My initial gig was doing “Modern Retro” for Desi Rae at the Fallout
I decided that the Halloween season would be best for me to spread myself around so I started scouting places to do my stuff
Jow Virus gave me a pretty solid yes but held me at arm’s length for a fair amount of time (that’s just the way dealing with the Church is)
Meanwhile, I was working a multitude of locations with the attitude of “even if just a couple work out that is better than none
Most of the ideas and locations got crossed off the list
One venue in particular dragged the process out endlessley insisting that they had no idea what I was trying to accomplish despite the multiple e-mails detailing everything I wanted to do (including specific technical applications for their venue)
It took forever to get a “no” out of them and it was laced with more than a hint of negative energy
Kinda like the girl that you ask out but takes forever to make a decision and ultimately goes with what their friends think (well, more than kinda… except the girl is a venue and their friends are fellow scenesters)
Then I got a Halloween gig at the Fallout Lounge with one of my favorite artists

The Voodoo Organist was scheduled to play the Fallout Lounge the week of Halloween
I set about creating the most ambitious Video/DJ set I had ever presented
It took half of September and a good deal of October to condense the footage
Meanwhile, I had also gotten a last minute gig at July Alley for Zombie Walk
It was last minute becasue I had thought another club was going to let me DJ there but they ended up backing out after weeks of waffling
The July Alley gig didn’t work so well because they decided I should do this at the back of the club AFTER zombie walk was over
The world series was more important to the bar patrons so up front was dedicated to the game
This resulted in me sitting in the back of a club while people walked by me with a puzzled look on their faces as they headed for the back door
Meanwhile, I had handed out about a thousand flyers for the Voodoo Organist show

The Fallout gig was a couple of days before the actual Halloween night gig at the Church but I considered it to be my main gig
I had amassed 4 different mixes of Halloween footage for the 4 different video sources
I mixed live on the main video screen whilst pre mixed DVDs played on the flat screen, on a small projector in the back room and “The Video Cube” (a booth that was notched into the front of the room)
All sources were different mixes of material relating to the central theme of vintage yet kitschy horror/halloween (there is a playlist on a previous blog)
The show ended up not drawing anywhere near what we expected
We had taken into consideration that there were a million other events happening
We had nt taken into consideration that the VO would book another gig a couple of hours earlier
The people who did end up showing up for our event were mostly good friends of mine doing it out of loyalty (to both me and the VO)
The Church gig ended up being mostly a “best of my horror collection”
I didn’t get paid (they never do) but I got drunk for free and had some DJ booth shenannegans so it was worth the minimal effort it took
The people at the Fallout Lounge were impressed with my work at the Voodoo Organist and recognized all the promo work I did
Amanda started listening to other ideas I had (initially she had given me a bit of an arm’s length too)
She mentioned me to Gabriel Mendoza and I managed to get myself on the Bollywood gig

Bollywood was the type of new challenge that I have been looking for
I had considered it previously in Minneapolis when I had run ins with FyreSnake Shirvana
She participated in Burlesque events and I wanted to do some interactive video/dance stuff
I had liked the enrergy and look of Bollywood ever since The Hypnotic Eye played Jaan Pehechaan Ho
I amassed a ton of great Bollywood dance numbers as well as some cool sci-fi and kitschy horror (Indian Thriller!)
I would provide a playlist but there is so much stuff to list that I just didn’t wanna do the work (I will if requested)
Gabriel liked what I did and offered me his next event “Subway Sounds” The Sound of NYC 1973-1983

There was less than a week to prepare for this gig but I had anticipated it so there was some scouting of footage in advance
I had combed through a few documentaries and had compiled all of the street scenes from the era combined with sweeping overhead shots over the city
In addition, Gabriel had asked me to include the artists covered in the event so I used my documentaries on NYC artists, including Patti Smith, Ramones, New York Dolls, Talking heads and Andy Warhol as well as the general disco and hip hop scenes
I tried to do a “video cube” in the back room with endless loops of New York subway footage but it didn’t cover the room enough for my tastes

Just when I thought I was gonna take a bit of a breather, Amanda tosses a Christmas theme in my lap
Not only that but I was expected to get DJs together
Wild in the Streets and DJ Sir Scott Mack graciously provided their talents (Scott even rescued us from my bad flyer)
I had lots of vintage home movies from Christmas 1950′s/60′s and toy commercials
The two main features of the evening were “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” and the Mexican made “Santa Claus” where he fights the Devil
The turnout was more than expected and I was able to pay my DJs

Finally, I was offered New Year’s Eve at Fallout
Charlie Park of KNON was the DJ and I just did a “best of” with all kinds of things from my collection

This brings me to this evening’s performance with one of my favorite bands of all time Sleazy Mancini
Credit Joe Riley for plating the Video/DJ seed in my head way back in the 90′s when he featured Sleazy Mancini on his show The Hypnotic Eye
He took live footage and edited in some cool scenes from differet Film Noir
This made me wonder what it would look like if you projected those scenes behind the band
A decade later, I am doing just that tonight at La Grange nightclub in Deep Ellum
I have compiled anout an hour’s worth of footage and modified several Sleazy Mancini Logos
I have edited 7 different film noir movies down to the scenes that work with the music without distracting from the music
Plus, I am DJing before the set

PyroPlasticFlow looks to take off again but I am going to keep doing the Video/DJ thing as well

I first started to notice the burlesque scene developing in Minneapolis and, as usual, dismissed it  out of habit
There had been scattered performances here and there before but I started to check out the performances in the same building as the Urban Wildlife
I was playing with Autonomy at the time and I was in full jaded asshole mode but their performances seemed to be more than chicks stripping in vintage outfits
I was especially amused by their stage pervy male stage assistant who affected mock embarrasment as he oggled the girls whilst picking up their discarded clothes

About this time, I started dating Laura
Our relationship was mainly based on the intellectual challenges we lobbed at each other on a constant basis
We joked about the fact that she embraced the term “arm candy” with a passion with her colorfully adorned lanky frame towering over my cool all black persona
We both knew that she was looking to step out of my shadow
The most comic example would have to be when we were backstage at an Impaler show
She had attended lots of their shows and was frequently the only woman in the pit
I had met them once
We walk up to then and what do they all yell?
“HEY ROCKULA!”
We agreed that a good common goal would be to find a way for Laura to shed the title of “Rockula’s Girlfriend”
As prestegious as that title may be, we both knew that her potential far exceeded being arm candy for a local scene personality
She has since graduated from college, is working for the Dallas Observer and looks to catch up with me in the “musical know it all” category (although there’s a ton of ground to make up and she’ll never match my level of purist snobbery)
This is what the burlesque/rollergirl/fetish/bondage/fashion show scene has done for artistic minded women looking to establish their own identity
It is a wonderful development that allows more people to find value in artisic fulfillment, thus giving monetary value to more art

Just remember this
There are millions of people just like you with the exact same ideas and aspirations
Sure, it earns you popularity and admiration
You get to feed your ego on your peer’s adoration
But make no mistake about the fact that you are no more unique than the thousands of clone bands, DJs and rappers that you date
It’s great that you have found new artistic fulfillment and some much needed self image building because you worked hard to put yourself there
Just don’t confuse a huge friend’s list, hundreds of pics of you and your friends seductively posing at the club and a line of drooling scene boys at your dressing room door, with artistic achievement

