The Package.

CD of the day: "Razorblade Suitcase" by Bush

I got a package today from Gina out in San Diego. She sent me the Basquiat catalog from the LA exhibit, among other goodies. She felt bad that I couldn't go, so she bought it for me. Isn't she a doll? Made my day. Fuck, it made my week!

Finished a track. Tried to start another one but wasn't feeling it. Scrapped the Seventh Sign job and started over. The first version was boring. This new one is just okay. I'll probably do a third version before I'm done. Those guys are getting their money's worth.

Got a call from Trackmasta Lou from Scan 7 today, out of the blue. He's apparently trying to put together a tour in Europe with various Detroit guys, me included. Let's hope he can pull it off.

It's funny, I move away from Detroit, and people want to invite me to do stuff now.

Saw "The Island." I can best describe it as director Michael Bay's version of "Minority Report," with a plotline derivative of "Logan's Run" and "Gattaca." Despite a few continuity glitches, a it's great summer blockbuster full of the patented Michael Bay car chases (very intense, non-CGI stunts, better than "The Matrix Reloaded") and explosions. Very hot jet bike sequence reminiscent of the speeder-bike chase in "Return of the Jedi," the urban remix.

I was shocked to see that parts were filmed in Detroit (doubling as a nuked-out Los Angeles)! Grand Circus Park, the old Train Station on Michigan Avenue, the theatre-turned-parking garage off Grand River (right near the old Submerge!), this one little street downtown where Maurice Malone's club used to be, and a stretch of I-94 near Downriver, where the oil refineries are, all right onscreen.

And let me say that nobody introduces a character onscreen like Bay. He likes his dramatic, swirling, upshots (a move ripped off from Tony Scott).

This one's a definite DVD keeper.

People like to dis Michael, but I've been a fan of his work since "Bad Boys." I love his instincts, which are always over the top. He likes to give good show and he likes to give the audience their money's worth. I like guys who push like that, instead of being some lame, middle-of-the-road guy, like 51% of America is now. Fuck the critics.

Untitled.

CD of the day: "Around The Fur" by Deftones

It was a lazy summer day. Didn't do much. I could have drawn, but I'm not real motivated right now despite all the amazing art I saw last week. I guess I need clients, paydays and actual goals to motivate me. I wanna publish this comic series I've been working on, but I can't do that 'till next year some time.

Went out last night for martinis at Tsuki to unwind after a shitty week. My friend Paul just moved here from Detroit, so I invited him out. It was funny, we were just comparing the cost of living of the two cities. The one good thing about Detroit is that you can live like a king for not so much money. When I think of all the amenities I left behind, I almost want to move back. Then I think of the people...and the fact that there's nowhere like Tsuki to hang out at...and the fact you can take the train to both airports...and car insurance is cheaper here...and the fact that I'm moving on to Berlin...and...well...

By the way, my art debut in Paris is officially October 22nd at the Batofar. I'll be showing the three big pieces from the Open Door Gallery show, plus a new piece, hopefully. I'll be DJing also. Keep checking www.alanoldham.com for more info.

Oh, and I'm bidding on a new TASCAM CD recorder on eBay right now. Stick to what works.

I notice Jit (Suburban Knight) was in Chicago tonight at Smartbar. Techno on a weekend, the world must be ending. Let's hope he got more than 25 people.

Don't Believe The Hype.

I'm at the end of my rope, and I'll tell you why.

First of all, as you know, my CD recorder went out a long time ago. We got a mail order that requested I dub some tracks onto CD-R. Of course, iTunes doesn't work like a hard disk recorder (it should), you can't just record into it line in (why not?). So I figured I'd go thru Cubase and do it. Long story short, I was literally all day trying to record two lousy fucking tracks and burn them to CD. All day, like noon to 6 pm, damn near a whole work day. The recordings ended up bunk, and so was trying to burn them. I just now gave up. Keep in mind the tracks were from DAT, already finished, it's not like I was trying to actually produce new stuff on it.

So Giaxia comes around and we're trying to figure the shit out. Basically it's DAT to eMac to Cubase to .AIFF file to iTunes to CD. Five steps just to dub some shit. It's ridiculous.

