CLICK FOR TRAILER

What?

The story of Hedda, a pregnant pianist (Lydia Lunch) and her husband Neal (Don Bajema) who’s idyllic and secluded life is disrupted by Jackson (Henry Rollins in his first major acting role).

Directed by Babeth Mondini-VanLoo (who filmed Teenage Jesus & The Jerks in New York City since late 1970’s) & written by Lydia Lunch with music by Jim G.Thirlwell (aka Foetus). Camera by the famous Kuchar-brother Mike. Filmed in 1990 in Oud-Amelisweerd, (Netherlands) a former castle of Louis Napoleon. The film, commissioned by Els Hoek as part of an art project premiered in The Netherlands in 1990 and screened a.o.at the Berlin film festival in 1991.

Where?

At home.

With?

On my own.

Why?

A friend gave it to me for my birthday due to me being a fan of a certain Hank Rollins. Personally, I’ve never heard of this flick and have no idea what to expect…

Worth It?

I really did not see the point of this movie at all. I know, I know…it’s art!

But really, there was no real goal of the story, the performances were stilted and the dialogue I could actually make out was pretty standard fare.

Not much to say on it really, aside from the fact that I’d take Hank in Bad Boys 2 and Feast over the drab art house exercises of Kiss Napoleon Goodbye any day of the week, month and year!

Not good.

3/10

Well, it’s out. Henry Rollins is a little out there and aggro for the disc.

Not quite psychedelic, too weird to be that, IMO. The first few notes did grab me, I must admit. Fuzz bass…it is groovy, I’m shaking a bit to it…oh my, Money is really weird…

Linkage to follow…

http://www.flaminglips.com/

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/id346025381

http://www.prefixmag.com/media/stardeath-and-white-dwarfs-the-flaming-lips/speak-to-mebreath-ft-henry-rollins-peaches-pink-fl/35825/

http://www.weallwantsomeone.org/2009/12/22/the-flaming-lips-money-pink-floyd-cover/

http://www.melophobe.com/news/a-heads-up-reminder-the-flaming-lips-covering-dark-side-of-the-moon-album-i/

Mi primera descarga en la tienda de iTunes tenía que ser esta. Los Flaming Lips covereando uno de los primeros discos que marcaron mi vida. Se bajó rapidito y sin problemas. Primera sorpresa, el disco está firmado por The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs With Henry Rollins and Peaches (un “and” más y no lo escucho, ja).

La portada me recuerda por alguna razón a Nirvana.

Play.

Primer track, el mítico latido del corazón. “Breathe”, espectacular, con el nuevo sonido que traen los Lips en Embryonic. Bajeo profundo y lo-fi, le da pie a “On the run”. Estos güeyes no se andan con mamadas. El disco está bien pensado. Va todo bien.

“Time” me recuerda a otro bien logrado esfuerzo por emular a Pink Floyd, toses, paneos… ¿tan rápido llegamos al reprise de “Breathe”? Se va como el agua, quiero más.

Fuck, fuck, fuck… Peaches cantando en “The Great Gig in the Sky”. Fuck. Peaches sabe cantar. Es un caos todo, un reverendo desmadre que suena increíblemente ajeno y familiar. Henry Rollins: “I never said I was afraid of dying”. No, yo tampoco he dicho eso nunca. Venga, la que sigue.

Ahhhh, caviar, lear jets y el bajo de Ivins sonando preciso. Protesta en cinco cuartos. Cinco cuartos mucho más barrocos que la de 1973, al mismo tiempo les falta esa dedicación pacheca que se escucha directo desde los estudios Abbey Road. Las voces suenan a través de un vocoder. Wayne Coyne invitó a la banda de su sobrino a grabar con ellos, es un jam pero bien orquestado. Alguien puso orden ahí, alguien definitivamente muy desordenado.

Calma distorsionada. “Us and Them”. Por alguna razón esta canción me da un poco de hueva al principio. Pero los ecos de Pink Floyd me enseñaron a escuchar los detalles en la música. Aquí no hay ecos, pero una constante en un sintetizador (¿o será un teclado viejo?) que hace que entre en un trance. “Forward he cried…” hay juegos con muchas voces de pronto. Eso es lo importante en un disco, que de pronto te sorprendan los detalles. No, no hay ecos pero soy fan. Es hermosa. Muy, pero muy cuidada y hermosa.

