The Practice Room

Last year, I spent most of the summer buying guitars. While I overbought (I just got rid of two of them) part of the drive was that I finally had a dedicated room in my house to play and display them.

In the nine months that followed, I auditioned for five bands, joined one, gigged with them, came back to NY and played a show, came home, quit the band, auditioned for three more and started my own. Since I had the room we meet once a week in my basement for practice.

So the room had to change. It was no longer a man-cave/guitar museum. Now it was a workout room designed for five musicians rather than one. Things had to move.


First I bought a P.A. A cheap 150 watt one didn't cut it so I sold it and two Indiana Jones statues for this Peavey 1200 watt mixer. It should work when we play at venues that demand we provide all the sound. But more importantly it allows me to hear myself and doesn't shock my teeth.



The first few practices I was stepping over guys to switch guitars and tweak amps. That was stupid. All my stuff had to get together. It took awhile to move the washer and dryer to another room in the basement but now I have both my amps and main guitars at my fingertips. That's a VOX AC30 for cleans, Marshall JCM 900 half stack for heavy. The Strat and SG follow the same pattern.



Here's the floor of that same area. The pedalboard hasn't changed much since the last pic other than the upgrade of the Dyna Comp to an MXR Custom Comp that breathes more for the Rickenbacker 12 string. I also added a Rust Booster for solos because with a 3 guitar lineup, I need every advantage I can get. The Marshall channel switch is there in case I want to run the Big Muff through the stack and the a/b switch gives me both amps (sometimes I'll run them both for a solo). Since I'm once again a lead singer (oh joy) the music stand holds my iPad to look up lyrics (the PC behind me wasn't helping) and the cheapie Kustom monitor means I can stop screaming into the mike. The $20 Home Depot carpet keeps me from tripping over all those cables.



I moved my rig near the computer so I could call up iTunes to solve a debate on a cover. The computer speakers are 150 watts. Serious. The digital 8 track is already on its way to making our demo and the chair slides in so I don't trip over it during practice. Hanging on either side are the guitars I use less frequently. I grab the Rickenbacker 12 string whenever the song calls for one. The Les Paul has always been my number one but with the other guys playing modern humbuckery Shecters and the like the more trebly Strat and SG sit in the mix better. It's mostly hanging here because it looks so pretty. All my other guitars are cased in the corner.



Our drummer Jesse was dragging his kit back and forth from Aurora which either cost us 45 minutes when he moved it or a week's home practice when he didn't. I found this TAMA Rhythm Mate on craigslist for $600. Some kid played it in high school and didn't in college. It was in excellent shape with a nice double kick pedal. Now that I own a kit, I really should learn how to play one. Chris left his bass rig here and after helping him move it I don't blame him. That's a Yahama tube head pushing two Acoustic 15"s. It just POUNDS. The other guitarists are bringing their amps back and forth though I keep telling them they shouldn't.



The old couch is still here though it doesn't get much use. We tend to just keep jamming until we drop. The Kirk chair lost it's place of honor on its own wall for space. Its plywood construction tells me it may not be long for this world.

This is another one of those posts where I start the last paragraph "it's taken me 20 years..." but I finally have a real practice room. When I started playing in the late 80's I had a room as big as this one in my parent's basement. My grandfather had built an apartment there and I eventually moved down in college, turning the living room into a studio. Thing is I had no money for equipment then and no one wanted to cross the bridge into Rockaway every week. We ended up using it more for improv than jamming.

Once I moved I had a recording booth in a walk in closet but no one else could fit in there. And when I moved in with Renee, that studio had to share space with the office. My dream was to buy a house and turn the basement into a practice/ screening room. The ceiling was too low for a projector but the rest worked out just fine. Now if I can only find a name for this band...

Cartooning Financially

"Only in the world of cartooning could freelance writing be considered a cash grab."
-Ted Rall

The Village Voice has a stark look at the living situation of most cartoonists. I know I'd still be doing comics if I could have made any type of living from them.

Check it out.

Green Lantern Footage

Two of my favorite super heroes growing up have a lot in common. Both Green Lantern and Iron Man were 'B' list characters that seemed like they should have been 'A' list. They each had a rich mythology, cool costumes and a sci-fi bent that no other book could capture.

Yet the comic was never very good. As strong as the work Denny O'Neil did on both characters, they never quite reached the heights of a Batman or Spider-Man. And in lesser hands, both books could be very, very bad.

But in 2005, things changed. Almost simultaneously, Warren Ellis wrote "Iron Man: Extremis" as Geoff Johns penned "Green Lantern: Rebirth". And crystallized their mythologies into something clear, strong and identifiable. Johns has stayed on Green Lantern since, adding more and more layers to the character where he now stands toe to toe with Superman and Batman. And Matt Fraction's work on Iron Man a few years later has held the torch for the armored hero.

Then in 2008, "Iron Man" changed everything for comic book movies. Not only did it transform Tony Stark into one of the most recognizable Marvel heroes but it opened the door for lesser known heroes. If the movie was good enough people would go to a Thor" or a "Captain America".

Or a "Green Lantern". For the first time in DC history, Warner Brothers is about to launch a super hero movie that is NOT based on "Batman" or "Superman" (even "Steel" and "Catwoman" were basically spin-offs). The first trailer was wincing, trying way too hard to be "Iron Man" quirky. I anticipated a "Fantastic Four" sized disappointment. Fortunately Wondercon this past weekend showed another four minutes, giving the film more of a JJ Abrams "Star Trek" feel. And I'm looking forward to it. It may not be as good as "Iron Man". It may not be as good as "Thor". But at least I feel it won't be horrible.

Wondercon footage:


And for the sake of argument, that first trailer which caused all the problems:

PG-13: A Bad Idea?

