The Tattoosday Book Review: Pretty In Ink

Last year, when Karen E. Olson released The Missing Ink, I didn't know what to expect.

Here was a mystery writer presenting us with a novel in which the main character was a female tattoo artist who owns her own shop, The Painted Lady, in Las Vegas' famous Venetian Hotel and Casino.

Brett Cavanaugh, the creation at the center of Ms. Olson's universe, is certainly a compelling character. She is a business owner, living with her police officer brother, and working with several memorable characters.

I wanted to like the first book and I wasn't disappointed. It's a fun read and does a nice job of keeping the reader interested. The fact that it is tattoo-centered only made it that much more enjoyable. For those of you who missed it, my review of the first book is here.

So it was with much anticipation that I awaited the arrival of the second volume of the "Tattoo Shop Mystery," Pretty in Ink. As a punster, I appreciate the titles as well.

The sophomore effort in the series finds our heroine, several months after the first book concludes, at a performance of drag queens. The comic potential in the performers' names alone makes the opening scene memorable, with the chaos of an unknown assailant popping a champagne cork directly into the chest of one Miss Britney Brassieres

What ensues is a murder mystery in which a tattoo, this time of a Queen of Hearts playing card, plays an integral role.

I love it, of course, because the book explores the tattoo beyond the symbol - there is a whole reality spinning out from behind the symbolic nature of the piece.

Olson's Brett Cavanaugh is surrounded by the supporting cast we met in the first book. Back is Bitsy, the diminutive "little person" who is the shop manager, as well as Tim, Brett's cop brother, who is also her roommate. Also back are Jeff and Sylvia Coleman, the "old-school" mother-and-son artists on the Strip, and the robust Joel Sloane, a shop artist who is weight-challenged and a confidante of our heroine.

Of course, there is more, with sexual ambiguity, Las Vegas politics, homeland security issues, a new potential love interest, and lots of tattoo talk.

I must admit I liked Ms. Olsen's second book in the series more than the first. Perhaps it is the familiarity of the characters, but I feel it is more than that. Olsen has hit a groove and is running at full speed.

If you're looking for a quick, fun read and want to be entertained by a cast of fictional characters in the tattoo industry, you should certainly give this series a try. Olsen knows her stuff, and has created a clever literary world at The Painted Lady with Brett Kavanaugh. She's certainly my first choice in the world of fictional tattoo artists.

Doctor Who Trailer

Hey, I'm at Con-con and we're having a -- OH MY GOD AAAGHHHHH!

Nick's Tattoo Explores the Duality of Self

The past week has been a fresh reminder of how wonderful inkspotting is in New York City. When we have warm weather, that is.

Today's contribution comes from Nick, who I spotted earlier this week inside the front entrance of a large chain coffee establishment.

Nick has "eleven or twelve" tattoos, so we went with this one, on the inside of his forearm:


This conceptual piece reflects, in Nick's words, "[Carl] Jung's theory of the duality of self".

This is depicted as the mythological figure Narcissus (at top) staring at his mirror image. However, in a spin on the myth, Narcissus is transfixed not by his beauty, but by the conceptualized vision of the inner self, which appears demonic.

This can be interpreted and discussed in many ways, which is one aspect of what makes this tattoo so interesting.

Nick had this piece done at Craig's Tattoo Studio in St. Louis, Missouri.

Thanks again to Nick for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Guitar Fridays: I am a POD Person

Image via Wikipedia

by M A N @roquesdoodle

What looks like a Hill Giant's kidney and can sound like everything from whispering crystals to Zeus in an alcohol-induced rage? That would be this thing. The POD from Line 6.

To call this thing a simple effects unit would be a gross understatement (I believe they prefer the term 'amp modeler' anyway). Yes, it has some pretty stellar effects, from classic reverbs and modular effects to spot-on replications of vintage pedals. But what the POD is really known for is its amplifier simulation. Wish you were playing through a Marshall JCM-800? Done. How about an old '65 Fender Bassman? Easy peasey. Or what if you want to hear what a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier would sound like running into a single 8 inch Fender Tweed cabinet mic'ed with an off-axis Shure SM57 placed a foot away? Seriously.

Seriously.

The POD has dozens of amp models to choose from, a host of cabinets, and a healthy dose of effects thrown into the mix (and you can choose how to mic the cabinet!). They even offer a wide variety of DLC if the stock options aren't enough to sate your sound palette. If you're looking for more esoteric effects or some additional boutique amps, you can download their extra packages right to the POD and you're ready to go. Plus, Line 6 has a thriving online community where you can share and trade your own custom sound creations. There are thousands of user-generated tones to choose from, all ready to be downloaded directly to your POD through a simple USB interface. No crazy midi set-ups. Just point and click.

What I like most about the POD is that you can not only run it in front of your favorite amp, but that it's designed to be plugged directly into the sound system. No more lugging around a heavy amp or two, or making your roadies hump your full stack from gig to gig (or, even worse, doing it yourself). With the POD, you'll be ready for sound check in less time than it takes to make toast.

Now, many will say that there's nothing that can compare to the real thing. No matter how far along amp modeling has come, a simulated Fender Twin is never going to sound like a REAL Fender Twin. I agree. There's something about the sound of a tube amp pushing air that even a tech marvel like the POD can't quite duplicate exactly. That being said, it's damn close. Close enough that even sound engineers with golden ears may not be able to tell the difference in a side-by-side comparison.