Prendo un cigarro. Un compañero.  El último de la cajetilla. Ni modo, ahí viene la parte más “colorida” del disco.

“Any Color You Like” es por mucho mi favorita del Dark Side de Pink Floyd. Tienen un buen reto aquí. Bien, empieza funky, llena de guitarras chillantes. Arreglitos minúsculos y el piano Rhodes con sonido giratorio. Una rola para lunáticos. ¿Y si  prendo otro cigarro?

Calma.

El lunático está en mi cabeza, y me gusta lo que me dice. Escucho las babitas, sí hay un delay. Quiero que mi vida tenga delay. Los lunáticos, y los lunáticos hablando como lunáticos están sonando en mis bocinas. Esto es vida. Sí. Un momento para dejar todo lo que estaba haciendo.

Y termina como debe ser. Piel chinita y toda la cosa. “Eclipse” sabiduría pura. Lágrimas. Latidos de corazón.

No hay lado oscuro de la luna, de hecho, toda está oscura.

¿Otra vez?

Va.

Los que logran hacer una buena reinterpretación de las obras maestras son merecedores de un embrujo. Vengan las brujas para los Flaming Lips. Bravo.

With a lineup already boasting the likes of IRON MAIDEN, RAMMSTEIN, MÖTLEY CRÜE and SLAYER amongst others, SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH has rolled out another five fantastic acts, showcasing the diversity and range of music it has to offer.

Recently added acts will include:

PLACEBO
PAPA ROACH
BRING ME THE HORIZON
FEAR FACTORY and
HENRY ROLLINS

With more bands expected to be announced in the New Year, Sonisphere is definetely shaping up to be one of the biggest festivals of 2010.

If you haven’t purchased your tickets already, you can do so at:

www.sonispherefestivals.com

They'll be back

I’ve had a bit of time to digest the final episode of Sons of Anarchy season two. While my initial impressions were positive, I’m even a bit more enthusiastic after looking back upon the story arc that unfolded this year. Sure, there were a couple of blips; like many episodic dramas they rely upon a fair amount of coincidence and synchronicity for events to fall into place. And occasionally there are the “yeah, right” moments…like the final chase scene (or watching someone actually overpower Henry Rollins!).  

But consider that Kurt Sutter walked out of one of the best shows of all time (The Shield) and immediately created another world that already has two excellent seasons of SOA in the books. From the very first episode of The Shield it was made clear that these were bad cops, yet by fleshing them out into three-dimensional characters, damned if you weren’t rooting for them to pull it all off and walk away. Sons of Anarchy has already started to tap into that zone. Sure, there’s been some murder and mayhem, but not to the innocent (at least by the Sons). This is frontier justice, twentieth century – SOA style.  

Many plot points were established early; seeds planted that have not yet begun to flower. We know there is some mystery in John Teller’s death, in what Jax was told versus what they will let him find out, in how the original vision of the club has been altered (Piney obviously has a line drawn in the sand and, while loyal to the club, is clearly only willing to go so far.) Many have called the plot arc Shakespearian in design, and indeed what we have seen so far looks like a mash-up of Macbeth and Hamlet…um…and a Western.  

S*M*A*S*H

Perhaps a subtle difference is the appearance of the cast. These are not pretty boys and hot, fit women; the types that somehow seem to fill an entire ensemble cast on most cop, law and medical dramas. These actors look hard – some even weatherbeaten – and it’s refreshing to see life’s scars figuratively and literally be part of their appearance. Indeed, the show is about family, and whether it was the pain of the dysfunction at the group dinner (think Thanksgiving gone horribly awry) or “going to the mattresses” before the final confrontation, all petty differences and minor disagreements are pushed aside for the common goal. On another level – especially with the territorial nature of the conflicts – it’s almost a patriotic move as much as a familial one.  

But above all, it’s the performance of the cast, taking a slice of life that could easily be caricatured and breathing nuance and depth into these characters. Katey Sagal, in particular, has been outstanding this season. Surviving a brutal attack at the outset, her Gemma has gone from pain to fear to abandonment to a reawakening and new strength. Her journey has been cathartic, especially her quiet scene with the priest whereby she looks within and realizes what her purpose and calling should be…and then how she twists that moment to take it way past the line. Much of this was done alone on camera, with little more than the realization coming over her face as only we, the audience, watched unfold. It was one of the best performances on television in 2009, by anyone.  

