Here you are, kids, as promised, a link to the Guster Road Journal entry showing the last day of the tour. Notice the awesome lighting in the stage shots. If you ask me, Josh looks a little too happy to be going through this in public, but hey, it's his head, not mine. And for $200, I'd probably smile too.

SO I was in the supermarket today and noticed a sign at the end of the dairy aisle. It said "Natural Foods." And I thought to myself, "So, what does that make the rest of this crap? Unnatural food? I don't want to eat THAT." Just a good rule of thumb: if you can't pronounce more than 2 items on the ingredients list, you're probably holding hair spray, and therefore shouldn't eat it. Unless it's a Twinkie. Then it's ok.

"She said "“You ain't ugly, you can kiss me if you like""

- Belle and Sebastian, White Collar Boy

So, Guster Week has come and gone, and I must say it was enjoyable. Show #1 in Trenton was rough, very very rough. But the kid bounced back for show #2 in Geneva NY, and despite not having 6 of his moving lights, put on a good, if not sensational, show. It was probably a B show. Orono ME was also a good show, maybe a B+. Could have been better. But still enjoyable. It kind of sucks because I was just starting to find the groove, and get a little comfortable, and it's all over. So far, reactions have been good, and I'm hoping that February will find me on another Guster tour bus. The whole crew was awesome, just great guys to be with. Josh, the monitor engineer, got his head shaved on stage by a fan while Seth, the tour manager, took pictures. I'll get you some links as soon as they're posted. The deal was that the band and crew paid Josh to go the entire tour without shaving his head, since no one had seen him with hair. The funny thing was that after the fan was done with him, he still had some puffs of hair here and there. He looked kind of like a tennis ball. You can read more about it here. And I'm not going to say any more, lest Brian get mad at me for stealing the thunder (pun TOTALLY intended) from his road journal and takes more of my money at cards.

In other news, Republican leaders in Congress have voted Congressman Boehner as their new leader. And I'm not making that up. Now, he may pronounce it Bay-ner, but we all know how it's really said. And this one, here, well, alls I can say is too little, too late. Oh, yeah, and told ya so.

One last thing: I think I know why Ed McMahon hasn't sent me a check yet, despite your avalanche of emails and letters. It's because he's jealous. Awww yeah.

"The journey of a thousand leagues begins from beneath your feet."
Lao-Tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)

Well, Guster day 1 has come and gone. I can't say I'm entirely happy with the result, but I feel confident about today. Yesterday's rig was only a fraction of the gear I wanted on the show, and the lights I did have I wound up WAY over using to try to compensate. Let's just say that it could have looked better. I just hope that today's show doesn't reveal me for the talentless hack that I am. I'll definitely be more relaxed. After all, it's day 2, and I can't make it look any worse than day 1, right? Well, off to work...

Something about seeing a door with this sign on it propped open makes me chuckle.

"Order is the shape upon which beauty depends."

Pearl Buck (1892 - 1973)

Well, kids, it's time you all find out just what you've been missing:


That's right: The Radio Galaxy at the Crossroads, last Saturday night. What an awesome show. They keep getting better, and I can't get anyone to come see them! Ah well, maybe my week with Guster (which begins tomorrow, btw) will help. Well, back to programming. And get your butts out to a Galaxy show sometime soon, or else!

Coming Soon! The story of Don Omar and the Garden of Hell!

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Breaking News! Big Headlines! O.M.F.G!!!!!! Britney and K-Fed are BREAKING UP!!!! OMG! What will Brit do now that she's become official white trash! How will she cope, being a millionaire single mom? When will her new reality TV show come on the air? Will K-Fed sell anymore albums, now that he's not Mr. Spears? How long until they get back together? And what about the children? Doesn't anyone think about the CHILDREN?!? Ohhh, the humanity of it all.

Oh, yeah, and the Democrats won back some seats in the Congress. Not that you'd care about that. Or the fact that gay marriage is now banned in over half the states in the country. And what about the fact that your vote may not have counted at all? No, that doesn't matter. Because Brit is on her own now, and K-Fed is officially a has been. At least, until they make up and get married again.

The news media makes me sick.

"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half."

Gore Vidal (1925 - )

So, Albany, NY for Duran Duran. Yeah, Hungry Like the Wolf and Girls on Film Duran Duran. Not a bad show, but WAY too much little stupid stuff like scrollers and strobe lights... took us almost all day just to get everything working. Then the house opened and 2 moving lights, a scroller, and 2 PAR cans decided to stop working. Such is life, I guess. All in all, a long, tedious day, but not half as bad as Don Omar, who loads into the Theatre at Madison Square Garden this Friday. Oh man, I can't wait! More later, Mouseketeers!

I had to share this pic. It's too funny. It was on the wall at the Palace Theatre in Albany. Birlliant!

"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph."

Shirley Temple (1928 - )

I know, I know, I thought she was dead too!

Ok, so, I don't know how many of you have been keeping up on this Ted Haggard thing, but this link here is the latest. Apparently, this Haggard dude is the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, and a pastor, husband, and father. He's a proponent of Amendment 43, a Colorado law banning same-sex marriage. Oh, yeah, he's also a client of male prostitutes and a meth user. But hey, nobody's perfect, right? So I'd just like all of you out there in bloggy blog land to put your hands together for the continued hypocrisy of the Christian right! Yeah! Let's hear it! OK! Oh, wait: he's not a meth user, he just bought some "out of curiosity" and he "threw it away." Sure. And Clinton didn't inhale. Oh, and the prostitute: well, he was just getting a massage. Oh. Well, that's ok. Wait, what? Show me a straight man who wants to get massaged by another man, and I'll show you a guy who lives in a river in Egypt.

"Vincent: Have you ever given a foot massage?
Jules: [scoffs] Don't be tellin' me about foot massages. I'm the foot fuckin' master.
Vincent: Given a lot of 'em?
Jules: Shit yeah. I got my technique down and everything, I don't be ticklin' or nothin'.
Vincent: Would you give a guy a foot massage?"

-Pulp Fiction

This is fantastic... squirrels at Woodstock... if Abbot and Costello were hippies...



"You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth."

