Rockin Blog http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm Sat, 05 May 2012 01:45:00 GMT http://bandzoogle.com Clive Burr of Iron Maiden http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=2048771 I recently wrote a tribute in the June 2012 issue of Modern Drummer Magazine for one of the greatest and most underrated drummers in heavy metal history: CLIVE BURR. Clive was Iron Maiden's first drummer and played on the first 3 albums (the best albums). I first heard Clive back in 1981 on "Run to the Hills" when I was in 1st grade. It was the greatest and most amazing thing I ever heard. I wanted to play drums ever since and till this day- I STILL air-drum to that song. In all honesty, I believe Clive was responsible for influencing the drummers of thrash metal because there was really no else at the time doing what he did. His style was unique, powerful, precise, and fast as shit. I have always felt he never got the recognition he deserved, and now that he has multiple sclerosis, he deserves a tribute more than ever. The dude was brilliant and I ( & the metal lovers of the world) want him to know this. Clive Burr, you are the king of metal drumming FOREVER. I recently wrote a tribute in the June 2012 issue of Modern Drummer Magazine for one of the greatest and most underrated drummers in heavy metal history: CLIVE BURR.

Clive was Iron Maiden's first drummer and played on the first 3 albums (the best albums). I first heard Clive back in 1981 on "Run to the Hills" when I was in 1st grade. It was the greatest and most amazing thing I ever heard. I wanted to play drums ever since and till this day- I STILL air-drum to that song.

In all honesty, I believe Clive was responsible for influencing the drummers of thrash metal because there was really no else at the time doing what he did. His style was unique, powerful, precise, and fast as shit. I have always felt he never got the recognition he deserved, and now that he has multiple sclerosis, he deserves a tribute more than ever. The dude was brilliant and I ( & the metal lovers of the world) want him to know this. Clive Burr, you are the king of metal drumming FOREVER.



]]> Sat, 05 May 2012 01:45:00 GMT BEAB81AEF3409CF0A89C9F9CAF456E52 Dante from "Clerks"! http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=2030350 I had just come back from a long rehearsal in New Hope, PA, with Claude Coleman Jr, and decided to stop by my new local restaurant in Jersey City: MAE. As soon as I walked in, I noticed Brian O' Halloran who played Dante in the greatest movie ever made, muthafuckin CLERKS, yo! I had to bust out some fan boy shit. Horrible pic of me, but was still pretty rad. I had just come back from a long rehearsal in New Hope, PA, with Claude Coleman Jr, and decided to stop by my new local restaurant in Jersey City: MAE. As soon as I walked in, I noticed Brian O' Halloran who played Dante in the greatest movie ever made, muthafuckin CLERKS, yo! I had to bust out some fan boy shit.



Horrible pic of me, but was still pretty rad.

]]> Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:56:24 GMT B630640DBE017344CFC3A9931104E5FE 3 Lessons On How To Conquer Fear (From a 4th Grader) http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1902297 This little girl is my inspiration and we can all learn from her. Check out how she deals with her fear, but still manages to "push" though it with positive self-talk. When we are scared, we must continue forward. We must face our fears in life. Why? Because fears never totally vanish. But, every time we conquer a fear, we are more equipped for the next battle with our inner-doubt. Lesson #1: Watch How You Speak to Yourself. Choose Words of Success. Listen to the words she uses here: “I’ll be fine.” “I’ll do it.” “Here goes something.” “You can do this.” “I’m gonna jump.” “Just a bigger 20, that’s all.” “I got it.” and the blast off sentence: "Here...I...go..." Not once do you hear her say "I can't." You can clearly tell she's scared after she says, "I got it." This makes perfect sense because fear never totally vanishes for anyone! The key is to WORK THROUGH THE FEAR. That's clearly what she does, even though she's petrified. Also, notice how the other kid (that we can't see on camera) says: "The longer you wait, you’ll be more scared.” Which brings us to... Lesson #2: When It Comes to Fear, MOVE QUICKLY! How friggin' true is this?!!!! The longer we stare at our fear or think about our fear- the stronger the fear becomes. Our fear builds because we start to doubt ourselves. We start to create negative scenarios in our head of failure. We let our inner-saboteur take over and f@#k up any chance of success. (Notice how the video is under 2 minutes long. She wastes very little time at the top.) Lesson #3: Celebrate Your Successes and Use Them As Stepping Stones. "Just the suspense at the top the first time freaks you out. That's the only thing; IT'S SO FUN!" Notice how "fear" becomes "fun" once you conquer it. Once you can get through the suspense-not knowing what the hell is going to happen- everything changes completely. Fear becomes fun; suspense becomes happiness; the unknown becomes accomplishment. "60 seems like nothing now!" says this brave little girl as she talks to the others at the bottom of the slope. The reason it seems like nothing now is because she has faced her fear head-on. She is ready to use her success as a stepping stone to the next greater challenge. I'm sure she's probably moved on to much steeper slopes by now. I have no idea who this kid is, but if she continues to face all her fears in life exactly the same way, she'll be one of the most successful people around. -Pistol


