Managing cancer registries, battling cancer
Here's an artice I wrote a few months ago for For The Record magazine about cancer registries.
Unless you work in the healthcare field and specialize in cancer registries or are a cancer registrar yourself, this article will be of no interest to you.
It does give you an idea of some of the freelance writing I do from time to time.
fortherecord.com: Managing Cancer Registries, Battling Cancer
Quick and dirty
The first episode of Extras aired last week on BBC2.
It will air in the USA on HBO sometime in the future - I'm too lazy to look it up right now.
Thurston's Ecstatic Peace has plenty of links and videos to explore.
The Pope has a new CD on Wantage USA.
Check out The Morning News for some funny shit to read like this.
Vinyl Mine takes a look back at The Blasting Concept II LP.
Strange Reaction has some great old punk 7"s that you can check out.
Jim Jarmusch's new movie Broken Flowers comes out August 5. Trailer is online.
The first episode of Extras aired last week on BBC2.
It will air in the USA on HBO sometime in the future - I'm too lazy to look it up right now.
Thurston's Ecstatic Peace has plenty of links and videos to explore.
The Pope has a new CD on Wantage USA.
Check out The Morning News for some funny shit to read like this.
Vinyl Mine takes a look back at The Blasting Concept II LP.
Strange Reaction has some great old punk 7"s that you can check out.
Jim Jarmusch's new movie Broken Flowers comes out August 5. Trailer is online.
Find Delaware punkers
If you're looking to catch up dudes from the scene, you might want to check delawarehardcore.com.
It's not the most functional message board, but it definitely gets the job done.
If you're looking to catch up dudes from the scene, you might want to check delawarehardcore.com.
It's not the most functional message board, but it definitely gets the job done.
Le Force
Josh over at Wantage USA has been hot on this band for a while.
I got their first CD in 2002 and while I was impressed, I couldn't get past the overt and undeniable influence The Fucking Champs have had on Le Force.
I put the CD away and forgot about them until last year when Wantage USA issued "Le Fortress" which has been in my "must-write-about-this-CD-on-my-Web-site" pile for ages now. So, on a night that I have total insomnia, I'm doing what anyone who can't sleep does - writing about a punk rock CD.
Anyway, yeah, Le Force still sounds quite similar to The Fucking Champs, which has pros and cons. Sure, there are many parallels: the two guitar/drummer line-up, the heavy metal chugging and intense riffing, the largely instrumental vibe of musicians who have an urgent need to rock hard.
And like The Fucking Champs as well as bands such as Federation X, Big Business and 400 Blows, Le Force is on to something really vital - making unapologetic kick-ass music. Their music is unapologetically fierce, strives for totalness and is laden with that never tiresome mid-'80s metal/punk crossover sound.
Where Le Force begins to establish its own identity is on the storming track is "Sometime Everybody Needs a Tissue (Trilogy)." The song is an unexpected blend of metal, punk and prog rock, throwing in some Opeth-like ballad-y passages and some expanded jams that recall the emotional din of Louisville, KY's Rodan.
The remainder of the album is more dense and heavier in tone, ranging from Judas Priest-esque moments of metalmania on "The Last Nail in My Coffin" and hinting at some of the emotional energy of "My War" on several tracks. Le Force ultimately pays homage to the heavy rock genre without without dulling it down with any touches of funk or nu metal.
"Le Fortress" may not go down as one of the seminal albums of the current decade, but it's clearly indicative that the band's next effort may very well be a mandatory release. And with a new band member o board and a new record due on Wantage USA later this year, Le Force's reign may officially begin very soon.
You can snag a bunch of Le Force MP3s over at their official site.
Josh over at Wantage USA has been hot on this band for a while.
I got their first CD in 2002 and while I was impressed, I couldn't get past the overt and undeniable influence The Fucking Champs have had on Le Force.
I put the CD away and forgot about them until last year when Wantage USA issued "Le Fortress" which has been in my "must-write-about-this-CD-on-my-Web-site" pile for ages now. So, on a night that I have total insomnia, I'm doing what anyone who can't sleep does - writing about a punk rock CD.
Anyway, yeah, Le Force still sounds quite similar to The Fucking Champs, which has pros and cons. Sure, there are many parallels: the two guitar/drummer line-up, the heavy metal chugging and intense riffing, the largely instrumental vibe of musicians who have an urgent need to rock hard.
And like The Fucking Champs as well as bands such as Federation X, Big Business and 400 Blows, Le Force is on to something really vital - making unapologetic kick-ass music. Their music is unapologetically fierce, strives for totalness and is laden with that never tiresome mid-'80s metal/punk crossover sound.
Where Le Force begins to establish its own identity is on the storming track is "Sometime Everybody Needs a Tissue (Trilogy)." The song is an unexpected blend of metal, punk and prog rock, throwing in some Opeth-like ballad-y passages and some expanded jams that recall the emotional din of Louisville, KY's Rodan.
The remainder of the album is more dense and heavier in tone, ranging from Judas Priest-esque moments of metalmania on "The Last Nail in My Coffin" and hinting at some of the emotional energy of "My War" on several tracks. Le Force ultimately pays homage to the heavy rock genre without without dulling it down with any touches of funk or nu metal.
"Le Fortress" may not go down as one of the seminal albums of the current decade, but it's clearly indicative that the band's next effort may very well be a mandatory release. And with a new band member o board and a new record due on Wantage USA later this year, Le Force's reign may officially begin very soon.
You can snag a bunch of Le Force MP3s over at their official site.
McG: The drumming days
I listened to Zen Arcade the other night for the first time in a long time. Man, back in the day I was hugely into Hüsker Dü and Grant Hart's drumming was a huge influence on my style and I learned a lot just by copying some of his style. Learning how to play drums was pretty easy for me. I'm by no means spectacular at it, like say Damon Che, but I can hold my own with most average or slightly above average drummers.
Playing music is something I don't really miss. I'm not sure why, because it was such a massive part of who I was growing up. I always say I stopped playing music because it was no longer fun. That is still true to this day. Plus I pretty much accomplished everything I wanted to do: tour, record in great studios like Albini's basement (pre-Electrical Audio, Water Music in Hoboken and play with some really killer people.
Plus I played in many, many bands such as Your Worst Nightmare, Moribund, The Stiffs, Big Bitch Magnet, Mustard Trucks, F.V.K./E.M.G., Carnal Ghia, Bonehead, Original Siamese Trio, Lettuce Prey, Vineland and El Tiante. I'm sure I'm leaving out one or two.
I guess after doing it so much, I saw that there was more to life and people who were far more talented than me struggled on a daily basis to make ends meet. There is only so far an independent musician can go in America before hitting a ceiling that requires you to either stay at that level, or try to make that jump to that fictional "next level" and become professional, get a major label deal, etc.
I often get e-mails from people asking how they get a record deal, how to generate major label interest, etc. I always tell them the same thing. You don't need it. Making music should be done on your own terms. Not someone else's. There is nothing wrong with releasing your own music on your own record label. That's how punk rock started!
People need to recognize that a record deal, in most cases, doesn't mean shit and doesn't guarantee you a damn thing. I encourage people to do their own thing, make their own records, and just get out there and do it. If you waste time waiting for someone to come along and help you out, in most cases you will be stifling your efforts before even getting out of the gate.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, go start your own band, make your own records, go do your own thing. Not only is there nothing wrong with doing those things – in fact there is no other acceptable way to create music.
I listened to Zen Arcade the other night for the first time in a long time. Man, back in the day I was hugely into Hüsker Dü and Grant Hart's drumming was a huge influence on my style and I learned a lot just by copying some of his style. Learning how to play drums was pretty easy for me. I'm by no means spectacular at it, like say Damon Che, but I can hold my own with most average or slightly above average drummers.
Playing music is something I don't really miss. I'm not sure why, because it was such a massive part of who I was growing up. I always say I stopped playing music because it was no longer fun. That is still true to this day. Plus I pretty much accomplished everything I wanted to do: tour, record in great studios like Albini's basement (pre-Electrical Audio, Water Music in Hoboken and play with some really killer people.