Evan Esar (1899 - 1995)

Still think MySpace is great? Well, check this out: Linky McLinkerson. That's right. If you try to upload copyrighted music to your MySpace acct, no more MySpace acct. So what happens if it's my copyright? If I want to put my music on my MySpace? And did you see the thing about how MySpace is now going to start marketing unsigned bands? How long is it until your email box is clogged up with shit you don't like or want because NewsCorp's computer algorithm thinks you'll like it based on your "favorite music" selections. Boycott now.

So this link is to a copy of Iggy Pop and the Stooges' tech rider. For those of you who don't know, a tech rider is a list of gear and other things that a band needs to perform. These lists are usually typed up by a management type person, and then sent ahead several weeks before the show so that the promoter has time to procure the required items. Often, bands will add ridiculous things just to see if they can get them. But this particular item takes many, many cakes. It's just too funny. But I'll let the document speak for itself. And for more fun, click here.

Some of you may remember me talking about a really weird Skittles ad I saw this summer. Here it is, in all it's disturbing glory:




For those of you who still don't quite understand what I do, try this. Click on "Create a Rock Show" in the upper left hand corner and have fun!

And there you have it. Until next time, adios, chihuahuas!


"Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast."

Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Ahh, Atlantic City. Home of Bare Feet Hoes and the splendiforous Trump Taj Mahal, where today we find our hero waiting patiently for the WKTU Halloween Hip Hop to commence. Halloween Hip Hop, which is really a misnomer, since there is no actual hip and or hop with acts like C + C Music Factory and TKA Featuring K7 (which sounds more like an additive used in making Twinkies than a musical group, but whatever). Yeah.

So I promised an explanation for my little attempt at a scientific experiment earlier this month, and I will give it. Due to the overwhelming response, we can now safely say that 40% of the population believes 9/11 was in fact an attack on America by Islamic extremists, 40% of the population believes 9/11 was a hoax perpetrated by the Bush administration to justify the war in Iraq, and 20% of you faithful readers think there isn't enough evidence to decide. Well, it's no Gallup Poll, but I think we have some definitive evidence here.

Personally, I'm in the "Not Enough Evidence to Decide" category. I have a hard time believing that my government, if not my chosen representatives, but my government nonetheless, could have anything to do with such a heinous and evil action. Now, I'm not saying we don't do things like this on a regular basis (Panama, Greneda, Venezuela, Chile, Iran, Iraq, etc. etc. etc.), but we don't do it against our own people. We just don't. I mean, for starters, think of how huge this conspiracy would have to be if our government was involved: the White House, the Air Force, the airlines, some even think the Navy and other military would have to be involved. And, I'm sorry, but there are WAY too many sailors on a US Navy vessel carrying Tomahawk missiles or on a US Air Force base for a Tomahawk to slam into the Pentagon without SOMEBODY in the military a. knowing about it, and b. coming forward and saying so. That is the worst argument I've ever heard and I hope the people spouting that crap get a Tomahawk missile in a very uncomfortable place (like the back of a Volkswagen).

So my theory goes something like this: we will never know for sure how complicit the government was in 9/11. Much like Pearl Harbor, I think that future generations will judge the act as horrible and cowardly, and look at the evidence that President Bush and members of his National Security staff knew something was coming and did little about it (there were warnings in the press about a terrorist attack in late August, but nobody took it seriously) and say that Bush let it happen to further his agenda in Iraq. Like we now speculate (because, again, we'll never know) that FDR let Pearl Harbor happen so that the US could justify entry into WWII, future historians will make the same speculations about 9/11. My personal opinion is that those conclusions are not far from the truth.

And much like the Nazi party did with the Reichstag in the 1930's, his administration and the Republican party have used the attacks to justify drastic and dramatic changes in our laws, our civil liberties, and our overall way of life. Future generations will hopefully look back on this and judge accordingly. Whether or not the changes are for the better is up to us to decide. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to fix these problems, and change our government.

One way or another, George W. Bush let 9/11 happen by not going after Al Qaida. This much is established fact. What I can't understand is why we let him continue to screw up. It seems like the worse he screws up, the more we reward him. But we don't care, because our tax cuts are in the mail, and our grandkids get to pay for it.

So I hope you all feel more enlightened. I'm hoping to have something funny for my next post. Stay tuna'd.

Almost frogot. [sic] BIIIIIG news! I'm doing two shows as LD for Guster next month! For those of you who don't know, Guster is a band I've been listening to for several years now, I really enjoy their music and they always put on great shows. I just hope I'm up to the task! Well, I have to get back to the Hippin' and the Hoppin' and the Bippin' and the Boppin' now, so until next time!

"Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth."

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 - 1945)

Well, here I am, back in Washington DC. Long time readers will remember my previously stated views of our nation's captial, but since they only exist in my head, you new readers that can't possibly be imaginary can read all about it here.

Today's adventure brings us to the Verizon Center, formerly the MCI Centrer, and not the Cap Centre. We won't even get into USAir Arena. It's day two of the Don Omar tour, even tho it's been a week since day one. Yeah, it's that kind of tour. Nothing especially wonderful to report, unfortunately. I took the Amtrak to DC this time, which was new. I've never done that before... it's different. I think I like it better than flying. If you factor in the time you spend waiting at the airport, it takes about as long. The only difference is that I don't have to wear a seat belt, I can use my computer or cell phone the whole trip, and I never have to put my seat back and tray table in the upright and locked position. I like that.

So, yeah, life's been pretty boring, even tho I haven't done much more than work non stop for the last 3 weeks. Maybe that's why. Who knows. Yeah, so here's your quote:

"If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained. My misery is your pleasure."

Kanye West

Sorry there hasn't been a new post in a while. I've been busy, back and forth to CT and upstate NY, not much time for sitting down and screwing around on the internet. Right now, I'm in Mohegan Sun Arena doing rehearsals for Don Omar. Yeah, I've never heard of him either, but apparently he's very big on the riggatoni scene, or something like that. All I know is, the music sounds very angry, and it's all in Spanish. And there you go.

