See, now this is why one creates a "News" page on their website... for when there's actual, real-life NEWS! And I got lots this time around! Let's get into it!

I have a band! Yippeeeee!

It's called Yogi & Half Zaftig, and it consists of me on guitar and vocals, Chris G on drums, and Brian Timpe on the bass guitar. Brian was introduced to me by that OTHER bass-playing Bryan, Mr. Beller, at the Mike Keneally Taylor clinic at the Seattle Guitar Center in October. The guys who run a spiffy new Seattle venue were chasing Mike around while he was here in the area, trying to get the Mike Keneally Band booked into their (very nice) new place - and during those conversations, Mike suggested to them that I open for the MKB if such a gig were to actually happen. So it's really thanks to Mike that I even had the opportunity to even THINK about playing live so soon. When Mike made the suggestion, there was no band at all, as I knew of no local bassist that 1) could handle the gig or 2) would WANT to handle the gig - which made my introduction to Brian Timpe right around the same time sort of... coincidental, don't cha think?

So ANYWAY, Yogi & Half Zaftig are going to be one of two openers for the Mike Keneally Band at the aforementioned venue About The Music on New Year's Eve, December 31, here in Seattle. I believe we're on first, so I think that means we start around 9:00 PM. I don't know how long of a set we get, so if you're coming, make sure you're there early. Check the ATM website for ticket prices and whatnot. It being a New Year's event, sometimes it can be pricey to get in. Come anyway, tickets be damned! So yeah, Chris and Brian and I are in rehearsals now, and we're putting together a setlist of stuff from Any Raw Flesh? and stuff from Salve and some stuff that isn't on either of those albums. If all goes well, I'm hoping to start recording new songs with these guys for the next Yogi full-length release of new material early in 2003.

But before I start talking about new albums, there's an album that I've now been talking about for more than a year that still hasn't come out yet! To wit:

So many of you have asked me the following question lately: "Uh, dude, uh... like, when's this new album of yours coming out? You know, the one that was an EP, and then it was full CD, and then last time you said it's a double album? Where is it?"

Welllll... it's finished.

But I changed it yet again. Here's the latest (and final) skinny about what you can expect:

Salve is now an EP again. Yeah, yeah, I know - I'm a flake. But I have to say that so far in my experience, making albums is a very organic and evolutionary process. The material I'm working on tends to mutate and get all warped until I don't know which way is up - I had the same thing happen when I was working on Any Raw Flesh? I published several track lists and configurations of that album before I finally figured out what it was going to be, and this album was no different.

Salve has eight songs, and runs about 40 minutes. Seven of the tracks are new recordings by me, with the eighth track a remix by Andre LaFosse.

I have no release date set as yet. ARF artist Paul Tury is finishing the artwork up, and once I receive it, I can figure out when I can deliver the thing to the manufacturer.

Once a release date is set, pre-orders will be available at the Wonky.Net store AND you will be able to listen to the entire record via streaming audio.

I know what you're thinking. "But Yogi," you're saying. "Didn't Andre do something like 80 minutes of remixes? And now there's only one on Salve? What happened to the rest of that stuff?"

The rest of that stuff is going to be released, as it's own dealy, sometime in spring of '03. That disc will be called Half-Pint Demigod, and will contain the entirety of the remaining remix material prepared by Andre LaFosse. Listening to all the material I had, it just made more sense to me to release these two separate albums, rather than try to cram it all together and attempt to have it make sense as a "double album". I listened to it in that configuration, and... well, it just makes more sense to me this way. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Alright, that's all the stuff I got for ya today. I'm sorry about the wait for Salve, but I've been pleased to find thus far that all who have heard it have enjoyed it. Unless they were just being nice, and didn't want to tell me it sucks to my face. I'll be deep into freakout rehearsal mode until the end of the year, but I'll try to get some updates posted now and again, and you can find me over at the Message Board quite often. Take care and use Nair,

-Yogi

Hey, it’s August again, and it’s been weeks since an update AGAIN. I hope you’re having a lovely summer; it’s been interesting (and quite beautiful) up here in the Seattle area. While you’re impatiently waiting around to see if MLB is going to cut its own throat with another strike, I’ve got a plethora of items to share with you this fine, fine day.

I’ve got some big news for you on the new album, Salve. NOT a release date, sad to say, but new news about the album nonetheless. You see, it has changed radically once again, and because of these changes, it’s not finished yet. Why isn’t it done? Well, about two months ago, I made a big decision that affected the schedule of the project in a major way: Salve is now a double album. Two CD’s. 21 tracks. More than two hours of music.