Plus I played in many, many bands such as Your Worst Nightmare, Moribund, The Stiffs, Big Bitch Magnet, Mustard Trucks, F.V.K./E.M.G., Carnal Ghia, Bonehead, Original Siamese Trio, Lettuce Prey, Vineland and El Tiante. I'm sure I'm leaving out one or two.
I guess after doing it so much, I saw that there was more to life and people who were far more talented than me struggled on a daily basis to make ends meet. There is only so far an independent musician can go in America before hitting a ceiling that requires you to either stay at that level, or try to make that jump to that fictional "next level" and become professional, get a major label deal, etc.
I often get e-mails from people asking how they get a record deal, how to generate major label interest, etc. I always tell them the same thing. You don't need it. Making music should be done on your own terms. Not someone else's. There is nothing wrong with releasing your own music on your own record label. That's how punk rock started!
People need to recognize that a record deal, in most cases, doesn't mean shit and doesn't guarantee you a damn thing. I encourage people to do their own thing, make their own records, and just get out there and do it. If you waste time waiting for someone to come along and help you out, in most cases you will be stifling your efforts before even getting out of the gate.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, go start your own band, make your own records, go do your own thing. Not only is there nothing wrong with doing those things – in fact there is no other acceptable way to create music.
Busy dude
I hate when people say, "Oh, I've been soooooo busy, blah, blah, blah" and make excuses for things they haven't done.
But in my case, it's true!
In recent weeks, I've interviewed an unlikely trilogy of musicians: Federation X, Hugh Masekela and Wanda Jackson.
I also covered Live 8 and gave negative reviews of performances by Pink Floyd and Bon Jovi which flipped out a bunch of hardcore fans and generated some intense and hateful responses.
I just finished up two articles for Delaware Today.
One is about Greyhounds Reach the Beach which happens this October in Dewey, Delaware. I also interviewed some people from Adopt A Grey about their work placing greyhounds in Delaware.
The other is about the Rehoboth Jazz Festival which has lined up some noteworthy acts such as Al Green and Booker T and the MG's.
I'm still writing for Promotional Marketing magazine as well, reviewing products such as tote bags, coffee mugs, clocks and anything else you can print a corporate logo onto and give away as a tchotchke.
And yes, I'm still doing my other Web site in my spare time.
There's barely enough time to finish reading, "Agent of Evolution," which is a book about Bill Hicks by his best friend and producer, Kevin Booth.
I helped Kevin on this project early on, conducting hours and hours of interviews. I bailed out of the deal early on, mainly because ... well, because I realized I'm not the kind of writer to write a book.
Anyway, Kevin actually got a real writer, Michael Bertin from the Austin Chronicle and finished the book and even got Harper Collins to publish the thing.
For those of you who like loud rock and roll and can remember a time before the heinout corporate catch phrase "alternative" was coined will enjoy Creem's Dinosaur Jr. profile.
How come more rock writing can't be this fun and clever? And don't bother e-mailing that Chunklet is funny. It's not.
Indie rock is dead and so are let's-make-fun-of-the-indie-rock-scene-with-our-clever-zine publications like Chunklet.
I hate when people say, "Oh, I've been soooooo busy, blah, blah, blah" and make excuses for things they haven't done.
But in my case, it's true!
In recent weeks, I've interviewed an unlikely trilogy of musicians: Federation X, Hugh Masekela and Wanda Jackson.
I also covered Live 8 and gave negative reviews of performances by Pink Floyd and Bon Jovi which flipped out a bunch of hardcore fans and generated some intense and hateful responses.
I just finished up two articles for Delaware Today.
One is about Greyhounds Reach the Beach which happens this October in Dewey, Delaware. I also interviewed some people from Adopt A Grey about their work placing greyhounds in Delaware.
The other is about the Rehoboth Jazz Festival which has lined up some noteworthy acts such as Al Green and Booker T and the MG's.
I'm still writing for Promotional Marketing magazine as well, reviewing products such as tote bags, coffee mugs, clocks and anything else you can print a corporate logo onto and give away as a tchotchke.
And yes, I'm still doing my other Web site in my spare time.
There's barely enough time to finish reading, "Agent of Evolution," which is a book about Bill Hicks by his best friend and producer, Kevin Booth.
