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Blogs > MstrUnvrsGdRkCk2 > The Crucible
The Crucible
  
Badnews008

check out the new vids on u tube
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Let the bodies hit the floor
Posted:Jun 20, 2016 6:04 pm
Last Updated:Oct 10, 2016 6:01 pm
16088 Views

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Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the... floor

Beaten why for (why for)
Can't take much more
(Here we go, here we go, here we go)

One - Nothing wrong with me
Two - Nothing wrong with me
Three - Nothing wrong with me
Four - Nothing wrong with me

One - Something's got to give
Two - Something's got to give
Three - Something's got to give
Now

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor

(Now)
Push me again (again)
This is the end
(Here we go, here we go, here we go)

One - Nothing wrong with me
Two - Nothing wrong with me
Three - Nothing wrong with me
Four - Nothing wrong with me
One - Something's got to give
Two - Something's got to give
Three - Something's got to give
Now

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor

Skin against skin, blood and bone
You're all by yourself but you're not alone
You wanted in now you're here
Driven by hate consumed by fear

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor

One - Nothing wrong with me
Two - Nothing wrong with me
Three - Nothing wrong with me
Four - Nothing wrong with me

One - Something's got to give
Two - Something's got to give
Three - Something's got to give
Now

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor


Normally, I don't comment on things like this, but this time I'll make an exception. I'll tell you how I found out about it. Somebody came up to me and asked me " if I had heard the news about the latest tragedy "? I replied " no, what happened "? Then he related " how a terrorist had shot up a gay night club and about a hundred people were killed "! I replied, " yeah, so where is the tragic part to this story "? I know that's not politically correct or even moral way to feel about that event. In all of the other shootings I was appalled and dismayed that this type of thing keeps happening, except this time. First of all, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, there may not be any victims at all. I know to most of you, that may sound crazy, but I've become aware, that some of these events are staged, to advance some sort of political agenda. I don't think that's the case this time, because they're showing actual victims. In the others, they didn't, and no one found that suspicious. But anyway, apparently, I'm not the only one who holds this opinion. I'm just a nobody, citizens voicing my thoughts. But, the cops who were there at the scene, may have held a similar view, and they were in a position to do something about it. When I heard the details for the event, I cracked up laughing, because I could immediately read between the lines. I took a vacation down to Florida and I remarked about how oppressed the black people are down there. So, it doesn't take a genius IQ to figure out the type of attitude those same individuals in law enforcement have about gays. I heard, after they arrived on the scene, they waited " three hours " before they made an attempt to breach the premises! This is how I envision the police reacted when they arrived. Some hysterical gay guy came running up to them, maybe he was wounded, but still had dried cum stains on his shirt and dick on his breath. " Hey, you have to do something, there's a guy running around in there killing gay people "! The police were ready to take action, then paused and looked at one another. Then one of them replied, " Um....................I think we need to take a little time here to assess the situation "! Then the gay guy said, " What! Hey, there's only one of him and dozens of you guys, you can take him out easily "! They probably just looked at him, and didn't move a muscle. I heard the shooter was calling everybody and talking with a negotiator, who probably asked him if he needed more bullets? LOL! I guess they figured he needed time to work! Also, what's very telling, is the body count. In these types of situations, the count is limited because the authorities are on the scene and maneuvering around to save people. In this instance, that doesn't appear to be the case. They let that guy go, until his clip was empty, then they stormed the fucking club! They killed him, but that was only because he was shooting at them. Apparently that guy has never heard of " George Zimmerman "?! He might have gotten acquitted too if he made it to trial, he was in the deep south after all.
And then there is all this out pouring of grief, with the President laying a wreath at the scene. Oh, please, will you just stop! No I don't have any sympathy for a bunch of deviants and perverts who were cut down while engaging in the very act of sodomy! Hey, before you get all righteous and indignant about my point of view, does anyone remember the story of " Sodom and Gomorrah "? In that case, God himself rained down a shit load of fire and brimstone on a bunch of homos who were enjoying themselves like those fags in the club were. And to make the point, when Lot and his family were evacuating the area, Lot's wife looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt. She was the original sympathizer to the LGBT community, and we see where that got her, in a shaker to spice up someone's mutton. LOL!
Well, as far as I'm concerned, despite this event, I still think that area is the happiest place on earth!


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2 Comments
Just some stuff
Posted:Jun 6, 2016 5:47 pm
Last Updated:Jun 13, 2016 5:25 pm
15550 Views

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I'm not sure what this post will be about? Been rambling on my mind a lot lately. First I accomplished all of my goals for today. I would have bet money I wasn't going to get any of them done, but I did. I constantly surprise myself. Anyhoo, what you've been wondering, is why I haven't uploaded any new videos in a year? I've been busy, that's why. But, I am still working on stuff. I could just turn on the camera and play and play, if I really wanted to, but, I feel after over a hundred videos, do I really need to prove anything? Well, I now have two rooms I work in for this purpose. It's interesting, because I didn't plan it that way, it just evolved. It appears, one room has the old school technology I use for creating music, and the other room has the new state of the art stuff. In either case, it doesn't really matter, because I'm doing the same thing, just with different technology. But here is something I'll share with you.. In the new tech room, I'm using that standard strat I bought, it's traditional in that it doesn't have any fancy gadgets like a Floyd rose tremolo or humbucker pick ups or switches on it. I do have one like that, of course, but I'm not using it. Don't you want to know why? Well, here is something the music equipment industry doesn't want you to know, it's kind of an unspoken secret, but I'll tell you here now. When I was learning, and acquiring equipment, I was just like every other beginner in the world. I wanted this guitar and that amp and that effect. Well, I actually got all that stuff, but it didn't help me one bit. What actually did help me, is the secret I've eluded to in the past that resides in the draw of my desk in my old school equipment room! When your playing gets to a certain level, it doesn't matter what instrument you use, you'll still sound good. Unless it's a piece of junk and out of tune or something. But as long as it's in decent shape, stays in tune and has a clear tone, that's all you need. You might ask, " well, what about the Floyd rose tremolo and all that other stuff "? And the answer to that is, if your a proficient enough of a player, you should be able to reproduce all of those effects and sounds, on a regular guitar, or one without any of the accessories of the more expensive models. And, now I am at that level, so I don't need to use one of the hot roded models to play and sound good. So, why do I have the other models? To look cool of course! So, save your money, and improve your internal skills, that's how you'll impress people. Which brings me to another point I want to make. Kelly, wants to show me up or out play me on the guitar. He could do that, if he knew the secret I've eluded to. If he did know it, and applied it, he would be able to at least appear as a competent player, and not suck like a hoover as he currently does. He would not be able to do the fancy finger gymnastics that I do, on the fret board. That only comes from practice and experience. But, most of the time, you wouldn't need to anyway. So, I'm going to start delving into this secret stuff I have. I started to work with it a few years ago, but I stopped because I felt I had progressed far enough. I hadn't, in fact I had only scratched the surface. I now realize, with my background of study, plus all of my years of playing experience, I could become better, or the best! How I'll know this, is, I'm going to master another instrument. I've talked about this before, I want to learn to play keyboards. I have never attempted to play them before and I have no experience with them. So, this should be interesting. I'm also going to learn how to play the ukulele too. That won't be as hard because it's close to the guitar. But, like I said, I'm going to learn the keyboards in a totally different and radical way. First, I guess I'll have to buy a keyboard?! Then I'll have to start practicing. But, here is the thing, Kelly is pissing and moaning because he can't get up to speed enough to show me up on the guitar. I'm going to start from zero, on an instrument I've never played before and then upload a video of me playing it. I know for a fact, I'll have my video up, before he has his. Just shows why I'm always the man, and he's always a bitch!
About the secret. Well.................it's in a draw, and I took it out to review it again today. It's actually so powerful, I think I was over whelmed by it the first time I used it. Now I think I can work with it a little better. That corner of the room is kind of special, in that I have all of this cool stuff there. Like I have my 5150 and other amps behind me, and my world class collection of guitars you've seen me use to tear it up in the videos. And I got a whole bunch of other music related stuff there to. If you were a player, and you visited me, and saw all my stuff, you'd probably flip out! " Whoa dude, that is some really cool fucking shit you got there "! And yeah, I guess it is, but what I have that's really significant and more important, is in the desk draw, because without the secret knowledge that it possesses, all the equipment is useless. But with that knowledge, I can conquer the world. Also, there is one more thing, and this is something you can actually do yourself, right now, after I tell you about it. It's about Jim Morrison and the Doors. I wasn't always a doors fan, but Jim has always fascinated and intrigued me. It would seem so, because I've always emulated his look. I just thought he looked cool, and I noticed a resemblance. Well, I have an audio book on the life and times of Jim Morrison, it's by Stephen Davis. You could probably find it on you tube or some other website and listen to it yourself. I have the book as well, but it's more interesting to hear someone else read it to you. Well, I pulled that off the shelf and just took out a cd from the middle somewhere, it was the period from late 67 to 68. And he was talking about the "Waiting for the Sun " album and the problems they were having making it. So, I also have all the latest Doors cd's with the out takes and add ons to them. Once again, you can find all of this stuff on you tube, you don't need to run out and spend a dime. I was listening to the time period they were discussing, and then I listen to the out takes for the very song they were talking about, it gave me a much better insight. And it was actually kind of eerie. That with secret material I have in the draw, all makes it kind of weird. So, if you want to check out the doors stuff I highly recommend it. As for the secret stuff I'll be using to evolve into anther Mozart, that I won't tell you, or "not by the hair of my chinny chin chin "!

Addendum


I thought about it, and I realized, I hadn't mentioned, why this secret material is so significant or relevant. I mean, I know why, but I didn't tell you yet. So, like I said, I had this stuff and I used some of it, I got great results with just the little bit I dabbled with. I haven't even looked at it in years. When I was reviewing it again, they mentioned a "side effect " using this material. At the time I first was introduced to it, there was a lot of information to absorb. They told me this, but I dismissed it or didn't give it any consideration. As I was reviewing it again recently, and they mentioned it. I realized that it was true and it had affected and altered me. What I'm talking about, is my ability to sing and play the guitar at the same time. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it actually is. For a long time, I wasn't able to do those two activities simultaneously. I could try to sing, but not play, and play but not sing. And I couldn't sing, either. So, that's partly why it was never a real issue to me. But, I've uploaded a couple of videos of me doing exactly just that, singing and playing at the same time! How the fuck did that happen? Not only that, but the song I covered was extremely difficult to play, let alone sing along with it. I remember trying to perform it once, like that, singing and playing and I couldn't do it. What would happen is, as soon as I started singing, my hands would go haywire and stop playing the song. It was like my own hands were rebelling against my poor singing ability! What I needed to do, is disengage my hands and my mouth from one another, or develop two brains, to do two separate tasks simultaneously. As you can see, in the video I did of " dirty white boy ", I'm doing one thing with the vocals, and playing something counter to what I'm singing. That's actually amazing, especially for someone like me, who never possessed the ability before.
About this material, now that I realize how powerful and effective it is, you may be wondering, why I haven't worked with it more thoroughly? Because, if I had, it would have transformed myself even more or in more radically diverse ways musically. Well, I thought I was doing " okay " with what I had, but I now realize, I could be much better, or the best. Oh, yeah, my friends noticed a change too. Which is even weirder because I haven't jammed with any of them in years. They only know from the videos, like you do.
This stuff is like forbidden knowledge or as the religious community would label it as "Satanic " like the ability to summon demons or the Devil or something. I have no idea why someone would want to summon my ex wife, but I guess anything's possible? But the weird thing is, I realized, I have some sort of weird aversion to it myself. It's like, I'm afraid of it. But what I'm really frightened of, is how it will change me. I can see, the results, with just the tiny bit I utilized already. What do you think will happen if I go all the way with it? See, it's a little scary, isn't it? But, I faced down that evil succubus known as my ex wife, so I really don't think anything could frighten me again, after that debacle.
And how it relates to Jim Morrison, he had this knowledge innately or was in his genes from his father. I know this, because a biography I read about Jim, mentioned that his father had the ability to pick out any tune on the piano and play it. That sounds like a minor thing, unless your takes it and transforms the world with a ground braking rock band, like Jim did, the effects of which are still reverberating to this day. That's probably why I'm a little hesitant to delve too deeply into this material. But, then again, what the hell


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0 Comments
The Who by numbers
Posted:May 23, 2016 6:23 pm
Last Updated:May 23, 2016 6:55 pm
15951 Views

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Why should I care, why should I care?

Girls of fifteen
Sexually knowing
The ushers are sniffing
Eau-de-cologning
The seats are seductive
Celibate sitting
Pretty girls digging
Prettier women.

Magically bored
On a quiet street corner
Free frustration
In our minds and our toes
Quiet stormwater
M-m-my generation

Uppers and downers
Either way blood flows.

Inside outside. Leave me alone.
Inside outside. Nowhere is home.
Inside outside, Where have I been?
Out of my brain on the five fifteen.

On a raft in the quarry
Slowly sinking.
On the back of a lorry
Holy hitching.
Dreadfully sorry
Apple scrumping.
Born in the war
Birthday punching.

He man drag
In the glittering ballroom
Gravely outrageous
In my high heel shoes
Tightly undone
They know what they're showing
Sadly ecstatic
That their heroes are news.

Why should I care?