Tee-hee.

So you might imagine how adding 11 tracks to an album at the last minute might impact its schedule.

The road to making Salve a two-disc extravaganza was basically started when Andre LaFosse, who’s contributing the remixed content, kept delivering track after track of demented genius. It became apparent very early that everything he was doing couldn’t fit on just one CD, and that some tracks would have to be cut. This upset me in a major way, but I reluctantly agreed that some harsh decisions would have to be made. In the end, we managed to get the running time of the album as then envisioned under 75 minutes by deleting only two of Andre’s remixes. Of course, I loved both of the tracks we removed from the running order, but I was able to learn to live with the decision.

But then Andre just kept right on sending me more great stuff, and finally I could take it no longer. I wanted to release ALL of it. So, I made a snap decision: I was going to have to record more new material myself, to add with the 20 minutes or so of Andre’s material that I wanted to rescue from the cutting room floor. I told studio engineer/co-producer Darin DiPietro about my nefarious plan, and he warmed to the idea immediately. I had been considering the idea of playing some local solo gigs just singing and playing acoustic guitar, and we had been talking about recording a demo of some acoustic performances of my music to help get these gigs booked. We decided that we’d try to get some of these acoustic performances to turn out good enough for inclusion on Salve. I also decided to quickly record three new songs I had kicking around, ones I expected to be on the next full-length album of new material. I wanted to move really quickly, though – and so Darin and I put our noses to the grindstone, and cranked out basic tracks for all six new recordings in two long days.

At this point in the process, I hadn’t even told Andre about all this, because I was worried that he’d be disappointed about the inevitable delay in the release schedule. I wanted to complete as much of the new material as I could before I laid this on him. I was able to get drummer Chris G and bassist Bryan Beller to sign on to play on half of the new songs once I had all the basics down on “tape” (Pro Tools), and then I finally typed up a long, sheepish email to Andre informing him of my latest insanity.

Much to my delight, once Andre got over the initial shock, he became very enthusiastic about the changes, and made some terrific suggestions himself about the running order and presentation of the material. We both agree at this point that all this goes a long way towards solving some of the thematic and stylistic problems we had been facing when Salve was just a single disc. Completely impulsively, absolutely by accident, my eleventh-hour modifications to the album are going make it a better and more satisfying experience for all concerned.

But yeah, the schedule took a big hit.

Some of you may be worried about the fact that Salve might get a little expensive, especially for an album that some might consider as a stopgap, experimental, and even a lesser release than Any Raw Flesh? was. Ever since I announced the new album, there’s been an uncertain undercurrent out there about the whole “remix” thing, especially “techno” or “electronic” remixes of rock tunes that have already been released. Isn’t that the kind of crap that bands like Linkin Park do to make a killing between “real” records? I understand that point of view, really, I do – but to me, Salve is as real a record as Any Raw Flesh? It’s exactly what I want to be putting out, right now. This is where my head is, this is what I want to put out there. This is not a lesser release, not to me.

The album will be selling for $11.95. I think that’s a damned good price for a double album, and I think the music is well worth it. In fact, at $11.95, I really consider it a steal, but I realize that as a new artist who still has a lot of proving to do, coupled with the difficult economic realities many people are facing, that price can be an issue when you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new disc. Nobody likes to shell out hard-earned cash for a record that they might not enjoy. The major labels may be ignoring this fact when they price single CD’s at $18 at Tower Records, but I won’t.

With all of these facts in mind, I’m announcing today that I will be making the entire record available for listening via streaming audio (Real Audio and Windows Media) once the album is mastered, and a release date is set. Not clips. Not one or two tracks. You can listen to the whole thing before spending your money. Aimee Mann impressed me by doing the same for her new release, and so I’ve decided to follow in her footsteps. I realize that I have nothing to lose by allowing you as the consumer to know exactly what you’re purchasing. I have no interest in "tricking" you into buying the new disc (or any other album I ever make for that matter) by letting you hear "the single" and asking you to make a leap of faith based on that one song. I’m working on getting Any Raw Flesh? up in it’s complete form in streaming audio as well.

