Michael Louis Calvillo Must Be Destroyed

Obsessive Compulsive Complacence

Posted in Books, Music, Raves on July 20, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

My lovely family of three (Michelle, Deja, and I) hit the library today for the first time in a good while. Ever since wedding my beautiful girlie, it’s been somewhat of a staple. We love to read. The library is free. When we started out we had zero cashflow, so it made perfect sense to wile away the hours amongst the racks. Once we finished school and got jobs and things stabilized, we kept the library habit. We don’t go weekly like we used to, but our city library (well, the city next to our city) is one of the good ones and this afternoon’s visit was a fruitful one.

(Told you my city library was cool. No lightsabers today though)

Anyway, today’s haul pulled in about 12 CDs (the library isn’t solely about books you know). I picked up:
BJORK – Volta
MY MORNING JACKET – Evil Urges
THE WHITE STRIPES – Icky Thump
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – Narrow Stairs
PORTISHEAD – Third
GREASE – Motion Picture Soundtrack
VAMPIRE WEEKEND – Vampire Weekend
DEPECHE MODE – Sounds of the Universe
ARCADE FIRE – Neon Bible
CHUCK BERRY – The Definitive Collection
VAMPIRE WEEKEND – Contra
ETTA JAMES – Life, Love & The Blues

Wow! (That’s a lot of links! No worries, I do it all for you, Loyal Reader).

(The coolest of the 12 CD covers goes to…DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE’s Narrow Stairs)

Speaking of music, I’ve undertaken a massive project this summer – organizing my iTunes library! With over 8,000 songs, a good half of them downloaded via various file sharing programs (I do not recommend this – too many viruses), my info tags were a mess! No longer. After days and days of obsessive-compulsive data entry, my library is in awesome shape. Name, Artist, Album, and Genre are all accounted for. Every little thing is uniform and perfectly labeled. I even spent $8 on a program (iArtwork) that finds and imports all of the missing album covers that iTunes can’t seem to track down. My Cover Flow is looking sexy as hell! Woot! Woot!

Tomorrow I’m going to sync my iPad, iPod, and then upload my library into my XBOX 360 Slim (with 250GB at my disposal, I can afford to give over 40GB to music). My home theatre set-up is about to be bumpin’, y’all!

(Not my actual cover flow – I have BECK, but no BIGSTAR)

What else? A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is moving along nicely (200 pages in). BIG BROTHER is waiting for us on our DVR (a blog on this dastardly obsession will be coming soon…). I’m working through ENSLAVED on the 360. All of these entertaining diversions are making summer fly by. Which reminds me…work starts soon. This seemingly limitless free time is about to become severely limited. And oh crap, I’ve got three short stories (two are already written and waiting for edits, one needs to be started from scratch) and a novel (more edits) to submit to various (patiently waiting) editors.

Still, my blog persists…

’til tomorrow, Loyal Reader (where I promise something a little more focused).

Check out DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE’s I Will Possess Your Heart, my fave of the new music (thus far…)

154 Comments »

The Worm Lives!

Posted in Books, News on July 19, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

The slime-encrusted beast is finally loose!

Eight copies of my latest (greatest?) novel, DEATH & DESIRE IN THE AGE OF WOMEN, have slithered their way home. Thanks to Bloodletting Books for doing such a bang-up job. Have you seen those endpapers? The gorgeous cover art? If you’ve got yours (thank you very much for the support) – you know what I’m talking about. If not, good luck. I’ve warned you and warned you and warned you…

This particular edition (no plans for any others as of yet) is limited to only 150 copies. You can try to order one from the Horror-Mall, but once they’re gone you’ll have to take your chances on e-bay or search the web and weather the collector’s market. Limited editions of this quality go up in value pretty quickly.

I want to spend a little time on the origin of the book, maybe share an excerpt and then break it down and detail its production, but today is all about pictures! Feast your eyes…

(The WORM unleashed!)

(Love that killer Alex McVey cover.)

(Eight contributor’s copies)

(Those beautiful endpapers – the picture doesn’t do them justice)

Stay tuned for an in-depth discussion detailing DEATH & DESIRE’s maturation from dreamy seedling to limited edition hardcover. In the meantime, I’m going to salivate over my contributor’s copies and bask in the glory of the worm!

6 Comments »

Yeah, I Watch THE BACHELORETTE… You Got a Problem With That?

