Videos

The Grab A Stack of Rock Intro Video Odyssey

Back when Harrison and I first launched Grab A Stack of Rock in late 2022, we needed an intro song.  Jen and I had written some lyrics and a melody, but Tee Bone Erickson turned them into a song.  I am proud to have now turned his song into a record.  I decided to have a custom Grab A Stack 7″ picture disc cut by vinylart.co.  I’ve done this before with two other songs (one by Max the Axe and one by Dr. Kathryn Ladano) and though the sonic results are below par, I don’t care as I didn’t have the records made to play them.

Because I’m an idiot, I had this particular record made so I could use it in the new intro video.

Yeah.

That was $60 right there.  For roughly nine seconds of video.

We artists…not only do we suffer for our art, but we also go broke for it too.

I don’t make any money here, folks.   I do it for fun.

Doing this intro video (over and over again) was a true labour of love.  For our first show, we didn’t have the name yet, so I just ran the LeBrain Train intro video.  By the second show, we had the song but no video, so I made a quickie vid using old LeBrain Train shots.  As the show went on Friday after Friday, I kept updating the video (sometimes weekly) to include new guests and clips.  The version below is the 40th revision!  I’ve done more revisions than shows!

Now, finally I was able to let go of all the old LeBrain Train clips, as good as they often were, and use only fresh Grab A Stack content.  It has been quite an odyssey to get to this point, but…as always…I’m proudest of this version.  I think it’s the best one yet.  Jex and Tim both ham it up a bit in this, while a stoic Harrison looks on, stoically.

Friends like these in the video are the reason I keep doing this.  I love it.  I love us!  I love watching us do our thing, in a “greatest hits” kind of video.

I think this is the best one yet, until the next one.

 

 

 

REVIEW: KISS Starchild “BlownUps!” review with laser light show (Paul Stanley Weeble Wobble)

From the  Dressed To Kill line by Jabberwocky Toys

5/5 star(child)s

Birthday Bonanza on Grab A Stack of Rock with Harrison, Tim, Aaron & Grant!

Thank you Grant, Aaron, Tim & Harrison for celebrating my birthday with me!  We did a Nigel Tufnel Top Ten – Mike’s favourite birthday years.  We showed off all his gifts this year, and looked at photos and gifts from years past.

Tim treated us to a guitar solo, and the guys had cool stuff to show us as always.  Aaron’s signed Mystique poster was a highlight!

Lastly, Mike unboxed the new Grab A Stack of Rock theme song picture disc by vinyart.co.  Tee Bone Erickson’s first vinyl.  Now I need him to sign it!  Thanks for celebrating everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1981

  • Lego Technic Bulldozer set #856 from 1979 – “best present ever!”

1984

  • Michael Jackson – Thriller
  • Culture Club – Colour By Numbers

Transformers – Skywarp and Windcharger – my very very first two!

MOVIE:  Saw The Last Starfighter for Bob’s birthday.

1985

Transformers – Slag (Dinobot)

GI Joe Dragonfly, Cobra A.S.P.

1987

  • All four KISS solo albums
  • Ozzy Osbourne – Tribute
  • AC/DC – Who Made Who

1988

  • Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
  • Judas Priest – Ram It Down
  • Scorpions – Savage Amusement

MOVIE:  Saw Spaceballs for my birthday.

1989

  • The Cult – Sonic Temple
  • Kim Mitchell – Rockland

1990

MOVIE:  Saw Total Recall for my birthday.

1991

  • Extreme – Pornograffitti
  • Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

1992

  • Queensryche – “Anybody Listening?” CD single
  • The Cult – Live at the Lyceum cassette
  • Faith No More – Angel Dust

1993

  • Spock shirt
  • Ozzy Osbourne – Live & Loud (grille cover)

1994

  • Alice Cooper – The Last Temptation
  • Alice Cooper – Nobody Likes Me

1999

  • The entire Max Webster studio album discography

2001

  • The complete Stanley Kubrick DVD collection

Grab A Stack of Birthday Cake with Mike and the Mad Metal Man – Happy birthdays to us! (Special guest Grant Arthur)

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 29:  Happy Birthdays to Us!

It’s that time of year again!  We didn’t celebrate last year, because the LeBrain Train ended on July 15 2022.  But we’re back and we’re celebrating 2023 in style.  Join us, won’t you?

Special guest for this show will be Grant Arthur of Grant’s Rock Warehaus!  Thanks for celebrating with us!

We are expecting lists!  Unboxings and de-packagings!  What are the best birthday gifts you’ve ever received?  Mike will be listing, year by year, the most memorable albums he received for birthdays past, from 1984 to the 1990s, everything that he can remember!  He even still has a few of the oldest ones to show you.  What are the best albums you have received for your birthday?

Please join the party tonight.  We’ll be ready to bring it!

Friday July 21 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

Mostly New, But All Awesome! The Grab A Stack of Rock theme video has been heavily revised!

*pictured above: Gimli, the secret star of the show

Folks, I am so proud of this new show intro! Grab A Stack of Rock is almost at 30 episodes, so the show intro should consist of entirely original footage, should it not? Yes it should!  I’ve finally removed all the old footage and guests from the LeBrain Train shows (I think?) with two exceptions; both clips of original music videos that we still play frequently today.

