Column: Advertising expert & recording artist, Scott G, digs into the worlds of music & marketing
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 14 – Backstage Pass. My parents liked going to the movies, so I was introduced to lots of different kinds of films when I was a kid. (Yes, this is a bit of a flashback — we’ll be doing that from time to time, but don’t worry, I’ll try to warn you.)
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: A sporting event where it doesn’t matter who wins. A sixty-minute game crammed into four hours of television programming. An exercise in organized hype. An excuse for overeating and excessive drinking. Yup, it’s Super Bowl time again. Yay! But there are battles brewing outside the game.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 13 – Hi, School. You may not believe it, but the powers-that-be at middle school allowed me to move on to high school. Go figure. I believe they said something like ‘After in-depth deliberation, it is our judgment that it will be to the reciprocal mutual advantage of all concerned parties that John Scott now move forward with the next stage of his educational pursuits.’ Translation: get this guy the hell out of here.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 12 – Numbers Game. Jeanne was a quiet flirt. Whether she was in a classroom, out on the quad, or in the lunchroom, she didn’t say much but people gathered around her anyway. Attractive women can achieve this. It’s called the ‘moths-to-a-flame’ phenomenon.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: Politics is sometimes the art of perception. If you can define the way people discuss a topic, you are a few steps closer to influencing how they vote on it. All political parties attempt to do this, of course, but some teams are [...]
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 11 – Get on the Bus. A school bus might seem like a personal injury lawyer’s wet dream. A long metal tube on wheels. Very high center-of-gravity. No seat belts for the passengers. Often over-crowded, with three kids in seats designed for two people.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 10 – Boss Angeles. There are two possible openings to this chapter. Here’s the straight-to-the-point version: Our family had enough of Fort Richland and moved. And here’s the arty-as-hell version: After a few years in the richly rigid and unintentionally Dadaistic city of Richland, the entire family was ready for a saner lifestyle and a more cultured existence. But we didn’t get it because we moved to Los Angeles.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 9 – Playing in the Poison. My dad was speaking on the telephone. Well, mostly he was listening intently on the telephone. From what he was saying, it sure seemed like it was a Very Serious Conversation. Which was no big deal to me as a kid except for one thing: this Very Serious Conversation was about me. I wanted so much to be in on both sides of the discussion but of course could only catch one-half of it.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: Ideas and opinions come flying at you non-stop in Mark Morford’s essays. His eye-opening concepts are presented with slashing images and hyperbolic language. This results in delightful shock waves for the brain and jarring karma for the soul.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 8 – Don’t Look, Don’t Count. The amount of plutonium produced at the plant each day was Pop Secret. Wait, no, that’s a microwave corn snack product. It must have been Top Secret. Yeah, that’s the term we want. The information was protected by a very official classified classification, something like: super ultra-magnificent big important clandestine hotstuff. Or SUMBICH.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G – Chapter 7 – In Security. Spooky. That’s what it’s like to move into a town that hadn’t existed until the government put it there. For one thing, the entire place was what might be called utilitarian.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: On the surface, this is a book about combat, both personal and professional. But while there are plenty of scenes with bloody battles, all of which are shocking and gripping to read, you will also find humanity, philosophical questioning, and ultimately the cleansing elation of personal redemption.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G. Chapter 6: Mr. Radioactivity is Your Friend. Bulletin: Warning! This is a test of the emergency government -to-citizen communication system. This is only a test. Of course it’s only a test. Had this been an actual emergency, you can bet your ass I would still be sitting here typing at you.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G. Chapter 5 – Beautiful Downtown Nowhere. Some of you have been wondering about my sarcastic attitude towards the center of our nation. It’s not so much the geographic center that bugs me as it is the ‘middle of the road.’ I am quite sarcastic about that.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: A collection of articles about boxing, Katherine Dunn’s ‘One Ring Circus’ covers a lot of road: defense of the sport, call for reforms in the sport, two-fisted literary revelry in the sport, and just plain beautiful writing about the sport.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G. Chapter 4 – Ooh, That’s a Big One. To save you the trouble of looking it up online, the encephalitis did not kill me. Although there were times I wished for death, like during the torture. Oops, I mean during what the healthcare community describes as ‘a procedure.’
