Interview With Twin Ghost

 

By Netera Landar

What can I say about Twin Ghost that will help you understand the depth of his music? That when you’re in a virtual room with him, you have an instant connection. That he reaches your very soul. 

I think the first time I heard him sing was in Key West’s outdoor venue. That was a long time ago. The song I loved to hear was “Live Again.” The wolves howl in unison. Twin plays the guitar. He is pure magic. I write paranormal fiction in real life, and that always inspired me.

“Once upon a time….

You came to me in a dream

I knew you were… the one

I’ve lived a thousand lives a million times…”

Buy the digital album here (https://twinghost.bandcamp.com/album/live-again). Support Twin and enter his world. You will not be disappointed.

Twin agreed to an interview, which blew me away. When any musician can make time for you, it’s like your birthday and New Year’s wrapped up with a red bow.

Of course, I had to ask him what was the first song that he heard that made him think that’s a hell of a song?

“‘Rubber Band Man’ by the Spinners!” he admitted right away. “I don’t know if 7-year-old me would’ve said, ‘That’s a hell of a song.’ But I did wear out that 45 record! It certainly had an effect on young, Twin! ‘Love’s In Need Of Love Today’ by Stevie Wonder – That’s a hell of a song.”

Then I slipped in, "What is it about music that makes you want to devote your life to it?” 

“Because it’s magic! Creating joy out of thin air is something I will never take for granted,” he said. “When I’m performing, and that energy comes back at me. Man, that’s it! That’s where the magic is!”

Twin added that performing in Second Life is very powerful in that way. That the connection is instant and that this form of energy fuels him in a very positive way while he's playing.

I then asked him about his past. I wanted to know when he learned to play the guitar. If he took lessons or if he was self-taught. 

I learned that Twin’s father bought him a small acoustic guitar when he was 7 or 8 years old. He tried to teach Twin the three chords he knew.

“The word ‘f*ck’ was definitely expressed several times as I failed to make the chords correctly. (laughter),” he told me. “The end result was the guitar collecting dust. When I was around 14 or 15, I bought a bass and an electric guitar and simultaneously formed two bands with two groups of friends. The kids from my neighborhood and the kids from school.”

Twin was a rebel in high school, and he was fortunate to have an important friend during those years. Gary owned a Les Paul Electric Guitar and a guitar amp with distortion. 

“We’re talkin’ life-changing moment here!” Twin admitted. “The first time he handed it to me, it felt like I was being handed the holy grail! I knew my life would be changed forever. Gary was a Rock Star!”

Twin learned a lot from the “cats” he played with over the years. When he turned 17, he signed with Warner Records, released a few albums, and toured the U.S. He was in a hardcore punk band with friends he grew up with. His connection with them continued into his 20s. His life was filled with music, day and night, when he lived with talented artists and musicians.

“It was a very creative time in my life,” he stated. “Living together as a band, practicing all the time, and playing gigs. Some great nights where the band would play for hours, constantly reaching…for what? Who knows! (laughter). But we were all in and fully devoted to the cause. I learned a lot from those kinds of experiences. Good and bad.”

I asked Twin, as a songwriter, which song he is most proud of and what its message is. 

“I think the song most people respond to is ‘Pieces of My Life.” It’s a song about the effectiveness of listening. And perhaps sometimes just being an ear for someone is more fulfilling and useful than words or advice. But really, it’s just a love song.”

Twin admitted that he learned the most about his art during the years he performed in Second Life. Those were his best shows, his fondest memories, and personal musical achievements. He believes that this specific virtual world is where singers and musicians can enjoy live music, develop as artists, and craft their sound and performance. It’s the perfect learning ground because of audience feedback and support.

I asked him what brought him back to Second Life. He’d been gone for a while. 

“Gone, but hopefully not forgotten! (laughter). I certainly did not forget SL. Thought about it nearly every day. Missed it greatly. In short, life happened. But the good news is music heals. What brought me back? Music is meant to be shared (and it was painful keeping it inside). For me, live music is therapy! It has the power to heal both parties when we’re in it together. And that’s what it feels like when I play in SL, like we’re all in it together.”

Twin is booking in Second Life exclusively these days. You can find him on the grid all summer. Join his group to stay informed about his gigs, and head over to his website to purchase an album or two. 

He’s on YouTube and Bandcamp, and you can stream his music on all platforms:

https://www.youtube.com/user/twinghostfilms
https://twinghost.bandcamp.com/

The link to his calendar:
https://tinyurl.com/3xaenmha

Netera Landar
 

Interview With Scratch Musikatt

 *
By Penny Shuftan

I finally got together with Scratch Musikatt, an amazing DJ on Second Life.  My first question was about how long Scratch had been DJ-ing. He answered, "DJing is the reason I got into SL in the first place. So, I've been doing it since 2004."

