs before the end of the year." Considering I play only drums well, this was ridiculous to say the least, but I have two strong pieces that I really like, and am getting better at expressing my ideas on keyboard and guitar. Thank God for Acid Music, which lets me take the tiny snippets of my ideas and sculpt them into songs. Lyrics remain the hard part, which leads me to number 3.

3. Write.

This page is the first example of my writing I have steadily worked on in over a decade, and it is only a journal. I want to complete at least one short story that pleases me in 2005. It may not sound like much, but it would be an enormous personal achievement.

4. Draw.

In particular, ANIMATE. Where's that quote... *checks Chuck Amuck, the autobiography of Chuck Jones* Ah, yes. According to his first art instructor, we all have "...one hundred thousand bad drawings in you. The sooner you get rid of them, the better it will be for everyone." Upon hearing that, he notes that he was on his third hundred thousand. I am probably a quarter or so into my first, but every drawing brings me closer to being GOOD. Animation, aside from being an honest love, is a great way to bring that number up by leaps and bounds, since every second of a project involves so DAMN MANY.

Well, those are the biggies. It is pretty much the same list I always have, and none of those will increase my ability to support my family in the least. But these remain the things I am motivated to accomplish. Maybe this time I will."

And now, my update:

As it happens, I accomplished almost nothing this year outside of work. Taken in order:

1. Complete Adventure game with Rod

This fell by the wayside quickly. As so often happens, life has been in the way. This has been a big year for Rod. He's moved a couple of times, finally gotten a few certifications under his belt, and is currently pursuing dollar signs in Houston. For my part, I spent a few months trying to get a band going, started and then after six months stopped working out, changed jobs, and had some personal stuff to work through. We occasionally talk about the game in broad terms, but I think this one may be kaput.

2. Complete five songs.

Lo and behold, I did this. The songs remain in demo form, but discs have been burned and released to select compadres, and I have let these songs go. At last. It's only ten minutes of music, but it means a lot to me. Every note I play is a struggle on an unfamiliar melodic instrument, so this one... this one makes me proud.

3 & 4. Write and draw.

Nada. Nothing. I think I have actually lost interest completely. For years, these things equalled my creative impulse, but I understand now that it comes out in other ways. Sound has become what the pen used to be for me. When I sketch, it is musical in nature, to which gigabytes of hard disk space and more than a few audio tapes stand as evidence. I am coming to terms with this. It still feels strange at times, like I should be drawing, but the proof is in the work, and the work is my music.

So, what for this year? What is on the agenda for 2006? My goals are very short term and personal enough not to broadcast to the two people who might actually read this. Those who need to know already do. The situation I find myself in now is one that was not wholly unexpected, but was still surprising in a number of ways. Things are improving and with any luck, it will all end well. At this point, I can only hope.

Happy Birthday, Maw!

2006-01-01T19:21:00.000-06:00

My mamaw is 76 years old today. So some comparisons between then and now:

People living in the United States in 1930 could expect to live an average of 59.7 years. Today, life expectancy has risen to over 77 years.

In 1860 less than 20% of the total U.S. population lived in cities; by 1930 the urban population had swelled to more than 56%. Today, more than 75% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas.

The average asking price for a home in Washington, D.C. in 1930 was $7,146--a relatively small sum by today's standards, but it was a substantial amount in 1930. Nationwide, 47.8% of U.S. residents owned their own homes in 1930; today that figure is more than 66%.

In 1930 only 40% of households in the United States had a telephone.

Long-distance telephone service was very expensive in 1930. A 3-minute call from New York to San Francisco cost about $9.00.

Although radio was still relatively new technology in 1930, 618 broadcasting stations had been founded in the previous decade, and radio was rapidly changing everyday life in the United States. According to the 1930 census, 59% of U.S. households had radios.

1930 was the last year that the U.S. Census asked U.S. residents if they could read or write; results of the census showed that 4% could not.

In 1930 only 48,118 people lived in the desert community of Phoenix. The 2000 census showed that 1,321,045 residents lived in Phoenix, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

California had a population of 5,677,000 in 1930, and was the sixth most populous state, behind New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Texas. By 2000, California's population had grown nearly six times larger to become the most populated state in the country, with 33,871,648 residents.

In 1930 nearly 1.8 million residents of the United States had been born in Italy, the leading country of birth among those born outside the U.S. In 2000 the leading country of birth among the foreign-born was Mexico, the native country of 7.8 million U.S. residents.

In 1930 24% of all women in the U.S. were in the workforce; by 2000 that figure had risen to 61%.

WEEEEEEEEEEEE

2005-12-04T09:01:00.000-06:00

So, life pretty much sucks these days, but at least Journey has released an incredible new album, the first one that convinces me that Steve Perry is no longer necessary to their organization. It really is that good. Also, the Minibosses have finally released their studio LP, so it's a great time for music.

Considering a move to Houston for a variety of reasons, but uncertain at this point. By the time I manage to update again in January, I should know more.

A new addition to the family...

2005-10-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

on the same note...

2005-10-05T16:33:00.000-05:00

It is really appalling that just because Densmore has chosen to not cash in his integrity to go from RICH to RICHER, he is made to feel like a fool by everyone around him. Performing with the surviving members is one thing... as sad and pathetic these retread acts can be, there is still something to be said for this music to live again through the fingers of the original members, rather than the myriad cover bands who ply their trade every night, taking gigs from those who actually contribute something to the art. That might be a little harsh, but the fact remains that the whole "music as a commodity" idea is destroying good music. Even the best new bands are barely one step removed from their influences, because the unfamiliar bothers people. Yes, it is nice to have lots and lots of people come see you perform, and maybe the idea that everyone should write their own material is a ridiculous assertion left over from the Beatles-era bands, but damn it, isn't it better to build an audience that appreciates what you do and really finds meaning in your music, than to have to do bullshit irony and please a crowd of drunks who could give a shit who you are as long as you play something they've heard before?