And the POD is just one in a wide range of modeling products from Line 6. The POD itself comes in several flavors, with rack mounted and on-the-floor options, and there are several amp variations to choose from if you prefer. And that's not even getting into their line of pedals or their amazing Variax guitars (the Variax deserves a post of its own).

So if you're a purist who doesn't care about pissing off the neighbors or the back problems you'll have from hauling your favorite Peavey half-stack around, this might not be for you. But if you're looking for a unit that can provide just about any sound under the sun at a reasonable price in a spine-saving package, this is a must-have.

Now, it must be said that I'm endorsing the POD and Line 6 because I truly love their products, not because I have an endorsement deal with them (but if they want to give me one, I'm really easy to find). I really like what this unit can do. I run my guitar into a Damage Control Womanizer pedal for a little oomph, into my POD, into the PA/computer/recording device,etc. I've recorded with this set-up and used it live and it always sounds great. And the price compared to that of an amp makes it a no-brainer. I've been playing with a POD for ten years now and it still makes me happy.

Two Small Tattoos from Samantha

I met Samantha in Penn Station when I was passing through the New Jersey Transit waiting area earlier this week.

This simple rose is just above her left ankle:


Samantha got matching tattoos with her mother when she was sixteen. I joked with her that I shouldn't post that, since I've told my daughters that they have to wait until they're eighteen before getting inked.

She pointed out that this happened in Canada, so perhaps we could use that as an excuse.

Samantha, however, was more proud of her other tattoo, which I admit, is nicer. She peeled off the sock on her right foot to reveal this:


As a Canadian, she wanted to get this maple leaf to honor her homeland to the north. The tattoo was done at Blue Devil Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Tampa, Florida.

Thanks to Samantha for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Angela's Ambivalence About a Rose

Angela, a video editor, wanted a rose tattoo that would match her eyes and serve as a "permanent necklace". This was the result:


Looks pretty good, right? Not so fast. It is not often that I get someone sharing a tattoo with which they're not completely happy. This is one of those cases.

Angela had an issue with the artist, Jon Comstock at Skin City Tattoos, in New Windsor, New York, and felt that his vision, ultimately, differed from hers. Too much neon-like color, less realism in matching her eyes, Angela said. The end result, a fairly visible tattoo that has an ambivalent host. "I wouldn't go back to him," Angela said.

I have decided to include his credit, however, as I don't think it's so bad. Of course, I don't have to live with the end result, Angela does. In a slight reversal, however, when I showed her one of the pictures I took,


she admitted it looked better than she remembered.

Despite the mixed feelings about the piece, I would like to thank Angela for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

LEVERAGE #213 "The Future Job" Post-Game

#213 is one of the few episodes where I can give almost no background. I was off writing the finale, bombing into the room occasionally to look at the cards. This one was a Dean request: psychics get right in under his skin. We'd played around with psychics quite a bit in development -- after all, we use the same techniques in our cons -- but never landed on a good twist.

It was one of those eps we were overthinking. We were so familiar with all the tricks, it never occurred to us to just do a straight expose. We just never assumed people wouldn't know what we knew.

The only insight I can offer was a bit of drunken writing. I'd staggered into the room while they were breaking the villain plot for their complication -- the Recently Converted Felon. Glass in hand, I asked "What, we're just going to have this guy announce his problem ..." and then spun into a long, unnecessarily baroque bit of exposition in the thug's voice. When I finished, the room looked at me and nodded. "Yes, yes that's it exactly." That is almost word for word what Wade Williams says in the warehouse, with Luke Perry trembling in a chair before him.

Luke Perry was amazing. Not just a great performance, but during the week we spent with him he revealed a ridiculous knowledge of television production and history. This is a guy who's starred in, produced and directed more hours of television than most people accumulate in three careers run together. I will go on record -- Luke Perry Has Game.

Also, the partial revelation about Parker's brother was a last minute addition. Dean felt strongly we had to have a real connection to the victim, and also needed to show how even people we consider smart can be duped by these sorts of performers. I am not too proud to admit that I fought him on it, and was ultimately proven wrong not once, but twice. a.) when you see Parker tearing up in the HQ, you absolutely want to murder this guy. b.) Her reaction to the brother's hug -- and what the "missing brother" says about her dynamic with the rest of the team -- added even more dimension to the character Beth's built over the last two years.

Also led to one of my favorite Eliot moments. Parker blurting "I want this guy dead. Can we make that happen?" led to that great read Kane gave on Eliot raising his hand -- like "I know I'm not supposed to do this, but ..."

Jeri's great in this, of course, doing a much softer look than she normally gets to do on television. She just booked a pilot, and I hope they realize that she has the funny in her toolbox.

Oh, and big kudos to both Marc Roskin, our director who's shot some of our best episodes, but also the Portland crew for pulling off that stunning Matrix-style speed-track from Perry at the cafe to the crew at the van. During the freeze, we had to lock up four blocks of traffic to control the sightlines. If you watch it again, btw, you'll see a CGI pigeon in mid-flight, to help sell the bit.

And, of course, this episode was Amy Berg's swan song on Leverage. She's gone on to help run the new season of Eureka. She was there at the birth of the show, wrote some of the defining episodes, and we couldn't have launched the joint without her. She's already missed.