Here's an excellent article describing how the PG-13 rating actually led to the ruination of PG movies.

Check It Out.

The Edge

I've tried for years to nail the Edge's delay sound. Most guitarists don't even try. You can't just step on a delay pedal and expect magic to come out.

But one guitarist approached it scientifically. And got it from every angle. It's fascinating, perplexing and an enormous help. My only problem now is to play this right, I'm gonna have to get somebody else to sing.

Check it out.

Marion Ravenwood

I've never been a big collector of custom figures. The furthest I usually go is a head swap or Sharpie to fix the blacks. But when it comes to Indiana Jones, I have no limits.

So when I was trolling ebay and came across this custom sculpt of Marion Ravenwood, my jaw hit the floor. A day or two of online research proved Sideshow Toys had no intention of releasing a Marion figure on their own. So I pulled the trigger.



Now I had to build the rest of her. The latest Hot Toys female sculpt was in perfect proportions and although it was no longer on sale, it was easy enough to find on ebay.

The dress was trickier. I ended up finding a guy in Istanbul that custom makes them. He even ripped it to make it more film acccurate.



I took a look for shoes but after watching the film again I noticed she doesn't wear them long. If Marion could run from an exploding plane barefoot, she could go without the high heels.



It took about a month and more money than I care to admit but she's fantastic. It's been three years since Sideshow announced their 12" line. It's trickled down to about 1 piece a year but it's worth continuing. And if I can keep finding customs like this one, it's worth adding even more.

Bill Cosby

Friday night at the Chicago Theater I ticked off another life goal; Renee and I saw Bill Cosby.

The man is 73 years old. I know this because he started many bits with it. And he hasn't lost a step. Sure, he's slower than he was but like the greats he shifted his persona to match his speed. Pauses became pregnant. Anticipation ran higher on each set-up. And the audience was glued to every word.

When Ed Murray and I were working at the Improv we used to marvel at "Bill Cosby: Himself". "The man sat down!" We couldn't believe he'd have that much control over the stage to not hold his ground. Now he's even more relaxed in an oversized sweatshirt, sweatpants and crocs, wearing a wireless mike around his ear. No frills.

Two hours. No opener. No introduction. Some crowd work. All new material. He's still telling stories of his childhood which became the basis of "Fat Albert" in the 1970's. He's still telling stories of his wife and children which became the basis of "The Cosby Show" in the 1980's. But now he has grandparent stories, as sharply defined as any material he's ever done.

In "Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian", there's a scene where Chris Rock urges Jerry to go see Bill Cosby. "All new material. Killer." That movie was five years ago and Chris Rock can rest assured, it's still true.

Captain America Trailer

Okay. Now I'm "Thor" excited. You take that any way you want.

Slash, Dave Grohl and Lemmy

Ben Freaks Out to Motorhead

Who wants to know why I'm tired all the time?



Direct Link.

Planet of the Apes Discussion

Continuing the vein of reviewing movies you've already seen a hundred times, Roger Ebert's site has a cool retro review of the original "Planet of the Apes". Because who doesn't want to think about "Planet of the Apes" again?

Indiana Jones Screenwriting Discussion

Here's a series of great articles: the first explaining why Raiders of the Lost Ark is so well written, the second why Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was not and why the unproduced Indiana Jones and the City of Gods was better than Crystal Skull, but not by much.

Crybaby Movie

It's completely out online.

Part 1:



Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:

Movie Locations Guide

Ever get completely distracted in a movie thinking, "That street! Where is that!"? Growing up in New York this happens to me once a week (not counting every time 30 Rock is on.

Now we can know for sure. Movie Locations Guide has a comprehensive list of iconic locations, and establishing shots of buildings that were really in a studio. There are even maps of New York and LA. Now stop making yourself crazy.


Check it out!

All Hail Kumail Nanjianai!

He's on Conan. And in this clip, he's on forever.

Dwayne McDuffie

Dwayne McDuffie has passed away due to complications after surgery.

This is a shock. McDuffie seemed to be in good health and tremndously active, writing the script for the "All Star Superman" dvd which came out this very day.

I was a fan of his wirting but truly came to love his craft after his scripts on "Justice League Unlimited" became the greatest episodes of Bruce Timm's greatest series. I adored his runs on the "Fantastic Four" and "Justice League" comics, both cut short in their prime. Just like their creator.

He will be missed.

Zartan commercial

I've been singing this jingle for 27 years. Somehow I remember it rocking much harder.



Direct link.

New "Thor" Trailer

I was never a big Thor fan as a kid. He just seemed like Superman (who I was also never a big fan) but more hoity-toity. Everything with him was all "thy" and "thou" and "mjolnir". I'd heard great things about Walt Simonson's run in the '80's but never finished it.

But I love Jack Kirby. So last month I bought the entire Stan Lee/ Jack Kirby run in hardcover. And it's great. Great great. Like "Fantastic Four" great. I'm not sure why I resisted so long. There's no reason to believe when both men were hitting their creative peaks they would have done a second-rate job on this.

So I've gotten more into Thor. Which may be why I'm feeling like this movie maybe the best of the summer. We all knew Kenneth Branagh would nail the Shakespeare (which is how Stan thought Norse Gods spoke). But this new trailer shows he's got the pace and the action chops (welcome news for those of us that sat through his five hour "Hamlet".)

Behold the awesome:




Direct link.

"Green Lantern", you've got a lot to live up to.

Len Lesser

Len Lesser passed away at the age of 88.

My generation will remember him best as Uncle Leo on "Seinfeld" and later on "Everybody Loves Raymond" where he played basically the same role. But Len's career as a character actor goes back to the late 1940's. Over the summer I picked up the complete dvds of "The Monkees". Len popped up twice. And he was great every time.

He will be missed.

