Chele’s Blog

First off when did you realize that you wanted to be a writer? Before that what did you want to do, if anything?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer from the moment I could write, period. Friends would look to me to create wild stories to share on the playground, and I’ve been doing so ever since – although my playground has expanded.

What’s your favorite genre to write? How many stories have you written in that genre?

I like to write paranormal and dark fantasy. Practically everything I write falls under that category, so… somewhere around 50 stories/projects.

How many comic books have you written and what have they been about?

Demons of Mercy is my current comic series, and it follows assassin Mercy as she unwittingly becomes involved in an apocalypse on Earth.

However, I do have many more comics coming soon, including a graphic novel anthology for the Horror Writers Association. Much more on these projects as I can release the details.

When you came up with the back story for Lara Croft, did you think it was going to get as big as it did?

I had absolutely no idea! But it was really exciting to do, and I’m so glad people enjoyed it as much as they did.

I see that you’ve come out with a new comic book series that’s also becoming a video game on the Xbox called ‘Demons of Mercy’. Can you tell us a bit about the comic and the video game? Have any hints to give to those who are gamers?

The game and comic follow the same storyline regarding the apocalypse. There’s so much more to it, but that’s all I can say about it now.

One really cool aspect of doing both at the same time is the fact that the comic and video game work together. So, in the comic, readers may find codes and hints to unlock certain aspects of the game.

You’ve published one novel, so far, called Daniel’s Veil. Can you tell us a bit about the book and your experience writing it?

Daniel’s Veil follows two men leading completely separate lives. Together, they discover a gateway to the afterlife. Working on this book was an amazing experience, and people still talk to me about how the novel helped them through the loss of a loved one. I find that very moving.

I also have several more books on the way, including The Order of Souls trilogy.

If you could be anything besides a writer, what would you be and why?

I would probably be a forensic pathologist, because the dead don’t speak much.

You have an ongoing blog that really reaches out to fans. It talks about where you’re going to be, how you’re feeling and more. How does it feel to be able to share your thoughts and feelings with your fans?

I enjoy it. I like to give back to aspiring writers when I can. And people message me all the time about how the blog helps them achieve their goals.
From reading the responses to your blogs, I’ve seen that you have an adoring fan base. How does it feel to have so many people who love your work and appreciate what you do?

Thanks! And what can you say about that, other than it’s wonderful! I feel incredibly fortunate to have so many readers, viewers, players, and fans. I also feel that it’s my obligation to do the best work I can for each and every one of you!

Are there any upcoming projects that you would like to talk about? Maybe give us a sneak peek at what we have to look forward to?

I have two more comic series projects, more games, and some film work as well! Though I can’t share the details yet…

What is your favorite character that you’ve created? Why?

I’m not sure! I enjoy so many different aspects of the characters; Mercy’s hot temper and fighting skills, Celeste’s growth and evolution, Katherine’s innocence and innocence lost, Daniel’s belief in love despite everything… It would be incredibly hard to choose, because each one is so unique. But they’re all pieces of me.

It’s been a while since I’ve last posted a blog entry. I’ve been doing a lot of stuff outside of the internet world. I’ve been planning my wedding, doing a lot of cleaning etc. I will soon be posting another blog, I just don’t know on what yet. So check back often because I’ll make sure I have a new blog up soon.

What if you were playing an online game that you loved? You had to pay to play the game but you loved it so much that you didn’t mind paying what ever amount it was. Now let’s say it involved a virtual deck of cards, that’s right, poker. Right now the government has put a ban on online gambling in the U.S. Because of this ban there has been a large group of people that have popped up and are against the UIGEA (see second paragraph). They are attempting to protect the U.S. players’ rights. One of the largest groups is called the PPA. The PPA or Poker Players Alliance is attempting to gain as many supporters as they can. At this point the PPA has around 993,000 members. In 2006 President Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. This act prohibits banks and other institutions from allowing them to put money into accounts. So now, poker players in the U.S. have to stop gambling online for real money.

