I work with a bunch of guys… most of whom are 15 or more years younger than I am. They like sports, music, women and TOYS!

mobileStorm is headquartered in a large, open space with high ceilings (think soundstage proportions). Since it’s a great place to fly remote control helicopters and hovercraft, we have a few around, and every now and then someone will pick up the controls and start flying one around. Consummate voyeur that I am, I carry my crappy little digital camera around everywhere and can capture some of the fun that goes on!

All legendary customer service and no play makes Rox a dull broad. So on a regular basis a light saber duel, the boss getting silly-stringed or a well-photoshopped prank posted to the Yammer wall provides a welcome belly-laugh and another memory that binds us as an organization. We’re StormTroopers, and this is how we roll… or fly… or somethin’ like that!

Crossroads - Clarksdale, MS

Today I wandered the web listening to music. It used to be such a huge part of my life, but nowadays it’s pretty much catch as catch can. I hear songs on the radio in the car, or get introduced to new music by friends at work, but it’s rare that I find new things on my own because the sheer volume of what’s out there is overwhelming. So I’m always reaching back in time…

My musical meanderings today began, oddly enough, with a guy I knew fairly well back in my hometown whose musical evolution I missed completely once I left there for the City of Angels, Eddie Seville. I’d heard a bit of Steel Rodeo years ago, but I hadn’t yet seen the film that would allow me to appreciate it as much as I can now.

That then led me to the Appalachians for bluegrass with a few scenes from the brillian and underrated “Songcatcher”, featuring a pre-pubescent Emmy Rossum and some of the oldest music in America.

Finally I landed in Mississippi and listened to a bunch of bluesmen, including Robert Johnson, whose Faustian bargain at the Crossroads is given a nod in Clarksdale, the home of the Delta Blues Museum, and a music program dedicated to keeping the blues alive.

And that’s where I found Lea, who made a few videos during her visit to Clarksdale, all the way from her home in the Netherlands! She’s got a great voice… give her a listen…

Since the Princess & her friend are hanging out at home for the evening, my meandering ends with whatever music is providing the soundtrack to their adventures on Chatroulette; which seems to be everything from house music to R&B… accompanied by laughter, squeals and occasional cries of  “Oh my GAWD, put that thing away!”

As I sign off, I hear a blast from the past: Stacy Q’s “Two of Hearts.” Ah, youth…

I met a hilarious comic named Alison Weber recently. Check out her sex education set to music at DirtyGuitarGirl.com!

The Phil Varone “Sex, Stand-Up, & Rock ‘n’ Roll Show 12/10/09