It's a Dog-Eat-Dog World

I learn a lot about myself by observing my recently acquired Shih-Tzu puppy. And while taking her on her first long walk to a park yesterday she passed by and met a lot of other dogs and kids. However, her trip certainly wasn't uneventful.

She was pissed on by a slightly bigger, ugly puppy that was playful at first; barked and growled at by a smaller, scruffy Napoleon-complex-suffering Yorkshire-Chihuahua; had her paw accidentally stepped on by a 2-yr old playing with her in the park, and hit her head on a bench while jumping from being startled kids running by...poor little thing.

Reflecting on these incidents, I realized that what she went through yesterday was equivalent to my experience in the music business! Welcome to L.A. Darla!

I promise to be more protective of you. You're going to need a good manager.

Stu Nevitt - Rest In Peace

We lost our friend and band mate, Shadowfax, drummer Stu Nevitt.
Rest in peace my brother.
1953-2008

Sign Stu's Guest book

From the Thirsty Mouth of Babes

My five-year-old nephew was having trouble opening the extra-tight lid of a bottle of Gatorade. Handing it to me after trying to open it himself, he asked, "Uncle Armen, can you open this for me." I had a bit of trouble myself but managed opening it.

Me: "Man, they put this lid on tight, didn't they!"
My nephew: "Yeah, don't they know people want to drink this?"

Integrity and the Stolen Electric Bass Guitar

All of us know someone who has had something of sentimental or financial value stolen from them, never to be seen again. So I wanted to share an email I received tonight from my friend, Brian who sent me the below message after selling his guitar and bass. Brian's a rare dude, and I'm proud to call him my friend. Here's his email to me:

The guy that bought my Gibson [guitar] bought my Alembic [bass guitar] too. I get a call today he says it’s on the Alembic’s website stolen list. I called Alembic and it was stolen sometime in 1979-80? We both talked to Alembic and I agreed to buy the bass back. The owner has been looking for it since then. He lives in Moorpark.

They called his mom, she answered and started crying and said “yes I’ll tell my son.” He called and I said come and get it he was ecstatic. I lose the money but this guy after all this time finally gets his prized bass back after almost 30 years. He still has the case and one of his old band mates kept telling him it will show up one day. I lose my money but that is not as important as this guy’s quest. Feels good, I hope it comes around to me some day. It should be on Oprah.

Weird

Corteo (Cirque du Soleil) in Los Angeles

Last night my wife and I attended the Los Angeles premier party for Cirque du Soleil's Corteo. It was on the floor of the L.A. Forum - a BIG place where years ago I saw many bands perform - AC/DC, Rod Stewart, Earth, Wind & Fire, Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel, and Peter Gabriel (yes, I saw him there a few times) to name a few.

I saw the show the previous evening at a dress rehearsal. It felt real good to see another Cirque show since it's been about 9 months from the time I last performed with them. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the musicians, all who were fantastic performers!

click pics to enlarge

Y'all Come Here Often? - Bad Music and the Bathroom Dilemma

If you read my previous post on Easy Listening Music being hard to listen to, then you're familiar with how music effects me. I took this to a new level though. A few days ago when I was at Linen's n Things shopping for a new wider-mouth garbage can to replace our current "trendy retro diner-looking cylindrical too-narrow-to-fill-up-a-full-bag-of-trash so I'm a moron for buying it" can, my bladder gave me the sign that it's time to duck into the men's room and take a leak.

As I walk into the bathroom, that meandering music that was playing in the store suddenly is louder. It's a duet - a "country" ballad (it's really just a pop tune with lap steel guitar and two singers who have a southern twang in their voices) being sung by a male and female. So I unzip as I start concentrating on how bad this song is and how cheezy the lyrics are. Damn...I really have to pee now. Ok Armen, relax dude.

But I can't help concentrating EVEN HARDER on ignoring this horrible music. My god! Someone actually advanced money to record this tune!! It won't stop playing. I have to pee so badly...is this song going to end???? I can't believe that a record company fronted over $90,000 to a radio promoter to get this thing on the air! Ohhh I can't pee now!!!! This sucks!! Those poor pierced and tattooed slacker bastards that work at Borders actually have to listen to the same tune inside their stores every day because the label is paying $5000 a month for in-store play.

Now I feel like an idiot standing here and not being able to pee! This song is so bad that I'm screwing myself out of one of the great sensations of relief that a human being can feel. Hundreds of dollars in royalties are pouring in to the songwriters and the label this very second as I stand here - pathetic, my bladder paralyzed by the inane lyrics. THIS BLOWS! Oh god...someone get me a catheter!!

I'm trapped in here with this sappy music, and I can't run out of the bathroom because I have to "go" so badly. Ugh! What a frigin' dilemma.

Finally after the song ended, I calmed myself down and "took care of business." Whew! I shouldn't let me self get all wound up like that. But man that was a horrible piss-poor excuse for a song!

However, in the end, everything came out okay.

I'm Not Making This Up

Is it me, or do you find it strange that there are laws prohibiting talking on the cell phone while driving, but no laws against applying makeup in rush-hour traffic while driving with your elbows?

When Pigs Fly - Roger Waters

I caught the Roger Waters concert at the Hollywood Bowl last week.
It's good to be alive!

Click on pics to enlarge











This was the best sounding and best mixed concert I'd ever been to in my life. The remodel of the Hollywood Bowl was money well spent!

Found some of the pics on these Flickr accounts