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.

Mike Campbell Interview

Much respect to Dunlop for helping to make rock's most unsung hero a little less unsung:



And a bonus with Mike's tech (and his gear!):

AT-AT DAY AFTERNOON

The Muppets: Stand By Me

The Muppets may not be what they used to be but they still understand what makes them work. Eating other animals alive.

Seinfeld yells at Gaga

I hear the name Lady gaga and see pictures every single day and I have not heard one note of her music. that's either a testament to her publicist or a nail in the coffin of the music industry. But she seems to make a name for herself by attention stealing in public places, the latest in Citi Field. And Jerry Seinfeld is more annoyed than I am.

I do like the turn Seinfeld is taking lately. I loved the reunion on "Curb". I would like "The Marrage Ref" a lot more if he were on it every week. And I like how cantakerous he's become in his 50's. It's like Cosby; the crankier he gets, the more I like him.

Toy Story 3

It rains here all the time. Locals say it's unusual to have this much precipitation but to my eyes, it rains all the time. So much that we've been getting violent storms. Friday a nasty black cloud moved in with 70 mph winds. I work on the 29th floor and once HR saw the windows buckling, they herded us into the elevator stairwell. The storm moved past in 20 minutes but left behind a wake of felled trees and downed power lines.

Our power was out most of the weekend. Yesterday was Father's Day and rather than spend it in a hot, dark house we headed to the malls at Naperville. With the whole day to kill and Ben almost three, we figured it was a good time for his first movie theater experience.

We got to the theater and Renee stopped in the parking lot. "I don't think he understands what's going on."

I knelt down.

"Ben? You see this building?"
"Uh-huh."
"We're going to go in there now and we're going to see Buzz and Woody."
Audible gasp.
"And have popcorn."
Ben ran into the theater.

He was absolutely overwhelmed by the screen. He sunk in his seat and tapped Renee on the arm. "Mommy? This is the biggest TV I ever saw."

He sat quietly through the entire movie. Didn't hurt that the movie was great. It's the type that suckers you in. I spent most of the time thinking, "Sure, this is good but its' not 1 or 2 good." Then it paid off. Paid off big time.

This is not a film of a stand-out set piece (though it has them) or great new characters (though it has them). It's a whole and when it's finished, you walk away with the entire film in your head.

And dammit if it doesn't make everyone cry. The kids in the audience got a little fidgety during the deepest emotional moments but they stayed with it. It has that right balance that holds every age every demographic. Someday people will call this time a golden age of film because it had PIXAR in it.

Ben loved it. But before we left he had to touch the screen. It was just too big.

Tom Petty MOJO

Got the album. Got tickets for the United Center. Got to watch this.

Go Lion

I'm in love with Half Price Books. There's one out here that buys everything I bring in. I've gotten rid of at least five boxes I shouldn't have moved from New York and made a few hundred bucks already. It's eliminated my need to sell on ebay.

The store itself is also slammed with great finds. For example,last week I picked up volume 1 of "Voltron" on dvd for ten bucks. You know, this thing:



Man, I loved this show when I was 12. I spent most of my confirmation money on the die-cast Japanese toy that could break into all five lions. It could also break into 25 more pieces after one trip to the beach.

The show holds up about as well. It's stilted anime with two dimensional characters (all ripped off from Battle of the Planets) with watered down, repetitive and confusing stories. Asa much as I loved it in the 80's I couldn't quite understand it. This is why:



Turns out the original show was so incredibly violent, editing it for content removed most of the content. I kind of want to see "Go Lion" just to find out if it makes more sense. Even if it's an anime kind of sense.

Old Old Guitars

It occurs to me I might never have posted this picture of my guitars. Which is a shame cause it looks awesome.



2006 Fender American Stratocaster
1991 Telecaster Plus Deluxe
1999 Rickenbacker 330/12
2001 Les Paul Standard

It's missing four more guitars, including the one I posted yesterday. I'll have to take new pictures.

New Old Guitar

One of the good things about being in La Grange is there's an excellent guitar store five minute walk from the house. I'd been getting to know the owner pretty well (even saw his band at the local carnival cause that's the sort of thing they got here). So after I moved in, I decided to get myself a birthday present...



It's a 1968 Gibson LG-00. It has a punchy little sound for a Gibson and reminds me strongly of the guitar Robert Johnson is holding in only picture of him ever. I love how worn and broken in the guitar is. The finish is checked all over, creating a web of texture. It's not the big, strummy sound I was looking for but I finally own a good acoustic instead of the 20 year old Ovation copy I bought in high school and is slowly dying on me.