I can understand his hesitance to stand onstage with a singer who is not Jim Morrison, the man who defined the Doors, whether the other members agree or not. It is so much more difficult to move forward than it is to rest on past successes... I have no love for what the boomer generation has done for this country, and what their nostalgic dollars have done to musicians, but I have respect for someone who can turn down cash just because he doesn't need anymore, and because of a promise he made to a friend almost 40 years ago.

Someone sent the dumptruck full of money back... and he's the crazy one?

2005-10-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-et-doors5oct05,1,7561929.story?coll=la-headlines-california
COLUMN ONE
Ex-Door Lighting Their Ire
Drummer John Densmore refuses to let the group's songs be used in TV ads, much to the chagrin of his former bandmates.
By Geoff Boucher
Times Staff Writer

October 5, 2005

Bob Dylan is singing "The Times They Are A-Changin' " in a television ad for healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente these days, and who could argue? With Led Zeppelin pitching Cadillacs, the Rolling Stones strutting in an Ameriquest Mortgage ad and Paul McCartney warbling for Fidelity Investments, it's clear that the old counterculture heroes of classic rock are now firmly entrenched as the house band of corporate America.

That only makes the case of John Densmore all the more intriguing.

Once, back when rock 'n' roll still seemed dangerous, Densmore was the drummer for the Doors, the band with dark hits such as "Light My Fire" and "People Are Strange." That band more or less went into the grave with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1971, but, like all top classic-rock franchises, it now has the chance to exploit a lucrative afterlife in television commercials. Offers keep coming in, such as the $15 million dangled by Cadillac last year to lease the song "Break On Through (to the Other Side)" to hawk its luxury SUVs.

To the surprise of the corporation and the chagrin of his former bandmates, Densmore vetoed the idea. He said he did the same when Apple Computer called with a $4-million offer, and every time "some deodorant company wants to use 'Light My Fire.' "

The reason? Prepare to get a lump in your throat — or to roll your eyes.

"People lost their virginity to this music, got high for the first time to this music," Densmore said. "I've had people say kids died in Vietnam listening to this music, other people say they know someone who didn't commit suicide because of this music…. On stage, when we played these songs, they felt mysterious and magic. That's not for rent."

That not only sets the Doors apart from the long, long list of classic rock acts that have had their songs licensed for major U.S. commercial campaigns, it also has added considerably to Densmore's estrangement from former bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger, a trio that last set eyes on one another in the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse last year.

"Everyone wanted him to do it," said John Branca, an attorney who worked on the Cadillac proposal. "I told him that, really, people don't frown on this anymore. It's considered a branding exercise for the music. He told me he just couldn't sell a song to a company that was polluting the world.

"I shook my head," Branca said, "but, hey, you have to respect that. How many of your principles would you reconsider when people start talking millions of dollars?"

Densmore relented once. Back in the 1970s, he agreed to let "Riders on the Storm" be used to sell Pirelli Tires in a TV spot in England. When he saw it he was sick. "I gave every cent to charity. Jim's ghost was in my ear, and I felt terrible. If I needed proof that it was the wrong thing to do, I got it."

Since then, the animus between the drummer and Manzarek and Krieger has intensified, including a bitter dispute over naming rights.

In August, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Alarcon ruled that Manzarek and Krieger could no longer tour together as the "Doors of the 21st Century." The pair, with former Cult singer Ian Astbury handling Morrison's vocal duties, were in Canada at the time and grudgingly switched their marquee to the acronym "D21C."

Densmore had filed the suit in 2003 to block the neo-Doors from using any permutation of the old band's name. In this battle, he was joined by the Morrison estate, which is the late singer's parents and the parents of his late girlfriend, Pamela Courson.

An audit is underway to determine how much money Krieger and Manzarek must turn over from their two years of touring with their old band name. The touring grossed $8 million, court documents show.

Manzarek said the view that Densmore was selflessly protecting the Doors legacy was laughable.

"John is going to get about a million dollars for doing nothing," Manzarek said. "He gets an equal share as us, and we were out there working. A free million bucks. That's a gig I'd like."

Manzarek, whose keyboards strongly contribute to the singular sound of the Doors, said his old friend should join the neo-Doors. "He should come and play drums with us," Manzarek said, "not fight us at every turn."

Even if Densmore is loath to tour and disdainful of Astbury playing the late Morrison ("Nobody can fill those leather pants"), Manzarek said his old mate should allow Doors hits to be used in tasteful commercials that could add flicker to the band's pop-culture memory. He pointed out that Zeppelin and U2 recently relented in their long holdouts against ad licensing and that there was hardly a stigma these days to the practice.

"We're all getting older," said Manzarek, the band's eldest member, now 66. "We should, the three of us, be playing these songs because, hey, the end is always near. Morrison was a poet, and above all, a poet wants his words heard."

Perhaps more years of life would have changed his view, but in 1969 it was quite clear that the poet of the Doors did not want to be a pitchman.

The Doors had formed in 1965. As the decade was ending, they were hailed in some quarters as the "Rolling Stones of America." An advertising firm came to the band with an offer: $50,000 to allow their biggest hit, "Light My Fire," to be used in a commercial for the Buick Opel.

Morrison was in Europe and his bandmates voted in his absence; Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek agreed to the deal. Morrison returned and was furious, vowing to sledgehammer a Buick on stage at every concert if the commercial went forward. It did not.

In November 1970, the lesson learned from the Buick fiasco was put in writing. The Doors members agreed that any licensing agreement would require a unanimous vote. Even before that, the band had agreed that the members would share equally in all music publishing rights, an arrangement that set them apart from most bands.

Those agreements also set the stage for Densmore to be a human handbrake that again and again stops the Doors profit machine from speeding down new avenues.

"There's a lot of pressure, from everyone," Densmore said recently with a weary sigh. "Pressure from the guys, the manager, the [Morrison] estate."

He was sitting in the back-house office of his Santa Monica home. The walls are covered with photos and newspaper clippings, among them a framed Morrison poem about the vantage point of man beyond the grave. Among the lines:

No more money

no more fancy dress

This other kingdom seems by far the best….

Morrison is dead but hardly forgotten. Just the opposite, his popularity has surged in the years since his heart gave out.

