Tasted Better The Day Before

One of my favorite pastimes is coming up with fake rock band names... Gunther Mader is definitely in my top five!

I've seen this or something like it before--but today's version from Rinda Elliot:

1 - Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random”or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomThe first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to “Random quotations”or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7daysThird picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Bow to technology as it fashions the images that form your reality.

Don't forget the Swag Bag Contest is going on right now: http://brooketaylorbooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/swag-bag-contest.html

Fashion Police--Alive and Well

"Baggy Pants Bill" House Bill 1626, also known as the “Baggy Pants Bill” states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to appear in public wearing his pants below his waist and thereby exposing his skin or intimate clothing.”

Seriously?

I assume our fine lawmakers are okay with this, though:

I also came across this situation where a teacher is allowed a nose-stud but a a kid gets expelled for snake-bite piercing:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/09/19/6812871-sun.html

When I was in high school the girls wore boy's boxer shorts, I'm pretty sure that was as exposed as anyone ever got. Of course high-waisted jeans were popular (think Saved by the Bell) --I cringe, but yes it is true. I can't bring myself to even show you a picture of the girl's jeans, so I give you this:

See, guys? You can look hot without showing the junk in your trunk.

For more fun than anyone can stand: http://www.thefashionpolice.net/

Now there should be a law outlawing this! (and no, I don't know where you can buy one).

Cradle's Still Rockin'

I actually watched some of last night's Rock The Cradle live... it has gotten better, more performance driven. The band is more involved. And the song choices better. I'm sad about the double eliminations, especially this round because at least one of my favorite people (Chloe Latanzi, Jesse Blaze Snyder, or Lucy Walsh) will be going. I voted for Lucy this round, because she just blew me away with her version of Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade. Beautiful song and I loved her voice. Just perfection.

I enjoyed Chloe's version of Freak on a Leash (and who doesn't love that song?) and I still think she is the most unique and unusual contender. And I do like me some unusual. But I also feel like I've seen enough to know I like her, she needs to work on controlling her vocals, and when she's polished up a bit I'd totally be buying whatever she's got to sell.

That brings us to Jesse Blaze Snyder. He's ready for something. Not sure what. Not sure I'm ready for the eighties rock star revival. I'd like to see him dress more modern, 'cus he's hot and I don't feel like crushing on a guy in patent leather. Been there, done that, got the t-shirts. So please, Jesse, I know you can do it--dress like you belong int his decade. Thank you! Ring of Fire was rockin' btw.

Super Cool Stuff

Check it out--Flamingnet Young Adult Book Reviews has made UNDONE a Top Choice Book. I even get a little button and everything--go ahead and click it... I'll wait :O)

Super cool, right?!?!

So this weekend I checked out Cradle of Rock (MTV) off my DVR list, and was pleasantly surprised. I'd set it to record, but I thought it was one of those bio type shows--like E! True Hollywood or something. But it's like American Idol for the kids of rock stars. They all did okay, but I didn't agree with the judges on anyone, LOL. And I would've like it better if they didn't have a cheesy Karaoke backdrop and instead did something more like what Rock Star (INXS, Supernova) did. Anyway, my fave is Olivia Newton-John's daughter Chloe Lattanzi. I think she has the most unique look and sound. Granted she needs some work--I kept expecting her voice to go one way and it went the other, which was jarring--but everyone else just kind of had that cover song feel. She was an original.

Hey Punk...

Rod - Hey Jack, what's happenin'?

Joe - Oh, I don't know.

Rod - Well, rumor around town says you think you might be heading down to the shore....

Let me start off by saying, I'm so glad to see that "Lists" is in the lead for favorite YA cliché. Lists play a big role in both Undone and in my next book (SuperSecretTitle). So it's good to know they are still enjoyed by at least 4 people.

A slightly adjacent topic to lists—Play Lists. A lot of YA authors have included lists of music that in some way shape or form corresponded to their book. I think this pretty much a YA-thing, but please correct me if I’m wrong.

Anyhoo… I was chatting with fellow July ‘08 debut author Stephanie Kuehnert (I Wanna be Your Joey Ramone, MTV July ‘08) about play lists and I was telling her how when I was writing Undone (Walker Books, July ‘08) I’d come across songs that fit with my book and how they really helped me tap into the characters. Music always reminds me of what it felt like to be a teenager—because back then it seemed like music really could capture everything you couldn't explain or say. Which unfortunately led to some very bad mix tapes... but I digress...

Check out my play list for Undone here. (Update: I added it to the blog!)

Click here to listen to the rockin’ play list for I Wanna be Your Joey Ramone

Back in my teen days, I had a friend who hooked me up with some great punk bands. There were many days when you could hear us screaming out from her convertible, “…BITCHIN’ CAMERO! BITCHIN’ CAMERO! I ran over my neighbor…” (full lyrics here and while we're paused, let me take moment to apologize to my former neighbors). Some of our favorite punk bands were The Dead Kennedys (Classic Punk), The Dead Milkmen (Satirical Punk), Violent Femmes (Folk-Punk or Quirky Rock—you be the judge), and Echo and the Bunnymen (Post Punk).

Hmmm, death and violence... no wonder my mother was so nervous. LOL.

Bring your Penguin to Work Day

I couldn't wait to bring I-CY to boring dull work so he could keep me smiling with his cute little flipper dancing moves. However, my little iPod playing cutey was a teensy bit too rambunctious for the office. Yep--while at the other end of the cubicle jungle as I handled very serious, important company problems, a noise erupted from my quiet corner office. Shrieking chirps. Squawks of pleasure. "What's that noise?" my dour coworker scoffed.

"My dancing penguin," I replied.

So what's I-CY dancing to today?

Remember when we were such fools

and so convinced and just too cool...

(Pink ~ Who Knew)

Rock Hard

"Is this what you are? Some sweet violent urge..."

(Fallen)

Great live versions of 30 Seconds to Mars faves:

Live Free, Rock Hard

"He wears his heart safety-pinned to his backpack—his backpack is all that he knows. Shot down by strangers whose glances can cripple the heart and devour the soul."

(The Bird and the Worm)
And I love this cover art: