home of mozart, onto to swiss alps

the postcard scenery of salzburg is a true phenomenon.
every time i looked into the aqua blue-green of the river,
i couldn't help but mentally photoshop in a floating drowned body, to balance the pure serenity of the scene.

morticia addams, that's me.

we walked along the water & ate at the nordsee, which was an all seafood place--prices were skyhigh, but the shrimps were perfect. the swiss franc & the euro are dancing on the grave of the dollar...


we went to a marionnette show of "hansel & gretel" and i was enchanted by the puppetry, but had to leave, as our show cancellation was just going down during that time, so i was too distracted to watch the whole show. sad but true, as metallica says.

the birthplace of mozart is a bit like the georgetown of my youth, shops and restaurants along the water.
my first time in austria...

we pushed on to switzerland for the gampel festival, where every direction you could look was solid gold breathtaking view.
one of the bands playing was a group of bag-piping vikings who played all manner of homemade industrial instruments & sported runes on their costumes...i watched from sidestage & made little movies.

we stopped at the truck stop and i phootographed the swiss chocolate offerings.


eric said the dining area in catering was like a mad mash-up of christmas and halloween, and damn if he wasn't right. bright red tablecloths with orange orange candleabras and scattered sprays of greens...what? eric is doing the reporting on the tool army website,
he will set the record straight....

i am now in belguim, on the last night of the pukelpop festival,
we just shared the bill with NIN and kings of leon, trail of the dead & sparta. LaCuna coil cancelled but they are playing on our stage tomorrow...motorhead is down at another stage, we will all dash over to see lemmy (but who is playing keno at the rainbow??) tomorrow we hit Holland, and i am working on 3 hours of sleep. still haven't mentioned more than a sliver of what has been happening...tomorrow?

budapest, darling

an open love letter to Budapest. I have always wanted to go there, my friend Andras is Hungarian and he has painted a magic picture of the place...he is right, to be sure.
you can see one of our buses in the photo...
Boss has been trekking here to the Hellboy film set to observe the mastery of Guillermo del Toro... we invited those kitty cats to come to the show. Sadly, they had early calls for make up so couldn't make it.
We rolled in through the town toward the festival site and met a car about 40 minutes out to guide us in to the Obuda Island point. Our bus has non-sheer windows, we can see out but they can't see in. So as we slowly made our way in, all manner of fan was primping in the mirror surfaces of our bus and/or drawing through the dirt collected on our sides. The site was covered in real tents & those makeshifted from garbage bags. a filthy bunch, but good spirited, they were really having a good time.
When we did arrive, it was a paradise, with open bar & huge fancy Hungarian spread. I tried real goulash. We met so many wonderful people, i will return. Our bartender was Greek/Jewish blend, he told me he had never met a Greek/Irish blend and that i may be even more of a special case than he thought he was... here is the Harry Potter film ad in Hungarian (note to AMF: i bought the UK edition of HP)


I didn't say much about Poland, but not because I didn't have much to say. Au contraire. Things were much like a faded Kodachrome there. it was a ghost city, and the people were so beautiful. words are not coming to me easily tonight, have ahd a long day...our bass player hung out and signed autographs for the kids way after his bus should have rolled, they were so excited and grateful.



some typical Polish products...

here is a photo i took in the rain while our bus got gas:


we had to cancel a show in Salzburg & i will post photos of that gorgeous gem of a city, but not yet. On our long drive to Switzterland, we watched the entire series of "Funland", we got so hooked. British dark comedy, we didn't want to move out of our seats....

goth galore @ m'era luna

the last time I was in Copenhagen, i stayed at a hostel that was a converted, off-season hockey rink. This visit was a layover in an airport, where i bought a cut up apple in a bag & had yogurt & meusli in my travel partner Anne’s honor....

We flew into Hannover & got on our tour bus. It is a beauitful double decker bus, that feels more like a ship. My bunk has a window (porthole?) in it, through which i watched the German countryside roll by.

Crashed for a couple of hours, since we had had no sleep the night before (and i mean, none—planes, trains & bus) When we arrived at the hotel in Hildesheim, the most efficient hotel lady greeted me with all the keys ready & even a demo on how to open a room door. *sigh of relief. The German trains really do run on time.
Opened my window to look out over a beautiful square w/ buildings full of character & spirit. Made me so happy.

We had Chinese (again) and the next morning, ready for lobby call... when i awoke, the square, if possible, had grown more charming, now an open-air flower market...

.
Oh, and everybody smokes in Germany. Forgot this about Europe. I admired this cigarette machine in the hotel lobby.

Joe Paul & I met out in the square and people-watched. We sat in front of the most beautiful carved stone statue. The M’era Luna Festival is a big goth magnet, so the kids are out in full force.
Me, i am looking forward to the Skinny Puppy set.


the next day: yes, Skinny Puppy is not until Sunday, & we are in Poland, so we missed it. They came to our show though. “Gin-CO-ya” is thank you in Polish.
Our show here in Katowice was to be a bill with Chris Cornell, ex-Soundgarden, i was really looking forward to that set. unfortunately, he has canceled his shows for the beginning of his Euro tour. boo!
I had the best cabbage tonight in catering, and now it is time for load out. Drew is going into two shows with Timberlake @ madison square garden, doing an HBO filming...ugh.
poor darlin’. more soon. tomorrow I got to Budapest for the first time. Andras, where are you? “Ko-sA-nome” is thank you in Hungarian...that is the best word to know in any language....

Norway, home.

i have never been here before. Yes, Sweden, Denmark & Iceland. Norway, never.
but i have been here. I lived here. when i got off the plane, I was home.



We had our first show tonight, under the sunshine & the rain of the northern sky.



i want to live here. Spent over an hour & a half, just wandering the local grocery store, picking up items, trying to read the labels. Marvelling at how expensive everything, but strangely, not at all disturbed by paying so much. Almost like this city deserves the higher price. It does. Oslo. Even your candy is elegant.
Mary Jo, our tour manager and i went out the first night for Norwegian Chinese food, followed by some Viking adventures in the underground Rock Bar.
We met so many people,
and then she gave me the the cell phones we are to use on the tour & i gave her some pumkin in a can & mac & cheese box---she asked for it.
meanwhile we paid 285 Kr for a lunch buffet of salmon, cheese & crackers...again, it is ok. You deserve it, beautiful.
The show tonight was huge, Gogol Bordello was there & Eagles of Death Metal. Amy Winehouse's FOH case was turning around on the airport carousel while i was getting my luggage, but they were very disappointed that she cancelled.
Hope that kid is ok. It is almost 4:30, at 4:45 am we get a pick up to fly to Copenhagen & then on to Hannover.
The tour is lovely, but Oslo, you are the shining jewel in the crown of Scandanavia.

ComicCon survivor

My first ComicCon...ever.

Was guided through the ropes by the ever-amazing Pam who is a blend of Elektra, Wonder Woman & Harriet Tubman.
She was able to get us from point A to point B with precision accuracy. I have an official non-gay crush on her.
It was a wonderful blur of hotel rooms, the ComicCon panels, the showroom floor, the escalator, the green room, the screenings, the panels, room service, cocktails by the pool, cell-phone-ear & juggling meetings like a flamethrower....deep breath!

Malena, Drew, Ethan & Lauren were manning the Neverwear booth, as we debuted the Neil merch--i only wish i had more time in the booth, but the cloning experiment failed (again). Maddy was full support team with her Maddy TV spots and her sparkling smile. I love that one.



The high points? oh so many......
meeting Lida & Kostas from Greece, his drawings were stunning. check him out @ www.kiriakakis.net. See you in Athens @ the Tool show, you two!!

Boss had two signings at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund booth, both run with marshalled spartan accuracy by Charles & Greg. These two are going to be in my movie, finer men, i have not met.




Running into Kevin Smith. (yes, i just jumped right in, sometimes one simply must)

Meeting Matt Selman, a sweetheart & big talent behind the Simpsons. (& yes, we saw the movie, best part is the Flanders hot choc scene--but where were the aliens!?)

