What I Read During 2024 (Music & Germs)

1. Lab 257 – Michael Christopher Carroll (nonfiction)

2. The Lost Tomb – Douglas Preston (nonfiction)

3. Sitcommentary – Mark Robinson (nonfiction)

4. Brothers – Alex Van Halen (nonfiction)

5. Island – Aldous Huxley (fiction)

6. 20 Fat Loss Tips for Faster Weight Loss – Gregory Groves (nonfiction) [The point of this was to learn how to market inside Amazon publishing. The text itself was awful.]

7. Penguin Perspectives on Covid – 10 – various authors (nonfiction)

8. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley (fiction)

9. Horseshoes and Hand Grenades – John Corabi (nonfiction)

10. The Great Depression: A Diary – Benjamin Roth (nonfiction)

11. An Election – John Scalzi (fiction)

12. The Black Death: A History From Beginning to End (Pandemic History) – Hourly History (nonfiction)

13. What A Fool Believes – Michael McDonald with Paul Reiser (nonfiction)

14. You Like It Darker – Stephen King (fiction)

15. 11/22/63 – Stephen King (fiction)

16. Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion – Barney Hoskyns (nonfiction)

17. Son of a Milkman – Brian Wheat (nonfiction)

18. Extinction: A Novel – Douglas Preston (fiction)

19. Level 4 – Virus Hunters of the CDC – Joseph B. McCormick, M. D. (nonfiction)

20. The Mist – Stephen King (fiction)

21. Under The Dome – Stephen King (fiction)

22. The Stand – Stephen King (fiction)

23. Duma Key – Stephen King (fiction)

24. The Longevity Paradox: How To Die Young at a Ripe Old Age – Steven R. Gundry, M.D. (nonfiction)

25. Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World – Theresa MacPhail (nonfiction)

Another year, another 25 books. Some were much better than others as is always the case. I typically veer toward nonfiction and this was the case again in 2024. My favorite nonfiction books were Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by John Corabi and What A Fool Believes by Michael McDonald. The stories in both are wild, especially the McDonald book. There’s a little ditty about Eddie Money that was both hilarious and sad. I’ve read heaps of books about metal bands but less about other famous musicians (Steely Dan excluded). McDonald’s book provides a whole different background on the music industry in the 70s, spanning his time as a nobody to accomplished session singer to Doobie Brothers frontman to solo star. I had no idea McDonald was so addicted to drugs, either. Rehab worked for him.

Island was the hardest novel I’ve read in ages. Classic Aldous Huxley and the companion book to one of my all-time favorites Brave New World. I re-read BNW before Island for the comparisons. Very interesting but it was a bit of a slog since I kept waiting for something "big" to happen. Island is more of slow burn.

Extinction by Douglas Preston was the craziest novel I’ve read in a long time. It’s a dystopian thriller about future technology and animal science research. I don’t want to give away any tidbits because this book is way too good for spoilers. Just read it.

Of course, Stephen King’s The Stand is perfection – there is a reason why people call the novel his masterpiece. Over a thousand pages never went quicker! Such a fun, fascinating and terrifying read. In my top 5 favorite books of all time. I’m jealous of people who get to read this book for the first time. 

The End Of 2024 - Resolutions?

If you are going out to celebrate the end of 2024 tonight, be careful. I can't imagine going out on New Year's Eve anymore... it's just too chaotic and too many "amateurs" for my liking at this point in my life. That said, there are usually some good concerts on NYE.

Got any good music-related resolutions for the new year? Mine is just to try and keep hacking away at my concert bucket list. I'm finally crossing off Metallica in May! There aren't many bands left on my list, but Bon Jovi is one of them.

A Slowed-Down Version Of 'The Final Countdown'

Europe's biggest hit is "The Final Countdown." Erik Grönwall, former Skid Row singer, just released a unique cover of the track. It's slow and moody and kind of perfect for New Year's eve. What do you think?

Really Great Pro-Shot Performance From The Darkness

Wacken Open Air releases pro-shot footage of their acts each year. A few days ago, the German festival dropped this great footage from The Darkness. The band played the fest over the summer and it looked hot as hell that day.

The 2025 edition of Wacken Open Air is already sold out. Guns n' Roses and Gojira are just some of the headliners.

I Thought This Was Nu Bon Jovi

Picture it: Ohio, the CVS counter.

I'm standing in line and waiting for my scripts and I start paying attention to the music playing. It sounds oddly like Jon Bon Jovi's voice... but not quite. I kept trying to discern just who or what is playing... and I finally Googled the lyrics. Turns out, I was listening to Shinedown's "Daylight." I'm telling you the song went from country, to Bon Jovi to nu metal for me without any context. As soon as I knew I was hearing a Shinedown track, it all made sense, but man, "Daylight" is far from The Sound of Madness.

"Daylight" is from the 2022 album Planet Zero. The song isn't really played on Octane, hence why I wasn't able to place it. Oh well, happy Saturday to all!

'Ah! Leah!' - New Ellefson Cover

Ellefson, the band fronted by Dave Ellefson just released a cover of "Ah! Leah!" featuring Chip Z'Nuff and Stephen Shareaux. It is an interesting - and smart - pairing for Ellefson to team up with the Enuff Z'Nuff and Kik Tracee vocalists.

"Ah! Leah!" was originally recorded by Donnie Iris.

'Forgiveness' - David Lee Roth, New Track

Diamond David Lee Roth dropped a new track yesterday called "Forgiveness." Roth released the song "Lavender Forgiveness" earlier this year featuring the music of Taylor Swift. Now "Forgiveness" just has acoustic guitar and no Swift.

It is an interesting time of year for Roth to release such a song - I am taking it as autobiographical with lyrics about using cocaine and making mistakes and asking family members for forgiveness. Dave doesn't usually explain his lyrics - so we should just be glad we have a new track from him. Dude has gotten prolific!