theoneandonlyjoetrohman

Here's what I've learned thus far:

 

-Shanghai isn't that old, only about 150 years in fact. Most everything looks pretty new. Delicious dim sum is easy to find, and found it was. This city is definitely larger than New York.

 

-Peppermint tea is great for stomach problems. I think I always knew that, but for some reason I had to use the internet to remind myself.

 

-The internet is extremely slow here, and all social networking websites are definitely blocked here (aka Twitter and then some).

 

-I thought that since I started Michael Clayton 30 minutes in that I just didn't get it, and that I would have to pay attention real hard so I could figure it out and enjoy it. That's not the case at all in fact. Turns out the movie just sucks. It's between this and Kid N' Play: Class Act. 

 

 

 

I've recently landed in Shanghai. Twitter and it's 3rd part applications seem not to work here, unless the site is completely down, and considering it has been my main mode of "blogging", the internerd in me has decided to revert back to this bad boy until I can get back on my e-feet.

 

As far as I can tell, this is a gigantic city, regardless of statistics one can find documented, when you actually take an eyeful of this place, it's enormous. Living in NYC now, very few skylines compare, but Shanghai surely does. I'm not even going to look up numbers, but knowing how huge the population in China is, this might be a larger city than all 5 boroughs combined.

 

The weather is toasty, reminds me of summers in Japan, extremely hot and humid. My internal clock is murdered. I slept a lot on the flight, and was hoping to catch an extra hour in my hotel room, but that isn't going to happen. The plan for today, aside from my personal regimen, is to explore. I plan on going to a dumpling house for lunch, as dumplings might be on the top of my list of favorite things to eat, and China might be the best place to consume them.

 

I'm very excited to be here. China has been on my list of places to visit for a long time. The government is allowing Fall Out Boy to make a TV performance/appearance, play a live show, and release our record(s) here. If you aren't aware, it's kind of a gigantic deal, so we had to take the opportunity. Aside from that, I'm just really glad to be here. It's revitalizing in a way, to go somewhere completely new that you've wanted to visit your whole life.

 

It's nice to have more than 140 characters to work with, but don't expect this to be a reverting to the "old" days. Once I can tweet again, tweet I will.

 

Setting: Nagoya, Japan
Time: 7:30 am
Soundtrack: AC/DC 'Live at Atlantic Studios'

I was set to wake up at 8:30 am so I could make some phone calls, shower and get down to the lobby to catch a train for Tokyo. At around 5:45 am there were about 10 different sirens going off, circling the area around the hotel. That woke me up pretty well. Falling back asleep was a pipe dream. I "slept" from there until 6:30, then decided it was over. I'm dreading how tired I will be all day, but I can only assume that I'll have to sleep every chance I get today.

Shows have been great. Thanks for keeping the dream alive Japan. Not sure what that dream is anymore, but nevertheless the shows have been feeling incredible. You guys/gals/transgenders rule!

I have eaten some bizarre shit since I've been here, some of which I can only imagine may get me in hot water with someone(s). Let's just say that I didn't know certain things could be eaten raw, nor did I know certain things could be eaten. What an epicurean adventure! Last night, Brian Diaz, AJ, and myself inhaled about 50 of Nagoya's famous wings in less than 2 minutes on our own accord. Kadaver ate 1. Tonight? Who knows. Maybe a feast of many different items. Tomorrow? Possibly the world's only 3 Michelin starred sushi restaurant.

If you live in the Chicago or NYC area and want to see the short film THE LAUNDRY directed by Alex Beh, and produced by myself, read below:

Feb 5th- Angels and Kings Chicago
Feb 12- Angels and Kings NYC

Both will benefit the organization FALLING WHISTLES, a charity that exists to bring attention to the war in the Congo and the children being abducted forced into warfare. Visit FALLINGWHISTLES.COM to learn more and to donate.

Vists ANGELSANDKINGS.COM and follows the links to the respective Chicago and NYC sites to get more info on the screenings. We hope to see you there.

