I was at a fashion show one Thursday night. The event was put together to showcase the talents of a Long Beach designer named Char Pack. Her line is called Dirtysix and the show was really cool. It began with roller derby girls in skates modeling clothes and also featured models in shoes, bands, art and a bunch more.
After the fashion show, Pack's band The City played. They are an all-female trio that sounds something like a poppy Joan Jett. I thought they were good and walked away from the event more than satiated with all the arts I took in (or maybe that was the hangover I was nursing all day. But I won't get into that).
The next morning I woke up feeling great because the hangover was gone. I was awake for all of thirty minutes when I received a message through Gmail from the music editor at the OC Weekly, asking if I could turn around a music story by the end of the following Tuesday. I said I could try and began my search for a band playing between the dates she was looking for.
The first site I checked was Long Beach's Alex's Bar and lo and behold, The City had a gig lined up for that week. One phone call to Pack and the interview is on. I submitted my story that weekend and it ran the following Thursday. How's that for a quick turnaround?
Anyway, check it out here.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
AN INTERVIEW WITH TRMRS IN OC WEEKLY
My friend is a bartender at Avalon Bar in Costa Mesa. A few weeks ago, he told me there was a cool band calling TRMRS playing there. I searched the Intranets and discovered he was correct.
Fast forward a week or so and I interviewed the band for the OC Weekly. It was the first time one of my stories was used in print for them for longer than I can remember. Of course, I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, so that doesn't mean much.
Click here to read, what I think, is a pretty funny interview with TRMRS.
Fast forward a week or so and I interviewed the band for the OC Weekly. It was the first time one of my stories was used in print for them for longer than I can remember. Of course, I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, so that doesn't mean much.
Click here to read, what I think, is a pretty funny interview with TRMRS.
THREE ITEMS IN LA WEEKLY'S BEST OF LA ISSUE
Saturday, October 23, 2010
25 Highlights of a Drive from Brooklyn to Long Beach
25 Highlights of A Drive from Brooklyn to Long Beach
1. Walking through a truck stop parking lot in Arizona, miss getting run over by an old man by less than three feet, then having him look at us, make a mean face and flipping us off.
2. Driving from New York to New Jersey, pulling over at the stateline to get gas, asking the man if he had a public bathroom and getting asked, “Do you have to pee?,” answering yes and then being told, “You can just pee in the corner over there.”
3. Having a baby cry in the seat in front of me on the plane just as I was about to fall asleep.
4. Rockin’ “The Blueprint” on the Holland Tunnel.
5. Being driven from Brooklyn to Manhattan, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and knowing I might be asking too many uncomfortable questions to our driver who watched the second plane hit the Twin Towers after the first plane woke him up.
6. Being completely sure I was asking too many uncomfortable questions after said driver went silent when I inquired, “Did you see the towers fall?”
7. Telling everyone in Texas, “You have a blessed day” and having them not understand I was joking.
8. Spending 18 minutes on the radio in Memphis with Thaddeus Matthews, aka my new favorite radio host, talking about everything from getting our butts in church, how my white god and my white people have been treating me wrong because I’m not rich, being told how black men need to stay with black women and white men need to stay with white women, getting directions to where I can pick up hookers on Elvis Presley Boulevard and getting off a “Baba Booey” before hanging up.
9. Hearing my brother talk to Thaddeus and get blamed for 400 years of oppression before saying “God Bless Texas.”
10. Hearing my brother call Thaddeus back and getting hung up on for doing the worst black impression of all time.
11. Having Jim Rome’s call screen improperly use the word “trite” when describing my admittedly lame topic.
12. Signing “Lomita Loves You” on the wall outside Graceland.
13. Introducing my brother to Barstow’s Del Taco.
14. Walking to the rear of the gift shop at the Big Texan in Amarillo and discovering they have a live rattlesnake in the store.
15. Eating guacamole and chips at the Frontier in Albuquerque.
16. Spending the night in the van in Shamrock, Texas, and remembering how I spent the best/worst day/night of my life there (ask me about it sometime).
17. Buying a t-shirt at the Flying J in Amarillo that has a drawing of Popeye’s body but no head for six bucks.
18. Taking pictures on an unused lawn mower at a rest stop in Tennessee.
19. Being told by an attendant at Wal-Mart that if his employees steal anything while changing oil in the van that I could come talk to him to get back my stuff.
20. Not knowing how to answer said attendant when he asked, “California? You got lots of Mexicans there?”
21. De-virginizing my brother’s lack of knowledge of what a Waffle House is.
22. Chatting with our server Andrew at an Oklahoma Waffle House and having him ask, “Is skateboarding popular in California?” before he showed us this green blob he called a tattoo.
23. Still not stepping foot into a Cracker Barrel.
24. Climbing through my bedroom window after realizing I left my keys in my apartment.
25. Getting to spend time with my brother (aaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww).
1. Walking through a truck stop parking lot in Arizona, miss getting run over by an old man by less than three feet, then having him look at us, make a mean face and flipping us off.
2. Driving from New York to New Jersey, pulling over at the stateline to get gas, asking the man if he had a public bathroom and getting asked, “Do you have to pee?,” answering yes and then being told, “You can just pee in the corner over there.”
3. Having a baby cry in the seat in front of me on the plane just as I was about to fall asleep.
4. Rockin’ “The Blueprint” on the Holland Tunnel.
5. Being driven from Brooklyn to Manhattan, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and knowing I might be asking too many uncomfortable questions to our driver who watched the second plane hit the Twin Towers after the first plane woke him up.
6. Being completely sure I was asking too many uncomfortable questions after said driver went silent when I inquired, “Did you see the towers fall?”
