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JON ZAL

Your front-row seat to my nervous breakdown

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Nine Inch Wiggles

February 22, 2006 Leave a Comment

nin

See the guy in the middle up there with the big guns and the buzz cut? That’s Trent Reznor, the mastermind behind the industrial-rock juggernaut known as Nine Inch Nails.

I am quite fond of Mr. Reznor and his music. (This is what we in the writing business refer to as “an understatement.”)

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Filed Under: Music, Parenthood

Happy New Year

January 1, 2006 Leave a Comment

Quill & ink

Eleven months ago, I installed WordPress on my server. I posted a dozen or so entries using the default Kubrick theme (some of which I’ll probably migrate over to this new set-up). Then I decided to create my own theme. It only took me the better part of a full year to finally get it online.

I was determined to get the site up and running before the end of today. I made it—with about an hour to spare, even. Figured I’d start 2006 on the right foot.

This place is currently held together with spit, chewing gum and some of the ugliest CSS and XHTML you’ve ever seen (don’t even bother checking to see if it validates; it so doesn’t) … but I’m launching it anyway. I’ll clean up the behind-the-scenes stuff during the days and weeks ahead. Meanwhile, though, it’s high time I start writing. After all, that’s the main reason I built this damn place.

Filed Under: Geek

Interview: Gene Simmons of KISS

April 23, 2002 Leave a Comment

Photo by Jon Zal

Originally published on April 23, 2002 at SoundSpike.com

In addition to being the singer, bassist and marketer extraordinaire for rock juggernaut KISS, Gene Simmons is also a self-proclaimed egomaniac.

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Filed Under: Music, Portfolio, SoundSpike Tagged With: Interview, KISS, SoundSpike

Live Review: Billy Joel and Elton John in Boston

January 25, 2002 Leave a Comment

Originally published on January 25, 2002 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

Billy Joel and Elton John’s current Face to Face tour features a spectacular light show, video screens, and two talented backing bands … all of which were completely overshadowed Thursday night (1/24) by two chubby, balding, middle-aged guys who know how to play the hell out of a piano and whose voices are as powerful as ever.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Billy Joel, Elton John, Live Review, LiveDaily

Live Review: Björk at Radio City Music Hall

October 8, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on October 8, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Björk’s Friday night (10/5) performance at New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall was an amalgam of extremes that, despite the distinct potential for disaster, were masterfully combined to produce a mesmerizing musical experience.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Björk, Live Review, LiveDaily

Interview: Seal

September 25, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on September 25, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

A decade ago, Seal broke through on the American music scene with the hit single “Crazy,” a song that helped propel the British singer’s self-titled debut to sales of over 1 million copies in the U.S. alone. Even greater success followed with his 1994 release, also titled “Seal,” which spawned the massive hit “Kiss from a Rose” and went on to ship over 4 million copies in the U.S.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Interview, LiveDaily

Gary Cherone puts Van Halen behind him, forges ahead with Tribe of Judah

July 18, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on July 18, 2001, at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

Almost two years after his short-lived gig as the third frontman for Van Halen ended, Gary Cherone has reemerged with his new quintet, Tribe of Judah. And while the pairing of Cherone and Van Halen was deemed a mismatch by many fans and critics alike, the singer’s new project seems to be a perfect fit for his theatrical stage persona and eclectic musical tastes.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Extreme, Gary Cherone, Interview, Live Review, LiveDaily, Van Halen

Live Review: Depeche Mode in Massachusetts

July 3, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on July 3, 2001 at LiveDaily.com

MANSFIELD, Mass. — On its studio releases—particularly this year’s “Exciter”—Depeche Mode’s synthesizer-heavy music is often a mellow affair that does not hint at the trio’s proclivity for the kind of bombastic and energetic performance it gave its Boston-area fans on Sunday night (7/1).

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Depeche Mode, Live Review, LiveDaily

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FEATURED POSTS

Take Me Out to the Therapist… Take Me Out to the Shrink…

There must be a reckoning

An Open Letter of Apology to President Barack Obama

Van Halen (or, The Band That Ate My Life)

Hell hath no fury like white-male privilege threatened

Turns out I have a bright future ahead of me ... in a field about which I know nothing

Man, this finding-a-new-job thing is going to be easier than I thought

Gene Simmons on stage

Dear Gene Simmons of KISS, a.k.a. My Childhood Hero: I think there’s been a terrible misunderstanding. Either that, or you’re an overly sensitive dick.

Zombie Dinner Party … with your chef, Dr. Hannibal Lector

No, really: This job-search thing is like shooting fish in a barrel

Is it November yet?

Don't miss a thing!

Sorry for yelling. Just trying to generate some excitement. Anyway ... enter your email address and you'll get a notification when I publish a new blog post. (I will never spam you.)

ABOUT ME

Jon Zal @ The Massachusetts State House, Boston

I was born in 1970, raised just outside of Boston, and now live near Philadelphia. As a child, I thought I was going to be…
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Hold my calls. 🤙🏻 Hold my calls. 🤙🏻
Hey now from the Jersey shore. 🤙🏻 Snooki say Hey now from the Jersey shore. 🤙🏻
Snooki says “Hi.”
When the @celtics & @nhlbruins both have a playoff When the @celtics & @nhlbruins both have a playoff game on the same night. 🙄 (Might put the @redsox on my iPhone after I post this.) #BostonStrong
The kind of Type-A madness that compels me to hang The kind of Type-A madness that compels me to hang 700 lights on a tree of this height and size is both a curse and a blessing. Love having this spectacle in my yard & spreading the holiday cheer. Enjoy! 🎄
We did it! The last time I ran an official 10K ra We did it!

The last time I ran an official 10K race, I was 18 and in Basic Training/Military Police School at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Let's just say I'm a bit longer in the tooth and wider in the waist than I was then. 🥵

Proud to have legged it out with my boy yesterday to support @travismanionfoundation. Thanks to all who donated. (FYI: Donation link, which is in my IG bio, remains open through the end of the year.)

Official time: 55:28

#RunWithTheMarines
#MCM10K
The last time I visited the Marine Corps War Memor The last time I visited the Marine Corps War Memorial with my son, he was in utero. 😳 This Sunday, I’ll visit it with him again after we cross the finish line at the MCM 10K.

I’m running in honor of my late grandfather, Finn, a Marine who fought on Saipan, Tinian & Iwo Jima with the 4th Division during World War II.

My son and I are are also running to support the great work of the @travismanionfoundation. If you would be willing to help me reach my fundraising goal, I’d really appreciate it. Link to my fundraising page is in my bio. Thanks!
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