Today's insanity...

Please forgive the lapse in posting; I've been working on my novel and crash dieting which is sapping my energy (yes, yes, I'm an idiot, I know)and after skipping dinner last night, I remembered I have a doctor appointment after work today where they do blood work to monitor my cholesterol and I'm supposed to fast all day. So I've now gone over 24 hours without anything in my stomach and I'm hallucinating. But I do have some news. You all probably knew Rock School will be playing at the Ritz in Philadelphia and New Jersey but it's also been added to the Bridge, which is very cool since all the college kids (well, the ones still around for the summer) in University City will find it a lot more convenient. I'm just totally thrilled that it's going to be playing throughout the city at the coolest venues!
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So ever since I've been researching Rock School the movie and the soundtrack I am just astounded by the journalistic errors I'm finding. Take a look at this published in a newspaper out of Toronto (and you know I've written to them to correct this debacle)

"Paul Green is a rock star. Green runs the Rock School in Boston, where kids aged 9 to 17 learn to play Sabbath, Zeppelin, and, if they're good enough, Frank Zappa. Judging by the Rock School documentary screening here, Green is a pudgy holy terror. He screams at the kids, berates them, then cracks sloppy rude jokes that put him right at the kids' level. "Don't look at your fingers," he yells at one boy trying to master a guitar lick. "Girls look at their fingers! Do you wanna be a girl? Do you wanna be in The Bangles?" There is absolutely no mention of School Of Rock in Rock School, which makes me suspect either hurt feelings or legal action. Green is funny and out of control, but strangely, not as convincing in the role as Jack Black was."
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Okay, gang, let's play Where's Waldo. An award to the first reader who can identify all the mistakes in this article. Man, I already went nuts on another Canadian entertainment website who confused Gene Simmons with Paul and then condescendingly told me in a post on their site that I should watch the T.V. show and get it right. Ahem. I will post that later because we're still in a battle and I just zinged him or her pretty good. Whoever is fighting with me is doing in anonymously; I'm using my real name. Oh, I so hope it's Gene Simmons! Ha! (Don't worry - I'm not being obnoxious, just gently suggesting that the poster get his/her facts straight and that NO THE SOUNDTRACK COMING OUT MAY 31 IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE GENE SIMMONS T.V. SHOW! And err...I might have mentioned how horrified I am at the very thought...)
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I dug this review a lot better -- it was posted in a Texas newspaper following the recent screening of the movie at South by Southwest:

"Don Argott's "Rock School" played to capacity crowds who generated a vibe more like a concert than a movie. People laughed, hooted, clapped; many flashed the devil sign with raised hands. They were responding to Paul Green, the demanding dean of the School of Rock Music in Philadelphia, where kids ages 5 to 17 learn the notes, moves and collaborative dynamics of playing in a rock band. Green is mean, shouting expletives and slamming doors when a student fails to make her mark. Yet it's this flamboyant, John Belushian passion, at once crude and caring, that spurs his young charges to play their best, nailing even the most byzantine Frank Zappa compositions at a major festival in Germany. With a trajectory of pain and triumph and a compelling cast of hobbit-height headbangers, the film makes an immersive, exhilarating experience that leaves you giddy."
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Now this I loved altogether. You know I'm going to LA next week for a private screening of Rock School. Check this out. $3,000.00 for an all day pass? What does that mean? Hahahahaha - what, to see the movie and see my kids perform? $3,000.00? Can that be right? YAY!
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Speaking of that, Rock School apparently is being released internationally this summer as well - here's the info for a movie theater in Australia!.
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So that's basically it for now -- I'm dizzy as hell and have to leave for the doctor where I will probably fall face down the minute they stick a needle in my arm to draw blood. Holy cow, this may be the longest I've ever gone without food. My luck, my doctor's office is right down the street from Jim's Steaks. I could probably eat six of those at the moment. And probably will.
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P.S.

Oh god...just back from the doctor.

(1) Robin, there is a suspicious looking lesion on your back. I'm giving you the name of a dermatologist and I want you to promise me you will call him immediately for appointment.

Me: IS IT SKIN CANCER???!!!!

Doctor: Well, it isn't uneven around the edges but I have to tell you I don't like the looks of it and it's best to have a dermatologist take a biopsy and then remove it.

Doctor: Your ankles are swollen. Are you eating a lot of salt?

