shut up, John.

My Christmas List- The Top 11. "This one goes to eleven."

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:58:00 -0800

UPDATE: 11-26-08: List has been updated, in case anyone was waiting... probably not though.

I have decided to post all of the things I would like for Christmas. I think some items are a bit pricey, but whatever. They are NOT listed in order of importance. Here it goes:

1. Marc Ecko "Boba Fett Hoodie" - Link - I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but I love this hoodie, and hoodies in general for that matter. Size Large, or X-Large.

2. Digg.com Pilsner Glass - Link - Maybe a set of four, perhaps...

3. iSkin "Solo" for the iPhone 3G - Link - I don't know why I like cases for my iPhone, but I do. I prefer the color "Angel" (white) or "Baron" (red).

4. Apple Gift Card - Link - A gift card for the Apple Store or the iTunes Store.

5. Best Buy Gift Card - Link - Yep.

6. Beer and/or Wine - Whatever you think I might Like (no Bud Light please).

7. ASUS "Eee PC" - Link - A "Netbook" is basically a miniature version of a laptop PC. I would LOVE to get this...

8. InCase "Power Slider" iPhone 3G case/battery - Link - This is basically a soft plastic case for the iPhone 3G, but it also has a built in battery to give the iPhone extra juice. This is the most streamlined iPhone 3G battery/case I have seen yet. Again, I would LOVE to get this also. ;)

9. "Mirror's Edge" for the PlayStation 3 - Link - A new Game for PS3 that I've been meaning to buy.

10. The "Keg Can Guitar Amp" - Link - This is one of the coolest amps ever, and it's totally handmade, or maybe, hand-modified... This is really cool.

11. iPhone Coasters - Link - iPhone icon coasters. Sweet.

So this is my wish list. Word.

Metallica - My Apocolypse

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:25:00 -0700

So... I just downloaded the newest single from Metallica, "My Apocolypse" from their new album "Death Magnetic."

I must say that I am officially excited for the new record. The song is definitely what the band needed to silence all the naysayers who said Metallica were washed up and old news. I am hoping this song sets the pace for the whole record.

The guitars are what stood out the most to me on this track, and hearing them motivated me to write this post. Blistering solos and speed and high energy are the first things that come to mind upon hearing this new track. Upon hearing it for the first time I thought, "this is simply awesome." Kirk Hammet's solos remind of the good ol' days of "Master of Puppets" which is probably the best Metallica record of all time, in my opinion. They are fast, full of fury and quite memorable. Kirk has impressed me. James Hetfield's guitars are probably the fastest I've ever heard on a Metallica record, and remind me just how talented he is and why I was inspired to learn guitar. I can't emphasize how brilliant this track is. You gotta download it NOW from iTunes- it's completely worth it. Metallica definitely deliver on this track.

I can't wait for the new record. Damn.

Whoa.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:22:00 -0700

Haven't really posted anything in a while... I guess I kinda just lost interest. But I'm back with more boring words and meaningless babble, I suppose. I had a BUSY week this week; I worked my ass off. I really didn't have much time to do anything else but go to work and sleep, and maybe pass out halfway into a movie (as usual). I can never make it through movies- even great movies.

I plan to start doing more "shut up, John" stuff in the coming future, although I'm sure it will be only half as riveting as before, considering I'm gonna try to play only unsigned bands from now on, and it may even be shorter than a half hour. I don't know quite yet what exactly I'm gonna do. I also plan on getting more episodes of blnTV up, especially since we are about to head out on a two week mini-tour with The Perfect Victim... should be fun.

Fucking elevators. I've been on one of the worst jobs ever (ranking only second to the Frontier Hotel), and I am finally wrapping it up. The job wasn't all that terrible, but I simply had no motivation at all, and every day I was forcing myself out of bed- shitty, shitty, shitty. End product of all the hard work that went into that job really paid off, and everything turned out 100% nicer than it was when we got there to do the work. But who really cares about that.

I have really grown to dislike a lot of the people who work at this place, simply out of sheer annoyance. I can pretty much do a rock solid impression of ever stupid motherfucker in that place who gets on my nerves. It helps me deal with their idiocracy. I don't claim to be brilliant or extremely whitty or talented, but I know a dumb-ass when I see one, or two, or three, or a building full of them. There are, of course, a handful of people who I respect and think actually have a brain (if any of them are reading this, I think they know who they may be). Fuck, one guy there speaks in grunts. Fuck.

Anyway, there it is.

JOHN

The Toilet...

