The Journal Of Lucien Desar

“Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.”

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:40:17 GMT

I have been working a lot to get as many distribution points as I can. I am simply amazed how much music distribution has progressed since my last major release. There are so many more outlets! The album will now be distributed not only on iTunes but on AMAZON.COM for mp3 downloads. I have 13 other digital distribution outlets for the album not including ring tones that will be out on most cellular networks. I have been getting a secret thrill every time I find another outlet to distribute. If I could somehow rig my album up to a giant Tesla Coil and have it transmitted into everyone's brain at 12:01 May 27th I would.

Don't worry this is entirely impossible (Tesla Coil's can't do that) but I will if no one buys the album! That is probably my biggest fear is that the album will not sell well.

In other news... I have become obsessed about getting a Nerf gun. Ever since the film work I did a few week backs and seeing them shoot people with them I wanted one. I haven't a clue what I would shoot with it. Maybe line up my zombie action figures and peg them off like I did when I was 14 with a bb gun.

I saw three films this past weekend that were good. How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog. It's a comedy with Kenneth Branagh in it. He is a a playright in LA and befriends a young girl while he is trying to learn how to be a better writer. I also watched a copy of "Cannibal Girls" that came out in 1973. It's a horror movie that is like a B movie but it was done really well. I also watched the made for TV movie "Do you like Hitchcock?" which was written and directed by Dario Argento. It was made for Italian TV which would never air in the US. A lot of the usual Argento film elements were in it like his use of red lighting and his fixation on architectural surroundings in relation to the people within it. I would place the film more in the suspense category than true-horror genre. If you like Argento you would love this film.

The future of art .... the feed

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:29:54 GMT

The official CD Release event for "Beyond the Blind" will be at Sanctuary in Providence RI on Sunday May 25, 2008. So come on down (or up whichever location you are at) and listen to tracks from the album and possibly win a copy of the album before it comes out on Tuesday May 27th :) or win a t-shirt! Memorial Day will be the next day so no one will have to worry about going to work on Monday.

I will write about it some more as the date gets to be sooner.

Lyrics from the album have been posted here.

The whole steampunk movement is official. There is an article from the NY Times.

Oh OH OH!

I keep reminding myself to write this in here but I keep forgetting. I had this dream a few nights ago about the future of movies, television shows, music, artwork, books, magazine, newspapers...everything media. (and this was probably inspired somewhat from Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age") One day there will just be feeds being wired directly to either cell phones or tv sets that are like computers. All media (books, movies, music etc etc) will be supplied by like 3 feeds and everyone will pay a subscription rate for the feed. Single units of things like DVD discs, books, CDs will be obsolete because you literally can have everything created by humanity supplied from "the feed" . Obviously guess who will be the #1 feed provider? GOOGLE . Probably after 2 or 3 other sources and then there would be lesser sources for alternative information. I wouldn't be surprised if it will actually be wired into people's brain. Artists will be paid by these subscription-based feed providers similar to how television shows are done for networks. Mark my words.... that is the future....

Chairman of the Board

Thu, 08 May 2008 01:38:22 GMT

A new US postage stamp honoring Frank Sinatra goes on sale next week.

Wow that is really cool !

In other news

Forty-one years after he first appeared on The Billboard 200, Neil Diamond looks to be on course to earn his first No. 1 album ever on next week's Billboard chart as first-day sales of "Home Before Dark" (Columbia) lead the Nielsen SoundScan Building chart released May 7.

Wed, 07 May 2008 01:13:48 GMT

album album album. I think I am getting to the point of being hypnotized by my album release. There is still a lot of work to do while juggling 5 different other tasks at the sametime. It's all good though.

Coming soon in 3 weeks ! 5/27

Sat, 03 May 2008 18:16:17 GMT

I keep having Ricky Gervais's voice stuck in my head! I keep hearing him say "that's brilliant!" over and over.

Today is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY ! go to your local comic book store. Get some free comics (maybe buy some) and have a read.

Brilliant!