The owner of the shop replaced the bridge from plastic to ebony and sold it on consignment to me for $300. I paid $200 for that Ovation in 1989 and this vintage instrument is only another $100. Sometimes it pays to NOT be in the city.

Want to Hear My Last Night in NY?

The evening before I was to leave for Chicago, Trafton and I went to Comix to see Marc Maron's WTF taping. It was phenomenal. I'd been a fan of Maron since the early 90's and talked about his podcast here several times. I'd once sat next to him at a Billy Connolly show but never saw him perform. They had two seats right up front and being comics, we were the only ones willing to take them.

Marc had John Mullaney, Jeaneane Garafalo, Todd Barry, Morgan Murphy, Greg Giraldo and Tom Shillue. Some I'd performed with, some I'd seen, some I didn't know. All were great.

After the show I ran into Tim Warner and Jaqi Furback. Tim and I were too intimidated to say hello to Maron but Jaqi called us pussies or something equally unmanning. I also had the sting of the night I froze in front of Jeaneane. I ended up dragging Tim down with me.

I shook Marc's hand. "Great show, man, I just wanted to say you're one of the reasons I got into comedy."

"Really? Hey, thanks."

"Poverty got me out."

I got a laugh. I got a laugh from Marc Maron.

Tim said something sincere to him (I think that's for him to relate) and Trafton, Jaqi, Tim and myself until 2 at a bar across the street, downing pitchers and pizza dragged in from across the street. I can honestly say I haven't had that much fun since.

I'd been waiting a month for the show to get posted. Well, it's finally up but there's a catch. It's the first show you need to pay for. But it was worth $30 to see and it's definitely worth $2.99 to own. If you want to hear me laugh and hear Tim be the only one to applaud a comment by Greg Giraldo, here it is.

Wall Street Journal Article on Rockaway Beach

According to the WSJ, I'm from a shanty town.

They make up for it with this piece on the premier boxing collection at my alma mater, Brooklyn College.

Thanks to Ann-Marie Kirby-Payne who still lives there.

Symptom 7 Opening for KISS?

Yes. If you vote for them. And use zip code 11793

Now I don't like KISS. I've never cared for whatever it is they think they're doing. I did work on some KISS product at Art Asylum back in the 90's and listening to "Destroyer" on a loop for three months didn't change my opinion.

But I recognize KISS has a lot of fans. Fans that fit into a stadium. And I want Symptom 7 to play in that stadium. I've played with the three gentleman in that band many, many times and they deserve it more than the three bands ahead of them in the poll right now. If they don't win, I'm blaming you.

Vote!.

Amplitube

Yep. The iphone officially does everything.

Happy Memorial Day

Iron Baby

OK I admit it. It's adorable.

Trololo

Every now and then Walker sends me something I can't fathom. This is one.



Sure looks happy, doesn't he?

Conan and Stewart in 1994

Wow. This looks like the open mic of the two most important late night talk show hosts. Just look at the nervous energy.



I can't make too much fun, though as this was shot at a time when I was very, very serious about my band.

LOST Finale

Loved it. It was a show I was always interested in, but not in love with. I almost quit during the low of Season 3. But this season pulled me in closer than ever before. And the finale managed to tie everything up in the way the X Files couldn't. I'm buying the series on Blu-Ray.

No,they were NOT dead the entire time. Stop arguing about it.

10 Things I Learned From Gilligan's Island

Amazon had a Gold Box sale on the Complete Gilligan's Island on DVD for $40 last week. I hadn't seen it in 20 years. Renee thought I shouldn't get it but she doesn't think I should get anything. 10 episodes in she admits she was wrong.

When I was a kid the show didn't have any influences or subtext. It was just there. Like Sesame Street or the Adam West Batman. Now as an adult, I see the show differently.

Here are some of the things I learned:

1. Ginger and Maryann: equally hot.
2. The Professor would have figured out what that smoke monster was in 2 minutes.
3. Really? The Howells packed Shakespearean costumes?
4. Jim Backus steals every scene he's in. EVERY scene.
5. The giant spider is not so scary. Not after "Return of the King".
6. Skipper and Gilligan are just doing a syndicated Laurel and Hardy.
7. You can tag any joke by looking into the camera.
8. They had enough time to give everyone their own hut.
9. Anyone else who lands on that island is kind of a dick.
10.Not everyone understood the Beatles.