"X-men: First Class" trailer

Congratulations, FOX. You've turned the X-Men franchise into "Smallville".

Indiana Jones Comes Back

Toy Fair this year is looking solid. The Marvel line is with continuing and even Star Wars has a couple of things I'll buy (along with a genuine tease/rumor of a new Death Star playset at SDCC).

But the biggest news to me is Hasbro will be releasing the lost wave of Indiana Jones figures as a San Diego exclusive. This on top of the recent news that Hot Toys is making a 12" Indiana Jones which, once it's tweaked, should bury the Hasbro line. PLUS, a possible first ever Indiana Jones convention, taking place October 2011 in Chicago!

Happy Valentine's Day, me.

Jamba Juice Secret Menu

I've become obsessed with Jamba Juice. When I walked a mile and a half to the office every day, there was one location at the halfway point that kept me going. Now that I'm working at home I have to wait for the car and drive 7 miles to get to one. Which in my mind defeats the whole point of getting a fruit smoothie (to sum, I need a Jamba Juice in town).

So when I heard the rumor of Jamba Juice's secret menu, I was riveted. Plus it's true. It's like Jamba Juice just became more Jamba Juice. The only trick now is to order one of these without feeling like an idiot.

Bad Comic Book Movies

The Super Bowl means one thing to me; commercials. Part of it is professional and part of it is the traditional spots for the summer comic book movies. This year they showed Thor, Captain America and Cowboys and Aliens. Plus shots of the new Spider-Man costume leaked and a new Superman announced.

And of course the fans are worried. Because they worry about everything. Will they fix Spider-Man's eyes? Is Chris Evans big enough? Is Ryan Reynolds too goofy? Comic fans are terrified because they've seen a handful of great comic book movies and many bad ones.

But what fans forget is the damage is always contained. The worst that happens is a missed opportunity. "Daredevil" and "Ghost Rider" fans will always have to live with the probability that they will never see a great movie of that character. I live with that fact as a "Fantastic Four" fan.

No character was ever destroyed by a bad movie. The book still exists and is most of the time better than the filmed adaptation. Even "Spawn" is still publishing! Fans cling to their favorite characters to the point where they feel they have to be protected. That leads to fans complaining about every new creative team and costume change. And keeps comics insular, stagnant and dated.

Here's the greatest consolation. If the movie is truly bad, it will be forgotten. I mentioned to a friend that I was re-watching "Blade" and he said, "Ugh. That third movie is terrible". Yes, it is. But I can't remember it. I just remember it was bad. And that keeps me enjoying the good one.

David Brent Meets Michael Scott

Yes, it's as gimmicky as you can get. Yes, it's a desperate move for an aging show. Yes, it's a consolation prize for Gervais' refusal to replace the departing Steve Carell. And yet it works in that Laff-a-Lympics kind of way.



Direct link.

Oscar Nominations Are In!

Here they are.

The saddest thing about this is knowing I'll miss Elaine's annual Oscar party.

Bane in "Dark Knight Rises"

And Tom Hardy's playing him, finally washing away the stink of Star Trek: Nemesis. Anne Hathaway is Catwoman, as well. But chances are you know all this.

What iO9 thinks you don't know is who Bane is. Maybe I'm too big a nerd to find that odd but they do a great job explaining the character.


Here.


So does Comic Alliance.

McGarryBowen Is No. 2 on the Ad Age Agency A-List

Slipping from no. 1 to no. 2 ain't bad. Especially when most drop off the list entirely.

And yes, they mention my work again.

Yay me.

Who Wants the Actual Batmobile?

The actual Batmobile. From "Batman Returns". With a Chevy engine. On ebay.

And it's Buy It Now for only half a million.

Why wouldn't you get one?

Stress officially causes grey hair

This explains a lot of my current shaving habits. What it doesn't explain is why I don't already look like Steve Martin.

Check it out.

Long Trip

It's been awhile since I posted. I've been in NY since the last post and it's been a blizzard of activity until it was a blizzard of snow.

Some things I noticed, remembered or stated the obvious:

1. The commute from Rockaway to Manhattan is the very reason I left Rockaway.

2. Playing with Walker and the Brotherhood of the Grape reminds me why it's called playing.

3. Dave Charles is laid back.

4. Tim Warner is intense.

5. Working off site gives you all of the work and none of the drama.

6. According to the owner of Bulletproof Comics, I have not aged in 13 years.

7. 2 beers a day is as bad for your gut as getting really drunk the first day.

8. I love blizzards. Mostly because I love giving up without guilt.

9. A snow day means the kids go outside for 17 minutes.

10. "True Grit" is the perfect movie for you and your Dad.

Going back to Chicago tomorrow.

Paul Stanley Says Things to Richmond

Here's Paul Stanley's crowd work. Some of it sounds like his blog. God, it's hilarious.

Please please please listen.

Thanks, Joe DeVito.

BONUS: Here's four videos of Pat Francis' impression of Paul. I first heard him on Jimmy Pardo's "Never Not Funny" and thought it was hilarious. Now that I hear how close it is to the truth, it's pure genius.

1:

Direct link.

2.

Direct link.



3.

Direct link.



4.

Direct link.

Jon Favreau Not Directing "Iron Man 3"

Inevitable after Iron Man 2 was bad in the exact same way that most of the Marvel sequels have been bad.

What is it with Marvel Studios? Do they not see the pattern they develop?

All of their successful franchise have run the same way.