So I promised a blurb about the Ian Anderson gig from hell, and here it is:

Last week, I went to this town called Torrington, CT, and brought lights for Ian Anderson, who is sometimes mistaken for Jethro Tull, but is, in fact, not. We arrived in town the night before, and checked into our hotel, the Yankee Pedlar Inn. It was a quaint little place, with real keys for the doors, beds that must have been the height of comfort back in 1963, and a 1' step up into the bathroom, which Brett, our truck driver, found out about at 4 am. So we get to the gig at about 8:30 am, load in starts at 9. We dump the truck and already I can tell it's going to be a long day. The crew was mostly young guys, not really experienced, and, well, kinda slow. I really shouldn'’t have been surprised when the "“rigger"” said to me "“So, how do you want to rig this?"” What did surprise me was when the house crew chief said "They told me you were bringing a rigger." Exsqueeze me? Baking powder? No. I don'’t think so. So who wound up hanging the points? Yup. Got yelled at for it, too...… liability. Yeah, so whatever. What was I supposed to do, stand around with my thumb up my butt all morning and wait? Harrumph.T'’anks fer nuttin. Finally, after a few phone calls, it was decided we could eat what the tour was eating. Gee, hope we didn'’t put you out too much. About half way through dinner, one of the PA'’s comes running in looking for the production manager. Apparently, the guitar player had just been hit by a car. According to Brett, who was walking into the hotel as the guitar player came running out, he just ran into the street without looking and wound up riding the hood of a sedan for about a dozen feet before being thrown off. He was ok, and the show went on, but it was just a perfect thing to happen on such a fun day.
So now let me tell you some more about my new favorite state in the Union, Connecticut. Apparently, up here, it'’s illegal to serve someone 2 drinks at the same time. So, say you wanted a shot of whiskey with your beer. Nope. Not happening. You can'’t even buy a shot. You can buy the liquor straight up, but you can't buy an actual "“shot." I guess boilermakers aren'’t real popular here. Plus, you have to finish your beer before they can serve you the whiskey. What an absolutely stupid law. And the only place it'’s enforced? Yupers: Mohegan Sun casino. Which wouldn'’t be a problem, except for the fact that everything else in this wonderful Valhalla of a state closes at 10:30!!!!Sons of motherless goats! And I can'’t even get the damn internet here: there'’s no wireless at our lovely two star hotel, and the wireless in the arena is turned off. They keep telling us it's on, but somehow nobody can get the signal. Funny thing that. And I think the trough they'’re feeding us out of is making me ill: I haven't had an appetite for 2 days now. This place sucks. I'’m going home now.

Here'’s a pic of the emergency release handle from the trunk of our rental car. I just think it's really funny that the little guy is jumping out of the trunk. I have to wonder what people like Tony Soprano would think of these. Do they remove them from the car? That would be a good gag for a gangster movie

"I have not lost my mind - it's backed up on disk somewhere."
Unknown

About the poll that was posted: I'll give you my views on that question at a later date. For now, I want to hear what you have to say. Also, I still haven't gotten that check from Ed, so keep writing the emails. He's going to crack any day now, I can feel it... until next time!

Stupidest headline of the week:

One-third infant deaths premature

Brought to you by the Sydney Morning Herald. What I want to know is this: if 1/3 of infant deaths are premature, what are the other 2/3 ??? Did they live a full and complete life in those few months? Hello. Now, I know what this headline was supposed to say, but it doesn't. It says that 1 out of every 3 infants that die exit before thier time. What I want to know is, what do the other two do so that we as a society believe that their life was well spent?

So here's one for the brilliant editors over there at the SMH: Unemployment checks one-third regular pay. Allright!

"If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur."

Doug Larson

Well, kids, here it is, the one you've been waiting for: the MySpace Rant, or 3 Reasons Why MySpace is Evil.

1. The obvious: MySpace.com is owned by NewsCorp. And NewsCorp is owned by one of the most evil men alive, Rupert Murdoch. Yes, that's opinion, but it's a widely held one. And if you don't have an opinion, then click on his name up there and read "Recent activities" and "Murdoch and Politics," then tell me he isn't evil. Or you could just ask his 3 wives. In July 2005, MySpace.com, its servers, it's employees, and all of it's 90 million plus (at the time) readers was quietly purchased by NewsCorp. Why? Could it be that having 106 million (current) young people telling you exactly what they want is the best market research around? Or maybe the fact that the site generates more advertising revenue than Yahoo!? After all, that many captive viewers only comes around once a year (hint: think football game). So why is this evil, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you: MySpace was designed to be a place where bands could get their music out to the public for free. That's it. It's not a corporate tool. It's not supposed to be another link in the chains that corporations use to bind us and control us. How, you ask? How many MySpace friends have you met in real life? And how many of them do you think are being paid to pass on a band or movie? Think I'm paranoid? Think it's bullshit? Well, I've got 4 words for you: Snakes. On. A. Plane.

2. The Experts: PC World magazine rated MySpace as #1 in the 25 worst websites. Why? Well, you can read the full article here. But to summarize: MySpace is poorly designed. Users can upload pictures, audio, video, and all kinds of other kak onto their pages. The metaphor that PC World used was that most pages are more cluttered than a "teenager's bedroom after a tornado." And it's true. Have you ever seen some of these pages? The wallpaper is mind warping, then there's the Flash movies of photos that go on forever and ever, usually with some kind of lame ass music in the background. And god help you if there' s a video that auto loads: even the fastest of computers with the fastest of connections can be slowed to a mere crawl by just one of these pages. And that doesn't even touch on the REAL menace of some MySpace pages: spyware, spamware, and, the one your Congressman has been harping on all year, predators. Some pages have spyware and spamware embedded into them so that simply loading that link your new friend sent can put all kinds of fun porn on your computer. Yeah! And how do you really know who that new friend is? I mean, he can look at your site and know all about you before he even asks to be your friend. Isn't it weird that you both like the same kinds of music and movies, and his favorite movie is Princess Mononoke too! Oh wow!

3. The War on Drugs: How many of you out there communicate with your friends through MySpace more than through real space? When was the last time you actually went out and had dinner with most of your MySpace friends? And just what the hell does "OMFG ur soooooooooooooo cute LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!" mean, anyway? Since when is that a form of communication? What exactly does this bode for the future? I mean, if you spend more time online updating your page and looking at your friend's pages, when do you have time to actually talk to your friends? When do you go to the bar and just hang out? I'm just waiting for the story about the guy/girl who is suing their boss because they were fired for being on MySpace. It's only a matter of time. And the only people who are worse than MySpacers are Blackberry users. So that's where you are: if you use MySpace, you're only one step above that annoying prick who sits on the train or in the subway, in the waiting room or, god help him, in TRAFFIC tapping away on that horrible little Crackberry, like he's so important he just can't be away from the office for 10 seconds without writing an email. So there you have it: MySpace.com is just as destructive to the lives of it's users as drugs like heroine or cocaine. It's all they think about, it's their entire life. And if you don't use it, they don't really care to know you, because you're not a part of their world.

