Rcktman's Launching Padcast

Before I begin… no, I’m not joining a cult or getting all “Dungeons and Dragons” on you. I just couldn’t think of a unifying theme for today’s show, and the first thing I saw on iTunes was “Magic to Do” from Pippin and “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John. So that’s the show’s title explained. That aside, today’s show is dedicated to (more) apples and apple pie, and a very special segment– my review of “The Pirate Queen.” I promised you a review, and here it is… and you have to listen to the show to find out how I liked it. Sneaky eh? Drop me a line and let me know what you think.. did you see it? Do you agree with my statements? Or will you just wait til the thing opens on Broadway to find out how you like it? Share!! Have a great weekend everyone. I’m off to the north! Links: Dr. John’s Fortress | The Blogging Times | Tuna Girl | The Traveling Spotlight Music: Magic to Do: Pippin: Original Broadway Cast Recording (iTunes) Magic: Olivia Newton-John | Back to Basics: The Essential Collectio

Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow From this nightmare? – Rent, Jonathan Larson, 1996 Watching the new TV show “Brothers and Sisters” tonight, I realized a few things about myself– things that I didn’t necessarily like, and things that I’m glad I was able to avoid in life. Life is not about regrets, or letting bad decisions affect the way you live it. It’s simply about what you do with what is given to you. I’m fortunate enough to have learned such lessons from my mother, and those lessons have helped me a great deal in life. This is probably my most frank, and most revealing podcast to date. I invite you to listen with an open mind and heart. Thanks. Music: Will I? | Rent: Original Broadway Cast Recording (iTunes) Subscribe: iTunes | Odeo Chat with me: AOL: rcktmanil | Yahoo: rcktman Windows Messenger: rcktmanil | Skype: rcktmanil Email me: rick (at) rcktman (dot) com

And every one of us has to face that day; Do you cross the bridge, or do you fade away? And every one of us that ever came to play Has to cross the bridge or fade away…. Life throws crossroads and bridges at us all the time. Sometimes we make the wrong choices… and sometimes we make the right choices. Isn’t that what life is all about? Today’s PadCast is inspired by the newest song by Elton John, “The Bridge” from his newest album “The Captain and The Kid” - featured in today’s show. On today’s show, I talk about this song and how it has affected me as it relates to things that have happened in my life in the last few months. EXCLUSIVE! I also give an update on the new guy I met yesterday. Only you PadCast listeners get the latest scoop! So you’d better listen if you want to find out what’s new in that story. Bribery is a good thing, isn’t it? Music: (Opening) The Bridge - Elton John - The Captain and The Kid (iTunes) Music: (Closing) Song For Guy (remix) - Elton John - Remixed (iTunes) Subsc

Wow… PadCast Number Twenty! I guess I did make it after all. Whee!!!! Now on to more important things… Today’s PadCast touches on these very important topics: Jobs Coincidences Creeps Pussies You’ll find out what I mean when you hear the show. And make sure you stick around afterward for an extra special interview! Music: (Opening) Love is All Around (Theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Sonny Curtis. Not available for sale. Music: (Closing) Love is All Around - Joan Jett - Fit To Be Tied (iTunes) Subscribe: iTunes | Odeo Chat with me: AOL: rcktmanil | Yahoo: rcktman Windows Messenger: rcktmanil | Skype: rcktmanil Email me: rick (at) rcktman (dot) com

Tom Cruise is crazy. Osama bin Laden is Nuts. Whitney Houston is a purple banana. Let's put 'em in the truck. OK OK ... I'm trying too hard to replicate the lyrics of Prince's famous song "Let's Go Crazy." But it's still true. Crazy people are out there... and some of them are getting their due. Watch for my rant on Tom Cruise tomorrow for more good stuff about that whacko. I'm heading to Saugatuck this weekend. If you'll be camping at CampIt, let me know! Please call my comment line at (773) 782-6RCK (782-6725). Call me. Leave messages. Be on a show! Watch for a special guest coming soon... as soon as I convince him that he has nothing to be afraid of. ;-) He knows who he is. :-D It's late so I need to go to bed. Comment, people! Music: (Opening) Let's Go Crazy: Prince / The Hits Vol. 1 (iTunes) Music: (Closing) Crazy Mama: J.J. Cale / The Very Best of J.J. Cale (iTunes) Subscribe: iTunes | Odeo Chat with me: AOL: rcktmanil | Yahoo: rcktman | Windows Messenger: rcktmanil | Skype: rckt