I went out to see a Who cover band the other night and this is what happened! First of all, everything I tell you is true and factual. I'm stating that up front, because what I'm about to tell you won't sound that way. In fact, it sounds like a fantasy I would have in my teenage years. And I have to tell you, while this was transpiring before me, I was feeling a strong feeling of Deja vu! No, really that part I'm telling the truth about too, it was like I dreamed this once before, and now I'm realizing it. I've had experiences like this through out my life. They don't happen very often but when they do, I'm conscience of it. First let me start at the beginning, as you know, about a year ago, I was working on some Who songs and I wrote a post about the band and I uploaded a video of me performing Pete Townshend's solo song " The sea refuses no rivers ". I'm a big Who fan, even bigger then Van Halen if you can believe it, or maybe it's about even? I grew up with the Who being my favorite rock band! Even though I liked a lot of other artist, The Who loomed large in my mind and thoughts during that period. Like I mentioned before. Pete Townshend and the band were saturating the media at the time. You couldn't get away from them. They were frequently on the cover of the Rolling Stone, and every other music magazine. They were even on the cover of Time when some people got trampled to death at one of their concerts. Oh, there was no internet back then, so you had to read magazines to find out any information about anything. In addition to being played constantly on the radio, they were also putting out records, books, movies, and concerts. If you lived in America at that time, you couldn't not be aware of the Who, even if you wanted to! I realized this, especially after the other night when I became aware that I knew the words to every single song this tribute band played. Yeah, I used to listen to the records all the time, so I knew them real well. Anyhoo! Because I was going to the show, I wanted to get a Who T-shirt. I have a few of them already, but I don't know where they are and I don't want to tear apart the whole house looking for them. So I went to the mall. I figured they might have one in the record store, yes a few of those still exist yet, or this other store where they sell cool clothing I buy to wear in my videos sometimes. I went to both places and they didn't have anything for the Who. Oh, they had Zeppelin and Doors shirts of course, but no Who! As I was walking out, I saw this air brush t-shirt store. I didn't think they would have anything but I checked it out anyway. And lo and behold, on the top shelf they had a genuine Who T-shirt! I couldn't believe it! It's really cool and you'll see it in the next videos I upload with Who songs! It was sitting on top of the shelf on a mannequin torso. It was the last one in the store and it was perfectly my size! I should have realized something was up, just by the sheer coincidence and luck of finding that shirt when I probably shouldn't have found it there? Well anyway, I went home and tried it on, it fit perfectly! Now, to explain how I planned to attend. I didn't want to take a date, mainly because I wanted to enjoy myself and not deal with some woman's bullshit that night! I have several women I could have taken, in fact, there's one who's bugging the shit out of me to take her out on a real date! I thought about it, and knowing what would happen, from past experience, I decided the best course of action would be to go alone! Also, I might meet a hot chick there and bang her out in the parking lot? I didn't drive either, I had a friend give me a ride. And no, it's not because I was going to drink. I don't drink any longer. But, I figured I might relapse, in the heat of the environment and have a few. So, it's better to be safe then sorry. But no, I didn't drink any alcohol that evening, but I still got revved up by all the excitement I experienced at the show. About the band. They are a top notch tribute band that look and sound exactly like the original Who band. They portray them at various stages of their career, mainly in the Keith Moon era. Not only do they sound like them, but they wear the same clothing, preform the same movements, dialog and in between song banter of the original band. They also seemed to have recreated their personalities accurately as well! And yes, the equipment is exactly what the original band used during that era! That was the first thing I checked when I walked in and past the stage. Pete used to have these modified Les Paul guitars, with three humbuckers and signal splitters for each one. I have the same thing on my modified strat by the way. It looks real cool, but it doesn't really affect the tone of the guitar that much. Mainly because he played so loud! Any nuances in tone would be lost at that volume. Sorry, didn't mean to get too technical and go over your head with those kinds of details. Which I'll relate more about later.
So, I went in, after paying the admission. The first thing I noticed was this was a nice new state of the art modern club! I don't go out much anymore, because mainly I got tired of hanging out in run down dives and piss holes populated with drunks and losers and weirdo's. After I checked the stage I surveyed the crowd. It was a little depressing. There were only about thirty or forty people there. Mostly middle aged men. Or a bunch of old fat guys with crew cuts. There were very few women as well. Only a few of them brought their wives. But, interestingly enough, it seemed that most of the guys had the same idea I did, and didn't want a woman around to fuck up the show for them. See, with age comes experience! Now, I was the only person who was wearing a Who t-shirt. Not one of those old geezers put on a Who shirt for the show. Some of them were wearing t-shirts, just not the Who on them. I got there early, so I had dinner at the bar. What? You want to know what I had? I had the shrimp and fries and a seltzer water with lime. It was good! And the only young hot chicks there were.......wait for it........the waitresses!
Like I said, this club was really nice, they had this cool lighting system and kept changing the colors of the house lights and they were playing Zeppelin over the PA until the show started. After I finished my meal, I paid with a twenty and didn't collect my change, leaving it for a tip, it was about six bucks and some change. I did what I've naturally done from years and freaking years of experience of hanging out in clubs. I picked out a spot to stand in, and there I would own it for the rest of the night. I stood at the base of the stairs leading up to a balcony. It was half way between the bar and the stage. I'm not one of those up front guys. Because it was so sparse, I didn't need to be. Okay, like I said, I was the only one wearing a cool Who shirt, and my hair is getting longer again, so no one, except the band, looked as cool as me in that room. Now that I think about it, they may be why things happened later they way they did? Now, here is where we enter into the twilight zone. But before we go there, I want you to know, just like when I went to the fucking court house to fight the fascists, I had absolutely no pre-conceived notions or ideas about anything. I thought I would go to the show, stay alone and un-notice by myself for the whole night, hear my favorite songs and go home happy! Instead, I got sucked into a vortex of my old Rock God life style and rode the wave for the whole night! Like I said, all the men in there were old fat guys, or your Dad! I was the only one, who didn't look like that. I have longer hair, I'm much slimmer or in better shape then any of them and I was wearing a cool Who shirt. In fact, I looked pretty much the way I used in high school when I was a rabid Who fan originally! I'm only about eighty pounds heavier now then I was back then. Which isn't bad because I used to be seriously skinny and under weight. We were poor and had no food, so that why that was like that. No, don't cry, I got a great job when I was fifteen at a restaurant and I used to scarf food every chance I got. I got money too, and I used to go down to the record store and purchase..........wait for it...............Who albums! I still have them! So, I'm standing there, minding my own business waiting for the show to start when to my right, the guy playing Roger Daltry approaches me and points to my shirt and says, " Cool Shirt '! I was shocked and a little taken a back for a moment because this guy looked and sounded like the original. Oh, they're all English guys in real life by the way. I thanked him and he went up on stage. The guitarists put on his ax and said, " it's going to get loud "! I yelled back " It better be "! And the whole room reacted to my comment. For the rest of the night, it was me and the band doing the show. Yes, I even performed with them at one point! I know what you're thinking but yeah, I really did, I'll explain later. They go into the show and start ripping on the songs. I think the first one was " I can't explain " or " Substitute "? I don't remember which. But they played all the hits or all the songs you probably expect them to through out the night. Well, me being a rabid fan I was singing along and slapping my hands against my sides. I tried not to play air guitar along with the band, because that is definitely not cool, out in public! Of course, you know I can play the actual song if there was a guitar in my hands, but they don't know that. Which brings me to something I want to confess. This is really weird for me, and maybe I shouldn't admit to this? But when they first started playing I had a split second impulse to run up on stage, grab one of the guitars and start performing with them. I don't know where that came from, probably from my years of experience doing just that, maybe? But don't worry, I restrained myself so I wouldn't get bounced out of the club. LOL!
After the first set I'm still standing there by the stairway and the guitarist comes up to me. He shakes my hand and in heavy British accent says, " Thanks man, I really enjoy your energy for the show "! What ever that means. I reply by thanking him as well and mention that I admire how accurately he had been playing the songs. I told him " I play as well, so I know what's going on with these songs ". He just gave me a look, with no emotion, and then headed to the stage. I didn't understand what that meant until later. I think he thought I was just telling him that, to impress him or something but maybe I was lying? Until, I think, this happened. They guys playing Roger and Pete were on stage waiting for the rhythm section or John and Keith to come up. The guitarist started mucking around, the same way I do when I have my guitar and I'm plugged in. He played the opening riff for " Rough Boys ", then, someone in the audience requested " Let's see action ". For those that aren't familiar with the song, the beat is clapped at the beginning. So, because they still didn't have the drummer up with them. As soon as they started playing the song, I impulsively started clapping the beat to the song! That time I couldn't restrain myself. It was at that point the guitarist looked right at me, and I knew what he was thinking this time. He gave me a look of recognition, or he knew at that point I was like him or a fellow traveler in the guitar cult we both belong too! You may be wondering how he knew that, considering I was clapping and not strumming something? Well, it's hard to explain, but if you were one of us, you'd understand, that's all I can tell you. So the show resumed and I kept up my shouting and making comments. I'm surprised at my behavior myself, because usually I'm shy and reserved but it was like I was a member of the band and participating with them. It was weird! Then during a break in between songs I yelled out " Baby don't you do it " ! One of my favorite Who tunes. The guitarist looked at me and then they went into the song! I was shocked and almost fell over in disbelief! To tell you how significant that is, my friends. who have bands and I jam and hang out with won't even do that, in taking a suggestion for a song to play while they're on stage! They ripped through it and then the guitarist pointed at me and said, " That was for you "! I stood there in shock! So, they kept playing and doing all the classic songs and then finally the show was over. I was so bummed because it was one of the best shows I've been to in freaking years and I can't remember when I had such a good time going out to see a show, anywhere!
So, I wondered outside, they had another bar with an outdoor terrace where people were conjugating. I called my friend to come pick my up on my cell. He said he'd be there in fifteen minutes, it was over a half an hour, you all know how "friends " are. So I'm sitting there watching the sharks, or the group of girls mulling around the bar. Not all of them are sharks, only two of the main ones, the others are the weaker hangers on " girlfriends " and future bridesmaids, that always seem to congregate together like that. I looked at them and smiled to myself. Because, they're acting like they're so hot shit, but they're alone or not with any men. All the rest of the bar was populated with couples and a few pairs of guys or " buddies ". Being older and wiser I recognized them for who and what they are. A couple of the sharks kept eyeing me. Yeah, I know how that goes. First it starts with eye contact and then it ends with me being locked out of my own house and a restraining order! When she looked at me again I felt like saying to her " Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin "! Then the band came out and they were loading their equipment. I approached the guitarist and started talking to him. For me, this was like Nirvana! As soon as I started talking shop to him about the songs, he understood perfectly what I meant. For me, it was so wonderful to finally meet someone who could converse on my level and know exactly what I was talking about. He gave me some interesting insight to the songs and now I have a fresh perspective. We exchanged website information and then they had to leave. Just when I thought the evening couldn't get any better, the conversation I had with the guitarist topped it off. Oh, when I was talking to him, you knew that I was the real deal or on his level because I could tell by how he responded to me. That was really nice to get that kind of recognition from someone like that. So my buddy finally showed up, don't ask why he was late, you know the excuses already, and I headed home! That was my wonderful evening out with the Who!



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0 Comments
Amorccna
Posted:Apr 17, 2016 5:47 pm
Last Updated:Jul 2, 2017 4:20 pm
14972 Views

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Lately I've been thinking how much I miss my lady
Amoreena's in the cornfield brightening the daybreak
Living like a lusty flower, running through the grass for hours
Rolling through the hay like a puppy

And when it rains the rain falls down
Washing out the cattle town
And she's far away somewhere in her eiderdown
And she dreams of crystal streams
Of days gone by when we would lean
Laughing fit to burst upon each other

I can see you sitting eating apples in the evening
The fruit juice flowing slowly, slowly, slowly
Down the bronze of your body
Living like a lusty flower, running through the grass for hours
Rolling through the hay like a puppy

Oh if only I could nestle in the cradle of your cabin
My arms around your shoulders, the windows wide and open
While the swallow and the sycamore are playing in the valley
Oh I miss you Amoreena like a king bee misses honey

Lately I've been thinking how much I miss my lady
Amoreena's in the cornfield brightening the daybreak
Living like a lusty flower, running through the grass for hours
Rolling through the hay like a puppy



