I came across an idea for the channel trailer for my YouTube channel. What that is, is a video that displays on the front page of your channel. It's the video that introduces people to your videos, so it should be a good one. The one that is up now, wasn't my choice, and it always appears there after a few hours of a new video going up. I can replace it with another video that I have, but I don't really have anything dynamic and exclusive as an introduction, so it's time I made one. I of course have other ideas for that video, but they entail a lot of work, and the need for other people to help out. I got an idea for one that won't rely on anyone else, so I started working on it this weekend.
The first thing I needed to do, was get Saki good and clean for it's time on camera. This wasn't going to be just a get on and ride type of video. I was going to get external shots not on the bike, with the bike riding by the camera, and what not. That Saki wash was the first problem I ran into. I got Saki out of the garage, and got the tire stands so that I could lift it up and wash everything. As I was putting the kickstand on the block that I use to get the bike to sit straight up instead of its usual lean, I thought it felt a little of kilter. I should have stopped right there and readjusted, but I had big plans and I needed to get to them. I put the rear tire stand under the rear end and started maneuvering it in place, when Saki started to teeter. With the new rear cowl on it, I have no good place to grab and pull it to me, and it went over on it's side. It was a pretty sickening thud when it hit the ground.
I quickly ran around and lifted it up and got it back on the kickstand to assess the damage. I managed to strain my back in the process, so I'm kind of uncomfortable right now. I deserve it. Once I got it up and steady, I gave Saki the once over, and this is what I saw.
Needless to say, I was bummed. My washing of Saki was going to turn into a touch up of Saki. I got it all clean and looking better than it did before I started, and then rolled it back into the lounge, so that I could focus on the touch up paint. It was never going to be perfect, but I could make it look better. This is how it ended up.
Trust me, this picture makes it look much better than it is, but it hides the majority of the flaw. This got me thinking though, and this might be the right time to start working on my painting skills. My dad taught me a long time ago, how to paint cars, so I have and understanding of it. I just need to remember everything and look a few things up. Here is the plan though, at some point, I'm going to paint Saki to colors of my choosing. I love the color it is, but I could love it even more. The biggest problem with this, is that I would be without Saki while I'm doing all this painting, and I plan on going deep with it. I'll leave the frame the same, so that I won't have to pull the engine, but I do plan on getting the wheels powder coated a different color. That means, the tires and all the fairings will be off the bike, which will make it unridable. That is going to kill me, but it will be worth it in the long run. I'll paint the fairings myself, and look into a place locally to get the powder coating done. While I'm at it, maybe I'll get new handlebars and get them powder coated to match the wheels. This little drop and flaw can turn into a good thing. No, I'm not going to tell you the color scheme, but if you know me at all, you should have a pretty good idea of what color Saki is going to be, and when that happens, Saki may have to get a new name to match the new skins.
With Saki all taken care of, it was time to work on the footage for the opening of the video, This video is going to be a lengthy process. I have to get multiple shots from different angles, and the only way I can do that, is to set my single GoPro up in different ways, and do the same thing over and over. The one problem I might run into, is when I get the shots for the bulk of the video. I'm going to have to leave the GoPro on the side of the road, and do a few fly by's on it. That leaves it exposed to anyone passing by to take it. I'm hoping for some lonely roads with no one on them. I have a few places in mind.
I got most of the opening done last night. The shooting at the location I chose went really well and I got some quality shots. I had the GoPro set up on the seat, the tank, the ground, and then finally on a chest mount , just to get a quality 30 seconds or so. It's tedious but worth it. Today I ran into the next big problem. I was heading out to get some of the on the bike views from my favorite twisty location, and a surprise view. I made a pretty big mistake, and it was somewhat intentional, but I should have linked the GoPro with my phone and checked the angle. It was atrocious. I was trying a different setting in hopes that the view would be better, but with the way it was mounted on my helmet, it was looking down at the handlebars the whole time, and that wasn't going to work, so everything I shot today, was useless. It was another live and learn moment, and I learned that I should always check the angle on the phone before I spend an hour and a half filming. There are a few things that I will never get the chance to shoot again, but maybe new things will pop up. I'll reshoot again sometime this week. I'm thinking Wednesday would be the best day. I'll get those locations and the shots I planned done then, and then I'll get the rest of the bulk footage this Saturday. I'm going to head to Ft. Pierce for that stuff. There are some beautiful views down there, and that is what I want. I want a lot of scenery. This is going to be a 5 minute video. No talking, only views and edits. So far, I really like what I got, so I'm excited for finishing this up this coming weekend. I'm hoping to have it up in time for next Sunday's post. I may get a little something together on Wednesday when I reshoot today's footage. I have an idea I've been wanting to talk about, and filling time in between the stuff for the channel trailer seems like killing two birds with one stone.
On to the real reason we are here tonight, and that is Fats Domino. I wrote extensively about him in the 365 and at that time I knew, and even wrote, that I would be writing this very piece soon. Fats Domino is swirling in the ether and he is playing a mean rock piano. Born February 26th 1928 Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr., would become the first rock star. I know there is some debate on this, but Fats released this song.
In 1949 and it hit the charts in 1950, by 1951 it sold a million records. That makes him the first rock & roll star. Fats was the soul of a new sound that was being played in New Orleans for years. Here is the best part about Fats' songs, you always feel good when you hear them. Other rockers have a dark angst that Fats didn't have. It wasn't just his songs that made you feel good, it was said that he was just as jovial in person, and would often ask you to stay for dinner that he would cook. He mentioned in one interview that he spent $250 a day on groceries. If you saw him in his home of the 9th Ward in New Orleans, you could rest assured that you were going to be invited to come have some gumbo that he was going to be making later that day. When he went on tour, he would bring groceries from home and pots and pans, and cook dinner for the entire crew. He liked going around the world but he said that it was so hard to find good food anywhere else, and I can tell you, New Orleans food is the best. I've had it and I often miss it.
The Beatles were huge fans of Fats, and John Lennon said that if there was no Fats Domino, there wouldn't be a Beatles. They would often praise him, and even took the legendary line, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" from one of Fats' songs.
At about the 1 minute mark is the line, but please, listen to the whole song. That line became one of the biggest songs in Beatles history, and I know you've heard that one. Fats was honored by all the praise that was laid down upon him and he covered several of The Beatles songs, but one of them stands out as one, that seems to be written for him, and once you've heard him do it, you can't hear it being sung by anyone else, not even The Beatles. Lady Madonna was an obscure hit for The Beatles, and maybe that's because it was written for someone else. That person should be Fats Domino. Just one thing I want to point out for you to listen to, and that would be the way Fats says run. It's more like ru-onnnn. It's just fantastic. That is that deep New Orleans accent. If I spend anytime there I fall into that accent, and it is glorious.
Several bands have covered Fats' songs, but my favorite comes from one of my favorite bands of all time. Cheap Trick did "Ain't That a Shame" on their Cheap Trick at Budokan album. There are few albums better than that one, and that songs just adds to it. Probably my favorite song of Fats is none other than "Blueberry Hill". I can remember as a kid me and my dad singing that song whenever we would hear it, and even when it would just come into our head. That song, just like all of Fats songs, put a smile on your face and made you feel good about everything around you. This world lost a good one October 24th, but the ether gained the best rocker and cajun chef that it will ever get. Go listen to some Fats and put a smile on your face. Peace in and goodnight.
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