Thursday, August 20, 2026

Michael's Musings

I've Got A Dirty Mind
Michael Shinafelt


"You stare are you looking at me

Or just an image from your colour tv
Dollar signs and neon lights
Shine on the people every night
I'm going down to the river to wash my sins away
But they'll be back tomorrow anyway
I've got a dirty mind
I've got a dirty mind
Take a look at yourself
I've got imagination
I got hallucinations
Do you want some?" - Dirty Mind, Shakespear's Sister 

I shaved my balls for this?! "Yes" this is for me to know and you to never find out. That's the way it goes!

POV: If you love someone let them go, if they come back, it means no one liked them, so let them go again...

On a personal note I am enjoying Stassi's new "reality show" House Of Stassi, especially how it breaks the fourth wall

It's going to be a mere 87 degrees in Los Angeles today, down from 91 yesterday, ugh!

Almost quit drinking wine, but then I thought about the people who work for the wineries in order to feed their families...Cheers!

Does anyone know of someone who does witch stuff? Asking for a friend

Saw Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma last Friday. Run in your underwear to see it!!!

"Anybody know how that a$$hole grew his ear back" - Vincent van Gogh 


Woman Crush of the Week - Hannah Einbinder of "Hacks" fame who looks quite fetching in her underwear in "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" 

As you mature, you realize nothing is ever a loss. It's either redirection, protection, or a realization.

RIP - Hayden Panettiere your portrayals of Kirby Reed and Juliette Barnes will always be iconic to me

Does anyone share my love of jalapeno peppers on pretty much everything?

It's cinnamon, not fireball, that's all...

90 plus degree temperatures and over 50% humidity is why we can't have yoga outside anymore. First world problems.

Let's talk more first world problems here -



Tuesday, August 18, 2026

"Heavy Healing"

Fans of Heavy Metal, Hardcore Punk and the like have been told since they were little, whether it be by their parents, teachers or religious leaders, that these genres are "not music," but noise. Each has been labeled as disorderly, violent, and detrimental to the physical and mental health of young people.


Be that as it may, many who have been affected by a wide variety of enervating conditions have come to rely on heavy artists to successfully assist them through the worst of times such as severe illness, weighty medical conditions, and mental health challenges.

Heavy Healing seeks to dispel rumors and shine a much-deserved bright light on the healing powers of aggressive music. You will hear directly and candidly from artists, fans, and industry types - remarkable individuals who have leaned on (or even become) "controversial" music-makers in order to inspire and be inspired through the grueling process of recovery from the likes of cancer, anxiety, and depression, strokes, heart attacks, cerebral palsy, blood diseases, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS, to name a few.

Appearing in Heavy Healing are Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage), Lou Koller (Sick of It All), Jaret Reddick (Bowling for Soup), Mike IX Williams (EyeHateGod), Vinnie Stigma (Agnostic Front), Eddie "Sutton" Pomponio (Leeway), Jesse Malin (Heart Attack, D-Generation), Jimi Hazel (24-7 Spyz), Michael Alago (A&R - Metallica, White Zombie), Michael "Kaves" McLeer (Lordz of Brooklyn), Jimmy G. Drescher (Murphy's Law), Brian "Mitts" Daniels (ex-Madball), Adam Blake (H2O), as well as one of HH's filmmakers, and the inspiration for this documentary, music business veteran Seth Abrams, among others.

Watch the trailer for Heavy Healing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xFSAaXIGlM

Monday, August 17, 2026

Tip Of The Day: Stay In Your Lane

Saw this on Instagram this morning whilst scrolling, straight outta Iman's page. It resonated with me and since sharing is caring here it is!

Stay in your own lane and mind your own business is what everyone should do. Unfortunately we live in a world where others scapegoat, project and deflect their sh!t onto those around them rather than accept responsibility for their own actions.

Be the hare you want to see in the world.

That's all...have a groovy week!!!

https://www.instagram.com/the_real_iman/?hl=en  

 

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Could It Be Satan???

Oliver Reed & Vanessa Redgrave
"The Devils"

Urbain Grandier: "Call me vain and proud, the greatest sinner ever to walk God's earth, but Satan's boy I could never be. I haven't the humility." - The Devils, Ken Russell 1971

One of my favorite films is Ken Russell's The Devils. It came out in 1971 with a fanfare of controversy. It was cut significantly and still received and "X" rating. Thus I saw what everyone else saw a more tame version of the same film. Trust me it was still a quite intense and graphic affair.