There was the one-two punch of the 1979 release of the film "Apocalypse Now," with its signature moments using the band's music, and the 1980 publication of the band tell-all book "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman. In 1991, another revival was stirred by Oliver Stone's movie "The Doors." Since that film's release, 14 million Doors albums have been sold in the United States alone.

Those album sales combine with the money generated by radio airplay, merchandising and the other royalty streams to put steady deposits into the bank accounts of the surviving members and the Morrison estate.

Densmore said that the money coming in should relieve pressure on the band to drift into areas that would trample the legacy. "When Ray calls, I always ask him, 'What is it you want to buy?' "

Still, there are no bigger paydays these days available for classic-rock outfits than the low-sweat licensing deals for television commercials and the warm embrace of the concert road tour. That was underscored last year when Manzarek and Krieger alleged that Densmore had committed a "breach of fiduciary duty" to the Doors partnership. Basically, the argument was that the money now was so good that Densmore couldn't reasonably say no.

When Cadillac offered $15 million last year, the money made Densmore dizzy ("More money than any of us have made on anything we've ever done," he said), but he was resolute. "Robbie was on the fence; Ray wanted to do it," Densmore said. "All of it made me think about this book I want to write. It's about greed."

Manzarek, on the other hand, describes the car commercial in tie-dyed hues. "Cadillac said we could all fly out to Detroit and give input as they start putting together their hybrid models and the way they would be presented to the public…. Artists and corporations working together, that's the 21st century. That's the true Age of Aquarius. But John's ego wouldn't let him see it was a good thing to do."

In the end, Cadillac held on to the motto "Break Through" but used a different dark anthem — the commercial, now in heavy rotation, features Zeppelin's frenetic 1972 single "Rock and Roll." Cadillac's eight-figure offer was enough to coax the band to plunge into the advertising profit stream.

When Nike used the Beatles' recording of "Revolution" for a sneaker ad two decades ago, there was widespread criticism. The hubbub quieted when the commercial was retired after one year. Nowadays, the debate is largely muted. The new take? Holding out is bad for music.

"Using your music in the modern landscape is not selling out; if it's done right, it's giving it new life," said Amy Kavanaugh, an executive vice president at Edelman, the Los Angeles public relations and marketing firm that has worked with Starbucks on the coffee merchant's extensive branding efforts with music.

Even among the classic-rock purist audience, there is a shift in expectation. Pete Howard, editor in chief of Ice magazine, a music publication tailored to audiophiles and intense rock music collectors, not only thinks that the Doors should take money for the songs of the past, he believes that they are risking their future if they don't.

"They get a gold star for integrity, but they are missing a train that is leaving the station," Howard said. "Advertising is no longer a dirty word to the Woodstock generation, and in fact, in this landscape, the band will find that if it relies on people who hear the music in films, on radio in prerecorded formats, that with each decade their niche among music fans will narrow. It's advertising — with its broad audience and ubiquity — that gets new ears."

If Densmore is a dinosaur, he is not the last surviving one. Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles continue to say no to commercials. So do Neil Young and Carlos Santana. But all of them still pull in concert revenues that make that choice far easier. Densmore himself points out that if he were poor he might make a different choice.

But his stance against commercialization has won a chorus of support from the true believers of rock. In the Nation, Tom Waits wrote a letter in praise of Densmore: Corporations "suck the life and meaning from the songs and impregnate them with promises of a better life with their product. Eventually, artists will be going onstage like race-car drivers covered in hundreds of logos."

Waits has since learned that holding out isn't necessarily effective: He is suing General Motors for using what he describes as a Waits sound-alike in its European car commercials. Which make and model is involved? The Buick Opel, the same car that led Morrison to slam shut the band's corporate flirtations.

"Is it that they just didn't learn or they just don't care? I don't know," Densmore said, shaking his head. "Maybe I'm the one who is just out of touch with the times."

Now he waits to see if his old bandmates will appeal the court decision banning the use of the Doors name for their concert tours. For the time being, Manzarek has said that the band will continue on with the name Riders on the Storm. Densmore said he would not dispute them on that. Manzarek said the fans and reviews have been great, and Astbury has the same "dark, shamanistic, powerful, Celtic-Christian, mystical" vibe as his old friend Morrison. Manzarek said the group will soon record a new studio album.

"It doesn't matter what we call it, it's still Robbie and I together playing 'Light My Fire' and 'Love Me Two Times.' John should come and play and let us celebrate and keep this music alive," Manzarek said. "Look, what do I say to the cynics? I would like to play with Jim Morrison again. But you know what? I can't call him. I'm sorry. He's dead. He's busy. He's in eternity."

Densmore said he tires of the fighting.

So what about that invitation from Manzarek?

"I would love to play with the Doors and play those songs again. I would. And I will play again as the Doors. Just as soon as Jim shows up."

money pits and the like

2005-10-01T14:36:00.000-05:00

I finally bought some microphones, so for instrument recording I am pretty well set, at least for the level I am at, which means it is time to write some songs at last. Which means I will more than likely have to learn to play guitar (again) and bring my chord repertoire up from two to at least three.

I am adding drum tracks to some English band's demo over the next week or so, which probably sounds cooler than it actually is, and I must now concentrate on taming the errant acoustics of my studio, so that my recordings sound like they weren't done in a trashcan. Such is life.

I went for convenience over ultimate quality with my condenser mics. They are battery powered, so I don't have to worry about a phantom power supply, and they were half the price of the ones I really wanted that would have required such a thing. They sound good enough, which is all I need for now.

My dynamic mics, though, are time-proven workhorses: The Shure SM57 on the snare and the Shure Beta 52A on the bass drum. These things should last forever.

I have been listening to online samples of other home recorders, and none of them sound like the results I get. Everyone seems to be going for that tight, classic rock, dead drum sound, whereas mine are lively as hell. I will keep experimenting because I want things a little bit tighter, but I also want everything to sound like drums... if I wanted samples, I'd have gone that route.

