There Can Be Only One!! (Queensryche)

I've detailed the entire Queensryche controversy in the early days of  this blog, and now that its over, it seems only fitting that I go over the conclusion here too. Yep! Its over. The band with Todd LaTorre, Parker Lundgren, Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, and Scott Rockenfield is Queensryche! Geoff Tate will have to call his band something else. Its official! The dust is still settling, but the paths for each party have been laid out, and it was done by agreement, rather than a nasty court trial. Both sides are apparently happy with the settlement.

Also, from this point on, when I mention 'Queensryche,' I will be referring to Queensryche, and not Geoff Tate and his band. (I always did mean that, but I just had to clarify.)

There can be only ONE!!!

But honestly, the proof was in the print. Queensryche's self titled album shattered Tate's Frequency Unknown in sales. It sold more in the first month than Frequency Unknown did to DATE. It has also outsold the American Soldier  and Dedicated to Chaos albums to date. Also, Queensryche's self titled album (QRST?) received rave reviews constantly, (here is mine) while not one person seemed to have anything nice to say about Frequency Unknown. I sure didn't. But, that fact is once again backed up by the record sales. It all boiled down to the fact that the band was listening to what the loyal fans were saying, and decided to go back to making the music that put Queensryche on the map in the first place. Tate was wanting to make some 'weird electronic progressive rock band thing', and the fans weren't having it. Hence the sales of Dedicated to Chaos. A line in the sand was drawn, and both sides agreed that there could be only ONE Queensryche, and ultimately, there is one, the only one Queensryche until kingdom come, who claimed the prize!

This was the best performance of Mindcrime, and the
only one I need to see.

Basically, the stipulations are this: Queensryche gets the name, and the rights to perform all the songs from all the albums, however, Geoff Tate is allowed to perform Operation: Mindcrime I&II in their entirety for such performances. That has confused lots of fans, and it will be clarified when the band makes its press conference in a few days. What it means is that while the band can preform any song they want from the Mindcrime albums,  they cannot do a tour playing the album(s) in their entirety. If they want to play all the songs on Mindcrime except for say...the short song intros to other songs, and Suite Sister Mary, they can do that. Its a lot like the settlement between Pink Floyd and Roger Waters. Personally, I am okay with this. Geoff Tate has ran Mindcrime into the ground over the past 2 years with his merry band of misfit performers. I really don't want to see it performed in its entirety. Besides, I saw it performed to perfection on the Empire tour with all 5 original members in one of the most amazing concerts I've ever seen. That's something you really only need to see once in a lifetime in my opinion. Plus, I own Operation: Livecrime. Also, Geoff Tate gets to do a farewell tour under the Queensryche banner this summer. I would imagine that it will be billed as Geoff Tate's Queensryche, but after that, he will have to call his band something else.

I have no earthly idea!

Now, as I eagerly wait for the next Queensryche album, there are a few things that I'm wondering. One, What will happen to Frequency Unknown? Will future copies of that album still bear the Queensryche name? It shouldn't really matter though. Its not like that album is having to be reprinted or anything. I'm just wondering if I should buy another copy in case it becomes a collectors item sometime in the future. (I trashed the copy that I reviewed)  Two, After Geoff Tate's farewell tour, what will he be playing live? His solo albums including Frequency Unknown? (He didn't like playing things off that album to begin with...and I don't blame him. lol)  Three, Since Queensryche has the rights to perform the songs from the Tateryche albums (Hear in the Now Frontier, Tribe, Q2K, OMII, American Soldier, and Dedicated to Chaos) will they allow Tate to perform those? I seriously doubt they will be performing any songs from those albums. Also, I gotta admit that I was slightly intrigued with Tate's performance of Lola on that morning news show in Seattle, with Vaudeville. If he was to tour doing that, I MIGHT go see it, as long as it isn't called Queensryche. It was interesting, and the blonde on the left was ridiculously smoking hot.

Queensryche: Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Todd LaTorre,
Parker Lundgren, Scott Rockenfield. Its OFFICIAL!

Anyway, in closing, I just want to say congratulations to the one and only Queensryche, and I am looking forward to the future of this great band. I have high hopes because the band has said in interviews that the new songs they are writing are HEAVY! That is the word that every fan has been dying to hear 'spoken' from the band for years. The future of Queensryche is bright in the hands of Todd LaTorre, Eddie Jackson, Michael Wilton, Scott Rockenfield, and Parker Lundgren. The self titled album was great. Now, its time for the masterpiece.

Now that its all over, I think of the band I grew up with, and.......

....I remember now.