Queen Bee

Adam Arkin and Henry Rollins were flat-out amazing this year. Arkin underplayed what could have been a flashy, showy role and in doing so made his character far more sinister. And Rollins, whose image should sit next to the word “intense” in every dictionary, played a twisted soul who was both frightening and vulnerable. His character entered the story as the epitome of despicable, but Rollins was amazingly able to elicit sympathy and respect by the last episode. And a good show always gives its supporting characters great moments. Many got a turn to shine - Kim Coates, Ryan Hurst and Tommy Flanagan were among those who stepped up to the plate.  Special kudos to Dayton Callie as life-beaten police Chief Unser, who finds his center and his purpose.  

You know the show is special when moments after the final season episode you want the new season to start immediately. SOA nailed that with some resolution, cliffhanger elements (I won’t spoil anything for those still catching up), new roads laid bare and a character who may or may not have died in a fire. (On that last item, some have suggested it was a slip in the plot…I think there’s a reason we don’t know yet). I am itching for season three.  

Tune back in when I recap the ten best shows of 2009.  

Sons of Anarchy

With far less fan fare then I would have expected The Flaming Lips cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon will be out on Tuesday 12/22. The album with be creatively titled The Flaming Lips And Stardeath And White Dwarfs With Henry Rollins And Peaches Doing The Dark Side of The Moon. With a title like that do you even need anymore details? That pretty much sums it up. We’ve heard them do “Eclipse already on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic (you’ll have to scroll down a little bit to find the video). And we know that they will be performing the entire album at their New Years FREAKOUT 2010 party at The Cox Center in OKC.

I for one am really stoked to hear this. I was impressed by the little appetizer they gave us with “Eclipse” on KCRW and hope that they don’t go to over board with the remaining tracks.

01 “Speak To Me” / “Breathe” (featuring Henry Rollins and Peaches)
02 “On The Run” (featuring Henry Rollins)
03 “Time” / “Breathe Reprise”
04 “The Great Gig In The Sky” (featuring Peaches and Henry Rollins)
05 “Money” (featuring Henry Rollins)
06 “Us And Them” (featuring Henry Rollins)
07 “Any Colour You Like”
08 “Brain Damage” (featuring Henry Rollins)
09 “Eclipse” (featuring Henry Rollins)

Director – John Gulager

Cast – Balthazar Getty, Henry Rollins, Navi Rawat, Clu Gulager, Krista Allen, Jenny Wade, Josh Zuckerman, Judah Friedlander, Jason Mewes

Release Year – 2005

Reviewed by John of the Dead

This film is one of those rare gems that pretty much comes out of nowhere yet despite it’s bastard upbringings gives us an amazing ride of great horror and fun. Feast was part of the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Project Greenlight in which each season had a director and cast trying to make a film. This film was brought to us in the third season of the series and was subsequently the only film to really see any success. I personally love this film very much, and I feel that it has many of the qualities us horror fans look for in a horror film.

The plot for the film is a simple one. It takes place in an isolated bar out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a normal night and the “regulars” are drinking it up and playing pool until a blood soaked shotgun-welding stranger busts in through the door carrying the head of some weird looking monster. He tells the patrons that the surrounding desert is full of those things and that if they want to live, they will need to do what he says. It is then up to the people in the bar to band together and fight off the crazed monsters trying to get into the bar.

Feast is just plain awesome. Right off the back we are thrown into the action and into a series of character introductions that had me believing it was Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez directing the film and not first time director John Gulager. Each time we meet a character the film will freeze-frame and give us their Name, Occupation, and Life Expectancy! How freakin cool is that? I also really enjoyed how each character introduction had music to personify the character themselves, pretty creative Mr. Gulager. I really find it hard to believe that this is John Gulager’s very first film. His direction is top-notch and the film does everything right for the type of film it is set out to be.

John Gulager set out to make a “fun” horror film, and he succeeded tremendously. I really loved how within the first few minutes of the film we were already thrown into the action and the main element of the plot: the monsters trying to get in. Now John Gulager really did things right with this because he kept the action going, never giving us more than a few minutes between monster carnage and someone suffering an insanely gory death. Countless times I’ve seen a film start off pretty sweet yet slow down for a while before picking up again. Feast does not suffer from that dilemma and grabs you right from the beginning for a 90 minute ride you will never forget. This film is the epitome of great pacing, and is pretty much the biggest reason this film is getting a very high rating.