Posted in Rants, Television on July 18, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

Okay, I admit it, I watch ABC’s trainwreck of a reality show, THE BACHELOR (same goes for its sister show, THE BACHELORETTE). Sure, I can play my Man-Card and evoke The Wife. I can shuck the blame. My wife watches THE BACHELOR, so by default I watch THE BACHELOR. And my wife (who’s awesome) would have no problem covering for me. Except that’s not really the truth. You see, my wife loves THE BACHELOR and THE BACHELORETTE – she even reads the gossip magazines for dirt on the contestants – but we, or I, don’t watch the show because she wants to watch it, we watch it because I got her started.

(Evil. Pure evil)

The first season of THE BACHELOR (2002) debuted a couple of years after we got married. If you read yesterday’s post (A Regal Afternoon), you learned that I’m the TV/movie/pop culture maven of the family. Most of the time (there are exceptions here and there) my wife defers to me when it comes to planning what we watch. She has her opinions (vetoing every so often), but since we share similar tastes, she trusts me when it comes to selecting our entertainment. So it went with THE BACHELOR.

We didn’t watch the first or second season. Working and finishing school kept us pretty busy. I’d program the VCR with our staples (MTV’s THE REAL WORLD, Comedy Central’s short lived sketch show THE UPRIGHT CITIZEN’S BRIGADE) and leave it at that. But bits and pieces of THE BACHELOR began popping up on the late night news and invading the cultural zeitgeist. ABC had themselves a hit, and being the pop culture freak that I am, I couldn’t stand not knowing what the hell was going on. By season three I was way too intrigued to pass it up. Michelle was a little leery, but she got hooked pretty quickly. I don’t think we’ve missed a season since. Our daughter even jumped in a few years ago.

I’m not proud, Loyal Reader. In my heart of hearts I loathe the show. It’s evil by design. The first few weeks are too crowded to figure out who’s who, but you hang in to see who makes the cut. Mid-season drags some. The fantasy dates and hometown visits reinvigorate things because you actually start to care about the players, but then, in the end, someone has their heart ripped from their chest and stomped into oblivion. It’s horrible! But I can’t stop watching! I always figure I’ll let it go, yet when the new season starts up it’s impossible not to watch. Why? I began this blog rather defensively. My headline’s subtext screams, “Back off,” or, “Don’t judge me.” It comes off playful in a Real Men Eat Quiche sort of way, but you see, Loyal Reader, this isn’t a declaration of power, it’s not a man making a case for trash TV, it’s a cry for help.

Damn ABC and their insidious brainwashing tactics! What have I done to my family? The monkeys on our backs are fully enraged. Every Monday night they start pounding away… We can’t look away… It’s too late! It’s too late! THE BACHELOR has us!

Quick, watch this Upright Citizen’s Brigade clip before ABC gets its claws into you too!

12 Comments »

A Regal Afternoon

Posted in Movies, Rants, Raves, Television on July 17, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

As a film aficionado I’m the go-to-guy in my family for movie advice, or this actor’s name, or this actor’s filmography, or who starred in what with who, and on and on and on, and I’m happy to dispense the useless information that has somehow filled the nooks and crannies of my superbrain with the trivialist of celebrity trivia. Sometimes I’m proud of my encyclopedic ability to retain film fact (mostly horror stuff, but I’m goood across a variety of genres), other times, it’s kind of embarrassing. It’s a geeky quality for sure. I can satisfy curiosities, and it feels good to be of use and when Jeopardy has a pop culture category, I slay, but in the end, it’s an empty skill. When things mean the most, pop culture trivia usually means the very least. I’d probably do awesome against the SCREAM killer(s) should my life depend upon horror factoids and if VH1 brought back The World Series of Pop Culture and cast me, I’d bring home the big money (come on VH1, try me), but in a real world crisis, nobody cares that Fred Dekker directed 1986’s NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (awesome fun, BTW). In the end, year after year after year of reading movie magazines amounts to very little.

(Screw you, Ogre! Quick – Name me three Stuart Gordon films! Can’t do it, can ya, you big buffon?)

Fortunately, we are not locked in any particular crisis situation and my gift is still of use (sometimes). For instance, as of this afternoon, I can now tell you that THE KING’S SPEECH, last year’s Academy Award winning feature, was NOT the best film of the year. I spent a regal afternoon watching a kingly double feature (KING paired with an episode of ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW) with my wife and daughter and while I enjoyed my time with the family, I found the film to be…um…I guess a resounding meh sum it up.

