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Orange County, CA (Noodles)
02/05/04 (“Skull of a German,“ The Jesus Lizard)My how the time flies. We were in Aspen last week where we played a free show in the middle of an intersection downtown. The crowd was incredible. It was 17 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but that didn‘t stop the folks from showing up and having a good time. The temperature did make it very difficult for us to keep our guitars in tune, but we managed. I had a great time playing, because the audience was so great. We didn‘t know what to expect, but we didn‘t expect that many people to come out after dark and join us on such a cold night and then just go completely nuts.
(“Hocus Pocus,“ The Vandals)
Earlier that day I went snowboarding where they were hosting the Winter X-Games. There was nobody on the mountain except for spectators watching the games. I had all the runs almost to myself and never once had to wait in line for a chair. I only boarded for about two-and-a-half hours, but was able to make about eight runs in that time. I didn‘t want to overdo it because it was my first time boarding in two years and we had a show to do later, but I had a great time and only fell once. That happened on my last run, about a hundred yards from the bottom. That figures!
(“Sam Hall,“ Johnny Cash)
The next day I went boarding with Atom and our friend Trevor. The snow was great and it was a little warmer than the day before. It was also the middle of Gay Ski Week in Aspen. Atom and I got a picture of us standing above a banner inviting everyone to celebrate Gay Ski Week with some cold and colorful Coors Light. I‘ll try to get that photo posted here somewhere. It turns out that Atom is a pretty good snowboarder. Not only is he a better musician, nicer guy, and better looking than me, now he‘s also threatening me in the board-riding arena. It‘s a good thing for him that he doesn‘t surf or he just might not last in this band. He‘s just too damn good.
(“Pussy Galore,“ The Roots)
We‘ve been all over the world since my last journal entry, and there are a few days that stand out in my memory. We played a small show on a boat docked on the side of the Thames in London. I was hoping we could cruise down river toward the Palace and play there, but I don‘t think that the boat‘s motors worked, so we had to stay put. Fun show though. That was back in November and I think that it was Atom‘s first full show with us. We followed that show up with a couple of other club shows in Berlin and Paris. We were able to get rid of the barricade at the Paris show and had a steady stream of fans joining us on stage before diving off. Oxygene was there of course. That show was super fun. We did a show really similar to that one at the Opera House in Toronto about a month later. No barricade, super fun. I‘m stoked that we‘re still able to do shows like that from time to time.
(“Year One,“ X)
Right before we went to Aspen, we were in London to play on The Top of the Pops. We played live on Friday night, but sound-checked on Thursday. Brittney was there that night taping her performance for the following week. We got to see her dancing around and lip-syncing, but didn‘t get to talk to her. Incubus were also sound-checking that night and we did get to talk to them for little while. I love their new single and am dying to hear the rest of their record. We also got to watch Pink‘s performance on Friday. I think she‘s great. She‘s got a great voice and she isn‘t afraid to break the rules. She‘s not your typical pop diva.
(“Laser Surgery,“ The Jerky Boys/ “Little Demon,“ Screamin‘ Jay Hawkins)
I‘ve also been talking with Fat Mike from NOFX lately about getting involved with a project he‘s been working on called Punk Voter www.punkvoter.com. I honestly believe that the Bush administration has not been good for America, and that this year‘s presidential election is the most important since the Vietnam era. Punkvoter.com is a good place to find out about just a few of the things that this administration has done that haven‘t been covered much in the mainstream media, as well as a critical viewpoint that has been nonexistent in the media, until maybe recently. A lot of people from the punk scene have been getting involved with Mike and punkvoter, hoping to ensure a brighter future for our country. If it sounds like it might interest you, check it out.
(“Six Shooter,” Queens of the Stone Age)
We leave for Europe in a couple of weeks for our first proper headlining tour since Splinter came out. I‘m really looking forward to playing our full set every night. The whole year of touring is beginning to take shape so look for us coming to your part of the world soon. I‘ll also be trying to update my journal with more regularity, keeping the entries shorter and more readable. We‘ll see how that works out. Until next time…
Here are some good records:
The Buzzcocks; Singles Going Steady. Buy it.
Toy Dolls; Dig That Groove Baby. Buy it.
Rolling Stones; Beggar‘s Banquet. Burn it (they have enough money).
Dropkick Murphys; Blackout. Buy it.
Various; Punk Goes Pop. Burn it.
The Darkness; Permission to Land. Burn it. I‘m not sure if I love this record, or hate it, but some of it is damn funny. Do they know how funny they are?