Archive for January, 2009

Last night, as my girlfriend and I munched on veggie burgers at our tiny kitchen table, I told her about an idea for a story I wanted to pitch to one of the local alt-weeklies. It was a sound enough idea, well-thought out and though not time-sensitive, relevant in light of the current global and local economic situation.

She listened to and processed my pitch. We finished eating. A little bit later, while just chilling on the couch after dinner, she turned to me and asked, “Is there some reason you want to do that story now?” I re-delivered my reasoning from earlier. She listened, again, surprisingly patiently, and then clarified: “If the story isn’t time sensitive, why can’t you just pitch it later and focus on getting your comic book script done?”

Huh.

If anyone hasn’t figured it out yet, I have the attention span of a hummingbird. It’s nothing new, though the internet age has certainly not helped. For about the last 15 years or so, I have always juggled multiple projects in the air at once. At one point a few years ago, I was working full-time as a web content editor, going to school full-time for not one but two bachelor’s degrees, doing regular freelance writing for multiple publications and editing a twice-weekly newspaper. All at once.

I have a terrible habit of starting new projects in the middle of current ones, and sometimes leaving old ones unfinished in their wake. I have in my files at least three unfinished books and/or proposals, an in-progress screenplay or two and who knows how many broken pieces of potential articles, reviews or columns. While in the midst of a freelance deadline last week, I was also creating promotional materials and editing videos and music for my band while scheduling meetings to discuss taking on more projects … and formulating plans for that story pitch that started this whole conversation.

The girlfriend was right. I need to focus. There’s no immediate timeliness or financial burden requiring me to pitch this story right now. On the other hand, as she so kindly reminded me, San Francisco WonderCon is little more than a month away, and if there is any imaginary deadline for me to have my comic proposal together, that would absolutely be it.

In the 2005 film Les poupées russes (an adequate sequel to one of my favorite films, L’Auberge espagnole), the protagonist, Xavier, is a writer who does ghostwriting and pens pulpy romance books because these gigs pay well, but he is unsatisfied with the work, instead wishing to write earnest novels. Xavier’s grandfather tells him that if he keeps letting them, these good-paying but temporary distractions will consume his life, leaving what he truly wants out of reach. In the context of the film, it’s an allegory for the way Xavier’s led his romantic life. But the advice stands up on its own.

So while the occasional 200-word story for Six Degrees or contribution to little things such as Quips and Tips for Freelance Writers aren’t terrible time-suckers, I really need to hold steady and focus on finishing existing projects before starting new ones. Especially small ones. Before it’s too late.

It’s hard enough for me to find time to buy and/or listen to new music, let alone review it. And I’m not particularly fond of reviewing anything to begin with, which probably explains why in my career, I’ve only penned about a dozen proper reviews. The whole businesses of music (or art, or movie or any other creative endeavor) criticism leaves me somewhat dry. It’s so subjective, I wonder sometimes why we even bother.

Still, I do like to share, and publicists do like to send me things, so I’ll take a few seconds today to tell you about Klang!, the forthcoming debut LP from Seattle-based trio Motorik. The band’s official bio (which sorely needs to be rewritten) compares it to such 1980s mainstays as Echo and the Bunnymen and Killing Joke, and the group’s publicist swears singer Sio sounds like a female Robert Smith, though I don’t hear it. To me, Motorik combines the dance-punk fervor of The Rapture with the caustic vocals of PJ Harvey, enhanced with the plunky basslines of early Cure material.

Either way, the nine songs featured on Klang! are punchy, fun balls of postpunk revelry with just enough pop to keep your ears sweetened amongst the sometimes salty delivery. “Six Filters” will have you double-checking your iPod to see how Siouxsie and the Banshees got on there, while “Box of Knives” finally answers the question, “What would an Interpol/The Duke Spirit collaboration sound like?” Thanks to Motorik, you’ll wonder no more.

It’s hard enough for me to find time to buy and/or listen to new music, let alone review it. And I’m not particularly fond of reviewing anything to begin with, which probably explains why in my career, I’ve only penned about a dozen proper reviews. The whole businesses of music (or art, or movie or any other creative endeavor) criticism leaves me somewhat dry. It’s so subjective, I wonder sometimes why we even bother.

