(Photo Courtesy of NBC Olympics)
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are less than 100 days away! Vancouver here we come, Aye! With Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto taking Gold and World Champion Evan Lysacek taking Silver at the Cup of China this past weekend, things are looking up for the U.S. team, despite numerous injuries that have plagued the U.S. ladies including Kimmie Meissner and Sasha Cohen. Additionally, the 2009 NHK Trophy is underway in Nagano, Japan so keep tuning in for updates and highlights. You know the Winter Games are fast approaching when the NBC commercial blitz begins, and to top that off there’s now a line of cuddly Olympic mascots for your purchasing pleasure. What better way to overcome the national economic recession blues and take your mind off of all the H1N1 pandemic updates, then by purchasing a slew of furry hybrid-animal-species Olympic friend?! I’m not sure what to make of the video…It’s weird and kinda alludes to a killer whale and a seal making whoopie…You can be the judge: (http://is.gd/4P7P4)
News in Skating:
World Champion Evan Lysacek will appear on NBC’s Today Show November 16th & three-time U.S. Champion Michael Weiss will also be on the Today Show November 27th. Tune in!
Disson Skating Productions on NBC!
The Disson Skating Production telecast schedule is here- Mark your calendars and set your Tivos!
Smokey Robinson Tribute on Ice: Sunday, November 22, 2009, 4-6pm EST (Live show Wednesday, November 11, 2009- Tampa, FL)
Holiday Celebration on Ice: Sunday, November 29, 2009, 4-6pm EST (Live show Thursday, November 19, 2009- Little Rock, AR)
Improv-Ice: Friday, December 25, 2009, 3-5pm EST
Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular: Sunday, January 10, 2010, 4-6pm EST
Skate for the Heart: Sunday, January 31, 2010, 4-6pm EST
Rock Gods of the Ice: What the heck does US Figure Skating have to do with being a rock star? During my short time in the field of figure skating it has come to my attention many skaters are intimately tied to the music scene, and well beyond the status of avid music lovers. These impressive athletes live, eat and breathe their sport; a craft and art where the music is arguably as important as the moves. Kimmie Meissner appeared in a music video (http://is.gd/4PFQC) and professes her dreams of one day becoming a rock star. Now, returning champion Elvis Stojko is releasing a full-length album. (Press release below).
TORONTO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/05/09 -- Elvis Stojko, seven-time Canadian Figure Skating Champion and two-time Olympic Figure Skating Silver Medalist, announces today that he is officially releasing the first single from his upcoming new album. The single is titled "Let Me Be the One," and will be released to Canadian radio stations today. The album, titled 100 Lifetimes, will be released later this fall...For full release got to: (http://is.gd/4PHaF)
And for additional information on Elvis Stojko or his music, visit www.elvisstojko.net
I did a little guitar email Q&A with Olympic, World and National champion figure skater Ben Agosto after his back injury which forced he and ice dancing partner Tanith Belbin to withdraw from the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Luckily, Agosto healed up nicely and the pair is rocketing towards the 2010 Winter Games and favored for clinching the Gold. The 27 year old rock star of the ice has a list of professional accolades to his name including a 2006 Olympic silver medal (the first U.S. medal in ice dancing in 30 years), 2004–2006 Four Continents Champion and 2004–2008 U.S. National Champion, but he's also one-heck-of-a guitar player.
Matt: What got you into guitar?
Ben: My dad plays classical and flamenco guitar, so there was always guitar music playing in my house. When I was a baby and I would start crying, the only way my parents could make me be quiet was to put on Paco De Lucia and then I would just stop and listen. I didn't actually become interested in playing the guitar (I played piano, trumpet and french horn) until I was about 10 years old and my sister got me Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's Greatest Hits. I was blown away by the way he seamlessly blended lead and rhythm guitar and with the ferocity of his solos. Since then I have been all about rock, blues and everything in between.
Matt: Many guitarist have that defining moment when they picked up a particular guitar and the planets seemed to align and everything just seemed to make sense…The instrument is no longer a separate entity but an extension of the player…Did you have that moment and when?
Ben: I haven't had quite that intense an experience yet, but I'd have to say the closest I have come is when I got my Gibson LP (Les Paul). That guitar just feels so "right".
Matt: Yeah…That last question was sorta melodramatic :) I feel you on the LP. I have a Studio and it’s my baby. What kind of rig do you prefer? Any preference for your travel rig versus your home rig? (I remember that cool travel amp you had at the Disson show in Los Angeles we jammed on backstage).
