Friday, August 9, 2013
An Interview With Me!
The wonderful Afe Smith was kind enough to do an interview with me over on her blog. Sorry I haven't been blogging, but it's been a hectic summer. It started off well on the writing front after I got the nice review from Harper Collins, and I wrote six new chapters, but then I got slammed by work and have really stalled.
Friday, July 12, 2013
An Evening Walk in Budapest
With my family away in Croatia on a vacation and me stuck in Budapest for work, I decided after dinner to take an evening stroll with my camera.
It was a lovely evening with a nice moon and lots of people walking near the Danube.
After crossing the Danube, I noticed an absolutely stunning young Italian woman walking along the river with two of her friends. I stopped to take the picture above, and she stopped to take the same shot. As she walked by me, she looked me right in the eyes and gave me an amazing smile. I've been happily married for 18 years, so it's a rare thing for any woman other than my beautiful wife to smile at me, let alone one who kinda, sorta looked like this...
So I had a very nice evening. How have you all been doing?
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| Castle with crescent moon |
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| Palace and Chain Bridge |
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| Chain Bridge |
Needless to say it made my week!
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| Parliament |
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Top 20 Soundgarden Songs
Since Soundgarden got back together last year and released an awesome new album, I've been listening to a lot of their great songs. I've done a few 'best of' lists in the past but somehow neglected Soundgarden, which is after all one of my favorite bands. For the purposes of this list I will also include some Chris Cornell solo work and also Temple of the Dog, which heavily featured Chris. If by doing this list I can introduce some previously unknown songs to you then I will be very happy.
1. Searching With My Good Eye Closed -- This was the first Soundgarden song I heard, as they opened with it at the live concert I attended that was my introduction to their music. The song is so heavy that it isn't just in old fashioned drop D tuning like many heavy songs--the guitar is tuned down two whole steps to B. The riff is so heavy and the vocals fit perfectly over it. I'm not enamored of the long intro, so I edit the song to fade in just before the vocals kick off.
2. Boot Camp -- Soundgarden's last album before they broke up was the vastly underrated Down On the Upside, which is my favorite of their albums. This song is pretty much overlooked by people for some reason, but I listen to it all the time.
3. Bones of Birds -- I bet you never heard this one either. It's from the new album, and naturally it hasn't been released as a single, since Soundgarden never puts their best songs out as singles. This one took a little time to grow on me, but it's lovely.
4. Beyond the Wheel -- This is one of the oldest Soundgarden songs, and while the studio version is very good, the live version from the Letterman concert is incredible.
5. Fourth of July -- Another overlooked song. It's dirgelike tone really appeals to me.
6. Pretty Noose -- A cool rocker from their best album. Love the wah wah pedal here.
7. Blood on the Valley Floor -- Excellent song from the new album, so of course it isn't a single.
8. Call Me a Dog -- My favorite song from the Temple of the Dog album.
9. Zero Chance -- Just gorgeous, and again from their best album, Down on the Upside.
10. Worse Dreams -- Here's another reason why the new album is so splendid.
11. By Crooked Steps -- See 10
12. Taree -- See 10 and 11. This song has the best buildup of any on the album but falls a tad short on the chorus, at least for me. It could easily have been the best song on the already great record.
13. An Unkind -- Short, rocking tune from the awesome Down on the Upside album.
14. Nothing to Say -- One of the best of the old Soundgarden songs.
15. Nowhere But You -- A Chris Cornell solo tune that is quirky and sounds like it belongs in a Tarantino movie.
16. Blow Up the Outside World -- What more can be said about the Down on the Upside album...it's the best!
17. Burden in My Hand -- See 16
18. Room a Thousand Years Wide -- Simple but great, from the Badmotorfinger album.
19. Jesus Christ Pose -- Iconic tune from Badmotorfinger, and while I love it, I somehow rarely feel like playing it, which is why it drops to here on the list.
