"hollywood trash"

SEIZE THE GREEN DAY

2010-06-30T10:06:00.008-04:00

hello.

i'm finishing work on a book version of the story, seize the green day. for now, i've taken it off as an e-book but you can find it on the green day authority with this here link. it should be out in early 2011 if not before. bye~niki

TINKERBELL~

2010-03-18T18:32:00.006-04:00

she needs a new home...

RARE DISNEY WORKS cont...

2010-03-18T17:57:00.003-04:00

another in a series of rare disney works i've been asked to sell.

in the sorcer's shadow~

RARE DISNEY WORKS

2010-03-18T17:42:00.006-04:00

i have been entrusted with the cool task of selling some rare and fascinating disney artwork.

above is sunrise at pride rock from the lion king.

these are very limited edition prints.

info coming soon~

HEY EVERYBODY...

2009-08-29T22:12:00.002-04:00

i moved the entire organization over to facebook and myspace...see you there. love~niki

seize the green day -- the e-book is ready for download...free 11-page sample!

2009-07-04T05:46:00.004-04:00

michael jackson

2009-06-26T10:49:00.011-04:00

i'd be remiss if i didn't comment on the passing of michael jackson. i don't watch tv much, but all the press has finally gotten to me. even though he became a freak, it's astounding to watch old footage of the jackson 5 and then when michael turned solo as a young man. he was an inspiration and a magnificent talent. strangely, it's fun seeing him again in his prime, dancing and singing. i loved him as a kid. i even watched their variety show, i remember because i was in laura mcgraw's living room in potomac, maryland, the two of us splayed out on her living room floor, chins in are hands glued to the tube. i'm hoping someone will re-air the motown 25 special because his performance was spectacular. i saw the original broadcast.

people get amnesia when death happens; you could be the most heinous bastard on the planet, but when you die, someone's gonna feel sorry for you because death is fucking scary.

too bad about that creepy dude with the dentures and whacked out eyebrows who destroyed his spirit and more than likely turned michael jackson into an alleged child molester and a supreme weirdo with a carved out face. i may not be taking the popular stance, but so what. i still love looking and listening to the michael jackson before he headed south. he's free from it all and so i say thank you for the talent you allowed us to share...i am sorry for your pain~

the lost eva cassidy tapes...

2009-06-22T19:20:00.005-04:00

i found an unmarked tape in my garage 7 years ago and on it was eva singing live at a place called fleetwoods; a club opened in the early 90s in virginia associated with mick fleetwood...

the tape has been in a safe-deposit box all these years because i don't have the legal right to sell them and nobody seems to want to listen to them let alone buy them. and so i'm going to give them away, over 20 songs live with eva's band including mick fleetwood on drums... watch this space for free mp3 downloads~

http://www.myspace.com/missnikilee

2009-06-21T13:32:00.002-04:00

green day e-book...

2009-06-14T10:16:00.003-04:00

seize the green day july 4th weekend lulu.com~

why we love green day...

2009-06-13T11:54:00.002-04:00

50...

2009-06-09T09:33:00.002-04:00

and here~

i don't need to open my eyes...

2009-06-06T10:07:00.002-04:00

in order to listen--

on the couch...

2009-06-03T11:48:00.002-04:00

nice~

sometimes dreams do come true~

2009-05-28T16:02:00.005-04:00

djrossstar got his ticket to the henry fonda and he's peeing himself! (lucky i had a cancellation~)

dude--we are...

2009-05-26T10:04:00.003-04:00

jeeves...my pipe and slippers~

2009-05-23T12:44:00.002-04:00

could you please get the fuck off his stage, asshole~

2009-05-23T11:24:00.008-04:00

VI IV MMIX

2009-05-21T13:52:00.002-04:00

fuck phil spector...(that gun-toting whacko)

2009-05-19T10:30:00.003-04:00

the wall of sound belongs to butch vig~

heat...

2009-05-18T13:24:00.003-04:00

2009-05-16T09:31:00.003-04:00

21st century breakdown redux (holy shit it's an eargasm!)

2009-05-15T00:43:00.023-04:00

i wrote the previous piece about the album after listening to it on my laptop. today i got my pre-order and listened to it on my ipod. let me just add a few notes: this thing is hauntingly seamless, and somehow every new song, new genre, old genre, old song, transition, leitmotif, melody and harmony is perfect.

and, um, billie joe armstrong is a genius on par with bernstein, sondheim, dylan, john lennon, lorenz hart, george gershwin and kurt weill, not andrew lloyd webber*...if i read that again i'm gonna puke! (and i hate exclamation points!!!!!)

(*i'll make an exception for webber's jesus christ superstar...that's his best anyway)

if you don't give 21st century breakdown a five out of five or a four out of four or whatever the fuck you use, you might want to up your grade. if not, you may go down in history stuck in some hilariously unfortunate compilation of negative reviews written about artists who were later revered like, oh, beethoven or stravinsky...(didn't think i knew all that did you?)

p.s. they're not the who, not queen or the beatles; they're neither the clash nor the ramones...they're green day~

21st century breakdown

2009-05-12T08:54:00.020-04:00

green day's 21st century breakdown is a captivating, sophisticated work of art.

true art endures. and to that point, i can't get these songs out of my head. i can't. i won't. i'm glad.

so, after all these years, i've decided to come out of the closet and admit a stone-cold musical fact about myself: i have never been wrong in my assessment of any kind of music, ever. it's not ego, so don't bust my balls, it's instinct. there are plenty of things i can't do well, this is one i can.

my choices may not be to everyone's taste, that doesn't matter to me. i'm saying that no one's ever had to explain to me the greatness of an artist. the beatles nabbed me at 3, mozart at 8, then ella fitzegerald at 10, barbara streisand at 11, eva cassidy (1986), bob marley (1978), sting (way before the police), elvis costello (1976), little feat (1976), linda ronstadt (1975), elton john (1973), janis joplin (1969), the pretenders (1979), the ramones (1980) and that's only a partial list of performers that i've recognized for their talent within 5 seconds or less upon first listen.

sometimes it's a curse; if something is awful, i know that right away as well.

i'll admit i didn't know much about green day before american idiot but that's only because i didn't listen to the radio much in the 90's. hey, i didn't know about nirvana until after kurt cobain was dead but that didn't stop my brain from being knocked-out by his talent the first time i heard his voice coming out of my truck's shitty radio.

when i fell for green day in the fall of 2004 it was hard and visceral.

those guys kick musical ass and fucking mean it! it doesn't hurt that billie joe, mike and tre are all virtuosos at what they do.

