How many songs in total?
8,035

Sort by Song Title; What are the first and last songs?
First: …And Justice for All (Metallica)
Last: Zylkon-B-Movie (Subhumans)

Sort by Artist; what are the first and last artists?
First: !!!
Last: Zombie Apocalypse

Sort by Time; what are the first and last songs?
Shortest: Pull In Town (Napoleon Dynamite Soundtrack) : 0:03
Longest: Delirium Corda (Fantomas) : 1:14:17

Sort by Album; what are the first and last albums?
First: !@#$% (KMFDM)
Last: Zoon (Nefilim)

Top 5 Played Songs:
1. Unsent Letter (Machine Gun Fellatio) – 236 times.
2. Cold Cold Ground (Tom Waits) – 125 times.
3. Lost Cause (Beck) – 120 times
4. Yesterday Is Here (Tom Waits) – 118 times
5. Tumbling Down (Venus In Furs) – 117 times

Find “sex” – how many songs show up?
148

Find “death” – how many songs show up?
102

Find “love” – how many songs show up?
348

Try and put as many letters as you can into the search, with spaces in between each letter, if one letter takes all the selections out, skip it, and continue, until you’ve got as many as possible.

What song is left?
Closing Medley: Folsom Prison Blues / I Walk the Line / Ring of Fire / The Rebel – Johnny Yuma
(Johnny Cash)

What Letters were used?
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u

Related posts:

1. Unsent Letter
2. Dear Mom
3. AudioScrobbler plug

Feel free to comment, and/or cruise the archives. One day I’ll get around to properly categorizing all those LJ entries. So much time, so little to do.

Waitaminute…

Strike that.
Reverse it.
Let’s press on..

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1. Progress Update
2. Fancy Man
3. *breathe* feelin' good.. *breathe*

Mitcz.com will be coming soon. Er.. as soon as I can clear a spot in my schedule for it. Let’s hope this doesn’t drag on, I really need a catch-all site for all of my writing, link-posting, reviewing, and bitching. Mitcz.com will be that site. RevMitcz.com will continue to exist, as a sister site, for my professional exploits – whereas Mitcz.com is "just for fun".

What I’ve discovered is that I can send you LJ types an RSS feed that you can add to your friends page, thereby keeping you "in the loop" as to my goings-on, whilst keeping me free of the LJ proprietary system. Not that I really have altogether too many issues with LJ on its own, but it’s too constricting for integration and the commenting system (as it is, after all, hosted by LiveJournal) tends to turn a lot of people off. Furthermore, customizing it isn’t quite as simple and "fun" as a full-on weblog. There’s a variety of other reasons, but I’ll save you the geek banter until it’s all implemented.

Anyway, the RSS feed will replace my regular LJ, Gravatar.com can get you a spiffy little avatar if you’re so inclined (no login needed, and it’ll securely hide your e-mail address), and/or you can use TypeKey (possibly.. cause I’m still toying w/this idea) to post comments. Either way, it’ll likely be easier than having to log in to LJ to comment.

After weighing the pros and cons of MovableType (my long-time blogging friend) versus WordPress (the free, open-source, new kid on the block), I’ve decided to go w/WP. Three main reasons : It’s free (whereas MT can be anywhere from $70 – $300, depending on what I wanna do), it’s got a native LiveJournal entry importer (whereas MT, despite being owned by the same parent company, has no easy/direct way of doing this without complicated PERL scripts), and because of it’s being free I’ll want to be able to use this on future projects I do for clients and I’ve been meaning to learn WP for just that purpose.

If you’re not a total geek, or keeping track of the all-too-exciting goings on of the Mitcz Marketing Machine – you can safely ignore this post.

Related posts:

1. First Shot..
2. I took all those damn tests, happy?
3. 10 Perks of Working In Porn

The trip was pretty much … bad. I was near-constantly bordering between boredom and depression. I only spent one night in Denver, then we drove all the way back to my mother’s place in Buena Vista (approx. 3 hours outside of Denver). My sister and I surmised that you’ve gotta be either under 10, or over 40 years old to actually enjoy being out there. For us late-20’s types, it’s a small slice of hell. Nothing to do, nowhere to go, and to top it off – my mother was hopped up on morphine the whole time, and not much of one for conversation. All in all, it’s a trip I could’ve well done without, but I went for moral support and if it helped my mother in even the smallest of ways, then I’m glad I went. I’ve no right complaining with her in the state she’s in now, anyway, but.. I guess I’m complaining anyway.

Happy (don’t know what age) birthday to ed_dirt, although I’m a day late. Also, dude.. you owe me $20. I can’t say why, but you and I both know. No reason to mention it here, mkay? ;)

Don’t worry, I’ll never actually collect, unless I make my lazy ass to London one day.

