Many ups and downs this weekend.
My workout continues, i am enjoying it. Can't do the trendy machine work-outs. Can't do it. The irony is just to thick: build up technology so high that we don't work in the fields anymore, but instead work on technological machines that substitute our need to work. Screw that.
Friday night i hung out with Mike and finally got to meet his girlfriend. She met up with us at a bar in Brooklyn, and we jetted on over for some GOOD and inexpensive sushi. Afterwards we had some chocolate cake at a place called the Chocolate Room. Very nice. I walked to the Atlantic/Pacific sub stop and took the D back home -- well, up to 145 and transferred to the A. Starting to get the hang of the subway system.
Saturday morning i hung out at the apartment and started watching a documentary on Orson Wells, one of my favorite film makers. I made it the gym with about 10 mins to spare, but the A was not express and next time i'll be sure to transfer to the D instead. Good work out, but my partner slightly annoys me. He is trying too hard -- i can see his brain working overtime and he doesn't just *cut loose* and let the repetition do the real teaching. He is quick to give me pointers, which i gladly accept, but as soon as i give him pointers, he rejects. Sure, he's been training longer than i -- but i'm a drummer of nearly 18 years. I know how to hit stuff. ;)
I want a new tattoo ... but that's just pride whispering in my ear. Must resist temptation, the one tattoo i have is plenty. A yin-yang necklace would be nice though ... (chut up!)
I bought some epsom salts and bubble bath at the K-Mart on Aster place, and popped into the nearby Barnes & Noble to purchase a copy of Neil Peart's "Ghost Rider." I hit the subway, but went the wrong way. After correcting myself and headed the right direction, i noticed i was by a movie theater. I decided to drop $11 on the newest installment of Star Wars (5 mins to showtime), and was not disappointed. Well, at first i was, but the last half hour was mighty fine. Well done Lucas! (Now kindly step down from your Ivory Tower and release those original theatrical versions, please.) I went home and relaxed. My muscles are so sore ... so sore ...
Sunday i ate breakfast at my new favorite local breakfast diner and bought some fabric softener and orange juice at the local grocer. Laundry time! Finished it up and went all the way down to Union Square for some shopping. Bought 2 pair of shoes, 4 pair of khakis, and 3 polo shirts. I now have plenty of clothes. I stopped by Kim's and rented Metallica's "Some Kind of Monster" and watched it last night. After having started reading "Ghost Rider," Metallica's "plight" merely made me laugh at them. Pussies. Sell-outs. They suck. Don't believe me? Just watch their documentary.
The majority of people who get their entertainment from popular sources such as Independent Contractor owned radio stations, MTV, and "Entertainment Weekly" simply do not know what "good art" is. That's why they turn to such charlatans to form their opinions for them. "Sad But True." Metallica's own words. They have done well to continue delivering a fresh crop of "Good Consumers" for the Entertainment Moguls. I felt good for the boys when they nibbled that hand that fed by trolling up their radio spots (Lars: "Need money? I'm gonna shove $15 grand up your ass!") but that was just playful rebellion. Those boys have lost their grounding -- and sadly, they deserve it. What do they have to complain about? It's not like their teenage daughter who drove to college died on the way in a tragic accident and their wife died a year later from a broken heart.
Am i bitter because i am a musician who didn't "make it?" Not at all ... looking back, i never wanted to make it. If i had, i would not have bothered getting not only one B.S. degree, but two. The second was the clinch. I took a semester off and worked briefly for a drum cartage company in Nashville. My goal was to determine if i truly wanted to give up working in the music industry and instead make some money doing to the programmers' grind. After just 3 weeks on Music Row, my mind was made up.
Art is not about making money. If you are making money from your art -- you are a sham. "F For Fake."
I've been meaning to get this. How is it?
I recommend getting a kit (when you can), and jamming with friends (when you find some worthy of jamming with), if only for the sake of enjoying the jam. I started playing bass with some friends back in January, and it's been a sanity saver.
It's kept me together through two job changes and a separation that's wending its way to divorce. Sure, working out helps, but the camaraderie (?sp) found in a tight rythm section can't be found in a gym, no matter how many reps you're pushing out.
Plus, knowing that you're doing this for the sheer fun of it takes ALL the pressure away, leaving nothing but pure enjoyment. Screw any goals, just enjoy the ride. (or crash. or splash. or gong. )
John
Re:Peart
jeffa on 2005-06-09T16:11:16
It's really good so far, i'm not even 1/4 of the way through it.As for jamming
... i've done plenty of jamming ;) You do know this about me, no? http://jeffa.unlocalhost.com/mp3
Right now i'm just taking a much needed break, i'll bring my acoustic and electric drum sets up as soon as i can. But thanks for the recommend! Here's one of my favs:
