The City Limits...

Just a quick one today. In fact I'm not even sure why I'm writing anything. I guess I'm just excited about the music I am making. To be creating music again has really put me in a good mood. The fact I can write a song, show it to someone (who is biased but we won't tell anyone) and have them hum the tune and have in their head after you've finished playing is a very positive thing to hear. I also went for a bit of a photo shoot today which was really awesome, I never knew I could look so cool (will put some pictures up in the near future). So anyway, to wrap up a rather senseless and self fulfilling post, I am pleased to say that the music is coming along very well and I can't wait to get some more material done. Potential E.P in the summer? That would make my year!

Peace, love and respect. Always

-- Tom RDD

Remember...

Another idea that I have stolen (Seriously Amy C you know how to make me think). Things in our lives shape us to be who we are today. I strongly believe we are products of our environments and I hate the idea our lives are predetermined. I also believe that everything we do and see has happened before and will happen again and the players in the story will change. So here we go...

I will always remember the day I renounced religion

I will always remember the day I lost my grandfather and pretended to cry because I didn't understand

I will always remember saying the worst thing that I have ever said to a person very dear to me and how I will never forgive myself

I will always remember my first day at school and how terrified I was

I will always remember how I was bullied at School and how someone close to me now
has to suffer the consequences because of the bitterness I feel

I will always remember the first time I heard ska music

I will always remember my first ska show

I will always remember the first time I got up on stage

I will always remember my first smoke and how ill it made me feel

I will always remember the first time I saw Becki

I will always remember the first time I kissed her

I will always remember the night we spent under the stars

I will always remember losing a friend to the addiction of drugs

I will always remember the pain of saying goodbye

I will always remember My first day at Kent University

I will always remember loosing one of the best friends I ever had

I will always remember hating myself for leaving Kent Uni (and even as I write this I still hate myself a little bit)

I will always remember playing at the Concorde 2

I will always remember New York 2008

I will always remember the first day of Worcester University

I will always remember the day I lost my faith in humanity

I will always remember the day I discovered Angels & Airwaves and how listening to their music literally changed my life

I will always remember the day I found a group of friends I could call family and how we spent the night with a BBQ, talking, making music and having fun

I will always remember crying as I left Worcester Uni after the first year

I will always remember feeling that some of those tears were wasted

I will always remember the day my passion for Drama returned and how good it felt after 1 1/2 years of hating what I was doing

I will always remember being disappointed in certain people and the way they act and the things they say when I previously held them in high regard

I will always remember traveling across the country to see the one I love

I will always remember searching for something extraordinary


There are many things things I can remember about my life. However, it the select few above that I feel have really shaped me into the person I am today.

Romance is dead.

Romantics, we are a dying breed. "Horny" has seemingly destroyed any romance left in society. We live in a society that prefers one night stands to a relationship yet complain we are treated unfairly when this happens. Sex is now a commodity, a statement, a symbol of how "cool" we are, instead of a symbol of love. Women love romcom's for the "romance" yet when they are faced with the prospect of love in real life the majority choose the easier option of a simple "shag". The choices women make to go after the "bad boy" instead of a man that will love them and keep them safe. The choices guys will make to go after a girl who is "easy" instead of the girl that truly cares for him. Their is a distinct lack of trust, respect and love between men and women in today's society.
What ever happened to the idea of "wooing" of love and respect? Do books and Hollywood lie to us? Part of me believes there are still people like myself out there, who believe in true love, in "making love" instead of "fucking", who would rather have a relationship with someone they care for rather than a simple lust filled one night stand. The ideas of romance have seemingly been destroyed by the superficial day and age we live in. The amount of times I've sat and listened to my friends talk about sexual acts as if it is something as simple and care free as turning on a light really makes me question where has the romance gone? Is it really dead?

100 resolutions

I stole this from a friend. It's about the 100 things I would love to do in my life before I die. As I was drifting off to sleep last night I was thinking about the two types of lives people tend to lead. A life of fulfillment or a life of success. Is it possible to lead both or do the sacrifices you make it impossible (i.e. Family or Career). I know what I would choose if I had to. So here's a list of 100 things I want to do in the time I have. Some are personal, others are simply dreams. Many will probably never happen. But that's what dreams are. Things we long for or to do that might not become reality.

