HEY, BOYS AND GIRLS! UNCLE VINNIE HERE, WITH TODAY’S TASTES LIKE CHICKEN LIFE LESSON: MAN + GOD = EVIL. NO SHIT! CASE IN POINT: KING GEORGE II AND HIS BASTARD CABINET. THEY’RE TOTALLY FUELED ON THE LORD, AND LOOK WHAT THAT’S DONE FOR THE WORLD! MIGHT AS WELL BE BENT OVER IN A JENNY CRAIG PRISON YARD. FORTUNATELY, THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE THE FREEDOM TO SAY ANYTHING WE WANT, EVEN WHEN IT GOES AGAINST WHAT POPULAR OPINION MAY BE.

WHEN YOU'VE BEEN IN A BAND FOR 22 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG, YOU KNOW YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT. GEOFF TATE HAS BEEN THE VOICE BEHIND QUEENSRYCHE SINCE THE BEGINNING. WITH THE RECENT DIGITALLY REMASTERED RE-RELEASE OF THEIR ENTIRE CATALOGUE, AND A BRAND NEW ALBUM, TRIBE, GEOFF AND THE GANG ARE OUT ON THE ROAD ONCE AGAIN. THE NIGHT WATCHMAN CAUGHT UP WITH GEOFF TO DISCUSS THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF A BAND THAT DEFIES CATEGORIZATION.
Geoff: Hello?
Night Watchman: Uh, hello,.. Geoff?
G: Yeah.

Even comic book fans get busy in the summertime. Longer daylight hours mean more time in the basement alphabetizing our collections. You know, more time for the stuff that really matters,.. like reading and filing.

Obviously, I read comics. Why would I be writing this column if I didn’t? I read Spider-Man, Batman, The Incredible Hulk, as well as the new Transformer stuff and tons of crap that every other fanboy reads every month.

Vinnie gave Schmall: Vic Ruggiero - Living In Sin/Understanding New Jersey
“What the hell is this crap, Vinnie?”
That's what I expected to be saying after listening to his latest contribution to my iTunes library. But I’m not. Instead, I’m diggin’ it like a necrophiliac in a graveyard. Vic Ruggiero (pronounced Ru-jer-oh, or Roo-gear-oo or,.. hell, I don’t know.) has walked the fine line of making music that’s catchy and folksy without being stupid and/or pretentious. It’s a little Woody Guthrie, a little Elvis Costello, and almost no Beyonce Knowles.

Intro: On a sunny day at the tail end of May, history was made. "Killer" Mike of the Allied Kickball Association (AKA) challenged the staff of tastes like chicken to a demonstration in true athleticism: BYOBK (Bring Your Own Beer Kickball). What follows is a beer-by-beer transcription of the day's events.
Beer 1: What great weather we're having! It's the best Sunday I've seen in weeks. Who would have guessed we'd be spending it defending our name on the kickball field? No sign of our challengers yet. This beer is delicious.