Wow! I think this is three PadCasts in one month. What’s wrong with me? Well… I’ve been working a lot on getting the PadCast to the “next level” as they say… and with the help of a fellow podcaster named JayT, I’ve fixed things and gotten things back on track. I met JayT this past weekend at the Gay Bloggers Chicago event and he’s a great guy! Please visit JayT, and check out his shows! So… higher ground. That’s where I’m trying to head with my life. That’s where I’m heading with all of my situations in life. And it’s also where I’m heading with the Pad and the PadCasts. And with the support of great people like JayT, Scott-O-Rama and all of you out there who read, listen, and support me… I’m heading there. Music: Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder (Innervisions) iTunes Download The Tide Is High - Blondie (Greatest Hits) iTunes Download

OK, lest you think today’s PadCast is going to be all depressing and weepy and “woe is me”, think again. I was actually quite chipper when I recorded it. Maybe I was just tired (considering how late it was), or maybe I’m just sick and tired of being mopey. The main reason I chose the title was the music, but it also has something to do with the weather, which has been incredibly dreary lately. Where is our sun!?!? Anyway… lots of talk about all of my bad luck lately, and how it finally seems to be getting a little bit better. It’s about time! Also discussing the Gay Bloggers:Chicago event this Saturday at Cocktail, and the Podcasting Awards… have you voted yet??? So drop it in your iPod, click it and listen… do whatever you wish. Just do it, and let me know what you think! Music: (Opening) Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling: The Fortunes song only (iTunes) Music: (Closing) Another Rainy Day In New York City: Chicago / Chicago X (partial album only on iTunes) Subscribe: iTunes | Odeo Chat with me

Wow. What a crazy week. Between the going out almost every single night to the oppressive heat to the countless hot gay men (and girls) from countries far and wide invading this city, there’s no doubt that Chicago was the gayest place on Earth. But now it’s over. And life, somehow, has to return back to normal. I’m glad that I got a chance to at least go to the opening and closing ceremonies. If I hadn’t gone, I would have felt like I missed something, for sure… but now that I’ve been there and experienced it firsthand, I know I would have hated myself in the end. Today’s PadCast sums up my feelings on the Gay Games– from the ridiculously long opening ceremonies, to the perfectly timed and performed closing ceremonies; and of course highlighting the appearance of the delightful Cyndi Lauper, dressed only as Cyndi could be dressed– in Pride Statue of Liberty drag. Gotta love her. So after listening, please comment and let me know your thoughts on the games. Were you there? What did you see? What di

To celebrate the 2nd Birthday of RcktMan’s Launching Pad, and to thank everyone for everything in the last few days… a special treat! A PadCast! Join me as I talk about the convergence of thousands of gays upon the city of Chicago this weekend for the Gay Games– including one known for his hot toaster oven; the premiere of my favorite show on TV, Project Runway, and my glowing reviews of The Devil Wears Prada and Superman Returns… along with other juicy tidbits and silly things along the way. Music: Sly and the Family Stone: Thank You (Falettin’ Me Be Mice Elf Agin) (iTunes) Elton John: Song For Guy (iTunes) Subscribe: iTunes | Odeo

Yeah I know… is that dead horse dead yet? Well hey, it’s my blog/podcast, so sue me. A final (I PROMISE) recap of New York, the cruise that died, and a bit more talk about Father’s Day and our idiot president, which I know you’ll enjoy. That and a visit from Screech just to make things cute. All wrapped up in less than 30 minutes. What could possibly be bad about that? Music: Smokey Robinson- Cruisin’ (Where There’s Smoke…) iTunes Download Simon and Garfunkel - America (Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits) iTunes Download

