Happy New Year, from a Crusty Old Curmudgeon

Here we are at the end of another year, looking back at all of the things that happened to us, and ahead to all of the things we want to happen next year.  All in all 2014 was pretty good to me and Monica.  We have our health and we have each other.  The older I get, the more I realize those are the two most important things to me.  Everything else is just fluff.  Fun fluff, but still just that... fluff.  I will be remembered for the way I play drums by those who don't know me.  Let's call that "fluff with flair".  Hopefully those who do know me will miss me for other reasons after I'm gone.  Maybe I'll be the one to outlive everyone I know, in which case I'll spend a lot of time in my twilight years thinking about all of the fluff while I go mad in my old age.  I remember when forty seven seemed like old age to me, so maybe I'm already mad.  Will my mid-life crisis hit me next year?  Will Monica wake up one day to a 1972 Corvette Stingray in the driveway with a college freshman waiting for me in the passenger seat?  Nah, I don't have the time, money, energy or interest for any of that. Great, we have proved that I'm not mad.  Not yet, anyway.  Hmm... what color would the Corvette be?

There were some milestones for me, Monica and for both bands during the last year.  There were also some things that I thought would be finished by now that will just have to wait until next year to surface, so I already know that good things are in store for 2015.  Yikes!  That looks freaky written out... "2015: When Drones Revolt".  Dude, that could like, totally happen!   "Blade Runner' is my all time favorite movie.  Guess what, it was set in 2019.  Off world colonies won't be ready by then, but you do see more and more people writing about them on news blogs. How are we already one seventh of the way through this century?  I remember the first time I saw 2000 written on the back of a CD.  Hell, within another few short years young people won't know what CD's were!  Those were what we used to put into the dashboard of our horse drawn buggies when we wanted to listen to music while hunting dodo birds.  Yes, George Washington was nice in person... you dodo.

Things have been really busy for Monica and me since we got back from Spain.  Before you get your elitist panties in a wad, "Monica and me" is correct in this case.  You wouldn't say "Things have been really busy for I", so you wouldn't use "Monica and I".  It's that simple.  I see people who are rather impressed with their own intellect get that one wrong all the time. We were all taught the wrong thing in school.  If that shocks you, be prepared for a long, long ride in life!  Me digress now.  The holidays sneaked up on us this year, and now they are almost gone.  Monica and I will probably be the only ones who get to enjoy our Christmas tree this year.  Usually we have a bunch of people over for New Year's Eve but there wasn't the time or money to throw at a party.  This year finds us working on our roof to close in two skylights that have become water features every time it rains.  Don't fret, I'm still getting tanked up on the roof for New Year's.  I find seven or eight mixed drinks to be just enough to calm my nerves when I'm on ladders with high rpm saws and such.  I kid, I kid... I don't even drink.  Only when I realize that friends of mine won't leave me alone until I do a shot with them will I ever have a drink, and that doesn't happen as much as it once did. It certainly wouldn't happen on a freaking roof!  That's what your teens and early twenties are for... weeding out the simple fools from the teachable fools.  Since we have taken all of the sharp toys away from children we have to endure them for a few more years before we can see who has the basic survival skill previously known as "common sense".  Since "common sense" implies that severe stupidity is uncommon it is only a matter of time before it is considered an offensive term.  Don't you see how language like that makes people without common sense feel marginalized?  It's why losers call successful people "more fortunate". That way they don't have to face the fact that they can't quite get it together themselves and it makes them seem like victims.  What kind of heartless beast wouldn't pull for the underdog?  You know who will find the term "common sense" offensive?  The severely stupid.  They are everywhere! 

One of the things I had hoped would be ready to unveil before year's end was another round of drum videos that were filmed right after we got back from Barcelona.  I filmed the 'Condemned' and 'Hibernation' videos a few years ago because Season of Mist wanted filler for the DVD we filmed in Norway.  I was reluctant to do it, but I went for it.  I was shocked at how many times people approached me to say they had just watched them online and that they really enjoyed them.  I never thought I'd hear about them after I turned everything over to the label.  I once had an opportunity to see a Terry Bozzio clinic from behind his drum kit, so I knew I wanted to film my own videos from the rear so people could see what went on while I played our songs.  That's the best way to watch a drummer!  I wish people could set up chairs behind my kit when we play shows.  It was awesome to have so many people behind me at the Gwarbecue last summer, and those who stood back there really flipped out.  A local drummer filmed the videos for me in the middle of another project he was working on at the time.  More on that later when  the project is almost finished.  For now though, just know that as soon as the drum videos have gone through post production  they will be online for all  to see.  Eventually I'd like to have every Confessor song and every Loincloth song worth filming up for people to check out.  I'd say I hear about people watching those drum videos at least as often as I hear about people checking out Confessor videos. I can't wait to put them up for you guys!
  
Last year was good to me, and I sincerely hope that it was good to you, too.  I'd like to thank all of the guys I have played music with over the years, my family, our friends, the furry ones at home and abroad that make life fun for everyone, and Monica.  I would also like to thank photographer and all around great guy Barry Knain for the photo at the top of this post.  Confessor played a benefit a couple of weekends ago and Barry was like a squirrel zipping in and out of my drum set.  Every now and then he'd pop up between my cymbal stands with his camera in one hand while he chowed down on some fresh nuts with his other hand.  Okay, maybe he didn't have nuts tucked away into his storage cheeks but he did keep popping up as I played our set.  Barry has been very good to me countless times over the years and it's always a pleasure to see him at shows.  Finally, I'd like to thank all of you who have checked out The Poundry this year.  I keep fantasizing that one day I'll be able to post something every couple of days but until there is a pretty drastic lifestyle change I'll have to post things as I can between fifty to sixty hour work weeks, another ten hours or so of practicing every week, and trying to stay on top of the things that continually pile up in the course of normal life in 2015.  Damn!  There is that freaky looking number again...

Have fun tonight, and be safe! Happy New Year's everyone!