Right, questions. Only 165, this one's not bad:

@OhShinyTomato (and others) : 1.) Okay, number one: OH MY GOD PARKER HAD A BROTHER?! Can I ask, younger or older? I know you won't give a name, so that's my question lol. Also, it must of been when she was really young cause all the flashbacks of her never included a brother. Makes me wonder if he was even in foster care with her or was only around when she was with her real parents, whoever they may be... 2.) Second, did Parker give her own money to that guy? It was a bit confusing at the end. If she did, MAJOR points to her.

To paraphrase Terry Pratchett's comment about why there's no map of Discworld -- you can't map an imagination ... and you can't put a timeline to it either. The characters' backstories are amorphous grey fogs of coolness.

The money MAY have been the missing money from the bank heist. Depends on whether you think Hardison and Parker were yanking Eliot's chain or not.

@Zenkitty-714: Loved the episode! Just have to know: would Eliot really have killed the guy if Nate had said go? 'Cause I kinda think he would.

I think eventually cooler heads would have prevailed. But it was a serious offer.

@SueN: Nate actually seemed in control in this ep. Was that because he wanted to do this right for Parker's sake, or just because he didn't really have a chance to fall apart? Or did getting Rand suitably exorcise his demons for now?

His rage kept him focused.

@Brooke: Question: Was Jeri reluctant to appear un-glamorous as Bethany? I mean, she looked gorgeous but she was doing a plainer look.

She loved doing it, and I think kind of looked even hotter -- if that's possible -- in the Bethany look. I can say she looked hot because she doesn;t work for me anymore, and it's not technically harassment.

@Brooke: Please tell me that Tara & Eliot are not fucking

No. Not anymore, anyway.

@Anonymous: Completely unrelated to this episode, but what would happen to the team if they were forced to do the con in a loud workspace so the ear buds or microphones didn't work?

We have had interference issues with the buds before. However, please note that in the pilot they were tagged as bone-conducting technology. Loud noises would have much less of an effect.

@ Greer: So, a question: Eliot's bitchfit at the end of the episode: what was that about? I couldn't tell whether it was because Hardison and Parker were sharing something without him, that they pulled a con without letting the rest of the group know, or whether it was something else.

He was ticked that they were holding out on him, whether they found the bank money or not. It annoys and worries Eliot when Hardison has any aid in his campaign to, well, annoy and worry Eliot.

@ Rebecca: After all the times we've seen Eliot take down big ass thugs, how could those two idiots manage to escape from Eliot and Tara *together*?

Eliot had dual priorities. Protecting Tara was his main goal, and he accomplished it.

@Coren: Yknow, I think this is the first Sophieless episode - right? Did she have a scene that just got cut, or was it getting too close to her due date, or..?

We were also Sophie-less in "The Bottle Job". And no, Gina's pregnancy did not interfere with her duties. As you've now all seen, she returned for the finale and was, well, magnificently preggers when we shot that. She just didn't fit in to this ep.

@Amanda: Anyways, just wondering if we'll ever get to see what the Leverage team does on the days in between clients? Keep up the wonderful work!

We're working on just that episode now for S3. Not sure if we'll do it, but yes. You can probably glean a fair bit from teh S1-S2 eps anyway.

@Red: 1.) The Leverage team isn't a family, but people have been commenting about the Nate and Sophie being the parents and Parker, Eliot, and Hardison as being the kids. I don't really agree but have noticed that at the end of the episodes, it's generally P, E, and H together and N and S/T together. Why? 2.) Nate and Sophie generally meet with the clients and then take the case to the others. Parker and Eliot (if I remember correctly) have also sat in on these initial meetings, and now Tara but not Hardison. Why not?

1.) You're usually tying up subplots at that point, and those pairings are how we tend to write those emotional arcs. It began naturally, as Sophie and Nate had the most backstory, and it made the most sense for them to discuss their issues.

2.) Parker's only tried to sub in once, and that didn't go well. Hardison's more a behind the scenes guy, but actually starts coming to the intake meetings in S3. For a very specific purpose.

@Livlife: My question is this: in Nigerian we learned that they made oodles of money. It's never specified but my brain is leaping to bajillions. Yet, in this season...post blowing up the offices, it seems the gang is touchy about money. Is there something I'm missing here? They should have enough money ten times over for anything they need. Paying Tara should be no sweat. Giving money to a pregnant woman...why would that be an issue? Couldn't they have just given her money? Did it have to be that they stole it or found the loot? Or was that set up that way for a reason?

If it were just giving out money, the team would have no purpose. No, the Leverage team is there to break the bad guys. Revenge, not restitution. Not only will they right that wrong, they will make sure the bad guy can never sin again.

That is precisely as evil and fucked up as it sounds. End of day, our people are protagonists, not necessarily heroes.

@ChelseaNH: Oh, yeah, what was the smell in the van?

As Hardison stated: "That's the smell of hard work." As you've seen, the van hints paid off in the finale.

@CandyMaize: Tara's scar on her head. Team didn't seem to know about it .. so will we find out more about that scar before end of season?

Nope. Although she once told Sophie that story, when they were both drunk.

@SueN: During the flashback sequence detailing how the team fulfilled Tara's "predictions" for Rand, we see Hardison working with … something … while studying a picture and profile of the officer who goes to see Rand. The stuff looks like latex or some such. I just know I missed something terribly obvious there, but what?

Huh, I went back and looked, and I have no idea what he's doing other than calling up the profile. But yeah, something's going on with his hands. Weird.

@Dylan: my question is.. if Hardison's fave snacks are his gummy bears and the orange soda, what are Eliot's and Parker's?

Parker's favorite snack is, of course, cereal. Eliot's is ... justice.

@Anna: What was the original con meant to be though? If Kusen hadn't butted in?

A variation of revealing his chicanery, but just in front of the audience and network human. If not for the convict, this would have been a light one for the team.

@Barbara: I haven't read every question/answer ever posted, so this may be a repeat, but how do "clients" find the team???

We discussed this back in S1. Hardison's put a bunch of proxy links out on legal aid websites, and also has newscrawlers trawling for possible victims. It's not so much the vics find Leverage, as Leverage finds the vics. Just like they might find you, the day you really need them.

@Jimbo: Was Christopher Brookmyre's book "Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks" an influence on this episode? Both feature a semi-famous "psychic" being exposed as a fraud, and I noted a similarity in lines. It could just be me wanting to find connections though!

Never read it, but I'm looking for it now. Thanks for the recommend.

@Anonymous: When Eliot planed the camera in the control room, he said sth like...that is this wizard... was that meant like..yk..an abracadabra wizard, or a reference to those guys who work at the airports and watch for suspect activitys. I know they are called wizards and they are trained in 'cold reading'....

The Wizard of Oz, who hides in his booth and secretly runs the show.

@Lostnthought: Did you know that Parker had lost a brother back in season one or was something that the writers as a group decided on when they were breaking the episoide or something Amy Berg (and Chris Downey) added?

Answered above. It was Dean, actually.

@Snowyowl: And in a not-episode related question: On the season one DVDs there are minor cuts made. Noticeably in Homecoming Job where the scene with Hardison and the sports channels and Eliot's "Hockey" is missing. Any idea why? Or who I can poke for that? :-)

It turns out we had the rights to the sampled sports footage for broadcast episode, but not for the DVD.

@Zenkitty: Thank you for mentioning this! I thought I was making scenes up in my head. I think there was a little cut in the first episode too, after the explosion Nate opens his eyes and all three are standing over him looking at him.

Nope, that scene is only in the short broadcast version of the pilot, where we had to cut the hospital sequence for air time with commercials. It is a bastard episode, that cut, and we will never speak of it again. Oh, and I think I got most of your other questions in the above section, Zen.

@Emily2214: Obviously you don't need any help with your guest-casting, having found Saul Rubinek, Mark Sheppard, Wil Wheaton, and Kari Matchett. But could I please request Ed Quinn, lately of "Eureka" fame? He'd make an excellent villain. And I need him back on my television.

Ed Quinn is also a ridiculously funny guy. I'd love to have him on. We'll see what we can do.

@Michael: just one quick question before I head into a meeting: the "et tu brute"-quote the victim brings up as something her husband used to say to their dog: Is that just a quote that Americans would know and/or understand, or were you implying a higher than average level of education on the part of the victim, which would make the falling-for-the-psychic kinda even better. Because, lets face it intelligent people fall for cons all the time.

It's one of the few Shakespeare quotes most Americans would know. However, IQ and education seem to have very little effect on those who fall for psychics.

@Jenny: Two questions - 1) Did Nate bring Parker to the psychic's show as bait? He brings the most socially twitchy member of the crew to the show and then catches the psychic's attention by heckling. Then he sits back and observes what happens when the bad guy goes to work on Parker. 2) Who is Nate's AA sponsor? We know he went to the meetings regularly for a while. Some poor sap has a thankless job.

1.) Not bait, but he let his distaste of the mark get away from him there. 2.) Matthew Scudder.

Okay, finale two-fer, #214/#215 next. As always, thanks for tuning in and paying attention.

Sean's Tattoo of Odin is a Tribute to His Norwegian Heritage

I met Sean earlier this week in Penn Station and he was kind enough to share this wonderfully-done tattoo of the Norse god Odin:


In the epic poems at the center of Norse mythology, known as the Poetic Edda, one key section from a collection known as the Hávamál features Odin hanging from the world tree, revealing the origins of the runes, which are seen in detail below at the bottom of the tattoo.


Sean's tattoo is a tribute to his Norwegian heritage.

This piece was tattooed in three sittings by Bobby Chichester at Empire State Studio, in Oceanside, New York. Work from that shop has appeared previously on the site here.

Thanks to Sean for sharing this incredible tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Google Earth Data Flight Sim

Courtesy some research on Kickstarter, I found this interesting program that pairs the publicly available data on Google Earth with a flight sim.

Practice your drone flying now. Again, this is commercially available. For fun.

Two for Tattoosday: Vanessa's Ink (Two Hearts Beat as One)

I met Vanessa last week and she generously shared two of her wonderful tattoos.

This piece on her inner right forearm was her first tattoo:



This design is based on the album cover of Poison the Well's You Come Before You.


Vanessa explained that this was the album she listened to when she was visiting her mother in the hospital. Her mom recovered, and she associates the record with this time of her life. The tattoo celebrates those moments.

The second piece she shared was inspired by her father:


Unlike with her mom, Vanessa does not have a relationship with her dad. The optimistic banner "may we meet again" is a glance forward, toward the possibility of someday reconnecting with him.

This large tattoo, on her right biceps, took eight hours, all in one sitting. The detail of the anatomically-correct heart is amazing. Vanessa pointed out how the artist added flowers to the design, as well as the rays of light in the upper right corner to create the shape of a figurative heart, as well.

Both pieces were created by Anthony Mealie at Tattoo Lou's in Selden, New York.

