Monday, December 23, 2013

I'll Be Home for Christmas!

And, indeed, I am home and it's Margarita Monday...the first one in a while! I went mild (Blue Nectar Reposada, Patron Orange Liqueur, a mix of regular and Meyers lemon juice and a touch of agave sweetener). This makes a very mild, very smooth margarita...you'll probably need to bump up the Patron a bit, because I don't think it's as sweet as, say, Cointreau. Your friends will be amazed.

I just got back from San Antonio, where Iain was flying with Vertex on an aerial hog hunt. As we've moved to a more TOP GEAR format in SHOOTING GALLERY, I like to give the Usual Suspects — Iain Harrison, Diana Liedorff, John Snow and Sara Ahrens — one episode where they get to choose the subject. Iain wanted to whack hogs from a helicopter after a long session of training for aerial shooting. The video is nothing short of spectacular.

New season for SG and THE BEST DEFENSE starts on 29 December, next week [ERRATA...Mr. Stupid learns to read a calendar...the first Wednesday is 1 January! WE'LL BE ON NEW YEARS'S DAY!]. 

 I am very, very proud, because I honestly think we've taken both shows to a new level. There are no other gun shows that run to the standards we hold on SG, and the new season is the best we've ever done. You gotta kick it up every season, no matter what.

I note that EW's country music critic Grady Smith says country music pretty much sucks, which is does. I say this as the former Editor of COUNTRY MUSIC Magazine and a person once considered one of the great living experts of country music. I have to say Smith's list of singers that don't suck is spot on  you've heard many of them on DOWN RANGE Radio. When I was driving home from the airport the other night, the weather was horrible, foggy, icy roads, snow falling. OUTLAW COUNTRY on Sirius/XM was playing Jason Isbell's Traveling Alone, and I almost teared up...this guy, I though, is singing my life. That is what great country music should be.


I note the passing of Mikhail Kalashnikov at age 94. The one time I talked to Kalashnikov I found him funny with an ironic view of the world. And yes, he did tell me he wished he had invented a tractor...

5 comments:

Andy's Older Brother said...

Hey Michael, Merry Christmas!

Any chance we will someday see DVD's with Best Defense being sold? I have season 1 and season 2, but would love to get more seasons on DVD. I can't often watch the show itself on OC due to their shifting the time it airs and my crazy work schedule. Maybe video-on-demand if we can't buy actual DVD's ???? Maybe? Can you comment? Thanks, enjoy all of your work. Keep up keeping up.

Best wishes to you and your family.

Michael Bane said...

Working on it....new management at OC, so there's a good chance...

mb

Anonymous said...

Totally off topic, but I just thought you might be interested in this to help plug Appleseed & the RWVA:

Buy a gift certificate before the end of the year and save on your Appleseed admission:

http://store.rwvaappleseed.com/page10.html

Holiday Sale!

Appleseed fees for all adults (18 & over) will change to $60.00 in January, 2014. Here's your chance to get that friend or family member out to an Appleseed event and save 20% on the 2014 prices. This certificate has no expiration date and also provides a greater savings for men under this years' price structure.

Unknown said...

+1 for Isbell. (Michael, editor of Country Music mag? How long ago was that?). .... and a Merry Christmas to everyone.

Sheepdog1968 said...

Speaking of DVDs. Can u please gently nag them to release your shows on iTunes? I'd happily buy them.

On a separate note, on occasion you've mentioned popular artists who you aren't impressed with. I'm just curious, what do you hear or don't hear? What separates the great artists from the rest?

On a completely unrelated matter, I've heard many say the number one most important thing in a firearm is reliability. I can't argue that. What would you consider to be the number two and three things?

Have a great Christmas. Extra special this year with your blog.