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Slipknot with Marilyn Manson and Harassment at Lakeview Amphitheater

I was so stoked that Slipknot had a show close to Rochester, at a new and supposedly really good venue.

Slipknot was one of the biggest bands on my bucket list to experience!

Plus, I was also excited that Marilyn Manson was touring with them, since he has a lot of good stuff out there... it would be cool to see him as well!

After hearing some horror stories of how popular shows at Lakeview can be a nightmare to get in and out of, I purchased a Slipknot VIP ticket to get early entry and be positioned right up front in the GA pit area.

Since I was going as a Slipknot VIP, I was like “what the heck -- why not go all out for this one?”....

So I spent about 10-15 minutes before leaving for the concert in front of a mirror drawing one of the Slipknot “S” logos on my forehead:

The timing worked out great when I got there...  Since there were only a relatively few VIPs that were there that early...

So I was able to get right up in front...

... That’s me right in front just to the left of the “Manson” license plate!

Marilyn Manson finally went on after some delay... wondering if he would be able to do the show after rumors of him being sick....

Apparently he had canceled his act in the show prior to this one.

And one of the ladies in line mentioned she was a nurse at a local hospital where she heard that Manson had called asking for a doctor to visit him and check him out.

So after a little wait Marilyn Manson started his set, despite whatever he was going through with his health... even taking oxygen between several of his songs.

One of the first few songs he played was “Disposable Teens”...

During that song he had some personal interaction with me... By placing his hand on my head as he was singing into the crowd.

You can’t necessarily see me in this video, but if you pay special attention to the time between 1:35 - 2:00 that’s when Manson is right in front of me...

(The video below will start at 1:20)

You probably didn’t notice, but right before stepping up to me, Manson swapped his microphone to his left hand and placed his right hand on my head.

I’m like “ok, cool.... Manson can use my head to help support himself as he leans into the crowd to...”

But just as I was finishing that thought....

Manson takes the thumb on his right hand, which is on my head, and rubs my forehead with it...

Effectively wiping off the Slipknot logo that was there....

A was a little disappointed that I had spent 10-15 minutes on it and it didn’t even make it to Slipknot’s set.

But “no harm no foul”  Right?

Then, two or three songs later when he’s performing “Dope Show,” Manson for some reason singles me out again and steps it up a notch...

Pay attention to this next video where Manson is right in front of me roughly between 3:00 - 3:40...

(Even though we’re pretty much centered in the camera - all the way down in the front... you can see a little better by looking at ‘big screen’ in the top-left of the video)

(The video starts at about 3:00)

Did you see or notice what he did?!

At bout 3:20 he turns around and leans over....

And I’m like “Ok, he’s probably going to get down or pander to the cameras that are in front of us...”

But then between 3:30 - 3:35 or so he jerks himself back into me sticking his rear end right into my face... not just once, but a few times...

And I thought I was bummed about the Slipknot logo!

After seeing the video, his movements and the look on his face as he’s doing this, I know for certain that he was 100% doing this on purpose...

It’s like “dude, I’m a fellow human being here...  No decency is there?”

Somehow that night I attracted the wrong part of Manson’s attention...

For some reason he singled me out, despite the 100’s of other people that were there right in the front of him too -- many of which were also noticeable Slipknot fans...

All that, even after the positive RollingStone’s article where things seemed to be pretty good between Marilyn Manson and Slipknot.

At the time I wasn’t going to do anything rash in retaliation to Manson....

Since I hadn’t seen Slipknot before and didn’t want anything to go the wrong way and be kicked out of the concert before Slipknot even went on.

(Plus, when it happened I wasn’t entirely sure that this was an intentional act, even though I got the ‘vibe’ or whatever that he was doing it purposefully - especially given the previous interaction!)

So, despite that I got through Manson’s set...

When Slipknot went on... they did not disappoint!

Saying how they like performing in the area, because every time they do they feel like they’re at home with the reception they get from their fans.

So it’s a good thing that Slipknot was as amazing as they were and worth the experience...