Work from that shop has appeared previously here.

Thanks again to Vanessa for sharing her wonderful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Stevie's Tattoo Calms and Inspires

Last Wednesday marked the official end to the veritable tattoo drought this winter in New York has afforded us here on Tattoosday.

In addition to the three people I met at lunch, my train ride home and, subsequently, my day, was punctuated by a fleeting encounter with a woman named Stevie on the R train.

I had just plopped down in one of the seats after having moved car-to-car between stops, in an effort to get toward the back of the train. I mention this to illustrate how fortunate I was to be where I was, when Stevie boarded the train.

She got on at one stop and, by the time she had exited two stations later, I had had just enough time to take a picture of the wonderful tattoo on the back of her right calf, and pass her the blog info so she could contact me with more details.


Stevie has seven tattoos and this one came from the incomparable New York Adorned at the talented hands of Virginia Elwood. Stevie worked over several sessions with Virginia, ironing out the details of the piece, which was completed in one sitting.

There are three elements to the tattoo: the lotus, the hamsa, and the peacock feathers.

Via e-mail, Stevie explained:

I moved out here from the West Coast to teach in inner-city schools. When I first started teaching and things would get nerve-wracking I'd tap on this hamsa hand necklace I always wore. For whatever reason it calmed me down and reminded me that I was here to infuse some change and to do some awesome work. When I became an NYC Public School teacher I decided I'd like it on me permanently. The hamsa hand is a symbol of faith and clarity and that's what I think I found in myself, like my calling. The lotus flower goes along with this idea of rising to the surface and blossoming while the peacock feathers were an aesthetic touch.

Work from New York Adorned has appeared previously on the site here.

Thanks so much to Stevie for sharing her amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!

The Sanctum on YouTube

Thanks to the folks at NewTeeVee, friend-of-blog Megan Wilson's show The Sanctum, about superheroes in addiction therapy, is on the YouTube front page. Nicely done, Former Filthy Assistant!

Guitar Friday: Greetings from Seattle

by M A N @roquesdoodle

I'm in Seattle getting ready for the Emerald City Comicon at the moment, so no big post today. But I thought it'd be fun to mention two of Seattle's biggest contributions to the guitar world: Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. One was the godfather of shred and represents the quintessential rock star while the other does...not. They had radically different approaches to the instrument from one another, yet both still have tremendous influence on players. And both changed popular music as we know it. Funny what you can do with six strings and a piece of wood.

Any other Seattle guitar players (or musicians in general) worth mentioning? Let's hear it in comments.

And if you happen to be in Seattle this weekend and will be attending the show, I'll be at BOOM! booth #402. Stop on by and say hi.

Room Bit. Or Rather, Rom Bit.

Based on a long-running room bit about a Rom-com I'm writing ...

SABsgOTAGE

Courtesy i09



EDIT: So this isn't just a referral post, I'll ask a question for the Comments. Favorite season/ep/scene? and if you were giving the box set to a total virgin, would you suggest they stop watching at some point, and if so, where?

I'm Thinking Black Canary

Beth gears up for a stunt.

Congrats to Kane

His new self-produced EP is out, and is already #2 on iTunes in Country and #4 on Amazon in Country. Welcome to the New Marketplace.

Christian Kane on Amazon. iTunes ... go search. I have no idea how to link to iTunes/ I should learn that, eh?

EDIT: Thanks, Commenters. iTunes link here.

There Are Days I Miss New York

Courtesy Cory over at BoingBoing and Making Light, some buskers get an entire Manhattan subway station to help finish off "Hey Jude". Seriously, in all my travels, I have never seen people more reliably capable of spontaneous ... humanity than New Yorkers.

Hey Jude Times Square Subway Station from 39forks on Vimeo.

LEVERAGE #212 "Zanzibar Marketplace Job" Post-Game

Sorry for the delay -- family business, all of which is resolved swimingly.

#212 started as an Eliot story. Kidnapping for profit has become a giant industry out there in the world (and even here in the US). Eliot is a "retrieval specialist." For a price, he will go out and get something for you that you have lost. Maybe it's a baseball card. Maybe it's your niece. Whatever, it's marginally less blood on his hands than he used to have.

In the first pass, this was married to a corporate plot involving the current Venezuelan government land-purchase program. (The Wonder Twins researched the hell out of this). This version was eventually dropped for a variety of reasons, including -- we shoot in Portland. It's worth noting that the exact same government program wound up as the lynchpin of last year's Burn Notice premiere. Crime minds think alike.

As naturally happens during the course of a season, this half-ep wound up absorbing elements from other half-formed eps, notably one involving a mark holed up in his embassy. We could never get the stink of mid-1960's Mission:Impossible off that one, and so it was carved up into pieces and steampunked onto other stories.

(Remember the weird countries M:I invented during the height of the Cold War? Blends of South America and Russia. "South Baruchistan." The sort of place that could be run be either Ricardo Montalban or Bernie Kopell. Ah, who the hell am I kidding, most of you don't even remember the Cold War. Here, catch up: The Cold War: A New History)

We also had cards on the idea board reading "Bring Back Maggie" and "Bring Back Sterling". We made Maggie the kidnap victim, originally, and then realized that no, the fun was in seeing her interact with the team. This folded us back into another old pitch: "Nate runs a con while a hostage" ... about two gruelling, sleepless weeks later (including a brief interruption for "The Bottle Job") and a detour into an episode where they destroyed Sterling (by using his Big Secret), the Wonder Twins had themselves a very fine episode.

