Hellbent and Hellbound

       I don't know where to even start with this. I don't necessary want to sit and write about people, or make this some sentimental blog about life, love, or the problems of the world. With the exception of writing about the fucked up shit that goes on in my little asshole of the world, I try to stay positive about things.

       That said, I had a very good friend of mine stop by the house yesterday. He's been a friend since I was 12 years old and we skated together into our 20's. He moved away, but we've always stayed in contact. He's a stand up guy who's always had my back, the type of guy who would put himself at risk to save a complete stranger. The problem, the guys had a serious drug problem since high school.

        I've had my own periods of drug use, but for what ever reason I've never gotten addicted. I've always been a "weekends only" drug user. I want to add here that I don't consider weed a drug. I know there's people who'd disagree with me, and I honestly smoke weed about 5 times a year anymore, but lets be real here people. That shit ain't any worse than alcohol. 

       So I've tried it all, I still enjoy an adult beverage from time to time, but I stay away from most drugs these days besides advil and the occasional puff-puff pass. 

     My friend however has a problem with the needle. He was actually the first person I ever saw shoot up. We were with a group of friends when I was around 18 or so. We were doing normal 18 year old shit, drinking, smoking weed, talking shit and skating. However several of these guys got into slamming shit into their veins. I know I'm not the only one who's had this experience. I know no one probably cares. I know that for whatever reason, skateboarding, punk rock and all the other trappings of that lifestyle tend to attract the self-destructive people of the world. But I'm going to say here I hope my friend gets the help he needs. He stopped by to do some laundry before he checked himself into a sober living house. It was the least I could do for the guy. Even though he's been a junkie he's the most stand up junkie I've ever known. He's never stolen a thing from me, he's never asked for anything and I could tell he was ashamed. 

              I don't have kids, I haven't been blessed with children for whatever reason. My wife and I however are always there for our friends and because we're stable, and have jobs, a home, and the rest I feel like we are a rock that's there when those we love need us. That makes me happy some how. I've lost too many friends that I loved dearly, I don't want to loose anymore. 

I hope my friend gets help, I hope my friend gets clean. If he doesn't, or needs help I'll be there for him, but I really hope he does. Out of the three people I saw shoot up for the first time, he's the only one still alive.  

MY END OF YEAR RANT

See ya 2012,

I've been looking at all the year end shit on the other blogs I read. Everyone's list kind of covers all the cool videos, not so cool videos, and everything else that happened in skateboarding for the last year. So I won't do that shit.

I do want to go on record as saying Longboarders suck cock. Like massive amounts of it. That's the gayest shit ever. I do however have to admit that all the vintage reissues are kind of cool. 

So I'm most likely going to break down and buy something with big soft wheels to take to the coffee place, gas station, pizza spot, etc for fun. The choices are damn limitless, and the 12 year old who started skating in 1988 is excited about rocking some of the boards I never had when I was a wee tyke. 

The only thing I gotta say is I'm bummed that not all the companies are doing this. I guess you'd probably have to pay some of those old guys for selling the fuck out of their boards suddenly. So with that in mind if I have 1 request for 2013 it's that ALVA start making some of the classics for reissue. Cause I always wanted this board and never got one.  

There's some cool shit from Santa Cruz too, like this Jason Jesse fucking rules! But hey guys how about making some more Corey O'Brien decks? That graphic is badass, and you reissued it but it's no longer out? WTF Santa Cruz. 

But I have to say the one deck I want to see reissued, the one board I love so much I've got the graphic tattooed on my fucking arm, by one of the raddest mofos' to ever step on a board, please for fucks sake somebody reissue this so I can buy it. I'll spend my hard earned money on this deck!! I'd also like to see it reissued in it's original shape. none of this mini-deck shit. 

 

See, permanent and shit...

VIDEOS ARE SILLY

So these guys wanted to make a video for us. It's really weird making a video, and I'm all for never being in the fucking thing. I'd rather have a concept video, like the kind where you never see the band playing. At any rate, we wrote this song, and named it tattoo, way before the stupid shitty Van Halen song came out. That's neither here nor there I suppose. This song's about a relationshit, more than it is about tattoos. Here's the video....it is what it is I guess. 

The Difference Engine Tattoo 

On a side note, I went skating yesterday for the first time in like a month. I'm turning 36 in a couple of weeks and the weather has been nice one day and cold as fuck the next so I figured I better go get some. The shitty part is my knee has been fucked lately. I have no idea what I did to it. It's just sore, more so when I bend it to ollie. I keep thinking it's going to get better, but it hasn't. I don't know what to think at this point. But I went skating anyway. The weird thing is after I skated for a few minutes my knee stopped hurting. The moral of this story? Skate more probably. Anyone want to donate several hundred bucks to me so I can build a mini-ramp? 

WELL THIS GUY LIKES IT!!

So this dude reviewed our EP, go check out his blog, watch our review, then buy our CD. We're playing the 22nd if you're in St. Louis this December. January 26th we're playing with Sponge...you remember them right? They will be playing "Rotting Pinata's" in its entirety. So come out and scream along to 16 candles down the drain....

Strange Angles review 

 

WENT TO KANSAS CITY AND ALL I GOT WAS LEG CRAMPS

So, The Difference Engine loaded up the van for a show in Kansas City the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I've been doing this kind of shit since I was 15 years old, but it's still super fun. Getting out of town, no one knows you and you get to act like you're 15 again for a couple of days. 

Unfortunately we couldn't get anything at the local rental place but a cargo van, as we don't have a van at this point. So we were kind of crammed in the back of the thing with all our shit for five hours. That doesn't mean we didn't have some fun. 

Once we got to town, we went in search of food.....

Then we played a show

 With these dudes called Various Blonde, the rocked the fucking house.

 We stayed with a friend of a friend who was gracious enough to let us crash on his floor. Thanks again Casey. Turns out Casey's a pretty fucking talented skater, artist, and all around cool motherfucker. And he had this skate graveyard going on at his place.

We eventually crammed back into the van, for a long, hungover ride home. Get out there and get some.

 

 

THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE "STRANGE ANGLES" NOW AVAILABLE ON iTunes!!!!

So yeah, we're on iTunes now, so go buy our EP "Strange Angles"....not to be confused with strange angels. We're not into angels for fucks sake. We're into rock and roll, and drugs, and evil shit. The albums mostly black like our hearts.  And red. like blood. 

Hail Satan!!!

GO BUY OUR EP AND MAKE ME RICH!!!

So after months of hard work, recording, re-recording, mixing, mastering and everything else that goes into making a CD we're finally done.

We've already starting the recording for our full length, hopefully it will be out by late spring early summer of next year. 

For now go check The Difference Engine's EP "Strange Angles." CDs will be done in a couple of weeks, but if you're into digital downloads and what not you can go buy it now at our bandcamp page here. Thanks for the support and love and come out and see us, setting up dates now for November and December.

Buy our EP and support real indipendent music!!