Poker has been around for quite some time; in fact it is believed that the game was first played in 1829 with a twenty-card deck, according to English actor Joseph Crowell. The most played poker game, Texas Hold ‘em. There isn’t much known about the start of Texas Hold ‘em but The Texas State Legislature eventually recognized Robstown, Texas as the birthplace of Texas Hold ‘em in the 1900s. [1]. Texas Hold ‘em became a big deal and hit popularity around the year 2000. In 2003 it got even bigger when a new champion of World Series of Poker (WSOP) was crowned, by the name of Chris Moneymaker (yes that’s his real last name). Chris Moneymaker earned his spot in the WSOP Main Event by winning an online qualifier. Since 2003 the number of entries have gone up to an increasingly high number. The year 2006, for WSOP, was the highest number of entries of all time at 8,773 entrants and a total prize pool of $12,000,000.

Poker websites allow millions of players to play a game they love, whether for money or not. I believe that if someone wants to gamble online they should be able to. There are kids that are playing games that they have to pay monthly for. Some of the games they actually spend real money to buy accessories for their characters. These are children doing this. So why is it that children, mostly likely with the consent of their parent, can purchase accessories for a fake character online? Why is it that they can pay a monthly or yearly fee yet it’s okay for that to happen? If an adult wants to spend their own money on gambling online, I say why not? There are casinos that are legal in 16 states. So it’s okay for people to go out, take their money and blow it all on at a casino but if they want to sit down an blow it over the computer it’s not allowed?

There are quite a few people who think that gambling in its entirety is wrong. They believe that people lose a lot of things due to gambling. While it may be true that there are gambling addicts out there that due lose houses, cars, etc. because of gambling, that’s not everyone who gambles. If someone has a gambling problem they should get help and there are numbers that they can call. Most casinos, if not all, have phone numbers posted around the casino for gambling help lines. On some, if not most, online poker playing sites they allow you to block your transactions so you can no longer play poker. All I’m saying is that there are a lot of responsible adults in the world who can handle online gambling without a problem. Just because there are gambling addicts out there, doesn’t mean that everyone is. Even if that’s not why the starts UIGEA, it’s something to look into and think about.

I’ve never been a political person but I this is an issue I feel strongly about. I think it violates people’s rights when the government gets involved in a gambling website online probably for only one reason; because they’re not making money off of it. Oops, did I cross the line? Am I wrong? I may be but the government likes to get there grubby hands in everything they can. I love playing online poker, even though I don’t play it for money. I will do what I can to stand behind the PPA and try to help get this bill reversed.

Sign up with the PPA here! Stand up for people’s rights!

Could you guys go to this site - right here and give it a rating of a 5? Please.

You own several websites. How do you maintain all of them?
By checking on them every day and looking for updates… I also leave some to rot.

What are the names of the websites you own?
Well, I own quote a few, the main one being jackuulempire.com which contains links to the rest.

I understand that you help people with writing reviews and also help with other writing services. Could you list what you offer here and your prices?
Well, yes it is true that I do writing for content, and I do so at about 0.025 cents a word right now, however as I build a customer base I plan to raise rates until I can actually live off of it.

You also have a blog, where you write in depth articles. How do you come up with the articles you write?
I am insane.

You started www.mafia-station.com what made you come up with the idea of a forum-based mafia style game?
Well, I saw what was already out there, and then I created MSRP I, the first game, in 2005.  After that, it of course closed and I brought my advancements to the big game of the time called MafiaRPG.  Later on when that site was sold to an irresponsible owner, and ended up in the hands of the dark lord, I created MSRP II out of protest, and further advanced the methods.  I eventually bought MRPG for myself to own, and from that I further modified and evolved the way the game worked.  I then sold that site because of a fiscal crunch I was in at the time.  Later on that site died, and was permanently shut down.  Thus I re-founded Mafia Station Role Play as the third incarnation, using everything I had learned, and to date I have created the most efficient game thus far.  MSRP III is the next generation of the genre also because it uses PHPBB 3, and has rules that are drastically shorter than its predecessors, while remaining just as detailed and competent. You can see the site at http://mafia-station.com.  I am still working on adding parts to it and creating a better site by incorporating a community run news page, where they can report on their own happenings, and also a wiki will soon be up and running.

