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Dealin' with the Fans

Tuesday May 31, 2005 - Link to Entry

At first I found these letters cute, but after receiving an additional 10 of them over the long weekend I am starting to be a bit bewildered. I mean they are not viruses, they are not spam or ads for anything. They are just pure gibberish….

Here are three more:

From: Zusman Whiting Whiting@fujiamerica.com
To: Mason Chung info@jeremyround.com
Re: I Can't Tell You How Much Fun We Had

"Hello,
His excellency changed colour. He sat quite still, staring at thethe spectacle disgusting and terrifying. It recalled the brutalIf I can't defeat him, I can sink my own ships in the channel, andnight. The Duke was to lead a surprise attack upon the RoyalistMiss Bishop and his lordship had been shown the utmost considerationI am sorry to press you in such a matter, Don Diego, but one glassPish! Ye're a white-livered cur when all is said.virtue of his service in the navy, was appointed by Blood to commanddistinguished Spaniard delivered from captivity in Barbados by yourbewilderment, fell abruptly silent.onerous a charge.His lordship snarled like a mountain-cat. That rascal Bishop shallthose that crawled out after him - the remnants of his crew - cursedCould she have guessed the extent of that postponement, vexationservant who had poured it withdrawn, Don Miguel laughed andYet short of some such measure, it appeared to Colonel Bishop

Hello,
from La Guayra.They should have left the island to leeward, heading into theyou've had enough of this, send me word, and we 'll have theover to swing her back to her course, his own prow replied. ButMr. Blood saw no profit to himself in lingering.had rescued peered up through the gloom.at once produce the money.conviction that the sands of Captain Blood's career were running out.But now it was observed that they were empty, save for the men whounder pain of imprisonment, and as the hum of voices gradually becamehalf-mile of the shore - that is to say, on the very edge of theLittle fool, her brother answered her - and the little was outdevil with Nuttall! Whether he gives surety for the boat or not,as they filtered from the upper to the lower bulb. And what timeThis being so, let us get on, in God's name; for we have much tocrouching for shelter amid the wreckage of the forecastle with

Hello,
we forge. In the class of warfare that lies before us they are sowas pulled ashore. From the distance he waved to Blood, who stoodsurprised. And barren must their victory remain until they couldBoth Esteban and Blood made haste to agree with him, and thenby another two, they made haste to obey, he turned to the others.had they grown worse.torn from his quiet homestead amid the fragrant cider orchardsmay have looked a little larger than usual. But she had herselfand daughter shrank away in renewed fear. Mr. Blood, at the headheaving breast, her face deathly pale, a wild terror in her eyes.CHAPTER XIIn prison? Her tone suggested apprehensions in which he had noWolverstone, the only one who held the clue to this degeneration,controlled himself, he asked in a concentrated voice:Not another word, in the name of Heaven! cried the Admiral inyou must have the actual date - that Peter Blood was brought to"

Though they are schizophrenic in nature, I find the letters delightful in tone and am overrun with curiosity as to why I am receiving them and what there true meaning is. Are they simple ramblings from a bored friend? Has JeremyRound.com found itself at the porthole to a bizarre alternate dimension that uses old English in fragments? Are these term papers from students of former Teach For America teachers?

Well here was my response to the last of the letters.

From: Mason Chung/Hooda Gage/Jayro Jr. jeremy@jeremyround.com
To:Zusman Whiting Whiting@fujiamerica.com
Re: Re: Your awesome letters

Hello,
Darith I do declare with redblood dancing, for lost and bewildered he dost be? Just then the beautiful green bird of Pigamee foundits I can’t seem to believe in a god so for heaven’ssake Hold the phone when you can’t find the soap. Dear Mr. So and so, I am writingin yes you too can prevent forest fires! Crouching and cusping Blood looked not for the sound but rather the shipsthat then her sister did call out his name. Fancy fancy, Ms. Thomas thought better of her criesand fled ne’er to be heard

Look….I don’t understand what you are trying to communicate with me. I am a reasonable and kind man and would love nothing more than to understand what it is you are trying to have me understand. Please let me know what your aim is in writing thse letters to me.