Of course, no one can deny that women have been achieving just as much success in music as men but it is still an environment dominated by men
And most all female bands end up proving my point by using a gender specific name and exploiting their sexuality
For every role model like Kim Gordon and L7, there was an army of girls that would grow up to want to be just like Kittie
Call me hater if you like
Allow your internal dialogue to default to the stock accusation that I’m just jealous and intimidated by empowered women
Just know that I am not writing this as some mysogynist stab at uppity scene chicks
If anything, I am aknowledging that women are truly equal to men when it comes to all things intellectual and artistic
Laura introduced me to the word “Himbo” which applies to all the male bimbos out there that are all surface flash and no substance underneath
Up until now, the Himbo occupied the local artistic celebrity slots
Now he is finding himself being edged slightly out of shot by his girfriend in the burlesque troup headlinging the show

If you still don’t see my point then I will say this
The past few decades have been really brutal for the local musician
They pour their hearts into an artistic statement and hammer it over and over until it takes the shape you see on the stage
They spend thousands of dollars on equipment and toil in mediocre jobs to earn the money
They live in sub-standard conditions and sacrifice many comforts to enable their artistic lifestyle
Only to earn a middle spot on a 5 band bill, a couple of drink tickes and a $20 for the band fund

I ask all of you newly empowered women to pay attention to their plight
It is yours now

Speaking of drumming stamina issues, I have isolated two of the main causes of my problem
I can still play fast, powerful and dynamic but I can’t do it as soon as I sit down at a drumkit
I have always had a stretching routine but I have slacked off on my stamina drills
My 43 year old muscles need to warm up like an old engine before you put it in drive
The other issue is that I am starting to really feel the repurcussions of my un-treated ankle fracture from 2004
All of my joints are getting a little stiff and my wrists are sore a few days after getting back on the bike
I am hoping that is is just rust from a couple of months of inactivity (although the ankle is just gonna get worse)
However, Jendeen told me about glucosamine and advil and so far they have helped (although it is too early to judge the glucosamine)
I have to get back to the bike riding routine at night and force myself to do the stamina drills (as painfully boring as a decade of them have become)

The second aspect of street performance is that I have started thinking of PyroPlasticFlow in a street context
Obviously, the biggest issue is how to power the electronics
I have solved a large majority of issues with battery powered options
The laptop runs on a battery
I already own a guitar/bass processor and Kaoss pad that run on batteries
There are battery powered mixers and even portable PA combo amps with a 12 hour rechargable internal battery (and all under $200 each)
The SPDS is really the only essential piece that doesn’t run on batteries so I have to figure out something
The ultimate would be if I could power the video projector
I am very excited about this project and think I can build the setup and craft the music for street performance by spring
If I get more time on the street then I could possibly finance the rest of the setup

On the video side, I have been working a lot of gigs at the Fallout Lounge lately
It started with Voodoo Halloween then Bollywood and New York City for Gabriel
Christmas and New Years Eve have been added as well
The Video/DJ thing is developing nicely and is creating new avenues
I am just now starting to formulate how to correlate all of these things together
My biggest mistake was to group all of my talents together in one dense slab of hard to digest material
Now I understand that I need to show these people a samples of what I can do at a time instead of assaulting them with the sum total of my awesomeness
Yeah, that’s gotta be it
People don’t get me because I am too cool to comprehend…

Other musical projects have started to develop as well
I ran into Michael on several occasions and he told me that he wanted to do psychadelic music but in a modern context
Laura had talked to him first and told him about all of the multi-taking stuff I did
I listened to his music and it was the standard instrumental psychadelic instumental stuff
It was good and offered a lot of places for me to play drums like myself
The added benefit was that he wants me to apply the multi-tasking aspect as well
The SPDS will come into play as well as live mic sampling and effects
He agrees that the electronic drums he uses on ableton are enough for some parts and that I am free to step off the kit and multi-task
We have started a regular once a week rehearsal and plan to play live ASAP

Tiki Torture has been on the back burner but I have had a keyboard/bass player who shows interest as well as a guitarist just waiting for me to get off my ass and start it up
There is also a guitarist who rents at the studio that is interested in playing for PPF

