Yesterday

Yesterday I was in NYC with Jim Florentine and Miss Box of Junk Jen Gottlieb. If a picture tells a thousand words.,..this is like 1,026 words.

Hot Dog!

In this week's Steppin' Out we have interviews with Rachel McAdams and members of the Howard Stern show. In my next "7 Questions" column I interview the REAL Henry Hill. After that? Chril Milnes from Mucky Pup. Would you like to see some of the question and answers now? Read on. 

Chris Milnes Mucky Pup

Are you ok with the new direction of Steppin' Out magazine? 

This may come off as snarky. but I an a graphic designer by trade before a musician. 
Yes, I'm definitely more than ok with the NEW look. It looks less like "I just got an iMac for Christmas and want to use every possible typeface and filter combination possible". Much cleaner, easier to read, easier to digest. The content is better organized too. The readers (myself included) thank you.     

Tell our readers about your new business. 

Aside from being a part-time old man rocker the band has opened an old school hot dog joint named - The Mucky Pup.
It's in the tradition of Rutt's Hut, Hiram's, Hot Grill, Johnny & Hanges. Deep fried Thumann's hot dogs that snap when you bite into them.
We have something called a "Crack Dog". It's a bacon wrapped dog, deep fried, over a fried egg and white American cheese all on a lightly toasted bun.
I will let no Metalhead go hungry on my watch!
We also have the complete Mucky Pup (The Band) CD/DVD & T-shirt collection for sale at the store.     

The Mucky Pup - 272 Liberty St. Little Ferry, NJ - www.TheMuckyPup.com

You have always been funny onstage. Anything else you'd like to say?
First, thank you for keeping Stepping Out going strong. I was on WSOU last week and it brought up old memories (we were there 20+ years ago doing our first interviews for the band). I will never forget that Mucky Pup started as roadies and then a support band for Hades. Then I was explaining the new store and upcoming tour schedule to a friend there and he jokingly said "Have you looked at your Drivers License?" referencing my age being 44. We all laughed at his joke. But later I thought about it and was bothered. In my mind we're just getting started. Nightly we get to mash-up "Eye of the Tiger" into "Angel of Death" into "Apple Bottom Jeans" in some club, in some strange land. I'm really just getting started with this stuff and won't stop anytime soon. Thanks for the soapbox on which I stand, one nation, underdog, indivisible, with liberty and spicy brown mustard for all. I have hungry Metalheads to feed - Over!        

EDDIE TRUNK TALKS......SPORTS by Dan Lorenzo

Everybody knows of Eddie Trunk as an authority on heavy metal. You've heard him for years on the radio on Q104.3 or Sirius' The Bone Yard. You watch Eddie on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show. You might even know Eddie has a book out called; Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. When I get a few minutes to speak with Eddie I like to talk with him about a different passion of his. Sports. Eddie is a huge fan of sports. With that in mind I recently did a quick Q+A with Eddie.

Back in August when we last spoke about Eli Manning,  he had declared himself an elite quarterback. When I asked you if you agreed you said, "Although I do think he has some intangibles that you love in a QB. You can’t rattle him and he does not miss games and can make some big plays, but so far I would not agree with 'elite'". What would you say now? 

I’d say he has graduated to Elite status. This has been his best and most consistent year and he is without question now in his prime. The statement I said earlier is still true; he is tough, can not be rattled, and makes big plays. Now he’s going to his second Super Bowl after winning essentially five straight playoff games including in GB and in SF. He’s an elite QB for sure now and a class act for a class organization. Many are now making the case he is the best QB now in Giants history, especially should he beat the Pats again.

Now that we know who the final two teams are, give me your Super Bowl pick.

I respect the hell out of the Pats and Brady, but I was much more worried about the playoff games in GB and SF. I thought those were much tougher matchups for the Giants than the Pats will be. I’m not saying for a minute the Patriots will be a push over, but I think the Giants have their number. New England’s secondary is very suspect and the Giants have three receivers that are huge playmakers. How they cover them I do not know. Brady is obviously a machine and those two tight ends he has are beasts, but if the Giants get their pass rush going hopefully they can neutralize that. How healthy Gronkowski will be is huge for the Pats I think. But taking the fact I’m a psycho Giants fan out of it, I feel more confident about the Super Bowl than the last two playoff games.

I know you don't like the Jets, but what do they need to do to improve next season?

Get rid of the clowns in the locker room and get the coach to learn to stop shooting his mouth off. Rex Ryan I’m sure knows the game of football, but he has a lot to learn from what I see about running a team. You can’t be every players best buddy and expect some level of discipline. I’m not on the inside so I have no idea of what truly goes on, but on the outside he wants to be one of the guys and that does not work. Judging by what some of the players have now said it seems like a mess. He also needs to stop shooting his mouth off and firing up every team he faces and putting all this extra pressure on his team. As a Giants fan I never liked the Jets, but I have never disliked them more than since when he took over. He’s now like the boy who cried wolf, it’s a joke. Saying he’s winning the Super Bowl every year? What team does NOT play to try and win the Super Bowl? Have you ever seen a team make more of going to two AFC Championship games and LOSING them? Who does that? Get a grip, grow up, and run your team like a leader, and stop with the silly predictions that only serve to make them a target. Much of what the Jets do going forward to me depends on Rex growing and learning about being a better head coach. Wonder how Rex is feeling watching a Super Bowl with the two teams he hates so much this year!