21st century breakdown is a refinement of an idea put to music and lyrics. the idea? that there is no one answer to human unrest but there's plenty of it. the revolution is within you, what the fuck are you going to do about it?

war and peace overlap. if american idiot was a war, then 21st century breakdown is the coming of that storm.

congratulations on another brilliant artistic achievement that makes people think and act~

viva!

2009-05-12T01:37:00.003-04:00

caesar

2009-05-11T13:31:00.005-04:00

last of the american girls

2009-05-06T20:33:00.007-04:00

i balked at listening to the 'leaked' green day songs from 21st century breakdown, but they're everywhere and thus unavoidable.

and last of the american girls is one cool dude: what a fucking melody set atop smartly delicious changes!

how do those green day men write about the complexities of a woman?

who cares...i'll just say thank you, for as an american woman it's nice to be acknowledged for your beliefs and your brain every now and then~

breakin' it down in the 21st century...

2009-05-06T07:56:00.008-04:00

well it's green day season and after an absence of about 5 years, fans are more than antsie for the may 15 release the band's new tone poem, 21st century breakdown: reviewers are busy with their opinions, tickets for a summer/fall tour have gone on sale in selected cities, there are interviews, photographs and streaming audio and visual clips of billie joe, mike and tre everywhere.

(pressure...)

for me, they never have to try and outdo themselves because, unless one of them really has undergone a lobotomy, each batch of songs green day has created over the years has proven to be some of the greatest rock and roll and some of the best music ever written.

why not? face it, the art springs from the genius minds of three immensely talented, magnificent jackasses. they can't help but evolve...that's what makes them relevant in an irrelevant, insane world~

myspace

2009-05-05T22:45:00.004-04:00

link it over to my myspace!

no need to grow up; just in~

smithfield foods

2009-05-01T11:14:00.008-04:00

(swine flu epicenter: they had no chance)

we kill pigs and people too!

kimmy (and joey)...

2009-04-22T00:27:00.004-04:00

i couldn't go to the secret green day shows in the bay area last week...but that's ok--i got something special anyway--

kimmy and her husband joey and i spent a very, very excruciatingly hot day in oakland last year waiting to see the foxboro hot tubs--

she went to two shows last week!

and, in the midst of all the chaos, she still found time to get and mail me one of the cool 'playbill' like programs from the fox theater show: it has the lyrics to all the songs on the band's new cd, 21st century breakdown--

i read them all...they make me happy

(i really like kimmy)

thank you kimmy (and joey)~

kat

2009-04-19T12:36:00.017-04:00

kat deserved to sing onstage with green day last week at one of their secret shows in the bay area. why? because she is a front-row specialist, a superfan and a wild free spirit. i should know: cat and her friends have grabbed me into one or more mosh pits at one or more of the band's shows in the past year...

last year at a foxboro hot tubs' show in rodeo, california, i was almost bumped out of my ring-side stance by an obnoxious girl who tried moving in front of me by flirting with the guy to my left--

however, who was i behind? kat. so i whispered in her ear, 'pull me in front of this girl.'

she did...
*******

i once heeard tell that the band let a fan sing on stage with them during a show; all he had to do was jump from his balcony seat and surf his way up--that's what kat has done--

hi kat!

(the above is kat in her usual spot, dead-center...she's the one with the red-streaked hair...and i was buried somewhere beneath her left side~)

before the lobotomy...

2009-04-16T22:58:00.005-04:00

lucky for us, billie joe armstrong isn't afraid to use the sweetness in his voice~

troubled times...

2009-04-13T12:08:00.003-04:00

holy shit...i never thought that being poor, unemployed and desperate would ever be in vogue --

i feel like such a trend setter~

enlightenment...

2009-04-01T10:44:00.003-04:00

you can survive on anger, you can survive on love,

however a combo is preferable...

i got the combo pack, so quit honking, i'm just waitin' on my fries~

dr. michael zola is a good man...

2009-03-30T21:51:00.007-04:00

if you need a dentist in los angeles, he's the one--

i have no money and have to file for bankruptcy; (whatever, i'm dealing with it). because of this, he saw me for free today...saw me for free and took an x-ray for free just to make sure everything was going to hold up for a while--

(plus, he's got these really cool machines like the one where you can see your x-ray right after they take it...and he's very supportive if you have crappy teeth...the first time he looked in my mouth he said, "huh, maybe you could teach me a thing or two!")

thanks dr. zola~niki

the green day authority

2009-03-28T11:53:00.008-04:00

see this guy next to me...it's andres martinez.

andres runs the best green day site on the web, and that includes the warner bros.' (sorry, but it's true)...

we met for the first time this past week at the opening of john roeker's brilliant film, heart like a hand grenade. i have a soft-spot in my heart for andres because he helped me with something big time--

gda, as it is affectionately known, gets info about the band way before it hits the public; so much so that i asked andres once if they had a pipeline up green day's ass...

thanks to the green day authority for doing whatever the hell it is you do...love~niki

'shhhhhh...' (heart like a hand grenade)

2009-03-26T19:25:00.023-04:00

the secrecy surrounding the premier of the new green day documentary, heart like a hand grenade, was brilliant; i'm telling you, you couldn't find anything about it anywhere, anywhere! (and i hate using exclamation points!!)

