by Mike Errico | Aug 29, 2012 | Text Journalism
We sat down to talk about the bluegrass tribute to Van Halen, Strummin’ with the Devil, and a bottle of Tennessee whiskey mysteriously appeared. It got blurry quickly. By Mike Errico So, it’s official: At this very moment, Van Halen is a staple on bluegrass radio and in strip clubs. The end of the world is at hand. Well, it’s the same audience, and the same guys, man. Van Halen’s verb music: Pick a verb. [Laughs] Whatever we were when we first showed up — the most alternative, left-of-center, whatever — is now the toast of the middle, including all the fire, all of the military… The military? Come on, there’s not a commanding officer under the age of 65 that doesn’t know what I do for a living. [Laughs] All the two-star generals are my age. You think they didn’t have a few dozen beers to “Running with the Devil” when they were at the Citadel? Come on! Of course they did. If you’re a hoo-hah, and you don’t know Van Halen, get the fuck out of the troop. OK, but…is there a connection between classic Americana and classic Van Halen? Sure. Van Halen was a wonderful variety of ingredients, and you are familiar with every one of them. I didn’t bring you a flavor from Southeast Asia that you never heard of. You recognize, “OK, here’s the vaudeville element, here’s the heavy metal element, here’s the Al Jolson element,” and you can run your hand over it — you’ll feel the weld marks, so to speak. And Americana’s been a part of that mix. Americana’s what’s on...
by Mike Errico | Aug 28, 2012 | Text Journalism
Michael Emerson: “I’ve always liked playing ambiguity.” Emmy winner Michael Emerson loves Captain Beefheart lyrics, hates athletic balladeering, triggers a House of Pain ringtone on his wife’s cell — and recommends Bach if you’re planning an extended stay in the Hatch. By Mike Errico “Things that are sparsely played, and have an empty quality to them, I find very appealing,” says Michael Emerson, who exudes a creeptastic stillness of his own as Henry Gale (or…Ben?), leader of the Others on the hit TV show Lost. “I’m gravitating to the simpler and the earlier in music. I like the beginnings of things like jazz, reggae and punk: less production, more mess, more empty spaces.”While the Web buzzes with theories, maps, decoders and webisodes to figure out what’s going on behind his pale, piercing eyes, the Iowa-born actor remains amused. “I’ve played villains on stage — you know, the Iagos and so on — but I think of myself as a funny person. I mostly did comedies before I did TV work.” How, then, to explain his brilliant string of serial killers, Shakespearean antagonists, and…”Others”? “I enjoy the stillness and focus that these characters have. I’ve always liked playing ambiguity, and that seems to be what makes these characters tick.” After dispensing with musical niceties, we took the nerd gloves off: Was it coincidence or fate that brought everyone to the island? Where did Michael go? What’s with the damn four-toed foot? Patiently, he explains, “Sometimes [the writers] put stuff in, and you don’t know if they’re pulling your chain or if they’re going to capitalize on it. But,” he adds,...
by Mike Errico | Aug 28, 2012 | live shows
Thursday, Aug. 30, 8p – BOWERY ELECTRIC, 327 Bowery, NYC DUO SHOW featuring Dave Scalia on drums. First time playing here, first time playing as a duo with a drummer. Psyched. …ALSO, JUST ANNOUNCED:Thursday, Dec. 20 – MIKE ERRICO HOLIDAY SHOW, Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St.,...
by Mike Errico | Aug 27, 2012 | Text Journalism
The fire-breathing Kiss bassist and entrepreneur gives us valuable life lessons and a peek at the Family Jewels. By Mike Errico So, tell us a secret: How did you get Shannon Tweed to not marry you but still stay around? Guys have become such wimps, it just shocks me. My God, what happened to the alpha male? If you wanna marry her, say, “OK, I wanna marry, but let’s talk about if we get divorced,” because statistics say you will. So you must ask her the most important question, which is: If you want money, let me know how much. Let me make an educated decision. You’ve said, “Women are great housekeepers: They get to keep the house.” Well, every hotel you’ve all been to is by definition a cohabitation agreement. You sign on the dotted line, and you agree to abide by the rules of the owner of the hotel. When you leave the hotel, you don’t take half the hotel with you. But by now you must have reached the point … You’re about to ask, “Well, surely by now you must be married.” At the outset, you have something called a cohabitation agreement that supersedes and nullifies all laws of the land, including common law. Two people have individual counsel, and they both decide the rules of the relationship. And if, in the rules, it says, “If we separate, you don’t get a penny,” those are the rules. Do people come up to you randomly and remind you that you’ve slept with them? Oh, often. I’ve had thousands, I mean thousands, of not the sleeping kind...
by Mike Errico | Aug 27, 2012 | Photo
There is no scale upon which a relevant measurement is possible. More Bears as Art and Social Criticism: http://pinterest.com/mikeerrico/bears-as-art-and-social-criticism/ More Tune in for music, shows, announcements, giveaways, videos and all that stuff, here: Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Bandcamp || Pandora Tallboy 7, Inc. Box 20463 NY NY...
