Welcome To The Ghoul School

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to extend my appreciation to you for your support during our last endeavor. I had a blast on the Slipknot tour, so much so, I neglected this blog. Ooooops. Anyway, I found that the previous moniker was not conducive to my original vision for this blog, so let's blame that for my absence. Ghoul School is a collection of notes, pictures, sketches, etc from the road, home and studio.  If the Lord of the Internet wills it so, I'll be posting an extra special gift this week to kick off the new title, so keep an eye out.

Those were the times...

After the glorious victory of our beloved yellow knight, the heartburn staged by the metallic tomato soup/half chicken feast and my reunion with an old friend from Tennessee, we parted ways with the ever amazing Medieval Times. But certainly not empty handed.

Steins, holographic cups, a lightsaber...wait, a lightsaber?? These items had somehow made their way through the palace gates and into the gift shop, but nothing can compete with the $20 piece of memorabilia above.

As I look at this image I ponder my future: Will I get that same nostalgic feeling looking at this photo that a war veteran might when he looks at the an old photo of his former outfit? Will stories come rushing back--the black & white knight who didn't like us much, the embarassed host whose false accent seemed silly when he learned one of us was from the UK...

Of course they will. What a silly question to ask myself. Cause man, those were the times!

Roadie Friday

Today is our first roadie friday of the tour! Travis has been sworn in as the Sheriff of Deep Cuts. May god help us all.

The first day jitters...

The first day jitters come with any tour we start and usually subside by the time we establish a routine.

I spent most of my afternoon pondering the reception of our first night's performance. The worried weight favored more on the technical side of things. The Coheed Curse! (We have a history of first day technical shenanigans.) It's hard to understand the feeling of loneliness that comes with an amp error or guitar string pops. How do I remain entertaining in these moments? These problems occur fairly often with a first night, but I'm happy to say our new crew came through for us and made our transition from Vay-cay to stage play seamless. Hats off to those guys! Now it's time to dust off the old crazy legs and get them back into dancing form. Mama, break out the oil--the Tin-man needs a drink.

On the other side of things, it's a helluva show to be a part of. I know for some of you it's a bit hard to swallow, but where the hell else would we go? Coheed has always had a hard time finding a place to fit in. I've come to accept, a long time ago, that all music is art and should be embraced in all forms and facets 'cause walls are simply no fun to look at. Limiting is for order, not for perception. Which is why I want to play with everybody and why we're here.

With that said, I watched Slipknot's set yesterday and was completely blown away. The young rocker in me, who wished to see KISS in their heyday had gotten his wish. They killed, no, they butchered that mother with a spiked nail covered sledge hammer, and boy, was there blood. I'm sold. I'm into it. So come tomorrow, your fearlful leader might be toothless, wearing a broken face or dead because tonight...I enter Thunderdome.

Run For Your Life

I flew out today to start rehearsals for our upcoming tour with Slipknot. I've been very fortunate this past year with time off. Being able to work from home, and in turn, spend time with my loved ones is getting the best of both worlds. Now, it's back to the grind and I'm looking forward to seeing you all, my other family, on this stretch. Let's do this!

While in flight, I found a song from my past that, looking back now, seems to have had a direct influence on my writing. Heh, I'm not the only jealous lunatic when it comes to love.

"Run For Your Life" from The Beatles' Rubber Soul

Bob Dylan & The Band

I like the quiet that comes after a needle is removed from the vinyl. It feels nice. I don't get that satisfaction with modern music. Like the sound made such an impression on you when it was on, that now life is missing something because it's off. I'm going to miss it when I hit the road. The albums above have been my daily digest.

There's No Mystique For The Iron Sheik

Okay, the question probably on your mind right now is, "Claudio, why are you showing us a picture of you topless, dancing with a torso that resembles something of a cross between E.T. and the three boobed lady from Total Recall? Aren't you embarrassed? Is that Corky from Life Goes On dancing with you?" Sure, some things should be left secret, but in this world, in these times we live in, nothing is sacred. There's No Mystique For The Iron Sheik, baby.

This is what happens when I go for it. When I drink and get drunk. Look at that stance! That's something to be proud of. It's strong, it screams, “I'm crushing this air guitar and if you get too close, motherfucker, I might hit you with it.” The dancing queen to the right taunts me with his lighter as he jiggles and jives. He knows that all I need is a light and I will instantly be transformed into Slash from GNR and he will lose in this battle of steps. "Please!" my left hand gestures as it shreds through an invisible sweep arpeggio, "Don't be an asshole."