7. Telling everyone in Texas, “You have a blessed day” and having them not understand I was joking.
8. Spending 18 minutes on the radio in Memphis with Thaddeus Matthews, aka my new favorite radio host, talking about everything from getting our butts in church, how my white god and my white people have been treating me wrong because I’m not rich, being told how black men need to stay with black women and white men need to stay with white women, getting directions to where I can pick up hookers on Elvis Presley Boulevard and getting off a “Baba Booey” before hanging up.
9. Hearing my brother talk to Thaddeus and get blamed for 400 years of oppression before saying “God Bless Texas.”
10. Hearing my brother call Thaddeus back and getting hung up on for doing the worst black impression of all time.
11. Having Jim Rome’s call screen improperly use the word “trite” when describing my admittedly lame topic.
12. Signing “Lomita Loves You” on the wall outside Graceland.
13. Introducing my brother to Barstow’s Del Taco.
14. Walking to the rear of the gift shop at the Big Texan in Amarillo and discovering they have a live rattlesnake in the store.
15. Eating guacamole and chips at the Frontier in Albuquerque.
16. Spending the night in the van in Shamrock, Texas, and remembering how I spent the best/worst day/night of my life there (ask me about it sometime).
17. Buying a t-shirt at the Flying J in Amarillo that has a drawing of Popeye’s body but no head for six bucks.
18. Taking pictures on an unused lawn mower at a rest stop in Tennessee.
19. Being told by an attendant at Wal-Mart that if his employees steal anything while changing oil in the van that I could come talk to him to get back my stuff.
20. Not knowing how to answer said attendant when he asked, “California? You got lots of Mexicans there?”
21. De-virginizing my brother’s lack of knowledge of what a Waffle House is.
22. Chatting with our server Andrew at an Oklahoma Waffle House and having him ask, “Is skateboarding popular in California?” before he showed us this green blob he called a tattoo.
23. Still not stepping foot into a Cracker Barrel.
24. Climbing through my bedroom window after realizing I left my keys in my apartment.
25. Getting to spend time with my brother (aaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww).
Saturday, August 28, 2010
DECISIONS DECISIONS PUBLISHED AT HAGGARD AND HALLOO
I visit Haggard & Halloo nearly every day because it's one of the few poetry sites that publishes things I like. I also submit poems to them regularly because of this and sometimes they use my work, which is always cool.
About two or three Saturday nights ago, I had one of those evenings in which the words just fell out of my fingers and onto the page. One of the poems I wrote that night is called "Decisions Decisions." The next morning I re-read it and liked it enough to submit it to Haggard & Halloo.
Fast forward to today.
It's 12:30 p.m. I'm in bed on my laptop watching Japan come back against Chinese Taipei in the Little League World Series (which is sooooooooooooo much better than Major League Baseball, by the way) when I decide to see what's happening at H&H. Much to my surprise, there is a picture of me on the homepage. And below that picture is my poem "Decisions Decisions."
It's always an honor to have a poem published anywhere. It's even more of an honor when it's a surprise.
Click here to read "Decisions Decisions."
About two or three Saturday nights ago, I had one of those evenings in which the words just fell out of my fingers and onto the page. One of the poems I wrote that night is called "Decisions Decisions." The next morning I re-read it and liked it enough to submit it to Haggard & Halloo.
Fast forward to today.
It's 12:30 p.m. I'm in bed on my laptop watching Japan come back against Chinese Taipei in the Little League World Series (which is sooooooooooooo much better than Major League Baseball, by the way) when I decide to see what's happening at H&H. Much to my surprise, there is a picture of me on the homepage. And below that picture is my poem "Decisions Decisions."
It's always an honor to have a poem published anywhere. It's even more of an honor when it's a surprise.
Click here to read "Decisions Decisions."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
DAVID CROSS IN LA WEEKLY
If you read this blog (and my guess is you don't), you'd know all about the Lightbulb Mouth Radio Hour. It's a cool weekly event that goes down every Wednesday at the Basement Lounge in Long Beach. If you haven't read my story, Google it.
Anyway, a few weeks ago, comedian David Cross was part of the show. Wanna know what happened? Click here and my good friends at the LA Weekly and I will tell you all about what you missed.
THE ROOM IN THE LA WEEKLY
I've never seen "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and until about three months ago, I never wanted to. Then I saw the monthly screening of "The Room" at the Laemmle Sunset 5 and everyone has who seen Tommy Wiseau's epic film and the cult classic has likened the two based on the movie-going experience, not the films themselves. If "Rocky Horror" is half as good as "The Room," I'm there.
My youngest brother has been telling me about "The Room" for what feels like two years. I don't want to be the old fuddy duddy and say that his opinion didn't matter much, but he likes "Family Guy," if you know what I mean. After what felt like forever, I borrowed his DVD and watched the film. Three minutes in, I texted him to say "The Room" was the best movie I'd ever seen. Keep in mind, I'm not a movie person (kinda don't like them, actually), so for me to get this fired up says something about how awesome "The Room" is. Two days later I went to the screening and my life has literally been changed. If you go, yours will be too.
I'd try to explain the madness that is "The Room," but you just gotta go. If underage drinking, smoking pot inside movie theaters, throwing footballs inside movie theaters and hurling plastic spoons at screens sounds like a good time, you'll love "The Room."
If you need more info, click here. It's a story I wrote for the LA Weekly regarding the film and the screenings.
PS The pic is of me and Wiseau before the screening. He walks around the line to shake hands and take pics. This is us doing his patented fist-bump. Notice the guy in the wheelchair totally not caring that a picture is being taken.
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