Now this is Rock and Roll

Quotes from two Volta compatriots offer a relevant lead-in:
“The things you speak to can shape your world. Look at Biggie. "Ready to Die". Dead. Word.”
— Saul Williams (again)
“This is the sound of what you dont know killing you. This is the sound of what you dont believe, still true. This is the sound of what you dont want, still in you.”
—El-P
And so, all that being said, here is The Story (and various annotations): Omar (lead singer) was in a curio shop in Jerusalem when he found the Soothsayer. It seemed to him an ideal gift for Cedric, this archaic Ouija-style “talking board.” So it was then and there, in a city where the air swims with religious fervor, in a shop that might as well have carried monkeys paws and Mogwais, that Omar changed the fate of The Mars Volta forever.
Had he known at that moment that the boards history stretched far beyond its novelty appearance, that its very fibers were soaked through with something terribly other, that the choral death and desire of a multi-headed Goliath was waiting behind its gates… well, he might have left it at rest there on the dusty shelves.
The Upside of That Choice: No bad mojo unleashed. Erase the madness that followed. Erase the bizarre connection to a love/lust/murder triangle that threatened to spill out into the present every time the band let its fingers drift over the board.
The Downside: No Soothsayer means The Bedlam in Goliath never would have existed. And it turns out that this demented spiritual black hole of a muse has driven The Mars Volta to produce a crowning moment in their already stellar career.
So if Omar hadnt given in to his curiosity and brought the Soothsayer home to Cedric then the band would probably have been happier, healthier, less haunted.
But you and I, Lucky Listener, we would have been robbed of one fucking amazing album.
More on that in a moment.
Back up to the last big tour. The Volta and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are tearing venues in half, retreating to their busses, rolling through the night. But instead of the normal Rock God routines the guys are sitting around Cedric‟s new Ouija board, which theyve dubbed the Soothsayer. And they love it— its the new post-show addiction.
The Soothsayer offers them names: Goliath, Mr. Mugs, Patience Worth, Tourniquet Man.
The Soothsayer offers them a story: Its always about a man, a woman, and her mother. About the lust floating between them. About seduction and infidelity. And
pain. And eventually, murder. Entrails and absence and curses and oblivion. Exactly the kind of spooky shit youd want from your Ouija.
Now here comes the rub.
The Soothsayer starts asking the band what they have to offer. This connection thats set up runs both ways, and the invisible voices begin to speak of their appetites.
They threaten oblivion and dissolution, or offer it as seduction. The voices merge as Goliath, a metaphysical quagmire and unfed saint whose hunger to return to the real world grows more urgent with each connection.
There are proper ways to close this union, but The Mars Volta have never been anything if not adventurous. They stay in contact— even taking phrases from the board and inserting them as song lyrics— but never offer themselves as surrogates. And so the starving Goliath extends its influence.
Inexplicable equipment issues abound while on tour.
Conflict with the existing drummer escalates and results in a change of guard. Ritual gives way to injury and Cedric is laid low by a randomly (and severely) gimped foot.
A completely reliable engineers mental composure cracks, pushing him from the project. The tracks he leaves behind are desperately tangled.
Omars music studio floods, threatening to send him right over the same precipice as the engineer.
Long-term album delays hit and people aren‟t sleeping well.
Nonsensical words and phrases the board had previously spoken begin to pop up in things like documentaries about mass suicide.
The Soothsayer keeps telling the same story but the details are becoming more brutal.
One day the label on the board peels back revealing pre-Aramaic lingo written across weird cone shapes.
Its bad mojo writ large, and things are crumbling quickly.
Worst of all, the board has shifted from pleas to demands.
To threats.
So they buried the fucking thing.
There are many ways to close a spiritual connection. Wear white for a whole year. Surround yourself with salt. Close a board and ask someone else to open it, thus transferring the ownership. Break the board into seven pieces and sprinkle it with holy water. Or bury it.
Omar wrapped the Soothsayer in cloth and found a proper place for it in the soil. Cedric asked that he never be made aware of its location.
And then their album found a new, more urgent purpose.
The Bedlam in Goliath is here to consecrate the grounds where the Soothsayer lies in wait. Its metaphor vs. metaphysics. Its story will be told to you and I, Lucky Listener, and were the ones re-opening the board. Taking on the ownership.
Perhaps if Goliath is spread between us all its hunger will dissipate. Or, as it threatened, it could become our epidemic.
So theres the story, up to today, but its not over. Because this thing is about to enter the hearts and minds of countless listeners.

