Yes, I really am going to steal a post just to put up a video of a car driving around. Why? Because I can. I was lucky enough to grow up with a Dad who loves muscle cars. And in turn over the years have had it fully rub off on me. There is nothing better than being behind the wheel of an amazing american muscle car. My father and uncles are major enthusiasts so I have had the privilege of growing up around them. My very first car was a 1987 Pontiac Firebird. It was a huge blessing; and a wonderful car to get into trouble with. V6 fuel injected, t-tops… and fast. As Mom and Dad read this post they will shake their head, but will of course realize that it’s just the gene pool, and not my fault. I couldn’t wait until church on wednesday and sunday nights so that afterwords I could terrorize the south parking lot with my 360 spins and power slides. I was often saved by grace when I tried to see how fast I could get her to go, as Mike Bass held onto the dash for dear life and turned three shades whiter than clear. And yes, I was that dork that installed a car alarm that talked… I was also at the time searching for a Knight Rider style tracer light to put on the front. But unfortunately all I was armed with was the Yellow Pages; as Al Gore hadn’t yet finished his invention of the internet (Sorry for ripping on you if you googled yourself and are reading this Al). Years later I owned a 1994 Mustang that did an incredible job of falling apart on cue (I do not endorse Fords, bleh).
So bringing you up to date. I have been blessed enough to own a Dodge Charger these past 2 years and it has been nothing but flawless as Dodge makes incredible vehicles. I have driven her all over the country with zero problems (except the price of fuel). But come 2009 I am really, REALLY wanting to trade her in for the new Dodge Challenger which I have been waiting on for at least four years. The lines on this thing are absolutely amazing. And the interior is nothing less than stellar.
My speeding days are behind me as I am a responsible adult. But give me a closed course and it’s pedal to the floor, and yes I will most likely win. (Mom, Dad, that’s a challenge you just heard. )
Well, enough ranting about material possessions. And yes, I am well aware that in the whole scheme of things they do not matter and I can’t take them with me when I die. But it sure is fun to enjoy them while I am here.
And to add a disclaimer: In all seriousness you should never race anywhere but on a closed course or speedway. We have lost a cousin due to high speed driving and it is nothing to shrug off or take lightly.
I just want to quickly preface this article written by Charlie Peacock in what is the last issue to be printed of the age old CCM Magazine. I don’t personally know Charlie other than a few brief conversations back and forth via Facebook. But his thumbprint has been a part of my life since I was a young moron running around singing “In the Light” at the top of my lungs. Those of you who grew up sheltered in the realm of Christian music (myself included) may not know it but Charlie had a huge part of a majority of what influenced you as a kid growing up. From Audio Adrenaline to Amy Grant, dcTalk, Sarah Masen, Eric Champion, Out of the Gray, Margaret Becker and Switchfoot.
I will follow up this post at some point this week by sharing with you my perspective of it all from my days as a kid – til now, wondering where I fit into all of this. And will share a few encouraging words that Charlie gave me personally this week.
~Cory Basil
The following is Charlie’s article.
I’m a man with an opinion, and opinions are cheap. I’m riffing here—that’s what musicians do. Keep your eyes and ears open. See what comes true.
The music business aspect of Christian music (labels, radio, touring, etc.) will continue to follow the pattern of the world, especially as long as baby-boomers and Gen-X people are in charge. The pattern is an increasingly unsuccessful business model run by people trapped in a system intent on slow, incremental change in the face of monumental cultural shifts. The music business, Christian and otherwise, has been a wealth-creation mechanism for a small, elite group of executives, songwriters, producers and artists. Those days are over. Still, the old guard won’t go peaceably. They’ll fight for control to the end. When they finally exit, the new music business will be underway. Continue reading ‘Charlie Peacocks Industry Perspective’
So after displaying my first piece of cartoonery I felt it only appropriate to show you a music video that includes my animation. This is a video that I worked on for INPOP records and JonnygrandFilms. I was brought in to write the treatment (which is the script or storyline) and draw the storyboards for the music video. That progressed into working heavily on set and eventually editing the video as a whole. It was very fun to work on and eventually opened several other doors for me.
The band is Everyday Sunday check them out on myspace. They were a fun bunch of guys to work with. I ran into Trey at the GMA’s and we were able to catch up a bit. He’s getting married shortly so congrats are definitely in order.
At one of the showcases I attended at the GMA’s last week they showed this video on the big screen between acts. I got a kick out of seeing it up there all big and such. :) I’ll display more of my work as time progresses. Enjoy.