The history of the "Zanzibar Marketplace", a criminal clearinghouse, is quite interesting, but you're going to have to buy the DVD to hear us discuss it.

As an interesting aside, we were trying to find a locale with a sketchy local law enforcement system, as the original pitch had the local Police Chief as a much larger character. This led to an entertaining afternoon of researching Eastern European hellholes, only to discover that in the 21st Century Eastern Europe has become a very nice place.

"Bulgaria?"
"Now a parliamentary democracy, top ratings in civil and press freedom. NATO member."
"Estonia?"
"Skype was invented there, also top-rated in press and civil freedom. According to Reporters Without Borders, its press is more independent than the US. Highest number of seats in the federal government held by women in the world."
"Wow, I think I'd like to visit Estonia."

We basically settled on Kiev, not because of corruption (the Ukraine is actually a rather nice place), but because the Kiev Flickr pages showed us it's practically Portland's sister city when it comes to shooting locales. Sometimes you go to television with the army you have.

The ending, btw, with Sterling joining Interpol, was not the original ending. The script ends with Sterling being interviewed on the BBC and hailed as a "modern-day Sherlock Holmes". While the episode was shooting, Dean and I were on a ridiculously late-night Skype call discussing the season finale. We were breaking both episodes, trying to nail down the Authority Figure.

Me: "We have to introduce this guy, establish him as a threat, and put him into play .... Gahhh."
Dean: "You know, this would be a lot easier if it were Sterling,"
Me: "Yeah, but we can't just make Sterling Interpol. (beat) Can we?"
Dean: "Why can't we?"
Me: "Are we doing this because it's a good idea or because it's late?"
Dean: "BOTH!"

We wound up looping the dialogue on the newscast and the shooting a tag with our post supervisor, Benjamin Raymondjack, as the newscaster. Yes, that is his real name. Yes, it is a ridiculously cool name. He is not a SHIELD agent. Maybe he is, I'm just not aware of it.

Right, let's try questions, so how deep in the weeds we wind up.

#212 "The Zanzibar Marketplace Job"

@Rayhne: At TorchSong Mark Sheppard said that his son requested a fight between Sterling and Eliot. Was Max there when the fight was filmed? I seem to remember Mark twittering that his family was there when that episode was film.

He was indeed there to see his dad fight Christian. There's loads more footage of that fight kicking around -- including the shot where the two of them hit the table so hard, it shattered underneath them. And they kept fighting.

@MelodyAnne88: Sterling was my favorite part of this already awesome episode. Will we be seeing anymore of him in season 3? Being hired by interpol can't be good for the team. lol

I think we've seen how that worked out. Every season will have a little Sterling, although we're broadening out our threat bullpen in S3.

@Brooke: Please, please, please... if you ever have another football-watching bonding scene... please could you have a woman there? We chicks love football too. We even understand it! You know, when our little heads aren't confused by all the big strong men in tight pants. ;)

Sophie likes proper football, just not American football. Parker gets bored.

@Matt: So tell me that on Earth-Leverage, Sterling now gets to cash in and have a TV show based on his international crimebusting exploits with some British actor portraying him (I'm thinking Eccleston).

Consider it canon.

@Sherri: Are you planning to reuse/revisit others (characters) from the team's past?... There are, in my mind, lots of little bits from the past that could/should catch up with the team one day, or could pop back up just because of the circles in which they travel. Are you making notes for that for future seasons?

We're not only planning on bringin back the Two Live Crew characters, but we've had a Hurley jones for two years now. (And I think we finally cracked it.) Not to mention, Parker never gave up that "Alice White" identity ...

@OhShinyTomato: So, question, Hardison suggesting that they should go to Tokyo to be tourists, not to steal, was he asking her on a date? If so, awwww. Or was he saying the whole team should take a break, while probably still trying to ask the girl out and just make it not look obvious? lol. Parker's so oblivious.

It was a date, and yes, she's oblivious ... and probably yanking his chain a little. But she's cracking ...

@SueN: So much love for Maggie! Please say she'll be back in S3! She's a great character, and Kari just infuses her with so much warmth, wit and intelligence.

We all have a Kari crush. However, she just got a lead on another show, so we may not get her for this year. We'll try like hell, though.

@Lindsey: You seem to be teasing some serious sexual tension between Eliot and Tara. Will we get to see them hook up at all?

You know the answer to this by now, but it's worth re-stating that Eliot does not crap where he eats. Besides, he's so busy dating all the female leads of other shows in the fanfics, when would he have the time?

You realize that you people are basically constructing a spontaneously evolving Wold Newton universe, right?

@jarodrussell: May was please have more scenes of Parker listing off the technical details of heists? That was simply my favorite part of the season so far. :)

S3 opener. She sometimes forgets, however, she is capable of things others are not.

@Russell Cohen: Question: I really love what you've been doing with Eliot lately, but I'd like to see a bit more with Parker and Hardison. Those two characters are great, but seem to me to get a bit less play (and I may be mistaken on that I havent actually tracked it). Can we expect to see a few stories that let them both shine a bit more? Either together (Parker and Hardison) or singly?

Because we needed to compress the Sophie arc this year, I think it's fair to say Hardison and Parker didn't get to drive quite as many episodes this year as they did last year -- although "The Future Job" is both pretty Parker-iffic and a great showcase for Hardison's artistry. They're definitely heavy in the first few of S3.

