The Weblog of Daniel Tashian

Well we’ve been watching the movies that are Oscar nominees leading up….Last night we watched “The Hurt Locker”- I don’t think i’ve ever seen acting like that.  That Jeremy Renner guy is one of the best I’ve ever seen. I was glad that L. Nextflixed it because it escaped my notice for some reason. Anyway, that was amazing and Kathryn Bigelow deserves an Oscar for best director. I heard that Martin Scorcese thinks so, too. So, once again I remember that I am a student of film. Film teaches me. Then we watched “Inglorious Basterds” and that was just as impressive, but in a different way. “How can they even give Oscars?” L. said. “It’s like : “The next Oscar is for best fruit! It goes to….Bananas!” And it’s true, films are so different. It’s tough that they have to be in the same categories with each other. Maybe in the future, the Oscars will be recognition of brilliant performance, as opposed to a competition. But what would the arts be with no competition? Pet Sounds was trying to beat Sgt. Pepper. Well Tami Hinesh came by yesterday and we wrote a Country song: “A Thing Like Falling” – and i’ve actually started having fun doing these songs, which I suppose, is essential. I mean, if I don’t kind of like listening to them, why the hell would anyone else? So I don’t write for markets.  I write for my friends. I heard Eric Church on the radio and the unmistakable sound of Jay Joyce on the guitar and drum machine and I have to hand it to him. He’s got a sound and I think it’s great. I think it’s fantastic when you can recognize someone’s guitar playing. I mean, of all the people in the world that play the guitar, there’s basically Marc Ribot, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, That guy from ZZ Top and Jay Joyce. Oh and Daniel Lanois. I’m sure i’ve forgotten tons but heck. The list can be revised. I’m talking about unmistakable guitar playing and sound. JJ Cale. Yeah, he’s one. Then I was thinking about singers and how, when David Bowie comes on in Inglorious Basterds and he sings “For so long, I’ve been putting out fires with gasoline!”  You just realize he’s saying he’s been fighting all his life and he’s just that way. It really moved me. I don’t know. You can’t be intimidated by these geniuses, easy as it may be sometimes, you still have to put on your boots. Reminds me I want to give the latest U2 another listen because I’m sure I missed something. Oh yeah: Angus.The Edge, Jimmy Page.

Well I’ve been working a lot. I went to the doc in a box because my ear still wasn’t working right, and they said I needed some “z-pak”. But the other thing she said was that I have high blood pressure, and I think I know why: I like salt. I have a salt-tooth. Anyway, L. got me some blood-pressure tea and I’ve been drinking it and not putting salt on anything. Yippee. So what else? Well. Let’s see. I did some vocals for Space Capone the other night, and I’ve been doing a bit of writing with Nikki Williams. She was supposed to come over today but I was here, and I never saw her. Silver Seas album hit a small snag at the printer’s, but I think we should be moving along soon….It’s warming up slowly here. Very first days of early spring. Today was the first day you didn’t have to wear a jacket, but it’s supposed to rain and maybe snow this weekend. My bike togs are draped over my bike, and the tires are flat, but one of these days i’m going to pump it up and take it to the streets. I love biking and I have a guitar at the office now, so I can just throw my computer in a backpack and …. I like the idea of riding for fun and errands, as opposed to exercise, but that would be a side effect. “Roid rage.”- ha ha. I got steroids for my ear and I was afraid to take them because I thought they would make me fall asleep and guess what: nope. They wake you up. Duh. I should have thought of that. But when I stop taking them, will I get “Roid Rage?” – Signed up to start a solo e.p. in March with John Deaderick. Looking forward to that. I have to get 5 songs together for it. Combing through the computer today there’s lots of ideas. Well Carla (my publisher) had a birthday party the other night at “Decades” and it was fun. I got a bit tipsy and did a “pole dance” which was hilarious. It hurt my hand. Read some articles about the Olympics and the net result is: They sew chaos, discord and dis-harmony between nations. It’s proven. But they sure are fun to watch. I also loved this article about morality and dogs. L and I finished Mad Men which was great and then lately we’ve been watching “Couples Retreat” which has some pretty funny scenes. Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of our engagement.

Well we returned from a fun L.A. trip. I was glad to get home but L. was more into the L.A. weather and sunshine. We came home to snow and rain. While we were out there, I worked with Mike Daly. Also, we went to a fantastic wedding of L’s friend Lauren and her (now husband) Adam. The wedding was at the LA county museum and it was the swankiest wedding I’ve ever been to. Jewel played, and there was a staff of about 150 (to tend to about 200 guests) The staff was so attentive that I kept getting my drinks taken away when they were not empty! I got my hair cut in the barbershop at The Standard about an hour before the wedding and they cut it too short and Lillie got mad and I put my hat on and went to the wedding in a hat which was ridiculous and I was the only one in a hat, but after a couple drinks I didn’t care anymore. I was also the only one not in a tux, but the bride said she liked my outfit the best! “I was going to send you one!” said Abby’s husband Sunny.  ”A Tux?” I asked…”Yes!” He said. “I was going to send you one!” It would be funny to get a tux in the mail, but I guess it happens all the time.  Then I got an encouraging email from the novelist Kirk Farber and it made my day. He’s written a novel partly inspired by old Bees song (from Starrey Gazey Pie) called “Postcards From A Dead Girl” – and it looks like it could be very good. Anyway it was a mood lifter because L and I have both been kind of sickie and cranky. Home and picked up Posh, who needs a bath, and now I have to set about fixing 2 things: Our mailbox, which was run over by a neighbor (?) presumably in the postgame excitement of the Superbowl, and my Memory Man (which American Airlines crushed) -I watched that video about the guy who gets his guitar smashed by United, but I don’t know. I called them and they said I needed to go make a claim at the “airport where I discovered it was broken”, which was in Switzerland, and so I think they know, the chances are slim of you going to back to Europe to make a claim about something, so you become, as they say, deterred. Bastards.

Well, yesterday I wrote with Nikola Bedingfield and Shane Stevens. We wrote a pop song called “World Gone Crazy” and we had fun, but we were writing in the hotel and L. was really under the weather. She went to the bookstore on Sunset then came back and read. Then I asked this guy in the elevator who he was shooting (he had makeup bags) and he said (unbelievably!) “Tiger Woods for Ent. Weekly! Rm. 3XX!) So I guess the Tiger was down the hall from us doing a photo shoot. We went to Katsuya and that was good, although it’s one of those Japanese restaurants that insists on playing techno while you eat. Oh yes, the most exciting part of the day was that I got to go perform at Paramount Pictures for the music dept. staff.  I drove down to the studios and they had this little stage and I played 3 or 4 songs. I was kind of nervous. But everybody was really nice and I think I did alright. This really nice girl Robyn is a fan of the SIlver Seas so that’s how I got in. Then they get you to sign this wall and I signed next to Colbie Callait. Good old Colbie. After dinner we watched one episode of season 3 of MAD MEN and I fell asleep toward the end.