All posts by Kev Brock

I'm a musician, singer/songwriter, blogger, writer, poet, bodybuilder, movie lover, music lover, video gamer, history/political buff, conservative/republican, etc. I like to do a lot of things.
Health and Fitness

How am I doing dealing with this “no gym” thing… not good… not enjoying it to be honest… not gonna lie…

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So most gyms in America are closed and most Americans are out of a gym. I’ve noticed that. Since public and commercial gyms across America are closed down, I’m noticing that a lot of lifters are trying to find other ways to lift. I’ve noticed a lot of lifters in the gym would to try to find friends or family members who have their own home gyms and lifters would use theirs. Even better, a lot of gym goers who had gym memberships have been buying their own weight lifting equipment so they can make their own home gym in their homes or apartments.

I’m noticing that a lot of powerlifters have their own gym now. They probably buy their own squat rack, bench press and barbell so they can continue their powerlifting training at home. That’s a good idea.

I could do the same thing if I wanted but I don’t have any space around here for my own home gym but what I’m thinking about doing is buying my own barbell and a set of weight plates so I can at least deadlift outside. I have no room for a bench and squat rack where I live but i could probably deadlift outside. That’s not stopping me… not sure if I’ll actually do that but I could if I wanted to.

This no gym thing sucks hard… Gov. Cuomo’s been promising that NY state would be open May 15th but since May 15th is getting closer… Cuomo ended up only opening parts of NY which means gyms and health centers in NY state will be closed a lot longer. NY Lockdown’s been extended ’til June 6th so hopefully gyms will get back open then.

Just imagine if I had to go throughout the whole fucking summer without a gym? Or worse, I could go without a gym for another whole fucking year

Uggggghhhh… I”m not ready to lose all my hard work and progress… but I have been doing some body weight workouts at home though and doing some stretching. I’ve also been doing a lot of walking outside whenever the weather’s decent.

After over 10 years of going to the gym and then I lose it all? The bodybuilding physique that I’ve always dreamed of having could be done but I not really.

Once the gym gets back open, I’m gonna be training harder than ever. I’ll probably lose some progress yes but I can get it back easily. I was just getting back to the gym full time after getting over a minor injury but now next thing you know, gym closes over a dumb virus that don’t even exists.

I’m hoping the gym will get back open this summer, hopefully June 6… if Cuomo extends it again, I’m gonna be pissed as fuck and that’s when I’ll really lose it.

The gym is my passion… my home away from home.

Gyms being closed is not only bad for the members and lifters, it’s also bad for the staff and gym owners/managers. They’re all out of work and because of this covid-19 thing, gyms are at risk getting closed and shut down for good ’cause they can lose money the longer they stay closed.

If masks and social distancing works then it should be safe enough to go back to the gym and I don’t understand why they still keep ’em closed. It’s all political, in my opinion… it’s just so that Democrat governors can make it look like they’re doing good things handling covid-19.

Gyms will be back open this summer, I’m calling it now. Cuomo’s gonna try to keep gyms closed forever but he can’t… pressure is gonna force him to get them back open just watch.

Kev

WWE

Should “Macho Man” Randy Savage have been treated better by Vince and WWE??? I don’t understand why they would disrespect him???

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Last night on the WWE Network, I was watching this “Macho Man” Randy Savage documentary. It’s called, “The Randy Savage Story” which is about an hour and a half long and it’s a very good documentary, actually. Probably one of the best documentaries made for a wrestler that was made for a Randy Savage DVD set.

After I finished watching it, I immediately thought to myself, “Man, Randy should have been treated better by Vince and the WWE’. Yup, Randy should have been treated better.

