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.
World Wide Web

Thought: Is facebook really the devil of social media? I would think so…

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Okay, I’ll admit it. I hate facebook. Fucking hate it. Why do I continue to use it anyway? The only reason I’m at facebook is I use it to help promote my blog site, music, and hoping to get gig opportunities. I also go there to interact with local musicians that I know around the area and talk with fans/supporters in a more personal way. Sure, I use it hoping to make some new friends in my life, keep in touch with old class mates from school I haven’t seen in a long time and keep in touch with family members, but I mostly use it to promote my website & music. That’s pretty much it.

Read this little article on how Facebook is turning more users off, here.

My personal facebook page seems to get more action with people there than here in this blog. People respond to my posts more there instead of here. Not sure why that is, maybe people don’t feel like registering to a wordpress site? I have to leave my site where people have to register just to keep anonymous haters out of here.

I agree with that one person in that article that mothers posting pictures of their newborn kids publicly in facebook is wrong. Even worse, mothers even post x-ray photos of unborn babies publicly. I don’t know why couples make this stuff publicly when this stuff should be for your own privacy to enjoy. Not only that, posting pics of your children online is very dangerous. People don’t know how dangerous this is, no wonder predators and pedophiles are on the rise. That’s why it’s dangerous. It could attract criminals to your pages. Kids have been kidnapped because social media is part of the reason. No wonder so many children go missing these days.

More reasons on how facebook is the devil, too many people are drama queens. People have weird communication skills. People can get pretty negative in their walls and comment discussions as well. I also don’t like how couples make their romantic lives public when it should be private. People also post too much personal information about their lives when they don’t realize what they are doing. When women have relationship troubles or having trouble hooking up with a guy, all they do is complain about it.

Plus, people use facebook irresponsibly because too many illiterate people use the site to play facebook games, a lot of them catch facebook viruses, etc.

I thought about leaving the site too, but I don’t think I can. Need to keep in touch with musicians and venues who might want to book me for gigs, that’s why I stay there. Facebook is shit. It continues to be shit with their new settings and features that I don’t like on there as well.

Kev

movies

Netflix Pick (PS3): The Boondock Saints

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“The Boondock Saints” movies are the most talked about movies on the internet. I’ve never even seen them before. So since, “The Boondock Saints”, the first one was viewable on Netflix for the PS3, I decided to check it out over the weekend.

It tells the story of twin Irish brothers, named Connor and Murphy MacManus. In the beginning of the film, they kill mafia thugs by accident. They turned themselves in and they were considered heroes by the public for what they did, so the twins were released from jail. After this, they continue to kill mafia gang members while Willem Dafoe’s character who plays Det. Paul Smecker, who is a crazy and weird guy, investigates the killings. As Det. Smecker investigates the crimes, he began to see that the MacManus twins were heroes too.

I can see why this movie is very popular online. I thought it was one of the best action movies I’ve seen in a long time. It was very entertaining all the way through. I was never bored. It’s an action comedy. There’s humor throughout the film as well. I thought the action scenes were fun. I had no problems with this movie at all. Just a perfect action movie and it ended up being one of my top 10 favorite action flicks. Makes me want to see the second one soon, I’ll rent the second one from Netflix on DVD. I don’t have much to say about this movie ’cause when you love a film so much, that’s all you need to say about it.

Kev

movies

I actually want to see the comedy “Bad Teacher”, actually looks pretty good…

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I’ve been seeing the new trailers for the comedy “Bad Teacher”, which stars Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, and Justin Timberlake. It actually looks pretty decent. It’s a realistic comedy that everyone can relate to, because I’m sure everyone have had a bad teacher when they were in school at the time. Even I had my share of bad teachers during my school years.

I’ve had some teachers who taught really bad or they were just assholes. I could tell some bad teacher stories, but I have so many stories to tell.

If I had to tell one bad teacher story, I had a social studies teacher, I think in 10th grade in high school. He was an older teacher but he had a really bad temper. Seriously this one was an asshole. I remember there was this kid in the class, he stood real short. He’s not a midget, but a short guy. This short kid would pick on this teacher all the time. This teacher would throw a tantrum, I think he even threatened to kill the kid in front of everyone. Me and my best friend at the time were in that class, we used to laugh so hard because it was funny the way this social studies teacher got mad. My best friend at the time, he brought in a hidden mini tape recorder and taped the whole thing. Seriously, this is a true story. The social studies teacher screamed at the top of his lungs, “I’m so mad that I can just kill you”. It’s all on tape. This social studies teacher was easy to pick on. Everyone picked on him, even me and my best friend picked on him all the time.

