Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A Visit to the LOST Beach


Because so many of my friends are LOST fans, I decided to write up a longer description of what happened when we visited the beach where LOST is filmed.

First of all, we ended up visiting a lot of places where LOST is filmed without realizing it. There is a Web site called LOST Virtual Tour which can guide you if you set out to find the specific sites. However, looking at it after the fact showed me that we had been to a couple of the spots already. For example, there is a lookout point next to Hanauma Bay where Desmond confronted Kelvin. We went there, but didn't realize that's where we were. We just liked the view.

Since we had planned to visit the northern part of the island that day, we decided it would be fun to see the beach where many of the scenes from LOST are filmed. It's called Papa'iloa Beach and it's actually just a short drive from La'ie where BYU Hawaii is located.

We walked out on the beach and right away recognized some of the places where key scenes were filmed. We saw a group of people further down the beach, but still didn't realize it was the film crew. We assumed it was another group of tourists. Just then this kind of lanky older guy came walking over to us. He asked us if we minded walking up higher on the shore so we wouldn't end up accidentally on camera. It turned out he was one of the production guys for the shoot and they were actually filming a scene that day.

The cool thing is that since all Hawaiian beaches are public, he couldn't order us away, he could only ask. We readily agreed to move (because we're nice like that) and he asked us if we were coming out there to watch the filming. We explained that we didn't even know they were filming, but we wanted to see the location. He said, "Well, come with me. I'll take you around to the other side and you'll be able to see better what's going on."

The next thing we knew, we were walking through the makeshift campsite set up by the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors. We could see shelters with airplane wreckage and suitcases. We were in the middle of the set! I took a couple of pictures. We were passed over to a security guard who nicely asked me to not take anymore pictures. He said they were pretty paranoid about spoilers and that if I was seen taking photos, they might throw us out. We went around through the jungle past all these different props and sets, past trailers and miscellaneous crew members. I don't know if it was because it was Hawaii or what, but everyone was super mellow and nice. They seemed to go out of their way to say hello to us. I have visited a set or two in the past and can say that is not usually how it is. Everyone is usually all uptight.

So after pausing a few times to allow for something that was being filmed, we were escorted out past Eko's church structure to the beach. We stood there watching as the character Ilana was filming a scene where she kicked a guy and pointed a rifle at him after he fell. They did it again and again as the rain fell.

Just then Shauna grabbed my arm and said, "Oh, my gosh. That's Ben!" I looked through my rain spotted glasses and sure enough Michael Emerson, the actor who plays Benjamin Linus was sitting with another security guard under a tarp. He was chatting with the guard and at one point stood up to empty the rain-filled tarp.

We were there a few more minutes and then I looked up and saw a familiar face walking out to the tarp. It was Locke! John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) was standing maybe 40 feet away from us. He walked out and shook hands with Ben which I found sort of funny. At one point, he turned around and looked at us, but did not make eye contact. I don't blame him. I'm sure he didn't want to deal with a bunch of fans. Besides Shauna, Matt Hyatt and me, there were four other people there watching. At one point another person came out and was greeted enthusiastically by the two actors. It was a blonde woman, but it wasn't Juliet or Penny.

We realized we needed to leave because it was raining and we had tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center that night. The snag was, the guard who brought us out there told us we couldn't just walk out. He said we needed to go over to the guard who was sitting with the actors and tell him to radio for someone to come get us. I wondered how reasonable it was to approach a guard who was with the actors. In the end, Shauna did it. However, the guard seemed to misunderstand her. Instead of radioing for an escort, he took us himself. He was pissed off because he wasn't supposed to leave the set. I told him like three times that he was supposed to radio someone, but he didn't listen to me. He was the only guy on the set that was jerky about us being there.

Again, we were held up in the production area. I head a familiar voice saying, "I gotta do an interview in a minute." I looked to my right and in the trailer right next to us, maybe 10 feet away this time was Terry O' Quinn again. We didn't push our luck to ask for an autograph or anything, but it was cool to be there. The same hippified old production dude took over for the guard and took us back out to the beach. I apologized for our causing a hassle with guard and he said, "Ah, he'll do what we tell him to."