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: Two monumental novels, one phenomenal idea to save America, and a river of lysergic acid diethylamide. For some people, that is the legacy of Ken Kesey, but in the hands of neo-new-journalist Mark Christensen, the tale takes on mythic proportions and is One Hell of a Great Ride.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G. Chapter 3 – Ten Least Wanted List. The FBI regularly puts out the Ten Most Wanted list. And it is a fun read, let me tell you! You can find it here if you’re interested in killing some time. Or whatever you’re into killing. I don’t know who composes the entries but in some of the descriptions of the guys on the lam, it often seems you can sense just a hint of a chatty tone creeping into the write-ups
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G. Chapter 2: Open Wide and Say Ahhh. Sex is fun, recovery is not. Unless your doctor orders you to get lots of bed rest and gives you a big wink while saying it. Which didn’t happen to me, but I’m just saying.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels BOOK SERIAL: ‘Secret Sex, A Book Alive Online,’ written and lived by John Scott G. Chapter 1 Your Place in the Universe. Much like you, I came into this world unable to type. That skill was acquired later, allowing me to take part in the highly-paid ‘word nerd’ thing enjoyed by swanky novelists, playwrights, poets, bloggers, and writers of auto dealership advertising.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: It is easy to say ‘Google it’ because that company has virtually defined the online experience of searching for, well, everything. But there are profound implications in turning over so much hidden power to one company and Siva Vaidhyanathan is not afraid to explore a lot of them.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: Mounting well-reasoned attacks against those who seek to steal, degrade or destroy creative works is not an easy task these days but Robert Levine accomplishes it with wit, style and taste. That he also points the way toward some possible solutions just makes [...]
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: A lot of us enjoy art while chuckling at the art scene. Let’s face it: they often have a ton of pretention piled up against an ounce of content. So when an exhibit comes along that can tickle your funny bone while causing you to question your own existence, well, ya gotta shout about that from a few rooftops.
Edited by John Scott G
eNewsChannels COLUMN: When you keep someone alive in your heart, it can make a difference in the way you act towards others. Looking back at the death of my dad nearly a decade-and-a-half ago helps me maintain my view of him while changing my view of others.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Art can take many forms, from painting to sculpture, prints to photography, and music to conceptual performance. It is in that last category that Rachel Rosenthal has distinguished herself. Studying art, theater and dance in Paris and New York in the middle of the [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Some people enjoy serving on juries, or so they say. Forgive me if I don’t believe them, unless these are people with nothing to do and/or who hate their job. For the rest of us, receiving a Summons for Jury Service is enough to [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Does the world need another manufacturer of scented candles? Until recently, many of us would have been indifferent about the answer. Then I met Meike Kopp, owner of a company with the interesting name of Manifest Destiny. Now I realize that other scented candles [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Michael Levine works in public relations yet has become a highly effective motivational speaker. Allow me to confess to being positively affected by his presentation, which is no small feat when you consider that people often describe me as cynical and sardonic (when they [...]
Edited by John Scott G
REVIEW: With the word “Cirque” in their name, some people might be expecting a light and frothy show of tumblers and mimes. Oh would they be wrong. The experience of Cirque Berzerk starts with a dark and brooding atmosphere and then adds hallucinogenic or psychotropic [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Everyone is searching for hopeful economic news and I have some for you. Last night, I attended an unveiling of corporate-sponsored sculpture in staid Woodland Hills, California. Actually, it was a combined art show, modern dance piece, electronic music performance, and happening. Anyone remember [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Several friends asked me a question this week, and with slight variations, it went something like this: “What do you think of that blowhard Rush Limbaugh?” Although for “blowhard” they all used a different word. Donkey orifice. Rooster lollipop. Mom fornicator. My answer was [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Back in middle and high school, I got into trouble. Numerous times, in fact. Not so much for physical acts of stupidity and fighting, although those happened on occasion, but because of things I wrote. Now you may be thinking I scrawled on the [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Political campaigns exist on several levels, some high-minded, some in the gutter. What is interesting this year is the emergence of new code words. With innuendo and subterfuge, a shipload of low-road commentary is being slipped into mainstream discourse. What follows is a brief [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: A feature-length documentary called BOMB IT examines all sides of the graffiti controversy, but it’s clearly on the side of the artists. Scott G is in favor of this viewpoint provided you don’t spray paint his neighborhood. As the director of music videos for [...]
