Steal This Idea! Any Creative Breaking Bad Fans With Decent Songwriting Skills?

Posted on September 5, 2013 by geelw

OK, I’m a genius (in my mind), but even I need some help every so often. My latest bright idea: take the awesome song Two Reelers from Frank Black’s excellent Teenager of the Year album and rework it into a Breaking Bad homage and possibly a video using clips from all the show’s seasons. “How do I think these things up?” you ask? Well, as usual, it’s random. This silly idea popped into my head while listening to that tune today when the line

And Mr. White heard bad report
And so it ends the two reeler short
Cause you cannot do what you can’t

rolled into my ears and I started laughing because the show has PLENTY of scenes where Walt gets bad news about something or IS bad news for someone and hears about it from someone else.

Anyway, in a perfect world, Weird Al would be on the case in a heartbeat and a half, but I don’t ave his number handy and even if I did, he’d probably think I was on meth when I thought this one up. Sooooo, I’ll just put this idea out here and let you guys pick up the slack and net some genius points of your own with those mad rewriting skills. You’ll either gain immortality on the web or a couple of lawsuits or both for your efforts most likely, so get crackin’, people! I expect results. Or as the late Gus Fring would say “Now get back to work!”

“It’s a Holiday! I’m Not Supposed to Work Today!” (Well, Perhaps You Should…)

Posted on September 2, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, theincredibletoy!)

I overheard that at the laundry early this morning and got a chuckle because everything is a form of “work” even if you’re on a holiday. Hey, run that quote by my brain when it wants to get something done with words and it’ll chuckle at you too. “I can start anytime I want to” it will say in response before getting me into some sort of trouble after I post what pops out. It’s a messy process, people. Of course, this striving to put out content that changes based on a few things from a squishy, thinky thing needs to be continually fed and fertilized can lead to some minor to major distress on occasion. Oh, don’t worry, dear readers – I’m not the suicidal type at all, but it’s sure hard as hell to concentrate on stuff I need to do that’s of a mildly entertaining value when the rest of the world is perched on a ledge and no one’s called the cops.

Go ahead and jump, planet – the gawkers will click away with their cameras and get all social about the dive in their usual places online and off (not realizing that you’re taking those sheep-shaped dopes with you). Meanwhile, I’ll be here doing stuff (or letting my brain do stuff) while those who can handle it pick up the pieces and break out the library paste. Hmmm… maybe the planet just needs a vacation from the people on it and has been dropping some hints of the not so gentle variety. Oh well. At least I now have clean socks and underwear for the apocalypse, ha ha… eep.

World Noose: Some Musical Selections to the People Who Run Things Worldwide…

Posted on August 30, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, Ben Murphy!)

You can’t get more precise than that, but let’s have another, shall we? To wit (and about ten or so years later):

(thanks Waldo667!)

Angrier and louder (and less funky), but yeah, you get the message. Just pass it up the ladder ’til it reaches the top. And hell, add some Creedence in for good measure (because nobody doesn’t love them some Creedence):

(thanks ChowdhuryMorshead!)

And so forth and so on. Pick a few of your own favorites and make up a playlist. Pass it on, pass it on, pass it on.. maybe one day they’ll start listening. And talking to each other before the shit hits the fan… again.

Slight Productivity Increase Allows For Tap Timeout!

Posted on August 8, 2013 by geelw

(thanks again, GoodOldDaysReturns!)

Well, I actually got some stuff done today that didn’t revolve around me wanting to strangle my computer or anyone in the vicinity, so I’m happy and feel like celebrating for a bit. Er, this is all the warden will allow, though… so take it or leave it, folks. Whee! And hey – Keep those hands to yourself, mister – that’s 30 days in solitary if you get too frisky, grrr!

BandFuse: Rock Legends Reboots the Music Game Genre Big Time

Posted on August 8, 2013 by geelw

Calling Realta Entertainment’s upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 title BandFuse: Rock Legends a mere video game is actually doing it a huge injustice. When you discover just how in depth this game is going to be, even the most jaded fan of the former kings of plastic and actual guitar games should be bowing down and paying their respects to what’s going to be an incredibly comprehensive class in guitar and bass for all skill levels. There’s a vocal element as well for you singers, however drummers don’t get some here at all. Still, you skin thumpers out there will want this one for the sheer amount of stuff you can learn and try out if you’ve got a guitar tucked away in your closet somewhere.

Meeting up with Reverb’s Doug Perry and Realta’s super enthusiastic Marcus Henderson (the game’s designer) for a demonstration of the game made for an hour so packed with information that it seemed as if we were discussing three or four entirely different games and a couple of expansion packs.

BandFuse packs in actual guitar use (yours or one you can buy in an excellently priced bundle kit), no-fail gameplay, a ton of lessons from some guitar greats, a built in studio full of all sorts of goodies and more to the point where I was left shaking my head in awe and respect whenever Henderson pointed out a new feature. There’s a serious amount of content here, ALL of it high quality, unlocked from the start and any of it ready to be studied in depth and practiced at one’s leisure making this an essential tool for budding to expert players.

