The Savage Animal 07.02.08: Off Stage Antics and Hobbies
Posted by Mikey MiGo on 07.02.2008
In this week’s Savage Animal, 411’s Mikey MiGo takes a look at some of his favorite musician’s off stage hobbies. Did you know Maynard James Keenan made wine? And you thought “Sober” was about booze…
I hit up The Pearl Room in Mokena, IL this past weekend for the Mushroomhead show. I really understand now what it means for a band to just coast a long. Their music was very well received, but the band's energy and performance seemed fake and cold. I'm not even a fan of the music style that opener, Nerve Damage brings to the table but you can easily see and feel their energy. They worked for the crowd to care and move. Same with the other supporting acts. Fashion Bomb put on easily one of the best shows I've seen them have. Their new music is killer and I can't wait to be able to drop a review of the album once it's released. The new tunes are way more layered, intricate, and a step forward which is rare these days for metal bands. The new cover of Tori Amos's "Crucify" is so well done that it's not out of place at a show like this. That's pretty bad ass.
RAW was interesting to say the least. I'm not, and nor have I ever been a fan of CM Punk and that goes back WAY farther than any Ring of Honor stuff. Good for him that he won, but I don't think he's a believable champ and I'm sure he'll be transisitional. Just because I don't like him at all doesn't mean I don't think he COULD get to the level he needs to be at, but right now he's bland, boring, and if you wanted to create him on WWE Attitude for PSone you'd might as well just go with "Default". It's sorta cool seeing Kofi as the IC Champ and the 2nd Gen. as Tag, but there's this really bizarre feel to RAW this week. It felt like they didn't want to bring the roster in and only brought around 15 guys with them to the show. It had a really drawn out pace and I mean that in a uncomfortable way, not in a suspenseful one. I was really digging the product, but I'm left with my hands in the air this week. Hopefully it'll gel as the weeks progress.
OFFSTAGE AND NOTHING TO DO. Life Away From The Stage And The Things We Have In Common.
We all love them because they make great music that either touches our lives, makes us rock out, or both. Still these are normal people and have to do something with their times when they're not on stage. Musicians are people too; people with disposable incomes and the ability to have weird hobbies. Some times these hobbies would be careers or dreams for other people. But for these millionaire musicians it's just another notch to their belts. When we're let into the lives of these celebrities we always try to pretend we know what their lives are like. We pay attention to trainwreck celebs and forget about our lives. But what about when the musicians need to take a break too?
Sure some are booze hounds, video game junkies, junkie junkies, or just do the normal stereotypical rockstar thing. Then there are some who have interesting and creative hobbies. We see that so and so enjoys the same thing we like and there's another connection you have to being as famous as those who already are. Today we're going to take a look at some of the hobbies my personal favorite musicians have.
Name: Flea
Off Stage Antic: Actor
The 411: A musician is an actor? Normally that wouldn't be THAT interesting, yet Flea is a much different case. Flea has been in some of the best movies of our generation and often goes unnoticed because he blends into his roles so well. Even though he didn't like the films, he had a small role in both "Back to the Future II" and "III". But more importantly he was in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" AND he was one of the nihilists in "The Big Lebowski". Can you really do much better than that? Even with small roles, Flea's work always helps the project and never takes away from it. Go rewatch those movies and look out for his contributions. You'll laugh at yourself for missing him.
Name: Alice Cooper
Off Stage Antic: Golf
The 411: Surprisingly enough to many long time metal heads, this shock rock icon is an avid golfer. He has credited his love for golf to be a major reason why he's kicked his alcohol addiction. His 2007 autobiography is even titled "Alice Cooper, Golf Monster". He even goes as far as using this hobby as a charitable function as he's had and has participated in a lot of fundraiser tournaments. He keeps playing six days a week and keeps getting a bigger and bigger reputation about his playing. It's just sorta crazy that the man known for blood, guts, severed limbs, and other acts of offensive goodness is on the course just about everyday honing his swing. If he's half as dedicated to this passion as his music one then he could easily turn some heads. Questioning if he's crazy enough would be redundant.
Name: Maynard James Keenan
Off Stage Antic: Wine making
The 411: Maynard's family made wine in Italy and now Keenan makes it in Arizona. MJK owns Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars in Page Springs/Cornville, Arizona. Apparently "Merkin" is a public wig, while "Caduceus" is an ancient symbol for commerce. He's got other stuff going on like his acting (Mr. Show!) and his LA restaurant, but to me his wine situation is the most interesting. Being a wine lover myself, it's pretty cool to know there's awesome people like Maynard out there who share this passion.
Name: Marilyn Manson
Off Stage Antic: Watercolors
The 411: Like Maynard, Manson works with alcohol. For Manson, it's his awesome brand of absinthe called "Mansithe". While it's a great product that I can personally vouch for, his watercolor paintings are what are more interesting to me. Probably to many hater's surprise, Manson's art is really unique and awesome. He has held openings, been displayed, and has gotten his art out there in normal ways outside of his CD packaging which has been pretty damn good. My favorite of his work is his painting of Mickey Mouse. I doubt I'll ever be able to afford any of his originals, but I'd love to get my hands on a print or two. If you've not checked out his work, I highly suggest giving it a go.
Name: Jay Z
Off Stage Antic: Part NBA Franchise Owner
The 411: Jay Z is one of the owners of NBA's New Jersey Nets. He OWNS A BASKETBALL TEAM. That is fucking awesome. Say what you want about the guy, but as a sports fan you can't deny you've never said "If I owned the team, I would do this…". Well, Sean Carter is doing that. He may just be an investor of a few million dollars, but he wants to move the team to Brooklyn. It's not happened yet and may never, but the guy owns a basketball team. THAT is "big pimpin".
What hobbies do YOU share with your favorite musicians?
MY "DEFINITELY, MAYBE" REVIEW IN 411 WORDS OR LESS
I recently sat down and watched this Ryan Reynold's romcom with hopes that it wouldn't be stereotypical and cliché' garbage. The trailer did have me worried, but it ended up being a well written and well done story. It was way more realistic and mature than I had expected. Abigail Breslin surprised me and wasn't all "Little Miss Sunshine". She was just a normal little girl and her character helped move the story along. Isla Fisher is officially my pick for coolest chick ever. She picks awesome parts and makes me care about her character more than looks as many other actresses do. She's hott as hell, but wins you completely over with her personality. If I were on a larger level of filmmaking I'd totally want to work with her. Woody Allen needs to snatch her up and give her some real material to work with. Still, the one who shines the most in this movie is Reynolds. A friend of mine recently said that if Vince Vaughn is the new Bill Murray then Reynolds is the new Chevy Chase. Chase peaked with his National Lampoon roles; I really don't think Reynolds was even close to peaking in Van Wilder. Still, since then he's been picking interesting roles and isn't catering to a mass crowd. His work here is a perfect example of that. Don't let the marketing fool you, this is not your typical romcom and has some genuine good here.
That's all for this week. I've entered the "redub" level of post production, which means I'm just about done with this beast. It's been a long time coming, but we're finally approaching a finished product eight months after casting the first girl and going on 3 years after writing it. It's a great feeling to be ALMOST there and will be even better once we get there. That seems to be the biggest and currently most important item on my plate. Until next time… Have a Great Week!
