8 Random Facts About Myself... (This is a bit late as I was tagged by Val P. & Sully about a month ago)

1) My education began at St. Paul's School in Clifton, NJ. This 'parochial' enviorment was foisted upon me by my parents. They were afraid that I would get 'corrupted' if I went to public school. Little did they know...

2) I consider myself a 'spiritual' & philosophical person, yet not religious. Having gone through 9 years of Catholic dogma at school, I decided that attending church was counter-productive. I'd rather spend my time helping others.

To me, it's very clear that there is a 'Higher Force' in our Universe. It's incredibly difficult for me to believe that everything that exists just 'popped out' of nothingness. I'm not one of those people who "spread the word" so it's cool if your beliefs don't line-up with mine.

3) Sports & me are worlds apart. I was absolutely dreadful at all sports & was almost always the last kid to be picked for any teams. This was the beginning of my self-doubt & when I began living primarily inside my head.

4) Fortunately I was a 'natural' at all my subjects at school. English & grammer in particular. In 2nd grade I joined a book club & read over 125 books by the end of the school year! Albeit they were short stories but 125 books is something I was quite proud of! I even got a certificate for my achievements.

5) In the 3rd grade I discovered Oreo cookies & milk . This marked the beginning of my 'fat' period which made me more of an outcast. My weight reached 228 lbs. when I decided to do something about it. After a long, hard struggle I now weigh in at 157 lbs. I've maintained this weight for several years now.

6) My parents wanted me to attend Catholic high school. I absolutely refused to enroll. They gave up & I entered junior high school in 9th grade. This is where I began my experimental phase of life. Sex, Drugs & Rock n' Roll.
I fell in love with pot right off & smoked joints constantly throughout my school years.

I also tried a few other drugs during this period. Fortunately I got out of this phase before any addiction issues surfaced. Just say no! It works for me...

This is also when I really got into music, in particular the electric guitar. My friend John T. sold me a red 1972 Fender Bronco guitar. Then I bought a 1962 - 200 watt Marshall Major tube amplifier. This was the same amp that Jimi Hendrix used so I had absolutely had to have it.

I drove everyone nuts with my high-volume noodlings. Unfortunately I sold it to some heavy metal cat a few years later for $350.00 and bought a Peavy solid-state amp. I was on a tight budget & the Marshall required maintainance which I simply could not afford. I still have the red Fender Bronco & it plays better than ever!

7) I always seemed to just miss the current musical 'trends' & always yearned for the 1960's free spirit way of doing things. Now in 2007 there are no real 'trends' so I'm actually fashionable these days! Imagine that...

8) I hate using the word "I" since it makes me seem self-absorbed. In truth I appear much more confident than I really am. This is actually a good thing since too much self-confidence can lead to serious disappointments. This I learned the hard way as many of us do in life.

Oh... did I mention that I'm into animals?

>This is just what it's supposed to be. Just 8 random facts about myself.

One day I plan on writing a book containing some of the more interesting things that I've experienced thus far in my life. Short stories or maybe a play?

It's all in my head...

Snap, Crackle, Pop... Today is the first day in about a week that I can talk again. Last week I developed a really wicked case of laryngitis. Now... I'm a 'natural born' talker. I love the art of converstion & not being able to speak was really problematic!

All is well now & I'm back blowing people's ears out on the phone with my loud & long-winded voice of reason!

I think I blew my voice out while singing in the car. While driving, I often sing along to my favorite tunes. I've got to lay blame on Elton John. It was his version of 'Pinball Wizard' where at the end he holds out that long note.

"...my pinball crown to him, to him, to himmmmmmm (voice goes) .....snap, crackle & pop." Yikes!

I must remember those [singing techniques] we were taught back when I was in the church boy's choir!

Other than that I'm feeling much better mentally & bodily. I'm going to stick to singing easy, mellower songs for a little while. I need my voice & don't want to put my vocal chords at risk.

"Strangers In The Night" or "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" (Frank Sinatra style) are contenders.

Croon tunes? Oh my... What next?

Just Rockin Out a Bit.... Hope ya' don't mind!

Summer From Hell.... Never in my entire life have I endured such misery as during the Summer of 2007. Besides the terrible tragedy of finding one of my friend's dead in his basement I also have been severely depressed. My sinusitis decided to 're-engage' itself as to further add more pain to my life. I also had to put my cat of 14 years 'Brandon' to sleep recently.

My business suffered since I was so 'fucked up' mentally. I'm self-employed. I didn't record music as much as I wanted to since I had temporarily lost my passion for life. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is what I think happened to me.

Enough self-pity!

Now I'm slowly snapping out of my depression & I'm feeling somewhat better. I also completely re-organized the recording studio as well. This was quite 'therapeutic' for my spirits & inspired some new music as well.

*And.... The Mickey Scott Band (my best friends in the world) & myself recently played a live show together. *Note: I play bass guitar in The Mickey Scott Band.

We were 'in the zone' that night & the crowd fed off this energy making all of us very happy! We did a rousing version of The Who's "Substitute" plus "Live With Me" by The Rolling Stones. Lot's of fun playing these tunes. It's looking up!


Finally...Thank you Val P, Anne Marie & all the good people who whose kind words helped me more than you can imagine. Many people have been extremely kind to me & I thank all of you very much!

Hope all is well with everyone out there!

*Check back for pics of the recent Mickey Scott band show.