So… maybe you’re wondering what the new album looks like? Alrighty, here’s the current track list, which I reserve the right to change and update right up until the disc goes to the manufacturer:

Disc 1
1.	Tomorrow Never Knows
2.	Owe You
3.	Numbered Days
4.	Truth (Memento Mix)
5.	You Fell (Bad Craftsman Mix)
6.	No More Evil (Cold Morning Mix)
7.	The Ending
8.	My Dismay
9.	Sleeping
10.	My Love For Lois Is Real (solo acoustic)
11.	Firefly (acoustic "duet" with Bryan Beller)
12.	Numbered Days (solo acoustic)
13.	Tomorrow Never Knows (Slight Return Mix)
Total time: 66:17

Disc 2
1.	You Fell (Droid Mix)
2.	No More Evil (Glitch Mix)
3.	What Have We Here (Freedom Rock Mix)
4.	Bucket O’ Damn 1
5.	What Have We Here (Valentine Mix)
6.	Bucket O’ Damn 2
7.	You Fell (Blue Harvest Mix)
8.	No More Evil (Science Fiction Mix)
Total time: 55:54

So there you have it. 9 new recordings by me, 12 remixes by Andre LaFosse. Disc 2 is all Andre. Chris G finished his drums in late July, and Bryan Beller was just in town to do his bass parts on four of the new tracks this last weekend. Can I wax rhapsodic for a moment about just how cool it is to work with these two musicians? Chris G had two first-take performances on the new tunes, and Beller is just, well, Beller. No two takes are alike with him; he improvises new ideas constantly, always looking for a better way to play a part. His absolute confidence in his abilities, followed by his near-flawless execution, is endlessly inspiring. I am wildly indebted to these guys, and to Darin DiPietro, for how good they make my stuff sound. I’m lucky to know them all. And yes, that’s the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows.” You’ll hardly recognize it. I don’t know yet if you’ll think that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

My target release timeframe right now for the album is October. This timeframe could be impacted further by the condition of my financial picture once the record is complete. Adding six new recordings is hitting me in the pocketbook as well as impacting the release, so I’ll keep you apprised. I’ll make pre-ordering available once the release date is set, and the album is available for you to listen to online.

Once the album is finally finished, and out there in the world, my focus will shift to getting out in the Seattle area with a trio and playing this stuff live. I’m really excited about the idea of playing these tunes in front of people, but the way my life is structured, I can only tackle one mountain at a time. Task number one is to get Salve finished, then the fun part begins, and I’ll be getting out there and playing. Hope to see some of you there.

Oh, and I thought of a name for the live band! But that’s a news tidbit for another day.

Arms raised in a "V",

-Yogi

Hey everybody! A quick update for y'all today. First a restatement of something you may already know if you arrived at this news page from the front page: "Owe You", the first single from the upcoming album Salve is available for download today. There's an MP3 and both low- and high-bandwidth Real Audio streaming versions. This version of "Owe You" is pretty close to what will be on the album - the mix is set, but the album isn't finished being mastered yet, so there may be some tweakage yet. Chris G plays the drums on the tune, Bryan Beller plays the bass. Have a listen, eh? And then head over to the Message Board and let me know whatcha think.

The only other thing I wanted to show you today: a glimpse of Paul Tury's cover art for Salve! I think it looks awesome. Here it be:


That's it! More new album news as I get some! Some day soon I hope to have a release date and track list and all that good stuff for you. New albums are fun! Yay!

I don't do movie reviews very often anymore - but I'm making an attempt to today. Some of you know that I'm somewhat of a Star Wars fan. Maybe you noticed if you've heard my first album, Any Raw Flesh? Some subtle hints on that record. Anyway, be careful as you read this: there are what could be construed as minor plot spoilers in the following text.

I’ve just returned from seeing Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones at the Cinerama in Seattle, at 4th and Lenora Street. I attended the Seattle premiere, the proceeds of which went to a lovely local children’s charity, Childhaven.

Preceding the movie presentation was what they called a “Galactic Party” in a couple of huge tents that covered the parking lot of the Cinerama. It was a fun little trifle, with some tasty hors d’ouevres served, a little jazz combo dressed in Jedi robes, and a bunch of folks in amazingly authentic costumes around for photo ops with the fans. They had a platoon of storm troopers (one in Endor forest regalia), a Boba Fett, several Jedi, and of course Darth Vader (whose suit even made the famous breathing sounds). I’ve been looking forward to this event for weeks, even though I was a bit worried that it would be packed full with a bunch of “Redmond Richies” (wealthy white bread geeks who work for Microsoft) who’d be loudly groaning at every appearance of Jar-Jar Binks in the new movie. To be sure, there were plenty of those folks at the event, but thankfully, there were also a lot of kids. It was great watching them pose for Polaroids with their favorite Star Wars characters; it really brought home to me how great these movies are for kids, how much they impacted me when I was a child. The first trilogy changed me, blowing open doors in my young mind, and opening new gateways to access my imagination and creativity. I know you’ve heard a gazillion other folks say something similar, but dammit, it’s worth repeating, especially in light of the unending stream of vitriol fired by the media and some fans at Lucas since The Phantom Menace came out.

