Bleeding Neon

Yep, it’s another photo by my pal and ex-partner-in-crime Greg Thilmont from the Gumball 3000 car rally at the Hard Rock Hotel back in ought-six. That’s Chef Kerry Simon next to me, watching Tony Hawk and pals rock some skateboard badassery on the huge half-pipe set up in the casino’s parking lot (interestingly, that lot is now the new Joint theater). We were in the gated safety of the VIP/press area, as I just finished getting quotes from Simon for the story I was writing.

Bonus (because I forgot last time, sorry Greg): The Gumball 3000 video report shot by Greg and poorly narrated/edited by me:

Greg and I did finer work, somewhere else on my YouTube channel.

It’s not exactly an Emmy, Pulitzer or Eisner, but as someone not used to winning anything, I figured I had to share this with you fine people: Yesterday, The Write Blog announced the winners of the Write On! Online/Write Environment Query Contest. And who won first place in the Teleplay category?

Me, bitches.

Will it get that pitch anywhere? Who knows. Part of taking first place is having the query read by David Boxerbaum, a senior literary agent at APA talent agency. So, maybe. Or not. If nothing else, it got that TV series pitch out of the growing pit known as my Google Docs account and in front of someone’s eyes.

In the meantime, I’m on deadline for two stories at two different publications, trying to get caught up with The Utopian before San Diego Comic-Con sneaks up on me (in two weeks!), working with my band to find a producer with whom to record and closing on a house. Oh, and apparently, failing to get paid by What’s On magazine.

Speaking of Comic-Con, if you’re going to be there, I have semi-complete details on how to hook up with me there posted over at the Pop! Goes the Icon website.

In February 1993, my first published piece of quasi-journalism ran in Scope Magazine, the then-monthly alternative newsmagazine that would go on to morph into the Las Vegas Weekly, Greenspun Media’s gloss-covered, nightclub ad-filled alt-weekly. While working for Greenspun from 2004 to 2006, I was a regular contributor to the Weekly, covering everything from nightlife and music to business and education, but my crutch was always local music. I helped launch the bi-weekly “Loud!” column, which exclusively covered the Vegas music scene (I co-created a similar monthly feature for the CityLife a few years earlier).

So I suppose it isn’t too surprising that I’ve returned to the pages of the Weekly in this week’s issue with an article about the return of 1990s doom groove maker A Pig Named Jodi to the Vegas scene. It’s a story about the band’s homecoming that is as much a homecoming for me. To be honest, I haven’t spent that much time thinking about the local music scene outside of how to get my band, As Yet Unbroken, pushed to the top of it (Speaking of which, our new song “Almost Gone” maintained its spot as the most downloaded song on the Weekly’s website AGAIN this week). But when arts and entertainment editor Spencer Patterson — with whom I worked previously at the paper before running off to launch Racket magazine — approached me about again covering local music for the Weekly, I quickly fell into a familiar place. I mean, sure, interviewing big rock stars is nice and all, but I feel much more like I’m doing something worthwhile by giving my scene brethren a little love in print.

So look for another story in (I believe) next week’s issue as well, and so long as I don’t get terribly distracted, there should be plenty more coming. And if you have any story ideas about Vegas-based bands, venues, producers, studios, etc., feel free to fling ‘em my way.

Andy Warhol's "Flowers"

You might think that Las Vegas couldn’t justify the existence of two columnists covering fine arts for the same website, Examiner.com. You might be wrong.

Our territories tend not to overlap: the other Las Vegas Fine Arts Examiner focuses on more tourist- and family-friendly items, while I often stick to locally grown art, theater and performance. But today, both of us wrote about the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art today, likely because that august institution is unveiling new additions from Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to its current “Classic Contemporary” exhibit. I dropped 500 words critiquing the relevance and impact of the pop art movement (while promoting the new works and other timely stuff).

What you may notice is I’ve only been writing about one story per week. But it’s not due to a dearth of fine arts activity in Las Vegas. Quite the opposite: It’s because there’s actually almost too much going on. I have an e-mail inbox overflowing with press releases and updates about thesis shows, ballet performances, philharmonic concerts, cultural heritage exhibits, poetry readings and so much more that I barely know where to start. And between my other freelance work, doing a weekly webcomic and keeping you fine people entertained, well, there are only so many hours of the week.

That being said, I’m trying. So feel free to tune in to my Las Vegas Fine Arts Examiner channel to stay on top of things, and if you come across any interesting fine arts-related news items or ideas, well, you know where to find me.

Ah, gentler (and thinner) times. That’s yours truly with “Gonzo” Greg and Nicole at the Hard Rock Hotel in 2006 for the Gumball 3000 road rally Las Vegas visit. It was my first time hanging out with the pair, who at that time hosted Area 107.9’s morning show. We waited forever on the red carpet for alleged celebrities to show up (I was covering the event for the Las Vegas Weekly), and had to entertain ourselves somehow.

Bonus: Here’s audio of my appearance on Greg and Nicole’s radio show a year or so later, after I became the editor of Racket magazine.