FIVE NIGHTS. FIVE SHOWS. 15 MILES

NIGHT ONE

THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO

THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Eager to catch a glimpse of Tom Cruise we packed up the sleeping bags and headed out. Though we arrived in the wee hours of the night it was not surprising to to see about 8 sleeping bodies in front of the building. The same bodies Ive been seeing for years at these Tom Cruise events.
As the sun begin to rise the line slowly filled in. very slowly.
The last time The Cure came to the tonight show none of us had pre ordered tickets and we all lined up to the side of the building at the box office. About five times the amount of ppl. In the morning a group had tried to crowd and a fight pursued. not this time.
Last time SEVERAL fans that had waited in line much of the day did not make it into the show. not this time. Everyone got in. even the ppl that arrived last minute to see tom cruise.
long story short, they played "perfect boy" very well. sound was great. crowd was decent. But if you watch the show you can hear that Tom Cruise got almost as much applause. SAD. By chance I ran into the band at the side of the building as they were waiting to get authorization to drive into the lot. Not much to report, I waved - they waved back.

NIGHT TWO
a blurCARSON DALY

ANOTHER DAY - ANOTHER LINE
Though the Carson Daly show is on the same NBC lot this show did not run as smooth as the Leno show.
A short walk around the corner after the tonight show brought us to night two of sleeping in the streets. A handful of fans went out for Thai food. The only real meal of the entire week. but a great one. I was in my typical observation mode saying a total of 10 words throughout the meal, but hey, it was not many years ago that 5 words would have been astonishing.
Back to the line we found a handfull of fans camped out. This night was MUCH colder then night one. We had brought peppermint pattys (hot chocolate and peppermint snapps) to help stay warm. Others were drinking wine and OJ, apparently to help with some voice problems.
The Curse (a Cure cover band) broke out the guitars and my first instinct was to get annoyed but it was actually really nice listening to them. (im getting soft in my old age). Security came out, told us that cars were going to fly off the freeway and kill us if we slept on the side walk in front of the Carson entrance. And that rats would eat us alive while we slept. Then threatened to call the real cops if we didnt leave. We didnt leave. The cops didnt do anything to us and neither did the rats. We did Freeze though. The Carson line filled in better then the Leno line. Security was rude much of the day. When the crowd was let in the workers ran around as though they had never done a show in their lives.
They sat us down and made us watch the show then when the band was set to preform they let several ppl whom had waited half the time that we had into the stage area. A few lucky ones from the front of the line made it to the very front of the stage and several of the ppl from the front of the line ended up in the back area of the stage. I manged to shift my way to the side of the stage front row. Then a camera man barked at me to go to the back of the crowd and that he needed space for his cords. I told him that I had waited 20 hours in line for this. He then remarked "why should I care" I then remarked "FUCK YOU" and so it begin, camera man: "do you want to get kicked out"
me: "fuck off" as I stood my ground
camera man: "Im having you kicked out"
me: "kick me out then you FUCK"
camera man: signals to large black man
large black man moves toward camera man and I slowly back towards middle of crowd. Jeremy (tech for the band) tells me to hide in the crowd.
I try to blend in until large black man is out of sight. I throw a couple grade school glares towards camera man and he yells at me not to look at him like that. I then settled into my spot Simon side about 6 ppl back. They play the fist song. Robert seams in a better mood then last night. Chatting with carson. laughing. And just as they are getting set for the second song the camera man picks me from the the crowd and pulls me to the front of the stage telling the ppl in the front to make room. I look up and Porl is smiling at me, Robert gives me an odd look and Sleep when Im dead starts to play. my head was spinning. the last song plays and it was gone in a flash. The camera man apologized to me after the show. The cure tech gave Angelina Roberts beer cup, lipstick and all. Time to head home for a day of rest until the next show right, WRONG. rumors of a secret show at the Troubadour end up to be more then just a rumor.

NIGHT THREE
THE TROUBADOUR!!!!