I really enjoyed the look of the monsters in this film. For most of the film the monsters were covered in animal carcasses which I found to be a GENIUS idea. The fact that the scary looking monsters disguised themselves as…well…scary looking monsters was clever and added to their creepiness. We even see a few baby monsters out and about wreaking carnage around the bar as they hump everything they see(including a mounted deer head on the wall) and even rip someone’s face off! Nice! Speaking of humping, we see a decent amount of monster sex as well, which I found to not only be quite comical but it added to the suspense given that the monsters procreated very quickly, which eliminated any numbers advantage the survivors had after killing one of the monsters. I also found this film to be very very funny, which I thought added to the film given that it is not really a horror/comedy like Scary Movie, but was really a true horror film that had some comic elements thrown in here and there. This was no silly type of comedy either, but very simple and witty comedy that I found wholesome and honestly had me laughing out loud a few times.

Now onto what I believe to be the most essential element to this film…the use of characters. We are given a pretty wide range of characters for this film. Some hicks, a motivational speaker(played by cult-icon Henry f*cking Rollins!), a person in a wheel chair, a very sweet “down home” girl, an old man and old woman, and of course…a few badasses. The most impressive use of these characters had to have been the way the filmmakers played with us involving the “heroes” of the film. I loved the fact that you get a sense of who the main character is and assume they are going to save the day yet soon enough they die a very violent death. You are left thinking “WTF? What now?”. THEN we are given a new “hero” to watch and all seems to be going well until they die a very gruesome death as well! I love it! I could imagine this concept of character use to wind up being really bad, however the director and writers for the film really did this right and topped that off with a twist consisting of one of the “least likely to be a hero” characters becoming well…the hero. Bravo on that because I honestly cannot think of a single film in any genre that does that to the extent that this film did.

Overall, this film has everything you could ask for in a horror film; Awesome characters, lots of gore, sweet looking monsters, good suspense, great music, perfect pacing, good comedy, and some gross out scenes that normal audiences would find “taboo”. I highly recommend this film to everyone who loves horror or is looking for a good time at the hands of American(for once not foreign) cinema.

Rating: 10/10

Dexter. Californication. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. The League:  Four of the six shows I watched religiously this fall; and none of them will air a new episode for ten months.

Some of the shows had some surprise endings: [SPOILER ALERT!]

And all of them had some memorable moments:

With all of these shows finishing their respective runs for the year, it can only mean one thing: Christmas is looming and subsequently attempting to rid my checking account of any money I’ve saved for a wedding or a PlayStation 3.

There is, however, one thing I love about Christmas: the music.

And no, I’m not talking about Gene Autry songs.  You see back in 2000 I started making Christmas albums for my friends in lieu of real gifts, and I even managed to do it for five years before running out of material.  I scoured record stores all over Milwaukee every year in an effort to find yuletide tunes that were often overlooked along with some of the most fucked up carols I could find.  What you see below is a “best of,” if you will, containing some of the best songs I’ve acquired over the years.  So be sure to buy/download/steal these albums, or just email me.

1. Henry Rolllins – ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
2. Run DMC – Christmas In Hollis
3. Eels – Christmas Is Going To The Dogs
4. Mr. Hankey & Kenny McCormick – The Most Offensive Song Ever
5. CKY (w/Bam Margera) – Santa’s Coming
6. Sum 41 & Jack Black – Things I Want
7. Akim & The Teddy Vann Production Co. – Santa Claus Is A Black Man
8. Sarah Silverman – Give The Jew Girl Toys
9. The Vandals – Christmas Time For My Penis
10. Denis Leary – Merry Fuckin’ Christmas
11. Stand Still – I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus
12. The Vandals – C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
13. Cranes – Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)
14. Red Peters – You Ain’t Getting Shit For Christmas
15. The Killers – Don’t Shoot Me Santa
16. Weezer – The Christmas Song
17. The Dicamillo Sisters – But Why’s It So Cold?
18. Pansy Division – Homo Christmas
19. Size 14 – Mrs. Claus
20. Mr. Garrison – Merry Fucking Christmas
21. No Doubt – Oi To The World
22. Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)

Dedicated ti Dali!