About all of this?

Computer screens have allowed us the anonymity to express our disgust freely (even if it's unnecessary to do so). I back it, at times. Often though, it's frivolous and remarkably childish.

Psyched to see those of you with a positive outlook on life, and a love for going to a good, old fashioned show, on tour this spring. It's going to rule, no doubt about it, regardless of the naysaying.

Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.

http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

For those of you who asked for more info on this, read this article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011303264.html

I enjoy the stimulating and thought provoking conversation that comes along with some of these blog posts. It's good to read/hear your thoughts on things, outside of growing sideburns and who's the cutest blippity blah blah blah. Kudos to all of you participating. It's really fun for me, and really makes me happy to hear some cool points of view and very intelligent feedback. Smart people you are. Don't negate that with internet lingo, I believe in your aptitude for the better!

And yes, I read ALL of your comments. And yes, I do sometimes call people out, but it isn't often, and usually it's friendly warfare or just a slight nudge of a wake up call, but nothing to blow your top off over. I don't really care about what I write, I care about what you guys have to say. So say it, and don't be afraid to. Just try to think past the petty. That's all I ask.

Am I the only one who is sick of people constantly writing 'FAIL' in response to almost everything because it doesn't meet their criterion? Fuck it, put me down for 'FAIL', always. I prefer the human quality of imperfection, and truly do love to constantly be reminded of how perfect everyone pretends they are.

Imperfect and proud of it.

By the way, is it an insult to an actress/actor if they have that 'It's Pat!' look to them and therefore sometimes play a man, and sometimes play a women in certain roles? Or is that just the roll of the dice?The way it goes? Their lot in life?

As those of you know, I posted before about a short film I produced called 'The Laundry', about airing one's dirty laundry so to speak, written/directed by and starring Alex Beh with Tony Hale, Joel Nunez, Michael Hobert, Colleen Camp, Brian Pestos, Brian King and Hanie Lynch.

We did a very successful screening in LA, as well as a follow up screening in Nashville that went off without a hitch.

Some of you had complained there was no Chicago screening. Well guess what? I have some good news for you:

Feb. 5th at Angels and Kings Chicago-Screening of 'The Laundry'

and

Feb. 12th at Angels and Kings NYC-Screening of the 'The Laundry'

How wonderful! Keep checking angelsandkings.com, and follow the links to the respective bar's website to find out more info as it unfolds. We hope to see you there. I'll post more info as it comes in.

As it has been said in 'Gladiator'-"Are you not entertained?!".

story (n)-a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.

Bring the drama down, maybe from 10 to negative 16. There's an entertaining, interesting story out there. Enjoy it. There's no more juice to squeeze out of this lemon. Learn this following word, and apply it:

satisfaction (n)-an act of satisfying; fulfillment; gratification.

Wheezing an asthmatic cough. I have thus arrived. Re-arrived. I'm back in tow I suppose. Anyway, hope everyone had a great holiday. Mine was the usual. I spent time with the family, exchanged a few gifts, ate way too much, then accrued serious water damage in our house from melting snow. The usual. Lil Marie and I had to do a post holiday Home Depot excursion to get something known, only to those who are true workmen, as a "wet vac". This "wet vac" ate all the poo colored snow water that came in from the busted roof. Busted roof. Could be worse though. There could be a venomous dino-raptor with 18 razor sharp toe claws flying an armor plated spruce moose covered in matches and turpentine right into my face, while blasting "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" at decibels of up to 80,000.

I recently became less geriatric. I figured out this whole 'Twitter' business. 'Twitter' me (is that how one says it?) at www.twitter.com/trohman. Shit, no shit, shit. I like updating things per sentence. So lazy and simple.