Thanks for your time,

Mason, Hooda, Jayro Jr.

I fear I may have just declared war on Prussia…

Lenny Kravitz at the Wiltern

Thursday May 26, 2005 - Link to Entry

He's the self proclaimed 'Minister of Rock and Roll' and for about 2 hours Sunday evening, Carla, Nichole, and I, along with 497 other fans got to see him up and close in person (real close).

Lenny Kravitz is a great showman, don't let anyone tell you differently. To prepare for his set they dropped the curtain between he and the opener. A slow half an hour passed. The lights dimmed. A jazzy version of the piece they play in Kubrick's 2001 could be heard (this version is in a car commercial I saw the other day). "I'm the minister of rock and roll" echoed through the intimate Wiltern. The curtain rose.

A 11 piece ensemble stood before us frozen: A choir of 3, a guitarist, a bassist, a saxist, a trumpetet, a tromboner (hehe), a keyboardist, a drummer and Lenny himself. A huge LK lit up as the backdrop of the stage and the show was underway.

As someone who is trying to focus on the positives I must say that this show was dazzling and that the music was incredibly well played. The audience was loving every second of it and Lenny really plays the character of rock star well.

But as someone who goes to a ton of shows as of late and was really excited about the opportunity to enjoy one of his top artists in an intimate setting, the electric church tour was a bit of a let down. Where did this show fail? It was quite simple really. It was the LOUDEST DAMN SHOW I'VE EVER BEEN TO, and I've been to a lot of very loud shows.

The sound system the Kravitz band had brought in for this thing would easily fill any outdoor stadium with plenty of sound. The noise level in the Wiltern was eardrum shattering and despite the amazing musicality and showmanship that was occurring right in front of my very eyes, I couldn't help but plug my ears and wish for it all to end.

Sensory overload from just one sense can overwhelm the others and prevent true enjoyment. Honesty, five days later, my ears finally feel normal today for the first time since. That is not okay!

So to all you huge Lenny Kravitz fans, I fully recommend not attending this show. But if you do decide to risk your ears for the pleasure be sure and bring ear plugs.

Lenny, great show man, but turn that shit down!

Concerts, Music, and Movies...Oh my!

Saturday May 21, 2005 - Link to Entry

I am always a major consumer of entertainment but lately I’ve been on an ultra binge. With music I’ve been attending tons of live performances and this trend will continue on Sunday when Nichole, Carla, and I head to Lenny Kravitz to see him in his small venue tour.

I’ve also been purchasing several albums online from iTunes including the complete works of Michael Penn and Elliott Smith, Ben Folds’ “Songs for Silverman”, Dave Matthews’ “Stand Up”, and Weezer’s much anticipated album “Make Believe.”

Beyond music I’ve gotten to the movie theatres twice this week to see both intergalactic cinematic options currently available, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and saw Crash the previous week as well as some French film that I have since forgotten the name of.

And what of all this new media in my life? Well here are some reviews in short:

Concerts:

Aimee Mann: A bit too adult contemporary…Where’s the passion girl? Still your playing and vocals were dazzling and The House of Blues is always an amazing place to see a show . B

Michael Penn: Sorry Aimee but Michael kicked your butt. True he had the advantage of what I feel may be the BEST VENUE to see live acoustic music at in the Los Angeles area. But I felt his heart in his songs. He closed his eyes with nervousness, he anxiously tuned his guitar between songs, and he put his soul into the room. One of the greatest concert experiences I’ve EVER had. A+

Elton John: A major let down. Aimee’s show seemed intense and intimate compared to this stale, over priced performance. Still great company coupled with fun costume and the opportunity to see this legend before he fades away made it a positive experience! B-/C+

Music:

Ben Folds “Songs for Silverman” : This, unfortunately, is probably Ben’s worst effort ever. Following up his absolutely flawless “Rockin’ The Suburbs” effort couldn’t possibly be easy but I must say I did expect a little bit more than this. Overall this is a very forgettable LP and unless you are a super fan don’t bother purchasing it. D

