PetalumaFilms

How it went

2010-01-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

Where to begin.

Last night was the world premiere of the movie I Co-Produced called "The Violent Kind." At Sundance. Yes, I notrorious late starter Don R. Lewis, had a film at Sundance. How does that happen?? I have no clue. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, my connection to Sundance is incredibly strong. When I first got interested in film, I started volunteering here and that was like, 16 years ago. So just the fact I was returning here with a FILM in the festival was incredibly emotional and extremely surreal.

I got in on Friday and we basically started drinking from the get-go. Lots of nervous energy was abounding in our condo which I'm sharing with the Butcher Bros, Arianne our PR gal, George our attorney and my hero, Michael Gibson. It's a nice spot really close to Main street which is cool. So yeah, we've been drinking into the wee hours everyday and believe it or not, that's not very healthy. We're all dragging ass today. Plus I bought an adrenaline pass which is good for any movie before 11:00 am and after 11:00 pm which is cool provided you're not out drinking until 3:00 am and sleeping until noon.

There's been lots of good buzz about the movie and it's been awesome seeing the crew that came out as well as all the cast here. The entire cast is here except for Nick Tagas which really bums me out. He's so great in the movie and is such a great guy, I wish he could've made it. So all day yesterday I just laid low so as not to freak myself out which I'm prone to do before screenings of my little short docs and I did a good job. Ate breakfast, had a nice dinner...chilled with friends. Then it was off to the premiere.

Our screening was at 11:30 and I got there at 10:30 as I was in charge of doling out tickets to the crew who made the trip. We had a red carpet which was fun. I really, really, really love our cast and am so proud they got to be in a Sundance movie. I've always been a big Cory Knauf, Joe Egender, Joe Mackelheer and Sam Childs supporter so seeing them get some Sundance love was amazing. And Tiffany Shepis and I go way back and if it wasn't for her agreeing to be in this film, I probably wouldn't have got to be a producer so seeing HER finally get a movie at Sundance was amazing. Plus the crew was so giddy and it just felt really great.

I should note that as I write this, it's not coming off NEARLY as exciting as it was, sorry..

So we all sat down right on time and Trevor Groth, who is just a great guy and an outstanding programmer introduced our film. It was at that moment the huge wave of emotion swept over me and it finally really struck me that I had a film in the motherfucking Sundance film festival. It's still just a trippy, surreal feeling and I've spent all day processing it. And being hungover. But processing it too. It means alot not only personally but professionally as well but in my typical fashion, that freaks me out and sends my mind spinning out of control as to what I should do next. Silly, but true. Anyway...

The lights dimmed and what seemed like a 2-hour trailer for the festival came on. My palms were sweating and my heart was pounding. Where's our damn movie!? Then, a really cool 10 minute short called "Still Birds" came on and again....it was like Hitchcockian tension. WHERE IS OUR FILM?!?! Finally, THE VIOLENT KIND began and it was amazing.

I had only seen a rough cut a few months back and I was non-plussed. The special effects weren't done then nor was the sound design and it was really long. I liked it, but couldn't totally fall in love with it because it was so rough. So seeing the completed version was unreal. UN. REAL. It's just a really, really strange, gross, fun movie and I thought it was a blast. However I can't get a feel for what people thought and that's really weird. It's kinda like free falling and not knowing where the ground is or when you'll land. I mean, not to sound dramatic, but it's strange not knowing what people think of your work. It's been eerily quiet out there which, I'll be honest, isn't very good news. But we have the press screening today and another screening tomorrow so I'll be neck deep in peoples opinions soon enough.

So after the film, we did the Q&A and I got to go up on the front stage area which, again,w as surreal. I've seen sooooo many great films and directors in the same spot I was standing so man, crazy. After that we had a party from 2:00-4:00 am and then went to some bizarro house across the street from our condo from 4:00-6:00 then I went home and crashed and woke up at noon once again and ate the hard ticket I had bought for a friends movie. I suck. Tonight I'm laying low and am actually planning on seeing a MOVIE that isn't ours. But before that I'll be stressing out on the twitter feed hearing what all my film critic friends think of the film after the press screening in an hour.

I have alot of friends who I respect their writing and opinions so I'm pretty nervous right now. But, it's so out of my control. I can't make them like it but I do hope they'll be fair. And not to be egomaniacal about it, but I'm sure there's alot of jealousy that I produced a film that got into Sundance. I can't think of a single film critic out there today who doesn't want to make movies so this opportunity I had could piss them off. But like I said, I just hope they'll be fair and enjoy the ride. The movies a trip and this whole experience has been a trip...but I'm ready to go home and see my girls and dog.

In the meantime I'm gonna chill and listen to "White Light" by Wilco a few times in order to keep perspective.

f you feel like singing a song
And you want other people to sing along
Just sing what you feel
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re trying to paint a picture
But you’re not sure which colors belong
Just paint what you see
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re strung out like a kite
Or stung awake in the night
It’s alright to be frightened

When there’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
Inside of you

If you think you might need somebody
To pick you up when you drag
Don’t loose sight of yourself
Don’t let anyone change your bag

And if the whole world’s singing your songs
And all of your paintings have been hung
Just remember what was yours is everyone’s from now on

And that’s not wrong or right
But you can struggle with it all you like
You'll only get uptight

Because there’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
There’s a light (what light)

Buy my newest film DRAG KING!!! (please)

2010-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Greetings readers! Look at that, 2 blog posts in a week!! This ones rather self serving though. Our newest short doc "Drag King" is available by clicking here now!

In 2007, John Beck and I took another long, strange trip in order to make a documentary about something crazy that exists, but that you might not get to see everyday. Each summer, residents of Lake County, California get together for The Fiberglass 500, a race in which people pull old, beat up boats around a race track with their demolition derby cars, trying to rip each others boats to shreds! Last man (or woman) standing wins.

Yes, you read that correctly. Cars pull boats around a racetrack and smash up the boats. It's frigging awesome and it's called "Drag King." We used 7 different cameras with 4 shooters and we only lost ONE camera! We were also fortunate enough to get Robert Malta of local legends hugeLARGE to add some music and I got the amazing 2 Cow Garage to lend me a song as well. It's a really fun little film.

"Drag King" was fortunate enough to appear at Cinequest in San Jose, the Austin Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, deadCENTER in Oklahoma City as well as the Beverly Hills Shorts Fest and the Big Easy Shorts Fest in New Orleans where it actually WON the programmers award for Best Documentary Short. Now we've made it available it you, the public.

For a mere $14.99, you can purchase this little slice of Americana redneck madness and bring it home to show your family and friends. You can tell them, "Hey! I know these Award Winning filmmakers!!" And most importantly, you can contribute money to help us pay for the hours of travel, therapy and rehab we endured in the making and promoting of the film.

But all joking aside, please buy a copy or 2 of "Drag King" and if you didn't already, buy a copy of our first doc "Stringers" while you're on the site (click here).

John and I are really proud of these films and by your purchase, you're helping us to get out there and make more movies. It's not cheap! Encourage friends of facebook, twitter and myspace to buy "Stringers" and "Drag King" as well. Forward this email to people who like fires, police, movies, documentaries and the like and ask them to buy a copy of "Stringers" or "Drag King," We'd really appreciate it.

Also, If at all possible, please create a new profile on "Createspace" as our royalty is much, much higher. However if you're in a hurry, I do believe clicking the link while you're signed into Amazon will allow you to purchase the film. But setting up a profile through this link: https://www.createspace.com/276233 takes about 3 minutes so please, do that!

Thanks for reading this far and thanks on advance for supporting our little films!!
--
don

Top Ten Movies of 2009

2010-01-06T11:08:00.001-08:00

Yes! It's BACK!! I posted my top 10 over at the new site I write for, Gordon and the Whale but since I figure you're all too lazy to look there (just as I've been too lazy to blog!) I'll post it here as well.

Keep in mind the following...

I've decided "best of" lists of the decade or year are silly because, lets face it, we haven't seen everything. I know I haven't. In fact, I've yet to see "Up in the Air" or "White Ribbon," both of which would likely have come into consideration. So my list is more like my favorite movies of 2009. That being said...

1. OBSERVE AND REPORT

I walked into OBSERVE AND REPORT expecting, like many people did, a raunchy version of PAUL BLART: MALL COP. While others were pissed that OBSERVE AND REPORT was not a dirtier BLART, I was totally blown away by just how dark, funny, sad, and weird the film was and it’s stuck with me all year. In a cinematic world homogenized for the masses, where every character has to be likable and go through a positive change, OBSERVE AND REPORT is a throwback to seventies cinema where not everyone is likable and sometimes they just don’t change.

2. ANTICHRIST

I’m a big fan of Lars von Trier, and I’ve always loved the way he kind of bullies us into facing fears about what we believe. I also think the guy is screwing with his audience so much that he doesn’t even believe what he’s saying or telling us more than half the time. But with ANTICHRIST, not only is he making audiences squirm the old-fashioned way, I think he’s actually reaching out to audiences and trying to connect with them. People get so wrapped up in the gory and crazy aspects of this film, but I think it’s the most beautifully shot and best acted film of the year.

3. WORLD’S GREATEST DAD

Again, I went into WORLD’S GREATEST DAD not knowing what to expect. We’re all fairly sick of Robin Williams being “zany” and I feared he would be at full ham strength in this film. I was literally slack jawed by the end of this film and was almost in tears by how honest and moving the film was and, I loved the dark and twisted package it came in.

4. THE HURT LOCKER

THE HURT LOCKER is bad ass. At first I was a little irritated by what I thought was a lack of character definition in Jeremy Renner’s Sgt. James. However, upon multiple viewings, I found there were much subtler character traits that I must have missed while clinging to the edge of my seat the first time through. For as ballsy as the action scenes are, there’s also a very nice little human story involved here and THE HURT LOCKER really is a complete package of a film.

5. CRAZY HEART

I’m a sucker for those tales of rebel country stars who like to drink, smoke and screw so I was into CRAZY HEART from the word go. And it delivers on all those things but also tells a sweet story about a man who never had to grow up and his life is finally catching up to him. Being an artist can be tough on your soul and Jeff Bridges as “Bad Blake” wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s an awesome performance in a really great film.

6. FANTASTIC MR. FOX

The biggest question I had after seeing Wes Anderson’s FANTASTIC MR. FOX remains: is this his best film? And I consider myself one of the biggest Wes Anderson fans around so even wondering if FANTASTIC MR. FOX comes close to RUSHMORE is a daunting question and I don’t really have an answer. Not only is the animation spectacular, but the acting is the best I’ve ever seen in an animated film. Plus Anderson gets to use his borderline OCD obsession with set design to it’s full effect and the result is a fun and funny film with some nice observations about human nature.

7. THE MESSENGER

THE MESSENGER is another one of this years films that reminded me of a 70’s drama and I loved it. Obviously the film is very current in it’s subject matter but the age old question of what war does to a man lingers on. While I still have some quibbles with some parts of the story, I still love the Woody Harrelson/Ben Foster one-two punch and I think about THE MESSENGER all the time.

8. BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS

BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS is a batshit crazy film. Nic Cage is batshit crazy in it, too, and I think this film might be the most fun I’ve had at a movie all year. Fans of the old on-the-edge Cage will be thrilled by this “re-imagining” of Abel Ferrara’s classic bad cop drama and Werner Herzog cashes his paycheck big time by going totally over the top with this film.

9. MOON

MOON is just about the perfect little slice of sci-fi and I don’t really consider myself a big fan of that genre. Even so, MOON is pretty irresistible and clever and Sam Rockwell is genius in it. I’d love to watch it repeatedly on DVD but alas, it’s still not available in the U.S. Hint…hint…

10. UP

Pixar does it again.
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I'm still figuring out albums so that's forthcoming!

All the news fit to print

2009-12-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

So, in case you haven't heard "The Violent Kind," the movie I Co-Produced over the summer got into Sundance. Frigging. Amazing. When we were shooting it, we were secretly aiming for Sundance but lets face it, every indie filmmaker without distribution aims for Sundance. As the shoot wrapped and the epic editing journey began, we didn't think we'd be done in time for the festival. But through some Herculean efforts by Mitch and Phil (aka The Butcher Brothers) and Nic Hill (our editor) not only did this thing get a cut that was pretty cool, it was enough to get us into Sundance.

This is all so incredibly awesome to me, I really don't think I've processed it yet. And I know many of you are thinking Sundance sucks or is played out or has no purpose and all that and to that I say...you're just jealous. Kidding. To that I say, you might be right in some ways, but it's still the biggest film festival in the U.S. and probably the second largest in the world. And for me, getting our film in also has huge personal ramifications.

When I first realized my love and passion for film, I didn't know what to do with this feeling. It was right when "Clerks" and "El Mariachi" and "Reservoir Dogs" were taking off and Sundance was this mythical place where anyone could make a movie, get it seen there and become rich and famous. Film school was being pooh-poohed because all these directors had made it with NO education and gosh darn-it, you could make it too. I started telling friends and fellow bar patrons I wanted to make movies and one of my best friends told me his sister worked for Sundance and I should go and volunteer. So, I did.

15 years ago I set foot in the snowy whirlpool of Sundance and my life was forever changed. There were other people there who loved film. I was seeing movies and then sitting in a Q&A with the filmmakers. I was seeing movies all day and that was it, I was hooked. I headed back home and enrolled in a screenwriting class and spent 5 years working on ONE FEATURE SCRIPT that no one will ever, ever read. But still, I was working on it and taking classes and learning everything I could and making small films to learn with and get into festivals with now, I have a film at Sundance. Sure, it took a while, but I've discovered I'm a monumentally slow starter. I hate it and will be changing that, but it's the truth.

So that's the main reason this is so special to me personally. In many regards I got into the film thing backwards and now, I'm back where I started, but in another way. if that makes sense.

The other reason this is so great to me personally is I really, really like and respect the new director of programming Trevor Groth as well as the new festival director, John Cooper. These guys were just regular ole programmers when I started and over the years, they were the 2 programmers (and later, Mike Plante) I sought out in the program guide because the films they chose were almost always awesome. I kind of know Trevor from CineVegas and various other festivals but I only know Cooper in passing from when I volunteered. I should also mention that these 2 guys were always extremely kind to volunteers, always checking if they were o.k., asking what films they saw and liked, etc. That stuff goes a long way and I couldn't be more happy our film was chosen by these guys to be in the festival.

So, there you have it. I'm off to Sundance 2010 as a filmmaker and it's awesome.

Getting dark early

2009-11-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of done apologizing for not blogging, it gets old and I guess technically, I'm not "sorry," just busy or bored with it or.....something else. Of late, it's been the latter. I have serious issues surrounding my mood.

I just started writing like, 3 paragraphs worth of info (too much info) on that last statement and just don't feel comfortable putting it out there. I'll summarize and say "I'm on the downward slope of a funk." Much better. See, I need to finish this freeking thesis and I simply cannot get into it. It's on Hal Ashby who is one of my top 3 favorite directors and it's a mere 30 pages. I do it, I get my MA and can move forward with myself. But see, I can't get around to writing it and it's incredibly frustrating.

It's frustrating because it's an easy task. Hell, between movie reviews and comments on other peoples blogs and instant messaging, etc., I easily cover 30 pages in a week. But, my stupid mind knows that if I finish this thesis, I'll have no excuses to start other projects or really pursue a teaching job. It's all a clever, yet mean trick my brain plays on me when it comes to doing work. Even writing that is frustrating because it shows I am actually in control of my brain and mood and can see what's happening and am still kind of unable to correct it. Here's the breakdown...

I am not allowing myself to edit footage for a behind-the-scenes thing I shot for the movie I co-produced this summer until I finish my thesis.

I am not allowing myself to write out grant requests for FREE MONEY for a feature length doc I started shooting this summer until I finish my thesis.

I am not allowing myself to log footage from the feature doc I started shooting this summer until I finish my thesis.

I am not allowing myself to start a new screenplay that's basically written in my head until I finish my thesis.

I feel really creatively backed up because I'm not allowing myself creative outlets (I LOVE editing and logging and writing too...which is another annoying habit I have) until I finish my thesis.

So, as you can see...if I would just buckle down and finish my thesis, I could do some things I really, really want to do and that will make me happy and move me forward as a filmmaker. But if I finish my thesis, my secret mind knows that I'll have no excuse for not doing those other things. It's a vicious circle and one that ends up with me beating myself up mentally to the point of dark depression which is kind of the space I'm in of late.

Hopefully blogging here will chip away at my listlessness and help me get my ass in gear.

Thanks for listening!

Jay Bennett November 15, 1963 - May 24, 2009

2009-05-25T22:18:00.001-07:00

Jay Bennett, formerly of Wilco died Saturday night and it's very sad news. I've been trying to write an entry about him, Wilco, his effect on me as a fan and his effect on all Wilco fans, but it's going long. And rambling. Someone posted this youtube vid below and it says everything about the guy (sorta, not really) that I'm getting at in my inability to write it all out. In short, it's so sad and really does have an effect on Wilco fans based mostly on the movie "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" which the clip below is from.

I know I've always admired Bennett's contribution to my favorite band, but I've also sided heavily with Jeff Tweedy in booting the guy from Wilco. It seemed like an impossible collaboration and although I know film can lie, I "know" people like the person Bennett was portrayed as in that film, and I could see where Jeff was coming from. Even so, I always tried to lend an ear to what Jay was up to and check it out. His contribution and collaboration to Wilco made them what they are today, no ands, ifs, buts. In fact the song "Jesus, etc." is, for my money, one of the finest songs ever created and Bennett has a ton to do with that.

Since I listen to all of Jay's stuff, about 4 months ago, I downloaded for free- per his request- his new album. And I was really digging it. Then, I heard he was suing Jeff Tweedy for royalties owed 7 years after the fact as well as for money from "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" which Jeff was merely a participant in, not a producer of and I'll be honest. It soured me on him and I tucked the CD away. I felt he was being petty and low and cheap. Then, he died Saturday. And it turns out it was from complications of hip surgery. A hip surgery that he was suing Tweedy to cover. Ugh. Ouch. As bad as I and other fans feel, put yourself in Jeff's shows. Ugh.

I have acquaintances who make fun of me for saying "we" when referring to a sports team I like or make fun on my fan boy tendencies. But you know, when you love a band or team or director, you feel on board with them. It's like church. You gravitate towards them and their message and what they bring to you. You take it personally. Like it's for real. It is real. You invest your quiet moments with these bands/teams/figures and you come together to worship and be happy for and with. And when someone who had a big part of that dies, it hurts.

So yesterday, today and for a while...I miss Jay Bennett. His last solo album really is quite great and anyone who ever saw the guy with Wilco or otherwise can attest to his brilliance. I just wish things hadn't been so messy and moreover, I wish they hadn't ended so sadly.

Ch-ch-ch changes

2009-05-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Well I wasn't lying when I posted that last blog at the beginning of the year. I've been suuuper busy. It's funny that my last post detailed my taking over managerial duties at Film Threat because now, I'm trying to remove myself from that site and find a new home for my writing. It hasn't been easy and the story behind it isn't worth getting into on here but I will say it makes me pissed, sad and frustrated.

The thing about film writing right now is....print film critics are getting fired left and right and newspapers are going under. Since it's an electronic world, many of these writers are starting blogs or jumping on board with established film websites. Since these people have a solid rep because they are paid "professional" writers, schlubs like me are getting passed over pretty quick for established writing jobs because bigger names are available. Plus, I kind of painted myself into a corner at Film Threat by reviewing mostly arty, small indie films. There's no money in writing about that stuff for bigger webpages so adding me to their site maybe doesn't make sense.

I will say that for once in my life, the nagging feeling that I totally suck isn't bogging me down. I'm confident in my writing. The timing to move on is just really shitty. So, I'm doing less at Film Threat and not running any admin stuff at all. In fact, I've really taken a break from writing since SXSW in March which was shitty for me this year. While it feels good to take a break, I miss covering film festivals and writing reviews. I have some new stuff in the works though and more on that soon.

Anyway....since we last spoke I....

- Attended the AVN Awards in Las Vegas. It's the porno awards...and it was an incredible trip. Just ridiculous and silly and I had a blast.

- I went to SXSW and had a bad time. Saw some great movies though and kept my partying to a minimum, save for a night out at the dance halls with a friend who's wife is having twins this summer.

- I went to AFI Dallas which was killer. That festival knows how to get it done. Very inclusive feeling, several awesome films, great parties and some of the bets panels I've seen. Plus, I got to be ON a panel which was alot of fun. Dallas is no Austin, but I have several friends from Dallas so it was great to see them and I made some new pals as well. That trip definitely made up for my SXSW "mood pocket."

Plus my new personal photographer, Kelly Williams, took that photo at the top of this post and that's the best photo of me EVER taken!

I've been working on my thesis which has proved more difficult that I thought. I can't get a groove going. It's only 30 pages and I've pushed my graduation back to this summer. But man...I can't get it going. I know what I want to say and I know how I want it to look so eventually it will just come pouring out of me, but until that time....I feel kind of lost and frustrated. Patience though. It'll happen soon I think.

I thought I would get back into the groove by posting here again so here goes. Sorry for bailing but I've just been enjoying being home with my wife, daughter and dog and recuperating from an insane year of travel. Now, I'm broke but feel really great about laying some seeds at festivals I loved attending. I'm going to try and come back to them this year as a juror or panelist (or, both) and then after, that, I should have my first feature length documentary ready for festival travel! More on that soon.

In the meantime....I'm BACK!

Wake up! Your blogs on fire!!

2009-01-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

Blah.

I must apologize for totally flaking on my top 10 for movies. Fact is, I'm still behind on a few that may merit inclusion. Plus, as usual, I'm really busy. I do intend on doing it though and soon. Very soon. I've been up to the following...

I've written for Film Threat for over 10 years and I love it. I liked it because I've always been pretty free to do what I want because I'm a decent writer and I'm not an irrational asshole (notice, I didn't say I wasn't an asshole. Just not an irrational, ie; untrustworthy one). I also just had to write stuff then later, post it up on the site all by myself like a big boy. When I got there one dude was in charge, then my buddy Eric, then my buddy Mark. Plus, Gore's always been there in some capacity. Well, Mark moved to New Zealand at the end of summer and then, at the end of the year, quit the site.

