Bad news on the publishing front. Sadly, my rep in New York has decided it would be best for us to terminate our agreement with my publisher due to the failure to follow through on our agreements. The paperback was due in September 2006 and it's now late June 2007 with no end in sight. Hopefully, I'll be able to find another publisher quickly and get the book out into the waiting hands of my fans...or at least my Dad who has been waiting to read it for a few years now. With the positive reviews I've garnered, I doubt it should take too long unless the current publisher digs in their heels about giving up the rights.

Meanwhile, I'm very close to finishing the first draft of my "Great American Novel." I just wrote the big denouement scene and now need to just write the epilogue. Once that's done, I start back at page one and beef up the descriptions and make sure the story flows, the characters develop and the dialogue makes sense (and sounds like a typical New England beach side town circa 1983'). I'm going for the whole "Hero's Journey" mythic structure (big fan of Joseph Campbell's work!) in this book so I've got some work to do there as well.

I'll keep you posted....

Like millions of fellow Americans, I have been a hard core Sopranos fans for years, enduring the long months without new episodes and waiting with anticipation to see what fate would finally befall Tony Soprano.

Again, like apparently millions of other people I yelled at my television this past Sunday night when the screen went blank just as the final scene was played. I first thought my cable went out until I realized that the show's creator had played a dirty trick on us. Just like the young adult novels that let you create your own adventure, Chase has left us to decide the fate of the Soprano family.

I know most of the artsy-fartsy types are sticking their collective noses in the air and extolling the genius of David Chase but I violently disagree. It was a cheap, crappy ending and the audience deserved more. The episode as a whole was brilliant as the anticipation built, especially the final diner scene, but like the girl you dated in high school, all those expectations led to nothing but mental equivilent of blue balls.

The Sopranos layed out like a morality play for eight years and the gambling, cheating and murderous lead character was due for his come uppance; yet it never came. No rejected goomah, no man who lost everything, no fellow mobster taking him out. Nothing....cut to black.

I sincerely thought that Tony would lose his life, his freedom or a family member as karmic justice for his long list of discretions. My own personal theory was that he would get arrested for the murder of Phil Leotardo and claim insanity, using his years of therapy to prove his point. Then he'd be locked up in a nice quiet place and finally find some peace. Maybe along the way, one of his children would be taken from him. Instead, we got onion rings. If Shakespeare had ever dared to end a play like this, the audience would have rushed the stage and beaten him to a pulp.

Tony Soprano will never have to pay for his sins (at least until the inevitable Sopranos movie comes out) and America for the most part is not happy about it.

Hello, I'm back.

It's been ages since I've blogged and to be honest, I've had a ton to say but haven't felt like writing it down. I've been in various stages including the Angry American, hopeless romantic and lost soul. Today I'm none of those....I think. On with random thoughts:

- The federal government is trying to screw us with this immigration bill and President Bush is one of the main culprits. There is little value to adding twenty-million unskilled and uneducated new citizens to this country other than creating new voters for the Democrats and cheap labor for Republicans. The so called jobs that "no American" will do are simply because we've handed out welfare checks to an entire class of citizens who simply won't work. I say kick out the illegals, take away welfare checks and make people pick fruit, clean offices, etc. If they don't like it, they can starve. Those of us who work for a living will be the big losers in all of this as more taxes are needed to support social programs.

- I am so excited for the final episode of The Sopranos. While there is no way that David Chase wraps up every loose end left dangling since the first episode, I believe he'll be able to credibly end Tony's story arc. I see him sitting in a mental institution after wiping out Phil's crew. After all, after years of therapy he can simply claim that he is insane. I've also heard that one of the Soprano family members will not survive the end of the series.

- Is it time to panic in Red Sox Nation due to the current slide? Of course not. Any true fan expects a team to hit the skids at some point in the season. They'll recover and go on another hot streak very soon because I truly believe this team is for real.

- It went to the most incredible show last Friday night. They held the Mohawk Club reunion in Shirley, MA and many of the bands I grew up listening to that were locally popular (and some nationally) played together for the first time in years. Jon Butcher Axis, which has many cuts on the soundtrack of my life, got together for the first time in twenty years and it was nothing short of magic. The big surprise was Charlie Farren and Balloon totally stealing the show. Hopefully they'll decided to play out more together. I know Charlie plays his solo gigs and with Farrenheit, but Balloon lays down the rock! I heard from the bass player Blackie, via email, that they're trying to pull it together. I'm crossing my fingers.

- I haven't seen any of the big summer movies except for Spiderman 3 and found it to be a disappointment....I plan on seeing POTC3 maybe this weekend.

- I have completely lost confidence in my publisher. My book was supposed to be out in paperback last September. It's now June and I'm at the point where short of her committing to a date (and soon), I'm ready to work with my rep in NYC to terminate our deal. I've been very patient but a nine month delay on top of the almost year delay on editing is seriously causing a crimp in my long range plans. Stay tune for this one.

Okay, that's really it today. I'll try to keep this thing up to date including word of upcoming gigs from my band. Later.