Look, it’s a decent movie. It’s well directed (Tom Hooper), edited, and acted, but it doesn’t really do much more than plod along and tell its simple tale. Which is fine. More movies should simply do just that, but an Academy Award winner should do something, it should work on you in someway or another and by the time the credits rolled, well, I wasn’t moved. I didn’t feel anything. There’s no denying Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are fine actors, but can you really argue that the film is better than TOY STORY 3 or BLACK SWAN or INCEPTION or THE FIGHTER? I think I chuckled once or twice. The art direction was nice. But TOY STORY 3 made me tear up! BLACK SWAN had me recoiling with disgust! INCEPTION tickled my brain and got it to marvel over time. And THE FIGHTER, well, it cracked me up with its wild over-acting (not an Academy Award winning quality, but the film is memorable and funny to boot). THE KING’S SPEECH kind of just lays there. It tells its story, touches on a bit of interesting history, doles out inspirational cheese, and that’s about it. It is one of the most unremarkable, well-made films I’ve ever sat through. I enjoyed it, but my brain is already making space for stuff that’ll stick whereas THE KING’S SPEECH is stuttering for a foothold. Ask me next year and I’ll be able to list some nerdy facts about the film’s production, (Hooper also directed the HBO mini-series JOHN ADAMS, or, though Hooper is two years older than me, he directs like an old man) but as a story, as a compelling narrative, it’s about as affecting and weighty as Kevin James’ ZOOKEEPER (which I actually liked more).

(Note: There’s more of a connection between these two movies than you might imagine. Both films are ultimately about friendship and confidence. They follow very different paths, but theme-wise, they are basically trying to say the same thing. Though, that I’d rather watch poo jokes and Kevin James’ pratfalls is purely personal preference)

Anyway, if you happened to fall in love with THE KING’S SPEECH during its award-winning run, no offense, we can still get along, we just like different sorts of art. One thing we can probably all agree upon is that THE ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW is the best thing on TV. Am I wrong? Am I wrong? Come on! Don’t roll your eyes. The Roadshow rocks like nothing else! Talk about drama. The appraisal! The nervous chatter! The big reveal!

A woman on this evening’s particular episode had a beautiful diamond necklace that turned out to be worth $250,000! Another lady had a chintzy painting she paid $500 bucks for twenty years back. Turns out, the well-preserved watercolor was worth $30,000 at auction! I don’t know why this show thrills me so, but it seems to work on my wife and kid as well, so it’s not just one of my weirdo quirks (of which there are many). If you’re not watching, tune in to PBS and check it out. Play guessing games. Is the old, dinged up chest of drawers worth anything? Are those little, ugly, porcelin figurines junk or treasure? Even more exciting – is the item’s owner gonna sell or keep a particularly pricey heirloom in the family? It’s an easy call when we’re talking a thrift store painting brought on a whim for fifty bucks. Why not auction it off for thousands? But, what if you owned a brooch, or taurine, or a dress or something that has been passed down from generation to generation? What if it’s worth thousands? Do you sell out and go for the cash, or respect familial obligation and hang on to it? The Roadshow never tells, but then, that’s part of the fun.

Check out this 1,000,000 appraisal. Oh yeah, she’s selling…

18 Comments »

Geek Love

Posted in Books, General, News, Raves on July 16, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

First off, continuing yesterday’s discussion, the final Harry Potter film, THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (Part Two), does exactly what it needs to do. I think the preceding film is a bit better, but things wrap up nicely (nice being the operative word here). That is all. Though I’ll defend HP from those too cool to give the little guy a break, I’m by no means a super-fan or anything like that. The series is done and all is well (my kid has been following them since the age of six, and now, at sixteen, this particular entry feels more like a milestone than a been-there, done-that fantasy).

Okay, the Potter-verse behind me, the real purpose of today’s blog is my shiny, sexy, new, black XBOX 360 slim. Yep, Loyal Reader, I finally freed my old school box from my home theater set up and traded on up. Gamestop (those greedy pigs) gave me a $110 bucks in trade, so I shelled out just shy of $200 for the new system, but hot damn! I’ve got 250gb (over the old box’s pathetic 20 gigs). I can also plug the new console in via an HDMI cable as opposed to the old system’s component only outputs. It’s also quieter and smaller and matches my hulking (by comparison), shiny, black PS3. Other than that it’s the same old thing, but I’m geeking out nonetheless.