Yeah, I've been busy. Okay here is the short version for those who are too fucking lazy to read the whole post! Both my 5150 amp and my mountain bike broke down and had to be repaired simultaneously and I was dragged into court again, and I beat the , again! I'll tell you about the court thing first because that's probably the most interesting. No, I did not beat the shit out of a group of people again, and then have to go to court to defend myself. I wish I would have done that again, because I have skills and people only think they're tough. But, nah, it was only for a speeding ticket. Normally, or in the past, I used to just pay it and forget about it. But, I have a lawyer currently handling a bunch of other stuff for me presently. So when I mentioned it to him, he told me he could handle it for me. I didn't think you could really do anything, because they have the radar reading indicating my speed, but I realized I was totally wrong about that, the justice system, and the police in general. The day of the hearing, I showed up at the court house. Some asshole secretary comes up to the window and asks " Can I help you ". But what she meant was, you're obviously guilty, so why don't you sit down and shut up until the courts are finished with you. I swear I went in there with no preconceived notions about anything, but I encountered dickishness everywhere in that place. So, I replied, " no thanks, I'm just waiting for my lawyer ". When I said that, you should have seen her reaction? It was like I had just kicked her in the cunt! She went away, and I was left thinking, " what the fuck is the matter with you "? So then my lawyer showed up. He told me he had car trouble, it was his drive train. Anyway, the kicked in the cunt bitch saw me and him through her glass window. And a look of dismay covered her snooty old bitch face. I started to say something and my lawyer told me to shut the fuck up! He said the police might be in the next room, and if they hear you say something they will use it against you. I thought about and realized he was right. No wonder everybody in that place was acting so hinky. A few cops with prisoners came past us while we were sitting there. Then I realized the severity of the situation I was in. They could be leading me out of there like that, if I hadn't hired adequate legal representation. After a while, the kicked cunt bitch comes to the window and tells us the judge is dismissing the charges because the police didn't show up for the hearing. I was astounded! I couldn't believe it! Then my lawyer told me to get the fuck out of there before the cops showed up. He didn't need to tell me twice! Then it dawned on me what had just transpired. This whole thing was an intimidation tacit by this asshole judge and his pit bull police dogs. If I had been a regular person and just taken my ass reaming like the rest of the sheep, like they expected, it would have been business as usual. But because I stood up to these Mother fuckers and hired a lawyer, or someone who knew what they were up to, they backed down, just like a bully does when they're confronted! Isn't that some shit? For those that have regular interactions with the justice system, this is not news, but for me it was. I'll never plead guilty again, to anything, even if I have a knife in my hand and I'm standing over the body!
Okay, next, I was going to play something using my 5150 ampliphier. When I turned it on, it just fizzed out! I thought, " Damn "! So then I went to the garage and took my mountain bike out, it was out of commission too! I couldn't believe it, my two favorite toys busted on me, at the same time. I was distraught and upset. If you knew me better, you might observe, ' yes that's true, but you have other amps, and bikes, the fact that those two particular items are out of commission, is actually irrelevant "! To which I would reply, " Shut the fuck up "! Those two things, have great personal meaning to me! In other words, they are cool, so by association, I am cool. If I am bereft of those things, I am no longer as cool! So do you understand why they're so important now? If you don't, you're probably not cool. So I loaded both of them up on the dune buggy and headed to the repair shops. By a weird coincidence, both of these places are on the same street, just a block apart. I dropped them off and took my receipts. A while later, the bike shop called and told me it was fixed. I get there, take it for a ride and realize it's not fixed, in fact it was far from it, or worse then before. I took it back in and told him I have the same issues with it I've always had, mainly with shifting the gears. He's worked on it a lot over the years but it still never works right. So, I left it, and finally, after fifteen fucking years, he fixes it right! He basically had to replace everything on it. The frame and the rims are the same, but everything else needed to be changed and upgraded! He should have done this years ago! Instead, he kept n***er rigging it and patching it up with spit and gum! The stuff on it was factory, and I never thought that shit was all that great to begin with. So I now finally have a decent working bike. I know what you're thinking, why didn't I just buy a new one? Once again, " Shut the fuck up "! I did try out other bikes, but I realized I couldn't get used to the way the gears and brakes work. When I'm flying down the trails, I have to make split second decisions! I don't have time to fiddle fuck around by clicking that fucking shifter trying to find the right gear! My gear shifter is on the handle bar like a throttle. I just have to turn it forward or back to find the gear I want. It takes half a second, and most times that's all I have to keep from flying into a tree or a ditch! And the brakes stop the wheel from turning, not some disc on the wheel some where. What if the disc becomes disengaged from the wheel?! Then I fly head first into a fucking tree! Now, do you understand why my bike is so fucking cool?
As for my 5150, well, that needs no explanation. Even nerds like Jay and Kelly know how cool that fucking thing is. But, my new fender amp is actually more versatile and state of the art, the more I use it and work with it, the more I realize this. What I could have done, is just bought the 5150 pedal, Eddie is currently marketing, that gives you his sound, no matter what amp you're using. It costs about the same as the repair did. But, once again, it's not the same. I needed to have that fucking amp working perfectly, even if I don't use it much. It's better to have it and not need it, then to need it, and not have it. It needed new tubes, apparently, they burned out, like light bulbs do after a while. Plus, the repair guy said he took it apart and cleaned and tested everything. So, like my bike, it's just like new! I had to test it out of course, just like my bike before I took it home. So, yeah, I gave the people at the music store a little Van Halen show. I'm sure they're still mumbling about amongst themselves.
But, like my bike, I'm attached to it, on some weird spiritual level, and I have to have it working. Who knows, I might get the itch to shatter all the windows in my house! You can't do that with the fender and a fucking pedal, now can you? See, stupid! Well, if you were ever as cool as me, you'd understand. So if any of this goes over your head, now you know why.


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5 Comments
Sucker in a three piece
Posted:Feb 8, 2016 4:41 pm
Last Updated:May 11, 2016 4:30 pm
18765 Views

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./[fontface=comic sans ms]



Owwwwwwww!

She's so fine
How 'bout a 9 on a 10 scale
With long legs
Straight on up to her lunch pail
Whoo! Sweet little wishbone, oh yeah
Don't wanna break her in half
Lick up one side an' down the other
Always make her laugh, ha! Ha!

She take me down, down, down to the bottom
I got everything you wanted
Give you everything you need
Still you want that sugar daddy
Over me

Huh! She want a sucker (Sucker)
Sucker in a 3 piece
(Sucker) Sucker, all dressed up in a 3 piece suit

I'm on fire, woo!
With just one look
Got me a brand new number
In my little black book
But she don't like the way I dress
She don't like the way I wear my hair
But when I roll you over baby, you don't care

Just take me down, down, down
Down to the bottom
Gimme everything I want
Gimme everything I need
You don't want that sugar daddy
Not over me

Uh! She want a sucker (Sucker)
Woo! Sucker in a 3 piece
(Sucker) Sucker, all dressed up in a 3 piece suit

Oh
Now say it isn't so, baby
You wanna sucker
He just a sucker, he just a sucker
Look at all that money, baby
Ya know, your sugar daddy
You a sugar mamma
Hey, you're both a bunch of suckers!

Oh, He got a big ol' belly
A stone bald head (Sucker)
Now, listen here, honey
That ain't down your alley, no
He just a sucker (Sucker)
In a 3 piece
Sucker (Sucker) yeah, in a 3 piece suit
S-s-s-sucker
Stone cold sugar daddy
(Oooh ooh ooh) S-s-s-sucker (Sucker)
All dressed up in a 3 piece suit

That's right, go ahead, suck it all up Right down to the last drop


I know I'm at the age when I should just let things go, but something happened this week and it irks the shit out of me. I went into this notorious music store in my area it's fairly well known. And the owner is a world class dick! And that's fairly well known too! It's also the place where I bought my very first over priced left handed piece of shit guitar. I don't go in there very often anymore, mainly because I don't have too. There are other music stores and I can get anything I want on line. But anyway, I was meandering around there, checking out the stock. They still have a lot of good stuff, despite the fact that he's been diversifying his stock in recent years to include things unrelated to music. So, then while I'm looking around, the owner and world class dickhead makes an appearance. He looks right at me, like I'm a piece of shit, and then continues on up to his office. Now, when I was younger, I used to put up with his snobby attitude and bullshit. Mainly because I didn't hold the credentials that he did. But now I do! He's a guitarist too, and he runs a business. I'm a guitarist and I ran a business, so I don't see why he thinks his shit doesn't stink any more than mine does? I was so mad, I wanted to go up to him and punch him in the face. But, of course I can't do that, because I would go to jail. But, I could do something equally offensive. I looked around and I didn't see one left handed guitar in the store. Lucky for him. But I noticed a Marshall double stack. I was going to go home and get my guitar and come back and play some AC/DC at ear shattering decibels! But, instead, I came up with a better plan. I've been wanting to order that new 5150 pedal Eddie has out, that gives you his sound instantly! So, I'll order it through his store, when it arrives, I'll tell him " I have to try it out, to make sure it works properly ". I'll bring one of my Van Halen guitars, I haven't decided which one yet, probably the Frankenstein because that's more impressive looking, and plug into the Marshall double stack! Then I'll run through " Sucker in a three piece " at concert hall volume! That dirty old bastard red headed devil will come tearing out of his office freaking the fuck out ! I hope I give him a heart attack! If you hear about it in the news, you'll know it was me. I tell people not to fuck with me, but they never seem to listen.


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2 Comments
Crossroads
Posted:Jan 18, 2016 5:01 pm
Last Updated:Feb 4, 2016 5:04 pm
20993 Views




I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
Asked the Lord above for mercy, "Save me if you please."

I went down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride.
I went down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride.
Nobody seemed to know me, everybody passed me by.

I'm going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side.
I'm going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side.
You can still barrelhouse, baby, on the riverside.

You can run, you can run, tell my friend-boy Willie Brown.
You can run, you can run, tell my friend-boy Willie Brown.
And I'm standing at the crossroads, believe I'm sinking down.


Well, this will be an unusual post. I don't really know how to describe everything, but I will just put it all out there and hope it makes some sort of sense. It involves me, Ralph Macchio, Erica, and that miserable abomination I once knew whom I refer to Dickhead! First, because I know you want to know, and because he's so central to the story, who is Dickhead! Dickhead, not is real name but an apt description of his mind set. was an acquaintance I once knew briefly in my early twenties. I could write an encyclopedia's worth of information for how stupid and insane he is, but I won't for times sake. I say " acquaintance " instead of friend because that's what he was. We were never friends, although I didn't realize it until I stopped associating with him and analyzed the situation. I only knew him for two years, and I didn't even associate with him all that much during that period. But, it felt like twenty years, and I now realize, every time I encountered him was like an assault on me and my mind. LIke I said, I didn't realize any of this until later. While I knew him, I treated him like a friend, which was a terrible mistake, because he did more damage being so close to me, then if I had kept him at a safer distance. This association culminated when we took a trip together, down south to Florida. It was only at that point, I finally realized who and what I was dealing with. Yeah, he had a real good front to fool people. But, on the trip, he was out of his natural element, and couldn't hide himself as he usually did. He totally weirded out, I'm still shocked by his behavior from that time. And I don't get shocked by anything. That's how fucking bad it was! And now, after all this time, I see what he's done with his life. At the time, he just graduated from college and hadn't done anything yet, so there was nothing I could look at to show how crazy he was! But after the trip, and I mean, right after it, I stopped associating with him, and made the assumption that he was abnormal and would probably do something that would prove that fact. And he did, he posted his resume on line, so I could see precisely everything he's done since association with me. It took him a few years to get his plan into action, but he's enacted and engaged in it ever since. What is it, you ask? Simple, he wanted to stay in school the rest of his life, and he's done it! Oh, no, it's not what you're thinking, because that would be normal! He didn't become a high school teacher or something rational like that, or like my ex did. He wanted to stay a high school student, but because of his age now, I guess it would be a little difficult to explain. So, he's stayed a college student, and goes to class with agers. He has about six or seven degrees by now. What he does, is takes a course of study in something, and then right after he graduates, he signs up at another school and takes the same classes over again. And he's been doing this for about twenty five to thirty years, or more if you include the time he did it originally! If that sounds strange or insane to you, it should, because it is, and that's only one facet of his total insanity! Okay, I didn't want to dwell on him or that subject, but I have to, to give you some sort of insight as to what I was dealing with in him. Also, if you're thinking that's not that bad, or doesn't make him a bad person? You're wrong, he is a very bad person, in fact one of the worst I've ever known, but I'm not going to go into the list for all of the terrible shit he said and did, because it would take too long, and also I don't want to prejudice you, the jury in this matter. I will write a long prose sometime, about him and all the stuff I witnessed but in this instance I'll only allude to the things that are relevant here. But, so you know, I hate this mother fucker and wish him a slow painful death!
Anyway! I love the movie " Crossroads " because it dealt with guitar playing obviously! It's a story about a young guitar prodigy played by Ralph Macchio who helps an old black blues man get out of his deal with the Devil by going back to the crossroads and standing in for him at a head cutting dual with Steve Via with guitars. Ralph wins by playing a classical piece he learned in school!
I was watching this movie the other night again, and I realized I played out the same story in a round about way, with that insane Dickhead person I once knew. The events didn't happen in the same order or time line, but they all happened and I'll try to explain. When I knew that guy Dickhead, I was just beginning to learn and start to consider seriously becoming a musician. In retrospect, I should have done things differently or worked harder at it. But, I came to it in a round about way. Partly, because I didn't think I could actually do it. Playing the guitar is very difficult and takes a lot of time to master, if you don't have a natural ability with it. I eventually did master it, but I meandered around with it for a while. So, during this period, this guy Dickhead, did know how to play the guitar somewhat. He had taken lessons, and had the ability to figure out certain parts or riffs to songs. But, that didn't make him a musician! At the time, to me he was, because anybody who could get a tune out of a guitar was a musician! Later, when I met real musicians, I realized, he was nothing compared to them, or me now, for that matter. But at that time I didn't know that. Well, must have realized my naivety in that area, because he used to harp on me all the time about my lack of ability. So, in effect, he was acting as arrogantly as the character Steve Vai was towards Ralph Macchio in the movie. And like Steve's character, he was a better player then I was at the time. Well, like I said, we took a trip down south like the characters in the movie. But we flew, none of that road trip stuff. Although, now when I think about it in retrospect, I think Dickhead would have probably preferred to go that route. Even though he would have weirded off faster in that situation then he did by flying there. But, he didn't consider contingencies like that, and he never considered anything having to do with reality. He was just like that, you would have to experience it to fully understand. On the trip, he totally went sideways and I realized I couldn't associate with him any longer. But, I kept up my study with the guitar and eventually became proficient with it. I was up performing on stage within a couple of years of ending my association with that asshole. I played for years in bands and in bars, some of them with in close proximity to where he resided. But, I never considered contacting him to come to one of my shows. The main reason was, he would never have attended because he is a jealous little bitch, and couldn't stand to see me succeed where he wanted to, but never could because of his abnormal personality. Secondly, I never contacted him, because he was insane, and I didn't want to deal with any more of his insanity, even if it was to show him up, or get revenge on all the insults I endured from him for my lack of ability in that area at that time. So, I played for a long time, then sort of retired from it. As I've related many times, I was all but done with playing, until I met Erica, and for some odd strange reason, she re-ignited my passion for playing again, once more. But, this time, there was a new element to it. I started creating videos! Well, I was still resentful of all the insults I endured from Dickhead all those years ago. I would have like to show him my now stellar skills on the guitar, but I didn't want to have any actual interaction with him. The same way you wouldn't want to be exposed to a toxic poison is how I felt about interacting with him. That's how bad it was! Now, in addition to finding his resume online, I also found his you tube channel. I saw what he was viewing from his favorites channel. It was the same stuff he used to play when I knew him. I mean the exact same songs! If you're wondering, could he have excelled and developed better skills on the guitar too? Then answer is yes, and no! Like all of the paradoxes associated with this psychopath, let me explain. Yes, he had the ability to become good or a proficient musician on the guitar. But no, he wouldn't, because he didn't have the personality or the discipline to actually follow through with it. I realized that at the time I knew him. And later when I saw his channel, it just re-affirmed what I had always known about him. And a few other things I found out, just proved that I was right about how insane he was too. So, then after I created a few videos, and saw how good they were, I decided I would send one to him. You can do that through you tube, especially if the person you're sending it to, has a channel too! So I did, I sent him the Eruption, You really got me, video, and the Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap! Of course, I don't know precisely how he reacted, because I have no contact with the asshole. But, what I do know, is that he closed his channel on you tube the very next day. Which, to me, shows he's still the same, because that's about what I would have expected him to do. Like in the movie, when Ralph bested Steve with his fancy classical piece of music he played. The way Steve walked off the stage, realizing he had been defeated, was pretty much how Dickhead reacted when he witnessed me crushing it with the guitar work I now do. To describe what it must have been like for him, I'd have to say completely shocking! To give you a little more insight, when I knew him, he hated Eddie Van Halen, or anyone who could play well on the guitar. I guess because he was jealous or something. He wanted to be a musician or rock star very badly, even worse then I did if you could believe it. I used to tell him I was going to learn to play like Eddie some day! You should have heard the sarcasm and insults he used to lob towards me for my unrealistic ambitions. It wasn't just casually either. We'd be somewhere, and then out of no where, he'd start in on me with a barrage of insults about how bad I sucked on the guitar. So, when he finally witnessed me tearing it up on the guitar, not only playing exactly like Eddie at the same speed and velocity as he does, but also using the exact same guitar! I used the same amp too, but he wouldn't have realized that fact even if I included it in the video, he must have went ballistic, and crazy with jealousy envy and rage! LOL! To him it was totally shocking! So, after all that time, I finally got some respite and revenge on that crazy selfish asshole. At the time, I thought we were going to work on becoming musicians together, and form a band. I now realize that was an unrealistic ambition. Only because I didn't realize how insane and abnormal he truly was.
But, there was something else too. This might sound strange, or like I'm making it up, but this is what happened. When he was insulting me about my lack of ability, I didn't always just sit there and take it. I told him things on different occasions that even surprise me now when I think about it. We were sitting in a booth at a bar restaurant once. And I asked him, "using the Beatles for a metaphor, who do you think I am, and who you do you identify with as a member of that group"? He replied, " I'm Paul, because he wanted to play the bass in the band, and you're George ". Probably because he was the lead guitarist? Then I said, " I thought you would say that, but the truth is, I'm John (Lennon) and you're Pete Best "! The drummer who got kicked out of the band just before they hit it big, because his personality didn't fit in with the other three. John himself stated, " Pete's a better drummer but Ringo's a better Beatle ". And that turned out to be prophetically true. I kicked him out of the band, before I hit it big! I think he must have known, on some level, that this was going to be the case because I remember him showing me something then. I don't remember if it was before or after we had this conversation? But I was over at his place, and he showed me a book he had, it was written by a friend of John Lennon's. I think it was Pete Shotton who ironically was in John's first band the Quarrymen. I always thought that was odd. Why was he showing me this book, of someone who was a friend of someone who made it? It was because, he understood, even if I didn't at the time. That I actually was going to do all of the things I said I would, and I did, and he never would. The only thing he could have hoped for was to be a hanger on or an associate. But, he was so bizarre, that he couldn't even do that. But anyway, I sent him the video, it had the effect of stabbing a knife through his heart. Which is good, because trust me, there was never anyone more deserving of his comeuppance as he was. He walked away defeated just like Steve Vai did in the movie. So, that's my rendition for how that movie reflected events in my own life.

