Wow! Has it really been that long? I just read an article in Guitar Player Magazine's December 2017 issue about a female guitarist by the name of Kaki King. It's all about a live musical multi media experience that her concerts are. Back in the 1980's I realized that concerts needed to move in that direction. Sure there were bands capitalizing on the theater end of a concert experience to the likes of Alice Cooper, Kiss, Motley Crue, Ozzy... with all the pyrotechnics, laser light shows, elaborate stage sets and such, but not multi media in this sense. My idea was right after the unveiling of the television projector to watch TV or movies as a theater experience in your own home. That item along with the video camera and I brainstormed videotaping our stage show, marking exact spots where each member stood to position microphones and such, then projecting the taped version onto the stage during a live show and all members would wear white to give the best screen effect for the projection. This gave a kind of 3D effect from the audiences viewpoint of the performers onstage. Back then as I tried to sell the idea to each and every band I was a part of up through the new century I was laughed at and no appreciation or merit to the creative idea was ever given. I saw basically my idea come to life on America's Got Talent when Heidi Klum was invited on stage, changed into a white body suit, posed in a predetermined spot and then had images projected onto her changing her into a lizard, Wonder Woman, and a dozen other designs. Let me tell you...I nearly shit myself watching my idea from 30 something years past realized in that passing moment. Maybe I wasn't the best salesman for this idea but now I know I wasn't full of crap like others thought... I was ahead of my time! This is what creative thinking and pushing the boundaries is all about. As all my naysayers are falling by the wayside with their musical ambitions negated by their all knowing business minds that lacked hyper creativity... They have given up and put aside their musical desires for the 9 to 5 of all other minions. Mine is still intact and am still churning out the music and the ideas. I have learned not to listen to the advice of others but to my own heart. This revelation that I experienced from Kaki King and AGT made my heart sing and my head swim with pride and joy. This gave my creative thoughts and processes validity and that, to me, was worth the wait!

Well, well.... Since 2014....what has happened?  My Daughter got married! I got married! My studio has been completed for a while. (Well...are these things EVER completed?) My collection of guitars and basses swells. My guitarist and musical soul mate, James Kelly lost his battle with cancer and left a void in my soul, killing the ambitions of our project Invoking Scarlett. My time with him was way too short but in that limited time he awakened a long lost addiction towards musical creativity in me that I had boxed up and stored years ago when my children were born. He was the absolute best guitarist I have ever worked and created with and is irreplaceable in this world. My career in horticulture has seen some rough roads and scary times. I had no idea what EBIDA (Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation, & Amortization.) was until it turned into something ugly that could literally relieve me of my 9 to 5 income. I guess when you take a tree, shrub, and perennial growing and supply company into the 200 million a year in business realm, it becomes a whole different thing and attracts the vultures from all corners to feast on our hard work. Damn sometimes I really hate business!

   Without a doubt, when it comes to politics I am a conservative. How do I handle the fact that some of my family are liberal? Facebook is the biggest culprit as that social media service allows me to have a "page" that is exclusively mine and I should be able to do commentary on my personal page as I like. Problem is that it is a social interaction electronic worldwide media event and anybody in my "Friends & Family" group are encouraged (not by me) to post their opinions and liberal beliefs in rebuttal to my often conservative comments about politics. It is driving me to post on my personal page that this is my sacred electronic space that I can comment to my hearts desire about what I like and don't like and it is not a place for ANYONE else to post should they disagree. I don't friggin care if you disagree! *DELETE*!
    Post your thoughts on your own page and I won't rebut you on your page, as that is the courtesy standard I go by. But come into my world and rebut me on my turf and I will chew you up and spit you out right before I block you from my electronic world.
    Sorry to come across as such an ass cause I'm really not. I just don't like being backed into a corner by non-foundational liberal bullshit comments. Those folks might as well be sleeping with Michael Moore and drinking from his Kool Aide trough.

Been awhile since I been here and had anything to spout off about. Maybe that's a good thing and maybe it's a sign that I'm losing my edge........NOT!!! The body may age but the mind stays as young as ever! I may not be able to jump off amplifiers or the stage anymore but my mind keeps tellin me..."GO ON ya puss! this ain't nothin to worry about! You can do it!". that's when I get in trouble! When I say trouble, it's not an issue with another person but with myself. Screw everybody else and their opinions of me and how I should act or what I should do. My personal standards are usually higher than most people I've met and this is my life to live not anyone else's anyway! You live yours the way you want, and let me have the freedom given me by a higher power than you, to live mine.