IF I buy off-the-shelf acoustic treatment for my little space, I am looking at around $500, bringing my total equipment investment in this thing to around $1600 or so. Originally, a grand was my cap, and I have just barely gone over that at $1100. The treatment would be nice, but it's not essential at this point, and it's something I can probably do on the cheap anyway. I hope so. Even so, a fully-equipped home studio for under $2000... unbelieveable, and impossible even 10 years ago. Not too shabby.

Posting of the dead

2005-09-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

Can't let a month slip away without an update of some sort. Since my last post we have been through two hurricanes down here, one to the east and one to the west, and the population of BR has effectively doubled as it absorbs evacuees. Even my tiny suburb has been inundated with people, and every square inch of living and office space in the area is rented or bought. Strange how your life can change overnight, even when you are, as far as house and family, lucky enough to be unaffected by the events in question... But on to other, more selfish topics...

I have been experimenting with the crappy mics I own (total investment for all three = $64) and have come to the conclusion that I should probably spend some money on new stuff. Unfortunately, I have done that so often in the last few years that I can't do it at the moment or until well after the holidays, and so I feel the studio is at a standstill. I did piece together a ten minute EP of stuff and sent it to a few friends, mainly to clear the slate of the last few years of noodling and begin writing new stuff in earnest. I am almost 31 years old, and have played less music this year than in probably the last eight. It's strange, and I don't like it, and so, rather than formulate a plan or something, I am just going to bite the weenee and play more. If only I could find a dirty little jazz combo that was willing to adopt an errant rock drummer with more ambition than talent...

Powerbook bliss

2005-08-16T00:05:00.000-05:00

Why did I wait so long to get a laptop again? My internet went out tonight, but it turns out it is isolated to one room in my home. It took this to force me to utilise my wireless connection with the lappie.

So, thanks to my leather recliner, I may never use my desktop again.

[watching - Full Metal Alchemist]

As it happens...

2005-07-24T20:01:00.000-05:00

Posting here is fast becoming a monthly event. I suppose that's OK, since all of about three people read it. Better to have something to write about than free associate daily, I suppose.

I had a hell of a score on ebay this month. Picked up a G3 Powerbook and a Simmons SDS-9 module, but the main event was an old Pearl Drum-X kit circa 1985. Basically a rip off of the original Simmons SDS-V (the granddaddy of electronic drums), this thing sounds incredible. One-dimensional, yes, but I love that sound. I ended up with a complete kit, with hardware, module, and even a fantastic amplifier for only a few hundred dollars. I am amazed by this deal. This is pro-level stuff, and still works perfectly after twenty years. Needless to say, my edrum needs are more than met, and equipment-wise, my studio is about 90% there.

Started my new job this month also. I have left computer support behind and am back in the library field once more. Two weeks in, it feels really good. Not much else to say about it yet, though my commute can barely be called that anymore, which is a nice bonus.

My wireless setup at home is giving me some trouble lately, but that's mainly due to a non-Airport Mac setup. Checking my email from my outlying studio works pretty well, and is a nice geeky thrill. No, it doesn't take much.

stuff

2005-06-28T10:29:00.000-05:00

DVDs bought in the last two days:

King Crimson - Eyes Wide Open
King Crimson - Neal and Jack and Me
Billy Cobham - The Glass Menagerie
Queen - On Fire at the Bowl
The Cardigans - Live in London
Sting - Bring on the Night
Marvin Gaye - Live in Montreux 1980

Also nabbed a mint VHS of

Men at Work - Live in San Francisco... or Was It Berkeley?

So, yes, I am buying concerts like there is no tomorrow, and of course, two that I really want are out of print, and very popular on the ebay. Strangely enough, they both feature Bill Bruford. Speaking of which, the Crimson DVDs are incredible... though Billy only features in one of them. The other Billy listed above, Cobham, is a fantastic drummer. But that disc blows, because it is a prime example of toothless fusion shit from the late 70s - early 80s. How did so many great players get caught up in that stuff? How could they listen back and say "damn, that is some kind of good"? Anyway...

The Crim discs are two concerts each, NJM from the '82-'84 period, and EWO from '00-'04. The set on the earlier shows was much stronger, but both are very instructive.

Haven't had a chance to watch the others yet, though I saw the Sting video way back when it first arrived. It was $8, so not too bad of a deal. I have high hopes for the others. More reviews as I knock them down.

I also picked up the Thing, which is one I've wanted for a while. If anyone cares, the great quest to watch the 100 greatest movies has long since been abandoned, because I would rather play guitar. I'm just not that into movies these days, though I did manage to catch Land of the Dead. Sadly, it wasn't really good or bad, just kind of blah. I like Romero's movies because they are usually very unsettling in some way, but this one just sat there. 90 minutes is pretty short to do anything other than hit the plot points, and that's more or less all it did. Disappointing.

[Listening to: Wound - Smashing Pumpkins - Machina/ The Machines of God]

A bad time to quit the gym...

2005-05-30T14:59:00.000-05:00

It would appear that I'm the one who needs to start watching my weight now... bastard!

[Listening to: Blue For You - Men At Work - Live in San Francisco - Or Was It Berkeley?]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROD!

2005-05-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

Ah, 27... Enjoy it, mon frere.

overheard on campus...

2005-05-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

"Dude, the Bible's full of great shit!"

it's you that's driving me mad

2005-04-26T10:05:00.000-05:00

After three months of driving everyone around me crazy, I finally made a decision on how to outfit the studio and purchased a cassette four track recorder. This may be the last one they make geared to someone who is serious about this stuff, which is disheartening, as digital remains a bit too expensive in my opinion. To go digital I would have to buy a PC to run my VST synths, a firewire interface or a stand alone digital recorder, and then software and mics. With the tape, I can just buy the mics and get a low end computer to run my VST stuff. No matter how I figured it, I come out about $500 ahead with tape. Cassettes are getting expensive, but they are reasonable enough, and I've enjoyed the immediacy of hitting a button to record rather than mousing here and there. The other side of it is, my life pretty much revolves around computers, and it will be nice to not rely on one for at least one thing I enjoy.

