Bad wood underneath the veneer
Monday, May 29, 2006
Why I don't have a band
Drummer: Look at him. There he goes again, five minute, Emerson Lake and Palmer, guitar-neck masturbation bullshit solo.
Bassist: I hate it when he does this.
D: He's turning around to face me. Shut up and keep playing.
B: Ugh, fucking ridiculous. Okay, yes, turn back around. Back stage Betty fourth row.
D: Oh nice.
B: Good to go.
D: Do you have a solo on this song?
B: Nope. You?
D: Nope.
B: You know, I don't care about us so much. It's just the...
D: It's just ...God!...fuck!
B: You know who I feel sorry for?
D: Who?
B: The audience...
D: Yeah...
B: ...you know, the audience sees the product, but the product just isn't there.
D: Shit, he's turning around again.
B: Again? so predictable.
D: God. That's so arrogant. Face the audience, asshole! Get off my Kick. It can't support you, fatass.
B: Okay, here comes the chorus:
SLOW RI -I-IDE!!!
¶ 2:57 PM 0 comments
Bassist: I hate it when he does this.
D: He's turning around to face me. Shut up and keep playing.
B: Ugh, fucking ridiculous. Okay, yes, turn back around. Back stage Betty fourth row.
D: Oh nice.
B: Good to go.
D: Do you have a solo on this song?
B: Nope. You?
D: Nope.
B: You know, I don't care about us so much. It's just the...
D: It's just ...God!...fuck!
B: You know who I feel sorry for?
D: Who?
B: The audience...
D: Yeah...
B: ...you know, the audience sees the product, but the product just isn't there.
D: Shit, he's turning around again.
B: Again? so predictable.
D: God. That's so arrogant. Face the audience, asshole! Get off my Kick. It can't support you, fatass.
B: Okay, here comes the chorus:
SLOW RI -I-IDE!!!
¶ 2:57 PM 0 comments
Top Five from Mexico
- Guacamole. I thought it was a delicacy (you always have to request it here, so that's a delicacy, right?), but no, they eat this ludicrous shit on everything. And it's spicy.
- I felt tall. Seriously.
- Seedless watermelons with lime juice on them (Jesus God, that is good.)
- On the plane ride down, I noticed an American Airlines magazine article entitled "When Bad Bosses Happen to Good People: Innocent Sufferers of Micromanagement." It didn't look interesting to read, so I didn't, but I felt severely micromanaged during the whole project. There's nothing like an 18 year old homeschool girl who thinks she has to assert that she does indeed know how to apply caulk into cracks better than you do.
- An 18-year-old Mexican Beauty played with my heart...and played my guitar too. I showed her how to play "Stairway to Heaven"(kinda) and was worried that, well, does this have to do with illicit drugs? No, it's just poetic, right? Ehn...duh, dum, dumdu d..."there's a lady...if there's a bustle 'long your hedgerow its just a sprinkling for the vain queen," fuck. I dunno. She liked it.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
An ambitious man up to a point
I spent a great deal of time in Mexico doing the following:
Labor (w/ music on constantly to block out annoying fellow workers, which helped me hold my tongue and peace)
Reading
Recording five new demos to round out my album
Look, you're just going to have to wait til the end of the summer...not that you're all dying out there waiting to hear this. But I'm still very excited about this project and creatively I feel very good right now. I've had a lot of hang-ups (stylistic, thematic, etc.) in the past, but I'm gradually breaking free musically.
Lyrics are the weak point thus far: 1 part failed-romance confessional + 1 part sentimentality about childhood innocence seems too...immature at this point. So what I'm looking to do is to abstract some of my story telling a little more, maybe touch on some more religious things...which is always a task because I tend to be a heavy-handed person on some of those topics (see last post). But we'll see. I really don't know what I'm going to mess with yet...or if I really have it in me to write a whole lot more.
I go into the studio for my first meeting with the engineer/producer on Tuesday.
Danielson Ships
¶ 12:51 AM 0 comments
Labor (w/ music on constantly to block out annoying fellow workers, which helped me hold my tongue and peace)
Reading
Recording five new demos to round out my album
Look, you're just going to have to wait til the end of the summer...not that you're all dying out there waiting to hear this. But I'm still very excited about this project and creatively I feel very good right now. I've had a lot of hang-ups (stylistic, thematic, etc.) in the past, but I'm gradually breaking free musically.
Lyrics are the weak point thus far: 1 part failed-romance confessional + 1 part sentimentality about childhood innocence seems too...immature at this point. So what I'm looking to do is to abstract some of my story telling a little more, maybe touch on some more religious things...which is always a task because I tend to be a heavy-handed person on some of those topics (see last post). But we'll see. I really don't know what I'm going to mess with yet...or if I really have it in me to write a whole lot more.
I go into the studio for my first meeting with the engineer/producer on Tuesday.
Danielson Ships
¶ 12:51 AM 0 comments
Friday, May 26, 2006
Gripes 3.0 - The Evangelical Factor
New look, new gripes...this one is themed.
Top ten gripes with Evangelicals...these should pretty much explain themselves. Just keep in mind that this was how I was raised. Fresh in my mind, back from a trip into Mexico with a bunch of them. These are from a serious Christian...not intended to be deep. Just some thoughts.
1. "Popcorn Prayer." Have you heard of this? Have you done it? I have...or tried. It's where everybody in the group prays in no specific order with no limits to how many times they say something or how long they say it. There is this tendency to get interrupted...
Me: "I uh...
Ev: "IjustthankyouGodsomuchforallowingustobeheretoday..."
Me: *fuck*
2. "I may miss the mark, but..." This is what happens when a good Christian (not living in sin) "sins" at a frequency of two, maybe three, but no more than four times a month.
3. "Strongholds." no explanation needed.
4. "How's your walk?" Dave covered this, but it bothers me too.
5. "Living in sin." Some people aren't sinning/don't sin, apparently...the straight people, that is.
6. "Relying on God/Turing it over to God." Too vague, too obtuse...how do I "turn something over to God" or "rely on him"? No one has really been able to answer these questions, so why do people even talk about such asinine notions?
7. Youth group. Christian dating service.
8. "It's all about God." Fine, except when followed by statements such as "The worship didn't do anything for me today," or "the sermon really refreshed me this morning." Can't have it both ways.
9. Bibles. This is a three-parter. Get ready for it:
Gripes 1, Gripes 2
Currently listening to:
¶ 10:33 AM 1 comments
Top ten gripes with Evangelicals...these should pretty much explain themselves. Just keep in mind that this was how I was raised. Fresh in my mind, back from a trip into Mexico with a bunch of them. These are from a serious Christian...not intended to be deep. Just some thoughts.
1. "Popcorn Prayer." Have you heard of this? Have you done it? I have...or tried. It's where everybody in the group prays in no specific order with no limits to how many times they say something or how long they say it. There is this tendency to get interrupted...
Me: "I uh...
Ev: "IjustthankyouGodsomuchforallowingustobeheretoday..."
Me: *fuck*
2. "I may miss the mark, but..." This is what happens when a good Christian (not living in sin) "sins" at a frequency of two, maybe three, but no more than four times a month.
3. "Strongholds." no explanation needed.
4. "How's your walk?" Dave covered this, but it bothers me too.
5. "Living in sin." Some people aren't sinning/don't sin, apparently...the straight people, that is.
6. "Relying on God/Turing it over to God." Too vague, too obtuse...how do I "turn something over to God" or "rely on him"? No one has really been able to answer these questions, so why do people even talk about such asinine notions?
7. Youth group. Christian dating service.
8. "It's all about God." Fine, except when followed by statements such as "The worship didn't do anything for me today," or "the sermon really refreshed me this morning." Can't have it both ways.
9. Bibles. This is a three-parter. Get ready for it:
- There is a certain kind of Bible in possession of a certain soon-to-be youth pastor. It is smaller, in horrible condition, old-school looking, tons of underlined text. He found it under a seat cushion while making out with his girlfriend after youthgroup.
- Another kind, is the huge, stern, Amish black, genuine imitation cowhide bound Bibles...matches Cadillac Jesus bought him.
- Greek/Hebrew study bibles in the possession of people who don't know or intend on learning either language. Strange, but these people are out there.
Gripes 1, Gripes 2
Currently listening to:
¶ 10:33 AM 1 comments
Monday, May 08, 2006
Want Ad
Through a camera lense...faux velour backdrop...male, moderately overweight, 40-something appears in front of the camera with significant balding apparent:
Ahem *cough, cough*...this better be on...
*jiggles the camera - turns it off, then back on*
Okay, my names Ryan Leng...I'm uh...36 years old. I'm five-foot siii-nine. As you can tell, I used to be in really good shape. I like kids...well, I guess I don't like like kids. More of uh, you know, rot-their-teeth-out-with-candy irresponsible uncle type...you know, I'm fun...um...I think its important to be fun at this age. I mean, sure a lot of dads are responsible, but come on! that's been done before...I'm fun...did I say that? ...um, I was in a band...back in highschool...we uh, came in second at the Battle of the Bands...which was pretty good, considering the band that won was Nirvana. Nobigdeal or nothing. You'll be happy to know that I've completed 4 of 5 rehab programs...I am a professional soccer coach at the elementary school level. I pretty much like girls who pay attention to me when they're sober...that's a bonus...you know, scratch that...pretty much if you're still watching this tape, call me.
¶ 9:50 PM 0 comments
Ahem *cough, cough*...this better be on...
*jiggles the camera - turns it off, then back on*
Okay, my names Ryan Leng...I'm uh...36 years old. I'm five-foot siii-nine. As you can tell, I used to be in really good shape. I like kids...well, I guess I don't like like kids. More of uh, you know, rot-their-teeth-out-with-candy irresponsible uncle type...you know, I'm fun...um...I think its important to be fun at this age. I mean, sure a lot of dads are responsible, but come on! that's been done before...I'm fun...did I say that? ...um, I was in a band...back in highschool...we uh, came in second at the Battle of the Bands...which was pretty good, considering the band that won was Nirvana. Nobigdeal or nothing. You'll be happy to know that I've completed 4 of 5 rehab programs...I am a professional soccer coach at the elementary school level. I pretty much like girls who pay attention to me when they're sober...that's a bonus...you know, scratch that...pretty much if you're still watching this tape, call me.
¶ 9:50 PM 0 comments