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:42:00 -0800

I never thought I would miss a toilet...

but my toilet in the master bathroom has been out of commission for the last week- simply because i was too lazy to buy a $6 flapper thingy.

It's fixed now, and all is well... Glad to have you back, Toilet...

It's been a while...

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:35:00 -0800

...since i really posted anything. I guess due to the holiday, bands shit and work, but who's really reading this anyway? Right? Right.

It's been a weird day... I found out today that someone died. Someone that for a short time, had quite a profound affect on my life, though he may not have even known that he did. The person that died today is a man named Mike. He was a supervisor of mine for a short time at the company I work at. While being an overall great guy, he genuinely was a kind-hearted guy. All details aside, the man really did play a role in my life that while in a small but awesome way, helped get me where I am today. I did not know him as well as others did, but I feel that doesn't really matter. It's only at time like these that we really take the time to think about how others truly affect one's life, and how huge some of the smallest things are.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks to Mike. I hope in some way he now knows how he helped me, even though I never really got the opportunity to thank him. So thanks, Mike.

All this being said, I watched the Macworld Expo Steve Jobs keynote address today when I got home from work, before having to head out of the house. It was quite exciting and it tickled all the right spots in my "All-American, Mass Consumption" mind. I can't wait to get the new AppleTV... but all that aside... Randy Newman sang at the end of Steve Jobs' address. He's the guy that writes all the "cool songs that you never really thought you actually knew," in the Pixar animated films, as well as many others. One of his hits was the song from the movie "Toy Story" called "You've Got a Friend In Me." I think it's very appropriate for how I feel today, It also made me think of a lot of people who used to be close friends that aren't so close anymore... kinda sucks to think about it.

...well... gotta go.

Thanks again, Mike.

shut up, John. Episode #4.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:32:00 -0800

Don't even BOTHER with this episode... I mean, the bands are great, but this was my first attempt at a "live" type of podcast... Let me explain. I decided to do everything in this fourth installment of "shut up, John" completely freestyle, which means no editing (well, minor editing, ha), no forethought and really no direction. I just decided to basically load all the songs into Cubase while other tracks we playing, manually manipulate the faders and levels and try come up with song intros on the fly (and it's not as easy as it sounds!). This episode is only 20 minutes long. Most episodes take me about 3 hours to put together. This episode took, well, 30 minutes... Trust me, it really shows!

So, please take this as a warning. Enjoy my buffoonery...

Please send all ridiculing email to shutupjohn@gmail.com. Thanks!

Listen here: shut up, John. Episode #4.

The Hardest Working Man Alive.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Sat, 3 Nov 2007 17:10:00 -0700

There you go.

Leopard...

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:03:00 -0700

So... I got my brand spankin' new copy of Mac OS 10.5, aka Leopard, aka What Vista Wishes It Could Be, and I must say that I LOVE IT, so far. The only application that hasn't really worked out so far is my RSS aggregator, Shrook, but I am sure they will be releasing a Leopard compatible version soon. I am using Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 which seems to be working just fine, as well as CuBase LE. The only other item I am worried about is whether or not my drivers for my Alesis Firewire mixer will work. I have yet to install them, simply because I am backing up my hard drive to Time Machine, Apple newest and coolest backup application, and installing the drivers requires a restart or two. But, lets cross our fingers. For that matter, I hope I don't have a power failure during this initial first time excruciatingly LOOONG Time Machine backup process...

Here's a list of third party applications I am using that seem to be working well with Leopard, so far:

- Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0
- CuBase LE 1.0.8
- Endicia for Mac
- Cyberduck
- iMovie HD (I wasn't sure if it would be compatible, even though it's an Apple application)
- Instant Handbrake
- iRecordMusic
- SuperDuper (They have posted a message saying the are working on a new version for Leopard)

Anyway... I am totally stoked about Leopard. It has a ton of new, quirky features and it gives me an excuse to play on my Mac for no particular reason. NICE!

UPDATE: I installed the drivers for the Alesis Mixer. The audio output drivers seem to be an issue with Leopard. There is no audio output AT ALL through the mixer, so I imagine Alesis will have to update their drivers. BUMMER! Also, I have decided that I do not like the way running apps are shown in the dock. Instead of an arrow pointing up toward the icon, the dock now shows a blue sphere under the icon, which is difficult to see. Waaaah...

I just realized...

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:08:00 -0700

I really don't have any long time best friends... kinda sucks...