Music is going great but I'm starting to have these thoughts or notions to go instrumental with my future works. I have always loved to write and it gives me great joy to write lyrics. There is something so internally satisfying from the challenge of conveying a thought or story using as few words as possible and picking out the exact words that will portray the feeling, emotion, or visual event. Add in the complication of extracting the proper amount of syllables to flow with the song BPM and accents, it then becomes a living thing that is euphoric. I do so love that. But as I construct each song each instrument, each measure, each beat, it starts to become it's own life that I have a hard time covering over all the nuances that make it special with words or vocals. So I must look for a medium in how I use vocals in a song as an instrument no different than the guitar, bass, keyboards, or drums. Maybe I'm challenging myself a little to much, but then. why the hell not! I've know so many great guitar players in my career and the one thing that stands out to me the most is that as they get older most (not all) seem to gravitate towards playing the blues. Now blues is a great music style that I love to death, and if they would do something creative with it I would love it even more. But they don't! Look at Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, Rick Derringer, Pat Travers.... Great Rock Guitarists, Hall of Famers, and due the respect they deserve but also justify my point. ALL of them took the blues route as they aged. And they all covered and recorded mostly blues works that have been covered and recorded to death! Songs already written by those true blues artists of historical value. True Blues artists are the ones that have only played and composed blues songs throughout their career. It's like being a city boy your whole life growing up with the urban frame of mind then all of a sudden tomorrow...you're a cowboy! Bought the boots, the shirt, jeans, belt buckle, & hat! Problem is, real cowboys can spot you a mile away before you ever open your mouth (which is a dead give away) even the country boys see the lack of truthiness! When this happens to a guitarist (IMHO) they loose the cutting edge creativeness which made them great in the first place. Why would someone do that? Did they become tired of trying to set the standard and just want to fade away? If that is the ticket then so be it... I find it sad that they no longer want to push the music world in a new direction. And I'm not talking about the Miley Cyrus, Justin Beeber bullshit promo hype no talent media crap that has nothing to do with personal musical creativeness. That's just a media giant trying to keep its bottom line intact at any expense. Shit...Give me the dollars spent on recording and promotion and I could be just as big AND create my own songs without a six figure team of songwriters whose souls are owned by the same media giant sucking away my royalties!
Well Crap! Now I've climbed up on this soapbox and need a freaking ladder to get down! On the bright side...it's more angst to write a song about AND create lyrics in order to convey a message! LOL!
Appreciate Ya!

What a great start to a new year! I have the best Woman in my life EVER and the best bandmates EVER. Dianna was a God send for me and I could not have asked for more. Supportive in all my enbdeavours and a friend for life. James and Andre, my brothers in musical mahem are such a perfect match for my tastes in music creation that 2013 lookes to be the best year EVER!  My music studio is all but completed and I've already worked out the kinks with the software and hardware configs. To tell you the truth the few works I've already done have a much better overall production and sound to them then my old bandmates that spent time and money in a "real studio" (LOL!) and came out the other side with an embarassment that I'm glad I had no part of. Their creative talent was so poor that they used songs written when I was in the band and tried to change wording in the lyrics to make the songs their own and distance themselves from me. What a dismal attempt that was! They still don't get the reality that all they did was create a derivitave work! Here is the exerpt from the Copyright Website:

"A derivative work is a work based on or derived from one or more already existing

works. Also known as a “new version,” a derivative work is copyrightable if
it includes what copyright law calls an “original work of authorship.” Any work
in which the editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications
represent, as a whole, an original work of authorship is a derivative work
or a new version." Musical example would be;
 

• Sound recording

(CD in which two of the ten selections were previously
published online)

Well, unfortunately for them we did publish them online. I have the original recordings that are timestamped and dated, and even if the derivitae works have been copyrighted it is of little importance in a court of law should I consider legal action in the future to recoup my creative investment in the works.

The new works are so bad that I actually would be embarassed for it to be known that I had a part of their creation, so maybe I should just forget it because there is no hope for anything on this CD to become !

Leave the past to die!

