I dressed up as Gene Simmon's from "Dressed to Kill" at 13 for Halloween

18. Gene Simmons "Kiss and Make-up"
You will never read another autobiography of a musician that barely mentions playing music. You will also not envy Gene Simmons.

The bassist from Kiss is the product of a single parent household. He's never done drugs or drank alcohol. He loves to fuck. He makes sure that you, reader, understand that he loves to fuck and he was raised by his mother without any help from dad. He also loves money.

The book is an easy and quick read. Simmons never takes himself or anything else too seriously. Simmons' "Kiss" is like a pleasant Wikipedia page about something you've always known of but never cared much about. Like Kiss.

Doctor

37. "Leatherheads"
I think I'd enjoy any George Clooney film set in the 1920s.

"Leatherheads" was almost exactly as I thought it would be. It's got a little bit of slapstick, looks great, has a good amount of chuckles and some decent dialogue. Not great but far from bad.

I wouldn't see it again but I wouldn't turn it off.

Time to see "The Good German."

The end of the month

I'll be opening a show for Voodoo Organist and Daniel Knox. Mr. Knox is my favorite songwriter and I'm lucky enough to get to play before the guy. The show is at South Union Arts, a great venue that has yet to be fully discovered. A large neon cross still hangs (the place used to be a church). I'll probably have guests. If no guests, I'll have new songs.

Fetor's next EP will be released in late May/early June.

I've never liked the Rolling Stones

17. Tony Sanchez "Up and Down with the Rolling Stones"
I am a fan of "The Dirt" and most of my friends know this. They understand my vice, my love of rock and roll biographies. They recommend what they've read and "Up and Down with the Rolling Stones" has been highly recommended. I still say "The Dirt" takes the cake.

The author was a friend of the band from the beginning and began to work for Keith Richards once his partner Anita and him needed a constant supply of heroin. Sanchez had access to the band and while it's nice to know who and how certain members slept with other members girlfriends, it gets boring fast.

Maybe you need to be a Stones fan. Maybe you need a romanticized version of rock and roll in the 60s. You need something that makes the Stones important. I do not have that thing.

I stand by my proclamation that "The Dirt" is the only rock and roll book you should read, regardless of your love of rock or roll.

If you happen to live in Chicago

I'm in Fetor. I'm friends with Altgeld Forgotten. They're friends with We Make Thunder. Please show up. I'll show up.

Travel blog!

The Raggaeton is keeping me awake.

Doug and I drove from Portland to Chicago. Not enough happened. We left Portland on Easter Sunday and got back four or five days later. I got sick after the first night. It rained on the parade.

I don't want to live in the country. There isn't much to look at. Sure, the sky goes on for miles, but there are too many billboards featuring fetii (the plural form of fetus?) for my taste.

Idaho sure is vast.

I took too many photos and will post them when I can not sleep.

Not enough girls, girls, girls

16. Tommy Lee and Anthony Bozza "Tommyland"
What's wrong with me? Why did I finish this book?

"Tommyland" is the worst book I've ever read. This saddens me because "The Dirt," the Motley Crue autobiography, is one of the best books I've ever read.

Tommy Lee writes like an excited 10-year old boy. It worked in small doses in "The Dirt." By page 50 of "Tommyland" you want to give the kid an extremely late term abortion.

I can not stress how awful this thing is. It's not so bad it's good, just bad.

I blame myself. I should've stopped by page 20, not suffer through another 200 pages.

They do as they say

36. "No Country for Old Men"
Just like the book, not a word is wasted. The dialogue probably filled about 15 pages of a two hour film. The landscape was a character. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh was brilliant. The lack of music was well-used. There are no problems with this film.

Cormac McCarthy had to write the novel knowing it would become a film. Only one major section is left out but is still alluded to. The inner dialogues of Sheriff Bell make for excellent bookends on the film. The beginning and end are unusual but make perfect sense.

Of the nominations that I saw for Best Picture of the Oscars, I agree with this one taking home the prize.