Getting My Chain Jerked, Part 2413….

So, the E.D. just called me (I had left a message with his office, asking him to get back to me with details about the Lord Mayor role)….

“Well, in the time since Alice called you, the playwright has decided to write the Lord Mayor out. So we won’t have one.”

Ah-ha.

Right, then. Chess Match auditions it is.

Frustration

So apparently, my announcement regarding the MARS situation has generated a 100+ message thread at RPGNet.

Several folks have forwarded me the link, and informed me that it’s rife with the usual “GMS is a big ol’ meany-head” vibe — including accusations of me “mudslinging” (despite the fact that I have named no names).

I have told each person who has forwarded the link, and I’m now making this general announcement: I will not be going there to read the thread. My blood pressure doesn’t need the stress of seeing shit about me and my company that I am barred from responding to, simply because the Powers-That-Be at RPGNet want to maintain my perma-ban, 2 years after the fact.

Having a lynchpin release held in limbo because of bullshit corporate strong-arming is bad enough, without added frustration.

Friday Music

Friday Music resumes it’s normal schedule — welcome to those new readers out there. Hope you like it.

First things first — I need to get this out of my brain. Since Heartland, it’s been impossible for me to hear this song without picturing and dancing to it: DJ Kool – “Let Me Clear My Throat.”

Speaking of , I scoured the Intarwebs looking for anything by the group she was talking about, The October Project. I finally found the following, hosted on the band’s own site. It’s very pretty, and I’m definately interested in checking out more stuff from them: The October Project – “Eyes of Mercy.”

On the subject of new music — Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has a solo album coming out next month, and tracks from it have been leaked. I’ve always been a fan of his compositions and his haunting voice, and it looks like this solo album will be on my must-purchase list. Thom Yorke – “Black Swan.”

I can’t mention “haunting voice” without thinking of Rufus Wainwright. This is one of my favorite songs from him, from his 2001 album, Poses. Rufus Wainwright – “Grey Gardens.”

We’ll shift gears to something more upbeat — and a track specifically for , in honor of her recent difficulties in catching the series finale. I’m a big fan of both electronica and spy-movie music, and this is a good mix of the two: Michael Giacchino – “Theme from Alias.”

A little bit of second-wave Ska to get your ass moving on a Friday, by my favorite band of that era: The English Beat — “Mirror in the Bathroom.” “Can I take you to a restaurant that’s got glass tables — you can watch yourself while you are eating…”

“Engine, Engine Number Nine, On the New York Transit line. If my train falls off the track — pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!” One of my top-5 hip-hop tracks of all time, and one that is forever locked into a time and place: singing along to it as it played at a tattoo parlor in the East Village, where the Jaffe brothers (the owners of the game company I was working for at the time) were getting new ink. BlackSheep – “The Choice is Yours (This or That).”

There you have it. More next week. Enjoy.