Four Fingered Mel rocks out and brings the Awesomerock!™ in a matter of hours. Epic Climax ahead.
I just spent the better part of two hours or so drawing a grasshopper. Fun times.
Now for some garnachas. Some tuneskies, too. For the digestion.
Real talk.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Endings and Beginnings
The very nature of music is that it evolves; it doesn't just waste way and rest on its laurels, it grows. It therefore should be no shock that Four Fingered Mel has grown beyond the ska/punk image, and has evolved beyond established musical parameters. As such, it seems that Four Fingered Mel's time is up. It won't be around for too much longer.
That doesn't mean that I and my fellow musicians in Mel have called it quits; rather it means we're moving in a new direction musically. More on that as things develop.
Meanwhile we're rocking out at the House of Blues in Anaheim on May 19th. You could look upon it as a send-off to Mel, and the beginning of something new musically.
Here's the thing, folks: I haven't followed wrestling regularly in a long time. The end of the Attitude era pretty much marked the end of my days following wrestling regularly. This past WrestleMania was my first in a long time, to give you an idea. Regardless, I do have a few things to say regarding certain happenings, chief among them Edge's retirement. Edge was a great talent, and it's a real shame he's calling it a career so soon; but if his description of his physical condition is any indication, it's probably for the best that he's calling it quits now, rather than risking injury down the road.
Also, I'm deeply saddened with what's been going on recently with Scott Hall. His demons are well documented. What transpired recently at an independent show is unfortunate. Fans on the internet are clearly divided: some say Scott Hall should be held accountable for his actions on his own, others say the promoter should be held accountable. As far as I'm concerned, Scott should be held accountable for being in the state he was, but the promoter should also be held accountable for allowing Scott to hit the ring in the state he was in. I can only hope Scott cleans his act up before it is too late.
All for now. Time for some tuneskies.
That doesn't mean that I and my fellow musicians in Mel have called it quits; rather it means we're moving in a new direction musically. More on that as things develop.
Meanwhile we're rocking out at the House of Blues in Anaheim on May 19th. You could look upon it as a send-off to Mel, and the beginning of something new musically.
Here's the thing, folks: I haven't followed wrestling regularly in a long time. The end of the Attitude era pretty much marked the end of my days following wrestling regularly. This past WrestleMania was my first in a long time, to give you an idea. Regardless, I do have a few things to say regarding certain happenings, chief among them Edge's retirement. Edge was a great talent, and it's a real shame he's calling it a career so soon; but if his description of his physical condition is any indication, it's probably for the best that he's calling it quits now, rather than risking injury down the road.
Also, I'm deeply saddened with what's been going on recently with Scott Hall. His demons are well documented. What transpired recently at an independent show is unfortunate. Fans on the internet are clearly divided: some say Scott Hall should be held accountable for his actions on his own, others say the promoter should be held accountable. As far as I'm concerned, Scott should be held accountable for being in the state he was, but the promoter should also be held accountable for allowing Scott to hit the ring in the state he was in. I can only hope Scott cleans his act up before it is too late.
All for now. Time for some tuneskies.
Friday, April 01, 2011
I Bent My Wookie...
So it turns out my entire engine was basically hanging on by a thread. Not in the sense of functionality so much as in the fact that three out of the four supports that basically make sure my engine and my car continue to function as one piece were either not completely tight or else totally broken. So like, if what happened on the way to Wal-Mart had happened, say, on the 10 or the 57 or really any major freeway and I was doing like eighty...well, I wouldn't here typing this if things had transpired as such. Thoughts like this keep me warm at night.
School is stressful in that odd, there's a lot to think about but not really a lot to do in as far as work is concerned type of way. At least, not as much as there was a couple semesters ago. In my drawing class I've drawn a money tree, a shoe, and now I have this positive space/negative space thing I'm supposed to paint, and I'm beginning to realize the view I chose of the subject matter was entirely flawed, and this thing probably won't end well. Always a fun thing to discover, let me assure you. Oh, well. It wouldn't be called beginning drawing if everybody knew their shit. Although there are some pretty stunning artists in this class. God damn them. Bitter? Fuck no.