well, that's not exactly true. but with these guys, miss one webcast and you're out on your ass!

heart like a hand grenade is astounding in its ability to show the creative process from the raw twinkling of an idea to a polished gem. in other words, if you want to see what was going on in billie, mike and tre's minds when they were coming up with the licks you hear on the album, it's all there...you see every song on american idiot and the concept of the entire album constructed right before your eyes!!!

filmmaker john roecker followed the band around while they were in the process of recording american idiot and his film is funny, unassuming and visually, weird; weird good, not weird bad. for instance, the mod dance sequence to holiday (i think it was holiday, i didn't write it down, shit!)...it's a hard day's night hallucination. and that's not the only beatles' reference, which always makes me happy...

the secrecy of the venue worked. the egyptian theater, an old hollywood movie palace, wasn't overcrowded or loud; it was beautiful and comfortable.

and how about this, the whole show was free! free!! with t-shirts and posters, also free!!

roecker shot hundreds of hours of film then, collaborating with a genius editor, dean gonzalez, morphed the images into a time-lapse symphony of the best, strangest and possibly smelliest moments of billie joe armstrong, mike dirnt and tre cool in and out of the studio as they hatched american idiot. (also included is footage of the debut performance of the album at the henry fonda theater in 2004)

plus, there's nudity! (!!)

with the help of some green day travelin' fans, beth, diane, j'net, cheryl, andres and mark, i got into the theater--(i didn't know you had to be on a list!). my grammar is all fucked up!!!!

thank the flowers and the trees that john roecker and green day had the foreskin to know that the making of american idiot needed to be captured for the silver screen~(just wanted to see if you were paying attention!!!)

*****************************************

2009-03-24T11:05:00.006-04:00

the ol' three stooges bait and switch...

2009-03-14T12:07:00.003-04:00

i know...every three stooges fan has the same complaint--so what? i can still say, I'M SICK OF STOOGES COMPILATIONS THAT PROMISE CURLY AND DELIVER SHEMP!! (ah~)

"Dalai Lama Harshly Condemns China Over Tibet"

2009-03-10T11:35:00.001-04:00

FREE TIBET

2009-03-09T19:07:00.003-04:00

i'm out there and loving every minute of it...

2009-03-07T14:35:00.003-05:00

i think i shall hit some open mics in los angeles now that i can walk and play and sing, again...

at least no one can tell me to keep my day job cause i don't have one~

peter tork

2009-03-04T23:26:00.005-05:00

i heard peter tork has a rare form of cancer...he was my favorite--(get well soon~)

mistakes...

2009-03-02T10:46:00.006-05:00

are the hardest things to admit, to learn from and to forget while waiting for the wisdom that comes~

"the air is humming cause something great is coming..."*

2009-02-24T12:49:00.005-05:00

march 25th l.a.

*stephen sondheim

kindness...

2009-02-09T19:45:00.005-05:00

it was pouring down rain in los angeles today and i was caught without an umbrella -- walking along santa monica boulevard, l.a. weekly newspaper over my head, some man stopped his car, leaned over the passenger seat and handed me an umbrella~

(thank you...)

quote...

2009-02-09T11:19:00.017-05:00

lenin -- mickey -- jesus

"there's nothing more spiritual than rock 'n' roll..."

luck

2009-02-05T21:37:00.005-05:00

i found this laminated four-leaf-clover when i was about 10...

walking through the grass at valley mill day-camp, i decided to see if i could find one...i did~

the underground railroad to candyland

2009-02-05T12:43:00.004-05:00

i love these guys because they can be silly and still rock their asses off --

and what do i mean by silly? i mean, a bass player/drummer in a duck mask, a guitar player in a bright red raggedy andy wig wrapped in a blue headband and a lead singer who loves his sunglasses and the floor!

since i smashed my back, it's not good for me to move too strenously...but it's impossible not to when they start playing because they just fucking rock...

i went to see them last night at the troubador in los angeles: to make it through i held onto the wall and then did whatever spastic movement i could manage...

can't wait til the next show and thank you thank you for the free pass~

a belated happy birthday, eva...

2009-02-05T12:26:00.003-05:00

i still miss you...

november was put on youtube by a woman who doesn't want to mentioned -- at first i thought it was a bit weird, but now i'm glad she did it and i'm more able to share -- can you believe we did this 15 years ago?

love,

niki

(how old would you be? god, 46, right?...that's even weirder)

adrienne armstrong

2009-02-03T11:49:00.017-05:00

i don't think enough has been written about the woman who, whether you like it or not, goes by the name mrs. billie joe armstrong.

so, let's pause, shall we, and pay some respect to someone whose life is about to be turned inside-out and upside-down very very soon --

when i was in the midst of my green day/american idiot fever, i attended a show in atlantic city where billie joe armstrong was participating in a vh1 tribute featuring elvis costello.

i know, i know i've written about that before, but not this part: i ended up sitting in the row right in front of adrienne armstrong and her friends, but i didn't realize it until i felt this heat, this presence behind me in my blue plastic aisle seat.

i turned around and there they were: a gaggle of pre-teen girls dressed from head-to-toe in green day apparel.

adorable...

that's when i saw mrs. armstrong; the girls had stalked her out and were ready to descend upon her person with cameras, autograph books and cell phones --

i relinquished my seat so they could move closer to her...

she made her way through the aisle after a woman standing next to me called her, and, as she did, i heard some man randomly ask her what she was doing at taj mahal?

she smiled and answered, "my husband is playing tonight." that's it. completely normal in her unassuming jeans and dark hoodie.

she approached the little girls and said, "i have to go talk to some people but i'll be right back, i promise."

i looked at those little girls and thought, 'oh god, i hope she does come back, i mean she promised!'

i knew that none of my adult friends could appreciate the weirdness of the moment; they were long past the point of rolling their eyes whenever i'd mention green day -- instead i turned on my cell and called one of my teenage guitar students, max -- (max has always been a good listener, even to the craziest stuff) --

a few minutes later, adrienne armstrong returned and, with honest affection, she signed the autograph books and took the cell phone pictures with every last one of those little girls...

how about that~

girlfriend pass (i think she tells the story best...)