We went out to the beach and left. Shauna took a couple of pictures of Ben under the tarp as we left, but it was zoomed in and shaky. It's not the best picture, but it's what we have.

Honestly, we thought we would be lucky to see the beach, but to be taken through the set and to see a couple of the actors was so far beyond what we expected. Plus, everyone was so gracious (the one guard excepted) and were even saying goodbye to us as we were leaving.

One picture is included in this note, but this link will take you to the rest of them, if you're interested: http://tinyurl.com/LOSTBeach09

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Disturbing Trend

Several months ago, I posted a video clip of my old band performing a song I wrote when I was 19 called, "Kill Your Girlfriend." The entry also told the story of how the song was written.

Since then, I installed a traffic monitor on my blog and have found that way too many people come to this blog after searching for terms like "How to kill your girlfriend" or "Kill your girlfriend and get away with it." That's a bit creepy. No, it's really creepy.

Therefore, I would like to issue the disclaimer that the author of the blog entitled Random Thoughts does not and has not ever seriously endorsed the killing of one's girlfriend, boyfriend or any combination of the above.

Thank you.

Monday, August 10, 2009

My Life According to Squeeze

RULES: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to a bunch of people including me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "My Life According to (BAND NAME)"

1. Are you a male or female?
A Man for All Seasons

2. Describe yourself:
I Think I'm Go Go

3. How do you feel:
Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken

4. Describe where you currently live:
King George Street

5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Piccadilly

6. Your favorite form of transportation:
The Elephant Ride

7. Your best friend:
Vicky Verky

8. Your favorite color is:
True Colors

9. What's the weather like:
Wild Sewerage Tickles Brazil

10. Favorite time of day:
In the Morning

11. If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Gone to the Dogs

12. What is life to you:
The Truth

13. Your current relationship:
House of Love

14. Looking for:
All the King's Horses

15. Wouldn’t mind:
Everything in the World

16. Your fear:
Going Crazy

17. What is the best advice you have to give:
Walk a Straight Line

18. If you could change your name, you would change it to:
Dr. Jazz

19. Thought for the Day:
All's Well that Ends Well

20. How I would like to die:
Third Rail

21. My motto:
Take Me, I'm Yours

69 Concerts

OK, here are the rules. Test your memory and your love of live music by listing 50 or so artists or bands (or as many as you can remember) you've seen in concert. List the first 50 acts that come into your head. 

1. KISS

2. Judas Priest

3. Cheap Trick

4. Queen

5. The Rolling Stones

6. The Who

7. Rush

8. Crosby, Stills and Nash

9. Joe Walsh

10. Jon Butcher Axis

11. Stevie Nicks

12. Sparks

13. Squeeze

14. Stray Cats

15. Jetboy

16. Crash Test Dummies

17. Crowded House

18. Squirrel Nut Zippers

19. Rod Stewart

20. Robby Krieger

21. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

22. Billy Idol

23. The Cult

24. They Might Be Giants

25. NRBQ

26. Flight of the Conchords

27. Jill Sobule

28. Los Bukis

29. Burton Cummings

30. Little Feat

31. Giant

32. Kenny Loggins

33. Meatloaf

34. Right Said Fred (I know!)

35. Great Big Sea

36. Glenn Tilbrook and the Fluffers

37. Paul McCartney

38. The Waifs

39. Jimmy Eat World

40. Weezer

41. Dashboard Confessional'

42. The Old Ceremony

43. The B-52s

44. Beatlemania

45. T-Bone Burnett

46. Rick Springfield (don't you judge me!)

47. American Music Club

48. Nick Harper

49. The Spring Standards

50. Chris Difford

51. Aimee Mann

52. Alice Cooper

53. Stevie Wonder

54. Little Richard

55. Brian Wilson

56. Elvis Costello

57. Nick Lowe

58. Carbon Leaf

59. Southern Culture on the Skids

60. Dwight Yoakam

61. 1964

62. Blur

63. The Specials

64. New Order

65. Imelda May

66. Vintage Trouble

67. Ace Frehley

68. Iron Maiden

69. Ghost

This was my second concert, Cheap Trick. They played at the Charleston Civic Center in W.Va. My friend Ikechi and I waited outside all afternoon and managed to be in the very front. Again, this shot is without any kind of special lens. This was how close I was to the stage. This is Rick Nielson (in case you didn't know already).