This little girl is my inspiration and we can all learn from her. Check out how she deals with her fear, but still manages to "push" though it with positive self-talk. When we are scared, we must continue forward. We must face our fears in life. Why? Because fears never totally vanish. But, every time we conquer a fear, we are more equipped for the next battle with our inner-doubt.

Lesson #1: Watch How You Speak to Yourself. Choose Words of Success.

Listen to the words she uses here:

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Here goes something.”

“You can do this.”

“I’m gonna jump.”

“Just a bigger 20, that’s all.”

“I got it.”

and the blast off sentence:

"Here...I...go..."


Not once do you hear her say "I can't." You can clearly tell she's scared after she says, "I got it." This makes perfect sense because fear never totally vanishes for anyone!

The key is to WORK THROUGH THE FEAR. That's clearly what she does, even though she's petrified. Also, notice how the other kid (that we can't see on camera) says:

"The longer you wait, you’ll be more scared.”

Which brings us to...


Lesson #2: When It Comes to Fear, MOVE QUICKLY!

How friggin' true is this?!!!! The longer we stare at our fear or think about our fear- the stronger the fear becomes. Our fear builds because we start to doubt ourselves. We start to create negative scenarios in our head of failure. We let our inner-saboteur take over and f@#k up any chance of success. (Notice how the video is under 2 minutes long. She wastes very little time at the top.)



Lesson #3: Celebrate Your Successes and Use Them As Stepping Stones.

"Just the suspense at the top the first time freaks you out. That's the only thing; IT'S SO FUN!"

Notice how "fear" becomes "fun" once you conquer it. Once you can get through the suspense-not knowing what the hell is going to happen- everything changes completely. Fear becomes fun; suspense becomes happiness; the unknown becomes accomplishment.

"60 seems like nothing now!" says this brave little girl as she talks to the others at the bottom of the slope. The reason it seems like nothing now is because she has faced her fear head-on. She is ready to use her success as a stepping stone to the next greater challenge. I'm sure she's probably moved on to much steeper slopes by now.

I have no idea who this kid is, but if she continues to face all her fears in life exactly the same way, she'll be one of the most successful people around.

-Pistol
]]> Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:50:00 GMT 692BD8908ADA47768C09E8F1B9F2883F 14 Years Ago! http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1885861 I just found this video of me on Youtube playing with the Elgins from 1998. This is the FIRST time I've seen this recording in 14 years. I was 24 years old and we were playing in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Elgins were from South Philly and we would rehearse there every week. Man, that neighborhood was ROUGH. This was where I learned how to play soul music and got my education in Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Ojays, The Stylistics, and all the great Black American Music. What a great learning experience! I just found this video of me on Youtube playing with the Elgins from 1998. This is the FIRST time I've seen this recording in 14 years.

I was 24 years old and we were playing in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Elgins were from South Philly and we would rehearse there every week. Man, that neighborhood was ROUGH. This was where I learned how to play soul music and got my education in Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Ojays, The Stylistics, and all the great Black American Music. What a great learning experience!




]]> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:15:38 GMT 7642AADE13FC7B2E7AFF15F9BEDD3C02 Another 5 Years http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1842280 In my early 20s, I once asked the legendary jazz bassist and composer Cecil McBee (on a street corner in NYC): How long does it take to become a working musician in New York City? He asked me, "How long you been in New York City?" I told him 5 years. He looked at me, and to my dismay, told me : "At least another 5 years."  Lesson learned: PERSISTENCE AND EFFORT CANNOT BE SKIPPED.

In my early 20s, I once asked the legendary jazz bassist and composer Cecil McBee (on a street corner in NYC): How long does it take to become a working musician in New York City? He asked me, "How long you been in New York City?" I told him 5 years. He looked at me, and to my dismay, told me : "At least another 5 years." 