History of the Big Muff

Interesting how tastes change.

I used to hate distortion pedals. Had a RAT in the 80's from Walker (hated it). Got a Metal Zone (hated it). Got a BOSS turbo distortion (hated it). Then I quit and went straight to the amp. For the next decade I had to have a channel switching amp. The Marshall JCM 900 was my amp of choice (it would take me 12 years to buy my own). I got what I could afford which was a Marshall Valvestate combo (which I still kinda own though I left it in Eddie Joe's house in NY).

But last year I fell in love with the Vox AC30. It was quirky, traditional but unique and had classic tremolo. But it didn't have a distortion channel. I had to go back to a pedal.

I thought about what I wanted. I didn't want a pedal that would pretend to be an amp. So overdrives, including the classic Tube Screamer, were out. I hated what I had so I wasn't going back to the wide range of pedals I already owned.

Then I thought about the distortion sounds I liked. Monster Magnet. Black Sabbath. Nirvana. Smashing Pumpkins. Weezer. The solo in "Who's That Lady?" The melody line in "Never Met a Girl Like You Before".None of those guys got their drive solely form the amp. They all used fuzz. And most used a Big Muff.

I got one last year before my birthday and it worked well. Except it was so bassy it lost presence in the mix of a band (like most equipment, it sounds completely different when other instruments are playing). But Electro Harmonix solved that for me with the newest version with a "tone wicker". It gave me the option of knocking the tone control out of and keeping me in the mix no matter how many guitars were next to me (and in Walker's band, I never knew). To make a long story short, I love it. And I wnat to know more about it.

Here's a whole history of the Big Muff posted interestingly enough, on a David Gilmour site. Cause if there's one thing that can thicken a strat's tone, it's a Big Muff.

Pedalboard

C'est finis.

We're Stars

Dave Wasklewicz and I were talking about the passing of Dio and he sent me this. I have NEVER seen this before. You?



We're Stars

Leave it to 80's heavy metal bands to take a benefit song and make it all about them.

Dio NO!

Ronnie James Dio has passed away.

I did not see this coming. Heaven and Hell had been touring. They just put an album out. And he always seemed so alert and on the ball you couldn't imagine anything wrong with him.

Out of all the Black Sabbath front men, I never expected Ozzy Osbourne to outlive Dio.

He will be missed.

DVD 2 Blu

I am the only person I know with a Blu-ray player (let alone the only person with three). When people ask me (with a tired look in their eyes) if they need to replace all their dvds, I tell them it's not worth it. The increased picture quality and sound is nice, but not necessary for every film (although some like the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy Blu-Ray? Absolutely necessary.)

That said Warners has made it really easy if you want to upgrade some of your existing titles. They started a program at dvd2blu.com where you can send back your dvd for the upgraded Blu-ray for about 5 bucks. It's such a good deal I might send some I wasn't even planning on upgrading.

Patton Strikes Back

Last week I talked about Ed Murray talking about the comedian who stole Patton Oswalt's bits.

Now Patton's talking about it.

Ring modulator

I've been experimenting with the ring modulator setting on my Line 6 pedal. I still don't know what it does but this video comes as close as anything to explaining it.

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 makes the same mistake as Spider-Man 3 (which shows me Marvel get greedier with each hit). Too many characters, too many 'b' plots, no clear antagonist, no clear goal for the protagonist.

Nothing bad happens in this film. The action is bigger than the first, with lots of sweeping shots and explosions. There's tons and tons of charming Tony moments. There's a drunken super hero scene which would not work if it was anyone but Tony Stark.

But it's all meaningless. The first movie was about Tony regaining his soul through adversity and innovation. He goes from a coddled wonder boy to a man that can stand on his own. I don't know what this movie was about, other than action set pieces.

The antagonists don't help. Mickey Rourke is a great thug. Sam Rockwell is a terrific toady. But who's the mastermind? If they didn't pump the comedy up so high on Rockwell's character it could have been him. I didn't think I'd miss Jeff Bridges but he grounded that first film.

Iron Man 2 is the first Marvel movie to not be better than the original. The fact that the original is the bets Marvel film ever makes it sting all the more.