Sat, 03 May 2008 04:20:41 GMT

So it's the end of a long day of filming for "This Side of the Truth " . I started at 9:30 AM and it ended at 10:30 PM. There were so many scenes I lost track. Mob scenes where Ricky Gervais was pushing through people that saw him as the new messiah. Then Jennifer Garner pushing through. Then they filmed a scene where a car was being pulled by a truck that had cameras mounted to the back pointed to it. Then it started raining. Fortunately everyone was allowed to use an umbrella until they started shooting. So they would yell "Rolling, Umbrellas down! ...now cut! umbrellas up!" which instantly caused this massive amount of water to fly everywhere. Then when evening hit there was a candlelight vigil which I am sure looked good on film. The film crew were perhaps the nicest I dealt with. Matthew Baker the second assistant director and Max Keene first assistant director had a very nice style in the way they directed. Instead of telling actors "don't do this ! " or "you are doing that wrong!" they always said "that was good but could you please try this instead" . They were so.....British... it made me want to do more British films.

The highlight of the day was when the co-director Matthew Robinson was doing a cameo he was pelted by a brash of NERF bullets during a filming.

Ok off to sleep I am bloody tired.

Can I have a line?

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:37:56 GMT

Yesterday I was acting in the film "This Side of the Truth " in Lowell. Ricky Gervais is the lead, written and co-directs. The entire day is surreal because I was thinking I was in the film "Extras" except he was acting and directing . He is exactly the same off camera as he is on camera. He has a blog here on the production of it. Tina Fey and Jennifer Garner was on the set as well. The film is a comedy that is set in a world where no one lies. Except one guy invents the lie and the whole world freaks out. The scene they shot yesterday was pretty funny. Most of the comedy films I was on they were pretty serious on set but this one it was difficult not to laugh at times. The day went quickly because I didn't have to wait hours before being called onto the set. Today I am there again.

The other day I watched Wax Mask (italian: M.D.C. - Maschera di cera) . Directed by Sergio Stivaletti and written by Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci . I think it was Lucio Fulci's last movie he ever worked on and died while producing and writing it. Dario stepped in to complete it. The movie looks visually amazing but the English print of it has terrible dubbing on it. The voice actors speaking in English over act and it ruins the experience of it. I also hated the music score in certain scenes because it's playing while the actors are speaking. Which is fine for movies like "Gone with the Wind" for that era but it just is distracting these days.

The album is still set for release. Actually nothing can stop the release date! It's like a rocket that already has been set at "ignition sequence start". Which is kind of nice. This weekend I will be working on getting more reviews for it in magazines and such. If you know of any cool underground newspapers or magazines that have a music section let me know.

Ok I admit I probably will watch Ironman and Harold & Kumar this weekend as well. (I think this is the most links I ever had to imdb in one post before!)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:31:51 GMT

Last night I went to the Boston Independent Film Festival. They had a screening of "My Winnipeg" directed by Guy Maddin. It was a really fascinating film. The film details Guy's view what his home city is like and how his past is incorporated into it. The distorted narrative is filled with strange anecdotes that includes frozen horses on a river and seances on the town hall steps of Winnipeg. The film is edited and filmed in a way that you can't get bored while watching it. There is this vast barrage of visuals that are almost hypnotic at times.

After the screening the director was there for the Q&A's. He is probably the most easy going director I have come across. . Two new projects he is working on is a larger budgeted feature written by the same writer as "Saddest Music Of The World". He also is working on an Internet portal that will feature clips of recreated films (his version of it) that have been lost from the early 20th century.

I gave Guy a copy of "Prometheus Triumphant" . I usually never give celebrities anything because I don't want to come off as being needy. I hate it when at screenings people ask the director "hey, can I be in your movie?". ouch lame! However this time he honestly seemed happy about getting a copy of it to watch it.

I have been working a lot on getting the CD ready for release. There are a lot of roles while doing this release. Distribution, digital distribution, booking for shows, media coverage, music videos, and radio airplay. The bad side of doing everything myself is that I can't devote a lot of energy to every single one item but spreading myself out on all of them. The positive side of this is that I have no one on payroll, I don't have to train anyone, and I get the job done. I figure if I can devote a little for each task every day that compounded after a few weeks it comes out to be a lot.