Twiddly Dee Twiddly Do

Yesterday was a bit of a treat. It all started when Heidi called me on my cell phone at 3:30. Her words exactly..."Where are you" "Your dog is bleeding everywhere" "You need to get home." I was downtown so with traffic on a Friday night it was going to be a bit on the hard side to click my heals together and magically appear. So I proceeded to come home as fast as I could. I called back thinking she would be a little more calm or something. Nope. Next words..."He is bleeding all over the yard" Alright at this point I am in visioning that he is lying in the yard in a pool of blood, so now I am freaking out big time. I guess too many episodes of ER, Greys Anatomy and CSI. So know I am speeding home. I rush into the garage get my wound healing medicine out of my hunting bag and proceed outside to see Jake. Dude at this point I was ready to pull out my own heart and stick it in his blood riddle body if needed. I walk out the back door and he is just laying there...........(american idol pause)..................Pretty suspenseful huh. Yeah, he is laying there licking his paw. There were about 5 drops of blood on the deck and that was it. He had a small cut on his paw in between his toes. I put my wound healing medicine (super glue)on him and proceeded to get ready to drink.

Heidi and I got all spiffed up and went to her works christmas party. Free Guinness for me. Had a funny conversation with Gpa on the ride to the bar. He was telling me about his bus ride through Mexico. I cant see him having to sit in a bus, but he said he had fun. Then he tells me he is thinking of flying to Europe. Oh My. In my lifetime I have never seen them or Gma-Gpa Hump fly anywhere. They have always drove to their destination. So he then started taking about people on the bus and you could tell he didnt want to curse. So he threw out this one liner that I had to write down before I forgot. He said some of the people and I quote were: "being the north end of a south bound mule." Just think about it and you will understand. Almost as good as the "fawderal" (not sure how to spell) comment.

At the bar I got to talking to this sales dude. He was the same age as me and just talking to him you knew he could sell you soap as you walk out of the shower. He owns like 2 or 3 different companies and once he gets a company up and running he takes that money that they are making and invests it in another company. Novel idea. He was just starting to get into the foreclosure business with buying houses that had been foreclosed for very, very cheap. Then selling them or renting them until the market gets better. Pretty smart guy. Dont know why I am telling you this other than if you think about it is really must be nice to have balls that big. I think most of us in our family are pretty conservative. Which most times is not bad at all, but sometimes we need to just fuck it and take a chance. Use whatever cliche you would like at this point.

So that was my day yesterday. Today nothing but Advil and rest.

Alive and Kickin WITH SONG X2

Final Blackwater

This is a must read book. This guy has some great information that nobody hears about from our "media" of today. Remember start from the bottom and finish here.

Blackwater 3

Start with the one at the bottom. This is #3.

Blackwater 2

Watch the bottom one first.

Blackwater

Home Again

So its Halloween night and I am debating on what scary movie to watch. Its a yearly deal for me and since nobody else I know other than Brad Igers likes scary movies. I remember when him and I went to see the Blair Witch Project in Wausau at midnight on Halloween. The movie theater was packed and we barely found 2 seats together. Bad part was that there was no "gay safety seat" between us. Although I think throughout the movies we both kind of moved closer and closer together. We both walked out of that movie that night scared absolutely sh+tless. It was great. We had to go have beer at a local establishment in order to chill down. Thinking of going to see Saw IV. If you haven't seen the first one it is a must see. It is a movie that you will NEVER figure out. The ending is so great its not even funny.

Well we are finally settled in again and I start work/new job on Monday. I have been off all of this week working on home stuff and transition stuff. Kind of looking forward to just getting back to work. Heidi has a possible job already lined up. Second interview tomorrow. Working from home for 20-30 hours per week. Just perfect for her. We are both pumped.

That's really about all the info I have tonight. No music. No deep thoughts. Just Halloween. One of my most favorite nights of the year.

Trick or Treat Smell My Feet
Give Me Something Good to Eat.

Miss My Wife/Child

I think I have found true love. I just got back from watching The Brave One. It was a good revenge movie about a husband and wife that were seperated by things of this sick world in which we currently reside. I miss both my wife and only child and can not imagine living too much longer with out them in my life. This house is quiet and tears fall down my face while listening to this song. It hurts the most when you can hear it in your childs voice over the phone. What hurts more than anything is that I still feel like I brought this onto our lives by stupid mistakes. Heidi wasnt happy here but it would have been nice to do it on our terms. I guess we all make them sometimes, it just sucks when people close to you feel the same pain. Music isnt always just hate, revenge, and rock for me. I found my self ripping this song today and its just funny how lyrics can pull you at the exact time when you need to be pulled. Could be pulling you up from the dumps, pulling you through the swamp, or pulling you to decide what you are all about. Find this song and listen to it with the lyrics. Sara Mclachlan. Do What You Have to Do.


