My Many Star Wars Trilogies.

The first time I went to the theater it was Star Wars. I was around a year or two old and I think I slept through some of it, but I do have a few vague memories of the theater that day. I started collecting the toys around the same time, although it isn't usually called collecting when you're that young.
The first Star Wars movie I had on home video was A New Hope recorded from television. Everyone had collections of movies taped from t.v. back then. That is something we have now replaced with burned DVDs. I probably had Empire and Jedi recorded from t.v. at some point too. Eventually, though, I graduated to buying official copies of the trilogy. I have owned different editions so many times I really should be entitled to a free copy of the next release.
I'd like to recall how many trilogy editions I've owned. I might miss some, but here we go. Dates refer to releases, not to purchases. I've tried to list them in the order I obtained them.

0.5. First VHS release, 1982/1984/1986.
I Wouldn't swear to owning any of these, but I think I had some but not all of the three movies from the original VHS releases. We Probably found one in a garage sale or something like that. I am pretty sure I didn't own real copies of all three until the first trilogy pack I bought.



1. First trilogy box set, 1990, VHS.
I think this was the first time the three movies were sold together in one box set. Three VHS tapes in a fancy slipcase. I think this one had a two piece slipcase. This was exciting because I finally had all three movies.



2. THX box set, 1995, VHS.
These were supposed to be somewhat remastered, with improved picture and sound. The old trilogy was probably wearing out by then anyway.



3. Special Letterbox Collectors Edition, 1992, VHS.
This was the definitive set for me for a while. First time having them without the disgusting pan & scan. This came in a fancy big box with a hologram cover, a collectors book, and a bonus tape. I gave this away when I moved out of 303.



4. Widescreen Special Edition set, 2000, VHS.
This may have been the last VHS copy of the trilogy I owned. This was the second release of the special edition, and the first not to call it a special edition.



5. First DVD release, 2004, DVD.
The first time the trilogy was released on DVD. This is the special editions, with some alterations. This also came with a bonus disc with a two and a half hour documentary.



6. Original trilogy box set, 2008, DVD.
This six disc set features both the theatrical and special editions of all three movies. This is currently the definitive DVD release of the movies due to the inclusion of the theatrical release.



7. Complete Saga, 2011, Blu Ray.
This nine disc set is by far the best release of the trilogy, save for the exclusion of the theatrical. The movies all look wonderful in HD, and the three discs worth of bonus material are a nice touch. It took me quite a while to pick this up, but I recently found it used for ten dollars. Ten. Dollars.



So, I guess that's seven and a half times that I've bought the trilogy, unless I missed one. I currently still have the blu ray set and the last DVD box set. I'm keeping the DVDs just for the theatrical versions. I really had a good reason to upgrade every time. From the first time I could own them all together, to updated VHS quality, to letterbox, which was a big deal before everything came out with full and widescreen options, to DVD, to Blu Ray.

Until next time, may the force... nah.

My Unemployed Life.

I was removed from my factory job of almost seven years recently, ending an almost continual fifteen year run of shitty factory work. I never really liked any job I had, although I would spend short stints tolerating them. Roughly half this time was spent in plastics factories, and with the other half spent working for a horrible multinational corporation. While the work kept money in my pockets and my bills paid, most of the time, I paid a heavy price. I missed countless time spent with family and friends. Social relationships have been strained. Opportunities have been missed. I've also done permanent harm to my body. This kind of work is fine for some people, some people even thrive on it. I, however, have never managed to really make it work for me.
On to my unemployment, or alternate employment. Either between this job and the next, or instead of the next, I am doing quite a few things to try to pay bills. All of them are things I am interested in doing, including this blog. Doing things I want to do regardless of the income generated feels great. None of these things make me feel like I am selling my time or sacrificing part of my life the way that factory work always has.

Blogging.
I have several  blogs. These potentially generate income in a few ways. One is paid advertisements. If you see an ad in the side bar or as a banner, I am potentially paid for the ad placement. Another income source is affiliate links. This is where I include a link to something I am talking about or reviewing, and if someone clicks on the link and purchases something, I get a kickback. Blogging can also be used to promote some of my other endeavors. I really love to write, be it rambling on about some political subject or reviewing some music, or whatever else, and  blogging gives me an excuse to write a lot.

Zazzle.
Zazzle is a online print-on-demand merchandise store. Here a person can design a shirt, sticker, mouse pad, or over a hundred other items for free, then post them for sale. I actually studied graphic design in school, and have always loved doing it. I didn't follow an educational career path into commercial art, and I am sure my talents are mediocre at best, but I still have fun. I have five Zazzle stores so far, and plan to open more in the future. This is one of the endeavors I blog about, sometimes pairing a Zazzle store with a blog to increase web presence of my brand.