1. Get married
2. Become a father
3. Go into space
4. Go to see a Broadway show
5. Busk in Central Park, NY
6. Record a solo album
7. Do some volunteer work
8. Teach
9. Swim with a whale
10. Sky dive
11. Bungee jump
12. Jump out of a helicopter with a snowboard on top of a mountain
13. Visit Australia
14. Go across the Australian outback on a buggy
15. Be a radio DJ
16. Write a play
17. Write a book
18. Be in a film
19. As a musician, get chants to come on stage
20. Headline a huge gig in London
21. Learn to mute and up-stroke
22. Stay up all night and walk around town aimlessly
23. Walk around NY all night
24. Find a secluded spot and sleep under the stars
25. Record onto vinyl
26. Form a 50's rock n' roll band
27. Get a degree
28. Get over my inhibitions
29. Be happy with myself
30. Travel
31. Busk on the tube
32. Record a music video on a train
33. Stand up for the right thing
34. To always be different
35. Play at a jazz club
36. Actually go to a Jazz club
37. Build a time machine (woo!)
38. Learn the Lindy hop
39. Learn to jive
40. Make my own sandwich and name it after me
41. To own a shop in the North Lanes (Brighton)
42. Have an apartment in Brighton
43. Have an apartment in New York
44. Buy my own home
45. Have my own pet
46. Have a recording studio in my house
47. Pay my parents back for all they've done for me
48. Play a huge gig and make the tickets free
49. Do a "Where's Fluffy" (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) and put clues around for people to find where the gig was
50. Go to the airport and buy a ticket on the first plane leaving
51. Get on the first train leaving the station regardless of where it's going
52. Stay up to watch the sun rise
53. Learn to drive
54. On a Sunday, get up early and just drive
55. Travel across Europe
56. Busk across Europe
57. Busk across the States
58. Go to College in the US just to see if they are awesome as TV and film make them out to be
59. Smoke with Seth Rogan just to see if the way he acts in his films is what he is like in real life
60. Grow a beard
61. Do the London to Brighton bike ride
62. Learn Judo
63. Do a drama therapy workshop
64. Have a plan as to what I want to do after Uni
65. Learn the trombone
66. Give blood
67. Become an organ donor
68. Dive in a cage with a great white shark
69. Learn to fly
70. Save the world
71. Go surfing USA
72. Climb a mountain
73. Find faith
74. Ride a motorbike from the east to the west coast of the USA
75. Go on total wipe out
76. Protest against the injustices in the world
77. Go to every capital city in Europe
78. Learn to play the bagpipes
79. Stand behind a waterfall
80. Dig up a Dinosaur
81. Be involved in a Go-Kart race
82. To see the Earth from space
83. To visit Auschwitz
84. Sit in a park and watch the world go by on a Sunny Day
85. Sit on the grass and do nothing
86. Go to the Opera in Italy
87. Be comfortable with who I am
88. Learn to be more positive
89. Create my own comedy show
90. Do stand up comedy
91. Be forgiven
92. To propose to the girl I love in the most romantic way possible
93. To have an amazing, original wedding
94. To live a good life
95. Be half as good a Father as mine was to me (love you Dad)
96. Give wisdom to my children
97. When I'm old tell stories to my grand kids
98. Have a positive effect on someones life
99. Die happy
100. To be remembered, if only for a little while

Thank you Frank Turner

Lyrics that pick me up, although I'm not really sure why:

You're not as messed up as you think you are
Your self-absorption makes you messier
Just settle down and you will feel a whole lot better
Deep down you're just like everybody else

She's not as pretty as she thinks she is
Just picture her after she's had kids
I bet she sits at home and listens to The Smiths
Deep down she's just like everybody else

So why are you sat at home?
You're not designed to be alone
You just got used to saying "no"
So get up and get down and get outside
Cos it's a lovely sunny day
But you hide yourself away
You've only got yourself to blame
Get up and get down and get outside

He's not as clever as he likes to think
He's just ambitious with his arguing
He's crap at dancing, yeah and he can't hold his drink
Deep down he's just like everybody else

I'm not as awesome as this song makes out
I'm angry, underweight and sketching out
I'm building bonfires on my vanities and doubts
To get warm just like everybody else

So why are you sat at home?
You're not designed to be alone
You just got used to saying "no"
So get up and get down and get outside
Cos it's a lovely sunny day
But you hide yourself away
You've only got yourself to blame
Get up and get down and get outside