By the time we started filing into the Cinerama, I was primed and ready for the movie. Local Seattle TV celeb Jon Curley MC’d the event, letting us know that we’d be seeing the first digital presentation of a film in Seattle (YES!), and that the whole movie had been “beamed” to the theater via Boeing satellite the day prior. You gotta love technology. No previews of other films were shown. And then it was time for THAT moment. The moment when those famous blue words appear on the screen. When you realize: Yep, I’m watching a brand-new freakin’ Star Wars film, and suddenly, you feel like you’re seven years old again. What are we going to do when we don’t get to have that feeling anymore?

Did I like the movie?

Let me put it this way: I’m already holding two tickets for showings of the film when it opens nationally later this week, and I’m not sure if that’s enough.

Is the movie better than Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace?

Yes. In every POSSIBLE way. This movie is the Star Wars I remember as a child. The Star Wars I thought about every waking minute I could manage from the ages of 7 through 13, back when the original trilogy was making its mark. I’m old enough to remember the original run of the three original pictures, I was one of the original Star Wars kids, the ones Lucas has always claimed that he made these pictures for.

Episode 2 reached into my adult self and grabbed that Star Wars kid inside me, and filled him with awe. Thanks, George. You done good.

I should mention this: I never had a huge problem with the first flick in this new trilogy, Episode 1. I liked it just fine, if you must know. It didn’t rape my childhood. In fact I’ve been getting pretty pissed off lately, reading the articles about this new film in the media: it seems every single one of them starts off with a sentence like “After the HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT that was Episode 1, Lucas had a GREAT CHALLENGE ahead of him for Episode 2; to bring back the DISILLUSIONED FANS OF THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY.”

Uh, excuse me, media assknobs – The Phantom Menace made a SHITLOAD of money, mmm-kay? The kind of money that only gets made when a movie inspires REPEAT VIEWINGS at the theater – the kind of multiple viewings that Star Wars flicks have always inspired.

Granted, Episode 1 has its flaws – I could have done without the doo-doo and fart jokes, Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker gave one of the worst ever performances by a child actor (“YIPEEEE!”), and Jar-Jar Binks was an annoying character (is there a law that movie characters can’t be annoying? I seem to recall the people in the movie interacting with Jar-Jar were annoyed by him as well; that was his FUNCTION).

The other knock on the film was that there was no “rogue” character like Han Solo, someone that could have defused the somewhat dour and dry situations faced by the Jedi in The Phantom Menace. Oh well. This set of prequels ain’t ABOUT Han Solo, folks. This is a DIFFERENT STORY. Speaking for myself, I’m not even INTERESTED in knowing any more about Han Solo, thanks to Harrison Ford’s shameful, phoned-in performance in Return of the Jedi.

I just watched my Episode 1 DVD the other night – and it’s very true that after a 22-year layoff, Lucas’ direction was a little turgid, the pace at times got a little anemic. Fun as it was to see real Jedi in action, they were somewhat of a somber lot. But I mean, we’re following around what’s basically an order of monks with super powers around the galaxy; not exactly the kind of guys that are the life of the party. But the STORY, the most important thing, was there. Those who whine that The Phantom Menace was about nothing more than “taxation of trade routes” couldn’t possibly have been paying attention. What we saw in Episode 1 was the seeds of the Empire being planted. Darth Sidious, who we know will one day rule the galaxy as the Emperor, put his plans into action, and though there were a few wrinkles in how his scheme got executed that he wasn’t expecting, he still got the job done. And the good guys were completely in the dark about it.

