I Love GNR Rock

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

"Catch-22" at Arts Center Is Fast-paced and Funny

Since ancient times, wise people have been writing plays and books about the insanity and futility of war. One of the greatest and most enduring of these antiwar pieces is Joseph Heller's 1961 novel "Catch-22."
The play based on the book, now playing at the Greenbelt Arts Center (GAC), retains the dark comedy and satire of the novel while being very fast-paced and hilariously funny. "Catch-22" is a production of [OutOftheBlackBox Theatre] Company, produced in cooperation with the Greenbelt Arts Center. Bill Jones, an actor well known to GAC audiences, is the director of the play and has put together an excellent cast and production.
Set in a military base in Italy towards the end of World War II, "Catch-22" is the story of one pilot, Yossarian. After witnessing the death of one of his men, Yossarian decides the military system is insane and focuses his time and energy on trying to be sent home. The events that happen to him in his quest and the people he meets all point out the absurdity of war and the foibles of human nature. The cast of characters is large but the principal characters include a dithering though well-intentioned chaplain, a colonel more concerned with his promotion than his soldiers, the private who really is in charge of the base, a zany nurse and a completely incompetent doctor.
The pace of the play is so quick that scene changes are announced through a series of flashes of the lights. Dialogue flies so fast and furiously that laughing might obscure the next few lines. The humor is madcap but with some very funny word plays.
Most of the 10 actors and actresses play multiple roles and all must be commended for their quick costume changes and ability to change characters so rapidly. Only one, the gifted Melissa Robinson, has performed at GAC before, but the entire cast is extremely talented. Jeff Mocho, a Greenbelt resident with an impressive acting resume, puts on an especially good performance as Yossarian and carries the play beautifully.
"Catch-22" is a very funny poke at war, which unfortunately seems to still be with us, and an even funnier look at humanity.
This production is not appropriate for children as it contains strong language and sexual situations.
"Catch-22" will play on the Friday and Saturday evenings of June 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 8 pm. A Sunday matinee is scheduled for June 14 at 2pm. Reservations may be made through the box office at 301-44-8770 or at the Greenbelt Arts Center at 123 Centerway, located beneath the Co-op supermarket.

Yossarian (Jeff Mocho, in bed) pleads illness to be released from the military with funny consequences. Other cast members from the left to right - Melissa Robinson, Greg Miloro and Greg Mangiapane. (Photo by Betsy Marks Delaney)

TNB Music Chats with Duff McKagan

With his autobiography, It’s So Easy (and other lies), crawling up the New York Times Bestseller list and a book tour in support of that release unfolding as we speak, Duff McKagan’s dance card is pretty full. He is first heading to the UK, where he will tour with his band Loaded while managing a string of appearances in support of his book. Aggressively dodging all opportunities for rest or relaxation, he is then touring South America with Seattle’s Alice in Chains before jetting over to Germany to play some dates with Motörhead.

But wait—there’s more.

As this all unfolds, his other band, supergroup Velvet Revolver, continues their search for a new vocalist in the wake of Scott Weiland’s departure. And then there’s the little matter of his former band, Guns N’ Roses, basking in their recent nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A compelling case for Duff being the busiest man in music, for sure.

But wait—there’s more!

In addition to his musical pursuits and the myriad obligations of a bestselling author on book tour, Duff also authors weekly columns for Seattle Weekly and ESPN.

Moreover, he is a registered investment adviser who recently launched a wealth management firm, and he is actively engaged in social media, all of which he balances with a wife, two daughters and most beloved dog.

How he manages to field a fantasy football team is a miracle that rivals the Lady of Lourdes.

Considering that seventeen years ago, his
pancreas had exploded from alcohol abuse as he stormed towards certain death, his story is a miracle incarnate. TNB Music was honored to sit down with Duff to chat about his book, his bands and his struggles with addiction, fatherhood and the never-ending obligations of touring.

Congratulations are in order — your book is officially a New York Times Bestseller. That’s got to feel pretty good.

Yeah, I don’t know if I’ve had a moment to even realize that the book’s out, you know? (laughs) This is a whole new thing for me, being on the New York Times Bestseller list. The New York Times Bestseller List… it hasn’t sunk in at all.

Unlike many other artists who have released autobiographies, you’ve been publishing your writing for quite some time as a regular columnist for ESPN, Playboy and Seattle Weekly. How did the experience of writing a book feel different? Apart from the length, that is.
When I started writing the book… well, I didn’t really start the book. I won’t actually say that — that would be a miscue. I started writing side stories that really weren’t pointed enough or focused enough for ESPN. And they were brutally honest pieces that I wrote in column-like format, or maybe twice as long, and that’s really how this whole book was written. We tried to edit some of that choppiness feel out it, but we purposely kept a lot of it in, too, because life is choppy, you know? It’s not this long, smooth thing.
You know, I haven’t ever wanted to write a prize-winning column. I’ve read great writers that have won Pulitzer Prizes for their articles, like Thomas Friedman, but me getting on the New York Times Bestseller List? For a book nerd like myself, that’s the biggest thing I could ever hope for.