Youtube.
Another thing I do is Youtube. I mainly post videos to share rare music, but I also post videos to promote my music or my Zazzle store products, or whatever other cross-promotion idea I can come up with. Most of my videos are monetized, so I get a small advertising payback.

Music.
This is the big one for me. The one I HAVE to do. I am a musician, an artist, and I feel driven to create. My interest in music is so widespread, that there is literally too much that I want to do for me to do it all. I have my band, which is also my main songwriting outlet. We are primarily a recording project right now, but we have not ruled out playing live. I also have my avant-garde, experimental music. This is mainly stuff I put out on my record label, Cities of Agartha Records. This would include my solo material, as well as several side project bands like Johnny Has His Hand and Thequestionmarkis. I would also like to put out other lo-fi/experimental type music that I am not involved in.

Writing.
As I said earlier, I love to write. I have wanting to get into writing books for quite a while now, and there are quite a few things going for a self-published potential author right now. There are several good print-on-demand publishers now that will print your book only when it is ordered, so printing costs are almost eliminated. Many of these include access to good, free distribution. The popularity of e-books has also greatly expanded the market for self-published authors. There is also Kickstarter, which can help fund a great number of projects, including books.

I haven't actually started making much money yet, which is getting a little scary, but I am still going to give it my best. You can check out my many endeavors below. If you think you know people that would be interested in a particular project of mine, please feel free to share the link!

Blogs:
Sky Turns Mad
You are here right now. This is basically a place for me to ramble on about anything I like.
 Olaf Jansen
This is primarily for reviewing and recommending music. A lot of my reviews include affiliate links.
Kitchen Provisions
This is a new one. Basically, I review kitchen supplies that I use. This is another affiliate link based site.
Vid-So-Funny
This is an ad supported site where I just share funny Youtube videos.
Dear Willie Nelson
Besides being a prolific songwriter, Willie Nelson is great at making other peoples songs his own. Here I post about songs I would like to hear Willie sing.
Music Nerd Library
A joint venture with a friend of mine, Music Nerd Library is a kind of Facebook radio show. The idea is we collaborate on a playlist in a different genre every week. It's been a while since we've done an episode.

Zazzle:
Nice Try Lao Che
My first Zazzle store. Also a blog/Zazzle tie in. There is no overall theme to this store, just a wide variety of products.
Lao Che Skate
This is what first drew my attention to Zazzle. My skateboard company, Lao Che Skate is set up as a department of my main store, Nice Try Lao Che. Again, a blog tie in.
RastaPhones.com
This is a newer website I started. I really like rasta colored (green, yellow, and red) stuff, and therefore made a lot of rasta colored designs in my first Zazzle store. As it turns out, rasta colored items sell very good, so I started a store specializing in rasta colored phone cases.
Waiting at Sea Merch
Cities of Agartha Records Merch
Two stores I made to sell band merch. Nothing beats a good merch table at a live show, but print-on-demand options allow a cost effective alternative.

Youtube:
SoberFrank
My main Youtube channel. Like I said, mainly for rare music, but I also do some cross promotions.
Waiting at Sea Youtube
This one is all videos for my band, Waiting at Sea. We started this long before we started our recording project, as a way for people to hear us and get an idea what we were doing.

Music:
Waiting at Sea
My primary band. An acoustic duo and songwriting partnership. We are currently recording. Doing it ourselves, our recording seems to be taking forever. From our website you can find our Facebook, Youtube, Soundcloud, and Zazzle pages.
Cities of Agartha Records
My other musical outlet. Here I can release all my noisy, experimental ideas. I also hope to release projects I don't play in someday.

Writing:
Triond
I occasionally write articles and publish them online through a place called Triond. My articles get published one of their many websites and I get a small cut of the advertising revenue. I also get a referral fee if someone else signs up and earns anything.

Affiliate Links:
Amazon.com
Anything someone buys through this link, or any of my other many links, I get a kick back. I'm not encouraging you to shop there, but if you do, you might as well buy through me.

What Would Jello Do

What would Jello do is a series of short spoken word talks from Jello Biafra.  Most are fairly short, under ten minutes, and focus on one specific topic. I like these, although they don't satisfy my desire for a new spoken word album from him.


#31 Fracking!

#36 The Trouble with the NSA.

#37 Trans-Pacific Partnership.

I Don't Care For Money (Money's Not for Me)

I don't like money. Perhaps it's because so many people make such a big deal about it, and sacrifice so much for it. Don't get me wrong, I realize money can be a means to an end. Not liking money, or not being interested in money, doesn't mean I don't recognize the value of money. I buy things, I pay my bills, I eat. Unlike many, however, I only want to have enough money. Winning the lottery or getting some soul crushing high paying job holds no interest for me. I need enough money to maintain a decent lifestyle, but only to maintain the lifestyle I have now. I don't need a huge house or lot's more stuff. I get by. I could always get by with less.