Now, I’m off to get drunk.
Bye kids.

Related posts:

1. new shirt, new bracelet, new…. career opportunity?
2. denver
3. fuck, man.

Saw my mother. She’s in the room next door. It looks like someone took a piece of industrial-strength duct tape, stretched it across from her left cheek to her right, left it there for a week, and then ripped it off in a split second. All the skin is gone in this one long strip. Her face is puffed up. The hair in the back of her head is missing, and/or thinning. It’s not a pretty sight. She can barely smile, but I’ve managed to get a few chuckles out of her, between her spitting up mucus into the trashcan beside her bed, every minute or so. It’s really hard to see a woman so full of life be so torn up like that. I really hope this is the last of her fight w/Cancer. I don’t think she, or my sister and I, could stand to go through all of this again. Her last day of treatment is tomorrow. After that – I guess it’s just healing time.

I’m looking forward to Christmas, when I can stand up amongst my family and loved ones, and speak at great comedic lengths about my mom kicking Cancer’s sorry ass. That’s the thought that’s kept me going since earlier this year, when it was all pressed down on me. At the time, however, I had envisioned bringing a certain person who’s no longer technically in my life, so we could all be together and just share in some of that uber-cheesy X-mas warmth. I had to keep dreaming of that scenario, keep going over it in my head – "just wait.. wait ’til X-mas.. it’s going to be a time to celebrate, we’re all gonna pull through". I know I’ll pull through, it can’t rain all the time. And, I’m sure X-mas will again be a time to celebrate, I just don’t know the details. A lot of things I thought I’d figured out about my future were suddenly turned in on themselves, and that’s a great deal of what is making me angry these days. Spending years wondering what I was going to do, where I was going, then thinking I had figured out where my true happiness was, and where I would take my life – and being empowered in the knowledge, not being afraid of some impending life of depression. Not long after thinking I had a solid plan, it just dissipated… a puff of smoke into the night air.. just gone.

It’s not hopeless. I’m not hopelessly depressed. I know "the sun’ll come out.. tomorrow" and all that. I am, deep down, a hopeful optimist. On the surface, I’m a practical pessimist. It’s just.. sitting alone in a hotel room, just one room away from where my mother is finishing a battle w/Cancer that’s temporarily left her as a mere shadow of her normal self, trying not to remember all that was right and wonderful in my life the last time I left L.A., trying not to think of all the shit that hotel rooms conjure up for me these days, and trying not to think of all that I’ve left to conquer in my life, my heart, my head – well it’s taking a bit of a stressful toll on me right now. I’m gonna hit the liquor store in a bit, and my sister and I have vowed to get shit-faced tonight, and bitch about life. I’ve never bonded with my sister like that, but I think it’s 26 years overdue.

You kids take care now. Uncle Mitcz (as my beautiful hopes-in-life nieces refer to me) is off to pull some impromptu comedy for an audience in need of a smile.

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1. Little bit o' good news.
2. You can't get a Suntan on the moon, but I wouldn't mind a holiday there
3. new shirt, new bracelet, new…. career opportunity?

People I’ve Kissed: A Demographic Study
(all references are to first kisses)

Total number of people kissed: Umm.. roughly 60.

Male : 2.

Female : roughly 60

Caucasian : Umm.. most of ‘em

African American : I think 1. But I was asleep. That molestin’ weirdo

Latino : 5

Jewish : 1

American : a vast majority of them, I think

British : 1/2 (that’s a half)

Asian : 1 or 2.

Italian : 3

German : uhh.. 3.

Age of youngest person kissed: 14

Age of oldest: 34

Musicians: 1

Artists: 5

Computer geeks: "When I think about you, I kiss myself"

Camp counselors: ew. none.

Drug dealers: Haha.. only about 4-5

Writers: like 3, I think.

Never saw again: I think most of ‘em.

Never caught name: uhh.. 2

Caught name, but don’t remember it: about 10

Kisses initiated by me: very few. I like being attacked.

Kisses that took me by surprise: Most of ‘em, actually.

Kisses instigated by game of "truth or dare": not a one.

Kisses instigated by creation of legend that says when you see a falling star you have to kiss the person you’re with: *cough*GEIGH*cough*. None.

Kisses that somehow related to satisfying the curiosity of someone with a tongue ring (or satisfying someone’s curiosity about yours): at least 5-6

Kisses that can only be described as the act of a groupie: hmm.. groupies of mine? Or me as a groupie? I think I’ve had a few groupie kisses, but never been a groupie.

Kisses that were technically cheating (on my part): Uhh.. hmm.. 2. Yeah, 2. Unless certain people are counting certain things done without certain agreements made in advance – then it’d be 3.