I asked him if he would say that he is a successful DJ.  "I suppose I could be considered successful," replied Scratch. "I mean, I've never been a superstar, but I did have a bit of a following for a while."And, I AM still doing it."

I was curious to know what kind of music Scratch usually plays at his events.  He giggled, "Hehehe, that's where things get interesting... I earned the nickname 'The Original Chaos DJ' a long time ago because I don't really pay much attention to Musical Genres. I'm known for playing anything, anytime, anywhere."

Muertos had been Scratch's lovely hostess for over a decade now.  They met when Scratch played for DJ Rory's Blue Parrot Beach Club and they have been best friends ever since.

My next question would be if Scratch is planning on playing for a long time. "I'll keep playing for as long as there are people to enjoy my shows," replied Scratch,  "I got into DJing in Second Life because I loved DJing in real life. Entertaining is one of my favorite things to do."

Scratch plays at the Happy Vixen Beach Club on Friday nights at 20:00 and at the Furry Fashion Lounge on alternate Saturdays at 20:00.  He also plays for a furry convention, and host a Karaoke event on the second night of the con, and is the DJ for the Deaddog party at the end of the con.

Scratch's goals for 2022 is to have a good time, entertain as many people as he can, and he wants to start DJing in VR Chat.

Scratch is an outstanding DJ with a bright future.  He sure plays good music, and keeps people entertained at the party.  As far as I can see, Scratch is really one of the best DJs ever.

Penny Shuftan
 

A Look At The Sci-Fi Expo

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

From Friday October 8 to Sunday October 17, 2021, the Sci-Fi Expo took place in Second Life. Subtitled "A Journey to New Eden," it was a celebration of science-fiction (and to some extent fantasy), it also had the purpose of raising money for Making Strides for Breast Cancer. 

The event took place in six temporary sims near the permanent American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society 2 sims. They were Aperture, New Eden, Arecibo II, The Remnant, Genisis Spire, and The Old Dam. For those not familiar with the "Portal" game, "Aperture" was the name of the corporation. The "IPink ICan" sim was host to the "I Pink I Can" event that took place at the same time. 

One minor complaint I've heard from a few Relayers is that some of the Sci-Fi Cons and Expos seemed a little plain in how they were made, compared to events like the Relay Weekend. 

This wasn't so much the case this time. The sims appeared to me to be much better done.

Lately, my schedule can be occasionally unpredictable. While I wasn't at the opening day of the Expo, I was able to be at several events the following day on Saturday the 9th. From 10 AM to Noon SL time at the main stage in Aperture, "DJ Kayla and the Roos," members of the Roos team of the Relay for Life, were playing onstage to a crowd.

 

 "Who you gonna call?" The Roos in this case.

From 1 to 4PM, there were the "Combat Bumper Boats ... Grab your friends and your water wings for some fun on the high seas!  Rez a bumper boat and challenge your friends to see who will remain dry, and who will be all wet behind the ears.  This is definitely a fun time you don't want to miss!"

The rules were fairly straightforward. Click on the boat rezzer, sit on the boat, select a color, then go at it in a free-for-all with no score. 

The boats when rezzed all started with 100 points of health. When they hit the shore, they lost a little health. When hitting another boat, they would lose more health. If there was a method to make another boat lose more health than you, I never did find it. Occasionally, there was a cartoon "smash," "zoing," "boing," or some other animated effect floating in the air.

There was also a water gun one could squirt at other players. I wasn't sure if it did a tiny amount of damage, or none at all. But we were using them anyway.

From 6 to 9PM that night was the superhero-themed "Bat Dance." As the narrator put it, "Don your super suit and enter the depths of the Batcave for a party that will even put a smile on the face of the Dark Knight!  It's a super night of dancing that will be absolutely heroic!" 

We ended up having a, super, time.

 On Tuesday at 8PM, it was DJ Mattie's turn on stage.

 "It's time for another event at the Sci-Fi Expo Main Stage. Performing at 8PM is the talented DJ Mattie. 'Shi was raised on country music, blues, bluegrass and classic rock. Shi still has a great passion for these genres, country being hir favorite. Music has always gotten hir though some of the worst times in hir life, and now shi love to share some of these wonderful tunes with folks here on SL' Come on over as we kick cancer's behind and have a fun time doing it."

 Someone passed around a few hula hoops. 

And there was quite a diverse audience.

I also decided to give the Sci-fi Expo quest a try. 