Hello my darling. Can you believe 2010 it’s just around the corner? It’s weird to think how fast time has slipped by and I remained kind of the same. I have never been one to do New Year resolutions but I will this time. My resolutions are to be more confident and to get myself out there. By this I mean joining clubs at school, community service, basically anything I can get my hands to. I am tired of almost being friendless and to focus on negativity. I am sick of relying on people only to be let down when I gave the best of me to them. Perhaps, I am too sensitive, or I have high standards on what I expect from people. I refuse to feel sad about it any longer. It is time to take some action, to keep myself busy. I don’t want to keep beating myself up thinking about what my life would be like if I had all the things I am missing. I am not alone as long as I have myself. If I don’t learn to love myself no one is going to do it for me.

Finals week ends on December 16 and I don’t come back to school till January 13. I am somewhat happy about having a nice long break. On the other hand, I will probably get sick of not having much to do. My mom wants to go to our ranch which is going to be boring and painful. Holidays are especially hard since my stepfather passed away…now it’s only my mom and I (in the US at least). The ranch is just full of memories of him… But, you got to keep your head up and know that people who passed away are in a better place. It is up to you to make things right and be happy for the blessing you have in your life.

Life isn’t perfect and it would be boring if it was. It is as I said in my last entry an endurance race and that is what makes it fun and unexpected. We just need to be thankful for what we do have and try to keep a good outlook on life. Something that is extremely hard for me the queen of the downers.

Till next time my sweet darlings

Here’s a part of The People Speak. Viggo Mortensen reads in Spanish, and then English, so don’t worry that you won’t know what was said. It looks like I can’t embed Vimeo unless I upgrade, so you’ll need to use the links instead. Sorry! After I get a job, I’ll switch. If archivists didn’t exist, this project wouldn’t have had the material to do this. Keep memory alive!!!

Viggo Mortensen reads Bartolome de Las Casas, “The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account” (1542) in Spanish and English from Voices of a People's History on Vimeo.

EDIT: Found a workaround… let’s see if it works… Success!

Trader Joe’s was pretty crowded for 7:00 on a Friday night (I know, I’m a real social butterfly), and I pulled my hat off when I walked in the door. (The fur-lined aviator hat is warm, but a little goofy.) Since my hair has gotten longer, it’s really itchy to wear my wig, so although it looks awesome, I’ve started going out without it. My hair is reeeeeeeally short, and it’s still pretty obvious that I’m growing it back from nothing; at Target today it got a lot of curious looks. I was a little self-conscious about it, but what the heck. My head is cute, my makeup is good, I’m rocking it. So people were doing double-takes tonight as they caught sight of my close crop. (I’m learning to live with the attention.)

Down at the end of the fresh foods aisle, a solidly-built gentleman was looking at cheese. Salt-and-pepper hair, Henry Rollins build, basket of groceries, and a kilt. With a sporran. And knee socks with the little ribbons. Big black brogues, a vest, and a bow tie. Awesome. He had a furrowed brow, as if he couldn’t remember what he was there to buy, or couldn’t find the right aisle for it. He looked very serious, and although I tried to catch his eye to smile, he was focused on his task.

I finished my shopping, checked out, and as I was pushing my cart out of the store, I noticed him walking across the front toward the register I had just left. I decided to take a chance that he had a sense of humor under that fierce demeanor, and as I rolled past him, I leaned over and said, “I’m glad you’re here – I thought I was going to be the one who got the most stares tonight.”

His face lit up and brightened from the center outward, revealing a radiant smile and twinkling blue eyes. He laughed as I rolled out to the parking lot.

AC Slater’s latest track ‘Play the Record Again’ is a proper bouncy, bassline number which I’m sure will set dance floors a light. The Trouble & Bass crew member samples a rant from a very angry Henry Rollins posing the question “Which came first? Shitty rave music or the drugs?” Rollins continues his bitter tirade on dance music only to have AC Slater flip it so that he actually ends up praising the tune – Genius. Have that Rollins!

AC Slater - Play the Record Again

Knockturnal

MORE ON AC SLATER

MYSPACE :: FACEBOOK :: BUY TUNES

Hello y’all, we’re on Hellohenry.com – haha!

http://www.hellohenry.com/2009/11/03/search-and-destroy-logo-parody/

Kurt Sutter, Photo By Prashant Gupta, FX

Sutter, a native of Clark, N.J, wrote, directed, executive produced and even acted in the 13th episode of the second season of “SOA,” as fans of the show refer to it.

