Speciale Edition

Looking up into the clear blue sky on this Sunny, 65 degree Los Angeles day, it's easy to forget that Christmas is just 4 days away.  People often don't realize how easy it can be to change someone's life through the simple act of giving.   I am very inspired by the prospect of our limitless potential as human beings (...or as Van Halen would say "Humans Being").  

Reconciling my creativity with productivity, on the other hand, is not so easy.  Ideas come and go most often unrealized.  I'm sure we've all forgotten more of our "million dollar ideas" than we've been motivated it capitalize on... but I digress.

Someone recently told me that expressing oneself through the written word is an essential part of being an artist.  Well here I am, being productive and writing away.  Just a thought or two, on what inspires me to continue moving forward on my path.  The story of how I got my foot in the door readily comes to mind.
Brian Reingold (aka Mr. Speciale [yes, with an "e" at the end]) was the first person to ever give me a job in the movie biz.  He was the Unit Production Manager for the Belladonna Studios production "L.I.E."

Like most everyone these days, I had no job or even a single lead straight out of college.  It also doesn't help when you get your degree in Film Studies.  So within days of graduation, I took it upon myself to walk around Manhattan, and go into a string of production company offices cold, resume in hand.  They would all tell me the same thing; that they weren't hiring right now or that they would put my resume on file.  There seemed to be little or no hope, really.

Then one fateful day I walked into the Belladonna office in Chelsea, Manhattan, I was greeted by a bald, hyperkinetic guy with a thick Buffalo accent.  He introduced himself as Brian, but everyone eventually called him Mr. Speciale.  Within moments of meeting him, he said a word or two about his German film producer with the French name, he went on rapid fire style, about his son's major league baseball ambitions, then quickly changed gears again and offered me a gig on the spot despite my lack of experience working on a film set.  I sat there in an illustrated state of dumbfounded excitement.

I distinctly remember the 1st Assistant Director, Jose Gilberto Molinari-Rosaly, coming over and glaring at me, with a "Who the hell is this?  What the hell is he doing here?  Get him the hell out of here! I don't want him to be on my production staff!" look on his face.

After a few tense moments between the two of them as they argued right in front of me over whether or not I should be hired, I butted in and let them know that I could ask a bunch of my former classmates to help out if they needed any more production assistants. I got the job, much to the chagrin of the 1st AD and through much situational massaging on the part of Mr. Speciale.  I also happen to supply the film with 5 other PAs.

Me and my fellow alumni busted our asses working on that movie, and after the first week Jose ate his words.  He actually congratulated all of the PAs and told us we were the best team he had ever worked with!

Why recount this story?  Well, I'm glad I asked!  Because I am inspired by one's willingness to take a chance on someone unproven, solely based on their first impression.  These days it's damn near impossible to find a job without knowing someone first.  It's not what you know, It's not even WHO you know, but rather who knows YOU.  It's true... look it up.

Mr. Speciale hooked me up, got my foot in the door and helped me get other tv/film jobs etc. For that I am eternally thankful. Everyone should be so lucky to have someone randomly help them out like that. Pay it forward in this season of giving.

Merry Christmas Everyone! :)

Cars Parked in the Sun

My LA experience has been nothing short of phenomenal.  I've had an unbelievable reception from the greatest of welcome wagons.  Friends, new and old have been incredibly accommodating and want nothing more than to help out in any way they can.  Though it has its detractors, LA is truly an inspiring city.  A lot of people would sooner gag on a spoon from hearing me say that, so to them I say, "bon appetit."

It's a whole different scene out here versus Long Island, New York.  My general experience here has been that people just want to help you out.  Everyone is here to work, to get jobs and to give jobs.  However, one always has to factor in the LA "flake" quotient.  Being from New York, I tend to say what I mean and do what I say I'm going to do.  If we agree to meet or do something, I'll hold you to it.  People in LA ... not so much. 

It's been about a month and a half since I arrived in this sunny city of Angelenos, and I've discovered that the music scene here is alive and well.  I've seen many local bands including Shadow Shadow Shade, Telstar, and most recently The Child.  I make it a habit to go out just about every night, just to see what's crackin'.

The Child was quite impressive with their spacey David Bowie-esque sounds and atmosphere.      They had an eclectic look, solid rhythm section and you can't beat a band that has 2 chick singers.  It was their EP release party, and it was a lot of fun to watch. 