The reason why Randy Savage never returned to WWE later in the years is not because Vince wanted nothing to do with him, it’s actually the other way around. Randy never wanted anything to do with Vince. Why? It’s because when Randy left WWF/WWE for WCW, Vince made this video segment that they aired on WWF television… a segment that features the Huckster and Nacho Man that makes fun of Hulk Hogan and Randy. That video really upset Randy ’cause the video brought up Miss Elizabeth in it which was what really set him off. I think Vince was upset at Randy leaving WWF for WCW so he made that video in retaliation. Randy’s brother, Lanny Pofo said on the documentary that’s why Macho Man never returned to the WWE later on. Vince really hurt Randy with that dumb video.

https://whatculture.com/wwe/10-times-wwe-seriously-disrespected-hall-of-famers?page=3

The reason why Randy was late getting in the Hall of Fame was not because Vince didn’t want him in, it was because Randy himself didn’t want in. After Randy died in 2011, Lanny held back on Randy’s induction into WWE Hall of Fame a lot longer and then finally gave WWE the greenlight in 2015. While Vince and Randy had a rocky relationship over the years, Vince still loved him ’cause he still couldn’t deny his wrestling legacy in WWE which was why Vince made DVDs for Randy and finally got him in Hall of Fame.

That Hukster and Nacho Man video was unnecessary though and Vince should have known better.

Before Randy died, it would have been cool though if Randy came out of wrestling retirement and made another run in WWE. Imagine that? Sadly, it never happened ’cause Randy didn’t want it to happen at the time but later before Randy died, I think Randy was planning a comeback to the WWE. Lanny said that before Randy’s passing, he was just burying the hatchet with Hulk Hogan which what would have lead to another WWE run… Lanny said Randy would have wanted his final match to be against Shawn Michaels at a Wrestlemania.

https://www.mandatory.com/wrestlezone/news/770841-lanny-poffo-says-randy-savage-had-plans-for-a-final-wwe-run-randy-reconciling-with-hulk-hogan-more#/slide/1

Imagine that? Macho Man vs. HBK at a later Wrestlemania would have been great but too bad we never got to see that, though. It was gonna happen and the match was in the works but then Randy died in that car accident.

One thing I find interesting about Randy Savage was his speaking voice, you know he has that deep scratchy voice that he’s known for? Well that voice isn’t acting, he really talked like that. It was his real speaking voice which is funny.

I remember being so bummed when Randy passed ’cause he was my favorite over the years.

Kev

 

 

Random/off topic posts

You don’t have to make cover songs sound like the same way on the album, just make it sound like you wrote it…

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When you’re learning cover songs, you don’t always have to play them or sing them the same way on the album. When I watch people play cover songs on youtube/facebook, most of them don’t play cover songs the same way on the album. A lot of times musicians would change the arrangements around so that the song can fit their voice. Can’t sing the really high notes??? Don’t be afraid to transpose and go lower in key.

That’s what a lot of music artists do with their own songs really. There are a lot of national bands and artists that never play the song the same way twice. Go listen to any band and artists and you’ll hear that they play so many different versions of their hits especially David Bowie. There are a lot of times when Bowie sung his hits live he transposed to lower keys ’cause he couldn’t sing high anymore. Plus, many bands and artists came up with different versions of their songs live to make things interesting.

Back to doing cover songs, I think musicians playing the songs note for note and doing it the same way on the album is overrated. You don’t have to do cover songs like that. Make the cover songs sound like “you”. That’s what I try to do anyway.

People wonder why I do so many cover songs well it’s ’cause I love doing them for starters. They’re fun to do and I want to show people that I can be a real musician too. There’s something about doing covers. I just want to learn all the songs that I’ve loved over the years. They don’t have to be just big hits that everyone knows although, I do like playing big radio hits. I just do cover songs for fun and that’s all, though.

Don’t take yourself serious as a musician. Just play and enjoy.

Kev

movies

Why big name movie actors go from starring in many blockbusters back down to starring in many low budget B movies…

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I notice one thing going on in the Hollywood film industry lately. It’s pretty weird, though… like the title says… actors that were once really huge and so big in the movies that they go back down to starring in low budget B movies.