Hope everyone likes our new record. Well, I know not EVERYONE is going to like it. But let's be honest with ourselves, everyone should like it. And needs to. Not only is it a musical orgasm to the ears, nose and mouth, but it also has been proven to have long lasting side effects such as:

-Awesome hand
-Smile tooth
-Hair scalp
-Foot toes
-Deodorization
-Firmware update 4.7

These effects tend to make people happy, sad, rich, poor, dirty, clean and sometimes hungry. None of this is proven. Except for the music-gasm. That is totally true, proven and wonderful. In all seriousness though, I hope you're as happy with our new record as we are. Despite the bullshit slung by seasoned, and not so seasoned, reviewers, you do have the power to come to your own conclusions as to whether or not you like something. Trust me, I rely on too many movie reviews to tell me what movies to see, and often get disappointed. I stopped reading music reviews a long time ago, because often times reviews ruin my ability to listen to music objectively. Keep that in my when listening to anything. Or watching anything. Remember, when writing a review, most people have already decided what they want to say before hearing or watching something. That's not unlike human nature, to have a pre-disposed notion as to what you like or don't like before giving it a chance. It's just dangerous.

Cell phones. Mine resets in the middle of phone calls. It's brand new. People who I need to get in contact with never pick up their phones, and call back when it's wayyyy too late. That's partly because people totally blow, sometimes, most of the time, but not always. I guess you It would be nice if my phone receives the e-mails it's supposed to get. I get doubles of junk mail about enlarging my testicle girth, yet misses out on messages of merit. It does cost me a lot to have and frustrates me to the point of constant migraines. So fuck those things.

TV: mindnumbingly idiotic. Except for maybe 3 shows. Monster Quest will never discover a real monster. But TVs themselves look real nice I guess. I think I own 3 that are just there for decoration.

Computers seems great. The internet exists on these things. The internet has videos. Videos, hilarious, sexy or informative. They make everyone rock hard, boy or girl alike. And then guess what? Some god damn firmware, wormware, crappy update comes up, and all of the sudden your Powerbook is equivalent to an Apple 2e or a 1991 Compaq Presario. It's not even fast enough to stream the "Dramatic Chipmunk" video with accompanying music by Parry Gripp. That thing is hilarious!

Just kidding guys, I love gadgets! And people! And TV! And chocolate chips.

As Fall Out Boy took a good 6-7 months off prior to making a new record, I spent that time working on various projects. One in particular was a script for a short film written by a friend of mine, Alex Beh. We have been good friends since the days of high school (yep, I actually kept one friend I went to high school with), and we linked back up around this past summer, and I read this script of his. Needless to say, I feel in love with it from the moment I read once through. I wanted to help him make this movie, 'THE LAUNDRY'.

'THE LAUNDRY' was written, directed by, and stars Alex Beh, as well as a lot of friends who lent a helping hand:

Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Stranger Than Fiction)
Colleen Camp (Apocalypse Now, Die Hard With A Vengeance)
Joel Nunez (Superbad, 40 Year Old Virgin)
Michael Hobert (Scrubs)
Brian Pestos
Brian King
Hanie Lynch

We are doing a special private screening Thursday, December 4th at 8pm. It will be located at:

The Stronghold
800 East 3rd Street
Los Angeles

And its FREE!

All $2 PBR Proceeds go to the non-profit/cause FALLING WHISTLES (www.fallingwhistles.com) which benefits fallen child soldiers in the Congo.

I'm very proud of this film, and honestly, all I did was get the ball rolling. The names you see above, they are the ones who really made it what it is. And I hope you get the opportunity to come out to the screening. I'd truly appreciate if you could make it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And if you want a taste of what's to come, check out a film Alex made prior to 'THE LAUNDRY' called 'SUGAR' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPmS-AOxUhI

It's another great short.

Over and out with the shameless plug...

A year ago yesterday we played a secretly small show in Buffalo, New York. On that night, we played a certain Pantera cover with a certain Keith Buckley. I remember smashing a cake in his face that night. And why? Because it was his birthday that very day. Which only means, that yesterday was Keith Buckley's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!