I don’t see my best friend from school anymore since we’re out of school and he got married & stuff like that, but we used to listen to that tape and laugh our asses off all the time. I think he still has the tape. I’ve had many bad teacher moments, but I think this one tops them all.

I’ll try to catch “Bad Teacher” in theater soon.

Kev

TV

TV Review: “Game of Thrones – Season 1”

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So the 1st season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” just ended. There were only 10 episodes this season. I must say I was very impressed. There wasn’t one episodes that I hated, I loved them all. Yes, this is my no. 1 favorite TV show currently. It’s such an intense show that will keep you watching. After this season, I want more, but we’re going to have to wait next year for Season 2 which next season will be based on George R.R. Martin’s book, “Clash of Kings”, the second book of the series which I am currently reading now.

Back to the show, the characters are so like-able and entertaining to watch. Each character has different emotions and feelings. Some of the characters can be good, and friendly. Some characters can be hateful, evil and violent. Some characters can be funny & comical (like Tyrion Lannister, the midget character for example). All the characters are enjoyable: Lord Eddard Stark, Robb, Arya, Sansa, Tyrion, Catelyn, Princess Daenerys, Khal Drogo, King Robert Baratheon, Joffrey, etc.

I think my favorite three characters would have to be Eddard Stark, Princess Daenerys, and Tyrion. As I said before, the TV show stayed pretty faithful to George R.R. Martin’s works. The show didn’t leave anything out from the book at all. I was very surprised of that. The show has a mix of emotions. It can be very dark, graphic, and sometimes some of the show can be enjoyable in a more positive way.

I’m just so impressed with the storytelling, it’s just so amazing and intelligently written. Once you get into these stories, you’ll get immediately hooked. You’ll be at the edge of your seat most of the time. I think this is the best show on TV in years. The best show on TV used to be “Friday Night Lights” but FNL dropped down to No. 2, now “Game of Thrones” is no. 1 on my list. I’m already looking forward to Season 2 next year. Yes, you betcha, I will collect these series on DVD for sure.

I’m glad these series landed on the TV screen instead of the big screen in theaters. I don’t want to talk about any of the plot points in this show ’cause there are a lot of twists and turns that will shock you. The thing is, you don’t have to be a fan of medieval stories to get into this show. It can be for anyone.

If you didn’t catch the show, I’m sure HBO will be re-running the first season throughout the summer and I’m sure it will come out on DVD/Blu Ray in the Fall. So if you haven’t caught this show, I’d suggest you check it out in the future. You would think it’s the best show on TV for sure. This show will be winning a lot of awards, so expect this show to get a lot of nominations for the Golden Globes this year.

Kev

Celebrity news, TV

Why I didn’t post an obit for Ryan Dunn…

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Ryan Dunn doesn’t deserve an obit here, why? It’s not because I hate him. I do like “Jackass”, it was a funny show and I enjoy the films, but drinking & driving is never cool. When people get killed drinking & driving, it is pretty much their own fault that this happened. They should have known better. I have a pure dislike at people who drink & drive.

Roger Ebert posted this controversial tweet on the guy:

Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive.

Like him or hate Ebert, he is exactly right and had every right to say it. Not only that Ryan Dunn killed himself, he could’ve killed other people. That’s why this death gets no respect from me.

This post might be a bit controversial for wordpress, I am willing to take the heat from it, but I don’t care. I am not afraid of truth. Ryan’s death should be a wake up call for all people like us who like to party. Drink responsibly and don’t drive. Take a cab, walk, spend the night in the street, etc. Do anything but don’t drive.

A lot of people drink and drive. It happens around here too. It happens everywhere. Don’t do it. While my heart goes out to Ryan’s friends, family & fans, you can’t deny that he is a douche to do what he just did.

Kev

Edit to add: If this happened to Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi or Lindsay Lohan, I’m sure everyone will be saying “Good riddance, glad she’s gone”. It’s very hypocritical that people hate those two women for their drinking habits yet they have no problem with Ryan Dunn’s. Doesn’t matter who you are, it’s the same thing with everyone.