2009-01-28T12:59:00.008-05:00

Girlfriend Pass

Originally uploaded by "Shanty" Cheryl

"shanty" cheryl strikes again! (and we're all the better for it...)

2009-01-28T12:53:00.014-05:00

Thorns of Life
Originally uploaded by "Shanty" Cheryl

talk about guts...cheryl was so sick when she took these shots of the secret "thorns of life" show this past weekend in long beach, ca, that she had to go out to the band van to to chug shots of wild turkey --

STILL she got right up front, to the point of personal injury (a bashed-in shin...as shown above), and, she climbed some very scary scaffolding in an effort to capture the insanity of the evening from above...she's quite something, dude~

oh mrs. parker...

2009-01-21T16:39:00.012-05:00

algonquin roundtabler and remarkable writer, dorothy parker, gave her entire estate to dr. martin luther king when she died in 1967. if you don't know about mrs. parker click on the link and you'll learn more than you ever wanted--

she left him all of her copyrights and about $30 grand -- she didn't even know him...

parker fought against injustice most of her life and was quite outspoken on the issue of bigotry -- she was a founding member of the writer's guild, ('member when all those hollywood writers struck last winter and your t.v. scheduling got all screwed up), that was a huge part of her legacy...

in the 50's, she was blacklisted for her leftist views and couldn't find much work...

when king was murdered in 1968, as stipulated in her will, parker's estate was transferred to the n.a.a.c.p.

oh if she could have been here the last two days--who knows, maybe she was~

but it was...

2009-01-20T20:25:00.010-05:00

i don't have a t.v. so i don't know if anyone has begged the question: what can gil scott heron be thinking today? america the beautiful took a huge leap forward to truly becoming an america of and for "we the people"

how about cheney in the wheelchair, huh? bye, bye--

YEA FOR THE WE PEOPLE!!

REVOLUTION BABY!

2009-01-18T13:49:00.020-05:00

i was talking to some people yesterday in west hollywood about the inauguration and asked if there, 'was going to be some kind of group celebration out here by the pacific'

let's see, as i recall it was me; uh, that would be one WHITE person, and a guy; yet another WHITE person or some sort of CAUCASIAN, and another guy; who happened to be HISPANIC, i reckon. we all had tears in our eyes and chills talking about what this meant--WHITE & HISPANIC!! it's a chance, it's exciting and it's definitely a change in the universal mapquest: we keep misreading the directions to happiness and sometimes they fly out the window altogether!

i wasn't able to vote, much to my sadness, because i couldn't walk and i didn't know anyone out here yet...but, i'm going to the inauguration celebration tuesday because, in my own life, this beats landing on the moon...

i mean, i love the father of our country, ol' GW, but all those old-1700-white- dude's-thatched-powdered-wigs must be spinnin', i tells ya,' spinnin'~

brand, spanking new music on the way -- isn't that fun!

2009-01-17T17:47:00.011-05:00

photo courtesty the green day authority~

my photos & i

2009-01-13T00:45:00.006-05:00

My Photos & I
Originally uploaded by "Shanty" Cheryl

i got to take a picture of one of the greatest photographers and nicest people, 'shanty' cheryl, and i was pretty nervous~

go to pomona to see...

2009-01-11T13:17:00.006-05:00

'shanty' cheryl's photography exhibit -- power & beauty...it'll be up for a month...

and...toys that kill from san pedro are a must~

some former students (and friends) checking in...isn't that nice~

2009-01-03T12:42:00.010-05:00

the boones, the hannah boys, max and drew, the crowell beauties, and punk-rocker anthony black~

bjork~

2008-09-06T07:16:00.010-04:00

"niki and I at the underground railroad to candyland"

2008-08-31T15:26:00.003-04:00

niki and I at the underground railroad to candyland
Originally uploaded by cuttyj

the master and his pabst...that's right--a cutty named j...you never know just where he might show up~

breakcreepfast

2008-08-31T15:23:00.002-04:00

breakcreepfast
Originally uploaded by cuttyj

toys that kill and underground railroad to candyland -- here are members priming for battle! you must see...you just must~

"I WAS A SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER!!"

2008-08-30T11:30:00.004-04:00

yep...

PRIMA DONNA--(these guys are famous!)

2008-08-26T12:42:00.006-04:00

you just may not know it yet...

my best friend

2008-08-12T22:01:00.024-04:00

my best buddy, scooby doo, died yesterday: he was an 11-year-old american eskimo in fine health. he traveled shotgun with me when i made the drive from baltimore to los angeles this july; he was definitely the leader of our little traveling circus between the cat, myself and him. light and smiling, nobody could resist wanting to snuggle up to him. even with his early passing, these last years were his best -- he had two owners prior to me.

before i moved out west, i'd been going to eastern animal hospital (EAH) in baltimore, maryland, for 18 years because the people who run that hospital are some of the greatest people i know; right there on the edge of town...on the edge of east charm city--

none of us knew at the time of my trip to california that a cancerous tumor was growing inside of scooby's spleen and that it would burst this past sunday and that i would have to rush put him to the vet monday to have him put down before he suffered --

this spleen cancer is a horrible cancer; there's no way of knowing it's there until it' too late; it happens with no warning, and there is no cure or reasonable treatment--

however, many years earlier, prior to the discovery of scooby's killer tumor, EAH dr. estelle ward, phoned me with an interesting, yet circuitous question which sounded something like, 'how i would i like to take home a 2-year-old beautiful dog that's too be to cute to be euthanized.' the dog, sky, had been hit by a car and the owner didn't want to pay for the surgery; they wanted to put sky down.

after i agreed to take sky home, i subsequently change his name to scooby (which was controversial yet, as a purest, stricly based on the cartoon character, not those dumb ass movies)

so, on his day off, EAH owner dr. jonathan kaufmann, came in to the hospital to perform the $2500 leg reconstruction surgery on scooby for $0 and in so doing gave me the privilege of sharing my life with that sweet dog for the next nine years...you couldn't not love him

to everyone at eastern animal hospital; thank you for always treating him like a king.

and to jonathan and estelle, thanks for yesterday even so late into the night~

i love you scoob...(i hate cancer; you motherfucker!!)

changes...