That’s one of the great things about Episode 2: the good guys (the Jedi) know that something’s up, but they can’t figure it out! In fact, the wool is so thoroughly pulled over their eyes, at one point in the movie, the Jedi are told point blank EXACTLY what is happening, EXACTLY who is responsible, and incredibly – the Jedi DON’T BELIEVE IT. Talk about a terrific master plan! The Jedi aren’t stupid, but they are so unready for what’s coming, the sheer scale of it, that they don’t even have a clue how in trouble they are. If we hadn’t seen the political intrigue that occurred in Episode 1, there’s no way that we could have seen the pure genius behind Darth Sidious’ grand designs. And, as you’ll see in Episode 2, they are grand indeed.

I was worried going into the movie, I admit. I’ve been reading a LOT of the advance reviews online over the last week or so, and quite a few of them weren’t exactly positive. Now having seen the film myself, I have a few bones to pick with some of points raised in the reviews I’ve read.

Bone #1: The first hour of the movie is slow. Bullshit. Remember a little flick that opened in ’77? Name of Star Wars? Ring a bell, perhaps? Maybe you’ve seen it once or twice – perhaps you’ll recall that the first hour of that somewhat successful picture takes its sweet time getting where it needs to go; I remember a lot of shifting in seats during the first hour of the ’97 Episode 4 re-release. The pacing in this movie is similar to that of Episode 4, and those who weren’t bothered by the pace of the original shouldn’t have any trouble with the flow of this one. There’s a lot of plot to let us in on; we meet Anakin, Padme and Obi-Wan ten years after The Phantom Menace. We see how their lives have changed, and the reasons why they are once again thrown together. I found the first hour of Attack of the Clones to be absolutely engrossing; yes, it’s talky. Yes, there’s lots of exposition. And the beauty and detail we see along the way – but wait, I’ll get into how the movie looks in a second. But there’s a point where Attack of the Clones really jumps into gear, and then there’s moment after moment that is absolutely incredible. Without that setup at the beginning, none of that would be as effective.

Bone #2: Lucas has written the worst dialogue ever. I was really worried about this one; were we going to have to endure more silly poo-doo jokes, the kind of thing that would jerk us as an audience right out of the story? Thankfully, we don’t – the dialogue in this film is comparable with the dialogue in any other film in the series. So if the other films didn’t bother you in this department, you won’t be bothered this time. Star Wars ain’t Shakespeare, folks. Star Wars scripts don’t get nominated for Oscars, mmm-kay? These films have NEVER been literary landmarks. Comparing the kind of dialogue we get in Episode 2 to say, Hemingway, or even something that David Mamet might have written – it’s not even remotely in the same fuckin’ ballpark, as one of Samuel Jackson’s other famous characters would have said. Sure, there’s some corny one-liners (mostly delivered by Threepio this time around), but the words that people say in the flick get the job done: they keep the story moving forward. All of these films contain cornball dialogue, and to get pissy about it for these new films, and to pretend that the original three movies didn’t have the same issues, is just plain asinine. For some reason, it seems that a lot of people want to just shit on Lucas all day for who knows why – jealousy, no lives of their own, I don’t know. He doesn’t deserve it, folks. Not for Episode 2, anyway.

Bone #3: The love stuff is truly gag-worthy. Attack of the Clones is never going to be remembered as One Of The Great Movie Love Stories Of All Time. But what romance there is worked for me. If I have a criticism here, it’s that it happens a little quickly. However, I really liked Anakin’s hunger for Padme… beyond the fact that he’s pined for her since the events of The Phantom Menace, it’s very obvious that as Hayden Christensen (excellent as Anakin, by the way) plays him, Anakin has got some more ah… prurient ideas in mind. He loves her, sure… but he also wants her. I don’t think we’ve seen that in a Star Wars flick before, and I dug it. Hand in hand with Bone #2 back there, some of the lines that Anakin and Padme have to say to each other during their courtship are certainly, uh, ripe, but as these two young actors deliver them, they sold me. I also really appreciate the understated way this part of the plot is concluded in the final scenes of the film; it was subtly done, and I appreciated that.

Bone #4: Roger Ebert’s review. Roger, Roger, Roger. What is to be done with you? Like the Star Wars saga, I’ve grown up with Roger Ebert, and I have loved reading his reviews over the years. In many ways, his enlightening writing and commentary (like he did on the Citizen Kane DVD) have really opened my eyes to things about movies and the craft behind them in wonderful ways. But his review of Attack Of The Clones, like some of his other recent reviews, really has me wondering if he isn’t slipping some. Recall that he gave The Phantom Menace a three-and-a-half star review upon its release (nearly his highest rating). He gave Attack of the Clones TWO STARS. He’s saying it’s only HALF AS GOOD as The Phantom Menace.