Right now you are selling a few websites, from what I understand. How much are they going for and if someone wanted to buy them could they change the name of the url? What services would you offer them after selling the site?
I cant change the URL, as that is what I am selling.  The site, and the domain.  I have made several sites that I slaved over, and ended up coming out with nothing.  However they have gotten higher up in the rankings because I did some link building, and one of them is a four character domain name (cy13) which was for the biggest game I had planned, and became the biggest failure and time investment ever.  I want to recoup at least the hosting and domain costs, so someone could get both the WastelandsRPG site and the Cy13 site for 100 bucks - and I’d throw in some un-used domain names too.

You’re a train collector. What first attracted you to buy model trains? How many pieces do you have as far as trains?
I got my first model HO scale train when I was three.  It imprinted on me.  I used to watch trains every day at the track with my Grandmother and Grandfather too.

What other businesses-like things do you own? Do you hire people to help you with writing articles/reviews/etc?
Used to own a writing service.  Became a hassle to manage, and the old saying goes - if you want it done right, do it yourself.

If you could do anything in the world (as far as a career) what would it be? Why?

World Dictator.  Because I want to change it and make it fit my image of a good world.

If there’s one thing you would like people to know about you, what would it be?
They should submit to me and give me their full support an loyalty to a world takeover.  Because in the end they get free beer.

In total, how many websites have you owned in your lifetime?  What were they based on?
Between 10 and 20.  Many different things really.  I just kinda wanted to do everything and got in over my head on a few - which is why I have some domain names for sale too :p

That’s right, I said it. Why wouldn’t God hate Fred Phelps? Let’s count the ways:

I think brutally beating your children would constitute a reason for hatred. Of course, Fred Phelps believes if you’re a homosexual than God hates you. Yet it’s okay to beat your children and wife mercilessly? That sounds like a fair trade to me (obvious sarcasm). As Phelps would beat his wife and children he would often scream obscenities at them. Maybe it’s just be but don’t most religious people think that God hates a filthy mouth? A pastor. A father. A sinner. Fred Phelps was nothing more than a sinner, who did more harm against God than he did for him. God hates the sin! Not the sinner! I believe that. I can see where that would be rather truthful though I don’t see how beating your loved ones isn’t a sin. Now there are seven deadly sins - Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Sloth and Lust. Though Fred Phelps didn’t fall under all seven there are a few in there that he did fall under.

Greed - “… In fact, Pastor Phelps defrauded his community of over $200,000 earmarked for a non-profit religious enterprise. It was instead consumed as personal income without paying a single rusty penny in taxes.” [1]

Wrath - ” … . A mattock is a pick-hoe using a wooden handle heavier than a bat. Fred swung it with both hands like a ballplayer and with all his might. “The first blow stunned your whole body…” [2] “Go straight fucking to hell you Goddam fucking son-of-a-bitch. God Damn You! God Damn You!!! God Damn You!!! You Goddam asshole son-of-a- bitch. God Damn You! How dare you, you asshole bastard prick turd. You turd. You lying, mother fucking stinking piece of fucking shit. Fuck you, you lying sack of shit, you. Get the fuck out of my face. Go to hell. I hate you, you bastard. I hate you, you asshole. You Goddam prick asshole bastard, dick, piece of fucking rank stinking fucking garbage that’s as full of shit as anyone could ever be….” [3] Not only did he beat his children and his wife but he used the Lord’s name in vain which is a sin (God’s probably hating the sinner by now, Fred).

Pride - It seems to be that Fred Phelps has no issues showing his pride in demeaning others. He has no issues with saying that “fags” should die. “Jews are the real Nazis…” [4] and said that Ireland is “saturated with fags and dykes at every level of society and government.” [5]. Some of you may not think that this falls under Pride but when a man is showing that a certain race, group of people or ethnicity isn’t as “good” as he is. That’s showing pride.

