Read My Column in Poz, Cute YouTube Video
July 2, 2009
The best part about being sick for a week was writing. I blogged every day last week! So, really, if your reading this and wishing me well, you might have to decide whether your care for my well-being as a human trumps your love for my incredibly witty style of writing.
Which is on display in this month’s issue of Poz!
I wrote a column called “Maybe Baby”, about the oft-asked procreation question, specifically whether Gwenn and I are interested. And no, that’s not our baby in the photo, but it is our Goddaughter, Evie. She’s guest-starred on Decker’s Daily many times, most notably in Episode 38 as my would-be assassin, after debuting a few days earlier in Episode 34.
Aside from me, she’s logged the most Decker’s Daily appearances. Which is fitting, because when our good friend Lauren was pregnant with her, we spent most of the pregnancy in coffee shops. When she was born, we were at the hospital, and have seen her explore babyhood and life on this planet for the last 9 months.
As for exploration of other planets, well…
Lauren just had a birthday, and as you’ve seen before, I have a knack for making cool YouTube cute baby vids. My first work, When Babies Have Babies, feature my niece, Katelyn. Then last Christmas, my second niece, Helayna, debuted in the sorta sequel, When Babies Save Christmas.
Inspired by those earlier works, I made this for Lauren, changing a Happy Birthday text to a plug for Lauren’s music, which I love. So, without further ado, here’s Interplanetary Travelers, starring Evie and Lauren Hoffman. Enjoy the ride!
Positively Yours,
Captain Shawn
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See Shawn’s band play in Charlottesville on July 11!
She the band in a YouTube video with the song “Holding Out For a Hero”
Synthetic Division HIV Benefit Show July 11
June 22, 2009
I’m very excited to be playing another show with my synthpop duo-now-trio, Synthetic Division. Not only that, it’s a benefit for the AIDS Walk Washington DC, which Gwenn and I will be walking in with Team Supersnack in October.
Here’s a video I made to promote the July 11 show.
If you’re on Facebook, the Event page is here.
The details are as follows:
Synthetic Division w/ Silent Muse
Venue: Outback Lodge in C’ville, VA
Doors at 8 pm, close at Midnight
$10
To see another promo vid featuring a Synthetic Division song, click here. Any friends who read the blog and are coming to the show, we will be playing a couple of new songs. I look forward to finishing up some new material and posting it on synthetic-division.com.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Bruno’s Balls Out Performance
June 1, 2009
Bruno meets Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards.
The YouTube video may be taken down by the time you read this blog. If so search “Eminem Movie Awards” over and over again until you see the clip from the MTV Movie Awards, a 2-hour promo for the Twilight sequel in which the main actors came across as too cool for school. The highlight was Bruno (Sasha Baron Cohen of Borat fame) descending from the ceiling in an angel-winged get-up. A “mishap” occurs, and he drops down into the 69 position right on top of Eminem.
Who freaks out as his yes men/bodyguards start manhandling Bruno. It reminded of when another one of my favorite comedians, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, pissed off Eminem at the MTV Music Awards several years ago. Em is a classic bully. He can dress up as stars and make fun of them, but if someone pranks him he doesn’t handle it too well.
Yeah, he’s a rapper and a guy’s balls were in his face. But c’mon, it’s the entertainment business. And rappers need to stop pretending they are all straight anyway. They way they oversell that. Really, how many times do you have to say you bang girls - lots of girls- in one song? At first, I thought Eminem was in on it, but after watching it on TiVo several times, I think his entourage would have given it away if they knew it was going to “go down”, so to speak.
As for the Twilight co-stars, they looked a little too cool to be there. I was hoping Bruno and his family jewels would drop down a few more times to liven things up. But what do you expect with vampires? The actors kind of epitomize my issue with the whole genre: that it takes itself way too seriously.
Kind of like Eminem, I guess. I was going to order Twilight on In Demand, now that I’ve finished the vampire book, but now I’m not sure. I might wait for Bruno: The Vampire Slayer to get made, in which teabagging unsuspecting rappers is the new holy water or crucifix defense against bloodsuckers.
I could be waiting a long time. Unless I write that story myself. Hmmmmm…
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Book #2 Finished… Now What?
May 29, 2009
It’s been a little over a year and a half of the most nonstop writing of my life. But Book #2, the vampire book, is finally finished as of 2 AM Wednesday morning. To mark the occasion, this was my Decker’s Daily photo the next afternoon.