Me: NO! I'VE BEEN WATCHING MY WEIGHT, DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT, WALKING FOUR MILES A DAY. IS IT CANCER?

Doctor: Let me draw some more blood and I'll call you Monday - it could just be you're sitting at the computer too much and not walking around enough.

Sorry. I'm terrified by the idea of a "lesion". It's taking all the willpower in the world not to go on Google and see if ankle swelling and skin cancer are related in any way. Why would he draw blood for ankle swelling?

So...I have to leave to Hollywood on Monday with this on my mind? Jesus Fucking Christ.

Happy Birthday Eric - Part II

So as I've been advertising, Eric turned 18 yesterday and one of his gifts is that he gets to spend the night with Levon Helm Memorial Day weekend in Woodstock, New York at a jam which will be webcast in case anyone is interesting in having a listen/look. Also joining them will be a great guitarist, Jimmy Vivino - you may know him from the Letterman show and he's also one of the Fab Faux, the world's greatest tribute Beatle band:

Anyway, because I bought this gift for Eric with my paypal account, I'm now getting Levon Helm emails from his manager every day so this morning I decided to write back and say, Hey, it's cool I'm getting this stuff but you should really be emailing my son. And then of course me being me and never being able to send a one sentence email, I proceeded to tell Levon's manager all about Eric and Rock School - both the movie and the soundtrack, etc.

Hahahaha - it pays to be an obnoxious "stage mother". I got an excited email back five minutes later; Levon and his manager can't wait to meet Eric...Eric should go up and introduce himself immediately when he gets there, etc. etc.

So how cool is that? Even Eric is impressed. I didn't get the usual "Oh mom..." Hahahaha - I bought him a new suit for the trip to Hollywood next week and of course I opened up my big mouth in the mens' store as well and he had salesguys fawning over him. But Eric does have star quality and they probably would have picked up on it anyway, but he had eight guys rushing to wait on him - it was hilarious.

Speaking of Hollywood, Julie and I bought "gowns" on Saturday morning for the premiere party. Oh my god, we had so much fun. We went to Lord and Taylor and tried on all of these fancy dresses which is so out of character for both of us but we had a blast! We were laughing our asses off posing in front of the mirror and then a couple times we couldn't get the dresses over our heads because of complicated linings; one time Julie tried on a gown with beaded straps which cost a fortune and I'm trying to help her take it off and all I could think was Holy Shit, we're both such clumsy goofballs these straps are going to break and beads are going to fly everywhere and I'm gonna be stuck buying this thing. What made it more fun is that the two of us actually looked decent in almost everything we tried on because we've both been dieting so that put us in a great head. Unlike the poor mother in the dressing room next to us with her spoiled brat daughter who was trying to get a gown for the prom. Oh my god, I don't know how that Mom didn't slap her or storm out and leave her there. Not that I would ever hit either of my kids, but this chick -- I might have made an exception. She was whining about some country club and her poor mother was so desperate she was offering to take her to malls all over the State of Pennsylvania and the girl was so verbally abusive back...anyway,I am so lucky to have Julie as my daughter and not some spoiled mentally unbalanced selfish twat.

So in other news, I spent the entire weekend writing which was AWESOME! I'm really happy with the direction my book is taking. I wrote non-stop except for an hour or two last night when we had dinner out for Eric's birthday. If you live in Philadelphia and haven't eaten at Joseph Poon's, you really should. I had an appetizer of salmon satay which was to die for and Julie and I split an entree of heart healthy coconut shrimp. No really, it was heart healthy - it was steamed shrimp quickly stir fried in light coconut milk with a hundred different fresh crunchy vegetables. Eric got duck tacos and of course I was like Pavlov's dog looking at them but if I want to fit into this gown next week, I have to like live on lettuce this week, too. I almost cracked when Joe brought out those complimentary home made almond cookies for dessert (that's twice in three days I've been offered cookies in a restaurant. If this is a new trend, oh man, I'm sunk!) but I let the family eat them and I kept telling myself: A few seconds of pleasure is not worth the week of torture to lose the pound I'll gain if I eat these.

Ahem. I can think of times a few seconds of pleasure is worth anything, but um, not for a cookie. At least not this week.