Special bonus 4th reason why MySpace is evil: All those people that you've known throughout your life that you thought you never had to see again? Yeah, well, they've found your MySpace profile, and they still want to be your friend! Goody!

So, on a completely unrelated topic, I'm going to use this little piece of the internet for scientific research. Ok, well, maybe not that lofty, but amusing still. I'm going to try out a poll here, and if all 3 of you reading this fill it out, we might know a little more than we did 10 minutes ago. So here it is: 9/11 poll: was 9/11 a government conspiracy? Or are the people saying that just a bunch of crackpots? Well, here's your chance to speak up. And it's for science!



Ok well, that's all for now kids. Tune in soon for my next rant: the really bad gig, starring Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull! And: stupid headlines. All on our next episode!

"My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular."

Adlai E. Stevenson Jr. (1900 - 1965)

I just wanted to pop in and tell you all about The Onion.com AV Club's list, Inventory: 19 Terrific Midnight Movies From The Last 10 Years. This is a fantastic list, with lots of great movies on it. I was surprised by how many of them I really like. You should go out and rent them all. Right now. GO!

Yeah. I found this while looking for something else in yesterday's rant. I felt it was just too funny not to share. You can see more like it here.

And today I'm sitting in Charlottesville, Va., waiting for a thunderstorm to pass. Unfortunately, the internet connection keeps going in and out, along with the TV, because they're both run through a SATELLITE! How dumb is that. But since the load in was cancelled due to it being outdoors and electrical storm and all, I'm left to sit here and hope the internet comes back soon so that I can actually post this. Well, ta ta all.

"Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything, we ought to know a little about everything."

Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662)

So I saw two things yesterday that disturbed me greatly. One is quite silly, and the other is deadly serious. I'm really not sure which one to start with, but I guess silly will have to be it.

Yesterday I saw the trailer for Rocky Balboa. You might know this film as Rocky 6. That's right, V then I. S-I-X. For those of you who don't watch ESPN continuously, 24/7 (which is most of you), you might be saying "But, he's got to be 70 by now! How can Sly seriously expect us to believe that this guy is going to get in the ring and fight a man 1/2 his age, and not die? Especially after they made such a big deal about his dain bramage in the last film?" Well, view the trailer here. But don't say I didn't warn you: it's ridiculous.

The second thing that's disturbing me is all this press about this National Intelligence Estimate that's just been released by the Bushies. Basically, the document says that the Secretary of Defense commissioned a study 3 years ago to find out if we were winning the war on terror, then buried the results when they were not what he wanted to hear. And what did they say? America's war on terror is inspiring Islamic fundamentalism. Really. Wow. If any of you people out there reading this found that last bit of information to be a revelation, a surprise, or just plain incomprehensible, please, do us all a favor and have yourself STERILIZED! Then go lock yourself in a cabin somewhere in Montana or West Virginia or in whatever backward place you live and don't come out. EVER. And certainly not to vote.

I mean, come on. That was THE major argument of the Iraq war: fighting this war will not make us safer. And they knew it. And did it anyway. We now have paper evidence of this. If this was any other country in the world, the people would have taken to the streets and strung these leaders up by their naughty bits, but instead we sit and watch Monday night football and holler about our ex-President going on TV and berating reporters for not doing their jobs. Well someone has to do it, jerk. And good for him.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

According to scientists, this is your past. And your future!! Dun dun duhhhhh!

"We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society."

Judith Martin, (Miss Manners)

Ok, so I know this is two in one day, but I don't care. This morning's was just some filler to keep all you readers out there in cyberspace (both of you) interested. And, yes, I didn't use "blogosphere", because I think that term is stupid.

So when I got home tonight, I pulled the mail out of the box and noticed that there was one magazine and a whole lot of junk mail mixed in with my bills. The question that ran through my mind is this: Why hasn't Ed McMahon sent me a letter telling me that I've won $1 million? I mean, I get all these bills and applications for credit cards, and while it makes me feel warm and squishy to be pre-approved, it's not the same as having already won $1 million. C'mon Ed, I could use that money. You're slacking, and I don't like it. Get on the ball!

I think we should start a campaign. If we all take just a few minutes a day, starting right now, and write Ed a nice email about how I need that $1 million, and he should get off his fat duff and write me the check, then I'm sure he could only ignore us for a few years before he gets the message. And I'd even give you guys a share. Wouldn't that be swell? So click here to send Ed that email, and keep sending 'em, every day, until I get that check, 'k? 'K.

Photoshop is a terrible thing.

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."

Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967)

Almost forgot: The aforementioned magazine was PLSN, and there's an article about the Poison tour BML-Blackbird sent out this summer. Nice work, guys.

Just some randomness for today. Not feeling well, tho better than yesterday. Stupid cold.

"Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it."

Tallulah Bankhead (1903 - 1968)

Pastis must be reading my blog.

Seeing as yesterday's post was so depressing and kind of revolting in some ways; and since I feel guilty about that, here's something to make up for it:

Makana

Kaua'i

The Boys

Sunrise

Kolohe

A tree


Makana. Again.


Mmm... just how I like 'em.

Well, that's about all for now. Hope that makes up for yesterday, even a little. We know you have a choice in blogs, and thank you for choosing backwards K.

"You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing."
Michael Pritchard

So I have a couple of talking points to make today, a few things that are on my mind and have my attention as I sit here with over an hour to go before today's fashion show (brought to you by Tab Energy. Tab Energy, because the only thing that gives you more energy with fewer calories is crystal meth!) Well, let's get started, shall we:

1. Brad Pitt. That sonofabitch. Stole my damn idea. Which I stole from Joe, but that's beside the point. I was all about not getting married until gays can, which is a fantastic political statement and a great excuse to not ever get married (because let's face it: necrophiles will be be able to get married before homos, as long as they want to marry a cadaver of the opposite sex). But no. That jerk had to go and steal my idea and hold a press conference to boot. I guess I'll have to go and get married now, just to be different. And screw you, Brad Pitt! I don't think you're all that gutsy to be taking my idea. Nyah!