DREAM 12:13 ITS OFFICIAL
Rumors had been floating about a secret show but nothing was confirmed until sometime around midnight. Straight back to the line. not a soul to be found. We drive around the venue looking for signs of life with no avail. Then park in front of the Troubador until we spot another car of fans. Andy and company. The excitement in the prospect of seeing The Cure at my favorite venue in LA kept me wide awake. More fans started to trickle into line around 6am. Though I rarely speak to ppl I made it clear that even though the conformation had said no line ups before noon, that we Needed to organize this line. Andy disagreed but I persisted and pulled a marker out of my pocket handing it over to Steph insisting that we number everyone. Steph then hands the marker over to Midnight to take control. We number everyone, form a line and low and behold it worked. Security made sure we were in line in order of number and gave the first 140 ppl wrist bands (several hundred did not get in). Then proceeded to kick us off the property. Why? I have no idea why! It just made a mess of the line and drama when it came time to letting ppl line up again at 7. Somebody please explain to me why they use this system.
The Cure at the Troubadour. what can I say. About 140 ppl got wristbands and 200 were on the VIP list. The venue holds just over 400. the floor is about as large as my bedroom. The sound was extraordinary, the experience even better.

NIGHT FOUR

KROQ ACOUSTIC XMAS
watch it here http://vimeo.com/2530650

NIGHT FIVE

JIMMY KIMMEL

PRAYERS FOR RAIN
we arrived to the kimmel show around 10pm or so. A small group of fans were getting sprinkled on. Then the rain started to come down. We decide to sleep in our cars that night and take turns in line. The rain continued to come down. The line was really thin until around 3 that day. then ppl started to tough the rain out in droves. It stared to hail around 5 and heavy rain persisted. Rumors of a cancelled show begin to circulate and none of the several hundred ppl budged. Then security came out and told everyone that they were moving the show inside and that only the first 100 ppl would be allowed in. We were escorted to the front of the building and waited another couple hours while they set up in the studio. They sound checked Prayers for rain, Same deep water as you and The kiss, getting my (and others around me) hopes up. We were finally let into the studio. Only around 60 of us made it in. And they allowed a mad rush to get in at the last minute (after being very aggressive with the line earlier that evening) with several ppl crowding at the last minute. Some of whom did not even wait throughout the day. Out of all the line drama through the several years of cure shows I think this one was the straw on the camels back for many fans. It was almost as pitiful as ticketmaster (the modern day scalper) and the abuse they continue to get away with.
for those whom got in it was a great show. though when I bent over to read simons set list and did not see prayers for rain, SDWAY or The kiss I was wholeheartedly disappointed. I wont complain though. Another low stage without bodyguards staring at me. The sound was great. They played 10 songs!

Though I would rather not a greatest hit setlist, these shows were sensational and its always great to see the band again. I love the cure for songs other then the "hits" but still enjoy listening to the pop songs now and then. It seams as though the band is aging and having fun playing the hits rather then the brooding emotional songs that drain on your thoughts and provoke your essence. Obviously this is much easier on the band.

Thank you to the handful of fans in the front of the line whom let me warm up in their cars and or provided friendly conversation while we endured little to no sleep, freezing cold weather, rain, hail and line drama. It was fun and I hope to see you all next year for the "dark tour" In my dreams.

"will we really remember how it feels to be this alive"

this is alexis

Alexis came down to take photos for one of his sponsors.
we shot some photos
both skateboarding and lifestyle
alexis is a good friend so i shot em for free
we finish up
get some really good shots
i send em over to alexis
and guess what
alexis likes none of the lifestyle photos
he complains of his hair
complains of his clothing
complains of his nose
complains complains complains
mind you all the photos were perfectly fine
so here it is, the photo that did not get used because of alexis

we made a big mistake

Yeah we did it. at one point in time somebody thought it would be a good idea to start breeding animals small. as pets. Its been a decent hit over the years. horses, dogs, even pigs. there are however some animals that were left behind. the giraffe, the kangaroo, the walrus, the hippopotamus and elk. to name a few. who wouldnt want a miniature giraffe. yeah i know the whole idea is cruel, but i cant help but to obsess over one animal in particular. The elephant. He would be about as large as a bulldog, a little taller though since his legs would have to be long enough as not to drag his snout. just the thought somehow makes me happy. not an easy task. ohh, and tusks. my elephant would have the nicest tusts on the block. we would walk the streets in pride. and of course elephants are not going to want to walk all the time (i understand this) he would have hand stiched roller skates. actualy i think they would be snake skin. I know they would be snake skin. grey to match his skin tone and ivory color laces. Im not dumb, i dont think he would learn to skate, but these animals are stought. even at 2ft he would weigh a hundred pounds plus. so i am counting on the sturdyness and a harness to pull him along. and yes i will put him on the skateboard. its going to be a hassle though. falling off and what-not. I havent named him yet. im sure i will in time though. this thought fills my head more often then not. the games we would play... im telling you we made a big mistake when coming up with the list of animals to breed miniature....