Addendum

Okay I remembered a famous Dickheadism I wanted to add here that Dickhead once professed to me. This is typical of the jealous baby bullshit I endured with this guy, but there was a twist to it, that I eventually realized when I became a professional musician and performer a few years later. Well, like I said, this guy was a fucking asshole, and he never missed an opportunity to disparage or insult me for my ambitions for becoming a musician. I know, now in retrospect, what was I thinking even associating with this jerk. But, it was what it was, and here is what he said to me one time. We were riding in my car, and I was talking about music and playing as usual. So then asshole got this brilliant idea to create what it would sound like when I would be introduced to the audience someday! Now, I'm using a false name and place to explain this example, but just say my name was John Smith, and I was from Jonestown Pennsylvania. My name isn't John Smith and I'm not from Jonestown Pennsylvania. I'm just using it as a metaphor to tell the story. So, he talks real loud like he's introducing me to an audience and proclaims, "From Jonestown Pennsylvania, it's John Smith " and he said it really sarcastically like it was a big joke! That's what I used to endure all the time from this asshole. Anyway, a few years later, when I was playing in bands and different clubs, one night, a friend of mine, was introducing the band to the audience, and when he got to me, he said, " And from Jonestown Pennsylvania, it's John Smith on guitar "! Right after he said it, I thought of that time in the car with Dickhead, and how he tried to make a joke out of it. But, here I was, actually performing and being introduced exactly like he said it. Only it wasn't a joke, and no one doubted I was a musician or anything of the sort. I'm telling this story, because I know, a lot of people have dreams or things they want to accomplish, but you'll always be surrounded by losers and fucking assholes who will try to hold you back by making fun of you for even thinking of living out your dreams. Don't take what they say very seriously, and follow your own path. You will prevail in the end, always~


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1 comment
Another new amp
Posted:Jan 11, 2016 12:56 pm
Last Updated:May 3, 2024 7:5 am
21286 Views




Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills
And put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown,
Engines on
Check ignition
And may God's love be with you

This is Ground Control
To Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule
If you dare

This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
In a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past
One hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much
She knows

Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead,
Is there something wrong?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you....

Here am I floating
Round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do.


Well, this should be interesting? First, RIP David Bowie. Another one of my childhood icons is gone. It's always strange when someone like that dies, it's like you've known them you're entire life, and you never thought they would die, or die before you. When they do, it's like a hole in your life isn't it? The fact that humans mourn and lament a death or someone passing is proof that we're more then just mere smarter animals, like the atheist try to imply. Hey, it's not just that, what about ghosts? Humans have always had myths about ghosts! Have I ever seen one, or can I conjure one? No! But that doesn't meant they don't exist or that other people haven't seen them. If were just animals, that die and then there is nothing else, or no after life, we wouldn't see or be aware of the concept of ghosts. That's a fact!
Anyway, I bought another amp. A bigger more powerful version of the previous one I bought before. I also bought a magazine on guitar playing and equipment. Ironically, the two are related and before you go out and spend another dime, trying to keep up with me, listen to what I have to relate to you here about this subject.
Why did I buy this amp? That's a good question, and I'll give you an answer, but it will be long and complicated. To answer it simply, this amp is state of the art. It has a hundred presets, that can be modified and saved, and also, you can go online and download even more settings. In other words, you can make it sound like any amp in the world. It has a hundred watts, and is solid state meaning there are no tubes. Which in this case, that's actually an advantage. It used to be, that the only way you could get a good tone is with a tube amp. That's not true any longer. Also, it has the capability of being turned into a recording console. So I can actually record songs on it. Now, why did I buy it or think I need it? Well, I used to have a peavey thirty watt tube amp. It was used primarily for playing blues guitar. There was nothing wrong with it, except that it was limited. It only had one tone or sound to it. I tried using my effects processor with it, but it didn't sound very good running outside of the amp, you need to have the sound built in, or originating from the amp itself to get a good sound. The difference with this new type of amp, is that I can get that sound or tone of the peavey tube blues amp, plus an infinite amount of other sounds and amp tones as well. Ironically, they both cost about the same, but this new thing is far better as you can see. But, now here is the thing about this. I didn't have to buy this amp, and neither do you. About that magazine, it's called " Guitar for Beginners " it's made in England and I got it, because it gives you a lot of information for acquiring online tools for playing and recording. I had alluded to some of the information this magazine provides in previous posts. I didn't know precisely some of the stuff they refer to there. I only knew generally from my knowledge of this subject. When I was reading it, all they did was re-affirm what I had already been saying. Which just showed me, that I knew what I was talking about with this subject. Like for instance, I said, you don't need to buy amps or equipment, you can download everything online onto your computer. The only thing you need is an interface device, to translate and boost your sound. They tell you to get an Irig plug in device to interface with your computer, and a preamp to boost your signal or sound. Then you just need some monitors or speakers to hear it. That's it! But here is the kicker, you don't even need a computer anymore, you can do all this with your goddamn phone, or coffee maker, anything that has a processor and controls to it. So, in other words, you can sound like Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen with your coffee maker if you want to! Now if you're reading this, and you say, " so what, no big deal "! I'll tell you what the big fucking deal is, this wasn't always the case, in fact, it was a long hard road just to get a decent sound. Back in the dark ages, before there were computer chips and processors, you had to rig up a whole bunch of equipment, in the correct sequence, to get even a mildly decent sound. Or, spend a lot of money and get a Les Paul, a Marshall amp and a few stomp boxes like a cry baby wah, a chorus, delay and maybe a flange. But, that was prohibiting, because that stuff was expensive! It was expensive then, and it's still expensive now. I also just finished reading my Van Halen Biography " Van Halen Rising '. In that book, it discusses the trials and tribulations Eddie dealt with, during that era, trying to get a good sound. As I was reading it, I kept remembering all the times I dealt with the same issues, and with the same stuff. I still can't believe that someone on his level had to actually deal with that bullshit, but he did. In his case, his parents broke down and finally bought him a Les Paul and he worked for the summer in a music store to earn enough money to buy a real Marshall Amplifier! But that's how it was, that's only one example, but I could give you ten million more stories just like that, about how people had to rob peter to pay paul just to get a decent sounding rig and set up. And now, all you have to do, is press a few clicks, and you have first rate gear and sound! You spoiled have no idea how good you have it compared to what our generation went through, I'll tell you what.
About the picture, The guitar and amp on the left, are my original fender amp and Stratocaster guitar. The other two amps and guitar are the new stuff. The older guitar was the second strat I bought after my original " blackie " strat that was my first real left handed guitar. Unfortunately, and despite the fact that I paid a small fortune for it, it was a piece of junk. The neck was warped, and it was more like a toy then a real guitar. So, I traded it for this guitar which was at least a real Stratocaster, not like the first one. It was in the days before the internet. The music stores had a lock on all the equipment, and if you were severely handicapped by being left handed, they really had you by the balls. Like I said before, finding a left handed guitar back in those days, was like looking for hens teeth! They didn't fucking exist! Here were my options, buy a right handed model and play it upside down. I tried that, and it never fucking worked for me. Or learn to play right handed. Once again, not feasible for me. Or pay a fortune to some music store that offered you an expensive piece of shit, and laughed at you as you left the store because they knew you had no alternatives! I even had to put that bitch on lay away and spent months paying it off. I'm still mad about that fact, by the way! Well, a few years ago, I had it modified, or hot rodded it up to speed, by changing the neck and adding a Floyd rose tremolo and a demarzio humbucker pick up in the bridge. It looks like the newer one, but the one on the right, is what it looked like before I had it modified. The thing of it is, I play both of them, and there really isn't that much difference. Yeah, I can push the modified one much farther with some stuff, but I can still do the same thing with the original strat. It's just a matter of preference. I would use the modified version for live gigs, and the other one for playing privately.
Now, if you're astute enough, and you viewed some of my videos, you'll notice, I have a decent sound and recreated the original tones for the songs I was playing. Yeah, right, because I paid a fortune for guitars and gear and rigged it all up to sound right. You also, have never seen what I have to do to prepare the equipment for one of those videos. I should make a video for just that so you can see how difficult it is. I have to set the amp, the guitar, and the effects just right. It takes a lot of time fiddle fucking with everything to get it just right. Then while I'm filming the video, the vibrations from the sound make the books fall off the shelves behind me, spoiling the take and making me wild with anger!
Now of course, with my new state of the art amp, all I have to do, is download the exact presets for a certain song onto the amp, and dial it up and start playing. No more crawling around on the floor, under the amp looking for a wire that came unplugged because I yanked on the chord too hard because it wasn't reaching far enough and getting electrocuted when I plug it into the wrong outlet! Ah, I'm going to miss those days, not!
In addition to this stuff, I also bought the new issue of guitar magazine, and in there, it shows how Eddie had his rig set up on the last tour. As I was looking it over, I smiled to myself. Don't you want to know why? First of all, they don't show you everything. I know for a fact, from other interviews and articles, that there is way more to his set up then they will ever tell you. Secondly, most of the stuff he uses, you would never use yourself. Even if you were playing stadiums like he does. A lot of his stuff is unique to him and his style. If you were to configure your own rig, you probably wouldn't even consider some of the stuff he uses. Third, if your sharp enough, you'll notice when he's playing, the guitar changes tone and effects while he's playing, without him stepping on a button or even adjusting a knob on the guitar. The reason for that, is it's done somewhere else. In the past, I would have said a tech is switching things on and off for him. But, now days, there is probably a program that's doing it automatically. And you won't find him mentioning that in any interviews. I know that, because I deal with this stuff and I know what goes into it. You don't know it, because you read the articles and they lie to you, and you believe it. Just so you know.


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0 Comments
Guitar Wars
Posted:Dec 21, 2015 3:13 pm
Last Updated:May 3, 2024 7:5 am
24530 Views

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Step right up and don't be shy,
Because you will not believe your eyes.
She's right here behind the glass
And you're gonna like her,
Cause she's got class.
You can look inside another world.
You get to talk to a pretty girl.
She's everything you dream about
But don't fall in love

She's a beauty
One in a million girls,
She's a beauty.
Why would I lie?
Why would I lie?

You can say anything you like,
But you can't touch the merchandise.
She'll give you every pennies worth,
But it will cost you a dollar first.
You can step outside your little world.
You can talk to a pretty girl.
She's everything you dream about
But don't fall in love

She's a beauty
One in a million girls,
She's a beauty.
Why would I lie?
Why would I lie?



