Moonage Webdream

This is just plum goofy.  Guns n’ Roses started recording their album Chinese Democracy in 1994.  It got to be such a joke about it ever being released that Dr. Pepper pretty much joined the joke by saying if it did get released this year, they’d buy everyone a drink ( of Dr. Pepper  ).  Sure enough, after fourteen years, it got released.  Dr. Pepper quickly set up a site where everyone could go get a coupon for a free drink.  It didn’t work too well apparently.  So, Axl Rose is filing a lawsuit against Dr. Pepper.

Now, my take on this is not good.  You have to understand that the band that recorded Chinese Democracy in 1994 looked something like this:

Axl Rose
Slash
Dizzy Reed
Steven Adler, Matt Sorum
Izzy Stradlin, Gilby Clarke
Duff McKagan
Paul Tobias
Buckethead (?)

The band that released the album in 2008 looks something like this:

Axl Rose
Bumblefoot (guitarist)
Dizzy Reed (keyboards)
Brian Mantia (drums)
Robin Finck (guitar)
Thomas Stinson (bass)
Richard Fortus (guitar)
Chris Pitman (keyboards)

That line-up, of course, is subject to change.  If I were at Dr. Pepper, I’d probably counter-sue that the Guns n’ Roses that recorded the album in 1994 should be the proper litigants.  If I were Dr. Pepper, I’d simply state that one man does not make a band.  There’s a lot more to that statement than simply arguing over a free drink.  Secondly, I’d argue that since it took fourteen years for them to release the album, Dr. Pepper should have the same time frame to release their coupons.  I’m not sure what the terms of the “bet” were, but I doubt there was a time frame involved.  And lastly, although Axl is saying the botched coupon promotion represented unauthorized use and abuse of their publicity and intellectual property rights“, it’s probably the best promotion Axl could have hoped for since Guns n’ Roses is considered pretty much a joke these days.

I, like millions of other people, loved Guns n’ Roses when they hit the scene.  However, it became evident real quick that Axl was a little prick and not worthy of my adulation.  All the advent of Chinese Democracy and this lawsuit proves is Axl still is.  This line-up is not Guns n’ Roses, it’s Axl and his latest cast of support members.  There may be some decent tunes on this album, but I’ll pass.  I will however, continue to support my favorite soda.  Dr. Pepper.

Technorati Tags: axl-rose, chinese democracy, coupon promotion, dr pepper, fourteen years, guns n roses, intellectual property rights, lawsuit, litigants

Tara Reid won’t go back to acting until the strike is over.  No one is quite sure what strike that is.  The writers’ strike ended about six months ago.  She thinks she’s been watching re-runs and previously recorded shows since then.  think twice about entertainers gving advice on who to vote for 

The upside of her stand is I get to post another pic of her:

Now, I’m not sure anyone really cares if she ever figures out that the strike is over.  Just keep posing.  That’s what she does best by far.

Technorati Tags: entertainers, strike, Tara-Reid

I love really stupid headlines.  Today Fox had another one on the main page:

Clay: I’m Gay

Now, raise your hands:

Technorati Tags: Clay-Aiken, gay, poll

This weekend we had our annual Master Musician Festival.  It’s a rather large gala here that stretches over two or three days and features all kinds of performers from all kinds of backgrounds and genres.  In essence, you never really know what to expect from one group to the next.  Especially, if you’ve never heard of the performer before.  Every year, we have one or two acts that just seem to stand out from the rest.  This year, for me, there was one act particularly that just hit me just right.  That band was called Bonepony.  Now, ya gotta understand what I like in a performance to start with.  I like nergy.  Not just fast and loud, but physical energy as well.  Too many bands just stand there.  That bores me visually.  I could sit in my home and listen to that and enjoy it just as much or more.  For a show to be unique, I like something visually that cranks me up along with the music.  Secondly, I like a positive show.  One that cranks you up for all the right reasons.  There’s too much pushing people down in this world.  I look for and enjoy those things that push you up.  And lastly, I like to see the personality of the performer onstage.  I prefer to look at shows in the perspective of who they are moreso than a collective group impression.  When I saw Bon Scott with ACDC, you knew what ACDC was all about.  Brian Johnson carried the tunes ok, but he just seemed to be there.  The focus shifted 100% to Angus, which was more than enough .  But, with the dueling personalities of Bon and Angus, it was a unique experience that I still haven’t forgotten.  Seeing ACDC in 1979 still ranks as my favorite show ever.  When you saw them then, the energy level just exploded at you.  The personalities just exploded at you.  And, needless to say, the music just exploded at you.  I’m not sure I ever experienced anything close to that since.  Maybe Ted Nugent’s Guitar Army was fairly close, but all you got personality wise was Gonzo.  This weekend was close to that.  Now, one last preamble before I dig in too deep, the reason I remember ACDC in 1979 better than I do in later years was because I still remember laughing hysterically at what I was seeing.  They were fun.  Maybe not in all the right reasons, but they were an absolute riot.

