Been debating with myself a lot lately about whether or not I should just go ahead and get a face tattoo. My brain says 'no' but my face is begging for it.

What to do?

So as i mentioned in my last entry, the beautiful game of chess definitely has it's dark side.   WATCH OUT!!!  If you get too good at chess, it can *#$% you up!  ...as this list of how various grandmasters met their maker shows.  commentary in italics by yours truly.

Abe Turner - 1924 / 1962 Stabbed nine times in the back by a fellow employee at the Chess Review office.  (perhaps chess can be too competetive sometimes)

Curt Von Bardeleben - 1861 / 1924 Threw himself out the window
of his boarding home. (Nabokov wrote a heart rending novel losely based on this man's life called The Defence.  He was a skilled player himself and writes beautifully about the game. my next entry will feature an excerpt)

Ed Edmundson - 1920 / 1982 Died of a heart attack while playing
Chess on a beach in Hawaii.  (definitely how i'd like to go)

Frank Marshall - 1877 / 1944 Died of a heart attack after leaving
a Chess tournament. (he probably made a bonehead mistake right at the end of an otherwise perfect 5 hour game)

George Mackenzie - 1837 / 1891 Suicide: took an overdose of morphine.

Herman Steiner - 1905 / 1955 Died after a California State
Championship game. 

Janos Flesch - 1933 / 1983 Died in a car wreck.  (cars don't move like knights buddy)

Johann Zuckertort - 1842 / 1888 Died of a stroke while playing Chess
at a London coffee-house. 

Johannes Minckwitz - 1843 / 1901 Suicide: threw himself under a train.

Mikhail Tal - 1936 / 1992 Died of kidney failure in Moscow. 

Nicholas Rossolimo - 1910 / 1975 Fell from flight of stairs and
died of head injuries.

Paul Leonhardt - 1877 / 1938 Died of a heart attack while playing
Chess at a Chess club. 

Robert J. Fischer - 1943 / 2008 Died of kidney failure in Iceland. 

Vladimir Simagin - 1919 / 1968 Died of a heart attack while
playing in a tournament.

Stefan Zweig - 1881 / 1942 Committed suicide.

I could have included dozens more, but they were all pretty much the same...suicides, consumption, choked on a rook etc.  moral of the story,... if you want to play it safe, don't play competetively, rather, treat it as an excuse to spend a casual afternoon on a patio shootin' the shit with a good friend.  admire the great games of the great players from a safe distance!

Champagne James Robertson recently sent me this lovely video involving two of our most treasured contemporary artists. Then we got into a debate about who really came out on top by the time the performance was done.

I say Bolton, he says Kenny. Watch for yourself and I'll leave it for you to decide.

Hot Rod Red Pepper Soup

6 large red bell peppers

3 large jalapeno peppers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

6 Yukon Gold potatoes

6 cups low sodium vegetable stock

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

Optional

Chevre cheese

Fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Step one, put on your sexiest apron.

Cut jalapenos them in half and remove the seeds for a milder heat, or roast them whole with the seeds for maximum impact. Cut red peppers in half, remove seeds, and lightly coat all the peppers in olive oil.  Roast in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until tender. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with cling-wrap for 5 minutes, then peel.

Wash and quarter the potatoes, peeling is optional.

In a soup pot, cook the potatoes until tender, drain and set aside.  Reduce the heat to medium low, add the olive oil, then add the onions, carrots and celery.  Cook until soft, not brown, about 15 minutes.

Everyone in the pool!  Add the ‘taters, peppers and veggie stock. Keep the heat at medium low, and heat the ingredients through.  Puree until smooth with an emersion blender or food processor. For a smoother, seed free soup, strain through a siv.  Return the soup to the pot, and add balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and allow to simmer lightly for 20 minutes.

Serve family style in a busted 15” speaker.  I’ve always got a few lying around.

A dollop of cheese right in the middle and the cilantro on top is a nice touch too.

As some of you in the litter may know The Kittens rarely if ever write a set list for a show. But this time I want to try something different. I wanted to ask fans of the group what Kitten songs they wanted to hear live at the release on April 30th? Thought it would be interesting if the people that were attending could help shape the set list. So leave a comment at the bottom of this post and enter your suggestions. I just want to note that we will not be playing any new Nickleback covers, just the older classic Nickleback. I just don't like the artistic direction they've gone in over the past few years. It's like they've really sold out you know?