Okay, this one will be about my guitar and equipment. Eddie has a new pedal out The 5150 overdrive. You can get his unique brown sound by just using this pedal with any amp. Now, the question is, why haven't I bought it yet? I am or I will, but, it turns out I already have it! I have a 5150 amp of course, so I actually do have that exact sound if I ever need it. And my Eddie Van Halen guitars, the Frankenstein and the Music Man have the same pick up or Frankenstein and Wolfgang pick ups in them to further get the right sound. And their both made out of the same wood as Eddies originals so they sound the same. Of course, for those that are aware, you don't need all of that stuff to get Eddies tone. But I'm a stickler when it comes to that stuff, just because I don't want to leave anything to chance. Anyway, I was messing around with my new little fender mustang amp, and guess what, they've already installed a channel with Eddies tone on it. I realized this because I was playing along with a video that was demonstrating the features on the 5150 pedal and I was able to match the tone perfectly! The guy in the video even got out a Frankenstein guitar to play on. So, I got out mine too. And yeah, there is a slight difference in the sound when you use one of those guitars. One of the cool features on this pedal, is that it has a noise gate built in. Which means, when your not playing, it cuts out the hiss from the overdriven amp. The little fender thing I'm using has one too. I didn't realize it until I was playing along. This little amp has so much stuff built into it, it will take me years of using it to discover everything. Which is a dramatic contrast to my original little fender amp. I still have it, and I used it as recently as my "The sea refuses no rivers " video. I don't know why I used that old piece of shit for that video. I have a far better small amp I could have used, but I used the fender instead. It was hard to deal with, because it's old, the knobs don't sit very well for the settings. But it's interesting to me, because this was the one of the first real amps I had, and I bought a fender Stratocaster left handed as my first real guitar. I had other guitars and little tiny practice amps previously, but they were all so bad and such pieces of junk, I would have been better off stringing wire over a two by four and strumming on that. LOL! Yes, really. But now, after I've conquered the guitar world, and own all the coolest guitars in the world. They're all just in the next room. Here I am back where I started with the same guitar and a more sophisticated version of the original fender amp. Also, I can play on a world class level now. When I first had that stuff I could barely play an entire song. I remember I was just learning the basic chords and beginner stuff. Back then, I thought, if I had better guitars and equipment and could play better, I would never bother with this cheap crap. Well, here it is all this time later, and I do have better guitars and equipment, and I can play better, and I'm still using the same cheap crap I started with! LOL! I can tell you partly my reasoning. That stuff is good, but it takes too long to set up and prepare to play. It's easier to just use this cheap stuff. That way I can just start playing and don't have to spend and hour getting the expensive stuff set up to sound just right. The people who designed this stuff know that too, that's why they made it like that. So, that's why that works out that way when I'm playing something. But of course, when I want to do a video, I will take the time to use the more expensive stuff, just because it sounds better. But for practice or messing around, this cheap stuff is pretty cool and gets the job done.

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0 Comments
New guitar and amp!
Posted:Sep 5, 2015 5:18 pm
Last Updated:Dec 20, 2015 3:52 am
29225 Views
Just bought it today!

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You think we look pretty good together
You think my shoes are made of leather

But I'm a substitute for another guy
I look pretty tall but my heels are high
The simple things you see are all complicated
I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated, yeah

Substitute your lies for fact
I can see right through your plastic mac
I look all white, but my dad was black
My fine-looking suit is really made out of sack

I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth
The north side of my town faced east, and the east was facing south
And now you dare to look me in the eye
Those crocodile tears are what you cry
It's a genuine problem, you won't try
To work it out at all you just pass it by, pass it by

Substitute me for him
Substitute my coke for gin
Substitute you for my mum
At least I'll get my washing done

But I'm a substitute for another guy
I look pretty tall but my heels are high
The simple things you see are all complicated
I look pretty young, but I'm just backdated, yeah

I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth
The north side of my town faced east, and the east was facing south
And now you dare to look me in the eye
Those crocodile tears are what you cry
It's a genuine problem, you won't try
To work it out at all you just pass it by, pass it by

Substitute me for him
Substitute my coke for gin
Substitute you for my mum
At least I'll get my washing done

Substitute your lies for fact
I can see right through your plastic mac
I look all white, but my dad was black
My fine-looking suit is really made out of sack



Well, I guess I should give you some back ground on this purchase. But there are a few other weird coincidences that have been happening lately, so I'll share those too! First of all, I had a shocking experience at the Barns and Noble the other day. I took a break from the usual bullshit, because I have the ability you know. And I went there to have a black ice tea lemonade (unsweetened, of course). I picked out a few magazines, all music related, as usual. I ordered a chocolate mousse too, one of my few vices I have left, cause I've stopped drinking and fucking young blonde girls up the ass, so I have to have something left you know. Anyway, I'm sitting there reading this tribute magazine to John Lennon, and I get to the end of it where there showing the vigil outside of the Dakota after he was assassinated, and guess who I see? Me! Yes, really! I was there that day, I can tell by what was laid out in front at the gate that day. I have my own personal pictures that match. My friend who went with me that day is even there, in front of me. He was much shorter then me, so he doesn't block my face. I won't keep you in suspense you can find this magazine currently on the stands it's called John Lennon and it's published by i-5 publishing in Irvine CA. They even have a phone number which is nine four nine eight five five eight eight two two. In case you can't find it and want to order it for your self. There is also another tribute magazine for John Lennon out, by Newsweek. It's not that one. In case you get the wrong one and can't find my picture and think I'm lying about it. To find me in the magazine, turn to page eighty nine. In the picture, there is a police barricade in front of the crowd. At the word " cross " on the barricade, look straight up, I'm standing behind Ben, the little guy and the other guy holding a sign in front. and you'll see me! Oh, in the late eighties and early nineties I went to every major Rock show. So now with you tube publishing all the concerts. If you see a show located in Philly or Philadelphia, from that time, and you see a guy in the front row who resembles me. It's because it is me! I usually had front row seats in those days! Just trying to keep it real!
Now about the new guitar and amp! If you are sharp enough, you may realize that I already own a guitar and amp exactly like the ones I just bought. Yes, that's true I do have a strat in the same color and a fender amp about that size too. The only difference is, it doesn't have built in effects, but I have the same effects on my Pandora box I use. I have used them recently too. I used that fender amp in my " The sea refused no rivers " video. And you saw me use the strat in the " Saturday nights all right for fighting video "! So, why did I buy copies of the things I already own? Um, because I'm an impulse buyer with no self control ?! Possibly, but, they are both very different. First of all the guitar. It's true, it is the same as the one I have now, but before I had it modified with the floyd rose tremolo and the humbucker with the phasing switch to split the signal to revert it back to a single coil pick up when I want too! On the surface, or to a none player, they may seem the same, but, they play and feel totally differently from one another. I wanted to go retro and use a more basic guitar, instead of the hot rodded version I now have. To make it more interesting or challenging for myself. The amp is completely state of the art, with all the latest effects and features and it even has a usb port to interface with the computer. When I use it, I play my version of name that tune, but, I use the effects. I dial up an effect or sound on the amp, then I play a song that uses that effect. I know so many songs by now, I can easily do that! Now, I'll tell you something, you may or not know or have figured out yourself about music equipment and instruments and playing! There are still a limitless amount of guitars and equipment out there. And people are still spending a fortune on it. And you don't have to. Not anymore, anyway. All you need is some cheap guitar, or one you're comfortable with, and your computer. You can plug it in and make your guitar sound like any guitar in the world. playing through any amp! You might want to get a tuner or something to boost the sound or volume out put and a couple of speakers that can handle it, and that's it. That's all you need! They even have programs that can make you sound good, even if you can't play very well. So, technology has now come to the point, where anyone can play and sound anyway they want.
But, I'm old school, so I still use different guitars and amps, And because I have shown through my videos, that I can play anything and on any level. I still need new challenges. So, I think I found something. It's like a guitar, it has strings and is played similar to one, but it's not really a guitar in the traditional sense. I have to learn how to play it, or master it. It shouldn't be very hard, because I'm already proficient enough with that stuff. But, I've seen some amazing videos with people doing really cool stuff with it. So, I have something new to work on. I'm not going to say what it is yet, because I want to surprise you!But, it gives me something to do to keep me interested. I hate being bored! Laterz!

Two Guitars

This should actually be a separate post, but I have this one here and it's related to the same subject, so..... Anyway, When I'm not reading the John Lennon magazine in Barns and Noble and seeing myself interjected into rock and roll history! They also have a tribute magazine for Jimi Hendrix as well. I browsed through it, there was nothing there that I don't already know of haven't read before. But here is something from my unique perspective that you might find interesting relating to his guitar. As you know, I have two strats, or fender stratocaster electric guitars in my collection. One is the traditional design, and one is modified with a humbucker at the bridge and a floyd rose locking nut system. When I play them, I can actually feel the difference between them. First of all, I can't believe it took them so long to eventually design a guitar where you could use the whammy bar and not send it out of tune. In Hendrix day, he struggled so bad with that aspect of the guitar. But it was actually even worse. All strats now have five way selector switches. But back in Jimi's day, they were only three way switches. Which meant, you could use the first and last pick up, or all three in the middle position. You couldn't use just the first and middle, or the neck pick up and middle. So, to get a richer tone, you had to hold the switch in between the two positions. Which, as you might imagine would be rather tricky, and still play the guitar. Add to that, it still constantly going out of tune every time you used the whammy bar. And with JImi's wild playing antics, and him being left handed and playing a right one upside down. It's was all so unbelievably complicated, it's miraculous that he was able to play anything at all! That's partly why people still say he's the greatest guitarist in the world, I guess to overcome all of that, you'd have to be! Well, like I said, people struggled like that for ten more years until Eddie Van Halen came along and invented a guitar with two major innovations that overcame all those problems. First he put a humbucker in the bridge position to give it a richer tone, then he had a locking nut system installed that prevented it from going out of tune everytime you used the whammy bar. When I play the tradional model. I can do a lot of stuff with it. But, when I try to play certain things, I quickly come up against it's limitations. When I play the modified version, or the Van Halen design, there are no limitations. I can play anything with that bitch and never have to stop for something. Also, while we're on the subject. The same limiting issues JImi dealt with for the guitar, were also present for the amps he was using at the time. They had limitations as well. But, as everyone knows, he pushed them beyond their limits too! Until, yes that's right, Eddie came along. First of all, Eddie had to deal with the exact same problems Jimi had to, even though it was ten years later with the amps. So, he had to modify them himself, by taking the voltage regulator or variac control off the amp to over drive it more! Until he invented his own design which was the 5150. And I use that amp as well. And, once again, when I use other amps, I run into limitations. With the 5150, there are no limitations. You can over drive it all you want and push it as far as you need to. It actually has more power then I have ever used with it. That's how cool and great of a design it is!
So, as I'm reading this stuff about Hendrix, I was thinking, it would be so cool if you could go back in time and hand him the modified guitar and amp that Eddie invented! First of all, as soon as he would start playing it, he would have felt like someone lifted a mill stone off of his neck. He would have instantly realized that he could do all of the stuff he wanted to do, but didn't have to be burdened with constantly adjusting everything. That, probably would have freed him to be even more creative and innovative with the music he was producing at the time.
Now, as for my own experience with guitars and going back in time to correct things. I'll tell you something, that if you're in the position of learning and acquiring instruments and equipment, this advice will be helpful and invaluable to you. Music equipment is very expensive, and if you follow the wrong path as I did, you will make a lot of expensive mistakes. But, I don't blame you if you don't listen to me, because no one could tell me anything either, I had to learn the hard way, and I did. First of all if you own or are playing a guitar, why did you decide to play that model? You didn't make a decision based on personal knowledge because you're not an experienced player, because presently, you don't know shit about guitars or equipment. You probably picked a certain model, because you're idol or guitar hero plays one just like it, and you wanted to be like them. That's okay, because the entire industry is built on this misconception about equipment. Also, the instrument they use, is not like the one you bought in the music store, even if they look the same. Their guitar is heavily modified to their own unique specifications. And that is the real key and truth of the matter. You won't know what instrument is right for you, until you played a couple different ones. Eventually you'll decide on the right one for you. Now, as for my expensive mistake. I went out and bought all the guitars my idols used, because I wanted to be like them too. But, with each one, I noticed it had a unique characteristic or personality to it, that wasn't always compatible to my style of playing. If you haven't discovered this yet, it's because you have to get to a certain level of playing to even understand what I'm referring to here. But, from me earliest days, there were two guitars that were always prevalent and around. Being left handed, I was limited to only a few guitars available to me. One was the strat, the other two were the ones you see me using in most of my videos lately. The Ibanez metal guitar, and the acoustic. Those two were around as long as I've been going to music stores to play guitars. And for a long time I hated them and refused to own them. I stubbornly acquired all the other types of guitars you see me use in my videos. Even though they didn't even make some of them in left handed, I had them specially commissioned and custom made. Tjhat's how determined I was about it. Well, after I had ever other type of guitar, I realized, none of them were compatible to my style of playing. When I was in the music store, I only wanted to finally purchase an acoustic. I bought the ibanez just for fun. Then, when I took them home and started using them, I realized something. The two types of music I usually play, are either with an acoustic or the blistering metal I use the ibanez for. I also realized aspects of the instruments I never considered before. Like for instance, the ibanez has a thinner neck then the other types of guitars. That helps with speed. And the thick neck on the acoustic helps with playing those types of acoustic songs too. Then I realized, that these two instruments, were the two extremes for playing the guitar. One being thick and heavy and the other being thin and fast. All the other types of guitars I used, are the in between models of those two extremes. For me, that is what I needed. But, I didn't know it, and no one ever told me about it either. But, I'm telling you. Just because your idol uses a certain guitar or amp, doesn't mean you should. You have to find what works best for you. So ends the lesson for the day.