[Listening to: I Would Find You - Journey - Next]

Analog Kid

2005-04-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

I have decided to base my studio around a cassette multitrack, instead of the usual PC nonsense. More in a bit...

[Listening to: Tom Sawyer - Rush - Moving Pictures]

studio update

2005-04-01T13:18:00.000-06:00

It's really coming together now. My lovely wife provided me with the requisite minifridge yesterday, and the guitars are hanging in a most decorative fashion. Common sense returned, and the Beast is no more, having been shrunk back down to five pieces. My portable kit goes back into storage until needed, and the room has opened up nicely. Now, If I could only decide on the recording equipment...

[Listening to: Love Is Real - Jimmy Chamberlin Complex - Life Begins Again]

geeeter!

2005-03-29T10:41:00.000-06:00

Picked up the acoustic for the first time in months last night and went through about half of one of my method books. My fingers haven't forgotten what they learned this time last year, so it looks like I can pick up where I left off and maybe even learn to really play the damn thing this year. Ended the "lesson" with twenty minutes or so of noise on the electric. I lost an hour and fifteen minutes in the blink of an eye. Bliss.

The Jstation sounded especially muddy last night, though, which furthers my thought that maybe I should buy an actual amp. Amps, unfortunately, take up space, which is at a premium in the studio at the moment. The beast has reached a point of stasis, but I know she will continue to grow once I decide which drum rack will best support the myriad of additions I am planning. It is only a matter of time...

[Listening to: I Would Find You - Journey - Next]

I should be off work today...

2005-03-24T11:06:00.000-06:00

There are days when I really enjoy what I do for a living, and then there are plenty of others when I wish I had followed the other path: music. The lifestyle is what scared me off. I seldom drink and don't smoke, so playing in bars is really a chore for me, and I always hated it. I would haul ass as soon as the set was over, and imagine that I will again if I start playing out once more. This causes problems in a band and out of one, because hanging out after the show is what musicians do... I suppose I'm one of the few who would play for free just so I wouldn't have to play anything I don't want to play. More to the point, I have not been in a band for seven years, mainly for that reason. Lately, I have started playing again, with a little more open approach to material I might not choose if it were up to me. The main problem with playing the stuff is that I feel like I am wasting time on bullshit, when I could be working on my own stuff or someone else's original material. Outside of my marriage, the happiest I have ever been is when I am involved in the creation of something new. Not everyone can write songs like Lennon, but the fun, and the payoff, is in the attempt. Damn it.

[Listening to: Boom Ba Ya Ya - Abraxas Pool - Abraxas Pool]

Happy birthday, Johnny!

2005-03-23T08:21:00.000-06:00

My nephew is seven today, which means that he'll be a surly teenager in only 6 more years. In the meantime, he's a hell of a kid, and has already forgotten more about cars than I'll ever know.

As it happens, the studio is finished, and I am two months into the new band. No name or bassist yet, but things are progressing at a clip. We definitely need a singer, though. Currently we have a couple of originals in process, and are playing some Floyd, Santana, etc. I'm trying to push these guys into more interesting territory, as they seem to be most comfortable at mid-tempo blues. We'll see how it goes.

In the month since I updated, my grandfather has made it through his chemo and is slowly improving. My mamaw's operation was an apparent success, but her recovery is giving her no little discomfort. I need to call both of them.

2005-02-25T18:43:00.000-06:00

It was beautiful, ethereal and over much too soon...

Soon all will be well...

2005-02-05T11:20:00.000-06:00

Construction is in progress on my studio as we speak. This is the obligatory before picture...

Inspiration and events...

2005-02-02T22:31:00.000-06:00

After two years, I am finally having my studio built. It could not have come at a better time. I have started playing with some guys, so apparently I'm in a band again, and my biggest influence, Jimmy Chamberlin, just released his first solo album. And it is great! Just when I need the kick in the ass, there he is again, just like Mellon Collie ten years ago...

Taxes are done already, so I'm ahead on that one at least. Not enough time in the day lately, but I suppose that's a good thing? I'm not sure at this point. Rather than ramble, I guess I'll stop there.

[Listening to: Loki Cat - Jimmy Chamberlin Complex - Life Begins Again]

abbreviated history

2005-01-21T13:38:00.000-06:00

My friends and I used to drive to downtown Jonesboro on the weekends and make the loop, as I'm sure those of you from a small town understand. Basically, you drive in long circles all night long and pretend you aren't pathetic. Once, we made our way there on a cloudy night and found that, though it was raining, people were still hanging out. We laughed uproariously and vowed never to be those losers. A year or two went by, and it came to pass that we were standing around on Main Street, and the heavens opened. Not a downpour exactly, but rain nonetheless, and we all just looked at each other. And we stayed. On my way home that night I determined never to repeat that mistake. My friend Rod lived at the end of Main as fate would have it, and the next weekend I made a right instead of a left and drove to see him. This was 1992 or so. Soon after we formulated a plan to make an adventure game...

I bring this up not only to celebrate how chance has played a part in our enduring friendship, but to point out to both of us that thirteen years have gone by and we still don't have that damn game made. This will be the year. Oh, yes. This is it.

[Listening to: One of Our Submarines - Thomas Dolby - Forty]

What a great idea!

2005-01-13T08:47:00.000-06:00

My friend Rod has decided to view the First 100 of the Top 250 Rated Films at IMDB as of 1/12/05. He has already seen 39 of them, so he just might make it. Looking over the list, I had already seen 54 of them, which made me curious about the remaining 150. A check of the list tells me that I have seen at least 114 of the 250, so I think I will attempt the remainder this year. The only one that I am not remotely interested in is Before Sunset, so it shall be last. Blech. I have been looking for a reason to sign up for Netflix, so thanks, Rod, for giving me a fun one.