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

About Me - More than anyone cares to know

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My middle name is Edward, my grandfather's name. He had five kids, all used his name as one of their son's middle names. My youngest son is also named after him (Jordan Edward)

2.WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last July.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Black forest ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Three sons.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope that I would, I fear that I wouldn't.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? All the time.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Probably not. I hate heights.

10. NAKED? No, I'm a never nude.

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honey Nut Shredded Wheat or Raisin Bran Crunch.

12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes, what am I? A farmer?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Chocolate Raspberry Truffle

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes and face.

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I have a giant, freakish head.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I wish my dad was alive to enjoy the follies of my children.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? I don't really care.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Khaki pants, no shoes.

20. DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU CANNOT RESPECT? I don't like dishonesty.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The air conditioner.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red or Green.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Peppermint.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Shauna.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I like them both. :-)

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I love watching football. It's partially the football, partially that it's fall.

27. HAIR COLOR? Black with lots of grey mixed in.

28. EYES? Green.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I like both.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Fanboys. Pretty funny if you are a Star Wars nerd.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer, though I prefer fall and spring.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Depends on who it is.

36. YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE-WHEN? I have no worries and no one is bugging me.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? It's just black.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The Empire Strikes Back

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? The ocean.

43. MYSPACE OR TWITTER? If I had to choose, I'd say Twitter.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Mexico

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Special? Not really. I can sing pretty well, but so can a lot of people. I have a pretty good people sense. I can usually suss people out pretty quickly. I claim 98 percent accuracy, though my wife thinks it's lower (it's not)

46 FAVORITE PLACE VISITED? I love Puerto Rico and the Outer Banks.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anyone

48. TRAITS YOU LOOK FOR IN A PERSON? I like funny, smart people who know who they are.

49. WHAT DO YOU DRIVE? I alternate between a Subaru Legacy Outback and a beat up old minivan.

50. And a message from you: Not me, but Terry Pratchett: The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it. -- Terry Pratchett

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Whatcha Gonna Do About It?

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your next answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous it sounds!
4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the note from
5. Post the last answer as the title of the note.


IF SOMEONE SAYS, “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
222 (Paul McCartney)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Hold Me Tight (The Beatles)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GIRL/GUY?
The Acid Queen (The Who)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Back Track (Squeeze)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Stir it Up (Bob Marley and the Wailers)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The Bottom Line (Big Audio Dynamite)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
I Get Around (The Beach Boys)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Sebrina, Paste and Plato (Jellyfish)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
I Wanna Be Around - Friday Night (The Beach Boys)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LOVE?
Waitress (Live)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Misunderstanding (Glenn Tilbrook)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Stupid Girl (Garbage)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LOVE?
You Can't Hurt the Girl (Difford & Tilbrook)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Sex Master (Squeeze) O.K. this one is horrifying, but it proves I'm not cheating on the test.

WHAT WILL YOU/DID YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Sometimes I Make You Sad (Supergrass)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Ugly Truth Rock (Matthew Sweet)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Helen Wheels (Paul McCartney & Wings)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
My Sweet Lord (George Harrison)

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Walk a Mile in My Shoes (Joe Souther)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
I am the Walrus (The Beatles) I suppose this means I will be murdered by walruses?