I knew he would (he said he wouldn't) and I was pretty mad because I didn't want to deal with another editor and site changeover. Plus, Mark's one of my best friends and I love hanging out with him at film festivals but I basically know I'll probably never see the guy much ever again. He says we'll get to hang out, but I don't see how or where. I hate to sound like I got dumped or like I'm a jilted lover, but it does bum me out quite a bit.

Anywho...

Since I have the ability, some time and some know-how, I decided to take over as managing editor and it's been pretty cool! I basically tend to the site, add stories, update stuff and still write my own stuff when I can. I also get to touch base with all the writers, come up with new ideas, etc. I'm enjoying it so far and am grateful for the shot. Plus, it's a natural progression and should look good on my resume.

Still, it's been alot of learning and trying to get a groove going and that hasn't been easy. Plus, my regular job needs me a little more, the band stuff keep trickling in and I'm in full-strength-ahead mode on my graduate thesis. Plus my daughter (who is truly amazing!) walks really well now. Parents in da house know what that means; you can't just plop them down next to you, play some music and spin a mobile while you work. She's requires alot of attention and I'd be a bald faced liar if I said I didn't like giving it to her.

So...that's my excuse(s). A pretty good batch if you ask me! But I will be around more once Sundance winds down. Oh! I didn't go this year! First one I've missed in 13 years!! I went to Vegas instead for the AVN Awards and the "electronics convention." It was awesome and ridiculous and way, way more fun than Sundance would have been. My involvement with Sundance has been running reviews coming in from there and it's been a pain.

I have been doing lazy-man's blogging at Twitter though and you can always follow me there:
http://twitter.com/PetalumaFilms

That's all for now! Go read FILM THREAT and see what a great job I can do!! Yay me! Now you try!

My Top 5 Favorite Albums of the Year

2009-01-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

So the wedding I went to was awesome! I love weddings where the couple is just being who they are and not trying to bowl people over with their ability to play dress up and faux fancy. We’re just people, people. Scott & Whitney's wedding was awesome!

So…here comes my Top 5 Favorite Albums of the Year! After that, I’ll add some random stuff to further stall until I see the other 3 films I need to see to round out my movies, then I can get back onto other random musings. Speaking of randowm musings…have I mentioned I’m on twitter??: http://twitter.com/petalumaFilms

Here we go…

5. RYAN ADAMS AND THE CARDINALS Cardinology
I had just about given up on ole Ryan. Always prolific but always in need of an outer and inner editor, he had just become too predictable and, well, boring. Plus he was in a serious Grateful Dead phase the last few albums and the only thing that sucks more than The Dead are bands trying to sound like The Dead. But “Cardinology” is a rock album…and a damn fine one. It’s funny because I didn’t really get it or like it the first few listens so I put it away. Then my favorite local radio station started spinning some singles that grew on me and I gave the album another chance. And, I love it. I should also note I seem to really, really love Ryan Adams music when it's raining. I have no clue why but it's been fairly dry of late so I was also not inspired to listen more. Anywho...TMI, I'm sure.

4. VAMPIRE WEEKEND Vampire Weekend
Try as I might, I don’t always fall for critical darlings. But, I always give them a chance and sometimes I’m blown away. I won’t say Vampire Weekend blew me away, but they’ve stayed in my CD player consistently and enjoyably for nearly a year. The thing with the album is, it’s awesome and tight. It’s not the frigging…second coming of Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and it’s not post-modern African pop rock or whatever other crap critics placed on these kids. It’s just good music people. Sure, some of the songs feature African style phrasing and arrangement. Yes, there’s ska. But I find it funny critics and hipsters placed all these tags and meanings onto this band only to completely turn on them later in the year as they are now. Will V.W. ever make another album this good? Who cares! This one’s really good!

3. THE MOTHER TRUCKERS Let’s All Go to Bed
http://www.themothertruckers.com/
These guys and a girl are from my neck of the woods and when they up and moved to Austin, I thought it would be their death knell. “There’s already like, 100 bands like them in Austin,” I told a friend and fellow fan. I was wronger than wrong. Since moving to my favorite city in the world, The Mother Truckers have found their heart and soul and they no longer sound like a San Francisco band trying to sound like beer swilling Texans. They are beer swilling Texans who shred on vocals and guitar! And listen to what I’m going to say here as it's no B.S....

Lead singer Teal Collins is a mega-babe and I love her sexual energy and innuendo on this album. A few songs of hers I had listened to for weeks and then it suddenly hit me…they were about sex! I’m slow like that. Although she’s the front person of the band and rocks and stands out because of her pipes and great looks, it’s her husband Josh Zee who steals the show. In fact, I think his guitar work on here is some of, if not THE FINEST Americana rock-n-roll playing in the last ten years. I kid you not. I’m totally serious. He’s a bad mother-humper. Big words, but I mean it. Josh Zee and Will Kimbrough are the shit but for totally different reasons.

2. FIVE A.M. Raise the Sun
Yes, I manage them. So what. I’ve received endless amounts of shit from them about not including their last album (or maybe not including it “high enough”) but hey, I’m nothing if not honest. That being said, “Raise the Sun” isn’t a good album…it’s a great album. And I say that with all seriousness and all the frustration a person can have as I don’t see why the songs on this album are not embraced by radio when people like Matt Nathanson, The Fray, Sister Hazel and countless other really musically sound and all around solid bands do get embraced. It’s simply and honestly not fucking fair.

We’ve heard at least two DJ’s we don’t even personally know say upon spinning the single “Be Still,” “ I really don’t know why that song isn’t a huge hit.” It’s a nice sentiment, but really kind of salts the wound.

Grousing aside, this really is an amazing album and it’s really not the kind of music I typically listen to. But even if you aren’t into pop and rock, you can’t deny the sensitivity, intelligence, musicality and all around awesomeness that is “Raise the Sun.” There’s not a song on here I don’t love and again, that’s not based on any kind of friendship or salesmanship. This album is fucking great and I couldn’t be happier that it’s out there and being heard by people who have never discovered five a.m.

1. THE DRIVE BY TRUCKERS Brighter Than Creations Dark
http://www.drivebytruckers.com/

I simply cannot love this album any more than I do. I listen to it almost daily and it never gets old. It’s funny because as usual, I’m about 7 years too late on the love-in for a band, but the DBT’s last few records have made me love them while everyone else bitches for the good old days when they did “Southern Rock Opera,” a double album that I respect to death but never really liked. In fact, I was skeptical to even get their follow up “Decoration Day” but did and have been a DBT’ fanatic ever since.

Things I love about this album are as follows…
It rocks. Hard. But it’s also sensitive and sweet at times. And I like it either way.

The song “The Righteous Path” speaks to every middle income and below American better than any other song this year or hell, the last 15 years. By way of example:

I got a couple of opinions that I hold dear
A whole lot of debt and a whole lot of fear
I got an itch that needs scratching but it feels alright
I got the need to blow it out on Saturday night
I got a grill in the backyard and a case of beers
I got a boat that ain’t seen the water in years
More bills than money, I can do the math
I’m trying to keep focused on the righteous path

If people took writing or poetry as serious now as they did when Steinbeck, Whitman or whoever you respect as a great American wrote what they wrote, Patterson Hood would be recognized as a great voice in America. I just re-read that and it shows I am NOT agreat voice of American writing, but my point is in there someplace. Patterson Hood is an outstanding writer and a terrific voice for these modern times.

Other stuff I love about this album…

Jason Isbell (the #3 guitarist) split which left room for his ex-wife Shonna Tucker (who plays bass) to sing and when she does, DBT fans worldwide swooned a little and heaved a collective sigh of “where the hell has that been for the last 5 years!!!???” It's amazing and beautiful and fits in perfectly with the overall sound even though it probably shouldn't.

This album boasts the worst frigging song the band has ever done (to my knowledge) in “You and Your Crystal Meth.” I hear the opening chords live or on this album and I groan and get away from it. But, it’s seriously the only song out of all NINETEEN I don’t like and that makes it like one of those errors the Amish put on their quilts so they don’t show God up with their beauty and perfection.

I love that there’s 19 songs on this album, 18 of which I could listen to anytime, anyplace.

Bottom Half of My Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2008

2009-01-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I stayed home this year, drank Lagunitas Brown Shugga beer (and some Russian River Brewing Co. beer of course) and watched “Iron Man” on Blu Ray. The lady at the video store (an aged, larger lady) told me at least 7 times in a 3 minute span that “Iron Man is the best movie to get on Blu Ray. My son says so. I’m going to get it for him because he says it’s the best movie you can get…on Blu Ray.” I swear, she just kept saying that over and over and I agreed and nodded and acted interested and all the things you do to make a person stop being irritating but it was to no avail. I finally resorted to “well, I’ll let you know!” as I ran out the door. I mean, you work in a video store…how hard is it to get your kid this frigging Blu Ray!?! Which, in case you have not heard, is the best one you can get on Blu Ray.

But I digress…here’s 6-10 of my favorite albums of 2008!

6. THE RACONTEURS Consolers of the Lonely

Once again Jack White jumps back to his bigger, badder rock band and puts out another truly great album. This one is better than their first one and more diverse. In fact, I see no reason why White would go back to the White Stripes as The Raconteurs are a “better” outlet for his burgeoning genius.

7. AC/DC Black Ice

I frigging love AC/DC. A lot. Like, a ton. Nothing can put me in a better mood faster (besides DLR era VH) than when they come on the radio or if I pop in an AC/DC CD. Whoa…that was weird to type. AC/DC CD. But “Black Ice” is an ass-kicking album that to me sound more “musical” than anything else they’ve done. I suspect rock producing God Brendan O’Brien (does that guy make bad albums? No…he does not) had a lot to do with it and I also suspect there may be a new rhythm section, but I’m too lazy to find out. Point is, if you like AC/DC, you will like “Black Ice.” Plus I noticed one of the lyrics for the song “Big Jack” goes “Santa ain’t the only one who’s gotta big sack.” Ah, to be pushing 60 and still be in high school mentally.

8. SHE & HIM Volume One

Probably the most surprisingly sweet album I’ve heard in a long, long time. Zooey Deschanel teams up with M. Ward to make a really cool, sweet, angelic, funny, witty and great album. I can’t really explain what this album is, but it’s a mish mash and throwback and a nice way to spend an hour. And, I love Zooey Deschanel. A lot. And also, this video rules all:

9. STEVE POLTZ ”Travelling

Steve Poltz is one of my favorite performers and songwriters and this album is just plain awesome. Awesome I tells ya! Then why isn’t it ranked higher? I dunno. Now I feel like a creep. But seriously, there’s like 4-5 songs on here I’m crazy about and then the rest, I hate to say, I kind of skip over to get to the ones I love. Sorry, Poltzy. Hey, Top 10 is pretty good considering I went through about 40 CD’s this year!

10. TEDDY THOMPSON A Piece of What You Need

I bought Teddy Thompson’s first, self-titled CD a few years back and did not like it. At all really. I mean, the guy has a terrific voive and his dad is THE Richard Thompson, but something about the album left me cold. I read some interesting articles about him and found it incredibly cool that he did an album of classic country songs when his record company wanted more mid-tempo adult alternative, so I gave him another chance with the new album. Admittedly though, it wasn’t until the wife and I saw him on “Live at Abbey Road” one night that I gave in. And I’m glad I did. If you like wry, witty songwriting coupled with a truly great voice, go get Teddy Thompson’s “A Piece of What You Need.” You won’t be disappointed.

Hopefully Sunday, I’ll get my Top 5 up here. We’re going to a wedding in Monterey tomorrow so it won’t be till Sunday. Speaking of, who wants a bottle of old tennis shoes?

Honorable Mentions for Favorite Albums of 2008

2008-12-31T20:24:00.000-08:00

So after what, 3 years of having this blog, I’ve finally figured out how to write and format it so it actually comes out the right way. The following will be my “Honorable Mention” albums of 2008 and tomorrow will be my Top 10’s….but just 6-10. Awaaaaay we gooo…

HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2008

These are all albums I loved and had an affect on me throughout the year. I have silly reasons why I loved them and even sillier reasons why they didn’t make my top 10. But, I did love these albums and bands so yeah. Also, they’re in no order

MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD “All Rebel Rockers.”
I hate weed, but I love a lot of reggae. Like, real earthy reggae that isn’t just pot smoking music. Most people forget that reggae was the background music to revolution! I also love Michael Franti and think he’s one of the best, bravest and most sincere musical artists of our time. This album is all reggae and I love it. More importantly, my one year old daughter loves it and the album will always have a place in my mind as one of the first ones she danced to. And sang to. “Ah whoa whoa whoa whoa oh…” Ah, already I’m sentimental. Check out one of my favorite songs of ’08 below…and if you have a kid, play this song for them and dance your asses off:

TODD SNIDER “Peace Queer”
I really like this album and lord knows I LOVE Todd, but it’s just too….quick and dirty for my tastes. It’s a really sly protest album and it was recorded (apparently) in 24 hours by Todd with producer Don Was. And…it sounds like it was recorded in 24 hours. There’s some GREAT songs on here and I like it…but it’s just kind of “meh” overall.

DR. DOG “Fate”
I loves me some Dr. Dog and this is their most accomplished record yet. The band songs like 60’s era Beach Boys with Daniel Johnson singing only better and I think with less crazy. Their last 2 albums were really, really great because to me, they sounded kinda messy and screwy and fun. “Fate” is a really solid, well produced album. In fact, if my crappy descriptions have intrigued you about this band. I think “Fate” is a good place to hear them fresh.

KANYE WEST “808’s and Heartbreaks”
I frigging hate it when people do their year end music picks and throw in some arbitrary and token hip hop album. So, I debated about doing this entry. But I gotta say…”808’s and Heartbreaks” is on par with “Rubber Soul” or “Pet Sounds” or even Wilco’s “Being There.” Kanye can do whatever the hell he wants and rather than hire the latest R&B cat to chime in, what he’s done is something that’s a complete 180 from anything he’s done before. This album sounds like spacier Bjork or something. It's fucking odd. Throughout the album Kanye sings through one of those obnoxious voice modulators that always keeps you in key, but he uses that like an instrument in that it doesn’t always sound perfect. He kind of…jams with the modulator. This is just a weird album that I find myself going back to and listening to on “random” and enjoying it. Well, I enjoy the fact he stepped up as an “artist” and went against the grain. Here's a good example of what I'm talking about in regards to him mixing things up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWzlD7Lc6w8
(you cannot embed this clip for whatever reason)

OLD 97’S “ “Blame it on Gravity”
One of my all-time favorite bands has gone back to their original sound and made a killer Old 97’s album. But, I kind of misplaced it for a while and then found it and forgot about it. Everytime I play it, I love it…but somethings missing for me. I dunno what it is. I love this album and it’s as good an Old 97’s album as you’ll find, but it just didn’t grab me. Odd and sad, but true.

OKKERVIL RIVER“The Stand Ins”
Okkervil River is one of those bands that have been buzzed about, but I’ve always been resistant to for whatever reason. Yet, I grabbed their new one because a fellow filmmaker loves them and is doing a doc on them and damn, if Okkervil River isn’t a fine, insightful, mellow, witty, folky outfit. That being said, the only time I really listen to this album is when I’m on a flight somewhere. And as much as that happened lately, they just don’t seem to have any hold on me when I’m on the ground. Weird, huh? A great record though. Very soothing and interesting. I feel bad for not including them in my top 10. Sorry Okkervil River!

WEEZER “The Red Album”
As much as I loved this album for a solid month after it came out, it definitely wore out it’s welcome. It’s a great record and a fine Weezer album but as soon as the rock veneer wore off, I found myself constantly listening to the first two songs and the fast-forwarding to the cover song of The Bands “The Load” and then moving on. Although…best album cover of 2008 by far!

As promised...

2008-12-30T19:49:00.001-08:00

The first annual Petaluma Films Best Of List’s “Hey, This Album is Awesome…and Then I Never Listened to it Again!” Award goes to…

GUNS N ROSES Chinese Democracy

I’m a fairly big GnR fan but I’m no Axl apologist. Plenty of fucked up rockers (Ryan Adams, Paul Westerberg, Shane McGowan, Lily Allen, Michael McDonald (kidding)) manage to put out albums more often than Axl did. But admittedly, I was excited to hear the 14 years in the hopper “Chinese Democracy.” And, it doesn’t disappoint…if you like Guns n Roses at all. In fact, the album is epic and rocking and has a real….cinemagraphic feel to it. Sure, some of it sounds outdated and like early 90’s Nine Inch Nails, but overall….great album.

When I procured the album I listened to it for like, 2 days in a row and admired it. It’s too long, but still really good. Buckethead on guitar is pretty awesome in what I though would be a tough situation in that he can’t just crank out long solos upon long solos upon “Hey! Look! That guys got a KFC bucket on his head and he shreds!” solos. He plays nice with Tommy Stinson on bass and Axl. But after a good 2 days of digging “Chinese Democracy” I took it out of the CD player and really, it never came back. I never missed it. I see it in my CD stack and think of it like it was a drunk chick I made out with once at a bar. “Ohhh yeah. You. That was fun but never again.”

The winner of the first annual "Hey, This Album is Awesome…and Then I Never Listened to it Again!” Award can best be understood by watching this clip below from the 1:09 point (although the whole thing is funny).

Runner up goes to REM, “Accelerate”

ENGAGE LAUNCH: BEST OF 2008!!

2008-12-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

Greetings Petaluma Films blog readers….all 4 of you! Because it was boring the hell out of me, I decided to stop the blogging about my extended trips. Instead…

It’s that time again where I go through my media mashed mind to dig up all the music, TV and movies I’ve digested this year to make my annual top ten list! This is always harder for me than it should be. The reason is, I want to be fair to myself as well as the artists by ranking my true favorites even though none of them will even see this list. I scrutinize my lists in my mind. While driving, before bed and even then I have a heckuva time. But I have finally beat my own mind in it’s silly little game and here’s how it’s going to work this year.

Since I’m still a teeny bit behind on my movies (not all the “biggies” come out here until like, now…and I can’t just drop everything and see 5 movies now, can I?) I’ll start off with music, then some TV stuff and then onto my favorite films of 2008. There’s also some new additions to my lists. For instance…this one:

FIRST ANNUAL “I JUST DON’T GET IT” ALBUM AWARD!

Normally this spot is reserved for “My Morning Jacket” who, try as I might and know I should like, I just don’t get. However their new album “Evil Urges” is actually pretty cool but, I just liked other stuff better both in my top 10 and honorable mentions. Sorry MMJ! I know you’re upset, but at least I’m starting to get you.

The winner of the first annual Petaluma Films blog album everyone is shitting bricks about this year that I got and just don’t get is...

TV ON THE RADIO, “Dear Science”

Everyone who knows me and even those who don’t but read my blog know I love music. I try to listen to everything even though my tastes tend to steer towards singer-songwriters, Americana and “Pop Experimental.” I read a few music blogs and some magazines and when they all jump on board with a band or album, I try to give it a listen. This year, “Dear, Science” by TV on the Radio was voted critics fave in both Rolling Stone and Spin. Countless blogs have lauded the album as well. So, I got it and…it’s o.k. It’s different and has some cool stuff but overall …I just don’t get it.

The album is listenable but the intentionally low-fi production leaves me cold and I feel like if the band got a producer who would, you know, allow us to hear what’s going on, that would make me warm up to this band more. It’s like eating a really yummy pizza with crazy, diverse ingredients but someone’s smoking a cig across from you and blowing smoke in your face (only, the album isn’t gross). I also had their last album “Return to Cookie Mountain” which, aside from being the best album title of the last 10 or so years, did nothing for me at all.

They even make kick ass music videos but still, I don't get why everyone's flipping out about the music.

Not liking TV on the Radio is a frustrating thing for me too. It’s like everyone’s going to this cool club or show and I’m left out. I even think lead singerTunde Adebimpe is awesome and was in one of my all-time favorite indie films “Jump Tomorrow”. But still…TV on the Radio…I don’t get it. At least I’m not being a contrarian because I have tried, repeatedly, to get into this album. But yeah…no dice.

Runner up goes to Kings of Leon, “Only by the Night”

Tomorrow (or the next day) another new feature entitled “Hey, This Album is Awesome…and Then I Never Listened to it Again!” as well as my honorable mentions. Stay tuned!

San Francisco.

2008-12-11T12:04:00.001-08:00

So the trip home was, you guessed it, uneventful. My ass hurt from sitting and we all kind of dozed in and out of sleep on the bus. However I think this is a good time to let folks know why I do what I do with the band on things like these sorts of trips. I’m not “needed,” that’s for damn sure.

I’ve “managed” five a.m. for jeez, like 10 years. I’ve seen them go through so many changes and so many times where I (and they) thought it was all over only to see something keep them going. I’m not the greatest manager. My expertise lies in the Sonoma County region and somewhat beyond. I also am not good because I take rejection very personally when it comes to them. Be it a club that blows us off or a band talking shit, I don’t let it roll off my back. I file it away and await the day for retribution. Those days of payback rarely come.

Managing-or booking more like- a band is an exercise in frustration as well. The first band I managed was an 11 piece funk and soul outfit so that was a real trial by fire. Trying to get 11 free spirits together for a show is nucking futs. Five a.m. are much easier to corral and I think they’ve missed like, one gig in 10+ years which is amazing. No, the tough part of managing them is trying to kick down these doors only to have them be locked solid or slammed back in my face. I’ve seen more bands and clubs come and go in this area than most readers of this blog can name thriving bands and clubs. But we keep on persevering and there’s something to be said for that. I believe five a.m. is a great band and that the guys should be able to make a living playing music. Damn it.

My point that I’m getting to is that when the band gets a great gig or a big break that I had a hand in, I like to be there to see the fruits of my labor (or whatever) come to fruition. Such was the case with the Sister Hazel tour. I’m always scouring newspapers and the internet for bigger bands that are touring through so I can try and get five a.m. on the bill. There’s several classes of clubs here and probably everywhere and you would think that after 10 years in an area, the A-list clubs might cut the band a break but that’s never the case. The big, A-list clubs won’t book you unless you have a big draw. But the other clubs that will book you don’t really draw anybody because everyone seeing live music goes to the big clubs. For instance…if you have the choice to pay $8 to see 4 bands you’ve never heard of (and 3 of the 4 are guaranteed to suck) in a dingy bar or nightclub OR pay say $12 to see a big touring act with a hit song you might have heard…which would you take?