i didnt get my stimulus check

Im on my computer in awe over the information overload I get daily.
I used to go to the bookstore to read magazines. lots of magazines. that is where I got much of my current culture information. I still do this. But now days my computer can give me much of the same info and at a much quicker rate.

After some time stewing over whether or not to call the IRS and see what happened to my stimulus check<>

>>well, none of the above seam to fit.
At the bottom of this article there is a link to the IRS. very simple actually. just punch in your social and it tells you where your check is. Wonderful... Not so Wonderful. "specific information about your stimulus payment is not available here" it says. Of course. and why should it be. IRS info is meant to be taboo.

At the bottom of the page there is a number to the IRS. DREADED.

so i pace around the room for a few minutes trying to talk myself out of calling. and after 10 minutes of going back and forth on it I decide to call and get it out of the way...
5 minutes go by on hold
10 minutes...
20 minutes...
nearly 30 minutes on hold and Rick Jefferies answers the phone.
At first I think Rick is a message machine. He pukes out his opening line verbatim from the script he was given 15 years ago when he first started his job.
My first urge was to just hang up. And maybe I should have.
Rick doesn't sound very happy. And why should he be. He knows that at some point this conversation is going to go awry. And thats his job. when I hang up he is instantly transferred to another john doe from another corner of the country with another problem.
There are two types of people. One that enjoys helping people with their problems and the other that does not. Rick is of the latter.

Despite my urge to hang up.. Rick snaps to me some questions in a quick paced monotone voice. I oblige in my best voice. Hold. Rick snaps at me. and before I can even say OK >click<>
5 minutes later...
10 minutes...
Rick is back. "we have a problem"
DREADED
of course we do Rick, I mutter in my head.
Rick continues to inform me. your social does not match up with your name. We have two ppl under the same social. And you owe $658.00 in back taxes from 2006.
WHAT. ok ok.. let me explain to you something Rick. this is not the first I have heard about my social security number. BUT. in 2007 I spent countless hours deciphering this with your very own IRS agents. By the end and several calls and letters back and forth We (me and the IRS) delt with the issue. At that time the IRS had told me they didnt receive ANY payments and that somebody had stole my identity. Neither was true. So I sent my $2,800 worth of money order receipts to them and all the sudden "here it is" the money just pops up out of thin air.
> So let me explain Rick. Ive payed this off. and as for my social matching my name. My mother never bothered legally changing my last name to Flyg. Ive been going by Flyg most all my life. But in 2007 for some reason it popped up and started causing problems for me. So what you have Rick are two names under one social. Even though in 2007 the IRS told me that the problem had been fixed.
> Do I have to go through the weeks of hoops, calls and letters to RE fix this?
Rick answers, here is the number to call. "your kidding me" I blurt out.
ok ok. but this does not answer my original question. my check.
Rick explains to me that when there is an Astrix on the end of a name in the system they do not send the stimulus check.
At this point I am a labrador lying on my back... "ok, just tell me what i need to do Rick?" HOLD he snaps.
So here I am on hold again.
10 minutes go by
15 minutes go by.....
Rick gets back on the line,
"Ok, it looks like we sent this account to collections"
WHAT!
no notice, no letter, no email, no phone call. NOTHING?
"Im going to transfer you to our collection agency" Rick snaps to me.
And literally before I could get the first syllable out of my mouth from the my proceeding questions I had for Rick... The hold music is playing and Im on my way to speak to the IRS collection agency. F#%#!
5 minutes go by
10 minutes
15 minutes....
nearly 20 minutes and another verbatim opening statement.
At this point my hearing has become selective.
I do not hear the opening statement. Neither do I hear a name that came along with this statement.
We will call him.. Heath
Heath is more upbeat and ask the same question as Rick but in a Human sort of way.
ok.. I reiterate the story to Heath.
"can you hold please while I look this up" ok "thanks"
he actually waited for a response before clicking me into the hold world.
5 minutes go by
10 minutes...
Heath gets back on the line. He explains to me how they may have my money but needs me to send proof of payment to them. That being photo copied versions of the cashed money orders, front and back. something you will have to get from the money order company he explains.
he also tells me that unless I call yet anther division of the IRS to clear up my social security number discrepancy I will not get my stimulus check nor will they guarantee my payments be recognized.
I explain to him how I had done this before and how long it took. "you have to go through it all over again"
Ok Heath, Im not going to argue with you.
So to be clear. For some reason you have me still owing $658.00 for my 2006 income tax returns. It was turned into collection without any notice to me. And you can not do anything about it until I A. RE-clear up my social # problem and B. RE-send proof of payments