2. I just finished watching The Royal Tenenbaums, and I have to say that it gets better every time I watch it. It's just such a well written movie, and the cinematography and editing really accentuate that. It occurred to me, as I was watching, that Ben Stiller really is a good actor. My next thought was "Why doesn't he make more good movies like this one?" I guess there's more money in the stupid comedy he keeps making over and over again; especially since every stoner high school and college student seems to forget that they've already seen it and pays to see it again. But it is a shame that such a talented actor keeps making crappy movies. I think we need an intervention. Ben, listen, you've got an agent. I'm sure he can find better scripts. Hold out for them. Please.

3. Last night, we went to this comedy club in the Village. Wow. I mean, WOW. It was BAD. Really, really, really BAD. I don't normally feel sorry for performers on stage, because they've volunteered for it, but I felt sorry for some of these cats. I mean, they were just not funny. At all. Except for the last guy, a dude named Chris Iacono. He was hilarious. He made it worth the cover charge and other comedians. So keep an ear out for this guy, and go check him out if you get the chance. Just don't get to the club before 10:30, or you have to listen to all the crappy comics.

4. Last and not least, today is the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. For those of you who were living under a rock and missed that, welcome back. It's kind of weird to be in the city today, and I'm not sure why. I just feel like everything should shut down and stop; like business as usual today is wrong. I don't know. I mean, there were cermonies and memorials and photo ops for the politicians; but it all feels so hollow to me, so fake. I think if we want to create a fitting memorial to the dead, we need find the cause of the attacks and fix the root problem. Dropping bombs and killing more people may feel right in the short term, but it won't stop these attacks from happening. All it really does is make the point for people like Osama Bin Laden that the US is evil and uncaring and so flying a plane into a crowded office building is righteous. But whatever. Nobody's listening that hasn't heard this 1000 times. It won't change the status quo, it won't stop our political leaders from killing thousands of Americans and thousands more innocent civilians. The revolution is dead. Much like the baby of the teenage girl that gave birth at her prom and then requested "Unfogiven" from the DJ, it died in the garbage can; discarded, forgotten, ignored, and never given a chance to live.

Well, there you go. Sorry to end on such a depressing note, but that's just where I am now. I never promised you it would be good, I just said it would be.

"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die."

Mel Brooks (1926 - )

Oh boy kids, here it comes, that favorite time of year for one and all: Spring Fashion Week in NYC! That's right! And here I am, with about 2 hrs sleep in the last 36 and going strong! We were here until 3 am yesterday because the LD's flight was delayed by security for 4 HOURS. T'anks fer nuttin', TSA. We're getting ready to start the third show today, Mara Hoffman, and I'm just chillin by the dimmers. Oh wow.

There's a couple of observations I want to make right off the bat, here: first, runway models are disgustingly skinny. I was watching a rehearsal before and thought to myself that I could just get a science class skeleton, rig it to a motor, put clothes and silly looking hair on it and send it down the runway. Nobody would notice. I'm not sure why these women are considered attractive. They don't look healthy. They look like they can barely walk while wearing clothes. Yet we keep taking their picture.

The DJ is playing a song right now by Wolfman Jack. I thought he was just a disc jockey, but apparently he recorded some stuff too. It's pretty good.

So Tracy, the woman I'm working with this week, had this hat on yesterday. I think it really says it all.

It should be a very interesting week to be in NYC, what with the 5th anniversary and all... I still can't believe Oliver Stone hasn't been strung up from a branch for making that movie so soon. Some people might argue that it's all part of the healing process, but it feels more like they're moving in quick to make a buck, and that's not cool. Maybe if he had something new to contribute, it might be worthwhile, but there doesn't seem to be anything inflammatory, really; except for the timing, of course. It's weird: the last time I worked a fashion week, I mean really worked the whole week and not just a load out here and there, someone flew a couple of airplanes into the WTC. Hopefully, that was just a freak occurance and we won't have to worry about a repeat performance.

I don't know. I guess that's about all... I just can't wait to get home and hit my pillow.
Show #3 just ended, time to change over to the 4th and last of the day (thank goodness). Too bad it won't get started until 10:00...

"I have suffered a great deal from writers who have quoted this or that sentence of mine either out of its context or in juxtaposition to some incongruous matter which quite distorted my meaning , or destroyed it altogether."

Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947)

So I'm having a little bit of trouble sleeping tonight, and I'll tell you why. A person that I thought was my friend, a person to whom I looked up as a mentor and respected as a colleague has decided that he wants to flame me in his little forum on Roadie.net. That's fine. It's his space, and he's allowed to say what he wants.

It's bothering me, however, because much of what he says is not only untrue, but outright libel. That's right, it's vicious, hurtful, and serves only to make me seem incompetent and petulant. While I admit that I did post in his space, and I'm sorry if it hurt his feelings; I would like to remind him that it is a public forum designed so that anyone may post. I would hope he would keep this in mind before threatening to have me kicked off of the website.

So, you might ask yourself, what is Mikey going to do about this?

I'm going to take the high ground. While I have barrels of gasoline that I can throw on this fire, I won't. It's not worth it. I've known this person for long enough to know that when he says stuff like this, you can't listen. You can't take it personally. Except that this time, he has made it personal. I may be able to forgive him, but I can never forget it. There are some things that just can't be taken back once they're said, and I only hope that I have enough self restraint to not say the myriad of things that have gone through my head in the last few hours the next time I see him.

"The way to procure insults is to submit to them: a man meets with no more respect than he exacts."

William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830)

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few."

Shunryu Suzuki

Please note: this rant originally written 9/3/06 in Microsoft Word. Why? Because I refuse to sign up for a yearly contract just to use the WiFi at the Denver Airport. But that's another rant entirely.

Now, on to the rant du jour: poseurs. You know who I mean. That jerk that insists on standing on your feeder through the whole show. The skank ho that stands in front of the monitor desk so she can see the lead singer. The 500 or so people who cram into the 30 sq ft of FOH so they can “get the real feel of the show.” You’ve seen them. You hate them. But you have to deal with them. They’re FOB (friend of the band) or related to the record company or the local rock DJ’s second cousin’s neighbors ex-girlfriend. They’re not trying to make our life harder, yet they can’t help it: it’s their destiny. But I’m not talking about them.