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Kings Horses (Jet)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Get it Up (Aerosmith)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Fair (Ben Folds Five)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED OR DIVORCED?
Girls on Film (Duran Duran)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
No Good Trying (Syd Barrett)

IS ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU?
Married with Children (Oasis)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Child is the Father of the Man (Beach Boys)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Love of My Life (Queen)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Whatcha Gonna Do About It? (The Small Faces)


Thursday, May 28, 2009

Dog Strategies II

So my dog Odin is smarter than any pet I've ever had, bar none. I wrote before about his strategy to take his sister's bone without having to fight for it. He used a new technique just the other day.

The dogs were laying on the bed while my wife was resting. Daisy had a bone which she was happily gnawing on while Odin plotted. Suddenly he perked up and cocked his head as if he heard something he sprang to the edge of the bed. Daisy, realizing she must be missing something, sprang to action and was off the bed and out the bedroom door in a split second. Odin, however, never moved beyond the edge of the bed. He pretended to hear something because he knew she would fall for it! He faked her out. As soon as she jumped off the bed, he very casually walked to her bone and lay down to chew it in peace.

About a minute later, Daisy walked back to the doorway and stared at Odin in seeming disbelief. She had been had. Again.

I nominate Odin for President of all dogs.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

24: Day Seven

I've been watching 24 since midway through Season Three. After seeing that, I caught up on DVD and have watched ever since. I admit that the horrific Season Six nearly made me give up on the show, but I had heard this season would be better so I gave it a chance. So far it has been better.

Nevertheless, I have a complaint or two.

One of the things that made 24 such a great show was the fact that anyone was expendable. It makes the viewer feel some of the danger that Jack is in and thus become more invested in the show. Having said that, I think that it's lazy to simply kill characters as an emotional wrench. They have failed to consider what cast chemistry means. A good example of this is Tony Almeida. In Season Six, they unceremoniously killed his wife, the former president and then Tony himself. This seemed to have almost no purpose, particularly the death of Tony. Then through a somewhat contrived plot twist worthy of As the World Turns, Tony is alive.

At first, we were sure Tony was a bad guy, but then we learned he was double crossing the bad guys to uncover their plot. Tony was working with other former CTU operatives and quickly agreed to help Jack. As everyone who has been watching has since learned, Tony seems to be bad again. This will lead to the inevitable showdown which will undoubtedly result in Tony's death.

I'm disappointed in this twist because I think it's a lazy way to create tension. I'm not saying I know what would be better, but I think these writers underestimate the importance of cast chemistry when they decide to knock of a character or make them turn evil. Now I suppose it's possible that Tony is double-double crossing the secret group that apparently is at the head of this plot, but he's already killed one agent directly and blew up a whole bunch on last night's episode.

I just don't see how they will write their way out of this one and make it seem satisfying. If this is the end of Tony as a good guy and a character on the show I'm going to be really pissed. Again.

Don't even get me started on what's wrong with Heroes.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Windy

I know people who live in places like Chicago would smirk, but we get some pretty strong winds here in Lovettsville. When I was a kid, it had snowed several inches and then rained on top of it. The rain froze so that there was about a inch or more of solid ice over the snow. My brother and I nailed our sleds together and added a sail to it. We used the gusts coming off the Blue Ridge Mountains to fly across our fields. It was a blast ... literally.

The past few days have been really windy. I was walking over by the elementary school and saw this:



I really hope no one was inside.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

How to Make American Idol Better

Despite it's popularity, American Idol's ratings have waned. Watching it last night, it occurred to me how it could be an interesting show again.

Each week, a random contestant would be given a gun with one bullet. During the feedback from the judges section if the contestant doesn't like what he or she hears, then BANG!

I'm guessing either Randy or Kara would be the first to go.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

16 Albums

This has been going around Facebook and I wanted to post it here as well.

Think of 15 - 20 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions.

These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world. These are my picks. I tried to limit it to 15, but ended up with 16 so sue me. There are a few more who came close, but these are mine.

1. The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles
My aunt was a cool hippie, but in her late 20s became born again. She gave me all of her old albums. Among them was the White Album. This was not the Beatles I was used to hearing and stylistically it opened up a whole new musical world for me.