At this show I ran into Dhani Harrison (Son of George), and had a bit of a chat with him.  I was quite impressed with Dhani's words and wisdom, having recently seen him in the Scorcese documentary "Living in the Material World," about his father.  The son of the famed "quiet" Beatle was exceedingly nice and was somehow convinced that he had met me before.  He was sure that I was one of two Aristotles that he knows and that I was the one he had met while hanging out with Zowie Bowie.  I insisted he was mistaken, though in retrospect, I should have just went along with it.

Some Things I Can't Remember

The mind is like a dryer... every now and then you lose a sock full of memories.  I sometimes think about the line in the 40 Year Old Virgin, when Steve Carell is hammered and when asked how much he's had to drink says "Oh, how many times have you gone to the bathroom in your life?!" There's really no way to tell.

I was pouring my cereal in a bowl this morning thinking about how 10 years from now, I will have absolutely no recollection of this minor event, unless a big brown bear smashed through the wall at that very moment.  If that were to happen, I would inevitably recount that story by saying how I was just minding my own business, pouring a bowl of cereal and all of a sudden... etc. etc. etc.


It also happens to be laundry day.  We really don't remember these moments in between.  My meaningless cereal pouring on the morning of December 8th 2012; the 22nd anniversary of the death of John Lennon; the date that Dimebag Darell was shot to death on a stage in Ohio;  My sister's birthday.  All of these events are effortlessly etched in the forefront of my mind on this date... but my cereal and laundry will be lost.


I often think about how we never really see the actual events of someone's life in TV or Film.  The hit show "24" boasted that every hour was in "real time" but I don't remember the episode where Jack Bauer was gone for 10-15 minutes because he was in the bathroom.  I figure that could be a whole segment, between commercials.  Everyone standing around, looking at their watches, waiting for Jack to shit or get off the pot. 


Goodbye my Rice Crispies, you were my arbitrary choice of morning sustenance.  The event of my pouring you, dousing you with milk and your consumption shall forever be forgotten... unless I write a blog about it.

We Are 99% Confused.

As I was exploring the great city of Chicago last night, I randomly stumbled onto the Occupy Chicago protestor parade which was en route to Grant Park... So naturally I jumped in the queue to see what they're all about.


When we got to the park, a half hour was spent laying down the ground rules for the forum. Then they asked the first speaker to make a proposal, but nobody spoke.  It was a meeting to discuss further meetings and few if any solutions were proposed with this particular group.  In my mind, the only solid proposal to counter corporate greed is to encourage people to close their accounts with large corporate banking institutions and to put their money in local banks or credit unions.  


Other than that, it mostly felt like one big gripefest.  

On The Road Again... Again.

I'm officially 2 days into my journey out West.  I'm headed back to Los Angeles, California, to go prospecting for gold plated diapers... never question Bruce Dickenson. Back in '05 I went to live in LA in search of a recording contract and was able to focus my efforts which ultimately led to my band getting signed.  I'm going back there to shake it up and make things happen again.  

Yesterday, I was able to stop at the Jackson family house in Gary, Indiana. It was in an incredibly unassuming neighborhood, right off of the interstate... and by unassuming I mean SCARY.

Right now, I'm in Chicago, and so far I can't tell weather the locals are angry or just talking. The world famous deep dish pizza here is a bit of a disappointment, naturally, having eaten New York pizza my whole life.  I'm afraid you can just smother corn bread with spaghetti sauce and call it pizza.  Sorry guys, try again.

American Industry

Last night I noticed about 5 songs that were by former American Idol contestants in the background while I was dining out at a restaurant. It's become quite apparent that AI has taken over the music industry. It's a no brainer -- The acts have already been "focus group" tested by the American public. At this point all they have to do is get packaged and marketed. It's become quite apparent that AI has taken over the music industry.

The last thing you want to do as a contestant on American Idol is to actually win the competition! It seems there are only 2-3 winners that have stuck around. Most of the airwaves are polluted with the castoffs and we rarely even hear about the winners. Where is Fantasia Barino these days? Probably hanging out with Taylor Hicks at Euro-Disney.

In my experience, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone in the entertainment industry willing to take a risk these days. Almost every song you hear on the radio has been put though the same "hit making" mill, which continuously churns out frothy, forgettable pop. Even Bon Jovi is pumping out country hits. When the hell did that happen? I suppose it's the only way to stay relevant for some. Most industry folk will only go for the "sure thing." This also explains why every single movie that comes out today is either a remake, a sequel, based on a comic book, novel, TV show, toy, a theme park ride, a cartoon carrot, a talking toupee, a popsicle stand, a dog & pony show, a salad dressing, etc. etc. etc.