@Monica: So My question is. Does Nate realize that they are in contact with Sophie and is he just letting them think they are fooling him. Or is he so unfocused that he truly doesn't know.

He does not know. He's drunk.

@USRaider: Finally, Sterling cannot win in the long run. Is there a way to end him much as Blackpoole was?

Sterling. Never. Loses.

@Caitlin: Parker's kit for Maggie was the cutest thing ever! Why does Parker relate better to Maggie (The honest one) than she does to any of the people around her who for the most part share her interests and um... hobbies? She even seemed to be closer to Maggie than Sofie.

I think that may be Maggie's superpower. And it's more like ... Parker finds honest people fascinating. Like exotic animals. She feels she has to take care of them in a world she knows as corrupt and evil.

@Lexie: I remember you saying that in the pilot Eliot's line was supposed to read "I don't like guns, but you knew that" Are we ever going to find out how Nate knew Eliot had a gun issue?

Hmm, maybe. There's a specific reason we're doing that, and it really doesn't pay off for a long, long time.

@Improper Bostonian: mildly OT. We see where Nate lives. You've mentioned Eliot's "possible" digs. I'm curious, where would Parker live? (No Meffa jokes allowed! :P. )

I think you find out in 305. Which I may be directing. We'll see.

@L: (1.) The drunk act Sterling put on to distract the guards for Parker, is that something he came up with on the spot, or is that something he's done numerous times during his investigations for IYS? (2.) "I can explain." How long has Nate been saying that to Maggie to try to get out of trouble? (3.) Did Christian and Mark enjoy doing the fight scene at the bar together? (4.) How was the team sure about what kind of bomb had been planted on the elevator, and that it would be ok for Parker to snatch it up and make the switch? (5.) I liked seeing Elliot's leadership skills emerge and showing us *again) that he's more than mere muscle and brawn. Did Christian like the idea of getting to "channel Nate" as it were, and to show that Elliot is capable of leading the team and shouldering the responsibility of the teams success and safety? (6.) I know you've said that Sterling never loses, but the next time the team runs into him (and I'm assuming/hoping that Sterling will be back), will they at least be able to take him down a peg or two, if not deliver a complete smackdown? (7.) I loved Parker's care package for Maggie! But is what Parker put together a standard gear for criminals on the run in Crime World, or is this package a "Parker Special?" If Hardison, Tara, and Elliot had put a package together, would they have included other things? (8.) Did they just leave Alex in Kiev to fend for himself? Did they have to do anything to make sure he'd stay quiet and not blab on the team? And how hard did he take it when Maggie broke things off?

1.) On the spot. You know, there's a reason he and Nate used to work together ... 2.) Yeah, he pretty much said it nonstop during their marriage. 3.) See above. 4) They would have adapted if it hadn't been. Eliot, too, has a Plan M. 5.) See the write-up. Eliot isn't channelling Nate here, he's being Eliot, just in a way he hasn't needed to up to this point. 6.) I really don;t have to type it again, do I? 7.) Yes, every pck would be different. 8.) Alex went bankrupt, and is precisely as broekn hearted as you would be if you saw your girlfriend kiss somebody else when you though you were going to die, and then leave you. Oh, and she's Kari Matchett.

@Russell Cohen: Hardison mentions Tokyo, Sterling is moving on to Interpol, Sophie's been jet-setting around the globe, I'm feeling a real push to take the team international. They all have clearly stated international history (except Hardison, I dont recall much from Hardison about major gigs outside the US). Is this something we should expect for season 3? (please say yes :) ) Would it be a significant part of team's focus? (i.e. will we regulary see them at exotic locals, or will that just be a few times a season? (cause we all know there must be several more seasons (and I wonder how many imbedded parenthesis I can do))).

Season 3 is all about opening up our fictional Crime World.

@Chris: One utterly random question I've had for years: How hard was it to find the rotary phone on the Ukrainian cop's desk? I have a hard time remembering the last time I saw a corded, non-office phone so that jumped out at me.

Eric Bates, our Prop Master, has a magic truck within which all things can be found. It's like the TARDIS of props.

@Kerri: This is sort of a general production question - In those scenes where the characters write something or whisper something that the audience never sees/hears, is that information in the script for the actors? Or is it just whatever?

It depends. usually the actors wing it, although they'll sometimes ask the writer on set what is intended.

@Raligh: it makes sense for Nate to be something of a Jack-of-all-trades. That being said - where/why/how did he learn to strip live wires to make a DIY-stungun?

Before he worked at IYS, Nate interned at the Phoenix Foundation. You go figure it out.

@chopdog: How real was the "caning" of Kane? It looked VERY painful yet Christian did'y flinch!!!

Mark put his full weight on those. Kane had pads, but a couple landed off-site. Mess of bruises the next day.

@Melissa in St. Louis: (1) Why can’t Maggie know the team helped? (2) I don’t understand why the Russian cop actually CALLED the number Eliot wrote down for him. What compelling event transpired that we didn’t see? And – was the number to a Russian throw away phone? (3) Wouldn’t Sterling have already run a credit history on someone he thought was a suspect? (4) Who pulled Parker up out of the elevator? (5)Am I the only one who didn’t like Maggie’s dress? (okay – maybe a tiny bit of snark) (6) General question – How does the team know what to pack for an out-of-town con? I mean – they have no idea what they are going to run into. Hell, I have a hard time packing for a week long business trip and I KNOW what I am getting into.