2008-08-10T12:25:00.003-04:00

it just takes one fucking foot in front of the other~

NEW USE FOR THE OL' DILDO...

2008-08-04T21:53:00.013-04:00

prima donna lead singer/guitarist kevin tyler preston uses his, (dildo that is), as an accessory for his guitar; it's his slide -- and it definitely does...slide

you gotta check out this sparkly, sexy, tuneful band~

dillon and drew (and gino)

2008-08-03T20:39:00.012-04:00

the hannah family from catonsville, maryland, are some of the most creatively inspired people i know -- i'd often joke that coming to their house to teach their youngest son dillon guitar was like entering a magical portal where imagination ruled...

above is a link to a crazy little video 11-year-old dillon and his friend drew made one day when they were bored -- just click on their names...

it took about 800 digital photos (and one day) to make the short and this was their first try! also, dillon's 18-year-old brother gino did the soundtrack; i believe that was a first try as well~

EARTHQUAKE!!

2008-07-30T10:37:00.005-04:00

they say there hasn't been an earthquake round these here parts of california in nigh on 14 years--hmm...

well, at least i'm no longer a virgin~

yea!

2008-07-24T11:01:00.005-04:00

--for a little more freedom--

(of speech, that is...i thought they were both going down)

"FCC reaches deal to approve XM-Sirius merger" the wall street journal~

THE BOYS FROM CATONSVILLE

2008-07-22T11:05:00.017-04:00

right now there are four teenage boys sleeping on the floor of my new home in los angeles...(and one of them really snores!) -- they strolled in last night at about 1 a.m. on this, the last leg of their cross-country drive from catonsville, maryland to santa barbara, california...

without eating, drinking or even peeing, these four old neighbors of mine hit the wooden floor of this 1907 cottage with an array of blankets and pillows and, bam, they were out...they're still out (and my cat keeps walking in between their splayed bodies)

i can't make a move without waking all of them; that's how small this place is...i'm trapped, trapped like a rat i tells ya, in my own house! WAKE UP!!~

"HOLLYWOOD TRASH!"

2008-07-13T22:28:00.007-04:00

that's what some weirdo guy screamed at me

from his car yesterday--

i haven't even been here a week!

(i kinda took it as a compliment~)

bye for now~

2008-06-20T07:39:00.002-04:00

m.g.w. poolside...

2008-06-11T23:21:00.001-04:00

the beauty of words...

2008-05-28T07:01:00.011-04:00

i can write shit, fuck, piss, cunt, motherfucker, cocksucker and tits all the live-fucking-long-fucking-day

however,

i call also pull eponymous out of my ass when called upon~

MOLLY'S WAITING AT THE ROXY FOR THE TUBS!

2008-05-27T15:41:00.015-04:00

molly with some random guy outside the troubadour in february

at this very moment molly and 400 other fans are waiting outside the roxy in l.a. for tonight's all-ages show of the foxboro hot tubs -- she's number 3 in line along with her very kind dad--and they've been in line since 8 p.m. last night...as the correspondent on the scene, she's readying her phone to send me photos from the front line~

here they are:

the line as of 1:19 pst

apparently one of these fine fans was on american idol

molly and her dad chris!!

UPDATES AS THEY HAPPEN....stay tuned~

KINGS OF BROKEN BOUNDARIES...THE FOXBORO HOT TUBS LIVE!!

2008-05-27T07:57:00.021-04:00

TIME...LAPSE

(it's organic, baby)

(all photos borrowed from http://www.foxborohottubs.com/photos/ )

(if it pisses anyone off...i'll take them right down! promise~)

THE REVEREND STRYCHNINE TWITCH

2008-05-23T13:59:00.005-04:00

(got it? good~)

LONG BEACH, CA...

2008-05-22T09:15:00.008-04:00

losangels-407.jpg
Originally uploaded by cuttyj

cuttyj, esq. and me at babe's warehouse -- i believe this was taken with cutty's camera by shanty cheryl

rock on with your pabst cutty!

(this guy is like an olympic skier with a camera--he slaloms through musicians while they play their set without disturbing a thing or causing the band to miss a beat~)

CROCKETT, CA, REDUX

2008-05-22T08:58:00.011-04:00

i spent all day last friday in line with some of the cool people of crockett, california, waiting to see the foxboro hot tubs at toot's bar later that night--

first of all, crockett/rodeo is hometown to green day/hot tubs' frontman billie joe armstrong--

so a word about crockett...

walking around, i stopped to have a great sandwich at deli around the corner, use the facilities in a cool bar called the tac (i think) where i met some funny guys drinking their pabst and then i just strolled down the lanes--

it was pretty...from toot's bar you had a view of a lush green foothill dotted with faraway homes

some hot tub line-waiters knew billie joe from school, others grew up with him...some didn't know him as well as they liked, others knew him well; like stacy...

stacy, a carol leifer look-alike, lost a nipple to breast cancer and told me that billie joe had hooked her up with a tattoo artist to fill in the area--she kept her money in that little spot during the show! (at least i'm hopin' she's knows him fairly well...)

stacy please -- i need the photo after you get inked!

and how could i forget nicole...she may have been 5'5' but she could kick some serious ass...

anywayzzzz...it was interesting to put myself in their shoes for a moment--

for, as stiffy, whose family came to crockett from mexico over 100 years, said, 'we come here [toot's] every night to drink and now we have to pay to get in, it's just weird! but i've got my seat at the bar all picked out, i've been eyein' it up this week...'

ah, the perks of being an insider...

thanks guys~

SHANTY CHERYL

2008-05-18T14:53:00.008-04:00

cheryl's photo of pinhead gunpowder in april's spin magazine

cheryl groff is a world-class photographer and sweet human being...

thank you cheryl~

love, niki

BLOOD SEX AND BOOZE IN CROCKETT, CALIFORNIA!!