Though Phelps might not fall under the other four sins, I believe three is enough. A man who preaches about what God believes in is puzzling to me. You see, most preachers follow the outlines of the bible and talk about the truths of the bible. Phelps pulls theories out of his ass and and says that it’s what God believes. From what I understand the Pope is the only one who is closest to God. He’s the one who’s supposed to have the connection and is supposed to be the one who is most “in tune” with the Lord. Not Fred Phelps. Fred Phelps isn’t even in tune with his brain (which is so far gone already, it would seem). I guess I could say that I always kept myself away from most hateful people. It wasn’t until I wrote a piece about gay rights, that a friend told me I should write about this “God hates fags”, “God hates Sweden”, “God hates Ireland” son-of-a-bitch that I really started to feel political.

I’m sure Fred Phelps wants to anger people, he wants a reaction. If God really hated fags, Sweeds and the Irish don’t you think something would have happened by now? What’s a shame is that Fred Phelps makes people want to steer away from religion because everyone loves an insane bigot with hatred for all (note even more sarcasm). I’m proud to say that I don’t believe in what Fred Phelps says. I don’t believe a word of it. What I believe is that people need to run as far away as they possibly can from that man as soon as they can. As a gay female, maybe I’m biased? I sure as fuck am but I really don’t care. Just like he uses the first amendment to back his babbling bullshit, I can also use the first amendment to say that Fred Phelps is a greedy, pride-filled, wrath-encased bigot who needs to get his head out of his ass. I hope everyone who reads this agrees with me and if you don’t you’re just as spiteful as he is.

In closing …

Obviously I’ve stated how I feel about this man who is in fear of everything except himself including but not limited to America, Ireland, Sweden, Mexico, fags, and more! I hope that those of you who read this understand what a sad man he is. He must fear everything that moves and apparently he thinks God does too. God is loving, caring and nurturing. God isn’t a Nazi who wants to rid the world of everyone except Fred Phelps. In fact … if there’s one person he would like to get rid of it would probably be Fred Phelps for ruining God’s name. So Fred Phelps …. I think God hates you.

Though I may not be the best person to discuss gay rights, I feel that it’s something that every gay, straight, bi and transsexual person should speak about. Just like rights for straight people, homosexuals are entitled to every right that a straight person has. There are many people out in the world who think that gays shouldn’t have any rights at all. I believe that the people who believe that are uneducated and don’t understand homosexuals, bisexuals or transsexuals. I’ve heard it many times ‘Gays chose to be gay.’ Well the truth is, why would a gay person chose to be gay when they have to suffer through so many hardships such as dealing with becoming out to their family and friends? Trying to find a partner and hoping that the person that they have a crush on isn’t straight. There are many things to think about when it comes to being gay. If you look through history you can see that homosexuality has been around for ages but it has always been looked down upon. Through all these years you would think by now that some tolerance would have been born. People’s skin would have become thicker but instead it hasn’t changed one bit. Sure there are people who have begun to understand that being gay is not a choice but it’s only a small amount of people who are beginning to realize this.

In the 1960’s Karl Heinrich Ulrichs came out to the public. During this time he also began to publish books about same-sex encounters. This was a few years before the term homosexual was coined. Though others were homosexual around that same time, in other countries around the world, they were afraid to reveal their homosexuality in fear that they would be persecuted. Shortly after World War II, homosexuality boomed. Though that generation preferred to be known as homophiles, they were big on the homosexual movement. Though the demonstrations by the homophiles were peaceful, groups disapproved of their demonstrations. Even though the homophiles had groups that sprung up all across several continents the media chose to ignore them. In 1965, many believe, was the start of the gay rights movement. In 1969 a riot occurred in New York City unlike any other. Gay men, lesbians and transgender people all banded together to stand up for their rights against the New York City police officers that had been harassing them. The riots lasted for several days and in at the end of it all it ended up being the largest gathering of gays, lesbians and transgender ever assembled so they could protect their rights.