Lesson learned: PERSISTENCE AND EFFORT CANNOT BE SKIPPED.]]> Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:20:00 GMT 21571F5CE9CCBA91A684EE10B65CD8A3 The Procrastinator's Creed http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1833521 The Procrastinator's Creed “Someday when I grow up, finish school and get a job, I’ll start living my life the way I want. … someday after the mortgage is paid off, the finances are on track and the kids are grown up, I’ll drive that new car and take exciting trips abroad…. someday, now that I’m about to retire, I’ll buy that beautiful motor home and travel across this great country, and see all there is to see …. someday.” -Ed Foreman The Procrastinator's Creed

“Someday when I grow up, finish school and get a job, I’ll start living my life the way I want. … someday after the mortgage is paid off, the finances are on track and the kids are grown up, I’ll drive that new car and take exciting trips abroad…. someday, now that I’m about to retire, I’ll buy that beautiful motor home and travel across this great country, and see all there is to see …. someday.”

-Ed Foreman]]> Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:15:00 GMT 1872EACB46D0880E63A809909F065D61 In The Studio http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1749674 I recently recorded drums with this talented up and coming artist based in Berlin, Simonne Jones. She is pretty amazing. Stay tuned when her album drops. <a href="http://vimeo.com/18132818">We are young from <a href="http://vimeo.com/simonnejones">simonne jones on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo. I recently recorded drums with this talented up and coming artist based in Berlin, Simonne Jones. She is pretty amazing. Stay tuned when her album drops.

We are young from simonne jones on Vimeo.

]]> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:02:15 GMT 69075D5DB615673E4A1033CC4AFA886A Please Help My Friend's Family From Foreclosure http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1720220 My childhood friend Z F Taylor and his children are facing foreclosure of their home in Columbus, Ohio. Unfortunately-like many Americans during this financial crisis- this newly single father of two was laid off from his job at JP Morgan Chase and has fallen 3 months behind in his mortgage payments. In an effort to save his home, ZF contacted the bank to work out a solution. If he can pay the last 3 month of missed payments ($4,164), the bank will his modify his loan-based on his current income and let him keep his home. (Z F is working again but isn't enough money to catch up financially). We ask that if you can help contribute so he can reach his financial goal- please do. There is no amount too small; every penny counts and we must hit this goal before February 14th- which is the deadline the bank has given him. Thanks so much for your help! Sincerely, Pistol


My childhood friend Z F Taylor and his children are facing foreclosure of their home in Columbus, Ohio. Unfortunately-like many Americans during this financial crisis- this newly single father of two was laid off from his job at JP Morgan Chase and has fallen 3 months behind in his mortgage payments.

In an effort to save his home, ZF contacted the bank to work out a solution. If he can pay the last 3 month of missed payments ($4,164), the bank will his modify his loan-based on his current income and let him keep his home. (Z F is working again but isn't enough money to catch up financially).

We ask that if you can help contribute so he can reach his financial goal- please do. There is no amount too small; every penny counts and we must hit this goal before February 14th- which is the deadline the bank has given him. Thanks so much for your help!

Sincerely,

Pistol




]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:55:00 GMT 62053F81CFB950F7794CFE85A293FA23 Rehearsing for Wu-Tang Clan show http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1584688 Been busy with my boy Venn Grimm&nbsp;&amp; the legendary King Shameek rehearsing for their show with the Wu-Tang,&nbsp;Thursday, December 15th at Starland Ballroom. <a target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/293666343987537/">For more info, click here. Been busy with my boy Venn Grimm & the legendary King Shameek rehearsing for their show with the Wu-Tang, Thursday, December 15th at Starland Ballroom. For more info, click here.