I’m baaaack! The title of this “Pad-Cast” is twofold– a return from my self-imposed podcasting “holiday”, and a nod to the obivous– the three-day-weekend of the Memorial Day holiday. Clever ain’t I? I got back from the beach today and just decided it was time to dust off the microphone and see what happened. So take a listen… and let me know what you think. SPECIAL NOTE: Click here for an interesting dialog about the origins of Memorial Day. (Thanks, Frank, for starting that discussion! ATTENTION: All readers! All listeners! Do you have Skype? Do you have Yahoo Messenger? Let me know! I’d love to talk to you on a future “Pad-Cast”. Skype: Rick Aiello Yahoo: RcktMan Email: rick(at)rcktman(dot)com Subscribe at iTunes: Click Here! Music: Elton John: Rocket Man ‘03 (Remix EP- on iTunes) ; Madonna: Holiday (The Immaculate Collection - on iTunes)

In all acutality, the show is OVER. But what an amazing show it was!! I’m not talking about my podcast– I’m talking about The Ten Commandments: The Musical. What a great show it turned out to be — and so much fun! But all good things must come to an end, unfortunately. Except I’m kinda hoping this show has another life very soon. It was THAT good. Just ask Spencer and Mark… they saw it and sent some lovely kudos my way. Thanks, guys, for heeding my command. On today’s show I talk about the Chorus show as well as a few other things going on… and about how I nearly quit the podcasting world altogether. I’ve changed my mind since then– but I still have a lot of things to sort out where this show is concerned. I want to take it in a new direction. Not all about me… but about a lot of things. I just don’t know where to start. I guess in that respect, “The Show Must Go On” refers to this show as well. Have any suggestions? I’d love to hear them. No music in this show… just me and my blabbermouth. Have a g

You know how you’re at brunch with your friends, and there’s smooth, sexy jazz music playing in the background; and while you spend most of the time eating and shoveling delicious food in your mouth, you spend the rest of the time trying to solve the problems of the world? That’s sort of what today’s podcast is like. Give it a listen. And please respond in the comments with your feedback. Thanks! Music: from the album Fourplay “Between The Sheets” (on iTunes)

My stormy disposition from yesterday, coupled with yet another huge thunderstorm to tear through Chicago, make up the subject of today’s podcast. I’ll be the first to admit– I was in quite a mood yesterday. I’m still in a bit of that mood today. I’m not sure quite what caused it. So I went with what I was feeling, and wrote yesterday’s post. It really wasn’t a note to anyone in particular– just an indication of how I was feeling at that particular moment. Sorry if I offended anyone. Or maybe I’m not sorry. I don’t know. Maybe there is some truth to the myth that men have some sort of “PMS” syndrome like women. I’ve often wondered if that was true. Yes, I know we don’t menstruate (and thank goodness for that!); but the mood swings at certain moments in life can’t be denied. I know I’m not alone here. Fess up, men. You’ve been there, too. In today’s podcast, I talk about my unusual mood from yesterday, tonight’s intense thunderstorms (with lots of thunder to back me up!), and also play a little experiment

A trip to Borders this weekend brought me down memory lane when I purchased a book called “Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz”. I’ve always identified with Charlie Brown, the main Peanuts character, and considered myself to be a lot like him– often teased, maligned and the butt of people’s jokes, yet always sincere and well-meaning with a good heart. Yep. That’s me. In today’s podcast I talk about my connection to Charlie Brown, the future of this show, and the wonderful week we all had this last week. (It sucked!) HEY! Do you have a high-speed connection, a microphone, and one of the following programs: Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Skype, or MSN Messenger? Then let me know, because you could be on a future podcast! Send me an invite to your messenger list (I am rcktmanil on each of the services) or drop me a line at rick (at) rcktman (dot) com. (you know how to REALLY type that into your Email program… I get enough spam as it is. I’d love to hear from you and maybe have you on a future show