All safe bets. Where are the original ideas? Where are the "Ghostbusters" of today!?



Our world today lacks vision and needs a great big fucking pair of bifocals.

The King of Second Chances

How do you go from being in the biggest rock band in the world then to … being in the biggest rock band in the world now?! Just ask Dave Grohl!

(Dave is the prime example of what it is to be a Rock Star.)

For me, this week has been all about the new Foo Fighters album "Wasting Light." It's another great bunch of songs that just hammer home the fact that Foo is good for you! (I'm listening to the album for about the 10th time as I write this.)

In my opinion (which is always right), Dave's career is unparalleled and a paradigmatic anomaly. Usually it's hard to resurrect, let alone surpass a larger than life rock star status after a key member of your band implodes. (i.e. Led Zeppelin ended overnight when it was bedtime for Bonzo, and he decided to never wake up.)

Instead of crashing and burning out into obscurity after Nirvana ended, Dave flipped the script and rose from the ashes. Not to keep mixing metaphors, but he has really managed to kick rock's ass in the face! Not only has Foo Fighters seemingly had more hits that Nirvana even had songs, but they've managed to capture the spotlight every single time they come around with a new album.

I'm sure it's abundantly clear at this point that Foo Fighters is Dave's deal. He's created a band situation for himself where he's in charge of who comes and goes and doesn't have to push the "reset button" if anyone else in the band decides to blow their head off. This is a valuable lesson that I've taken to heart, having learned it the hard way. It's a model that I've decided I will follow in the future.

This is not to say that none of the other guys in the band (Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflet, Taylor Hawkins, and Pat Smear) are unimportant. Quite the contrary; Dave has hand picked these kick-ass musicians to create an unmistakable and legendary sound. After watching their Documentary, and seeing what it's like for them in the studio, it's clear that Dave micromanages every single note, snare hit, and scream on their recordings.

I think the most important thing gleaned from the Dave's success is that he seems to have surrounded himself with good, loyal people and he's always stuck to a clear vision of what Foo Fighters represents. If I've learned anything in my own personal experience it is: Always go with your gut, never compromise your integrity, and if anyone stands in your way -- stomp their face in.

When Kurt Cobain took his own life, he left a major void in the rock-time-continuum. It is my belief that after the way things went down 16 years ago, Dave feels the insurmountable burden and compulsion to personally fill that void in his own way. I get the feeling that he has the need to live up to his earned status, and never wants to let the fans down. Whether he was like that before Nirvana or not, he has since shown that he has a maniacal urge to constantly prove himself on every song; on every album.

There are many lyrical allusions to my hypothesis on Wasting Light, such as the line "...here comes the king of second chances" (Bridge Burning); "...Getting good at starting over every time that I return. I'm learnin' to walk again -- ...I never wanna die!" (Walk); and the song I Should Have Known which Dave says was written with Kurt in mind.

It has the refrain: "No I cannot forgive you yet, No I cannot forgive you yet, You leave my heart in debt, I should have known.

(It's nothing short of chilling to hear Krist Novoselic play the heavy
handed, nasty, bad-ass bass line in the bridge section of this track
[the "middle eight," if your British] with the legendary Nevermind producer, Butch Vig
at the helm. Pat Smear is back for this Fighting round, and happens to be one of the
few among the Foo who knew what it was like to play/tour with Nirvana. A
fittingly therapeutic step toward closure regarding the whole
fucked up shit-uation that must have spiraled out in their personal
lives after Nirvana's abrupt and untimely end.)

To me, those lyrics are a key insight to what motivates Dave's indomitable spirit. For years it seemed that Dave would rarely if ever admit to musical references to Kurt/Nirvana, but now, it seems Dave is comfortable enough to go there. It's okay to talk/write about it now. Though there's obvious bitterness still there, it seems to be what propels Foo forward. Ain't nobody gonna dictate Dave's destiny but him!

It was a wise decision to record their latest album, "Wasting Light" on old fashioned 2" tape. I learned a great lesson from Rick Rubin, (via Howard Stern, by way of Chris Rock) which is "always set yourself apart from the pack." This album is sonically unique in today's homogenized digital/Pro Tools universe. The rawness is realness. The imperfections are present, and are what give the sound its character; Its authenticity; Its purity. Something that Dave has carried over from the Nirvana days to the current state of Foo Fighters.