What ravages of spirit
conjured this temptuous rage
created you a monster
broken by the rules of love
and fate has lead you through it
you do what you have to do

and I have the sense to recognize that
I don't know how to let you go
every moment marked
with apparitions of your soul
I'm ever swiftly moving
trying to escape this desire
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
but I have the sense to recognize

that I don't know how
to let you go
I don't know how
to let you go

a glowing ember
burning hot
burning slow
deep within I'm shaken by the violence
of existing for only you

I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
and I have sense to recognize but
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go

Testify

Here is song one from the RATM show. As you will see the crowd, myself and Brad Igers had waited 5 very long years for the reunion. Enjoy. Mic Check!

Beginning

Here was the start to the show!

Holy Moses

Here is a very small taste of what I experienced in the music realm last weekend. Brad Igers and I went down to Alpine Valley to see Rage Against the Machine and Queens of the Stone Age. I started the day by driving down there around 10 a.m. in order to get a decent parking spot thinking that we could just camp out in the back of the truck for the night. Igers started his day at 3 a.m. getting up in Seattle in order to catch a 5 a.m. flight that would take him from Seattle to Phoenix and ending up in Milwaukee where he would catch a rental car and be to Alpine Valley by 4 p.m. Doors opened for the show at 5 p.m. We stood in line to get into the show at 5 p.m. and they decided not to open the doors until about 6:45 p.m. While we were standing in line it began to pour. Luckily Luke was smart enough o bring rain jackets, but needless to say we still got soaked. We had a great time and saw two of the best shows I have seen in a long time. PJ is always good but nobody on this planet can match the intensity of Rage. Unreal is all I can say. Pics will follow below and only a teaser of Rage will be seen below (stage). Videos will be coming as soon as I can figure out how to post them off my camera.

This is the first picture of the Mud Kings that were directly behind us. These freaks would slide straight down the hill (which was all mud) directly into the hands of the rental pigs that would drag them out by their ears. Then the crowd would chant vulgarities at them which was always good.




This would be a picture of Queens of the Stone Age. Along with the next 2.





Here is where the real show starts. This is the set for Rage. It only gets better from here.

The "real" summer vacation

Intense

This is exactly what I was talking about on my other blog. Look at the face on both of these guys and tell me that they are not serious about what they are singing about. The audio is a bit loud, but you get the picture.

Long Road

Back. Tired. Still sweating. I guess I will be the first to blog about our experience in Chitown. Heidi, Brooke and I had a good time at Six Flags. Rode some rides, watched Spy Girl and had a good family time. We then drove downtown checked into the hotel and drover over to the aquarium. Had a very cool time there seeing the largest aquarium in the US (Who knew?) Then we had dinner on the Magnificent Mile that evening and crashed in the hotel. We stayed at the Congress Hotel which was a very cool old hotel right downtown. The next day we got up and proceeded to the Museum of Science and Natural History. It was a bit over Brooke's head but I learned a crap load of stuff. Saw T-Rex and various other flying dinosaurs. Pretty cool. Heidi and Brook left that afternoon and the "concert" weekend started. Pictures of the family vacation will come later. I will start with Night 1 of Lollapalooza.



Ben Harper was the main attraction that night and he rocked it out. First time I had seen him before and he was probably the 3rd greatest live performance guy/band I have ever seen. Eddie came out and played a very intense Masters of War with him.

Night 2 saw nobody, but did see one of the oldest and greatest baseball parks in the world. Wrigley Field. Something I will never forget.

Night 3 was every emotion I have in my body. It started at 1 p.m. when we walked from the hotel over to Lollapalooza. We loaded up with 2 bottles of water (needless did we know it was not near enough) and proceeded up to the stage that PJ was playing on. We were only able to get about what would be equivalent to 20 rows back but our thought process told us if we hold out people would leave in between shows. We waited. Some rap dude came out and I had flashbacks of when I saw Run DMC and they sucked just as bad. We waited. Finally our first bad we wanted to see. Kings of Leon.