Psychology of human sexuality continues to fascinate. I love the group discussion aspect of class and Dr. Ano is very funny and informative. Also he's pretty clear about what's going to be on the test and gives very comprehensive study guides, thank the F.S.M. Which is more than I can say for my Sociology professor, whose study guides are a little more of the look it up in the book variety.
My brain is both grateful beyond words to finally be in a creative environment and drawing--even if I suck beyond words--and also completely fried from school, car trouble (now fixed) and a particularly whirlwind trip to AZ for the sister's wedding.
Time for some tuneskies.
School is stressful in that odd, there's a lot to think about but not really a lot to do in as far as work is concerned type of way. At least, not as much as there was a couple semesters ago. In my drawing class I've drawn a money tree, a shoe, and now I have this positive space/negative space thing I'm supposed to paint, and I'm beginning to realize the view I chose of the subject matter was entirely flawed, and this thing probably won't end well. Always a fun thing to discover, let me assure you. Oh, well. It wouldn't be called beginning drawing if everybody knew their shit. Although there are some pretty stunning artists in this class. God damn them. Bitter? Fuck no.
Psychology of human sexuality continues to fascinate. I love the group discussion aspect of class and Dr. Ano is very funny and informative. Also he's pretty clear about what's going to be on the test and gives very comprehensive study guides, thank the F.S.M. Which is more than I can say for my Sociology professor, whose study guides are a little more of the look it up in the book variety.
My brain is both grateful beyond words to finally be in a creative environment and drawing--even if I suck beyond words--and also completely fried from school, car trouble (now fixed) and a particularly whirlwind trip to AZ for the sister's wedding.
Time for some tuneskies.
Friday, March 18, 2011
...And Boom Goes the Dynamite...
You know that thing where your car starts spewing transmission fluid everywhere?
Yep. That happened.
I'm on my way to Wal-Mart--don't you dare fucking judge me right now--and right as I'm making a left turn, I feel this funny jerk, like I ran something over or whatever. I shrugged it off at first, until I noticed a marked decline in my car's performance where acceleration is concerned coupled with smoke billowing out from under the hood. I pull over and, lo and behold, the underside of the car is spewing red liquid. I knew right away this wasn't anti-freeze or oil or anything else; I knew it was transmission fuel and I could hear God pinching off a last loaf before he pulled his trousers up with a chuckle, eagerly anticipating his next bowel movement, relishing the thought of releasing its putridity on my person as he looks over his latest issue of Swank.
Fortunately the Bandit, ever the trooper, made it back to the house, even if it was at less than thirty miles an hour. At certain points I managed to do forty. Something about that leaves me hopeful that my car isn't quite as fucked as I had initially believed.
But I've been wrong before.
Oh, and my TV is broken. Looks like man made objects aren't my friend today. I'm kind of shocked this laptop is still functional, to be honest.
Other than that, it's a great day to be alive...
Yep. That happened.
I'm on my way to Wal-Mart--don't you dare fucking judge me right now--and right as I'm making a left turn, I feel this funny jerk, like I ran something over or whatever. I shrugged it off at first, until I noticed a marked decline in my car's performance where acceleration is concerned coupled with smoke billowing out from under the hood. I pull over and, lo and behold, the underside of the car is spewing red liquid. I knew right away this wasn't anti-freeze or oil or anything else; I knew it was transmission fuel and I could hear God pinching off a last loaf before he pulled his trousers up with a chuckle, eagerly anticipating his next bowel movement, relishing the thought of releasing its putridity on my person as he looks over his latest issue of Swank.
Fortunately the Bandit, ever the trooper, made it back to the house, even if it was at less than thirty miles an hour. At certain points I managed to do forty. Something about that leaves me hopeful that my car isn't quite as fucked as I had initially believed.
But I've been wrong before.
Oh, and my TV is broken. Looks like man made objects aren't my friend today. I'm kind of shocked this laptop is still functional, to be honest.
Other than that, it's a great day to be alive...
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
So many fucking leaves...
Our first project in my drawing class is a still life, a contour line drawing of some plant life. I'm doing a money tree, and it's kicking my ass. I think I need to stress a little less about it looking the way it should and just draw the damn thing.