That’s straw paper in my mouth. It wasn’t until after the photo was snapped that I figured out that vampires holding iced mochas are not scary, no matter how rock solid their body is with well-defined muscle.
I forced myself to stop blogging about writing the book, but now that I’m done I’m lifting the ban. I’ve been irregular in blogging the last two weeks because I was really cracking down on finishing the book- a humorous tale of vampirism, set in a small town, centered around a group of incoming freshmen.
Yes, HIV is involved. It’s my specialty!
The book was a joy to write. I discovered my addiction to iced mochas through this ordeal. But, at this moment, I am relieved that it is out of my hands. Right now, my lit agent is going to look over it and then we’ll submit it to the publisher. When I get any word on it, I’ll definitely blog it.
So… with colleges out of session and no more high school talks… how does a positoid fill his day? Of course, I’ll keep drinking iced mochas, and Gwenn will keep snapping Decker’s Daily photos, which are being called “Iconic Imagery!”, “Daring Pictures!” and “Bravery in the Face of Mochas!” by no one. What’s cool about the joke of Decker’s Daily is that I got some sponsors (Thank you again!), and one of them actually led to one of the discussions I had last week with an incredible Gay/Straight Alliance formed at a nearby high school. It’s very cool the random ways in which we meet people, isn’t it?
With book #2 complete, finding a creative outlet didn’t take long. Tonight I had band practice with Synthetic Division. “Wait,” you say. “Can you really call a synth duo getting together with an iPod band practice?” Yes, you can! But you don’t think so, how about a synth trio? With a drummer?
A human drummer!
That’s Marshall on keyboards. He joined me when my bandmate left in 2007, within a month of the end of his previous band, In Tenebris. That’s Mike Johnson on drums, he was in In Tenebris with Marshall, so they immediately locked it down without any problems.
Now, if Christina- the former singer of In Tenebris- shows up at practice next time, I’ll know that I’ve been kicked out of Synthetic Division. The victim of a non-violent (hopefully) takeover from the inside. But really, adding drums and a friend to the band is going to make things a lot more fun.
I’ll be posting more about our first Charlottesville show in July next week and, as I wait for a word on the book, I’ll be turning to music for artistic solace.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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New Depeche Mode Album, Old Synthetic Division Tale
April 21, 2009
Today, Depeche Mode’s new album, Sounds of the Universe, comes out. As many know, they are my favorite band, and I got to meet them at 14 through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the highlight of my existence until I got laid.
Today’s date is a triumph for the band, but the date of April 21st conjures up bad memories in my own musicial career as Synthetic Division…
Eight years ago to the day, local, conquering legends, The Dave Matthews Band, were returning to town to play UVA’s football’s home, Scott Stadium. I
was starting to get some momentum as a one-piece synth act in
Charlottesville, and figured it was time for a big move, something that
would really get folks talking. I booked a show at the Tokyo Rose’s “The Dawning” Goth night, a 150-or-so person capacity room.
Then I made up these flyers, which were posted around town.
This flyer was REALLY postedi n Charlottesville, VA, likely to the horror of the public.
Things were looking good for the upset, but Matthews has people in town. The word must have gotten back to them because at the last minute, Neil Young was brought in to open for DMB, outdrawing me by about 49,850 people. Without Young tapping into my fanbase, who knows what would have happened on April 21, 2001?
Their spot secured, Dave Matthews and his band left town victorious. All I was left with was a Purple Heart Award in the C’ville Weekly’s post-Dave show coverage. I wanted the cover and one word: TRIUMPH.
This past weekend, DMB returned to play two shows, picking at the unhealed, bloody scab of a hemophiliac trying to clot. Trying to forget what could have been. As I look back at that ill-fated Battle of the Bands, my old buddies in the Mode are here once again, just like they were in those early teen years when I discovered them.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Hear My Tori Amos Remix
April 10, 2009
I’ve gotten back into writing some music as of late, and here’s something I did for the Subculture Shock compilation disc for the Spring fund drive.
If you’re not familiar, Subculture Shock is a radio show that plays underground alternative music, and they started playing my music back in 1999 after I moved to Charlottesville… I remember what a thrill it was to hear one of my songs on the radio.