What else? Oh, DEATH & DESIRE IN THE AGE OF WOMEN, my Bloodletting Books release, has been showing up on doorstops and in mailboxes across this great nation, but I’ve still yet to get my contributor’s copies. Eight of them have been shipped my way, except mail service ’round here seems slower than elsewhere. Ugh! Frustrating! I was hoping to snap a few pictures and post them up, and I will, but it looks like it’ll have to wait until Monday (providing the mail delivers the goods).

For those of you that have received your copy (copies for you big spenders), I can’t thank you enough for the support. I pour my heart and soul into these things and that you’d take the time to read them means the world. Be sure to let me know what you think about DEATH & DESIRE and stay tuned for updates on upcoming works (7BRAINS and BIRDBOX should both be dropping by late summer – deadlines don’t always pan out, but according to my publishers that’s the current plan).

Speaking of video games, check out my man, Dave Chappelle playing some GTA

The Muggles & Me Getting Medieval at Hogwart’s!

Posted in Books, Movies, Raves on July 15, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

Harry Potter is pure magic. I don’t care what any y’all haters be saying about little Harry. Shoot! I love that four-eyed geek. He is always super sincere, and he has that cool, lightning bolt, forehead scar, and an even cooler striped scarf. It’s like a pure, courageous, 10 year-old John Lennon got scooped up from the early 50’s and dropped in the Durselys’ residence (the foster family that torment Harry in the wizards’ off season). Now tell me, what’s not great about that?

There’s also wizards, witches, dragons, worlocks, giants, elves, house elves (Dobby will break your heart), pure evil, black magic, all manner of slavering beasts, Dementors, Death Eaters, and lots of English kids in peril. If you don’t have little ones or haven’t seen the seven (Seven! Going on eight!!!) films for whatever reason, I say you ignore the PG Rating and give yourself over. Getting started is a little rough, a little saccharine, but the movies really mature from feature to feature. The second one, THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, is a bit kiddie film cookie-cutter. Next up, Alfonso Curan’s THE PRISONER OF ASKABAN, is actually a way cool surprise. Just when I thought the series would follow part II into the unremarkable void, round III turns out pretty damn incredible. Colored a bit Burton-esque in its textures (everybody’s skin is kind of a pallid, pale greenish-silver-gray), it features some exceptional time travel sequences that twist the plot up nicely and there’s also scary werewolves and Gary Oldman as wizened, fugitive worlock Sirius Black (cool name, right?).

Episodes four and five, THE GOBLET OF FIRE and THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, are okay. They have some nice sequences (dragons and ghosts and Quidditch liven things up), but things aren’t surreal and artsy interesting like in Curan’s part III, nor are they as tightly wound as the future films. They meander some, yet can’t be skipped if you plan on tackling the series because they add to the complexity of the everly complex plot. I gotta give HP credit where credit is due. The narrative isn’t easy stuff. There is a brainy streak that keeps the movies smart, guaranteeing their classic status. Mark my words, Loyal Reader, these films, as a whole, especially with part VI and VII (part one thus far) (along with the books) will be revered.

So then, parts VI, THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, and VII, THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS (Part One), really ratchet things up. They’re grittier and feel a bit more like action movies (with characters who have deep roots and more at stake as the players we have actually grown to care about). But wait, no, that’s not quite it. I’m not much into action films. They bore the crap out of me. The later HP movies are different. They have momentum. They feel urgent. And don’t get me wrong, where Curan’s entry may be more arty, he definitely dances to the beat of his own drum, the last two films have a level of artistry that give them their own style. Director David Yates does his thing. He’s crafted a visual style that suits the series. It’s solid, fantasy fimmaking.

(Another reason to check out POTTER – Carter’s deranged Bellatrix Lestrange…she’s a real mean one)

Well then, tonight, it all ends. Tonight, my Loyal Reader, Harry and I walk into the abyss. I hope things wrap up nicely. I’m guessing Harry dies, because the only way for Voldemort to die is for Harry to die, but then, since this is still kiddie fare, the young wizard will come back somehow and every body will live happily ever after (which is okay with me, though I think the series would be awesome, and much more emotionally resonant if they let Harry go out as a martyr).