Art Spiegelman released a sketchbook collection--the brave, reckless bastard--which is called "Be A Nose!" and it's absolutely wonderful. The story behind its namesake is that he apparently once saw a scene in a movie--I can't remember just which at the moment--and a man in that movie is pounding furiously at a block of plaster, hollering "Be a nose, damn it! BE A NOSE!" Spiegelman asserted that this frantic, half-crazed approach best sums up and defines his approach to drawing (though I'm inclined to believe he's exaggerating a bit). Never have I identified with Spiegelman as much as today.
In case you're wondering, art supply prices are everything they're cracked up to be. Oy...
Caught a little bit of the Coco on the interwebs a bit ago...I needs me some basic cable. Like, now. And I don't even watch fucking TV anymore--I need it simply for the express purpose of getting my Conan fix. Although it would be nice to get to experience and enjoy some of the [adult swim] again. Been a little while.
Catching some vids on the YouTube have gotten me nostalgic of the old days, back when I would occasionally play wrestling video games with my buddies and we'd get a kick out of playing as our own created wrestler characters. WrestleMania 2000, WWF No Mercy, SmackDown: Just Bring It, Shut Your Mouth, Here Comes The Pain...maybe if I have some spare change lying around I'll pick up a copy of one of the SmackDown VS RAW games, just for fun times and great justice.
Such strange weather; it's raining, it's sunny, it's raining...I think we broke the planet.
I'm just gonna come right out and say it: I can't watch the original, live action Turtles movie and not want pizza afterwards. No. Fucking. Lie. That's just the way it is, I suppose...
Speaking of the old school Turtle flick, according to the IMDb, Elias Koteas--the dude who played Casey Jones--is apparently going to be in the next Harold and Kumar flick. Take that news as you will.
Alright, that's enough fucking nonsense for now.
Art Spiegelman released a sketchbook collection--the brave, reckless bastard--which is called "Be A Nose!" and it's absolutely wonderful. The story behind its namesake is that he apparently once saw a scene in a movie--I can't remember just which at the moment--and a man in that movie is pounding furiously at a block of plaster, hollering "Be a nose, damn it! BE A NOSE!" Spiegelman asserted that this frantic, half-crazed approach best sums up and defines his approach to drawing (though I'm inclined to believe he's exaggerating a bit). Never have I identified with Spiegelman as much as today.
In case you're wondering, art supply prices are everything they're cracked up to be. Oy...
Caught a little bit of the Coco on the interwebs a bit ago...I needs me some basic cable. Like, now. And I don't even watch fucking TV anymore--I need it simply for the express purpose of getting my Conan fix. Although it would be nice to get to experience and enjoy some of the [adult swim] again. Been a little while.
Catching some vids on the YouTube have gotten me nostalgic of the old days, back when I would occasionally play wrestling video games with my buddies and we'd get a kick out of playing as our own created wrestler characters. WrestleMania 2000, WWF No Mercy, SmackDown: Just Bring It, Shut Your Mouth, Here Comes The Pain...maybe if I have some spare change lying around I'll pick up a copy of one of the SmackDown VS RAW games, just for fun times and great justice.
Such strange weather; it's raining, it's sunny, it's raining...I think we broke the planet.
I'm just gonna come right out and say it: I can't watch the original, live action Turtles movie and not want pizza afterwards. No. Fucking. Lie. That's just the way it is, I suppose...
Speaking of the old school Turtle flick, according to the IMDb, Elias Koteas--the dude who played Casey Jones--is apparently going to be in the next Harold and Kumar flick. Take that news as you will.
Alright, that's enough fucking nonsense for now.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
So I says to Mabel, I says...
So I guess I have something of an antiquated sense of romance. A friend of mine posted her ideas of what would make good wedding songs--these included "Kiss the Boy" from The Little Mermaid and "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.
Now, I'm of the mind that two persons should be able to do whatever the holy living fuck they want for their wedding. Period. If you don't feel like wearing a suit and you wanna just rock a suit jacket and one of those tuxedo t-shirts and Converse sneakers, by all means make it fucking happen. If you want to play Stromkern, or Amon Amarth, or whatever the fuck at a wedding, make it so, Number One.
That said, I responded that I wasn't sure I'd go with A Whole New World, and that I'd rather have something like That Old Black Magic going instead. Apparently my idea was less than romantic. Picture this for a second, though: live jazz band, vocalist belting out, all while in an old school dance hall. What's not to love?
Evidently this song isn't very romantic...even though, y'know...it's about romance. Like I said, I was just throwing ideas out there, though. It turns out she's not familiar with that song, though.
I was about to share my next suggestion--Huey Lewis and The News' "The Power of Love"--whereupon I received a notification that my friend is apparently unfamiliar with this song as well. Never have I felt so old...
Oh and by the way, through the miracle of hypertext time compression, it had only been about .003 seconds since you read that last part about me just throwing out suggestions, but there was a significant gap of time between that and my actually sharing with you my friend's lack of familiarity with Huey Lewis and The News' song, during which time there was much facepalm.
By the way, I'm not getting married anytime soon--fuck THAT noise. This is purely a hypothetical response to a friend's post on the book of face, two which I've now devoted a significant portion of this blog. We live in fascinating, frightening, frustrating times, folks.
Officially taking twelve units, and officially spent a shit ton of money on supplies for my drawing class. Worth it, though!
I'm looking at the small money tree plant I'm going to use as my subject--it's actually a pretty cool looking plant. I'm told they don't naturally grow with their trunks all twisted up--you actually have to manually keep twisting it up or it will grow wild and out of control. Trippy...
Now, I'm of the mind that two persons should be able to do whatever the holy living fuck they want for their wedding. Period. If you don't feel like wearing a suit and you wanna just rock a suit jacket and one of those tuxedo t-shirts and Converse sneakers, by all means make it fucking happen. If you want to play Stromkern, or Amon Amarth, or whatever the fuck at a wedding, make it so, Number One.
That said, I responded that I wasn't sure I'd go with A Whole New World, and that I'd rather have something like That Old Black Magic going instead. Apparently my idea was less than romantic. Picture this for a second, though: live jazz band, vocalist belting out, all while in an old school dance hall. What's not to love?
Evidently this song isn't very romantic...even though, y'know...it's about romance. Like I said, I was just throwing ideas out there, though. It turns out she's not familiar with that song, though.
I was about to share my next suggestion--Huey Lewis and The News' "The Power of Love"--whereupon I received a notification that my friend is apparently unfamiliar with this song as well. Never have I felt so old...
Oh and by the way, through the miracle of hypertext time compression, it had only been about .003 seconds since you read that last part about me just throwing out suggestions, but there was a significant gap of time between that and my actually sharing with you my friend's lack of familiarity with Huey Lewis and The News' song, during which time there was much facepalm.
By the way, I'm not getting married anytime soon--fuck THAT noise. This is purely a hypothetical response to a friend's post on the book of face, two which I've now devoted a significant portion of this blog. We live in fascinating, frightening, frustrating times, folks.
Officially taking twelve units, and officially spent a shit ton of money on supplies for my drawing class. Worth it, though!
I'm looking at the small money tree plant I'm going to use as my subject--it's actually a pretty cool looking plant. I'm told they don't naturally grow with their trunks all twisted up--you actually have to manually keep twisting it up or it will grow wild and out of control. Trippy...
Friday, February 25, 2011
俺、参上！
Been a long time since I updated this thing. And a lot has transpired in the meanwhile. Some of it worth remembering, some of it not so. Nothing too terrible has happened, and life has been something in the way of bearable, so that's good, right? The fact that my last entry had something to do with the now infamous Coco/Leno feud is...well, it gives you an idea of how long its been, and major props to Conando and his new show, which rocks your shit harder than Oprah on a baked Alaska. It should be noted that one big thing has happened, something I never would've guessed in a million years would happen.
Four Fingered Mel is back.
We started out back in '02 or '03, or some such thing. I actually didn't join up until Ernie decided horns would be a nice addition to the band. We stayed together up through 2007, or thereabouts, whereupon the bud came off the rose. If somebody were to tell me we'd be back and gigging full time by 2011...well, you get the idea.
Nevertheless, we're back. We've played a few fun shows, and we've even recorded some new material, which is very nice. A CD with said tunes was handed out at our show, and the tunes are also available on Facebook. God...we're actually on Facebook. Remember Myspace, kids? We started out in the Land of Wind and Ghosts...and now we're on fucking Facebook. Crazy.
Oh, and did I mention we have a website? Check the fucking sidebar already.
Anyway...outside of recreational stuff, I'm back in school, doing the book learnin'. Basically what I should have been doing ages ago. Now I'm making up for lost time.