I need to keep reminding myself to keep at this stuff
Things have failed so often in the past due to a combination of unreliable people and my own apathy that I have begun to question if I can regain a decent work ethic
Now is a pivotal point in my progress
I have a lot of opportunities in front of me
Very few of them are everything that I want all in one
I have to satisfy myself with a large number of small victories instead of one all encompasing triumph

I recognized the $5 a month charge a few months ago and figured I had no choice
Today, I went to the bank to deposit some cash
The teller pointed out the $5 charge and explained that I had an old account and didn’t qualify for the free checking anymore

I replied that I expected to get charged eventually and that I wasn’t complaining
I use a national chain because I can count on their ATM being pretty much around any corner no matter what city or state I am in

The teller asked me if I wanted to talk to the bank manager to see about removing the fee
I was a bit aprehensive because a bank was voluntarily offering to remove a monthly fee
For a second, I even allowed the idea to enter my head that the bank was expressing their gratitude for being such a loyal customer

I was told that I could avoid the $5 a month charge if I upgraded my account with a savings account
He then proceeded to write some confusing terms on a post-it note
When I asked him if he had any actual literature, he handed me his card and said I could call him any time I wanted it explained again
I told him that I was not good at understanding money and that I would have my stepfather help me to understand (because he’s an accountant)
He told me that I could always call him with any questions again without addressing the literature

I got up and thanked him for his time and told him  I was opting to go with the $5 a month checking account  (and was polite about it)
I also told him that I understood he was trying to get me to commit to an account with a minimum balance and a savings account
“I don’t mind payin $5 a month for a check cashing service, and it’s much better than using a liquor store” I told him
He looked a bit unflattered at hearing the comparison

I realize that this is a sales technique and the banks aren’t “out to get ME” 
However, it was a damned sloppy attempt at an upsale and I guess I was just a bit embarrased by  his clumsy attempt

It must suck to be a low level bank manager
You know his boss is leaning on him hard
When you have to spend your time and effort trying to influence someone who puts as little as I do in the bank then you are SCRAPING for business

Last week’s street kit was designed to be as muffled and quiet as possible because of my anxieties over police hassles
Last week’s positive cop experience gave me lisence to bring a much better sounding drumkit with a full snare, real floor tom and wide open/un-muffled heads
It was much easier to play, plus I could hit them lightly and still get a big full sound
Hitting lightly helps when you are playing for 6 hours

The night was quite eventful
The club across the intersection was in for an interesting night when a steady stream of taxis and about 5 or 6 tour busses dumped a large number of young douches who were there for their “White trash pub crawl”
That’s right, a sea of douches (and douchettes) all dressed up in their arrogant stereotypical costumes clogging up the intersection and impeding traffic by standing in the middle of the street talking on the phone
Out of the hundreds of “them” I would say only a few actually tipped
The rest just walked by and screamed WOOOOOOOO at me
The cops soon showed up and started to corral the douches onto the sidewalk
I decided to switch to hot-rod sticks which are bundles of small dowels
The volume is somewhere between sticks and brushes
One of the cops recognized that I was taking the volume down while they were doing crowd control and gestured to me that he was appreciative

My cop anxieties are easing greatly
One walked by and I asked him about the electronic rig I planned on using and he said that I could technically get a ticket for a noise violation just for acoustic drums but this was Deep Ellum
The added component of electicity wouldn’t attract any more attention from a cop
Basically, he said the cop would have to be pretty stiff and I would have to be argumentative if asked to move along to get a ticket

I had the Zune with me this time (for some reason it started working again) and I played for a while with music in my ears
However, I noticed that the parts sounded boring out of the context of the music so I went back to just winging it
I did a lot of the double bass “warmup” stuff as well as some Latin, Dancehall and Drum n Bass
The thing that is different abut playing drums on the street is that the normal parts you would play in the context of a song sound really boring by themselves
The benefit of playing drums on the street is that you have to think in different directions in order to affect people

