Life, Movies and TV, My Two Cents

And The Weiner Is….

oscarmeyerJust a quick little rant on this fine Tuesday morning:

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted by all of the weener jokes that have been going around.

The gist of the story goes like this: Former Congressman (and now NYC mayoral candidate) Anthony Weiner continued to perform sexting rituals with women even after he had resigned in disgrace and promised taxpayers (as well as his embarrassed wife) to never to do it again.

Ever since news of the story and fresh allegations broke, you can’t read a single newspaper or internet site without seeing a headline that doesn’t indirectly poke fun about his manhood.

Examples:

“Weiner Needs To Pull Out” (of the mayoral race.. just wanted to clarify as this is a family friendly blog).

“Shrinkage” (referring to his poll numbers after the latest accusations).

“Weiner’s Pickle” (the dilemma he now finds himself in).

or how about this ambiguous headline:

“Poll: 78% of Young Women approve of Weiner”

Don’t get me wrong, I found many of these headlines to be hilarious (and well deserved, all things considered), but enough is enough. Mr. Weiner, please pull out… uhm… withdrawl.. uhm. Oh, you know what I mean – Just get out of the race already!

It’s shocking that in an age of instant knowledge, NSA spying and whistle blowing Mr. Weiner believed he could keep this stuff secret and still run for political office (in New York City no less). Apparently, he doesn’t get what the rest of us already know. To the media, SEX is like chum for hungry sharks. They LIVE for stories like this (just ask guys like Bill Clinton, John Edwards and Mark Sanford). To say that he didn’t know ahead of time is naive at best and at worst, proof positive that Mr. Weiner has no regard for the people he wants to represent.

Then you have Eliot Spitzer claiming Weiner’s not fit to be Mayor. This from a married man (himself also once again running for office) who regularly had call girls pay him a visit while he was Governor of New York.

But perhaps the most ironic thing of all was this Tweet I saw from the Associated Press:

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For those who don’t know: “The Good Wife” is a TV series that focuses on Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), whose husband Peter Florrick, a former state’s attorney, has been jailed following a very public sex and corruption scandal. The series was partly inspired by the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, as well as by other prominent American political sex scandals.

I guess it’s nice to know that Ms. Margulies can relate to Weiner’s loyal spouse, since she does play a fictional version of someone like her on TV. But having this featured as one a major new outlet’s main headlines??

I’m beginning to think this is all one big episode of The Twilight Zone.

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Guitar World: Oleander Guitarists Discuss New Album, “Something Beautiful”

OleanderFor Something Beautiful, the first Oleander album in eight years, guitarist Rich Mouser wanted an aggressive combination of hard-edged guitars and layered vocals.

Judging by the evidence presented, his idea of a dense production meets both requirements — and more.

Mouser has worked on the production end of Oleander projects from the very beginning. But it wasn’t until the band returned from an extended hiatus that Mouser was asked to become a full-time member. Together with guitarist and founding member Ric Ivanisevich, Oleander now possesses a powerful one-two guitar attack.

The band is gearing up for a Midwestern tour with Three Doors Down and Daughtry before returning to the West Coast to do some shows of their own. I spoke with Ivanisevich and Mouser about the new album.

Read The Rest of My Guitar World Interview By Clicking Here

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Guitar World: Former Police Guitarist Andy Summers Discusses His New Band, Circa Zero

Summers1Circa Zero — a new band featuring guitarist Andy Summers (the Police), singer/bassist/guitarist Rob Giles (the Rescues) and Canadian drummer Emmanuelle Caplette — got together after a mutual friend invited Summers to Giles’ shows with the Rescues.

Summers was immediately impressed by Giles’ vocals and instrumental skills. After getting together to jam and kick around song ideas, it quickly became apparent the duo needed to work together. They began creating edgy, lyrical rock tunes that manage to capture a sound that’s both modern and classic.

While their debut album, Circus Hero, isn’t expected until later this year, their debut performance takes place this very week — Thursday, July 25, at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.

I recently spoke with Summers about Circa Zero — and also got his thoughts on the 30th anniversary of the Police’s monster album, Synchronicity.

l to r: Andy Summers, Emmanuelle Caplette and Rob Giles - Circa Zero
(l to r): Andy Summers, Emmanuelle Caplette and Rob Giles – Circa Zero

Read the rest of my interview with Andy Summers by Clicking Here

Books, Life

Doodle Book Signing

When I arrived, the line had already stretched out the door and seemed like it just went on for miles. I remember at the time being filled with so much emotion that for a split second I actually considered just turning around and going back.

Moravian

And that was just the line at the Starbucks….

Seriously, it was one of the best days ever. Yesterday, Michele Quinn and I signed copies of “Doodle” together for the very first time. It’s the book the two of us had spent the better part of a year working on together. If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, you probably already know the story. But if you’d like to read about it again, Click Here.

Michele Meets Doodle
Michele Meets The “Real” Doodle

Michele had driven all the way in from Ohio to spend the afternoon signing copies of the book with me at The Moravian Book Shop; a Bethlehem bookstore that was founded in 1745 and is considered the oldest in the country. If you’re ever in the area, I highly suggest you check it out.

One of the coolest parts of the day actually happened even before we arrived at the bookstore. Prior to heading off to the signing, Michele finally had the opportunity to meet the “star” of the book she’s been doodling about for months (See Pic above).

Any new author will tell you they’re nervous before their very first book signing and for me, this was no exception. I suppose the biggest fear is going in with every intention of leaving with writer’s cramp from signing your name, but believing you’ll end up just sitting there alone at your table. But shortly after we arrived, an elderly gentleman came up to our little kiosk and inquired about the book. He browsed through it and listened to us discuss what it was about and wound up buying two copies for his grandchildren. With that “first sale” weight off our shoulders so quickly, the rest was a piece of cake.

Me and Michele
Me and Michele

There may not have been a line out the door, but over the next two hours Michele and I saw a steady stream of people. Some locals were just looking, while others happened to stumble upon us and wanted to hear the story and buy a copy of the book. We also had a mother come in with her teenage son who had just gotten back from a nature conservation camp and wanted to buy a copy. And then there were the friends and former classmates who came by to offer support and have their own copies signed.

To some it might have seemed like a small event, but for us this really was a really big deal. Especially when you consider the fact that Michele and I wrote this book without seeing each other at all. In fact, yesterday was the very first time we were together since we decided to write it. Everything from brainstorming ideas to illustrating to revisions were all done via email, Facebook and texting.

When the signing was over, Michele and I did what friends and classmates often do: hopped in the car and literally took a stroll down memory lane. We got in my car with another friend and drove past some of our old schools and “stomping” grounds. Places we used to frequent as kids growing up, and many of which Michele hadn’t seen in years. It was yet another surreal moment.

I guess the moral of this particular story is that dreams do come true, but sometimes in unexpected ways. Back in 1988, the only dream I had was becoming the next Bon Jovi. So if you would have told me back then that 25 years later I’d be sitting in a bookstore signing copies of a children’s book I had written with Michele, I would have thought you were nuts. But now, if given the option of stadium touring or writing books with one of the best people I know, I’ll choose the latter every time.

Movies and TV, My Two Cents

It’s All Part of The Plan

It’s been a little while since my last rant, but given the events of these last few days, I feel it’s time to opine. So here goes. I’d like to take this time to give you my thoughts on why the media’s current marketing business model is quite possibly the greatest thing ever.

But before I give you my rant – here’s a little preliminary information for you to digest:

jennyPoint #1: After it was recently announced that Elisabeth Hasselbeck  was leaving her ABC show “The View” for the safety and comfort of the middle seat on Fox and Friends, Jenny McCarthy was named as the show’s new co-host.

This announcement really should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been following along at home. McCarthy has already been popping up in the co-pilot’s chair on The View for quite some time, as well as finding her way on to other ABC shows like “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”. McCarthy also tested the hosting waters with her own short-lived VH1 show. But once her name was officially announced for The View, it immediately stirred up rage within the public domain.

The reason McCarthy stirs up a LOT of controversy is because of her views on vaccines and what she believes is its direct relationship to autism (a condition her own son suffers from). Because of her celebrity status and open promotion to not having children vaccinated when they’re young, the fear is she’ll use her chair to continue to have an open, unchallenged platform for her views.

I used this more appropriate Rolling Stone cover
I prefer this, more appropriate Rolling Stone cover

Point #2:  Rolling Stone magazine recently revealed its new cover; one that features Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a “GQ” like pose. Considering the heinous acts he (and his late brother) allegedly perpetrated, you’d think the magazine would have some sense of decorum and sensitivity towards the victims, instead of promoting him as some sort of celebrity (on a side note: I would have much preferred had they used a picture of his face all beaten and bruised after he had been captured).