The plot of the quest involves Earth trying to broker a peace between the various factions of the colony world of New Eden. But the global communication network is down, and one of the research assistants from Earth has gone missing with a data crystal with information the delegation needs to get things going.

But as anyone whom has done these kinds of quests before, it wasn't that easy. Even when you find the research assistant, your quest has only just begun. She plugged an ancient computer into the communication network. 

In trying to find out what's going on, you discover a powerful artificial intelligence in the alien computer, which doesn't necessarily put Humanity's interests as priority.

You also run into the Greslok, the planet's native race.

 Much of their home area is littered with starship debris, which the human government has promise to clean up, eventually.

As it turns out, the Greslok live simply now, but long ago were more advanced and created a powerful artificial intelligence they ended up going to war with one another resulting in the destruction of technology, including the AI.

With the AI now seemingly reactivated, you go to turn off the main source of it's power.

You don't succeed in turning off the power. But you do get the artificial superinteligence to think about it's situation. In the end, a truce is agreed to, and it agrees to share some teraforming technology.

That's pretty much what I saw at the Sci-fi Expo. I did hear on Discord that on the day before it's close, it had raised more than 1,750,000 Lindens, or $7000 US dollars.

 There was more of course. Wildstar Beaumont would take a number of pictures and post them on his Flickr. And one can check out more on the blog (here). 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

The Last Sunbeamer Moon Dance For 2021

 By Bixyl Shuftan

Team Sunbeamers has had a number of events this Relay season. But one was a weekly event, the Sunbeamer Moon Dance that took place every Thursday at 6PM over Farshore Field in Sunlight Bay. People would head over to the Moon Cannon, and get blasted off to the Moon platform where music and fun awaited (along with a few 'bot aliens dancing away). But eventually, there would come a time for a final performance. And on Thursday June 10 came the final Moon Dance for the Sunbeamers, at least for this year.

Most of the weekly dances had various themes, such as Memorial Day and sci-fi. But this last one was "Come As You Are." A number of Sunbeamers showed up, as well as some from other Relay teams. This included several of "Roos With A Dream," noted by their Australian outdoor outfits.  The maximum number of avatars the sim could hold was thirty, and there was a time or two someone couldn't get in. 

As usual, Cynthia Farshore was DJing, though adding tunes as she went along instead of playing a prepared list. Someone cheered when "Golden Years" was played, "David Bowie, yay!" Sunbeamer team captain reminded, "We have a memorial to Bowie in out camp, died of liver cancer." Of the camp having the theme of a British comedy, she commented, "I told my sister our camp was Monty Python themed.  she said 'Who?'" 

Other conversation topics were a small debate if music past the 1980s was any good: one didn't think so and a few others felt at least some of it was, "there are lots of good tunes every year, we just don't hear lots of them." There was also talk about the "Last Dragon," movie, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and the Star Trek "The Trouble With Tribbles" episode. Cynthia responded by playing Shockwave Yareach's music parody, "I Snuck In A Tribble With You." That got some people chuckling. There was also some talk of the Animated Star Trek episode.

With the Relay weekend so close, there was much conversation about it. "I always get emotional when the actual Relay starts. even though I have been doing it since 2008." "The Luminaria ceremony gets to me the most." "I completely forgot I had submitted a dedication to be read the first time I did it. Caught me completely off guard when they read it off and I broke down hard." 

There was also some fun talk about partying people did in the past, "Threw an unexpected party at my house once while my parents were away. Was my friend's birthday and he was hanging out with a bunch of younger kids so me and another friend told him we were headed to my house after picking up some beer. About an hour later, a million people show up. Only trouble I got in from my parents was that I didn't recycle the cans. Was still underage at the time, think it was either the summer before going to college or the summer after my first year of college. No idea how I didn't get in trouble." "I went to a party at a farm once, real BBQ pit, roasting half a pig and various beef, also beer kegs and we mixed up something interesting in a clean plastic trash can. Whatever we mixed up was good, I had it to my van to pass out and woke up with one hell of a hangover." "The wildest parties are always while you're underage."

At one point, there was a small square area in which light inside had it's colors reversed. Inside it, at least when looking from outside, white would look dark, reddish tones would look bluish, etc. Panning inside, from within things looked the opposite, including the blackness of space looking white.

A good time was had by all, one lady saying, "Its been a lot of fun hanging out with 'beamers, gems and Purple Tears all season long." Rita responded, "Well we 'beamers specialize in fun. If it's not fun, it's not worth doing." She would say joint events with the Roos had always gone well, and fun, and congratulated them on their success. They'd made Diamond rank some time earlier, and had raised a total of 1,783,000 Linden dollars.