2. Rock and Roll Music - The Beatles
This isn't a real release, but rather a compilation released by Capitol Records in the mid 70s. When the Beatles broke up, they still had a contractual obligation to Capitol which was fulfilled via the release of several of these compilation discs. My parents got this for me before it was actually available to the general public because they donated money to NPR here in D.C. This double album focused on the rock and roll side of the Beatles catalog. For me, it marked my first time hearing songs like Taxman and Hey Bulldog.

3. Live at Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash
My dad was into country music more than anything. For the most part, I hated it. Johnny Cash was the exception. His voice and his stories spoke to me in a way other other country artists never did. He seemed like part of our family.

4. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John
While Goodbye Yellow Brick Road gets most of the attention from his fans, Captain Fantastic is more or less a sequel. This is pretty much perfect pop music. Incredible melodies, brilliant lyrics. I can't here this without thinking of muggy summers in Virginia.

5. Destroyer - KISS
Destroyer was when KISS became bigger than life. Purists might say this is when they sold out and truth be told, it's not really a favorite anymore, but it was huge for me when I was 13. It was a perfect mix of music and comic books. What more would any boy want?

6. Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - The Sex Pistols
Hearing the Sex Pistols for the first time felt like an audio assault. Everything about it seemed wrong, yet I couldn't turn it off.

7. The Clash - The Clash
The Clash, even on their first album, showed that there was more more to punk rock than anarchy and screaming. They took what the Sex Pistols did and went a step further.




8. Live at Budokan - Cheap Trick
I never heard Cheap Trick until I heard the live version of I Want You to Want Me on the radio. It was heavy like KISS, but melodic like The Beatles.

9. Get the Knack - The Knack
Sneer if you must, but this is a perfect album. The Knack took everything that made power pop fun and crammed it into every song. Forget the skinny ties and short hair and wanna-be Beatles vibe, The Knack were the real deal ... for exactly one album. Sadly, they put everything they had into the one album and never even came close again.

10. Armed Forces - Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello took the anger of punk rock, but added a more pop sensibility to it.

11. Are You Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Jimi blended the blues with rock, pop and folk. This album made me want to hear what influenced him.

12. East Side Story - Squeeze
I didn't want to give Squeeze a chance because everything I ever read about them included the notion that they were the "New Lennon and McCartney." I knew that couldn't be true so I blew them off. Fortunately for me, I accidentally heard them on MTV and was hooked. East Side Story is probably the best example of their particular blend of melody and storytelling. When I started writing songs, I spent years trying to write lyrics like these.

13. Spilt Milk - Jellyfish
Jellyfish was kind of overlooked amidst the 90s alt-rock explosion, but this is a perfect pop album in the absolute best sense of the term.

14. Nevermind - Nirvana
It's easy to take Nirvana for granted after all the hype and deification of Kurt Cobain. But this album was like the second coming of punk. Only this time, they took the best elements of punk, rock, metal and pop and mixed it into this amazing hybrid that sounded the death knell for 80s hair metal. I watched with amazement as overnight as BAM magazine stopped featuring ads for hair extensions and replaced them with ads for flannel shirts (as if the look alone gives a band credibility). Nirvana changed music formats and shattered conventions. The result was that bands no one ever would have given a chance made it onto the radio. What a lot of people miss about Nirvana is how poppy they were. Most don't get past the grinding guitar and primal scream of Cobain. Break down the songs and you'll hear real melodies there.

15. O.K. Computer - Radiohead
I think this may be one of the top five albums of all time. The last one before Radiohead descended into self-indulgence and pretension.

16. Welcome Interstate Managers - Fountains of Wayne
An amazing power pop album. Intelligent lyrics, great melodies and harmonies. You can tell they are influenced by all of the best bands.

Your Band and Album Name

To Do This:

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" or "comment" and tag the friends you want to join in.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Messed Around

What does your music library say about you?