To me it feels like this scene in “Boogie Nights” where Dirk and Reed Rothchild are trying to get their demo’s back from the studio (only we aren’t coked out)

If these clubs would just give us a chance to play in front of a crowd that paid to see music, these people would like us and we could build a draw. Instead, we get relegated to meat markets and shitholes that will be closed within the year and thus mean nothing to an A-venue booking agent.

So again, back to my point. I’ve been trying to book five a.m. at The Independent for like, 4 years. Finally we got on tour with a band headlining there, so we got our chance. Oh, that’s the other thing. Most big bands that tour bring an opening band so local bands get squeezed out Nation-wide. It’s a fun business I tell ya.

The show in San Francisco was outstanding and we all saw a lot of familiar faces. I got drunk and then got home, slept 4 hours and woke up to be with my daughter. Very nice, but very weird feeling. Next stop, L.A.!

Portland.

2008-12-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

So slightly buzzed and already road-weary, I headed to Portland, Oregon with the band at about 11:00 p.m. It was a short trip that ended up at some friend of some band members wife’s friends mansion. Yeah, a mansion. I slept on some big ass couch next to a clock that made a charming jingle every hour. I felt how Desmond on “Lost” must have felt when he got awakened every few hours. The other thing was, I’m a really poor sleeper (drunk or not) and after being awakened 4-5 hours in a row by some music box thing, I came to the realization….I had no idea where I was.

I knew the place was nice and was in the mountains, but it you asked me to find it again on my own, I’d have better luck finding D.B. Cooper in the Oregon hills. I’ve come to realize recently that I am really pretty anal about a lot of things and sleeping at a strangers house is one of them. I mean, jeez. What if they have some crazy teenage son who wasn’t expecting us and found me in the living room? What if the man of the house sleepwalks or hears me snoring and beats me with a 9-iron? What if the lady of the house sleeps naked and comes in to shut off that annoying clock? The list goes on and on in my head (and gets much darker as well) and pretty soon, I’m totally awake.

So after lying around terrified for 4-5 hours, the rest of the band got up. Turns out the people were at work and we were alone. Plus, they left us like 5 pounds of bacon! I looked at how much that bacon must have cost and it was like, $6.00!! Holy shit! Oregon’s lack of a tax kicks ass!

So after eating bacon and eggs, we sat around. Dum de dum. It was boring. I like to see new towns, the guys like to sit around. Which is fine, they need to be rested and focused for the show. But I get antsy and I love new places. So around 2:00 or so, we headed into town to find the Aladdin Theater where the show was to take place.

The theater was cool! Apparently it’s claim to fame is that “Deep Throat” showed there for like, 15 years straight! When told of this I said “sooo….you’re saying don’t sit in the chairs?” My old Petaluma buddy Brennan came down and had some beers and food then pretty soon, the show was on. The band was great but I think this was the low point of the tour.

The place was all seated for one and for two we were just in and out. Seattle was fun because we could catch our breath and see the Sister Hazel show. Portland was set-up, eat dinner, play, load-up hit the road. Between that and the day spent lounging around, it was almost like Portland didn’t happen. Plus we discovered that the problem with leaving right after an opening set is, you don’t sell merchandise or CD’s for shit. Ah well. We had a long drive to Yreka (again) and then another 6-7 hours drive to San Francisco. We loaded up and left Portland, vowing to come back soon.

Seattle.

2008-12-01T22:07:00.001-08:00

My adventures started off in Seattle, WA. Well, technically they started in Santa Rosa where we drove 5 hours to Yreka, CA and passed out at Trent’s dads house. We awoke the next day and drove a good 10 hours to Seattle, but not before semi-breaking down just before Ashland, OR which was a convenient place for a breakdown for two reasons. One, Trent’s brother lives there so we quickly pulled off the road into his family’s driveway. Nothing like a big fattie 20 passenger airporter van arriving unannounced, huh? It was his nieces birthday party too so we hoped the problem wasn’t major because otherwise, Jed (our drummer) would eat all the cake.

The other convenient thing was, our new bass player Jason is a crackerjack auto mechanic. We recently got the brakes did and they were smelling funny and making a weird noise so Jason yanked off the tires and had a look-see. Turns out there was some grated metal crap rubbing and stinking. Basically, it was nothing so off we went.

As I mentioned in one of the other blogs, traveling with a band is remarkably similar to the Bon Jovi song “Dead or Alive.” We just frigging drove all day. It was uneventful and boring. We got into Seattle around midnight and desperately wanted some food and adult beverages. Who knew Seattle shut-down on Monday nights around midnight? We finally found this amazing singles night Mexican food place that had the best appetizers I’ve ever had. Fancy crap too but it was ½ off after midnight. Score! After eating and sucking down some drinks we went back to the hotel and conked out. I had to share a room with Jed because we both snore. Fine by me because last time I shared a room with other band members I woke up refreshed but covered in pillows and shoes that had been thrown at me throughout the night.

The next day me and Steve (our roadie) got out a little early and wandered around. We went to the base of the Space Needle then headed out to lunch. From there a bunch of us bummed around together and watched Jason get his head shaved by a nice Asian lady in a hair salon. Then we found this terrific guitar shop called Emerald City Guitars. Although I don’t play, I’m a total sucker for awesome guitars and this place was chock full of awesome. Our guitarist hammer even got to play a $250,000+ Fender Strat! Dude. Unbelieveable. If you look at the site you can see the store owner Jay holding them up. Neat.

From there we headed over to The Showbox for our first night opening for Sister Hazel. It’s no secret I love beer and they had 16 oz Pabst Blue Ribbons in cans. Plus, I was antsy to cut loose after being cooped up in the bus all day. I think we all were so we got a little buzzed. The guys played an awesome show and the crowd ate it up. I was really proud of them and proud to be a part of it. We also stayed and watched Sister Hazel who, aside from that monster hit (that I will refrain from talking about lest it re-enter my head for a month straight), I didn’t know much about. They were really, really good and put on a tight show. Plus, their fans are freeking rabid. They love them some Sister Hazel. After the show we loaded up and made the short drive to Portland, OR where we drove up in the hills and stayed at some huge ass mansion!

Here's five a.m. playing a brand new song at The Showbox

Traveling Man

2008-11-22T11:05:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty sure I neglected to mention that DRAG KING got into a film festival called "Big Easy Shorts Festival" that took place last weekend in New Orleans. I headed out there last Thursday (11/13) and on the plane out, man, I knew this was it for me for a while. I am physically beat down, emotionally drained from the back and forth of family to film, real job to job I wish I had, real life to regular reality. It's rough. All my sick days are gone at work and my vacation days are few. Was it worth it, hell yeah. I think so at least. Let me explain...

What I'm gonna do for my own edification and just to portray the insanity of my last few months is, list where I went and why. Then throughout the week, I'm going to go back over each trips highlights and lowlights and add some thoughts. I need to get back into the blogging swing and also recheck my intentions for each trip and this is a good way. I do better when I write than when I sit and pick at myself in my mind.

Before I start all that though, we WON best doc short at the Big Easy Shorts Festival which was such a trip! I didn't think we were gonna win squat then we won that and a very cool steadi-cam which John and I can seriously use.

I wrote a blog over at Film Threat about it to tide you over till I make my way back to that trip. It was an excellent time, I made some great new friends and it was extra cool to finally win something and at the last fest of our journey to boot. That being said, here is the "Where in the World is Don R. Lewis/Petaluma Films" version 2008.

September 7, 2008 I set sail with the band I manage, five a.m., for a Northwest Tour with the band Sister Hazel. We left at like, 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night and drove about 5 hours to Yreka, CA where we crashed out then drove all day on Monday, September 8 to Seattle, WA. That was a good 10-12 hour drive in a sort of airport shuttle type vehicle, packed with all my friends and hoping to finally get a much needed boost in our portfolio.

September 9, 2008 I was in Seattle for the first night of five a.m. and Sister Hazel. I really like Seattle but as is par for the course, we didn't get to see much of the city.

September 10, 2008 Portland, OR. My first trip there and again, way too short. Nice easy drive the night before though which was a nice break from the road. The band opened for Sister Hazel at the Aladdin Theater which was awesome.

September 11, 2008 San Francisco, CA where the band finally got to play the Independent. I got drunk and went home to sleep in my bed while the rest of the band scattered around and prepared to leave for L.A. the next day. I spend Friday mornings with my kid so I went home Thursday and planned to meet the band in L.A. Saturday.

September 13, 2008 I drive to L.A. (6 hours) to see the band at the motherfucking House of Blues on Sunset Blvd.!! I was going to stay with a friend but that fell through so I stayed at a hotel on the Strip which was cool but cost money. Not cool and the start of spending outside my means.

September 14, 2008 I drive home from L.A. Urgh. 6 hours again. I make that drive waaaay too much.

From there the band went on to San Diego but I had stuff to do so passed on that one. Great tour and a great opportunity overall though. Whew though....too...much....driving.

September 26-28 2008 Helllllo Birmingham, Alabama! "Drag King" was selected to play the Sidewalk Film Festival and I had a monumental time!

October 16-22 Austin, Texas. TheAustin Film Festival! My favorite city selected "Drag King" to play and I had an awesome time as usual!

October 31-November 3Los Angeles, CA again but for film related stuff...AFI L.A. Fest which I covered for Film Threat. I drove again.....12 hours in total. Ack.

November 13-17 New Orleans, LA and we're back where I started this thing.

That's alotta travel and I'm so glad I have supportive people in my life (Trent, Erica, Story, parents, grandparents, sisters, editors) who allow me to do this stuff. Now, I'm not going anywhere for a long, long time. Unless someone realllly wants me to.....

Yep.

2008-11-11T09:25:00.001-08:00

Images that make me happy today....

2008-11-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

Hope

2008-11-04T16:17:00.001-08:00

I try not to be too serious or political on here. Hell, the same is true for me in life. But today, I really am completely consumed by this election and hoping, praying for an Obama victory. About a month ago I became a man without political affiliation. The Republican party I signed on for was not one of hate, inequality,fascism, corporate whoredom and destruction of the constitution. It wasn't supposed to be the party of ignorant bullies or those who seek to divide. I simply want less governing and more freedom from the government in my life.

This 2008 Republican party, dating back to the 2000 Republican party is not a true Republican party by definition. Bush and now McCain have given the party a bad name and rather than revolt against these freaks, Republicans have drank the kool-aid and will support whoever is trotted out. No matter how war mongering, power hungry and misguided they are.

So,
I'm an independent voter now. I refuse to join the Democratic party because for one, they have to prove to me they aren't pussies who sit back like whiners going "Heyyy...that's not fair!" ala John Kerry and Al Gore when they were robbed in their perspective election. The Reid/Pelosi House and Congress ma-hooty make me sick with their ineffectiveness. What happened to the lawsuits and investigations they promised us?? What happened to making a change?? They dropped the ball completely.

However, through all my confusion and negativity, I can say honestly and proudly I believe in Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I believe they're really going to try and right this ship and make a change. I believe so strongly in them and what they have the potential to do for this country that if they don't win, I will simply be lost. I will be infuriated and disgusted too, but the lost feeling I'll have will be
stronger.

Since we had our daughter, my wife is on my health plan and I take home less than $1000 every 2 weeks now. Obama will change that but my vote for him is more than that. Since Bush has been in office, there's been 2 classes of people on the map: the poor, and the wealthy. The middle class has been forgotten and abandoned. If you don't believe me, seriously ask yourself if you were better off now or 8 years ago. Then try to imagine how things can possibly ever get better with John McCain
as President? He agrees with everything Bush has done and Bush has fucked us. Repeatedly. In the butt with malice and no lube.

That's a fact, it's not hyperbole or some lefty talking point.

I truly believe in what Obama and Biden are trying to do and are capable of doing given the chance. Please America, lets set aside blind party partisanship and vote for the RIGHT PERSON for a change. Literally, for a change.

Runnin' round...

2008-10-31T08:22:00.001-07:00

So last week (or so) I was in Austin showing my short film DRAG KING at the Austin Film Festival. About 2 weeks before that, I was in Birmingham at the Sidewalk Film Fest doing the same thing. Both trips were excellent and I didn't behave like a sailor on shore leave. I worked it. Met friends, hooked up new projects. Networked. I did drink, but didn't get wasted.

Well, one day in Austin I did. They has $2 beers and it was a football Sunday followed by game 7 of the American League playoffs. I sat at SXSW Film Threat standard "Champions" for 7 hours. And the Jets lost! To the RAIDERS!! Ugh.

Anyway, I was back for a week and in about an hour, I'm driving to L.A. to cover the AFI L.A. Film Fest for Film Threat. That means, my film's not playing and I get to watch all kinds of cool stuff and review it. Plus, I get to go to L.A...a city I adore. It's my #3 fave behind Austin and New Orleans.

Oh, did I mention I'm going to New Orleans in 2 weeks to show DRAG KING? Yeah. I am.

My point is, man...I'm busy. And it's tough stuff! With the baby, school, the band, my wife, my dog, Film Threat, my movie(s) and the kind of existential through point of my life-looking for a career in da movies-I'm getting burnt out. But right now is key for me to push hard and start getting my films out there and securing new film projects. Which, I'm doing and that feels good. I think it does anyway.

Well, gotta feed the kid and finish packing.

You can follow me on Twitter which is basically shorter blog type entries that are easy to fire off on the go. That link is here:
http://twitter.com/petalumaFilms/

Toodles.

Did you know beer makes you smarter??

2008-10-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

It made Bud...wiser!!

But seriously, this is good stuff:

New old short docs

2008-10-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

As I prepare to head off to Austin Thursday for the Austin Film Festival (more on that later), I finally got around to uploading some of my older work to YouTube. For your viewing plesaure I give you...

GEOCACHING: HIGH TECH TREASURE HUNTING

and

CALISTOGA JAN

Both were done for a very rudimentary video class I had but they're o.k. Not real quality like my newest endeavors...

Vote 4 B.S.

2008-10-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

My good buddy Thom Butler posted this clip on his sometimes great (and by sometimes, I mean when he finds time to do it!) blog Quicksilver Amusements and dammit, Bruce Springsteen is who I want to be President. Or like...advisor. It's been noted here what a fan I am and how he really kind of saved my life. But here he is again just making some sense. And then playing the guitar.

Oh, haven't you heard?

2008-10-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

Right after I saw that Andy Samberg clip, I caught the new episode of FAMILY GUY and I shit you not, I laughed so hard I hurt myself in the first 5 mins. Then, I posted this and then youtube or someone yanked it. Now it's back and I just watched it 5 times in a row and still cracked up much, much too hard every time.

In honor...

2008-10-05T23:38:00.000-07:00

....of the absolute worst movie of the year dropping on DVD Tuesday, I give you this:

That's right folks, THE HAPPENING hits netflix and your local video store this Tuesday and it's simply a must-see!! Don't believe this crap that Shyamalan's saying he meant for it to be this big Hollywood "B-Movie," THE HAPPENING is total garbage and you have to see it.

More traveling news...

2008-09-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

I leave TOMORROW for Birmingham Alabama!! Whee-haw! I actually am really excited. I've never been there and am anxious to check it out. Plus I heard the film festival is outstanding. Here's the scoop...

Around this time last year, my filmmaking partner and Press Democrat A&E guy John Beck finished putting footage together on our newest film called "Drag King." The 8 minute gem is a day at the races in Lakeport, CA but this isn't just any race. Oh no blog readers. John and I (along with intrepid camera folks Cali Knight and Thom Butler) captured the "Fiberglass 500" which is a race unlike any other.

Participants attach old "unusable" boats to the back of their race/demolition derby/sacrificial lamb car and drag their boat around the racetrack in an attempt to smash and destroy other peoples boats. It's truly amazing and ridiculous and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Since John and I can barely make it through any given film shoot with our minds and cameras in tact, we hired local editing Goddess Wendy Allen to put the beast together. Then I somehow managed to convince local garage rock God Robert Malta of HugeLarge to contribute a song. So impressed was Malta (or, so bribed by yours truly) he even contributed some original music to the film with the help of his pal (and Tom Waits sound guru) Karl Derfler. Heck, I even got one of my favorite bands, Ohio's own Two Cow Garage to throw a song on there. All in all, it was a real community effort and I love the film.

I've heard nothing but outstanding things about Sidewalk and I found out a few friends of mine have films there as well. So, it's going to be amazing I think. They even put together a little webpage for my film which you can see here:

http://sidewalk. bside. com/2008/films/dragking_sidewalk2008

I'll be blogging my trip on Film Threat and you can read along here:

http://www. filmthreat. com/blog/

I also started a twitter account and feel kind of insecure about it (as in, who the heck cares what I'm doing at any given moment) but knowing how busy festivals can be, twitter might be the only way I keep friends and family informed as to what I'm doing. If you're so inclined, you can follow me at:

http://twitter. com/PetalumaFilms

So that's my big news and I'm really excited! There will definitely be more info on the Austin Film Festival soon but right now, I gotta make some flyers for my screening!

The lonnng and winding road....

2008-09-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, five a.m. (the band I manage) has gotten the opportunity to open for SISTER HAZEL on their west coast tour! Last Sunday night at 9, we drove 5.5 hours to Yreka and stayed the night at Trents dads. Bright and early-ish Monday, we drove 10 hours to Seattle where the tour started. We stayed in a hotel and hung around Seattle before checking into "The Showbox" where the gig was.

We were all champing at the bit to play after 15+ hours in the bus (it's a 15 passenger airporter style bus...not like, a luxury liner...just so you know) and it was a really, really great show. To be honest, we all like Sister Hazel but had NO clue what kind of draw they would have. Turns out...it's big. And the fans are SUPER cool. They were all really attentive and seemed to dig the band. Yay! You really can't ask for much more when playing a new city. Plus, The Showbox is an AWESOME venue.

After the show and many beers (they serve Olympia in CANS there as well as Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys!) we drove to Portland where we stayed the night in this frigging huge mansion that one of the guys in the bands wife knows the people who own it. If that makes sense. That drive wasn't bad...only 3 hours. But it was really weird waking up in a mansion and you have no clue where you are. Seriously, I didn't know where I was, aside from Oregon. It felt like a weird drunken bender than landed me in rehab. I woke up in a nice and pretty place with 4 lbs of bacon waiting for us. We ventured down to the Aladdin Theater in Portland later on and set up. The Aladdin apparently has a claim to fame in that DEEP THROAT played there for 14 years straight. Gross! At this point, we've driven about 19 hours and played 45 minutes. Sounds lame, but that's the job.

Honestly, and don't laugh (well, you can) I can really see what Jon Bon Jovi is on about in "Wanted Dead or Alive." Having been on the road a mere 3 days and I was lost. Tired, sore, out of place...out of time. Focused on getting the guys to the gig on time and ready to play. Very different from regular day-to-day life. Although we never got far enough away to need to tell the day by the bottle that we drink, it was still all very...weird.

So Portland was another killer show. Five a.m. has really got their shit going on. Seriously. They were tight and fun and polished and again, people watched, danced and bought CD's. Unfortunately we had to bolt immediately after the gig to go to Yreka which was again, 5.5 hours away. It was a bummer because in Seattle, the longer we stayed, the more new fans wandered over and bought a CD, got an autograph, etc. It was neat. And, we could use the money. But our well being and rest was more important so we split Portland at about 9:30 and our bass player Jason cranked us into Yreka in 5 hours flat!

Slept in a bed (I forgot to mention, due to my newfound fat-assedness, I snore now. So, I had to sleep with Jed our drummer, the other snorer, in the living room on some couch. Well, he was on the floor and I was pretty uncomfortable on the couch.) and got up early to drive HOME to San Francisco, another 5 hours. Wheee! Time -vs- playing numbers at this point are as follows: Driven 28 or so hours, played 90 minutes. Ouch.

Again, I was in a haze. I had brought some books and a notebook to entertain myself (and you know, maybe write something? Since that's what I do. Or, did) but mostly napped uncomfortably, screwed around with the guys and stared out the window. I gotta admit, I love driving. I can just zone out and almost meditate. But still, my ass, back and neck hurt, my schedule for eating/sleeping/bathrooming was destroyed and I missed my wife, dog and baby (not in that order). We got to SF around 4:30 and loaded in.

I was psyched for the guys to play The Independent because it's a great SF venue. And, we've never played there. I think we put on a good show and saw alot of fans. I even managed to finagle a ride home with frequent blog commenter LJ...which was awesome. I was dying to spend a night at home and plus, I got to get drunk at the show! Mostly free beer in the dressing room but I still managed a fat bar tab. I was so happy to be home I was buying everybody drinks. We got back to Petaluma around 1:00 a.m. as we stayed to watch Sister Hazel put on another great show. And it was another packed house. Awesome. Plus, we were all in a weird malaise or mood early on and were worried the show would suck...but as soon as they hit the stage, it was on.

The next morning it was my turn to watch the baby at 7:30 a.m. So...after driving 30 hours through 3 states and waking up after 6 hours, it was time to be a dad. In all honesty, it was awesome. My wife went to work and me and my daughter hung out and then she took a 90 minute nap! whatta sweetie. I promptly konked out as well. Friday night we chilled and watched MAD MEN (best episode of the year so far....maybe ever for the show IMHO) and I passed out at 11:00.

Woke up at 7:30, got in the car....drove to L.A. where I write to you from now. I got a hotel on the Sunset Strip! I was going to stay with a friend but he had a change of plans. Plus, the guys are staying at our percussionists in-laws (which is a nice house and they're super nice) but I need to leave tomorrow and the band will carry on to close out the tour just outside San Diego.

I'm tired, but super stoked! The band is playing House of Blues on Sunset!! Anyone who grew up in the 80's came to know the strip as the place for bands. Sure, they were shitty, drunk hair bands, but those early influences stick with you. I'm drinking a beer now, gonna hop in the shower and then walk 3/4 of a mile to the show. I couldn't be more proud of the band for kicking so much ass this week. And, there were no arguments or crappy times. We only kinda sorta broke down once too!! I'm looking forward to a great night in my 3rd favorite city, L.A.

Filipino Dangerous

2008-09-07T00:17:00.000-07:00

So now, after my Journey issue, I see this:

**Hint: there's a tiny Filipino guy who sounds exactly like Rick Astley...they even trade off lyrics and you can't tell who's singing. WTF is up in the Philippines?? We're all about to be taken over I suspect...

Any way you want it.