I helped Kevin on this project early on, conducting hours and hours of interviews. I bailed out of the deal early on, mainly because ... well, because I realized I'm not the kind of writer to write a book.
Anyway, Kevin actually got a real writer, Michael Bertin from the Austin Chronicle and finished the book and even got Harper Collins to publish the thing.
For those of you who like loud rock and roll and can remember a time before the heinout corporate catch phrase "alternative" was coined will enjoy Creem's Dinosaur Jr. profile.
How come more rock writing can't be this fun and clever? And don't bother e-mailing that Chunklet is funny. It's not.
Indie rock is dead and so are let's-make-fun-of-the-indie-rock-scene-with-our-clever-zine publications like Chunklet.
Street people addendum
So, I wrote the other day about an out-of-the-blue e-mail I got about where to find homeless people and prostitutes to interview.
The whole e-mail exchange was pretty bizarre in and of itself, and I guess I was struck more by the person's naivety about researching the subject, more than giving an educated response.
That said, my pal Rebecca, who does good work in the social services field, had some excellent advice for the person seeking to interview the homeless, etc:
I just spent a few moments catching up on your blog. I read the entry about the crazy people and wanted to give you some advice to pass on to the person looking to interview homeless people or prostitutes, which is this:
That type of field work is dangerous. Wilmington is plagued by many of the same conditions that plague Baltimore; one of these problems is heroin addiction and trade. The areas in which one is likely to find homeless or prostitutes on the street, one is also likely to find violence. Add to that the fact that homeless people are often suffering from some type of mental illness makes it even more risky to approach them without preparation.
This person should absolutely not go wandering around Route 13.
This person's best bet is to try to find subjects for his/her research project through a case manager at some type of shelter, transitional housing program or recovery program for sex workers. He or she should be able to find such programs in the phone book, through churches, or by contacting the City of Wilmington.
He or she should also be prepared to follow informed consent procedures that are appropriate both culturally and in terms of literacy level, and should be prepared to offer subjects some sort of incentive (e.g., grocery store gift card) for their time. In short, he or she should be prepared to treat these people with respect and dignity.
I do this type of research often in Baltimore and know how difficult it can be to do it both safely and without hurting those you're trying to help. I'd hate to hear about someone -- the researcher or the subject -- getting hurt because someone didn't know what they were doing.
So, I wrote the other day about an out-of-the-blue e-mail I got about where to find homeless people and prostitutes to interview.
The whole e-mail exchange was pretty bizarre in and of itself, and I guess I was struck more by the person's naivety about researching the subject, more than giving an educated response.
That said, my pal Rebecca, who does good work in the social services field, had some excellent advice for the person seeking to interview the homeless, etc:
I just spent a few moments catching up on your blog. I read the entry about the crazy people and wanted to give you some advice to pass on to the person looking to interview homeless people or prostitutes, which is this:
That type of field work is dangerous. Wilmington is plagued by many of the same conditions that plague Baltimore; one of these problems is heroin addiction and trade. The areas in which one is likely to find homeless or prostitutes on the street, one is also likely to find violence. Add to that the fact that homeless people are often suffering from some type of mental illness makes it even more risky to approach them without preparation.
This person should absolutely not go wandering around Route 13.
This person's best bet is to try to find subjects for his/her research project through a case manager at some type of shelter, transitional housing program or recovery program for sex workers. He or she should be able to find such programs in the phone book, through churches, or by contacting the City of Wilmington.
He or she should also be prepared to follow informed consent procedures that are appropriate both culturally and in terms of literacy level, and should be prepared to offer subjects some sort of incentive (e.g., grocery store gift card) for their time. In short, he or she should be prepared to treat these people with respect and dignity.
I do this type of research often in Baltimore and know how difficult it can be to do it both safely and without hurting those you're trying to help. I'd hate to hear about someone -- the researcher or the subject -- getting hurt because someone didn't know what they were doing.
Mark Erdody in Bullpen Catcher
So, I was listening to the most recent Hip Transistor show, hosted by Mike Lupica.
He played a song by the band Black Helicopter, which features former members of Green Magnet School and Kudgel.