I brought the video camera but never used it because I was playing
I am going out again tonight and might bring someone with to document things
And to watch my drums when I take a pee break

I found a parking spot very close to my spot
It was around the corner but not so far that I would have to spend more than 15/20 seconds with my eyes off my equipment
The parking lot across the street wanted ten dollars
I asked one of the businesses next to the spot if they would allow me to plug in an extension cord for future electonic drum explorations but they were afraid of getting a ticket from the city (which is fair)
I REALLY need to figure a way to get portable power on the street

I set up and started playing at about 8pm and it didn’t take long until Turner showed up and was having fun with the extra pair of drum sticks I leant him
Mosquito happened along as well and then the guy with the washboard stepped in
This lasted for quite a while with me letting people make up their own beats and then I would play a complex rythm over it
Sometimes I was only using my double bass pedal because there were 3 people playing my kit and I had no sticks

I ended up playing from 8pm to 2am
Some people played the kit for a few minutes and I also took one bathroom break
I made sure to keep stretching and usually did it when I was running out of ideas for a beat
I sure do wish I had my Zune
It would have been nice to have a bunch of different songs to listen to for beat ideas

Lots of people said I was a good drummer
I flirted with lots of girls
People took pictures and videos of me and I gave out a ton of cards

The evening ended with a cramp in my left leg and forearm
My fears of the police were unfounded because they drove past me all night
One even looked right at me and threw the devil horns
Tonight I got over some pre-concieved anxieties, got a ton of exposure and played drums for about 6 hours
My back hurts, my legs are cramping and I believe I am going to pay for this tomorrow
I played a lot of double bass tonight to please the deep ellum crowd

As I have said before
I need to figure out how to get my electronics on the street
Playing the drums was unique and electonics would be even better
There were rappers there that would have flipped if I had a mic and an effects processor
Not only that, but I think the PyroplasticFlow concept would actually work better in the street than on a stage
All I have to do is figure out how to power my equipment without a gasoline generator
It would be uber super cool if I could get the video projector out there as well
Lots of very very positive thoughts in my head right now
Not only that but a very unusual opportunity is beginning to materialize in front of me

Lots to think about

I had a few bumps in the music/DJing department because I was using a playlist instead of the DJ software
That was being used to toggle videos on the main projection screen
I started out with music and switched to music videos when the room started to get a bit full (emphasis on a bit) and mixed in commercials and other Halloween related pop culture vids
I also had a jambox out front playing Halloween Sound Effects CDs

Aside from the glitches with the audio tracks, I think that this was the most perfectly executed Video/DJ gig I have ever done
This is especially gratifying due to the complexity of the entire evening
I also set up the band in the PA which sounded like poop because I had the powered speakers turned too low and had to gain out the vocals to get them up in the mix

People seemed to appreciate my efforts and complimented me on the evening
The only downside is that there were a gazillion events happening that night and the turnout was lower than expected
My mantra of “It won’t be because I didn’t try hard enough” paid off this time and I am extremely satisfied with the results
My confidence level is high and I rode that wave into Halloween night at The Lizard Lounge

Here’s a list of the various material I used for the event

Deadbolt- Voodoo truckers, Watongo, Zulu Death Mask
45 Grave- Surf Bat, Wax, Riboflavin
The Cramps- GooGoo Muck, Beautiful Gardens
Dead Kennedys- Halloween
Foetus- Lust for Death, Satan Place, Water Torture, I hate You All
Marylin Manson- Doll-Dagga Buzz Buzz Ziggety Zag
Ultravox- Mr X
Misfits- Vampira, Halloween II
The Necro Tonz- Skulls, Death Don’t Worry, I Love the Dead
Zacherle- Dinner With Drac
Bob Mc fadden and Dor- I’m a Mummy
Jimmy Cross- I Want my Baby Back