So I know it's early in the week but I'm going to keep issuing reminders: This weekend, Indre Studios - the final Rock School spring show EVER for graduating students Eric, Allie Hauptman, Jeremy Blessing, Lauren Pollock, Fil Smith, Matt Rothstein, Max DiMezza...arghhh....this is going to be a three box of Kleenex event for me...performing the music of Led Zep. Ooh ooh - I know the show ender - it's Lauren Pollock singing Stairway to Heaven. If that doesn't bring the house down, nothing will. Eric is on drums for that and I'm guessing most of the "graduates" are going to be on stage for that as well. Shows Friday and Saturday night. I'll be there both evenings -- just look for the weeping blonde in front. Man. And then two days later we leave for Hollywood.

Life is good!

Happy Birthday Eric!

So yeah, Eric is 18 today. Right now he's at brunch at Silk City Diner - his pals called him an hour ago and said Get yourself over here, we're taking you out. But this morning I'm the one who came downstairs to the real present. I got the following email from a Paul Green School of Rock parent following the Rock School 80s' concert last night at Indre Studios. This was Eric's first stint as Assistant Music Director for a show.

Robin,
We just returned home after the second night of the 80s show (and parent fun afterwards), and it's time I share our praise of Eric (Julie is also amazing, but we've only had the privilege of hanging out with Eric).

My daughter joined PGSRM approx one year ago and, through her, I've had the good fortune to be exposed to Eric and his art (performances, original CDs, etc.). Now, with the 80s show, we've also seen the additional fruits of his (co-)production talent.

As a musician, human being, and soul, he is incredible yet refreshingly humble! Kudos to all adults who provided the environment, example, and stimuli which have fed his vast vision, talent, appreciation, empathy, respect, intelligence, and humor! His energy will definitely find its way in our universe, not only from the impact of his own talent, but also in that which he teaches to/shares with/encourages from others. It's rare to find an artist who has such a great rapport and respect for his peers! All of his "little buddies" love him and he's no slouch in keeping up in conversation with all of us "old folks."

(I do know enough about music to assure you that our praise of your brood is well deserved.)

Wow! Thanks for sharing Eric and Julie with the world! Keep "fueling" them, sit back, and enjoy the ride!

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Now you know that email killed me -- I read it out loud to Eric and Julie when they woke up and completely lost it. I started crying, they started laughing -- the usual.

...more later

TGIF...

So my paperback is still a best seller -- I lifted the above images right off my publisher's website -- and now you can get yourself a copy with my autograph and a secret little message here. I know, I know, you all want to read about Rock School and not my book but I've got nothing new at the moment, and well, I did originally start this blog because I'm a writer...

Wait, I do have some news and it's pretty exciting. Julie's been offered a job this summer as an intern at Studio Four/Jive Records where they recorded the Rock School soundtrack and she's grabbing it. This is way cool since recording/producing is her major in college though of course her main dream is to play bass in a viable rock band. Speaking of that, her band (which features Eric on drums, Dan Nitz on guitar, and Teddi Tarnoff on vocals) is totally fabulous - they just recorded a demo CD and it blew me away. What's really wild is that her dad is friendly with someone knows Phil Nicolo (owner of Studio Four and president of the local chapter of the Grammys) and he said his pal told him that Phil compared Julie and Eric to Sly and Robbie Dunbar as the world's best rhythm section and may be interested in using them for future studio work, too.

Ah well. That's it for now. I have to really focus on my novel(s) over the next several days and then I'LL BE LEAVING FOR HOLLYWOOD/SEATTLE AND THE SCREENING OF ROCK SCHOOL AND ACTUALLY SEEING THE KIDS PERFORM WITH JON ANDERSON AND EDDIE VEDDER AND HOW FUCKING GREAT IS THAT.

Sorry. Just needed to let that out. Being cooped up all day in a law office is very, very frustrating. I seriously don't know how much longer I'm going to do this 9-5 paralegal gig -- I've done my time and I'm so, so tired and burnt out. I want to spend my (yuk)golden years doing what I love most, which other than being groupie Mom is of course writing, and I am going to find a way to do it or have a stroke trying.

Have a nice weekend -- I have got to seriously concentrate on my book, but of course if I get any news, I'll pop on to post.

As promised, more on the Rock School Soundtrack

Okay, I rock.

If you live in the Boston area, you can listen to cuts from the Rock School soundtrack on WZIX in Boston at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday.