So much so that their performance is able to out-do the harassment of Marilyn Manson!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

Cliffhanger

Title: Cliffhanger

I'm on the edge
Barely hanging on
And you're just not
Satisfied with this!

I'll lose it...
It's all your fault!

You did all of this,
You put me here.
You pushed me to the edge!

Now I'm Holding on
Swaying on the edge
I've only got one hand
Can I maintain this?

Or lose it?...
It's all your fault!

You did all of this,
You put me here.
You pushed me to the edge,
And sent me over the edge!

But you're not satisfied
You want me gone
Stepping on my hands
Trying to make me fall...

I lose it...
It's all your fault!

You did all of this,
You put me here.
You pushed me to the edge,
And sent me over the edge!
Stepping on my fingers...

Do you ever learn?
This won't improve it
You don't like it when
I go off the edge...

And lose it...
It's all your fault!

You did all of this,
You put me here.
You pushed me to the edge
And sent me over the edge
Stepping on my fingers
Whenever I hold on!

 

Story-line conceived & written:
    7/26/2009
Section two modified slightly,
    refrain added after first
    three sections, & titled on:
    7/27/2009

 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This is 100% Original Material by Benjamin VanScoter, and is therefore:

© Coyright Benjamin VanScoter 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Use Without Prior Written And Signed Consent Is Against International And Domestic Laws.

So don't even try to use any part of this work!

If you want to refer to this work link to it using the Permalink (found below).

(This writing may or may not be based on anything factual or that has happened in Ben's life... and may be entirely fictional.)

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

Strung Out

Title: Strung Out

It's the violence
Of your silence
That's taking seed
Inside of me

And when it's born
It's like a thorn
That's cutting deep
From your mystique
By day and night
It's pulling tight
And strangles me
In the breeze

I'm letting go
Like all your clothes
Out on the line
Just like your crime
Left high and dry
With all your lies

 

Story-line conceived & written:
    6/6/2009
Section gaps & title created:
    7/27/2009

 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This is 100% Original Material by Benjamin VanScoter, and is therefore:

© Coyright Benjamin VanScoter 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Use Without Prior Written And Signed Consent Is Against International And Domestic Laws.

So don't even try to use any part of this work!

If you want to refer to this work link to it using the Permalink (found below).

(This writing may or may not be based on anything factual or that has happened in Ben's life... and may be entirely fictional.)

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

Final Release

Title: Final Release

I was just a child,
The pain was so real
Deep inside me
It rose up within
And as it grew
This anger found no release
Until I met you!

I'm burning inside out
I don't just melt
I'm like a jar of glycerine
The glass cracks
And shaders
Becoming the shrapnel
In your skin.

Sinking deeper,
Cutting further.
I'm the disease within
There's no escape -
It's time to amputate!
It's come to this,
The final release!

But Then you find
It was never me -
It was always you -
This is your heart,
Your own desires,
Set free in me,
Now nothing's left!

 

"Story-line" conceived & first
    two sections written:
    5/23/2008
Section two slightly modified:
    2/15/2009
Last two sections were
    written & edited:
    2/17/2009
Title assigned:
    7/27/2009

 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This is 100% Original Material by Benjamin VanScoter, and is therefore:

© Coyright Benjamin VanScoter 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Use Without Prior Written And Signed Consent Is Against International And Domestic Laws.

So don't even try to use any part of this work!

If you want to refer to this work link to it using the Permalink (found below).

(This writing may or may not be based on anything factual or that has happened in Ben's life... and may be entirely fictional.)

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

Thursday's Resuscitation To Common Existence

So as I was perusing my Facebook profile and going through all the bands that I'm fans of and checking up what's new with them... I came across something that was very exciting!

Some really great, long-awaited, news about Thursday's next release!

In exactly a week from when I am making this post, on February 17, 2009 Thursday is releasing their next CD... Common Existance... and as I have said before in a back-and-forth rebuttal with Keith and my own opinions I still remain very optimistic about this next CD release.

However, I am all the more eager for this upcoming CD release of Thursday's new CD Common Existence, because of the tracks that they have available for your listening pleasure on their MySpace page.

Before listening to these tracks, all I had heard of the stuff that they were going to be releasing was played in the background of interviews and touring promo vids... and to be honest, it made me lose a little hope in the direction that Thursday was going.

However, after listening to the released versions (on MySpace), all my hope and anticipation has been restored!

I can't wait for:

Common Existence

According to the discography the tracks that are currently available for listening to on MySpace are tracks #1 Resuscitation Of A Dead Man and #4 Friends In The Armed Forces... apparently Resuscitation Of A Dead Man is their digital single.

I discovered that Amazon MP3 had the song Resuscitation Of A Dead Man available for download free... I'm not sure if it's just a promo offer or anything... but you might be able to get it too!

Get Resuscitation Of A Dead Man FREE:

Resuscitation Of A Dead Man

I thought that was pretty awesome... to find a Thursday's single available for free...

In footage from Kill The House Lights Geoff said how cool he thought it was that back when they were just getting started people at the concerts knew their songs and liked the band... not because they bought their CD(s)... but because they downloaded their music from file-sharing networks.

And even though A City By The Light Divided seemed to turn off a lot of fans from Thursday I think that Common Existance might have the potential to bring many back!

I think I mentioned this before but will again here... that I initially wasn't too keen on A City By The Light Divided, but the more I listen to it the more I like it and see how it really pulls together much of their previous work.

So as it seems still -- at least so far to me, my previous prediction of Thursday not being dead (yet) still stands!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

New Hidden Mars Edit feature

MarsEdit

I know it's been a while since I've last posted anything on this blog, but I've got something really cool to share...

I'm usually not one that gets too involved with too much software by submitting bug reports and being whiney and cry about features that I think are missing or to diss software outright without giving it a chance (sorry Microsoft you've had your chances and missed them all! -- Not a big fan)

But I digress...

As you might already have noticed I'm a fairly large fan of MarsEdit, the amazing Mac blog publishing application... and I made a feature request of a sort on the MarsEdit forum.

The request was due to having a certain setting in Blogger that I had that wasn't really average, and was messing up how Blogger and MarsEdit interacted causing the format of my posts to get a little messed up.

Specifically my problem was:

... the line break tags disappear and are substituted with a hard return when the posts are imported into MarsEdit.

I have Blogger's "Convert line breaks" setting (in Settings > Formatting) set as "No" to take advantage of more advanced layout options that can be achieved through MarsEdit.

I can't remember what release I noticed they started to disappear, but I've been secretly hoping somehow it'd get fixed...

And maybe now that I've mentioned this hopefully it will be sooner!

[The developer] probably automatically assume[s] that Blogger blogs won't have that option on, and to keep Blogger from adding line break tags after every line - even if there is already a line break tag at the end of the line... which was a Blogger integration bug that was in one of the earlier releases of MarsEdit as I recall.

And having to redo the formatting every time I wanted to update a post or view and copy a section from one post to another was a little annoying... so I provided my point-of-view to the developer of MarsEdit, Daniel Jalkut through the MarsEdit Forum.

I wasn't necessarily expecting a whole lot, just hoping that he might do something to fix it or show me some other way to work with the little inconvenience I was having regarding MarsEdit... It was really no biggie!

He did get back to me on the forum rather quickly with a response and saw that there was something he could do to the app that might help out.

After hearing very little in the meantime, even after a software update that happened a long time ago, I was curious if Daniel already implemented the change or was considering it for a future release.

And as it turns out...

Yes, it's true you can make a difference in the programs you love!

Daniel had implemented a hidden feature in MarsEdit for the ultimate compatibility with Blogger blogs that have the "Convert line breaks" setting set to "No"!

Here's all you have to do:

1. Quit MarsEdit if it's open.
2. Open Terminal.app on your mac (Application/Utilities/Terminal.app)
3. Copy the following:

   defaults write com.red-sweater.marsedit DisableBloggerMarkupMassage -bool YES

4. Paste that line (one single non-carriage-return line) into the Terminal window
5. Then hit the return key
6. Open MarsEdit
7. Then for each of your Blogger blogs that you have do the following:
   1. Select the blog so that it's highlighted in blue in the list on the left blog list
   2. If the blog's Preview Text Filter setting (accessed through the toolbar's "Show Settings" button and in the "Composing" tab for the blog's settings) isn't set to "None", change it to "None"
      [click OK after checking &/or changing]
   3. Then when the blog is still selected / highlighted on the left, click on the "Refresh" button in the toolbar (the circular blue arrow)
8. See the changes

Now your Blogger blogs - when they're reloaded - will have the <br /> tags intact when opening the Post for Editing, and will also render previews correctly when you select a post.