]]> Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:35:00 GMT B8EB2E1AC38EF4A10A3AAF1D14963894 Oh yeah, I got married. This picture is symbolic of what Wendy got involved in when she married me. http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1449416 &nbsp; ]]> Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:56:05 GMT CCE2D07445A9575AB43DE7D50FD3E1CB I started my own non-denonminational church. Please feel free to attend. http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1350528
]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 01:27:22 GMT EEBE36EA89934A594B6F78E726F06223 Planking Gone Too Far, LOL http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1344972
]]> Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:29:07 GMT 3B792AB3223E3B1C57F18D061688B1F2 Pistol's Podcast http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1275398 ]]> Fri, 09 Sep 2011 05:45:00 GMT C5120EA208FB50F8ADEFADA4BD8ECB34 "24 Hours of Rock Stardom" by Rat Skates http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1255923 Have a young musician close his eyes and tell you what he thinks his life will be like when he becomes a rock star. Just like how Ralphie in &ldquo;A Christmas Story&rdquo; adoringly fantasized about getting a Red Rider B.B. gun, the typical young wanna-be shares with me his dream of grandeur something like this: &ldquo;Their arms held up high in the air as I claim almighty power over my subjects below. An arena filled with unreserved love for ME, the one high up on the huge stage. All eyes are riveted to me as the spotlight illuminates my magnificence. I have absolute and complete command over the mere mortals who stood in line for hours to see me. They are so incredibly privileged to be here tonight. I am the supreme master; the thousands of fans are my loyal and eternal servants. I command them. I am their King.&rdquo; I rudely shake Ralphie from his lethargic dream with my shrill alarm-clock statement: &ldquo;And then the concert&rsquo;s over&hellip;WHAT HAPPENS THEN?&rdquo; Here&rsquo;s where all Vets shine; sharing their war story: Well, first go get high and drunk, as soon as possible since the high of the performance is over. Better to fall down backstage then onstage! There&rsquo;s a joint being passed your way; take a hit! Don&rsquo;t worry about what may be in it. Eventually I have to stumble back to the bus and it&rsquo;s smell&hellip;I would really like to count how many days there are left and the tour, because I&rsquo;m really tired of forcing myself to tolerate the mandatory ass hole-of-the-tour that irks the crap out of me to be in the same room with. I&rsquo;ll have another couple shots, maybe he won&rsquo;t bother me as much. There&rsquo;s only a couple warms Coors under the seat, I&rsquo;ve gotta go find our tour manager, and he&rsquo;s always got a bottle of something. He gets paid! Daylight is glowing behind the velour drapes at another Holiday Inn&hellip; I honestly don&rsquo;t remember how the hell I got into this bed. Massive headache, right behind my eye. I&rsquo;m starving. Let me throw on the same perspiration infected clothes, jump out into the hallway and find a vending machine&hellip;I know if that some change at least. T.V. sucks, and I can&rsquo;t pay attention to it anyway. Shower. At least now my headache doesn&rsquo;t look that bad. I gotta get goin&rsquo;, bus is ready to pull out. I THINK I put all my stuff back in my bag, but I don&rsquo;t really remember anymore what I even brought&hellip;or lost. Another very long drive. I hate this; I don&rsquo;t wanna watch that DVD, my head hurts too much to listen to my ipod, and I don&rsquo;t wanna hear anyone talking&hellip; I HATE their voices. Why can&rsquo;t I have SOME kind of privacy, besides my bunk, which sucks anyway? Almost there&hellip;good, I gotta hit catering ASAP and grip something! Hey wait! There&rsquo;s some press interviews to do today, that&rsquo;ll be cool&hellip;although I&rsquo;m still kinda hung over and I realize that I&rsquo;m starting to stutter a lot. But the press wants to talk to me: I&rsquo;m important. Everyone&rsquo;s complaining that we&rsquo;re not getting anything that&rsquo;s on our rider. I don&rsquo;t care anymore. Only an hour left to kill until showtime&hellip; I&rsquo;ll probably feel much better at the meet and greet where I can honor some fans with my presence, let me go comb my hair again be cause I know they&rsquo;ll wanna take a lot of pictures with me for their MySpace page. Wow&hellip;a lot of hot chicks around tonight, and I&rsquo;m starting to think about that again&hellip;sex always makes me feel better. I really don&rsquo;t want to cheat on my wife, and how do I know that this chick or someone else won&rsquo;t spill the beans? Thank God one of the crew guys, who happens to be my best friend on the tour, sees what I&rsquo;m thinking and talks me out of it . The opening band is on now it won&rsquo;t be long till I&rsquo;m back up on the pedestal. I feel OK now, I&rsquo;m ready to go, Our intro tape is on. I&rsquo;m pumped with adrenaline&hellip;on come the lights! I hit my first note and the sea of arms in front of me rise high in the air. I&rsquo;m king again for an hour. This sure beats a nine-to-fiver&hellip; Ralphie looks crushed, as though he just heard another &ldquo;you&rsquo;ll shoot your eye at kid&rdquo; coupled with me telling him that there really is no Santa Claus. All I could say is &rdquo;I&rsquo;m sorry Ralphie, but I if didn&rsquo;t love you I wouldn&rsquo;t have said a thing. C&rsquo;mon&hellip; let&rsquo;s go try to fix your glasses&rdquo;. THERE IS AT LEAST ONE MUSICIAN IN OVER 55% OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS. &ldquo;Artists and writers experience two to three times the rate of psychosis, suicide attempts, mood disorders, and substance abuse than do comparably successful people in business, science, and public life.&rdquo; Study by Dr. Arnold M. Ludwig, a psychiatrist at the University of Kentucky Medical THERE IS A SOLUTION. <a href="http://www.welcome-to-the-dream.com/contribute.php" target="_new">If you'd like to contribute to &quot;Welcome to the Dream,&quot; click here to donate.