Hanging on the balcony of the hotel overlooking the marina. Enjoying the razor wit being traded back & forth between Neil & Jonathan Ross. (not to mention THE kiss)


Flamehaired Jane Goldman, telling the story of how she came to write screenplay for Stardust.

the Paramount screening of some footage of Beowulf, meeting the delightful couple Roger & Gretchen Avary.
the footage in 3-D no less left me sitting in my theatre seat, unable to move. I now have a crush on an animated character, brought to life by the forcefully understated Ray Winstone. yeah, the sexy beast guy. this is the event of the holiday movie season, and i am not kidding. must not forget to mention La Jolie with her flexible spine-for-tail.


watching Jill Thompson win her Eisner w/grace & style.



Todd Klein, the comic letterer to aspire to, came by our booth & had one of his prints available, this being my one & only purchase @ ComicCon, and i went home happy.


went to the premiere of STARDUST, it was even better than i remembered, the ghost brothers being my very favorite bits.
De Niro was there & Coop & Ruth & miss Danes & more people than i can think to mention right now. our author looked so handsome in his tux. Red carpet ready!

the cherry on the sundae?
sharing dinner @ velvet margarita with my guy for Red's birthday, after we returned to LA. He is gone already for his Timberlake tour. i miss him so.


Now i am looking at a whirlwind tour with Tool of the European summer festival circuit. I will try TRY to be better at keeping up with this journal. So much to do. I miss everyone. Flying to Norway on Monday & then we begin a run of outdoor festvals. Looking at the schedule I see we are sharing bills with NIN (hello ! PAM!) and Arcade Fire & Jesus/Mary Chain...etc.. Will post my dates again. In doing my advances, I also see that we end with a four in a row, going from Serbia to Croatia to Athens to Istanbul. ...what!?!?
Here is my Tool boss' method for cell phone repair. This one never fails to make me laugh. When i heard him over the radio calling for a claw hammer, I had to drop what I was doing and run to the production office. Too late! So i post this battered cellular device at every venue to show them how we roll on the Tool tour. hahahahAHAHAHAHA

rain, fireworks & honey

woke in the black of my bus bunk to the sound of my phone, set to ring like sonar on a submarine. the hotel lady was ringing me at 6:45 am, to say, where are you? the answer to that, i didn't have readily available. to her credit, she pulled me out of my dreams and into the day.

we are driving through the green hills of kentucky, heading to a day off, or as we call them, a day without a show, i am up early to wrangle some dreamking details, as comicon is heating up and i am still out on tour. plus there are all sorts of other world travel plans forming and it is time to greet the day. thank all available gods the west coast is not open for business for a few hours. only have to deal with the new yorkers.

yesterday was Chicago and all the energy that is attached to that city. It has long been one of my favorite places, and i have found if you treat the union there with respect, it usually will go well.
the show was heavily sold. however, on one trip out to the buses, i was caught behind 2 huge security guards carrying a passed out blonde,who was wearing only a fuschia bra & jeans. Somehow, they dropped her & she didn't move. they both stood there, looking down at her, while i am yelling to the medics down the hall who were casually flirting with the security guards. They look up to see this poor girl splayed out on the venue floor and slowly saunter up. i was astonished. i really hope she is okay.


we had our last day off in st. paul, minnesota. i got to catch up with the famous stitliers, bill & sharon. bill is my number one crackerjack tech professional advice-giver & sharon is the bird chick, and she is also a boy magnet. we had a great time eating sushi, trading stories and catching up in general. the next day, bill brought me some goodies from dreamhaven comics.. thank you for such hospitality in the land of the vikings. my runner the next day at Xcel center also works for Prince and i heard they are having a big do up there on 7-7-07 at Paisley park. I do believe i could live in minnesota.