There are more clips and less photos – the new version is faster and far less static. This means it takes an hour or so to load all the files into my editor, but it’s worth it when the results come out this good.

Our fans and Sarre have spoken, and they want more music and more lists on this show. We’re gonna bring ’em to ya baby.

I want to thanks Harrison Kopp for being awesome support and my rock of a co-host. I wanna thank Jex Russell for bringing a new energy to the show. I wanna thank Rob, John, Tim, Aaron, and Marco for helming some great episodes with me. Dr. K, Grace Scheele, Spenny Rice and Nurse Kat have been generous with their time and made their own episodes something really special to watch. Uncle Meat sparked the concept of this show and he’s in the new theme video too. He did after all make some cameo appearances on special occasions. Also a special thanks to Grant Arthur for welcoming me on his Rock Warehaus and helping me stay focused.

Spoilers:  There’s a new revision coming in a couple weeks with a new opening, but I’m waiting for a specific “prop” to come in the mail.  You’ll see!

Thanks for watching folks.

Alice Cooper’s Top Five Albums + Rarities, with Harrison & Jex

Awesome show tonight hosted by Harrison and Jex!  Top Five Alice Cooper albums, plus a nice collection from Harrison for bonus show & tell.  Harrison has three Alice Cooper albums that I would like to steal from his house.  Which ones?  You’ll have to watch to find out.  But you can check out the boys’ Top Fives below!  And as a bonus, I’ll throw in my Top Five as well.  Check ’em out!

This was one of my favourite shows to watch!  Thank you to Harrison and Jex for doing such an amazing job!  This was a great set of lists, and some awesome show & tell from Harrison.  My list will be drastically different from theirs!

Thanks for watching and we’ll see ya next week for my birthday!

JEX

5. Special Forces (1981)
4. Trash (1989)
3. Constrictor (1986)
2. Killer (1971)
1. Flush The Fashion (1980)

 

HARRISON

5. The Last Temptation (1994)
4. Welcome To My Nightmare (1975)
3. Flush The Fashion (1980)
2. Dirty Diamonds (2005)
1. Special Forces (1981)

 

LeBRAINLESS

5. Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)
4. Killer (1971)
3. Love It To Death (1971)
2. Welcome To My Nightmare (1975)
1. School’s Out (1972)

 

The Stone Gods and Hot Leg rocked Grant’s Rock Warehaus!

This was a lot of fun.  If you missed it, you can catch up below.  Grant and I discussed Hot Leg and the Stone Gods – the two bands that emerged from the Darkness split in 2005-2006.  Grant had a favourite of the two, as did I.  Can you guess who picked what?

 

Grab A Stack of Alice Cooper with Harrison & Jex: LeBRAINLESS!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With the Mad Metal Man & Jexciter: LeBRAINLESS!

Episode 28:  Alice Cooper Rarities & Cinco de Listo!

I’ve been wanting to do something for a long time:  Take a day off, sit back, and watch Harrison host the show without me.  Seriously!  I’ve always wanted to do that.  Today I get my wish.  For the first time ever, I get to watch Grab A Stack of Rock from the audience.

Join Harrison and Jex tonight as they show off highlights of their their Alice Cooper collections!  They will also be bringing back “Cinco de Listo” for the first time in ages, to count down an Alice Cooper TBA list that will rock your minds.

With the Coop’s 29th (not including the Hollywood Vampires!) new studio album Road coming soon, the time is perfect to revisit one of the greatest stars in all of metal history.  Ladies and gentlemen…Alice Cooper!

Friday July 14 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

Grant’s Rock Warehaus: The Darkness Spinoff Projects – Live Stream TONIGHT 7:00 PM E.S.T.

Tonight, I’m with the band! Whichever way you wanna give it, I’ll take it! Tonight with Grant Arthur on Grant’s Rock Warehaus! Let’s burn the witch!

#1070: Guilty of Vinyl Abuse (1987) – Kiss Killers (VIDEO)

RECORD STORE TALES #1070:
Guilty of Vinyl Abuse (1987) – Kiss Killers

Not much backstory here to tell!  I was a bored kid at the cottage, away from my best friend Bob.  We had an ongoing (and absolutely terrible) series of comedy sketch tapes called Mike & Bob.  The video you are about to watch contains some audio from Mike & Bob Vol. II, and some explanations as to what you’re hearing.

The cottage could be very boring when you’re a teenager.  I was either 14 or 15.  Typically I packed all my records, all my tapes, my ghetto blaster, my turntable, my microphones, and every piece of equipment I had to bring to the lake when we went for a lengthy time.  I missed my friend Bob.  Normally, we always recorded together.  This is a rare example of some of the only stuff I recorded without him.

We did a lot of really bad sketch comedy but some of the listenable ones were parody ads.  In this one, I advertise Casablanca Records & Tapes…for those who don’t have money to buy the best.  I abused my copy of Kiss Killers in order to do this.  My only excuse is boredom.

That summer, my sister’s friends were renting the cottage next door.  They figure in at the end of the video, if you choose to go that far….

Enjoy this blast from the past, brought to you by TDK D90 cassettes, and my new Kenwood tape deck from Max the Axe!

One record was harmed in the making of this video.