Have a young musician close his eyes and tell you what he thinks his life will be like when he becomes a rock star. Just like how Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” adoringly fantasized about getting a Red Rider B.B. gun, the typical young wanna-be shares with me his dream of grandeur something like this:

“Their arms held up high in the air as I claim almighty power over my subjects below. An arena filled with unreserved love for ME, the one high up on the huge stage. All eyes are riveted to me as the spotlight illuminates my magnificence. I have absolute and complete command over the mere mortals who stood in line for hours to see me. They are so incredibly privileged to be here tonight. I am the supreme master; the thousands of fans are my loyal and eternal servants. I command them. I am their King.”

I rudely shake Ralphie from his lethargic dream with my shrill alarm-clock statement: “And then the concert’s over…WHAT HAPPENS THEN?” Here’s where all Vets shine; sharing their war story:

Well, first go get high and drunk, as soon as possible since the high of the performance is over. Better to fall down backstage then onstage! There’s a joint being passed your way; take a hit! Don’t worry about what may be in it. Eventually I have to stumble back to the bus and it’s smell…I would really like to count how many days there are left and the tour, because I’m really tired of forcing myself to tolerate the mandatory ass hole-of-the-tour that irks the crap out of me to be in the same room with. I’ll have another couple shots, maybe he won’t bother me as much. There’s only a couple warms Coors under the seat, I’ve gotta go find our tour manager, and he’s always got a bottle of something. He gets paid!



Daylight is glowing behind the velour drapes at another Holiday Inn… I honestly don’t remember how the hell I got into this bed. Massive headache, right behind my eye. I’m starving. Let me throw on the same perspiration infected clothes, jump out into the hallway and find a vending machine…I know if that some change at least. T.V. sucks, and I can’t pay attention to it anyway. Shower. At least now my headache doesn’t look that bad. I gotta get goin’, bus is ready to pull out. I THINK I put all my stuff back in my bag, but I don’t really remember anymore what I even brought…or lost. Another very long drive. I hate this; I don’t wanna watch that DVD, my head hurts too much to listen to my ipod, and I don’t wanna hear anyone talking… I HATE their voices. Why can’t I have SOME kind of privacy, besides my bunk, which sucks anyway? Almost there…good, I gotta hit catering ASAP and grip something! Hey wait! There’s some press interviews to do today, that’ll be cool…although I’m still kinda hung over and I realize that I’m starting to stutter a lot. But the press wants to talk to me: I’m important. Everyone’s complaining that we’re not getting anything that’s on our rider. I don’t care anymore. Only an hour left to kill until showtime… I’ll probably feel much better at the meet and greet where I can honor some fans with my presence, let me go comb my hair again be cause I know they’ll wanna take a lot of pictures with me for their MySpace page.



Wow…a lot of hot chicks around tonight, and I’m starting to think about that again…sex always makes me feel better. I really don’t want to cheat on my wife, and how do I know that this chick or someone else won’t spill the beans? Thank God one of the crew guys, who happens to be my best friend on the tour, sees what I’m thinking and talks me out of it . The opening band is on now it won’t be long till I’m back up on the pedestal. I feel OK now, I’m ready to go, Our intro tape is on. I’m pumped with adrenaline…on come the lights! I hit my first note and the sea of arms in front of me rise high in the air. I’m king again for an hour. This sure beats a nine-to-fiver…



Ralphie looks crushed, as though he just heard another “you’ll shoot your eye at kid” coupled with me telling him that there really is no Santa Claus. All I could say is ”I’m sorry Ralphie, but I if didn’t love you I wouldn’t have said a thing. C’mon… let’s go try to fix your glasses”.

THERE IS AT LEAST ONE MUSICIAN IN OVER 55% OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS.

“Artists and writers experience two to three times the rate of psychosis, suicide attempts, mood disorders, and substance abuse than do comparably successful people in business, science, and public life.”

Study by Dr. Arnold M. Ludwig, a psychiatrist at the University of Kentucky Medical

THERE IS A SOLUTION.

If you'd like to contribute to "Welcome to the Dream," click here to donate.


