Trixter Tour Update - More Dates Added

I love this! "The Spirit of 1989" tour! Trixter, Pretty Boy Floyd, Christian Shields and (on some dates) Enuff Z'Nuff. This is going to be one of those crazy, fun shows. There's even a date near me. Don't miss out on this one!

This Is Wild: If The Beatles Were Glam

There's a YouTube account called AlteredAnthems. A few days ago, the account shared a glam metal take on the Beatles classic, Revolver. Just check out "Eleanor Rigby" (3:30 mark). This actually works. Wild, but fun.

Stephen Pearcy Would Like You To Vote For His Cat

Stephen Pearcy is a pretty fun follow on Facebook. He always posts music and RATT-related stuff of course, but he also shares a lot about his pets and family life. Now, his fluffy feline named Charles the Catt is in the "America's Favorite Pet" content. 

The winning feline gets $10,000 and a modeling spread on the cover of Modern Cat magazine. Voting opens tomorrow. You can vote once per day for the duration of the contest. I find this awesomely wholesome. Love it.

'A Bit Of Lightning'

Turns out I really dig the band Flat Black.

Their song "A Bit of Lightning" has great guitar solos and no wonder - the band was formed by Jason Hook. You might recall that Hook was previously a guitarist for Five Finger Death Punch.

"A Bit of Lightning" is on the Flat Black debut album Dark Side of the Brain. It came out over the summer. Flat Black is performing on the Shiprocked cruise festival later this month. 

Since Alcohol Causes Cancer

Earlier today, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new warning linking alcohol consumption to preventable cancer. It's a timely promotion for Alice Cooper, then, to back an alcohol-free whiskey. 

The brand is WhistlePig. I've never heard of it, but honestly, I might give it a whirl. I enjoy an old-fashioned from time to time. That said, I'll pass on the snake.

It's True

I'm still amazed any time a coworker wanders into my office and notices the music I'm playing. For the most part, I listen to metalcore or Steely Dan while working onsite. Folks come in during a screamy song, get tongue-tied and apologize for bothering me.

Then I get the inevitable, "I never expected you to like that kind of music." (Also, what exactly does "the kind" of music mean?)

Not sure what people are expecting when they see me - I guess I look like a fan of Sesame Street songs or something? A reminder to keep an open mind in this new year. Never assume a non-tattooed girlie doesn't love the heavy shit!

What I Read During 2024 (Music & Germs)

1. Lab 257 – Michael Christopher Carroll (nonfiction)

2. The Lost Tomb – Douglas Preston (nonfiction)

3. Sitcommentary – Mark Robinson (nonfiction)

4. Brothers – Alex Van Halen (nonfiction)

5. Island – Aldous Huxley (fiction)

6. 20 Fat Loss Tips for Faster Weight Loss – Gregory Groves (nonfiction) [The point of this was to learn how to market inside Amazon publishing. The text itself was awful.]

7. Penguin Perspectives on Covid – 10 – various authors (nonfiction)

8. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley (fiction)

9. Horseshoes and Hand Grenades – John Corabi (nonfiction)

10. The Great Depression: A Diary – Benjamin Roth (nonfiction)

11. An Election – John Scalzi (fiction)

12. The Black Death: A History From Beginning to End (Pandemic History) – Hourly History (nonfiction)

13. What A Fool Believes – Michael McDonald with Paul Reiser (nonfiction)

14. You Like It Darker – Stephen King (fiction)

15. 11/22/63 – Stephen King (fiction)

16. Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion – Barney Hoskyns (nonfiction)

17. Son of a Milkman – Brian Wheat (nonfiction)

18. Extinction: A Novel – Douglas Preston (fiction)

19. Level 4 – Virus Hunters of the CDC – Joseph B. McCormick, M. D. (nonfiction)

20. The Mist – Stephen King (fiction)

21. Under The Dome – Stephen King (fiction)

22. The Stand – Stephen King (fiction)

23. Duma Key – Stephen King (fiction)

24. The Longevity Paradox: How To Die Young at a Ripe Old Age – Steven R. Gundry, M.D. (nonfiction)

25. Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World – Theresa MacPhail (nonfiction)

Another year, another 25 books. Some were much better than others as is always the case. I typically veer toward nonfiction and this was the case again in 2024. My favorite nonfiction books were Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by John Corabi and What A Fool Believes by Michael McDonald. The stories in both are wild, especially the McDonald book. There’s a little ditty about Eddie Money that was both hilarious and sad. I’ve read heaps of books about metal bands but less about other famous musicians (Steely Dan excluded). McDonald’s book provides a whole different background on the music industry in the 70s, spanning his time as a nobody to accomplished session singer to Doobie Brothers frontman to solo star. I had no idea McDonald was so addicted to drugs, either. Rehab worked for him.

Island was the hardest novel I’ve read in ages. Classic Aldous Huxley and the companion book to one of my all-time favorites Brave New World. I re-read BNW before Island for the comparisons. Very interesting but it was a bit of a slog since I kept waiting for something "big" to happen. Island is more of slow burn.

Extinction by Douglas Preston was the craziest novel I’ve read in a long time. It’s a dystopian thriller about future technology and animal science research. I don’t want to give away any tidbits because this book is way too good for spoilers. Just read it.

Of course, Stephen King’s The Stand is perfection – there is a reason why people call the novel his masterpiece. Over a thousand pages never went quicker! Such a fun, fascinating and terrifying read. In my top 5 favorite books of all time. I’m jealous of people who get to read this book for the first time.