The episode was called “Na Triobloidi,” Gaelic for “the troubles,” a term referring to the period of Protestant-Catholic conflict in Northern Ireland from the 1960s to the late 1990s.

We profiled Sutter in October for NewJerseyNewsroom.com, writing two companion stories, one an interview with him and the other on his views about the TV industry.

We did the phone interview after Sutter — who in his bio said he was “raised in the soul-numbing, homogenous suburbs of Central New Jersey” — had just finished directing the “SOA” finale. We asked him how he thought viewers would respond to the season’s end of this tale about a motorcycle club in Charming, Calif.

Center, Charlie Hunnam, right Ron Perlman, Photo By Prashant Gupta, FX

“I think people will like it,” Sutter said. “The trick with the finale is often the same trick you have with the premiere episode: Honoring the arc that existed before you and to bring some closure to that, and enticing the audience and setting up something they potentially might want to continue on the ride with.”

Sutter, Photo By Prashant Gupta, FX

He went on, “And I think I was able to that with last year’s finale and hopefully we’ll do the same with this year’s finale, so there is some conclusion to the arc that we played out and an introduction of something new – not so much as a cliffhanger so much as it is thematically where we might lead to if there’s a third season.”

In fact, the finale episode had lots of action and several cliffhangers.

Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Photo By Prashant Gupta, FX

Henry Rollins, the punk rocker who played the White Supremacist who raped the main character’s mother, Gemma, is shot to death by the son Jax, played by Charlie Hunnam. Motorcycle matriarch Gemma is played by Katey Sagal, who is married to Sutter.

In the episode, Gemma kills the daughter of the brains behind the White Supremacy movement — and instigator of the rape — Ethan Zobelle. The daughter had lured Gemma to the attack. As the show ends, Gemma is on the lam.

Zobelle, played by Adam Arkin, is about to be killed by the SOA when they have to take off because Jax’s baby son has been kidnapped by an IRA guy who the SOA has been gunrunning wth.

The villain escapes in a boat with the babe-in-peril as Jax and the gang watch helplessly on the dock. Meanwhile, Zobelle flees the U.S. in a chartered jet.

Sutter as Big Otto

Showrunner Sutter, who started out his career as an actor, has appeared in several of the episodes this season, playing Big Otto, a SOA member who is in prison. He is beaten by White Supremacists, who stick a broomstick in his eye. But he gets his revenge at the end, when he stabs his attacker in the neck.

Sutter doesn’t have to do much physically to pass for a SOA member, with his long hair, tribal tattoos and rugged good looks.

And here’s another “SOA” tidbit for you: The evil AFT agent June Stahl is played by actress Ally Walker, who is married to FX president John Landgraf.

Here’s the blog we did about our experience with Sutter.

We’re going to miss “SOA” on Tuesday nights.

We reported to you before that there were rumors that The Flaming Lips were going to do a tribute to Pink Floyd by covering Dark Side of The Moon in it’s entirety. The recording is going to be in collaboration with Stardeath and White Dwarfs, a band that Coyne’s nephew plays for and will include special appearances from Henry Rollins and Peaches.

There’s still no official release date for the album but Coyne and the boys will be making a dry run of the material on New Year’s Eve in The Flaming Lips hometown of Oklahoma City at The Cox Center. If you are a Lips fan and live within a 500 miles radius of OKC you now have New Year’s Eve plans.

All round entertainer Henry Rollins has announced another spoken word tour in the USA.

Having completed a UK leg, the former Black Flag frontman will take to the states with his “Frequent Flyer Tour”. Dates will Start from February.

Having swapped music for spoken word, Rollins has enjoyed more success and a cult following. Although, having seen him in the appalling Wrong Turn 2, as long as he stays away from acting he shouldn’t have much problem.

(Image courtesy of NME)

The business of blogs is big business.

Then there are moments which reaffirm that blogs are not about selling, but for CONNECTING.  It’s about putting it all out there unfiltered, getting into disagreements, not afraid to look like a tool.  It’s the honesty that grabs you.