1. Get talented director (Bryan Singer, Sam Raimi, Jon Favreau)
2. Leave them alone
3. Release movie embraced by both comic fans and general audiences (X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man)
4. Start messing with director on sequel by shoving numerous b-list characters into it
5. Run off original director (X-Men 3, Spider-Man reboot, Iron Man 3)
6. Release bad movie (X-Men 3, Spider-Man 3, tbd)
7. Reboot franchise

This is only marginally better than their other pattern:

1. Hire bad director (Mark Steven Johnson, Ang Lee, Tim Story, Gavin Hood)
2. Mess with director by shoving numerous b-list characters into it
3. Release bad movie (Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Wolverine: Origins)
4. Reboot franchise

It seems that Marvel only has the interest of their characters at heart. Their goal seems to be to get as many characters into the public eye as possible so sales of books, toys and t-shirts go up. The movie is nothing more than a vehicle for their properties. Whether or not the movie is good on its own is irrelevant.

Sure, they want to make that first film good. Favreau himself proved that a good movie can make a b list character a list for years to come. But once he did that job, they wanted him out of the way as soon as possible. Directors like Raimi and Favreau understand story. Marvel understands crossovers. That's bound to create conflicts.

Think they will learn their lesson? Just wait until Avengers 2 when Joss Whedon walks off because they want it to star Jack of Hearts and Jocasta.

10 ways "Moonlighting" Really Screwed Me Up

Wal-Mart has the season sets for ten bucks each. This is not the second time I've seen these episodes. I rented them on Netflix four years ago and I found it was an an interesting show that got better with each episode until it was the best thing that had ever appeared on television. Then, with one infamous decision, it turned to complete crap.

Watching it again, I now see it as completely dangerous. I watched these episodes as they aired as an impressionable teen. It may have directly been responsible for my troubled romantic history.

These are the life lessons I should have known watching this show during puberty:

1. The perfect girl for you is not one you fight with all the time.
2. Everything that comes out of David Addison's mouth is a sexual harassment suit.
3. Nobody likes singing in the office.
4. Limbo contests even less.
5. No woman is going to wait for you to make a move for three years.
6. Murder is actually traumatic.
7. Never doing your job can hurt your career.
8. When you walk out on her, she's not following you on the next plane.
9. All-night benders in your 30's don't work.
10.The minute you get together, it shouldn't ruin everything.

Guthrie Govan

Ron Zabrocki is back to posting guitar players that make me feel bad about me.

This is Guthrie Govan. The fact that he's playing simple blues changes makes it hurt that much more.

Conan Meets Bruce Timm

Thank God Conan is back on the air.



Direct link.

Chuck Klosterman is Talking Zombies

For at least two pages.

Lennon

I've usually written about John Lennon at this time and I don't think I'll do it any better than I did five years ago. So instead of going through those motions again I think I just want to get my hands on the newly remastered signature box. If it's anything like the Beatles set last year, it will have me discovering his solo work all over again.

John would have been 70 years old today. That makes me think less about the tragedy and more that Paul McCartney should stop dying his hair.

CryBaby

God bless HD cameras. I'm still waiting on that Lemmy documentary but now there's a full feature on the wah wah.

Keith

Reading Keith Richards autobiography, "Life". It's every bit as good as you'd think it is. So good that I'm restringing my Tele to open G which I haven't done in years.

And so good I found this MTV interview from his first solo album "Talk is Cheap". I had this on tape in high school and watched it over and over again and dream about the future. And while I never got to hang out with the man as I'd hoped I did get to walk those hallways of SNL. And that ain't bad.



Direct link.

Pee-Wee Herman Tells You Not to Do Crack

Happy Thanksgiving.

Buffy Remake Without Whedon

Cause it worked so well when he wasn't in charge. Like the original movie.

I'm guessing Joss Whedon's reaction will be better than the actual movie.

Thanks to Ann-Marie Kirby-Payne for the chilling news.

Star Wars Drunk Driving PSA

That's right.





Direct link.

56 Worst Analogies of High School Students

Every one of them. Hopelessly brilliant. Like a MAD magazine.

For example:

He was as tall as a 6′3″ tree.

Read them all.

Green Lantern Trailer

It's up.

30 Rock Sesame Street

It seems most of you haven't seen the modern Sesame Street parodies. And you love them. Then you'll like this 30 Rock parody from a couple of years ago. There's a certain kind of genius in the fact that Liz Lemon is played by a lemon.

Spider-Man: Turn Out the Lights

The Spider-Man musical has been held up for years and gave me one of my best topical jokes:

"You hear about the Spider-Man musical? Bono's writing it. In it Spider-Man will fight the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus and Africa's foreign debt."

But now it seems to be happening. There are now images out there like this:



I was mildly curious. Now I'm very nervous.

1977 Guitar Catalog

There are at least 72 things wrong with this picture. And they're all hilarious.

TimePiece

If you're a hardcore Muppet fan, you've heard of Jim Henson's original short film, "Timepiece". If you're a hardcore Muppet fan like me, you've never seen it.

Dave Wasklewicz just sent it to me. It's experimental, funny, musical and very Sixties. Just like most of his best work.



Direct link.

Return of the Living Dead

Thanks to "The Walking Dead" my zombie phase is not ending any time soon. I've been going through the Romero films, "Shaun of the Dead" and moaning that no one's optioned my zombie script.

And I've been searching out "Return of the Living Dead". This movie was on HBO constantly in the 80's but I was so scared of it I had Mike O'Shea tell me the entire plot before I watched it in three minute chunks. I don't know that I ever saw the whole thing.

And I couldn't find it now. Netflix didn't have it on watch instantly and the disc was a long wait. It didn't appear on demand either. best Buy didn't stock it until last week. So once they did, I bought it sight unseen.

And it is crazy, ugly, loud, stupid, violent and goofy. Exactly what I was hoping. It's got Mr. Path Mark. It's got a barking split dog. It's got a woman completely naked for no reason. And when she turns into a zombie, she has no reason to put her clothes back on. Anyone that complains about Zach Snyder's fast zombies should watch these creatures sprint out of the grave.