No, this is about the 1% of those poseurs who think they’re “special.” They don’t understand that this is our job. It’s what we do. Every day. All year. For some reason, these people think that because a band is famous; because they are public figures, it’s ok to take a “souvenir”, a little something to remember the show. Because the laminate or sticky that the tour manager gave them isn’t enough. They need to have a pick, or set list, or a drum stick, or head, or snare drum, or maybe even a guitar. Whatever they can fit under their jacket and sneak past security. These are the kind of poseurs I’m talking about today.

What precipitated this rant, you might ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

Last night, I was at Red Rocks in Colorado. As the show was winding down, I noticed a random poseur walking through my dimmer pit toward the guitar tech’s workbox. I witnessed him reach into the guitar case, and pull out a rubber chicken, which usually lives on the side fill, but had just been struck by the guitar tech. I watched this poseur as he looked around and took off his bookbag. It was about this time he noticed me watching him. So he placed his bag and the chicken on the case behind him and turned to watch the show. After I snuck over and secured the chicken, I turned to the production assistant and said “Go get the security guard. We need to search this dude’s bag.” Shortly thereafter, the poseur turned around. Surprised that the chicken was gone, he began looking all over for it, until the PA returned with a security guard. “We need to look in your bag” he said. The poseur just gave him a blank look, and the guitar tech returned at about that moment, yelling “Where’s my rubber chicken?” I think the poseur must have peed himself, because he started to stammer something about just wanting to play with the chicken. At this point, I held up the chicken, and the guard escorted the poseur out.

The chicken in question.

Now, why this particular jerk thought he could walk up to the guitar box and take something out without anyone noticing, I’m not sure. Whether or not he was going to steal the chicken, I don’t know. Should I have let him put the chicken in his bag and then snagged him? Maybe. But why let it go that far? He was someplace he didn’t belong, doing something he shouldn’t, and that’s good enough for me.

I would just like to know what he thought he was doing. He was a guest, of either the band or the producer, I don’t know (probably the producer, because the production assistant didn’t know who he was). I’ll repeat that, just in case it didn’t sink in: he was a GUEST. Whomever gave him a pass was responsible for him and his actions. If you can’t keep an eye on your guests backstage, don’t invite them. Don’t get them backstage passes. Period. Why? Because this is my place of business. This is where I work. I have expensive gear, and I have plenty of things to do during the show; babysitting your girlfriend’s sister’s cousin’s former roommate and her boyfriend are not one of them. If you can’t be responsible for them, don’t invite them. And if you can’t at least take 30 seconds and tell them to stay out of the f’n way and don’t touch anything; then get them a nice pair of lawn seats. They can’t f anything up from out there.

Sometimes, I really want to just walk into an office building and go around, sitting on people’s desks and walking in to the middle of their meetings and leaving half drunken cups of beer on their filing cabinet; taking their mouse or the picture of their wife and kids off their desk. Maybe then they’ll understand.

Anywho, that’s about all I got on that one. I’m sure there’s a hundred thousand stories just like this one, and most a lot worse, but this ones’ my most recent, and I know it won’t be the last. Until they let us start shooting poseurs on sight (write to your Senator and Congressman today!) we’ll just have to keep putting up with it. Take a deep breath, let it out slow, and stay vigilant.

“Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be.”

William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830)

"He's the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a switch."

Unknown

Well, kids, today's rant is going to be a little odd, kind of random. It's been a really weird day, my lights have decided they don't want to play by the rules today, so I'm in a very strange mindset. The air up here at Red Rocks probably isn't helping, either. I think it's the lack of pollution, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, there's two things on my mind today: Tropical Storm Ernesto and foaming hand soap. We'll start with the first.

So Ernesto is heading up the coast and straight at Maryland (it's acutally there right now). While I wouldn't say I'm worried about my friends there, I am thinking about them and hoping they don't wind up under water. Again. Ernesto is no Isabel, but it's still alot of water to get dumped on them at one time. Keep your heads dry, MD.

I'm also concerned because I have to get on a plane on Sunday, and I really hope that storm is gone. If it slows down even a little bit, it will be sitting right over Newark Airport and then I'm in some trouble. I really don't want to spend any more time in Denver Int'l than I have to. Refer to yesterday's post if you're wondering why.

Part 2: Foaming hand soap. Can someone please explain this crap to me? I keep running into this stuff all over the country and I can't figure out why. It doesn't clean my hands, it feels weird, and it's just confusing. I squeeze it from the dispenser and start to put it on my face before I realize I'm not shaving. So why does it exist? I'm calling for a general boycott of this completely useless product until someone can explain to me why it's better than regular liquid soap. And don't tell me that you can fit more in a container, because I have to use twice as much to get my hands something resembling clean, so what's the point of that? And this broad has WAY too much time on her hands (among other things). Either that, or Wegman's is paying far too much for fake reviews.

Ok, that's enough randomness for now. Here's your quote:

"The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for."
Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

Well, here we are at the Marriott West in Denver, Co. We left O'Hare at 1 and arrived at the hotel at 4 local time, so not too bad, I guess. Except for the flight, which was the longest 2 hour flight EVER. First off, my seat back would not return to the "upright and locked position," so I kept leaning back. It was very uncomfortable. To say the least. Then there was the hoople-head behind me who didn't shut up the whole time (thank god for head phones). From the moment we got on the plane until the stewardess (sorry, flight attendant) gave us the ok to use our approved electronic devices, all I heard about was how his seat belt didn't fit and he needed an extender and that's never happened before and how could this happen now, he hasn't gained any weight, so how does this happen now? Maybe it's cuz your fat butt needs to stop watching the ball game now and then, get up off the couch and and maybe go DO something other than eat at the $6.95 buffet at the Golden Skillet. Maybe try Jenny Craig or something. SO, the airport sucked. We played the dead rock star game on the way to the hotel: basically, the idea is to keep naming dead rock stars until you can't think of any more. It's one of those games where you start off fast, but run into a block quickly... very interesting.

On the way to the hotel, we saw this sign:
Welcome to Colorado! Shouldn't that sign read: "Correctional Facility Do Not Stop." ?