Also some silly shit happened on the interwebs.
And fuck it, as long as we're basking in the absurdity that is teh insta-webs, put this in your pipe and smoke it.
This wouldn't be much of a return blog if I didn't mention my thoughts on some of the recently released and/or upcoming comic book flicks these days. Let's start with The Green Hornet, seeing as I've seen it about a dozen or so times. Bottom line: if you're looking for fun, escapist entertainment, rock on. If you're looking for some kind of homage to Van Williams' portrayal of the character, prepare for some serious disappointment. For my part, I enjoyed it. I damn well better have, considering how many times I've seen it. Anycrap, word on the streets is Anne Hathaway just got cast as Selina Kyle for the new Bat flick. I honestly don't know how to feel about that, or the fact that we're apparently going to be treated to an appearance by Bane, making his triumphant return to the silver screen after a thirteen year absence. This should be...interesting.
Honest to God it seems like Marvel's gonna have a better time of it. They got Thor, Cap...we got Bats, a Supes remake (sigh), and what looks to me like a very poorly executed Green Lantern flick. Swell.
Unrelated note: The Hangover Part 2: It's happening, bitches.
Also there's talk of a possible sequel or even a possible trilogy that is to be made of--wait for it--Independence Day. If your reaction ran along the lines of "WTF," you're not alone. ID4 was great, don't get me wrong--I just don't see how they're gonna wring another two movies out of the concept. Oh, well...maybe we'll see a return for Brent Spiner, even though his character seemed kind of...well...dead, and such.
If you haven't seen Batman: Under the Red Hood, please do so as soon as possible. Fucking ruled. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies also kicked much butt.
All for now, as the hour grows late and the post grows tl;dr.
Keep the faith, brothers.
Four Fingered Mel is back.
We started out back in '02 or '03, or some such thing. I actually didn't join up until Ernie decided horns would be a nice addition to the band. We stayed together up through 2007, or thereabouts, whereupon the bud came off the rose. If somebody were to tell me we'd be back and gigging full time by 2011...well, you get the idea.
Nevertheless, we're back. We've played a few fun shows, and we've even recorded some new material, which is very nice. A CD with said tunes was handed out at our show, and the tunes are also available on Facebook. God...we're actually on Facebook. Remember Myspace, kids? We started out in the Land of Wind and Ghosts...and now we're on fucking Facebook. Crazy.
Oh, and did I mention we have a website? Check the fucking sidebar already.
Anyway...outside of recreational stuff, I'm back in school, doing the book learnin'. Basically what I should have been doing ages ago. Now I'm making up for lost time.
Also some silly shit happened on the interwebs.
And fuck it, as long as we're basking in the absurdity that is teh insta-webs, put this in your pipe and smoke it.
This wouldn't be much of a return blog if I didn't mention my thoughts on some of the recently released and/or upcoming comic book flicks these days. Let's start with The Green Hornet, seeing as I've seen it about a dozen or so times. Bottom line: if you're looking for fun, escapist entertainment, rock on. If you're looking for some kind of homage to Van Williams' portrayal of the character, prepare for some serious disappointment. For my part, I enjoyed it. I damn well better have, considering how many times I've seen it. Anycrap, word on the streets is Anne Hathaway just got cast as Selina Kyle for the new Bat flick. I honestly don't know how to feel about that, or the fact that we're apparently going to be treated to an appearance by Bane, making his triumphant return to the silver screen after a thirteen year absence. This should be...interesting.
Honest to God it seems like Marvel's gonna have a better time of it. They got Thor, Cap...we got Bats, a Supes remake (sigh), and what looks to me like a very poorly executed Green Lantern flick. Swell.
Unrelated note: The Hangover Part 2: It's happening, bitches.
Also there's talk of a possible sequel or even a possible trilogy that is to be made of--wait for it--Independence Day. If your reaction ran along the lines of "WTF," you're not alone. ID4 was great, don't get me wrong--I just don't see how they're gonna wring another two movies out of the concept. Oh, well...maybe we'll see a return for Brent Spiner, even though his character seemed kind of...well...dead, and such.
If you haven't seen Batman: Under the Red Hood, please do so as soon as possible. Fucking ruled. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies also kicked much butt.
All for now, as the hour grows late and the post grows tl;dr.
Keep the faith, brothers.
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