Ben: I definitely love my home rig. My LP playing through a Vox AC50. The amp has 2 channels, and it can scream like Jimmy Page, or switch to an amazing crunch sound. It seems like I spend more time with my travel rig, though, and I would be utterly lost without it. I have a Traveler Guitar Speedster playing through a Korg Pandora PX4D. That little effects box can emulate the best amps with amazing sound and has hundreds of effects. It also has a line in so I can play backing tracks off my ipod. It's the best way to rock out in your hotel room :)
Matt: What musical celebrities have you met and/or jammed with? Any you wish you could take back? For instance I hear John Mayer is a real jerk in person…but my-God he can play the guitar :)
Ben: I have yet to jam with any famous musicians. I have had the unbelievable experience of playing with a great band in a bar in Nashville. I was on tour with Champions on Ice just after the 2006 Olympics, and we had just finished a show and were starting a week off. We went out to check out the night life, which is chock full of the most amazing musicians I have ever seen. We were having a great time in a little hole-in-the-wall bar with a rockin band, when my friend convinced the band to let me play with them "He's an Olympic silver medalist, man!" They were game, and so I played the very first song I learned on the guitar, Pride and Joy, by SRV. It went pretty well, and then the singer said, "How 'bout another one?" Nervous and reaching back to my comfort zone, I said Mary had a Little Lamb by Buddy Guy. The bar-goers seemed to dig it, so the singer gave me the mic and said, "Do another one, I'm gonna get a drink!" I was loving it! So I did Texas Flood, and one of my buddies jumped up and started making up the 3rd and 4th verses. That was one of the greatest nights of my life!!!
Matt: Who would you love to jam with? (Living and deceased):
Ben: I would love to be able to jam with Stevie Ray. He was the reason I started playing, and I always loved how humble he always was in giving props to the blues legends that he so skillfully borrowed from. I am also an insane Zeppelin fan, so of course getting to even be in the same building, let alone play with them would be a dream come true. I also would like to jam with an up and coming band called Other Side of Clearview. These guys really rock and I love their music.
Matt: Ha! You’re gonna make me blush. If I plug my band it is considered shameless promotion, so thank you for the props (and anytime you are in Colorado you’re more than welcome to jam with Other Side of Clearview). Have you ever started a band?
Ben: Sadly, I have never had time to be in a band. My schedule with my skating is so intense that I have not been able to make the commitment to things like practice or gigs... The closest I got was some friends in Ann Arbor, MI who would jam in their basement. We got together a few times and had a blast. We even recorded a little bit the last time we got together. I have used "Garage band" on my computer :)
Matt: Do you play guitar hero or rock band on the road?
Ben: I have a few times. They are both a blast. I love that a bunch of people can play at once. Most guitar players that I know hate the game, because, of course, it's nothing like actually playing the guitar. However, I used to play Dance Dance Revolution on tour, and guitar hero is basically the same principle, just with your fingers and much cooler music!
Matt: So what you are saying is, to be good at these games you have to suck at the activity in real life? :) Are you planning to do more skating/rocking out at future shows like the Santana intro you did at your skating show in Detroit? (Side note...I think you should...and my opinion holds a lot of weight in this industry).
Ben: Playing guitar on the ice was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had skating. I can't wait to have another opportunity to work out a number like that. Once I have a little more time, it's ON!
Matt: When you end up on the 2010 U.S. Winter Olympic Team, what will be on your pump-up ipod playlist and are you planning to bring a road rig to jam on?
Ben: My pump up playlist will definitely include: Zeppelin, SRV, Hendrix, AC/DC, Dave Matthews, Other Side of Clearview, Sublime, Aerosmith.... That's all I'm sure of right now :)
Matt: If Zeppelin does another reunion tour and Jimmy Page is unavailable cause he’s doing an remix album of Zeppelin songs with Kanye West (He’s worked with Puff Daddy so I wouldn’t put it past him) and they ask you to fill in would you? Basically, if you had to pick skating or being a guitar-god…what would it be?
Ben: My phone number is.... I would do it in a heartbeat! Although, they better let me know a couple of years in advance so I could practice. Jimmy's got some pretty big shoes to fill.
Matt: I bet you could take Page out...He's old and fragile. During the recovery time of your back injury did you spend a ton of time playing guitar?
Ben: I try to play guitar as much as possible regardless of what's going on in my life. When I was laid up with a herniated disc in my lower back, I had to be careful that I didn't get carried away playing too hard. That was pretty frustrating, because I couldn't play my LP...it was too heavy at first and hurt my back. Luckily I recovered pretty quickly and I haven't looked back.
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