Many groups have been formed over the years to represent gays, lesbians and transgender people. Some of the groups are the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), Lesbian Bi Gay Transgender (LBGT) and more. In the 1980’s when AIDs came to light things went from bad to worse for gay men. Many people called AIDs gay cancer because they had yet to come up with the acronym for AIDs. The disease ran rampant through the gay community affecting hundreds then thousands of men. At first they couldn’t figure out what the disease was and it was misdiagnosed many times before they finally found what was causing gay males to become sick. AIDs made people look at gay men in a different light. Many believe that gay men are the reason for the AIDs virus but there is no solid proof.

Today the media has become more accepting about homosexuality. There are shows that are solely about homosexuals and their lives such as Queer as Folk and The L Word. There is also a television station dedicated solely to homosexuals called Logo. Though the media is now more accepting of homosexuals there are still so many that aren’t. Homosexuals are normal people, who live their life just like everyone else except they love the same sex. If you talk to a gay person or touch a gay person nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re not going to all of a sudden become gay.

Here’s a story:

My junior year of high school I was in a history class with three gay guys though nobody knew that there were four gay people in the class. One of my friends (who was gay) sat in front and to the left of me. Right in front of me sat a jock. One day when we were talking in class about homosexuality he said out loud to the class “If I ever get hit on by a gay guy or a gay guy talks to me I’ll kick his ass or kill him.” Of course we were all shocked but when someone’s raised with certain beliefs it’s hard to turn them around and show them a different light. So one day, I was sitting in the class studying for a test. No one else was in the room except for the teacher. At one point a friend of mine (a girl) walked into the class. She walked up to the teacher and began to complain about how she didn’t have a date to the prom. Just as the teacher asked why she wouldn’t take my gay friend (the one who sat in front of me and to the left, next to the jock) the jock walked in. Just then she blurted out “I can’t take him, he’s gay”. Well needless to say I was in shock. My first thought was that I was going to have to save my friend’s life. The jock hated gays and the whole semester he had been sitting next to a gay guy who had loaned him pencils, paper and what have you. After finding my friend and claming him down we went into class and we all sat down. Before anyone could talk the jock leaned over to my gay guy friend and said “I didn’t even know you were gay. You’re a really cool guy. I’m sorry I said those things.” Amazingly all was well.

You see there someone had changed from being brought up in such a strict lifestyle of hating gays but because of one gay male it changed. He never knew he was gay, he never even suspected it. After that they became friends and talked every day in class. This goes to show you that gay people aren’t bad people. Like I said earlier they’re normal, everyday people. So please, if you have a die hard attitude towards gays think about how they’re a person too. They have rights just like everyone else. Even though we’re not allowed to get married hopefully people will understand that it’s no so bad for two men or two women to get married. The only difference is that we’re marrying the same sex. We’re still going to have marital issues just like straight couples. Why shouldn’t we be allowed the same rights? As far as getting discriminated at jobs, that’s been a long standing ordeal. It seems that gays in the work place are a bad idea, to some people. Like I said if you touch something that a gay person touches, you’re not going to all of a sudden be gay. I’m sure that most of you have shaken the hand of a gay person and didn’t even know it. Did it affect you in any certain way? Did you feel any different? I’m sure you didn’t. So why is it that being gay in the work place is something that’s such a big deal? One thing that I think is rather humorous is that the people who despise gays don’t mind gays having equal rights when it comes to the law in the courtroom. Although I believe most of them believe guilty until proven innocent when it comes to homosexuals. So if we can have the same rights in the court of law why not else where? Think about that.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. ”
—Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

I don’t know how many of you this will speak out to but I hope that it’ll reach at least one person. I was on the phone today with my aunt. We were talking about family and I brought up the fact that none of my family called me when I was around 18 or 19. She said it’s because that’s the time when I wanted to be independent. I looked back and realized that was the truth. The fact is I never wanted to be around adults at that age. I had my own friends to hang out with and I didn’t think it was ‘cool’ to hang out with my family. So we continued talking and I said “You know, I’ve tried to call Rhonda for the past three years and she hasn’t called me back once.” She then proceeded to tell me why:

‘Well from what I remember you upset Rhonda because when you lived there you didn’t do anything except for eat, sleep and make a mess. You never cleaned up after yourself and all you cared about was getting out of the house and spending time with your friends. I think it made her angry that she took you in and in the process you just did what you wanted, never cleaned up and never spent time with their family. I would have been upset too. Also when you were around that age you didn’t want any of your family calling you. You could have cared less about me, your aunt B or your mom for that matter. You were so busy in your own world that we didn’t make a difference.’

All of this was true and until now I never realized it. Basically I ‘took advantage’ of people without realizing it in my 19-year-old little mind. I was too fixated on doing things outside of the house that I never realized that I was hurting people in the process. Who knew that I could have such an impact on people that they wouldn’t want to talk to me five years later. Now, I don’t know for sure if that’s why she’s not calling me back, it’s just speculation but I’ve learned something. When you’re younger (18-19) you really don’t give a shit about your family, you really only care about your friends but as you get older you start to care about them. You look back and you probably don’t realize that you may have used people to get where you are today. Hell I didn’t until I was told as such. Now I want my family to call me and unfortunately I’ll never hear from my aunt B, my cousin Devin or my mom again because they’ve passed away..

So I think that people shouldn’t exclude their family from everything. Take a call or make a call once a week. It won’t kill you. Do it in your free time. If I did that, I probably wouldn’t feel as bad as I do now. Though cleaning and such would have helped greatly with relationships now, I think all I wanted was for people to nurture me. I wanted them to mommy me because I had lost my mom at that point. I’m not going to give some lecture and say “Savior your time with your family because you never know how long you have with them” bullshit but try to just talk to them every once in a while. It’ll make you feel good when you’re older and you’ll have a relationship with them that you wouldn’t have had if you didn’t call them or spend time with them.

So what if I’ve been playing role playing games for twelve years? I like it. I have gone through plenty of games over the internet. Some of you may be wondering what a role playing game is. Well, a role playing game is when you pretend to be a made up character. Take for example the game that I’ve been playing for the past three years. It’s a mafia based game. You can make a mobster or, if you want, a regular person (even a law official). What you do is make an outline for the character e.g. how old they are, where they’re from, a brief history about them. After that you pick where you’d like to start playing. There’s a few places to start (if you’re new to role playing I suggest hitting up Nevada to start). The next thing you do is decide what kind of story you would like to write. Most people like to start off with something simple like a small heist. Maybe stealing a purse or robbing a store. If you’re on the law side then you could possibly write about arresting a made up character. After all is said and done you ask for things at the end of the post. Here’s a brief description of how a post would look. (By the way you can write in first or third person).

Before so-and-so walked into a bar he pulled a ski mask over his head. His hands were already adorned leather gloves. A knife, covered with a sheath, was tucked into the back of his pants under his shirt. Finally he burst into the empty bar and ran up to the bartender. The knife was pulled free from the sheath and held up to the bartenders’ neck.

“Give me your money, man, or I’ll cut your throat!”

The bartender, in fear for his life, quickly obliged. With shaky hands he opened the register and began pulling out the money. With his other hand he grabbed a paper bag that was normally used to place bottles of beer in. Once all the money was put into the paper bag the man let the bartender go, took the bag of cash and ran out. He ran down an alley until he was two blocks away. The ski mask and gloves were pulled off his hands and when he came to a main street he hailed a cab. He needed to make it back to his apartment to pay his rent.

Requests-
Money from the robbery

That’s how you could write a job but you should make it longer. Use more detail and make it believable. Also you want to write about how you came about getting the gloves and the ski mask, even if you already had them in your hotel room. The more detail helps. The place where I role play or RP at is www.mafia-station.com and it’s a place where there are many people who play. People are there to help and if you have any issues feel free to drop me a message on myspace and I will gladly help you along, even give you story ideas if you’re stuck.