2008-09-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

I hate cover bands. I simply refuse to pay money to see them and I feel like they kill local music scenes. Why the hell would you pay $20 and more to see a band play hits from another band?? Well, people do and around here, they do it in droves. It hurts my soul. I also *kinda* refuse to see bands which are limping around, touring with like, one or two original members. Like, I saw STYX last March but after the whole Dennis deYoung/VH1 Behind the Music fiasco, I can see why Dennis deYoung isn't in the band. Dude's a complete megalomaniacal douche bag. But the rest of the band is there and they're great! Anyway, I do have a point.

I love Journey. Steve Perry Journey that is. I feel like that lil feller was dealt a raw deal when an injury forced him to not be in the band any more. I have flatly refused to see them tour without Steve Perry. In fact, Jonathan Cain lives in town and I used to see him frequently but never said anything because man, I'm pissed at the way they dealt with Perry. Getting into an argument with him won't solve anything. Probably.

Anyway, the local classic rock station started playing a brand new Journey song with this new lead singer. Apparently they found this 40ish year old Fillipino guy who sounds exactly like Steve Perry. I had heard this news and was skeptical, but when I heard the single I was like....damn. That's pretty frigging good. Like, so good it was like Journey never left and was still a viable band. But, my allegiance to Steve Perry was stronger. I would enjoy the song when it came on the radio, but would not buy the album. I would also be hesitant to see them live. Hesitant.

Cut to last weekend when I went to WalMart to indulge my new hobby: Mighty Muggs. Normally I don't shop at WalMart, but I really wanted a Han Solo and Chewbacca Mighty Mugg but ended up walking out with Dr. Henry Jones Sr...which I didn't know existed. I was in the midst of a smallish road trip and before I pulled in looking for toys I was lamenting I don't have any "Greatest Hits" albums from bands I love. So, I looked for a Journey's Greatest Hits.

I found the J's and right up front was a double album of greatest hits for like, $11.99. Sweet! I grabbed it and looked at it and saw something that upset me, but then really created a conundrum for me and my aforementioned hate of fake bands. Apparently Journey got back together, sans Steve Perry and with the Filipino guy Arnel Pineda...and re-recorded all their songs.

Dude. Duuuude. How must Steve Perry feel right now? I mean sure, he gets a songwriting credit and some publishing money (I think) but that's just brutal. He doesn't want to be in the band anymore, or can't. So they find a guy who sounds just like him and re-record the hits and release it and carry on without him. Man, the music bizz is harsh!! My issue is...this new guy is really great (if you like Journey) and I almost....allllmost bought that new album. But I didn't and bought the old Greatest Hits and dammit if Journey isn't, person for person, one of the best bands ever. But now I'm leaning towards buying the new one and really leaning (hell, I will) seeing them in concert if they come out.

Even writing that feels wrong. Like I'm going against what I believe. Am I a sell out? Does Steve Perry care about me or anyone who loves Journey? I mean, it's a 6 person band (or 5?) and that's ONE person and now he sounds like the other person. Ugh. Where does it end??

Douche sandwich

2008-09-01T20:12:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I really hate people these days? If not, "hey...I really hate people these days!" Not just across the board...but mainly these thug looking guys with their droopy pants and tattoos. I swear, I feel like an old man complaining about "kids these days" but it's entirely irksome. When I see these thuggy looking guys I just roll my eyes and laugh. They all look the same! All of you. It's awful.

The other day I was running late for work so I stopped by Subway to get a sammich. As I crossed the parking lot, some douchey looking thug was doing that thug stroll..where they're zombie like and...half-limp and kind of ramble along. Usually holding up their pants as they go. So I see this guy and his girl and I hold the door for them to go in cuz in this time of thuggery, I'm still polite. The guy then proceeds to order probably the nastiest looking/sounding sandwich I've ever seen/heard.

Hot pastrami
on italian
american cheese
cucumber, tomato, onion, jalapenos, lettuce, pepperoncini
bacon
GUACAMOLE
Salt, pepper
oil AND vinegar

Normally I don't eavesdrop on peoples orders (cuz it bugs me when people do that to me), but the guy was right in front of me and I sort of couldn't help but overhear. Oh, he also kept his sunglasses on the whole time. So, I get up there and order my normal sandwich but the whole time I'm trying to imagine this douche eating this crap sandwich. What must his girlfriend think? How does one's palette become so warped? How do you figure out that these are the flavors you want and then act on these feelings?? It was disturbing. But, the guy was a douchebag so I chalked it up to that. But still...all I kept thinking was, "man, I'm glad I don't have to eat that."

So I get in my car and crack open the bag and I saw a tomato on my sandwich. WTF? I hate tomatoes! And I watched the sandwich artist build my sandwich...there were no tomatoes. I opened it further and guess what I found? The douche sandwich. Utterly shocking. And no, I didn't try it.

Son. Of. A. Bitch.

2008-08-21T12:51:00.001-07:00

I've have the distinct feeling of being robbed the more I look at this:
http://www.trutv.com/shows/stringers/index.html

Seriously....my stomach is a mess right now. Even their logline seems "eerily familiar." Ugh.

Cool...but way creepy!

2008-08-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday I was thinking about how much we Bay Area folk take the beauty of our surroundings for granted. Specifically, the Golden Gate Bridge. For us in the North Bay, it's merely a traffic snarled, $5 pain in the ass whenever we want to get into the City. But it really is pretty cool and pretty beautiful. I'm sure New Yorkers look at the Statue of Liberty and think "damn tourist trap." So today I saw this and it made me think of those thoughts:

While that clip is totally cool, it fugging scared the crap outta me for some reason. It just seemed "too real" and made me realize why so many films, especially of cities getting destroyed, take place in New York and L.A. Those cities have way more people who can relate to their favorite street or view getting destroyed and it's scary. For me, seeing all that Star Wars stuff set in SF at angles and places I recognized, made it seem way more real. Couple that with the home video aspect and I was really feeling uncomfortable a few times. Anyway, pretty neat...hope you enjoy!

Rad.

2008-08-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Higher learning.

2008-07-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

Since I'm almost done with my Masters Degree in Cinema studies (just gotta write my thesis and take one last jump-through-our-hoop class) I've been actively searching for a nice 'n easy teaching gig to ease me into a new career without having to quit my real job. There's not alot right now and I haven't been looking *that* hard since I'm technically not qualified yet. But one "local" school caught my eye and I emailed the person in charge to see if I might stand a chance to teach an "Intro to Film _____" class 2 days a week.

To be honest, the commute would have been a drag and it seemed kind of last minute of them to post it and I was frankly baffled at the section they had it under. But, whatever. It's an entry level thing, so I emailed and asked. And got no reply for over a week.

So the other day I followed up and said "look, I don't want to waste my or your time applying if I'm not qualified so let me know if I should bother." I mean, I said it more professionally than that, then name dropped Chris Gore and Roger Ebert as supporters (I keed).

Today I got a response! Yay! Here's what it said. From a college. A real college people pay money to go to and learn. They sent this email:

Hi Don,

Thanks for your email; unfortunately, I will the Theatre position late last week.

Have a good day,

_________

That was it, cut and pasted to the tee. Wow.

Like watching a dog play piano.

2008-07-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

For as big a pop culture/music/movie nerd as I am, I'm realllly bad about TV shows. For instance, I've NEVER seen an episode of THE SOPRANOS or ever THE WIRE. I've never seen ANY popular sitcom on ABC or CBS (the only current sitcom I like is THE OFFICE) and I simply do not like 30 ROCK. Overall, I'm just not that into TV. However, last spring I did dive heavily into DEADWOOD and it's awesome and now that we have on-demand, the wife and I have been headlong into MAD MEN on AMC and it's freeking awesome.

We're trying to do the whole first season before Sunday nights season 2 premiere and it's been a real pleasure watching 2-3 episodes a night. For those who have no clue what the show is about, dig...

MAD MEN is about ad execs in Manhattan in 1960. There's a whole slew of them: misogynistic, arrogant, slick pricks who think their shit doesn't stink and that they can do anything they want. And, they do. The show is centered on Don Draper who's played by Jon Hamm and his character is incredible. He's the shining star of his ad agency, yet he's hiding so much, you're never sure what's going on in his mind. I don't want to give too much away as you all need to see the show, but his past is hazy and vague (to say the least). While he's almost always calm, cool and put together on the outside, the machinations in his mind play out with some of the best camera work, directing, writing and acting you're ever gonna see on TV.

In fact every character is extremely well rounded and developed and you're never quite sure what's going to happen next. But the star is Hamm. He's the kind of actor in this character where you just go, "dude...who IS this guy? He's charismatic and witty and handsome. Then dark, brooding, conniving and sad. Then, you look at his IMDB page and he's like, a nobody so far. He's done some bit parts and some roles in comedy shows...but overall, not much. If you want to catch a guy breaking big, watch Jon Hamm now. Also-mark my words- he'll be like David Caruso and make some shitty choices in movies and never be any bigger then MAD MEN. Hate to be a dick, but it's gonna happen. But dude, look at this guy...he's got it dialed for this show:

Also outstanding on the show is Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell-the quintessential youngster who will stop at nothing to move up the ranks, january Jones as Draper's wife Betsy (hint: smoking hott) and John Slattery as Drapers drunk ass boss Roger. Oh! There's also a smoking hot redhead on the show named Christina Hendricks who is not only really good, she's really sexy. But the thing I like best is how careful the directors and producers are to make things look *right*. Be it the 1960's set design and lingo and language, it always seems spot-on. There's also some amazing nods to Hitchcock, Wilder and other favorite directors that make me smile everytime.

So to summarize: hot chicks, arrogant guys who booze and smoke incessantly and plot lines that are never, ever going where you think they are. It's just an awesome show.

It never ends

2008-07-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

So after getting back from vacation I've been fuilly swamped. We bought a small house back in P-Town (that's Petaluma for all you who don't know)so we've been trying to move and it's not easy. The new pad is VERY small and we have a ton of crap. Well, I have a ton of small, knicky-knacky stuff that I like having around. But it's been packed up and in our garage at the rental and now, our new place has an office for me (read: a closet on the patio) so I want to get the stuff I want to add to the decor.

People think I'm always trying to be a child because I keep lots of childish things around. Wind-up toys, fast food figures, posters, action figures, models, etc. Truth be told, that stuff makes me feel comfortable and inspired to work. I don't know why, but it does. I want my office to be a place where I can actually get off my ass and get back to work on some things I want to pursue.

Plus I have tons of books I need to keep handy for school (and for more inspiration) and a bunch of equipment. The dirty little secret is, we never really unpacked from the last move. So, we're having a garage sale this weekend and need to prepare plus, clean the old house and in order to do that, we kind of need to unpack, pick through and repack. Then UNPACK this time. Fun stuff.

I frigging HATE moving so I've been bitchy. But we're getting settled and soon I hope to get back to the blog and 3-4 reviews, etc. Just wanted to do a lil update....

Primitive as can be.

2008-07-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

I just got home from 6 days in lovely Lake Tahoe with my family. It's pretty much our first family vacation since the baby arrived and although I'm not much for hanging out pool or lakeside, I was excited to just get away. Normally when I travel, I bring the laptop but this time, I didn't. I wanted to get away from "interacting" on the internet for a week and see what it was like. By interacting, I mean my habit of websurfing and chiming in on several film related blogs and message boards. None of that for a week. Nada.

I did have my iPhone so I could get email and check the main pages on Film Threat, ESPN and some sites that aggregate movie news. Other than that, I was Robinson Crusoe on Wi-Fi Island. Wanna know what I missed out on? Not a f-ing thing. I swear, I've been home and settled for 3 hours and have now checked all my regular sites and realized I missed NOTHING. Seriously. Not a thing. After the first 2 days where I had to remind myself I couldn't go tune out on the net, I was fine.

Instead over the course of the vacation I swam once and drank alot of beer. I also read a 600 page book (Stephen King's "Duma Key"...more on that some other time) and slept intermittently throughout the day. The one drawback of the house was that there was 3 kids counting mine and they were all up early. Somehow the house had absolutely nothing between the floor boards upstairs and the ceiling downstairs. It was frigging loud. Plus I was placed in a single bed the first 3 nights then a single air-bed the last 4. Nighttime sleeping wasn't happening.

Plus I had tons of crazy dreams which always happens when I get creatively backed up. My mind starts letting out these insane plots and dreams like the pressure gauge on a steamer. While I enjoyed the dreams, I realize I need to get to work on something again. I also realized I am incredibly...lazy. I wasn't always and I refuse to let the "I have a kid now" excuse slip in because that's not an excuse or even a reason. I'm just downright lazy and I don't know why. Ever since I took that monster load of classes, worked, commuted and awaited the baby, I've been toast. But dude, that was like, 6 months ago. It is now officially time to get my ass in gear. I have a new screenplay I want to write and an adaptation of a short story I want to make a film out of. Plus, there's an awesome idea for a new five a.m. video just sitting there.

Time to get to work.

Busy X5

2008-06-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

CineVegas was a blast! Saw some good films, had a ton of fun and didn't see daylight for 5 days. Then as soon as I got back, it's been non-stop work. But today is June 26 which means 8 more days till the 4th of July which is one of my favorite get up and go Ike Reilly songs so...take it, Ike!

8 More Days Till The 4th of July

This Thursday...

2008-06-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

I'll be going to CineVegas. I expect it will be alot like this:

Last year, it looked like this:
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=videos&Id=1147&play=2

Bubble living.

2008-05-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's some quick, random highlights about being a kid in the 70's. I'm talking personal ones, not like....bell bottoms and tupperware and pop culture.

1. Riding in the back of my parents truck everywhere.

2. My dad taking me for short rides on his motorcycle...sans helmets.

3. The day I grew the balls to climb up the high-dive at the local pool and not go back down because I was too scared. I jumped. It was awesome.

I'm sure there's others, but I saw something today that reminded me of these things and of a point I wanted to make.

So, this nice lady was attending a baseball game at Dodger Stadium and when Todd Helton (from the visiting Rockies) swung his bat, it hit a ball and shattered. The bat went into the stands and hit her in the jaw. Ouch. Bummer. So now some yayhoo at Yahoo is jumping on board with what has thus far just been scuttlebutt about banning maple bats. Oh yeah, Helton's bat was maple which alot of players are using now because it "feels harder." O.kaaaaay. Anyway, here's the guys article here and it features just sad photos of the lady with her jaw bandaged up:

What bugs me (amongst other things) is how up in arms the writer and the ladies attorney are that the Dodgers won't cover her medical bills. People...right on your ticket it says if you get hurt from a bat or ball, the stadium and club aren't liable. They also announce it at the beginning of the game. I mean, the Dodger organization is total scum (go Giants!) but the whole injury by bat and ball is covered and they are totally right in saying "uhh...pay attention and duck next time." Again, not to be cold...buuut....as fast as MLB is you have plenty of time to duck/put up hands/push a guy in front of you/etc if something flies off the field. Go to a hockey game and track a puck when it leaves the ice. That's fast. Baseball-if you're actually watching the game-allots time for you to move if something comes your way. Or, catch it. You gotta be paying attention though. (Hint. Hint.)

I had an argument earlier this baseball season because all the base coaches in Major League Baseball have to wear silly helmets now because a coach...ONE COACH...one coach in how many years...got cracked in the head with a foul ball and died. So now everyone has to wear a helmet. Sure, it will keep them safer but I thought America was the land of freedom and choice? Well, I feel that a bunch of sorry sack liberals have done their best to ruin that in the name of "safety" and "equal opportunity" and "my best interests."

I don't mean to draw a line in the sand but I feel like it's the lefties who get on the "equal rights" bandwagon and ruin a somewhat harmful activity for everyone. Like...my mentions above of high dives, pick up truck beds and helmet free motorcycle rides. I mean really. Can't people make up their own minds on if they want to wear a helmet or ride in the back of a truck? Shouldn't every kid/teen decide "yes. I want to climb the high dive ladder before everyone in the public pool, gain all eyes on me...and JUMP." Some people don't dig that and that's totally, totally fine. But what happened to options?? What happened to choices?? I know it's weird reading a rant that doesn't accuse the right-wing of something, but I feel like the right wing are submissive to "the law" and just take whatever they're told to do and do it. "Vote Bush?" O.K...don't beat me. "Wear a helmet even though you'd rather just be dead if you crash your hog at 80 MPH? O.K...just don't ticket me." It just fees to me (and I could be wrong) that most changed laws or new ideas about keeping us "safe" come from injured liberals looking to make a buck. Conservatives just kinda "take it" but liberals wanna get paid and ruin it for everyone.

I guess from working with kids my whole life, I'm sensitive to the fact that most every adult has to have things "their" way. Like...if a field trip is scheduled and their kid is in summer school, I should reschedule the entire trip. Never mind the other 50 signed up kids who aren't in summer school...just you and your kid should be adjusted for, right?

Wrong.

In closing, when I was in high school some freaky girl who had a boyfriend who was a 30 year old biker (I'm NOT kidding) did a whole thing in our "speech" class about how it's un-American to make people wear seatbelts. At the time, we all railed against her but now, I think she's right. When does "for your own good" become fascism? When it's deemed "too" pornographic? The movies are TOO violent? Strange religious sects are too stange? Strong alcohol makes weak people do stupid stuff??

This whole potential banning of maple bats plus all the other "helpful" things our government has done just worries me to no end. Aren't we allowed to be free because our freedom allows us and helps us make the right choices for ourselves and our families? Do we need our hands held? I say...no. Bring back the high dives and summer nights riding in the bed of a pickup truck!!!

My March song.

2008-05-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

March is probably my favorite month...next to October. I've always loved October cuz the weather here's always superb. Plus, it's my bday and Story's bday too...plus Halloween. But March is so fresh and sunny, yet rainy. plus, I get to go to SXSW every year.

Before I headed out to SXSW, I had some much chronicled Steve Poltz shows around here and I got both his new albums about a month before I headed to Austin. His song "Rains" reminds me of my daughter...plus, it's a way cool song. One night when I wouldn't leave Steve and his band alone at SXSW, I finally had the nerve to tell Poltzy that that song is about my daughter (which is a cheeeesy ass thing to say and I should know better, but I was drunk, tired and really missing my family) on my way out of their showcase. He stopped when I said it (and if you can get Steve Poltz to stop...for anything...you've accomplished something) and he said, "It is. It is about your daughter." But he said it in a way that was both funny and serious. Like, we both knew it wasn't but maybe I needed to hear that it was...or something. I dunno. I love that guy.

So, here's the video for Steve Poltz and the Cynics' Song "Rains." I hope you like goofballs and hamsters:

FYI...."Street Fighters Face" is my favorite song off the new record and here's Poltz doing that one as well as my third favorite song on the album:

http://www.kpbs.org/blogs2/index.php/culturelust/comments/steve_poltz/

Mmm hmm.

2008-05-24T13:26:00.001-07:00

Keith Olberman is a bad ass and he's totally right here. Hillary is out of control and must go!!

Chasing away the blahs.

2008-05-07T09:30:00.001-07:00

I've been in a kind of funk of late. The home front is good but work has been cloyingly busy and there's just not many films out that I'm excited to see. Well, IRON MAN was awesome but I certainly wasn't excited to see it. Not like I am for the new Indiana Jones movie. I'm REALLY excited for that one.

Last week we went to Disneyland and it was so-so. I didn't get to go on nearly enough rides and I was broke (which is always a major contributer to my shitty moods) so I couldn't buy tons of awful food nor could I buy the multitude of Disney paraphernalia I usually walk out of there with. But then I got an email saying I had been quoted in the movie trailer for BAGHEAD! That made me happy.

Baghead - Theatrical Trailer

It's not that I feel the need to show off or that I get some kind of ego boost from getting quoted, it's actually more basic than that. I just feel like NO ONE READS WHAT I WRITE. Not here, I love you guys. I mean, out there with Film Threat. Day after day I see bloggers and critics higher up on the food chain routinely blow off Film Threat and it's frustrating. Or they will run a series of articles or blogs that echo my sentiments and they don't include me. I take what I do there pretty seriously and I'm not 19 year old fanboy with a broken spell check and a prematurely cynical attitude. I'm a filmmaker and I have 2 different writing degrees (a BA in screenwriting and an AA in Journalism) plus I'm like 90% done with my Masters in Cinema Study. This ain't my first rodeo. I guess my beer drinking, goofball antics on the festival circuit leave me outside the realm of hipster douchebag festival junkies. I get that, but it's still annoying.

So having been quoted on movie trailers before, it was just a nice little vindication or pat on the back to have my quote (and it's a brilliant one if I do say so myself....not) used in the BAGHEAD trailer. I really loved that movie. However this morning I got an email from Mark at Film Threat who alerted me that Roger Ebert is a fan of mine. Holy Shit!

Here's where he mentions me...

and below is what I wrote on Film Threats message board where they had already seen the quote...

Wow. That seriously made my day.

Say what you want to about Ebert, but the man (and Siskel) are singlehandedly the reason I love film so much. When I was a kid, we lived in way, way rural central California and the only movie theater in town got movies like, a year after their release. This was pre-VCR (I'm old) and we couldn't have afforded one anyway.

But "At the Movies" was on channel 9, one of the 4 channels we got and I could sort of live vicariously through Siskel and Ebert. Their show kept me going until we moved somewhere closer to civilization.

Plus, it sometimes feels like you're writing reviews that head off into a void so it's nice to know someone reads what you write.

Thanks, Roger! You really did make my day. Hell, my month really.

the fog of commuting.

2008-04-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

I had to go to San Francisco yesterday and this morning and as I've said before, it ain't no cake walk. Luckily yesterday I could leave at 9:00 and (supposedly) miss all the traffic. As luck would have it, I got some latent commuter hell about 10 miles out of SF. Just as I was about to have a little snit, the local AAA (read: doesn't play a bunch of mainstream crap) station KFOG was doing their "10 at 10" program where they play 10 songs from a given year. I like to try and guess what year and it's distracting for at least 5 minutes. So, I put it on KFOG and the Gin Blossoms "Hey Jealousy" is on. Nice. I always liked that song and I thought to myself, "man, this must be what, 1996? 97?" So I sat there listening and then...traffic stopped at a dead halt. grrr. then, "Hey Jealousy" ended and I heard the familiar piano strains of my go-to karaoke song, "Easy (Like Sunday Morning)" by the Commodores. "Wait a second," I said, "Gin Blossoms and Commodores were decades apart." Then it hit me...hard.

It was probably my ALL TIME favorite band FAITH NO MORE doing "Easy!!" Holy shit!! Not only does FNM rule all, their version of "Easy" is, well, easily one of if not the best cover song ever done. So, I was stoked as could be.