This weekend came close to that feeling.  First of all Bonepony’s primary personality shines through via Scott Johnson.  Now, here’s Scott:

The immediate impression I got was a cross between Iggy Pop and Bobcat Goldthwait.  Now, anyone who knows me well knows that is a most excellent comparison.  Iggy had the energy, and Bobcat had, well, let’s jsut say a special presence.  However, Scott’s smile was totally disarming.  One look at him initially and I didn’t really expect too much musically.

Nick Ngyuen sort of had a Jimmy Page look and feel to me.  Now, Jimmy’s never been one of my favoritest guiter players.  But, he had a presence to him that few have been able to match.  Jimmy, like few others, looked someone who was in control of what he was doing.  I like that in a musician under one caveat.  They have to match that look.  And, I have to say, at least live, Nick is possibly the most incredibly talented string man I have ever witnessed in my entire life.  The dude just bounced from one instrument to the next and played them in ways that most people only dream of.  What most people forget is that Jimmy Page’s greatest solos were emulating other stringed instruments with his guitar.  What he should have done is what I’ve seen people doing more of lately and Nick has down to an art form.  They make other instruments sound like guitars.  The advantage for Nick is multi-fold and it showed.  They don’t have a bass player.  Why bother when you can do it all yourself?  Nick was amazing for me to watch.  It’s not terribly often that a performer plays a popular festival in a small rural town that just makes me go “WOW!”.  NIck and Cowboy Crush’s Debbie Johnson being the only two in many years.  The things Nick does with strings just left me slack-jawed.

Here’s Kenny Wright playing the drums.  Like the other two members, he played several instruments.  Now, the thing about Bonypony is they are just a trio.  That’s it.  No studio stand-ins, nothing. Just the three of tiem.  They made more sound than the follow-up act did with four guiters by a mile.  That folks, is talent.  Now, their music is pretty simple.  Their message usually very upbeat.  In other words, it’s hard to take them seriously.  But, if you pay attention to what is being done and especially the live sound, you realize these guys are on a talent level very, very few bands ever achieve.  They were pretty remarkable to me.

And quite frankly, the airwaves need a LOT more Bonepony’s that lift you up and lot less urban ghetto crap that beats our society down.

I will be seeing Bonepony again when I can.  And, my five year old boy will be there with me.

Just a side note, I really pity whoever follows these guys during a show.  Kinda reminds me of the days when ACDC opened for UFO.  Anyone who attended those shows in ‘79 remember seeing UFO?  Regardles of the hits count, these guys need to be the headliners.  Or, at the very least, the show-closers.

Excellent show guys! I can’t recommend a better show for my peeps out there right now.

Technorati Tags: acdc, bobcat goldthwait, bon-scott, bonepony, festival, iggy-pop, kenny wright, kentucky, ky, master musician festival, Musician, nick nguyen, scott johnson, somerset, ted-nugent, ufo

There’s a lot of very depressing news going on in the world today.  In the midst of all that, there’s some fluff that is quite useless in every sense of the word.  The biggest of the big when it comes to complete uselessness is the “evidence” that Lindsay Lohan is lesbian. Outside of purely Pavlovian interests, I don’t think it means a thing in the world. But, for the sake of curiosity ( pun intended ), I’ve made a poll!