Embrace: Money
I can truly say I don't give a fuck about your money...

Choking Victim: Money
I don't care for money, and money's not for me...

D.R.I.: Money Stinks
I stayed at home today, and I'm not going back to work, money stinks...

25 Albums.

Back in 2009, there was a Facebook thing going around where you list your top 25 albums. This is my post from February 2009. This would be a little different if I did it today, but it would have been different in January or march 2009. I stand by what I said.

This isn't a list of the BEST 25 , just the 25 that come to mind first. You'll see an improvement as the gin works its way through me.

1. Beck - One Foot in the Grave.  This one made me want to record, any way that I could. I still have not replaced the copy I gave away years ago, but don't regret it either.

2. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary. There is no describing how I feel about this one. I am just amazed and inspired every time I hear it.

3. Black Flag - Damaged. I could have listed ANY Black Flag release, or ALL of them, but this is the first I ever owned. Greg Ginn and his band have inspired my listening, my playing, and my work ethic.

4. John Lee Hooker - Boogie Chillun. Amazing live album by an amazing performer. This one has John Lee Hooker alone, just the man and his guitar.

5. Jim Croce - Live: Final Tour. The album that got me into Jim Croce, and if you ever seen me drunk enough, you've prolly seen me half passed out, half singing Jim Croce. Thanks Dad.

6. Circle Jerks - Gig. I still remember how it sounded the first time I heard it. To this day, this is the live album all other live albums are judged by.

7. Jimi Hendrix - The Jimi Hendrix Concerts. Not the best collection of live recordings of his, but the one that got me really into Jimi. Again, thanks Dad.

8. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill. A car staple. Rhymin and Stealin, No Sleep, Slow and Low, etc... Many road trips would not have been the same. And the guitar riffs... I mean FUCK...

9. June Of 44 - Engine Takes to the Water. There is no comparison, this album is a stand alone classic. Thanks Aaron O.

10. Rollinghead - Daddyhorse. One of my first favorite bands. I saw them everytime they did an all ages. From Music Express in-stores to Music on the Mall. Still one of my all time favorite bands.

11. The Pogues - Red Roses for Me. This album is a perfect frame for my own alcoholism. Everything Shane touches is pure gold.

12. Painkiller - Buried Secrets. The CD that got me into John Zorn. Amazing, brutal, scary, and raw. Thanks Becky!

13. Motorhead - Any. NO list of music is complete without Lemmy. Best metal bands, best hard rock albums, best classical composers, best boy band. NO list is complete without Lemmy.

14. Hayden - Everything I Long for. This is an instant classic. If you don't know you won't know.

15. Desmond Dekker - Rockin Steady: Best of. This is the one that got me into Desmond Dekker, and ska/rocksteady/reggae in general. Fantastic collection. I still have the copy Moira left me at 303. Sorry, Moira.

16. Nirvana - Bleach (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition). Raw and overlooked. Even if you don't like their later work, you need this one. I traded my first copy for some shrooms. Issac and I used to record School (rather badly) after bribing little Derek to leave us alone.

17. Body Count - Born Dead. Ice mother fucking T and heavy motherfucking metal! Come on people!

18. New Kids On The Block - New Kids on the Block. The one before Hangin Tough. An-gel, girl you make my dreams come true, an-gel, spend my whole life loving you, an-gel, baby you are the one for me, an-gel... that's right, from memory. I went there. You want more... A, is cause I'm always gonna love you, N, never gonna leave you, G, is for your good good loving, E, is for your ever lasting love, L is cause I love you, really really love you. From memory while listing to other music. Bitches.

19. ACDC - Back in Black. I should have Bon Scott material listed here, but Back In Black kind of has the best of both worlds, the band they were with Bon, and the band they would become without him.

20. Mano Negra - Puta's Fever. Get this. Get this now. I first saw Mano Negra on a recording of the Japanese TV show All Nite Fuji, which ended up the name of my band with Benny. This album is perfect beginning to end. Mano Negra may in fact be the best band worldwide, ever.

21. Minor Threat - Complete Discography. I first heard Minor Threat on a mixtape that Jeremy made for PJ that PJ gave to me. The same tape (there may have been two) got me into Black Flag, NOFX, Misfits, Dead Kennedys and CRASS (among others). Thanks Jeremy... Anyways, Minor Threat got me into the whole DC harDCore thing, which was a tremendous influence on both my songwriting, musical work ethic, and lifestyle. Its funny that this drunken mess used to abstain from intoxicants.