If you haven't yet joined my mailing list please do. There will be a lot of free stuff coming to everyone on the mailing list very very soon.

The new Portishead album "Third" came out today and it's brilliant. The music industry needed this album. It's vastly different to anything out there today. Sure they were popular in the 90's and it might sound dated because of that but they discovered different paths to follow. They put a ton of work on the album. If you live in the New England area you can buy the album today at Newbury Comics and get a limited-edition white vinyl 45" single for free. Which is kind of cool but I don't have a record player. I should get one. I have this theory that records will have a revolutionary (ha! the pun) return to the mainstream.

Ladytron

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:22:32 GMT

New Ladytron album (coming out 6/3) can be listened to on their myspace page

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:30:43 GMT

Producing

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:34 GMT

Producing a music video is a lot of work! The hardest part, which I thought would be the easiest, is finding a location. I am starting to exhaust the searches in the Boston area. I might have to alter the script for a different location. It's so strange I could have the video filmed on a pirate ship but a cabaret club? ha! difficult

ZOMBIE argh

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:40:21 GMT

Thank you for everyone's voting on what zombie I should be. I won third place in the zombie contest! The top prize went to the one arm zombie. Damn... now that I think about it I should have had a peg leg. They screened 'Dawn Of The Dead" the Argento edited version. Which is pretty close to the Romero edited version with a few extra minutes and more gore.

Blurry me!

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:50:08 GMT

Here is the only scene were you can see me in the movie "21"

The 48 Hour Film Festival was a blast. The ‘The Lavimont Expense Report,’ came out pretty well. Here is a news article on the directors for the film. It should be posted soon on youtube.

In other news I have been busy busy BUSY with ramping up for the album release. I somehow don't remember having so many things to do the last album release but there are lot more promotional things that exist than the last album release.

The new Dr Who series is AWESOME.

If you like Steampunk you might want to get this book "Steampunk" . Former Boston DJ Lady B has a section written in it.

The results of the "What zombie shall DESAR be? " are in... Pirate Zombie won!

Argh? errrr Arrruuugh?

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:47:50 GMT

Wow, what a long day. It's interesting how one day could equal like 15 dull days.

So it started off with me jumping into a pirate costume and going to the casting studio. Usually you are never to wear a costume to an audition but the casting agent told me to. So I arrived and someone asked (seriously) if I was there for the American Express commercial or the pirate film audition. I felt like telling her I was there for the Geico commercial and which lizard should I talk to? but I didn't and told her.

So I was nervous all morning reading my lines and I walk in and the director was all curious by my costume and I had to explain it for several minutes. Then they have me reading lines in this scene with another woman where we are supposed to be in bed. Except we weren't we were sitting on folding chairs. So I am stretched out on the chair pretending I was laying down. So I did my lines ok except the director asked "be more Irish but not too Irish" . So I tried again and I probably sounded like a retarted Scottish. Hell I don't know I never had formal dialect training. So then they placed me with another actor (a male one this time) and gave me a hat and a really cool pistol. So I barked out orders in my Lucien's-version of Irish and then that was it. I doubt I will get the part but at least it was a learning experience. I think next audition I will learn my lines instead of partially reading them.

So I left all relieved that the whole ordeal was over and drove to Cambridge to park my car. I was scheduled to go to the Audio for Film Networking Conference in Boston. The problem was I was still dressed as a pirate. I thought about changing in a parking garage and thought I probably would get arrested. So I went to the Cambridge library to sneak in and change in the bathrooms there. Everyone is staring at me, this crazy looking pirate, and the people in front of me was slow...not like slow but close-to-death slow. I had people coming up to me asking "why are you dressed as a pirate?" and I had to explain the whole audition thing which lead to explaining the movie. ANYWAYS.. so I finally get pass the 4 people in walkers to get in to the library. I get the key and then change in probably one of the most disgusting bathrooms in Cambridge. Jumping out as ~~Clark Kent~~ Lucien I set forth into public back into the 21st century.