The Joke Thief

Ed Murray sent me a video of an open micer ripping off Patton Oswalt word for word (it's not worth the exposure this guy will get to repost it). Now Ed's telling the world through the Huffington Post.

Read it.

Michael Pataki

Michael Pataki has passed away at the age of 72.

Pataki was well known in the 60's and 70's. Howie and I knew him from three places: "Side Hackers" which was our favorite movie on Mystery Science Theater 3000, "The Amazing Spider-man" live action tv show in the 70's where he played a cop that had never appeared in the books, and "The Trouble With Tribbles" episode of the original Star Trek where as a Klingon, he delivered the classic line, "I didn't mean to say the Enterprise should be hauling garbage, I meant to say it should be HAULED AWAY... AS GARBAGE!" Howie and I made sure to learn his name and celebrate his every appearance.

He will be missed.

More Bilko

File this under none cares but me but The Phil Silvers Show season 1 is finally coming on DVD!

Four years ago we got a 3 disc best of and anyone would have assumed that's all we'd get.

Extras include a Lucy Show guest starring Phil. Here's hoping a later season has his Gilligan's Island as Harold Hecuba. Let's hope there is a later season (I'm looking at you, The Bob Newhart Show).

Moved.

I am in Chicago. Started at Mcgarry/Bowen Chicago which is interesting. I'm meeting a lot of people I'm not technically working with. And working with people online like my entire job is a Facebook status update.

But more importantly, I got this in my house:

Mr. Tinkertrain

I'm cranking and getting things stuck in my head. Right now it's Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 opener, "Mr. Tinkertrain". And I'm making up my own words.



walker and I loved to do quick parodies. They didn't have to have any kind of theme, just as long as they rhymed with the original line. We went to Coney Island and back rhyming Milli Vanilli's "Blame It on the Rain". But I like "Mr. Tinkertrain" best. Maybe because no one knows it. I liked it so much that I hear these old jokes every time I hear the song. They're all stupid.

That's why they call me

Mr. Tinkertrain
Nirvana's Kurt Cobain
majestic Lake Champlain
Just to complain
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine
high on cocaine
Dr. Frasier Crane
ambassador to Spain
King of Pain
prescription for Rogaine
Insane in the membrane
Aragorn's the Dunedain
Yelling across the plains
Lion has a mane
Mr. Windowpane

Now you try!

Marc Maron is talking to Robin Williams

And you should listen to it here.

Up in Lights

They were shooting a movie outside the comic book store Wednesday and a P.A. stopped me.

"Where are you going?"

This was a movie. The industry I wanted to write for. Wanted to perform in. I know a hundred guys that would kill to be where I was standing.

"The comic store still open?"

I think my performing bug is done.

No Flash

Ed Murray sent me this image. Took me a minute then I laughed for five.

Jim Lee Likes His iPad

Take a look at some of the sketches he's done by hand on his ipad.

Love that Joker!

Leaving and Drinking

I sent this around work this morning. You might as well see it too.


Hey, everybody!

After much deliberation I am proud to say I am not leaving McGarry/Bowen.

But I am leaving New York.

Starting next month, I'll be working remotely from the Chicago office. So
I'll still be working with you all on Verizon, Crayola, Sharp, etc. But I
won't be eating the free food at portfolio reviews, answering phone calls on
the windy deck or walking the half mile from 8th Avenue every morning. And I
won't be going out for drinks after work with you guys.

So we should go out Thursday.


Thursday, April 22, 2010
6:30pm until a moment of clarity early Friday

Location:
Rosie O'Grady's, 800 7th Ave (at 52nd)

Taking Off

I'm going to hit some cheap air fare, the new house and the Chicago Comicon this weekend. So retroactively, I've spent my last weekend in NY. It was a good one.

Back in town Tuesday.

"Spectacular Spider-Man" is Dead

I said in an earlier post that it wouldn't be long until we saw another "Spider-Man" animated series. At the time, I lobbied that it should be a third season of the great "Spectacular Spider-Man".

Well they did. And it isn't. Marvel is launching a new show next year based on "Ultimate Spider-Man" a book that has never captured me the way "Amazing Spider-Man" has. Will the show grab me the way "Spectacular" did. I don't know. But I know me. I will watch it.

Mattel SDCC exclusives

Thank Matty these will be available online because I'm going to need that Plastic Man and Starro.

See?

Game Reviews - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

Plus, I just found out I'm going to C2E2 this weekend. Wish me luck getting the white Sinestro and Black Hal Jordan I was complaining about two weeks ago.