Kisses that were technically cheating (on their part): About 10, actually.

Kisses that led immediately to second base (groping): About 50 of ‘em.

Third base (handjobs, finger, blow..): About 48 of ‘em.

Home: About 31 of ‘em

Kisses that occurred in cars: First kisses, right? I think only about 2.

At school: None.

At summer camp: none.

In a public place: Umm.. maybe 3-4

Kisses I regretted later: Maybe 1 or 2. I usually regret not kissing, more than anything.

Kisses that occurred under the influence of alcohol: uhhh… maybe 4-5

Weirdest name of person kissed: I’d really rather not say, but there’s been a few.

Valedictorians: none.

Certified geniuses: C’mon, WOMEN geniuses? HAHAHAHAHA…
(kidding. just couldn’t resist that one)

Kisses after which the person said "thank you": hmm.. not sure. Maybe 2-3? I dunno.

Kisses that were really really good: 3 or 4.

Kisses that were really really bad: prolly about 5 or 6

Kisses that were supposed to be a secret: Refer to "cheating on their part"

Kisses that were actually secrets: Refer to "cheating on their part" minus 2 or 3.

Kisses that led to true love: Depends on your definition of "true love". It’s either 0, 1 or 2. I’m going with "….." right now.

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1. WE'RE EMPLOYED, BITCH!
2. 10 Perks of Working In Porn
3. This isn't Mitcz

(it says "Keep the dream alive" and I got it from here).

I swear that’s the greatest fuckin’ shirt design ever. Even beyond the joke level – it’s just genius. Serious-core, people. I wish I’d thought of that. Anyone who knows me on a personal level knows I love my sleep, and I love my dreams. Oh.. and I suck w/alarms. My current alarm is iTunes turning on at 7:20am, with my stereo set to volume level 25 (to give you an idea, loud-casual listening in this room is about 15).

New Bracelet

Oh it’s so punk. What you can’t see, unfortunately, is that the band itself is a shiny black vinyl/latex look. Very cool, though.

What’s this about the new career?

I’m not leaving Vivid or anything, it’s not that kinda opportunity. Not yet, anyway. But, a guy who’ll be hosting his own show, starting June 15th, for this new TV network, has seen my comedy (I gave him the first-ever Rev. Mitcz DVD in fact) and apparently wants me on his show as a "regular". What that means, I’m not entirely sure, cause we’ve not worked out the details. But, with no contracts signed and no money changing hands (hell, I’ve not even entirely figured out what the show’s about, nor have I seen the studio) – I’m not committing to anything. But, I did say I was definitely interested and I’d be in touch when I figured out what I wanted to do. He wants me as a co-host, but that’s gonna equal at least 5-10 hours of time out of my weeknights, and I’m really not ready to commit to that without knowing anything at all about the content, the writing, the staff, or.. perhaps most importantly – the pay.

Now I just need to think of some shit to actually do. If they had an in-studio audience (which they’ll have eventually, apparently), then I could prolly just do some comedy. Without that, however, I’ll have to really come up w/some serious shit to do. Not serious shit, but silly shit, I should say.

I’m not sure how high-falootin’ this is, being that I’m not really sure how good the company behind it is, or what this Crazy J (the guy doing the show) fella is capable of – but I’m interested and amused and I’ve got …. a little hope. I try not to get my hopes up about anything show-biz related anymore, since I’ve been promised things and fucked over enough times to keep me on my feet about shit. Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna kick some ass, given the chance, hence why I’m keeping some of the hope alive.

So.. wish me luck, I guess?

So, how was your weekend, Mitcz?

It was pretty damn good, thanx. Yours?

Not bad. Did ya get any ass?

Why does everyone ask me this?

We’re worried about you, Mitcz. You seem to be upset lately. But.. you’re an ass-gettin’ sumbitch. Err.. you used to be.

I s’pose I am/was. At times. Don’t worry about me, though. I’m fine… relatively speaking. I "get mine" when/where I need to. But, I’m focused on my comedy, on my career, on my life, on getting off the smoking, on trying to convert myself to someone who lives a semblance of a healthy lifestyle. I don’t like heaving and coughing when I have to traverse a staircase. I don’t like having a belly.. even though it’s smaller now than it’s been in years, I want a flat stomach for once. Just to see what that’s like. And.. maybe have.. ya know, a real ass. That might be kinda cool.

I’m really not that upset, though, you must understand. I’d like to think recent journal entries have shown that. I’m not sure. I try. I do come on here to rant off about things, and that does tend to affect the overall assumption of my state of being – but i’m not sitting around upset and depressed and pissed off all the time by any means. I’m still a generally happy guy, and I laugh and make jokes, and keep my chin up and I’m confident enough to walk around and smile and be the loud, obnoxious asshole people love and hate (sometimes both at the same time).

