Sometimes Updated Daily! Bookmark so you don't miss a thing!

Sponsors

November 26, 2007 - Bow your head.
Just heard some sad news... Kevin DuBrow passed away last night. I hate to jump on the "He's dead now so he must have been perfect" bandwagon, but in this case it isn't fair. Here's a guy who managed to kill one of the (at the time) biggest bands in America by inserting his foot in his mouth. After a pretty hard fall from grace, he spent the rest of his life trying to make up for past misdeeds and in recent years was generally regarded as one of the good ones.

I last saw Quiet Riot in Pompano Beach FL in 2005. As always, they put on a good show. I'd seen them many times over the years, and Kevin was always a cool guy to me. The first time I met him was just before their Behind the Music episode aired on VH1. They filmed some of the live footage at a club called the Boardwalk, just east of Sacramento. I was against the stage. When they played "Thunderbird", a girl in the front starting rubbing Kevin's leg. Her hand kept moving north. Kevin didn't seem to mind. Right before the chorus kicked in, another hand reached up and punched him directly in the nuts. Somehow, that footage didn't make the cut... But professional as he was, he didn't miss a beat - although that first "Fly on" probably was a few octaves higher than his normal register... And I couldn't help but chuckle a little when he growled into the mic to his assailant, "I could have you kicked out for doing that!" He laughed about it backstage though. This was when the 80s Metal Preservation Society was at it's peak. He actually thanked me for helping to spread the word. To a guy who spent his teenage years watching Quiet Riot's ascent on MTV, that was a pretty surreal moment.

I saw them again a few more times, they played at the Roadhouse in Sacramento on a few occasions. Kevin was so tall he couldn't jump on the stage - his head would hit the ceiling if he got too excited. "So much for singers always being short!", he told the crowd. I brought a cd sleeve of "Alive And Well" to get it signed after the show. I met everyone else, but I never caught up with Kevin that night. Here's a scan of the inner sleeve, which somehow looks a little more sad today:

Maybe 2 years later I saw them again in a small casino. Nerd that I am, I drove up with every single cd sleeve from every Quiet Riot cd I owned. As they would play each song, I held up the cover. Kevin actually grabbed my cd sleeves and incorporated them into his onstage banter - "Here's a song off of this album right here. You should all be like James and go get it". Somewhere I've got an autographed 8 x 10 of them after that show.

It's always sad to have to say goodbye to someone who by all accounts should have had many more years. Though he probably wouldn't remember me, I'll never forget him. Rock in Peace, Kevin. I'm sure Randy Rhoads was waiting for you.

November 22, 2007 - I'm thankful for good beaches and a bad economy.
Added two more galleries to the Adventures With James page. One is a few shots from a cruise I recently took. As far as I'm concerned, that's the best way to see a city - from several miles offshore. The further out we got, the happier I became.

The other is a collection of beach shots, all taken within a few minutes of my house. Have I ever mentioned how great it is to live here? And with the local economy in ruins from the real estate market crash, the snowbirds are staying home and trying to unload their second homes here. I can only hope that property tax reform comes after I can scoop up some of these newly-listed oceanfront and deepwater access homes for cheap prices.

November 21, 2007 - Adventures Updated!
Finally updated the Adventures With James page. It's only just started, so don't laugh at the pitiful galleries. Well, go ahead and laugh now, but there will be more pics added to each section very shortly. Lots of pics from my trips to California, a few new beach shots, and general fun for all.

It's kinda weird to visit California as a tourist now... After all, I spent many years there as a daily resident. And I would visit the tropics whenever I could, always feeling comfortable and familiar with everything, but never really fitting in. Now I live in the tropics and repeat the cycle in reverse. 'Tis the quandary of those who have loved many places in this great world. Of course, the tropics are always the preferred destination but one can never deny romantic wanderlust and the need to get away for a while. As strange as it sounds, it even happens when you already have it all in your current location.

November 20, 2007 - Famous Last Words Updated!
Snuck out for a few days in California - pictures and recap forthcoming. But for now, check out another installment of Famous Last Words, which has been updated with a new interview! Our current victim guest is an all-female KISS tribute band from Los Angeles calling themselves KISSES.

Check out their myspace page, then head back for Famous Last Words with KISSES!

November 9, 2007 - Why I still do this
Got the following email today:

This station is the best. I haven’t heard these tracks on the radio in years, unless I play them myself. Its great to see someone who knows good metal like the killer dwarfs and grim reaper. Keep up the good work, I will spread the word about this station. ROCK ON.

That was after JUST ONE DAY of putting FJ Radio back on the air. Of course, I'm gonna be pissed if it turns out to be some guy who works for people who provide the station's storage space, who just wants me to sign another contract...

Got a few more interviews out, we'll see who wants to step up to the plate and answer my stupid questions. At least one of the interviews that's out now could be really good. There will also be some cd reviews done very shortly, and the general misanthropy you've come to know and love over the years.

I'm not the only one who's gotten off of his lazy ass to do some work around here. Anyone remember the Happy Hour Chef? That's right, he's back on board too. Told you this is more than a pitiful attempt to recapture past glory and internet prominence.

Never mind, that's exactly what it is. But it's still free, so ROCK ON and DRINK UP. And as always, designate a driver.

November 7, 2007 - Dusting off some more cobwebs...
Working on updating FJ Radio. Hopefully it'll have a completely new playlist by tomorrow. I've got about a million songs on my iPod, but haven't had luck getting them set up to play on the station. If I can solve that little problem, you will once again have the chance to hear crap from my collection that no one has the guts to admit to liking anymore. If not, you'll get the same songs. It'll just take me forever to get them all loaded. I went through the playlist last night and was actually excited to hear some of it again! Hopefully some of my former regular office-dwelling visitors will rediscover the site again and tune in. As always, it's free to listen. Though if you subscribe to the service, you can listen ad-free. Either way, go check out FJ Radio.

