One thing I always try to do sportsfans is stay positive. This didn't happen overnight...trust me...for YEARS I was an extremely negative dude who expected the worst when anything came my way. One thing I have genuinely been blessed with since looking to God for everything is a more positive outlook. No matter how dull, mundane, or routine life can seem I always know that each day could possibly have some great event when I least expect it. Well this past Friday was one of those days. It was a typical Friday...I got up and went to work and all that. And after work I went to go see the new Jason Statham/Jet Li movie "War" which I have been waiting for over the last three or four months. Eh...the movie was ok...I was expecting more. It really seemed like some stuff got left on the cutting room floor that really could have made it a masterpiece...so I'll hope a director's cut DVD comes out. Even the final fight scene left something to be desired. Anyway, after the movie I drive home and my bud Don, the guitar player for the band I'm in if you didn't know, is waiting with a CD of rough mixes of the new stuff which I'm listening to right now. Oh yeah...this stuff is beyond rock. Let me put it this way...when the average male listens to these new songs, the testosterone level in their body will rise by at least 37%. Full-on balls to the walls rock POWER! I am blown away by how monstrous these tunes are sounding. I even think Tenacious D would be jealous by the sheer power of these tunes. After he dropped the CD off I played with the dogs for a bit and got ready for my show - "The Human Weapon" on The History Channel. I love this show, and it teaches me a lot about different styles and so forth...but one thing has been hanging over my head like a dark cloud for the last few days...and that's Michael Vick entering a "guilty" plea.
I love the Atlanta Falcons. Seriously...there is nothing I look forward to more than those three hours on a Sunday during the Fall watching them play. Yes, they aren't the most successful franchise ever...but they are my hometown team and I will always be completely consumed by them. When all this crap with Michael Vick and the dogfighting first surfaced, I was truly hoping he was just an idiot and had no idea about it. After all, he kept denying it and said he couldn't wait to clear his name. Well, once he decided to give a guilty plea, I'm through with him...especially since he admitted to being involved in killing dogs. Yes, he was my favorite player in the NFL and was on my favorite team. I looked forward to seeing him play every week the way I did growing up while watching Walter Payton....but Vick isn't in the same league as far as class goes. He lied...and I take that as a slap in the face. Not only did he lie about it all, but I still can't believe he admitted to actually killing dogs that didn't "test" well in fights. What in the hell is wrong with people when someone doesn't see this as wrong??? How low do people have to sink before they see killing dogs as a bad thing??? Yes, I love dogs...and at the same time I feel that way with any animal to a degree. Sure, I eat burgers and steak and chicken as a lot of us do...but to kill animals that don't perform well as "sport" is beyond my comprehension. Well whatever, he's dead to me now. The Vick memorabilia has come down and is in the closet with the jerseys. And from now on, my dog Vick has his name spelled "Vic"...as in short for Victor. I honestly can't express how depressing this whole thing has been for me. I know it sounds ridiculous. I take Falcons' football WAY too seriously...and to give an example of how seriously I take it...my mom called me the other night. Those who really know me know my passion for that team...and my mom called me to see how I was taking the news about Vick's guilty plea. Yep, go ahead and laugh, but that's who I am. But Vick lied and I have no tolerance for that...especially since he admitted to killing dogs. Sure, I understand stretching the truth sometimes and all that to protect someone's feelings...but a flat-out lie to do nothing but protect yourself pisses me off beyond belief. That's what Michael Vick did...so he's a memory as far as a Falcon goes. I can't even put it into words how much it pains me to say that...and I know it's goofy beyond belief...but that's the way it is. In fact, if I ever have kids one day I will tell them to not look up to athletes as role models. Sure, not all of them are scum and there are a lot of good people in sports, but at the same time you just never really know someone. I would hope that they would consider Christ as their role model...and if they also wanted to admire regular people then they could look to great people of history like George Washington, George Patton, Winston Churchill, and so forth. Yes, everyone has their faults and flaws, but great leaders who make changes for the better and who take a stand for what is right should be admired. But enough on all this...Michael Vick should go to jail...and I TRULY hope this new NFL commissioner takes the same approach on other cases like players hitting their wives. Heck, the Tennessee Titans, if I recall correctly, have five guys on their roster who beat their wives/girlfriends. One thing that disgusts me beyond belief is some piece of crap guy who would hit a woman. They deserve an ass kicking. I will not tolerate that...and if I see it happening you better believe I will make it my business. One last thing...I tried to watch the Falcons play on Monday Night Football last night, and it was awesome to see Joey Harrington kick so much ass as the new QB. However, the ENTIRE broadcast was NOTHING but crap about Michael Vick. It was unbearable! Honestly...I'm done with him and he gets what he deserves...that's not what was bothering me. What bothered me was I WANTED TO JUST WATCH THE FRIGGIN GAME!!!! And of course they played his "apology" press conference about 87 times. You know what? I don't buy it. Personally I think he is only sorry he got caught. I truly don't think he understands exactly how horrible what he was doing was. For someone to engage in something like that for years, and then all of the sudden think it's wrong because he got caught doesn't tell me he is sorry for what he did. Yeah, that may be cynical or whatever on my part, but whatever. Now what really sucks is he's supposed to be sentenced in December ON THE SAME DAY ATLANTA PLAYS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL! So that means I'll have to sit there and listen to a bunch of idiot announcers go over every single excruciating detail of it all again when I will only be interested in the game. I'm a Falcons' fan first...I don't care who is wearing the jersey, I will cheer for the team. Plus, Joey Harrington has done quite well in preseason. In fact, his stats at halftime last night were pretty much what Vick gets in an entire game minus rushing yards. But that's it...Vick is dead to me now and the season goes on.
