In The Dirt – Directed by LLoyd Kaufman

For those who don’t know, we’ve been working on a video for our song “In the Dirt” with Troma Films.  There’s a scene where the Toxic Avenger and Leslie (one fine Tromette!) chase the band into a classroom and eventually stomps my head into a fine red paste.  This was done using a cantaloupe filled with crushed beets.  Two perfectly good, white button-up shirts were ruined in the process, requiring a morning jaunt to Target so I’d have one for the show.  We shot the rest of the footage at the show, where Toxie and Leslie chased me off the stage.  The fans were featured heavily in this part, and Lloyd had them screaming and jumping up and down until their legs ached and their voices were sore and faint… it’s awesome to know that you guys will endure this kind of torture for us, and we love you for it!  Troma will likely finish editing the video in a month or so. If you haven’t already, sign up to our mailing list (in the left column) so I can let you know when it’s is done. It’s going to be epic! I miss Toxie already.

Tony and I performed an “unplugged” set in the exhibitor’s hall.  When we arrived we noticed there was no PA system for us to hook up to, which meant we couldn’t mic Tony’s guitar or either of our vocals… At first we thought we might not be able to do the set, but figuring we had nothing to lose decided to give it a go.  And it ended up being a truly great time.  People gathered around us like we were playing songs over a camp fire.  No microphones at all, just a guitar and a couple of voices.  It was the most naked performance we’ve ever done, and I’m left feeling like I want to do it again.  It’s amazing what can come from a seemingly negative situation if you go in with a decent attitude.

I met some fellow authors at the author panels… Dan Jolley, D.A. Adams, Stephen Zimmer (whose identity I briefly stole), Shane Berryhill, Mary Kowal, Robert Freese, and a few others I’m sure to be forgetting at the moment due to the fact that I consider 11am to be early.  Check these guys out, and if you ever run into any of them, remind them that they owe me lunch… and dessert. The panels were a lot of fun, even if my tendency to goof off sent us flying off course every ten minutes or so.

Tony and I were on a band panel with Ricky from Radio Cult that had no agenda whatsoever… We ended up telling our funniest and most repulsive road stories and having a blast! Sometimes chaos is the right way to go.

Huge thanks to Lloyd Kaufman, Leslie, Raven, Opal, the A NEW LOW crew, and Todd!  See you next year, Connooga!

~Andy