How can one distance ones self from the past when every time you pull up your stats...there is the past looking back?  Maybe I should be a little more humble and gracious knowing that they have such a keen interest in what I'm up to. I do wish them success in their endeavors, & I do wish them well.  I just wish they could also let it go... What they do is unfortunately not what I'm into. I realized that regurgitating the past is not the path to the future. Yes my new band is doing covers also, which is, in fact, regurgitating the past. We have taken great lengths to select works that were in the top of every ones lists from across the past few decades, culling out anything that has been a standard bar tune for most other bands, so as to keep secure our uniqueness. One day soon that will cease, as the material we are developing is new... In style, sound, delivery, and content. We are often asked why it is taking so long?  Well the answer lies n the past... No longer do I have to bow to the misguided exuberance of other band members that want to rush the product to release, just to get it out there. Mistakes and all, with lack of proper oversight and thought about the production, flow,  or mastering process. What we do is now and unequivocally a mutual respect for each other, our uniqueness, and our product. We will take however much time we need to let each work develop and polish before we present it! Professionalism as it should be in today's ever changing world of digital music!   Thanx to all the fans & listeners that have taken the time to listen... I do appreciate each & every one of you!

My Daughters Essay About Her Grandmother (My Mom)

It is early fall, and I am cleaning house when I discover a scribbled entry in a worn sketch pad. It isn't very old, but it has been handled heavily.

"A small red or green light flashes and bathes the room in a wash of color reminiscent of my favorite season, Christmas, so much so that I can almost talk myself into believing the scent of cinnamon floats in the air. Unfortunately, there is no cinnamon. There is only a mild scent of sterilizer, with a hint of sweat beneath it. The air is stale and there is no Christmas here. Christmas is far, far away. I shift about, attempting to find some comfortable position in which to pass this night, curled under a blanket with my legs stuck to the vinyl chair beneath me, but there is no place in this world I would rather be than here in this room, with the woman whose life has been in step with mine from the moment of my birth.

 The bed beside me creaks as her body shifts, impossibly fragile beneath a tangle of blankets and sheets. In that moment, I am perfectly alert, absolutely silent. Is she awake? In pain? Am I needed? But no, the room is quiet again, the sound broken only by the drone of the oxygen pump. I watch the numbers rise and fall, mirroring her faint breaths. Only a point or two each time, but should those numbers dip anywhere below 90, I’ll have to wake up my grandmother and remind her to take deeper breaths. Luckily, her oxygen levels have hovered within the nigh nineties all night. I take a deep breath and calm my heart while my grandmother sleeps on.

                I know that in the morning, this may all change. Right now, I pair my breaths with hers and remember that no matter what the sunrise brings, at least I am here by her side."

                As an obstetrics nurse, my grandmother helped deliver me. As Grandma, she raised me. As my best friend, she supported me. She was always there, her touch the very essence of safety and security. The sound of her voice was the momentum behind every achievement.

                In 2009, she realized a goal two decades in the making. She saw me graduate college.  Only two months after a broken hip and resulting surgery, she walked into the university gymnasium and took her place in the front row, where I could almost touch her as I walked by, diploma in hand. She had a determination that could not be discounted. We joked that for every stage in my life, she’d had a surgery. Despite such setbacks, she’d still been there to see me through that diploma, that associate’s degree and finally, that bachelor’s degree.

                Six months later, her home crawling with family members from all over the country, Grandma showed us another facet of her endless determination. During a routine x-ray, her doctor discovered two tiny blemishes near the top of her left lung. Biopsies confirmed the presence of lung cancer. As she delivered the news, I distinctly remember the sound of someone coughing, shortly before my nice, safe world shattered. Her voice was thin but firm as she laid out the details of her diagnosis, so much like carefully measured ingredients for the birthday cakes she taught me to bake. And then she told us something I will never forget.

                “Let’s get on with this game of Farkel!”

                Two years later, spring in Oklahoma burst forth. It was sunny, crisp and beautiful. Grandma called to let me know that she was moving out of the assisted living center. She’d lived there while she underwent proton therapy, a new alternative to radiation. Previous radiation had taken a toll on lungs already weak from emphysema and COPD. Proton therapy, they assured her, would not have the uncomfortable side effects of radiation. Three months later, everyone was glad to see they’d spoken the truth.

                Despite this, two years of chemotherapy and radiation left her strength low. Her spirit remained just as determined as ever. Lung cancer is no easy foe, but she knew she could beat it. And she did. One last treatment, and she would go home. For the weekend, however, we would spend it at my home. As Grandma outlined our plans for my new yard, I noticed how fresh and crisp she sounded. Her voice was a welcome introduction to spring’s glory days. At last, spring had arrived. At last, Grandma was heading home.