Before long, the party was over, and people headed out. Shockwave and Cynthia would go back to the Sunbeamer campsite to check things over. All were looking forward to the Relay weekend in two days.

As of the writing of this article, the Sunbeamers have raised a total of 834,500 Linden dollars, and are the highest rank of the Sapphire-ranked teams.

Go Sunbeamers! Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan
  

Interview with DJ Fritter/Applebloom

By Bixyl Shuftan

Among the people at KVXN radio is DJ Fritter, whom in Second Life goes by Applebloom (JeanetteDJennet Resident), and also goes by Hakura the Pup. I recently had a chance to interview her. We met at the KVXN building in Purfection Estates. She was in a light brown anthro canine avatar, in jeans and a white shirt with a cowboy hat. After sitting down at a table, and her adjusting herself so she didn't look like she was "cut in twine by the table," we started.

I asked her how she first found out about Second Life. She scratched her head, "Oh geez, that was along time ago. My SO Thistleblossom, who is deceased in real-life, was on here first and I was looking over his shoulder one day and watching him and he asked me if I would like to make a character and join him. So I did and I've been here ever since. That was like back in, oh God, early 2011."

Of where her names come from, she responded, "Hakura The Pup is my real-life fursona name and what I go by on KVXN. But Applebloom is because of my love for My Little Pony. I'm also a hardcore Brony and because of THAT name over one our KVXN Vixen Radio on Discord, Nydia started calling me 'Fritter' because of the Apple part, so on our server I'm known as DJ Fritter. Ya know, Apple 'Fritter'? *shrugs* She has a weird since of humor, that one. but I still love'er." She chuckled. Asking about her account name having to do with FurryMuck, she went, "OH GAWDS! FurryMuck .... I haven't heard that name in ages. Actually no, t came from another Mu** which was called 'Altered Realities.' I'm not even sure if it's still around. I was what was known as a wizz there."

And how did her first days go? She explained, "I had a lot of fun running around with Thistle going from place to place. There was this one dance club that we would both frequent a lot to go dancing. He was a donkey and I was a pony at the time and he was also a brony. We even made our own club called 'Hoof Beatz' but it was short lived. That's actually where I first got my start as a Second Life DJ."

I went ahead and asked Applebloom what experience she had with music before coming to Second Life. She answered, "Well, actually I was back in the 80's a real-life DJ at a Country & Western Danceclub in San Francisco, California that was for mostly GLBT called 'The Rawhide 2.' Not sure if you can actually put that name in here, but that's where I originally got my start DJing in real-life. There I was a DJ because I used CDs and LPs. But on KVXN, I'm what we call a broadcaster. There's a little difference. I don't 'jockey' discs, I broadcast mp3 files with the radio broadcasting program I use."

And what did she do after her first club closed? "Honed my chosen craft *ear waggles*. I started DJing on SL full time at several venues that don't exist any longer. Funny how quickly some clubs come and go so quickly. One was a Country and Western venue which I was used to because of my prior real-life experience. So I knew my Country and Western music. After that was a place called 'Dragons and Rose's which let me go back to my roots with music I grew up listening to back in Fort Worth, Texas where I grew up called KFJZ 1270 AM. They played alot of pop and classic rock, which I play now for my show on KVXN. Back then, FM was just starting to happen. Am I dating myself by admitting that? *rubs the back of her head with a paw*"

And what brought her to KVXN? She answered, "I remember when KVXN was still just a Second Life station and I DJ'ed at The Happy Vixen which is where KVXN has it's origins. It was started by someone named Nydia (Tungsten), yes the same one who gave me my 'Fritter' moniker on Discord. Anyway, I DJ'ed there for awhile, kinda with KVXN as a SL station. And then I became part of something called 'The Dragon and Raccoon Epic Fail Show' if you recall that, and had a lot of fun with them. So when JB no longer could do the days he once did I sorta stepped in for a short time and thus started "The Dragon and Pony Show" which lasted only a short time because of real-life issues, but I stayed on at Club EFS which stood for Epic Fail Show, of course. During my time there JB really liked what he heard with my show that I would do there, so when KVXN became a REAL internet station, he asked me if I would like to have my own spot there, so here I am."

I asked about her show "The Doghouse," and asked if it was from her persona name "Hakura The Pup?" She answered the show was for "Two hours, actually, Monday and Friday 4pm to 6pm Eastern Time (1 to 3PM SL time. Gratuitous plug *toothy grin*. But yeah, my show is called 'The Doghouse' and it does indeed come from my real-life Fursona, Hakura." And what were the show's most interesting moments? Her response was, "*phews* Oh boy, uhm, I suppose when the staff starts heckling me on Discord on our server page. Nothing much has happened as of yet because 'The Doghouse' is still trying to find it's footing, as it were. Footing? Pawing? *chuckles* I am in the VARY early stages of getting some things lined up, but I'm not at liberty to say what that is just yet. Folks will just hafta tune in to find out when it occurs, IF I can get it lined up and OK'd."

