Author Archives for Brett Callero

Happening In Unreal Time

We all know Livin’ On A Prayer, Bon Jovi’s #1 hit from 1987. Whether you liked the song or not, you heard it, it was everywhere. For the last 15-20 years, its probably been heard most often in a passive setting where the music was chosen for the listener, such as: the radio, a bar, a wedding reception or even a sporting event.

One of these passive settings, a sporting event, has created a call to action. Livin’ On A Prayer re-entered the Billboard Top 40 singles chart this week. What caused the spike in sales? A video of a fan performing to the song at a sporting event. You’ve probably seen it by now. I recall seeing the video in 2009 when it was first posted. Apparently it has only now truly become a viral video, or perhaps it is viral again.

So let’s get this straight. A song from 1987 has charted in 2013 with a big help from a viral video made in 2009. What dimension are we living in when moments like this occur and play out in an influential manner? If time itself is the fourth dimension, what is this? If we live in what we call real time, what is this? Unreal time?

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/chart-alert/5793370/bon-jovis-prayer-re-enters-hot-100-due-to-viral-revival?utm_source=twitter

Here is the video that brought us into unreal time. I posted it, for contextual purposes only, in case you’re one of the few people that haven’t watched it yet.

Not That Brave

Believe it or not, Atlanta has finally expanded geographically as far as it can go. The sprawl has reached its limit and the developmental tide of expansion is starting to move inward. More and more, residents are starting to move closer to the city center instead of away from it. As this phenomena continues to gain momentum, I believe the Braves will regret their shortsighted decision to take the money from the Cobb County taxpayers. In 20 years, they’ll want to build a new stadium in one of the many new revitalized urban neighborhoods. Somewhere near a now better funded MARTA train station.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/cobb-co-finance-45-new-atlanta-braves-stadium/nbrxj/

Like It Just Happened Yesterday

I’ll typically write more about music on the Fuzz Factory blog (my internet radio program) when it is officially launched next month. In the meantime, I will occasionally share musings, memories and opinions here on my life as a music freak.

I am always listening to rock & roll, both old and new. This morning I started playing some great Godfathers tunes from the late 80’s. Eventually, I looked for videos on YouTube. I quickly ran across some live clips from their 1987-88 tour. I saw the Godfathers on that tour. It was my very first 18 & over show and my first show at the Metro, one of Chicago’s best venues. However, even more important was that it was my first concert at a small venue. That was an experience that forever changed my life. I remember it like it just happened yesterday.  Since that night, I’ve seen hundreds of great concerts at small venues, where live performance is at its best.

Here is a clip from that very Godfathers tour taken I saw in Chicago that night over 25 years ago. This is from a stop in their home base of London. In it, they’re covering John Lennon’s Cold Turkey like their lives depended on it.