Continue reading →

Beatbuddy Now Available- The Only Rhythmic Platformer You’ll Need This Month!

Posted on August 7, 2013 by geelw

Wow. Super catchy tunes, classic platforming action, awesome retro/modern visuals and more, all now ready to snap up in Beatbuddy: Tales of the Guardians. The game’s developer, THREAKS has cooked up a really cool treasure that’s part throwback and part modern classic that’s going to bring grins to anyone who remembers the glory days of popping in 16-bit carts on a rainy weekend and tap-tap-tapping the hours away. Now, if only this was on a cartridge (or the PS Vita!). OK, time for the not so gory details, folks. Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians is available now on Steam for $14.99 on PC, Mac, and Linux and even better, there’s a nice 10% off sale, meaning you probably should take advantage of this deal while it lasts if this game happens to float your boat…

Aggronautix’ DEVO Energy Dome Throbblehead Gets My Musical Memories Buzzing…

Posted on July 4, 2013 by geelw

As usual, Aggronautix hits me on the head with another nostalgia surprise from the 80’s. This one’s in a limited edition of 2000, ships out in September and you can pre-order directly from Aggronautix HERE or at Seeofsound HERE. I hadn’t listened to it in ages, but seeing this news in my inbox had smile and break out the Freedom of Choice CD and yup, it still holds up as a great collection of tunes that had appeal outside the confines of the “new wave” pigeonhole it got jammed into.

Of course, trying to put DEVO into any sort of box is a foolish endeavor, kids. They’ve always done what they do in a memorable enough manner that makes for some fine E-Z Listening no matter what the critics say…

(Thanks, DEVOvision!)

While the Ketars and keyboards lent a synth-pop feel to the record, the stellar drum work (from the late Alan Meyers) and hard guitars throughout the LP made for some interesting cross genre airplay. “Gates of Steel” and the title track popped up on some heavy metal radio stations, “Whip it” was also a huge “crossover” hit on a few stations (and totally misunderstood by some thanks to that hilarious music video), and some of the other tunes (“That’s Pep!”, “Planet Earth”) make for pretty nice and subtle social commentary you might not grasp on that first listen. Anyway, let me shut up and get back to the present before I end up breaking out some more “oldies” from that era…

Mutt to Do on a Monday? Let it Go to the Dogs, I Say!

Posted on June 24, 2013 by geelw

(thank you, Wayne Barker woof!!)

So, you boss is still barking at you about that report, eh? You get in earlier than he does, do twenty-two times the work and you still get treated like a sled dog, hmmmm? Well, take a break while he’s out at lunch or chasing after that secretary and get a chuckle from Carl Emmy and His Mad Wags. Even if you’re a cat person, your Monday has just gotten lighter and a bit less dogged (hopefully and paradoxically)…

Monday Night Still Manic? Think of the Little People And Smile…

Posted on June 17, 2013 by geelw

No, I don’t mean “think of the little people” as you sit there twirling your mustache (real, imagined, or candy) with one hand, counting money with the other and eating finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off with the third. Yes, your boss has a third arm – not because he’s an alien at all, but because he could afford the damn surgery (yeah, he’s easily bored). I mean look at the video above of Buster Shaver, Olive and George from this Vitaphone Pepper Pot and be amazed that holy hot pretzels, vaudeville was mighty amazing back in the day. Naturally, some would call this “Reality TV” today, but I think this stuff is MUCH better than the so-called “variety” we see that’s mostly the same stuff but with battlin’ judges (boo!).

Of course, some bossy types may get a wee bit TOO worked up and consider lovely Olive being whipped around like an overworked machine part something like the “magic” they work on the employees they lord over (“Mua-ha-ha-haaaa!”). But that’s when they choke on that tiny sliced sammich and see little angels with pointy pitchforks dancing around their heads for a hot second before the maid (or the wife flipping a coin and damning her luck) gives them a Heimlich-assisted kick in the gut. Lucky bastard… we’ll get you next time…

Let The Three Queens Make Your Monday Less Manic – They Do All The Work For You!

Posted on June 17, 2013 by geelw

It’s another Monday and just look at you. Sitting at that desk in that cubicle in that office in THAT building in that block on that street in that city in that zip code in that state (if applicable) in that country on that planet. Your coffee’s long gone cold and has the shape of a crazy upside down face formed from the artificially flavored creamer doing its chemical thing, your desk looks as if a small tornado fell out of your pockets or handbag and blew across it and your boss it taking the day off because he’s the boss and you’re not. Or he’s there and you were .29 seconds late and he’s giving you a look as if you drove up to his home, kicked his expensive dog as he was walking it that morning and then rolled in tardy because of it. Did I mention that your inbox just got 500 more messages you haven’t yet seen? Yeah, that’s a Monday, isn’t it? Well, cheer up.. or at least let the The Three Queens dance your foul mood into powder as you watch that video above and pretend they’re tap-tap-tapping away right next to your desk. Or on the head of your boss, if you’re one of those more stubborn people. If that’s the case, cheer up, I say. There’s not another Monday coming until next week…