Conan Going to TBS

I think we can safely assume no one expected this.

"In three months I've gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I'm headed to basic cable," O'Brien said in a news release. "My plan is working perfectly."

iPhone OS 4.0

Here's what the iphone will do next. Most of it is stuff non iphone owners assumed it already did.

Mickey Hornung Memorial

My cousin Mickey passed away last Thanksgiving weekend. We're still a little sad but this benefit for the family will help. I'll be playing a few songs and seeing a few friends. Come if you can.


Saturday, April 10, 2010

Time:
7:00pm - 11:55pm

Location:
Our Lady of Grace Hall


Our Lady of Grace Hall on April 10th 2010 will celebrate the life of Musician/Writer/Father/Husband Henry "Mickey" Hornung. We celebrate in the way Mickey would have with live bands and music and most of all Friends and The Neighborhoods of South Queens.

We ask that you come out and enjoy the music of The Kitchen, Dean Purple, Walker and The Brotherhood of the Grape with special guests Ron Zabrocki, F.L. Lombardo, B.M.W.A....and many more

$40 at door includes dinner buffet and door prize raffle. Many other great prizes to be won! One night only.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT WILL BE DONATED TO MICKEY'S FAMILY.


If you can't make it to the event, you can mail a donation to:

Camille Hornung
c/o Donna Hornung
159-28 101st Street
Howard Beach, New York 11414


Anyone interested in buying or selling raffle tickets in advance should contact Liz McGuire at lizzymacrn@aol.com - (718) 738-5668.

Please add photo's of Mickey and pics from South Queens below

After Party @ The Rail with Jimmy Dowd

iPad Comic Book Readers

Now that the iPad is out, I only have one question: how do I get my digital comics on it?

This article is a big help and a big step towards me getting one.

Rock Turtleneck

Instead of reading what I have to say today, why not check out Rock Turtleneck? Good friend Steve Walsh is hosting "Wilco Week" and his latest entry has a post by good friend Mike Brumm about meeting Jeff Tweedy on the set of the Colbert Report. Jeff Tweedy is not a good friend but Yankee Hotel Foxtrot seems like an old relative.

And it's here.

iPad Arcade

Sure it's cute but I wonder how Apple feels that after all this work to make a tablet thin and light, a third party immediately makes it thick and clunky.

Mike Lanigan

My father-in-law just posted this on Facebook:

Dear family and friends,

Following is a letter that my wife wrote today:

I have filed a missing persons report for my son, Michael. Mike has been known to "take off" in the past, for parts unknown, but has always checked in by telephone or simply returned home within a few days. This time is different. He has not been seen or heard from since March 27. He may be in Los Angeles or Orlando - we have no idea. We only know that he has been living on the street, in his wheelchair, for the past three weeks.

In addition to his Cerebral Palsy, Mike now appears to be Schizophrenic. This has led him to believe that he is in “the industry,” (meaning the entertainment industry). Mike watches WWE and TNA wrestling shows religiously, and will try to attend events in the larger cities that are easily accessible by train.

I have included photos of Mike, and a time line for his known activity - and what we have done to track him down - from the day he left until now. I am hoping that everyone who receives this will share it with their friends and relatives across the country. Maybe someone will see him on the street, or perhaps you have a friend who works in a hospital in a large city, etc.

It is possible that he is in a hospital, but he will not give permission for staff to call us. We have not heard from the police in over a week, and are not confident that they are putting much effort into finding Mike.

I would be very happy to learn that he has found a place to live, and is being taken care of physically. If you or someone you know has any resources that could help in any way, please share this with them. Thank you.

---------------------------------------

Mike’s Time Line - March, 2010

13th Went out “for the night”

14 Called home to say he would not be back that day, had things to do

17 On Twitter - was in a coffee shop in Los Angeles - Starbucks at Hollywood and McCadden - writing to people he sees on television, asking for help

18 On Twitter - in coffee shop, Coffee Bean, at Gayley and Weyburn, in LA. Said he had been cleaned up at a hospital. Last tweet from there said “need saving.”

23 I filed missing persons report in Chicago. Police were not inclined to do much about it, since Mike left under his own power. Called cousin, Sgt. Mike Smith. Shortly thereafter, received a call from Det. Paul Carboni, who was assigned to the case.