Just this weekend I was looking over some old cassettes and saw one by El Tiante.
That band that featured Mark Erdody of Kudgel and his future wife Kara. For a while I played drums in the band.
That was over 10 years ago and the last time I ever played drums, with the exception of a one-off gig with Lettuce Prey.
Anyway, I haven't spoken with Mark in a while, which is a shame. He's one of the coolest dudes I met through punk rock.
I put on two Kudgel shows in Delaware which were fun as hell. After one of the shows there was a huge blizzard and the entire band (along with the Cheater Slicks) were stuck in a house in Newark, DE for three days until the snow melted.
I was glad to see that he's got a new band called Bullpen Catcher.
I'm thinking of dropping him a line, but honestly I hate when people google me online, send me a "hey-how's-it-going?" e-mail out of the blue and then fall out of touch.
I think people fall out of touch for a reason, primarly because that is the nature of friendships. They come and go and forcing them is kind of lame. So hopefully we'll cross paths again. We'll see.
Maybe Mark will google me and send me a "hey-how's-it-going?" e-mail out of the blue, which in this case, wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
So, I was listening to the most recent Hip Transistor show, hosted by Mike Lupica.
He played a song by the band Black Helicopter, which features former members of Green Magnet School and Kudgel.
Just this weekend I was looking over some old cassettes and saw one by El Tiante.
That band that featured Mark Erdody of Kudgel and his future wife Kara. For a while I played drums in the band.
That was over 10 years ago and the last time I ever played drums, with the exception of a one-off gig with Lettuce Prey.
Anyway, I haven't spoken with Mark in a while, which is a shame. He's one of the coolest dudes I met through punk rock.
I put on two Kudgel shows in Delaware which were fun as hell. After one of the shows there was a huge blizzard and the entire band (along with the Cheater Slicks) were stuck in a house in Newark, DE for three days until the snow melted.
I was glad to see that he's got a new band called Bullpen Catcher.
I'm thinking of dropping him a line, but honestly I hate when people google me online, send me a "hey-how's-it-going?" e-mail out of the blue and then fall out of touch.
I think people fall out of touch for a reason, primarly because that is the nature of friendships. They come and go and forcing them is kind of lame. So hopefully we'll cross paths again. We'll see.
Maybe Mark will google me and send me a "hey-how's-it-going?" e-mail out of the blue, which in this case, wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
Enron movie
I checked out "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" this weekend over at Theater N.
In case you haven't heard, it's documentary that exposes the disgusting and corrupt side of Enron (and corporate thieves like them, such as World Com).
Overall, it's a pretty intriguing film that illustrates how Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling led company employees and investors on a wild ride of deceived and multi-million dollar scams at the expense of everyone involved.
In short, their plan was simple: Keep stock prices as high as possible.
The methods used were a little more complex including accounting techniques that allowed them to put non-existent future profits on the books, manipulating energy resources (including causing deliberate blackouts in California) and many others that can't be explained away in a paragraph or two.
Once one fraudulent scheme began to fail, Enron quickly created another. All the while Lay and Skilling faked the company's performance - and fooled everyone. As the inevitable collapse of the company neared, Lay, Skilling and other Enron top execs cashed in their stocks for millions upon millions.
They urged employees and the public at large to invest in Enron stock, even though they knew it would be worth nothing. And sure enough, the company imploded and left thousands of employees and investors, many of whom had invested the bulk of their 401K with stocks worth basically nothing.
If the film has any fault, it's that it doesn't successfully illustrate the intricacies of Enron's deceipt. But that may be based on the fact that Enron's tactics were so complicated in their own right.
Still, there's no escaping the fact that Lay and Skilling ripped off common people, like you and I, and took their life savings and retirement funds and pissed them away.
It's an outrage shit like this can happen. Imagine if the company you worked for urged you to invest in their stock, then stole all your money as it went down the shitter, leaving you with a 401K and stock portfolio worth nothing.
I checked out "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" this weekend over at Theater N.
In case you haven't heard, it's documentary that exposes the disgusting and corrupt side of Enron (and corporate thieves like them, such as World Com).