in the meantime, i got a blackberry (named toasty) and so far, we are not the best of friends. this phone doesn't change time zones automatically as i am used to. that alone is a feature i am not coming to terms with easily. also, perhaps it is the sunken venues we are playing, but i have not had service since i got him. toasty is very pretty, but as always with me, i need a little brains to go with any beauty. (it can probably all be billed back to operator error. )
This may seem like one long laundry list of complaints, but truly, this is not the case. I am having a wonderful time, learning everything and anything I can. This crew is so good and I feel part of the borg, if that makes sense. there is definitely something about advancing as a unit. I have taken so many pictures and seen some more of this world. the other day, walking around in Toronto with miss Lola, our wardrobe queen, i was deeply touched by the city, happy that we are going back for another show there...

here is a photo from out my hotel window during the rain over the train tracks, and i have to figure out which city that was exactly....
and yes, we are back to the old fireworks-in-the-parking-lot-during loadout...
*ok, hotel connection too slow for uploading, tomorrow will add*
in closing, i would like to send my sister much love and sympathy for the loss of her Honey, a beautiful and loyal friend to her over the years. (photo here)

newest tour dates....

well, our amazing production assistant, Kim is having to leave the tour, and they have approached me to take her place. All my bosses involved, both catering boss & writing boss, have been quite accomodating & lovely re: my switch--& bonus--this gives me a chance to go to europe with the tour... holla!

these are the announced dates at this time:

2007 07 Sep Istanbul TURKEY Kurucesme Amphitheater 2007 05 Sep Belgrade SERBIA
2007 04 Sep Zagreb CROATIA Salata
2007 02 Sep Bologna ITALY Independent Days Festival - Arena Parco Nord
2007 31 Aug Bilbao SPAIN Azkena Festival
2007 28 Aug Frankfurt GERMANY Jahrhunderthalle
2007 26 Aug Frankfurt GERMANY Area 4 Festival
2007 25 Aug Paris FRANCE Rock an Seine Festival
2007 22 Aug London ENGLAND Brixton Academy
2007 21 Aug London ENGLAND Brixton Academy
2007 19 Aug HOLLAND Lowlands Festival Latest
2007 18 Aug BELGIUM Pukkelpop Festival Latest
2007 16 Aug SWITZERLAND Gampel Festival
2007 15 Aug Salzburg AUSTRIA Frequency Festival Latest
2007 12 Aug Katowice POLAND Spodek - Metal Hammer Festival
2007 11 Aug near Hannover GERMANY M/era Luna Festival
2007 09 Aug Oslo NORWAY Oya Festival

and here are the other US/Canada dates that i didn't post yet:

2007 16 Jul Reading, PA US Sovereign Center
2007 14 Jul Albany, NY US Times Forum Union
2007 13 Jul Portland, ME US Cumberland Civic center
2007 12 Jul Mansfield, MA US Tweeter Center
2007 10 Jul Montreal, QC CANADA Bell Center
2007 09 Jul HAMILTON, ON CANADA Copps Coliseum
2007 07 Jul Huntington, WV US Big Sandy Superstore Arena
2007 05 Jul Grand Rapids, MI US Van Andel Arena
2007 04 Jul Milwaukee, WI US SUMMERFEST
2007 03 Jul Detroit, MI US DTE Amphitheater
2007 01 Jul Youngstown, OH US Chevrolet Center
2007 29 Jun Cincinnati, OH US US Bank Arena
2007 27 Jun Chicago, IL US Sears Center
2007 26 Jun St. Paul, MN US Xcel Center
2007 24 Jun HAMILTON, ON CANADA Copps Coliseum
2007 23 Jun Ft. Wayne, IN US Memorial Coliseum
2007 22 Jun St. Louis, MO US Scottrade Arena
2007 20 Jun Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center
2007 19 Jun Cedar Rapids, IA US US Cellular Center
2007 17 Jun Evansville, IN US Roberts Stadium
2007 16 Jun Cape Girardeau, MO US Show Me Center
2007 15 Jun Manchester, TN US Bonnaroo Festival
2007 13 Jun Winston-Salem, NC US Joel Lawrence Coliseum
2007 09 Jun Atlantic City, NJ US Boardwalk Hall
2007 08 Jun Baltimore, MD US 1st Mariner Arena
2007 07 Jun Richmond, VA US Richmond Coliseum
2007 05 Jun Greenville, SC US Bi-Lo Center
2007 04 Jun Duluth, GA US Gwinnette Center

hotel detail #79

i can’t calculate the number of hotels i have visited in my life. “the shining” hotel was my first real reference point & remains to this day, a huge mental influence. anne & i lived in the big scary atlantic hotel for a summer in ocean city, when we were roommates @ 16 years old. we swore it had several ghosts haunting the creaky oceanfront boardwalk location.
since those days, i notice things, truly, the little details.

