What to post?

You guys are great. How about that? Is that good? Well, I'm tired and can't stay for long.

I've made some real good friends through Blogger, and could still make many more. Having this outlet is great. I, however, still desire to really entertain on a grand scale. I have been recording lately, but am limited to meager and cheesy recording circumstances.

Ask Vera and Crystal if I'm good. I refuse to answer, because I just do it for fun and really don't know. I bequeathed my seriously lo-fi back catalog to Vera, and did Crystal an album in her name, as an artistic challenge. "The Lack of Drummer" is what it should have been called, btw. I'm preparing new songs now.

I am not a live performer, but I could be if I had enough incentive, I suppose. There's a lot of anxiety tied to being in front of a group of people and trying to be loose enough to get your attack right, vocals limber and true, etc. This is why so many musicians turn to drugs.

I am not a musician, but a song writer and player--I think they are different. I play the guitar (electric and acoustic), can do the bass when needed, keyboards are sparse, Theremin--geeks unite! I have made most of my own effects for guitar: various Fuzz Faces, Big Muff Pi's, boosters, chorus, flanger, delay, Octavia, phase shifter, envelope following filters, and amp distortion emulators. I know how to prototype, make PC boards, solder, wire, make enclosures, you name it.

Why do I not do this for a living? Because, Boss, Ibanez, DOD, and Line 6 can do it bigger and cheaper. Plus, I can't compete with the true boutique geniuses. I'm just a good DIY'er. I mentioned that I've made two vacuum tube amplifiers. They are super sweet, rich in tone and warmth. They put my store bought one to shame--but that's because it's a Crate VC5310. I also built two Theremins--you know the spooky oooooohweeeeeooooooooh, sci-fi sound thingy? With those you just wave you hands in the air to send the LFO's into a frenzy and control the swell. It is cool.

I also made a simple, two LFO (with ASDR, glide, filters, and a few other treats) analog synth, so I could have a bit of that Gary Numan sound. Think "Down in the Park" and "Are Friends Electric?". Still not ringing any bells? Sheesh, okay, "Cars". Happy now? I've got one el cheapo drum machine (Alesis SR-16) and I can't program that thing worth shit. So, I can write songs, perform them, build the equipment (not design), but I can't program a damn drum machine? This is funny.

Oh well, this is a glimpse into my personal life that I feel that I've not shared much. I hope you enjoyed it.