                When I look back on the following July, I remember nothing but a tumult of terror. Her admittance to the hospital, her transfer to another, this one closer to her pulmonologist. Then, the overwhelming  press of fear. Finally, the sound of my own disbelief, and my mental screams as they drummed out the same sentence, over and over again.

                I am dying. I am dying, and she is gone.

                The crush of each breath leaving my body, my chest so tight, I couldn't stand to take another. Every sound was terrifying and reality was so sharp, so painful, that it crushed me like a thousand tons of debris raining down on me from some invisible structure. Still, the sound of my own mind, railing against the reality of what had come to pass.

                I am falling, I am trapped, I am lost, I am alone, I am terrified, and I can’t breathe. Why can’t I breathe? Why can’t I breathe?

                On the 17th of July, my grandmother woke and greeted my Uncle Mark, her youngest son and a nurse like her, with these words: “It’s time to let go.”

                She had decided to discontinue treatment. She was ready to go. Twenty-four hours later, she was gone.

                On the twenty-sixth of July, I turned 25 years old. My parents and friends called, texted and wrote to tell me happy birthday. How could I tell them that I didn't want to hear from them? That the one person I wanted to hear from isn’t going to call? That the crush of loneliness was killing me?

                I couldn't, and so I remained alone.

                August dawned, an oppressively hot month. I tried to get used to the fact that I couldn't call my best friend to tell her any of my good news. She and I celebrated the little things like they were milestones, and I found myself missing that connection. Because she was with me, every step of the way, she knew everything about me. I could talk to her in a way that I can't talk to any one else. In August, I began to learn to speak about my grandmother in the past tense, and to realize that she really is gone.

                I was surrounded by people who loved me and shared in my grief, but I felt like the only way to grieve was to grieve alone. And so I did.

                Two months have passed since she left, but my mind translates those sixty days into an endless lifetime of minutes, marching through my mind in the form of memories that I am desperate to save, to collect like I would seashells or dolls.

                Today is different. Today, I am going to start writing about my Grandmother. I know it is going to be painful, but I need to remember everything about this woman who changed my life. I will be able to tell myself in the future about how her hands felt on my face when I was sick, or how her words could soothe even the most broken teenage heart. I will tell myself, and my children, about someone who loved me enough to deliver me into this world, and walk beside me every single day until she left it.

                My grandmother’s love was endless. Anyone who knew her was loved by her. She had dozens of friends who were “adopted,” and her children’s and grandchildren’s friends found themselves similarly adopted. At eighty years old, she had charm that could sneak up and pull you in before you realized it. She attracted people like moths to a flame. Her hugs, her advice, her smile…all were sought by the people who knew her. Who wouldn’t want to be near someone who would stubbornly see the best in people, even the worst people?

                I have heard that you learn best by example. And I understand that philosophy. I knew love because I knew a woman like my Grandmother—because I was loved by her. My best friend and Grandmother (and my occasional partner in crime) set an example for her children to follow. Even in death, she left behind a legacy of love that bonded her family, both blood and adopted, in ways so much stronger we could have realized.  Her love was her greatest possession, and therefore, it was her greatest gift.

                And because I was loved by her, I am changed for good. And I am not alone.

Finally..New Material

Now the time is right... The anguish of my Mothers passing has ebbed, and the valve is once again open. I have 3 new songs in the works...One is metal / rap and actually has the makings of one helluva song. This one will be called "You Talk Too Much"... And YEAH...it's about someone that just won't shut up!! Always on the phone or with friends yaking away with little reguard for anyone else's thoughts or point of view! Those people that you have to actually raise your voice to almost a shouting level to be heard over, or before they get the message that someone else has something to say. Then they get offended that you were yelling to be heard over them! Everyone know someone like this and I happen to know several!! Well...This song is for you guys (that probably don't even know it's written about you, even if I told you it was!) SHEESH!!!
Song #2 is very mellow- dramatic... Effects Bass driven in sort of a Tool gendre... And it's called "Sweat"... About all the things that cause sweat. From the heat & humidity, to stress, to passion, to having the shit scared out of you, or adreneline rush. I really like the way the music of this song makes me feel but the structure is quite tricky... Even tho the song is repetitiously laid out, trying to get the vocal melody line woven in so it stands out without drowning out the nuances of the instrumentation is where the challenge lays... Think along the lines of a mellow Tool song with Nine Inch Nails style vocals and you'll be in the ball park!
The third song is upbeat and acoustic rooted... Not sure what I want to call it yet but it's a fun one... All I have so far for this tune is the basic acoustic drive that is the foundation of the song...There is more development to work through but it has been resurfacing in my head and won't go away. So... I think it's telling me to get off my ass and nail something to it cause it wants to be heard!..SO ALRIGHT ALREADY!!
More as I go!  LOL