NOTE: This setting affects all Blogger blogs in MarsEdit, it isn't a blog-specific setting but is universal in that regard... So make sure you have all your Blogger blogs in MarsEdit to have the "Convert line breaks" setting set to "No" when you use this special hidden feature!

It would be cool if someone else can benefit from this new feature too... hey, I know:

Why not let me know if you like this feature or use it by leaving a comment below?!

Also, give tons of thanks to Daniel Jalkut the MarsEdit developer for implementing this new hidden feature!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

Underoath's Set List (Oct. 28)

For those of you wondering about what Underoath played for the concert in Rochester, I'll include it here!

(This is to the best of mostly Keith's recollection and I think it's fairly accurate!)

1. Breathing In A New Mentality [Lost In The Sound Of Separation | CD/DVD]
2. In Regards To Myself [Define The Great Line]
3. Young and Aspiring [They're Only Chasing Safety]
4. It's Dangerous Business walking out your front door [They're Only Chasing Safety]
5. Emergency Broadcast The End Is Near [Lost In The Sound Of Separation | CD/DVD]
6. I Don't Feel Very Receptive Today [They're Only Chasing Safety]
7. Your Ever So Inviting [Define The Great Line]
8. The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed [Lost In The Sound Of Separation | CD/DVD]
9. A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White [They're Only Chasing Safety]
10. Desolate Earth The End Is Here [Lost In The Sound Of Separation | CD/DVD]
11. Returning Empty Handed [Define The Great Line]
12. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures [Lost In The Sound Of Separation | CD/DVD]

---

13. Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear [Lost In The Sound Of Separation | CD/DVD]
14. Writing on the Walls [Define The Great Line]

This is quite an awesome set that Underoath played!

What totally makes it killer was that they played In Regards To Myself and Desolate Earth :: The End Is Near!

I wasn't sure if they would play Desolate Earth :: The End Is Near, but they did and it was amazing!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

Underoath Concert At Rochester's Water St. Music Hall

Underoath

This last Tuesday Keith and I both went to another Underoath concert... It had been about a year since we went to the last Underoath concert in Buffalo. And much like that last Underoath concert that we both considered an insane concert, this concert was likewise totally CRAZY!!!

It was nice that this concert was a whole lot closer to home, and didn't have spend all that time traveling and worry about getting tired.

The Water Street Music Hall was totally packed out - though it's probably more on the smaller size of venues.

It was a really cold wait to get inside, that when inside the heat generated by so many people in such a small space was better than being in the cold...

And it sure didn't take too long until I was sweating enough that all my clothes - even the hoodie I was wearing - were soaked all the way through.

Keith and I were able to squeeze our way to the very front by the time Underoath was playing the first few songs!

The openers for Underoath were person L, The Devil Wears Prada, and Saosin - in that order.

I thought that this was a really good line-up of bands and was a really fun and highly entertaining concert!

person L was pretty decent for a first opener.

The Devil Wears Prada was naturally quite a bit better and more entertaining.

Saosin was pretty awesome! I hadn't heard much, if any, of Saosin's stuff before and could probably get into them! They have a good style.

And finally, of course, Underoath totally killed!

Maybe, it's because their latest CD was amazing and couldn't be any more perfect, or they seemed entirely more cheery and with their game as it seemed to me...

But this is definitely a tour that you don't want to miss Underoath on!

I thought it was really awesome that when a girl who was crowd-surfing made her way to the front - without security noticing to catch her - that Tim McTague (Underoath's lead guitarist), noticed her, stopped playing, jumped down from the stage and caught her!

How cool is that!