So what does Applebloom do in Second Life when not playing music? "Hang out with my close friends like Snowy, Nikkita and a few others," she answered, "But my second passion  on SL is drag racing, which not to toot my own horn, am quite good at. I've got enough trophies to fill this entire studio. I've been doing that for a number of years. I even have a '69 Pro Mod Mustang that is sponsored by KVXN Vixen Radio as well as a split window '66 Corvette done up in a sharp My Little Pony motif that I call 'The Friendship Vette' because like the show's title says, 'Friendship is Magic.'" But how she does race has changed as time has gone by, "Not so much oval racing anymore, which I did with a group called 'Rubbin' is Racin'." I just drag race now. Not really a lot of oval racing left on SL. There's a LOT of drag strips, though." She does say it's not a proverbial "drag," "*chuckles* Not really, but the only trouble I have is I find it really hard to run fast wearing high heel shoes. *grin* Get it? DRAG racing??!?"

After some more chuckles, I asked about her future plans. Her answer was, "I plan on staying here with KVXN. I really like the people/furs here and I know with time and a little tweakling 'The Doghouse' can become a good and hopefully popular show for the station. I have alot of fun doing it and it's the music I grew up listening to."

When asked if she had any anything else to add, "Yeah, yes there is. *earperks* STEPH, Heidi and anyone else at Palm Beach Dragway who might read this, I'm gunnin' fer ya'. I'm gunna win that monthly trophy one of these days. FEAR THE PAWS!!! *giggles*"

Afterwards, Applebloom would show me a picture on the wall of her in her fursuit of Hakura the Pup in real life. She would also show me her two racecars.

For more on DJ Fritter/Applebloom, tune in KVXN Radio on Monday and Friday from 1 to 3PM SL time.

Bixyl Shuftan

Interview With Guitarist Jon Bazar

By Bixyl Shuftan

Recently I interviewed a musician whom recently returned to Second Life, Jon Bazar. He plays music in both real life and Second Life. We met at Club Cutlass, and sat down down for an interview.

To begin with Jon has been playing music most of his life, "I taught myself the guitar at age 9, (and) was in a band at age 15. ... ha ha ha ...  the others were in their 20's. We played local bars and clubs." The band would last for a few years before breaking up, "Then I have always been in a playing band ever since, even today. When asked how he found out about Second Life, Jon answered, "A friend mentioned it as a place where you can play live music to the world." As for how his first days went, "Well, not being a gamer, it was really different. But I took to it well. I loved listening to the live music and chatting people from all around the world."

Other musicians were very helpful in helping me get set up to play myself." One musician in particular was helpful, "Avvy Barzane, a young musician from England. He has recently come back to SL also. A lot helped. But he really stuck with me until I got it, and hooked me up with my first SL shows." It was about six months until he got his first gig, "And it took a bit. But I got bigger and better shows."

When asked what music he usually played, Jon explained, "Mostly older classic rock, on an acoustic guitar. But a little bit of everything." I then asked Jon if any particular performance of his stood out. He thought for a moment, "There was a place called Guthries back in the day. Those were some pretty good shows. And I used to *dual* stream with Fireheart Braver, back in the early days of dual streaming. That was a *lot* of fun. Us being 1500 miles apart and making music was cool beans."

Of Jon's avatar, long gray hair with a beard, it's based on his real-life appearance. "That was the idea," he told me, then smiled, "I had help with that too."

Jon would play music in Second Life for about five years, then events in real life forced him to halt his performances, "was away for about five years, and now back." Of his current band, "The band I am with now, we have been together for 18 years.So we are like family." I asked if they knew about Second Life and what he does here. Jon answered, "A bit. I tried to explain it. But I know they don't 'get it'." He smiled, "I explain that people in Germany listened to me play last night. They just kinda look. I explain. And they loose interest. Ha ha ha ha."

And what were Jon's long term plans now that he's back in Second Life? He answered he didn't really have any, "Nah. Just day to day. Kinda like real life," he smiled, "Enjoying the time I guess."

On a final note, it was the Sunweaver's community leader Rita Mariner whom suggested interview, the musician commenting, "Rita is one of my oldest SL friends. Well, I don't mean she is old. I mean I have known her a long time in Second Life, hee hee."

"Take care for now. And *enjoy life* (smiles) Peace."

Bixyl Shuftan

Ari's Concert on Cape Heron

By Deaflegacy

Ari (Arisia Vita) started his concert half an hour early on May 8. He would have his concert on Cape Heron every Wednesday morning, starting at 10 am SLT and ending at 11 am SL time. Ari  is usually early. When he arrived, I was warming up his piano for him. Ari thanked me, and I  stood up so he can sit at his piano. From that moment on, beautiful music starts to flow from Ari's piano.

Even though there was only two people at the beginning, one by one, people started to stop by so they can listen to Ari's music. At one point, a song request was put in and be played that song request.

“It is always soft and warm, never bold, just like the maestro himself,” said Carle (carleonie).

Ari even has a quote for the article: “I play in the same spirit as Franz Liszt who, having graced the piano with some of the greatest music ever written, once said: 'Even if I might not create anything good or beautiful in all of my life, I will still feel a real and deep joy in tasting the beautiful and great work of others that I distinguish and admire.' - Franz Liszt”

Whenever Wednesday comes around, I would make an effort to go to his concert. I love Ari's music and I also know that he is a really good piano player. Although Ari  had never played a piano in real life, he would do a good job on Second Life. I give Ari him an A plus in efforts in bringing music to Second Life.

The landmark for Ari's concert is: 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape%20Heron/191/130/22

Deaflegacy

Interview With Geerkil Ziskey, the Dragon DJ

By Deaflegacy

Second Life has a number of DJs, but only one takes on the form of a dragon: Geerkil Ziskey. I'm a curious pony, so I got an interview with him. 

Wanting to get to know DJ Geerkil, so my first question was, “Okay, could you please tell me about yourself?”  He replied, “Well, I am a child in an adult body that likes to have fun and joke around a lot.”

My next question was about his hobbies.  The dragon answered, “Amateur Radio.  Collecting music, avatars, and interesting SL builds.”

I was wondering where he likes to go on Second Life.  His response was, “Due to my size, I do not venture around much. I mostly hang out in the sims I work in as a music broadcaster.”

I asked Geerkil what he would like me to say about him in the article. His answer was, “I lack in social skills, but I more than make up for that in a desire to be helpful. I love what I do in Second Life.  I love my music and the sharing of it with the others.”

According to Geerkil, he plays at The Happy Vixen.  He also plays at the Zeta Valley Wharf, The Gathering Oak, Club EFS, The Heart of Gold, Lost Farms Crystal Cavern, also The Cutlass Club from time to time.  He also plays at The FunHouse.  Geerkil works for three different Internet Radio Stations, PhoenixradioFM.com, Allfurradio.com and KVXN radio.com.

My last question was if he is planning on being a DJ for a long time.  “As long as I can.  I have been doing it in Second Life over twelve years.  For working for actual Internet radio stations, about five.

The dragon will be playing from his hoard of music records for some time to come.

Deaflegacy

What's New With The Dragon Crew

By Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life has no shortage of DJs. But few are teams whose personality interactions are great entertainment for their listeners. And even fewer have the appearance of a dragon. The combination makes the Dragon Crew a unique musical team in Second Life entertainment. Made up of DJ Geekil, whom has been DJing in SL for years in his dragon avatar, his partner JB Raccoon, whom while not being in the virtual world nearly as long had quickly emerged as a talented music player, and LS Raccoon, whom sometimes acts as the hostess for the two men, the "Epic Failure Show" or "Dragon and Raccoon Show" as they've often called themselves has entertained many crowds. Interviewed by the Newser in December 2017, recently they requested to meet up to talk a little about a few things that have changed since then.

Among the recent changes is that due to real life, JB can't quite take part as often as he used to. "I do not participate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays because of my health," he told me. Geerkyl scoffed at the explanation, "That's the excuse he's using." So the Dragon Crew has taken on a new co-DJ for Geerkil, "I have a replacement staff member for Tuesdays and Wednesdays." The new member of the crew is Applebloom (JeanetteDJennet Resident), whom is almost always in a pony avatar. "So when I say hay is for horses," the dragon mused, "Applebloom will agree."

So how did the little pony end up part of the Dragon Crew? Meeting up with the two at the Happy Vixen beach club, the dragon answered, "I sat on her, and she liked it," Geerkil chuckled, "NOT!" Applebloom responded with a "Hrumph!" I asked about a rumor I heard that if he did that again, she'd use "pony magic" to give him the most girly cutie mark she could think of on his behind. Geerkil answered, "She did offer a mark I would never ewver forget, every time I sat down again." "Dern right," the pony grinned, "I may be small but my kick is mighty." "Plus the fact she wears steel shoes," the dragon remarked, "which is a little bit troublesome."