After being on the road working with Kevin Max, and having a decent jump back into the flow of creating and sharing my music again, I took a brief vacation between legs of the tour and went to Colorado to spend time with my family. During that time I went to the theatre to see “Talladega Nights” of all movies. As I left the theatre and headed over I-70 I had to immediately stop due to a team placing construction cones on the highway. Everyone in front of me was able to stop in time and avoid an accident. Then there was Ricky Bobby behind me who thought he could stay at speeds of 55mph and go through me. That didn’t work out so well for him, or myself. Needless to stay I had to miss out on the rest of the touring that year. And also missed out on an opportunity to write in a studio in LA with a Grammy winning songwriter and complete a demo.
Such is life, and His ways are definitely not mine. So that brings us to this. This being the first cartoon I made while teaching myself to animate. Having nothing really to do while rehabbing 3-5 times weekly, and not being able to hunch over a guitar to write. I purchased a plethora (I love that word.) of books on web design and animation. Having always wanted to be an animator for Disney as a kid it was kind of exciting. I had to learn a new trade and fast to be able to supplement some form of income. So in a few short months I taught myself how to use Flash and various other programs. Nonsense* is a senseless collaboration of my learning process. It won’t change your life or lead you to Jesus. But it may make you laugh for a brief moment.
(The characters are original and made from scratch piece by piece. And of course, the audio is taken from various films and television clips and slightly altered.)
This is amazing. Had to post it being it’s one of my favourite Beatles tunes and really… How does this kid know all the parts to the song? In order? How is he holding that guitar so well? Most kids would be chucking it around and stepping on it.
A few weeks ago I pulled this video out of when I went skydiving. It was a pretty incredible experience. Skydiving is a very two-fold thing. First it’s the intense adrenaline rush of “Ahhh, I’m jumping out of an airplane!” Second, After the chute is pulled it is so incredibly serene and peaceful floating so high in the air. Words can’t describe the feeling. I would definitely recommend doing this at least once in your life. What do you have to lose? (Besides your life.) As soon as I hit the ground I wanted to go right back up and do it again. I had no time to even think about it, so there wasn’t weeks building up the anticipation. I was hanging out with a few friends at a coffee shop one night and they said, “Hey, we’re going skydiving tomorrow morning, you should come.” And with no hesitation I said, “Okay, sounds cool.” Ah spontaneity, I love it. If someone handed me a plane ticket overseas for tomorrow, I’d say, “Okay, sounds cool.” It’s such a fun and free way to approach life. Of course don’t shirk off your responsibilities. But definitely allow yourself to be more free and open. That’s all for now, enjoy the video.
Quite possibly the most exciting web-ccessory (yes I just made that up, now spread the term globally) that I have stumbled upon in quite some time is Jott.com. (thanks carrel)Here comes the testimonial: Through Jott I now no longer need to speedily fly through the alphabet on my tiny cell phone keypad. I can just simply hold down the speed dial that I have set for the Jott phone number and presto. As soon as I call “Jott” recognizes my phone number and accesses the contact list that I have loaded online. It asks me, “Who do you want to Jott? And I simply reply with a one word answer, Jott repeats my answer by asking if it is correct, I say Yes. And a “BEEP” occurs. Then I say what I need to say, wait for the pleasant robot lady to say “Got It!” And I hang up. Continue reading ‘All about Jott dot (com)’
I was lucky enough to grow up with a Dad who loves muscle cars. And in turn over the years have had it fully rub off on me. There is nothing better than being behind the wheel of an amazing american muscle car. My father and uncles are major enthusiasts so I have had the privilege of growing up around them. My very first car was a 1987 Pontiac Firebird. It was a huge blessing; and a wonderful car to get into trouble with. V6 fuel injected, t-tops… and fast. As Mom and Dad read this post they will shake their head, but will of course realize that it’s just the gene pool, and not my fault. I couldn’t wait until church on wednesday and sunday nights so that afterwords I could terrorize the south parking lot with my 360 spins and power slides. I was often saved by grace when I tried to see how fast I could get her to go, as Mike Bass held onto the dash for dear life and turned three shades whiter than clear. And yes, I was that dork that installed a car alarm that talked… I was also at the time searching for a Knight Rider style tracer light to put on the front. But unfortunately all I was armed with was the Yellow Pages; as Al Gore hadn’t yet finished his invention of the internet (Sorry for ripping on you if you googled yourself and are reading this Al). Years later I owned a 1994 Mustang that did an incredible job of falling apart on cue (I do not endorse Fords, bleh).