While waiting for my definitive review, why not learn how to Dobby? Everybody’s doing it!

2 Comments »

Burn Hollywood! Burn!

Posted in Books, Movies, News, Raves on July 14, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

Since I was very small (or should I say, ‘Since I was very young,’ seeing as how I stand a whopping 5’6″) I wanted to be a filmmaker. I spent my youth reading movie magazines and daydreaming about writing, directing, editing, and marketing films. Like with the book thing, I fantasized about genre work. No dramas, or comedies, or documentaries here, only crazy horror and dark fantasy and the occassional sci-fi freakout. I took these dreams as far as college. I spent a year enrolled in Cal State Northridge’s RTVF (Radio, Television, & Film) program, made a few shorts, did a little, uncomfortable networking, and then promptly changed my major to Creative Writing and got the hell out of Dodge.

Why?

Well, for the first time I got a whiff of reality. While watching movies rules, making movies freaking sucks.

Films are collaborative efforts. They cost a crap load of money to make. And most of the people involved in the industry are Royal Douche Bags. The thing is, I like to work alone – I need to work alone (save for working with another writer – I can handle that from time to time) – I don’t do well with dumbass directors and producers and investors who know nothing about what I am trying to do, who don’t really understand my blood-soaked vision, trying to stick their fat, greasy fingers where they don’t belong. Also, I was broke and developing film was damn expensive (I suppose the digital explosion had made things a little easier in this regard). And lastly, I don’t like working with Royal Douche Bags – they’re full of rank air and suck the joy right out of the art. Writing – novels – not abbreviated screenplays – helps me get my Art on, and the complete, creative control feeds the ego and keeps me sane (not to mention it’s free – all I have to do is fire up the computer and start hacking away).

(But not I. Get back to work lazy kitty kat!!!)

Still, movies rock, I’m a cinema addict, and I keep dreaming about crafting a feature done right, and I can’t help but to hope (yet I watch my filmmaking buddies go crazy and think, no thanks). Maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to do something Auteur style, an MLC joint from beginning to end. In the meantime, though the majority of my career aspirations are spent writing creepy novels (and the like), I still write the occasional screenplay and have done a bit of work with up-and-coming filmmaker, Robert W. Filion.

I met Mr. Filion at Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors a couple of years back and we’ve forged a nice working relationship. His zombie short, SEE THE DEAD , was playing the festival. I checked it out and was impressed. He read my book, AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, liked it, and then asked me if I would be interested in working together. Though I was still leery of film and didn’t really want to get involved, I figured what the hell, I want to write for a living and the only way to make enough money to support a family is to just do it. If you throw enough stuff against the wall, something is bound to stick, right? I told Robert I’d be happy to team up. We laid out a few plans and got to work. Since then (about two years ago), we’ve made a few nice short films (my screenwriting, Robert’s production, direction, editing, money, everything else).

(Don’t forget – It’s all about that source material!)

The first short we put together was based upon my story, Chekov’s Children (from my collection, Stoker finalist BLOOD & GRISTLE). I wrote the story back in college during an exercise where we were to emulate a classic author’s style. I modeled my piece after Anton Chekhov. What struck me about Anton’s work was how he mastered capturing a small moment, loading it up with all kinds of subtext and undertone and metaphoric detail, then he’d let the vignette play out until it came to an abrupt end that gave zero resolution but filled the reader’s head with possibility. He let you fill in the ending, often forcing you not to just imagine what came next in the current action, but what happened to his characters’ throughout the rest of their lives. Good stuff. My story came out pretty cool. Whereas Anton was a true master, I was more than happy to accept a young padwan-in-training role and do what I could with my growing powers. There’s some subtlety, some metaphoric detail, but it’s mostly overt, college-kid, A-for-effort type craft. Not bad, worthy of publication and a few kicks, but hot damn, subtlety is tough, man. It’s a skill I still work at every day. I nailed it back then in a raw fashion. And though I still work at it, Loyal Reader, my powers have grown exponentially since then (pick up some of my new work and prepare to have your mind blown – subtlely of course). (Isn’t subtle and it’s brother subtlety, a pair of great words? The way they flow? What they mean? God, I loves me some language). Anyway here’s Filion’s short film. I think he did an excellent job (the actress playing “Ivana” is pitch perfect). Enjoy. Comment. Praise. Kill. Get your Ebert on…

The following video rocks, but be sure to go out and read the source (via BLOOD & GRISTLE).