many of the places we stay on tour are big corporate entities that attempt to squash out any bit of personality and difference, encouraging the big box fast food mentality of same-same. the identical lobbies, the safe carpet choices...fooey. give me something like the ducks in the peabody hotel in memphis.. there is a big ritual of bringing the ducks in and out of the lobby fountain each morning and evening. really charming. (silly me, i forgot to take photos)


my routine when i get into a hotel for a day involves a hot bath, a visit to the hotel gym and/or a walk around the building to check out the surroundings. a proper recon mission, usually. i always find the pool...room service will be a whole seperate journal entry... sometimes, i just lay about the place, thinking: i must really get something done. on days when it is raining in our day-off city, sometimes comes a relief of knowing, well, it is just not necessary to go out in this... we do work hard and have to have a bit mental battery recharging...

that said, here are a few details of hotel rooms past & present.
this is a nice version of the hotel room chain guard, here in baton rouge:


i stayed on the 13th floor for the first time ever on the tour:


reno had slot machines right up to the front desk of the hotel. good thing i have no gambling in my DNA.



this is oklahoma city's version of the batphone.


this is a personal favorite, the sounding out of the alarm system---
or as tommy lee would say: can i get a whoop whoop?!:


sometimes you get a nice robe (& don't steal it, not good for your karmic tally):


sometimes you get shelter (tornado alley,baby!):


sometimes, you just really can't be armed (yes, this was in the midwest):

and almost always, the view from the hotel room window can break your homesick heart:



today is a day off baton rouge, lousiana.
..abby just called and gave me some tour-guide tips for the area. she is out on josh groban in the UK, and she still knew i was having a day off here, thanks, doll! the thirsty tiger, tsunami sushi @ shaw & the bike path along the water...hmmm. what to do first?
oh wait...it is raining outside...

moonlighting while on tour....

hello from san antonio, texas. day off, walked the river walk, here is the view from my hotel...
birds were singing on my balcony and there were drunken stumblers below my window..
.so many things going on, but the tour has been going wonderfully, the crew is lovely. I am back on the road with many of the Perfect Circle crew, so it is a pleasure. Last night, we watched Monty Python's Holy Grail and as always the line "Old Woman!" "MAN!" cracked me up... Tonight we had a little Texas adventure looking for an elusive Mexican restaurant...we hopped a cable car/trolley....& finally found it--dinner tonight with a bunch of friends, including miss Victoria! and our birthday boy drummer picked up the tab, see what i am saying, a lovely tour...


now, me off to sleepy...as it is, I have a 7:30 lobby call...what!?
here is a little moonlighting i have been doing, an interview with MAlena...watch this site for an interview with miss Jozie from Motley, Lorraine from L'aM and more.. Hera? how about???

Barbara Walters, look out, sister...
http://entertainmentworld.us/EW1/templates/Television.aspx?articleid=9405&zoneid=17

carnival girl

i am in new mexico and have five minutes to lobby call.
last night we went to a Brazilian restaurant & had a great meal.
the tour is going wonderfully well, got to see some friends in San Diego
and will post loads of photos. The show is fantastic, lasers & video galore.
No pyro, so i feel a little better for the safety of the band, no offense to the pyro crew, it is just so dangerous.
Night before last, our bus broke down, and it is a brand-new baby, deep forest green Prevost.
Nothing like your home sitting on the side of the road.
tomorrow we go to Colorado.
didn't go see Spidey 3 yet, how bout a review, anybody?