I’ve got a great many things going on internally and externally, though. I’ll admit that I’ve got a great deal of anger about a great many things, that perhaps one day I’ll spill out into something you can all try and enjoy. I’ve been writing a lot of lyrics, and a few of them have worked themselves into demo tracks as I’ve had the time. Nothing for you to hear, yet, as I want to actually finish a song before I go posting it next time. My comedy material is coming along strong, as I’m feeling more confident than ever about my comedic abilities. My social life is healthy – I go out quite often, and I actually know some of the people I see at clubs. Come to think of it, I’ve been on the guestlist at damn-near every club I’ve hung out at in the last month or so. That’s always nice.

I’m a bit tired, though, as of late. I’ve had a fuckin’ helluva year. I know I’ve said this before, but really.. it’s been tough on lil’ ol’ me. I’m making-do. But I’ve gotta fly to Colorado Thursday afternoon to see my mother, whom I love more than anyone or anything else on this earth, as she recovers from her final days of cancer treatment, and she’ll be weakened and naseous and .. maybe even hairless. No one should have to see their mother in that state, and I’m certainly not looking forward to it. I do love seeing her, and spending time w/her, and my sister, but I just don’t like the idea of seeing her in that state. It might crack me. I fuck-hell hope not. And I swear to invisible friends in the clouds – if you fuckin’ ask me to pray for her, you’re gettin’ a pair of freshly-shorn testicles upside your fuckin’ head. I’ve had enough people say that in the last few months, I’m ready to punch someone. To me, it would be insulting to suddenly pretend to believe in something and then ask it to help my mother fight cancer than it would to do what I’m doing now and just clench my fists in hope for medical advancements. So far, that’s worked out just dandy.

I’m thinking when I return, I might take a week or two off of everything. Just sit around for a bit, and write and ignore everything. Not out of depression, but out of necessity. I need to just relax. I still haven’t taken that vacation I’ve been meaning to take. but then.. my company hasn’t hired on that second designer yet so i guess I really can’t just up and leave ‘em all behind for a week.

If it truly can’t rain all the time, and every negative action receives a positive reaction and what-not, then I’ll be looking back on my earlier year in another 6 months or so, laughing, while fucking a room full of coked-up whores and snorting lines off their tits with $100 bills and …. well, okay, maybe I’ll just be laughing and comfortable. I could go for that.

I’m drunk. Maybe I should be high, too. Congrats to Nad – who just got a $2/hour raise. Good on ya, buddy, good on ya. I’m happy for ya.

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2. and so it is done
3. An Announcement.

Here’s a screencap of the bottom of the iTunes window, just after updating it w/my work iTunes. This machine’s got about 1/4the music I’ve got at home, but I just couldn’t bare to let my new iPod sit there musicless. Oh and, because it shows photos, I went grabbed the contents of my gallery on MySpace and put those pics on there as well.

I took some shots of it sitting on my desk here at work. Here they are..

Ohh.. I’m so doing the happy dance right now and I don’t care how geigh you think that makes me :)

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Here, then, is the site

And here are my results..

That kinda scares me. It’s a bit too accurate, at some angles, for my tastes. As a woman, however, if I squint my eyes – it reminds me a great deal of… nevermind. I’m probably just seeing things.

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The CDS Gig

I think I did well. Personally, I felt good about it, at the time. I only forgot a few minor things, but I didn’t even realize I’d forgotten them until I got off the stage and was driving home – so it wasn’t the kind of "forgot" where I sat on stage going "oh shit… I forgot". Not bad for only rehearsing twice, and at that only 2 hours before the gig. Nothing like procrastination, eh?

The people in the audience had a pretty similar reaction to the first time – those who were open-minded and "okay" with comedy at a fetish club seemed to enjoy it (moreso, it seemed, than the first time I went up there). Those who were "too goth for funny times" were uhh… well, dickheads. In fact, I can’t even post a video of the show because they had no spotlight for the stage and most of the audience (towards the back of the room) decided it would be more fun to talk as loud as they could to their friends than.. oh I dunno.. try to enjoy a near-once-in-a-lifetime comedy act? Oh well. I had fun telling my detailed story of a woman I had sex with over 5 years ago, who talked so much during the act that I resorted to doing a vocal impression of an old man, and then smacking her as hard as I could across the face with my erect penis.

That’s supposed to be what counts, right? Me having fun, that is – not the dick-smacking part.

