Music and blog by Pete Jackson

I’ve always been a big fan of music that is written for the movies. There are some film scores that have been in my collection for years and have always been a great source of inspiration. Growing up, while all my friends had Guns n’ Roses and Bon Jovi albums, I was collecting the film scores of John Williams, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer. I know, I know, what a nerd-bird, right? Of course. I’ll accept nerd-bird status for this one. Who else do you know that has a thousand-plus CD film score library and who blares orchestral music day and night in their own household? Just ask my wife…

I was such a film score buff growing up that when I was in college I made a rash decision to minor in music, not ever having seriously played an instrument before (and ignoring my parents’ (smart) advice to minor in business as a logical backup in case my foray into entertainment did not work out). But I was glad I did and I aced all my music classes primarily because I was passionate about something fairly unique (even for those crusty, old professors who had spent their whole life studying classical music). For example, any time I had to write a paper for a music class, I would always figure out a way to relate everything to film music. All of the professors must have thought it was a nice change of pace because I always got A’s on the papers while everyone else who was actually planning a career in music did poorly.

As adamant as I was about music during college, I lost the drive to actually learn how to properly compose music over the years. Life tended to get in the way. But every once in a while an emotion would expand into something larger, so much so that I got a small keyboard to attach to my Mac for those times when the only way to truly express something was through music.

It was always a dream of mine to one day be able to write some music that would be used in a feature film. Now, I find myself in the unique position of being able to write music for the film that Joe and I are currently shooting. I don’t think I have the technical know-how to be able to do it all myself, but I do have some thematic material in the works. Some of you may have already heard it at the end of our promo videos. I wrote the Conan Or Bust theme song one day after Joe and I had a long conversation about the project. More recently, Joe and I had a great time collaborating on a jingle that you’ll hopefully hear in an upcoming video. In case you can’t tell, we both get a thrill out of doing things that reach outside of the realm of what we typically do on a daily basis. Writing music is one of those things.

Here’s another introspective cue I wrote that is inspired by the film. Let’s call it “What you think of when you’re driving across the country in the middle of the night.” - Pete Jackson

We're 17 days into the trip and I've already received a stream of criticism.  According to Conan or Bust followers (comprising creditors and telemarketers) I am emotionally unavailable, inscrutable, and downright cold.  Apparently, people want to know about the real me and my take on the trip. Fine.

Well, let me dispel a few myths for you upfront.

Myth # 1:  "Must be nice!  Leaving everything to hang out in differnt cities drinking, hitting on girls, and telling jokes."

Fact: Let me paint a picture: right now I’m sleeping on couch cushions in the middle of a kitchen floor.  Many things occur to a person when he finds himself at the age of 32 waking up in the middle of the night clinging to the oven drawer that holds pots and pans.  Those things include but are not limited to the following: How did I end up here?  I wonder who will accidentally step on my face first?  At what point will the dog go to the bathroom on me?

Luckily, I don’t have time to worry about such trivial matters as my mind is focused solely on the couch cushions that continually separate about every 30 seconds creating a sort of trap door for my stomach.

Myth # 2:  "You guys are having so much fun entertaining me, I don't need to be a FB fan of the site."

Fact: If you're not a fan of the site, I can't spam you with information for you to instantly delete or ask to allow me to crash on your kitchen floor.  Remember when I signed up for your boring fb groups or went to your dad's funeral?  It's payback time.

Myth # 3: "You must meet all sorts of interesting characters on the road!"

Fact: Nope.  Except for this guy.  He's a dire warning for us all. This is the face of Bristol, PA.  I put it on a T-Shirt and tried to sell it at the Bristol show.  I sold them all.

Myth # 4: "Why do you always have skits where a minority gets shafted?  Why are you an awful person?!"

Fact: Stop projecting.  I am king of the minorities.  After I write the sketches, we post ads on craigslist for actors.  The only people who show up happen to be minorities.  And we all have a great time.  Or at least that's what I force them to say.

Breaking news update: It was a contractor performing work on the house that stepped on my face.  He later apologized, which was nice, but to be fair I'm not sure what etiquette dictates when it comes to finding someone sleeping on a kitchen floor, who happens to be a houseguest and not a vagrant.  I've already sent in a query to Martha Stewart Living. I'll keep you updated. 

Mac and Diabetes by Joe Piccirillo

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Oprah cites the box office failure of Beloved as the catalyst for her headfirst dive into a pile of Mac and cheese. In a related story, Kraft Mac and cheese cites Oprah as the catalyst for their huge 3rd quarter profits.

According to the talk show host: "When I heard I was beaten by Bride of Chucky, I told my chef to make 30 pounds of Mac and cheese."

This development has led me to really, really like Bride of Chucky. In addition, it sparked my curiosity. Surely, Oprah can't be the only high-powered figure to engage in binge-eating as a coping mechanism. I did some research and found the secrets of other public figures. Take a look.

#1.



Public Figure: Hitler
Food of Choice: Whipped Cream
Catalyst for Binge: lost Battle of the Bulge
Quote: "I lost the battle on the field and in my slacks."

# 2.



Public Figure: Napoleon Bonaparte
Food of Choice: Lasagna
Catalyst for Binge: Lost at Waterloo

Quote: "A picture is worth a thousand words.  This picture says a thousand yums!"

#3.

Public Figure: God
Food of Choice : Adam's ribs
Catalyst for Binge: stress-eating for upcoming test of Adam and Eve.
Quote: "Adam's ribs are great for creating Eve and taste delicious with barbecue sauce!"

#4.



Public Figure: Rosie O'Donnell
Food of Choice: all of the above
Catalyst for Binge: Tuesday
Quote: "More please."