Then today I have a class and it's always a drag getting there. I leave the house between 6:30 and 7:00 and barely make it the 40 miles to SF for my 9:00 class. Today was no different but as I came out of the tunnel that leads to the Golden Gate Bridge, I looked right and saw what was most simply the coolest fog crawl I've seen in a while. I always get a happy/elated feeling when I approach SF, it's just gorgeous. But sometimes something catches my eye and makes me get all giddy. Well, that happened this morning.

OH! I should add, I was listening to a live Wilco CD and they were playing their outstanding live version of "Via Chicago" which has all these cacophonous sounds like a Chicago subway passing at different intervals in the song. As I approached the bridge, Wilco was just getting to the noisy part and the blue skies were being engulfed by fog. I couldn't get my iPhone camera going fast enough to capture the fog creeping down the hillside. It always reminds me of fuzzy mold. But I got it out in time to hit the bridge and here's the progression I saw...

This one below isn't a "bad" shot (per se), the entire tower is lost in fog

Tower 2...and if you could read my mind you'd hear me say, "Jeez, I wish I hadn't watched THE MIST last week..."

Pretty cool.

Unsafe adventures.

2008-03-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

So, last night I was hanging out at home, drinking beer and playing ROCK BAND all by my lonesome. My wife and child were at her moms so it was just me and the dog. At about 9:00, I made the decision to get out of the house and see one of my favorite local bands, HugeLarge. They were playing downtown at this great new pub called Toad in the Hole which is maybe 4 miles from my house. It was kinda rainy so walking was out and I never drive if I've been drinking. So, I called a cab. I hung up from them at 9:05 and they said it would be 15 minutes. Half an hour later, my sweet ride showed up.

I jumped in and immediately noticed the driver had a co-pilot and I assumed it was his son. The person in the passenger seat looked small and was wearing a ball cap over their eyes. I say "take me to Toad in the Hole" and as we pull away, the passenger turns around and I'm greeted by a chick with some serious meeth. Meeth are the hi-larious catch phrase for meth head teeth. Meth+teeth=meeth. Anywho, she seemed nice enough and off we went. My driver was really funny and boisterous and his voice sounded exactly like Seth Rogen's which I found especially funny as I saw HORTON HEARS A WHO Thursday and Rogen voices the mouse. So I was laughing on the inside and enjoying the ride. Then I realized, we were basically circling my block. After we passed my house for the second time and continued on in the wrong direction I said, "dude. Where are you going?" The chick started laughing and then he did too. "I dunno man...I got turned around." I said, "I'm not really drunk yet so if you're trying to bump the fare by going the long way...." He cut me off.

"No dude, no...nothing like that." Then the girl started cackling and grabbed his arm. "Dude," he says. "I'm a caregiver during the day for a neighbor who has cancer and when I was over at his house around 6, I accidentally ate one of his pot cookies." Uhhhh. Yeah. Actually, what the cabbie said was "I accidentally took a bite of a pot cookie and it's got me totally messed up. I took a nap afterwards and woke up like, an hour ago and couldn't figure out where I was. Then the company called me and told me to get downtown to work so here I am."

I said, "so wait, you took a bite of a pot cookie, it jacked you all up and now you're my sober ride?" More cackling from Methy McMeth Head. "Well, dude," Taxi Seth Rogen says, "It was actually a hash cookie and I haven't smoked pot or anything like that in 10 years so it really did a number on me." He then (and I'm not kidding) ran a red light. Fuck. "What do I do here?" I'm thinking. It's too far to get out and walk in either direction (home or to the pub) and we're driving slowly and I'm seat belted. "Don't worry Freddy, I'll help you" said the meth head. "Fuck," I said.

So I decide to just shut up and close my eyes and hope for the best. He didn't *really* seem wasted, just not at the top of his game. Then the cabbie and the methy started talking about how they first met and she said it was when her boyfriend stole the cabbie's roommates credit card and they laughed and I wondered, how do things like this always happen to me? I swear, the strangest stuff happens only to me and although I kind of love it, it is rather shocking how often it happens. Anyway...

I then started mulling this whole story over in my head. For one, no one ever takes "a bite" of a cookie unless they're an 8 year old or unless it's a really huge cookie. Normally, you just eat the whole thing. Second, isn't it rather rude to go to your cancer stricken friends house and raid his cookies? Then I started thinking, if the dude has cancer and has some cookies...I mean, we live in California. I would automatically assume they were pot cookies, or at least ask first. And then lastly I wondered how and why this chick was even in the cab at all.

I just tried to put it all out of my mind and relax and sure enough, soon we made it to the destination and the cabbie said, "dude, I'm really sorry about that....I'll knock 1/2 off your fare." Sweet! So I started to get out and he gave me his card. "When you're ready to go home, gimmie a call." Then the methy said, "Hey man, be careful...don't drink too much." I had about 1000 retorts in my mind (like, "hey, I won't, don't snort too much meth!" or also, "hey, thanks...try not to lose any more teeth tonight!") that made their way to my lips before I decided to just walk away.

HugeLarge was amazing as always and after their set, I walked over to Russian River Brewing. About 1/4 of the way there, I pulled a muscle in my calf and started limping badly. Then these 2 guys started walking in front of me and talking about a drug deal they were going to make in an hour. One of them had 1/2 a pound of weed on him and some E, he said. I kept limping along and finally said, "guys, you know I can hear you, right?" They just laughed. When I decided to call a cab to go home (about 15 minutes later) I did not call the cabbie from earlier or even the same cab company because I know, I KNOW I would have got the same guy.

All grows up.

2008-03-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

I love my dog Igby so much, it's borderline creepy. He makes me so happy when I see him and he's been a very, very good dog in terms of the baby. Except now, he wants to be extra protective of her and Erica so he barks at anyone that comes near our house. Not cool, especially since we live across the street from a huge park.

He's an odd dog. He's incredibly clumsy and constantly falls off the couch and the bed. Once we were walking him downtown in Petaluma and he fell off the curb. When animals fall, it's hysterical. Ever see a bird fall or hit a window? Frigging classic. Once Igby fell off the couch when he went to lean against me and I had moved and that wasn't funny. It was really sad and I felt a twinge in my heart.

Anyway, the point of this isn't to get all creepy and touchy-feely about my dog. It's to point out the above photo. Up until about 2 weeks ago, whenever Igby peed he would squat down like a girl dog. It was actually kind of embarrasing when other male dogs and their owners were around. Like, if we were at the dog park or the beach and he would squat down. I would just kind of look around uncomfortably and hope he finished before some other male dog saw him. But whatever, he's my boy and I love him regardless. Still, kinda sissy.

But the other day he and I were going for a walk and he stopped at a pole and lifted his leg!! And peed for a really, really long time. Like, a minute and a half. Now he lifts his leg and pees all the time. I'm so proud of him!

As you probably realized about 3 paragraphs ago, this is one freeking odd blog entry. What the hell is wrong with me? Yet, I'll post it anyway because it took a whole 5 minutes of my time and, I am proud of my boy. Way to lift that leg, Igby!!

Random ramblings post Austin

2008-03-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Man, I've been back just under a week and feel like I can't get caught up at home/work/school/sleep or with my new video projects. It feels like I don't even know where to start so I kind of....don't do anything unless it's pressing. Here's some random stuff from Austin though to get me moving...and keep you entertained....maybe.

I was super stoked to be staying the first part of the film festival at the Courtyard Marriott. I first stayed there 2 years ago when I went to the Austin Film Festival and it's central location coupled with a sports bar called Champions featuring $2 "Mystery Beers" (they won't tell you what the beer is....but it's $2) made it a perfect hang for me. Plus, they have one of those little bar machines that has games and trivia. No better way to start your night then frittering away $5 on the game while sipping $2 beers. So, after I checked in (a day ahead of my Film Threat compadres) I took a shower and hit the bar.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I spent so much time on the video machine (or, no one else did...ever) that my high scores have been up there 2 years running. It's silly, but I thought that was cool. Anyway, I got down there and the same bartender who has been there for 2 years seemed to recognize me but...no video machine. They took it out!! NOOooo! It ruined my whole plan so I started bitching about it. Not like "seriously," more like....grousing about it. By the time I checked out 5 days later, the machine was back. My scores were gone, but still...squeaky wheel, etc.
------------------------

I had a great time at, what I think, is the best film festival in the world in terms of fun and quality of films. But man, I was beat down tired the whole time. I came into the trip kinda sick and didn't really slow down until the Film Threat crew left. But as I read all these other peoples blogs and festival coverage, it seems like everyone was exhausted throughout the whole fest. Weird.
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One night I was walking home, kinda drunk. I never really got wasted in Austin, but this night was as close as it got. It may have been the night I saw STYX at the rodeo. As I crossed the street near my hotel, I heard spray-paint. I got around the corner and 3 guys were totally tagging this big wall. Now, I freeking HATE graffiti. It's so rude and classless and ugly. I don't mean the spraypainted "art" out there....I mean, the tagging. I often imagine I catch a local tagger and hold him down while I spray paint MY name all over his face. So naturally, when I saw these 3 guys I was infuriated. I stood there not 10 feet from them and they didn't even see me. I was so close I could smell the spraypaint.

I thought about yelling but there was 3 of them and 1 drunk of me. Then I thought about calling the cops but last year, I got harassed by a cop for being drunk (at what is possibly the biggest collection of drunk people outside of a St. Patty's Day parade in New York) so I nixed that idea. What did I do? I walked away. Lame.
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One of the movies I loved at SXSW was "Woodpecker." You can read my review here. It's about this kind of....off kilter guy named Jonny who gets sent to Arkansas to try and spot this very rare woodpecker. The film is a hybrid between real documentary and like, staged parts featuring Jonny. Anyway, loved the movie. Cut to the last "official" night of the fest and I'm walking down the street and who should I see but Jonny. We start talking and I give him a copy of my new movie, DRAG KING. Then as we start to part company, I realize I had a burning question I had been meaning to ask.

At one point in the movie, Jonny becomes so obsessed with the woodpecker, he gets a makeover and a tattoo of the bird. Yet the movie is so good at mixing up truth and fiction, I wasn't sure it was real so I asked. Here's your answer.

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After the film festival, the music kicked in straight away for me. this is like, the only chance to get to see the bands I really like since they hardly ever come out to California. The first night/last night of film there was a big ole Americana party called "This is American Music" featuring 2 Cow Garage, The Drams, Glossary, Grand Champeen and The Drams all rotating onto the stage, doing each others songs and having a blast. It was a totally cool show and a perfect way to kick off the music.

From there...days and shows get fuzzy.

The next day I saw Steve Poltz somewhere...I can't remember where. Hmm. His backing band The Truckee Brothers are fricking badass and I've become buddies with their road manager Chris. A cool guy even though he's a St. Louis Cardinals fan. So I told him to come down and see The Old 97's that night and to my surprise, him and Patrick from the Truckee Brothers showed up as I was about 9 beers deep. We hung out and as Patrick, a good looking rocker type is prone to do, he got some girls to come over. We all hung out and it turns out one of the girls really likes the Old 97's which was cool. In fact, I think this one girl really liked Poltz or the Truckee Brothers too, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, the Old 97's were great and as we were all joking around, I asked one of the girls if it would be possible for us to get a ride home. She agreed since she hadn't been drinking. Well, about 15 minutes later Patcrick and Chris were gone and about 5 minutes after that, the Old 97's were done and I was about a mile from home and still wanting a ride home. So, the nice Texas girls agreed. They were then treated to Donny the drunk who likes to repeat himself and ask obsequious questions and be annoying. Plus, the girl went the wrong way towards my hotel extending their time with me an extra 7-9 minutes.

By the time they dropped me off a simple "dude, get out was the last thing I heard. Now, if I had been home for this, I would have spent days feeling secretly embarrassed and foolish but hell, I was on vacation, there's like, 50,000 people here and I'll never see that girl again. Plus, I thought it was funny in general. One minute you're schmoozing cool rock guys, the next you get stuck with their not-cool drunk friend. Classic!

So the next day I got up and headed to my favorite bar in Austin, The Ginger Man. Poltz and the Truckee Bros were playing there at 4:00. Perfect! I got there and got a nice hefeweizen to start the day and settled into the 90 degree weather in the back patio. Poltz was awesome as usual and since they had a cool seeming show just outside of downtown at Marias Tacos, I hitched a ride over there with them. Marias Tacos was soo cool!! Just a basic taco joint with a rad back patio for music. It was awesome to see the Truckee Bros play their own set, then Poltz joined them.

By this time, I was beat and the place was packed. I really just wanted to sit down. Suddenly a seat opened up right by a fan and one of those cool air misting things! YAY!! I plopped down and as I did, I looked next to me....and the girl who gave me a ride home the night before was sitting there. Frigging classic! We both laughed and then I said, "hey, can you give me a ride back to my hotel" and she said "no."

O.K.....that's all for now. I'mn verbally un-constipated now. Thanks for reading!

Still alive.

2008-03-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm still here in Austin....nothing much to report though. Well, nothing that would translate into something interesting for you. The rodeo/Styx concert Thursday was completely amazing. It was everything Styx at a Texas rodeo should be. Then the Film Threat crew (Mark and Pete) got into town and movies commenced. And a whole lot of rock band which Mark loves. And by loves I mean, starts visibly shaking if he can't play. Film Threat had a really fun party Sunday and we had rock band and I played. There's some hillarious pics on Film Threat.

Lets see....I saw alot of terrific small films. SXSW is the best at getting non-trendy, really creative films into their fest. I appreciate the diversity and the fact that I'd estimate the suck factor for SXSW over the past 4 years has been like...10%. That is to say 10% of all the movies I've seen here in 4 years have been less than good. That's pretty impressive. I'd put Sundance at about a 92% suck factor.

So yeah, saw alot of movies. Went to some parties. Drank alot of beer and then Pete and Mark left and now I'm in the cheaper hotel across the river. It's cool though because there's a Hooters across the street and a restaurant I LOVE called Threadgills next door. I saw Steve Poltz there yesterday and I'm about to walk out and see Roky Erikson's Psychadelic Ice Cream Social featuring Thurston Moore. I also saw Bob Schneiders R&B band The Scabs which were great.

Tonight the Old 97's are playing but not till 1 a.m. so we'll see. Oh, by the way, I'm sick and have been sick the WHOLE time I've been here and it's really dragging me down as late. I didn't let it bug me during the film fest (which is to say I stayed out past 2 a.m. everynight drinking) and now, man....it's tough. But I shall sally forth. Here's some random pics I have....

Smooth.

2008-03-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

So I simply cannot wait to go to South by Southwest this year! It's my most favorite thing to do ever as it's all movies, music, beer and BBQ. Basically it's my bible camp. Last year I was equally psyched and then somehow misread my flight info and missed my flight by a day. It was like someone stole all my Christmas presents I was so upset. I just went home and crawled into bed and waited for Saturday so I could fly out.

So today I've been stressed as my wife and child have the flu and I can feel it coming on. Plus, I have a review to write and a big article for Film Threat....plus packing and tying up loose ends at work. So I look at my flight info and come to find out, I leave tomorrow (Thursday) not Friday. It was almost a crappy deja vu!! Luckily, I caught the error on my part.

Still, what a moron I am. Who doesn't check their flight infoWHile I'm not too bummed because I'll get to be in Austin a day early, I now have less time to do all the stuff I gotta do. And what am I doing? Writing a blog. Genius.

The other good thing is my Austin buddy Kelly alerted me that STYX is playing the RODEO tomorrow night so that's a MUST SEE EVENT.

Viva Austin!!!

Just sayin'

2008-03-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Since we all apparently can't get enough of politics this season, I wanted to share my insight on the whole Clinton/Obama throwdown. That photo above has graced the back of my staunchly right-wing neighbor's huge truck since we moved in over a year ago. Over a year ago...before Hillary Clinton even announced she was running.

I snapped a pic of it the other day but wanted to post it because there was a big hullabaloo on right wing radio yesterday (particularly by the fat druggie Rush Limbaugh) saying voters in these swing states should NOT vote for McCain as he has the republican nomination sewn up, but rather they should vote for Hillary so "the democratic party can continue ripping itself apart." However anyone who pays any attention to the talkies out there know the republicans feel they can beat Hillary but not Obama and that's why Rush wants to try and get her more votes.

The righties hate the Clintons and they're already prepping all kinds of smears should Hillary get the nom. Couple that with that bumper sticker above and throw in the fact Obama has more buzz than "Vampire Weekend" or "No Country for Old Men" and couple that with the fact any "ripping apart" of the party is being done by sneaky Hillary and I think the writing is on the wall.

If you're reading this and are voting today, please vote Obama. I hate to pull a Rove, but a vote for Hillary is a vote for McCain. If Hillary wins the democratic nomination, McCain is your next president. You read it here folks. Do the right thing....vote Obama!

My how time flies

2008-03-01T20:28:00.000-08:00

I've always tried to "manage" at least one band since the time I was about 18 years old. I love live music and here's a secret: if you're the manager, you get into shows free and get free drinks! I'm basically the person that books shows for various bands and right now (and for the past what, 10 years?) it's been my best buddies five a.m.. Before them was a 7-12 piece funk/R&B band called "Grand Junction." THAT was fun but trying to get 7-12 musicians to do anything is a frigging nightmare.

But still, I remember those 6 months to a year as some of the most fun I've ever had. The band would get together in various living rooms and just mess around musically. Jazz, blues, funk....they'd bring in some obscure record and learn a song and then just play it live. My good friend Sonya sang in the band but the main attraction was this funkmaster punk kid named Eric Lindell. After Grand Junction fell apart Eric switched to guitar full time and started some various blues-type bands in the area that were pretty popular. Then, he moved to New Orleans where he took off like a bottlerocket. Eric always had "star quality" and a great personality so it wasn't a surprise when he gained popularity nationally after his movie.

Me, Erica and Story went and saw him do an in-store appearance today at Last Record Store and then I came home and found this...

Man, one day you got a guy stuffed in your Suzuki Samurai with 6 other people, racing to a gig...the next day, he's on Conan. Way to go Eric!!

Final word on Clemens.

2008-02-26T21:42:00.000-08:00

Substitute crushed velvet suit for Yankees uni, frilly laced crevat for Astros uni....so on and so forth.

Substitute Swedish Made Penis Pump and it's accoutrements for HGH and steroids....and the guy unloading the box for the Mitchel Report and Brian McNamee.

Birthing ideas

2008-02-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

My mind is constantly teeming with film and story ideas and I usually talk myself out of them. But last night, I had a really good one and the whole process of it is still fresh in my mind so I thought I'd share.

At about 3:15 a.m. Igby got out of bed (he and I sleep together while the girls sleep in the other room. Shut up.) and woke me up for a second. I tried to go back to sleep but had to take a leak so I got up and did. When I came back in the room, Igby was doing the thing he does where he stands at the foot of the bed and pretends he can't jump back in the bed. So I picked him up and as I did SNAP!!! Something totally gave out in my right shoulder. There was a popping sound like when you bend a chicken leg and snap it. I had a car accident about 3 years ago and since then, my shoulder has always been wonky. I can usually stretch it out or go throw a football around and it makes it feel better. But since the arrival of the baby and way, way too much guitar hero and wii playing, my shoulder has felt on the verge of a breakdown for some time now...and I think that this morning at 3:30 a.m. I f-ed it up pretty good.

I didn't scream or cry (even though I wanted to) and I just kind of rolled back into bed with tears streaming from my eyes. I found a comfortable spot and just laid there, hoping it would stop hurting. It was then I let my mind wander off...trying to think of something else to distract me. Then, my idea hit me and it hit me hard. I don't want to say specifically what the idea was as I don't want to tip my hand and also, if I talk about it, it usually keeps me from DOING it. I will say, it's an idea for a feature documentary that could really have an audience.

So as I lay there, my mind was going a mile a minute and I knew I would never get back to sleep. That happens alot. I get an idea when I should be sleeping and I chew it over in my mind then fall back asleep, wake up and think it was a dumb idea. But this time, the idea wouldn't quit. It kind of reminded me of when you're sick with the flu or food poisoning. Like "I don't want to get up and use the bathroom but I know if I do, it'll help me feel better." So at 3:45, I got up and jotted down a huge list of ideas that were flying out of me. I finally hit a wall and went back to bed.

Still unable to sleep, still cringing because of my shoulder....more ideas started flowing. And flowing. And flowing. It was what I will now refer to as "idearrea." I had to get up again and write more down. Then back to bed, then up again 15 minutes later until finally, I somehow dozed off at about 6:30 a.m. I woke up at 9:30 to the baby screaming and winced and cried out at my shoulder. It's killing me. But for all the pain, exhaustion and crappiness I have on me like a stink today, I birthed out an idea that I think is going to be pretty cool.

Or maybe I'll spend the day talking myself out of it.

Donezhilton.com

2008-02-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

Check out this hot gossip!

Synergy

2008-02-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

I usually buy things like this when I see them in the store....but this time I just took a photo. Are there actually people who would be looking for some jerky, see this jerky, say to themselves, "I like jerky and I like Jeff Foxworthy so therefore I will buy Jeff Foxworthy beef jerky."? It's all pretty mind boggling...

Rookie move.

2008-02-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

The other day my doc partner John asked me to help him shoot second camera on this new web-series he's doing called "Soundcheck." He takes a local band that's playing that upcoming weekend and goes to their practice and learns about the band. He did a GREAT one for five a.m. here:
http://pop.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=738568&mode=blog

Since I haven't been shooting much, I jumped at the chance to help him do this weeks Soundcheck with local bluegrass nutjobs Stiff Dead Cat.

We headed over to their studio with our gear and got all set-up. The band is super cool and HILLARIOUS...and I really dig their music. So I started thinking of cool shots and angles and then I turned my camera on. Immediately the battery light starts flashing...and the battery in there is like, good for 400 minutes. Oops. No worries though, I have a back up. I shoot for about 90 seconds on the dying battery then switch them out.

Battery #2 is so dead it won't even power the camera on. I didn't mention this to John or the band as I was too mortified at my stupidity.

I felt (and still feel like) a total rookie moron. I have NEVER done that before. The best part was when I told the band I stupidly didn't charge my batteries and SDC's singer Wiley goes, "Don't feel bad man, at least you don't have TWO dead batteries." The video still came out pretty good, but I don't think any of my three minutes of footage made it in:
http://pop.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=771025&mode=

here's a message to the Patriots...from a Jets fan...