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: The Q&A format is a time-honored way to promote dialog and discourse, but as Scott G points out, some questions can lead to answers that start an argument, a brawl, or even a war.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Scott G smiles at the dire headlines bemoaning the evidence of anabolic steroids and human growth hormones in sports; in fact, he comes out in favor of their use.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Scott G has a few questions about idiocy, lunacy, stupidity, chicanery, avarice, greed, pigheadedness, hatred, loathing, insanity and dangerous superstitions. In other words, he’s been reading the news lately.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Forget war, deficits, war profiteering, offshore tax loopholes, mistreatment of veterans, rampant religiosity, governmental stupidity, and everything else going on thanks to BushCo. Scott G discovers he’s supposed to write about nonsense.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: The country was nearly bankrupt the last time America put an actor in the White House, but Scott G explores some of the reasons why voters should consider trying it again.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: War, war profiteering, immorality, lies, trickery, deceit, insecurity, budget crises, skyrocketing healthcare costs and a whole lot more need to be blamed on somebody, and Scott G is ready to step up and take the heat. Of course, there is plenty of blame to go around.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: When the estate tax was re-labeled the “death tax” and the laws to allow corporate pollution were called the “Clear Skies Initiative,” Scott G began to think it was time for honest folks to fight back. With votes, sure, but also with better names.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Like Humpty Dumpty, the morality of Western World seems always about to drop off the wall and shatter into a million pieces. Scott G gathers some information about a fiction-based museum and asks an eyebrow-raising question about religious tax exemptions.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Scott G presents many myth-busting details about the annual Burning Man celebration held the week before Labor Day on the Playa of Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: How would you like to serve as Honorary Chairman of something called the Business Advisory Counsel? If you have $500 and a strong stomach, Scott G can tell you who to call.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Scott G talks with the OTHER Dr. Kevorkian and learns a few things about death, grieving and the loss of productivity due to death and grieving. Meet Kriss Kevorkian, former deputy coroner and current Co-Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Bioethics Committee.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Bribery, kickbacks and stealing, oh my! Have you read all the instructions in the IRS code this year? Of course you haven’t. Scott G hasn’t, either, but he found some interesting items about reporting illegal income.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Scott G has been paying attention to the taglines in ads. Somebody needs to, because marketers are making a ton of mistakes in this important area of communication. Taglines often seem to be a cute little part of advertising but can actually be a deft tool of marketing. More appropriately called theme lines, they are supposed to help cement the most important brand attributes into the minds of consumers. When they work, it seems like magic.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Why write a six-word sentence when it’s more fun to use 82 words and a bunch of gobbledygook? Scott G pokes fun at the way some businesses pontificate about themselves online and off.
Edited by John Scott G
INTERVIEW: Matt Forger speaks out to Scott G about everything from working with Michael Jackson to producing new artists like Mutant Radio. According to Matt, a pop song is a three minute fix of an emotional drug. We are connected through our humanity, and most successful songs speak to this.
Edited by John Scott G
COLUMN: Following the announcement of a patent for the video enhanced gravemarker, Scott G ponders the next phase of cemetery chic. Might there be an iTomb in your future? Hats off and a twenty-one gun salute to television commercial producer Robert Barrows, recent recipient of U.S. Patent 7089495 for an invention called the Video Enhanced Gravemarker (VEG).
Made in the U.S.A.