Oh and of course, Cubase LE (the one I have anyway), doesn't have any entries in the "help" section, so you're on your own. =P

Software is shit. I'm not using it anymore, period. I like Final Cut Pro and I LOVE iMovie, but that's it; funny how I like the visual programs, not the music ones. If I still had my TASCAM, I could have dubbed those tunes in 10 minutes.

I'm sick of the hype and people in my ear telling me how great this shit is. It takes too long and there's too much to learn. You have to literally go back to school to learn this shit. Simple stuff takes a whole day with software, if not longer. Period.

Dig this. Miles just produced these vocals for me, right? It took him a month on Reason. Literally four weeks. Every time I asked him what the deal was, he ran down some nonsense about what Reason couldn't do. He'd just told me before that Reason was the shit, so spare me the details. I finally yelled at him and he got it done =) On four-track and a guitar pedal for distortion you could have tracked vocals in a full day, WITH HARMONIES.

All programs should be like iMovie. Simple as hell, everything right there, drag and drop, you can make a whole documentary with the shit, titles included. Lay your soundtrack, no problem. You don't even need a tutorial. I made a DJ T-1000 commercial with it in a few hours.

There's other shit I'm pissed off about right now, too, but that's the main thing. Just think, a few days ago I was in San Diego, having a blast. Talk about peaks and valleys, man.

I'm off to take some Motrin and lay down now, my head hurts.

Live From The West Coast.

Just flew back from California, and boy are my arms tired. Ba-dump-bump-pssh. The trip was a mixed bag.

First of all, American Airlines sucks, let's get that out of the way right now. I had a connecting flight, which I hate. In the interest of saving money I let them put me on such a flight, but I won't again. Every flight coming and going was delayed. Every one. The connections were horrible, especially the flight back. Everybody was in the waiting areas looking like refugees, trying to make it home.

Speaking of the flight home, they (American) wouldn't let me extend my stay on the West Coast (they said that if I missed my flight, they'd cancel the ticket and I'd have to buy a one-way ticket home all over again for $600) so I missed the Basquiat retrospective in Los Angeles completely, which devastated me.

(The ticket was purchased before I found out about the Basquiat exhibit; if I'd known, we would have scheduled it accordingly.)

On the up side, went to Comic-Con for the first time. My God, what a huge show! I've been to cons before, but this was mammoth. Yes, I met my favorite comic artist of the moment, ASHLEY WOOD (top). Pretty cool guy I suppose. I was such a fanboy. Not too many people impress me like that anymore. People come up to me as a DJ and act that way, now I know what it's like.

The rest of the show was great too. Took a few pics (including one with Ron Glass from "Barney Miller" and "Serenity" pic three), talked to some of my favorite childhood comic artists and writers, even saw some old friends, like Dave from the former Dave's Comics in Royal Oak. He had a table there. It was so great to see him, I almost shed a tear. Turns out he opened a new store way out in outlying Michigan somewhere, far from Detroit.

I'm really inspired to draw some more. I went to the Con and got my eyes blown out. These new kids out here are out of control, art-wise. Real rock stars. Lots of graf and manga influences even in mainstream DC and Marvel comics. And they dress like fucking rock stars, too. Super-cool brothas with dreads flying all over the place.

I guess I should talk about the gig itself, the reason I was there in the first place. =)

First of all, after the hell flight getting out there (I'd been up since 5 am), nobody picked me up from the airport. I ended up having to call my friend Gina from a payphone to come get me (she's the one that bought me that book for my b-day). That wasn't cool. Turns out the the promoter, rather than parking his car and actually coming in the airport like one does when they're PICKING SOMEONE UP FROM THE AIRPORT, stayed in his car--and out of sight-- the whole time (????). He kept calling my cell, which was dead due to the long flight out there. He finally appeared, but then Gina got there. And she's prettier ;-)

He later made it up to me by taking me to sushi dinner which was the best sushi I've ever had, and remember I've eaten sushi all over the world, including Tokyo. The place was called Sushi Ito. It was right on the main drag. The streets were crowded, everybody out having fun, San Diego was jumping.

