Well, it’s been awhile since I last made a post, so here are a few things I’ve gotten myself into:
Here I am with probably the best crew I’ve worked with since being in Chicago. The shoot was for the DIY Network show Rock Solid. Not only was everyone great, but the shoot went an extra day which meant an extra day of money. However, the best part was making a nice contact with Jason, the only other local crew member on the team. Super cool guy. We shared a few beers after our last work day, and he has even hired me since for another shoot (more on that later in the post). The photo above shows the crew after a wrap-up meal at Giordano’s.
Below, a photo of me with the hosts Dean and Derek:
A few days before my birthday, I got a surprise package in the mail. It was my very own World of the Weird Monster Show shirt. The photo below doesn’t really show off the shirt too well, but I sure look creepy:
A couple weeks after the DIY shoot, Jason hired me to work on a shoot with him for Dean Guitars at a Megadeth/Black Sabbath (w/o Osbourne) show. Yes, you read me correctly! When I got to the venue, Jason and the rest of his crew were mapping out their plan of attack. They had an interview with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, but it was only for a short amount of time, and they needed to make sure they got him talking about using his Dean guitar before growing tired of the interview and kicking us out. Mustaine is notorious for having a bad temper and legendary bad-blood feuds with fellow musicians. When it was time for us to conduct our interview, we met him in his back stage dressing room, which wasn’t as extravagant as one would imagine for a rock and roll star. So we have the meet and greet, and the first thing Dave says to me is “Did you borrow your mom’s glasses?” Was this supposed to be an insult? If so, I found it to be hilarious as well as confusing. I started to smirk, and he uttered “I’m just kidding”. Yes, I have been insulted by the leader of Megadeth! The interview was short, but still it didn’t seem like Dave wanted to be there. We finished up as soon as possible and interviewed the rest of his band members on the tour bus (who were all very generous and kind). We then recorded the show but wrapped before the Sabbath.
The next show I attended was far more tame than the metal cries of Megadeth. Peter Bjorn and John (which makes me think of Peter, Paul, and Mary everytime I say the name) were playing two sold-out shows this week at the Empty Bottle as well as a free show at the Apple Store downtown on Michigan Avenue. Even though I’m a mere casual listener of PBJ, I do love free shows and thus made the train/bus trip down. Check out the line below:
The wait wasn’t long and even though I was near the back, I didn’t have a problem getting a wristband and making it into the show. The funniest part of the acoustic set was when Peter (or was it John) was killing time during a string change to point out the pigeons on the cover of their album Writer’s Block. He made it a game to see who could tell him how many pigeons there were on the cover. When John (or was it Peter) asked him what the person would win, P or J said “Umm, a free iPod.” The Apple Store did not honor this impromptu contest.
While it was a short concert, it was an enjoyable time. From what I recall, the trio played “Objects of My Affection,” “Amserdam,” “Let’s Call It Off,” “Paris 2004,” and, of couse, “Young Folks”.
As I was leaving the Apple Store, I walked right into the Expedia.com Dance Troupe. I heard someone (certainly an Expedia.com representative) around me say, “They’re going to be on Conan.”
After leaving downtown, I stopped over at Wicker Park to go to the bank. When I came out of the bank I noticed some folks flying a kite from the top of their apartment building. Who needs a park?
That night, I caught my first televised Sox game since April 27th. I will spare you my nine comments this time, but I will mention that last night’s win was a relief. After going on a losing streak as well as choking the night before in extra innings, it felt good to even be back at .500.
And to wrap things up here, we got a DVD copy of the World of the Weird Monster Show from Undead Johnny in the mail, the one with my birthday wishes! So to end the post, here is what completely befuddled and made my day two Fridays ago:
(Thanks Chad!)