Uncle DJ came to the show last night, which was really cool. He came early and we went to dinner, then met up with his neighbor, John, and his brother-in-law Ron (yeah, I know). They really enjoyed the show, which was great to hear. I was just happy to see Uncle D and hang out with him: it seems like I almost never get the chance.

Billy and I wandered around the Colorado Mills mall for about 3 hours today: it's a huge mall. It's not unlike the one that Fifi, Noel, Dietz and I did the opening for last September. Same developer. But it was good that I went, because I finally got the battery for my phone replaced. I dropped it in a puddle a few months ago, and since then the battery dies after about 10 minutes of talking, even if I just took it off the charger. So I got the new one, we'll see how it works. The coolest part, however, is that they had a custom T-shirt shop there. So I finally bought the shirt that I've been talking about for a few years now: I know, hold back your excitement... here it comes...

Yeah, I know. You can't help but feel awed by the coolness of knowing yours truly. It's ok. I might even let you touch it the next time you see me...

"To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence."

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

Ugh... beat. Just got into the hotel about 30 mins ago. After an 18 hr drive from Scranton, Pa to Green Bay, Wi. About 10 am, we pulled over on rte 80 because one of the band buses was sideswiped by a trailer. Took out the driver's window and mirror, cracked the windshield, but other than that everyone was ok. Pics to follow. But big drama because now they have to have 11 people on one bus instead of 2. Well, sorry if I don't have alot of sympathy for that one, but I don't. Maybe it's because the crew bus has been full for the whole tour...

Scranton wasn't bad, except for the never ending rain. Other than that, nothing special, really. I'm kinda groggy from being in bed all day, so I'll continue this later...

Ok, so now I'm back. So here's a question that popped into my mind yesterday: Why is it, that when you get a fancy, $135/night hotel room, they give you the rough toilet paper? I mean, for the money spent on that hotel room, don't you think they'd have enough to give you the soft stuff? And there wasn't even a robe in the room either? What kind of hotels do they have here in Green Bay, anyways? This casino is so ghetto: it's only slot machines, the resturaunt had the worst service, and the entertainment last night was Nelson. Yeah, that Nelson. Vid (the production manager) thought that was hilarious, because Nelson opened for Cinderella when he was Cinderalla's PM in the late 80's. So after dinner I wandered through the casino, had a drink with Vid, and then hit the hot tub. It wasn't that hot (literally). The board in the pool area said it was 104 deg, but it felt more like 95. I was all alone, which was nice, until some fat broad and her husband showed up. So I went to the suana for a schvitz. After that, I poked my head into the sports bar in the hotel, where some really heinous Japanese torture ritual was being performed for all the patrons. After hearing the beginning of Summer Nights, I beat feet for my room and went to bed.

The gig is pretty easy, house lights in a tent, wow. We're having Gov't Mule shirt day instead of Hawaiian shirt Tuesday because managment made a big deal about someone wearing a Mule shirt the other day and told us that we're not allowed to wear Mule shirts on stage. And that's about that. Well, back to not working...

Almost forgot: saw this in the hotel this morning. Only in Wisconsin.

"Why a four-year-old child could understand this report.
Run out and find me a four-year-old child, I can't make head or tail of it. "

Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

What's up, gang? This is going to be a short one, cuz I just don't feel like writing right now. But Amanda pointed out to me that I haven't written in a while and I should, so here you go.

I haven't written in a while because I just don't feel like it. Don't got much to say. I'm kinda miserable right now, and I can't wait to be home. I don't really know why, except to say that there are certain people on this tour that have been here for way too long, and they seem to have forgotten why they do this. I'm not having fun right now, and that really sucks because my job is way too much work to not be fun.

That being said, Amanda and my Mom came out to the Garden State Arts Center show (note: NOT PNC Bank Arts Center. Those corporate jerks can take a hike for all I care) with Aunt Fran and Robert. It was fun to watch Rob backstage: his wide eyed excitement helped me remember why I do this in the first place. There's so many bitter and angry people around me every day; I often feel like the only reason many of them are here is money. And that really sucks. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who are here because they love what they do, and we have a good time, but it seems like the small percentage of anger and bitterness ruins that. And it's making me miserable. I don't know if I could do this for 3 months. But I digress...

Having Rob at the show was a really good time. I enjoyed watching him; he was so INTO the show... it's a great memory that I'll keep for a long time.

The rest of the tour has been pretty uneventful: NC had a pretty slow crew until we got to Atlanta, where I swear we built the rig 3 times. Every time I turned around it was like I had to stop the hand from doing what he was doing and explain it again. New Hampshire: NH has to be the only place I've been so far that I like less than Detroit. I've only been there twice, but both experiences have been dreadful. It truly is hell with trees. And now we're in Boston. It's actually not going too badly today: a couple of gremlins early on, but I hope we have them worked out. (great, I just jinxed it). Tomorrow is Scranton, Pa, then a big long bus ride to Green Bay. I can't wait.

Ok, so this short little post has now gone on longer than expected. I'm going to go take a nap now. Reese's Pieces.

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body.

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 - 1894)

Hey kids, just a quickie today, couple of pics:

From the Longhorn Steakhouse in Parsippany NJ: don't eat the prime rib. Just don't.

Atlantic City, NJ: Bare Feet Hoes. Wow. What a great store.


I bet this isn't nearly as funny at 3am...

And now, a little something from my favorite TV show:

"Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back."
Al Swearengen

So, for some unkown reason, my blog refuses to update. There was another link supposed to be in the last post, and it's not showing up, so I'll try again: the missing link. I was explaining that if you really want to read a good blog, you should check this one out. Or maybe this one, if that's more your speed.

Anyway, here I am at The Town Hall in NYC waiting for Boz Scaggs to do his thing. The locals here couldn't believe it when I opened the truck and there was no truss, just 8 moving lights and some pipes. We had it all built by 10 am and have been sitting around staring at each other for the last 9 hours. Only 3 more to go...

So I had something to rant about this morning as I was entering the Lincoln Tunnel, but I can't remember what it was. Must have been that good. Saw this on my way into the tunnel, tho, don't think I would use this company...


Got a call from my man Dan Dekowsky in MD this afternoon: he's getting married on 9/7/07. That's great for him, I'm happy, but that means I have 2 weddings to go to that weekend! Gonna be a long weekend, 'specially since it's in the middle of Fashion Week! Fortunately, I only have to be best man at one...