*Put Your iTunes, winamp, MP3 player or whatever on SHUFFLE
*For each question, press the next button to get your answer (no cheating!)
*You must write down song/artist even if it doesn't make sense
*Include any comments in parenthesis
*Post into a NOTE with #25 as your Title

1. What do your friends say about you?
Mumbo Jumbo - Glenn Tilbrook

2. How would your coworkers describe you?
Breathe - Prodigy

3. How would you describe yourself?
Mad Kow - Weezer

4. What do you like in a romantic partner?
Island in the Sun - Weezer

5. How do you feel today?
All Over Me - Graham Coxon

6. What is your life’s purpose?
Inner City Pressure - Flight of the Conchords

7. What is your motto?
Play with Fire - The Rolling Stones

8. What do you think about the most?
Dominoes - Syd Barrett

9. What are you going to do on your next vacation?
Trust Me to Open My Mouth - Squeeze

10. What do you think of your first love/date?
We Are the Champions - Queen

11. What is your life story?
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price

12. What did you do yesterday?
Outsider - The Ramones

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like/love?
Is That Love? - Squeeze

14. What describes your wedding?
All Over Now - Aimee Mann

15. What will they play at your funeral?
Howling at the Moon (Sha-la-la) - The Ramones

16. What is your obsession?
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - The Beatles

17. What is your biggest fear?
Salt of the Earth - The Rolling Stones

18. What is your biggest secret?
Sweet Tuesday Morning - Badfinger

19. What is your biggest turn-on?
Dear Prudence - Siouxsie and the Banshees

20. How do you describe your friends?
Stop Your Sobbing - The Pretenders

21. What would you do with a million dollars?
Thick of It All - Porno for Pyros

22. What is your opinion of sex?
Doctor Jimmy - The Who

23. What is your biggest regret?
Liberty Ship - The La's

24. What would you rather be doing right now?
Into Temptation - Crowded House

25. What will you post this list as?
Messed Around - Squeeze

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Kill Your Girlfriend

So when I was 19, I had this girlfriend. She moved away and we were broken hearted. I called her when I could, but in reality it was inevitable that we both would move on. Still, it stung a little when I called her and her mom said, "She's not here. Is this Roger?" No. I wasn't Roger. I didn't know anyone named Roger. I hung up the phone and never called that girl again. To take out my frustration, I wrote an angry, wanna-be punk song called Kill Your Girlfriend.

I had recently read a book called, And I Don't Want to Live this Life by Deborah Spungeon. Deborah's daughter, Nancy was the girlfriend of Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. Sid killed Nancy after a night of drug abuse.

I took that story as inspiration for my broken heart and wrote my song. To ease your mind, I didn't really want to kill my (ex) girlfriend. I was just blowing off steam. I actually recorded the song that night with overdubbed backwards guitars and a wannabe Johnny Rotten singing style and forgot about it for a while.

Fast forward a few years and I was in a band called Audrey Smilley and we needed to have three hours of original music for a gig at a local club called, Broderick's. We had one week to learn it all. We played anything and everything we had ever written or thought about writing. It was only natural that Kill Your Girlfriend was resurrected (ha!). It quickly became a very popular part of our live set. Even the girls liked it, because everyone has relationship frustrations. The girls would sing, "Kill your boyfriend!" instead of girlfriend.

Anyway, my former bandmate Dale Garrard recently posted a video performance on YouTube of us doing Kill Your Girlfriend at a club called The Backstage Cafe in Provo, Utah. Enjoy!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Dog Strategies


We have two English Springer Spaniels: Odin and Daisy. They are siblings, but from different litters. Odin has been with us for two years and Daisy just since August. The other day, Odin brought me a tennis ball. He does that sometimes when he wants to play. I dutifully took it from him and threw it down the hall. He didn't even look at where I threw it or move a muscle. Instead, he stared at his sister who immediately jumped up and chased after the ball. Odin, then walked over to where she had been and confiscated the bone she had left behind. I never knew that dogs strategized until that moment. But clearly, he understood that (a) if he brought me a ball I'd probably throw it and (b) if I threw it, Daisy would probably chase it.

I know people who don't have that much foresight.