2008-05-18T12:47:00.054-04:00

my vantage point [not photo] from stage right

HOLY SHIT is all i can say!

billie joe armstrong's small, tucked away hometown was invaded by an army of whacked out green day fans friday, may 16.

it all went down at toot's tavern on 2nd ave. in crockett -- THE FOXBORO HOT TUBS!!! LIVE

the show was meant to be a party for the band's friends and family -- but, they allowed maybe 100 or so fans in...and there were plenty more who waited all day and didn't make the cut

by mid-day, 2nd ave. in crockett turned into a full-on street festival with larry the hot dog guy, garrett the spray gun guy, orange-doored port-a-potties, skateboarders, and all sorts of chemicals and liquids!

i used the port-a-potty and all i could think was 'god i hope there isn't an earthquake right now, that would suck'

details of the show are a bit hazy because I ALMOST PUKED TWICE during it while trying to stay alive in the midst of complete chaos -- fight or flight -- people were hanging from the walls and ceiling like fucking spiderman in an effort to avoid the outrageous crush and heat of the crowd in that small bar that had no air-conditioning and no ventilation...

every so often, some one in the position of "authority" would get on stage and plead with the crowd, "everybody you've got to relax or the cops are going to shut us down." (did billie go care? no...every time someone would calm the crowd down he wound them up all over again...beautiful!)

(shit, it's sunday afternoon and i still haven't showered--the show went until 1 a.m., i got to my hotel at 2 a.m. and i left for my flight home at 6 a.m. -- no time!

today i will shower i promise...first, lest you think i've completely lost it--i was already in long beach, california, when i found out about the foxboro shows up north--i just extended my stay thank you very much...)

here's a list of some of the night's highlights to tempt your curiousity:

1. toot's bar, it's employees, security and the people of crockett rule!

2. the opening acts: outstanding-- the cobras --http://www.clipser.com/watch_video/174708 were so sexy and loveable and mommies friend, with billie joe's older brother on drums, rocked hard and wet...http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=22366407

3. a woman in a wheelchair made it to the front of the pit with her mom -- when she had to get out, her mom backed her out as the whole crowd chanted: 'BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...'

4. a cop got punched in the face (all of crockett's finest were out on their a.t.v.'s and tan uniforms--like 20 cops--(toot's made the right call on that one -- we are the waiting started unraveling around 5 p.m. and doors didn't open until 8)

5. a large woman ran panicking from the pit during the show, arms flailing screaming "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY -- I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE -- GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

6. leanne, a sweet girl from ireland, started fainting; eyes rolling in the back of her head...i threw her in front of the massive fan cooling the band and then got stuck behind it -- a great view, but i had to hold onto to the window on my right and behind me and the wall and the speaker on my left to keep from getting killed -- and when i did try to sit down, i ended up in a pool of water on top of the fan's electrical cord...zap!

BUT LET'S GET DOWN TO IT:

THE FOXBORO HOT TUBS ROCKED THEIR FUCKING SWEATY ASSES OFF UNTIL BILLIE JOE MADE A PERFECT BACKWARDS SWAN DIVE INTO THE CROWD;

BODY LIMP, SURFING THE LOVE UNTIL BACK ON STAGE, IN A FRENZIED FIT, ROLLED & WRITHED & BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF IT --PANTS LOW, ASS EXPOSED...

(told you i had a good view)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU GREEN DAY, I MEAN HOT TUBS~
niki lee

p.s. to number 1; melissa, and number 3; adam and cat and mary and those two wonderful irish girls, and larry (who found my car key!) and carrie and sharif and anyone i forgot--HI! and what about...TAMMY!! (the woman and the pen~)

EVERYBODY LET'S GET NAKED!!!

2008-05-16T10:30:00.013-04:00

...screamed billie joe armstrong last night midway through the sweat-saturated set of the fabulous foxboro hot tubs in their first live performance, ever!

oh it was a happening baby...

looking like a tricked out pimp from the 70's glam era and in excellent voice, billie joe strutted onstage with his buddies tre cool, mike dirnt, jason white, jason freese and kevin preston, a smiling, rocking guitar wonder in an elegent black suit and skinny red tie...

-- it all went down at the stork club in oakland, california, last night --

if you're confused at this point and don't know who the hot tubs are or what i'm talking about at all, do your research...

oh all right, i'll tell you: THEY'RE GREEN DAY YOU DUMB FUCKS!

barring blood, sex and booze, a network tune and a couple other covers, it was all hot tubs! and they fucking rocked even if i couldn't see them and even if it was 5000 degrees...

5000 degrees in the oakland, california, shade yesterday as we the fans sweated it out under so many black umbrellas it looked more like a funeral than a punk rock show.

and by the way, a shout out to the security at the venue, especially tom: YOU SUCK

(pardon me but it was true)

anywayzzz -- with his teased out, frosted blond hair, white sunglasses and fur collared duster, the most prominent thing missing from billie joe armstrong was his guitar--all night long!

it didn't matter--

guitar or no, billie joe is a star...i'll put it to you the way it was put to me by a giggly 21 year-old kirsten dunst look-alike:

"if billie joe ever dies i'll turn lesbian because he's everything i think a man should be."

IF I COULD HAVE JUST SEEN MIKE AND TRE FOR MORE THAN A SECOND OR TWO it might have been that much better...when i did catch a glimpse tre was decked out in an elegant gold suit jacket and shorts and mike in a white dinner jacket over a tight-fitting black vested outfit with thick rimmed, skinny black deiter-like glasses...

long live green day!
see you in crockett~

a rose by any other name...