OVER TWO HOURS ON THE PHONE FOR THIS

Heath now tells me he is giving me a 30 day extension so I can do what I need to do. Fifty questions flutter through my head but everyone of them scrambled. "Is there anything else I can do for you" .... yes, but Im at a loss right now, I guess I will just try and clear my social up and find my payments and send them in.
"ok, thanks for calling"
and Heath is gone, and now my questions come to me..

Now I dig through a sea of random papers looking for the moneygram company and the receipts. Found em. I THINK. maybe. i hope. I find 5 loose money orders from around that time period. well, money order stubs with a number to call for information.
5 minutes of hold music and Juan answers. he seams ok. an older Spanish man with a thick accent.
what are the numbers on the stubs... we go through all of em.
ok. looks like they have all been cashed.
right, now can you tell me by whom
"my system doesn't show me that information"
well, how do I get this information.
He proceeded to explain that he can email me a form to fill out. I could fill it out with copy's of the money order stubs and they would send me any information they might have on the money orders.
"its going to be $20.00 per money order, $100.00 total"
WHAT! "are you kidding me" though I used this line earlier today I found it appropriate to use again.
Juan chuckles a bit and says "no, that justs policy. Im sorry sir" AND "it will take 30-65 days to process once we get your application" scroll back to Heath giving me 30 days to take care of this....
And that was my tipping point. Nothing against Juan or even Heath. (Rick can rott in hell though).
when I get worked up about something I start to talk REALLY fast. Juan was about to get an earfull. For a brief moment I thought, sorry Juan but your getting the brunt end of this...
And the entire story... Juan got to hear about it all. I continued to tell him how his company is ripping people off with this fee and about the complaisance of America And the many ways that "the system" is driving society to a regressive state. 45 MINUTES! on the phone with Juan, and I swear im not exaggerating a minute of that. If anything it was longer.
"ok Juan, I understand that your hands are tied on this, here is my email address, please send my that application"

Though I never got Juan to admit his company was fleecing America with their bogus fee's/ I was however able to convince Juan that ALL this could be done over the internet. And why isnt it. well, Juan doese not want to know. as a matter of fact at one point Juan told me to "just pay the fee, it will be much easier on you" and I replied. EXACTLY MY POINT.
we just pay the fee's
we just pay the IRS
We have become complaisant as to not inconvenience ourselves.

Why do we not ALL have an IRS accounts that we can log into, make payments, know if there is a problem, look at past years payments, watch payments get received ect ect ect......
They have this information.

Why do we not ALL have an account showing a complete credit report rating that is ours to log into at anytime. its our credit. Hell, it should be on our bank account statements. When I owned a business I could send anyone into collections. Anyone. you wouldnt even know it for a good while. months later when you found out you would have to fight it. and if you won the battle with the collection agency guess what you won. not to have to owe the money that you never owed in the first place. guess what i payed. not a cent.

Why dont we have a personal account that we use to vote. You log in, password protected. and wallah it brings up what your voting on. how you have voted in the past ect ect ect..
password, social security #, DOB and maybe your mothers maden name or something like that. safe, secure, fast and accessible.

and last but probably least. The money gram company should have a system that you punch in the ID #'s on the money order. date of purchase and tah dah. It brings up the same system that they get their information that they charge $20.00 for. you print it out and thats it.

And that last sentence is the clue as to why we still live in 1984.

Money. Control. Greed.

-Brandon I have no idea what the hell my last name is though.