Michael Penn’s collected works: Though, as often the case with acoustic performers, I would much rather listen to him play live, his recordings capture his sound well and are quite enjoyable. If you enjoy Aimee Mann and Jon Brion, Michael’s music is very much in the same vein. Great songwriter! A –

Elliott Smith’s collected works: I’m sad that I waited to really discover this man’s works until after his death. Elliott loved the Beatles and you can hear John Lennon’s writing and voice in this music. Haunting and beautiful this music can be enjoyed by anyone. Thanks Mr. Smith and rest in peace. A

Dave Matthews Band “Stand Up” : I used to hate Dave Matthews. Being a white male at an affluent university to like him would have been cliché. While I was studying abroad in London I read that he was playing a solo show at a tiny venue for press only. My girlfriend at the time was a HUGE fan, so I figured I would go and try to get an autograph. A bouncer approached me and my friends, and 15 pounds later ($21 at the time), I was sitting in the fourth pew of this church with Dave less than 15 feet away. In the next dazzling hour and a half I fell in love with Dave’s music and started to insist that it was his band that takes away from his singer/songwriter sound.

Well with his solo release of 2003, “Some Devil,” his fans were treated to a sound more on par with what I heard that day in London. “Stand Up” does not achieve the same level of intimacy nor does it have the Dave guitar centered sound and well pronounced and crafted lyrical work. Still I found this to be enjoyable and relaxing to listen to. B

Weezer “Make Believe” : Picking up right where Maladroit and the Green Album left off, Make Believe is another nerd rock masterpiece. Accused of being formulaic by some critics, I found this record to continually embrace the very original sounds that this band founded way back over a decade ago in a refreshingly new yet still true to itself way. Of the three fresh on the market albums I just purchased (Ben, Dave, and Weezer) this is by far and away the best and well worth checking out!! A

Movies :

Crash: These reviews are growing long and I am growing tired of typing. Simply put a very very dark look at Los Angeles that has perhaps just a few too many coincidences to remain believable. Still a cynical yet all to realistic view of racial relations in 2005. B

Random French Film: Delightful and funny. I’d love to recommend it…I don’t remember its name though. Jenny or Lauren, do you remember? A-/B+

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Having never read the book but always hearing such wonderful things about it and such negative critical reviews of the film I had lowered expectations going to this feature. I was delightfully surprised by some very subtle and outstanding humor. Still it was slightly boring. B

Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith: Well as I’ve said for the previous two films the only thing harder than trying to pull of a successful sequel is trying to pull off a successful prequel. Though this film was VERY entertaining it had tons of holes in it, bad performances, horrible writing, and sound problems. I’m sorry but George Lucas, the name in sound, should have NO ERRORS IN HIS FILMS!!!! That being said loading up on tons of concessions and having assigned seating at our local beloved Arc Light Theatre did make this experience with Gabe and Sam one to remember. Movie C -, Experience A -.

Well that’s a review and summation of the past few weeks. If you made it this far it must be a really slow day at work. News from Kravitz on Monday.

Do the Diddy

Wednesday May 18, 2005 - Link to Entry

You know I haven't always been a acoustic rock musician. I actually started my illustrious (I'm using the term quite loosely here) career in music as a jingle and short song writer. I was recently reminded of these humble beginnings when I received a Friendster email (we all know how I feel about this great site) from an old friend John Lickfett.

John and I were practically neighbors back when we both lived on good old Elm Street adjacent to the railroad tracks in Deerfield, IL. For those of you unfamiliar with Deerfield I think its safe to say that there really isn't a Wrong Side of the tracks so its not like John and I were dodging bullets and having to say no to drugs on a daily basis. With a lack of these real world obstacles we lead a very rich creative and imagination driven existence.

It was 1993. Video games were our drug of choice, ghost stories and adventure on bikes were our mission, and song writing, well it just came with the territory. Separated by one year in age, John my junior, we were very close and crazy friends. We had the Bulls and White Sox to celebrate (yes they were both good back then too) and the awkwardness of middle school and the onset of physical changes to run from.