Role playing is addicting, so you know. Once you start writing you really get into it. You start to build a character (some people don’t even realize what they can do with their writing until they really start building one up). I never knew it could be so addicting. I remember when I was twelve and I began to play. My writing was awful but now I see how much I’ve improved just by writing stories. At first your stuff might not be stellar but as you continue to write it’ll grow on you. Your writing will flow more naturally and you will enjoy it more.

Again that web address is www.mafia-station.com.

You may know Zach Selwyn from ESPN’s ‘Dream Job’ or G4’s ‘Attack of the Show’. If you don’t know him, or if you do, here are some things that you may not know.

What inspired you to become a musician?

Other musicians, 1960’s and 70’s influences, acoustic guitars by campfire, cannabis and the fact that a lot of musicians had hot girlfriends…

Your music is unique. How did you come up with that type of style?

I was freestyle-rapping for beers in college and playing guitar for the love of country-rock music in-between… One day i decided to combine rap and country and do some original songs - my band Zachariah was born around 2000 - and we recorded some tunes on home Protools equipment but it wasnt until 2002 that we moved to a big studio and recorded GHOST SIGNS - -

If you could play/sing any other type of music what would it be?

I wish I could play real bad-ass bluegrass and pedal steel guitar

How long have you been playing guitar?

Since about 1993 - when I was 18

How long have you been singing?

My first public appearance was in 5th grade at the talent show - I was a rapping surfer kid in a band named BERMUDA BUMS - I got that taste of performance in my mouth and never wanted to look back…

Which do you like best? Singing or playing the guitar?

Im a better singer than a guitar player, but I cant do either one real well without the other…

What motivates you to continue what you’re doing?

I just have a passion for performance and music and making people FEEL something - be it laughter, sadness or utter freedom, I’m addicted to the pulse of what comes from an audience - I guess its hard to explain, but anyone else who does what I do for a living will understand!

What’s your favorite song that you play?

It seems to change every day! Right now it’s a new one called “Pass the Hours” but just last week it was “Telluride” (From 2007’s ALCOHOLIDAY)

What’s your favorite song, period?

Eeeek. Another impossible question. I think, over the years, the number one song that has been on my top lists has to be “Fountain of Sorrow” by Jackson Browne. (1974 - Late for the Sky) “I Burn for You” (live - Bring on the Night) by Sting is another song that has been with me since I was about 10.

Who are some of your favorite bands/artists?

Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Eagles, Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, Waylon, Kristofferson, Cash, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Ryan Adams, Beastie Boys, Ramblin Jack, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Jayhawks, Wilco, RUN DMC, Bonnie Raitt, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Little Feat, Byrds, and Neil motha fucking YOUNG.

If you could bring one thing/person with you on a desert island, what would it be?

My wife and son.

Is a new album in the works?

YES! We have a new cd were preparing to release featuring 11 tracks that were recorded for films and performed on ATTACK of the SHOW - so we are gonna get these tracks out before the next CD - It’ll feature I Wanna be a Lawnmower,” “Stargate, Atlantis” and a buncy little childrens ditty called “Chubby Cheeks.”

Dead and Breakfast is one of my favorite movies. How did you feel playing a role in the movie? Have you played any other roles in any other movies?

Ha - yes, actually and thanks! I have been acting professionally since 1997 - you can check my credits at IMDB.com - Im most excited about a film I did called LOWER LEARNING coming out in 2008…

Your skits on G4 are hilarious. How do you come up with the skits? Do you write them yourself? What’s your favorite skit?

YES! I write them myself, and my brother Jesse has directed most of them - I have a back catalogue from years of sketch comedy in L.A. that I dip into for the show - Unless I need to write something specific like “Porno Fireplace” with Ron Jeremy. My favorite has to be Porno Fireplace, but I will always love Crosby Stills Nash and Usher and Awire Cologne!

What was your favorite part about being on ESPN’s Dream Job?

The experience was incredible and it opened a lot of doors for me! I loved talking about sports all day, although in the back of my head, it was probably the great people I met during and after the show. Other contestants, fans and persons with similar interests as mine!