Actors at the top of my head that absolutely went there… how about guys like Nicholas Cage, John Travolta, Dolph Lundgren, Eddie Murphy, Steven Seagal, Bruce Willis, Jean Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson…. oh the list goes on and honestly Sylvester Stallone is on his way there.

They were once big name stars in the 80’s and 90’s…. all those big names starred in major blockbusters that were huge money makers but nowadays you don’t hear much from them anymore. You ask yourself, where did those actors disappear to? Well the funny thing is, those actors really haven’t gone away at all. They’re still working. It’s just that they make a lot of low budget b-movies that nobody knows about…. mostly straight to video stuff.

I would think that whatever big name budget movie they tried to do was a box office bomb… I think they were dropped out of their agency’s that allows them to do blockbuster films and now they’re all in an agency that they do low budget b movies instead. Yeah, they were all big names back in the old days, they were huge… but why they did they get demoted from huge star to b movie actor? I think the obvious answer is that they aren’t a box office draw anymore. It’s clear that these actors don’t do it for the money, though… they do it ’cause they love making movies. They just want to keep working ’cause that’s what they do.

Some of you may think that most of their low budget b movies are pretty bad but not all of them. On Netflix, I watched a bunch of Dolph Lundgren b movies…. some of them good and some of them bad. Same with JCVD. Same with Nicholas Cage, I saw a lot of his b movie stuff… some good and some bad. I think the best Nic Cage low budget movie I’ve seen so far was a horror film named “Mandy” that he stars in the leading role in… that film was actually pretty amazing and was blown away by it, you should check it out.

I just think kids in today’s generation of movies wouldn’t know who those guys are anymore since we’re all now obsessed with superhero films and remakes nowadays. I don’t think people care about Bruce Willis anymore. Nobody cares about Travolta anymore. All those actors I listed above, they are all still talented, though. They still got it with the acting even though they are getting older.

They went back down to b movies ’cause like I said above, they aren’t a box office draw anymore… and maybe another reason they went back down is ’cause maybe they no longer want the box office spotlight, ya know? They don’t really care about the fame ’cause they just want to work. They love acting and it’s a passion for them. They don’t care whether or not a movie is a hit.

I’m sure those guys would love to do big movies again but in this day and age, it’ll be hard for them to get there again.

Sure, Eddie Murphy has “Coming To America 2” coming out soon as a major motion picture but will it be a hit? I don’t know, we’ll see but I wouldn’t be surprised it bombs ’cause nobody knows who Eddie Murphy is anymore. I think he hosted SNL not too long ago, just to try to get his name back in the mainstream again.

Hollywood is a tough business.

Kev

 

 

Random/off topic posts

Little preview of my David Bowie tribute…

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Just a little preview of my upcoming Bowie tribute live stream show that I’m working on. Just to show you a little preview that way I can show you that I’m really working on it and planning on it.

Me doing “Starman”. It’s a work=in progress so it’s not perfect. It’s a hard one to sing ’cause David sings really high in the chorus but I’m getting it, though.

Enjoy.

Kev

WWE

Was “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s past relationship with Stephanie McMahon true??? It’s looking more and more likely that it could be…

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Those rumors of wrestling legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage dating Stephanie McMahon back when she was younger is nothing new. These rumors have been around for years… even Randy Savage’s brother, Lanny said it happened.

Now one of Randy’s past girlfriends, Gorgeous George said it was true during an interview… George said Randy accidentally told her the truth when he didn’t mean it, ya know… a slip up.

Randy Savage is not around to defend himself or confirm whether or not the news is true ’cause he died in May of 2011. Another way to see whether or not this story is true is to hear from Stephanie McMahon herself.

New information regarding Randy Savage & Stephanie McMahon’s rumored relationship

Ever since this news got out years ago, Vince McMahon the owner of WWE wanted nothing to do with Macho Man ever since. I bet this could be why Randy’s Hall of Fame induction was late… Randy finally got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after he died, though. The rumors could also be why Randy never had a final comeback or a final match in WWE before he passed.