Mr. Ebert, you sir, are on crack. Get help. Really.

In his review, he spends a good third of it whining about the digital technology used in the creation of Episode 2. To those who don’t know, Roger has a real problem with taking the celluloid out of the filmmaking process. He’s written several angry editorials about how digital isn’t really “cinema”, citing studies that show the positive “hypnotic effect” of watching light projected through celluloid at 24 frames per-second. He does say in his review, though, that it’s possible that he saw a crappy print.

Gee, Rog – that’s just the sort of problem that digital filmmaking and projection is supposed to solve for you! But wait; let me not get into that stuff yet.

Roger further complains that the dialogue in Episode 2 is “not memorable”. Bringing us yet again, back to Bone #2. I guess he found some dialogue in The Phantom Menace SO WILDLY MEMORABLE that it deserved ONE-AND-A-HALF more stars than does Attack of the Clones. In his review of The Phantom Menace, Roger waxes enthusiastically (and, rightly) about the visual delights of Episode 1, and chastises those who overlook them and harp on the story faults. “How quickly do we grow accustomed to wonders,” he said.

Let me tell you this, and it’s not a spoiler: Attack of the Clones is the most amazing LOOKING motion picture I have ever seen. The amount of detail in every frame is mind-boggling. There has never been ANYTHING like it. The effects are nearly uniformly seamless, and if those responsible don’t win the Oscar next year, something is very, very wrong. Wonderful as The Phantom Menace (and by extension, the original Star Wars flicks) looked, they simply PALE next to Attack of the Clones.

So, Roger: I guess you’ve gotten a little too accustomed to wonders yourself, eh?

OK. Done with the bones now. A few more thoughts:

All of the actors seem more comfortable this time around acting in front of blue screens, because the integration of the live action actors into Lucas’ “digital backlot” is more seamless than that of any film I’ve ever seen. The computer-generated effects in Attack of the Clones are the most believable CGI effects ever created. The work ILM has done here is absolutely without peer. One last thing about this aspect of the movie: Yoda. Yoda as you may know, is completely CGI in Episode 2, the very first time they’ve not used a filmed puppet with Frank Oz’ hand inside it. I was concerned about this, too – but again, I needn’t have worried, as the result is completely stunning. Yoda may be the most realistic CGI creation ever made for a movie. He never looks less than totally photo realistic. Astounding. And as for his already infamous “big scene” – well, it’s absolutely the crowd-pleaser you’ve heard it is. Amazingly, they pulled it off without going over the top, and it’s completely believable. Now we know why Yoda is revered as the greatest of all Jedi. In many ways, Yoda is the star of this picture.

Ewan McGregor owns his role so thoroughly now, you won’t believe it. His Obi-Wan is progressing smoothly into the revered icon created for us by Alec Guinness, no small task. As I mentioned before, Hayden Christensen is perfect as Anakin, and his give-and-take with Obi-Wan is terrific. The dynamic between them is dead-on, and perfectly leads into what we know will eventually happen. All the signs are there; those who had a hard time dealing with the idea that the cute little kid in The Phantom Menace could grow up to be the heavy-breathing heavy in the black suit should have no trouble seeing it now. Natalie Portman is much more spry and lively as Padme Amidala this time around, and I liked how she didn’t always play the “damsel in distress” – this is a chick who’s gotten used to taking her own destiny in hand. And it doesn’t hurt that Portman has grown up to be just absolutely hot. Whew. Christopher Lee, who seems to be in every cool movie these days, is effectively chilling as the mysterious Count Dooku. And all the other folks, Sam Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, and yes, even Ahmed Best, in his limited screen time as Jar-Jar, do fantastic jobs.

Now: here’s a note to all you fans in the Seattle area. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT BUY A TICKET TO SEE THIS FILM ANYWHERE OTHER THAN SEATTLE’S CINERAMA. The Cinerama was already the very best movie theater in Seattle. But now, for this film, they have installed Boeing’s digital projection system, and the quality of the picture is absolutely jaw dropping. Having never seen a digital presentation of a film before, I had some apprehensions about it (perhaps fueled by Ebert’s published rants), but you will not believe how amazing it looks onscreen. The level of detail is astonishing. No wonder Lucas is all in a tizzy about the technology. You’ve never seen a print on film that was as clear as this; no scratches, no pops, no reel changes. Maybe Ebert’s right, maybe it isn’t “cinema”, but whatever you want to call it, it’s incredible. Do what you must to see this movie projected digitally. It’s worth a road-trip, if necessary. One of the obvious giveaways that the movie is “digital” is when you see words on the screen. You can see little jagged pixely edges on diagonal letters, like the letter “A”. Other than that, I saw nothing that interfered with the viewing experience. If this is where film projection is going, I approve heartily.