The hotel was weird, though, it was a refurbished YMCA with shared bathrooms. They didn't have a pool, either, grrr. The only reason I didn't throw a diva fit was because I knew that all the hotels were booked due to Comic-Con, so I made do. It wasn't so bad once you got used to it. I kept meeting all these interesting comic-book people in the elevator and I heard somebody next door, fucking. =)

The party was pretty cool. The people there were so nice, coming up to you, saying hello. You don't get that anywhere else in the USA anymore, really. I guess my return was long-anticipated. Make a long story short, I lost power to the DJ set-up, twice. The club's circuit breakers kept shutting everything down. After the second time, people had started leaving and the vibe was gone, so I just played records 'till the end. Kinda disappointing, especially since we were recording the set. But the people who stayed were very enthusiastic! I appreciated that a lot.

Despite the glitches, though, it was a cool time, just because of the people. So happy and un-jaded. Lotta love out there on the West Coast.

On the plane back, I ended up meeting Margot Kidder's manager. She was Lois Lane in the "Superman" movies. He does all her convention appearances. In fact, he represents most of the casts of "Superman" 1 & 2. Interesting guy. He'll be here for Wizard World Con next month with Margot, we may hook up. It would be great to meet Lois Lane!

War of the Worlds.

Caught "War of the Worlds" last night. Thought it was a great summer movie, a big, loud, thrill ride. Giaxia saw it with me, she was shell-shocked. It's Spielberg and Cruise, pretty much what I expected, and much different from the duo's last pairing, "Minority Report," which I loved.

If this movie doesn't help theaters get over their box-office slump, nothing will. It's as big as it gets. It was designed to be played in theaters, not compressed onto DVD. Huge cinematography, huge effects, huge sound design.

Dakota Fanning was Tom's daughter in the movie. Is it me, or is she not aging? I've now seen her in "Man on Fire," "Hide and Seek," and this, and she looks the exact same.

The movie had me until the very, very end, like the last few frames. I won't spoil it for you, but it's a typical Spielbergian ending. Even when it should logically be a bittersweet or even tragic ending, Spielberg always finds a way to make it upbeat (see "A.I.").

Saw posters for "V For Vendetta," based on the Alan Moore comic (forgot who the artist was) and written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers, and "X3," due next May. Also looking forward to "Domino," the new Tony Scott flick. I fucking love Tony Scott. I think he's a genius.

Oh, I almost forgot, saw the preview for "Transporter 2." The first "Transporter" was weak, but this shit looks HOT HOT HOT. 100% killer, no filler. Luc Besson produced. Why doesn't he direct anymore? I think "The Fifth Element" burned him out. He hasn't directed a movie since. I saw him on this French talk show when I was staying in Paris, but my French sucks, so I couldn't understand him.

Haven't seen "FF" yet, and I'm in no rush. The reviews have been brutal, and I've had my own misgivings about the movie for a long time anyway. I'll see it eventually.

Worked on another track today. Ignored the beautiful day and focused. Back to 4/4 techno territory, the classic minimal Pure Sonik sound. Doing it all outboard and doing post in Cubase. Gonna try and finish this EP and get it shopped before Berlin. I've got a few hot ones finished right now, all different genres, you'll be surprised when the stuff finally comes out.

Also finished up the Seventh Sign job, now I'm waiting to get paid.

A Day In The Life.

Track of the Day: "Never Say Never" Romeo Void

Remember Romeo Void? I used to love them. Real true-life, '80s New Wave. I was in high school when that came out. Music used to be fun back then. You couldn't get away with a fat lead singer today.

It was such a nice day I walked to the bank, then to the post office, getting my cardiovascular. It's like a 30 minute walk between the two. Finally got Saskia's job out today via US mail. Her Fedex # was indeed cancelled. This is the first job I've ever done for her that didn't go out via Fedex.

Got a ton more art pieces to do, but haven't felt like doing them. I guess art is a cold weather thing, nothing better to do, but when it's nice out, you don't wanna sit down and do it. I need discipline, dammit. Either that or a paycheck, then I'll sit down and do it.

Tresor sent me a promo package today! It's the new Advent 3x12"! I'm sure I'll be bangin' it, you don't even have to listen to it to know it's good, it's fucking Cisco. They sent me another Juan Atkins "The Berlin Sessions" though, I already have that one. I want the "20 Years Metroplex" one instead.

Word's out on the Berlin thing. It was posted on several message boards globally. I can't wait to make the move, I'm sure you can tell. I haven't been this excited in ages. I've got a gig the night I arrive (see left)! America's pretty much washed up. Anybody who's anybody in this business has left or is leaving. I should have split ages ago.