Applebloom then told, "Well to be truthful about it, I first saw ol' Geer here a little before we had that Halloween event (at the Happy Vixen) and I looked at him and JB Raccoon wondering just what the hell they were playing, especially at the Halloween event. Well, not too long after that I had a talk and introduced myself to Geerkil and told him I'd love to do what he does and maybe be on his show one day but that my mic was broken. And he told me when I got my mic fixed. Well a few days ago I finally got a new one and got in touch (with) JB here at The Vixen, and he told me to hide and we'd 'surprise the sausage.'"

"So I hid down on the second level and when (Geerkil) came, we shocked him because he couldn't figure out who the 'guest' was until he saw me. Both he and JB liked my style and easygoing nature and how well I worked with them during that show that both he and JB had the idea of asking me to take JB's spot on Tuesday and Wednesday because JB had to ease back on his workload. So here I am,.now a full fledged member of The Dragon Crew." The little pony smiled.

The conversation went to Discord chat, JB making a recording which would get sent to me. "You can be like the rest of the news media and report fake news, saying we play great music instead of the truth," Geerkil chuckled. When I responded by asking him what were their greatest epic failures were, he answered "Too many to mention." He joked that the recording being made of the conversation would glitch and become "white noise."

Geerkil occasionally gets teased by his colleagues and friends who occasionally call him "sausage." The joke goes back months ago when at a show, the subject of cooking sausages for a meal came up, and he ended up saying "I love sucking sausages." It wasn't until after he spoke it that he realized it could be taken as innuendo, and those who heard gleefully chuckled. The joke has stuck around since, "You never sausage a dragon."

Geerkil sometimes pokes a little fun at Applebloom's screen name, JeanetteDJennet Resident. "This is the name that ne-ver ends," the dragon teasingly sung, "It goes on and on my friends." When I asked her where the name came from, she answered it was from, "a MUCK that me and my late hubby were on. I was a little donkey named Jeanette, so when we came here instead of having it jeanettethejennet I shortened it by two letters to jeanettedjennet. I was a Wizz on that MUCK in fact, we both were. His name was Skunx, a skunk that could shapeshift." The detail she most remembers about their time on the MUCK was their home area Oah Hill Ranch, "It was HUGE with like close to 30 seperate rooms. If you've ever been on a MUCK then you know you have to descibe it, put all the door and exits on and descibe THOSE. Very involved. ...took me several months to build it." Being a MUCK, places had to have a lot of detail, "especially if you wanted to link it up with the rest of the MUCK."

When Geerkil and Applebloom co-DJ together, their routine is called "The Dragon and Pony Show." Geers commented that the order was because D is before P in the alphabet. They're played at a number of clubs in the past year, the dragon commenting, "we left a few ... one because they had some internal issues, then they wanted us back, but when we asked for our (positions) back, we never got them. ... that was the one with stickers, I like stickers." JB ang Geerkil mentioned a few more, one they left because, "we weren't funny enough," another because the manager "was a (dirty word) (dirty word)," and another, Dancing With Angels, closed because the owner had health issues, "That was sad." They are still performing at the Funhouse, at the Heart of Gold club, Club Cutlass "from time to time," the Happy Vixen Beach Club, Zeta Valley, and the Gathering Oak. Geerkil also performs at Lost Farm Crystal Cavern, though JB won't set foot in there. There's also "Club EFS." "There's probably one or two more that we've forgotten ..."

Club EFS is the Dragon Crew's own and new club, located at at Nox Arcana high above the PlayaCar sim at (52/128/2251). While EFS is short for "Epic Failure Show," only the initials are used as there are others who perform there, "but we wanted to keep the reference to us." As of the writing of this article, there are two other DJs who perform there, DJ Squeaks (Brandi Streusel), Benji, who Geerkil grumbles "thinks the raccoon is more important than the dragon," and "The Floof." "Awesome!" Geerkil cheered in response at the third, "We have 'The Orange Floof.' ... Got a really cute avatar, I really like it." JB called it an orange husky avatar.

The steel and brick club is dragon-themed with lots of wings, dragon statues, a couple smaller dragons flying overhead, and the dance floor being a hellish-looking set of iron bars over flames. Geerkil joked, "it has a nice little grill over top of a lava bath so we can pre-cook our guests so that later on in the show we can eat them." He would later comment, "Hey, I'm a dragon. Everything else looks like food to me." The grill does have a purplish mist over it, so perhaps it's magic that keeps the flames from burning the feet on the dance floor.