24 Another coffee shop (LA?), tweeting to Olivia Munn (from “Attack of the Show” cable TV show). Was apparently asked to leave (probably due to the stench emanating from him).

25 Mike called home - said he was not coming back. Later, tweeted from the Huntington Beach library - “tweeps and twolks send help please!”

27 Tweeted from the Huntington Beach Main Street library - “hospitals wouldn’t do the bathroom change....low on cash....please also send help with clean up, very dire situation....if i can manage to get out of california since nothing matched up the next stop is obviously florida.” Florida?? Perhaps to attend a wrestling event?? TNA Impact in Orlando??

His last tweet said, “but im really stuck badly right now. wish i knew where some folks are, very sad, chair not holding up well.”

28 Rick & Mary to Huntington Beach - stayed for 3 days. Contacted police dept. immediately upon arrival, they were not inclined to help since he left on his own and was mobile, but they took the report. Walked around HB and talked to bouncers at bars, left phone numbers with them.

29 Found a wheelchair repair shop owner who had seen Mike go by several days earlier and was able to describe him. Shop owner was formerly with Sheriff’s Dept. and made up a flyer on the spot, and faxed it to all wheelchair repair shops in the area. Visited HB Hospital; they had not seen him.

30 Visited HB police dept. again to see what was happening with Mike’s case. Was told by “volunteer” at the desk that it would take at least 4 or 5 days for the case to find its way to a detective’s desk!! Called my cousin in Chicago (Sgt. Mike Smith) to tell him about it, and that we had not heard anything from the HB police. A while later, received a call from a Det. Ellis, with HB police, who had been assigned to the case. He, too, was not inclined to take it too seriously, since Mike left of his own accord.

30 Found librarian at Huntington Beach Main Street branch who had helped Mike on the 27th. Reported same to HB police. Left flyer at library. Left flyers with Coast Guard and a ministry that serves the homeless (located behind the library). Talked to homeless people on the street and at the beach. Visited shopkeepers in “downtown” HB, left flyers and phone numbers. Called hospitals in the area.

31 Returned to LA, went to studio where Attack of the Show is produced, talked to security, left photo and phone number. Visited coffee shops that Mike had previously mentioned - no one recognized his photo. Left photo and phone numbers at Union Station with various security people. We returned home next morning.

As of today, April 4, Mike has not been seen by anyone nor heard from via Twitter since March 27th. It is entirely possible that he is fine - but it is more likely that he is not fine, smells and looks like an outhouse on wheels, and needs psychiatric care. Worse possibilities are simply unthinkable right now.

Green Lantern Wondercon Exclusives

I love Green lantern. Always have but Geoff Johns' new series is the most consistently great series of the last decade.

So I've been buying the figures. 3 3/4" Infinite heroes. 6" DC Universe Classics. 8" Mego style retro figures. 13" deluxe figures. And even though I quit DC Direct, I've been grabbing some of the Blackest Night line.

So last year DC Direct announced five green Lantern exclusives:



And it was a disaster. Mob rule. panicked crowd. Raffles. Long lines in 90-degree heat. I wasn't there but my friend Anthony went and scored us all five. Apparantly that's all he did the five days of the convention. Everyone involved said it was the worst sale of an exclusive they'd ever seen.


Now there's this:



Are you fucking kidding me?

Look at the rules. Wristbands. Lotteries. Winning tickets. DC Direct is already admitting they haven't printed enough of these figures to meet demand. They clearly seem more interested in the mayhem the demand will cause than the money sales would generate. And releasing them at a third rate convention instead of San Diego seems poorly planned at best, contemptuous at worst. I'll be haunting ebay for these and God knows what my spending limit will be.

Dammit.

If I Needed Someone

Been meaning to post this for a while. VH1 showed this on "Duets" back in the 90's and it's been stuck in my head ever since.



If I Needed Someone

Two underrated songwriters playing an underrated song from the most underrated Beatle. That Rickenbacker 12 string can not be overrated.

Futuristic Movie Timeline

I've been wanting to do something like this since I was 12. I was trying to figure out if every sci-fi movie could have existed in the same timeline. I was a lonely little boy.



No "Star Wars" here. I guess you can't quantify "A Long Time Ago".

Les Paul and Mary Ford

Here's an episode from Les Paul and Mary Ford's five minute show in the fifties.



Proof that in the fifties, networks had no idea what they were doing. Really? A five minute show? The plot of which is Les is trying to remember something that he never remembers? While Mary pots a plant? That's a story?