2008-05-03T07:28:00.018-04:00

"i wanted to change my name to adolf hitler but i got in trouble."

a 10-year-old kid told me that last night...he had a sandy blond mohawk and was lighting little paper smiley faces on fire--

"do you believe in what hitler believed?" i queried.

the hostess, who was standing next to me, reminded me that i was talking to a child.

"hey, i'm not the one who said i wanted to change my name to hitler~"

pinhead gunpowder -- the secrets...

2008-05-02T06:22:00.008-04:00

"wait, i know who you are. yeah, you're the woman that wrote that story that we linked to all of our friends! hey guys, it's that lady that wrote the story about green day."

that was my official greeting as i entered chain reaction, a club in anaheim, california, on sunday, february 3, 2008 to see pinhead gunpowder, toys that kill and this is my fist...

mind you, i'd traveled 3,000 miles to see billie joe armstrong and his close friends play together in their band pinhead gunpowder...this may seem excessive, but you've got to grab the moment and these people don't play out often, plus it's fucking history...

so this woman, mary, she comes over to me and starts looking me over as we stood in the middle of the venue before the show--

"i know you," she said. "i think i know you."

"i don't know, i'm from maryland so i don't see how you could know me...i've been to a lot of green day shows though," I replied figuring she was probably a fan.

that's when she looked right through me, grabbed my arms and shouted the above first sentence...she knew me all right

time for a back up: in the fall of 2004 i flipped out over american idiot and followed green day around the world when i was 45-46 -- i wrote a story called seize the green day and the wonderful fan site, the green day authority, asked if they could post it on their site

of course i said yes

i haven't seen any green day fans since i wrote that story in 2006...i had no idea that people would know who i was -- and let me tell you: as a first-timer it is freaky, good...but freaky--

a couple of fans have asked me to write about the adventures i had following phgp up and down california...

i'm so flattered -- here goes:

wait

i'm not sure how to start...

should i start with the woman who hated green day so much that she scratched my face and tried pulling my hair out or with guitar player from an opening act who almost KO'd me out when he, inadvertantly, hit me in the head with his guitar?

hmmm~

PINHEAD GUNPOWDER REDUX

2008-05-01T13:52:00.008-04:00

i've had requests as a singer, but never as a writer--now that's changed

requests have just been pouring in for stories about my pinhead gunpowder experiences...

well, um, ok...why not -- i'll start tomorrow --

thanks guys~

niki

i just love this one

2008-04-24T06:45:00.006-04:00

dark side of night...

love it

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

Bleeding me though my heart is dry

This knife is a symbol dark side of night

Killer's on the run with a halo of lies

Raising the hell within us as the angels fly

There's a rain tonight falling from the sky

There's a liar's moon tonight--

Dark side of night

The secret chasm, hole in my heart

Fire's raging on us burning like a scar

Made of flesh and blood

My soul's made of stone

My flame is burning out now

Nightmares alone

There's a rain tonight falling from the sky

There's a liar's moon tonight

Dark side of night~

hey universe...

2008-04-14T09:58:00.010-04:00

sometimes you need to take a risk and throw it out there as hard as you can...this is the only way i know how -- alone, uncensored, free

so...here goes:

it would be a honor & privilege to contribute any writing to any script green day creates for american idiot--

i'm puttin' it out there....WAY OUT THERE~

DON'T MESS WITH THE MESS-AROUND...

2008-04-14T06:46:00.013-04:00

take a group of genius musicians, add music that's so catchy you can't turn it off and you have stop, drop and roll!!! the soon-to-be new release from the internationally acclaimed band, the foxboro hot tubs

the hot tubs are a cagey lot that have produced a collection of subversively delicious bits of ear candy

the music may snag you at first -- but the lyrics kill on future listens~

the 60s are turned upside down -- like if you took the monkees 'the last train to clarksville' and redubbed it 'the last train to clarksville (before i blow my brains out)'...

don't be a sucker...pre-order here:

http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Drop-Roll-Foxboro-Tubs/dp/B0015FHDRW

or download the 'b' side songs here:

http://www.foxborohottubsdownload.com/

where's my $600?

2008-04-12T09:34:00.047-04:00

that's what i wanted to know standing in line at the bank the other morning...so, of course, i asked the teller outloud

the guy next to me said, 'i can tell you exactly when you're going to get your money...what are the last two digits of your social security number?'

'what are you, an accountant?,' i joked nervously -- 'yes, i am,' he replied -- i told him my digits, he said, 'may 10,'

now, at this point i'm a thinkin', 'how come the government is giving us this money, really?'

anywayzzz...if uncle sam has enough to give us non-money-having-people $600 WHOLE MORE DOLLARS U.S. then, at this point, again, i'm a 'thinkin we could probably get more, probably A LOT MORE --

i'm just really glad we're getting something for nothing! (cuz that happens every day!)

'member 3 years ago; we got like $300, right?

look, we got a raise~

SANCTUARY

2008-04-07T08:54:00.004-04:00

my land is bare of chattering folk;

the clouds are low along the ridges,

and sweet's the air with curly smoke

from all my burning bridges.

dorothy parker~1931

tip of the hat...

2008-04-06T21:06:00.004-04:00

to dan rodricks...

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/rodricks/blog/

the emperor's new clothes~

2008-04-06T07:50:00.003-04:00

Many years ago, there lived an emperor who was quite an average fairy tale ruler, with one exception: he cared much about his clothes. One day he heard from two swindlers named Guido and Luigi Farabutto that they could make the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they said, also had the special capability that it was invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position.

Being a bit nervous about whether he himself would be able to see the cloth, the emperor first sent two of his trusted men to see it. Of course, neither would admit that they could not see the cloth and so praised it. All the townspeople had also heard of the cloth and were interested to learn how stupid their neighbors were.