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was to slip on my father’s shoes and clomp around the house pretending I was him. I also used to like to take his pipes and pretend I was smoking them. I think there’s even a picture or two of me in boxes in my parent’s closet documenting these adorable scenes. Now, as I am getting older, I am noticing similarites between me and my father when he was my age. Ugh. I can’t believe I can remember him being my current age. And so goes the name of today’s podcast. Today’s blatherings range from family health issues to playing with new toys to ending of eras and beginnings of new ones. Think that’s vague? Give the show a listen… it’ll clear it up for ya. I should mention that I talk a bit about the sound effects mixer and play with it in this show. It sounded really cool when I was recording it, but in the final mix, I don’t hear much of anything. So forgive me. I’m just playing with toys. I am a man, after all. Just like my father. Have a wonderful week, eve

So just to start things off… he didn’t call. But I DID call him. Thank you very much. So that was one text message and one phone call on my part… and NOTHING on his part. Men suck. Anyway… I’ve been gone for a while so in today’s podcast, I talk about the fact that men suck (sorry men!), the creep from the Oscar Party, the huge thunderstorms that hit Chicago (some of which you can hear during the podcast!), my crazy dad, and a few other things to tempt your ear buds. So with that, I’m going to bed, because there is nothing I like better than sleeping while rain is hitting the windowpanes and thunder and lightning are flashing and crashing around me. Thank goodness I have the kitties to keep me company. Music: Thunder and Lightning: Chi Coltrane (Best of Chi Coltrane, only available on Amazon.com) Thunder and Lightning: Phil Collins (Face Value, available on iTunes) Podcast: Subscribe to my podcast on iTunes by clicking here!

A photograph. An old shirt. A song. The sound of a voice. The scent of perfume or cologne. Memory is an incredibly powerful thing, and the older we get, the harder it is to access those deposits of information at will. Sometimes it takes one of the triggers mentioned above to make the memory jog itself, and recapture what you thought you had lost for so long. This past weekend I found a casette tape I had recorded on Christmas Day 1982. I was 11 years old. As I listened to the tape, and laughing at how young I sounded, and how little my sister was, I realized that I was hearing my Grandma’s voice again for the first time in nearly 20 years. I was instantly rushed back to that day, unwrapping presents and just being a kid again. It felt warm. It felt comfortable. In today’s podcast I talk about memories and how powerful they are to me. At the beginning of the podcast, you’ll hear a brief snippet of that tape. Try not to laugh at how dorky I sound. I was truly dorky back then. There are just no other words

It’s not just the name of a great song. It’s been my mantra for this entire week. No, Mother Mary did not come to me and whisper words of wisdom… I just found myself saying “let it be” many times over the past week for various situations. From kidney stones to chorus shows to work woes and everything in between. Whisper words of wisdom. Let it be. From hospital stays to hair that grays to laundry piled to the ceiling; there will be an answer. Let it be. Hey, you have to look at the humor in life sometimes, right? Music: The Beatles: Let It Be (from Let It Be… Naked) (click to buy at Amazon.com) John Denver: Let It Be (from Poems, Prayers & Promises) (click to by on iTunes)

Tax time. Man I hate it. And it’s not just because it’s a yearly ritual and something you HAVE to do every year– it’s because for the last few years, instead of getting a refund (like I USED TO back in the GOOD OLD DAYS), I have to pay MORE to our blessed government. So I did my taxes today… and I have to pay and EXTRA $160. EXTRA. It’s ridiculous. Pathetic. Insipid. So that’s what I’m talking about in today’s podcast, in addition to the weather (it SUCKS), my upcoming week (it SUCKS), and a whole lot more baloney (or in this case, french fries). I’m still on the lookout for some good “pod-safe” music for my show. If you have any recommendations (independent artists, people you know that would like an outlet for their stuff to be heard, etc.) let me know at rick@rcktman.com. Until then, I have to take my life (and my bank account) into my own hands and use the following tunes, which you can find (and buy) on iTunes by clicking these links: Elton John: Rocket Man ‘03 Twenty Cent Crush: Taxman And as alw