But the big news is, for all the rest of us, we can listen via the web at WCSX in Detroit where they are playing it throughout the day. However, it is getting special attention weeknights between 10:00 p.m. and midnight, where guess what, the DJ is Alice Cooper, who of course has a special interest in playing the cuts since he appears on the first of two singles released from the CD - Schools Out. They're playing the two cuts together - Schools Out and Barracuda.

Yes, yes, you can all thank me later.

Wow...another hump day already

That's my birthday boy in the background on drums with Napoleon Murphy Brock from the recent Project Object show. Julie took that pic and I love it, it looks like a painting.

Yeah, so Eric will be legal on Sunday...well, not quite legal...but old enough to vote, be drafted (oh my god, Eric, if you are reading this - this is so, so gross but I think you have to register with the draft board. Holy shit...let's just get airline tickets...pick a country, any country...and we'll get the hell out of here), and at 18 he can even get married without my permission but sorry, dude, you still can't have that beer.

That's a joke, actually - Eric isn't fond of any alcohol except champagne. I've taught him well.

So in typical Slick family fashion, we never have just a one day celebration - Friday Eric and I are having lunch at a restaurant which is right up my alley though Eric picked it called The Smoked Joint (sigh..no, no, it's a barbecue place); then of course Friday night and Saturday night he is assistant music director for the Rock School Eighties show at Indre Studios so he'll be there but he's going out afterwards to party with his friends; Sunday we're having dinner at Joseph Poon's Asian Fusion restaurant (I told you I taught that kid well), and he's made it easy for me - he just wants money for the rest of his present. He already got his initial downpayment gift, as I mentioned here before, I bought him a night with Levon Helm...seriously, I think that's the coolest thing ever and wish I was going with him...hanging out with Levon Helm in Woodstock the last weekend in May. It's going to be webcast so you know I'll be posting the link here in case anyone wants to watch the jam session. Ack, there's another famous musician joining them and I can't remember who it is...fuck...well, I'll be posting this again when the time comes anyway.

Ah well, I just can't believe my baby is 18. And by the way, you can purchase tickets to see Eric and his band Flamingo on June 12 at North Star Bar. They also have upcoming gigs at NYC Knitting Factory, World Cafe Live, and the Fire.

It really pays to be an internet sleuth. I found out they will be playing songs from the Rock School soundtrack CD between 7-8:00 p.m. on FM Radio KVRV in San Francisco on Saturday night. I'm still checking - I figured out how to go about finding what stations have the CD and when they'll be playing it, and as soon as I gather all information and find us a live link where we can all be insane fans and listen via the web, I'll post it here. But as for now, anyone in the San Francisco area, and that means you, Ric Tywoniak, please listen and report back! Ric is guitarist C.J.'s father and since he lives in SF, he can listen first hand this Saturday night. If I can't find an internet feed, we're gonna count on him for details, but trust me, I'm gonna find a source for all of us any minute if it kills me.

So it's now Wednesday and I've kept my lifestyle change promises - I've actually lost three pounds since the weekend and feel pretty damn good. I signed on to Zoetrope (n line writing workshop) for the first time today since Sunday and it took me an hour to catch up on my reading but it was all good. I'm glad I'm weaning myself away while I work on my novel(s). And it's true, without eating all that sugar and signing on to Zoetrope every five minutes, I've gotten a shitload of writing done over the past few days and am guilt free. Hahaha - I have such an addictive personality, but the one thing I've learned is that if I can get over the first few days, it gets easier and easier. That one day at a time thing they preach in 12 step programs really does work.

(Then why did I suddenly get an urge for a milk chocolate Cadbury bar with almonds? No! I will not succumb!)

So in less than two weeks I'll be on a plane for Hollywood/Seattle and if you think I'm not going to be going overboard talking about it for the next several days, you are sadly mistaken and had better not visit my blog. I just found out that Julie's boyfriend, Matt, is coming along as well and I'm really glad about that. I mean, how could he miss his girlfriend on stage with Jon Anderson? Matt is a very talented bass player, too, as you will discover when you hear him on the Rock School soundtrack - he rules in Black Magic Woman and Rebel Yell. Eric plays amazing drums on both of those tracks which is way cool. Whooops. Now you know. I've heard the entire soundtrack. Hahahahaha - oh well, I have friends in high places, what can I say?

Later...

Eddie Vedder redux and more...

BREAKING NEWS -- WHAT IS THIS? Is it internet radio? Their playlist this week features two songs from the Rock School soundtrack, which won't be released for three more weeks -- Barracuda and School's Out. So does this mean radio stations have the CD and are now playing it? I'm confused...I went to their home page and clicked on "Affiliates". It looks like it's getting radio play at certain stations across the country starting this week? Arghhh...I can't figure this out and Eric isn't home to ask. So if anyone can 'splain it to me, please do!



I kind of had to repost the above Eddie pic because I'm way depressed today so I need eye candy.

But before I talk about that, let me direct all my pals in Seattle to the latest news. Yep, I will be there May 25, and here is the link for the events. Apparently, the movie is being shown twice, May 25 and May 26, but on May 25, the film will be shown at The Egyptian Theater at 7:00 p.m. and then the kids will be performing with Eddie Vedder and "other special guests" at 9:00 p.m. at Neumos. I'm guessing I won't be at the film unless the theater is close to Neumos -- actually, I'm hoping it is because even though I'll be seeing the movie in L.A. the night before, I could see it 1,000,000 times and probably will. But in the event the theater and club are not within walking distance, I'm sure the kids will not be at the movie but setting up and doing sound check/rehearsals, so that's where I'll be for sure. Anyway, as it gets closer to the actual date and I have more info, I'll post it here and email all my friends in the area so we can meet up. But my suggestion is to buy tickets for the kids' performance at Neumos immediately - they are only $8.00 and it's not public knowledge that Eddie Vedder is one of the special guests (and I do know who else may be there but I can't blab it yet) though between this blog and other news sources, that info is going to leak and I'm sure it's going to be a sell-out. I'm so neurotic, I even bought a ticket for myself.
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So in other news, I've made some serious lifestyle change decisions today. Let's see how long it takes me to break them. For one thing, I'm now on a "for life' diet. I'm through eating sugar and junk food. I feel like crap because I've been on the skids for weeks and I know it's my diet making me act so off kilter. I've been hiding from my blood pressure doctor but I have to face the music next week because my prescription is up and I need to make an appointment ASAP. He's going to freak if I don't get a grip on my eating habits. Actually, he's a really nice guy, which is worse. He looks at me with these sad eyes and says things like "Robin, you are a smart woman, do you want to die of a stroke or heart disease? Have you joined a gym yet?"

I will never join a gym. I despise gyms. But I do walk four miles a day to and from work, so that's got to account for something, right? But the diet thing -- that I can do. (Yeah, right. Well, I'm gonna try...and I've just walked past a box of Munchkins in the office five times without being tempted)

Secondly, for those of you who are members of my on line writing group, the fabulous Zoetrope, I've also decided to put myself on a strict diet from that as well. I'm determined to only sign on twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. I picked those days because they were already designated days for the past two years where I meet up with one fellow writer for chatting, workshopping, etc. But the rest of the week...man, it's really gotten out of hand. Instead of writing, I find myself fucking off there all the time for the social aspect. While I've met a lot of great people, I've also met one too many disturbed individuals. I guess the reason so many freaks flock to cyberworld is that they can't function in the real world so they hide behind a computer screen and then let it all fly. I'm guilty of the same...not in that way but I tend to be anti-social and reclusive in the real world and take on a much more extroverted, happy persona in cyberspace.

Anyway, a turning point came for me this weekend. A few things happened. First, my kids weren't home and I had two days to write and instead I screwed around on Zoetrope. Not good. I have two books I'm writing simultaneously and I can't be slacking. Secondly, and this was what really rattled me, I read two stories during an exercise on the site that affected me bigtime, though in opposite ways. The first story was so terrible, so poorly written, that I said to myself: This has got to be a joke; this person has to be putting us all on. She's got to be a troll. I had to sit on my hands to keep from typing something nasty about her story and asking her WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU AND HOW DEMENTED CAN YOU BE? Luckily, I refrained. But I had to ask myself, Why are you wasting your time with this shit? Then I read the second story, written by a guy who is actually a friend of mine, which was so good, so perfect, so beautiful, I got all teary. Worse, I was filled with a terrible depression (like, I will never be able to write like this in a million years) and an intangible sort of longing...I don't know, I can't describe it. I felt old, lonely, melancholy....it was really awful. I'm still shaken; I thought about it the entire two mile walk into work this morning. I can't be doing this to myself. I know it's probably hormonal; I know I have a lot of stuff going on right now like pressure at work (I'm swamped beyond belief with horrible paperwork), the pressure of writing the aforesaid two novels; the pressure of my kids suddenly being adults and getting ready to move on...but anyway, I need to make my mind a blank and concentrate on just my writing instead of wishing for things I'll never have and/or a youth I can't recapture.