>

Remember now this is at about 4:30 or so and its 90 degrees outside and I have been standing in what was equivalent to a 2x2 foot box. Could not sit down could barley crouch down like a catcher. They actually made the previous 3.5 hours of standing worth it. There were a few people that left after that and I think we were able to shuffle up about 10 feet closer. We waited, still standing. We were at the point where this was a close as we were going to get. We staked out that ground like it was the California gold rush. Nobody was getting inside my 2x2 box. My Morning Jacket comes out. I think I could get used to if I saw them by themselves. Nobody left. We waited. MMJ finishes. Now its about 7:00 and we are working on 6 hours of standing still. This is where it really starts to get crammed. Everybody is pushing and shoving trying to get as close as they can to the stage. We hold firm. Getting close to PJ and Josh looks over and says "Hey you might want to put your back pack on because when PJ comes out there is going to be a huge push towards the stage." Ok now I am starting at this point to get a bit spooked. My 2x2 box is about to turn into a 1x1 box and there are dudes around me that are way more wasted than I wish I would have been. Not to mention we have all sweat through our shirts, we are exhausted, out of water and might not make it out alive. About that time Brad Igers who was standing next to me just about lost his lunch. Some older ape in front of him finally decides to take of his shirt and display the rug of hair on his back directly in his face. I thought he was taping out at that point, but the trooper he is managed to maintain. That was the other side note....it was like the abyss. If I was to leave my 3 other friends there I would not see them ever again. There was no way to get out and no way to get back in. Finally PJ.



They rocked as usual, played some cool songs I had not heard as well as all the usual. Concert done. Something in us allowed us to never give up. What was it? I saw this deal on 60 Min. about one of these Extreme Fighter guys. He was a famous guy and had his own Dojo (where they practice for you people that have not seen the Karate Kid). He had only one picture in his Dojo of himself and it was a picture of one fight that he will never forget. It was a fight in which his opponent had him in a hold that actually broke his arm. Something that was in him told him to no "tap out". He didn't quit after he watched this guy put him in a hold and physically break his arm. Adrenaline? Man whatever it is I wish I had an IV of it in my arm everyday.

The Monster....Detox take 2

Well here we go again starting off on a Monday and not working. Played B-ball again this morning at 5 a.m. I am really starting to get back into the groove. I can hear Coach Brannon now..."Luke, you gotta get in his jock."...."Quit jackin with the cones, whistle dick.". Great times. Should be a sad yet happy day on Thursday. Brooke's Kindergarten graduation. Video tape will be running for any that want to see it when you come up. After that we are off like a prom dress to Des Moines to visit friends for the weekend. Was already planning this before the work stuff happend only bad thing is that now its not paid.

The monster in the title I am finding out is work. The worst thing about this mini work vacation is that I think I am actually starting to miss it. Not all things are missed but I do miss the challenge everyday. Makes it more fun than not. After about a month when I first got to Wausau everybody told me how nice it was because there was no stress in the office. Kind of like it was all on my shoulders and I just allowed them to perform and do their jobs. I have had numerous people tell me how stressful the office has been over the past week and cant wait until I get back on/in the saddle. I guess they get to enjoy that for one more week. All I can say is look out on June 11th, because I am coming back with a pretty big chip on my shoulder.

What do you do with the monster inside? Do you let it eat you from the inside out, or do you get in its jock? I dont know about most, but bring it on and lets rumble. De-tox take 2 has gone from juice diet to the new thing.....Steam Room. I would recomed it to ALL. Get you de-tox iMix all set up and sit in that puppy and just sweat. It feels great. Really gets the shit out of your body and you feel a new when you get out.

This is the pain that never leaves.
This is the tounge that whips you down.
This is the burden of everyman.
These are the screams that pierce your skin.
This is the voice of silence no more.

These are the weights that hold you down.
This is the YEAR THAT WILL NEVER END.
This is the voice of silence no more.
We the people....
Are we the people?

Some kind of monster!

De-Tox

Well for most of you that dont know I am now at home eating bon-bons and wondering what in the hell to do with my life for the next week or so. For those of you that had not heard, Heidi and I also embarked on a cleansing of our bodies that started Monday morning by shaving my head. Juice and liquids only. The plan was to go for 3 days with liquids in order to get rid of the toxins in our body, then we would proceed to re-build our system with fruits and vegatables for the rest of the week. Monday morning was fine no problems. Monday night was severe. Between the hours of 4 and 8 p.m. it might have been a minor miracle that we didn both kill each other. We made it through the night went to sleep and woke up yesterday morning still on the mission. I went and worked with my local production staff for the day and damn near passed out. But I stayed with it and drank a ton of water and liquids in order to not let my crew learn CPR the hard way. That was when I got he call from the seceret agent. Brooke. She called and asked if we could have pizza for the night and I told her to put her mother on the phone. I told her that we have to stick together through this and to not have her cronies call to seduce me. She got Brooke some pizza sticks and brought them home. Her and I were both on the brink of doing something deadly to each other. We had made it almost 30 hours without anything solid in our stomach. I will save you the drama that transpired when I got home to tell you that we threw in the towel last night around 5 p.m. Like fighting in the UFC,we tapped out. Filled our bellies with whatever we could find that tempted us and felt great.

