Sean Gallo is an illustrator, and his contributions to the Cutting Edge Entertainment blog have been invaluable. Sean also happens to have been my friend since the second grade. Friends like Sean come in very handy when I’ve finished writing a blog post and don’t have a cool photo to put with it. Friends like Sean become especially invaluable when they can tolerate the frantic “I need an illustration of (insert whatever), and I need it in a hurry!”

And as things typically go, they aren’t the standard variety of illustrations, they’re always something random with a bit of a twist.

This one was the first I asked of him, and as expected he came through with flying colors. “I need an octopus holding drumsticks in its tentacles, and I need it by tomorrow” was my first request of him. I needed it for a blog entitled ‘Don’t Hate On The Octopus,’ and Sean’s illustration well exceeded my expectations. I call it ‘Ringo The Octopus.’

This next illustration was not only Sean’s creation, but his concept as well.  I had needed something that would encapsulate a DJ thinking, and Sean shot off the idea of a brain with headphones.  I loved it, and this time the deadline was a few hours, to which he chided me for my unreasonable demands while still delivering this great drawing before the end of the day.  He later came back to spruce it up a bit, and you can see the new and improved version on his blog.

I am excited (and grateful) to be able to incorporate his original and creative artwork into our blog, and look forward to featuring more of his illustrations in the future.  Check out Sean’s blog to see more of his amazing work.

Thanks Sean!

-Craig Sumsky

Sean Gallo Designs – http://seangallodesigns.wordpress.com/

What is, and always will be so astounding to me about The Beatles is the immense diversity of their songs and music.  There is no question in my mind that, starting with ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ all the way through ‘Let It Be’ (the album) that their knack for hit making (or as Sir Paul McCartney recently said “being of the hit making variety”) is unchallenged.  For me this would also encompass the pre-hit Hamburg years where they did mostly covers, on through the post-Beatles days (yes, to me their solo stuff still resonates with ‘Beatle juice’). The musical contribution of The Beatles covers virtually all ends of the popular music spectrum.

Yes, that’s right, virtually all.  ‘Norwegian Wood’ is a friggin Waltz for cryin’ out loud (Yeah it is, check the count).

Injected into their body of work is pure Rock & Roll, Rockabilly, R&B, Waltz, Country, Bluegrass, Skiffle, Blues, Folk (can I stop yet?), Orchestral, Psychedelic (which they perhaps invented),  Ballads, Metal, Soul… and the list goes on.  That said, what truly makes The Beatles body of work so brilliant and so remarkably unique is that there is honestly something for everyone.  They cover virtually every angle as well, from satire to parody, self portrait to self deprecation and certainly no shortage of political and social commentary exist in their musical and lyrical genius.

I haven’t even gotten started…

How about ‘Twist & Shout?’  Originally recorded by The Top Notes, and then later covered by The Isley Brothers, yet The Beatles simply did it better, and as a DJ I say that with assured confidence.  There’s also ‘Back In The U.S.S.R.’ which, at the time of its release, crossed all kinds of lines while at the same time accomplishing a spot-on Beach Boys parody which is so darned good that I really have to wonder if they are parodying the surf sound of simply paying homage to it.

The Beatles (John, Paul, George and Ringo) loved music, and from their earliest time together in Liverpool they would scrutinize photographs of rock & rollers not just because they were their idols, but to dissect where the fingers were on the instrument in each particular photo (and I thought I was obsessive).  They loved Elvis, and although he was a great inspiration to them both musically and stylistically, they were destined to outshine him.  They didn’t have the ways or means to buy the songs (or have them bought for them) so they bucked the system and simply wrote their own.  How’s that for rock & roll rebellion?

I recently read an article/blog published on the ‘Music Obsessive’ blog which penned what the author felt were the five worst Beatles songs.  There were two songs listed there which I take issue with, and in fact will make an argument for, as I believe them to be not just good, but significant treasures in and of The Beatles catalog.

(Click here for The Music Obsessive’s blog post)

The two songs I refer to are ‘Ob-la-di Ob-la-da’ and ‘Octopus’s Garden.’  Whimsy, yes, but not deserving of being on any ‘worst of’ Beatles list.  Don’t get me wrong here, I know that bad Beatles songs do exist, but these two are as far from that list as Leif Garrett is to making a comeback.  As Mary Poppins said “In every job that must be done there is an element of fun,” and what I think the author misses about these two songs, along with other ‘whimsy’ Beatles tunes like ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Maxwell’s Siver Hammer’ (dark, but still whimsy) is that these songs are just that… silly fun.

It’s the silly fun ditties that will hook the next generation of Beatles fans, just as they pulled me in as a kid.  Certainly as an adult ‘Octopus’s Garden’ isn’t on my favorites list, as my musical tastes have matured over the years and I find other Beatles tunes more appealing, but I still have the wherewithal (is that even one word?) to recognize them (the whimsy ones) as what they are.  Call them ‘Beatles light’ or perhaps even the kiddie pool for the future Olympic swimmers of Beatlemania, they are part of a Beatles legacy that appeals to the kid in all of us from ages number nine to sixty four and beyond.