So anyway - if you're a Zoetrope member and need to reach me other than a Wednesday or Friday, you can email me at Robin81700@aol.com.
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So that's today's news for now -- I do believe I'll just sit back and enjoy the photograph of Eddie Vedder (and doesn't he look like Eric Clapton in that photo? Sigh...) and try and have nice thoughts.

Happy Mothers Day (wait...isn't that an oxymoron?)

Another pic from St. Louis:

Looking totally freaked out as I prepared for four hours of signing books


I have a ton of pics but I think I'm going to post a link to my photosite thing so you don't have to look if you don't want....I've got my own personal photosite page with a zillion rock school pics, pics of book fair in St. Louis, pics of the family, etc. etc. I have to go look and see if there's anything I need to delete, first. (ha)
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So yeah, Happy Mothers Day. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep so I can downstairs just as my son was walking in the door. He decided to give me my gift while the two of us were alone - a really beautiful painting he had "commissioned" by his friend, Hannah, a very talented artist. How cool is that! I will hang it in my new improved water-bed free bedroom along with a painting sent to me by my good friend, artist Marty Ison....I'm gonna have to post photos of these two paintings for sure. I also recently picked up a painting by a local artist, Vincent Natale, and I dunno, the world may be crashing and burning all around me but at least I'm surrounded by beautiful paintings and music.
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So this appeared in today's Chicago Tribune:

NON CELEBS TO WATCH IN THE FUTURE

By Allison Benedikt
Tribune staff reporter

As has become the tradition, this summer's movie slate is jampacked with every variety of celebrity: the pop star (Jessica Simpson), the SNL crossover (Adam Sandler), the brooder (Russell Crowe/Scarlett Johansson), the scandal-ridden (Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie) and the Scientologist (Tom Cruise).

But put down your glossy tabloids for one measly minute and think of all the other people who make your summer a moviegoing utopia and your stars look "just like US." Thank you, non-celebrity film people. Thank you.

And now, a few to watch:

Paul Green, subject, "Rock School"

"Talent is a dirty word in this country," says School of Rock founder Paul Green. "To me, talent is unquantifiable, so we leave it out of the equation."

Instead, Green focuses on getting his students -- kids from ages 8 to 18 -- playing and performing. "The best way to learn to do almost anything is by doing," his school's manifesto reads. "Therefore, from the moment a student joins one of our schools, he or she is playing music -- loud, with other musicians, and on genuine equipment -- and before long we have our students playing shows."

And these are not kiddie gigs, my friends. Green's apprentices have played the Knitting Factory, CBGB and, last summer, did a 19-show West Coast tour. And now: They're gonna be in pictures.

In "Rock School," director Don Argott turns his camera on Green and company, following them all the way to Germany's Zappanale (a festival dedicated to Green's rock god, Frank Zappa) and documenting the teacher's tough love. ("I'm always joking that Don screwed me," Green says of his aggressive screen presence.)

(If this sounds vaguely familiar, Richard Linklater's 2003 "School of Rock" had a similar premise, but Green says he was not consulted for that film.)

Not long ago, Green was just a struggling musician paying his way through college by teaching lessons at a Philadelphia guitar shop. "I got fired -- and took all of my students with me, cause that's what you do." What started as 20 kids in his living room is now nine schools, with more on the way.

Green, who recently moved to New York, has given up his own rock-star dreams. "The nail in the coffin was when I saw `Almost Famous.' It was a cheesy movie, but I loved it -- and I realized: I want to be a rock star then."

Now he concentrates his energy on the students -- and on developing not just their musical muscles, but also teaching them about the music biz and steering them away from top 40. "If someone's listening to Nickelback and then they hear Black Sabbath, they're gonna know the difference," Green says. "In the end, the kids always come around."

And when they surpass him? "That's my mental struggle. There's Paul the guitar player and Paul the teacher. If the latter succeeds, the former isn't happy."
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Anyway, Julie is in the kitchen preparing a Mothers Day brunch for me - some type of homemade pancakes with vanilla and toasted almonds and whipped cream. Mmmmmm....

