Filler

My Appreciation for the Mad Metal Man – a tribute to Harrison

Today, I salute Harrison Kopp, the Mad Metal Man…and why?  Because he deserves it.  This is for you Harrison.

I first met Harrison several years ago, when he began reading my Record Store Tales, Iron Maiden reviews, and other postings.  He wrote to me, I responded, and over the years we became friends.  He was a fan of my writing, and I was a fan of his staunch defense of Blaze Bayley, even over the protests of Aaron KMA.  No, Harrison likes what he likes and he sticks to his guns.

For the artists Harrison follows, he knows everything about their live setlists over the years, like a heavy metal encyclopedia.  I consider him an expert on the subject.  If you wanted to know if Iron Maiden or Alice Cooper ever played such and such a song, he’d know, and he’d be able to tell you if it’s on Youtube.

Now that I think about it, perhaps Harrison is a highly sophisticated robot?  Nahhh…robots don’t have moustaches, or glorious manes of genuine Australian locks.  He’s too talented to be a robot.  His clever wordplay has led to some of the most adventurous Tee Bone Man episodes.  And then we have his Lego art, improving by the month.  If you thought Noirison was amazing, wait until you see what is coming.  You should really follow him on Instagram to see what he’s doing Lego-wise.

In 2020, I met Harrison face to face for the first time via the LeBrain Train.  Today, he has become the reliable and faithful co-host I had been looking for all the while.  Thank you, Harrison.

And, he’s a friend.

Here’s some Blaze for ya.

 

Mike

Happy Birthday to Me! (VIDEO: The Adventures of Mike and Bob set to music)

I always think of my best friend growing up, Bob, on my birthday. Our birthdays are only 10 days apart, so for us, July was a busy month full of music new and old.  We always gave each other music.  The last birthday we celebrated together was 1991 as I recall, and he gave me Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge on CD.  Same copy I still own today.

My favourite birthday memory might actually be his party in 1984.  He was into Marvel comics limited series because they were easy to collect, and he loved The Last Starfighter, which was three issues.  Obviously we had to go see the movie.  His parents took us to Mother’s Pizza for dinner and then to the movie.  “It’s better than Star Wars!”  I raved back home.

This year on my birthday I’d like to share this new video I made from Mike and Bob’s Cross Kitchener Adventure.  I set it to the Gene Simmons song “Waiting For the Morning Light”, written by Gene and Bob Dylan.  (Don’t ask why I set it to that song.)  I hope you enjoy this nostalgic music video from about 9 months before Bob gave me that Van Halen CD!

Major events on this date:  Deep Purple broke up in 1976!

If you would like to celebrate this year’s birthday with Harrison and I, you can do that live this Friday at 7:00 PM on Grab A Stack of Rock!  Please join us, won’t you?

 

Happy 99th “Wayne Gretzky” Birthday to my Grandma!

There were numerous times in the last couple years that we didn’t think she was going to make it.  But she did!  Grandma is now 99.  It’s what we’re calling her Wayne Gretzky birthday!  This is honestly a post I didn’t think I would be writing.  I wrote her obituary back in February!  She’s had brushes with death, cancer and Covid.  But here we are.  99 and strong.  Let’s make it 100 Grandma!

I love my grandma.

Saturday Afternoon Playlist for Lego Building

This was our playlist on Saturday June 10 for a rockin’ afternoon of Lego building.  We generally took turns picking songs.

You can really see the differences in our tastes.

  1. AC/DC – Heatseeker – Mike
  2. AC/DC – Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution – Mike and Jen
  3. SOUNDGARDEN – Black Hole Sun – Jen
  4. THE POLICE – Walking On the Moon – Mike
  5. GUNS N’ ROSES – Don’t Cry – Jen
  6. THE SOGGY BOTTOM BOYS – Man of Constant Sorrow – Mike
  7. QUEEN – Bohemian Rhapsody – Jen
  8. THE BEATLES – All You Need Is Love – Mike
  9. AEROSMITH – Cryin – Jen
  10. JETHRO TULL – The Whistler – Mike
  11. THE TRAGICALLY HIP – Grace Too – Jen
  12. BRUCE COCKBURN – If A Tree Falls – Mike
  13. PEARL JAM – Black – Jen

 

Ronnie James Dio – My Eulogy (2010)

Written and posted on Facebook in 2010 after Ronnie’s death.  Reposted here for the first time unaltered.  Rest in peace Ronnie.