I believe at the time when Randy dated Stephanie, she was underage, I think and Vince is very protective of his family and WWE company. This is why Vince tried to erase Randy’s legacy as a way to protect the McMahon family and the WWE company.

Like I said above, the only way to tell whether this is true or not is we need to hear from Stephanie McMahon (Vince’s daughter) but I doubt she will speak out about it. Probably to protect herself and to protect her marriage with Triple H.

Since this rumor and speculation will never die, you’d think Stephanie would finally speak out about it??? Who knows… maybe she will put out a statement but I doubt it, though. She kept quiet about this for a long time and will probably continue to keep it quiet. If Steph did speak out then it would probably end her career in WWE and end her marriage with Triple H if it turned out true. Only Stephania knows whether or not this is true and I’m sure this latest news about Gorgeous George talking about it, made Steph a little nervous.

Randy’s a legend, though. “Macho Man” has always been one of my top 10 favorite wrestlers, he’s right up there. I’ve always believed that Randy could have been treated better by WWE and it’s wrestlers ’cause he was never treated well the way I saw things. That’s because I think people were jealous of his legacy and that’s all it is. Randy was huge, probably bigger than Hulk Hogan and I think that’s why they tried to disrespect his legacy.

Kev

Random/off topic posts

Albums I got from Itunes this month…

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So here is the list of albums I got from Itunes this month… enjoy…

  • David Bowie “David/Live” – I have most of Bowie’s studio albums but don’t have much of his live albums. He’s got a lot of live albums so I thought, why not start now? I’ve heard that “David/Live” is his best live album so I went for that one. It’s a double live album that was released in 1974, a classic album and gonna listen to it this week.
  • David Bowie “Young Americans” – Bowie has 25 studio albums in his entire discography and I just about got them all so I added another album of his “Young Americans” an older album that I don’t have yet.
  • ZZ Top “ZZ Top’s First Album” – Been getting into ZZ Top a lot lately and they’re getting addicting so I grabbed another album of theirs. Their very first record.
  • The Violent Femmes (1983 self titled debut) – Used to have this album on CD years ago so I decided to get it again. Love this record. It’s a classic album and had to get it. Listened to it yesterday during my walk and still love the album.
  • Dire Straits (1978 self titled debut) – I have most Dire Straits albums and trying to get them all too so I grabbed their first album. Love Dire Straits. Mark Knopfler is a talented guy.
  • Ac/Dc “Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap” – Grabbed another old Ac/Dc album and also been trying to collect their whole album catalog, almost there too.

I love music and love supporting bands & artists regardless of their political views. It’s the music that matters most.

Kev

Random/off topic posts

Ordered some stuff from amazon over the weekend…

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Over the weekend I ordered some stuff from amazon… I ordered 4 films on Blu Ray and 3 Batman graphic novels.

While I was browsing through amazon over the weekend, I was looking at the BluRay movie section and was trying to decide what movies I wanted. There were plenty that I wanted. There were plenty of new releases that I wanted to see but I was amazed that most of the new releases were out of stock. Even a lot of older films and bluray box sets that I wanted were out of stock.

Crazy. It’s understandable though ’cause you can’t go shopping at stores like Best Buy, FYE, and Barnes & Noble. Those 3 major retail stores all sell BluRay movies and you can’t go out and buy that stuff at the store for the time being… so people are hoarding BluRay movies on amazon.

This is also why you see those amazon cards being sold out at stores too. You can’t go shopping anywhere, can’t go to the malls so people do all their shopping on amazon. So if you’re shopping at amazon, you’ll have to expect to see a lot of things “out of stock”.

So yeah, I ended up picking 4 BluRay movies and 3 Batman graphic novels. The 3 Batman graphic novels that I got were in a triple box set. I’ll show you all what I got when I get these things dropped off here which they should get dropped off sometime this week. I’ll post a picture of these things on my Instagram.