22. D.R.I. - 4 of a Kind. My first D.R.I., one of the best. This represents one of my ideal guitar sounds. My ten year old son is now a D.R.I. fan. Fuckin' A!

23. Willie Nelson - Countryman. Willie does reggae. It really doesn't get better than this. Just don't buy your copy at walmart, the edit out the pot leaf on the cover. Toots sings on a few tracks. That's right, Toots Hibbert AND Willie Nelson. Sounds like something out of a dream.

24. CRASS - Best Before. It just feels wrong without CRASS. I picked Derek up after work and rushed up to Music Express before they closed for the night so Derek (who still has my copy of Penis Envy) could buy a copy, before a night at Big Boy, before the dark times, before the Emperor...

25. Flee The Scene. This may be the most important album here, cause it is the one I put out. I was inspired by Dischord and SST to start my own label. Which I did with this CD. I got to work with such legends as The Freeze, Dropdead, and Berwer. Even though we ended after one more release, I still did it, and that's what counts. My compilation has been sold around the world and has been called a punk orgasm. Anyone who doesn't have one can drop me an address and I'll mail you one, or a dozen.

I should have put some others, Urban Riot - A Mile In Our Shoes (the other release I put out), Misfits, Green Day - Kerplunk, Exploited - Punk's Not Dead, Bob Marley - ANY/ALL, The Clash, I Hate Myself - 10 songs, David Allan Coe - Penitentiary Blues, Skrewdriver - All Skrewed Up, Dead Kennedys - In God We Trust Inc., The Animals, Manowar - Battle Hymns ...

One Black Flag.

It seems like every article that has been written about Black Flag, or the other band, FLAG, states that there are "two versions of Black Flag" right now. While it is true that there are two bands going around with former members of Black Flag, playing Black Flag music, only one is Black Flag.
Black Flag, as the name would suggest, is Black Flag. They have the only consistent member, Greg Ginn. He is also the main driving force behind the band's sound. The fact that they have a new drummer and a new bass player should only be expected as Black Flag had six of each in their original run.
FLAG is some sort of revival/tribute band. It is true that four of the five of them were in Black Flag at one time, but they weren't all in the band together. They don't represent a particular line-up. They are not recording new music, and worst of all, they are not progressing the sound in any way. Progression is the trademark sound of Black Flag.
Don't get me wrong, if this seeing an odd grouping of ex-Black Flag members play early Black Flag songs without Greg Ginn is your thing, then go for it. The fact remains, however, that there is only one Black Flag.

1. Almost half of Black Flag's set is post-Damaged, while FLAG only plays a few post-Damaged songs.
2. Black Flag has progressed the sound. Even the old songs are played in a new way. FLAG sounds like they are trying to imitate the way they played in '79.
3. Black Flag is writing and recording new music. Real bands do this, revival and tribute bands typically just play old music, which is what FLAG is doing.
4. Greg Ginn is the one essential ingredient in Black Flag's original run. Sure, Keith formed the band. He also left in 1979, missing out on almost seven years of the band. Black Flag is more than Nervous Breakdown and Jealous Again. Black Flag is The Process of Weeding Out, Family Man, and In My Head.
5. Black Flag till plays instrumental songs. FLAG does not. Black Flag plays jam style songs, FLAG does not.

Black Flag was a hardcore punk band in 1979. They became so much more than that. They were experimental, improvisational, instrumental, and innovative. FLAG might do a good job of capturing 1979, but they stop there. FLAG does nothing to continue the legacy of Black Flag. Even if you don't like Rollins era Black Flag, or you don't like post-My War Black Flag, or you don't like instrumental jam band Black Flag, or you don't like 2013 Black Flag, it doesn't change the fact that there is one Black Flag.

RastaPhones.com

I really like the "rasta" color scheme. The green, yellow, and red. I have rasta colored socks, rasta stripes on my shoes, rasta colors on my backpack. I don't honestly care if it's trendy, or lame, or overused, or whatever. I like the green, yellow, and red.
when I started my first Zazzle store, Nice Try Lao Che,  I didn't really have a theme in mind. I just wanted to have fun making different products. It didn't take me long to start making things with rasta colors. As it turned out, rasta colored items are some of my biggest sellers. In the neighborhood of fifty percent of my sales involve rasta themed items. Pins, stickers, cell phone cases. Even pacifiers are selling decently.
Getting to the point, I've now started a new store, and website, called RastaPhones.com. While my first store, Nice Try Lao Che, is a mess of all kinds of different products, this new store, as the name implies, is all rasta themed cell phone cases, covers, and skins. I am hoping this new store will make it easier for people looking for simple green, yellow and red cell phone covers to find what they seek.


A selection of rasta products at Nice Try Lao Che:




Some of the products at RastaPhones.com