20. Switch Opens -- A somewhat surreal but beautiful song from Down on the Upside.
Okay, so there are so many great Soundgarden songs that didn't make my top 20, but that's because Soundgarden tends to release their second-rate songs as singles while leaving their best stuff to languish in obscurity. Here are their other songs that have four stars on my iTunes list:
Like Suicide, The Keeper, Seasons, Outshined, Hands All Over, Flower, Overfloater, Mind Riot, Earache My Eye, Karaoke, Spoonman, Black Hole Sun, Hunger Strike, Your Savior, All Night Thing, The Day I Tried to Live, Loud Love, Live to Rise, Flutter Girl, Preaching the End of the World, Follow My Way, When I'm Down, Steel Rain, A Thousand Days Before, Non-State Actor, Been Away Too Long, Attrition, Black Saturday.
Wow, so many great songs! Not many bands outside of The Beatles, Zeppelin, Floyd, U2, Pearl Jam, etc., have managed so many.
1. Searching With My Good Eye Closed -- This was the first Soundgarden song I heard, as they opened with it at the live concert I attended that was my introduction to their music. The song is so heavy that it isn't just in old fashioned drop D tuning like many heavy songs--the guitar is tuned down two whole steps to B. The riff is so heavy and the vocals fit perfectly over it. I'm not enamored of the long intro, so I edit the song to fade in just before the vocals kick off.
2. Boot Camp -- Soundgarden's last album before they broke up was the vastly underrated Down On the Upside, which is my favorite of their albums. This song is pretty much overlooked by people for some reason, but I listen to it all the time.
3. Bones of Birds -- I bet you never heard this one either. It's from the new album, and naturally it hasn't been released as a single, since Soundgarden never puts their best songs out as singles. This one took a little time to grow on me, but it's lovely.
4. Beyond the Wheel -- This is one of the oldest Soundgarden songs, and while the studio version is very good, the live version from the Letterman concert is incredible.
5. Fourth of July -- Another overlooked song. It's dirgelike tone really appeals to me.
6. Pretty Noose -- A cool rocker from their best album. Love the wah wah pedal here.
7. Blood on the Valley Floor -- Excellent song from the new album, so of course it isn't a single.
8. Call Me a Dog -- My favorite song from the Temple of the Dog album.
9. Zero Chance -- Just gorgeous, and again from their best album, Down on the Upside.
10. Worse Dreams -- Here's another reason why the new album is so splendid.
11. By Crooked Steps -- See 10
12. Taree -- See 10 and 11. This song has the best buildup of any on the album but falls a tad short on the chorus, at least for me. It could easily have been the best song on the already great record.
13. An Unkind -- Short, rocking tune from the awesome Down on the Upside album.
14. Nothing to Say -- One of the best of the old Soundgarden songs.
15. Nowhere But You -- A Chris Cornell solo tune that is quirky and sounds like it belongs in a Tarantino movie.
16. Blow Up the Outside World -- What more can be said about the Down on the Upside album...it's the best!
17. Burden in My Hand -- See 16
18. Room a Thousand Years Wide -- Simple but great, from the Badmotorfinger album.
19. Jesus Christ Pose -- Iconic tune from Badmotorfinger, and while I love it, I somehow rarely feel like playing it, which is why it drops to here on the list.
20. Switch Opens -- A somewhat surreal but beautiful song from Down on the Upside.
Okay, so there are so many great Soundgarden songs that didn't make my top 20, but that's because Soundgarden tends to release their second-rate songs as singles while leaving their best stuff to languish in obscurity. Here are their other songs that have four stars on my iTunes list:
Like Suicide, The Keeper, Seasons, Outshined, Hands All Over, Flower, Overfloater, Mind Riot, Earache My Eye, Karaoke, Spoonman, Black Hole Sun, Hunger Strike, Your Savior, All Night Thing, The Day I Tried to Live, Loud Love, Live to Rise, Flutter Girl, Preaching the End of the World, Follow My Way, When I'm Down, Steel Rain, A Thousand Days Before, Non-State Actor, Been Away Too Long, Attrition, Black Saturday.
Wow, so many great songs! Not many bands outside of The Beatles, Zeppelin, Floyd, U2, Pearl Jam, etc., have managed so many.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Budapest Flood
Last week Budapest saw the Danube River flood to its highest level in a century. (click the photos to enlarge)
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| Parliament Building |
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| Me on the river walk drive that is usually well above water |
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Shots of me in A Good Day to Die Hard
I finally broke down and bought a copy of A Good Day to Die Hard. I say 'broke down' because when my sons and I watched it originally, well, we just didn't find it to be a very good movie. We loved all the other Die Hards, but this one lacked a memorable bad guy and the story was overwhelmed by too much of a fixation on non-stop action. Bruce Willis seemed much more of a tourist in this rather than the focus of attention, and I think that also weakened the movie.
But it was great fun to do several extra scenes for the film, even if almost all of it got cut. Sorry that the following photos aren't so great, but I couldn't figure out how to do real screen grabs from the blu-ray and had to settle for taking photographs of the tv screen. (click the photos to enlarge)
Here I am just the little blurry 'CIA agent' standing in the background while Mary Elizabeth Winstead greets her brother and father at the airport. This scene is in the theatrical cut only. They filmed quite a lot here and I even got to drive the car away, but they chopped most of it out.
Same scene a bit earlier on. I'm standing just behind Mary Winstead. The guy with her was some friend of Jai Courtney who came in just to do this little part.
This is a scene set in Moscow (though shot in Budapest) where the three main characters are about to enter a gun shop. I'm the 'Russian businessman' just to the right of Sebastian Koch.
I wish I could have captured blu-ray quality shots, but this is still pretty cool, at least for my kids and me!
But it was great fun to do several extra scenes for the film, even if almost all of it got cut. Sorry that the following photos aren't so great, but I couldn't figure out how to do real screen grabs from the blu-ray and had to settle for taking photographs of the tv screen. (click the photos to enlarge)
Friday, May 24, 2013
Great Unknown Music
Every once in a while I like to highlight fantastic music that I feel is being unfairly ignored by the world. With the Stone Temple Pilots in the news recently and everyone raving about their taking on the lead singer from Linkin Park in place of Scott Weiland (due to his refusal to ever kick the drugs)--all of which I find sad, since the new single they released with the new singer just isn't very good--I thought I would focus on Army of Anyone.
Have you heard of them? Even some people who have heard of them have pretty much forgotten about them by now. It the musical members of Stone Temple Pilots with the singer from Filter. Why it got ignored by most people, I have no idea, since their album rocks. I have five songs from their sole album rated as five stars in iTunes, and that ranks them up with the better albums of any band in my collection. It is true, I think, that the songs need some time to grow on you, but it's worth giving them several listens to allow this to happen.
Check out my five favorites from this great but overlooked album:
Have you heard of them? Even some people who have heard of them have pretty much forgotten about them by now. It the musical members of Stone Temple Pilots with the singer from Filter. Why it got ignored by most people, I have no idea, since their album rocks. I have five songs from their sole album rated as five stars in iTunes, and that ranks them up with the better albums of any band in my collection. It is true, I think, that the songs need some time to grow on you, but it's worth giving them several listens to allow this to happen.
Check out my five favorites from this great but overlooked album:
Friday, May 10, 2013
Celebration Day!
I got good news today. I think my work-in-progress novel The Immortality Game (a sci-fi thriller) may just have been the fastest ever reviewed by the Harper Collins editor. My book 'made the desk' (which means making it to the top 5 overall at the end of the month) just ten days ago and I received the review today. Most reviews that I have seen have taken months.
I don't believe Harper Collins has published any of the books that they have reviewed from Authonomy. The review of my book was very good, and they have asked me to submit the full manuscript to them for their board of readers to check out. Sadly, this is an incomplete book, so I hope they are willing to be patient while I finish it!
Anyone wishing to read the approximately 3/4 complete novel can do so HERE.
My favorite line from their review: This has very strong potential and I would certainly recommend it to the authonomy editorial board for consideration for publication.
I don't believe Harper Collins has published any of the books that they have reviewed from Authonomy. The review of my book was very good, and they have asked me to submit the full manuscript to them for their board of readers to check out. Sadly, this is an incomplete book, so I hope they are willing to be patient while I finish it!
Anyone wishing to read the approximately 3/4 complete novel can do so HERE.
My favorite line from their review: This has very strong potential and I would certainly recommend it to the authonomy editorial board for consideration for publication.
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