Amy thinks that life is lacking in drama
So she fell for horoscopes, fake healing and karma
She's so wrapped up in her invisible Lama
She'll never grow into herself
And it's OK thinking me and all my friends are just wasters
But saying that I can still see through her heirs and graces
I bet she's scared her life won't leave any Caught up like everyone else

That's not the point anyway
Oh darling, I felt compelled to call you up to say...
So why are you sat at home?
You're not designed to be alone
You just got used to saying "no"
So get up and get down and get outside
Cos it's a lovely sunny day
But you hide yourself away
You've only got yourself to blame
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside

My head told my heart, let love grow

This is the song that is currently being very over played in my itunes. I love it. Give it a listen.

Tom "Lightyear" Budgen (spoken in the style of Bruce Buffer

Today I participated in my first Brazilian Jujitsu lesson and It was one of the best things I've ever done. It was a hard hour of sweat and toil but regardless it made me feel euphoric afterwards. Maybe it was the adrenaline but I was almost immune to the pain for an hour. I have NEVER worked out that before in my life. EVER. At times I felt as if I was actually going to throw up but I sucked it up and went for it. Over 100 sit ups, over 50 press ups, 20 minutes of technique and 20 minutes of sparring which included me getting punched in the face (which I didn't feel) and my right arm being hyper-extended. It was a rough hour but I cannot wait to get back in the gym and learn more. I was the rookie in the class. My technique was sloppy and most of the ground game I pulled off was improvised but I have never felt so pumped up and ready to be in a position where I can get hurt or even have my bones broken. I've always found it ironic that people talk about "living life" when they refer to extreme sports, things that really put your life in danger. But now I can see why. The rush is extreme. I wasn't close to death, I was close to having my arm broken, I was close to being chocked out but the adrenaline rush made the pain seemingly non existent (until I twisted my arm badly trying to escape a hold I thought I could). It was immense. It was a rush and it was addictive. I want to go back NOW!

The drive is back

Two blogs in a day? I must be mad, but I will keep this quick I promise. Today, after almost 2 1/2 years, I have re-discovered the passion I have for drama and acting. Seems strange right? I mean I'm doing a drama course and have been for the last 3 or so years. Well to be honest I lost A LOT of passion and drive after a pretty crushing year at Kent Uni (07/08) and I never quite recovered from that in my first year at Worcester, or the first half of my second year. But today I have rediscovered the fire that lives within me (cliche or what?). I can't remember the last time I was this excited to be acting or even to be going to the next lesson. The 8 hour day seemed to go so fast and at the end I was left wanting more and wanting to continue to act. Maybe this was because I was told I had very good delivery and a good voice (boo-yeah!) and it's simply swelling my head but either way it feels good to have this passion again.

peace, love and respect. as always.

-- Tom RDD

Share with me this little time

There's a lot of things that get me thinking. A lot of things that make me angry for no apparent reason and a lot of things that make me angry for good reason. In all fairness, I do have some anger issues but then who doesn't? Most of my anger is vented when I go on (and on) about certain things I see in life and sometimes it's out of my control and is completely illogical. I've lost count of how many times I've been infuriated and left the local bar/ club on a Wednesday for simply wanting something more, something original, something new. This is not because of the people closest to me, it is not because of alcohol, it's because I see most of popular society (music, fashion etc) as ordinary, mediocre and generic, in doing so I can't seem to find anything "extraordinary", unless I'm with that special someone who brings me peace, makes me whole. Is it because I am not with her that I get angry? Of course not. I get angry when I see the same mediocre society when I'm with her but she is there to calm me, bring me back from the brink and show me that not everyone in this world is content with being the same, something I've seemingly become blind to seeing. She is most individual person I know. The only person I know who will not be held down by what society dictates she should or should not do. She is completely opposite to me and will find the good and the bad in the situations I seemingly can't. I am so very proud of her. She is my hero. And I wish I could be like her.

My acoustic folk band, The Magictones, have just recorded our first song. It's a nice and simple song about love, personally I think you should give it a listen (check Facebook for The Magictones). Whilst getting into the mind set again of creating music I always find it helpful to search for inspiration and it doesn't come more inspirational that this guy.




Peace, love and respect. always.

-- Tom RDD