Hmmm..They KISSed and Made Up??

I seem to remember saying this about Kiss and the Hall of Fame:

 Still, after saying all this, I can’t help but wonder whether this whole feud is nothing more than a publicity stunt that Simmons, Stanley, Frehley, and Criss are all in on.

After all I documented HERE, for them to just 'KISS' and make up seems kind of unlikely. So, what am I saying in this short blog post? Not much really. Just watch this video:

Was I right or was I right??

I Have an AXE to Grind With Guitar Hero

I have always had a problem with Guitar Hero. So many things these days are taking the imagination away from kids, and Guitar Hero is one of them. How so? Well, I'll tell you. Two words. AIR GUITAR! That's right. When I was a kid, before I started playing guitar, my friends and I would jam out to music, and pretend that we had instruments. We were badass, and we all knew it. And, I bet that we had more fun than these kids today who play Guitar Hero or Rock Band because we didn't have some lame game telling us that we screwed up on a fake guitar that in no way, shape or form even resembles a real guitar. Guitars have strings and frets, and are made of wood. Guitar hero controllers (I refuse to call them guitars) are TOYS and nothing more. 

You might think that my hatred of Guitar Hero is irrational, and it very well may be. But, I have a reason, and its a good one. People who hate clowns usually hate them because of one particular experience. Well, I do hate clowns, and it is due to one particular experience, but I also hate Guitar Hero because of one particular experience...And NO, I didn't get embarrassed by someone who was better at it than I am. Actually, ANYBODY would be better than me at Guitar Hero because I've never played. Also, musicians who have tried it have said that its hard to do because it bears ZERO resemblance to actually playing a real guitar. Anyway, back to my hatred of Guitar Hero...I used to be a carpet cleaner. One day, I had a job to do, and it was raining. Pouring. Noah was pairing up animals. I got to this house, and of course, it had no overhang over the porch, so I was going to get soaked. I ran up to the door, and knocked. There was a window in the door, and I could see inside. There were 2 teenagers standing in front of the TV, playing Guitar Hero, and they ignored me. I knocked louder, and they still ignored me. I beat on the door, and they still ignored me. I was completely drenched, and finally, they put their toys down and answered the door. One kid said "Sorry, dude, but we had a wicked streak going." I have hated Guitar Hero ever since.  

Call me when you get the real thing, ok loser?

Before that, I still wasn't a fan. I still thought it was just toys, and thought that it was stupid, but I didn't have this deep rooted psychotic hatred for it like I do now. Lets look at it, shall we? It has nothing to do with playing an actual guitar. It has 5 colored buttons that you click for various sounds. But, that's not the half of it. There are people out there who actually think that being good at Guitar Hero is some type of status symbol or something. They will tell you about their sessions like a musician telling you about an awesome gig he played, and what's worse, they will even try to talk to you like they KNOW how to play guitar! I was talking to this guy, who was telling me about all the guitars he had. It actually took me a few minutes to realize that he was talking about Guitar Hero toys. Is my daughter a doctor because she has a toy stethoscope? NO! And these Guitar Hero players are not guitarists either. 

Did you ever see the South Park episode about Guitar Hero? It was brilliant. Long story short, the kids got into it, but when Stan's dad tried to get them interested in the real thing, the kids thought he was lame. Later, the kids scored a million points, and "unlocked super stardom." Once that happened, a guy popped on screen, and said "Congratulations on reaching a million! Now, here is your super stardom....YOU'RE FAGS!!!" They hit the nail on the head as they usually do.

Derp! Derp! Derpa Derp!

Aside from the obvious reasons I hate Guitar Hero (its a stupid toy that has actually nothing to do with playing a real guitar, its taking imagination away from kids, and making them appreciate real musicianship even less) Another reason is that people just look freaking stupid when they play it. They just stand there, looking dumb, with a blank expression on their faces. What's even worse is when you go to a store that has a display set up. There will be a line of teens and even young adults waiting to play it, watching and cheering like the people who are playing currently are actually shredding on a guitar.

One picture shows a real badass musician. The other shows 2 grown men with toys.

Look, if these people want to spend their time playing with toys, that's fine. But, I guarantee you  that a Guitar Hero master will NEVER know what it feels like to wail on a guitar solo in front of a huge group of people. It is one of the most unique feelings that there is, and more power to them if they never want to experience it. You could say that its just like any other video game, but its not. If these Guitar Hero 'Masters' put the time they play with their toys into learning to play a real guitar, they would be VERY good guitarists, and they might actually get to experience playing in front of crowds. But, they won't. They will just look at you with the same blank stare, and tell you that you're crazy for bringing it up.

