March 25, 2006
photo by Beverly Miller
Times have changed, but not much. Alphonse Karr was right: The more things change the more they stay the same. Jesus! Only a cynical Frog could have written a thing like that But he was right, I think, and his wisdom has shaped many lives, for good or ill.
But not mine. I have changed constantly all my life, usually at top speed, and its always been the total, permanent finality of a thing fed into an atom smasher. My soul and body chemistry are like that of a chameleon, a lizard with no pulse. People praise me for this, but they are all foreigners and they know nothing. When I go to Mexico or Puerto Rico they call me Lizard Man, and I laugh smugly To get along, go along, thats what I say.
- HST 1990
August 4 2005
It's amazing me that people that know me, are just finding out I'm single again.
Now, I have to start out by saying that Kelly and I are still very good friends, and I've said it before and I'll say it again, she has by far been the best girl I ever spent a year with, hands down the best girlfriend ever. But for me, it was a year of growth in a lot of ways, and just about the best year of my life for many reasons. A lot of that had to do with her being a part of it.
Now shame on my best Injun friend Joel. How did you just figure this out my Prairie N? Too much firewater?
Okay, with that said I've been very busy and last weekend was no exception. Right after work I rode with Natalie and Nikkie (sp?) over to the Congress Theatre to meet Greg. We were going to see Billy Idol. Neither of us knew till that day they were shooting a live DVD. And the temp inside registered 100 degrees. (This is noted on www.billyidol.com) And it felt every bit of it. Through the first half Grego and I were within the first 10 rows, but after 90 min we could no longer stand it. I was soaked in sweat. Now do your math kiddies, I said we were near the front for 1/2 the show, which was 90 min, so that means Mr. Idol did a 3 hour set. UN FUCKING REAL, and in the 100 degree heat with only 1 visible fan. I was in awe and the guitar playing was phenomenal. My only surprise was that they covered JUMP, which at first I though to be a joke. Oh no, it wasn't, they played the whole fucking thing.
Now I just saw Billy at the House of Blues a few years ago, I thought he was matured and fine tuned. But this show even topped the last time I saw him, he is for sure at the top of his game, and the DVD will prove it.
After the show Greg and I tried for over a half hour to hail a cab to Holiday Club, but a white boy can't get shit west of Western Ave, but robbed (or crack cocaine). Finally we were picked up, went to my place, had a couple Knob Creek and Cokes and walked over to Holiday Club. We had some drinks there and were rocking out to The Cult when some dude walked over to us and said the table at the far end with 4 girls wanted to meet us, so we sat with them and shared some drinks and BS and at last call we went separate ways.
I woke up early and had to get ready to get over to Rosemont at the Crown Plaza for Flashback Weekend. Yvette Lera the actress (Blood Dolls, Armageddon, Judas Kiss) and singer from Lick and Contagious was picking me up. Charles Band who directed her in several movies was to be there and I wanted to take her along to meet someone whose work I've admired for close to 20 years. (I'm going to leave about 10 hours out of this blog due to some bullshit and disrespect from somebody I tried to be nice to) So I had a room #818 in a hotel where I've stayed many times. I loaded it up w/ booze and ice and Yvette and I would occasionally return to the room to refresh our drinks.
Yvette had to leave around 5 and my friend Mike joined me for awhile and I ran into a lot of people, too many to name here and many industry folk who I've gotten to know as interview subjects and other antics over the years.
I woke up around 8 feeling like HELL and started paking up and watched some TV, went and got breakfast, cheked my bags, said my goodbyes and was in a cab back to the city. I would have loved to have stayed longer but Subsonics Ron Marks (Ex Celtic Frost guitarist) was coming to town to stay with me in the heatwave to shoot his latest music video, for "Fix". see www.subsonicrocks.com He met me around 4 at Holiday Club, we had a few drinks, dropped his stuff off at my place and were off to a festival on Lincoln Ave.
We walked around, saw some friends, had some drinks and found out Blue Oyster Cult was playing. So Ron needed to eat so I took him to Fiesta Mexicana which is next to the Biogragh Theatre (where John Dillinger was gunned down) and ordered Sangria and food. I had seen the house band before, being I spent some quality time at the theatre for a couple of Rusty Nails film marathons. I actually sang Roadhouse Blues with thee Mariachis. So I got them to let Ron onstage and they did an extended version of a Santana song. It was pretty awesome to behold.
Afterwards we watched BOC play a little bit, went to Ranalli's due to the heat and got to some drinkin there. Then we headed back to my place, crashed and had to get up early to meet the film crew at Holiday Club where a long 48 hours of shooting was to begin.
When Ron and I decided to shoot again in Chicago, the obvious choice was Vision4Films and the director Jason Meudt since he and his assistant Emmett did so well on producing the A Day Late video last year. It had been a year since I had seen Ron and when he got out of the cab the day before he looked more like Mr Kotter than the Ron Marks Ive known for years. Granted when I met him he was a long hair still and playing in MACE not long after his tenure with Celtic Frost. But for the last 5-6 years that weve been working together his hair had been pretty short. So we played rock n roll attitude the night before and now it was 11AM we were again at Holiday Club which served as the first location of shooting. Pretty much everyone was on time and in walked two young and stunning ladies. I knew they had to be our video vixens, and I was right. So this is when we met Sarah and Heather and as the shoot commenced for hours I finally broke the ice and broke into some light hearted conversation. Not only were both girls above average as far as attractiveness, but they seem pretty bright too boot. Ive learned that in the grand scheme of things in the populace of reality, many times, this is indeed a rarity. Just watch Howard Stern sometimes.
It was pushing 100 degrees outside and we were feeling it. Hours later I was to walk the duo over to my apartment, which was barely keeping cool with 1 AC unit, 1 floor and 3 ceiling fans. And less than an hour later the film crew showed up along with an actor who had also made appearances in the filming, I think his name was Rich. So now my 1 bedroom place was flooded with a 4 person film crew, 3 actors, and myself. And it wasnt long before my apartment manager came to see what was going on. She seemed not too happy with filming in the hallway.
It seemed never ending and I was feeling the brunt of the heat coupled with my exhaustion and dehydration. And the shoot seemed to go on forever. However in this time I had learned that, Heather, read tarot cards and I invited her to give me a reading the next day.
So it was the next day, the girls were on time to my place at 11, and the crew called from the street where they were shooting outside of a church, without permits I should ad. Heather gave me a reading and I was impressed because it seemed she knew what she was doing. I was impressed. Jenny my neighbor who was assisting being that she was a recent film school grad, arrived and called us out and the girls did a few scenes and our bit was over.
I made plans to see the girls the following Sunday to go sailing and it seemed my job was done. But the result of the heat and exhaustion from Billy idol, to the convention Flashback Weekend, meeting Ron and going to the festival, waking up early to begin a shoot, which continued through the next day, took its toll. I would be missing work the next day.
And that is typical of my life. When it rains, it fucking pours. But hey, I made 2 new friends, future viXXXens and got some cool pix w/ them.
I can't believe I once lived over 10 years of my life at this pace!