Was this so bad? Probably, but who gives a shit. Things were not going well and we had to adjust. A lot like life. You make adjustments no matter what anybody throws at you. You dont sit around and mope and make everybodies life miserable. You get off your ass and make changes. Grow a set if you will.

I/We are on our last nerve with this city and this job that I still have as of today. The toxic levels at that place are through the atmosphere. We thought our bodies were bad but we have nothing on that place. Is that my own fault? Probably as the manager I have to manage people, attitudes and anything else I get hammered with. Pride. Really, that is what I have learned in this whole process is that you have to give up your pride a bunch. I am pretty prideful and have always wanted to do everything I can and do by myself. Cant happen any more. Have to give things up. I am out for today, but I am sure as the week progress more blogs will come daily. I will end today with lyrics. If you want you can check out my iMix on iTunes called De-Tox. Out.

Conversion, software version 7.0
Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub
Eating seeds as a pastime activity
the toxicity of our city, of our city
New, what do you want to own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder.

Teeth-less

Brooke update: 4 teeth gone already, 2 front teeth hanging by a thread, her mama's mouth (yes small and mouthy), a trip to the dentist, 2 teeth pulled, 2 front teeth bumped out, about $300, a trip to the mall for a "Troy" locket and new shoes, ice cream, a phone call to meme Delinda to see how many Cousin Colin lost (again competitive like her mama), last but not least a visit from the tooth fairy! All in a days work!!!!

Too Much Fun!

Ok, Luke has been blogging lately and things have gotten a little DEEP so I am going to bring us all back to the important things in life. This weekend we celebrated Brooke's birthday and Easter. The birthday was celebrate with dinner at Sam's Pizza (kind like a Wausau Chuck E Cheese) and a kid party at the bowling alley. All in all it was great fun and I feel older than ever! I just can't believe my little baby is 6 years old, it might be the perfect age. She is so kind and sweet and the joy on her face when she saw that the Easter Bunny left eggs to hunt was priceless. She REALLY believes! The cutest thing was that she was hunting eggs and found the last one by the window and said "of course, that is the way he got out!" In closing my advice to you is to try and BELIEVE in the Easter Bunny! Life really is more fun if you can look at it with a child's eyes.

Pseudo Purpose

Well today I think I realized what part of my purpose is on this planet. I went to Brooke's classroom today for parent/teacher conferences. I think Heidi had been to one before, but I wasn't able to make it. Let me preface this by telling you that this week Brooke was the "star" (every student in the class gets one week). So for the star of the week the parents get to come to part of the class, hang out, tell the students what they do for a living, bring goodies, etc. I wasn't able to make it due to this thing called a job. I was able to supply the class with some well needed Graebel pins and notepads. I guess one of Brooke's classmates dad worked for me. Well, yes he worked for my packing contractor. Bad news is that she explained to the class that her dad was in jail. Well, yes he was thrown in jail for too many DUI's (go figure in WI). So if you can envision 30 some odd 5 year olds going home today and explaining to their parents that Brooke's dad works for Graebel and they employee convicts. Not the best marketing plan. Needless to say my marketing theory of getting to the parents through the kids backired.

Back to our parent/teacher conference. We sat down with Brooke's teacher and she couldn't find one bad thing to say about her. She complimented about everything she could think of with Brooke. It was truly amazing as a father and I have to say I don't really have much to do with it, its pretty much all Heidi working with her on reading and everything. Truly inspiring. I realized that it is one of the sole purposes for me to be on this earth and the sole purpose of me working everyday. You all know we bitch about work/Graebel but they have done quite a good deed for all our families. Our wives dont have to work unless they want, they help put food on the table, roof over our families, etc. Yes it was a struggle eating nachos, lentils and rice, etc. while we were growing up. But I think we all would have turned out worse if mom had to work. You think? Did they make stupid financial decisions? Of course(WCA/Eastwood/TCA), but I am sure our kids will say the same thing about us. You think?

Other than that we have had a ton of snow, bought a way too expensive TV, painted every room in the house, and I think that's it.

Here is the song lyric of the week. Only problem is that you have to guess who sings the song. Happy guessing. By the way I am not sure what the other purpose is just yet for me to be on this planet.....


Its my work he'd say
I do it for pay
and when its all up...just a pseudo on my way to paradise
where the trout streams flow and the area is nice
and ride a horse along the trail
but then they took him to the jail house
where they tried to turn a man into a mouse