Mozart vs. Hunter

Wolfgangus?

September 30th, 1791 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (AKA Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, AKA Moatsy, AKA Golfwangus, AKA Wuss in Boots) conducted the first performance of The Magic Flute at Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna, Austria. This would be the last opera by Mozart to make its debut, as he died about two months later.

He was only 35 years old! (That's my age!)

Mozart was a child prodigy, born in the 50s. The 1750s. According to a popular online encyclopedia of knowledge (albeit a publicly editable one, and therefore dubious and subject to scrutiny), Mozart "composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music." If you beat yourself up about not writing more "pinnacle" songs (as I do), Mozart is someone you might masochistically compare and contrast yourself with. I made a fancy chart to illustrate this:

Tranquil Mammoth Challenge: Mozart vs. Hunter

	Mozart	Hunter	point
Age 0	Born in "Salzburg"	Born in Long Beach, USA	Mozart
Age 3	Learns to play the harpsichord	Learns to play with toys	Mozart
Age 5	Begins to compose	Enters kindergarten	Mozart
Age 6	Visits Paris and London	Performs publicly for the first time (Louie Louie on piano for 1st grade class during recess)	Hunter
Age 8	Composes first symphony	Learns to play clarinet (actually age 9)	Mozart
Age 12	Premieres first opera in Vienna, Bastien und Bastienne	Forms first band, Taurus	Mozart
Age 14	Receives the Order of the Golden Spur from Pope Clement. (Order of the Golden Girls would have been cooler)	Forms second band, Little Seizures	Hunter (Who cares about a Golden Spur?!)
Age 21	Toured with his mother hoping to find a court position	Joined AFI and toured the USA, Canada, Japan, Europe and the UK for the first time (not with his mother)	Hunter
Age 20s	Composes some of his finest works that would continue to influence Western music for centuries	Wrote 24 Hour Party Zone and many other less influential songs	Mozart
Age 29	Meets Haydn who praises him as "the greatest living composer"	Meets Paul McCartney and challenges him to a "bass off"	tie
Age 35	Dies on December 5th in Vienna and is buried in an unmarked grave	Still alive in Los Angeles (as of this moment)	Hunter
Total	7	5	Winner: Mozart

So as you can see, Mozart wins. That jerk Mozart always wins! I'll catch up to him someday!

Mozart always wins!

As a modern man in a modern world, I have a few advantages over Mozart:

1. I'm still alive. Mozart can't say that!

2. I can play drums. Mozart probably never learned to "pound the skins"!

3. Modern medicine. Mozart could have used it!

4. Google.com Mozart would've had to use this.

5. Mozart was probably a total wuss. He is one of the most revered composers of the Classical era, but I doubt he could hold his own in a no-holds-barred street fight. Although I've never been in an actual street fight, I've seen way more movies about fighting than Mozart ever has. I bet I could use the crane move from the end of Karate Kid on him and he wouldn't know what hit him...he's THAT FAR behind the times!

Alex "Neon Shark" Masi

Next time I'm going to compare Mozart's life to that of Alex Masi (pictured to the right). I don't want to spoil it for you, but Mr. Masi has a few tricks up his leather sleeve. He has a trick on his chest as well.

And either the time after that or three times from now, I'm going to compare my life to Strawberry Shortcake's life and share a recipe for vegan strawberry shortcake that will make you want to vomit in ecstasy.

That's all for now.

New York City! Opera! Vocal Outtakes!

Guess what! If I get this job, I will be moving to New York City!! That's right, the Big Apple! Home of the Yankees, the Mets and the New Yorker! "How did this happen??" you ask? Well, let me tell you. While browsing some of the websites I regularly peruse, I came across this employment opportunity. These are the highlights, for those of you who hate clicking on links:

METROPOLITAN OPERA
Announces the following vacancies:
CHORISTERS:
BASS or BARITONE
SOPRANO (No Mezzo-Sopranos)
Resume deadline Midnight [EST] on March 30th, 2010.
Auditions to begin April 1st, 2010 until positions are filled
HIGHLY QUALIFIED APPLICANTS ONLY

What luck! I'm the person they're looking for! I have the vocal range of a bass but sing more comfortably in a baritonal tessitura. Some would call me a bass-baritone. As a bass-baritone, the operatic roles I am suited for include Méphistophélès from Faust by Charles Gounod, Don Giovanni from Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Figaro from The Marriage of Figaro, also by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
I think the Metropolitan Opera will find this video to be an adequate audition. If they need me to drop in on April 1st to seal the deal, I can certainly repeat this performance. Although I generally reserve that day for more foolish behavior, I suppose I can get serious for a brief demonstration of my vocal prowess. I hope the job pays well. I hear those lofts in Manhattan can get pretty pricey!



Back up plan: cast member on Saturday Night Live

Eye On Music - Guest: Hunter Burgan

A year ago I was a guest on the classic music interview show, Eye On Music. I was pretty excited because as you probably know, Richard Bitterfeld has interviewed so many great musicians over the years. Everyone from Robert Smith to King Crimson to John Lennon to Mike Edwards has been a guest on the show. I've always held Richard Bitterfeld in the highest regard and considered his music knowledge to be comprehensive. That is, until I was a guest on his show. I guess when you've been doing interviews as long as he has, you're bound to have a few "off" days.



Y'all know I got mad skillz when it comes to def tambo beatz.

In The Studio With AFI - Tambourine

Dear boys, girls, cats, and dogs,*
I now present you with yet another "Behind the Scenes" video from the recording sessions for AFI's Crash Love. If you've already seen this video, that simply proves you know how to work a computer. If you're a cat or a dog, then you have obviously overcome quite a few obstacles to reach this skill level. Good job! If you are watching this video for the first time and like what you hear, wow, you must be deaf. Actually, I mean def. Y'all know I got mad skillz when it comes to def tambo beatz.



Love and Rockets,
Hunter

P.S. If anyone wants me to play tambourine on their record, send an email to badasstambourine@gmail.com (Serious requests only, please)

*I assume that the majority of my readers are either boys, girls, cats, dogs, or some combination thereof.

In The Studio With AFI - Vocal Harmonies

Dear readers,
Odds are, if you're an internet savvy lad or lass, you've already found this gem on the world wide web. If not, then here you go. You're welcome. This is one of a few "Behind The Scenes" videos the record label shot while we (AFI) were recording our most recent record, Crash Love. If you would like to purchase this record, please do. Here are a couple of lynx. Over the next week or so I'll post a few other videos from in the studio. Hopefully this will excuse me from blogger's detention.



Yours sincerely,
Hunter

P.S. I really like what you've done with your hair.

Toronto Nights: A Casual Ramble Blog

Some bloggers blog every single day. I am not one of those bloggers. Would you believe I don't even know how to type? What do other bloggers blog about? Real things? They just ramble on in a casual tone about their day? That's so boring...but I'm willing to try anything for a quick buck! Here's a "casual ramble blog" for you:

It's raining outside right now. It was nice all day, but now I can hear the rain hitting the window of the hotel. I'm tired, but I can't sleep. I think this trip to Toronto has totally thrown my schedule off. Before I left LA, I was going to bed at a reasonable hour and waking up before 8am. Last night I slept from midnight to 3am and then from 6am until noon?! What a weird schedule! The only coffee I was able to find in a short period of time was Starbucks. It's odd—I never go to Starbucks when I'm at home or have a choice, but I flock to it when I'm out of the country. They must have a deep psychological hold on me. The coffee's never that great, and the baristas never know what they're doing, but it's consistently disappointing and that's what I count on. AFI had a four hour rehearsal today in some warehouse on a soundstage. We haven't really played a show in a while and our crew needed to run through everything, plus it was good for us to run over the songs again. I sang all my usual backgrounds and harmonies, and by the second time through the set, my throat was raw. I guess I'm out of practice. For the record, I'm over shouting. It really just hurts, and never sounds that great. My favorite vocals are the harmonies on Summer Shudder and the ooohs during the intro and re-intro on Missing Frame. Two of my favorite basses from the last tour cycle need neck/fret work and I am playing my old back up bass for the show tomorrow. I don't like it as much because it's a bit on the heavy side, but it still sounds great. Fender makes some great basses. I'm designing some new ones for after we start touring for real and I'm really excited about those. Nothing crazy...just cool colors. Tomorrow should be fun. It's been so long since we've played a show (KROQ's xmas show doesn't count because our set was so short) that even if it totally sucks, it will still be fun. I'm kinda hungry. I should have bought some chips or a clif bar when I had the chance. I think the rain stopped. I forgot to see if the show is indoors or outdoors. I suppose it doesn't matter. The stage is always covered. It's weird, I can't really remember that last time I was nervous before a show. I know I was nervous when we played Just Like Heaven during the soundcheck for the MTV Icon: The Cure show, but that's because we were playing TO The Cure. I was probably nervous in my earlier AFI days when I was the new guy. I had to learn 15 songs in a month and then play in front of thousands of people with one of my favorite bands. The catch was—these were thousands of Offspring fans, not AFI fans, so I was too busy trying to win them over to be nervous. Did we win over any of their fans? I'd like to think so. I still run into people all the time that tell me that their first AFI show was on that tour. This was back in May, 1997. I turned 21 in the middle of the tour. L7 was on that tour too. They called themselves our moms on stage. It was really an amazing experience to play such huge shows at that point in my life. There were many years of crappy shows and long van tours after that, so it was an unusual way to start a career with AFI...but I like to think that it has come full circle. In more recent years, we've headlined some of the venues from my first tour. Time is a funny thing.

I feel like this isn't boring enough, and I apologize. The casual tone is working for me, but my thoughtless rambling seems to drift toward interesting things from the past. Let me try to focus on more mundane things from the present.

My phone is always set to vibrate. It's been like that for years. It always surprises me when it gets turned off of vibrate by mistake and I actually hear it ring. About a year ago, I set the ringtone to "motorcycle" which sounds like vibrating. Problem solved. Tonight I watched the Wolverine movie. I didn't see it when it came out because everyone said it was so bad. Rottentomatoes.com gave it an 8 or something horrible like that. I think everyone, including myself, was expecting something truly awesome. I walked in tonight expecting something truly sucky. It wasn't totally horrible, and since my expectations were so low, I kinda liked it. The writing was awful though. The lighting and SFX were so weird in the New Orleans fight scene that it took me out of the element. I think they tried too hard to put a bunch of actors and characters into the movie and just lost sight of what makes a good action movie. The popcorn sucked. I need to stop eating it. I never enjoy it. At least I stopped drinking soda a few years back. If I had soda tonight I would certainly feel awful right now. I'm excited to see the guys from Rise Against tomorrow. They're close friends and are passing through while on tour with Rancid. Joe Principe shares my love for coffee and we never miss a chance to get lattes. I can't wait to see them play in a couple weeks in LA. It's awesome to see your friends' bands doing so well.

Come on...not boring enough!

I guess I should probably try to sleep. I don't have to be up early, but uninterrupted sleep is always the best, and those pesky hotel maids are always trying to break in and clean in the morning. I'm so glad I don't have to take time to wash and style my hair anymore. What a waste of time that was! If only I could have all that time back. I would have so much time on my hands! I could write a thousand blogs. It's raining again. Maybe it was always raining, but I just couldn't hear it. Okay, it's bed time for me. Blogger out.

Wow! That was boooooooring! I hope I never try that again! Casual rambling blogs might be fun to read, but they sure are boring to write! Until next time, Tranq out.

P.S. Which of the following should I do next? Another Psychedelic Photo blog? Horse Blog Vol. 2? A semi-irregular, Tranquil Mammoth multi-lingual statistic blog? Maybe another Tranquil Mammoth Challenge of 2009 like Horses vs. Fugazi?? Leave me a comment and let me know which of those you'd like to see.

Hunter Burgan Q&A part 7 (of 7)

I now present you with the seventh and final Q&A* vlog in a series of seven.

LIGHTNING ROUND!

Now I can finally get back to regular blogs and videos! Let the normalcy commence!!

*Quak&r oAts

Hunter Burgan Q&A part 6 (of 7)

Dear readers, I now present to you the sixth part of the seven part Q&A* vlog. This one is highly anticipated, although that's only due to the fact that I've been too busy to upload it. Since National Reggae Awareness Year is coming up (2010), I've been spending most of my time trying to dread my hair. I've also been taking helicopter lessons. Not helicopter flying lessons, helicopter lessons.

When you're done watching this, and all my other videos, read some of my older blog entries. Long before I was a vlogger, I used to actually write words!

*Queen and Aerosmith

Hunter Burgan Q&A part 5 (of 7)

I now present you with the fifth Q&A* vlog in a series of seven. Since the apocalypse is on its way, let me waste no time in giving you your instructions.

You have until midnight to do the following:
1. Watch it in HQ. (HQ is French for "high quality")
2. Subscribe to the channel.
3. Check your email.
4. Eat a sandwich.
5. Tell 5 people about my blog/videos/twitter. Who? People that don't know about my blog.
6. Watch the other videos again. They're even better the second, third, or twelfth time!

I know you can do it! Don't let me down, or you'll be letting the earth and the moon down! Be brave and bold!

*Quarktoplax and Alphatine

Hunter Burgan Q&A part 4 (of 7)

I now present you with the fourth Q&A* vlog in a series of seven. Thanks for your patience. We (AFI) have been at our busiest this week and all my attention has been focused on our record. Well...except for when I made Broken Glass Everywhere.

By now you know the drill: watch the video in High Quality, subscribe to my channel, and tell your friends about it. Here's an idea...don't just tell them about it, SHOW it to them! Maybe if I get a million views I can sell ad space and pay off my student loans. Tell all your mammalian friends!

*Quality and Action

Hunter Burgan Q&A part 3 (of 7)

I now present you with the third installment of my Q&A* vlogs. Has anyone noticed that they keep getting longer? Am I losing anyone here? I can always edit them down a bit. Let me know. I hope everyone is thoroughly entertained by these. Remember, these are your questions...I merely attempted to answer them. AFI is really hitting it hard in the studio right now, trying to get our record done, so you'll have to excuse my lack of writing/blogging. Just in case no one told you (although I doubt this is the case), you are invited and encouraged to follow me on Twitter. That's where I do the majority of my pointless, random, self-aggrandizing, laconic rambling.

Three things I want you to do:
1. As always, watch this video in High Quality. I shot and edited it in High Quality, so why would you want to see a different version of lesser quality? It just doesn't make sense.
2. Subscribe to my youtube channel. I might not always post every video on my blog or even tweet about it. If you want first dibs on watching my videos, subscribe.
3. Tell your friends about my youtube channel and of course, Tranquil Mammoth. The more people that read, watch, and enjoy what I do, the more I am incentivized to continue to do this stuff. I'm not sure why this is, but I'm sure it has to do with megalomania or egotism. Either way, we both win!

*Quips and Absurdities

Hunter Burgan Q&A part 2 (of 7)

I now present you with the second Q&A* vlog. As I mentioned before, I will upload a new part every few days, so check back often! As usual, I dare you to watch the video in high quality...it greatly improves the viewing experience. Tabby really comes to life in high quality.

Thank you for the questions. I hope you enjoy the answers!

-Hunter

*Quetzalcóatl and Aztecs? Quakes and Avalanches? Quads and Abs? kyoōˈ ən āˈ?

Hunter Burgan Q&A part 1 (of 7)

I now present you with the first Q&A* vlog. I looked over every single question that you submitted (except the ones that violated the rules) and I answered as many as I could. Suddenly I found myself with over an hour of video to edit! So, rather than cheat you out of content, I decided to cut the Q&A* into seven parts. I will upload a new part every few days, so check back often! I dare you to watch the video in high quality...it greatly improves the viewing experience.

Thank you for the questions. I hope you enjoy the answers!

-Hunter

*Quotes and Articulations? Quivers and Arrows? Quick and Agile? Quack and Arf?

Question Authority

It's question time again!

Ok...last time I asked you to make up "How do I _____?" questions knowing very well that I would not be answering them. I received many great questions and the "something" that I'm working on is a little bit better now because of your questions. Thank you! I feel a little guilty though. Although I specifically stated that I would not be answering your questions, I still feel like you, dear readers, deserve to have a few questions answered. So...

This time around I want to answer some of your questions!

Here are my conditions:
1. Only one question per person, so choose wisely. Don't ask something that has already been asked.
2. You must submit your question as a comment to this blog entry between 12pm PT and 6pm PT on Friday, March 20, 2009. Questions posted before noon or after six pm pacific time today will not be considered. No exceptions. I'm sorry if you miss the window.
3. I will try to answer as many questions as possible, but I reserve the right to not answer questions that I feel are inappropriate. I might not know the answer to some questions, and other I might not legally or morally be able to answer, so once again, choose wisely.
4. Be creative. I am more likely to pick fun, smart, unique questions.
5. I might just not pick your question for no reason. Don't cry if your question gets overlooked. I'd like to keep this fun and hopefully we can do this more often.
6. Much of the information relating to the upcoming AFI album is either a secret or just simply unknown. Please understand and respect this when composing your question. The same applies to the moon.
7. I will not answer questions from "Anonymous". Since all "Anonymous" comments look like they're coming from the same user, I have no way of know if they are coming from unique people or not. So...DON'T anonymously ask your question.

Oh did I mention?
I'm going to answer these via video!
Now go out there and fight!!

Tomorrow Evening

Clear your calendars! Tomorrow evening I will be on DJ Rossstar's Punk Rock Show, 7pm PT on Stickam.com
It's free. Meet me on the the internet. Wear a carnation so I'll recognize you...I'll be the guy in the mask. Later we can all go and eat burritos.

Update 2-22 at 2:22 PM

Hunter Revenge @ Cinespace on 2/1/09 by Carlton Beener
Okay, I lied about the date and time of this update, but I'm close enough. Two twenty-two at two twenty-two PM is the funniest time of the year (it's a proven fact that 22 is the funniest number) and I if I had not been laughing hysterically, I surely would have written this blog at that exact minute. So what has been going on? Let's make a list.

1. NAMM - In January, I took a trip down to Anaheim to attend the 2009 NAMM show. NAMM is a four day music gear blast that is the Comic-Con of gear nerds. To say that it is HUUUUUGE would be an understatement. Every company that makes any type of anything that's even remotely related to the idea of music is represented. I was asked to sign autographs for Ampeg. While I was there I ran into Tim from Rancid, Geoff from Tiger Army, Maya from The Donnas and a few other friends. I talked to bassist Tony Levin about photography (he carries a camera around his neck and takes pictures all the time, even on stage!) and even snapped a psychedelic picture of Mick Mars. Thanks to @flavapave for the software!

2. The Hunter - My new Macbeth shoe, The Hunter is available now! Order it online now, or wait another week and walk into Journey's to buy a pair. Your feet will thank you!

3. HR Show - On Feb 1st, Hunter Revenge played a very focused set in Hollywood, CA at a little place called Cinespace. We had a lot of fun, as we always do. Everyone who showed up had fun too. See how this works? Anyhow, this will be the last Hunter Revenge show until I have new songs to play. I love playing the old stuff, but it would be so much cooler to play new songs. I will have updates about the new songs soon. Keep your ears open.

4. Shorty Awards - You can read the post below to hear about my trip to NYC to accept the music Shorty at the Shorty Awards.

5. Grocery Shopping - I bought some cereal, rice dream, two frozen burritos, new english muffins (from New England), soups, soaps, and broccoli.

6. President's Day - AKA The Place Where I Wanted To Get An Awesome Vegan Burrito Was Closed And I Had To Settle For A Frozen Burrito Day.

7. Begin Transmission! - The winners of AFI's Begin Transmission contest joined us in the studio! As it turns out, Natacia, Raine, Mark, Courtney, Brock and Christy were all very good singers and really helped us out. It was really refreshing to have people in the studio that haven't heard the new songs 87652348 times already. After so much build up and excitement, the time really flew by and before I knew it, AFI's new friends (and their guests) were on their way home. I hope everyone made it home safely and I look forward to seeing these new friends in the future. Apparently Natacia and Christy commemorated the experience with BEGIN TRANSMISSION tattoos. How cool is that!?

8. Mammoth Regeneration - Yesterday at 3:30 AM I began the first of several mammoth cloning/regeneration experiments. My goal is to be the first person to successfully regenerate a mammoth. At 3:45 AM I realized that this was going to be more difficult than I first thought, due to the fact that I have no mammoth DNA. I consider this a minor setback. This week I'm going to head down to the La Brea tar pits, hop a fence or two, and "find" some mammoth samples. Wish me luck.

The New Look & Feel

I think this picture is worth at least 1000 words. This is a shot of the sunrise through my window last week when I stayed up all night watching Begin Transmission videos. (Congrats to Natacia! I'll see you soon!)
Would you believe that this picture really does no justice to the breathtaking beauty of the sunrise that morning?

Also, take a look at the new look and feel of Tranquil Mammoth. What do you think? I decided that I needed to change it up for 2009. I always strive to be at the forefront of style and sophistication, so why should my blog be an exception?

Ok...this short blog has come to an end.

Midnight Update!

I've noticed that because I update so much on Twitter, I haven't been including much about what I've been up to in my blog entries. Subconsciously I'm trying to avoid being redundant, but I guess there's no shame in redundancy. I mean, after all, it's the internet; it's already redundant!

Here are 12 FACTS about what I've been up to lately:
(in no particular order)

FACT 1: I have been appointed as Vegan Ambassador for Macbeth Footwear. Read about it here, and here. Also, check out some pictures that Ryan Russell took of me here.

FACT 2: I had a "white" x-mas, meaning that huge snow flakes were falling from the sky when I woke up on December 25, 2008. I was in Grass Valley, and in Grass Valley that kind of weather is not unheard of, or undreamt of.

FACT 3: AFI played KROQ's "Almost Acoustic Christmas" on December 13, 2008. On our final song, "Love Like Winter," I mashed my knee up. I have since recovered.

FACT 4: I saw The Cure play at the Troubador on December 13, and at the Gibson Arena on December 14, both 2008. I love The Cure. I finally met Robert.

FACT 5: Hunter Revenge played at Cinespace on December 21, 2008. Since my usual keyboardist, Dan Kelly, was unable to play (due some sort of family reunion), I had, for the first time ever, two keyboardists on stage to replace him. Missed it? Come see Hunter Revenge play Cinespace AGAIN on February 1, 2009. I'll provide more information about this in the future.

FACT 6: I grew a "holiday beard" and eventually shaved that damn thing off. Beards are for Rip Van Winkles.

FACT 7: I did not get engaged. Google it.

FACT 8: I have a new shoe coming out in February, 2009. It's called "The Hunter" and is 100% vegan. It's also 10,000,000% awesome. Take a look at it here before you order 6 pairs. Yes, the shoes are bulletproof. No, I haven't actually tested them against bullets. Would you like to? "For this next trick I'll need a volunteer from the audience..."

FACT 9: While in the studio, working on AFI's eighth studio album, I recorded twelve tracks of bass on a single song. That being said, I feel I must clarify that at most, there are no more than three distinct performances at any given moment in the song. Also, technically three of the tracks are baritone guitar, doubling my bass line. I still think this qualifies me for some type of award. Excessive Bassist of the Year?

FACT 10: Speaking of awards, I was successfully nominated for two Shorty Awards. One of the categories (#awesome) isn't an official category, but still quite awesome. Go vote for me in the other category, #music: http://shortyawards.com/user/TranquilMammoth I need your votes to win! Voting ends January 23, 2009.

FACT 11: Joe Principe (of Rise Against fame) and I are having a conversation right now about how to make bass the "it" instrument for 2009. Kids all over the world should (and will) want to play bass above all other instruments. Ever hear of Bass Hero™? Well maybe somebody will invent that once they catch on to what's happening.

If you're asking yourself, "Where's the 12th fact, Hunter?" then I'm asking you this: Why are you calling yourself Hunter? Is it your name too? (I'll admit that Hunter is a pretty strange name to call yourself, even if it IS your name.) The answer is this: In 2009, numbers don't matter as much as they did in 2008. Think way back to the baker's dozen. I'm not sure what year that was invented, but I can tell you that twelve equalled thirteen that year! Be happy with eleven.

Now quit reading this and go give blood!

Time flies and so can you!

2008 is just racing by!

Since I've being working in the studio (AFI...heard of us?) a lot lately, I've neglected good ol' Tranquil Mammoth! I apologize. To paraphrase the guy who played the dad on Silver Spoons, "Sometimes you have to go out and live life in order to have something to blog about."

Back in March, Dr. Pepper (my favorite soda ever, even though I no longer drink soda) made a bet with America that Axl wouldn't release Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy in the year 2008. Since the new Gn'R album dropped earlier today (November 23rd), Dr. Pepper lost that bet and has been giving away free Dr. Pepper all day. They even extended it until 6pm EST tomorrow (November 24th) due to consumer demand. Click here to get yours now!

Check out Dan Kelly and myself wearing two of Devo's personal Energy Domes. These are the ones they actually wear on stage!

Halloween was a blast, although I'll admit that I had my mind on another holiday altogether. I'll talk more about that later. I went to see my pals in Rise Against at the newly remodeled Palladium in Hollywood. This is totally old news to some, but some people like old news (I personally hate old news). Rise Against played two Devo songs during their encore dressed as "Whip It" era Devo. It was fantastic, but their fans seemed bored by it. Gerald Casale joined them on stage for "Beautiful World".

November found me at my local polling place, doing what every citizen should have been doing, talking to an old woman from my neighborhood who volunteered, and then voting. Only moments later I found myself terribly disappointed with the results of Proposition 8. What happened, California? Seriously?!? Anyhow...after that I hit the streets with Steve and Sally to protest (along with thousands and thousands of others) the blatant violation of rights. Steve originally had laser eyes, but I covered them up so my casual readers wouldn't be scared.

Eventually the green leaves on the trees turned to lovely reds and oranges, which served to remind me (with my friend Stacy's help, of course) that my pal Ed Templeton was having an art show in Culver City. You can read more about the show in his blog (which is a really great blog) here.
Here's a picture of me and Neil "Doogie" Patrick "Howser" Harris "MD" at the opening. He's over on the right by the wall. Facing the wall. I mean...at least he's in the photo, right?

I'm off now to get a few Zs (that's slang for sleep) before hitting the studio tomorrow. I have a few blogs I need to get out of my system in the next week, so check back soon for some of the following topics: an AFI studio related blog, a blog about the great Blockbuster heist, a blog to raise funds for the mammoth regeneration, a psychedelic photo (that's the only kind of picture my phone will take) blog and a holiday blog like none you have ever seen!

One for the history books (or history blogs)

So...
The Force reunion mini-tour was a success! We kicked the whole thing off with a secret show in Sacramento in a coffee shop. The coffee was good. Next stop was our home turf in Nevada City. It was crazy seeing so many familiar faces at the shows. There were people there I hadn't seen since high school! The opening band was called Young Voices. Everyone should check them out. They reminded me of an old Dischord band. The next night we played at 924 Gilman St. which is where we played our very second show ever, back in 1995. A bunch of friends, old and new came out to this one as well. I know what you're thinking, and yes, my AFI bandmates came out to watch. The final night of our mini-tour was in Anaheim. We actually played at Chain Reaction when it used to be called Public Storage. That was the nineties. Our pal Carlton Beener took some photos like the one above. Click here to check out more photos from all the shows. Mad props (does anyone still say that?) to the crew from Pittsburgh who came out for all the shows. Like I said before, the shows were a success, but not just because we pulled it off (Chad hadn't played drums in over 6 years) or because we blew everyone's minds (which we certainly did) but because we were able to recreate the feeling of being ten years younger and playing crazy music with your friends. I don't mean to get overly sentimental, but for me the real success was reuniting old friends.

Now that The Force shows are over, we put all the leftover merchandise in our online store. Now people from all over the world that weren't able to attend the shows can pretend like they were there. I made this banner for the store. Maybe somebody would like to make a better one?? If that somebody is you, let me know. Thanks.
In the store, we have a few shirt designs, a sweatshirt, buttons, stickers, AND the 12" vinyl gatefold "Complete Discography" too! Everything is in limited quantities and only available while supplies last. Once this stuff is gone, it's gone for good. The Force - Complete Discography is and will always be available on iTunes for everyone out there who likes mp3s instead of LPs.

I've been trying to keep track of the interviews I've done recently. Below is an interview I did for Mishmash.



In horse blog news, I will attempt to release the horse blog this weekend. I don't want it to be compared to the AFI EP or my vegan blog that never happened.

Be true to your school.