1.) Maggie is by nature an honest person, and wouldn't want Nate to hack the system for her. Also, Nate can be a little patronizing. Besides, she can take care of herself. There was that time she and Sophie ... oh, never mind. 2.) They were from the Embassy, he had to say he'd done what he could. And yes, burn-phone. 3.) That credit history is what Nate was reading off the wall. 4.) She was using her powered-rapelling gear from the pilot. 5.) You're high. 6.) The team shares my one bag obsession. they tend to pick up what they need on locale.

@Al: (1) I was kind of surprised Nate didn't guess that Sam was the real culprit. Did he fixate on Lundy just because he was jealous or did he just miss that one? (2.) Is it just me, or is Sterling handing Nate drinks every chance he gets? Very insidious way of keeping a bit of the upper hand in their relationship?

1.) Oh yeah, jealous. And as you've seen, Eliot calls him on it in #215. 2.) They have a complicated friendship.

@TomGalloway: One question though; why would Sterling leave a powerful, well-paid, position (he's up to VP, right?) with a major insurance company to "join Interpol"? Run Interpol, be on the twelve member Executive Committee maybe, but I'm not seeing how this really links to his motivation as previously shown such that it counts as Sterling. Always. Wins.

Interpol, in the Leverage-verse, is essentially S.H.I.E.L.D. or Maybe U.N.C.L.E. No, come to think of it, The Italian probably works for U.N.C.L.E. ...

@Anonymous: What inspired you to cast the Middleman in this one?

Because he's an amazing actor.

@SueN: Nate, Eliot and Tara are at a table going through possible cases. Together. We've never seen that before. The understanding (or my understanding, anyway) has always been that Nate selects the cases by himself, *then* discusses them with the team. So why the committee approach now? Have they always done it this way, or is it a tacit nod to Eliot and Tara as the "grown-ups," with Nate acknowledging Eliot as his equal and Tara as pseudo-Sophie? Or is it Eliot and Tara cutting themselves in and maybe acknowledging they don't quite trust Nate's judgment right now?

There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes when they pick clients. After all, Hardison always has those backgrounds prepped ... I like the idea that there's "Leverage work" going on behind the scenes. When you hint at it, rather than explore it, it adds to the texture of the fictional universe.

@Anonymous: Did Tara and Sophie meet in Russia? That might explain why they are both so knowledgable about Russians/Soviets (Sophie saying you can talk your way out of Russians, and Tara's knowledge of cryptology and telling Eliot and Hardison that you can't budge a Soviet/Russian Bureaucrat with mere paperwork?

No, but it involved Russians. And Dubai. And artwork, and uranium.

@EmanG: But since no one else has mentioned it, what is up with Hardison's super remote? That thing looks about as big as my mini van key fob yet he has instantaneous access to multi-media presentations, all internet info and anything else called for by anyone. Any tech background on this unit? Can I have one?

It's not the remote, it's the laptop. He has a very complicated series of gesture/click macros set up.

@Joan: 2. Maggie doesn't want Nate to work with the team, or use the team to get her out, but at the end she says "I really like the man you've become". Isn't he that man precisely because he has the team?

Two separate issues. And she kind of came to that realization over the course of the episode.

@Rayhne: What is the range of the ear buds?

As described in S1, "The Mile High Job", they actually feed through the phones when extending long distance. Also, Hardison is experimenting with UWB transmission. The Daemon is coming.

Right, we're going to dive straight into "The Future Job" tomorrow, and then tackle 214/215 as one long post. Thanks for hanging about. I'll soon toss up some goodies from Season 3.

(All New!) Guitar Friday: Slide Guitar

by M A N @roquesdoodle

Down home Mississippi, smoky bars, southern comfort, and deals with the devil. These are just a few things that come to mind whenever I think of slide guitar. Born in the early 20th century, slide guitar playing became a cornerstone of American blues with lyrical stylings that can evoke a host of emotions, from heart-wrenching sadness to unrestrained joy.

The concept of slide guitar is quite simple, but to better understand it, we need to know a little about how a guitar works (a little basics for all the non-players out there). If you look at a guitar, you'll see lines running across the neck. Those lines are small metal bars known as "frets." Whenever a player plays a note, she does so by pressing a string against the neck, causing the string to hit a fret. When this happens, the "length" of the string is shortened and its pitch is raised (most guitars have frets spaced to allow for the standard 12 note chromatic scale).

This is where the power of the slide comes in. Instead of pressing down on the neck of a guitar with your fingers to fret the notes, you use a small tube of glass or metal to slide along the length of the strings.The slide acts as a moving fret and is able to sharpen or flatten the pitch of any note to any degree the player wishes. This allows the player slide into or away from a note (much like bending in regular playing). Done properly, this allows for some powerfully emotive playing.

The list of amazing and influential slide guitar players is pretty extensive, but here are a few I thought would be fun to share. Feel free to add your own suggestions in comments.

Robert Johnson: Crossroad

Sylvester Weaver (the first blues man ever recorded): Guitar Rag
Ry Cooder (Ry was the genius behind the music for the movie Crossroads--no, not the one with Brittany Spears): Feelin' Bad Blues

Derek Trucks: Desdemona (slide kicks in around 2:10)

Eric Sardinas: Live (I'm not sure who said it, but my favorite quote about Eric is, "If Satan had a blues band, this would be it.")