But as a music video, it's great. Between Les's transcendant playing (I see sweep picking!) and the forward thinking of multitracking, it's still incredible music.

I Got Twitter!

There's a twitter widget on the right over there. Check it out and add me.

Or go here.

Thanks to Mo Diggs for doing it first.

George Takei

Here's a commercial we just did:



I worked on the digital and almost got the chance to fly to L.A. and direct him in some cool video banners. But I was the first one to add "Oh my" into his scripts. So I'm taking credit for the tag.

The Score

Okay, so my tweets have confused you. So here, in detail, what is going on.

Renee and Ben have moved to Chicago. We bought a house in La Grange and unpacked all weekend. Renee starts her new job and Ben starts his new day care today. The cats are also there, sleeping on a new king size bed.

I am not there. I am in NY at my job. I met with the Chicago office Friday and a transfer may or may not happen. Seems I do a job they don't have there, but would like to. I'm giving them some time to work it out before I come up with another plan.

Good news; I no longer have to go home to take care of my son. Bad news; I have no car to get anywhere the subway won't take me. Worse news; my landlord is ripping the house apart in an attempt to make it sell-able once I leave. So I left my new house, old stuff and current family to live in a construction site. But I still got some toys.

I'm Gone

Off to Chicago to do some small things that will make some big changes.

Short posts are meaningless in a post Twitter world.

Why the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Sucks

In the late 80's, when the induction ceremonies started, I dreamed of going to this mystical museum. When Renee and I went in 2003 it was pretty awesome. And when I went back last year, it sucked. Zero repeat value. And they let morons in. Devalued the whole building.

This year's lineup is the lamest yet especially in the light of Eddie Trunk's rants and CNN's list of people who haven't made it in yet. What kind of criteria gets you in? In my book, there will never be enough room for ABBA. Even the hot brunette whose dad was a Nazi.

Also, before the NY Annex closed, we went and Ben had a meltdown so for $60, we saw nothing. I blame the Hall of Fame for that too.

When Toy Collecting Should End

I've been collecting action figures for over thirty years and even I think this guy should grow up.



There's something about a 36 year old crying, "How can I have a He-Man with no Battle Cat!?!" that puts it all into perspective.

Amber Lamps

By now you've seen this:



It has 4 million views so it's been recorded that you have.

But you haven't seen this yet:

Amber Lamps

It's a whole community devoted to the girl sitting and watching the fight. It's genius because it reveals an unspoken truth; that during the video you will once think, "Hey, that girl's hot".

Gilbert Sells You a Shoedini

Larry Miller Podcast

Larry filled in for Adam Carolla yesterday on his podcast in what I think is the first time he ever hosted a radio show. It's honest, charming, delightful and a reminder why Miller is one of my favorite comedians ever.

Listen here.

Iron Man 2 Trailer

There's a new one out.

And it's a lot more serious than the first. We get more drama, more action, more War machine and even a quick peek at the Mark V. In other words, it makes me feel a lot better.

Here it is. How do you feel?

Dead Pool

I always wanted to join one. And now I have. Robby Rigano invited me (and she also gave me a bag of black jelly beans so you can see the awesome sense of humor) and put it all online.

Check the schadenfreude, won't you?

Tales of the Gold Monkey

The "Raiders of the Lost Ark" one season ripoff finally shows up on June 8.

Will it be another timeless classic of the era like "Taxi"? Or unwatchable like the original "Battlestar Galactica"? If I don't buy this I will rent it on Netflix. Cause all I remember was Stephen Collins getting malaria every week.

Mr. Freeze Puns

This minute video makes "Batman and Robin" look like fun. It isn't.

Roger Ebert gets His Voice Back

If you've been following the news about Roger Ebert over the past three years, you know that cancer took Roger Ebert's jaw and condemned him silence four years ago. His writing, now the only form of his communication, has become transcendent. Each review is like the work of a great author.

But Roger may not be silent forever. A Scottish company has developed a text-to-speech program that has sampled Roger's own voice (fortunately, thanks to 'At the Movies', there are hundreds of hours of his speech recorded).

Here he is on Oprah. When he switches from the standard Stephen Hawking tone to his own sample, it's truly breathtaking.

Take a look.

Back

Friday to Sunday. Drinking all day and playing guitar all night for a hundred partying people. Guess it was worth that four hour wait on the runway.