And it has two big things going for it. It's the first zombie movie to focus on the brains of its victims. Even if you've never heard of this movie, if you've said "braaains", you've quoted it. Amnd it's got the Tarman. Half guy in suit half muppet, he's the coolest and silliest looking monster outside of "Tales From the Crypt". I can't beleive NECA hasn't made a figure of this guy. See?



In a very weird way, I'm glad I bought this movie. Of course, looking for this clip, I found the whole thing for free on imdb and youtube.

Jon Favreau Likes Minimates!

Speaking of Iron Man I'm rewatching the documentary on the Iron Man 1 blu-ray. Every time I see this moment, I am very proud of Robert Yee.

Walking Dead Pilot

Missed the episode I've been annoying you about? Well, you can watch the whole thing online right now. Down here.



Direct link.

New Hot Toys Iron Man

I don't care how many they make. I don't care how much it is. I don't care how weak the second movie was. I need to get this.

Ozzy Interview

I am hip deep in uncertainty at the moment so it's great to know Ozzy is still the same. Cursing, crazy and hilarious.

See?

Happy birthday, Howie.

Walking Dead

That was as awesome as I've been plugging it to be.

Last night's 90 minute premiere managed to combine George Romero's sense of tension with Cormac MacCarthy's sense of holding together in the face of utter hopelessness. The terror in every is even more pronounced when you realize we hardly saw a zombie do anything. Just their existence tightened the air in every scene.

The original comic is fantastic and this episode manged to outdo it in pacing, suspense and human moments. It made me realize how rarely I put myself in a character's position in this genre. In "Walking Dead" I did it every five minutes.

This is one of the best zombie movies ever made and it's not even a movie. Of course with the high television budget more than matching the low b-movie budget of most zombies it was easy to judge.

The best review I've heard came from my wife every ten minutes: "I think I'm going to throw up." She'll be back next week.

Depressed Cat

Liz Miele posted this on Facebook. About sums it up.

Zombie Zombie

I post nearly every thing Ed Murray sends me.

Do you want to see vintage G.I. Joe figures reenact "The Thing"? Cause Ed new I did.

Shaved, sorta.

Here is the part of my beard that is not gray.



I thought it had a Tony Stark/Frank Zappa look to it but thanks to Dave Wasklewicz for setting me straight. I do look like Kraven the Hunter.

Welcome Blogspot!

It's come to my attention that after five years, I no longer own www.notinmybook.com. My account was linked to an old address and I never got a renewal notice. I tried to buy it but it was already gone. No one is doing anything with it.

But that doesn't mean this blog is dead. I still update almost every day. It feeds straight into my Facebook where over 500 more people can see it. And once Bill tells me how it will link into my Twitter feed over a whopping 42 people could see it.

So if you're typing for this blog, you'll need to go to www.notinmybook.blogspot.com The URL isn't important. The content is.

Droid Does on the FWA Shortlist!

I'm no egotist but I do like recognition. Oh, here's some now.

Check it out.

Disney Making 'Iron Man 3'

The box office success of the first "Iron Man" is precisely what drew Disney to Marvel. So it's only natural that they would get that license away from Paramount. Even if they have to pay $115 million to get it.

So while Paramount is still set to release "Thor" and "Captain America" Disney gets Joss Whedon's "Avengers" and the next "Iron Man" (with or without Favreau who wasn't happy with the finished Iron Man 2). Marvel (and therefore Disney) already got "Hulk" from Universal and "Fantastic Four" from Fox. How long before they try to get "X-Men" and "Spider-Man" back?

Read the press release here.

Sesame Street "Mad Men"

Because Steve Klausner asked for it. This played last season and another reason I wanted to write for "Sesame Street" until the had that last round of layoffs.



Direct Link.

Conan and Andy

Conan O'Brien has been making quick web videos to prepare for the new TBS show. This has been the best so far.

Grover for Old Spice

Some people hate it when "Sesame Street" is topical. Me, I live for it. Remind me to post their parody of "Mad Men".

17 minutes about "Walking Dead"

Bad Superman Movies You Didn't Have to See

To date, there have been seven 'Superman" movies, including "Supergirl" and the George Reeves "Superman Vs. the Mole man". Of these seven, one is very good, one is okay, and five are bad. As they prep another reboot only four years after "Superman returns", Rotten Tomatoes shows us the Superman movies that died in development hell.

None of these sound any good.

Check it out.

Eric Johnson Gear

Yay! More gear videos! For me and maybe someone else. I listened to Ah Via Musicom over and over and over and then nothing else. Still have massive respect for Eric Johnson and anyone else that makes a strat their #1. Although it sounds like a lot of his pedals are centered on making his strat not sound like a strat.

Part 1:


Part 2:

Max Headroom

Watching "Max Headroom" on dvd. The character was a phenomenon yet the series was a minor quirky project that only lasted 14 episodes. It's as strange as it was in 1987. The fun of it now is seeing how much it got right vs. how much it got wrong. I'm sorry, tube tvs in the future?

Researching the character I came across what is now known as the Max Headroom Incident. Seems some kid broke into the feed of Chicago television in 1987 as the character. Pretty clever but once he gets on the air, he has no material and resorts to loud and annoying. Ah, Chicago.

Greg Giraldo

Heard it on Facebook and didn't want to believe it until I heard it from another source but Greg Giraldo passed away yesterday at the age of 44.

I never met Giraldo but saw him once at Comix. He was everything I'd expected, political, smart and cynical but warm, relatable and an everyman at the same time. Listening to his latest material, we all knew he was going through a tough time. But I never realized it would have come to this.

He will be missed.

50th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul

Oh boy. A Les Paul for the same price it costs to waterproof my house.