The list:

The Godfather (1972)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) SEEN

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Shichinin no samurai (1954) SEEN

Schindler's List (1993) SEEN

Casablanca (1942) SEEN

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) SEEN

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Star Wars (1977) SEEN

Citizen Kane (1941)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) SEEN

Pulp Fiction (1994) SEEN

Rear Window (1954) SEEN

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) SEEN

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) SEEN

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) SEEN

The Usual Suspects (1995) SEEN

Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) SEEN

Memento (2000) SEEN

12 Angry Men (1957) SEEN

Cidade de Deus (2002)

North by Northwest (1959)

Psycho (1960) SEEN

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) SEEN

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) SEEN

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) SEEN

Goodfellas (1990)

C'era una volta il West (1968)

Sunset Blvd. (1950) SEEN

American Beauty (1999) SEEN

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) SEEN

Vertigo (1958)

The Matrix (1999) SEEN

Apocalypse Now (1979)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Paths of Glory (1957)

Fight Club (1999) SEEN

The Third Man (1949)

The Pianist (2002)

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) SEEN

Taxi Driver (1976) SEEN

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Double Indemnity (1944) SEEN

Boot, Das (1981)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Chinatown (1974)

M (1931)(SEEN)

Rashômon (1950) SEEN

L.A. Confidential (1997) SEEN

Se7en (1995) SEEN

All About Eve (1950) SEEN

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Requiem for a Dream (2000) SEEN

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) SEEN

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) SEEN

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Raging Bull (1980)

Alien (1979) SEEN

Léon (1994)

American History X (1998)

Modern Times (1936)

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

The Wizard of Oz (1939) SEEN

The Sting (1973)

A Clockwork Orange (1971) SEEN

Ran (1985) SEEN

On the Waterfront (1954)

Vita è bella, La (1997)

Touch of Evil (1958) SEEN

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) SEEN

Amadeus (1984) SEEN

The Great Escape (1963)

The Apartment (1960)

Finding Nemo (2003) SEEN

City Lights (1931)

Metropolis (1927) SEEN

Annie Hall (1977) SEEN

Jaws (1975)

High Noon (1952)

Aliens (1986) SEEN

The Shining (1980) SEEN(

Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)

Braveheart (1995) SEEN

Strangers on a Train (1951)

Fargo (1996) SEEN

The General (1927)

Wo hu cang long (2000) SEEN

The Great Dictator (1940)

Donnie Darko (2001) SEEN

Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989)

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Blade Runner (1982) SEEN

Mononoke-hime (1997) SEEN

The Sixth Sense (1999) SEEN

Ladri di biciclette (1948)

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Yojimbo (1961) SEEN

Duck Soup (1933)

Rebecca (1940)

Full Metal Jacket (1987) SEEN

Oldboy (2003)

The Princess Bride (1987) SEEN

The Big Sleep (1946)

Forrest Gump (1994) SEEN

Notorious (1946)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) SEEN

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

The Incredibles (2004) SEEN

It Happened One Night (1934)

Patton (1970) SEEN

The Graduate (1967) SEEN

Lola rennt (1998) SEEN

Toy Story 2 (1999) SEEN

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Cool Hand Luke (1967) SEEN

Unforgiven (1992) SEEN

Ying xiong (2002)

The Elephant Man (1980)

Manhattan (1979)

Glory (1989)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Before Sunset (2004)

Ben-Hur (1959)

The African Queen (1951)

The Searchers (1956)

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Green Mile (1999)

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) SEEN

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Amores perros (2000)

Mystic River (2003)

Smultronstället (1957)

Stalag 17 (1953)

Big Fish (2003) SEEN

Back to the Future (1985) SEEN

Hable con ella (2002)

Platoon (1986) SEEN

Gone with the Wind (1939) SEEN

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

A Christmas Story (1983) SEEN

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

The Hustler (1961) SEEN

The Wild Bunch (1969)

The Gold Rush (1925)

Shrek (2001) SEEN

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) SEEN

The Straight Story (1999)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) SEEN

Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)

Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)

Dogville (2003)

Life of Brian (1979) SEEN

Young Frankenstein (1974) SEEN

Die Hard (1988) SEEN

Grande illusion, La (1937)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

His Girl Friday (1940) SEEN

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Lost in Translation (2003) SEEN

Garden State (2004) SEEN

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Spartacus (1960)

Ikiru (1952)

Hotaru no haka (1988) SEEN

Roman Holiday (1953)

Gladiator (2000)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Festen (1998)

Charade (1963)

The Conversation (1974)

Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)

Sling Blade (1996)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Magnolia (1999) SEEN

Monsters, Inc. (2001) SEEN

The Killing (1956)

All the President's Men (1976) SEEN

Toy Story (1995) SEEN

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) SEEN

To Be or Not to Be (1942)

Gandhi (1982)

The Insider (1999) SEEN

Almost Famous (2000) SEEN

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Brazil (1985) SEEN

Ed Wood (1994) SEEN

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, La (1928)

Trainspotting (1996) SEEN

Groundhog Day (1993) SEEN

Harvey (1950)

Twelve Monkeys (1995) SEEN

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

In America (2002) SEEN

21 Grams (2003)

Stand by Me (1986) SEEN

The Terminator (1984) SEEN

The Exorcist (1973) SEEN

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) SEEN

Finding Neverland (2004)

Strada, La (1954)

Mulholland Dr. (2001) SEEN

Being John Malkovich (1999) SEEN

Miller's Crossing (1990)

8½ (1963)

The Lion in Winter (1968) SEEN

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) SEEN

Network (1976)

Rain Man (1988) SEEN

The Station Agent (2003) SEEN

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Laura (1944)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Midnight Cowboy (1969) SEEN

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

The Right Stuff (1983)

King Kong (1933)

Snatch. (2000)

The 39 Steps (1935)

Persona (1966)

Stagecoach (1939)

Whale Rider (2002) SEEN

Rio Bravo (1959)

Fanny och Alexander (1982)

The Thin Man (1934)

The Untouchables (1987) SEEN

Bride of Frankenstein (1935) SEEN

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Being There (1979)

Planet of the Apes (1968) SEEN

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

The Last Samurai (2003)

Sideways (2004) SEEN

Adaptation. (2002) SEEN

Heat (1995)

Die xue shuang xiong (1989)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Fa yeung nin wa (2000)

Diarios de motocicleta (2004)

New Year

2005-01-11T19:22:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm going to adapt a rule that Robert X. Cringely uses for his yearly predictions for my resolutions this year: I will revisit this record in a year's time, and see what percentage I accomplished. This will be the first time I have actually kept more than mental record of this stuff, so it should be interesting.