Whenever these sort of things happen within the media, there’s an immediate cry foul attitude, the threat of infinite boycott and the sending of long emails to editors whose accounts will never be checked and messages that will be unread and deleted. Although all valid and noble pursuits, my real concern is that the situations that led to such a reaction were all preplanned right from the get-go, and will quickly be forgotten by an outraged public.

Let me explain why, once again using each “point” as an example.

Point #1: Was it a coincidence that McCarthy’s name was announced a full two months before she even becomes a fixture of “The View”? I don’t think so. I’m also convinced that there will be a big bruhaha the first week or so that she’s on; with everyone hoping she’ll say something controversial. Alas, that will soon wear off and things will eventually go back to normal, but in the meantime, the show will have already achieved its goal: it got people talking.

Point #2: If you honestly believe that the editors of Rolling Stone didn’t already know that putting a hip looking Tsarnaev on the cover would cause such a reaction, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you. In just 24 hours, social networks like Twitter and Facebook have been abuzz with public outcry; stores have already put out press releases refusing to carry the issue and people have threatened to never read the magazine again (as if they already did).

As far as I’m concerned, they (the head honchos at RS) knew full well what they were doing and decided to do it anyway because (although sales may suffer in the short-term), the best publicity for anything is word of mouth and once again: it got people talking.

I’m also convinced the magazine was already well prepared for what was going to happen next. How easy it is to route all of their “customer service” complaints through a call center in India. Don’t worry, I’m sure every bitch and moan will be documented and every one of them used as statistics for their next marketing campaign.

Then there’s this: Rolling Stone is a bi-monthly publication. Do you think people will still be talking about this issue six weeks from now when Jay Z or Bruno Mars are back on the cover talking about important things? You know, like the VMA Awards.

But seriously, when was the last time you remember anyone discussing The View or Rolling Stone magazine at all?

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

The Winery Dogs: Richie Kotzen, Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy Discuss Debut Album

DogsAre they a supergroup? Well, yes.

With guitarist Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Talas, Niacin) and drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob) in the mix, how could they be considered anything else?

Just don’t use that moniker around the guys in the band.

“Most supergroups are short-lived and usually have internal problems,” Sheehan said during my recent conversation with all three Winery Dogs. “We didn’t get together to try to capitalize on what we’ve done before. We wanted to do something that was straight out of the box.”

The guys prefer to be considered a classic power trio, and they’ve already released a powerful trio of music videos in advance of their debut self-titled album, which will be released July 23 via Loud & Proud Records. The disc was produced by the band and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour, Steel Panther).

I recently sat down with Kotzen, Sheehan and Portnoy to talk band origins, gear, the new album and the secrets behind Kotzen’s sound and hybrid picking style.

Read my complete Guitar World interview with The Winery Dogs by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Guitar World: Rival Sons Guitarist Scott Holiday Discusses “Head Down”

RivalSonsIn an age when most new albums begin with the tracking of instruments in home studios and emailing files back and forth cross-country, it’s refreshing when a band comes along that likes to do things the old-fashioned way.

It’s a method similar to what early ’70s blues/rock pioneers did when recording: They get in a studio and let the creative process take control.

Formed in 2008, Rival Sons consists of Scott Holiday (guitar), Jay Buchanan (vocals), Robin Everhart (bass) and Michael Miley (drums). The band’s new album, Head Down, evokes the same kind of emotion heard in early Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith releases.

RivalSons-ScottHoliday

Written and recorded over a span of 20 days, the band’s creative, riff-oriented approach is real and raw. The result is an album that’s not only bluesy and instinctive, but also insanely good.

I recently spoke with Holiday about the album, his live setup as well as his recent encounter with Jimmy Page.

gw_logoRead the rest of my interview with guitarist Scott Holiday by Clicking Here

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Guitar World: Cinderella Guitarist Tom Keifer Discusses New Solo Album, ‘The Way Life Goes’

Tom Keifer - Photo Thomas PetilloFor guitarist Tom Keifer, The Way Life Goes is an appropriate title for his first solo album.

The Cinderella frontman has had to endure many personal and emotional struggles over the years, including being diagnosed with a partially paralyzed vocal cord and being told he’d likely never sing again.