Yes the '59 Les Paul is the most coveted guitar ever made. But hasn't every Les Paul since tried to capture that look, sound and feel? This one looks a little nicer than my 2001 Les paul whihc I've made even less like an original burst.

But if you want one, you can learn more about them here.

POD HD

We played a surprisingly decent show at a bowling alley/ bar in the north suburbs Friday night. 33 songs learned in under a month. It was almost as high pitched as work.

I brought tons of stuff including four guitars, my massive pedal board and a Marshall half stack. It sounded great but I don't know how long I want to fill the car with equipment, especially considering the fact that we can't leave any gear at our rehearsal space.

Last practice we tried running our sound through headphones as if we were in the studio. It added a precision I'd rarely gotten in a live setting. Everyone was happy enough with the results we're considering abandoning the p.a. at practice. If that's the case, the new HD line from Line 6 might be the way to go on Wednesday nights. My back thinks so.

Katy Perry Kicked Off 'Sessame Street"

I'm a parent and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I want to see Katy Perry in this outfit. More because they show Sesame Street in HD now.

Slash Rig

I'm loving this age of guitar tech videos that walk you through someone's live rig. We've seen the Edge's setup and Mike Campbell's gear and now it's time for Slash. Looks like he's maintaining his reputation as a Les Paul man.

Check it out.

I Won an Award!

Awards in advertising are like a TV credit in stand-up. After a while, you're expected to have one.

That's why I'm glad and relieved to have won the 2010 WEBAWARD For Outstanding Achievement in Web Development for the original Droid launch. If I was in NY with my team I'd buy them all a round of drinks.

Back to work now.

new Rickenbacker

My local guitar store had this 360 hanging for a while. They know I'm a huge Rick fan so they called me as soon as it came in. It's a 2001 modded by Mark Arnquist who even took the time to strip the finish off the fretboard so it feels like a Les Paul.

I played it all summer, every time I stopped in the shop. I loved it but I couldn't justify the cost. I loved my 330/12 and that was the Rick sound I always wanted. I also just bought a white Gibson SG for my band.

Last week when I was in NY and got a call. They dropped the price $200 for me. I picked it up as soon as I got off the plane home and haven't stopped playing it since. Took it to practice and although it wasn't right for Nine Inch Nails, that Fastball song sounded perfect.

Here are both Ricks together. 330 vs. 360. 6 string vs. 12. toasters vs. high gains. Mapleglow vs. fireglow. If I have to have two, I want them as different as possible.

Jonathan Frakes: Still Cool

Wal-Mart had Enterprise: season one for twenty bucks on DVD so I'm watching it again. I'm struck by how much promise the series had. The premise is interesting and relateable to new audiences. The cast is strong and gung ho (especially in the case of Scott Bakula, who's always good). And the episodes are all fine, the start to a potentially great series.

Unfortunately, the writing staff, who had been on Star Trek for decades was tired and it showed through the warmed over Voyager plots, which were themselves warmed over TNG stories. By the time it ended, the franchise went with it, leaving the playing field open for J.J. Abrams' reinvention.

I hated the bored second season and quit but fans really despised the finale, which guest starred Jonathan Frakes and Mirina Sirtis on the holodeck. Looking back, Frakes hated it too:

Let’s talk about that last appearance, because it was pretty controversial in Trek circles. A lot of fans felt it diminished Enterprise to fold not just the series finale, but pretty much the entire series, into a TNG holodeck sequence. What were your thoughts about it then, and how about now?

I’ve said this publicly, but I thought everyone on Enterprise, especially Scott (Bakula), was so gracious about having actors from another show come in and put his show to rest. It was sold to me by Rick (Berman) as a “valentine to the fans,” and it was anything but. It was, I think, one of his rare mistakes. It didn’t work on so many levels. I don’t think the Enterprise cast was happy to have us. I’m frankly not sure the fans wanted to see us there. It was great, obviously, to be with Marina again and a lot of the crew were people I’d worked with on Next Gen. So the fun part was there, but the legacy of it… I don’t think it was our finest hour.


Frakes is down to earth enough to call it as he sees it. He talks about how grateful he is to have become a director while many odf his castmates are "struggling". Once he transitioned to director, he made the phenomenal "Star Trek: First Contact". After following it it up with the lackluster "Insurrection", he seemed to fade. Turns out he's a very busy television director, knocking out episode after episode of Castle, NCIS and Burn Notice. And his beard still rocks.

Check out the interview on startrek.com

HOW DARE YOU!

Somebody stole Tony Iommi's guitar.



Not a good year to be a member of Heaven and Hell. The only way this can work out well is if Dio faked his death and shows up at Tony's door playing "Holy Diver" on it.

Pod F. TompKast

Good gravy, the Pod F. Tompkast is here!

It's been promised for over a year and now there's two of them. Each has made me laugh out loud within minutes.

Comedy is NOT Pretty

I'm in NY for the weekend and cranking at the old office today. Missed it.

I'll talk about the events of the last three days when I get back (it's been gooooood) but in the meantime Ed Murray, as is his wont, sends us this piece of genius. It's hilarious, absolutely true and full of wisdom you never learn until you experience it.

R2-D2 Droid

This has launched so I think I can talk about it.

Verizon is doing a limited edition R2-D2 Droid phone and we've done all the advertising.



We started talking about this in May and for the last two months I've been submerged in "Star Wars". It's like being 9 years old again, those heady days before Hasbro relaunched G.I. Joe and George Lucas was the center of your universe.

Join the twitter feed for the whole experience. It's the same account I wrote for the previous contest and I did most of these. It will also lead you to the best part of it all; the C3PO translator.



I pushed to include C3PO and not only did I get to write his dialogue, we got Anthony Daniels to read it. He even sent along a compliment about how much he loved the writing. So in my mind, I am now one of the greatest Star Wars writers ever.