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8 Comments
Worlds most interesting man
Posted:Jul 6, 2015 4:23 pm
Last Updated:Dec 4, 2015 3:00 am
30939 Views

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I heard the news baby, all about your disease
Yeah you may have all you want, baby, but I got somethin' you need

Oh yeah, ain't talkin' 'bout love
My love is rotten to the core
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Just like I told you before, yeah before

You know you're semi-good lookin', and on the streets again
Oh yeah you think you're really cookin' baby, you better find yourself a friend

My friend, ain't talkin' 'bout love
My love is rotten to the core
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Just like I told you before, uh before, uh before, before

Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Babe it's rotten to the core
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Just like I told you before, uh before

I been to the edge, an' there I stood an' looked down
You know I lost a lot of friends there baby, I got no time to mess around
Mmmm, so if you want it got to bleed for it baby
Yeah, got to got to bleed baby
Mmmm, you got to got to bleed baby
Hey, got to got to bleed baby

Ain't talkin' 'bout love
My love is rotten to the core
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Just like I told you before, before, before

Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Don't want to talk about love
Don't need to talk about love
Ain't gonna talk about love, no more, no more, ah

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey


Okay I have a lot of ground to cover and little time to do it. So I'll try to be as brief and succinct as I can with the points I'm making. First of all, it all goes back to the guitar and my playing! I want everyone to know, that even I'm getting tired of this shit! I don't think having the ability to play the guitar is really that big of a deal or even very important. I don't! Of course it was important to me at one time. And, now that the world has evolved to the point that anyone can become a star or famous as a result of some talent or ability they possess through the magic or the internet. I'm grateful that I took the time to become proficient enough on the instrument so I had something I could do for videos. Of course, again, you don't need to be able to play an instrument to become popular on the internet. Most of the biggest stars have nothing to do with music. I few of them do music videos as an after thought, here and there on their channel just to break up the monotony of railing against this unjust society we live in. Laci Green comes to mind when I mention this. There are hundreds of people like her on the tube, but because I'm familiar with her, I'll use her as an example. She's a really hot looking chick who resembles a famous young porn star from the late seventies and early eighties named Tawny Pearl. So if you want to know what Laci looks like when she getting fucked, just google that shit! Anyway, she's known for spending all of her time talking about social issues and spreading the propaganda of the radical feminist agenda, how unfair it is for the gays (fuck those faggots ) and womens sexual issues. She's enormously popular as a result. I, of course don't give a rats ass about any of that stuff! I only watch her videos to look at how big her tits have grown! and wonder what it would be like to stick my cock in her mouth! But, unbelievably she's actually musically talented as well. To be fair, she's not that talented, but I think that's only because she doesn't work at it very much. She's spends all of her time worrying about those fucking faggots! She did a few videos where she sang and she also plays the piano and the ukelele. Which for a woman is quite a lot and she could do a much more with that if she wanted to. But, she would never be as popular with her videos. I'm just the opposite. I could talk a lot of shit, about controversial topics and become an internet star if I wanted too! But, I'd rather be known for being a musician and a guitarist specifically ! I don't feel the need to waste my time talking about bitches and faggots just to get views. But, she makes her living talking about that stuff, so that's why she keeps doing it!
So, like a said, I don't believe, having the ability to play the guitar is that big of a deal. And the reason for that, is, all of my friends are guitar players too! So, the fact that I can wail on crazy train isn't really that impressive. But, every time I turn around, there are reminders for how significant playing the guitar really is. So, I will now elocute.
I was watching a video on the tube the other day by someone named Aaron Clarey. He's one of these pro male guys who talk about how cool it is to be a guy and mostly guy stuff. Or, the opposite stuff of what Laci talks about! He did this one interview about how to make yourself more interesting to women. Of course I don't have any problem in that area, all women find me fascinating, unless they're mentally deranged like Anya! But, like everyone else, I'm always looking for an edge or a new angle I can use to get chicks in the sack. I was hoping he would tell me the right phrase to say, to get any beautiful women to immediately drop to her knees and start blowing me! I know all men have been looking for those words since the beginning of time, but I'm still an optimist! Anyway, he goes on and talks about stuff guys like to do, and some women find interesting. One of the things he said was, he rides a motor cycle and he likes to talk about his trips, and women find that interesting. I ride a motorcycle too, and of all of the things I do, I think that is the very least interesting thing I do, or would ever consider talking about. But, if it will get me laid, I'll talk about it if the bitches want to hear it. I just got my bike back from the shop, it fell over in my drive way and needed to be fixed. It's running great now and I'm very happy about it! So, then he goes on about a few more things and then he drops the bomb! He says, " oh, by the way, if you can play the guitar, then don't worry about any of this other stuff. If you can play the guitar, it's all you ever need to interest women in you"! Really?! You mean, there's only one thing you'll ever need to be able to know how to do, and I'm doing it. I know what you're thinking, didn't I claim to have sex with over a thousand women as a result of my guitar abilities? Yes, and I did, but I didn't put the two together in my mind for some reason. I was thinking I needed to learn some card tricks or something else too.
Okay, my muse or Anya, has resurfaced again recently. Yeah, she hides herself, mainly because of me. Which is totally ironic and illogical. She thinks if she stays out of sight, she'll be out of my mind too! But, she doesn't realize I can walk right up to her in person any god damn time I feel like it, and I would if she ever gives me a reason. But, instead of going on a long tirade about her and her fucked up life and situation, like a usually do. I want to talk about how she inspired me to begin playing the guitar again. I've talked about this before but I don't think I explained it as well or how significant that was. My music career followed and arc. At first I was a beginner and studying and learning to become a musician. Then I started playing out and surrounding myself with other musicians and I evolved into a regular player. Then I did the whole Jim Morrison rock star trip and I crashed and burned ending with my death alone in a bath tub just like him. Oh, about that part. I got better eventually, in case you were wondering. Then I continued to play out, but, gradually, my heart wasn't in it any longer. I played less and less, and then stopped altogether selling most of my gear. I was doing other things, so it wasn't like I stopped living, I just developed other interests. When I had that phone conversation with Erica, where I played for her the first time! By then I hadn't really played in about ten years. I tried to rekindle my passion for playing a number of times before that to no avail. I would take out what gear I had left, and say to myself, " okay, we're going to start playing again "! And i started wailing away on some song and really tried to get into it and work up an enthusiasm! But, after a while I would just stop and say to myself. " I don't want to do this shit anymore, fuck it "! And I would put everything back in the cases and go do something else. I had been talking to Erica about a year, before I actually played something for her. So much for being the worlds most interesting man by playing the guitar. So, it wasn't even in my mind set that I should play the guitar for her, to impress her or something. I have said, it was a total fluke and accident how it happened. I had changed the strings on my guitars and left one of them out when she called me that evening. I didn't have a amplifier set up, so I had no intention of performing for her or anyone else. We had been talking for almost an hour, when I looked down and saw my guitar sitting there. I suggested I would play something for her as a kind of novelty or just to do something different for a change. Neither she, nor I could have expected what would happen next. I don't think she was expecting to hear anything very good. Because her current fiancee plays too, and he probably played something for her once, but he sucks ass on the guitar, so she probably thought I would too. I think the first thing I played, was something I use as a warm up exercise a Beatles tune called " blackbird ". It's a finger picking thing. She was really impressed and thought I played very well. For some reason, that was all it took to get me started again! After that, I reconstituted my musical arsenal and eventually started creating the performance videos! Which in retrospect was a perfect idea. I'm still experiencing the benefits from doing that to this day. I really am glad that she inspired me to resurrect my musical career and start playing again, but in another forum! Unfortunately, she stopped talking to me, shortly after that, because her boyfriend is an insecure jealous asshole who didn't want his girlfriend associating with the worlds most interesting man.
Anyway, I've thought about her and that whole situation ever since. And I believe that she possesses a certain quality, that can inspire people or bring out certain aspects of their personality. At the time, she was working towards becoming a prison counselor. I don't think that would have been a good idea for a number or reasons. The only reason she wanted to do it, is because her ex was in prison so often, she met one of these counselor people and decided she wanted to do that type of work too. But, the problem would have been. She has this quality that inspires people or brings out things they are already good at. If she was in contact with criminals and murderers all day, she would have inspired them to be better crooks and killers! I know, it's sad, but true. So, thankfully she never did that job. Now days she just puts on cam shows for nerds and losers who can't get laid in real life. Hey, it pays the bills. And at least she's not inspiring any inmates to cut their cell mates throat. See, it's all good!
I have more to say here, so maybe I'll add to this post later. I have to make dinner and go to bed now. I love my new job, I make lots of money and I meet lots of women. I know, it sounds just like I'm still a rock star! Which I am, but in a different forum. I guess I was just meant to follow a certain path.




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1 comment
The Who
Posted:Apr 18, 2015 9:05 pm
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2015 5:45 pm
38346 Views

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I don't mind other guys dancing with my girl
That's fine, I know them all pretty well
But I know sometimes I must get out in the light
Better leave her behind with the , they're alright
The are alright

Sometimes, I feel I gotta get away
Bells chime, I know I gotta get away
And I know if I don't, I'll go out of my mind
Better leave her behind with the , they're alright
The are alright

I know if I go, things would be a lot better for her
I had things planned but her folks wouldn't let her

I don't mind other guys dancing with my girl
That's fine, I know them all pretty well
But I know sometimes I must get out in the light
Better leave her behind with the , they're alright
The are alright

Sometimes, I feel I gotta get away
Bells chime, I know I gotta get away
And I know if I don't, I'll go out of my mind
Better leave her behind with the , they're alright
The are alright, the are alright, the are alright



I had an interesting day today, playing Who songs on my guitar! I would like to share it, because I think have some valuable insights that may help other people who are interested in playing but are reluctant because the task of actually mastering the guitar seems very intimidating because it's so complex. I was thinking of doing a series of posts and calling them the guitar chronicles. These would be posts about my experiences with learning and mastering the guitar and giving advice to anyone who has questions about it. I am a master and have dealt with every possibility related to playing the guitar. So, there is very little I don't know about the subject of music, to playing and performing, writing and recording. So if there is something you want to know, just ask me!
First of all, I have to begin with discussing Pete Townshend again. He is a very odd fellow and unusual musician to be the lead guitarist of one of the biggest bands in the world. You can actually view his development as a musician and a guitarist by listening to the songs of the Who from the early days on through. Nothing I will be relating here about him or his playing is anything new. He himself was his biggest critic. He said " he played so simply, he was surprised anyone considered him a guitarist at all ". That part was true in the early days, but by the seventies he had evolved into a decent guitar player and could hold his own with the rest of the band. How it worked is that the other members were stronger as musicians, and he would kind of try to keep up and fit in with them as best he could. He did, but barely. Where his strength was, in the song writing department. If he hadn't been a composer, and wrote all their songs, he might have been replaced with a better guitarist. I have to state this aspect of him and his ability so you will understand what I discovered while playing along with the who songs.
Okay, I've been rehearsing songs for videos, I have a bunch I might do, I haven't decided how I want to present them yet. So, I was going through my files and I found an old Who song book. I bought this book when I still wasn't very good as a guitar player or I may not even have started seriously playing yet. It's one of those books that has the music written old school and the chords and that's it. No tab! Of course, I don't need, tab, the music or the chords to play a song these days. But, I wanted to do something interesting. So, I hadn't played any of these songs in a long long freaking time. To make it more challenging, I even got out my Tesco Del Ray, the first piece of shit guitar I owned that I re-acquired a few years ago. I wanted to go back to the time, when I first bought this song book and this was the only instrument I had to play them with. But, at the time, I couldn't play the guitar, and I could barely figure out the music or chords in this archaic book. Today, of course, I'm just the opposite. I'm a guitar ace! that can play anything. So, I set up the guitar with my little practice amp, and I opened the song book and found a song I wanted to do. I picked " The Are All Right ". I had not played this song before, I cued up the song from you tube and opened the book to the page for the song. I did not look at the music prior, I figured I should be able to play it instantly as soon as the song started. I did, it's not a hard song or even anything special. There's no solo on it, just chords. But, as I'm playing it, problems started arising. First the guitar itself, it's a right handed guitar, modified for left handed. Just like the original one I owned. Even though I had it worked on professionally and it's now better then when it was new. While I'm strumming, my hand kept hitting the volume knob and turning the sound down on the guitar. Then I noticed the chords for the song, although simple, do not follow a standard pattern for song structure. What I mean is, most songs, this simple, are usually easy to play and not very complicated. This song, was simple, but because of Pete's quirky writing or playing style, it has some weird chord progressions to it. So, after I played the first song, I stopped to reflect on a few things I remembered from when I first attempted to play this shit, with the song and the same guitar. Then when I realized a few things, it made me kind of angry. I started studying music late, largely because of the obstacles I encountered originally when I first attempted to play this stuff with this type of guitar and music. I thought I was having trouble, because I sucked on the guitar and didn't know anything about music. Which was true, but not everything was entirely my fault I realize now. First of all, the guitar. I'm left handed so I need a left handed guitar. But back in the late seventies and early eighties. Trying to find an actual left handed guitar for a left handed player, was like trying to find hens teeth. It didn't exist! Oh, I'm sure there was probably a few somewhere in the world. But this was before the internet. Of course I could go to a music store and have one specially made and ordered from some custom shop, but it would have been so expensive, I wouldn't have been able to afford it any way. Even ten years later, when I was actually playing, the situation hadn't changed that much. All the left handed guitars you see from my collection I purchase at that time, cost twice to three times as much as a right handed model. Now of course, they are more prvelant and reasonably priced. But that's because of the internet and opening up availability to more left handed players like me. So, even if I had bought a better guitar then the piece of junk I had at the time. I still would have had similar issues with the knobs and other stuff. Plus, you feel like it's up side down, and it's difficult to play up on the neck at the higher notes. I can do it now, of course, but that's only because I became fantastically proficient from playing with a real left handed guitar first. Secondly, it was the songs and the music itself that was difficult to master. I'm a professional now, and when I look at Pete's songs now, I think, " what the fuck was he thinking when he wrote this "? And I know the answer to that as well. If you look at a Who song book, the first thing you'll notice is, a lot of simple chords, and then they'll be some weird ass chord you've never heard of before, thrown into the mix, and then a bunch of regular common chords again. That used to perplex me, until I realized how people like him wrote songs. First of all, he's not trained or has any formal musical study. He's one of those self taught guys. I think he played other instruments first before he picked up the guitar. I believe he played horns or something first? Then when they formed the Who, he became the guitarist, because that's what was popular with the bands at the time. If horn playing bands were popular at the time, he probably would have stuck with that instrument instead. He basically was a chordy or just a chord player, and he wouldn't evolve much past that until the Who released their magnum opus Who's Next in the seventies, But here is the key to his style. Because he didn't know what he was doing, he would play things the way they sounded, or the way he heard them sound from the tune in his head. Because of that, and the fact that he was limited as a musician. He would just move his fingers around with the notes, until he found a sound he liked or matched what he was singing. That may be good for the song, but it wreaks havoc for players trying to reproduce it. Because I now know and understand chords and their construction, I recognize this trait in all of his songs. So, in this case, it wasn't the fact that I had trouble mastering the music or playing it, it was the unconventional way the songs were written in the first place that made them difficult to play. But, at the time, I didn't know any of this. I just thought, " oh, this is too fucking hard, I give up "! But, had I attempted other songs, from some other artist, I might not have had this problem. But I didn't know that, I thought they were all like this, they're not. I found the one band, that had the most difficult songs to master, and I based my decision on whether to pursue playing the guitar on this fucking assholes lack of proper song structure. Well, for me the result was, it delayed my eventual study of the guitar and music a few more years. So, I played a few more songs, and in every one of them, I noticed this same weird chord and song structure. And in case you're wondering why it worked or doesn't sound so bad when you hear them, The rest of the band, did a lot of work to cover for Pete's deficiencies on the guitar. This isn't a secret, the other members talked about this fact in interviews. I saw one song, I always thought there was more going on with the guitar part that there actually was. I was playing it, and I was certain the guitar was doing a walk during this part. But, on the music, it's just one chord. So when I listened to it, I realized it was actually the bass that was doing the walk, and Pete was just strumming the same chord over and over. That's a prime example of how John was covering for Pete being a suck ass on the guitar! Well, the Who, are probably the worlds most dysfunctional band. It's amazing they stayed together and persevered the way they did. They actually did break up a few times. John and Keith were originally going form a band and call themselves Led Zeppelin. But, we now know another band chose that name and got another rhythm section to fill it. But, as I said, Pete's redeeming quality, was his song writing ability. That is what made them the icons and huge rock stars they eventually evolved into. Although, not only the song structure but subject matter of a lot of the songs was equally strange. I realized that again while I was playing these songs today. As I 'm sitting there playing this stuff, I'm reading the song lyrics too. I stopped a few times and looked at the lyrics and thought to myself, " What the fuck did you just say, mother fucker "?! It's that strange. Well, Pete was molested as a by a man. And apparently that scared him and influenced him through out his life. That's where a lot of the anger in his songs and personality came from. I don't know, but if I was sexually molested as a , I'd probably be angry about it too. But, I would have went after the Mother fucker who did it to me, and probably killed him. But that's just me. Pete chose to act it out in his art.
Well after only a couple of songs, I put that piece of shit Tesco Del Ray down and used one of my regular axes. I could now play the songs relatively easier, now I had to deal with the weird song structure and subject matter. The Who, were a very strange band.