Ok, so the positive part. I got done watching "The Human Weapon" Friday night and Don calls me. He went out to The Muse to watch a band with a dude we know named Mike who is cool as heck and has shown up to many of our gigs. I kinda wanted to go...but I had just got home and wanted to spend time with the dogs and all that. So Don calls me and gives me some unreal news - we got the opening slot for Overkill in October. Yep, one of the top thrash bands from the late 80's is playing here on October 10th and we'll be opening for them. No one else may care...but to me this is HUGE. This will be the second band this year I get to open for that I listened to years ago. This is awesome...we opened for Trouble earlier this year and now get to open for Overkill. I don't give a crap if these bands aren't as huge as they may have been years ago or whatever...the fact that I actually get to play in a band and open for them is huge to me. AND we got a kickass new drummer. I think I've mentioned it before, but Matt was a long-term temporary guy until we could get someone else. Matt is a good guy and a great drummer, so it sucks we won't be jamming anymore...but the new guy we tried out last week and is picking up the songs VERY quickly. We jammed on several of them tonight. And to expand on what I was saying previously, Don brought me a CD of some rough mixes of the new stuff and I was floored. We'll have the CD done in the next few weeks, and it shall rock harder and better than the majority of the crap out there. Now, to toot my own horn for a moment. One of the songs I wrote called "Wasting My Time" is going to be the first single...in other words the first song we get the local Buzz show on 102.9 to play. This song is coming out exactly how I wanted. If you love rock, picture driving down the highway and a tune comes on...you start playing drums on the steering wheel and turn the volume up. Next thing you know your speed has increased by about 20 miles per hour. That's what I wanted, and that's how it's sounding. The guitars on it are monstrous, and of course my vocals are in prime form...hahaha. This CD is going to have the one thing that is lacking in most stuff I hear that passes as rock and metal now - balls. A band can play some technical crap with harmonies, or have a guitarist that shreds, or have a slick and polished sound, but without balls it means nothing. Which is honestly why I can't understand how some bands we've gigged with get popular. I think it's because they're packaged well, have the right look and the "trendy" sound. Fine by me...I know they suck regardless of how many people watch them. You know why? Because when one person comes up after a show and raves about how much ass we kicked, I'm happy. I look at it this way - Nickleback may have played huge shows with a top-ten single, but Motorhead is timeless and will be remembered LONG after Nickleback is gone. Granted we aren't Motorhead, but you get the idea. And here's something else - our next goal is to be playing Japan next summer. Yep, Don and I were talking about it the other night, and we are honestly going to put something together to where we play Tokyo next summer. Don knows a girl that is from there and lives there...and she LOVES our stuff and so do her friends. We know that we would do quite well, and are going to do this. Of course I'll need some heavy medication for the flight, but that's a topic for another time...haha. NoiseCult live in Tokyo...wow. Metal is SO huge over there. Since I started playing in bands, I've dreamed of playing in Japan because of how rabid they are for this stuff. When we pull this off, it will be yet another thing I can add to my list of accomplishments - wrote a book, did TV sports broadcasting, radio DJ, pro wrestler for a night, ran for the U.S. Senate, made an indie horror movie, a trained MMA fighter, lead singer for a metal band...and now to play in Tokyo. And I wonder why the thought of marriage takes a backseat to so much...hahahaha.
That's it from me for now. And you know what happens this weekend? The first Georgia football game of the season. Oh yes, Saturday night I will be glued to the TV hopefully watching my Dawgs kicking the crap out of Oklahoma State. I can't wait. Yes, football season is upon us and it's a magical time. Of course what little free time I have is even reduced more, but I'm sure I'll find a way to make it...hahaha.