Kurt Sutter is about dishing up honesty and plays the new media game where the rules are being made up as we go.   People follow him because he is so provocative, so interesting that they want to tune in.  You may know him as the writer/producer of the FX television series called Sons of Anarchy.  He is an Academy Award-winning writer, actor and is well known for his work on The Shield.

He recently did an interview HERE about blogging and provided some insight on the TV show.  He also provides a shout-out about this blog as one of his favorite motorcycle blogs.  Huh?  Sure, I’ve posted on the series, but I’ve certainly not been slobbering all over myself about the show.  In fact, I’ve been somewhat critical due to a number of episodes that I feel go beyond developing characters (Gemma’s rape; Tig bites the nose off a guys face) for the purpose of “goosing up” ratings with violence.   So where does that leave us?  Did Mr. Sutter “work” me?  I’ve been worked before.  I recognize it when I see it.  I’m not sure this time as Kurt is not some backwoods uneducated nit-wit who is clueless about the new media business.

Blind Faith once sang, it’s time to come down off your throne.  Mr. Sutter does that and for a split-second I felt like the blog mattered.  That’s the power of blogs.  You are momentarily CONNECTED.

Sutter is on Facebook, Twitter and blogs at sutterink.

Photo courtesy of FX and SOA.

All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog

NOISES ON: Can’t believe it, but they swear it’s true. The Frantics, the certifiably insane, oooh, oops, sorry, the mentally extrvagant comedy troupe

THE FRANTICS: Noises-makers

comprised of Paul Chatto, Rick Green, Dan Redican & Peter Wildman, are about to turn 30. (I know, I know, they don’t look a day over 29 .) To celebrate they’re launching a new Greatest Hits CD, Frantic Noises, and working on anniversary release dates for (1) The Very Best of Frantic Times (“more than 1,000 bits compiled from our CBC Radio show,”) (2) The Frantics Walk Upright

STOJKO: Red Door booster

(“the lost tapes of our final performance together in 1998,”) (3) an all-music CD that they’re recording now, and (4) the DVD of their Frantics Reunion Show, which aired on the Comedy Network. Big news is, they’re set to perform live at The Royal on College street — for one performance only, to launch their new CD — on Monday Dec. 7 at 7 pm. All proceeds from tickets ($10 +tax in advance, $15 +tax at the door) will go to PAL (the Performing Arts Lodge.) To order your tickets now, go to their website at www.thefrantics.com, or just click here.

GOING, GOING, GONE: Today is your last chance to bid on a unique online jewelry auction where all of the proceeds raised benefit the Red Door family

PINSENT & PINSENT: all about Uniti (photo: Zoomer magazine)

shelter. Called the Uniti Collection, the pieces are created by 18Karat Goldsmiths and inspired by celebnties partnered with designers. Sparklies adding their lustre to this cause include Leah & Gordon Pinsent, Elvis Stojko and Breakfast Television charmers Dina Pugliese and Jennifer Valentyne. To review the collection and get your bid in, click here … surfers are finding more and more treasures at on-line auctions, which is why they’ve become so popular. BID 2 BEAT AIDS, LIFEbeat’s fifth annual 10-day eBay Celebrity Memorabilia Auction honouring World AIDS Day starts December 1 at 12 noon, with proceeds going to ongoing AIDS/HIV programs in the U.S. Up for grabs are personal items from Michael Feinstein, Debbie Harry, Cheyenne Jackson, Lady Gaga, Cyndi

PUGLIESE: Breakfast jewel

Lauper, Patti LuPone, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Tim McGraw, Liza Minnelli, Stevie Nicks, Cynthia Nixon, Bernadette Peters, Joan Rivers, Henry Rollins, John Waters, Vanessa Williams and the late Bea Arthur, among others. For more information, including a complete list of participating artists and images of many of the items, click here … and  Julia Roberts is among the glitterati reportedly ready to act up for the Labyrinth Theater Company’s seventh annual gala benefit called Celebrity Charades 2009: Jackpot. Beginning

ROBERTS: charity charades

December 7, celeb teams do battle in charades competition, so in addition to Julia look for Eric Bogosian, Bobby Cannavale, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni and more. And feel free to  follow the action online — where else?!? — at  www.LABtheater.org.

Like I said — not yer average rock band.

TOMORROW:

Why Liz Smith always makes me laugh.

Plus, Brangelina update, and more!