1. Complete an adventure game with Rod.

We have begun, in earnest this time, the project we first talked about at least 12 years ago. We have our game engine picked out, and we have our deadlines established. This has to be the year.

2. Complete and record at least five songs.

Last year, this began as "join a band," but in August morphed into "write and record ten songs before the end of the year." Considering I play only drums well, this was ridiculous to say the least, but I have two strong pieces that I really like, and am getting better at expressing my ideas on keyboard and guitar. Thank God for Acid Music, which lets me take the tiny snippets of my ideas and sculpt them into songs. Lyrics remain the hard part, which leads me to number 3.

3. Write.

This page is the first example of my writing I have steadily worked on in over a decade, and it is only a journal. I want to complete at least one short story that pleases me in 2005. It may not sound like much, but it would be an enormous personal achievement.

4. Draw.

In particular, ANIMATE. Where's that quote... *checks Chuck Amuck, the autobiography of Chuck Jones* Ah, yes. According to his first art instructor, we all have "...one hundred thousand bad drawings in you. The sooner you get rid of them, the better it will be for everyone." Upon hearing that, he notes that he was on his third hundred thousand. I am probably a quarter or so into my first, but every drawing brings me closer to being GOOD. Animation, aside from being an honest love, is a great way to bring that number up by leaps and bounds, since every second of a project involves so DAMN MANY.

Well, those are the biggies. It is pretty much the same list I always have, and none of those will increase my ability to support my family in the least. But these remain the things I am motivated to accomplish. Maybe this time I will.

Earthtone, I take it all back...

2004-12-17T09:53:00.000-06:00

I sit down to play last night and was amazed. I don't know what happened, but I am completely sold on the heads now. It appears that the 72 hour "settling" period is no joke. Three days later, those things sound incredible. But it is not just the sound... they feel so good to play on, and they do not have that plastic "wap" stick attack that I hate so much. On the one hand, I am absolutely thrilled. On the other, though, this is no good at all. These four drumheads cost $100. Their plastic equivalent can be had for less than half that. And I know that I am going to jump off the cliff and put these on the other sides of all my drums as well! Let's figure that up real quick like, shall we:

small kit:

8" tom = $18.99

10" tom = $19.99

12" tom = $24.99

12" snare = $24.99

18" bass = $44.99

large kit:

12" tom = $24.99

13" tom = $26.99

16" tom = $39.99

14" snare = $29.99

22" bass = $59.99

Total = $315.90

Keep in mind, that is only for one side of each drum. Outfitting the resonant sides as well pushes us to $631.80.

$631.80!

Now, to put that in perspective, my small drumkit was $350 new, and my large kit was $400 used. Remember also, that each of those heads will need replacing eventually, too. Lordy! what have I begun?!!

[Listening to: Public Pervert - Interpol - Antics]

Meanderings...

2004-12-15T13:16:00.000-06:00

This is an interesting way to mark time. I cold swear I wrote my game list a week or so ago, but then I realise that Rod has been down twice in that time and it starts to stretch a bit. Moving on...

For the better part of two years I have put off buying Earthtone drumheads, which, because they are made from goatskin, were rumoured to have a sound long forgotten to the modern drummer and his newfangled plastic. I bit hard this week and ordered some. Unsurprisingly, they sound like: plastic drumheads. Only the smallest tom has a nuance I had not detected before. Perhaps a nice surprise will be waiting for me when I get home and they are, after 24 hours or so, acclimated to my home. Anything's possible.

On that same order, I bought the second two tape bank collections for my M-Tron. I am more pleased with these, but the differences between many of the tapes are subtle to the extreme. The newly recorded choirs, however, are magnificent.

Pantera was never a band I listened to much, although I liked what I heard. Events of the past week have caused me, and a few million others, to reassess their body of work. If, now that he has been murdered, Darrell Abbott becomes the sort of legend that those who die in their prime usually become, at least his talent backs it up. Does it ever.

[Listening to: Neurotica - King Crimson - Beat]

When a hobby becomes a sickness, part one...

2004-11-20T20:21:00.000-06:00

Video game consoles (and respective games) currently owned, in chronological order:

Atari 2600 - Armor Ambush, Donkey Kong, Pole Position, Asteroids, Entombed, Football, Ghostbusters, Jungle Hunt, Missile Command, Pac Man, Star Raiders, Raiders of the Lost Ark, River Raid, Robot Tank, Space Attack, Space Invaders, Demon Attack

Nintendo Entertainment System - Defender of the Crown, The Battle of Olympus, Goonies II, Star Voyager, Little Nemo in Dreamland, Rygar, Dragon Power, Fester's Quest, The Empire Strikes Back, The Legend of Zelda, Ikari Warriors, Star Tropics, Contra, Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt, The Simpsons Bart vs. the World, Kirby's Adventure, Shadowgate, Castlevania, Star Wars, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Metal Gear II: Snake's Revenge, Excitebike, Mega Man

Super Nintendo - F-Zero, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Mario All Stars, Frogger, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Castlevania IV, Super Tennis, Super Bomberman 2

Gameboy, Super Gameboy, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Advance SP, Gameboy Player - Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, Metal Gear Solid, Super Ghouls'n'Ghosts, Namco Museum, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Paperboy, Legend of the River King, Metroid II: The Return of Samus, Harvest Moon GBC, Tetris, Tetris Blast, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Dr. Mario, Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition, Arcade Classics 3: Galaga/Galaxian, Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advanced, Advance Wars, Golden Sun, Phantasy Star Collection, Super Monkey Ball Jr., F-Zero: Maximum Velocity

Sega Saturn - Virtua Fighter 2, Daytona USA, Bootleg Sampler, Virtua Cop, Nights Into Dreams, Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, Enemy Zero, Albert Oddyssey