I had a lot of time before the conference so I went to Harvard Square to see if I could get the latest Dame Darcy comic at Millionaire's picnic. Then I went to Newbury Street and eat at Deluca's Deli right behind someone of some public stature (I don't know who it was some lady that the paparazzi was taking pictures across the street at her) . Then I walked by Owen Wilson who was dressed like he was playing on a 1970's basketball court.

So finally I went to the convention and met the most composers in one location ever in my life. I usually meet a composer once every..... 10 months? not very often... here they were all assembled talking about scoring for films. I didn't learn anything I didn't know but it was interesting to see some of the demos by other composers. I was rather surprised the bulk of them are using loops and midi samples to score. Which I guess is fine for temp tracks or if you are using elements of loops and samples within "live" instruments but to make an entire score is just lazy and trite. The ones that used actual real instruments in their recordings sounded soooooooooooooo much better.

Last but not least my ALBUMS CAME ! the first shipment from the manufacturer. They came out perfect and the printers did an awesome job (I didn't get a physical proof of it just a digital copy so I wasn't sure). When will YOU get them? May 27th. I can't have any for sale until that date for strict legal reasons because of publishing rights.

Now I am beat. I didn't get much sleep last night trying to think what would Sam Bellamy do? First I need to eat some Captain Crunch then sleep............

AYE!

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:33:50 GMT

I am still trying to find a location for the music video to be filmed in late May early June. I am starting to run out of locations so I am scouting for new locations for a cabaret scene (located in Boston or areas).

The manufacturers for the album called me to tell me they were shipped this afternoon. So I should have them by Friday? the first batch. I can't wait!

I am auditioning for a pirate film tomorrow (yes an actual pirate film shooting in Boston!). I am psyched about it. Even if I don't get the part I can still say I at least tried for it.

All work makes Lucien not play....the piano!

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:41:22 GMT

Wow, I am tired tonight. I am slowly going through the massive To Do list with working on the release of the album. I could, in theory, hire someone to do all this work but it would take me just as much time to explain everything than to just do it myself. The only downside of all this work I hardly have time to just play the piano. I think sometime this week I will just take a nice 3 hour block of time and just play whatever I want.

Any day now I should get the first shipment of the album to arrive. I am pretty psyched to see how the printing came out for it.

I have an ad that will be placed in the next issue of "Gothic Beauty". If you are curious what it looks like it's here in TIF format (warning: It's really large, do a right click/save as) .

The 48 Hour Film I worked on over the weekend is going to be called "The Lavimont Expense Report." . It's screening in Cambridge 9:30pm on Tuesday, April 15th at Kendall Square Cinema.

I got a DVD copy of Argento's Tenebre from eBay last week. I had VHS copy of it (that I have watched many many many times) but it vanished. Now I am trying to look for a DVD for Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. I only found it on-line going for $40 or more because it's out of print (that price is just silly).

I lost against a cat!

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:10:17 GMT

Yesterday's filmshoot for the 48 Hour Film Festival went very well. It started at 8AM and ended around 6:00 PM. The short film was a thriller/action and took place at an office. My characters worked for the CIA and I don't want to reveal anything else on it yet (the film will be shown on Tuesday April 15th, 9:30pm at Kendall Square Cinema. ) .

One of the best things about the shoot was that they had food catered. There was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Wonderbread already made. It was awesome (Better than the food catered for "The Departed" !)

After the film I had seen the movie "I Am Legend" . I bought it about a week ago and I tried to avoid seeing it because I read the script and it was nothing like the book. All the screenplay had to do was copy the book with a modern update to it and it would have been good. Instead it was the typical middle-of-the-road horror film that was afraid of alienating a segment of viewer demographic by making it more action-packed. The CGI vampires in the film looked like they were made for a video game and any fear of these characters was laughable. They could have had human actors dressed up with elaborate Fx makeup and made it much better. I give it 1 star because I liked the dog.

Speaking of animals I was beat by a cat in a game of Blackjack.....twice!

Abney Park

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:27:55 GMT

I am always in awe of the art direction and website of the band Abney Park. They always have amazing costumes, graphic designs etc. Brilliant!

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:11:10 GMT

You know video blogs take a lot longer than just typing on here.