Looking forward to this San Diego trip this weekend. Not only do I play out, there's the Comic-Con, then the Basquiat exhibit in L.A. A nice jetset, rock star weekend, like it used to be in the States.

Giaxia promises updates on puresonikrecords.net and alanoldham.com soon.

Overnight.

Just saw a documentary last night that moved me, "Overnight." Here's the story.

Indie film was a gold mine in the '90s. Nobodies were selling scripts and getting deals left and right. Guys like Ed Burns ("The Brothers McMullen"), Kevin Smith ("Clerks"), and most famous of all, Quentin Tarantino ("Reservoir Dogs"), were taking the business by storm with maxed-out credit cards, coffee, and a dream.

It was during this climate that a nobody from Boston, Irish bartender Troy Duffy, somehow got his bullet-riddled, tough-guy script, "The Boondock Saints," read by none other than Harvey Weinstein himself, the iconic head of indie giant Miramax. How Duffy got hooked up, the documentary doesn't recount.

Sensing the new Tarantino, Harvey flew to Boston to meet him, snapped up this guy's script for $300,000 cash, plus got a record deal for his heavy-metal garage band, The Brood, with Madonna's label Maverick. Plus Harvey promised to buy the bar where Duffy worked and give it to him as a gift.

Duffy and his boys were on top of the world for a minute. Duffy became the "It-can-happen-to-you" poster boy that Hollywood pushes out there every few years. The press was all over him. Footage shows guys like Mark Wahlberg, Jeff Goldblum, and other actors schmoozing Duffy to be in his hot movie project.

Then, the fall begins. Duffy begins an ego trip that basically alienates him from the Hollywood that had courted him so heavily before. Screaming fits on the phone with agents and casting directors. Cursing out Harvey to the camera when he stops returning calls. Important people pulling out of the "Boondock Saints" project one by one.

Duffy's Hollywood adventures leave his band, which includes his brother Taylor on guitar, in limbo. Plus, besides a quick signing bonus, the band is making no money. They feel like Duffy is leaving them behind.

The once-hot "The Boondock Saints" is put into turnaround, a.k.a. limbo, by Miramax. Duffy shops the script to other studios, they all pass. One indie producer picks it up for half the Miramax budget, with Willem Dafoe as the biggest name actor. They somehow get the movie done, and take it to Cannes.

All seems well until after the screening, when nobody picks it up.

Back in L.A., a scrappy little no-name movie distributor picks up the movie. It opens to five screens, grosses $35,000, and dies a quick death. The Brood's album, finally finished, is released. They don't say whether it's on Maverick. I'm thinking not. It sells 690 copies. Ironically, "The Boondock Saints" goes on to cult status on DVD, but Duffy's deal cuts him out of any video profits.

All the players go back to their day jobs, their money spent. The bar where Duffy worked, has been torn down. The film leaves Duffy's fate ambiguous. It ends with a long shot of him on a street corner, arguing with himself like a lunatic.

I watched this movie with awe. I identified with it a bit because, admittedly, my ego's gone on trips before. I think all creative people have healthy egos (only a few justified). But you don't badmouth the daddy of all daddies, Harvey Weinstein, especially with cameras rolling. Especially when he's doling out paydays. That's like me dissing Dimitri Hegemann of Tresor, the closest thing this business has to a big daddy figure. It's just not done.

I also equated this, like I do most things, with techno. It reminded me of these local nobody DJs who walk around and talk like they're the shit, yet don't have a record out as a producer, or even a passport. Or if they have played out of town, it's like Milwaukee. Ooooooo.

"Overnight" is a textbook DVD on how NOT to act when opportunity comes your way, 'cause the shit doesn't happen very often, if ever.

Boring Day.

Soundtracks of the day: Cocteau Twins "Garlands" and Daddy G "DJ Kicks"

A boring day here at Mission Control. Not too much happening. Was pretty outside, though. I finished a track I've been working on, that's about it (lowtempo). I'm doing a lowtempo vocal project, just gotta find the right female vocalist. There was a lot I could have been doing, there's always something to do, I just didn't feel like doing it.