Well I am eagerly looking forward to the restored cut opening October 16th in 35 mm rated NC-17.

Here's the synopsis:

"In 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier's protection of the city of Loudun from the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu is undermined by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft"

Sex, Violence and Religion what more could you want in a controversial NC-17 film? I ask you? I'm waiting...

The Devils on IMDb -

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066993/?ref_=ttqu_ov_i   

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Bring Me The Axe

Bring Me The Axe!

Remember how you were never promised a rose garden when you were growing up? Well guess what? Perhaps it was because some homicidal psycho took an axe to it.

"Yes" it's the famous scene from Mommie Dearest where Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford takes an axe to her rose garden. 

 "Tina, bring me the axe!" was the battle cry etched in our pop culture consciousness forever.

How fitting that the rose garden was sacrificed, the elusive paradise of our childhood. Torn to  shreds and shattered illusions.

That's why there's hope.

Mommie Dearest on IMDb -

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082766/

Friday, August 14, 2026

"Bad Summer"

Ballyhoo!
Photo: Dennis Pike

Maryland alternative-rock mainstays Ballyhoo! will release their new single “Slowly Dying” on August 14, offering the final preview of their highly anticipated tenth studio album, Bad Summer, out August 28 via Right Coast Records.

Stream “Slowly Dying” here:
https://1212.to/bhsd

Produced by John Feldmann (Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, Goldfinger), “Slowly Dying” is a full-throttle pop-punk anthem driven by big guitars, undeniable energy, and a soaring chorus built to be shouted back from the crowd.

“This song is a huge pop-punk ripper with a chorus that soars!” says frontman Howi Spangler. “We went into the studio with John Feldmann to make this album, and we wanted an anthemic pop-punk/rock track that would really step things up. John pitched the idea for the intro and chorus, and I wrote the verses. The guys came in and smashed their parts, and the end result turned out even better than we’d hoped. It’s a standout track among the band members, and we think people will love it.”

The new single follows previously released tracks “Bad Summer,” “Cali Girl II,” “I Guess I’ll Go Fuck Myself,” and “Thunderstorms,” each revealing another side of an album that moves between beach pop-punk, alternative rock, and massive sing-along hooks.

For Ballyhoo!, working with Feldmann marked a full-circle collaboration with a producer and songwriter whose work has long influenced the band. The sessions pushed Ballyhoo! toward one of the biggest and boldest productions of their career while preserving the chemistry, personality, and honest songwriting that have defined them for more than two decades.

“Ballyhoo! were a joy to work with!” says Feldmann. “They are all such incredible musicians and super open-minded, and we made an awesome album! I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. So stoked to be included in this musical masterpiece.”

Spangler adds, “We knew we wanted the next thing we did to be special, and I’ve always wanted to make a record with Feldy. We put ourselves out there and took a big swing to make that happen. The record turned out even better than I thought it would. We’re so very proud of Bad Summer, and we can’t wait for you to hear it August 28th!”

“Slowly Dying” arrives just days after Ballyhoo! wrapped their first European tour, which included appearances at BrakRock in Belgium and Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia alongside club dates throughout the continent.

On Monday, August 24 at 8 p.m. ET, Ballyhoo! will premiere the video for the album's title track, “Bad Summer,” and join fans for a live chat during the premiere.

The band will return to the road later this month, beginning with an August 29 hometown-area performance at Cult Classic Outdoors in Stevensville, Maryland. Additional North American dates follow this fall, including a run with Bowling for Soup. Ballyhoo! will also join the 311 Caribbean Cruise in March 2027.

Nearly twenty-five years into their career, Ballyhoo! remain one of alternative music’s most enduring independent success stories, building a fiercely loyal audience through relentless touring, undeniable live energy, and songs made to be shouted back from the crowd. With Bad Summer, the band enters its next chapter without losing the chemistry and personality that brought them this far.

Bad Summer arrives August 28 via Right Coast Records.

Pre-save Bad Summer:
https://badsummer.ballyhoorocks.com/

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