Overall, it's a pretty intriguing film that illustrates how Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling led company employees and investors on a wild ride of deceived and multi-million dollar scams at the expense of everyone involved.
In short, their plan was simple: Keep stock prices as high as possible.
The methods used were a little more complex including accounting techniques that allowed them to put non-existent future profits on the books, manipulating energy resources (including causing deliberate blackouts in California) and many others that can't be explained away in a paragraph or two.
Once one fraudulent scheme began to fail, Enron quickly created another. All the while Lay and Skilling faked the company's performance - and fooled everyone. As the inevitable collapse of the company neared, Lay, Skilling and other Enron top execs cashed in their stocks for millions upon millions.
They urged employees and the public at large to invest in Enron stock, even though they knew it would be worth nothing. And sure enough, the company imploded and left thousands of employees and investors, many of whom had invested the bulk of their 401K with stocks worth basically nothing.
If the film has any fault, it's that it doesn't successfully illustrate the intricacies of Enron's deceipt. But that may be based on the fact that Enron's tactics were so complicated in their own right.
Still, there's no escaping the fact that Lay and Skilling ripped off common people, like you and I, and took their life savings and retirement funds and pissed them away.
It's an outrage shit like this can happen. Imagine if the company you worked for urged you to invest in their stock, then stole all your money as it went down the shitter, leaving you with a 401K and stock portfolio worth nothing.
Taylor is a punk rocker
I haven't updated this site in a while and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
It's primarily due to the fact that one of my other sites is taking up a majority of my publishing time.
I miss chatting about all the stupid crap I've been up to lately here.
Speaking of stupid crap, I wanted to bring you up-to-date on what my pal Taylor Roark is up to.
First, he celebrated his wedding last month in France. He got married a year previously, but just now got around to having a big party and ceremony. His wife is a cool chick. Her name is Christal, but I may have the spelling wrong on that.
Anyway, Taylor had the party in some remote French castle or some such nonsense. Then for a honeymoon, he spent two and a half weeks in the UK attending alternative lifestyle classes.
If you know Taylor, you know he's alternative enough. He's been a bus driver and a Wall Street Lawyer as well as a part-time blacksmith. Anyway, Taylor took classes on permaculture as taught by Penny Rimbaud, the drummer of Crass.
Only Taylor would spend his honeymoon with one of the dudes from Crass.
I feel obligated to keep the world informed about Taylor. He is easily one of the most interesting and complex people I know. Plus he likes Devo, which is a big plus in my book.
I keep urging Taylor to take up blogging and create his own spin on the world. He's got some cool field recordings of Tibetan forests and all kinds of weird shit he recorded on mini-disc while tripping his brains out on mushrooms in Uzbekistan.
Or something like that.
Anyway, this one's for you Taylor. Thanks for keeping it real all these years.
I haven't updated this site in a while and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
It's primarily due to the fact that one of my other sites is taking up a majority of my publishing time.
I miss chatting about all the stupid crap I've been up to lately here.
Speaking of stupid crap, I wanted to bring you up-to-date on what my pal Taylor Roark is up to.
First, he celebrated his wedding last month in France. He got married a year previously, but just now got around to having a big party and ceremony. His wife is a cool chick. Her name is Christal, but I may have the spelling wrong on that.
Anyway, Taylor had the party in some remote French castle or some such nonsense. Then for a honeymoon, he spent two and a half weeks in the UK attending alternative lifestyle classes.
If you know Taylor, you know he's alternative enough. He's been a bus driver and a Wall Street Lawyer as well as a part-time blacksmith. Anyway, Taylor took classes on permaculture as taught by Penny Rimbaud, the drummer of Crass.
Only Taylor would spend his honeymoon with one of the dudes from Crass.
I feel obligated to keep the world informed about Taylor. He is easily one of the most interesting and complex people I know. Plus he likes Devo, which is a big plus in my book.
I keep urging Taylor to take up blogging and create his own spin on the world. He's got some cool field recordings of Tibetan forests and all kinds of weird shit he recorded on mini-disc while tripping his brains out on mushrooms in Uzbekistan.
Or something like that.
Anyway, this one's for you Taylor. Thanks for keeping it real all these years.