]]> Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:51:41 GMT 9C9EA376650262803F429AA608A9FDF9 When life won't give you a seat...CREATE ONE. This guy did. http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1252302
]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:28:53 GMT 87A370E8B0283095083801C737D53A20 Pomegranate Colt 45: for the health conscious malt liquor drinker. http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1207725
]]> Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:19:05 GMT 6CB6537FDDCFBE278184A869672134E6 Thirty F@#king Eight Years Old http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1169813 On Saturday I turned 38 years old. I am two f@#king years away from turning 40. Funny, though. I still feel as if I'm in my mid 20s- though bits of gray hair remind me on a daily basis that I'm not. Part of me is like, &quot;SHIT! I'm 100% middle-aged now.&quot; The other part of me is like, &quot;I'm still alive? wow!&quot; The bottom line is : I am truly blessed to be alive and live another year. I have lost many friends who never made it to 38. The question that sometimes runs through my head is &quot;Why them, and not me?&quot; &quot;Was I lucky and were they unlucky?&quot;&quot; Is that just the way it goes sometimes?&quot; I look at life as a gift that we all have temporarily and must use wisely. Nobody really knows when their last birthday will be, including myself and all those friends I have lost. I ask myself these questions now that I'm 38: * If this was my last year alive, would I live my life differently? * Would I forgive certain people in my life, knowing that time is short? * What things have I always wanted to do, but have put off? * How can I improve my relationships with the people I love and are the most important to me NOW? We should all be grateful for each birthday we have. Life is a gift (as corny as this sounds) and we must treat each year as our last- not in a morbid way- but in a way of living life to the FULLEST. In my coaching practice, I do an exercise with my clients on their birthday that helps them change their perspective about &quot;getting older.&quot; For every year they are alive, I have them list something they are grateful for. I will do this myself right now. 1) I'm healthy. 2) I'm alive. 3) I'm happy with my life. 4) I get to play drums for a living. 5) I write for my favorite drum magazine. 6) I freelance for other magazines writing about motivation and inspiration. 7) I have a beautiful fiance. 8) I have a beautiful daughter. 9) I'm in the best shape of my life at age 38. 10) I know who I am and what I stand for. 11) I'm grateful for my two dogs. 12) I have a car. 13) I own my house 14) I own my own business. 15) I've traveled the world. 16) I was born in America. 17) I grew up in a nice town. 18) I live in a great city. 19) I'm from fucking New Jersey. 20) I coach people on life-improvement and enjoy every minute of it. 21) I speak for a living. 22) I get to be me for a living. 23) I've met most of my childhood idols. 24) I'm friends with some of the greatest people in the world. 25) I can read. 26) I went to college. 27) I can learn quickly. 28) I speak English, ummm, well, kind of. 29) I can vote. 30) I can earn a living. 31) I know how to play an instrument. 32) I know how to DJ. 33) I know how to do math. 34) My mother is still alive. 35) I never get bored. 36) I can ride a bike. 37) My waist can still fit into size 30 jeans. 38) I am getting remarried. LIFE IS F@#KING AWESOME. Right? On Saturday I turned 38 years old. I am two f@#king years away from turning 40. Funny, though. I still feel as if I'm in my mid 20s- though bits of gray hair remind me on a daily basis that I'm not. Part of me is like, "SHIT! I'm 100% middle-aged now." The other part of me is like, "I'm still alive? wow!"



The bottom line is : I am truly blessed to be alive and live another year. I have lost many friends who never made it to 38. The question that sometimes runs through my head is "Why them, and not me?" "Was I lucky and were they unlucky?"" Is that just the way it goes sometimes?" I look at life as a gift that we all have temporarily and must use wisely. Nobody really knows when their last birthday will be, including myself and all those friends I have lost. I ask myself these questions now that I'm 38:



* If this was my last year alive, would I live my life differently?



* Would I forgive certain people in my life, knowing that time is short?



* What things have I always wanted to do, but have put off?



* How can I improve my relationships with the people I love and are the most important to me NOW?



We should all be grateful for each birthday we have. Life is a gift (as corny as this sounds) and we must treat each year as our last- not in a morbid way- but in a way of living life to the FULLEST.



In my coaching practice, I do an exercise with my clients on their birthday that helps them change their perspective about "getting older." For every year they are alive, I have them list something they are grateful for. I will do this myself right now.



1) I'm healthy.



2) I'm alive.



3) I'm happy with my life.



4) I get to play drums for a living.



5) I write for my favorite drum magazine.



6) I freelance for other magazines writing about motivation and inspiration.



7) I have a beautiful fiance.