More Comedy

A guy was talking my friend’s head off at Bar Sinister a few weeks ago, claiming to be some kind of "goth comic". Whatever that means *grin*. She wasn’t really in the mood to talk to him, since she was a little busy trying to run her little dungeon on the top floor, so she said "Oh.. talk to Mitcz – he’s also a goth comic". This guy was intrigued, and got my contact info. I never actually expect people to contact me, but this guy did.

Apparently, he’s in charge of booking some acts for some kind of TV show. He’s really excited about the prospect of me doing comedy for this "show" he speaks of. Asked for a media kit. A… uhh… what? I don’t have one of those. So, I just said "well.. there’s videos on my site – go take a look". Alas, he doesn’t have the technological means (nor the desire) to sit in front of a computer screen to download Quicktime videos of me. I guess his computer/connection is too slow. *sigh*. He asked for a DVD.

Good thing for me, I just happened to have a copy of iDVD lying around here, so I installed it and tried using it for the first time. Boy, do I feel dumb not immediately understanding how to use it. I figured it out pretty quick, though. Problem was, this piece of shit kept crashing on me for.. fuck knows what reason. So, I offloaded my iDVD installation, some comedy videos, and some custom audio and backgrounds to my trusty 5 year old Powerbook and voila! The DVD is being built (very slowly.. cause it’s only a 500Mhz G4 Powerbook) as I type this. From there, I’ll be burning it to DVD using the afforementioned piece of shit, and I guess sending this fucker off to Mr. Goth Comic.

Wish me luck on that one.

I’ve been meaning to get my business cards made but I just haven’t really had the time. Now that I need to get my sorry ass in gear, and feeling more confident than ever about my comedic abilities – I’m ready for the world.. ehh.. well, ready minus business cards. I’ve been gathering professional opinions from some trusted folk about the design of the cards, based on a few mockups and I’m pleased with the outcome of the few design choices I’ve got now. Time to go back to said professionals (or semi-professionals, in some cases) and get a final "yes! that’s the one!"

Credit and Money Stuff

Because my computer’s a piece of the ass, I’ve been trying to get some kind of funding for a new one. That’s actually going along a lot better than I’d hoped. If all goes well, I should have me a spankin’ new G5 by mid-June.

However, I thought (naively) that maybe I could.. ya know, swing some credit at the Apple Store. They say you can be approved in "just a few seconds". Uhh.. no. They gave me the old "we’ll get back to you on this" response. That has meant, 100 of 100 times in my life that "you ain’t got shit, buddy". Inevitably, weeks later, I get a letter explaining in great detail why I’m such a loser and who exactly told each of the credit card firms that I was such a loser. It’s a real boost to the esteem, especially when you consider that I make almost twice the cost of a base G5 every month. This time, however, I received a pleasant surprise.

I came home today with a credit card in the mail. I almost threw it away, thinking "yeah I know – pre-approved already, right?" before I realized this was a real card, with a real "call now to activate" phone number. Fuckin’ cool shit, man. Only $250, but.. iPod Photo 60GB here I come!

Damn shame Apple doesn’t let you pay w/multiple cards, else I’d have bought one tonight. Still.. my first credit card. About fuckin’ time. Maybe this is a one-off bullshit thing, but.. I’m keepin’ the ol’ chin up cause maybe this means I’m finally (as they say) "Gettin’ Credit In The Straight World". Can I get a w00t! w00t!?

The Sex Life

Riiiiiiiiiiiight.

The Pets

People keep asking about my pets, so here’s an update..

Bouschka (the cat) – He’s doing well. He’s sitting on my lap right now, in fact. He just loves to sit here and watch me type. I guess when I move my arm, it kinda whacks his head and like many of my past lovers, apparently has a penchant for pleasurable pain, if only in small doses. He also likes those "Wartenberg Wheels". I bought one a little while ago, (ya know, just in case) and while I was rubbing my head with it (cause Wartenbergs on shaved heads feel good, damnit), he just had to get in on that action. Weirdo.

Shaitan (the snake) – She’s just chillin’. She didn’t eat this week, which has now forced me to keep a rat in what was the former scorpion cage, until she finally decides she’s hungry enough to eat. Maybe it’s time to move her to feeding only once every other week – apparently once a week is for babies and she ain’t no baby no more.

Rat – Umm.. welll, it’s annoying. Keeps gnawing on the Plastic Jesus statue I keep in the scorpion cage, cause Emperor Scorpions like to pray. Few people know this but if you stick a plastic Jesus in an emperor scorpions cage… they kinda pray to it. Don’t know why. Rats, however, have no love for Jesus (can’t say I blame ‘em) and they prefer to gnaw on our Plastic Lord and Saviour.

Okay, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for details.
Signing off now.