MUSIC VIDEOS:
Alice Cooper- Some Folks
Bauhaus- Bela Lugosi’s Dead
Deadbolt- Down in the Lab
The Groovie Goolies- Midnight
Paul Broucek- Hollywood Halloween
KISS- King of the Nighttime World (Paul Lynde Halloween Special)
Lords of the New Church- Dance With Me
Meat Loaf- Bat Out of Hell
Iron maiden- Phantom of the Opera
The Cramps- Human Fly
The Damned- Plan 9 Channel 7
The Misfits- Dig Up Her Bones
Twisted Sister- Burn in Hell
X- Because I do
Zappa- Titties and Beer

FILMS/CARTOONS:
Mad Monster Party, Groovie Goolies, The Skeleton Dance, Pigs is Pigs, Porky Pig in Jeeper’s Creepers,A cartoonist’s Nightmare, Hittin’ the trail for Hallelujah Land, Sunday go to meetin’ Time, Various 50′s Horror exploitation performance teasers, The Horror of Hammer trailer compilation, Haxxan, Faust, Der Golem, Phanom of the Opera, Phantom of the Paradise, The Abominable Dr Phibes, The house on bare Mountain, Kiss Me Quick, Rikki Tikki Tavi, The Jungle Book,

OTHER FOOTAGE:
Hallowen Commercials- Gary Busey is Scared Priceless, Micro Machines, Toys R Us, Wolworth Wolco, Dracula Texas Instruments Solar Calculator
Elvira’s MTV Halloween Special
Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop Halloween MTV Headbanger’s Ball

I am extremely excited and a bit nervous because I have so much time, effort and emotion invested in this gig
If I pull it off, this could give me the boost of intertia and momentum that I need to become more busy and active

The biggest reason is one based on fear
-I am afraid of my government
-I am afraid of being beaten up by riot squads
-I am DEATHLY afraid of jail
-I am afraid of being placed on a watch list

When I was growing up, my parents taught me to question authority but respect the police and armed forces
Yeah, it sucks to get a ticket or to be arrested but 9 times out of 10, the person brought it upon themselves
My encounters with police have always been “Yes Sir, No Sir” events
That’s why I have only been to jail once and that was for 45 minutes in Rockwall while my friends paid my forgotten speeding ticket
Keep in mind that I know that there are corrupt/bad cops etc….but we need such authority to keep some semblance of order

The second reason why I have not attended these protests is that I believe my entire adult life has been a protest against unchecked corporate greed
While most Americans were taking on lots of debt in student loans, new car payments and obscene credit card purchases, I was living below the poverty line, driving shitty cars, living in crappy apartments and keeping my posessions to a minimum (drums don’t count)
I have had a credit card for at least 10 years now and the balance has never been over $1000 (and that was emergency money after my car died on the road)
-No big screen TV/giant stereo system
-No brand name wardrobe
-No expensive girlfriend/wife/kids

Why did I live such a spartan existance?
One of the main reasons is because I didn’t wanna give “The Man” his interest rate for financing my personal version of the American Dream
Anything I had was either a gift from my family or bought with money I saved from working my shitty just-above-minimum wage-job

My protest was not to participate and it still is
No one seemed to notice these problems when they were brewing over the last 10 years
All of the sudden, the people who had a deaf ear to the things people like me stood for all these years seem to be listening
Nevermind the fact that many people just like me saw this coming during Bush administration
I remember their attitudes when things were going great
Now they understand
But I fear it is too late
The people who truly own this country (term stolen from George Carlin) are not going to let go and they sure as hell are not going to let it go back to the way things were

I don’t hate corporations, we need them
I don’t hate rich people, politicians and cops, we need them too

If anything, it is YOUR fault as much as it is theirs
YOU let this happen by getting soft, comfortable and complacent
YOU let them buy your complacency
Now that the golden goose has stopped laying eggs, all of the sudden, YOU are angry
Try to rememeber that when you think back over the last decade
How many times did you care about corporate greed when you had it so well?