Old Man Rock

Posted in Music, Rants, Raves on July 13, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

I love me some music. I try to play it (not too well). I raptly listen to it (not too loud). And I collect it (not too discerningly). Used to be that I’d hit the record stores once a week. I’d comb the used racks, seeking out gems that I read about in SPIN or NME or ROLLING STONE. Once I got out of Victorville, Ca (the quintessential dead-end hometown – no offense Victorvillians), I found awesome used record stores in mostly every town I settled down in.

While living in the High Desert, I’d have to scrounge enough gas money to travel 40 miles or so to Rhino Records near the Claremont colleges or The Mad Platter in Riverside, Ca (R.I.P). In Reno, NV (where I spent three aimless years), I shopped at Recycled Records, a great little shop that sported a large selection of indie discs. If I wanted an obscure import from a fairly obscure band, say a Flesh for Lulu import from an early 80s European concert date, damned if RR didn’t stock it. After getting married, I moved to Northern California and found Used Disc Nirvana at Rasputin Records (Berkley and Concord, Ca) and Ameoba Records (San Francisco, Ca). Then I “grew up” (real homelife and a real job and real responsibility) and the whole MP3 explosion exploded and my weekly trips to the used bins ceased. Now, when I want some fresh jams, I search iTunes (I refuse to provide a link for the easiest entity to find on all of the Internet). It’s effective, I get my music, but not nearly as fun. Oh well. This technology thing is a double edged sword is it not?

Michelle and I tried to recapture a bit of that heady glory this afternoon. We waltzed into the local Best Buy (no indie record stores ’round here) and spent fifty bucks on some new music. We do this a couple times a year. It’s not nearly as cool as when we used to take weekly trips to the seemingly endless used racks (flipping through title after title in search of something…invigorating…and cheap). Still, browsing Best Buy’s moderate CD stock satisfies those old cravings and keeps us rocking along. We picked up, ARCADE FIRE – FUNERAL, MY MORNING JACKET – CIRCUITAL, and BAD MEETS EVIL (Eminem and Royce da 5’9″) – HELL: THE SEQUEL. I can’t really comment as of yet – we just loaded up the disc changer and the music has yet to settle in, but when I feel it, I ‘ll let y’all know.

Speaking of which – our last spree yielded, KANYE WEST – MY BEAUTIFUL, DARK, TWISTED FANTASY, THE BLACK KEYS – BROTHERS, RADIOHEAD – THE KING OF LIMBS , and ADELE – 21. And in case you were wondering… Kanye, The Keys, and good, old, reliable Radiohead are flipping fantastic (a full Kanye review is coming soon). Adele? Meh. I like her big single, Rolling in the Deep, but the album itself? Like my wifey says, “She’s no Fiona Apple.” That she’s not.

Okay, one last gasp = While waiting in the car (Michelle was off doing errands), I heard Head On by THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN on the radio (San Diego’s 91X) and was reminded how AUTOMATIC, their 1989 rocker, is one of my favorite albums of all time. I played the CD so much it up and shattered a few years back. I have the album on MP3, but haven’t listened to it in a while. If you’re jonesing for some good music and want something INCREDIBLE give them a listen…

Okay then, how about some comments? Maybe your latest music recommendation? How about your latest musical let down (damn you, Adele!)?

7 Comments »

Don’t Bother Me…I’m Reading / Rocking Out Bare Chested!

Posted in Books, Raves on July 12, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

Damn! This every day thing is already tough. I have a few posts planned (interesting subjects and whatnot) for the next couple of weeks, but every day? Every day? YES, EVERY DAY! (Don’t worry, Loyal Reader, I won’t give up).

So then, what’s on the agenda for today?

Well, I just picked up the new George RR Martin (see yesterday’s post on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS) and I really, really want to get back to reading it (which will happen the second I’m done here). Anyway, mere moments before diving in to DRAGONS (20 pages down, 980 to go), I took down the final pages of SLASH (2007), the rocker’s self-titled, tell-all autobiography. Co-written with music journalist, Anthony Bozza, the top-hatted shredder bares all and divulges the grimy details of his sordid life. Heroin addiction? Check. Infidelity? Check. Blantant disregard for responsibility? Check. Rampant idiocy? Check.