art show on sunset

When i was getting my anchor tattoo, mr. Craig, the owner of American Electric Tattoo, invited me to be part of his group show this weekend. I was part of the exhibit BULLY at his place last year, and sold some of my work. This show's theme is BAD MUSIC
and i am bringing him four of my small collages to hang.
The show is this Saturday night, the address is 3532 Sunset Blvd. LA, CA 90027
8 pm-12 am
come on out and see me before i get on that tour bus....

kitty on tour w/ tool

hey everybody--
just got the latest list of dates, let me know if i will be crossing your path...
am still working for Neil, just need to be on the tour bus for awhile...
xoxo kitty cat

TOOL summer 2007

Wed, Apr 25, 2007 Travel Day
Thu, Apr 26, 2007 Prod. Day Las Vegas, NV
Fri, Apr 27, 2007 The Pearl Las Vegas, NV
Sat, Apr 28, 2007 The Pearl Las Vegas, NV
Sun, Apr 29, 2007 OFF / LOAD IN Reno, NV
Mon, Apr 30, 2007 Reno Event Center Reno, NV
Tue, May 1, 2007 OFF San Diego, CA
Wed, May 2, 2007 Cox Arena San Diego, CA
Thu, May 3, 2007 Cox Arena San Diego, CA
Fri, May 4, 2007 OFF Las Cruces, NM
Sat, May 5, 2007 Pan American Center Las Cruces, NM
Sun, May 6, 2007 Convention Center Arena Tucson, AZ
Mon, May 7, 2007 OFF Albuquerque, NM
Tue, May 8, 2007 Tingley Coluseum Albuquerque, NM
Wed, May 9, 2007 World Arena Colorado Springs, CO
Thu, May 10, 2007 OFF Wichita, KS
Fri, May 11, 2007 Kansas Coliseum Wichita, KS
Sat, May 12, 2007 Mid America Center Council Bluffs, IA
Sun, May 13, 2007 OFF Memphis, TN
Mon, May 14, 2007 OFF Memphis, TN
Tue, May 15, 2007 DeSoto Center Southaven, MS
Wed, May 16, 2007 Ft Worth Convention Center Forth Worth, TX
Thu, May 17, 2007 Centurytel Arena Bossier City
Fri, May 18, 2007 OFF Oklahoma City
Sat, May 19, 2007 Ford Center Oklahoma City, OK
Sun, May 20, 2007 OFF San Antonio, TX
Mon, May 21, 2007 AT & T Center San Antonio, TX
Tue, May 22, 2007 American Bank Center Corpus Christi, TX
Wed, May 23, 2007 OFF Baton Rouge, LA
Thu, May 24, 2007 River Center Baton Rouge, LA
Fri, May 25, 2007 Pensacola Civic Center Pensacola, FL
Sat, May 26, 2007 Verizon Wirelass Music Center Birmingham, AL
Sun, May 27, 2007 OFF SARASOTA, FL
Mon, May 28, 2007 OFF SARASOTA, FL
Tue, May 29, 2007 USF Sundome Tampa, FL
Wed, May 30, 2007 OFF Orlando, FL
Thu, May 31, 2007 Amway Arena Orlando, FL
Fri, Jun 1, 2007 Bank Atlantic Center Sunrise, FL
Sat, Jun 2, 2007 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Jacksonville, FL
Sun, Jun 3, 2007 OFF Atlanta, GA
Mon, Jun 4, 2007 Gwinnette Center Duluth, GA
Tue, Jun 5, 2007 Bi-lo Center Greenville, SC
Wed, Jun 6, 2007 OFF Richmond, VA
Thu, Jun 7, 2007 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA
Fri, Jun 8, 2007 1st Mariner Arena Baltimore, MD
Sat, Jun 9, 2007 Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ

the ebay princess

i started to goof around on ebay around 1999, i was still in college and had my little shop, 9th Life (which Ida is now the proud mistress of--) my dear friend Chris X of Reptilian Records fame showed me the magic of on-line selling. I sold some books and some toys and various bits...
well, I have been going through my closets and getting ready for a big yard sale this weekend, an all roadie girl yard sale, and i started to pull stuff out that i thought might be "ebayable"--more to come...
here are a few links w/ photos, check it out...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160107719376&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160107715344&rd=1&rd=1