Still, I do like to share, and publicists do like to send me things, so I’ll take a few seconds today to tell you about Klang!, the forthcoming debut LP from Seattle-based trio Motorik. The band’s official bio (which sorely needs to be rewritten) compares it to such 1980s mainstays as Echo and the Bunnymen and Killing Joke, and the group’s publicist swears singer Sio sounds like a female Robert Smith, though I don’t hear it. To me, Motorik combines the dance-punk fervor of The Rapture with the caustic vocals of PJ Harvey, enhanced with the plunky basslines of early Cure material.

Either way, the nine songs featured on Klang! are punchy, fun balls of postpunk revelry with just enough pop to keep your ears sweetened amongst the sometimes salty delivery. “Six Filters” will have you double-checking your iPod to see how Siouxsie and the Banshees got on there, while “Box of Knives” finally answers the question, “What would an Interpol/The Duke Spirit collaboration sound like?” Thanks to Motorik, you’ll wonder no more.

Albertson’s: It’s Your Store.

Oops, we take that back: It was your store, if you live near Tropicana and Eastern avenues or Lake Mead and Jones boulevards. Because those locations of the grocery store chain are scheduled to close on Feb. 19, according to Las Vegas Now.

And their sister Lucky stores aren’t, well, living up to their name either, because the following four locations are also shutting down on that date:

• 4801 W. Spring Mountain Rd.
• 2021 E. Lake Mead Blvd.
• 2400 E. Bonanza Rd.
• 1324 Craig Rd.

Hey, did anyone else notice all of these locations are in lower income neighborhoods and/or minority-majority areas? And who says institutional racism or class warfare are things of the past?

But hey, at least Las Vegas’ oldest predominantly Black neighborhood isn’t being walled in and cut off from downtown or anything, right?

It is? Oops.

Yes sir, we are living in a golden era of equality and opportunity for all.

Albertson’s: It’s Your Store.

Oops, we take that back: It was your store, if you live near Tropicana and Eastern avenues or Lake Mead and Jones boulevards. Because those locations of the grocery store chain are scheduled to close on Feb. 19, according to Las Vegas Now.

And their sister Lucky stores aren’t, well, living up to their name either, because the following four locations are also shutting down on that date:

• 4801 W. Spring Mountain Rd.
• 2021 E. Lake Mead Blvd.
• 2400 E. Bonanza Rd.
• 1324 Craig Rd.

Hey, did anyone else notice all of these locations are in lower income neighborhoods and/or minority-majority areas? And who says institutional racism or class warfare are things of the past?

But hey, at least Las Vegas’ oldest predominantly Black neighborhood isn’t being walled in and cut off from downtown or anything, right?

It is? Oops.

Yes sir, we are living in a golden era of equality and opportunity for all.

In case anyone was wondering how I booted 2008 while welcoming 2009, wonder no more. In seven minutes, you’ll witness Robbie Maddison’s death-defying leap atop the Paris Las Vegas’ 100-foot-tall Arc de Triomphe replica, DJ Jazzy Jeff spinning funky beats, a concerning lack of champagne at midnight and a whole lot of me shouting at people. A lot. Like, an overwhelming amount.

I know I already shared this over at my old site, but since the “old” incarnation of pjperez.com has been rolled up here, I don’t feel too bad reposting. Especially because of this: The winter 2008 issue of HRH, the Hard Rock Hotel’s in-house magazine, is now available online in a fully interactive digital format. And if you’re interested in reading my feature about Billy Idol (which appears on the cover in about half of the copies — the other half feature Kings of Leon), then click here to enjoy an interview with the legendary rocker. That’ll link you directly to the article.

The shots of Idol featured on the cover and in the story look live, but they were actually shot by Robert M Knight before Idol’s Sept. 12, 2008 show at the Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel here in Las Vegas. Knight is a very humble guy, but he’s been one of the most prolific music photojournalists of the last 35-plus years, shooting all the greats, from the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to the Ramones and Jimi Hendrix. As he’s known all these musicians for so long, Knight just showed up to take photos for his own collection, and Idol let him kind of do whatever he wanted — which meant, of course, getting some iconic Idol poses with good lighting on stage before the madness began. That was right before I went upstairs to Idol’s dressing room to do the interview for the story, and as I’ve discussed elsewhere, he was gracious, funny and candid — if not a bit mumbled.

A large number of Idol’s fans hit up the old website to check out the article, but I know the scans I originally posted were hardly legible, so hopefully for those who couldn’t procure a copy from the Hard Rock, this zoomable digital version will be helpful.