When the wonderful guys at Modern Guitars magazine asked me if I would like to change from having a journal to having a column, I, of course, said yes immediately. Then I spent an hour pondering what the difference is between them (and came up with nothing!). Then I figured that most columns I have seen have a title. What was I going to call mine? Various things came to mind - None More Black (a great Spinal Tap reference) seemed funny, Post Modern Musings Of An Ex-Pat Guitarist Living In The Land Of Waiters And Bus Boys seemed a little dramatic. And then I thought of my favourite David Bowie song, Cracked Actor.

In the lyrics of that song (which are, perhaps, the most twisted genius lyrics of all time) is the line - "Bought yourself a trick, down on Sunset and Vine". This refers to the intersection in Hollywood of Sunset Blvd. and Vine St., which at one time was where you would hang out if you wanted to sell or purchase various sexual encounters for cash. Seemed like a good title, and the new column was born. Of course, these days, there is a bank, an office block and a Taco Bell or some such fast food joint at the junction. But I still like to think of what Bowie was refering to when I drive past.

Anyway - back to the update. Camp Freddy played at the 10th Birthday Party of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. I was totally jetlagged, having flown there directly from a three day trip to the UK, so I didnt really know which way was up! But the whole weekend was amazing. Watched Coldplay (boring), Bon Jovi (pedestrian, and way too quiet) and Nine Inch Nails (amazing - best sounding band Ive seen in ages) and then played our own two hour set in the club Body English, inside the Casino. Our guests included Billy Duffy, Steve Jones, Jerry Cantrell, Terri Nunn, Tone Loc, Rob Zombie and Robbie Williams. A good time was had by all. And check out the main pic for today - its our Camp Freddy display case, right in the front entrance of the hotel. That thing is huge! But it looks awesome - and my Gibson CF Custom is right in the center - Thank You Hard Rock.

The next day, I had to fly to New York with my other band, Doheny. We were showcasing for a bunch of labels, and we also did a club show at Snitch (kinda like the old Cathouse vibe - down and dirty club, really tiny, but great atmosphere). The trip was hectic, but the showcase at SIR went well, and the club show later that night was incredible. I think because we were all so exhausted from the showcase in the afternoon, we just let loose and tore it up. There was no pressure to perform well, so we just went for it. And the club was absolutely packed - the audience loved it - and we will be going back there again for sure! The only downer was that some toe-rag walked off with my Yamaha acoustic guitar. It's just sickening, standing on a sidewalk at 4a.m., counting the pieces of equipment and slowly realizing that you are one piece short.

Fast forward to a few days later, and Doheny were back in action in Los Angeles, at the Henry Fonda Theater. Not quite the same vibe! It was a charity show for Friends Of El Faro - they support a children's orphanage in Mexico. A very worthy cause, and something we were proud to help with - except that the event started at 6:30 p.m. and they had us play at 12:30 a.m.! Now who is going to stick around at any event for 6 hours? So obviously, by the time we played, the theatre was nearly empty! Nevertheless, we did our thing for the people who stayed, and got out of there as quickly as we could!

If you get cable television, you could check out the Science Of Star Wars show that I did for the Discovery Channel - it airs this week on Tuesday, the 17th, @ 8 p.m. on the regular Discovery Channel, and Wednesday, the 18th @ 9 p.m. on Discovery HD. The episode is called Space Cowboys. It's the thing I did with C3PO and R2D2 - who knows how it came out, but I am sure it'll be a laugh. And also keep your eyes open for the new VH-1 reality show, Home James. I did an episode of that recently, and it was really funny. I'll let you know when it airs.

What else can I tell you? That I am still really looking forward to the white Les Paul's that Gibson are building for me - they will take a long time - probably won't be ready until the fall, but I am sure they will be well worth the wait.

Also...

Although I can't give you any details right now, I am also doing a bit of acting, and I recently landed my first, albeit very small, role in a movie! Camp Freddy are playing the big Sony Corp. office party next week!

Writing this column helps me put things into perspective. I can sit at home thinking that I should be doing stuff - that my work is never done. And then I write about a two week period in my life that includes London, Vegas and New York, playing amazing shows with amazing people. It includes TV appearances, and my acting debut, and I realize that I work fucking hard, and that I do, in fact, get stuff done. I'm exhausted just reading it back! I believe I'll take a day off today and play Brothers In Arms on the Playstation all day...oh...hang on a minute...I forgot that I have some spots for some TV thing to do. Looks like that day off will have to wait.

I am outta here and off to Starbucks to get loaded on their Indonesian Full Strength blend, and then its a day in front of the computer working on the spots. Lots of caffeine and nicotine, interspersed with a tuna salad, to try and make me feel a little healthier! Have a fun week and I'll be back soon.

Peace.

Billy