Of LS (Little Spirit) Raccoon, Geerkil remarked, "We put her in her own special office, where she can be on the phone." JBstated she was recently given a desk as a gift by a friend. ... valued at $200." Geerkyl grumbled, "No one sends me no ****ing desks." JB mused, "At least now I know where those teeth marks came from." Geerkil would later call LS an enthusiastic hostess, even when there was hardly anyone else in the club they were at, "she continues to do her performance." "She treats it as if we have a club full of guests," JB added. But they sometimes had other hostesses, such as Kitacella at the Happy Vixen, "Kit's good."

As before, some of Geerkil's humor is a bit low, "I admit my sense of humor is quite warped." Seeing LS's anthro dragon avatar, Geerkil remarked "Boobies." He would then say he used the word because of all the terms for that part of a woman's anatomy, that's the one he gets in the least trouble for using. Of their performance at the Gathering Oak, Geerkil called it, "The home of the Fabulous F*rting Fairy Furry Forest Flatulent-Filled Forest where they f*rt fragrant flatulent ..." He would later say, "I find f*rts hilariously funny." He did say though he has been blamed for a few windbreaking noises that he never made.

One occasional personality is DJ Tech. "Tech gets on occasionally, so he's a special guest." JB commented, "Tech primarily does get a brief appearance on the show with us." Geerkil then remarked "usually to tell me to shut the f**k up or something." JB chuckled, "Or (call you a) dumb a**ed dragon." The dragon muttered, "That's another famous phrase." Little Spirit giggled, "That's why we call him D.A.D." Someone joked, "That gives 'Who's your daddy?' a whole new meaning." That resulted in chuckles from everyone but Geerkil.

Sometimes Geerkil wears a hard hat. When asked to explain how it started, he explained that on occasion someone's been dropping anvils on him, "I decided to take some precautions." JB joked the weather has sometimes been "partially cloudy with a chance of anvils." When asked if there have been sightings of a coyote chasing a roadrunner, JB answered, "Well, the anvils do say 'ACME' on them, so it's possible (chuckle)." I then asked if Geerkil was wearing a hard hat, was someone else going to wear a sailor suit, a third a police uniform, and a fourth a biker. Geerkil blurted, "Oh no no! We are NOT going 'Village People!'" "Oh God no!" JB exclaimed, "No waaaay!"

Of the antics at the show, Geerkil rmarked, "I am not the instigator, but I do tend to promote that at times. ... (chuckle) I have a loyal crew." JB mentioned one incident at the Gathering Oak in which someone made something happen to Erik, who then looked right at Geerkil. The dragon chuckled, "I have this guilty look about me. I'm just doing my job, and darned if every time Erik ****ed, he'd watch me like a hawk. ... I'm laughing my (butt) off. It was so funny, and I'm the only innocent one in the whole group. All I did was make the suggestion, and it makes things happen (laughter)." They also mentioned a few jokes they played when people nearby go Away From Keyboard. "You do not want to be idle around us for very long," Geerkl commented.

The Dragon Crew now has a Facebook page at ( https://www.facebook.com/DragonandRaccoonEFS/ ). They also have a Patreon page. "There's not much on there for perks right now," JB explained, "We don't have the money right now to offer anything significant." "I think or first perk is going to be a coffee mug with the Dragon and Raccoon logo on it," Geerkil spoke. "Once we have a new logo design," JB added.

Geerkil refers to their collection of older and more obscure music as Warehouse 13, "Lost and forgotten tunes."

JB Raccoon pointed out his avatar, which he calls a "huskcoon," has changed a little since the interview a year ago, "he even has a pair of glasses to match the ones I'm going to wear in real life. JB had previously used an Aventity blue husky. He would go on to say as time has gone on, he's become a bit more social. While he had no problems interacting with people on-air, he preferred to keep his avatar a bit distance from others. "Someone would move to the DJ booth, I'd move away. ... I'd move somewhere else just to get away from them. I don't do that anymore. I haven't done it in several months." He gives some credit for this to Akea Gromet, "I think he was the first ... to get behind the DJ booth, and me not move." JB would take a picture of him, which remains at the Happy Vixen as Akea passed away several months later.

During the interview, one friend of theirs on and off of Second Life, known here as Lord Equis, made a few comments over the voice chat. He also appeared at the club to say hello.

Of their ideas for the future, one they're considering is recording their off-the-air conversations. "A lot of the funniest stuff we do is off the air," Geerkil explained,

After a bit more than an hour, the Dragon Crew and I went our separate ways. Geerkil and Applebloom's "Dragon and Pony Show" can be encountered at the Happy Vixen at Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24) on Tuesdays at 4PM SL time. The "Dragon and Raccoon Show" is on Thursdays at 6PM SL time. And as mentioned before, there's their Club EFS at PlayaCar (52/128/2251) .

Bixyl Shuftan