UPDATE

Okay, let's try this again. I wrote this last night, but when I clicked the update button, it erased everything I had written! I won't make that mistake today, because I'll copy and paste it to a word doc before I press the update button. I also suspect, it was deleted on purpose by this shit hole website, because I made some disparaging remarks about Pete Townshend. I watched a documentary of his life, and I realized that I may have been to hasty in my judgement of him and his character. So, I'll just ignore the aspects of his personal life and focus on the music! Well, this has been interesting for me. Like I said, I got this song book a long time ago, and attempted to play the songs before I knew anything about music or playing the guitar, or had a decent guitar to play the stuff with to begin with. Even if I could have gotten that piece of shit Tesco Del Ray I originally owned back then, up to speed. I still would have had the insurmountable problem of trying to play the songs themselves. Because Pete writes in an unusual style it's difficult to play most of the songs unless you have a certain level of proficiency on the guitar and an equal level of knowledge of music, or at least a very good ear. I was playing another one of the songs today, and I encountered another problem for players learning this stuff. He uses different timing signatures in parts of some of the songs. Most songs are written in four four time, but he threw in a six four time at one point. But for me, this is really a lot of fun, because as I'm playing some of these songs. I remembered what it was like the first time I attempted to play them, and what a struggle and chore it was. I don't think I ever managed to play even one of the songs from this book. But today, it's just the opposite, I know everything about playing the guitar and music. I now can also read music and I have an even greater appreciation for the songs and how they're written and constructed. And if I ever get stuck, all I have to do it just read the music, and I can sort it out very easily! But for me, it's like going back to elementary school, after you've attained a masters degree in college. All the problems that were once so hard, are now fairly simple. But, it's still interesting to note, about these songs, is that they are very cleverly constructed and he uses a lot of very unusual chord progressions and other techniques I've never seen played anywhere else. First of all about this music book itself. I thought it was crap and didn't really show you how to play the songs completely. That's partly true. It doesn't show you how to play the solos, but everything else is written out in the music. It has all the chords listed for the songs, and the other parts are written in musical notes. You just have to be able to read music to interpret it. So, I'm playing a song, I run into an issue of not knowing what part to play, and I just read the music on the page and then I say to myself, " Oh, so that's it, well, good, I guess this book wasn't as bad as I thought it was "? What makes some of Pete's song so difficult, is that he'll change keys and time signatures right in the middle of the freaking song, and then switch back again. You see that in jazz a lot. I think he started out playing in a jazz band, so I recognize the influence. But, it's a pain in the ass, for some novice or beginner attempting to learn these songs. None of his contemporaries, or the other big rock icons of his time wrote their songs like that. They were more or less straight forward in their approach to writing music and stuck with basically the blues scale using fifths, sevenths, nineth and thirteenth chords. Pete uses a lot of major chords, that's an indicator for a jazz influence in writing music. Not only that, but when he does use simple chords, he uses them in a way that's unusual and it gives the music an eerie ambiance to it. As I'm playing some of the songs, I actually stop an examine some of the chord progressions and wonder about it? If you're interested in knowing what I was mucking around with, here are a list of most of the who and Pete Townshend compositions I was working on. "I can't explain, Substitute, Pictures of Lily, The are all right, Tattoo, Who are you, Bargain, Goin Mobile, Love ain't for keeping, Pure and Easy, Naked eye, The overture from Tommy, I'm free, The sea refuses no river, I am an animal, And I moved, Slit Skirts, Slip ". You don't have to own a music book to learn these songs, they are all on line in the tab form. Which might make it easier to learn them, but like I said, you will still run into tricky parts with these things, so if you find you're having trouble with certain parts it may not be totally your fault. Even more experienced and seasoned players would have trouble with some of these songs. Roger once said that not many other bands cover Who songs. And that is definitely true! But not because people don't like them, it's that they're freaking hard to learn and play! Well, anyway, I'm also working on some other songs as well. Because of that, I know first hand that the Who songs are weird and unusual. I can tell from the contrast when I play something else. I'm not bombarded with all these idiosyncratic chords and other stuff you find in the Who catalog. So, for some reason, I felt like playing that Bon Jovi song " Wanted dead or alive ". I hadn't played that in a long time and I remember I used to have trouble with that intro bit and the solo. Well, lo and behold, after plodding through the tough as shit Who catalog, playing that song or anything else was fairly easy! Then I remembered, that was a trick I used to do, when I was still learning and practicing this stuff. I would try to play a song that was much harder then the one I was currently working on learning to play. After you struggle with that one for a while, when you back to the first song, it suddenly seems much easier! That's how it felt, playing just about anything after playing Who songs. Even the Van Halen stuff isn't as difficult compared to Pete's shit! Well, I now have a whole boat load of songs I can do for videos! I have to do a couple of Who songs of course. And the original songs I was working on. If I do decide to play some Who stuff, I'll pick the most difficult ones to show you can see what I'm talking about. They don't sound that complicated, until you try to play them yourself. Then you find out real quick! Horton hears a Who, my ass, Horton hears a lot for complex jazz progressions, that's what he hears, I'll tell you what.

UPDATE

Here is more information on my progress. I was playing Tattoo again today, and it's looking like that is definitely one of the songs I'll be uploading soon. Anyway, I shouldn't tell you this because it makes me look kind of stupid, but, I know this may be a problem for other people so I'll relate it. Another trick or method musicians should always use when learning or just playing in general is to learn from other musicians. Everything you play, can be played a different way then the way you've learned it. Sometimes or most times they found a way that's easier then the way you're performing it. That's why you tube is a tremendous resource for guitarist and other musicians. In the old days, you had to get together with your friends or play in jam sessions. But even there, you're limited by the level of the musicians around you. With you tube, you can access players on every level instantly and see what they know that you still haven't found out. For me, I rarely run into someone who's doing something I'm not familiar with, but I still find easier ways to play difficult pieces. And with Pete Townshends stuff, you need all the help you can get. If you're wondering why I don't just watch him play the stuff? Here's why. He's a limited player and he relies on the musicians around him to pick up the slack. He's good at playing the chords, but even on his own songs, he doesn't always play the parts right or completely. He'll play a chord and part of a fill and then let the other musicians of the band fill in the rest. I've seen him do that so many times in the the live performances he's been shown on you tube. Another thing he does, is he'll just stop playing and let the band take over and he'll just sing and nobody ever notices unless you're watching him like I am. So, he writes these songs with these difficult fucked up chords and arrangements and when it comes time to perform them, he doesn't even play his own difficult material. How do you like that? Anyway, so I'm working on these songs, and I found someone who uploaded a bunch of videos with these exact songs. I wanted to see how he handled it, and not shy away from his own material like Pete does. I found it very enlightening and informative. I gained greater insight to a lot of these songs and some great ideas as well. I'll give you an example. For Goin Mobile, I played that with the regular chords. This guy plays it with the capo on the seventh fret. It sounds the same but it's just played a little differently. I looked at that and thought " hmmmmm, that's interesting, I guess I could try it that way too ". So then while he's playing Tattoo, I noticed he gave a different timing value to some chords in the chorus, then I had been doing. I thought it was two beats for F and two beats for C. He gave each chord four beats. Well, here's what happened. Like I said, I was reading the song book, I thought it sounded wrong from the way it was written. But, it was written in the song book, so I figured it must be right. But after I saw how this other guy played it, I looked at the book again. It turns out, the page was curved, and I didn't see the line, dividing two separate measures because of the curve of the page. It actually was four beats for each chord. I felt so stupid, for not realizing that! So in this case, the song was written right, I was just reading it wrong. Luckily I caught it before I uploaded a video. And I have all the other songs I've been practicing. So, I may upload like ten songs at once or in a very short period of time? But, if you're a musician or practicing the guitar, don't hesitate to watch how other players are performing something you are working on. Because you'll probably find an easier way to do it. Another thing I noticed. Like I said, Pete uses a lot of weird ass chords and progressions. I can do them, but it's really difficult to plod through them in the song. So, I was interested in seeing how other players reconcile this problem. Well, this guy did something I thought was kind of interesting, and probably what Pete did as well. Instead of playing the entire difficult obscure chord, he would only play part of it, or just the main sounding notes. That way, he could continue on through the song without jumping around trying to do finger gymnastics the way i was suffering with them. The rest of the chord, is sounded out by the other instruments playing along, like the bass and mainly the keyboard. So, in other words, he just skims over all the difficult chord configurations, and just touches on a few notes here and there. Once again, I was impressed by the way this guy handled a very difficult piece of music. So, naturally I'll be playing them that way to, because I don't want to work any harder then I have to with this stuff. But, even with that short cut, these songs are still murder to play. You'll see what I'm talking about when I play them in the videos. I can handle difficult chords, because I studied jazz for thirteen years. So, I'm familiar with this kind of stuff. But it's still a pain in the ass!




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Eddie and Me
Posted:Apr 15, 2015 2:25 pm
Last Updated:Dec 17, 2015 4:32 pm
39533 Views

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Have you seen her?
So fine and pretty. Fooled me with her style and ease.
And I feel her from across the room.
Yes, it's love in the third degree.
Ooh, baby, baby.
Won'tcha turn your head my way?
Ooh, baby, baby.
Come on, take a chance.
You're old enough to dance the night away.
Oh, come on, baby, dance the night away.
A live wire.
Barely a beginner, but just watch that lady go.
She's on fire, 'cause dancing gets her higher than anything else she knows.
Ooh, baby, baby.
Won'tcha turn your head my way?
Ooh, baby, baby.
Well, don't skip romance, 'cause you're old enough to dance the night away.
Oh, come on, baby, dance the night away.
Dance the night away.
Dance, dance, dance the night away.



Well, this has been interesting! As always, I'll start from the most recent events and work my way back!First my muse! Like I said in the previous post. Our relationship is one of inspiration! I inspire her, and she inspires me! Entertainer huh?! Somebody has to man those phone sex lines! No, I'm sure she's doing something legitimate like being a clown a 's parties or something like that. Actually I think her fiancee' would be more suited for that vocation. He'd be making the squeeze his red ball to blow his horn! Anyway, at least it explains her interest in me a little better. I guess she perceives me as an entertainer of sorts with my musical abilities. I suppose I am, but I don't think of myself that way.