November 6, 2007 - Site stuff
Working on getting the forums back up... It's been about a year and some change since anyone posted on them. But they were always a pretty fun part of the FJ.com experience. For now you'll need to register with EZBoard, but I might drop that. I think the problems that used to plague the forums have long since been resolved. Guess taking a long break from running this place wasn't such a bad idea after all...

Pretty soon we'll get back to talking about music!

November 5, 2007 - Out of the frying pan...
Well, the new interview with FIFI LARUE is stirring up controversy. A thread on the Metal Sludge board, discussion on another, and our very own flame war right here. Seems some of Fifi's answers were rather disparaging towards some old acquaintances. Two of them made visits, and now we're all about to watch everyone share a big group hug. Or not. Go check it out, read the interview and the follow up comments, and decide for yourself.

In other news, I've been getting turned down for other interviews. I can't imagine why...

November 1, 2007 - Famous Last Words!
Updated the Famous Last Words section with a brand new interview with FIFI LARUE. Go check it out!

Working on a few more. Let's hope some emails and phone calls get returned!

October 29, 2007 - So here I sit.
It's late on Sunday evening. I have to be up for work early on Monday morning, and will have to pull off another 6 day week in order to make all of my meetings. This wasn't supposed to happen. Hell, I only managed to go surfing twice this year! In the interest of full disclosure I did make it to the beach a few more times than that, but when it's as close as it is now, I should really be living on it. Then again, if anyone at my current place of employment were to find out about this place, I might end up *literally* living on it! They don't seem to take to kindly to folks who have outside interests...

Believe it or not, I do have some real site updates pending. One should be up on Monday or Tuesday. It's actually about 3/4 done right now. So far it's turned out better than expected. If nothing else, it's pretty damned funny. Stick around and you'll see.

September 21, 2007 - Who are these people?
That's it. I'm calling the ghost of Johnnie Cochran. A quick google search for "Famous James" brings up the following:

Famous James Motorcycles.
Some idiot rapper with major paranoia issues (read the blogs).
Some English hippie who needs a bath.
The English hippie's other website.
Some emo kid, who may cry if he hears about me making fun of him.

Let me clarify - The one and only, TRUE and REAL Famous James does not endorse English motorcycles, style over substance, no style, or self-mutilation. Dammit, I'm a meat-eating American. I bathe, I have a big engine in my car, and the only time I've ever used the word "bitch" is in reference to Betsy, who sang for them.

Impostors, charlatans, and assorted miscreants, you've all been duly noted. If you insist on using my good name, at least do it in a manner that makes me look cool.

Moving on.

Updates were made to the Greatest Cheeseburgers page. Go forth and worship at the altar of angioplasty.

Promised some new pics, didn't I? Here are a few:

Why would I spend time online when this is my backyard?

To hang out late at night in Santa Monica, CA. Why was I in LA?

Because it was this guy's birthday. Who is this guy, and why was I at his birthday party?

That guy is this girl's brother. And what does that have to do with anything?

You'll have to check back tomorrow.

|

---

September 20, 2007 - The more things change...
I've still kept up with the 80s metal - check out the new FJ.com regional headquarters my office for proof that despite being older, I have not become any wiser.

That's the heavy metal section, surrounded by random autographed pictures and miscellaneous collectibles. The cuckoo clock broke many years ago, but I've since set it to 8:05 and left it there permanently. You should all know why.

The records are safely stowed away in a closet. I should really get rid of them, I don't even have a record player anymore! But I could never justify it. I've still yet to sell anything I've ever bought. Of course, plenty has gone missing via countless moves over the years but for the most part, every record, tape, and cd I've ever bought is still with me.

Tomorrow - some new pics!

|

---

September 19, 2007 (yes, you read that right) - How could you miss me if I never went away?
Yeah. I know. It's been a long time. It's been over 18 months since I've last updated what was once a daily diary of sorts, celebrating the joys of 80s metal, tropical life, and cheerful hedonism. Though I've been spending most of my online time over at MySpace, I've missed this place. After all, THIS is My Space. I still get a lot of email asking about the site, the music, the online radio station, and when it'll all come back. Let's just say that there are a lot of cobwebs that need clearing, and I fully intend to do so. There have been a lot of developments over here at Casa James, many new stories to tell and ideas for the future to make this place as fun as it once was.

But you can't really call it a comeback. In order for that to happen, I'd have to focus on re-gaining a lot of readers. And to tell the truth, I don't really care about that anymore. It's always been about quality of expression rather than mass appeal. I had my 15 minutes and now that they've long expired, I don't have to worry or overanalyze anything posted here.

But a quick perusal of the site stats still shows that a lot of people, for some unknown reason, still stop by. In that spirit, FJ.com should really be maintained. After all, even the dingiest of internet rest stops needs to keep the virtual toilet clean.

Consider this week the first bit of spring cleaning - I'll post a few new pics, share some new developments, and we'll all see who stops by. Before long, the place will get a new look.

And before you know it, we'll be right back to bad photography, lousy writing, amateur graphics, and the sloppy layout you've come to know, love, forget, and hopefully, re-discover.

Thanks for the kind words and support over the past year and a half, I plan to make the wait worth your while. But even if it isn't, hey, it's not like you're paying for it.

|

---