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..and let’s see what else pops up when I write at random

I’ve told the story to so many people in the last 6 years now that I’ve got it memorized practically word-for-word. Even so, I’m performing in about 4-5 hours and I haven’t spent a single minute rehearsing the actual story, nor the build-up to the story. I really should get on that. Maybe in a few minutes here.

My mom’s Cancer treatment is going well, but she’s feeling weak and beaten down. Her being the perpetual worker, moving around at 100 miles and hour all the time, this is really pissing her off. Kinda funny when you think about it that way, she’s one strong, determined lady, and stops at nothing to get things accomplished so this Cancer is to her a "big inconvenience". That’s what we call fighting.

My father has this recent tangent he loves to indulge in with people he knows, myself included, about determination in people – more importantly, their motivations to succeed. He says that most people are living up to only about 20 percent of their full potential. His distaste for my personal style/dress/attitude can hold weight in an argument because he says that I’m limiting, if even in a very small way, the full spectrum of my potential. The argument he uses is that because I’m a "shock" to people, there are likely to be those in the world who won’t give me the time of day that otherwise would. My take on it is the same it’s been for years – "if they’re not willing to take me as I am, I don’t need ‘em anyway". He’s never a mere quip away from beating that argument down with a laugh and a quick one-liner that somehow also wins. No one can out-argue my father and I’ve learned everything I know about effective arguing and debating through the 100’s of hours logged into phone conversations with him. This latest philosophy of his, about the potential of people, he’s so invested in that he actually travels the country giving paid lectures about it. Kinda like Tony Robbins.

He says that in his 50-some-odd years on this earth, there is only one person he’s ever met that when they put their all into something could be unstoppable. The only person, he feels, is capable of using every last ounce of their 100% potential. That person is my mother. One of his favorite tales is that when she used to make these little Santa dolls for our family for X-mas, he brought one into a holiday store and used his uncanny salesman abilities to sell them on the idea of these little dolls. They demanded 50 of them. My mom, being the sole worker on this Santa-making force, delivered all 50 of them, personally, ahead of schedule. Yeah, she’s insane.

While I’m talking about my father….

He’s been telling me for about the past year or so that a semi-distant relative of mine, Frank Marzoni, wrote this exhaustive piece of literature about the full history of the Marzoni family. He’s just fascinated by this. I finally said "hey.. send me a copy". I received, just a few days ago, a spiral bound book, measuring a full 8×10, and about as thick as your average King James. Inside is, as my father promised, an exhaustive account of the Marzoni family. I haven’t had much of a chance to look through it, but while flipping through it I found the last 10 or so pages to be a collection of signatures. Along with this book, my father sent me a picture of him golfing on Pebble Beach, a blank sheet of paper with his signature, a little "hello" letter, and a short list of the full contents of this package plus instructions.

As it turns out, the book’s last pages – with the signatures – are the signatures of every Marzoni in the history of our family. That piece of paper w/my father’s signature, I was told to also sign, so that my signature could be added to the book. The book is a living documentary of our family. It’s really fucked, for me, to think of living in such a historically-rich family. I never thought much of it, until just recently. My father is Leo Thomas Marzoni III. My grandfather was Jr., and his father was Senior (of course). My father is the oldest living of the "Leo T’s", considered to be the "top" of the Marzoni tree, for whatever reason. Frank, the author of that book, says "The Leo T’s are the GodFathers", making my father now the GodFather. My brother is the last of the Leo T’s, being the IV. His wife wouldn’t allow him to name their child, Robert, a Leo T. So my father has asked that I carry on the Leo T legacy, should I have a son.

The picture of my father on Pebble Beach really pulls at my heartstrings. I’ve known since my childhood that Pebble Beach is where my father wants his ashes spread, as he considers that to be the greatest place on earth. The picture merely shows him hitting a golfball, mid-swing, over some water. The frame around the image is your basic off-white matting, and he’s written the location, date, and who’s in the image (him). That’s just what he does with pictures – writes little details about them either on their frame, or on the back. In the upper left-hand corner of the frame, he wrote "HEAVEN" (in all caps) because to him – that is heaven. I feel honored that he sent me this image, likely one of the few in the world that show him doing his favorite thing in his favorite place.

I’m supposed to see my mother out in Colorado in 2 weeks, during her last days of treatment. I’m going to need all the strength I can muster to handle that situation – but for my mother to be at her strongest, she’ll need mine and my sister’s strength as well, and I’m gonna give her all the fight I’ve got left in me. Tonight, I’ll be calling her from the stage so some 200+ strangers can yell "HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY" at her.

Got a few new albums recently (within the past month), some are actually new releases, some are just new to me .

NIN – With Teeth : I’ve mentioned this album before, but I’ll bring it up again. It’s a solid offering, as music goes, but it ain’t the NIN I loved in my mid-teens. It’s not a bad album, per se, just.. different. I dunno. I like "All the Love in the World", "Sunspots", "Don’t You Know What You Are", and "Beside You In Time" – so it’s worth a listen. I remember Trent saying, time and time again, that this album was supposed to an "all-out assault" and that it would "kick your ass from beginning to end". There were even references made to Broken and that With Teeth would be, at times, even more assaulting than that. This is an exciting ideal – but uhh.. I think he’s talking about a different album. This isn’t much more "assaulting" than 1999’s The Fragile. He did say that he wrote a shitload of music for this album and that he’ll be releasing another album of all the other shit he wrote, sometime down the line. Maybe that’s the assault album. My personal feeling is that he’s gotten really soft in his older days, and maybe thought he had the rage of his earlier years when making this album and in contrast to some of the other songs he’s made in the last 5-6 years – to him, this sounded a lot more "hardcore". I really don’t know what else to say about it, but.. I’ll figure out where its place is in my collection sometime down the line.

Weezer – Make Believe – I’ve only got about 8 of the 12 tracks, but this is gonna be one to listen up for. Very solid offering, no deviation from "classic Weezer" and yet it shows them maturing, even more. I’m thinking this is going to be one of the "Top-Shelf" release of 2005, and even though I’ve only recently gotten into Weezer (thank the Ex for that one) – I’m diggin’ this one somethin’ fierce.

Scissor Sisters – self-titled – I got their song "Laura" (no jokes now) from the iTunes Music Sampler that one can download, for free, if one buys an iPod. A quick Google search can also reveal the link to this free download, if one is so inclined. Laura’s a good track, but the rest of it is a bit too silly and dancy for my tastes. Perhaps if I were geigh and really entranced by a nouveau-disco sound, reminiscent of Abba and the likes – I’d be more into it. Not a bad album, per se, but you kinda have to be into that style.

Bloc Party – Silent Alarm – Downbeat indie rock. Not much more you can say about it, really. It’s not bad, from what I can tell, but I don’t think I’ll find myself going "Dude – put on that Bloc Party track again" anytime soon. Still, I probably won’t hit "Skip Track" on my iTunes remote when I’m chillin’ on my bed, if one of their songs comes on. These guys are pretty much reserved for when you just want mellow music you can put on in the background, not have to sing along to, won’t invade whatever you’re doing, and you don’t want to have to skip tracks. The full album, from start to finish, is one constant mood. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Gonna need to revisit these guys at some point, though, cause I’m sure there’s a gem of a single just below the surface and I haven’t really "gotten it" yet.

The Bouncing Souls – Anchors Aweigh – This was recommended to me by someone who’s into that upbeat indie rock sound. Not sure how I feel about it, cause all the songs kinda melt into one another and start to sound like… "insert upbeat post-punk indie rock song here". It doesn’t really grab my attention, but maybe it needs a few more listens. I wasn’t blown away, and I didn’t realize I’d already had the album repeating for the 2nd time before I switched back to listening to that Weezer album again. Yes, I’m well aware these guys have been around for awhile, and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard them before but I’m about as entranced by their jams now as I’ve ever been at whatever psuedo-punk party they may have provided part of a soundtrack for in my past. That is to say – ehh.. not especially spiffarific.

System of a Down – Mezmerize – I read this article in Wired the other day, which was an interview with their guitarist. Apparently, he’s spent the better part of the last 2 years locked up in this special ‘room" he had built in his house for auditory experimentation. Amongst other things, he had at one point tiled the walls with acoustic guitars so when playing loud bass tracks, he could inadvertantly "play" some 50+ acoustic guitars and use their reverberations in his soundscapes. The result of his experiments yielded something like 100 tracks, whittled down to about 45 tracks, the majority of which are being split up onto two albums – this month’s "Mezmerize" and a late-year release of "Hypnotize". This whole thing sounded really intriguing but… I’m none-too-impressed wit the outcome. There’s very little experimentation in the tracks that I could really tell, so I thought "well.. maybe they went for experimentally poppy". That’s fine by me – I consider it genius when an act can make experimental shit also catchy, and I would venture to say some of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard are a perfect mix of those two things. Faith No More’s Angel Dust, and NIN’s "The Downward Spiral" both come immediately to mind. Unfrotunately, I didn’t find muhc on this album in the 3-4 times i tried to sit and listen to it that really made me say "wow" or even "oohhhh… this is a good one". But, maybe a few more listens to it will reveal something deeper that I’ve yet to discover. I’m not beyond giving it a few more tries, because anyone who dedicates a room to their home, several thousands of dollars, and 2 years of their life for experimental music-making is gonna get my ear for as long as I can muster giving it to them.

