michelle: Beck...he's bad (in a good way)

You know, it's difficult to explain some things, especially when they make you uncomfortable and may provoke anger or sadness. At times like these, it's best to be honest and forthcoming, and not dance around the subject, like this: "I'm very sorry about not being able to keep your child while you were away. The Aliens insisted on taking a specimen with them. It was the brat or me. I gotta go now, no, please don't cry. The more you cry the more likely I'll be forced to beat you with this ukulele. Bye now, I'll talk to you soon."

trutina I used that Alien-excuse with one of my neighbors couple of years ago. She still hasn't forgiven me. And I think we should go for arsenic Big Macs. If we gave them arsenic lollipops it would become the latest fashion with the trendy people, know what I mean? Everybody would want one, to prove that they could take it. Now, with arsenic Big Macs, everyone would just blame the cholesterol and we'd be off the hook. Easy.

(Part I of II)

Hmmm... You didn't hear it from me, but an Eric Johnson Fender Stratocaster will be available in July...

jonprince - Ah, thanks for posting those links. I guess I wouldn't have had to post my thing if I had read another page or two. Oh well...thanks.

That's a great point...it's always good to be aware of what's going on in the government.

I doubt his choice of clothing is in any way related to his feelings about Bush...

Since you're getting into Dream Theater, check out the two albums from Liquid Tension Experiment. That band is Tony Levin on bass along with Petrucci, Portnoy, and Rudess from Dream Theater...awesome stuff.

When is your birthday? I don't think Satch will be doing any west coast gigs until December, so you might be 21 and the age thing won't be a problem when you next see him.

To answer your questions, I've been a Satch fan since 1997 or 1998, and I own EVERYTHING. ;-)

The candidates are just doing what works, though. Negative advertising is used because it's been highly effective in the past. They won't change until we change...and, like I mentioned a while back, we still have a ways to go if only 12 million people will vote in a primary election while 65 million people will vote for the winner of American Idol.

Hmmm...you really seem to know what you're talking about there. Could that be because YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!?!?!? We're on to you...hehehe. ;-)

"If I search under "Bil" then I get all kinds of strange ones that include those letters like with the word ability or whatnot."

You wouldn't have that problem if you would spell your B-i-l-l like a normal person. ;-) I guess this is a good time to ask...why Bil instead of Bill?

(Part II of II)

ovation1 - "Because of the uproar, do the record companies feel like the bait will catch the big one??.... Looks like a chance to capitalize to me...."

I don't know... It just doesn't seem that people will buy Jimi Hendrix or Shawn Lane CDs because of aggressive marketing in the same way that people buy Britney and Christina because of aggressive marketing.

Jimi and Shawn aren't really all that marketable in the first place (compared to other "musicians"). When they die, their life and music is just naturally exposed to more people through obituaries in newspapers and stuff like that. This really is different from someone buying the new Britney record because she's half-naked on MTV all the time.

In the end, regardless of the amount of marketing, it seems like people interested in guys like Jimi or Shawn (or whoever...these are just the two names I have been using) go out and actively seek their music, while people who buy CDs from Britney or someone just do it because she's half-naked on MTV...

I heard Steve worked a bit with Ozzy during 'Ozzmosis' album. There were big rumours at the time Steve would be Ozzy's new guitarist (imagine that!). Due to the fact artists are signed on different labels and many legal issues involved, it turned out Steve couldn't play on Ozzy's album but he did contribute to the song 'My Little Man' on Ozzmosis. The guitarist is Zakk Wylde right now, but it should be Steve. I think it's stupid because their on different labels they couldn't let them have a chance to at least jam. I also heard that Ozzy's label found Steve to be too high-profile, and that he would take away too much of the spotlight from Ozzy. Probably pure B.S though. Now imagine Steve's version of Crazy Train. Or Bark at the Moon. Wow!

Anyone else think it'd be great if Steve decided to release the demo's from the Ozzy sessions?

Even if they were just bits of riffs, or bare tracks with no vocals.....

Jazzy Boy: "Politicians are idiots, just like all of us." You hit the nail on the head with that one. Why is it that the public expects the politicians to be better people than they are? Our current elected officials adequately represent a society with lowered expectations and few scruples.

2297electricrainbow: Tony Greed lol, I like that. And yeah, I guess they did shoot themselves in the foot. A guy I used to work for, Steve Brown, was a fierce supporter of Tony and the IRL. His dad was an Indy crew chief back in the day, so I respectfully listened to his opinion on the matter, being that it was somewhat more informed than my own. He argued that the IRL would allow lower budget teams to compete on a national level and that was good for the sport. I argued that I wanted to see new track records during every qualification and that wouldn't be possible with mechanics named Bubba in Gasoline Alley. He said I was an overzealous fan with no appreciation for the politics involved with the split. I stated racing was about going faster, not slower and left it at that. I guess we were both right lol.

dragonchild: LOL, you have the plan all worked out I see, keeping our asses covered is a good thing. If I ever run for office, I'll be needing you to help with my campaign lol.

Austin: Well, I've never been an elected official, but I've drank plenty of whiskey with them, I can assure you of that. I grew up in a very small town and my Dad is on the town board. Now, my Dad, I can vouch for being honest and doing what he believes is best for the community. The only reason I can say this, is not because he's my father, but because he's retired, owns no businesses in the community nor does he have any financial interests there either. Simply put, he just doesn't have anything to gain. I've known most of the members of the town board and county for most of my life. There are three places local government business gets done in that town: The Town Hall, a small bar and the Country Club. The board meets on Monday nights at the hall, while I'm at the bar watching Monday Night Football (I miss out on these in the off season). After the meeting lets out, about five of the nine members (note: a voting majority) come to the bar to have a few drinks and talk shop (my dad never comes to these but he should). They have a small room, between the main bar and the family/dining room that they hang out in. Oftentimes, my brother and I will join them and discuss what's going on in the town and who's whining about what. There's a scary amount of town business discussed there and I honestly believe more is done there than in the meetings themselves. The types of discussions you don't want on the meeting's minute records are held here, and it's very interesting. Some conversations, not unlike what I put in that post you quoted, happen frequently. It's not all bad, mind you. In a way, it provides a more approachable venue for some people to quietly voice their opinions. The guy just kicking back playing pool and drinking a few beers after work isn't all that likely to attend a board meeting, but he feels comfortable stopping by the table and voicing concerns or asking questions about this or that policy. The bar itself is very mixed, from some higher society types, to rednecks on crank so it's kind of funny to watch. One of these days I'm gonna write a novel loosely based on what I've seen in that bar. Anyway, I can't really remember where I was headed with this, but yeah, I have a pretty good understanding of how small town politics work lol. I could tell you some of the Country Club stories too, but this post is way too long as it is.

I posted some stuff on a forum for a music shop called "Sound Control", about starting a band...I looked through all 316 posts on there...most people wanted to start pop-punk bands or hardcore punk bands...Hopefully other people read these, people like us who like Satch, Vai, Petrucci etc....

civgeek: My father-in-law keeps telling me to "Get rid of that thing." and I politely tell him to stick his opinion up his ass......lmao,strange how a bit of ol wood n bits of metal can mean so much,i,d be heartbroken if my first got dusted too,take care of that baby!!

Laters civ

Noppa:Will do,others on the way soon if i can stop myself from the bedroom call,yip its Sunday tom,lol

Cuthbert1776:Thats some scary shit if the hell draft goes through,i,ve posted everyone i know about it,thanxs for the wake up call dude

Zenfish:Heavy Weather by Weather Report,complete genius me thinks & 2 true on Joe Pass,i loved how he boiled everything down t sound instead of this scale is called this etc etc,a mark of a of a great musician,t get THAT good is my aim

On EVH:Ed has that rare magic quality called stage presence,he is the KING of cool,the guy just strolls on stage,hasnt touched a note & he,s already won the audience with that goofy grin,now thats class!

Ovation:S.A.was a difficult one for me,happy y like it,was a real headf*** t create parts that fitted the overall vibe t start,spent weeks trying t find the notes,then in a second while taking a dump in my oh so bad toilet the notes arrived,lol.Something about showers,toilets & just b4 y fall asleep,lol The backin was recorded with my Irish friends Invisible Boss in Dublin.As i dont have the luxury t be able t afford the gear t create my own YET,i asked the lads if i could use what was originaly called Daves song t do an instrumental guitar version for my album.They simply said do what y want roy.Great people indeed the Dubs,i miss those cats so much

Currently working on Hungarian “why do the parts move i,ve recorded out of time every time i get back t it” Gypsy airs,lol,bad earth probs in this flat,must record with one bare foot on a metal A/B box t cancel out that horrible hum every time,did complain about the earth prob t the landlord but....well....LANDLORDS,lol need i say more!

Stay cool ol bro,back again when i get this missive done

Clarky:Nah bud,i cant stand the gym atmos,what i meant was my work is similar 2 one with the mud n shit thrown in just t make y feel even better...NOT,lol.

Alexandrecaetano:My boss has told me i may be working August *sigh* however should that not be a reality i,ll be in Portugal for a few days,then heading up t Galicia,i,d opt for Andalucia after,but i believe in August that may be suicide for a pale skinned scot,lol,Yo soy gamba in 2h,lol,stay cool Al & good luck with all things in life

Death Cube k:Thanks cube,your 2 kind,

Y know there is always room for improvement for all,i constantly struggle every day with my ignorance of music,....but isnt it a fine day when your dreams come 2 fruition,it may not pay the bills but what an incredible feeling t make another persons day better,thats all i want t do for the rest of my life,money was never a priority for me in music because in music i am free,free from everything that a working life wont give,its my church,its that simple & i know you understand like all here,just how privilaged we are to have arrived

Theres no better or worse in this as y know,just pure bliss,enjoy!

FIRST GUITARS FOR G3!!!

Ronald Reagan died today. God rest his soul.

Former President Reagan died today, so in honor of him a few of his best quotes:

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

I've always held Reagan in a little higher regard than other Presidents. Due to my age, he was the last President I remember seeing on TV and saying, "Wow, the President is on" lol. The Iran-Contra Fiasco was my first lesson in real world politics. Many feel he was merely a puppet for the Republican Party, and I'm not really educated enough in these arguments to say whether that's true or not. He did possess a wonderful ability to communicate with the American public. He may have been the last President any of us actually listened to. After the first Bush, we closed our ears. Or maybe that's just me. Regardless, R.I.P. President Reagan. Ten years of Alzheimer's is a rough road for anyone.

As people have already posted Ronald Reagon died today, its a shame when anyone dies in my opinion, condolences to those who knew him.

Rolo is my cat...I have 5 cats, 4 of them are Persians anyone who knows a little something about cats will know that persians are furry as heck, and have really wide/chubby faces. So my mom wasn't entirely off when comparing Malmsteen to my my fat headed pussy.

If I get the time, I'll take a picture of him and put it on my website.

interesting fact number 1: My cat, Rolo, is one of two persian cats in this country of his colour. He is a Cameo-Cream-Red-Chocolate-Lilac-Blue Smoke. Which to most people who see him is brown. The more you know.

I've just realised that I need a new amp for live performance...since I wont be playing any sell out arenas like a certain person...then I'll need something worthy of deafening people in a pub/bar/club.

Any recommendations on a good yet affordable amp thats got quite a bit of wattage?

RIP Ronald Reagan...

trutina You can reach me at anytime at greedgreedgreed@hotmail.com. We political innovators gotta stick together lol.

Brother Al I was thinking about something either peavey or marshall. But then I know nothing of amps so would you be able to give me an explanation of the different types of amps? (sorry to be a pain in the ass)