So, there you have my opinion: Attack of the Clones is, in addition to being a rip-roaring entertainment, a wonderful setup for Episode 3. Everybody’s worried that George is going to screw up the next film, what we all know is possibly the most pivotal film in the whole saga. After watching Episode 2, I’m not worried about it at all. George has shaken off the rust, and is firing on all cylinders. The visual wonders he brings out of his creative team are still unparalleled in cinema history, and I expect he’ll do it again in three years. Cherish this one, folks – we only get one more.

Boy, has this been a useless site for a long while now, or what?

OK, maybe it isn't useless, unless you were trying to find out what's going on in Wonky-land lately. I've always been notoriously bad at site updates (hence the majority of all news entries 'round these parts starting with apologies), but the proverbial cake has been taken these last few months.

Part of the problem has been that I'm just sick to death of looking at the site in its current form. It's been two years since I put in the hours for a total site redesign, and it's starting to show. Two years ago I hadn't really put anything out there for public consumption in the form of a product. Now I'm on the verge of putting out my second major release, and to me at least, the needs of the site have changed drastically. I've actually gotten reviews now, I've got the need for actual phony press releases to help sell the aforementioned products... I dunno, but Wonky.Net in the form it's in now seems wildly inadequate to me. And it's hard to get me into website designer mode; I think because I work in web development 9-5 Monday through Friday, my old enthusiasm for that stuff has pretty well been squeezed out of me.

Anyway, enough with my bitchin'... expect site changes in coming weeks.

And hey, the Message Board is back up and running. Come on over and say hi! Forgotten your old sign-in info? Who cares! Make up a new one! Yeah!

So I mentioned that new album. Longtime readers of this column (hee hee, self-delusion is the best) will recall me mentioning it by name in last year's entries: Salve. Well, I've been spending lots of time and money in the studio lately to bring it to completion, and we're getting close. It will come out this summer sometime. I think it's going to be pretty neato, really - it's hard to say though, because it keeps metamorphasizing on me. It looked different today when I looked at it. I like to pretend that making an album is a very scientific process - you identify some material that you have, record it, put it together, release it, right? Boom! Easy! Except that it doesn't seem to happen that way. You fiddle, you fix, new ideas crop up, players are brought in, mixes are made and thrown out. Who knows? At least it's really fun.

Spider-Man, the movie that is, rules the Earth. Another early icon from my early childhood unleashed on the big screen, and boy, they did a great job. I flashed back on the times that I spent my long-saved allowance at Toys R' Us buying that little plastic "Spider-Man Web Shooter" that fired a suction cup with a string on it; to my total acceptance and belief when some of the big kids in the neighborhood claimed to know the secret recipe of "web fluid." All the best things about the comic were in the movie (except I could have used some more of Spidey himself in action). The principal actors and director Sam Raimi were already signed on for the sequel before this movie even opened; I hope they keep the magic going in #2. Because, I mean really - would you rather see another lame Superman movie (as is rumored to be in development), or see SPIDER-MAN? To me, it's a no-brainer. Spider-Man is the greatest superhero ever created, and I hope they make a million Spidey movies. Wouldn't it rule to see Doctor Octopus on the big screen? Holy POOP!

Enough from me for now. I hope you're having a good 2002 so far. Overall, I'd say I am, though it's been a year of introspection and reflection. I think some fairly big life changes are on the horizon - and they're all good ones, I'd say. Pretty soon I expect to have a downloadable "single" in MP3 format from Salve, a peek at the cover art for you, and some more info about the album itself, as it starts to shape up. It's good, I swear, but I'd be lying to you today if I said I have a complete bead on where it's taking itself. That fact makes me smile.

'Nuff said! Excelsior!

"Too much fucking perspective."
-David St. Hubbins, This Is Spinal Tap

Greetings, lovely people!

I'm very glad to be writing to you in this third year of the "aughts" decade we're in (as in, "aught-one, aught-two"). I usually take a few days of each new year to reflect on the year just passed, and immediately after, jot down a few lines for posting in this space. 2001 gave us all plenty of food for thought, I think; it was a memorable year for reasons good and ill. Having dwelled a bit on the ill side of the fence a few weeks back, I'll spend most of this post on the bright side, thank you very much.