Or, maybe I do, and I forgot. I think that says a lot...

fuck.

shut up, John. Episode #3.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 02:08:00 -0700

Dude... Episode #3 of shut up, John is up... WTF? CuBase totally fucking shut down on me... but who's the stupid motherfucker who didn't SAVE along the way?! You guessed it... me... FUCK! Whatever... Episode #3 is still well worth checking out... music from The Swellers, Rasputin, By All Means and The SpacePimps!

It's been a long day, and I missed the UFC fight... Enjoy, enjoy!

Listen here: shut up, John. Episode #3.

I am a sick person...

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:19:00 -0700

...and that's why I didn't do a show this week. I just got back from Japan and had a huge sinus infection. Next week.

...I really need to get better at returning phone calls.

Iron Chef America? annoying...

Finally, meet Pastor Dick.

Bye.

shut up, John. Episode #2.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:43:00 -0700

Alrighty!! Episode #2 of shut up, John is up!! It's another short one, but I think 30 minutes is going to end up being the standard. I had to slam this one out before I left for Japan with Better Luck Next Time. It's got a good variety of bands including Capra, No Bragging Rights and One Handed Readers. I also got my hands on a better microphone and a slammin' new copy of Cubase (it works great for me!)...

So enjoy the show!

Listen here: shut up, John. Episode #2.

Guess...

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 01:12:00 -0700

Can anyone guess what this is a picture of? Leave a comment or lemme know at shutupjohn@gmail.com.

shut up, John. Episode #1.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:10:00 -0700

Welp, I made my first radio Podcast... this first one was just me, playing songs and getting acquainted with the whole "recording a Podcast" thing. I plan on making more episodes... who knows if they will get any better, but you gotta start somewhere.

I am pretty proud that this is my first episode. It's a lot harder than I thought to put a show together, even one as simple as this.

Anyway, hope everyone likes, or doesn't slam me too hard with shit talking...

Listen here: shut up, John. Episode #1.

Again?

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:37:00 -0700

So... everything I typed yesterday, well, just copy and paste it into today's rant. I am glad it's Friday. I get to go to Burbank, away from all this bullshit. I have never felt on edge more than I have this last week. I am looking forward to band practice and everything that may follow.

On a side note, today is my Dad's birthday. I have known my Dad's birthday has been approaching for quite some time now. So if anyone would to call me today and remind me, AGAIN, that it's my Dad's birthday, well, go right ahead and do that..

It's been a fucked up week.

Happy Birthday, Dad (the elephant taking a shit and piss, doesn't apply to you).

Fuck you.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:47:00 -0700

I just woke up from a nap and a very frustrating day. Not to get into specifics, but to quote Fat Mike, "The world keeps getting dumber." I think that about sums it up. So, I am just going to say "fuck you" to anyone who may have interacted with me today, except for my girlfriend, Amanda, Matt, Brian... ok... "fuck you" to anyone I talked to between the hours of 6:15 AM and 2:35 PM today. That about narrows it down.

Fucking bullshit. I am glad it's almost Friday. Fuck.

On a happy note, iTunes fixed their podcast submission issues today. I think I'll have a beer in celebration. Yay.

shut up, John. Video: Controversy.

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Mon, 3 Sep 2007 19:17:00 -0700

It seems somebody got in trouble for the first Better Luck Next Time "friday night..." video I made. So, I made a new, crisp and clean "edited" version. Everytime I appear in the video, it's to cover up where "someone else" may have been. I thought it was funny...

Birthdays

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:58:00 -0700

I never really kept track of my friend's birthdays. I always remembered my parents' birthdays and my girlfriend's birthday, only because they were the important ones. Then, the other day, I realized that everyone who is important in my life has a birthday that should be, in fact, important to me.

Now that I have read all the emails and entered all the birthdays, I don't know if it was such a good idea. It's easier being thought of as inconsiderate than buying gifts. How inconsiderate.

Off subject...

I was Playing Mario Party Advance for the first time ever. I lost. This is what it said.

Better Luck Next Time... yeah...

shut up, John. Video: Practice?

shutupjohn@gmail.com (shut up, John.) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:03:00 -0700

So, Better Luck Next Time had "practice" on Friday night. We are actually gearing up to go back to Japan at the end of September with the Mad Caddies to promote our new CD, Start from Skratch. The practice itself went pretty good, but the drinking afterward was even better, and seemed to be more of a priority. I think I brought 38 Bud Lights, and that's only where it started. Joseph had a run in with some Vodka.

Enjoy...