25th September 2005

Posted September 25, 2005

Friday night we joined the Johnson family in a trip up to Muncie Indiana. We went to the Lutheran High School football game.

As I was watching the game, I realized that I don’t think I have ever really watched a football game. The few games I went to in high school, I usually was hanging out with friends doing other junk than actually watching the game. They lost a close one, 40-35. They did real well, minus all of the fumbles. But knowing that they are a first year team and that loss makes them 3-1, that is pretty good.

Saturday, we slept in. I had to go into work for about four hours, and Sarah was nice enough to keep me company. I relaxed when I got home from that stress and then played a little bit on the computer with a program called Audacity. I figured out how to record a song through my computer using the line in - line out jacks, so that was rewarding. I changed the songs on my mp3 player and went out and mowed the lawns.

Later on I changed the wheels on my roller blades, they were so low some of them were rubbing on the center, and we talked with Emily for a little while since it is her birthday. I finished off my night talking with Christine, reading some comics, and watching some Batman episodes. Sarah talked with Thomas via gTalk, and she got a lot read in her new Harry Potter book.

Today we did different things around the house. I had to work more to finish up what I had been working on Saturday morning. We did make time to watch the Colts improve to 3-0 over the Browns. Their offense needs to kick it up a notch.

We talked with both sets of parents tonight for our weekly catchup. My parents have a myriad of things going on with my sister’s wedding and issues with their dog growing older.

It was a pretty rainy day overall, made ya feel a little cooped up, and for me, not so thrilled about the rain. The pattern has been, rain, then warm weather, and then there’s me, mowing our jungle lawn for yet another week.

21st September 2005

Get ready for a Rockstar:INXS rant.

Last night was the last night of Rockstar:INXS. It didn’t end with a happy ending, not for me.

The final three, J.D., Mig and Marty, competed in grand fashion to become the lead singer of INXS. But about five minutes into the show, I knew with a sick feeling, who was going to win.

This is so dramatic, ooh, I know. It’s stupid. But you know, I don’t want these shows. I watched The Apprentice last year, and that is the last one I watched. I have even talked to business savvy individuals who succumb to that show. So, this was a dirty little pleasure for me. You’ve got to hand it to Mark Burnett, the producer on both of those shows. He gives you truly relatable situations or stories that give you a reason to watch.

The story for this show was that INXS last it’s lead singer to an overdose. That is about how far my knowledge about the band extended. So, a fairly well known band needs a new lead singer. A brand new concept, and less drama in front of the camera and more performing. INXS and Burnett saw the opportunity. Get a new crowd involved with the singer, learn about the band, get back into the limelight with some publicity, and Burnett gets another great show under his belt. Involve MSN and online exclusive sales in the booming market for digital music, and it is a win win. Throw in some big names like Brooke Burke from Wild On! E and Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction fame, and you can’t deny it was well thought out.

I knew why it worked, and I was ready for the ride. Let me find out about the band, maybe even buy some music, and if I like the new singer, hell, I’ll buy the first new album just to give it a try. Because I saw the lead singer come to the light, I felt like I saw them grow and watched a star being born.

Back to the final three. I liked Mig for most of the show. But the last three shows his stage past came through, where he lost the feeling he had in his songs and it became more performance and less finesse. I hated J.D. from the beginning. The last three shows he did really well, especially for him. He acts like a baby, has nothing original to say, has limited vocal range, and is one mountain dew away from being the lead singer of Sum 41.

Marty is the true performer. An electrifyingly different voice. Not always on key, but he has the rock star air, the dress, the antics on stage, and a decent voice when it counted. I like passion to come through in my singer’s, not shouting passion, but just about any other kind. You can tell, the emotion comes through in the song. He may not have had a particular emotion, but it was riveting to watch him perform.

But I knew last night, J.D. was going to win.

He kept sticking around. INXS never drooled over him, they never went overboard. In that first few moments of the night I knew. Mig was voted off, that is because he overdid it a little. But, look at the haircuts, the voice isn’t that distinguishing, and the other thing, Marty always wanted to meet halfway, J.D. was crying about taking INXS “into his heart”. Right. Gay.

It was a business decision. Will it last, who knows. It wouldn’t have mattered who won, the legitimacy of the whole thing is questionable at best. But he would follow orders, not interrupt their flow, take their attention, and let them have someone to sing their songs.

Fine. I am not mad. I had come to grips, like I said, in five minutes. But I will say this. They had me. They had me. Picked Marty or Mig, and I buy the album. But you picked J.D. He’s a punk, he acts like someone trying to be a rockstar, but really doesn’t know who they are. Not only am I not going to get the album, but I will probably go out of my way to not buy anything by them, or listen to them. The new song last night was average at best, and his voice clashed with the backups and the rest of the band.

I would have been your idea consumer, the show, the whole bit. But you chose the guy the women voted for and kept on through the whole show. A bunch of mindless groupie who probably watch a ton of the Candy Coated American Idol.

I hope Marty Casey opens for INXS, and I hope he has a successful career. He just may not. Just cause he did that good on a tv show doesn’t mean that I am blind to think that means anything. But “Trees” is a damn catchy song, and that is huge. I’ll buy his album.

Congratulations guys. You’ll sell a lot of albums in exchange for any integrity and longevity you could have desired to have had.