For me personally, 2001 was a fantastic year overall. While the economy faltered, I had the good fortune to work for a company that was completely unaffected, and that in fact prospered. We picked up some of our biggest jobs in our history, pretty much guaranteeing me an unending stream of uninterrupted paychecks for months to come. These checks are what keep my artistic ambitions alive as I strive to someday subsist on artistically-provided income alone. I know this kind of economic success was not the case for everyone: I'm lucky.

I finished and released my first album, Any Raw Flesh? The album sold a lot better than I ever imagined it could, and got better reviews than I ever imagined I'd see. Its success has given me new confidence, and a great desire to do even better on the next projects. To all of you who took a chance on my little record last year: THANK YOU.

My main musical focus in 2001, beyond promoting my album, was in preparing myself for something that will be absolutely necessary in coming years if I'm to continue raising my profile in any meaningful way: live performance. I didn't spend a whole lot of hours practicing scales to a metronome this year. Instead, I took on the 800-pound gorilla that's been dogging me since I started singing my own songs - that being my extreme lack of facility and confidence in being able to sing and play my guitar at the same time. Oh, what a challenge it is for me to sing my songs with conviction while also being able to nail my tricky little guitar noodlings perfectly, and LONG had I avoided really WORKING at it to improve. Well, this year I WORKED at it. Another thing that helped in this realm was me taking the bass chair in Joey Furlan's Grunge tribute band. In Grunge, I'm the only other vocalist in the band besides Joe, so I handle any and all backing vocal harmonies. To sound as good as we need to, and to ensure that we get the good money gigs, it was important that I just nail all the vocals required of me, and all the rehearsal and sweat and frustration and effort have started to really pay off. And there's nothing like getting in front of people and pulling it off live to boost one's confidence. Each new song I work on is easier to handle than the last. My own songs become easier and easier to play as each day goes by. When it's time for the live Yogi experience, I'm confident that I'll be ready for it, and even good at it, something I wouldn't have said on 1/1/2001.

My attitudes about music have evolved a lot this year as well. My feelings about how music should be recorded, performed, and even experienced have changed. I see music as more freeform now, less rigidly defined. I see recordings more as representations of a moment in time being recorded, rather than as "Ultimate Performances" - which if you knew me at all, you'd recognize as a pretty huge shift in attitude. I used to view recordings as the "finished work", but now I'm of the opinion that the work is never really finished - the recording just shows how it was that one day; and live performances are new chances for a piece to grow, change, and be reborn. I'm more open to experimentation, and I'm more inclined to pursue the unexpected result rather than technical perfection. That doesn't mean I'm going to start cranking out noise-rock garbage. My commitment to craft is still as absolute as it's always been. I guess that the objectives and expectations I have when I sit down to create have undergone some radical rethink, and I think the end result will be more interesting music. I can hope, right?

I made a bunch of new friends this year, all over the country. A whole new album that I didn't expect to be making (Salve, to be released this year) came out of one of these new friendships, with guitarist/sonic sculptor Andre LaFosse. I met and observed one of my biggest musical heroes/icons (that being Mike Keneally) in action in the studio, the effect on me of said experience I think is still too early to measure. These are phenomenon attestable mostly to the continuing magic of the World Wide Web. Fantastic invention, that.

As I said, I had a pretty freaking amazing 2001, and it would have been a year to remember even if the detestable events of September 11 had never come to pass. And 2002, only two weeks into it, is already shaping up to be a year that presents challenges and opportunities that are unprecedented in my experience. What's the quote? "May you live in interesting times?" Sheesh.

And I'll close for today with an annual Wonky.Net ritual, my 10 Favorite Movies of the year 2001. Almost all of these were released at the end of the year in time for Oscar consideration. Overall 2001 sucked for film quality excepting the last two months. Come on, Hollywood! Do better fer cryin' out loud! Anyway, here's the list:

1. Memento
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
3. Amélie
4. Mulholland Drive
5. The Royal Tenenbaums
6. Monsters, Inc.
7. Ocean's 11
8. The Man Who Wasn't There
9. The Others
10. Vanilla Sky

* There are a few flicks released at the end of 2001 that I haven't seen yet that might have made it into the list, so I'll consider those for next year's Top 10.