Though I’d like to think of myself as a bit of a high brow snob (I prefer literature, I swear it!), I have to admit that I’m a helpless sucker for TMZ style dish and juicy, gutter gossip. I know it’s wrong, but I simply can’t help it. I need the dirt! I’ve actually wasted lots and lots of time reading rock’n’roll tell-alls – THE DIRT (Motley Crue), TOMMYLAND (Motley Crue / scandal through drummer Tommy Lee’s eyes), SCAR TISSUE (Kiedis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers), HAMMER OF THE GODS (Led Zepplin) – and I’ve loved every puke-stained, threesome laden page.

Slash’s SLASH is no different from its hard-partying brethren. It delivers all of the ruined hotel rooms, jilted groupies, and hopeless smack stories that you’d expect from the lead guitarist of one of the biggest rock bands ever to conquer the world. Swimming in a sea of YES, Slash takes full advantage of fame and does everything one might expect of a man who only wears a shirt when he absolutely must. The book jumps from one herpes addled tale to the next, but it gets a little deeper into geeky musicianship than most of the other rock biographies out there and as a garage guitarist, I appreciated the detail. Slash, despite his addictions and his typical, arrested development issues, is a gearhead at heart and he spends a good deal of time talking shop. Since I like reading about guitars and amps and recording studio setups, I relished the occasional tech break. If that kind of thing puts you into a comatose state, don’t worry, Slash doesn’t lay it on too thick, but it’s nice to learn how he got a particular sound or how a song came together.

The book also gets into the interpersonal dynamics of band life (pre-GUNS, GUNS, and VELVET REVOLVER) and clearly chronicles the rise and fall of GUNS ‘N’ ROSES. If you ever wondered why the biggest rock band in the world broke up at the height of their fame or what the hell Axl Rose’s problem is, Slash doesn’t pull any punches. He doesn’t talk too much mess or try to slag his former singer, he tries to keep things diplomatic, but he explains his side of the story and sets the record straight. We also get the origin of his top hat, his love for snakes, and all the relationship drama you can handle. All in all, cool stuff. Oh, and as a writer I am totally jealous of Mr. Bozza. How fun would it be to hang with a rock star and help them write a book?

Here’s the man himself ripping it up…

5 Comments »

White Hot Anticipation!!!

Posted in Books, Raves on July 11, 2011 by Michael Louis Calvillo

Oh man, oh man, oh man! I read A GAME OF THRONES then A CLASH OF KINGS then A STORM OF SWORDS, back-to-back-to-back about seven years ago after a buddy of mine turned me on to it (Thanks, Devin, where ever you may be). The books were 4000+ pages of pure bliss – gritty, edgy, unpredictable, wild. I loved them. Hands down my favorite fantasy series of all time.

Becoming one of the devoted, I could not wait, but then I had no choice but to wait (something like two years) for the arrival of book 4, A FEAST OF CROWS – which was still every bit as awesome as its blood soaked brothers, but it lacked the same whip-crackle momentum of its predecessors (the great Mr. Martin went off on some mighty lengthy tangents and filled in bits and pieces of his huge world with interesting color, but then, he strayed from the hurtling cannonball of a narrative and a number of key characters didn’t even appear in the book – ugh!!! – frustrating for sure!).

It’s now been about SIX YEARS(!!!!!!) since A FEAST FOR CROWS. The HBO deal helped ease the wait a little. I’d follow George’s blog (not a blog) and revel in tidbits of information, who’s playing who, budget details, when the show was set to air, but then I’d spend most of my RR Martin Search Time growling at the computer screen and wondering when the hell the next book was going to surface. Well, Loyal Reader, at long last, it’s here!

Hell yeah!!!

If you haven’t had the chance to read any of Martin’s A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series, you owe it to yourself to go out and pick up the first four (now five) volumes. Take your time, cherish them, and maybe by the time you make it through all 6000+ pages Mr. Martin will be ready with volume 6 (though I wouldn’t count on it – the man takes forever to complete these things and get them to press).

Oh, and in case you were wondering what a devoted reader of the books thinks of the HBO show – I dig it. They changed very little (a few things here and there), but all in all HBO is doing a great job. You can’t top the books for their sheer badassness, but the series is pretty cool. Here’s one reason why…