(I often think there is a certain kindred spirit between guys like Dave
and his Them Crooked Vultures band-mates (John Paul Jones
[Led Zeppelin], and Josh Homme [QOTSA/Kyuss]). These guys are all
great rockers who blew up in other bands, and shine when they have a vehicle to showcase their badass-itude. They all also seem to be
career-minded musicians, rather than total fuck-ups.)

This particular album pushes their sound even further. The mastering leaves some overhead for the mix to breathe. It's great to be able to hear all the layers of what was actually recorded rather than squashing it all into a modern rock sound sandwich.

Song-wise, the album just fuckin' rocks as I keep listening. Miss the Misery just came on. The 4/4+2/4 balls out rock riff immediately has my head banging. As the song plays, I'm only able to continue typing this with my pinkies and pointers as my hands have automatically and uncontrollably locked themselves in the devil horns position! \m/ \m/

(Sidebar: One time a sound engineer told me that you can't groove to a 7/8 time signature… that engineer must have never heard FF's Times like These... )

I really get the sense that Dave is constantly working at maintaining a certain level of quality. He works hard, and seems to have no limit to is desire to top their last hit. It's apparent that Dave is well aware and appreciative at how rare it is to be given a second chance at being among the gods of rock.

Evidently, Dave was always destined for greatness, despite his mid-90's hiccup. One can only infer that the secret must be in his ability to win people over with his charisma, wit, great rock songs and even more so, HARD WORK! They just don't quit.

Foos keep on Fighting.

(Thanks to my friend Keith for forwarding this link just now

and reminding me that being a class act also can help your
longevity. A good way to to put a button on this blog entry.)

Charlie Sheen and the Violent Truth

Last night I caught the unstoppable, infinite-car-pile-up-traffic-accident that is Charlie Sheen. He was performing at Radio City Music Hall on his Violent Torpedo of Truth / Defeat is Not an Option tour. I must say, I found him funny and quite amusing for a bit, but as the show went on and the crowd got more intoxicated, things got... more interesting?

Warlock = Tigerblood + Adonis DNA

The audience was calamitous and people were complaining that they wasted their money. What were they expecting, Shakespeare?

I don't mean to pop your bubble-yum, but Charlie is NOT a stand up comedian, he's a Movie and Television star whose had 6 weeks to develop a touring act for which he's had absolutely no experience. Everyone who bought a ticket knew this going in, so I'm confused as to why anyone would be disappointed. I went to the show, without any expectations, just to be open to what might happen and be witness to the whole cultural phenomenon surrounding Charlie.

I very much appreciate the spectacle of it all in an Andy Kaufman kind of way.

Andy had the unique ability to deliberately turn audiences against himself. To me, this is a brilliant form of meta-comedy that I enjoy. During some performance pieces, he would create awkward silences, and insist that the audience stop laughing at him. I actually saw one bit he did on Letterman, where he went through the crowd asking for money because he fell on hard times after getting fired from his hit TV show, Taxi. People actually dug into their pockets to give him a hand out!

Little did the audience know that they were a part of the whole joke, and that there is a much bigger social punchline that becomes defined afterward and is hilarious in the context of time. Like a magician, Andy used slight of hand to keep you looking where he wanted you to look, but all the while he was pulling a rabbit out of your ass.

I will not go as far as to say that Charlie is orchestrating his theatrical demise each night. However, I will point out that the recently unemployed actor has sold thousands of tickets at venues across the country, strictly on his pop-culture capital. That is an ingenious way to take the limes you've been handed and turn them into a margarita flavored Porsche. Ultimately, the joke is on anyone who is taking this whole thing seriously at all.

I'm not laughing at Charlie, I'm not even laughing at the crowd (...well maybe I am) -- I'm laughing at the context and enjoying the all encompassing absurdity. The fun is in the reaction it gets! I find it hilarious when people flip out and say how much they either think Charlie sucks, or think he's the greatest thing since cheeze waffles were invented.

Charlie is a fascinating case study in our culture's morbid obsession with celebrity melt downs. In the end, I got my money's worth because I'll always get to say that I was there to see it... whatever it was.

Piaaaaaaaa!

How could America vote off the best singer in the competition??? The elimination of Pia Toscano is a big enough upset for even me to quit watching American Idol!

I'm convinced the voters must all be smoking crack in order to have voted her off and keep the lame country, microphone flautist Scotty "McDreary."

