shut up, John. Episode #4.

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.

There you go.

Leopard...

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...

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.

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...

...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.

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...

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

shut up, John. Episode #1.

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?

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.

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.

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

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?

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...