My exposure to Dio was initially due to MuchMusic. They played the video for “Holy Diver”, and I was quite frankly into ANY metal video where the band and/or singer had a sword and was on some kind of mission. (See: “Queen of the Reich” by Queensryche and “Can U Deliver” by Armored Saint for two more videos of this genre from the exact same time period).

However that song was undeniable. I remember having it my head for an entire day in 8th grade. It was the only thing that made some days tolerable. As much as I hated my grade 8 teacher and classes, it was always OK because I constantly has this kick-ass song playing on repeat in my head.

I sit here listening to the live version of “I” from The Devil You Know album. Dio did it again, this time with Black Sabbath. Yet another one of those songs. You only have to play it once, its impact was immediate, and suddenly you could have it playing non-stop in your head while bored to tears in class.

There was no other like Dio. When it came down it, his lyrics were pretty simple thematically. I mean, killing dragons, stopping robots from taking over the earth, fools sailing away…but underneath it all, they had this hidden theme: Don’t take bullshit. In a way that’s all Dio’s songs were ever about, from “The Last In Line” to “I” to “Stargazer”. None of these songs had any characters who ever took any bullshit.

Dio was like that. He was no-bullshit. Dio wore his wizard’s sleeves. Dio had a freakin’ dragon on his album cover in the year 2002! Who else did that? Not many and certainly nobody who got front racked a the local record stores like Dio did. But Dio didn’t care. Dio had his own sound, and he brought that sound to both Rainbow and Black Sabbath. There is a common denominator in the sounds of those albums and it is intrinsically Dio.

And who else can claim such a hardcore resume? Elf, Rainbow, Black frickin’ Sabbath, and Dio itself! Not to mention some of the totally unsung stuff he’s done, not least of which was Hear N’ Aid. Google the video, you’ll understand completely. Nobody else can claim that they’ve done what Dio’s done.

But more than that, Dio has been there with us. Dio’s been at wedddings, funerals, on roadtrips, in basements and bedrooms all over the world. Wherever you were rocking out to “Holy Diver” or “Rock and Roll Children” or “Neon Knights”, if you’re a Dio fan then you know what I’m talking about. If there was one constant in rock, it’s been Ronnie James Dio. You knew he’d never sell out and he never did. He wore his metal on his (wizard’s) sleeves and he made it OK for you to do the same. If you felt like crap because you were the only kid in school with a Black Sabbath T-shirt, Dio’s lyrics and message always said “It’s OK, because you’re onto something that they can’t see.”

Man, I’m gonna miss Dio. Like most of you, I have every album, every Sabbath album, every Rainbow album…I’ve known “Die Young” for 25 years. Now there will be no more. I don’t know if metal has ever suffered a loss like this before. This is certainly one of the biggest losses the genre has ever experienced, and I am including Hendrix in that body count. After all, Hendrix was a spark, here and gone before anybody got to know the man. Dio though…we’ve been following Ronnie James Dio’s career and music for most of our lives. But no more. Now we go on without Dio, yet no matter what…”WE ROCK”.

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio

 

Topless Tribute to @MarriedandHeels from Mike and Jex!

On April 28 2023, our co-host MarriedAndHeels went topless for the first time on her OnlyFans live stream. I’m disappointed that she went down that road, but her fans are happy. Jex and I decided to poke a little fun at her, all in good humour. I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of topless jokes this summer.

Unfortunately MarriedAndHeels quit our show today, Cinco de Mayo 2023, to focus on her more profitable OnlyFans strip show.  We are sad, but wish her well.  You gotta do what you gotta do.  We will always be grateful, even if we wish she was sticking around with us.

On This Day in Music History: the 1st Annual Grammy Awards

May 4, 1959 – the 1st Annual Grammy Awards

 

Record of the Year:  “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)” – Domenico Modugno

Album of the Year:  The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini

Song of the Year:  “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)” – Franco Migliacci and Domenico Modugno, songwriters (Domenico Modugno)

 

Instaspam: Nita Strauss edition

Instagram spam often goes like this.  See below and beware of fake accounts!  Always for “real fans”.

Note the poor English.  Anyone who follows the real Nita knows this isn’t how she writes.

 

 

Instaspam 2

“Alaye” is a code word in the scam community, meaning “powerful person”.  Instagram scammers from Nigeria use it to identify themselves to one another.  In the screenshot below you can see one person throw the word at me, and when I responded with the same, they admitted they’re a hustler.  This is the second such admission I received when using the code word.

You might also see a couple other words I used.

Stay safe online folks!