My Mom

Since the passing of my Mom, I've got the first draft of a song I am writing as a memorial for her.
Here are the lyrics so far...
Oops...After considering the ramifications and legal black holes that scare the crap outta me, I decided not to post the lyics. I'm going to wait until I have the entire song recorded and copyrited. It's to important to me, to not let some asshole that can't create for shit. copy and pass off for their own, my work. Most of the time it wouldn't bother me but this is to important and too emotional to even consider that happening. Sorry idiots and assholes (and you know who you are) Not this time!

Correct Thinking about the Music Buiz!

This excerpt expresses EXACTLY my thoughts and sentiments, and the focal reason that I moved on from my last band and into Invoking Scarlett!

Below is an excerpt from Quit Rock: 10 Reasons To Give Up Your Dream Of Being In Music © 2011 by Scott Austin and Thirst Parlor Ink.

It’s been nearly five years since my last Tip Jar article, which I wrote back when I was an A&R executive for Maverick/Warner Bros. Records. My role as a creative liaison for one of the world’s biggest record companies gave me particular insight into the music business that I felt compelled to share with the throngs of talented young artists seeking to take their career to the next level.

A lot has changed since then. In fact, everything has changed. Now as an entrepreneur in the new model industry, I’ve found that segueing out of the confines of the traditional business has been both an arduous and enlightening experience. The New Game environment has meant that just like all of the emerging acts upon which my career depends for survival, I have been “encouraged” to look at the business in an entirely different way.

Like everyone who pursues a career in music, I had a dream of what the business was and could be. It wasn’t until I was able to look back on over a decade-plus of experience, however, that the ensuing successes, disappointments, and even failures along my journey pointed to the simple truth: Succeeding in music means ditching the dream, and subscribing to reality.

Rather than opine further, I thought I’d pass along an exclusive excerpt from my new book Quit Rock: 10 Reasons To Give Up Your Dream Of Being In Music to the readers of Music Connection. This excerpt, designated in the book as Reason #2, is just one of the reasons why success in music isn’t about chasing a dream, but facing the reality of the 2.0 business.
No Overnight Success
Let’s continue our cautionary tale with what might just be, at its core, the single greatest reason why most people will never succeed in music: the belief in overnight success.

This is the second of many reasons that might make some of you want to put my book down and dismiss my musings as negative and pessimistic.

That is exactly the point.

Today’s environment is the most difficult in the history of the business, so you can forget the fairytales where the artist discovery process is glamorized; rags-to-riches stories are a fantasy. If you want to truly create opportunity, you must always keep your heart and your mind anchored firmly in reality.

Being an artist in today’s industry requires more than luck and high hopes. It’s also more than just a job; it’s a standalone business. You must be a pioneer and a maverick if you are going to emerge a champion. The only one that can help you achieve your goals is you; waiting for figurative (or literal) rescue is not only detrimental, it’s futile.

You must become an entrepreneur. True entrepreneurs are risk takers who toss a typical existence out the window in exchange for a chance to make an impact on their own terms. Fortunately, there is no better place to have entrepreneurial spirit than in the current state of the music business.

The fleeting thought of overnight success is counterintuitive to the entre-preneurial spirit altogether, as it forces you to rely primarily on odds; and the odds of success in music have always been slim. Even in its heyday the business was more of a dictatorship than a democracy, with only a select few artists from a select few labels getting the kind of top-down marketing push that is necessary to create a “breakout star.”
Now It’s Worse
The universal ability to make and self-distribute quality recordings, although positive for artistic creation, is wreaking havoc on the economy of the industry. Thanks to new technologies, consumers are now able to hear music from thousands of new acts each year, though their incentive to invest in any one of them has been severely dampened by these very same advancements.

"Ditch the dream, subscribe to reality."

