A Concert Memory: Blur live at the Avalon in Boston, July 18, 2003 (with link)

Sorry it's been so dead here as of late...with little to no new Blur activity going on, there's not much to write about on a regular basis! However, I did recently write up a long and detailed review of the time I saw Blur in 2003...it's over on my personal blog and I invite you to check it out HERE. Thanks! 

Also, I am still working (very slowly) on a third and most-likely final edition of Black Book, but not sure yet when the release will be. Stay tuned, though, as it'll be coming eventually.

Blur and the Magic Whip

In light of the exciting new news last week that Blur will be releasing a new album in April, I've written about it and my feelings toward it on my personal blog. Please go to THIS LINK to read all about it!

(I am in the process of deciding whether to leave this as a standalone blog or whether to merge it with my personal blog since I write about loads of things there, including Blur. I'll be sure to keep readers of this blog up to date if/when that happens).

A Band Profile About blur

On my personal blog, I write band profiles on favorite bands of mine. It's a chance for me to give a general overview of some of my favorite music makers and hopefully spread the word about how great they are. While most hardcore fans won't get much in the way of new information out of them, they're still fun for me to write and the response to all of the ones I've written so far has been really positive. Here's my latest one, on Blur. Go on over and read it and leave comments to let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy it!

Book Thoughts

As sales of my books continue to be strong (even the 1st Edition continues to sell!), it's left me with some thoughts on where to go next.

Finishing the 2nd Edition was a huge undertaking for me, especially as I was doing it all in my spare time. Consider the fact that I am married, have 4 children, a stressful and busy job, and a long commute to and from work each day, and you'll understand when I say that it put quite a lot of stress on me and my family. This is especially due to the fact that I was doing it for free (ie no one was paying me to write this book), and the money I make from sales just about goes to cover my costs for all of the printing, postage, etc.

Another factor was timing. The problem I ran into with the first book in 2009 is that I was constantly getting new material to add to the book, and could have postponed the publication indefinitely in order to include everything. This is what eventually led to the 2nd Edition. For the 2nd book, I set myself a hard and fast deadline (which in and of itself added more stress when I fell behind and had to push myself to eventually meet it!). Of course, right after I published the book, Blur announced their raft of 2013 and 2014 shows. Add to this the fact that I've gotten many recordings of these 2013 shows and you'll see that there *could* be the possibility for yet another book.

However, I think publishing a third book , so soon after the 2nd book, would not be prudent. Remember, there were 3+ years between the 1st and 2nd Editions. Also, I'm not sure how interesting reviews of 2013 (and beyond) shows that have set lists identical to the 2012 shows (included in the 2nd Edition) would be...certainly not enough to entice anyone to buy another book so soon after the last one.

This brings me to my thought...what if I write an addendum to the 2nd book, reviewing these 2013 shows and any other stray shows that didn't make it into the 2nd Edition, and offer it as a PDF? It would be very inexpensive (~$3) and basically an add-on to the 2nd Edition for anyone who has purchased it. That way, it wouldn't necessitate a completely new book, unless people think an "updated 2nd Edition" (would this be the 2nd and 1/2 Edition?) hard copy book would be a better idea?

I'll turn it over to you, my readers and customers...what do you think? Which would you rather have?

Black Books 1 & 2

Maybe a little of a different type of post, this one, but the first edition of Black Book continues to sell well month after month, and I thank and appreciate everyone who has bought it, and if you have it, I hope you've enjoyed it. Even with the second edition coming out soon, I feel like the first one is different enough and of its time enough (written during the 2000s and finished the year of Blur's return in 2009) to make it a valuable and worthwhile book in its own right.

The new one will be greatly expanded, updated, and changed around a little bit, and has some new sections in it, and of course will be finished in the wake of this summer's triumphs for Blur.

I make hardly any money off of the books...really, just enough to (barely) cover my costs, and that's fine; I am not in it for the money (if I was, I'd be in the wrong business!). It's just a labor of love for me to give back something to Blur for all of the meaning and enjoyment their music has given me for half of my life (and counting), and to give something to share with fellow fans who can identify in the same way with the band.

So, again, thanks :)