Here’s the song I gave them. It’s a remix of a Tori Amos song, “Raspberry Swirl”, that Synthetic Division- my synthpop duo- first covered a couple of years ago. (You can buy the cover on iTunes). You can listen to the remix here.
Enjoy! And here’s the original Tori song. Which is about a lesbian love affair. Being lipsynched by Divinette, the drag queen.
I Am Not Your Senorita,
Shawn
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Catching Up With Color Theory
March 22, 2009
I don’t spend too much time on MySpace these days. Seems to be either a haven for call girls or bad bands. But recently I got an Add Request from the very cool synth project of Brian Hazard, who goes by Color Theory.
There’s an interesting tie-in to my favorite band, Depeche Mode. Back when Napster ruled the internet, fans of Depeche Mode mistakenly thought that one of Color Theory’s originals was a leaked Mode song. (Brian’s vocal style is reminiscent of Martin Gore of Depeche Mode.) And while Color Theory’s covers of Mode songs are impeccable, the originals more than hold their own, as evidenced by the recent win for Best Electronic Song in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
Now Color Theory is up for another award. I sat down at my computer recently and emailed Brian some questions. He sat down at his in California and emailed me some answers. Enjoy!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Q: Firstly, I love that you cover the lesser known Depeche Mode songs, like “Here Is The House”. When did you first hear the music of the greatest band of all time?
It was back in 1983, before I really started getting into music. I had a grand total of one cassette: The Eagles “Hotel California.” My best friend played me Some Great Reward, and I was hooked. I typed out the lyrics to “Somebody” on his typewriter and hid them in my room like a love letter.
Ah, lyrics from “Somebody” are on the inside of my wedding ring. Favorite Mode album?
In my opinion, Violator is their all-around best, but Ultra, which doesn’t get a whole lot of love from DM fans, is the best produced. The one that had the most impact on me is arguably their worst: A Broken Frame. I’d listen to it over and over, and fall asleep to it every night. If I wasn’t completely out before “Shouldn’t Have Done That” came on, I’d have nightmares… that song still creeps me out!
Definitely their creepiest work. What was the inspiration behind your Lennon Contest-winner, “If It’s My Time To Go”?
The song started as a collaboration with my friend Caesar Filori of Wideband Network. I gave him a piano sketch, and he sent back a demo that was dense, rich, and very dark. The mood of that demo inspired the title, which I built the rest of the lyrics around. Though the subject matter is bleak, the tone is courageously optimistic.
The topic of death/loss is always a good one.
I can’t say that I’m personally that comfortable with death, but if I ever have to look it in the face, I hope I can be that clear-sighted about it. (The original mix of the song appears on Color Theory’s upcoming EP, Second Thoughts.)
I think the song is beautiful, and conveys the emotions of love and loss brilliantly. Best of luck in the next phase of voting, Brian. You’ve done your idols, Depeche Mode, very proud with Color Theory.
That’s very kind of you. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me.
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Download the song, “If It’s My Time To Go”, for free. If you’d like to vote for Color Theory in Phase 2 of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, go to colortheory.com/. Hear Color Theory’s Depeche Mode covers here!
Depeche Mode “Wrong”
March 2, 2009
Yes, I’m still a big mark for Depeche Mode, and their new song, “Wrong”, is oh-so-right. Here’s the music video:
Sample lyrics: “I was born with the wrong sign… I was in the wrong place, at the wrong time.. the wrong mix, in the wrong genes…”
Love it.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Song from “Acoustic” Show
February 26, 2009
YouTube finally accepted this video- it’s a song I wrote about one of my favorite things: sleep. “Back to Sleep” is the title, this is me and my band mate Marshall performing it on Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!
Below is a vid I stumbled upon after I posted/edited the above. This one was taken a year ago when we played in Richmond. I do a cool little “dance” move at the 2:20 mark. It’s pretty sweet.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
More Show Photos
February 16, 2009
I gotta mention that I got something wrong in a previous blog. It was Troy, Michigan that banned the mall condom display, not Troy, New York.
It has been corrected, my apologies to Troy, New York!
Hope everyone is having a great President’s Day. I still find myself smiling goofily in regard to Saturday night’s show. If you want to see more, check out Chad Van Pelt’s Flickr page. He always beats TMZ to the punch.
OK, it’s off to find an Abraham Lincoln costume to spice things up here on President’s Day. Wish me luck.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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