Is it too soon to give up on Mark Sanchez?

I don’t think so. Look what we are seeing with Eli! He was God awful at times and now has truly blossomed. Same with Alex Smith in SF. I mean there are far smarter NFL minds out there that can read these things, but I think it’s too soon. He’s still relatively young. I would get a true veteran to push him as a backup though.

In defense of Mark Walberg

Boy oh boy, Mark Walberg is terrible. What did he say? In a nutshell, what most of us guys have fantasized about for over ten years with the knowledge of hindsight. I've had the fantasy myself: The ability to have had a chance to kick the ass of hijackers on the morning of September 11th thus preventing one plane from crashing. Could I have kicked butt against four armed terrorists? Nope. Could I have averted the tragedy of one plane if it was myself against two of them? No way. Have I thought about a chance to have done something against them if I knew my life was on the line? Many times. So maybe Mark got a bit carried away. If he were on one of those planes the outcome would remain unchanged...but I get it Mark.

Sean Yseult interview-read the whole interview after 5pm Jan 11th

Dan Lorenzo In your book I'M IN THE BAND you describe your love of traveling and touring overseas. I found it somewhat surprising that you had enough time to see so much and document it, as opposed to the hurry-up-and-wait experience?

 

Yeah, you know what you’re talking about Dan – bands usually get driven from one backstage to another, where you sit for countless hours waiting to soundcheck and then many more hours waiting to play – it’s mind-numbing! No wonder so many bands resort to drugs, booze and mindless destruction, haha! But I really did try to get out and see towns, whether I was in Dayton Ohio or Cologne, Germany. One night in Dayton I snuck out after our gig and got to see Brainiac, a fantastic local band. In Cologne, I knew we had to see the cathedral, and dragged the band on some public transport to the city center. When you’re overseas, you have to get out and see the history!

 

How did your husband Chris Lee (of Supagroup fame) react to your openness in the book in regards to your past relationships?

 

Oh it’s all in the past, he’s fine with it. Luckily I fell in love with a ridiculously confident man who is threatened by no one!

Would your relationship with Rob Zombie have lasted longer if you had not been in a band together and just been artists in NYC?

 Sean Yseult That is really hard to say. I do think the band took a toll on our relationship, as far as the band becoming our lives, 24/7. But mainly we met very young, and after seven years had different ideas of what we wanted from a relationship – this is common for young couples. You’re really too young in college to know what you want in a relationship, in my opinion. At least I was.

Have you and Rob Zombie patched things up yet?

  Oh hell no. He doesn’t speak to any of us, his choice.

  Nice. Is there anything you would like him to know?

  Actually yes – I’m really happy for him that he got into making movies, as that was his true obsession. He was mostly very dark and negative, and I hope he’s a happier person now that he is doing what he loves.

  Just curious...do you read Blabbermouth.net?
I’m not on the Internet much, but yes I do read Blabbermouth!
What do you think when you read the comments?
I haven't read them to be honest, I just look at the articles.

GET READY!

Our first "new" issue comes out Wednesday night January 11th. There will be a lot more to read than ever before. We have some new young columnists, and the old columns have been given a facelift. The issue out on the 11th has a "music" issue feel to it, then we switch gears completely with the next issue out January 18th. That issue has more of a "women in the street" feel to it. Lots of pictures of local girls/women giving their advice on...well-you'll see.
Whether you read Steppin' Out in your local bar, on this website, or on Facebook...we want to hear what you think of our changes.

2012

I've never wanted a "vacation" to end so quickly. Our offices are closed this week, but I've been working around the clock. Our next issue out Jan. 11th will have a much different feel than any of our previous issues. I can't wait for everybody to see the new Steppin' Out....now with 80% less typos!

Memo to Rex Ryan. Shut the F up!!

I've always been a Jets fan first and foremost. I never despised the Giants like I do the Yankees though. The night the Giants beat the previously undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl was one of the happiest sports related nights in my life. I had high hopes this season for the Jets based on two things. The last two seasons the Jets made it to "the final four". Plus Rex Ryan kept making Super Bowl guarantees. Previous to yesterday's Jets/Giants game I found myself actually hoping the Giants would win. They did...and after the game Rex Ryan said he'd like to play the Giants again. He'd play them again "right now". Rex...Brandon Jacobs is a disgruntled bully...but he's right. Shut the F up already. The Giants have more class. They talk less. They embarrassed Rex Ryan and the Jets yesterday. Congrats.

CH CH CH CHANGES!

Big news on the mag coming soon...keep reading every week. It's all good though...well maybe one part of it is a little sad....but 2012 is going to be FUN.

NOT THAT IT MATTERS...

I'm going to keep this simple. Two days ago I told a friend of mine a fact. I pay little attention to politics nowadays, but my common sense always guides me towards the truth. Romney vs. Obama means we get a new President. Gingrich vs. Obama means Obama gets four more years. Guaranteed. My friend disagreed. Did you see today's polls? Will the Republican party blow this easy to win election by making a mistake and nominating Gingrich? It's not about Newt's policies. It's about his indiscretions. Newt would lose in a face-off because he would get more liberals to come out and vote against him. Romney will keep apathetic Democrats at home on election day...but nominate Newt if you want to prove a point. Have fun with four more years of Obama.