2008-02-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

Still too busy/lazy to blog....

2008-02-01T12:05:00.001-08:00

But this is frigging hilarious....

Yeaahhh!!

2008-01-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

More Sundancing

2008-01-20T18:39:00.001-08:00

Read the name on the sign...

I really don't have much to add to my last entry. I'm pretty tired and have seen alot of movies. Some good, some bad and maybe one or two great. My reviews are up at Film Threat so why do I need to recapitulate here? Plus, I just wrote like 5 reviews in a row and am typed out. But, I did go to a cool party the other night and actually got my picture taken with some celebs. I have some random pics below so enjoy a virtual tour of my last few days...

I'm here....

2008-01-19T00:39:00.000-08:00

I'm way burnt out. Here's some pics from my flight in (Jet Blue Rules!) . I have the better part of the day tomorrow OFF so I shall return...

Top 10 movies list

2008-01-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys-

In case you missed it...or were too lazy to click over to http://cine.petaluma360.com/ and read my favorite movies of 2007 list, I posted it below. Also, Film Threat has dragged me back into the grind that is the Sundance Film Festival so I will be there this Thursday through Monday. Over at Film Threat there's going to be a webcam set up on the front pageand I'll be doing reports through that as well as on the Film Threat blogs and this blog...and the Petaluma 360 one. Gotta keep busy.

Here's the list...I wrote more detailed reviews and whatnot here.

1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Once
4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
5. Death Proof (the Tarantino part of "Grindhouse")
6. In the Valley of Elah
7.Knocked Up
8. Superbad
9. Juno
10. The King of Kong

My list of favorite movies of the year....

2008-01-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

Can be found HERE.

Hope you all check it out....I apparently love Michael Cera and pregnancy movies. Who woulda thunk it.

Top 5 music!

2008-01-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

O.K…here’s the last or first part…depending how you look at it. I just noticed that my top 5 (or 5.5) are all pretty damned unattractive. The Spoon guys are o.k. looking but that would ruin the hilarity of fug that is happening here.

Tomorrow THERE WILL BE BLOOD opens and man, I am seriously stoked! I haven’t been this excited since the last STAR WARS/LORD OF THE RINGS movies and THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a 3 hour emandering art film. Jeez, I’m such a snob these-a-days. But a true snob wouldn’t be dying to see a film like I’m dying to see that one. Anyway….on with the tunes!

1. Ike Reilly Assassination- We Belong to the Staggering Evening

Dude. Duuuuuude. This album rocks so damned hard I literally crave it when I’m feeling down. I had Ike’s first album a few years back and I just didn’t get it. He seemed to have a potty mouth just for the sake of having a potty mouth, although the guy could write a tune. Then I heard some good stuff about “We Belong to the Staggering Evening” and as it happened, I was in Boston last June and he was playing.

I went to the show and promptly had my doors blown off. I think they’re somewhere in Boston still but now I have this new album to try and restore my doors. I compare Ike to a grubbier Bruce Springsteen or a more refined Replacements. Many of his songs are stories that are either total lies or some of the best life experiences one could have. Either way, they’re fun and insightful and the band totally rips. The Ike Reilly Assassination also reminds me of Marah, a band I love dearly but who get more and more hit and miss with every album they put out. At least Ike is there to fill that gap.

2. Two Cow Garage- 3

It was with great deliberation I decided to put Two Cow Garages “3” at the #2 slot. I really love this album and all it stands for but sometimes it’s hard to put a lil band like this so high on a list ahead of more “accomplished” artists. But then I realized how silly that is because “3” has played in my car everytime I get in it I think. I’m also a big fan of alt-country/punkbilly/cowpunk or whatever you want to call it and with the demise of Slobberbone, these guys are the heir apparent to the throne.

Plus this album rocks but also features songs about just how frigging hard it is to be in a band- emotionally, physically and responsibility wise. On this album the band laments not going to college and constantly have the feeling they should hang it up. But those songs are mixed in with songs about how music has always been a part of their lives and to give up now might render their lives pointless. Like the Tommy Womack album, creating, especially for a living, is a sticky area. You’re always high from the feeling then dragged down by poor response. On and on it goes and Two Cow Garage captures those feelings perfectly.

3. Wilco- Sky Blue Sky

Yeah, #3! My favorite band of all-time made a really, really, really great album and it’s not even amongst my least favorites of theirs. I just liked other stuff better this year. I actually feel bad not putting Wilco’s “Sky Blue Sky” higher because it’s been the most slagged album the band has done. If you always wondered what the hell I’m on about when I talk about how much I love Wilco, this album is a perfect jumping off point for you. It’s very accessible.

Jeff Tweedy has pulled together the very best lineup of the band yet with Nels Cline on guitar and Glenn Kotche on drums. These guys are just amazing and their extremely “arty” in the regular gigs. But here, they’re all like peas and carrots mixing together perfectly. This is such a great album, you should go buy it immediately.

3.5 Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Damn lists!! I woke up this morning humming Spoon’s “The Underdog” in my head and realized I left them off my list! Again, like Ted Leo, Spoon are the darlings of indie rock…or were a year or two ago. Now that they had the nerve to make a fun, interesting and accessible album, they may have been shunned a bit. Anyone shunning Spoon for Gax5 is just doing themselves a disservice as this album is a good one.

If you listen to the radio on pretty much any station playing newer rock, you heard “The Underdog” and that’s pretty cool. I’ve heard the song on at least 4 very different radio stations and that kind of crossover appeal for a smaller band is impressive. But there’s also tons of great songs on this album and I think I’m going to go listen to it right now!

4. Josh Ritter-The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter is a bad ass. Unlike Ted Leo, he’s only amassed a teeny bit of indie buzz but the guy is one of the best singer songwriters out there…and that’s saying a lot. His last album “Animal Years” is also great, but for me it kind of tailed off about midway through. But this album, “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter” has held my attention throughout nearly every listen.

This album is also much “bigger” than his other one (actually, he has several but the other one I own) and features all kinds of cool arrangements and instrumentation. But Ritter has an elegance about him and through all the new sounds on here, his songwriting is still clear…and awesome.

5. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists- Living with the Living

I had been hearing about these punk oriented rockers for years but I always feel like a big ole poser when I jump on a bands buzz laden bandwagon. But when a few different people started raving about “Living with the Living” I checked it out and fell in love.

Fairly simple guitar riffs and cool lyrics had me listening all summer and the album was one of those ones you always find yourself looking for in your car. While driving. And text messaging. Kidding.

My Top Ten Albums of 2007

2007-12-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay....it's tough for me to rank things. I'm like a freeking O.C.D. patient when it comes to making lists. Just FYI, the movie one won't be up till the weekend as I simply must see "There Will be Blood" before I rank anything cinematic. That being said, here are my favorite albums numbers 6-10. 5-1 should be up tomorrow pending hangover size.

6. Bruce Springsteen- Magic

When I saw the video for “Radio Nowhere,” I think I posted on here that Tommy Tutone would be pissed that The Boss stole his riff from “867-5309.” Since then, I’ve managed to overlook that as “Radio Nowhere” is a great song that gets me fired up whenever I hear it. I also had some trouble getting into the album and it really took some time to grow on me. But now, I get it and I like it.

While I still prefer “The Rising” to “Magic,” there’s some real advances here for the Boss. He’s “sin ging” all pretty like and seems to be more…available lyrically. He’s not afraid to speak out against the bullshit our government is pulling but he manages to insert these thoughts into songs about life and relationships almost seamlessly. A good example of this is on the song “Livin’ in the Future Age,” my favorite tune on the album, wherein Bruce chats up his lover by assuring her everything’s gonna be all right and the rape of the constitution can’t happen because we’re livin’ in a future age.

7. The Hives-The Black and White Album

I like-a the rock a rolla, what can I say. When you’re battling traffic for 2-3 hours 3 days a week, nothing quenches the road rage like some solid guitar rock that makes you want to play your steering wheel while you curse at the asshole in front of you who just cut you off.

I also love the Hives cocky attitude, smooth suits and their dedication to the guitar riff that made their last album “Veni Vidi Vicious” so ass-kicking. We need more people in rock who want to rock and rock hard. And The Hives do. I’m dying to see them in concert but they were just on the road with Maroon-5 and I can’t go there.

8. Amy Winehouse- Back to Black

Yes, I read the gossip and yes, it’s the epitome of irony that a song about refusing rehab is written and performed by a chick who seriously needs to go to rehab. Hardy har. But, beyond all that is a really great album that borrows heavily from the Phil Specter “wall of sound” sound yet updates it without ruining it. “Back to Black” is a really, really…good album.

Winehouse can belt it out and her self deprecating, life-of-a-fuckup songs settle in with beats and grooves and horns and all sorts of cool sounds provided by Mark Ronson who I think will be shown to be the true mastermind of this album if Winehouse goes with someone else for the next album. If there is a next album. But still, this is just a solid effort and it makes me feel like I’m a hip guy for liking something everyone else likes. That rarely happens.

(I couldn't resist this awful pic of her as a kid!)

9. Will Kimbrough- EP

Will’s new album is an EP….so that’s not just a clever name. I am a huge Will Kimbrough fan and I love this record…but not quite as much as his last few. Plus, I have to come clean. I bought “EP” at his show in Sacramento and listened to it for like, 3 weeks straight. But now, I can’t find it. I bet if I knew where it was, it would be in the top 5. Sorry, Will!

However, I do love this album and I really like the way it feels organic yet really refined, if that makes sense. While he’s redone older songs “Godsend” and “Horseshoe Lake” (which Todd Snider did a while back) there’s some songs on here that are real steps forward for probably the best unsung guitar player out there. His songs have always been awesome lyrically, but there’s a new level on songs like “Hill Country Girl” and “Interstate” that really show how versatile and, well, badass Mr. Kimbrough is. He very well may be an alien. Check him out here.

10. Tommy Womack- There I Said It

For years I had heard great things about Tommy Womack through the Todd Snider community, but I never heard the guys stuff until this past year at South by Southwest. Turns out the mini-hype was well worth it as Tommy is a no frills singer songwriter with that perfect combo of humor and insight I love in my singer-songwriters.

“There I Said It” is an album by a guy who realizes his dreams of being a rock star ain’t gonna happen. But if you’re writing an album lamenting (sort of) the loss of what you thought would happen but embracing what you do have, you’re still making music and that’s the point of art. You do it because it’s what you do…it’s your passion. One of my favorite songs of the year “Alpha Male and the Canine Mystery Blood” is on there and there’s a song about a day spent swimming with his family at a friends house that’s just about as perfect as songs get. His awesome and funny website can be found here.

new five a.m. video!

2007-12-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

The band I manage, five a.m. made a freeking sweeeeeeet music video. It stars Eddie Furlong, Rumer Willis and Ice-T! Check it out below...

Aint Talkin 'Bout Love

2007-12-23T18:41:00.000-08:00

I'm talkin' about VAN HALEN!!!

As I mentioned last night, I saw Van Halen and it was just fricking great! Seriously, awesome show! My brother in law scored tix the day they went on sale ($100 a pop! I'll get back to that) and since then we'd been anxiously awaiting the show like two school kids waiting for Christmas break. Finally, the day arrived and I managed to secure us a ride to the show (my wife) and somehow coerced my sister to pick us up. You know what that means...beer! And lots of it.

We left a little too early and decided to get dinner at the Pyramid Ale House in Berkeley. Their Snow Cap is my favorite winter beer so we had some of that and as usual there, some substandard food. Yet before parking the car, we saw a sign that said the BART station was nearby and taking BART to the show (BART is Bay Area Rapid Transit...it's a subway) we could miss all the traffic and my wife could have an easier trip. So, we took BART. Across from us was this guy:

I'm not sure if he was a pimp or a minister, it's hard to tell. But he had that red pinstriped suit on, a sweet white hat and matching red leather shoes. Next to him on the seat was a fur coat. It was pretty kickass! If you look at the reflection in the window, you can see my taking his photo and trying to be sly. BART took us to the show and we got there just in time to miss another one Bob Marley's less talented progeny do some crappy reggae act. All I heard was a lackluster version of "I Shot the Sheriff." Laaaame. Also lame was the fact the "large" beers were $11.00! EACH!! Frigging criminals.

So we got some beers and headed off to our $100 seats which my bro-in-law was convinced were pretty good. The section we were in was just in front of the stage, to the side so that was a good start. Then we started looking for row 19. That would be....the last row. Yup, nose bleeders for $100! Again, frigging criminals. But then again, it's Van Halen with David Lee Roth back at the helm and I didn't really care. Although I felt ripped off a little. Those are $50 seats, people. Here's a photo from our seats from when the show started. The top is blocked off because that's the ceiling at the Oakland Coliseum!!

Grrr.

Before the show started though, i started missing my buddy Lance who is the biggest VH fan there is. I think he and I saw VH with Sammy about 6 times one summer. He lives in Reno now and had his kids this weekend so he couldn't come along. But I texted him and then continued to text him the setlist which was smart because I would have forgot it. Here it is in all it's glory:

You Really Got Me
Show Your Love
Running with the Devil
**A song I didn't know and neither did my bro-in-law**
Somebody get me a Doctor (and I went to get more beer)
Beautiful Girls
Dance the Night Away
Atomic Punk (this was a great surprise)
Everybody Wants Some (and I wanted more beer so I missed it)
So This is Love
Cathedral (part of it anyways) into...
Mean Streets
Pretty Woman

Drum Solo!! I hate to say it, but of the 4 unattractive men up there, Alex Van Halen looked the worst. He looks half dead but dude can still play the drums!

Unchained
I'll Wait (which seemed odd since it was written about and for Valerie Bertinelli...who Eddie divorced....but their kid was playing bass.)
Cradle Will Rock
**last beers**
Hot For teacher
Little Dreamer
Little Guitars (probably my favorite song of the night...Unchained is my favorite song ever but I couldn't hear it very well from our nose bleeders)
Janies Crying
Ice Cream Man (with that same story from the other blog posting I did)
Panama

Eddie guitar solo...which was great! You know, people always focus on Diamond Dave's antics and Alex's giant drum set and 15 foot high gong, and they forget just how innovative and amazing Eddie is. Dude's still got it even if his fingers look like wrinkled dolmas.

Aint Talkin' 'Bout Love
and
Jump

Jump was pretty "gay" as there was a huge inflatable microphone that plopped down from somewhere and Dave started like...riding it around. Not cool. But overall, man....I couldn't ask for much more. I'm not one of those people who needs to hear obscure songs from a band and VH covered the classics. Plus, they were selling shirts that had designs culled from all the old David Lee Roth tours and that was super sweet!! I had a great time until I got home to dogs on crack. I think this is the best reunion tour ever. No frills, just rock.

So.......

2007-12-23T01:29:00.000-08:00

I saw VH tonight and it was really, truly amazing. But now, I'm mostly drunk and want to go to sleep but a few things stand in my way...

1. I'm not really tired

2. This computer (at my moms house) sucks. And...

3. I worked it all out (as I'm prone to doing) so I could be safely taken to the show and safely dropped at "home." However, I'm at my parents house and have to sleep it off here rather than go home and snuggle with my girls. In and of itself it's awkward to be drunk at the house you grew up in and be staying there...alone. Plus, I really wish I was home. BUT...Igby is here with me which leads to the biggest problem....

4. I got home about 45 mins ago and just noticed Igby and Oliver (the puggles) got under my parents tree and ate a BOX of macadamia nuts covered in chocolate. At first I was terrified (dogs and chocolate don't mix) and now I'm just annoyed because those two are frigging AMPED up on sugar, chocolate and caffeine. I just want to go to bed so I can get up and go home....and now, that may not happen. They're chasing each other everywhere. EV-ERY-WHERE.

Post Script: I'm about 99.9% sure it was MY dogs idea to get into the chocolate covered macadamias.

o.k...I'm back

2007-12-19T22:48:00.001-08:00

So.....I have the month off of work and it's been amazing. I was seriously on the verge of losing my mind. I feel simply awful about ditching out on work, but if I didn't, I would have cracked up. Seriously. I spread myself way too thin and my literal and figurative "house" was in disarray. My physical house is still a disaster, but....we finished out short film in time to send it in for SXSW and I think we have a great chance of getting in and that would honestly be a dream come true. My mind is almost in order. Almost.

Since I took leave, I've spent time with lil Story (not enough) and grabbed handfuls of homework, readings, papers and just....hanging with fellow students, all of which I needed badly. Now I have a paper and a half left and I'm free. I couldn't be prouder of myself for taking this huge bite of responsibility and coming out the other side mostly unscathed. I had 15 units (5 classes!), my job, my band (who were luckily mostly recording), my BABY, my wife, my life....it was way too much. And sadly, I say I'm "proud" I did it all...but really, I'm pissed that I challenge myself in ways that no one but myself cares about. Seriously, I'm the only one that cares and rather than bask in the glow, I feel like....emotionally raped and as if I did everything half ass...save our movie which fucking rules. Ah well, lesson learned.

Anywho, I'm finishing up 2 papers this week and then..Saturday....VAN HALEN!! What a great cherry on top of this sundae. I unabashedly love VH, especially David Lee Roth VH and I need to blow off some steam. Plus, all the youtube vids of the "new" old VH have been awesome. I saw this tonight and damn, that Diamond Dave can spin a yarn....

Ohh if you knew how I felt now, you wouldn't act so adult now..

2007-12-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

My favorite band of all time, as has been duly noted here, is The Replacements. They were, to quote their singer Paul Westerberg, sadly beautiful. They could rock your socks off with one song, then turn around and touch your heart in the next. Then they'd get really drunk, forget their songs and still manage a helluva show. Or so I hear. I never got to see them.

There's also something about them I especially love and loved about Jawbreaker, one of my other favorite bands. They just didn't give a shit about the big time. Jawbreaker did a legendary thing when grunge and Greenday hit in that they let every record exec in town fly them to L.A. or New York, put them up in the finest hotels and let these record companies wine and dine them. All without the slightest intention of EVER signing with any of them. When they finally signed (like, 4 years later), they let the record company buy them all new shit, they toured the world, and then broke up so they wouldn't owe the corporation anything. Sucked for all us Jawbreaker fans, but they did it all on their terms. Which brings me to The Replacements.

The Mats were a big underground band that seemed to be bubbling below the surface of the mainstream for years. They finally got asked to play Saturday Night Live which, for them, was probably a total shock. And hey, that's pretty freeking huge....especially in 1986 when that show didn't suck. So they agree to do the show, fly out there...and this clip below shows what happened. They were awesome, drunk, hilarious and then they all fell down.

Then some years later, Paul came back to SNL as a solo artist and this happened:

Man, I love the Mats.

More adventures in 7-11

2007-12-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

So I was in 7-11 earlier and this really aggravated guy comes in. I mean, he wasn't like...stewing or throwing shit around, but I could tell her was annoyed. He starts kind of looking down the aisles and finally yells up to the register guy, "Hey man, where's the visine?" The register guy points down the aisle the guy is in and says "further down..." The guy keeps looking and he goes "I can't see it!?" The register guy goes, "in that aisle, but further down." And the guys goes, "damn dude, I can't see it."

And I thought that was really funny.

Poignant

2007-12-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it, I read the gossip websites. Pretty much everyday. It keeps me up on what's new with celebs and their nip-slips and rehabs. Plus, it also spares me the hours involved in reading magazines or watching those daily gossip TV shows that are usually like, a week late on their info anyway. That being said, I'm totally Brittnied out.

I feel really bad for her and I must say, this whole...watching her fall thing is truly similar to Roman Gladiators or those slaves they'd throw to the lions just to watch them get torn apart. It's gone from "WTF happened!?!?!" to "dude, that chick is nuts" to "dude, that chick has seriously lost it" to just plain sad. I admit, as a storyteller/screenwriter/filmmaker, you simply cannot make up the shit that's this poor girl has gone through. It's sincerely tragic and it will end badly for Ms. Spears. And that's sad. I mean it, it's really sad.

Anywho, I remember seeing this clip a few years ago, before the nuttiness really kicked in and man, it was super funny. It's super funny now as well. But watch it and really listen to the last 10-15 seconds. Man, that's the kicker. It's the final scene in the documentary on Brittney Spears that will come out 5 years after we drag her down and pretend we didn't have a hand in her demise.

If someone....

2007-11-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

....says you should google or watch the video for "2 Girls 1 Cup" DO NOT DO IT!!!! You have been warned.

Seriously, do not navigate over to google right now.

I'm not kidding.

You'll be really, really sorry.

And no, I'm not challenging you, I'm warning you. I gave in and sought it out because alot of people were talking about it, and I may as well have watched that creepy video from "The Ring."

You've been warned.

Heya, Chuck

2007-11-20T21:19:00.001-08:00

I was walking the baby around and noticed "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" was on. I am, and always have been, a total sucker for holiday kids movies on TV. All the Charlie Browns, Rudolph, Fat Albert Santa Claus is Coming to Town...you name it, I've seen it 36 times. Except for anything newer than 1990...and the Garfield ones. So naturally I turned the baby away from the evil screen and zoned out to Snoopy making dinner for Peppermint Patty, Marcy, Linus, Lucy and (surprise surprise) Franklin who Charlie gave a high-5 to in a really sad, latently racist move. He didn't slap skin with any of his other friends...just the "other" friend. But as usual, I digress.

What struck me this year was how frigging rude Peppermint Patty is to Snoopy and Charlie Brown. I mean sure, toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks and jelly beans are shitty components for a Thanksgiving Day feast. But...hello....you're a guest you grouchy beeotch! You don't diss someones food when you invited yourself over because you have no parents. What really annoyed me further was Charlie Brown feels bad about it and soon allows his freeloading friends to go with him to his grandmas house for a "real" dinner. I wonder if all these years, Charlie Brown was more of a pushover/cuckold than a "loser?" I'll be looking closer this holiday season.

After the Thanksgiving show, a newer Charlie Brown special called "He's a Bully Charlie Brown" came on. It was all revitalized (or trying to be) and had Snoopy and Charlie Brown on a halfpipe skateboarding in the opening credits. Neat. They also had some glossy looking computer type animation that really sucked as well. It was basically a pumped up Peanuts and it lacked any and all charm of the originals.