I was working on the design of ads to place in a few magazines in a few weeks. I am not placing in a lot of ads since they cost a lot. I am mostly focusing on getting exposure for the album in very unusual methods (ha ha ! I can't tell anyone what they are as of yet)

Saturday I am going to take part in the 48 Hour Film Festival. What is it? It's a festival in which a short film has to be written, shot, edited and scored in just 48 hours. On Friday night film directors get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in the movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be completed. So it's pretty chaotic and challenging but I have seen some really cool films come from it. So I am going to be acting in a film this Saturday. I haven't a clue what I will be doing, what it will be about, what it will be named or anything. I do know the film will be shown on Tuesday April 15th, 9:30pm at Kendall Square Cinema.

I watched Elizabeth: The Golden Age over the weekend. It wasn't as good as Queen Elizabeth I from 1998. It felt like a sequel and all the elements that made the first film made this one seem not as good. There was too much emphasis on the romance of the Queen with Walter Raleigh (played by Clive Owens) . The actors did a great job the director I fault for placing to much romantic emphasis and less on historical facts. Sometimes truth is by far more entertaining than fiction (perhaps this why reality TV shows are so common these days?)

Video post

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:44:49 GMT

Interview me for my press kit video! (I will be having video blogs posted on my site answering questions)

April 1st

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:50:19 GMT

The warm weather returned to New England today. I was able to go outside without a jacket on. I haven't been able to do that since I was in Hollywood back in February.

The CD "Beyond the Law" is still at the manufacturer. I approved the final design from the graphics department so they are pressing it now. I still have roughly 17 more things that has to get done from now until May 27th when it is released. Not included in those tasks is producing the music video for "Club Monbijou". I am still trying to pinpoint a location which I am dearly hoping I can get resolved by the end of this week.

I am already coming up with new music to create. I feel like the last song I completed "Babylon Train" was a start of a completely different realm of music I never tried out. I guess it can't hurt to start writing lyrics and music while I am inspired.

I have been singing a lot lately. I think because of the bacterial infection I had it scared me to think that I could have never sung again. So now I am singing all the time everywhere I go. I am not singing it loudly but I am sure if someone walked passed me they probably thought I was nuts.

21

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:33:16 GMT

I watched 21 on Friday. The film was ok. I was cut out of one scene and in another scene I am in the background. So that was about 19 hours of work for maybe 5 frames of exposure? At least I still got paid and I got to meet Kevin Spacey.

So to continue my self-cinematic-abuse I went to two casting calls yesterday for two more films being shot in Boston this coming month. I am going to start looking for better roles pretty soon.

The album is still in manufacturing. This week I will work on marketing/publicity designs. I am also still scouting for a location for the music video which I haven't been able to do last week because I was focusing on getting my album out the door.

I have been watching a movie called "Burned at the Stake" which was a TV movie filmed in 1981 in Salem. Some of the acting is pretty forced and there is a lot of running in the film but it's still entertaining.

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:21:59 GMT

So the CD master is shipped off to production. It should be completed and sent off to the distributor in about 3 weeks. Now I am working on the publicity side of the album release. I will be setting up a CD release party in the Boston area around the release date May 27th. Shows will be announced shortly. I want to have a bulk of a few shows to announce instead of announcing single shows as they get booked.

Last night I watched House by the cemetery (aka "Quella villa accanto al cimitero" ) directed by Lucio Fulci . It's an interesting film that I can't really say if I could understand all of it. There were a lot of creepy elements to it. Portions of it were filmed in Lexington MA. It was a good film that any fan of 1970's (well this was 1981 but that is still 70's) horror movies would like it.

Tom Waits & Iggy Pop - Coffee and Cigarettes

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:06:05 GMT

Tom Waits & Iggy Pop - Coffee and Cigarettes

This is probably the most awkward conversations that could occur between two musicians

Bon Voyage!

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:27:42 GMT

Package with the CD master for manufacturers is set to mail out tomorrow. Soon let the games begin!

In case anyone missed it I have a poll where you can ask me any question that will be placed in the press kit and video blog (that will be posted here later) . Thus far the questions asked are awesome!