With so much more content available, it would seem that the circumstances should favor the independent artist, with dozens of promotional tools at his disposal. In actuality, giving the consumer more options to choose from in an age where individual attention spans are continually shrinking, means that every impression that you make is not only relevant, it is integral to the fabric of your career.

It’s the sheer volume of available new music that has made conversion of interested listeners into actual revenue for the artist and songwriter extremely difficult. Compounding the issue is the diminished value of recorded music in the eye of the fan. The view by many that music (and content in general for that matter) should be free has ushered in the need for fan-building skills that can create and develop ancillary sources of revenue.

The very premise of overnight success invites a flawed approach on two levels: First, as mentioned above, it requires you to rely almost entirely on chance. Second, it gives the false impression that the steps necessary to attract the attention you seek can be skipped or avoided.

Being in the right headspace means not just talking about all of the things you want to accomplish, but actually going after and achieving them now. Whether the goal is to write, record, tour or all of the above, everything is in your hands. Only you can take the first steps, and only you are responsible for making progress.

Contrary to what wishful thinking might suggest, there are always multiple factors that contribute to success, and in music it is never overnight. It is the combination of years of hard work and bits of luck and timing that creates career anomalies, making them less mysterious than they are practical results of a well-executed plan.

Remember, there is no finish line to cross with a career in music; the primary goal is quite simply to always be moving forward. Maintaining your relevance in the marketplace is the difference between triumph and defeat, and your ability to recognize that the blueprint for success is never written in a day, month or year will make all of the difference in how your story unfolds. (End of Excerpt)

What confuses the crap outta me is that no matter how hard you try to inform and educate most of the "aspiring" artists out there, they either don't get it or don't want to get it! After talking with many AR people, recording engineers, producers, indie labels, music writers & critics,  through various lists and blogs (and occasionally on the phone) the overwhelming census is that there is very little new and exciting material from a creative standpoint out there anymore. Most of what they see is the same old regurgitation of copied styles and licks from the rock side mimic-ing the likes of Hendrix, Page, SRV, Gibbons, and so on. And the pop side is getting so obese with record label generated acts reminiscent of the 80's big hair band formula they relied on to keep them afloat!

Here is an excerpt from an interview that Liz Tracy did with Nikki Sixx in the New Times Music;
 "If there's ever a time in history when we need rock 'n' roll bands to be real, we need it now. We need young bands that are hungry and going to give 100 percent visually, musically, lifestyle-wise. We've been doing this for 30 years; we won't last forever. The wheels will fall off the bus someday. I hope to God someone's out there cultivating the danger. Because it's fucking like watching paint dry out there. It's really boring, I'm telling ya."

Sound Familiar??

Been A Day Or Two

I know I haven't written for a while but things have been busy. Not only with work (yeah I got a "real' job!) but with the band. We have been able to acquire matched recording platforms so now the digital work and ideas can flow more freely! Just a little downtime for James to learn all the nuances of this new system and then we roll. James is a very complex guitarist and overly accomplished in his stylings which places a great challenge at my feet! I have always been a simplistic bassist that could find the bottom end and drive with the drummer. I never grew into that maestro bassist because I always found myself in the spot of being the best vocalist in the groups I was in. Holding down two jobs like that never allowed me to become outstanding in either, but the tenacity of my personality did let me develop into a journeyman musician in both areas. Now I find myself in an envious position with the best guitarist and drummer I have ever had the pleasure of working with. And another vocalist that can sing where I no longer can! So I can actually focus on just bass lines (and with James's song construction I really need all my brain power to sort his complex writings and get then down) I know this process will make me a better bassist, and after all the time off, I need it! (AND am looking forward to it!)

You Never KNow About People!

I did a search the other day on Twitter for an old friend. When I found him and browsed his page, I came to the realization that 95% of all the "people" he follows are attractive Women. Now being a man I have no problem with that, and never have. But being a man in a committed relationship, to me that would be crossing the line! And I'm just in a committed relationship! He is married, and his wife is ALL about him! I wonder if she knows about his "followings"?? I mean he's a Big time Baseball fan and is into street biking and stuff and could be following baseball tweets like a groupie, or all other kinds of sport tweets. But then I guess I would be "assuming" that they have the type of relationship that allows this "innocent" wandering eye! Even tho I'm no big fan of his wife at all, I think this type of behaviour is detrimental to the health of the relationship, or ANY relationship for that matter...But then...That is just MY opinion!