Go to his blog, wish him the same. He's one of the best dudes I know, hands down, and one of my closest friends. He had a tour birthday, and those are never the best, so I think it'd mean a lot to him to hear some genuine birthday wishes.

why is montreal so forgotten? you came in canada few weeks ago for a show in toronto. why not montreal? Panic did the same thing with the rock band tour and gym class too! i mean i drove all day long to go to toronto to see the panic's show and it was awesome but i think that the crowd is much better in montreal! we rock the place! :D ... so that's it! why is montreal so forgotten?

So there were a lot of "why don't you come to ______ anymore?" questions.

The show we did in Canada was for Much Music, so it wasn't really part of a tour necessarily, and when we do a US/Canada tour, we always hit Montreal. We've been off forever, so other than just doing a European tour, there's an infinite amount of places we need to hit and will when we get some more tours together in 2009. Montreal is definitely not forgotten. Touring in North America has just not happened yet. Patience is a virtue. No idea why other bands aren't playing there, that definitely has nothing to do with FOBs touring schedule, and vice versa. Basically, expect us in Montreal and wherever else you feel neglected. We'll be there.

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Okay - got one. If you could pick one thing from childhood that you could make it okay to do as an adult, what would it be?

Nose picking. It cleans the nostrils.

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Do you watch "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"? What do you think of it? And who's your favorite character (mine's Charlie).


Yes I do. I also love Charlie, his freak outs, the fact he can't read and his huffing of fumes are always hilarious. Frank is also pretty amazing. Bang maid.

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http://www.myspace.com/fueledbykiwis
W ill you support this and help us out?

Already did. Now it's other people's turn. Click the link above and support the flightless fowl.

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How would you deal with an arrogant asswipe who is constantly making fun of you because you're near legally blind?

I'm also legally blind. I have to say he's probably jealous he doesn't have an ailment to fall back on like we do. I don't like calling it legal blindness. I call it 'Permanent Sunglasses'. Bullies, naysayers and negators are hard to deal with. I've dealt with them in the past and still do to this day. The best is to try not to loose your confidence. Obviously this person is very insecure and gains momentary security by picking on what he/she considers to be your flaws. Gain some sort of solace in knowing you're better than this douce because you are a person of self worth that doesn't need to pick on someone to get some sort of fake and fleeting confidence. This person will have a lonely future, trust me.

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If you could unhinge your jaw and swallow things whole like a snake-- what delicious giant treat would you eat first?

Pfft, everything obviously. I wouldn't discriminate what I eat, like I do now with my un-hingeable jaw.

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why do atm's have braile? i mean, if you are blind, you can't see the screen so you wouldn't know what button to press in the first place. so what's the point in that???

So the blind can take out money. I'm sure the braille gives enough info for someone to remove funds from their checking/savings account. That's why the braille is there, because in fact, people who are blind can't see the screen. Plus there is an audio option to accompany the braille, so the blind know exactly what's going on. Seems like there's a point to me!


This was fun, lot's of questions for sure. I picked what I thought we're some of the more interesting ones. I'll know to answer more if they keep pouring in. Otherwise, I'll go back to the same old same old.

Ask some questions. I'll answer my favorites. I'll post 'em on here. No big deal.

Real quick, saw AC/DC at the Garden two nights ago. When dudes that old rock harder than most in their 20s, you wonder what happened to the current state rock and roll. Then again, we're talking about Angus Young here, quite a bar to set I suppose. Set list was impeccable, production was pretty amazing, and it was the loudest show I've ever been to.