I also purchased 6 more albums for my Itunes.

Why am I doing all this digital shopping lately? Well, with this country lockdown and shit, might as well ’cause what are you gonna do? Can’t do anything out there so I gotta find ways to entertain myself too. Gotta do something with yourself. I’m doing my best to defeat boredom too.

Kev

Random/off topic posts

Now that the warm weather is just about here finally, expect everyone to go outside more…

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Yesterday, I went out for a long walk throughout my small hometown of Middle Falls since the weather was so nice out… weather is so nice out that you can finally go outside without a coat on. I went walking without a coat on yesterday and it’s that type of weather again today.

Today is a lot warmer and I’ll probably go out for another long walk today. Why not, ya know? There is no gym and each time the weather is decent, I’ll go out for a walk just to get my cardio in and try my best to keep my muscle. Also, to stay in shape and lose bodyfat too.

As I went out for my walk yesterday, I’m noticing that pretty much every house I went by, you see people outdoors. Ya know, people just sitting outside in their lawns enjoying the fresh air, also you see people doing yard work, doing projects outside, kids outside playing and all that stuff. I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of that.

Why is that, you ask? Well, most families and people are so used to working all the time and since they are out of work… they’re bored just like the rest of us. Just fucking bored sitting in their homes all day during rainy and cold weather during Spring. Now that it finally feels like fucking Spring, everybody is outside… doing their best to try and defeat boredom by doing stuff outside.

The news and Democrats successfully pushed Social distancing and facemask wearing, they got away with that garbage and now those phonies are trying to push “stay indoors” which they are failing, though.

I thought it was amazing to see almost every home I went by and with people outside… all over the street. You hardly ever see that since people are working week after week so they can keep their homes.

I hear them, though. I’m the same way, I’m bored sitting indoors myself so whenever the weather’s nice… I’ll go for my long walks or take a bike ride or just do yardwork some.

The news are now trying to freak us out by going outside, just their sneaky way of trying to get us to stay indoors but it’s not gonna work. Can see you now how the news and the government can easily control every aspect of our lives? Hope you’re all enjoying your first taste of that. People get in trouble for going outdoors and get frowned upon which is insane, in my opinion but fuck ’em.

You can’t tell people what to do and control them. I don’t agree with social distancing and face-mask wearing but I do it anyways just keep the panic-pushers and Doomsdayers happy. I’m not afraid of this virus at all ’cause the numbers are inaccurate and this virus can easily be recovered from. Nobody wants to talk about the high recovery numbers… they all want to talk about the high death numbers which are all lies.

I see all this as a social experiment by the government… you don’t think they have that power to get rid of our social freedoms? Of course they do. Those days of meeting new people in public places could be over for good.

We gotta fight back for our rights which all them protests is a good thing. It’s time to open the country back up. I’m fed up with it myself. The country lockdown was pointless, unnecessary and it was nothing but abuses of power by the government.

Kev

music

Metallica’s stay at home jam session… they play their song “Blackened” via the internet…

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The mighty Metallica are stuck at home just like the rest of us and here they are playing their song “Blackened” which is a song off their “And Justice For All” album. Instead of being at their HQ studios which is where they usually record and rehearse, they are following the strict stay at home orders so the 4 members found a way to be able to jam together live on the internet.

Pretty cool, I must say. Instead of James playing his loud electric guitars and singing, he decides to play it acoustically and he’s singing kind of quiet… assuming he doesn’t want to wake up his family while they’re asleep?

Anyway, this is a great performance and proves that this band can really play and James can really sing. I wish people would stop bashing this band so much ’cause they are great musicians. I love Metallica and always did.

I would think you would see more videos by Metallica like this…. them jamming on more of their songs at home live on the internet. It’s a good idea. I’d like to see them do “One”, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “The Memory Remains” and all their hits. They probably will so keep an eye out for more Metallica home jam sessions.

Kev