Reggie Watts

I've seen Reggie Watts twice, once at "Kingdom of Heaven" at the legendary Creek and once opening for Conan O'Brien. He blew me away both times creating sophisticated, layered, hysterical beats armed only with a Line6 DL4. Now Comedy Central has produced a video for his song that I can't get out of my head. I won't tell you the title but it's a closeout warehouse of obscenities. There's Kumail Nanjiani in there and I think I see Tom McCaffrey in the background.

"Walking Dead" Trailer

Everybody knows zombie movies are pretty cheap, ever since George Romero made the original "Night of the Living Dead" for nothing. And yet it took forty more years before someone realized they could afford to do them on a weekly basis.

Even better than just a weekly series, "Walking Dead" is based on a great comic by Robert Kirkman. I read the first forty or so issues and loved them. Not sure why I didn't stick with it but chances are Batman did something and distracted me.

AMC has quickly become a pedigree. From a network which originally claimed that every movie in black and white was a "classic" so a commercial free network that just started showing commercials one day (and no one believed me!) AMC has risen incredibly high on the merits of two series, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" two shows which are so undeniably great everyone believes the network has greenlight nothing else.

This looks awesome, it's 90 minutes for the first episode and starts on Halloween!

DC Universe Online Trailer

As you may know, I'm no gamer (a fact I tried desperately to hide on my Nintendo job application two years ago). I finally sold my PS3 last month. I didn't have a Wii until last Christmas and only changed the batteries in the controllers once. The fact is I don't put in enough time to get any good at video games and every time I do I think of all the things I could be doing instead.

But everyone went nuts over "Batman: Arkham Asylum" last year and neither my Wii nor my desktop could handle it. It galls me that there's good Batman out there I can't experience. And now there's this:



I'm going to need a PS3.

Pollen

My allergies are usually done by now but this week they came back with the force of a cold. I guess it comes in waves out here.

I'm going to have to make daily trips to pollen.com. There's a national map that tracks the pollen count dya to day as if it were the weather. And if you're like me, it's more important than the weather.

Guitar Shots

Speaking of real guitars, the light hit my guitar stand well yesterday so I took pictures of everything.

The original. Applause Ovation copy. $169 from King James Music in Brooklyn, 1989. I learned how to play on this thing and played it half to death. I played at my first show (the Cathedral talent show). There's chips in the headstock from multiple doorways and a crack in the finsh from playing in Central Park on the anniversary of John Lennon's death. I often think of taking it in for repairs but I know the cost will outweigh the original value.



2004 Martin 12 string. A xmas gift from Renee the year we got married. I record with this a lot and it's come with me to a few bar sessions and one rooftop gig. Truthfully, I don't play this enough but then again, I don't play acoustics enough anymore.



1968 Gibson acoustic. Looks fantastic, feels good but the bridge came up after a month or so. Had it fixed and it's not quite the same. I keep wanting to play it more and I keep putting it down.



1991 Tele Plus. Bought from Sam Ash on 48th St in 1992. Those are Lace Sensor pickups which a coil tap switch for the humbucker. My only electric for ten years. It's taken some major abuse from both the grunge era and my twenties. Still sounds great, still too heavy.



2006 60th Anniversary start. Bought from Matt Umanov Guitars in 2007 on my way from jury duty and to a comedy open mike. This has become the project guitar. That's the Tele's locking tuners and bridge in there. Rewired it to turn the neck pickup on and off and combine the middle and bridge pickups into one humbucker. Comfortable to wear and shreds my wrists every time.



2001 Les Paul. 30th birthday present. You've seen this before and you've seen the P-Rails I put in last year for my 37th birthday. A completely versatile LP. My #1 and my only audition guitar.



Rickenbacker 330/12. First guitar I ever bought from craigslist and a phenomenal deal. This was a lifelong dream come true. I started playing on an acoustic 12 string in the chapel at high school (the choir had one lying around)and after hearing "Full Moon Fever" I knew someday I'd have to have one. Adore this guitar and the vintage pickups pushed it higher up my list. Just wish I had more songs to play it live.



Gretsch 2001 Tenessee Rose. First ebay purchase of a guitar after two amps and many pedals there. The owner refinished it in a burst and added a midrange control under the pickguard. He also painted the pickguard gold, which I hated. I got this when I moved to Chicago as the owner of the guitar store here is a big fan of hollowbodies. Realized I didn't have one. Also realized I didn't have a great acoustic and I figured this could do both. This will be jam session bar guitar whether it's in a band or with me on a stool.



2005 Musicman Axis. Used from Guitarcenter.com. I played an EVH at King James in 1991 and it instantly became another "someday" guitar. When Eddie Van Halen left Ernie Ball, this became the Axis with almost no design changes. I always wanted a light, fast modern shredder guitar. I've also been curious about owning a Floyd Rose as I started playing when they were all the rage. It's tight and loud and so small it fits my 5 foot 7 frame better than my other axes. Took this one down to Puerto Rico and it was so easy to tweak with the climate change it remains my #1 traveling guitar.



Epiphone Hofner bass copy. On sale at Guitar Center. I borrowed Matt Kinkel's Ibanez Precision copy about 15 years ago and when I moved, it was time to give it back. Stopped by Guitar Center during their Memorial Day sale and got this for less than $200. It's only for recording but it sounds great running direct. And you never know when you'll need a bass.



My newest and quickly becoming my new #1: 1984 white Gibson SG. I've wanted one since 1988 when I first saw "This is Spinal Tap". When I got my Tele Plus it was a white SG I was going for. Found out the color is rare, with Gibson only producing them eveyr five years or so. In 2002 I bought a black Epiphone SG and gave it away a few montha later, once I had a Les Paul. SGs are so thing and light that they get top heavy and you spend most of your energy holding it up. I've tried Gothics, Fadeds and signatures and hated them all.