And as is their usual yearly present to me, both kids will be at Rock School today, thereby leaving me alone with the computer and not asking me When Can I Go On, Mom every five minutes --- I really need to work on my novel and that will be my gift to myself.

Cheers!
(oh god, don't you just hate when Americans say that? Almost as bad as "ciao". Ha! Sorry - I'm in a werid mood and am sugared out already even though I've yet to have a bite of pancake - I guess my brain is already sending my body those hyper vibes)

I get to meet Eddie Vedder!!! Errr...I mean, the Paul Green School of Rock School All-Stars will perform with Ed....

Okay, I've known about this for a few weeks but have had to keep it quiet until now -- not only are the kids playing with Jon Anderson when we fly out to Hollywood in two weeks for the private premiere of Rock School, the following day we head for the Seattle Film Festival where they will play two songs with Eddie Vedder following the screening of the movie there - they'll perform Courdoroy and Eddie's rendition of I Wanna Be Sedated.

I'm gonna die. I fucking love Eddie Vedder. Okay, it's not just because he has the looks I adore...sigh...long brown hair...I love his voice, I love his politics (hates, hates, hates Bush), head butted with Ticketmaster but was ultimately beaten down, damn it (Like I don't hate big corporations enough: The feud with Ticketmaster started when Eddie was fed up with the price of Pearl Jam's tickets. Also, Pearl Jam wanted to donate $20,000 of their profit from three arena concerts as a charitable donation to the Seattle Center Arts and Sciences Academy. The money raised would be used to send two teenagers to the Northwestern school of the Arts. Before the tickets went on sale, Ticketmaster demanded that another dollar be added to the price of the tickets. Then Ticketmaster refused to contribute the $20,000 lowering it to $14,000. However, this would only be the beginning. Although Pearl Jam's first attempt to tour without Ticketmaster failed, they got what they wanted when the price of their tickets were lowered for their fans. However, with tour cancellations and a year's preparation to book tour dates, Pearl Jam reconsidered working with Ticketmaster. Pearl Jam's spokesperson, Kelly Curtis said, "We don't want to make a point on how difficult it is to tour without Ticketmaster, and we made the point...I think you'll find that the band is going to do whatever it takes just to play".)

Grrr....no wonder I'm the way I am...I read stuff like this and I want to buy a high powered rifle.

Anyway, getting back to Eddie, I love that the Who are his favorite band, and he did one of my all time favorite duets with Pete Townshend when they did a remake of the old song Pete did with Ronnie Laine:

Heart to Hang Onto

Johnny boy, he's always propping up the bar
He's sees life crystallized through his jar
He says he only lives for beer
But deep in his heart is a cry of fear

Give me a heart to hang onto
Give me a soul that's tailored new
Give me a heart to hang onto
A heart to hang onto

Sally seems to get bigger everyday
She evens out in a contented way
A finger on the pulse of every guy
But deep in the night you can hear her cry

Give me a heart to hang onto
Give me a life that's tailored new
Give me a heart to hang onto
Oh please a heart to hang onto

Give me heart to hang onto
Give me a soul that's tailored new
Give me a heart to hang onto

Danny, he wants to save for a new guitar
He's going to learn to play but he won't get far
He thinks it's an easy going' high
But his whole life is just another try

Give me a heart to hang onto
Give me a suit that's tailored true
Give me a heart to hang onto
A heart to hang onto

I need a heart... to hang onto...

Anyway, have I mentioned I LOVE EDDIE VEDDER????
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So anybody else hear Paul Green on WMMR last night? He was really, really good - low key, intelligent, made a funny as hell analogy about movies when disc jockey Dee Snider of Twisted Sister Fame (yep, Dee is a radio personality now, and one who did a fashion shoot in Esquire Magazine last month for fuck's sake) asked him about the "coincidence" between the Jack Black movie "School of Rock" and "Rock School"...anyway, the bottom line is, WMMR, who once reigned in Philadelphia as the #1 rock and roll radio station but slid when they started playing white rap trash...anyway, WMMR is now playing rock again and they talked with Paul on the radio about a big WMMR premiere event for the opening of the movie here next month. I dunno, whatever, it all sounds like a lot of fun and we're all really starting to get excited. The movie has been in production, post-production, etc. etc. for three years now and I can't believe it's finally going to hit the big screen next month with the soundtrack coming out in a little over three weeks. Eric was actually recognized by someone the other day who saw the trailer for the movie on the big screen while seeing Kung Fu or Sin City at one of the major theaters. Paul gave me a list of the movie theaters/films showing the Rock School preview trailer right now and I'm crazy enough to go spend $10.00 just to see the Coming Attractions and then leave before I have to fucking sit through Kung Fu. Ha! Oh, if anyone in the area wants this list, drop me an email.
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Anyway, just a reminder to those in the Philadelphia area -- tonight and tomorrow night, Rock School does Queen, and Eric will be sitting in on drums on three songs:

Hump Day (hooray)

An absolutely horrific photograph of me with fellow Phaze authors greeting fans at the book fair in St. Louis. Hopefully some better ones will turn up. Seated on the far left, Bridget Midway, next to her, Madeline Oh, Karen Troxel, and yours truly, the smirking one in black. Hopefully some better pics will turn up but if not, oh well, you get the idea. But you can clearly see the print version of my book -- doesn't it look so pretty? I'm going to be arranging readings in small book shops around the city and if you'd like to invite me to your home for dinner and a "salon"....hahahahaha....just kidding.

So, in other news...

You can pre-order the kids' CD, Rock School, right here at CD Universe. I checked and it's also available at Amazon, Tower, etc. but of course pre-orders as well. Just go to the damn store on May 31 and buy it, okay? Preferably a mom and pop place and not a big corporate owned hellhole. In fact, while I'm at it, please boycott all big corporations and try to give your money to the little guy, even if it costs a few dollars more. Though to be honest, I'm finding the indie stores are cheaper. How dare a place with a high volume like Tower charge what they do for CDs? Man I hope the word on the street is true and they are in financial trouble. Anyway, as far as the CD goes, they don't have the individual credits listed yet, but Eric saw all of the artwork for the CD and yep, the cover lists the name of every Rock School kid performing on each song. It's going to be surreal for me to take a look at the back of the CD and see Julie and Eric's names listed. Between the two of them, they play on 8 of the 12 songs.

God, this time three weeks from now I'll be basking in the afterglow of seeing the private premiere of the movie in Hollywood and watching Julie and Eric perform Heart of the Sunrise with Jon Anderson. They will also be performing with three other major classic rock stars but I have to keep that quiet for now and don't want to jinx anything. I do have a complete set list of all the songs the kids will be performing in LA and Seattle but since things change all the time and this might be confidential information, I'll keep that a secret for now as well. Besides, it'll be more fun to come home after the trip and broadcast it then.

For anyone in the Philadelphia area, the Rock School kids will be performing the music of Queen at Indre studios this Friday and Saturday night, and my son Eric will be sitting in on three songs. The following weekend is a Salute to the Eighties, and Eric is assistant music director for that show. He told me it's going to be incredible - the rehearsals have been going great. The weekend of May 20-21 is the biggie for me - it's Eric's last regular Spring show performance - the music of Led Zep - and it's going to be a real tear jerker. His last Rock School show exclusive of the All-Star summer tour up and down the east coast and Germany. It's not just Eric's last regular show - it's going to be the grand finale for Rock School greats Jeremy Blessing, Lauren Pollock, Max DiMezza, Matt Rothstein, and others I can't think of right now but of course I will have a lot more to say about all of these fantastic kids during the next several weeks between the shows, the soundtrack and the movie. This is a really exciting time for all of us. But of course bittersweet as well, you know?

I also can't believe Eric turns 18 on May 15. Christ, both of my kids are now "legal adults". Arghhh....

Other than the music stuff, I have a new story up at Somewhat Magazine today, a creative non fiction piece. I've been going a little nuts lately, simultaneously working on two books, so this blog posting may be a little off kilter and irregular, but hey, what the hell, you know whenever I have breaking news, I'll be here to report!

Oh, one final thing. There's a silent auction being held on behalf of Philadelphia Stories, the magazine where I moonlight as fiction editor (though I am on sabbatical this quarter while I work on my books) at Maggianos, 12th and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia, PA from 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. A $25.00 admission gets you a pasta buffet, passed hors d’oeuvres, dessert buffet, beer and wine. Read more about it here! If anyone reading this wants to go and meet up with me, drop me an email or leave a comment here and we'll hook up. It should be a fantastic evening.