Sony Playstation - Bust-A-Move, Namco Museum Volume 1, Namco Museum Volume 3, Parappa The Rapper, Um Jammer Lammy, Clock Tower, Nanotek Warrior, Alundra, Bushido Blade, Thousand Arms, Tail of the Sun, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Resident Evil Director's Cut, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, Silent Hill, Tecmo's Deception, Kagero Deception II, Xenogears, Gran Turismo, Ten Pin Alley, Road Rash, Final Fantasy Chronicles, Final Fantasy Origins, Fear Effect, Arcade's Greatest Hits, Arcade's Greatest Hits/The Midway Collection 2, Arcade's Greatest Hits/The Atari Collection 2, Interactive CD Sampler Pack Volume 3, Interactive CD Sampler Pack Volume 5, Wipeout XL, No One Can Stop Mr. Domino, Metal Gear Solid, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Crash Bandicoot, VRGolf '97, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Star Ocean The Second Story, Norse By Norsewest, Medal of Honor, Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror

Nintendo 64 - Waverace 64, F-Zero-X, Space Station Silicon Valley, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64

Nintendo Gamecube - Soul Caliber II, Donkey Konga, Mystic Heroes, Hitman 2 Silent Assassin, Batman Vengeance, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, Crazy Taxi, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Second Sight, Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem, Donald Duck Goin' Quackers, Prince of Persia The Sands of Time, Mega Man Anniversary Collection, Beyond Good & Evil, Hunter the Reckoning, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II Rogue Leader, Star Wars Rogue Squadron III Rebel Strike, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Bloodrayne, Skies of Arcadia Legends, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, Metroid Prime

My PC game collection may dwarf this. It will be interesting to see. For me, at least.

[Listening to: Os Iusti [Gradual (Modo I)] - Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos - Chant]

Happier times.

2004-11-19T13:42:00.000-06:00

It's just too much work not to smile when this disco groove hits...

[Listening to: Nice - Duran Duran - Astronaut]

melancholy music.

2004-11-19T13:32:00.000-06:00

[Listening to: Sometimes I Wish - Colin Hay - Peaks & Valleys]

[Listening to: Therapy/Growth - Thomas Dolby]

soul sucking at its finest...

2004-11-12T15:16:00.000-06:00

The rise in tribute bands disturbs me, even if I enjoy the performances themselves. The fact that the largest acts in this town are cover bands, and that such acts seem to be the new growth industry nationwide is pathetic. I don't begrudge people making a living playing music, but I wonder how you can spend your life playing other people's songs and really call yourself a musician... Playing covers was the least amount of fun I've had in a band, and that involved maybe two or three a night. I would rather work on my own music and not play out, than play other people's music to a bunch of drunk assholes... and so I do.

[Listening to: Sartori In Tangier - King Crimson - Beat]

LPs and such...

2004-10-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

I am considering a turntable, because the older I get, the more music I want that never made it to CD or even cassette. I hate vinyl, and have no sentimental attachment to the irritating pops and scratches that make some people so nostalgic for some bygone era. I would much rather the record companies get off their collective asses and digitize their back catalogs. Their COMPLETE back catalogs. The sad truth is, the bulk of that work is probably already destroyed or beyond repair, given that I have bought CDs that sound as though they are converted from the original wax disc. This needs to be done. Living in a world where the only music readily available is the fucking Beatles and a small percentage of those that came after is a scenario that depresses me beyond belief.

[Listening to: Field Work (Tokyo Mix) - Thomas Dolby and Ryuichi Sakamoto]

Thomas Dolby

2004-10-24T01:12:00.000-05:00

Ten years or so ago, I bought his greatest hits on a whim. It sat on a shelf for a while. One night, I put it on and just let it play while I was reading. About midway through Budapest By Blimp, it had my full attention. Have you ever liked a song and wished it would not end? I was in love with this song, and it happened to last a wonderfully atmospheric eight minutes and 39 seconds. The connection was made.

A decade later I have all of his studio albums and most of the rarities. The rarest stuff never made it off vinyl, so tracking them down has not been fun, but well worth it all the same. Every album offers something a little different, and a nice portrait of where he was at the time. This is the very rare instance of someone moving forward with each release, but injecting each with adventure and personality. All the more regretful that he only has four true studio releases, and has put out no original music for ten. His departure from music took place the year I discovered him, strangely enough.

A few years ago, he released a live album recorded on his fortieth birthday. It is a quiet performance of a few of his favorite releases recorded in front of a group of friends with minimal accompaniment. From his voice you can tell he hasn't done this for a while, but I love the disc, and that just adds to its charm. That was 2002, so maybe he'll put something out soon. Probably not, but in the meantime, I'll continue my search through his back catalog, and hope that all of those will hit CD in my lifetime...

[Listening to: Valley of the Mind's Eye- Thomas Dolby - The Gate to the Mind's Eye]

America... FUCK YEAH!

2004-10-18T13:15:00.000-05:00

Team America was entertaining, but there was a woman in the theater who brought her toddler for some reason. And they stayed for the movie's entire length. I can only surmise from the evidence that this woman was a moron, but who's to say? The previews shown were also kid friendly things like Lemony Snickett and Sponge Bob. I guess I understand. I mean, it had puppets in it. It MUST have been for kids... granted, the humor was pretty juvenile, but I'd hate to know my little girl heard the word "cock" in a movie I willingly sat through with her. there's a time and a place for that, and it's called first grade.

Starless

2004-10-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I sat with my guitar working on the solo to this one. It is pretty simple at first, a climb up the E string, then a cacophony of chords, then urgent stabs leading into insanity. Probably my favorite example of Fripp's playing by far. Also great atmospheric mellotron intro and outro.

Miserable

2004-10-05T14:27:00.000-05:00

Allergy day. What fun, what fun. Trying to stay awake until four so I can go home and just pass out. I appreciate being able to breathe more than most people I think, given that it can be a rare occurrence some days. I probably should have stayed home from work, but if I did that the pollen would win. This song kicks oh so much ass. At least there's that.

[Listening to: Fly On A Windshield - Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway]