Well I used to be a Pro Wrestler (and I use the word "Pro" VERY loosely), I love music and movies and I'm a nerd when it comes to all things Kevin Smith and Star Wars. In fact I've already got a Kevin Smith tattoo and the Stars Wars tat is on the way. Speaking of ink I love it and I can't get enough...props to Chris Autry at Black Orchid for hooking me up with some killer stuff. Oh and Billie Marshall is the devil.
"What's your favorite song?" is a question I get asked a lot...I work in radio, it makes sense. However, when I first started in radio it wasn't a question I could easily answer. Sure I had my favorites, but how do you pick just one? I mean there are so damn many! Picking a favorite song is like picking a favorite child, it's just not right. Each offer something unique and come with their own set of memories, but unlike a child picking a definitive favorite song isn't going to cause years of therapy so I figured what the hell. I sat down one night while working the midnight to 6am shift at the radio station and came up with my top five favorite songs of all time. Now this was probably back in '96 or '97 and until last week this list hadn't changed at all, that's over 15 years. So in honor of a new addition to my top five favorite songs of all time I decided to look at my list and see why each of these songs made the cut.
I'll be the first to admit that out of the 3 billion songs Rush has released over the past 30 plus years it's probably not their "best", even Geddy Lee called it "lousy" back in a 1993 interview with Raw Magazine, but there's just something about the lyrics that I've always loved. One line in particular, "...though it's just a memory, some memories last forever...". I've always been a nostalgic person and this is a song about looking back and remembering what it was like to be young, enjoying life and not having to worry about a damn thing. Which isn't always a bad thing because let's face it, sometimes being an adult sucks.
Here's the new addition to my list! Now it would be easy for me to say, "Hey, I'm Danish" or "I'm a huge fan of boxer Mikkel Kessler" and that's why this song is now on my list, but I'm neither of those things. To be honest I can't exactly pinpoint the reason why this song out of all the other's over the past 15 years made the cut and maybe it won't be here a year from now (it's not like I have set criteria for this list), but holy sh*t this song is badass. I just can't get enough of it and I feel the need to blow out my speakers (or whoever's speakers I happen to be around) whenever this song comes on. If you have yet to hear this song...listen to it! If you have heard this song and dont' like it...listen to it again! It will melt your face right off.
* Volbeat "A Warrior's Call" replaced "Hey Jude" from the Beatles if you were curious.
I remember watching the video for "Plush" late one night on MTV and then not being able to get the song out of my head. I went to Wal-Mart the next day, bought Core and my love affair with Stone Temple Pilots began. Now for me Crackerman has been always the stand out cut on the album and it was the one song I had-to-hear-them-play-live and when I got the chance I was blown away! It was four minutes of balls out, straight up rock and in those four minutes I realized something that I will be saying until the day I die, Scott Weiland is one of the best frontmen in the history of Rock (in fact I'll put him at number 2 right behind Freddie Mercury) and it's because of this that Crackerman is on this list.
I love Queen...I've always loved Queen and for me it doesn't get more perfect than this, in fact this may be the most perfect song I have ever heard, you just can't go wrong with Freddie Mercury and David Bowie. I will sit through "Ice Ice Baby" just to hear the bassline it's that damn good. And after a statement like that, I don't know what else I can say. 1. The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun
So you might be thinking, "If Under Pressure is so perfect, why is The House of the Rising Sun the number one song on your list?" ok, that's a fair question and here's the answer. The House of the Rising Sun has one thing that Under Pressure doesn't, it reminds me of my dad. Growing up my dad always had music playing and The House of the Rising Sun was his favorite so my love of the song started out wanting to be like my father and has since grown into something that is ours, a connection that we still share to this day (along with beer) and for me that's the true beauty of music. Music is so much more than just a melody and some lyrics, it's a way for us to remember certain moments of our lives. Think about a song you really like, a song that's special to you and I'd be willing to bet you've got a memory connected to it...good or bad.
Dec 8 2011 1:28PM
Posted 59 days 1 hr 31 mins ago
Top 5 Top 4 Ways I’d Like to Die (If I Got to Choose)*
So I’m reading this book (yes I can read) called “Without Warning” and in it 99% of the U.S. population is completely wiped out by some crazy unexplained energy force, basically everyone gets turned into a pile of slimy goo.Talk about a crappy way to go out, not that there’s really a good way to go out but if I could pick how I was going to die this wouldn’t be at the top of my list.So what would top said list?Read below and find out, because like Cypress Hill once said, “I ain’t goin’ out like that.”Here are my Top 5 Top 4 Ways I’d Like to Die (If I Got to Choose)*.
4.Shot out of a canon…and get blown to bits – Now I’m not talking about the canons you see at Fort Pulaski on your way out to Tybee.I’m talking a big ass circus canon painted bright red, yellow and blue…in fact the gaudier the paint job the better.I’ve always wanted to be shot out of one of those things anyway so if you’re going to do it you might as well go all out.There’s got to be some kind of world record for being shot out of a canon so let’s go for it.Pack that bad boy up with enough explosives to fire me across the Grand Canyon and then let her rip.I’m picturing TV cameras fixed on the lit fuse as a crowd of thousands counts down from ten with anticipation of this huge moment in stupidity.10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…BOOM!Yet instead of me flying through the air and landing safely in a net to a cheering mass of adoring fans, body parts and gore rain down as everyone runs screaming in every direction.Disgusting…sure, memorable…HELL YES!Plus I’d save on any cremation expenses.
3.Decapitated while riding a roller coaster at Walt Disney World – My love for Disney is no secret, so why would I want to die there?Why wouldn’t you want to die there?It’s the happiest freaking place on earth, so why not go out with a smile on my face?Plus Disney would have to go into full on PR mode most likely setting my family up with lifetime passes.So basically it would be like “taking one for the team.”
2.Die while on the air – Dying while on the air has at least three benefits.One, everyone who was listening would always remember exactly where they were when they heard me keel over on the radio.Two, ratings!If I heard someone died in the studio the first thing I’d do is flip over to that station to see what the hell was going on.And three, I would come back and haunt that studio like it was nobody’s business, basically giving me the chance to mess with Billie Marshall’s head in a way I could never do while I was alive!
1.Just like Bruce Willis in Armageddon – If you’ve got to go you might as well make it count!And what would count more than strapping yourself to a huge asteroid making a b-line toward earth with the sole purpose of blowing the SOB up!Granted I’m probably not at the top of NASA’s list of people to call in this situation, but this is my Top 5 Top 4 Ways I’d Like to Die (If I Got to Choose)* so let a man dream.
*Dying while having sex, which on paper sounds like the most awesome way to die, was going to be my number one choice but once I thought about it I realized there were a couple of big negatives so I decided to leave it off the list all together.One, we all make stupid faces while having sex and do you really want that look plastered on your face while everyone walks past your coffin, I don’t think so.Two, it would cause the wife a lot of trauma and distress and I cause her enough trauma and distress by having sex with her and living so I can’t even imagine what she would go through if I died while on top of her.
Nov 28 2011 10:10AM
Posted 69 days 4 hrs 49 mins ago
Songs That Will Forever Be Tied To Movie Scenes
Music has been an important part of movies since the very beginning, hell even silent films featured live piano accompaniment to help build the mood and set the scene. If you don't think music plays a huge roll in your movie viewing experience try watching the opening of Star Wars with the sound turned down. Yep, just words scrolling up the screen...now crank that John Williams' score back up and your instantly transported to a galaxy far, far away.
Like the movie score individual songs can also impact how you watch a film or more specifically a scene in a film. If used right a song can become so synonymous with a movie scene that it takes on a life of it's own. A song that was long forgotten gets a rebirth or a song that would have never been a hit gets heard by millions. The two can become so inseparable that you literally can't think of one without the other.
Being a HUGE fan of both movies and music I decided to come up with a list...my Top 5 Songs That Will Forever Be Tied To Movie Scenes. Keep in mind this list isn't the best use of songs in movies (if that were the case The Pixies " Where is My Mind" from the end of Fight Club would be here) rather this is a list of songs that are so tied to a specific movie scene that the first thing I do when I hear the song is picture the movie going along with it. And because of that criteria some, what would seem like obvious choices didn't make the cut. Sure I think Wayne's World's when I hear "Bohemian Rhapsody" and yes "Twist and Shout" brings back memories of Ferris Bueller, but to me Queen and the Beatles are too iconic in their own right and while they may conjure up movie images I can still separate the two. The following five however, are another story.
I could have included just about any song and the scene it was featured in from Dazed and Confused but there's just something about hearing the opening bass line to "Sweet Emotion" as the muscle car rolls through the school parking lot. Not that the movie had much of a plot ("No I won't conform to your standards.", "Let's get drunk!") but in just two minutes director Richard Linklater introduces most of the main characters and sets the stage for the 24 hours that followed. Plus he does it without any dialogue, it's just the Boston Bad Boys playing in the background.
This movie came out about the time we got HBO when I was a kid and I believe they showed it everyday for about eight years straight. Now you'd think, being a movie about a singer and being named after one of his most famous songs it would be La Bamba or one of his other tunes that would forever be tied to Lou Diamond Phillips. Instead it was this somber instrumental and the scenes of his friends and family when they first heard the news of his death (and of Esai Morales almost tripping over a fence) that stuck.
Just like a NSync, Otis Day & The Knights were a fake band put together for the amusement of others. However unlike NSync the "others" were not a bunch of screaming 12 year old girls, the "others" were a bunch of drunken frat guys and all of us who wanted to be just like them. Now I'm well aware that the Isley Brothers wrote and recorded back "Shout" in the late 50's, but let's be honest for a minute. When you hear "Shout" do you think Isley Brother's or John Belushi in a toga flopping around on the floor like a cockroach? 2. Malcolm McDowell "Singin' in the Rain"/Break In Scene from A Clockwork Orange
I've never actually seen the 1952 Gene Kelly film of the same name so I have no visual to connect it to , however I do have a visual to connect it to in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockword Orange. After stealing a car Alex and his Droogs break into the home of F. Alexander and while beating Mr. Alexander and his wife Alex (played by Malcolm McDowell) does his best Gene Kelly impersonation, albeit a very violent one. The rumor is that Stanley Kubrick asked Malcolm to sing a song during this scene and "Singin' in the Rain" was the only one he knew all the words to. So now instead of tap dancing in mud puddles whenever a version of this song comes on, the image of Malcolm McDowell in a a white cod piece is the first thing to come to mind.
From start to finish I was completely blown away by this movie the first time I watched it, I had never seen anything like it. And while the whole flick has been one of my favorites ever since there is one scene in particular, thanks to a certain Steelers Wheel tune that I will never forget. I mean how can you hear "Stuck in the Middle with You" and not think of Michael Madsen cutting off the cop's ear? It's impossible! As I'm writing this now I'm picturing Mr. Blonde strutting around pulling out his straight razor. This song is Reservoir Dogs and Reservoir Dogs is this song, they're one and the same. There is NO other song/movie scene combo this inseparable. I'm just thankful Quentin Tarantino didn't go with his rumored other choice..."Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet.
Aug 8 2011 4:03PM
Posted 180 days 23 hrs 56 mins ago
Kotter Changes Up
So the Change-Up starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman opened up this weekend, and while I like Ryan Reynolds, the movie itself looks like s**t. Ryan Reynolds the swinging bachelor trades places with put-upon family man Jason Bateman and hilarity ensues, at least that's what the previews lead us to believe though the early reviews haven't been that promising. Stupid movie or not, it did get me thinking. What if I could change places with someone, who would it be? So here is my list of the top 5 people (things) I would change places with if I stood next to them (it) and urinated into a magical fountain. Hey, the premise worked for the Change-Up.
5. The Guy Working the Jungle Cruise Ride at Disney World - I know your stuck out in the Florida heat for 8 hours a day and the lines they've got you reciting were written before before Moses brought down the 10 Commandments, but for the love of god fire your fake gun at the fake alligators like you mean it. There's nothing worse than spending an ass load of money to bring the family to the "Happiest Place on Earth" only to get a s****y boat captain and lately they've all been s****y.. Basically what I'm saying is that I could do a much better job than any one they've got currently pretending to drive those boats and I've spent enough money at Disney in the past year so I know what it feels like to not always get your money's worth. Plus I've always wanted to push a small, crying child into the water when they just won't shut up.
4. A Dog - Now I'm not talking about a police dog, seeing eye dog or any dog that has to "work", I'm talking about the family pet that does nothing but sleep for 12 to 20 hours a day. Talk about a no pressure existence, the life of the family dog is cake. Need some entertainment? Have someone throw you a stick. Want to eat? Your food is in the bowl. Drink? Water is in the dish. Horny? Grab the nearest leg. Just remember not to pee on the carpet and you're golden (no pun intended).
3. Bar Refaeli's Swim Suit Top - Her breasts are so perfect that they prove god's exsistence. Hell, even if they're fake all that means is the plastic surgeon who worked on them must be an angle.
2. A Mechanic - It may not be the most glamorous of choices but sometimes you've just got to be realistic. My car is a piece of s**t that will probably end up killing me one day. So if you ever see a ball of fire on four wheels rolling across the Talmadge Bridge, chances are it's me. Fixing a car is too damn expensive and I'm not smart enough to do it myself, so by switching bodies with a mechanic I would have plenty of mechanic friends who could probably help me out.
1. Dave Grohl - I'm going to get right to the point...Dave Grohl can do no wrong. He's arguably the biggest rock star on the planet, who can work with who ever he wants...yet he seems like a guy you can totally sit down and have a beer with. If I had a chance to swap places with him for a little bit, damn right I'd do it. Of course my soul would probably melt because of his awesomeness, but I have a feeling it would be worth it.
Aug 5 2011 2:41PM
Posted 184 days 1 hr 18 mins ago
FU Neighbor
We've all had (or have) neighbors that we'd love to give (or have given) the big old one finger salute to. Growing up I had a guy living next to me who, after his mom passed away, boarded up his basketball hoop because he didn't want me and my brothers using it anymore. When I lived out in Lincoln, NE I had another neighbor who liked to throw his dog's crap into my yard.
Well if I would have had David Muscat's ingenuity, and obvious word working skills, I to would have built a four foot tall middle finger and planted it right in the middle of my yard for the world to see. In all honesty however it's David and not his neighbors who should be on the receiving end of the big FU. According to his neighbors the guy is a major douche and his new yard ornament (which is 100 times better than a gazing ball by the way) is just his latest attempt to go the extra mile toward pissing everyone off. By the sound of it this guy would take a dump in the sugar you just asked to borrow before he'd give it to you.
Lord Guinness
Aug 2 2011 8:38AM
Posted 187 days 7 hrs 21 mins ago
The Dark Side...always the better half of a Black & Tan!
Kotter's Disinformation Blog - Sh*tter's Full - 4/13/11
Apr 13 2011 5:01PM
Posted 297 days 22 hrs 58 mins ago
So I got home last night to the announcement that we were experiencing some serious plumbing issues at the house.
"How serious?" I asked.
Well in the middle of a load of laundry every toilet, sink and tub decided to back up and spew water through out the house...awesome.
"So what's the current status of the dilemma?"
Used some Draino and everything seems to be working fine. Plan on calling the landlord tomorrow.
Thinking everything would be good for the evening I decided to go on about my night. Well after dinner and a few beers nature was calling. I did what I had to do, including give the toilet a good flush. Not only did the toilet decide to overflow again, so did every sink and tub in the house, again...awesome.
For the next few hours we watched the water level in every toilet, sink and tub in the house slowly drop to normal levels. Instead of listening to my wife, who told me to leave everything alone until tomorrow, I decided that it would be best to flush the toilet again because it must obviously be working. It wasn't. Once again water filled every toilet, sink and tub...awesome.
Knowing I could no longer use the toilet for the rest of the evening proved to be a problem, because as soon as the realization hit I suddendly had to go and go bad. I'm talking four cups of coffee, a six pack of Mountain Dew and no rest area for the next 60 miles on a road trip bad.
So I would like to thank the Kroger by my house for being open 24 hours because last night you truly were a life saver...three times. I would also like to thank them for what looks to be multiple trips tonight as well since as I'm typing this (5:30 pm on 4/13/11) the plumber has yet to visit my house...awesome.
Buzz
So the Change-Up starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman opened up this weekend, and while I like Ryan Reynolds, the movie itself looks like s**t. Ryan Reynolds the swinging bachelor trades places with put-upon family man Jason Bateman and hilarity ensues, at least that's what the previews lead us to believe though the early reviews haven't been that promising. Stupid movie or not, it did get me thinking. What if I could change places with someone, who would it be? So here is my list of the top 5 people (things) I would change places with if I stood next to them (it) and urinated into a magical fountain. Hey, the premise worked for the Change-Up.
We've all had (or have) neighbors that we'd love to give (or have given) the big old one finger salute to. Growing up I had a guy living next to me who, after his mom passed away, boarded up his basketball hoop because he didn't want me and my brothers using it anymore. When I lived out in Lincoln, NE I had another neighbor who liked to throw his dog's crap into my yard. 
The Dark Side...always the better half of a Black & Tan!
So I got home last night to the announcement that we were experiencing some serious plumbing issues at the house. 