American Idol has officially OFFICIALLY jumped the shark after this unforgivable moment. This show has always been about likability and vocal talent. They've really offset the ratio by voting for talentless teenyboppers and putting the actual musicians in jeopardy. It just goes to show that you really don't need ability or even good looks to make it in the music biz. The remaining contestants are a bunch of interchangeable garbage faces and Casey Abrams. Let me know who wins, cuz I ain't watchin' no more.

Is Josh Freese the greatest Rock Drummer in the World?

Yes.

Radiohead Rush

The anti-Arcade Fire:

I love how in this video, Thom Yorke is a marionette
whose strings are being pulled by the music.

These guys are otherworldly. They do what every dopey indie-rock band wishes they can do but can only pretend to do.

Hey Look everybody! A band that actually possesses vision, artistry, unparalleled musicianship and amazing sounding recordings! Novel, ain't it?! If you go obnoxiously around saying how much you prefer "Lo-Fi" recordings, you're just belying your misguided affinity for rudimentary recording equipment and terrible engineering.

I can't believe I live in a world where Radiohead has never won a Grammy for Album of the Year, and the much lesser band, Arcade Fire has.

Way to go Grammys!!! -- Getting it right since Jethro Tull won over Metallica for best metal performance! I mean at least they've been nominated, right? For instance, Radiohead's Kid A was nominated for Album of the Year in 2001, but they unfortunately lost ... to Steely Dan.

STEELY DAN!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I'm far from finished with this topic…

Arcade Fire Extinguisher

Arcade Fire is a bunch of mediocre musicians staring straight ahead with conviction while they play. Am I supposed to think they're great just because THEY think they are? They've surely hypnotized their audience by pretending to be good.

Their mysticism apparently worked on the Grammy Academy having just won the Album of the Year award. I see right through AF's pretense. It's much like the emperor's new clothes, except everyone could clearly see the emperor's balls. Arcade Fire has no balls... they have tantrums on stage that people mistake for defiance.

One day their luster will wear and people will see that what they were really listening to was just a shiny turd... featuring the accordion! While I'm on this topic, I might as well bash all of the "indy rock" hipsters. I'm all for independent music, but this concept is lost on the hipster crowd. It's a conundrum -- people get so upset whenever their favorite indy band gets popular or "sells out." How else does anyone expect to keep hearing music from these "unknown" bands unless they make some sort of living and continue to make music. You can't have it both ways.

Their attitude exceeds their talent. I get annoyed when I see the indie rock equivalent to a pop star who is also undeserving of elevated status. It's hyperbolically and inversely ironical. Arcade Fire approaches the Indie rock event horizon, whereby the smaller the audience, the cooler they are -- at one point, not only will the band be the SIZE of its audience, it will actually BE it's own audience.

The hipsters love them because they secretly fantasize about sneaking up on stage with them and blending in with the over 400 band members, in the hopes that while they beat their ladle on a pot (out of time), they can get caught between some of the snarky looks that the guys in AF constantly shoot each other while performing. Won't that just feel so cool!

Moreover, they can go suck an egg.

Casey Abrams threw it down.

I've been watching the 10th season of American Idol and the judges (Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler) are completely confounding me with who they send to Hollywood. There's a lot of schlocky stock talent that they've been sending through just because they shed a few tears and said "pretty please!?" The only person that showed any sort of actual musicianship and ability thus far has been Casey Abrams. He effortlessly trumps the other contestants with his jazzy, horn-like vocals, and feel. Sure there have been some people that can "sing nice," but no one has shown that they can actually throw down, command attention and suck you into their performance. Although they edited his introduction to make him appear somewhat awkward, he seems to be the kind of guy who's bigger than the show itself.

Black Swan

Black Swan is a really good movie, maybe not great... but definitely really good. Darren Aronofsky's latest effort is true to his form. I'm pretty sure he's the only director that can make an edgy film about Swan Lake. I like that he maintains a certain level of freshness to what he brings to the screen.

The film captures the obsession and utter despair of someone who is a perfectionist. We ultimately learn there is no perfection in life. Natalie Portman does a fantastic and convincing job in her role of the obsessive dancer. People are saying she should get the Oscar, but we'll see who else is in contention. A lot is being said about Mila Kunis' performance and that she should get an Oscar nod for supporting actress, but I think Barbara Hershey was much better in her supporting role.

I've been a fan of his since π -- despite it being almost the exact same premise of a screenplay I had written in college!