Bad wood underneath the veneer
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
I am all that is man
It was an epic struggle. Ryan's incompetence vs. Ryan's balls. Final: Balls 3 - Incompetence - 2.
I needed a guitar - Matt gave me this shitty, Allen Korean strat knockoff, and I went to work. I replaced the tuning pegs (put some Grovers on) and pickguard (switched white to black). I ripped out the bridge singlecoil pickup and soldered in a Seymour Duncan Hotrails (allegedly the highest output pickup on the market) in its stead. I tightened the bridge coils in the back, and put a sweet owl sticker on the back plate. Furthermore, I retained Matt's transcription of the Battle of Maldon in Old English on the back plate, a picture of Matt and his cousin James on the heel and two dice knob controllers. I set the action as low as it'll go without buzzing too much, I got the intonation pretty close to right on, and I strung her up.
Now I give unto the world my first custom guitar:
ASMODEUS THE AXCALIBUR
Let's see that again...
I think the "A" on the headstock will work well when I paint on Asmodeus the Axcalibur.
Notice the two prepubescent faces of Matt McConnell and his cousin James.
The Old English scrawled on the back plate reads as follows:
heorte be cenre be ure moegen lytlað
-The Battle of Maldon
(Resolution must be the tougher, hearts the keener... [courage must be more as our strength gives out])
Byrhtnoth (pronounced "Brickth-noth") defends his city against the overpowering Danes, who come offering peace for gold. Byrhtnoth offers them cold steel instead. By and by, he dies in the battle. After his death, his thane and companion Byrhtwold speaks the above exhortation to the remaining men, who all die valiantly.
Asmodeus
Asmodeus is a rather large, sinister adder from Brian Jacques' first Redwall book. Matthias beheads him, I think. Anyway, I found out that Asmodeus is a demon, also known as Ashmadia, according to Deliriums Realm.
Apparently, this demon originates with the Persian Aeshma-deva (Demon of Wrath). Milton writes in Paradise Lost:
Signing off...
¶ 10:15 PM 0 comments
I needed a guitar - Matt gave me this shitty, Allen Korean strat knockoff, and I went to work. I replaced the tuning pegs (put some Grovers on) and pickguard (switched white to black). I ripped out the bridge singlecoil pickup and soldered in a Seymour Duncan Hotrails (allegedly the highest output pickup on the market) in its stead. I tightened the bridge coils in the back, and put a sweet owl sticker on the back plate. Furthermore, I retained Matt's transcription of the Battle of Maldon in Old English on the back plate, a picture of Matt and his cousin James on the heel and two dice knob controllers. I set the action as low as it'll go without buzzing too much, I got the intonation pretty close to right on, and I strung her up.
ASMODEUS THE AXCALIBUR
Let's see that again...
I think the "A" on the headstock will work well when I paint on Asmodeus the Axcalibur.
Notice the two prepubescent faces of Matt McConnell and his cousin James.
The Old English scrawled on the back plate reads as follows:
heorte be cenre be ure moegen lytlað
-The Battle of Maldon
(Resolution must be the tougher, hearts the keener... [courage must be more as our strength gives out])
Byrhtnoth (pronounced "Brickth-noth") defends his city against the overpowering Danes, who come offering peace for gold. Byrhtnoth offers them cold steel instead. By and by, he dies in the battle. After his death, his thane and companion Byrhtwold speaks the above exhortation to the remaining men, who all die valiantly.
Asmodeus
Asmodeus is a rather large, sinister adder from Brian Jacques' first Redwall book. Matthias beheads him, I think. Anyway, I found out that Asmodeus is a demon, also known as Ashmadia, according to Deliriums Realm.
Apparently, this demon originates with the Persian Aeshma-deva (Demon of Wrath). Milton writes in Paradise Lost:
Better pleasedAnyway, John Dunn and I are thinking of starting a soul, motown and rhythm and blues band--NOT a medieval knights norwegian black metal band, because I KNOW that was what you were thinking.
Than Asmodeus with the fishy fume
That drove him, though enamored, from the spouse
Of Tobit's son, and with a vengeance sent
From Media post to Egypt, there fast bound.
- Paradise Lost , iv. 167--71.
Signing off...
Thursday, August 17, 2006
It is finished...
Glad that's over.
"Back To From Where You Came" will be available for purchase next month. I don't know when exactly, but everything is done. I'm listening to the master tracks currently at my home.
If you want to buy this sprawling opus, you'll have many, many options.
For one, you will be able buy it directly from me for $10.
Second, you will be able to buy it at CD baby for $12.
Third, you will be able to buy it off I-tunes and other assorted download sites for $8.99. Main difference is you don't get the album art, actual cd and case.
Fourth, you will be able to buy it off distributors such as Amazon.com for $12.
So whatever fleets your switch.
www.purevolume.com/ryanleng for a teaser...within the next week. ¶ 5:12 PM 0 comments
"Back To From Where You Came" will be available for purchase next month. I don't know when exactly, but everything is done. I'm listening to the master tracks currently at my home.
If you want to buy this sprawling opus, you'll have many, many options.
For one, you will be able buy it directly from me for $10.
Second, you will be able to buy it at CD baby for $12.
Third, you will be able to buy it off I-tunes and other assorted download sites for $8.99. Main difference is you don't get the album art, actual cd and case.
Fourth, you will be able to buy it off distributors such as Amazon.com for $12.
So whatever fleets your switch.
www.purevolume.com/ryanleng for a teaser...within the next week. ¶ 5:12 PM 0 comments
Saturday, August 12, 2006
London Bridge
I was listening to Fergie's song "London Bridge," and I'm beyond derelicts at this point. But I have to ask, what is London Bridge a metaphor for? Let me put it in context:
I'm such a lady but I'm dancing like a ho
Because you know what, I don't give a fuck, so here we go!
How come every time you come around
My London London Bridge want to go down?
So what is it? Her mood? Or is it some euphemism I'm not aware of? Maybe I'm just not being postmodern enough. I was thinking maybe she arches her back a lot. Which is sexy, but not nearly as sexy as what she did a year ago. But goddammit! what was the original "London Bridge" really about? Of course, I was constantly reminded by some smug asshat in highschool that (ooooh! pertinent fact!) "Ring Around the Rosie" is code for the black plague. Therefore, is it that strange to assume that "London Bridge" means something else?
Okay. I lied. I wasn't beyond derelicts after all. Maybe...maybe I'm out of step on this one, but maybe this isn't a good career move. Tribute to an age-old English transportation stucture, sold to the US, and reproduced in some arcane location in Arizona or (OR!), jingles for Depends?
But then again, I do have stretch marks on my arms (why?), and I can't explain all the metaphors in my music either. ¶ 11:44 PM 3 comments
I'm such a lady but I'm dancing like a ho
Because you know what, I don't give a fuck, so here we go!
How come every time you come around
My London London Bridge want to go down?
So what is it? Her mood? Or is it some euphemism I'm not aware of? Maybe I'm just not being postmodern enough. I was thinking maybe she arches her back a lot. Which is sexy, but not nearly as sexy as what she did a year ago. But goddammit! what was the original "London Bridge" really about? Of course, I was constantly reminded by some smug asshat in highschool that (ooooh! pertinent fact!) "Ring Around the Rosie" is code for the black plague. Therefore, is it that strange to assume that "London Bridge" means something else?
Okay. I lied. I wasn't beyond derelicts after all. Maybe...maybe I'm out of step on this one, but maybe this isn't a good career move. Tribute to an age-old English transportation stucture, sold to the US, and reproduced in some arcane location in Arizona or (OR!), jingles for Depends?
But then again, I do have stretch marks on my arms (why?), and I can't explain all the metaphors in my music either. ¶ 11:44 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Wind Moth
Charlie, who is nine and autistic...
Ryan: Charlie, how's it going?
Charlie: ...
Ryan: ...
Charlie: I was just thinking about wind moths.
Ryan: What?
Charlie: A wind moth.
Ryan: What's a wind moth?
Charlie: They don't fly and they're about this high (holds his hand at his neck).
Ryan: Yeah, why do they call them wind moths?
Charlie: They make the wind.
Ryan: Oh.
Charlie: And...and they only live in very hot or very cold places. They live in the hot places during the summer, and in the cold places during the winter. And they make the wind.
Ryan: Have you ever seen one?
Charlie: Yes.
Ryan: You live in Michigan. When did you see it?
Charlie: In the fall.
Ryan: You don't miss a beat, do you?
Charlie: Do you believe me?
Ryan: No.
Charlie: (indignant) Why not! ¶ 8:20 AM 0 comments
Ryan: Charlie, how's it going?
Charlie: ...
Ryan: ...
Charlie: I was just thinking about wind moths.
Ryan: What?
Charlie: A wind moth.
Ryan: What's a wind moth?
Charlie: They don't fly and they're about this high (holds his hand at his neck).
Ryan: Yeah, why do they call them wind moths?
Charlie: They make the wind.
Ryan: Oh.
Charlie: And...and they only live in very hot or very cold places. They live in the hot places during the summer, and in the cold places during the winter. And they make the wind.
Ryan: Have you ever seen one?
Charlie: Yes.
Ryan: You live in Michigan. When did you see it?
Charlie: In the fall.
Ryan: You don't miss a beat, do you?
Charlie: Do you believe me?
Ryan: No.
Charlie: (indignant) Why not! ¶ 8:20 AM 0 comments