Then I saw this guy on ebay. Turns out the seller owns a store in Lincoln Park so I waited the auction out, offered him $300 less than he was asking and picked it up to avoid shipping charges. It's amazing, balanced and sounds the way I always thought I sounded. I've had it a month and have already taken it to band practice more than my Les Paul. I'll definitely be gigging with it.



When I lived in my parents' basement apartment, I converted that living room to a rehearsal studio. Apart from my two guitars and one amp, I covered the walls with Guitar World centerfolds. There was Eddie's frankenstrat, Jimmy Page's Les Paul, Clapton's psychedelic SG, McCartney's Hofner all on that wall. It's taken twenty years and four addresses but I've finally assembled that collection for real.

There's an old joke among guitar players when asked how many axes they need. "Just one more." I think I'm good now. But there is that Rickenbacker 360 at the store...

Rock Band 3 Uses Real Guitars

One of my biggest problems with the "Guitar Hero" games is that as close as it is to playing the real guitar, there's fundamental differences that totally blow the reality.

Looks like Rock Band has solved that problem. They've teamed with Fender to make a real guitar that works as the interface. While it's not as cool as say plugging my Les Paul into the game, I realize that's impossible as this Squier has sensors running up the neck itself. Still it should fundamentally change how musicians see the game.

But will it work for the Beatles version?

Guitar upgrade

Since I moved out of NY, I have not stopped screwing with my guitars. When I'm not buying new ones (and oh, I AM buying new ones)I'm improving my existing axes. At least once a week I'm changing the action on one. Got a set of Nashville strings on my Tele so I can play "Wild Horses" over and over and over again. Rewired my strat (again) so at the flip of a switch I can turn the middle and bridge single coils into a single humbucker ( I can already control the neck pickup with another switch).

And I went on ebay to get vintage pickups for my Rickenbacker:



Got a 1967 "toaster" in the bridge position now and a new one in the neck. They are way cleaner and brighter than the stock high gains that came with the guitar so it really nails that 1965 sound. Plugged it into the Vox with some compression and played more Byrds songs than I ever have before.

By the way, if you want my old pickups, I'm selling them on ebay here.

Mister Bob

I'm no fan of techno. But I have to admit the Nick Vernier Band took a Monkees throw away bonus track ("Zilch") and made a really cool song out of it.

Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford on the Today Show

Since Star Wars Celebration is starting in Orlando today, I keep finding more awesome Star Wars stuff online. Look at this. As far as I know this is the only time this has ever happened.



Part 2:


Harrison Ford actually says he likes the movie (that won't happen again). And Mark Hamill accurately predicts the prequel trilogy that would happen almost twenty years later. Although he doesn't predict it will suck.

Droids Don't Smoke

My last video led me to this one:



And yes, C3PO, I never have.

New Batman

It's a new decade so it's time for a new Batman costume. And I dig this. I missed the yellow bat symbol since it disappeared in 2000. I like that the shades of gray eliminate the black/blue debate on the cape and cowl. But mostly I like that Bruce Wayne is no longer built like a tank. There's no way a self-taught guy with no super powers should be as big as Superman.

It also reminds me how smart and subtle DC is with their costume redesigns (Wonder Woman nonwithstanding). Unlike Marvel whose approach seems to be altering the character far enough that they can spin the costume into a new character while the favorite goes back to the established icon (look at any Spider-Man redesign) every decade or so DC makes subtle changes that get the fanbase excited while doing nothing to rile the casual fan. Superman gets a darker blue, a bigger "S". Batman goes from blue to black, Green Lantern loses the trunks for a beltline. So I could go on and on about the ear length and the body seams but many of you will look and say, "Yeah, it's Batman. And?"

Kenner "Star Wars" Commercial

On minute and one second that changed everything.

Ron Zabrocki's "Crossroads"

There's something I love about this new age. While big name bands are no longer putting any money or energy into music videos because there's no network that will run them, one of my favorite musicians but this really cool piece together without backing, a record contract or even a band.



Yay Ron!

Ricky Gervais on the American Office?

I still think they should end it when Steve Carell leaves at the end of the season, but this idea is mind blowing.

Rotten Tomatoes Counts Down 100 best Comic Book Movies

Here's along list that will answer the same question it poses; there are 100 comic book movies?

Look.

Thor Comicon Trailer

Had no idea what to expect with Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of Thor. And I can honestly say this trailer is now what I expected.

See it before Marvel pulls it down.

Goon Animated

I fell in love with this comic in San Francisco and vowed to do my part to turn it into a movie.

This is my part. Telling you about what David Fincher did.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

I wasn't thinking 3D CGI but dammit if it doesn't work. And unlike, M. Night Shamalyan's version of The Last Airbender, it looks like the humor here is intact.

Counter Protest

SDCC is in full swing and Dave Forrest is showing something better than anything I saw in 2008.

The crazy "God Hates Fags" group is protesting outside the con. Apparantly they will prtest anywhere, including Dio's funeral. Instead of getting into a heated debate, they just started goofing on them.



Now I wish I went.

Fired! Paul Tompkins

One of the good things about living in Chicago is I can see anybody that bothers to show up. saw Tom Petty over the weekend and he was just as good as when I saw him at Madison Square Garden two years ago. Even Better, I get to see Paul F. Tompkins next week! Why is that good. Oh, here's why it's good:

Louis CK Ricky Gervais in episode 3 of LOUIE on FX TUESDAYS 11pm

Please please please PLEASE watch "Louie" on FX. It's everything I was convincing myself "Lucky Louie" was.

Ron Zabrocki Studio Tour

Ron has more stuff than me.