StereoPhonics – Language. Sex. Violence. Other? – I heard these guys years ago, when someone suggested their song "Maybe" to me. I thought "this sounds like the song you put on a mixtape for that indie chick who works at the coffee shop down the street, and you want her to think you’re really ‘deep’ because of your love for pansy-rock". This album doesn’t have that track on it, but there’s at least a few songs that evoke that same vibe. It’s also just basic downbeat indie rock, but it’s got a bit of a dreamy feel to it, so I actually kinda dig it. I can’t help but feel like a pussy if I listen too long, but in just the right amounts – they ain’t too bad at all. If I were to give "buying advice", I’d say you need to hear "Dakota", "Girl" and "Deadhead". If you like all 3 – you’ll like this album. Deadhead’s prolly the best track on the album from what I can tell, but the others are by no means "bad".

Time to go off and figure out this comedy thing. I’m not feeling particularly funny, least of all when I think about what was going on in my life during my last performance – but I’m nothing if not perfectly able to hide everything in my head for the sake of a good laugh, so I should be fine.

Related posts:

1. Quick Album Reviews
2. SmarterChild the Smart Buddy
3. Song of the Week #4

(*Mitcz does not care. He’d apologize.. but he does not care.)

Back in the 800’s, a gelatinous-filled wonder came to this Earth on a quest. The quest was to find a people who would most benefit from the gift of The Great Queso. Also.. this being was really drunk, so.. that helps.

Anyway, the being descended upon this Earth, bearing the gift of The Great Queso. He rained down 5 lb. blocks of Queso from the sky. The peoples rejoiced. They knew not what to make of the gellatinous wonder, who had arrived from the far reaches of the XanaduGobler-12 galaxy (not far from Patropoliticus-Oxen, where our hero "Saint Patty" invented alcohol, but that’s a different story altogether) and spoke only one word – "CINCO!". They said "Photo opp!" for they had primitive cameras back then. The best way to smile at the time, was to say a word that meant nothing, but made the mouth open perfectly for a Kodak™ Smile. "CHEESE!" they said. The Mayo smiled, and rained down more 5 lb. blocks of Queso from the sky, with each hearty guffaw. Hence, Queso became known as cheese, except in Mexico where the Mayo originally descended upon cause.. well, hell, those people respect their history damnit. The french call it fromage for an entirely different and much more frightening reason. Afterwards, there was much FIESTA, another word The Mayo began to speak aloud. As it turns out, he knew a lot more than one word and once you got him on a tangent.. motherfucker didn’t shut up. But, who’s gonna say that to a gellatinous wonder from the XanaduGobler-12 galaxy? If you had any sense in your head – you sure as hell wouldn’t, either.

So now, 1000’s of years later, people come together in Mexico to await the drunken gellatinous wonder from the XanaduGobler-12 galaxy they know as The Mayo and receive their raining gifts of Great Queso. Ohh sure, we can make cheese from cows but.. The Mayo has the best cheese. You might say his milkshake brings all the boys to the porch. Ya know, if you were trying to be "hip". The Mayo cares not about this milkshake business. That’s for The Miyo to worry about, ya know?

That’s where our story ends, for now. Or… is it? (que suspense music)

———————–

Funny postscript..
I was at lunch w/my co-workers just now, and one of them said "Ya know, I think this whole Cinco De Mayo thing is an L.A. tradition. I guess it’s just a celebration of the Mexican culture living in L.A.". When I tried to explain that it was for a Mexican Independence Day, he not only thought I was lying, but followed with "…..they don’t actually celebrate Cinco De Mayo in Mexico, though,, do they? I think they just do that in L.A.". So.. I made up this story to explain it in a way people like that would understand.

Related posts:

1. Preview a New Track?
2. Thank fuck-ass Christ
3. Little bit o' good news.

Anyway, here’s one of the highlights :

and if you’re feeling particularly Mitcz-worshipping (or, like me, you just think that’s a badass picture), you can get yourself a large-scale one made into a desktop background.

Sound cool? CLICK HERE TO GET IT

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So, here’s a song I somehow never listened to until just the other day. I’ve had this song in my Muse playlist, along w/their other songs, for quite some time but as "random" goes – I never caught it. But g’damn it’s good. Funny that I was diggin’ on Muse for saying the right thing when I was down, and now that I’m "up", they’ve got a song for that, too.

DOWNLOAD ‘FEELIN’ GOOD’

Enjoy.

Related posts:

1. Song of the Week #5
2. Song of the Week #3
3. Song of the Week.

I know I left some things out, and I’m sure the list will grow. But, I added a pretty good sampling of questions I’ve received a lot throughout the years, and I welcome more questions should they arrive.

So, here it is

Got anything to add?

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2. Little bit o' good news.
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