Well, I guess that's all. And now for someone else's words:

"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."
Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)

So, it's been pointed out to me that my blog sucks. My father and brother decided to break the news to me in the bar Wednesday night. Well, guess what: I don't write the blog FOR YOU! I write the blog so that I can vent and not break things. If you want to read a good blog, go here. So there. That being said:

Here's a little something for you all to enjoy while I sit in Tom Ridge Field in Erie Pa. Why they would name an airport after THAT tool, I don't know, but they did, so here I am. Anyways, here's some fun pics of signs that I've run across over the past year. Enjoy!

Ft. Lauderdale, Fl: Glad I was on the 2nd floor...

This was on the bottom of a Heinekin shaped bottle opener. I'm not sure what an eating prohibiter is, but it doesn't sound good.

Girl, you thought he was a man, but he was a muffin!

Nice shot, Stevie.

Niagara Falls, ON.: This sign was found on the whale tank. Only a couple thousand gallons there...

Cincinnati, Oh.: Black clothing really doesn't operate much of anything.

Here it is:

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910),

I just wanna say this: to all you jerks with your jihad and whatnot, keep it to yourself, ok? I mean if you want to blow your own stupid self up, go right ahead. Just don't try to take the rest of the world with you. And stop messing up the damn airports! F! And why doesn't this thing correct itself? Stupid people.

OK, kids, so for all of you out there who are no longer reading, I'll continue on:

I know I haven't posted in two months, and I know I promised ABB pics, but see, here's the thing: Technology is a bitch mistress. See, after spending about $500 on upgrading my Dell laptop, I got to the second day of the Brothers' tour and promptly blew it the f up. Not on purpose, mind you, but these things happen, and they seemed to happen to me a great deal during the months of June and July. So between that, the great desktop debacle (kudos to eMachines for getting the damn thing fixed after only 4 months and 3 tries) and just being busier than a monkey in a banana factory (what?), I haven't really had the time to sit down and grace you all with my incoherent rants.

So let's get into it, shall we?

Rant #1: Mel Gibson. Who cares. If you haven't figured out that he's a religious fanatic after this one, then maybe you should pull your head out of the sand and look around before you vote this November, hmm? You know it's gone on too long when B-list celebs who haven't made a pic in almost 5 years worth discussing are coming out "in support of Mel." Well, boo-dee-freakin-hoo. I don't care.

Which brings me to rant #2: the Media. While you jerks are sitting around wondering what anti-Semitic comment Mel's gonna spew out next, PEOPLE ARE DYING! World War 3 is breaking out in the middle east, and the MSNBC and CNN are more worried about pipelines in Alaska and whether or not the winner of the tour de France is on steroids. Not that this is being completely ignored, but I have to wonder what the majority of the country is paying attention to. Oh, right, it's August: football is starting. Nevermind.

Rant #3: This is more of a work related rant, so for those of you who don't care, play with this. For the rest of you, here's a little something about other people's property: DON'T TREAT IT LIKE GARBAGE!!! You wouldn't like it if someone else treated your stuff like $h!t, so don't to it to other people's! If you borrow something, bring it back in the same condition! If you need something, ASK! And most of all, DO NOT put my workbox in the truck WITHOUT A [gosh darn] STRAP! F***! When I come into the shop on Monday and find my box on it's side in the back of the truck, that makes me a little tiny itty bitty bit homicidal. I mean, there's expensive, breakable $h!t in there! That's my LIVELIHOOD. I'd appreciate it if I could get that stuff back in one piece, thanks.

Ok, so now that I've had my breakfast, let's get back to the insanity...

Rant #4: Some of you have already heard this one, but I'll say it again anyway: what is the point of paying more than $60 to see a concert if the only part of the live show you can see is the video screen that they put up 500 ft from the stage? Are people's lives so boring and incomplete that they feel that watching a video feed from the stage is the same thing as being at a concert? Buy the f'n DVD. Save yourself $30. Tho I really shouldn't complain about this, after all, these morons are funding my paycheck. So prattle on, you insignificant Abercrombie and Fitch wearing preppie wannabe's, and stay out on the lawn with your smelly frat-boy a$$. But keep paying $7 for that Heineken. They don't call 'em Heinies for nothin!

Well, I guess that's all the ranting I can stand for now. I really don't know how you people put up with it, but then again, I really don't think anyone reads this thing ANYWAY (except the NSA, but that's another rant entirely), so there you go. Here's your quote:

"Washington is the only place where sound travels faster than light. "

C. V. R. Thompson

So, it's been a month since I've posted and I think it's time to add one. Not that anyone's watching (except for the Federal Gov't, Hi fellas!) but I like talking to myself, so it's all good...

Tomorrow I leave for the first 2 week leg of the Allman Brother's Band summer tour. As excited as I am to be going, I'm also scared stiff that I will screw up and it'll all go to hell. I've spent the last week working on moving lights for the tour; that and nothing but. So I'm a little apprehensive about the rest of the rig. I'm sure all the rigging, truss, and cable was prepared properly; I'm just worried that since I had nothing to do with it, I won't know what to do with it. I guess I'm just worried over nothing, really, since it's been prepared to the point where a color blind gorilla with barely passable reading skills could put this thing together. Besides, two of the guys who did build the rest of the rig will be there, so what do I have to worry about, really? Besides looking incompetent, that is.

So this will be a short tour, just 2 weeks and then 3 more in August, mostly East Coast venues with a few Midwestern stops. Lots of "old hands" on this one, guys who have been touring around 30+ years. Should be interesting, to say the least. I'm a little worried about a rumor I heard that the buses are dry except for a case of beer on the crew bus... I'm terrified that I'll have to go 2 weeks with nothing but Bud to drink... gross. Quite a few days off in this short 2 week period tho... an overnight in Niagara Falls at the Falls View Casino Resort... there goes that week's per diem. And then another day off in Atlantic City... I hope I'm able to actually make some money on this tour!

Ah well, that's enough for now. I have to go finish packing, then it's dinner with the 'rents and off to bed. Sounds boring, eh? Yeah. So here's your quote:

"Lord, I was born a ramblin man,
Tryin to make a livin and doin the best I can.
And when its time for leavin,
I hope youll understand,
That I was born a ramblin man."

~Dicky Betts