Technorati Tags: kiss, lesbian, lindsay lohan, Polls, samantha ronson

Me and the boy went to see Speed Racer yesterday.  I don’t know what to make of this one.  First impression was I was glad it was over.  The old tv series was that jerky anime stuff that I never liked.  The movie held true to form.  It’s jerky, it’s fast, it has bodies floating around the screen, it has psychedelic backgrounds, super-enhanced colors, and the car action scenes happen so fast you don’t have a clue what actually happened.  It’s just chaos at times.  Then, it has long drawn out scenes of dialogue with real quick jumps from person to person.  At one hour, it would have been OK.  At over two hours, it gets tiresome for an adult.  Given the issues I had with the boy, I think it’s a little too much for five year olds as well.  He thought the movie was cool and wants to see it again.  That’s the bottom line for me when going to a kid’s movie.  However, the next time, if there is one, I’ll suck down about one pot of coffee before I go.  All in all, I’d rather see Iron Man again by a long shot.  There was one more thing I kept feeling during the entire movie as well.  I really couldn’t help but feeling I was seeing a 21st CGI update of Tron.

But, after thinking a little more about it, I guess Tron was simply Disney’s 1980’s version of Speed Racer, the tv show from 1967. So, I guess this genre of CGI anime auto racing has come full circle.  Hopefully it ends with this movie.  The concept is fun and simple.  The anime part I can do without.

Technorati Tags: anime, cgi, speed racer, tron, wachowski

The internet has given us lots of things.  Some good, some bad, some criminal.  It has also led to a lot of confusion as the restrictions to communication have been totally removed in most parts of the world.  Now, there’s a new generation of people popping on the internet that have taken pranks or artistic liberties to a new level.  For example:

That folks, is NOT an actual trailer for a new movie.  That’s just something Robert Blankenheim felt like throwing together in something called a trailer mashup.  I would have totally ignored this if it weren’t so dang good I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.  I really thought it was an upcoming really horrible movie.  Luckily for us, it’s not.  Instead of being a trailer for a really bad movie, it’s an incredibly good piece of editing.  I have no clue what Mr. Blankenheim ’s vocation is, but he’s awful dang sharp at editing movies!

Technorati Tags: robert blankenheim, sequel, titanic

I enjoy Newsbusters almost as much as Mythbusters.  They’re a hoot at pointing out factual errors in reporting.  And, they LOVE picking on MSNBC.  Good reason to, MSNBC is a classic at bad reporting.  However, in their haste to show how wrong today’s headline was, I think they missed the obvious chuckle of the day.  To wit, a young girl makes a trip to the North Pole.  Now, we’d all like to go there, so that part’s pretty interesting as it is.  However, the North Pole is a pretty dull place for the most part.  Just a bunch of snow.  So, to liven up their piece a bit and to turn it into a global warming message, MSNBC embellished by adding melting glaciers and starving penguins.  Two problems with that obviously stick out.  First, and most conspicuous is the fact there are no glaciers on the North Pole.  It’s a flat plain.  Secondly, and the part that really got under Newsbusters’ skin, there are no penguins on the North Pole either.  However, the best part of it all to me was what Newsbusters totally missed.  Namely, this:

Now, to me, that is more exciting than the fact there are no penguins on the North Pole.  That name ring any bells?  Maybe this will:

Get it now?  The babe who needed a canoe for ankle deep water also thinks there are glaciers and penguins on the North Pole.

Man, where was she when I was in college?

Technorati Tags: Camilla Hempleman-Adams, flood, glacier, global warming, michelle kosinski, msnbc, new jersey, newbusters, north pole, penguin

Miley Cyrus is apologizing to anyone who’ll listen over this photo.  I am clueless.  What’s wrong with it?  Now, I get the Disney/pure as the driven snow image she has to portray for Hannah Montana.  But to me, this pic is pretty much pure as the driven snow.  There’s nothing suggestive, nothing inappropriate, and not really any critical skin exposed.  You’ll see a lot more flesh when she goes swimming in the most conservative bathing suit.  So, I just don’t get it.  Are we just that anxious to shoot down anyone that tries to set a good example for kids?

Technorati Tags: hannah montana, miley cyrus, vanity fair

I have met a few celebrities along the way.  Very few of them actually struck me as being worthy of the label “star”.  To me, that should be a characteristic that stands out, not just because someeone’s in the media a lot.  One of those that did stand out was Charlton Heston.  When you met him, you knew why he was a star.  I had always liked him as an actor.  He tended to to do hokey parts occasionally that belied his talent.  However, when he took on an issue, and he was trying to convince you the issue was important, you knew it.  Out would come that booming Moses voice and you just dared not pay attention.  The actor and the person were both very captivating.  I enjoyed meeting Chuck.  That’s more than I can say about most of the “stars” I’ve met.

Technorati Tags: charlton-heston