Though there were in fact many collaborations most have been lost through space and time. But John reminded me of one in his letter and the other I had never forgotten. The one I have never forgotten is a soda (or pop as we called it back then) jingle. It supports the Coca Cola company's Dr. Pepper rip off, Mr. Pibb. The lyrics:

Mr. Pibb by John Lickfett and Jeremy Round

It's Mr. Pibb, Pibb, P-I-B-B Pibb
It's Mr. Pibb, Pibb, Pibb with two B's
It's Mr. Pibb, Pibb, P-I-B-B Pibb
It's Mr. Pibb, Pibb, that's what I like to drink, Mr. Pibb

Listen to Mr. Pibb Here (aif).

The one John reminded me of is a duet and singing it solo I just don't give it justice. But I do find it quite amusing that a song called Chewy Buffalo Men which had me in stitches back when we wrote it is today still quite hilarious. I guess you can credit that to our main influences of the time Ween and Beck.

Chewy Buffalo Men by John Lickfett and Jeremy Round

Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)
Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)
They Lost the Battle 'cause they're chewy cattle
They're Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)

Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)
Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)
They Lost the Battle 'cause they're chewy cattle
They're Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)

Chewy Buffalo Men they roam the land
Chewy Buffalo Men, they're cattle in demand
Chewy Buffalo Men, they have no home
Chewy Buffalo Men discovered Rome

Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)
Chewy Buffalo Men (Chewy Buffalo)
Chewy, Buffalo, Mennnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Listen to Chewy Buffalo Men Here (aif).

And of course a fan favorite is a solo piece I wrote in response to a melody project we had in 8th grade music. The song is entitled Hit Man for Hire. At the time of the composition of this prolific tune I was very into poetry about death and dismemberment. It was a phase.

Hit Man for Hire by Jeremy Round

I shot a man
I made him cry
He's bleeding bad
He's gonna die

Cops are knocking down my door
Bloody corpses on the floor
Hit Man for Hire....

Listen to Hit Man for Hire Here (aif).

Well that just about does it for this edition of flashback. I leave you with the great words of that epic rock team Ween, "Mr. Won't you please help my pony? He's down and he ain't gettin' up. He's down in the dirt won't you help him? I think its his lung."

We'll all have a good laugh

Monday May 9, 2005 - Link to Entry

Looking back some might call it the lowlight in my young performance career. With all of my varied experiences performing I have certainly had my fair share of goofs.

First there was my Bar Mitzvah when I cracked a note missing the most challenging trope of my haftarah, which was forgiven, as cracking voices are commonplace amongst 13-year-old boys.

Then there was my senior year of high school. I was playing Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof and during my big number “L’Chayim” my tallis intricately wrapped itself around my lav mic and the chair I was sitting in. With quick non-panic laden thinking I quickly inserted the chair into our dance. Tevya caught on and we choreographed a new dance then and there. No one was the wiser.

My freshman year of college, to celebrate a great run of shows my a cappella group got completely blitzed before our final show. I can’t honestly say I remember that performance other than that we were dancing around in the audience a lot. But did the music suffer and did my performance falter….well I’m really not sure…but I don’t think so.

But Sunday the audience was the wiser. Few songs are better known in the United States than The National Anthem and few performers would dare attempt said piece at 7:30am at a charity event on 4 hours of sleep after a rock concert the night before. I went against my gut instincts and said yes.

I knew that morning that I didn’t have my best voice but it was for good cause and it didn’t really matter. I just needed to focus on singing in a manageable key. I could hear it in my ears.

As we came up on time to perform the radio station co-sponsoring the event had no interest in turning off their blaring oldies. Jan and Dean’s, “Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” echoed through Griffith Park. I started to hum along. The music stopped. I was introduced. My note was gone.

Before I knew it I started the old anthem approximately 3 full steps above my comfort zone. Nerves, fatigue, and overly sensitive ears were my nemeses…I had not prepared for this problem and I was already underway. The first few bars were fine but Sam, Nichole, and I all knew I had started way too high and when the rockets showed their red glare I would gasp, stretch and shriek if I didn’t find a way to change keys.

I’d like to say I fought the good fight. I’d like to say I came up with a neat boys II men key change to get myself back on track as I ran full steam ahead into impending vocal doom and embarrassment. I can make no such claim. I did gasp, I did shriek, but I did not panic.