Sure security made it there to help just as Tim caught the girl, but that was .... well ... AMAZING he did that!

It was such a great and exciting time, that I nearly passed out twice - probably from dehydration.

The first time was right before Underoath started playing right at the end of Saosin's set... I had to get out of the crowd up in the front and get some water and a breather at the bar.

In fact as I was pushing my way out of the crowd my vision was all fuzzy and stuff, and when I was at the bar I had to forcibly keep myself from throwing-up a few times!

The second time I almost passed out, was at the end of Underoath's set, after the "one more song" chant...

Where in fact Underoath played two songs because it had been so long since they were last around.

Keith had to get security's attention to pull me up and out from behind the crowd-control-barrier right when Underoath was playing their very last song.

I wasn't feeling as terrible as I did the first time, but I didn't want to push myself into something that could've been terrible!

Despite all the drama that I encountered it definitely was well worth it all to see Underoath and these bands play!!

So go and see Underoath when they're near you next time and drink plenty of water before the concert - you'll need it!!

Check Out Underoath's Set List Here!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

This Man Is A Financial GOD!

Warren Buffett is one of the greatest financial minds around to this day.

His financial intellect has been the pedestal for many years on which the US's economy has stood upon and managed to weather and successfully pull through many financial struggles.

This interview alone reveals in part, and thoroughly, just exactly the depth and breadth his understanding of business, investment, and the economy truly is...

And just how much anyone who really wants to truly be financially smart, really doesn't compare.

Throughout this interview one cannot help but to simply be amazed at Buffett's business-investment knowledge...

In everything from marketing concepts to making the sales to managing the people and finances of a company.

As well as anything from really understanding the financial position of a company at the present to seeing how that and various key factors translate into the growth or demise of the same company.

The interview below is a must-watch for anyone that wants to learn how to make money, and do so in any way that is profitable.

I have recently been through my share of economics, accounting, and business finance classes through my career as a college student and can fairly say that I have an above average understanding of finances...

But as a business-person and future investor (however, currently with minimal investments) I can still say that I sincerely have a far ways to go before I can compare to a fraction of a degree to what Buffett knows about business, investment and the economy (and/or economic factors).

I have been a student of Buffet and would strongly recommend anyone who wants to be financially successful to study everything that Warren Buffet says and does.

All it takes is less than an hour to watch the interview below (and much less time than that) to see quite simply what makes Warren Buffet a financial god! More specifically, the grand extent to which his financial wisdom is so comprehensive, and why he is one of the most important financial people to study!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

More Bill O'Reilly Goodness! (Or Lack Of)

After my previous post on Bill O'Reilly Mixing It Up, Marc Andreessen - who I heard about this from - had discovered some more great videos.

I have to include this particular parody, because it's just so darned funny! Funnier than the video of Bill O'Reilly Mixing It Up....

(Same Disclaimers as before...)

NOTE: I'm not a big Bill O'Reilly Fan (or at all), and don't really watch whatever he's on... but these are funny - right, I said that already - so here they are:

CAUTION: These videos include some mature language... several "f-bombs" so be forewarned! (Partly what makes it so funny!)

And here's an extra special treat...

An amazing news-item-story by Stephen Colbert, of the Colbert Report - great stuff!

This is worthwhile for some great background on the actual Bill O'Reilly clip and offers yet another great parody of the 'Bill O'Reilly incident':

Just some relief to the mundane!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.

My MySpace Profile Is Open

I finally made my MySpace profile public. If you want you can check it out at www.myspace.com/bvanscoter...

I think I out-did myself with the cool theme that I applied to it... I created the images and decided to go with a Bleach theme for it (at least for now).

I'm a little into that show!

I really like how this video puts together a bunch of scenes from Bleach to some killer music:

Bleach - Ichigo's Resolve

As well, I thought this video was quite sweetly put together... because it goes so well with the story-line of the series:

Bleach - Red September

After having my profile closed to public viewing so I could get it all themed properly with CSS and what-not... I finally made my profile public.

Which means you can view my profile without any limitations right now!

And while you're at it go ahead and add me as a friend!

Click Here To Read The Full Article By Itself.