This has been quite a month for you, recognition-wise, because about a month ago, Guns N’ Roses (“GNR”) was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Yeah, it’s weird, you know? I’ve never striven to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Never in my life have I thought, “Man, I gotta get a Grammy.” In sports you try to win it all, but music’s a different deal. So the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was never on my radar. As a matter of fact, I don’t know how we got roped into it, but when we (Velvet Revolver) inducted Van Halen, it went south. I don’t know if you remember that. It just went south. The band (Van Halen) was fighting, and the only ones to show up were Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar, and it was like, “Ohhh, boy…”

Guns N’ Roses played to a soggy but massive audience this evening/morning at Rock in Rio as a kick off for their 2011 tour. Guns N’ Roses was nearly at top form for the most of the concert. Due to the rain and possible audio issues (at least on my end), there were small delays in between songs. Sometimes during the delays a quick instrumental would be played between band members while something was possibly fixed or adjusted. When the band played they were tight and, frankly, amazing. Axl first came out in what I thought was a yellow raincoat but by the third song, it was taken off. He did wear hats and various forms of rain gear throughout the show. Axl mentioned in the beginning that they would be playing it safe so they wouldn’t “fall on their asses.” He laughed, “I’ll concentrate on singing instead of running around like an idiot, but I’m better at being an idiot.” It was at this time I saw people with brooms pushing the water off the stage creating a waterfall at times. Yeah, lots of water.
With the torrential rain throughout the 2 ½ hour show, it was amazing that the band played as well as they did, but by the end of the concert it seemed they were getting tired and going through the motions. Overall that didn’t detract from the concert itself. Axl was in top form and his singing actually surprised me with strong his voice is. During songs like “Sorry”

A late but well written DVD review of the latest addition to the collection of unauthorized Guns N' Roses documentaries. Reviewed by Betty Wong of the Blogcritics Magazine:

Guns N' Roses: Under Review - Use Your Illusion I and II

The first time I ever heard of Guns N' Roses was in 1994 and I was twelve. The first song of theirs I ever heard was "Sweet Child O' Mine", and I fell instantly in love with it. Then I heard "Don't Cry" and "November Rain" and I fell in love with Guns N' Roses. Later on I saw the music video of "Sweet Child O' Mine" on MTV and then I fell in love with Axl.

When I first heard about them in 1994, they were on their decline but I didn't know anything about that. No one had ever talked to me about them before 1994, I had not seen any of their music videos, or heard any of their songs on the radio. As far as I knew, they were the hot new band on the rise.

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Going for the Green

Greetings, rockers! Are you ready to cheer your beloved Guns N Rollers on to another victory? You'll get your chance this Saturday, when your ladies in black take on the #1-ranked High Rollers at 6:00pm in the hangar. Oh, the anticipation... GNR is fresh off their impressive win against the Heartless Heathers in the Season 7 Opener and are looking to add another win to their record. They've been working hard and talking a lot of strategy, which will be an important element to defeating the High Rollers. The High Rollers play a smart game, controlling the pack and setting up solid walls to stymie the opposing jammer. Slippery HR jammers like Napoleon Blownapart need very little help getting through the pack, which means the High Rollers blockers can afford to ease up on offense and focus solely on defense. HR blockers are a formidable force when

GNR's Chinese Democracy Lyrics

November Rain is arguably GNR's biggest song. It's certainly one of their longest (that honour goes to Coma). The lyrics reflect themes of a difficult yet loving relationship that may or may not be finished. The song itself is almost a Stairway to Heaven for the 1990's.

November Rain Lyrics

When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
We've been through this such a long long time
Just tryin' to kill the pain
But lovers always come and lovers always go
An no one's really sure who's lettin' go today
Walking away
If we could take the time to lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowin' that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
then darlin' don't refrain
Or I'll just end up walkin'
In the cold November rain

Do you need some time...on your own
Do you need some time...all alone
Everybody needs some time...on their own
Don't you know you need some time...all alone
I know it's hard to keep an open heart
When even friends seem out to harm you
But if you could heal a broken heart
Wouldn't time be out to charm you

Sometimes I need some time...on my own

Sometimes I need some time...all alone
Everybody needs some time...on their own
Don't you know you need some time...all alone

And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain, ohhh yeahhh
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain

Don't ya think that you need somebody
Don't ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You're not the only one

You're not the only one

He's no Mattew Lee and I'm no Jill Homer

Yeah, I'm more like the Chris Carmichael in this relationship. But Jill Homer is my new hero.

Ray's feeling much better now. Still needs alot of rest and he will get his stitches out of his hand next week. His cankels are gone, thank god! But his mind is still out there somewhere. Still on the top of some pass, still on the race and the other racers. The stories have not started to come out yet. So, I've been thinking about this for a couple of days. What is it about this race that makes these guys push themselves to complete this? After pushing through miles and miles of mud and cow patties, toe nails falling off, exhaustion, freezing rain and on the brink of hypothermia. Almost all the racers have come back for more because their past attempts have landed them on the scratch list. What is it that makes them think they can beat mother nature?

