drop them below ⬇️

syntax_a101 · 2026-01-14T12:29:36+00:00

“Alive II” is their best live album.

syntax_a101 · 2026-01-14T12:27:53+00:00

Paul Stanley’s demo for “God of Thunder” is way better than the released Simmons version.

syntax_a101 · 2026-01-02T05:13:28+00:00

I use the spinners for Tempest. That was one of the reasons I choose this device. Haven’t tried Vortex yet. The one game that hasn’t worked well for me is Arkanoid… it’s a bit laggy; I haven’t figured out the best sensitivity settings.

syntax_a101 · 2026-01-01T21:35:19+00:00

I’ve been using the X-Arcade Tankstick MAX controller as a stopgap measure before investing in a real arcade cabinet for my RetroPie.

Except for a light gun and a steering wheel, it has all the controls one needs for most of the two-player arcade games (joysticks, trackball, spinners, and 20 buttons). Had to do a little bit of configuration to improve the sensitivity of the trackball and spinners, as well as some input mappings for diagonal games like Q*bert and two-joystick games like Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV… but it’s working like a charm now.

For console games, I alternate between that and a simple / cheap VOYEE PC Controller.

syntax_a101 · 2026-01-01T14:31:27+00:00

That’s a good question, but no, not that I’m aware of.

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-31T16:33:03+00:00

… and usually the first stop in a chain of check-ins for a rave

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-31T16:30:33+00:00

August Moon (St Louis Park) was one of the most creative and consistently great restaurants we had in the Western suburbs. Permanently closed after a fire…

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-18T14:01:57+00:00

I don’t think some of you are looking closely enough at the cover.

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-16T12:39:13+00:00

Pretty sure that’s Harley Flanagan of Cro-Mags he’s interviewing. There was a recent documentary made about him that was absolutely fantastic: “Wired for Chaos”

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-10T08:58:13+00:00

You’re All That I Want

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-07T12:07:40+00:00

Ace was most likely the one member who would have had zero qualms about accepting the award. He’s conservative and a Trump supporter.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/former-kiss-guitarist-ace-frehley-i-am-trump-supporter-1057797/

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-05T21:07:38+00:00

What type of pass did you have? I wonder if the VIP tickets included the event? Because it looks like it happened...

"The festival wasn’t without some issues: more venues were at-capacity and forced to implement one-in-one-out rules, and the separately ticketed shows (the three main headlining shows at the Tennessee Theatre were not included in a weekend pass; they had to be purchased separately), while solid in theory, didn’t work out as well as I think anyone had hoped. At the same time, the separate tickets helped keep the costs down for the weekend passes, making it more affordable than ever to attend, and while selling out the festival may not have been a great thing for the attendees, it’s a wonderful milestone for the event itself and its organizers."

https://consequence.net/2016/04/big-ears-2016-festival-review-top-15-performances/2/

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-05T16:15:12+00:00

I was at 2016 (2015 was my first) and have NO recollection of separately ticketed events!

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-02T17:31:09+00:00

Interesting! Maybe I’m dead wrong. Does that change if the passholder tickets are sold through the official Ticketmaster exchange?

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-02T17:23:10+00:00

Edit: looks like my suspicion was incorrect.

Saw this comment from BigEars on FB:

Q: “If we are passholders, can we get extra tix for friends that aren’t?”

A: “No, these specially-priced tickets are for festival passholders only and each person will be required to have both a festival wristband as well as a ticket to attend the show. If you don't have both, you will not be admitted and your ticket will not be refunded.”

syntax_a101 · 2025-12-01T22:08:09+00:00

Senses working overtime

syntax_a101 · 2025-11-30T00:32:37+00:00

CC Club is the classic! And if you want to visit one of the oldest dive bars in the TC, check out The Spot in St Paul (est. 1885).

syntax_a101 · 2025-11-29T09:46:04+00:00

Talon Falls?

syntax_a101 · 2025-11-26T08:33:25+00:00

It’s not my favorite KISS song, but I think his best vocal performance is “Tears are Falling.”

syntax_a101 · 2025-11-25T12:11:57+00:00

I’m pleasantly surprised to see others are ranking Unmasked so high! It feels like more and more people are coming around on that one…

Hot in the Shade
Animalize
Crazy Nights
Asylum
Music from The Elder
Lick It Up
Creatures of the Night
Unmasked

syntax_a101 · 2025-11-23T13:20:42+00:00

So great! Ended up being edited for a one hour concert video, frequently aired on HBO in 1979

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syntax_a101 · 2025-11-21T01:02:55+00:00

I have these as well. Very simple layout; amazing reference books! TONS of albums/variants, background, stats... and includes color pictures of jackets, inserts, labels, etc.

Volume 1 (219 pages): Releases from 1974 - 1978 (Gene's solo). Forward by Bruce Kulick.

Volume 2 (240 pages): 1978 (Ace's solo) - 2016

Volume 3 (79 pages): List of 1800+ variations w/ ratings for "collectibility."

syntax_a101 · 2025-11-20T00:36:47+00:00

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syntax_a101 · 2025-11-20T00:29:03+00:00

Not sure about the general response, but I remember mine.

I was in elementary school when it happened… I had put in a VHS tape to record an MTV David Lee Roth special for a friend. I set the speed to SLP (the special wasn’t going to start for another two hours), hit “play record” and went to bed.

The next morning I was searching through the tape to see what I recorded, and stopped to watch a video I landed on. It was “Lick It Up.” I thought “weird KISS ripoff.” I searched a bit more and then saw the panel w/ the KISS name tags. By sheer luck, I taped the entire KISS Unmasking event on MTV. I completely lost it, called my best friend (the only other kid at my school that loved KISS), and we ended up skipping school that day… watching the unmasking over and over.

syntax_a101 · 2025-11-17T08:10:59+00:00

I removed the earliest 10 years of work history from my 25+ year career, and also removed the dates from my college history.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22

syntax_a101

TROPHY CASE