the official website of jon madsen

lost in relaxation

flashback:

(coming soon!)

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Once again, I've gotten so far behind with things that the spectre of keeping the site up has turned into a giant boulder mowing me over. Instead of a solid lucid entry, you're gonna hafta deal with a series of events told without much detail or entertainment value.

jake the fatman

The most important thing I have to talk about is my good groover buddy Jake. I'm officially praising Jake for being the one-thousandth visitor to rexbasior.com. Also speaking of Jake, he turned 30 on the first of July.

To commemorate both events I decided to upload that scene from Sixteen Candles where Jake Ryan is all pissed about his friends wrecking the house and then he finds the geek trapped under the overturned aquarium gasping "Jake!" Unfortunately, the video camera device I use to capture video would not allow me to capture the scene because it sensed that the source was from a copyrighted VHS original. I thought I'd get smart, so I even hooked two VCRs together and recorded the scene onto a blank tape and then tried to capture from the blank tape and my video capture device still called me out! I can't believe I surround myself with machines that actually dictate what I'm alowed to do with my property. Obviously, since you don't see the link to the video, I wasn't able to get the clip on here. We've all seen it though, so just imagine it in your mind (tee hee). If you haven't seen it, come over to my house RIGHT NOW and we'll watch it together.

Presently Jake is working on starting his own business. Fighting all common sense, he's asked me to be a sort of visual director for the effort. It's going to be super exciting to single-handedly send an up-and-coming business into the ground.

blonde ambition

Also speaking of new business ventures, I'm going to be doing a little free-lance work with the yellow-haired estrogenic Utah Valley juggernaut known as Grapevine Radio. These Martha Stewart-types used to broadcast with my radio station (1400 K-Star (home of third-world salaries)), but now do mostly internet stuff. They've been a little short-staffed in the production department, so they asked if I could come along. I'm hoping that by the end of the month, I'll be only moderately poor. Listen to my mediocre production values at grapevineradio.com.

jon cruise

So I was gonna write a few pages about the cruise to Alaska I took last month. I haven't developed my non-digital pictures and I haven't dubbed (or even watched) the video I took. If I told you I didn't have a good time, would you even believe me? I'll just sum up. I gained seven pounds. More info coming. I think I'll put the karaoke video up if you're really lucky.

chuck-o-rama

Since I'm trying to express myself through words again, I've also strengthened my resolve to become literate. A couple of times a week I go into Barnes & Noble to do a little Summer reading. I actually heard that they don't mind when people just come in and read and don't buy anything. After the books become damaged enough, they simply write them off. I don't know enough about business or taxes or whatever to understand how it works, but I do know that I'm not going to pay 23 bucks for a freaking new book.

Since I don't read much, I don't have too many favorite authors. But there are at least two that I sort of liken myself to. I'm working through a couple of "Chuck works."

Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story by Chuck Klosterman
I fell in love with Klosterman's writing when I began reading his Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto a year and a bit ago. Back then I still read in Barnes & Noble, but I actually had to buy the book, because I wanted to highlight several parts. Of course, maybe I should've highlit the parts right there in the bookstore since they'd just write it off anyway. So anyway, this new book tells a new autobiographical story of his journey across the United States visiting places where rock stars have died. Klosterman is a pop culture genius and knows his music, but the most interesting aspects of the book have to do with how straight-forward the man is about his personal life involving at least three women. Honestly, I'm not as forthcoming with my personal life and nobody even reads my stuff! His last book dealt with how everything in society is connected. This one is strangely about how everything affects him. Anyway, the guy's writing is... very agreeable.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
I'm actually not too far into this one. While Klosterman's writings remind me of my straight-forward self, Palahniuk's writings remind me of my twisted self. I guess fortunately I've been feeling a little more straight-forward than twisted lately. I've read more about this book than what I've actually read of the book itself. Right now I'm to the part where this kid has a sort of accident in a swimming pool and must eat through some of his own exposed organs in order to free himself from drowning. Maybe I shouldn't have actually said the part I'm up to. Sorry. Pretty twisted.

georgia on my mind

Charlotte moved to be with her family in Georgia. She now lives in Athens, that place where R.E.M. are from. My phone bill doubled last month.

feedback me

So, I'm starting to realize that despite looking real good, I'm getting really old. Most Keats and Cobains contributed a lot to the art of the world before turning 30. In a very, very conceited way, I've always thought that I would have a similar effect. My biggest problem is focus. How should I bring the masses the "enlightainment" simmering beneath my surface? I just don't know. That part of my brain is the most warped part ever. So how about you tell me what I should do. We have several options.

Option 1 - the novel.
So far my idea is for a book that deals with a sort of late-twenties slacker who works at a radio station and compares balancing his relationships to balancing the channels on a mixing board. This is especially tentative since last week my super-buddy Maria expressed interest in collaborating on a book with me. She's not interested in the old semi-autobiographical crap. The only idea we really have is straight up transcripts of some of our best conversations. We will probably need to hire an intern to transcribe everything.

Option 2 - the comic book
About 15 years ago I began my first superhero comic book. Eventually I'll put what I did on this site. My character's name is Toxic Boy. He's a normal 15-year-old, except that his bodily fluids melt things. I drew about 15 panels and I hope to continue his story beyond the origin. I have two villains in my head that I think are pretty neato. If I pursue this, the how-to-draw-manga book I bought last year won't be in vain.

Option 3 - the film screenplay
Many of you know that last year I wrote an LDS-themed movie screenplay called Love Intelligence (lamest title ever, I know). I entered it into competition, but was disappointed when it didn't place in the top 20 out of about 80 entrants. I found out later, that one of the two judges placed it 12th overall while the other judge absolutely despised it. Hey, well, at least the polarizing effect will get people talking. Anyway, while that screenplay dealt with Mike and Brian, our lovable loser heroes, coping with life in Provo, the new screenplay would take them to Salt Lake City. Hey, I write what I know.

Option 4 - the motion picture
For years and years I've wanted to make a cliche'd horror movie with a twist. My movie would take plays in a boys' dormitory and it will be in Swedish. If you want me to do this one, you must realize that I'll need you as an actor and I'll need your place as a set.

Option 5 - the album
All my roommates are decent musicians. Sometimes I'm jealous of their ability, but they've left me with lots of toys to play with. I've also come into possession some great recording and mixing equipment. I have no doubt that I can piece together some unique (but not necessarily good) cover tunes. Just so you know, first on my list would be "World in my Eyes," by Depeche Mode.

Option 6 - the radio station
I don't own a radio station, but I do have internet access, which means I can very easily broadcast all over the world. Just this past week I've aquired some radio software from grapevineradio.com. Another option would be to appropriate a program from my other place of business, 1400 K-Star. It would cost like 100 bucks a week to do that though. My music format would be soft bleak favorites from the modern rock era spanning from the late seventies to the early nineties. I'd call my program "Night Night With Creepy Uncle Jon."

I want you to vote and tell me what I should do. I've supplied a poll on the rexbasior.com boards. You need to register on the boards to vote. Don't panic, it's not a big deal at all. Just register onto the boards and choose the forum that says "what endeavor should jon pursue?" Then click on the topic that says "take the poll! how should i change the world?" Then vote!

vote in the poll right freaking now!

(22jul05)