This is different from any other endurance race Ray has attempted. The only resemblance to a bike race is, you are on your bike pedaling, that's it. This was not just getting ready for a local endurance race. This was planning, and training and training and more training. So much had been put on the line to get to the start line. When it was time to throw in the towel, it was like telling someone they could not summit Mt. Everest that day and they would have to go back down and try another time.

Guns N Roses live in Indianapolis 2011 - 3DVD - December 8

Guns N Roses
December 8, 2011
Conseco Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN

Taper: Auger3d
Video Equipment: Samsung HMX-Q10
Video Source: 1080p > AVS Video Editor > DVD (ntsc)
Audio Equipment: Sony PCM M-10 CSB Mics
Audio Source: 96 khz, 24 bit > FLAC > 48 khz, 16 bit

Video

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SLASH: Leaving Guns N'Roses

The original Guns N'Roses is pictured at left: Duff McKagan on bass, Axl Rose on lead vocals, SLASH on lead guitar, Steven Adler on drums, and Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar. When Appetite for Destruction hit the charts, the group's success was no longer in question, but problems cropped up with individual members. And when a musician can no longer work within the group, they leave or are asked to leave so that the group can continue.

The first Gunner to leave was Steven Adler. He was fired for his continuing drug problems. Steven was replaced by Matt Sorum pictured at right with SLASH. Next to go was Izzy Stradlin. Izzy resigned during the Use Your Illusions Tour citing problems with touring, working with Axl, and the difficulty of continuing to stay off drugs in this stressful environment.

Axl Rose has put paid to any hope 235 deluded fans on the internet might have had that one day Slash would rejoin Guns 'n' Roses.
Billboard reports Rose as saying "In regards to Slash, I read a desperate fan's message about, 'What if one of us were to die, and looking back I had the possibility of a reunion now'. My thoughts are, 'Yeah, and while you're at the show your baby accidentally kicks a candle and burns your house down, killing himself and the rest of your family.'

GNR Guitarist Slash To Blogger: Rot In Jail

GNR Guitarist Slash To Blogger: Rot In Jail

September 1. 2008

Guns N Roses

Slash, the guitarist of rock band Guns N Roses, has denounced blogger, Kevin Cogill, for leaking his group's long awaited, frequently delayed album "Chinese Democracy."

He had some strong words for the blogger, who appeared to be a fan. I read a few of his posts, and he seemed to think it was the jump start the band would need, in getting ~~them~~ Axl out there, to release and promote said album.

Slash, however stated, "I hope he rots in jail." He's probably mad, because it took front man Axl Rose 10 years to almost finish "Chinese Democracy" and if they choose to scrap the leaked album, it'll probably be another 10 years before the next record is completed (LOL).

Axl Rose

I remember years ago, reading about Axl getting into alternative religions and mysticism, under the guidance of a guru - you know, the standard Hollywood quackery that messes up the

1301193359 82 Bangkok Post : Still Slashing

“Khun Slash wants a coffee. Khun Slash wants a coffee,” chanted a hotel staff in a demonic trance as she parted the congregating reporters like the Red Sea. Khun Slash, of course, got his coffee in a heartbeat but later jokingly asked ”no whiskey?”, and his local minders suddenly seemed agitated to please.
Born Saul Hudson, Slash unknowingly commands such frantic reactions from those in his presence. his fancy pedigree as one of the top guitar players of all time, and the debauched rock n’ roll behaviour that followed him and his Guns N’ Roses bandmates from their early days, must have this tendency to tend to intimidate those he comes into contact with.

Slash Blames Lack Of Guns N’ Roses Reunion On Axl

I was reading Blabbermouth this morning and came across a post on that site which originated from the Bangkok Post. It was an interview with the always charismatic Slash.
The interview covers a number of the usual topics, including that infamous top hat dude wears…Slash claims he stole the hat: “I didn’t plan on it being stable part of my image. I just felt comfortable with it. I was 19 or 20.”
Then, he was asked about a reunion of the original Guns N’ Roses lineup, which has been the subject of rumor for years. the most recent rumor has the band reuniting for the 2012 Super Bowl…if there’s football next season, that is. What does Slash think?“It’s been, what, 15, 16 years?,” he starts. “No one in the original Guns N’ Roses ever said, ‘Let’s try to put the band back together.’ also, it’s all about Axl [Rose]. the reason that everybody left was because in the back of his mind I think that’s the way he wanted it. So the reason why there’s no Guns N’ Roses was because of him. I’ve got nothing to do with it. I quit for the same reason that everybody did. So it’s really his problem.”
So, it sounds like there isn’t going to be a reunion anytime soon, based on that statement. to be honest, anyone holding their breath for a GN’R reunion is just going to die sad and unfulfilled.

Review of Chinese Democracy by Guns N’ Roses

Overall, I feel that Chinese Democracy is a wonderful album. I definitely feel it is worthy of having the name Guns N’ Roses being put on it. I feel that this song is like a really fancy meal. there are no filler tracks on it and a lot of the songs are very rich in musical value. Although its different to what we have all heard from GN’R in the past, I feel that this new line up has done a wonderful job in writing, recording, and performing these songs. I am definitely looking forward to future releases from them. what I will do now is a break down of the album track by track and describe them in detail.
Track 1: Chinese Democracy