The emperor then allowed himself to be dressed in the clothes for a procession through town, never admitting that he was too unfit and stupid to see what he was wearing. He was afraid that the other people would think that he was stupid.

Of course, all the townspeople wildly praised the magnificent clothes of the emperor, afraid to admit that they could not see them, until a small child said:

"But he has nothing on!"

This was whispered from person to person until everyone in the crowd was shouting that the emperor had nothing on. The emperor heard it and felt that they were correct, but he held his head high and finished the procession. (for those who may not know, i didn't write this, that nod goes to hans christian andersen...niki)

OK...I'M AN JERK

2008-04-06T07:08:00.024-04:00

i've been getting a lot of shit in the last several days, personally and in print, regarding my characterization of some women at a bobby sherman concert in 1998...

i'm not retracting my comments--i will, instead, elaborate on my original observation for further clarification that i am not the anti-christ...'K?

(and, i will not print a picture of the women mentioned in my friend dan's column--go talk to him about it--)

these women i wrote of didn't need to lose 20, 30 or even 50 pounds, these were morbidly obese women who were pushing 400 pounds at least and it depressed me -- here were my peers, these 40-year-old women, and here they had let themselves fall into such a state of disrepair it was astonishing...and embarrassing to me for some reason -- i don't know where it comes from, but inherently, morbid obesity makes me angry...

trying desperately not to judge for a moment, i looked at these women with an overwhelming sense of melancholy as they clung to that chain-link fence screaming out for their idols...

for that wisp of time i imagined all of us there that evening as the 13-year-olds we had been: naive, vibrant, hopeful...

i got sad and mad and i dared to say said it out loud--

dissect it. analyze it. do what you will...i'm sure it's my problem not theirs -- they were at the concert just trying to have fun

most days i'm fairly compassionate and empathetic--however, i do have a terrible mean streak as the result of being mentally tortured by a very cruel father for, oh, 30 years or so-- (you gotta think fast and mean when you're a 4' tall kid facing down a 6' + man) -- i am not using that as an excuse, it's a fact and i've been working on modifying the bitch within for several years now...

to wit:

I AM SORRY IF I HURT ANY ONE'S FEELINGS--
(but getting on a treadmill and putting down the cinnabons isn't a bad idea either~)

peace falls over the valley

2008-04-05T21:12:00.015-04:00

( my brothers stole this poster off my wall just because they were being brothers )

in all my born days, i never thought i'd ever be embroiled over something as stupid as forgetting peter noone's name -- but that's what happened

happily, mr. noone and i have come to a mutual understanding regarding my bobby sherman story...

thank you mr. noone

'long live bobby sherman and all his creatures great and small~'

i don't think peter noone likes me...

2008-04-03T09:19:00.008-04:00

hey...i didn't know anyone even read this blog--

this was his response to my 'bobby sherman' post yesterday--
as you can see he gave me permission to print his letter in his letter, so, here goes:

Subject:
I was there
Date:
4/3/2008 2:01:20 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From:
peter@peternoone.com
Reply To:
To:
missniki101@aol.com

And i didn't see any balding ladies just beautiful girls having fun.you eveninvented a fence? Chain-link and a roadie who invited you out?I don't like your blog because it is so hurtful to others

Perhaps a look at who you are on the inside will help you find some peace inyour shitty little world of hate and mean-spiritedness.

Bobby sherman was, is and doesn't care for your sad little career . He likeshimself

Try picking on someone your own size

I see you did 2 gigs in 2007 so we all have something to be thankful for?Stay home and leave us nice people out of your pathetic blogs. The mention of my name drew my attention and my ire I am done with you now. Disappear again.

Ps print this for all your loser fans

--Peter Noone
Herman
http://peternoone.com
http://www.myspace.com/hermanshermitspeternoone
http://hermanshermits.com

BOBBY SHERMAN

2008-04-02T09:19:00.036-04:00

ok, wait...let me explain--

i was 13...13...and i loved bobby sherman--even now, i still have great affection for him

he was my teen idol! i had the posters, i had the records...everything

i saw him live at the shady grove music theater in gaithersburg, maryland in the early 70s, (although i couldn't hear a thing for all the screaming girls).

the jury may be out on his talent, but he seems like a good guy and, c'mon, he was very cute..come on, admit it! he is still a good looking man...

the autograph on the above photo i got when i was 40--

one sunday on the way to a gig, i heard that my teen idol, bobby sherman, was playing with davey jones, from the monkees, and that guy from the herman's hermits...i can't remember his name--in some kind of reunion show

it sounded bizzare; i had to go

taking a u-tour on the way to the gig, i went back home, got my bobby sherman fan club book circa 1972 and headed to the venue, pier 6, on the water in downtown baltimore. if you're from charm city you know that pier 6 is a place for those performers 'on their way up and on their way down...way down.' think spinal tap...

i walked to pier 6 and there, in front of a high, locked chain-link fence, were about 100 overweight, balding women waiting: waiting for bobby, davey and shit, what is that guy's name?!? NOONE -- RIGHT PETER NOONE!

mind you, these women have to be my age because we all have the same teen idols from the same time period--

unnerved by this revelation, i sat on my guitar case just as the tour manager opened the locked fence--he walked toward me and started making small-talk...after making a pass, i told him i'd accept his dinner invitation if he could get me bobby sherman's autograph -- which he did...

after dinner with tour guy in little italy, i felt he acted a bit inappropriately and so he was promptly deposited at his hotel--

later at home, asleep under my black eye shades, the phone rang...it was the tour dude, he was calling to make sure i knew that he was in possession of male genitalia...as in 'did i forget to remind you that i have a penis?'

i politely said good-bye, hung up the phone and put my black eye-shades on hiding from the world once again~

PEDESTRIAN?

2008-04-01T03:44:00.006-04:00

i think not...

could you get more infectious or humble?

people, i implore you!

maybe it doesn't take a jesus but it sure takes a genius~

http://www.myspace.com/foxborohottubs

(it's so fun!)