Having battled back from vocal injury, and now finding himself at the right place in life, Keifer has delivered an album that takes an honest, introspective look at the man who’s written some of the most memorable hard rock songs of the ’80s.

Although production for The Way Life Goes began in 2003, the real roots of the 14-song album can be traced as far back as the mid-’90s, when Cinderella parted ways with their record label and Keifer first began considering a solo project that would eventually take years to complete.

Fans who’ve been clamoring for new Cinderella music will no doubt find comfort in The Way Life Goes, but the album also has Keifer exploring new ground and brings a sound that immediately conjures images of a young Rod Stewart or the Rolling Stones. Even more important than the vibe or showcasing the roller coaster ride he’s been on, the album exposes the refreshingly deep writing style Keifer shares with his wife Savannah (who co-produced the album with Keifer and Chuck Turner).

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Read the rest of my Guitar World interview with Tom Keifer by Clicking Here

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Guitar World: Joel Hoekstra Update on New Night Ranger Album
Joel Hoekstra and Brad Gillis of Night Ranger
Joel Hoekstra and Brad Gillis of Night Ranger

Whether he’s performing as part of the hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages or jetting around the country for Night Ranger recording sessions and shows, Joel Hoekstra is easily one the hardest-working guitarists you’re likely to meet.

In addition to his aforementioned commitments, Hoekstra finds time to tour every fall with Trans Siberian Orchestra.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Night Ranger’s monster 1983 album, Midnight Madness, and Hoekstra and the rest of the band — Jack Blades, Brad Gillis, Kelly Keagy and Eric Levy — are excited to celebrate it by recording a new album and performing more headlining shows.

I recently caught up with Hoekstra, who told me how Night Ranger’s new album is coming along and his other musical projects.

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You can check out the rest of my Guitar World interview with Joel and watch videos of him working his magic by Clicking Here.

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Parafest 2013 Brings The Festival Experience Home

Parafest

Being a fan of horror and the paranormal, I always lamented hearing about all of the awesome conventions being held in remote locations of the country. My biggest problem with these festivals was the fact that they were always in places (States) where I’d need to take days off of work and drive long distances just to get to. But there would always be tons of vendors and guest celebrities from my favorite genre mingling with fans during these conventions, making the decision to go all the more difficult. I often wondered what it would be like to have one of these cool festivals in my hometown.

Thankfully, the spirits have answered.

Parafest 2013 will bring stars from The Walking Dead, True Blood, Supernatural, Ghost Hunters and Ghostbusters movies to the Sands Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The event runs from noon-10 p.m. Sept. 6 and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 7 and 8.

Billed as a premier Para-horror convention, Parafest 2013 will feature the very best in paranormal, horror and sci-fi genres and will include celebrity appearances, Q & A sessions and meet & greets. There will also be vendors, exhibits, seminars and a film festival. If all that isn’t enough, fans can also take part in ghost hunts; a Gallery Reading with internationally acclaimed psychic Chip Coffey and even partake in a Ouija Board Experience.

Among the guests I’m most excited to see are: Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), Tony Todd (Candyman/Sushi Girl), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, The Lords of Salem) and Mark Sheppard (Supernatural). Then there are the stars of television shows from my youth like Geri Reischl (the “Other” Jan Brady) and Lisa Loring (Wednesday from The Adams Family).

But it just wouldn’t be a scare-fest if I wasn’t afraid, and Parafest 2013 certainly gives me cause for concern. One guest will be on hand during the festival that I’m almost (dare I say) frightened to encounter.

Most folks probably remember actor Richard Kiel from his amazing performance as Jaws in the James Bond film, Moonraker. But for me, I’m still frightened by his guest appearance on a campy 1960’s television show.

ghostWhen Kiel guest starred as an apparition on the Gilligan’s Island episode “Ghost A Go Go”, he became the product of my nightmares for years (even Freddy Kreuger didn’t have that effect on me).

That one episode literally scared the sh$t out of me as a child and still gives me the heebie-jeebies whenever I watch it (which of course, isn’t often).

I know it may sound silly, but my hope is that by meeting Mr. Kiel in person, any remaining childhood demons I have leftover from the 1980’s will finally be exorcised. Here’s hoping.

Tickets for the weekend festival are $25 a day for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under when accompanied by an adult. For an extra $25, you can also gain access to celebrity Q&A sessions and panels. There’s also $100, $150 a day and $300 full-weekend VIP packages available as well.

For more information on Parafest 2013 Click Here