Went to Barnes & Noble today to get ideas. Saw a new Basquiat book. I was excited at first, but the images in there I have already in other books. I'm getting the catalog from the exhibit out in L.A., anyway, and it costs half as much. I saw a new Taschen book on Richard Neutra that was cool, too. He's the famous West Coast architect. I heard there was a Taschen store in Paris. I'm gonna have to visit there in October.

Just got back from Tsuki. I like Tsuki because no scenesters go there. You can just relax. Steve was spinning, and $5 martinis. Between you and me, it's where the cute Asian girls hang out, if that's what you're into ;-). There were a bunch of them there tonight, it must have been a birthday.

I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping after those drinks.

Oh, I saw "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" last weekend. I thought it was great. Great premise, cool action for the guys, relationship stuff for the ladies, Brad and Angelina at their best, the director of "The Bourne Identity," all the ingredients for a good summer flick. I thought it was better than "Batman," to be honest. A definite DVD purchase.

Grand Opening, Grand Closing.

This NYC gig just got shot out from under me (see left). After I sent a contract, the promoter never got back to me, no e-mail, no call. Called him, too, no return call. Keep in mind it was April when I first got an e-mail from this guy. So I talked to a friend in New York and she said there's no flyers out, no nothing and it's a "safe bet it's a no-go." (her words)

This is exactly why I'm leaving the USA.

Then I went to Fedex to deliver Saskia's artwork using the same Fedex number I've used for 15 years, and they said it was "invalid." I drove all the way to Division to hear that shit. Needless to say they couldn't go by name or company name and get the correct number that way, that would have been too convienient. So I came home, and e-mailed Saskia about it. This time, I'm getting her to pick up the package from my house.

Entertainment Weekly is Reading My Blog.

So I'm on the deck outside on a Sunday morning, drinking my tea and reading the latest EW (Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka on the cover).

Remember a couple weeks ago I said in this very blog that they should do a new "Professional" where Natalie Portman grows up to be a hitwoman herself? Well, there was a blurb in this issue called "Gimme Sequel" where the writer says the same thing. Coincidence? I don't think so. EW: if you're gonna get story ideas off me, at least give me credit! Or hire me. ;-)

Also, in the music section, there's a tiny little blurb on Jamie Lidell from Super_collider. He's got some new track out that's available for download. That's the second "underground" guy I personally know to get mentioned in a mainstream mag like EW (Felix Da Housecat was the first).

Where's my blurb, dammit? I need to hire a publicist, but last time I looked, it actually costs more for a publicist than it does to put out a record itself. Literally. ;-)

Summer Madness.

Not much new to report. A lot of beautiful summer days (there are so few of them, you have to enjoy each one!) and working on art and music. And grilling ribs outside. And drinking martinis.

I've been in the studio all week. Just got all kinds of tracks running now, many genres. I'm just doing what inspires me at this point. I used to be a track machine back in the '90s, when I was doing Pure Sonik, now I've slowed down.

I'm going to San Diego in a couple of weeks to spin and I'm excited because I'll be going to the Comic Con as well. I've been wanting to go for years, now I'll be able to! The promoters paid for my Con admittance. I'll be bringing some artwork to show there. And I get to meet my big art hero: ASHLEY WOOD (www.ashleywood.com)! He does the METAL GEAR SOLID comic, the only book I still buy. Hot.

And it also happens that a Basquiat retrospective is opening in L.A. that same weekend at the MOCA! I might be going down there for a day just to check it out. I've never seen a Basquiat in person, just in books, except for the Basquiat/Warhol piece that's at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh (I went last year, I love that place, www.warhol.org).

They've got a new Basquiat catalog for this show, too, I've got to get it (well, I can't afford an actual painting).

The only disappointment this summer is that I haven't been booked for Mexico or Puerto Rico this year, yet. For the last three years or so, I've played Mexico City or Guadalajara in August, and last year I played Puerto Rico. I even had an inquiry about the Dominican Republic, but that fell through (for now).

I love that part of the world and have come to look forward to playing down there this time of year. It's so hot down there, I love it when it's hot! Oh well, there's still time.

I'm also beginning to get excited about this move to Berlin. Ticket bought, getting my flat arranged as we speak, and I've got two confirmed dates there already.

Leave a comment and let me know how your summer's going.

PS: Rent "Equilibrium," it's even better now than it was when I first saw it. The way the play Christian Bale in it is the way they should have played him in "Batman," and the Gunkata sequences are the complete shit.