Random/off topic posts

Guitar players & effects pedals…

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A lot of guitar players obsess with effects pedal, better known as stomp boxes. A lot of guitarists would collect a shitload of them. Not me. Why? I’ll tell you why I don’t collect stompboxes too much. Simply the answer is stomp boxes is a cover up of a musicians bad playing. Effects make your playing sound better. That’s how I feel about them. The only pedal effects I would touch are overdrive and distortion pedals, so I can get a rock sound out of an electric guitar.

I would stay away from other effects pedals such as wah, delay, chorus, fuzz, etc. All that is pretty silly, in my opinion.

I’ve always liked to play pretty clean when playing electric.Effects are overrated. If I wanted a pedal collection, I would’ve started a long time ago, but I only own very few pedals. Not too much. I do own a wah pedal but don’t use it a lot.

I’m not a gear junkie like a lot of musicians are. I would like to start a big guitar and amp collection someday, but I can’t afford it right now. I do have a few guitars and amps around the house. I do plan on buying a new acoustic guitar though. My Ibanez acoustic/electric is busted and it’s not worth the money getting fixed. Next time I’ll buy a regular acoustic guitar without the electric plug-in, ’cause regular acoustics are better. That’s why I play my Ibanez Hollow Body electric guitar instead.

I just want to play guitar that’s all. I’ll buy a new guitar if one of mine gets busted and I have busted a few guitars over the years.

I’m very happy with my Ibanez Hollow Body Art Core electric, it’s an amazing sounding guitar, and I hope to keep it for a very long time. I do plan on buying a solid body electric guitar down the road with a whammy bar someday. I want to try experimenting with whammy bar techniques sometime.

Hope everyone had a great Father’s Day today. Hope you spent some time with your father’s and family members. I did. Had a nice lobster dinner.

Today I went to Whipple City Days Festival in Greenwich to see a Johnny Cash tribute band perform, Harold Ford and the Cash Band. They were very good, they played old and new Johnny Cash covers. Everything from “Folsom Prison Blues” to, “I Hung My Head”. I’m a big Johnny Cash fan, that’s why I went.

Last night, I watched “The Boondock Saints” movie on Netflix for the very first time and it was one of the best action movies I’ve seen in years. Review coming up soon.

Kev

Celebrity/musician deaths

RIP: Clarence Clemons 1942 – 2011

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The music world, lost another great one. Clarence Clemons, known for being the prominent member of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band from 1972 until now. He was most recognizable for his talent in his incredible sax playing. Whenever he plays the sax, you know it’s Clarence playing right away. He was also one of the coolest sax players who was such a badass on stage. He was an important member of the E Street Band.

Clarence had other projects over the years, other than the E Street Band though. He made several solo albums in his career. He also did side projects being a special guest sax player for Aretha Franklin on “Freeway of Love” and he even played for Twister Sister on their song, “Be Chrool for Your Scuel”.He even performed in concert with the Grateful Dead once.

Clarence was also a part time actor in Hollywood. He had cameos in TV shows such as “Diff’rent Strokes”, “Nash Bridges”, “The Simpsons”, and “The Wire”. He also had acting roles in films such as “New York, New York” and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”.He also appeared on an episode of Weird Al’s children’s show “The Weird Al Show”.

As a child, Clarence grew up listening to jazz music and he first picked up the sax at the age of 9. In Sept. of 1971, that’s when Clarence first met Bruce Springsteen. Clarence was recommended to check out Bruce Springsteen play with his band at a club called, The Student Prince. Clarence asked Bruce if he could join his band, so Bruce gave him an audition, of course, Clarence was in.

Clarence suffered a stroke on June 12, he died from complications of the stroke on Sat. June 18th. RIP Big Man. My heart goes out to Springsteen, the E Street Band, his family, friends and fans. This is a sad day in the music world. I’m sure the E Street Band will continue without him, but honestly, it’s not the E Street band without him. The E Street Band will never be the same, no matter who replaces him as a sax player. This sucks. He was the reason I listened to the Street Band.