Oh what a day. I flew from LA back to NYC in the past few days and made sure to acquire a brand new cold. It solidifies the jokes made about my immune system in the past, that it's been constructed for an 80 year old man and place in a 24 year olds body. Planes are the new Greyhounds, the dirty dogs if you will. There was a time when people would get dressed up to fly, it was an event, it was fun, you could comfortably stretch you legs out, expect a decent meal and maybe a few cocktails before falling asleep on a relatively clean and somewhat comfortable chair that actually reclined. No more are the comforts of past travel. Modern travel is more medieval than ever before. You know how you get delayed an extra 45 minutes because they are cleaning the cabin of the plane? I wonder what kind of cleaning devices they are truly using, because it seems to me they either don't do a thing, or they have poop scented Fe-breeze that they mix with yellow snot that they then proceed to spray everywhere, just so it not only smells great, but there is no way of ever feeling healthy post flight. I suppose being stuck in a cabin with no air flow and some highly suspect hygiene (my own included) could also be the cause. Either way, flying already sucks now without getting sick. And I'm too prone to sickness. I need an immune system transplant. Can I borrow yours?

I saw 'Let The Right One In' last night. For those of you who need a reminder:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/lettherightonein/

I sought out a showing of this flick, and found the answer at an indie theater (sort of ) in SoHo. I enjoyed it a lot, minus the crowd's DVD commentary. It was equally horrific as it was captivating. There was more than just hints of romanticism and innocent, budding love as well. There were welcome campy moments, but an and all, it's really nice to see the vampire genre re-defined, and done well. I recommend it if you don't mind subtitles.


So, I've been jamming out the new the Finale song up on their myspace (myspace.com/thefinalemusic). Really fucking good, and I want to give it up to the whole band for making something just for my ears, but seemingly for everyone else's as well. It's great to hear a side of Keith that isn't what we are used to from him. The dude can fucking sing, and he is a prolific writer. It's truly worth getting into.

Also, I was trolling about iTunes and discovered that Cruiserweight put out a newish record (Big Bold Letters, is the album). I've always liked that band. They always have a way with catchy. They've been around the block, so I'm not trying to give them any sort of introduction here. Just real stoked on their new stuff.

That's about it. Shit.

There's a much better, way newer and extremely prolific blog-o-rama on the horizon. All signs point to Keith Buckley.

http://www.friendsorenemies.com/web/foe/journals/keithbuckley/entry/3346851/

Now that I feel I can really, truly, positively, scream from the top of my lungs that "I love America!" once more, I was thinking of re-assessing my views on wearing American flag apparel. I'm over caring about how I present myself as far as the world of style goes. I wan't to start representing my true beliefs, that I'm in love with this country all over again. And the best way for me to start, is dying my hair red, white and blue, getting a bald eagle shirt (not made from real bald eagle, just depicting one, soaring majestically through the sky, feeling that post-colonic light feeling that we all strive for), and maybe just some straight blue paints, with some flag adorned sneakers. It's like America and I have been married for a long time, and things got stale, and one day America said "Let's go to Hawaii baby, let's get married again", and he held out a very beautiful ring (aka a flask of hope in the form of a new Presidential-Elect), and I couldn't help but accept. Now all I want to do is flaunt my new, crisp, re-dedicated love for this country in the form of some serious red, white and blue apparel. But seriously, proud of this country. We did the right thing when it counted. I know I'm late on this one, but that's how I feel now that some of the insanity has blown over and I can get a clearish grip on things.

Let's do a 360 degree turn. Let me non-sequitur us to cable television. I have not had a cable tv in Chicago for almost 5 months now. I assume to an extent, it's like giving up driving, or smoking (which I'm also currently quitting). Once it's out of your life for good, you realize how damn shitty it is. So, that brings me to current times. I am at the moment living in Manhattan. It's temporary, and I'm subletting a small place to get on by. It's nice. It came with cable as part of the rent. So, once in a while, I turn the fucker on. Wow, does it suck or what? There are 350 different house flipping shows. Who wants to flip a fucking house when no one can afford to buy one? There are at least two of every type of show on TV, and most of these shows, basically all, are reality shows. I know I'm probably ultra late on this complaining session here, but this is dumbfounding. I digress though, re-runs of "Married With Children" are about to be on, and I'm trying to make this grilled cheese.


In conclusion, there's nothing more American than grilled cheese. Please give me a good grade please.

Like you don't already know you should!