8) I have a beautiful daughter.



9) I'm in the best shape of my life at age 38.



10) I know who I am and what I stand for.



11) I'm grateful for my two dogs.



12) I have a car.



13) I own my house



14) I own my own business.



15) I've traveled the world.



16) I was born in America.



17) I grew up in a nice town.



18) I live in a great city.



19) I'm from fucking New Jersey.



20) I coach people on life-improvement and enjoy every minute of it.



21) I speak for a living.



22) I get to be me for a living.



23) I've met most of my childhood idols.



24) I'm friends with some of the greatest people in the world.



25) I can read.



26) I went to college.



27) I can learn quickly.



28) I speak English, ummm, well, kind of.



29) I can vote.



30) I can earn a living.



31) I know how to play an instrument.



32) I know how to DJ.



33) I know how to do math.



34) My mother is still alive.



35) I never get bored.



36) I can ride a bike.



37) My waist can still fit into size 30 jeans.



38) I am getting remarried.


LIFE IS F@#KING AWESOME. Right?
]]> Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:31:23 GMT EF55814C4ABE58446696D24C8659393E Success: What Does That Word Mean to YOU? http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1133842 by Rat Skates Webster&rsquo;s New Collegiate Dictionary sub-defines success as &ldquo;the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence&rdquo;. The problem with the word success is that sadly, most of us think that wealth &ndash; in the monetary sense &ndash; actually is a mandatory component of success, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Belair mansion, the swimming pool, supermodel wife, Porsche&hellip; they are all material liabilities. That&rsquo;s right, LIABILITIES. They are the master and you are the slave. As you unconsciously let the media make your moral AND material decisions for you, you are misled by your subconscious desires instead of following the logic of your needs (thanks to Edward Bernays, known as the &lsquo;father&rsquo; of modern day public relations; he was Sigmund Freud&rsquo;s nephew). We are victims of consumer dysfunction and irrational thinking that is shoved down our throats. Well, you could argue that we all need a house, a car and possibly a wife, so what&rsquo;s wrong with having the DELUXE version of these things? That should be considered a LUXURY&hellip;not a liability! Webster&rsquo;s quotes the word luxury as &ldquo;Excess. Something added to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary&rdquo;. So what IS necessary? It&rsquo;s not hard to figure out as long as you are HONEST with yourself. Why burden your life with liabilities you can&rsquo;t afford, have to maintain and will constantly seek more of? And you WILL seek more. You HAVE to keep up with the Kardashians&hellip; Society demands it. You are judged by how many toys you have. But don&rsquo;t you eventually outgrow toys? But, because you let your WANTS be placed above your NEEDS&hellip;well, you become a slave to living a life of self-created demands that you will never satisfy. ANYTHING above your means can be your liability. Let&rsquo;s substitute the word success with fulfillment, which infers a sense of peace and happiness. Happiness, isn&rsquo;t that our underlying quest in life? Even Sammy Satan, the Death Metal bassist who lives next door wants to be happy. When it makes us feel good to hold the door open for an older person or help a child, why don&rsquo;t we do more of it? Many of us may never have even tried it. Give to others and you&rsquo;ll get back not only what you need but much more than any amount of money could ever buy. It&rsquo;s free and it multiplies. Stop being resentful of what you don&rsquo;t have; of what you think life owes you. Success is how you look at life, NOT how someone else sees it FOR you. Now go do something for someone else&hellip;something&hellip;ANYTHING! You&rsquo;ll experience what everyone else is missing&hellip;to GET you must GIVE! Footnote: I would NEVER want the liability of a Porsche. I drive, by choice, a &rsquo;94 Plymouth Voyager: it has 4 tires, a steering wheel, and a good inspection sticker. It gets me from point &lsquo;A&rsquo; to point &lsquo;B&rsquo;, I own it, I&rsquo;m not a slave to making payments. It&rsquo;s OK if it&rsquo;s gets a dent here or there or I spill some coffee inside&hellip;who cares? I&rsquo;ll bet the Porsche owner would. He may have a lot of money but he&rsquo;s a slave to A CAR! THERE IS AT LEAST ONE MUSICIAN IN OVER 55% OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS. &ldquo;Artists and writers experience two to three times the rate of psychosis, suicide attempts, mood disorders, and substance abuse than do comparably successful people in business, science, and public life.&rdquo; Study by Dr. Arnold M. Ludwig, a psychiatrist at the University of Kentucky Medical ABOUR RAT: Rat Skates is a filmmaker, writer and musician. He is most widely known as a pioneer of D.I.Y. musicians, director of music documentaries and his contributions to the Thrash Metal genre as the founding drummer of Overkill. Check out Rat's latest project, <a target="_new" href="http://www.welcome-to-the-dream.com/teasers/fundingcampaign.php">&quot;Welcome to the Dream: The Rude Awakening of Rock Stardom.&quot;&nbsp; <a target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/RatSkates">Rat Skates Fanpage <a target="_new" href="http://ratskates.com/">Rat Skates Website <a target="_new" href="http://twitter.com/#!/Rat_Skates">Follow Rat Skates on Twitter by Rat Skates




Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary sub-defines success as “the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence”.