Oh! The "acting" was horrible! They were like Peanuts Robots. "Hello, Chuck. How. Are. You? Going. To. Summer. Camp?" You get the idea. But what really made my night was the fact that we can no longer question or make sly innuendoes about Marcy and Peppermint Patty. See, in "Bully," Marcy and Charlie Brown get to go to summer camp but P. Patty has to stay behind and attend summer school. Torn apart by jealousy over Marcy and Chuck having fun while she is in school, she calls Marcy each night to see what she's missing.

Soon, while on the phone, Marcy starts doing things like, "Oh, hold on sir, I can't hear you because Chuck is nibbling my ear" (I'm not kidding...that really happens) and during one phone call she says, "Oh Chuck....quit squeezing my hand so hard." It all makes Peppermint Patty incredibly jealous and she comes unglued and she sneaks off to the camp to see what's really going on.

Once there Patty begins to look everywhere for Chuck with Marcy attached at her hip....where she is usually found. Now, simpletons would believe the company line that Peppermint Patty is jealous because Marcy is picking up on her man. However closer inspection reveals that Patty never actually states who she's jealous of. If you took some of her statements at face value and "in" the scene, you could easily easily argue she's mad that Marcy is straying from her and in fact, I think the lack of clearness speaks to the fact Peppermint Patty is a lesbian. Not that there's anything wrong with that and hell, since Dumbledore got outed it's only a matter of time before a classic cartoon character comes out of the animated closet. I do have to say my money was always on Goofy though...

EBAY is harassing me.

2007-11-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

So I made boo-boo with my ebay account. Here's the deal...
I had a credit card on file with Pay Pal and that credit card expired before I could swap it out. Then I somehow managed to forget my Pay Pal password and accidentally blocked myself out of the site. While this is going on, I won an auction for a $4 bendy toy action figure thingy. I was going to do some stop-motion animating in my massive amount of free time.

So, I call Pay Pal and in order to reinstate my account to me, I need to provide them with the credit card number. Since the credit card had expired and I replaced it, I cut up the old credit card and tossed it. The guy at Pay Pal then said I would have to have the BANK fax them a clearance to which I responded, "are you high? Do you think I have time to have the bank fax you my information? Can't I just tell you my moms maiden name and my dogs name and we can move forward?"

"No, sorry" was the response.

So I then think to myself, well screw it. I'll just let that account sit there and I'll open another one under another email. Brilliant! I set one up and then went through similar phone BS that basically ended up being, I can't change the Pay Pal account or email or some such thing on my Ebay. I need to jump through the hoops to get my Pay Pay fixed. But in the meantime, I have yet to pay my $9 ($5 shipping) for my bendy toy and so now, my Ebay account has a strike and I'm on like, double secret academic probation suspension. And it's all rather annoying and I really don't shop much on Ebay but knowing I can't is really frustrating. But here's the kicker...Ebay emails me about 6 times a week to remind me I have "a strike" and my account is on hold.

I mean, Jesus H. Ebay....I frigging get it. I won an item, did not pay and now I'm in trouble. But for F-'s sake....don't you people think I know by now?! It's reminding me of that storyline in "Short Cuts" where Lyle Lovett keeps pestering the couple who just lost their son to pay for and pick up the cake they bought. He keeps crank calling them and won't let it go that they never picked up and paid for a cake they bought for their kid...when truth was the kid got hit by a car and died. Boy did Lyle's character feel shitty when he found out what happened.

I seriously want to call Ebay and make up some crazy, sad thing that happened but that's never good karma. But still....leave me alone Ebay! I'll fix my shit soon...sheesh...

lazy blogger...

2007-11-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

....i didn't even bother to capitalize.

But seriously...
Many times I wonder how a book or movie becomes "a classic." In terms of newly found crazes, that is.. I generally miss the rise as it comes up, or wholly disagree. But lately I've been reading several people who are just crazy about Bob Rafelson's "Five Easy Pieces." I read many blog innuendoes before and finally caught the film about a year and a half ago...when we had "On-Demand"...which, corporate levelling aside...RULES!! Anyway...it's a really, really under-the-radar-yet-you-must-see movies.

There's one scene in particular which apparently sums up the feelings of post-60's hippies as well as 80's kids....or something. It's the one below...and it's just fucking great. Seriously, greatX5. But the whole movie is really good and much like small time classics such as..."Harold and Maude" and "Edward Scissorhands" (that people have rethought and said, "ya know...that shit was the shit!!) I think "Five Easy Pieces" is a GREAT movie on the fast track to being the movie cool/smart/hip people go "Ohh man, that was great!" then get all wrong in their assessment of it.

No matter what you think of the whole thing, here's a clip to whet your appetite...Friend-o. Go rent this...ASAP...you'll be deemed cool somewhere, sometime.

Living and learning...

2007-11-11T23:49:00.000-08:00

I love to learn. Seriously. As much as it bites me in the ass in that I know seemingly a teeny, tiny, miniscule bit about everything...just enough to have a conversation with any annoying nut job at a bar or supermarket, I LOVE finding new writers, filmmakers, music...pop culture phenomenon ("Jenkem," anyone?) and whatnot. It's just the bees knees. But when Norman Mailer died the other day, alot of people I enjoy reading were writing their little blog tributes and I seriously had no clue who he was.

Sure, I heard the name and saw the youtube clip posted below (which is freeking...amazing. We don't get "real" moments like that EVER these days) but really, why was he famous? Who was Norman Mailer? I had no idea and I just spent the last hour reading about him and damn it if he wasn't exactly the kind of brilliant/perma-damaged/creative force freakshow I usually find solace in.

My point is that although I can still remember the original "Herbie the Love Bug" license plate (OFP 857)...I'll never know anywhere close to anything. I'm not down about it, I'm just saying.

Enjoy Norman Mailer -vs- Rip Torn on the set of Mailers film "Maidstone"...

If you haven't...

2007-11-08T20:23:00.003-08:00

Checked this out, you're seriously missing out on something cooler than hipster cool could ever be:

http://www.robertplantalisonkrauss.com/

I'm back!

2007-11-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

After a brief hiatus, I'm back to my blog. Aside from baby time, I've just been plain busy. We're STILL editing our new doc, school is in FULL swing and work, sleep, baby, movies, shows....wow. My old plan to get rid of February and add another hour to the day seems more and more genius all the time.

I'm holding it all together pretty well and I've seen some GREAT movies lately and I also saw Springsteen again! The show was just o.k. Like pizza and BJ's, even when it's so-so Springsteen is pretty great. I just wasn't that crazy about the setlist. It was alot of new stuff...which is o.k....and kind of vapid/pointless old stuff like "Tunnel of Love" and "Workin' on a Highway." Plus they shut off the beer on the third level where we were THEN shut off the escalator going down so it took forever to get more beer.

Still, you gotta respect The Boss. He can do whatever he wants and dammit, you'll like it. I love that he doesn't give in to convention. The whole setlist is here: http://www.brucespringsteen.net/live/2007setlists.html#20071026

I also saw two AMAZING movies: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" and "No Country for Old Men." I'm doing a review of the latter for Film Threat but man, I simply cannot wait to see it again. I saw a special screening of it in San Rafael and Josh Brolin was there. He was pretty funny and off the cuff...in a douchebaggy kind of way. It opens this Friday I think and you should check it out. Be warned....it's uber violent and bloody and it's also an incredibly frustrating movie, but in a great way.

Tonight there's a really special screening of "There Will be Blood" in SF and I really, really, really want to go. It doesn't even open until Christmas. But, the earliest I can safely leave work would be 4:00 and the doors open at 6:30. Parking near the Castro is a nightmare, plus I have to go to SF again in the morning. But here's the thing....I'm totally loving the MA program at SF State and I really dig my classmates and they all get to go. They all live really close to SF. I hate missing out on fun stuff. When I went to Cal State Northridge, I didn't really work much so I could really enjoy being just "a student." Now I have to balance so much and it takes away from what I really love to do. I'm literally on the fence about going.....grrr.

Anyway, that's a brief update and I plan to write more and more often.

Final blog posting...

2007-10-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

....as a non-parent.

How weird, huh? My last post was about the death of one of my oldest friends and this followup posting is (hopefully) my last as a non-parent. The circle of life just smacks you in the face sometimes. Our lil one was due LAST Tuesday (some girls take FOREVER to get ready) so they were talking about inducing my wife next Monday. So after drinking hippy-dippy pregnancy tea for the last week and 1/2, getting pregnancy inducing acupuncture, meditating, thinking positive and walking several miles, my wife went old skool. 2 ounces of castor oil!! Yeahhh baby! How very "Litte Rascals" of you!

I was feeling exhuasted last night so luckily, I fell asleep around 10:30. At around 4:00 a.m., her usual groans of annoyed discomfort became kind of...curious sounds of a "what the hell is going on" variety. Judging by the castor induced bathroom noises, I had a feeling what was going on but apparently more than just the ole bowels moving. There's apparently labor pains and contractions...I dunno. It's been such a long, tenuous ride I just have to take it as it comes.

I do think this is it though. God, I hope so. This is all like a really shitty pleasure delay akin to waiting for morning to come on Christmas Eve. Only we can't really sneak a peek at the presents.

In my final posting as a non-parents, I'd like to say the following...

I hope I'm not a shitty dad like the dad in all those "Everclear" songs. I do have to say the correllation between shitty dads and really creative people seem to go hand in hand, but so do the occurances of girls who turn to drugs and porn due to shitty dads. I'll be proud of my little girl no matter what, but a full page spread in FOX will give me pause.

Everyone says I won't be able to do the things I want to do...and that's fine. It's been a pretty great 35 year long ride (36 years on Sunday!). But what people don't realize about me is, I love seeing movies and hearing music. It's a part of who I am as well as filmmaking, writing and general debauchery and adventure. I do hope I am able to calm down a little, but at this moment, I think it would be unfair to my kid to throw away everything I am in order to fit some Americanized ideal of what "a parent" is supposed to be and act. But then again, maybe I'll want to do that. I dunno. We shall see.

I can't wait till my daughter is here, but I wish she and I and my wife could just go away for five easy days in Hawaii or something. We could just veg out and be left alone. I'm sick of the phone ringing and being asked what the deal is. But what's worse is (and I know, I should be all happy and positive) it's never going to end now. Sure, there will be some lulls when people have met the baby and are over her, but from here until she's like, 18....it's going to be non-stop. One thing I've realized over the past 2-3 years is, I need and love my space. We'll see how that pans out.

But most of all...more than anything...I hope the baby is HEALTHY. I'm sure she won't be HAPPY when she comes out, but I pray she's healthy and my wife pulls through perfectly as well. It's all I've been praying for and wishing on stars for so if you read this this morning/day, I would hope you'll say a little prayer for that too.

BABY TIME!

Aww man...again?

2007-10-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

I lost another great friend from the Phoenix family last week, Scott Adrian. At first I wasn't going to post that photo above but dammit, Scott was fucking NUTS and that's him. I don't mean that in a bad way and I think he would be amongst the first to admit it and when I look at that photo, I still get the feeling I always got when I saw "Scotty-Wotty-Doo-Da-Day." Dread, mixed with laughter, mixed with feeling like "old times" mixed with "something is going to happen tonight" mixed with...if it does, I'm glad he's on my side.

Scott had a ton of serious problems all over town. I never, ever had a problem with him though. He and I went as far back as any of my Petaluma friends as he used to live around the corner from this dude Lloyd who I was friends with when I was 11 or 12. Once again, we'd see Scott coming and know trouble was en route. However Lloyd also had a thuggish older brother and between the three of us, we could usually escape his wrath. I can't believe we had a friend named Lloyd. That name is ridiculous. LLoyd. Even spelling it is ridiculous. Anyway...

As time went on, Scott and I were on the football team together (both playing "left out") and also on the track team. Yeah, I was on the track team...what of it? Scott was the ONLY guy in the entire school insane enough to do pole vaulting. I remember that it was on long track team bus rides he and I really became friends. Then we started hanging out at the Phoenix together and were friends for life. He had a penchant for pissing off friends but I think we were alot alike and the early years of our friendship gave us a mutual respect so he never flipped out on me.

The nickname Scotty-Wotty-Doo-Da-Day came from these really great cookies he would make for special occasions. I have no idea when they started getting made and brought to events, but they always made me bust up laughing. Scott, this big, goofy, buffed, tatted out dude would show up with a plate covered in saran wrap and someone would go, "dude, what is that?? And he would say, "Dude, they're Scotty-Wotty-Doo-Da-Day's!" as if you had to be some kind of fucking moron to not know that. When people die, it's those little insights and....insider speak I miss the most. It's the shared joke that you would always get into when you saw each other and never finish saying before you both started laughing as it was old, and familiar and good.

As I said, Scott was frequently in trouble. I heard stories of him beating people up and getting his ass kicked as well. I heard stories of drugs and general weirdness, but I honestly never saw any of it. When I saw Scott, we would hug and grab a beer. We went to a bunch of concerts together and stayed in touch over the years while he was in the Army, living in Germany. I'm really glad I got to hang out with him on Butter and Eggs Day back in the Spring. We hadn't seen each other much and he was in "Cool Scott" mode, even though he was having a shitty time at home and was in serious trouble with the law. We just hung out and talked and drank and had a blast.

I'm still kind of processing it all because sadly, I've been too busy to even think about it and have time to be O.K. with it. I'm sad, but not surprised. Scott was crazy. I think that just like when Nate died, the sadness will kick in when I'm at Gales or the Phoenix and Scott should be there...and he won't be.

I miss ya buddy! Hope you're seriously freaking people out whereever you are!

Hardly Strictly my last weekend...

2007-10-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Since I've been lazily uploading (hillarious) YouTube clips instead of "actually" blogging, I thought I'd throw you a bone and go over my last weekend! Yayyyy! Lets see...

I haven't really posted much about this but my wife is majorly pregnant. Yeah, thanks. She's due the 9th which, yes, is tomorrow. I'm somewhere between excited, terrified and just ready for this kid to be here. I've recently realized I can't really put things that are about to happen or "might" happen into real feelings. I used to worry about every single minute detail of everything before it happened. So much so I'd either end up a nervous wreck or have no feelings whatsoever when the thing DID happen because I kind of lived through it already. So now I just take things as they come. By now you're asking what this has to do with my weekend. Well, I'll tell you.

Since I have no idea how I'll feel when my child arrives, I'm trying to go do cool stuff now. For instance a few weeks ago Will Kimborugh was playing on a Thursday night in Sacramento. I love Will Kimbrough but by Thursdays, I've been driving to school/work and home three times over. Driving two hours to Sac was not appealing. But, I've never seen an entire Will Kimbrough show and when the baby comes, I may want to sit home and make goo-goo eyes until it's time for her to go to bed. So, I went. And I was sooo glad I did. It was an amazing, uplifting and fun show.

So this weekend the baby could be here but Jeff Tweedy was playing the Friday night slot at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. It was a calculated risk to go, but again, I figured it's not that far, the baby isn't here...it's Jeff Tweedy...etc. So I went. I called my friend Brook and picked her up around noon and off we went. We got there way early. So early in fact, we drove right up to one of the stages. It was weird. Like...we were in the wrong spot. But no one said anything so we walked down and grabbed a spot about 100 yards from the stage. Some Australian band was on first then the amazing Buddy Miller. Both were very good and it was a perfect day in SF.

T-Bone Burnett and Friends had been scheduled to play but until midweek last week, no one knew who his "friends" were. I was thinking they could be Robert Plant and Allison Krauss since T-Bone produced their new album (which is amazing, by the way) but it was soon announced his friend were Doyle Bramhall II, Neko Case and...John Mellencamp. That made the yuppie factor jump to 100 for people at that show. Ugh. They hit the stage and it was o.k. at best. It was totally unrehearsed which wasn't bad when the band was doing blues and rock standards. Bramhall and Case were awesome and then out came little Johnny Cougar. I love Mellencamp, don't get me wrong...but he didn't seem to fit here. They played some new song he and T-Bone wrote about the Jena 6 and then something else and then "Pink Houses." The bass player was totally lost on "Pink Houses" and it really made for a weird sounding song. It was all just o.k...not bad, not great. Then came my hero, Jeff Tweedy.

I felt bad for Jeff because a bunch of people split before he went on. I was glad they did because we got closer and really, when there's 20,000 people or more, losing a few thousand doesn't make much of a difference. It was also odd because T-Bone had like, 12 people onstage then Jeff was up there all alone. But he played for TWO HOURS! My friend Cori came too and she likes Wilco but had never seen them or Jeff solo so that was cool to see her see Tweedy solo. And he played a little bit of everything. Uncle Tupelo, Woody Guthrie, old Wilco, new Wilco. It was an awesome show and I'm so glad I went. I may not feel like doing stuff like that any more or I may be too tired. But rather than dwell on what may or may not happen, I'm content knowing that my last concert as a non-parent was my favorite artist on an awesome day.

I also haven't been drinking the last three weeks which is weird. Well, I take that back. Weekend before last my inlaws were here so I got a 6 pack and a 22 oz beer which I drank. The next day...ugh. I have never had a worse hangover. It was really weird. I had a headache that wouldn't quit even after I ate and drank a ton of water. Not cool. Lesson learned.

So Saturday I went to a nice funeral for my friends dad who passed. It was nice to be there and my friend couldn't make it so I'm glad me and my sister and our friend Nate could be there for him. Saturday night I met with our editor who is doing a GREAT job on our new doc. Then I had 2 pints at Russian River and met the nearest living relative of General Custer: Ken Custer. We had a nice talk about Westerns since I've been watching pretty much only Westerns in a class. I don't know why I constantly meet the strangest people whereever I go. Maybe it's because I'm strange and we are all attracted to one another? Maybe it's because I notice interesting people and I'm not afraid to talk to them. I dunno...but I met Ken Custer and he's a cool guy. After my two pints I hightailed it home to watch Seth Rogen and Spoon on Saturday night Live and it was a great episode...for once.

Sunday I saw THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD and it was out-frigging-standing. One of the best of the year. I'll write more on it later but I really want to see it again and it's a long, slowish movie. Now, it's off to work and to await "the phone call" which can come at any moment.

What do you do with a drunken sailor...err...talentless wench?

2007-10-03T10:13:00.001-07:00

If you're David Letterman, you do what people should have done a loooong time ago....take her down! If you watch this, I'll buy you a parakeet...

Scorsese Sesame Street

2007-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Just trying to get all my youtubing done before it's too late....

Life before Youtube...

2007-09-27T23:07:00.002-07:00

Must have suuuucked. Too bad that in just a few short days, I won't have time for youtube or something. But in the meantime...

You gotta watch it with the commercials, just like everyone else

2007-09-24T00:18:00.000-07:00

So my favorite show of last year, well, second favorite since LOST woke up halfway through, was HEROES. I'm a total comic nerd at heart and really only stopped collecting when they started making 8-bazillion storylines throughout 20 different comics in order to get us to buy more shit. I distinctly remember being pissed at this brilliant move even when I was like, 14 and it turned me off to comics. However now it's really easy to drop $20 for a big, thick comic book that covers entire storylines. Recently I've read "30 Days of Night," most of "Preacher" and "Mavel Zombies" (in which all the Marvel characters get bit and turn into flesh eating zombies) and I'm smack dab in the middle of "Watchmen," which is on it's way to being a movie. I also whizzed right through the prequel to "Marvel Civil Wars" which was awesome. But, as usual, I digress.

I love the show HEROES and recommended it to everyone. But now that it's out on DVD, everyone seems to kind of hate it. That is to say, everyone who has rented it and didn't watch it week by week, Monday by exciting Monday kind of hates it. And here's where I have to get back to something I've mentioned before: some TV shows need to be watched week by week and not on DVD. Some might call them "water cooler" shows as in, the phenomenon grows because people at work discuss episodes at the ole water cooler. And I think there's something to that. I loved talking SEINFELD with my work friends back in the day. But with HEROES, I feel like you need a week to dream and digest and wonder what's going to happen next.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a "great" show in terms of say, DEADWOOD or SIX FEET UNDER. Those are shows that compel you to watch them in order on DVD. I think THE SOPRANOS is like that too, but I've never seen an episode...sue me. But I will say I totally missed DEADWOOD when it was on HBO and literally ripped through the first season on DVD in one weekend. It's that good.

But shows like HEROES need time to sit with you. Not because they're so overpowering and amazing, but because there's a simple spacial aspect at work. When I was a kid, I could not wait for the next episode of "The A-Team," "Miami Vice," "Robotech," "Manimal" (or whatever). You'd watch em and spend a week re-enacting them or quoting them or dressing like the characters...or whatever. You watch those now on DVD or reruns, and they suuuuck. Sure, they were sucky to begin with, but cultural phenomenon figures into these shows as well. You needed to rush home to see em and then the next day you spend a few minutes bonding with a friend at school or work over the episode, and then waiting all week for the next one. Those are popcorn shows, shows which don't really "deserve" bigtime DVD releases, and HEROES is the same. Here's what I'm saying...

I have a semi co-worker who I really like, but we have nothing in common. She's older, has a bunch of kids, a longtime husband and a house. All things I don't have. We did a kind of entertainment based "dogs sniffing butts" last spring and finally found some common ground: HEROES. We have a great rapport and sought a way to connect on a simple level and TV was an easy concept to agree on. Now for the last three weeks we wonder when it's coming on, what will happen, what we're excited for and then, other people get involved and either like the show too, want to watch it, or think we're dorks. In any case, it's social and it's good. I sure as shit don't need to tell this person about my sex life or my feelings about Barack Obama, but it's sometimes nice to have a friend (or acquaintance) who you can share a pointless, inane TV show with.

So if you watched HEROES on DVD and didn't get it, I'll simply give you this scene from the always amazing film, BEAUTIFUL GIRLS:

Channel 38's showing
Rich Man, Poor Man - all 12 parts.

- No shit?
- Back to back.

Holy shit. Fuck!
Fuck!

364 nights a year I do dick.
The one night I decide to go out...

You gotta tape it for me.

- Can't do it.
- Why not?

You can't tape Rich Man, Poor Man.
You gotta watch it with the
commercials just like everybody else.

That's a good point.

Falcon Eddie.

Man, was there ever a more terrifying
screen villain than Falcon Eddie?

No.- You're gonna watch it?
- Yep.
- All 12 parts?
- Back to back.
Shit.
It's a tough call. You're a bastard.
Yep.
Oh, shit...
Don't drink too much punch.

YA-TAA!!

Getting into the Groove

2007-09-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Although I am still dog tired most of the time, things are starting to gel since my last post. I'm mostly caught up on my reading and I don't feel like some bumpkin in my classes any more. Now, I'm really loving my classes. All of them! It feels so good to be in exactly the kinds of classes I've always wanted to be in while studying film. Not to say College of Marin, SRJC and Northridge didn't have their moments, they did. But every one of my classes is really intriguing and I'm having a blast. My fellow MA students are extremely cool too and I'm making friends. Please send money. Oh, wait...that was another letter I need to write. But seriously, I still need a nap. That traffic's killin' me.

Another cool thing is, I'm a TA for one of my instructors. While the prospect of more work isn't too great, it's a slick move to be a TA in the first year of my MA. There's a possibility I could have a paid position by next semester! Right now in my big yellow messenger bag I have 25 essays awaiting my grade. Pretty freaky for me and for them.

Aside from work and school, John and I have been tinkering with our new doc. We shot it in August and rather than be all long winded about it, here's what will be the trailer soon:
http://pop.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=676590

I'm aiming for SXSW for the premiere but I'm also planning on submitting to Slamdance if we get done soon enough. I really think this one will be better than STRINGERS as John and I are older and wiser...and we both bought nice cameras. I'm hopefully meeting with an editor this weekend and we can crank it out by the first week of October.

Things are cruising now (sort of) so I hope to blog more often.

How I been rollin'

2007-09-14T11:37:00.001-07:00

So last week, I started the MA (Masters) program in Cinema Studies at San Francisco State. I'm loving the classes and for once, I'm really feeling challenged by the work and, more importantly, by the other people in my class. That's not to get down on past classes and teachers, but most college students-in my experience-are lazy morons who are going to school because our stupid society has decided "everyone" should get a college education. Some people don't belong in college. When I first went to college out of High School, I did not belong in college. Maybe I don't now either, I dunno.

Anyway, I've been beyond super busy. It's almost laughable. Here's my schedule on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Pile on top of that the fact I have a ton of reading and usually 3-4 films I need to watch each week. Welcome to my nightmare....

5:30 a.m.
Wake up, shower, check email.

6:00 a.m.
Hit the road

6:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
Sit in commute traffic. It's been taking me 2 & 1/2 to 3 hours to get to school each time I go...and San Francisco is like, 50 miles away. Plus it costs $5 to cross the Golden gate Bridge and another $5 for parking so by the time I burn gas with that, I'm down about $60 a day. Why not take the bus? Read on...

9:10 a.m. Classes start. Tuesday is Genres (Westerns in this case), Wednesday I have an undergrad Doc class at 9:10 (I'm also a TA in there) and then an Intro to Grad studies class from 1-4. Thursday I have a 9:10 class in Non-Narrative film.

All my classes are totally great but by the time I get there, my ass hurts and I'm in a bad mood. Luckily I've been feeling sick on wednesdays so I don't have to do what I do Tuesday and Thursday which is...

12:00 noon
Race to my car, and drive to Calistoga to go to work.

1:30
Get to work and...work.

5:30 or 6:00
Go home. See Erica. See Igby. Kiss the baby. Check email and tell myself over and over that it's not Igby's fault dad can't plan well and he really, really needs a walk. Look at dishes piled in sink. Look at stack of books that have chapters that need to be read so I don't sit in class like a frigging mute. Remember the last 2 meals I've eaten have been in the drivers seat of my car on the 101 freeway.

7:00
Try to ignore Jeopardy and do my online reading.

8:30
Realize I'm fading fast but have a chapter to read.

I should also point out that I don't sleep well when I "have" to wake up at a certain time. For some reason I always think my alarm will fail. Plus Erica is like, 8 and 1/2 months preggo so she's extremely uncomfortable in bed. She tosses and turns and moans and groans so I now sleep in the other room. Which sucks. It's official: We are roommates.

9:30 or 10:00
Go to sleep and do it all over the next day.

I will say, having Wednesday the way it is is pretty nice. And, I've stayed at my Aunts house one Wednesday and will do it again...she's about ten miles from SF so that's really nice. Today and Monday are also nice but the baby is coming, John and I are still editing our new short doc and I'm lazy by nature.

So, that's where I've been and what I've been doing. Things are hectic right now and I'm trying to find a groove. it's happening, slowly. Oh! I'v also been seeing some great films in SF after class on Wednesday....more on that later. As you can see, I got shit to do....

The Last Weekend

2007-08-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

So last week was pretty lax at work as the kids are still on summer break and our program shuts down. I had a few things to do, but mostly it was mellow. My wife's friend came in from L.A. last Thursday so I used her going to the airport as an excuse to go to Dempsey's and get a ride back home safely. I hadn't been there in a while and, well, it wasn't that great. Same people doing the same stuff. Yawn. I hit some other bars too then we had dinner and I went home. But, late that night I told A.J. (my wife's friend) that I had a big plan for the next day.

Friday rolled around and I got up around 11:00 after A.J. started yelling "Donny and A.J.'s Day of Fun!!" as loud as she could. So I got up and we walked down the street and had pizza...then went next door and saw the movie ROCKET SCIENCE. It was really, really good! It's about this super competitive girls on the debate team who recruits the school stutterrer to be on the team. There's alot more to it than that and the film is pretty one of a kind. I LOVED the music most of all. It was done by Eef Barzalay of the band Clem Snide. Lots of funky guitars and toy instruments. Very cool.

Then phase two of the day went into effect. There's a bus stop 20 feet from my house that goes downtown every 20 minutes. My idea was to take the bus to Russian Rivew Brewing, hang out there till my wife got off work and at that same time, my buddy and I would be off to see WILCO. Did I mention Wilco figured into this plan too? Well, they did. So we took the BUS downtown to drink beer.

There was me and A.J. and this younger hispanic girl on the bus when we stopped around the corner and picked up a young black man on his way to work at Target. As the bus rolled on, he turned past us to the young girl and said, "So where's the parties at tonight?"

She rightfully said, in a "who the hell are you?" type of tone, "Parties? How would I know where the parties are at?" The black kid shrugged and goes, "What, are you pregnant?"

Seriously, that was the conversation. Apparently if you're a female and don't know where the parties are, you must be pregnant. She said she wasn't pregnant and then proceeded to go sit next to the guy and chat the whole way downtown. He even scored her digits! I weep for our future.

So A.J. and I got dropped off downtown and spent a good 3 hours at Russian River before our respective rides took us away. Wilco was amazing!! I know you might think I always say that, but I listened to a few live shows lately and they were dull and boring...and it felt like Tweedy was doing the same banter. And he did the same sort of banter at the show we went to, but then he opened up and had fun. They played for over 2 hours and included some songs I've never heard them do. They were tight but loose and had a kick ass wall of sound going the whole night! It was killer!

Then I came home and watched about 5 episodes of "Flight of the Conchords" and passed out in my chair.

This will be the last big weekend for a while as the baby is coming, I start the Masters Program at SF State this week, we're editing our new film AND my work restarts this week. Not cool, not fun....busy. It's almost like I'm a grownup and that's not cool.

I'm afraid of Americans

2007-08-28T11:07:00.001-07:00

Each day that I walk my dog, we always pass these crappy, stinky, ghetto looking apartment buildings and on the balcony of one of them is a big ole American flag. I've noticed it the last 3-4 times and it always gets me thinking. Do you notice that like, 98.7% of the American flag stickers you see on a car are usually accompanied by some kind of pro-war or pro-Bush sticker? Or at best there's a "support the troops" ribbon and at worst, something creepy like...a rebel flag or Calvin pissing on a Ford logo or what have you. When did my flag become the logo for arrogant, misinformed, xenophobic dipshits? Yes, you absolutely have the right to support who you want and support the idea of "America" (which incidentally is being raped by the very same people you so rabidly support) but I can't help but feel people flying the flag don't really support "America" as much as they support bullying anyone who doesn't support right wing philosophies or war.

I will say that when I see an American flag with a peace sticker near it, that same car usually has about 50 stickers promoting all sorts of leftwing drivel which pisses me off because it's exactly the reason I can't stand lefties. Pick a POINT people...not 50 points. Look at the righties, they get the talking point and stick to it...and they're ruling the world. Figure it out!

Yesterday I finally saw the people in the shitty apartments who had the flag on their balcony. It was three fat ass early 20-somethings. They were drinking beer on their balcony and having a good ole (boy) time. Their buddy pulled up when I was there and he had some shitty raised up truck that had a rebel flag sticker next to an American flag sticker. I noticed he had pulled up next to indentically decorated shitty truck that belonged to someone in the apartment of rednecks. That's when it clicked for me.

So many people use the flag as a kind of, scare tactic. Where the flag used to stand for freedom and an open door and a better way of life, it now it stands as a kind of warning for non-whites and people who might want peace or healthcare for everyone. I realized that everytime I see an American flag sticker on someones car as I pull up next to them, I think "Oh, God...bet this guys a huge Bush supporter." Or if I see one hanging from someones door or porch it inevitably has some kind of strong right wing slogan near it. I guess what I'm saying is, when did that happen and what can be done about it?

I've never really been into bragging about my territory. Yeah, I know this blog and my films stuff say Petaluma Films, but that's an homage and not a sticking point like "Nor Cal" logos or Rebel flags are. I've just never really been into arguing about where I'm from and yelling "Wesssst Siiiiide" to random people. But I just feel like the American flag has become a badge of bullying for anyone who doesn't want to think for themselves. It's flown and shown as a warning or as a "Mess with us and we'll stick a boot in your ass" type of slogan and that sucks.

And that's my rant for the week. But seriously...what gives?

Joey, do you like...gladiator movies?

2007-08-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

If my name were Joey and I were in the cockpit of "Airplane" and heard that question, I'd have to say "no, I don't like gladiator movies." I realized this last night while watching the movie "300." I kept meaning to see it in theaters, up on the bigscreen but something always came up and I kept missing it. I know now that secretly, I didn't really want to see it because I don't like gladiator movies.

I kind of thought I didn't about a year ago when I tried to get into HBO's "Rome." It was cool looking...had lots of blood and nudity, but something was amiss in my mind. It was just kind of "meh." Then, last week, I rented the directors cut of Oliver Stone's "Alexander" because word on the street was if the movie had been released the way it was released on the speical directors cut, it could have won some Oscars. I got about an hour into "Alexander," started dozing off, fast forwarded to the scenes where Rosario Dawson was naked and then shut it off. I didn't even feel bad, it just wasn't doing it for me. Which brings us to my renting "300."

I wanted to rent it when it came out, but all the copies were checked out. Instead I rented some "Deadwood" season one episodes because I never saw that either. (**Note** It RULES!!! and the aforementioned "Alexander." So after watching five straight season one "Deadwood" episodes, I had to get more. When I went to get more, I noticed "300" was in stock so I got it. After watching 5 more "Deadwood" episodes over two nights, last night I decided to watch "300" so I could savor the "Deadwood" tonight. And "300" was o.k. It was just....o.k.

Yeah, it looks totally awesome and unique. The battle sequences are cool and there were some shots in which I literally went "oooooh." But other than that, ho-hum. I will say (and this is without cynicism) it's nice to see a full-on right-wing Republican based movie. While I certainly don't agree with right-wing conservatism, it does deserve to be recognized and presented as art. If you think I'm overanalyzing the movie then you really must have been spacing out. The Spartans are easily Republicans of the current ilk. They go against the populace to wage a "pre-emptive" strike and this enter into an un-winable quagmire. Oh, wait. that's my interpretation. What really happens is honor and duty to country and freedom inspire 300 spartans to attack the brown skinned persians who are seeking to take over the world through their barbarism and mysticism. Yeah, no Muslim connection there. Plus there's lots of right-wing required male homo-eroticism to make any closeted gay man sweat while he watches the movie beside his Christian wife. But I digress.

My point is, "300" was o.k. and I realize now gladiator movies aint my bag baby.

Randoms

2007-08-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here's some weird/funny/random stuff that happened to me recently...

About a month to a month and a half ago, we started hearing this frigging rooster crowing in the park across the street at around 4:00 a.m. every morning. We live across from a huge park that has a gigantic playground and a little choo-choo train that goes by maybe twice an hour. The train whistle is kind of annoying, but it's also kind of quaint. However, the low, guttural build up to crows that comes from a rooster loose in the woods is just annoying.

Each morning my wife and I would groan and one of us would curse the bird...then we'd put a pillow on our heads and go back to sleep. But the day after my last Giants game my wife told me our neighbor came over that night. I'm not sure if I mentioned the new neighbor before...but when we moved in there was some questionable concerns about his like (or murderous hatred) of animals. So my wife tells me "__________ came over last night and he said "well, you won't have to worry about that rooster any more." Yeah, he killed it. We didn't ask how or when but the why was pretty evident.

Yesterday at work I was walking back from lunch and I crossed a bridge that has a little creek in it. I stopped and wondered if there were even any fish in the creek so I looked down. There were all sorts of little minnows and even a few bigger fish just hanging out. The I saw a turtle swimming under water! It was just cruising around and eating stuff it found on the bottom of the creekbed. I stood there and sort of revelled in the neatness of the moment. It was nature in action and not like...crows or squirrels. It was a turtle just swimming along!

As I stodd there taking in the peaceful scene I somehow wondered how turtles have sex. Well, how do turtles have sex? It struck me as odd not only that my mind went there but also that I had never really thought about it before. I mean...they're basically a shell with 4 legs, a neck and a head, right? I've even owned a few turtles in my life and the thought simply never crossed my mind. It just seems like an awkward mating ritual at best and a painful disaster at worst.
----------------------------------------

I was walking Igby in the park last night when my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number or area code so I didn't think it was anyone I was trying to avoid. I answered it and the womans voice on the other end said, "Oh...hiii.....this is (so and so) from the (so and so) and I'm wondering if Gilley or Glenda are there?" "Gilley or Glenda?" I asked. "Yes...either one" came the reply. "Sadly," I said, "I think you have the wrong number."

Gilley or Glenda...come on.

other 756 $tuff...

2007-08-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

This feels funny to post, but I have to.

So, the guy I went to the game with last night is NOT into baseball. Great guy, cool guy to hang with, great taste in music....doesn't get like...diehard freaking out about sports. That's fine. But as we were leaving, his ticket from the game kind of fell out of his pocket. This guy on the steps saw it and acted like my friends liver had fallen out. "Dude, your ticket!!! My buddy brushed it off and said, "nah, it's cool" and the guy looked like some kind of murder or ancient burial ground uprooting had happened. I saw some freaky looking guy pick it up and give it to some skater punk.

Now look, I gave up collecting comic books and baseball cards a long time ago. But I still have my stub from Greg Maddux's 300th win and I have stuff that means alot to me personally. I can admit to you, dear blog readers, that I grabbed a BUNCH of streamers from the home run celebration last night and stuck em in my pocket. I like stuff like that.

So, this skater kid ends up with my buddy's ticket and my buddy just keeps walking. So I walk over to the kid and go, "oh man, thanks for grabbing my ticket" and I swipe it from him. No one said much and we all went on our merry way (us, way, way before the end of the game because once Barry hit it, I was done for the year!) back to the car.

By the time I got home I was restless so I decided to see if people were selling ticket stubs on ebay. Sure enough, $68 for a stub. I put my extra on ebay for $50 starting bid and buy it now for $300 and I currently have TWO bids! I end within the half hour...

UPDATE......sold the stub for.....$73.00

756

2007-08-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

The dog days of summer are upon me at work. As much as I love my job, I'm getting sick of the same kids for 8 hours a day. Same arguments, same jokes, same reprimands, same Uno games (although I did buy a "High School the Musical" Uno set which seems to really intrigue the kids). Zzzzz. Yesterday was one of those days too....where I didn't feel like being there but had no real excuse or reason to leave early. I grabbed some lunch (same frigging store) and returned to my closet/office to eat. I then got a phone call from an old friend who had 2 CLUB LEVEL tickets for the Giants game.

Now, I had sworn off this sorry excuse for a team upon my return from seeing them in Boston. They frigging suuuuuuuuuuck. They don't even suck in a "hey, we're young and are going to get better" way. They're flat, boring, predictable and horrible. But, Barry was tied with hammerin' Hank and hell, I've seen some pretty cool stuff in my career as a baseball fan and dammit if this crappy '07 team didn't owe me something. So I had my reason to leave eearly and off I went.

I picked up my buddy at his house. He's a union plumber and these are Union Plumbers seats. About 92% of my friends and family are plumbers for some reason. Very, very weird. As I always say, I could be a plumber....all you need to know is shit flows downhill, paydays Friday and don't bite your nails. But I digress. My friend is not a sports fan and he just wasn't grasping the true magnitude of the situation. As soon as we got there, he did. The yard was buzzing.

I hate to be one of those sketchy liar types who say "I could feel it in the air" before something happens. Kind of like people who scream "it's earthquake weather!!" in October or November, almost praying for an earthquake so they can say, "remember when I said it was earthquake weather!?!" But once we got to our (sweet, 2nd row, club level, behind home plate) seats, there was a stillness in the air. It just felt like tonight was the night and I just wanted it to be over. Let me step back for a second.

I know people hate Barry. They say he's a prick, a cheater, he didn't sign their ball, he raped their kitten, he has a recliner outside his locker, he's a showboat...blah blah. I used to feel the same way. Then I realized, the dude is who he is and he simply is not going to change. Not for you, not for me, not for anyone. I totally respect that as long as he's not hurting people. I then realized, the guy has never done anything to hurt his team. Ever. He doesn't get busted at strip clubs or break his wrist doing wheelies on his motorcycle. Hell, he's been on TWO teams his whole career. For a guy thats always been the caliber of a player that Barry is, in the era of free agency, that's nuts. A-Rod is already on his 3rd team and he'll be a Giant next year making it 4 teams. Hell, Barry's only had 4 managers his whole career! What's my point? I guess I'm saying that for a selfish asshole (as he's supposed to be) he sure has shown alot of loyalty. Anywho...

Since I know people hate him and since I have a big mouth, I always find myself defending him. I'm a Giants fan and he is our team. I'll be damned if I'll let someone badmouth the best player on my team. But, it gets tiring and frankly, kind of boring. I, and I think all Giants fans, just wanted the HR chase to be over. I know I did. And I also wanted to see it.

So back to the still of the evening, August 7, 2007. Barry was 2-2 when he came up for the 3rd AB. The Giants were tied and the at bat was a pretty good battle. Then...the swing. The hit. I seriously don't remember any sounds. I just watched the ball and prayed it would clear the fence. It did and it strangely felt like a weight was removed from me. I was so happy for Barry and so happy he became the Home Run King and I was (and am) soooooo happy it's over. Fireworks went off, streamers burst fourth and Barry rounded the bases. When hank Aaron came on the screen to congratulate Barry, I was finally moved to tears. Well, moved to misty eyes. It was a perfect night and the highlight of an otherwise miserable season coupled with what, 9 years of arguing in bars, stadiums, message boards and anywhere else where I couldn't let it go.

No matter what I say, if you think there should be an * or not or if he really is a scumbag or if he's not that bad. No one's going to change their mind this far into the game. There's no new information (although my, Kerry Wood looked slender last weekend) about who did what and all we have now are blowhards on both ends. Think what you wanna think. me and Barry and all us Giants fans don't care.

Congrats Barry. You're the best. Don't ever change.

Superbad.

2007-08-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

There's a new movie coming out called SUPERBAD and it looks hillarious. The first crop of trailers they had for the film didn't do much for me, but this scene is frigging...nuts.

NOT SAFE FOR WORK...OR KIDS...OR PRUDES You've been warned.

Flight of the Conchords

2007-08-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

I'm really liking HBO's new show, "Flight of the Conchords." I agree it's kinda of a British "Tenacious D," But I never got into Tenacioud D. I do like FOTC though. It's still finding it's feet but this song makes me crack up every time. I'm putting it here so I'll know where to find it...

Me so sensitive...

2007-08-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

Since I have still been working and thus, not really enjoying life as much as I'd like, I thought I'd share another side of me. My deep, sensitive side. Above is a photo of me with my new niece, Lizzy J at dinner at "The Tides" in Bodega Bay. Yeah, "The Birds." Again. OH! This time I got a mouse pad!

If I were single, in that photo you would not only see hordes of women behind me "ooh-ing" and "ahhh-ing," I'd have 20+ comments of equal "oooh-ing" and "ahhh-ing" from girls. Alas, as is evidenced by the tiny silver band that used to be a full inch-wide before I returned to Nor-Cal, land of amazing (yet not light) beer, I'm spoken for.

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

Today at work, I took a group of kids to mini-golf/bumper boats (ie: "LET'S GET DON!!!)/and video arcadery. If was fun although man, I'm sick of driving. Plus when the kids could only think of "Happy Birthday" as a song to sing all the way home, the day tends to go long.

That photo above is a camera phone shot of this awesome faux-gold pendant I made for my wife. If you can't see it clearly, it's me leaning on my left hand as it's folded under my chin. You pose for a few photos, pick the one you want and then the machine clinks it out on the pendant for a mere $5. Very, very romantic.

So there you go, I'm not all beer, movies, music and paranoia. I like kids and trinkets too. And beer, movies, music and being paranoid.

New Project: Update 1

2007-07-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

The man in the photo is my doc partner John. Take a good luck because he's sober (mostly) and that's rare. Then, look at what he's holding. It was a small camcorder that got dropped out of the window of a limo, run over by a rastafarian 4-door and then dragged by a boat.

Curious how that can happen? I bet you are....stay tuned true believers....

Bob...Allen. Allen, Bob...

2007-07-18T01:28:00.000-07:00

I simply cannot wait for the new Todd Haynes movie "I'm Not There." This year and last have been unexpectedly "Dylanccentric" due to his biography (ies), the Scorsese doc (which is frigging...awesome) and his lil tour than included Santa Rosa, right where I live. He's also playing this summer at the "joke" venue...Styx and Def Leppard are there 2 days later. I may actually go to Styx/Def Lep, but thats another blog entry.

I've always really loved Dylan, but he's so unapproachable as an artist and his back catalogue is so amazing, I always felt like a major late comer getting into him. Anywho, I sucked it up (and illegally downloaded tons of stuff) and now I'm up to snuff for the most part. Hence this late night entry and the new movie...which features a few different people playing Bob Dylan. Here...it's Cate Blanchett and a certain comedian playing a certain beat poet. It's all pretty awesome and brilliant if ya ask me!