And one more thing Mr. Music Obsessive… I for one can never get enough of ‘lovable’ Ringo.

Long Live Shining Time Station!

-Craig Sumsky

P.S. The Music Obsessive blog’s author is a guy named Martin, who although I don’t agree with on this particular point, I do find his blog (which has a huge emphasis on popular music) to be quite enjoyable, well written and thought provoking, being a popular music enthusiast myself.

Music Obsessive - http://mwarminger.blogspot.com/

‘Ringo The Octopus’ illustraton by Sean Gallo – http://seangallodesigns.wordpress.com/

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

In early 2006, I received an email from my friend and co-worker Pedro Coelho with a link to a YouTube video.  The video was one of a series of videos titled ‘Ask A Ninja‘ in which ‘viewers’ wrote in asking all sorts of questions to ‘The Ninja.’  The short three to five minute clips were absolutely hilarious, and as new episodes, or ‘webisodes’ were released, Pedro would continue to send them to me… each one being just as clever and witty as the last.  This is how I first stumbled across YouTube.

Coincidentally, Sean Gallo, another good friend of mine had been discussing the idea with me of doing some sort of creative project.  I had known Sean since the second grade, and we had both been part of the Humanities program at Council Rock (the schools program for the gifted and talented).  Sean and I shared quite the common background in regards to the creative itch, and we both were searching for something… but we weren’t sure what.

It wasn’t long before Pedro and I included Sean in our ‘Ask A Ninja’ loop.  The three of us worked together at Cutting Edge Entertainment and would sometimes sit together after a gig mulling over ideas and concepts into the wee hours.  We knew we wanted to do ’something,’ but what specifically we had no clue of.  Our think-tank just sat and thunk (or is it thank?), never quite coming up with a solid idea that we all agreed upon.

Enter Katie…

During one of our dead-end think tank sessions one late Saturday night/Sunday morning another Cutting Edge employee happened to return from a job as we began our musings… and that employee had no idea what they were getting themselves into.  Katie sat down with us, and began to rant to us about a date she had just had, and how all men – or ‘penises’ as she called us – were out for the same thing.  The three of us naturally felt inclined to defend our gender, but to no avail.  Regardless of what defense we tried to mount against her absurd theories, Katie was quick with a retort which not only justified her theory, but was in some twisted way arguably correct.  We laughed together for hours trying to shoot down her ideas but no matter what she stuck to her guns.

It was just before sunrise when the three of us looked at each other,  then at Katie, asking “Hey Katie… Have you ever heard of YouTube?”

In June of 2006, Pedro, Sean and I, calling ourselves ‘The Big Wheel Gang’, unleashed the character ‘Katie Sah’ on to the unsuspecting internet.  Katie was the ultimate  misandrist (man-hater) in an internet dominated by uber-geek guys who would come to love to hate her.  Katie herself has said that if it weren’t for the ‘haters’ on YouTube, she would never have achieved the notoriety she has attained.

Over two years and millions of views Katie’s antics have become almost reknown.  Her love for Kelly Clarkson and The Philadelphia Eagles, her male-bashing hijinx and her backwards fashion tips (“Don’t wash your hair girls, just put baby powder in it.”) are all trademarks of a character – and partially real person – known as Katie Sah, the ‘Poison Ivy’ of YouTube.  Katies personae is part of the YouTube sub-culture and will not soon be forgotten.

Katie and The Big Wheel Gang  have produced over one hundred viral video clips (vlogs) for YouTube, while also appearing on DIRECTV’s ‘The Fizz’ as well as doing viral videos for companies like Cactus Tube Amps and Coors Light. The katiesopinion channel on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/katiesopinion) currently has over 20,000 subscribers and is a part of the YouTube partnership program.

Although the katiesopinion project is not officially finished, Pedro left the team in mid 2007 to be replaced by ‘Crazy E,’ or Eric the Drummer.  In the summer of 2008 Katie moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, California, and The Big Wheel Gang have gone back to brainstorming…

-Craig

http://www.cuttingedgedjs.com

Factoid: The katiesopinion episode ‘The Philadelphia Eagles‘ which was produced in September of 2006 has the director of the episode listed as ‘Broccolihead.’  In fact, Broccolihead is none other than Justin Guarini, who directed and edited the episode.  If you listen closely during the closing credits, you can hear Justin singing the Eagles fight song ‘Fly Eagles Fly.’

The katiesopinion channel on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/katiesopinion

If you are interested in finding out how to create your own viral video and optimize its visibility on YouTube, contact The Big Wheel Gang through Cutting Edge Entertainment.  craig@cuttingedgedjs.com