Kev

 

 

Local music

Musicians & bands really need to leave their egos at the door…

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A lot of solo musicians & bands want to think they are big, and a lot of them want to think that they are so talented. Is that a good thing? In my opinion, no, it is not. Sure, there is nothing wrong with thinking your own music is good, but the one thing you don’t want to do is go around acting like you’re more talented than everyone else. A lot of bands seem to have this problem. Not naming names, I see it all the time in facebook. A lot of them think they are god’s gift to music. A lot of them live in this “rock star” fantasy world that I talked about before.

How can I tell that they have an ego problem? It’s easy. Bands get desperate for popularity and more recognition. They act like they are bigger than other bands. They look and dress like rock stars (is image all that important, people? We’re just local music here). A lot of them think they are too good to share a gig with you. They try to force people to think they are talented by saying, “Listen to us, we’re good”. Plus, a lot of bands are rude and act like assholes. I can go on all day.

The point I’m trying to make with this post, if you want to think of yourself as a rock star or a superstar, DON’T!!!! You let the public do the judging. You put your music out there and that’s it. Let the music speak for itself. When you call yourself a rock star, and you only have a few fans, there’s something wrong with that picture. You don’t force people to like your music. Let the people decide if they like your music or not. If you don’t get many listeners, that’s fine, it’s not the end of the world. Keep making the music. If you get a big fanbase, that’s great.

I’m not worried about being popular or getting recognition, who cares. To be honest, I can’t really tell if people enjoy my music. I let the people do the talking. That’s how you do it. On top of that, there is no such thing as being a rock star or a superstar in the world of local music. We’re all just unsigned. Thinking of yourself as a “star” just makes you looks like an asshole.

Just play the music and enjoy it. Quit being a delusional rock star wannabe.

Kev

music

Report: Kim Thayil says the new Soundgarden album is “definitely really heavy”!!!

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Soundgarden is currently in the studio recording their new album. Fans worried what direction the band is going to take their new music to. Fans assumed that the new album might be mainstream pop, similar to the “Black Hole Sun” and “Burden In My Hand” era. Even worse, fans were also worried that Soundgarden is going to go pop because of Chris Cornell’s solo career with American Idol and all that stuff.

Well, guys, there’s nothing to worry about. Kim Thayill says the new Soundgarden songs are “definitely really heavy”. They also said they are going back to their old roots. Going back to what they sounded like in the old days of Soundgarden.

Read more on it, here.

I’m glad they are giving what the fans want, heavy rock music. That’s what Soundgarden is supposed to be and now I can’t wait for the new album!

Kev

TV

The Top Ten Best TV Dads

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In celebration for Father’s Day, here are the top 10 Best TV Dads. These are my favorites at the top of my head. Enjoy the list.

  1. Lord Eddard Stark (played by Sean Bean for the “Game of Thrones” series on HBO) – The best Dad on TV ever, in my opinion. Ned Stark easily tops the list.
  2. Coach Eric Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler for “Friday Night Lights” series on NBC) – This character almost makes you feel like he’s your Dad in real life. That’s how great this character is.
  3. Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall for “Dexter” on Showtime) – Can’t leave him off this list. Love this show.
  4. Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini for “The Sopranos”) – It is not a Best TV Dad list, if you leave him off. I love this show, wish I could watch more of it and I only saw the first season. Will catch up with the rest of it, soon I hope.
  5. Cliff Huxtable (played by Bill Cosby for “The Cosby Show”) – Used to watch “The Cosby Show” all the time when I was younger. The Huxtable family were great.
  6. Al Bundy (played by Ed’ O Neill for “Married With Children”) – One of my favorite sitcoms, used to watch this all the time.
  7. Howard Cunningham (played by Tom Bosley for “Happy Days”) – Everyone’s favorite TV Dad and mine too!
  8. Tim Taylor (played by Tim Allen for the “Home Improvement” series) – Yes, I was a pretty big “Home Improvement” fan, another sitcom that I watched pretty obsessively
  9. Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta for “The Simpsons”)- I just can’t leave Homer off the list. Even though I don’t watch the Simpsons too much, I always thought Homer was a cool character. So I had to put him in.
  10. Vince McMahon (known for playing Mr. McMahon, the evil boss for Monday Night WWE RAW) – Vince McMahon never gets listed for best TV Dads anywhere on the internet and I think it’s about time for him to get on one. The father of Stephanie and Shane McMahon. Also, the founding father of WWE, so he deserves to be part of the TV Dad list.

Enjoy!

Kev