Saving the performance I changed key after laughing off the error and marched through the rest of the song with the strength I had wished to carry throughout the piece. Sam remarked, “When you make it big those tapes will play on extra and we’ll all have a good laugh.”

Next time I’m going with my gut or at least buying a pitch pipe.

Mega Entry

Wednesday May 4, 2005 - Link to Entry

For those of you keeping score, you will, at this juncture, already have made notice of my lack of entries adhering to their daily deadlines.

For this I apologize and in return for your patience I offer a mega entry that will satisfy all four categories of blog offered here (fiction, nonfiction, music, film).

Since Wednesday I have been held hostage by out of town guests. When I say guests I am referring to my good friend Jenny from Chicago and her friend Lauren who she brought along for the journey. And when I say hostage I am referring to a kidnapping not unlike the one referenced by Joshua Banks in Penny Marshall’s classic film Big, starring Tom Hanks as a boy who wishes he could be bigger (a wish oft made by young boys on the brink of puberty (oh who am I kidding, a wish oft made by all men)) on an arcade genie machine.After his wish comes true and he is turned from a 13 year old into a late 20’s early 30’s something his parents obviously do not recognize him and he is forced to move to the big bad city of NY. Frustrated with his situation and unable to communicate the truth to his family he decides to pretend that he has been kidnapped as to not worry them. In his letter home he describes the kidnapping as being similar to summer camp as a montage of shots shows Josh and his friend enjoying baseball games, pizza, and toying around his amazing NY loft. For those of you unfamiliar with this 1988 classic get yourself to a video store or to an FAO Schwartz with a huge floor piano with the urgency man.

My kidnapping was similar to this. While Jenny was here I did all of the following: saw a screener (fancy name for a free movie) at the Director’s Guild and went to a Japanese restaurant with a two man band playing top 40’s hits wearing kimonos on Wednesday, worked the hardest work day I’ve had in months on Thursday and afterwards finally found my way to the famed Pig and Whistle and then attended Japanese style karaoke and we all sang our little hearts out (yes, it twas pathetic), went to Disneyland on Friday for 13 hours, went hiking Saturday morning, ate a feast at the Griddle where another celebrity citing went down and attended the Dodgers game Saturday eve. Though it was all a complete blast, I think I need a vacation from this vacation.

Well we’ve covered non-fiction and film….hmmm…guess I’ll have to tell you about karaoke to cover the music portion besides I’m fairly certain that Sam will be writing at length about Disneyland and the Dodgers game.

So Karaoke....Well I haven't written about Japanese style since I returned from Japan despite engaging in it several times since returning from my first Asian tour. Featured in such films as Lost In Translations, Japanese style Kareoke, or private room party style, allows you and a group of friends to have a professional system in the privacy of your own room. With a simple paging system to order food and drinks it is like having your own kareoke bar. At an OG KB you would at most get to perform two or three songs in a night and that would take a hell of a lot of effort. With a private room you can sing almost every song.

The Wild Orchid, our venue of choice down here in LA, has a limited menu of songs, expensive mixed drinks, and controls solely in Korean. But ne'er have these negatives prevented us from having the time our lives, being the wind beneath my wings, or from coming on Eileen (crudest thing I've ever posted here). My personal highlight was when I gave it my all to my favorite Christmas tune, O Holy Night.

Fiction....brief but glorious. Trapped inside a world of toys I had no choice but to pick up my laser gun and pray. Their were space aliens everywhere and I only had two friends in the world to help me through, Buzz Lightyear and Lauren. A voice from above declared, "You must score at least 100,000 points as a team or you will die here..." And then he laughed the most terrible laugh I'd ever heard.

Lauren and Buzz looked me in the eye. I could sense their fear. I too was shaking, but in that moment I remembered that this was my story and I could end it anyway I wanted to. "Come quickly," I shouted, "We will pervail."

We ran shooting everything in site, not worrying about our points and our kills, just doing our best to destroy the enemy. When all was said and done there were a lot of dead aliens, sweat, blood, and tang everywhere. But did we make it?

Find out here. Enter this code: 4CD440E064795DEA03EF07368B8124C1

100,000 points total to survive . . .