Now, as I wrap this up, I do have to say that there is a positive from Guitar Hero. One single little positive. It is exposing kids to the great music of the past that they otherwise might not have heard. I also don't blame bands like Aerosmith, The Beatles, Megadeth, Metallica, and others who have had editions come out featuring their music. Its another revenue stream for them, and it also, like I said, exposes kids to music they might have never heard. Other than that, Guitar Hero is garbage. 

"My grandkids always beat me at Rock Band. And I say, Listen, you may beat me at Rock Band, but I made the original records, so shut up."

-Paul McCartney 

What's Up With Me Lately?

I've been slow to post lately. I'm sorry. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? Its just that I've been super busy. And, yeah I know, everybody says that, but I think that once you read this, I'll be worthy of your forgiveness. But, honestly the only thing I can think of lately to write about lately is politics, and that's not a good idea since my political posts get the fewest reads.

But, I have been really busy. I've been really trying to build the Will and Thunder Show. <ca-ching!> We've had lots of guests lately, and the show gets better each week. 

3D In Your Face! Buy their album!

We made some great friends with an 80's metal band from Omaha, Nebraska, called 3D In Your Face. I actually got in touch with them as a result of the review of them that I did for Sleaze Roxx. They have been on the show twice now, and I am actually bringing them to the city I live in, Fayetteville, NC for a concert in September. Their guitarist was a member of the 82nd Airborne, and was stationed here at Ft. Bragg. We are doing the show so that he can perform in front of his fellow soldiers. I'm not only doing this for the troops, because I've always been a strong military supporter. I'm also doing it to have a current promotion to add to my portfolio, as I begin to start my own promotion company. 

But, that's not all that is going on with the Will and Thunder Show. We are looking at several different things to grow the show exponentially, and to get it onto a more professional format than Blog Talk Radio. (Blog Talk is a great place to start, don't get me wrong, but there are much better avenues for an online radio program.) We have 2 other avenues interested in taking the show, and I have also made an offer to someone big to endorse the show. (Can't discuss that at the moment) 

In anticipation of leaving Blog Talk, I have been transferring the archive to YouTube. That is a major pain in the ass because I am editing the shows, adding pictures to them to make a slideshow, and uploading them to YouTube. It takes a total of about 5 hours per episode. So, yeah. It takes a lot of time. But, once I only have to do one a week vs one or more a day, that will free up lots of time. Check out the YouTube page here. Both 3D In Your Face shows are already there. :)

                                                               Here's one of the shows!

You will KNOW!

Another thing I have going on is a writing project that I have been working on for almost 2 years with a friend in Australia. He's probably been a little frustrated with me over the past month, because I haven't been able to do ANYTHING with that project. I can't say much more about that one other than when its finished, and I am ready to promote it, you WILL know. I promise. :)

All this is going on while I am trying raise my 4 year old, and trying to find employment somewhere. Thanks to the 0bama recovery, jobs are very hard to come by these days. Luckily for me, my wife has a good job, or I'd be living in a van, down by the river!!! I couldn't resist ONE 0bama jab, and why not? Although, Pelosi DID say that being unemployed will be a good thing because it will let you follow your dreams. I would rather have a paying job, Nancy. Why don't YOU give YOUR dreams a follow?

Murry Wilson: Managed the Beach Boys
when they worth millions. Sold the songs
out from under them for thousands.

Now, before I end this one, I just gotta get something off my chest. A while back, a band booked on the Will and Thunder Show. They were supposed to be on April 15th. They never returned my calls when I called to confirm, and today, I called, and their "manager" picked up the phone and hung up on me. Wasn't even man enough to tell me he wanted to cancel. This "manager" is the father of one of the band members. You would think he would want his kid's band to get exposure right? I guess that because the Will and Thunder Show isn't as big as 'That Metal Show,' it isn't good enough for his kid? Seems he is doing the band a disservice. Hopefully, the band will fire him before they get big, (and I believe they will. They are VERY good.) before he does anymore damage to them. I am reminded of a father of a few kids in a band got jealous, and wound up selling everything the band was worth for pennies on the dollar. This doesn't really have anything to do with me personally. It happened today, and I thought it was really screwed up.

Anyway, that is what's been up with me lately, and why I haven't been posting lately. Hopefully soon, I will be able to blog more, rant and review more. Although, I have been writing for Sleaze Roxx regularly though. So, in the meantime, GO WHOEVER YOUR TEAM IS!!

-Sincerely, William Telltale

My readers rule!!!