Well okay, here's what I was doing, and this is what happened. I was practicing some songs for videos. Some of them are in standard tuning and some are tuned down a half step. That means all the strings are flatted. I was surfing around on you tube looking for songs to play and I came across some of the early Van Halen songs or the David Lee Roth era. For those of you who aren't aware and you wouldn't be unless you are a guitarist too, most of the songs from that era are tuned down a half step or flatted. It was something with the way Dave sang them, is why the strings were tuned down. Well, I used to play these songs all the time years ago. But I haven't played them in a long time. Mainly because of the tuning. I keep all my guitars in standard tuning. Yeah, I can tune them down, but it's a pain in the ass and I don't really want to waste the time. But, because I had already tuned my music man van halen guitar down a half step already, I decided to play along with a couple of the songs. It was a lot of fun and I'd forgotten how much I used to enjoy playing them. I still play them, but not along with the records generally because of the tuning. Then I came upon Van Halen playing the Jimmy Kimmel show out on Hollywood Boulevard! Then the fun really started! First of all, I see Van Halen videos all the time when I'm surfing you tube. I've seen most of the footage and the rest is shows I've seen already. So generally it doesn't interest me, unless they do something unusual or cool and this time they actually did! That was really cool and a perfect idea to play right on Hollywood Boulevard like that! They are native sons to that area and grew up playing parties, then all the clubs, then stadiums. They played the whiskey a go go twenty years ago, with Sammy, but the club could only hold a few hundred people, and thousands showed up. This time it was more fair, because anyone who wanted to see them, actually could by playing out in the street. Dave almost fucked it up by twirling a metal sharp edged bo in the beginning and cutting his nose! That's why you see him with a bandage over his nose. This is the second time I know of where he's done that, cut him self with that bo like that during a performance. Now, once again to give you insight for those that don't know. I also practice the martial arts! And I used to twirl bo's and nunchaku's. Even if you use one with a muted edge, you can still get injured. I was spinning a nunchaku stick once, and even though it's made out of wood, because it was spinning so fast, it sliced my face like a razor! So, even though those things don't look dangerous, they actually are very dangerous. So, he should have known better. Anyway, I've actually been to the very spot where they were performing! The one Van Halen T shirt I wear in my runnin with the Devil video, the tie dyed one, I bought at a shop right there on Hollywood Boulevard! If I had known about that gig, I might have flown out just to see it. But anyway, so I'm playing along with the show, using my ultimate Van Halen guitar, the one you see me using on stage in a previous post. The orange thing. Now, first of all let me clarify a few things. Playing those songs are not difficult for anyone with a certain level of proficiency. Just about any decent guitarist could play those songs. But, if your a novice or a beginner or someone who just dabbles now and then, No, those songs would be beyond your capabilities as a musician. Well, a few years ago, when I was reconstituting my music equipment arsenal, I not only bought a bunch of new guitars, I also upgraded all of my existing ones including that orange music man thing. For those that are unaware. Eddie has had several guitar companies hes worked with over the years. First there was Kramer, then Music man, the Peavey, and now fender to produce his " Wolfgang " guitar and 5150 amps. I didnt' get a wolfgang because they were not making them in left handed models. Now they are of course, so I guess I should get one. But, I really like my music man guitar, and wanted to keep using it. So, I just had the modifications from the Wolfgang guitar, installed on the Music man. What I mean by that is, I had Wolfgang pick ups installed and a D tuna, or a clip that allows you to drop the low E string down a full step to D for songs like Unchained and 5150! I had totally forgotten about it, until I was playing along with Eddie during that show. He was incorporating all those cool sounds like squeals and dives, and doing the ! If you don't know what I mean by " doing the ", it's an insider term, you'll learn if you ever get to our level! Well, I usually use my Ibanez RG370DXL which is generally a superb instrument for playing metal or hard rock guitar. It's also very versatile and reliable, and that's mainly why I've been using it more then any of my other guitars lately. But, when it comes to Eddie, and his style, having a guitar with the same modifications as his will help you enormously when attempting to reproduce his style. First of all, let me clarify, for any players out there who are on our level. You do not need a Van Halen guitar to play his songs! I don't want anyone to get that erroneous impression. I can play these songs using any guitar in the world, it just has to have six strings. But, to explain it in terms that a layman would understand. You don't need a Lamborghini Bugatti to drive two hundered miles an hour! You can supe up a Chevrolet and still achieve those speeds, but, if you do have a Lamborghini Bugatti, it makes the task all that much easier! And that's what it's like, playing Eddies songs while using the same guitar as he does! I totally forgot about the modifcations I had made to that instrument, until I started doing that fancy shit that Eddie does, that everybody loves so much. And low and behold, I was creating the exact same sounds! This was so surprising to me, that I stopped playing and examined the guitar. Then I switched guitars, to the Ibanez, and tried playing the same thing. I noticed, it wasnt' as easy to create the same sounds and tones with it, as it was with the modified music man guitar. Then I remembered some of the other stuff that's been done to the music man guitar, and why it's so uniquely different from most other guitars. I'll tell what the modifications are, but first I'm going to warn you, do not, and I repeat, do not try to make these modifications on your own guitar! For one thing, they won't work, because your whole guitar has to be set up a special way in order for them to work, and secondly, you'll just fuck up your guitar, destroying it, and then have to get another one. Okay, you may have a gibson, or fender, or even an Ibanez. And you'll try to recreate Eddies tone, but you never will! It will get close, but no cigar. Because, he has his pick ups, mounted directly onto the wood of the guitar. The other models, use a floating pick up, on springs! Secondly, he only uses two springs on the floyd rose tremelo system. Or the springs you find on the back, when you remove the plate. Most guitars use three springs. It makes it tighter and more controlled. Eddie uses two, to give it a looser more out of control feel and sound. His amp is the same way, incidentally. So, between the guitar and the amp, you have complete chaos going on there. And, if you'll note, that's what his guitar style of playing sounds like as well! He has this frantic, manic, busy playing style, with this out of control guitar set up, and an monster over driving powerful amplifier! And to top it all off, he has these overly sensitive pick ups, that pick up even more sounds then normal guitar pick ups do! But, when Eddie pulls all this insanity together, he creates order out of all this chaos. And in case your wondering, yes, it's very difficult to duplicate if your using the same stuff! When I was playing these songs, I was only using my little nine watt practice amp, and my Korg PX2 effects processor. I can generate a lot of the same tones that Eddies does with it, and I don't have to blast myself out of the room! Okay where was I? Also, for that show, Eddie also had his guitar tuned down half a step. I guess because Dave was singing. If you're savy enough, and click on a video of Sammy singing the same songs, you'll notice that he's tuned in standard tuning again. It's just the way they sing, I guess? Also, Wolfgang, Eddies the bass player is tuned down a half step too. I know this because I was playing along with the opening low E bass note intro for " Runnin with the Devil "! A few other things I want to note about the show and the performance. For, Eddie, playing those songs must be like going back to kindergarten class. He's so far evolved as a musician and an artist from that early stuff it's ridiculous. The only reason he's doing it, is because of his , Wolfgang. He wants his to tour with his band, and the only options he has at the moment is playing with Dave. He can't play with Sammy, because he'll insist on having Michael Anthony back in the band. And the material he wrote with Sam is more sophisticated. I don't know that Wolfgang could handle it like Mikey can. I've long known that Michael Anthony was a really great bass player and musician. And anybody who's seen Wolfgang since he's been filling in for him, knows that he's not as good as Michael.
Anyway, because Dave hurt his nose, during the opening song " Panama ". Eddie was forced to do an improvised jam in the last part of the song. While he was doing that it suddenly brought back memories for me when I used to perform that song live as well. I used to do the same thing when I got to that part of the song where Dave sings, "were running a little bit hot tonight, I reach down between my legs, ease the seat back " It's just two chords to riff over during that period of the song, C and E minor. You just keep alternating between the two chords. If you don't believe me, just get your guitar, and when it gets to that part of the song, just keep playing those two chords, you'll see I'm right! Oh, he plays it in standard tuning on the record, but it's still tuned down a half step for the video. I don't know what that's about? So, I used to do the same thing you hear Eddie doing during that part. He was creating more interesting sounds, because he was using his delay pedal, and he's a much much better musician then me or anyone else on the planet of course.
So, I haven't decided what I want to do for a video yet or how I want to do it. I've have two cool songs I've been practicing, by RATT and Cinderella. I haven't decided if I want to play them along with the record, or just do them solo with just me playing the guitar. I'll decide at recording time which one is more interesting. But, now since I caught the bug with these van halen songs, I'm wondering if I should do a video with those too? I thought of doing a video, where I'm playing along with Eddie during this show. That might be fun?
Or just do a couple of songs, cold, with just me playing again. I also thought of making a video, of me practicing this stuff, because that might be even more interesting. I know some of you would love to come over and witness me just blowing out songs with these little jam sessions? To me, it's no big deal and even sort of boring. But, I realized, to someone who doesn't have the ability or would like to play this stuff, a video like that is gold! So, maybe I'll do one for the fans.
Something else, I've been relating stuff about Van Halen over the years, and interestingly, I can usually add some personal experience I've had that relates to them or something they've done. I realized this a long time ago, I have in some instances, almost identical experiences with this band. And not with just Eddie and his guitar playing. Like I just mentioned earlier, Dave practices the martial arts, I practice the martial arts. Eddie has a jacked up guitar and ultra cool equipment and plays a lot of wild ass shit with it. And so do I! Eddies toured the world with a nagging Italian princess for a wife and played Panama fifty thousand times, And so have I. Eddie started his own business marketing his own brand of guitars and amps and made millions. I started my own business and made millions as well. Eddie plays some badass guitar riffs and fucked multitudes of beautiful women, I did too! I'm not saying I"m anywhere near the same level as Eddie, or that I resemble him and his life. But, there have been a lot of similarities between our lives, over the years. I don't know, I was just inspired by seeing some poster of him, on some teenagers bedroom wall once, and the rest is history. And if you'll note, from previous posts, you see me traveling all around the world to cool places like Hawaii and California, and performing onstage using the same equipment as Eddie used and all the other stuff like the booze, women and money I've made. All I'm saying is that Eddie's life inspired me, and I copied him to a certain extent. I could have done worse I suppose.

UPDATE

Well, I went to the Van Halen show in Hershey yesterday, and unbelievably, it was cancelled!
I still haven't been able to process it properly. This has never happened to me before especially from a band of this magnitude and level. My date and I were at the park and had planned to make a spectacular day of it. We had fun until we learned that the show had been cancelled. Then, that took all the wind out of our sails and we left shortly afterwards. Another interesting aspect of this affair. Was that I asked several women to go with me to the show, including the dragon lady. For various reasons, most of them couldn't go or weren't viable as dates for this event. Now I'm grateful they didn't go with me because the whole thing turned into a giant fiasco! The girl I went with was more of a friend then a real date. She was disappointed too, of course, but not as much as the others would have been and it would have reflected badly on me if any of the them had gone with me instead. So, I guess Eddie must be slipping. I don't believe for one second the reason they gave for canceling, that Dave had a cold and needed to rest his voice. And not announcing it until hours before the show starts. That's really bad and fucked up! Something else was going on. But we won't find out for a while. Of course if Sammy was still with them, this would have never happened. I think they should have done what the Who did, when Keith bailed out on them with his drug problems. Asked someone in the audience if they could sing and knew the material? There would have been at least five guys that could do it. And they probably would have done a better job then Dave. But, because of all the legal stuff, they probably weren't allowed to even consider that option. Yes, things were better in the old days when people knew how to deal with fucked up drug addict band members. And the Doors had a similar problem with Jim, but in that case, Ray used to cover for him and sing the songs when he was too strung out to sing. I would have been happy to just hear the rest of the band jam without Dave, if it came to that, but everyone else is not like me. Oh, well, shit happens. Now I have to see if I can get my money back on the tickets?

ANOTHER UPDATE

I called the ticket distributor where I bought the tickets from, and they said they will issue me a full refund for the cancelled Van Halen show. That's somewhat of a conciliation but not really. I don't care about the money, because I make a lot, but I do care that Dave fucked up my plans and ruined my summer event. The same way he fucked up the show for their first television appearance on Jimmy Kimmel by twirling a baton with sharp edges and cutting his nose. They almost had to cancel that performance too. Also, there have been comments that he's still acting like he's in his twenties! That statement is true, but the only member of the band that should be acting like he's in his twenties is Wolfgang, and that's because he is in his twenties! Dave had been a character his whole life, but now that he's officially a senior citizen, he should act more like it and take precautions against certain things. Not act like he's still an invincible twenty year old that can run around on stage screaming, then drink a bottle of Jack Daniels, snort a pile of cocaine and fuck a bunch of groupies every night and then wake up at five am to go out jogging and do it all over again the next day! Hey, I used to do the same thing when I was that age, except for the coke. And I know how resilient my body was when I was younger. I also know how I can not do the same thing now, because my body won't allow it. He apparently is at war with reality, probably the same war he's been fighting his whole life, and he's learning, no matter what you tell yourself, the real reality will always win this battle. But in the meantime, I have to be disappointed because Dave is a fucking asshole who refuses to grow the fuck up and face reality!

UPDATE AGAIN!

Okay, I got to the bottom of this whole fucked up episode. I went to Van Halens face book page and read the comments and got a better insight and understanding of what really happened for why the show was cancelled. First of all, more people got screwed way worse then me. They booked rooms, hired baby sitters and drove long distances just to go to this show, only to get there and find a " show cancelled " sign at the gate! They were more pissed off then I was, and they have every right to be! It seems there is a problem with this venue. Apparently, they played there before, and pulled the same shit. Cancelling the show before it began. They didn't sell enough tickets, so instead of taking a loss, they just cancelled it and went to the next sold out show! It was probably a management decision because the last time it was with Sammy. They probably have insurance that covers them if the any of the band are unable to play a show. But have to accept lousy receipts if they play and the tickets don't sell as well. Oh, Boo fucking Hoo, you actually make a few less dollars on a gig then the jackpot you were expecting. Welcome to the real world, it's called disappointment, deal with it like everyone else. Even if only five people showed up, me included of course, they still should have gone on! I actually would have loved something like that!" What? Nobody else came to the show except me and a few other people? Well shit, there really is a God after all. Not only can we hang out with the band, I can talk shop with Eddie and learn how he has his guitars hot rodded up these days!"
If I had know they had a history with this place for cancelling, I never would have bought tickets to see a show there. And if they knew they had a problem like that in the past, why are they still booking shows there? And the reason they waited until so close to show time to announce the cancellation, was because they were still hoping to sell more tickets the day of the show. Like I said on their face book page, it's really dismaying, that after all this time and how filthy disgustingly rich they all are, they spoiled and ruined a major summer event for their most devoted die hard fans just for a few measly dollars.😒
And we'll deal with it, because we live in reality, and don't throw a shit fit just because we're not making a million dollrs for a nights work like we feel we're entitled to, and if we don't get it, act like spoiled not getting their own way and taking their marbles and going home. One more thing, I know these guys think they're untouchable and live in ivory towers that look down on the rest of us. But, you do have somewhat of a responsibility to your fans. They are the ones who made you who you are in regards to a financial success. If they think they can disregard their fans feelings in such a careless way, it may come back to bite them in the ass some day. Just ask John Lennon and Dimebag Daryl




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