The problem with the word success is that sadly, most of us think that wealth – in the monetary sense – actually is a mandatory component of success, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Belair mansion, the swimming pool, supermodel wife, Porsche… they are all material liabilities. That’s right, LIABILITIES. They are the master and you are the slave.

As you unconsciously let the media make your moral AND material decisions for you, you are misled by your subconscious desires instead of following the logic of your needs (thanks to Edward Bernays, known as the ‘father’ of modern day public relations; he was Sigmund Freud’s nephew). We are victims of consumer dysfunction and irrational thinking that is shoved down our throats. Well, you could argue that we all need a house, a car and possibly a wife, so what’s wrong with having the DELUXE version of these things? That should be considered a LUXURY…not a liability!

Webster’s quotes the word luxury as “Excess. Something added to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary”. So what IS necessary? It’s not hard to figure out as long as you are HONEST with yourself. Why burden your life with liabilities you can’t afford, have to maintain and will constantly seek more of? And you WILL seek more. You HAVE to keep up with the Kardashians… Society demands it. You are judged by how many toys you have. But don’t you eventually outgrow toys? But, because you let your WANTS be placed above your NEEDS…well, you become a slave to living a life of self-created demands that you will never satisfy.

ANYTHING above your means can be your liability. Let’s substitute the word success with fulfillment, which infers a sense of peace and happiness. Happiness, isn’t that our underlying quest in life? Even Sammy Satan, the Death Metal bassist who lives next door wants to be happy. When it makes us feel good to hold the door open for an older person or help a child, why don’t we do more of it? Many of us may never have even tried it. Give to others and you’ll get back not only what you need but much more than any amount of money could ever buy. It’s free and it multiplies. Stop being resentful of what you don’t have; of what you think life owes you. Success is how you look at life, NOT how someone else sees it FOR you. Now go do something for someone else…something…ANYTHING! You’ll experience what everyone else is missing…to GET you must GIVE!

Footnote: I would NEVER want the liability of a Porsche. I drive, by choice, a ’94 Plymouth Voyager: it has 4 tires, a steering wheel, and a good inspection sticker. It gets me from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’, I own it, I’m not a slave to making payments. It’s OK if it’s gets a dent here or there or I spill some coffee inside…who cares? I’ll bet the Porsche owner would. He may have a lot of money but he’s a slave to A CAR!

THERE IS AT LEAST ONE MUSICIAN IN OVER 55% OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS.

“Artists and writers experience two to three times the rate of psychosis, suicide attempts, mood disorders, and substance abuse than do comparably successful people in business, science, and public life.”

Study by Dr. Arnold M. Ludwig, a psychiatrist at the University of Kentucky Medical

ABOUR RAT:



Rat Skates is a filmmaker, writer and musician. He is most widely known as a pioneer of D.I.Y. musicians, director of music documentaries and his contributions to the Thrash Metal genre as the founding drummer of Overkill. Check out Rat's latest project, "Welcome to the Dream: The Rude Awakening of Rock Stardom." 

Rat Skates Fanpage

Rat Skates Website

Follow Rat Skates on Twitter



]]> Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:45:00 GMT 1CBB69A695DBD850E9633848C39D462E Hip Hop Helps Alaina Giordano http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1089662 <a href="http://www.pr.com/press-release/336960">Hip-Hop Stars Release Song to Raise Funds, Awareness for Durham Mom Hip-Hop Stars Release Song to Raise Funds, Awareness for Durham Mom


]]> Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:09:18 GMT C220FED5D4A4102886CAD8060A56DF3C The Greatest Instrumental of All Time. http://rockinlifestyle.com/rockinblog.cfm?feature=472080&postid=1035073 &nbsp;This song reminds me of my childhood for some reason...  This song reminds me of my childhood for some reason...


]]> Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:53:26 GMT 229CEB7F3A3E1D7E4EA3111E4CE1A346