My record has been broken!

Yup, I just found out from Guinness. They have now officially stated that on June 2nd, 2009, the record for Tallest Mohican was beaten by Stefan Srocka in Germany. His measured 31.5 inches. This puts a large kink in the plans that I had. I was going to cut off my Mohawk, put it in a shadow box behind glass, and sell it on Ebay for charity. There may still be a way to do that, or something like it, I am not sure. I already measured my hair, and it doesn’t’ look like I have the length to reclaim the record. Oh well, records were meant to be broken.


What does that mean for this blog? Well, I am still going to document everything on this blog and keep it going to this point, and we’ll see what happens from there. In the mean time, I will be working on the next episode, and it looks like now I am the man with the second world’s tallest Mohawk!

Episode VIII: A Meeting With the PodFather

I am not sure when I contacted Wayne Brekke of Worlds of Wayne Podcast, but I’m sure glad I did. He was instrumental in getting the attention that my world record attempt received. I got his name and number from Steve “Tuco” Jacobs.

Tuco was the man behind the Omaha Zombie Walk in mid October of 2008. He asked Wayne to record the zombie walk on video, and he did. Not only that, but Wayne turned the video in to I-report.com, and they picked it up! It got play on CNN, and they even called Wayne and did a live interview with him about the zombie walk. When Tuco told me about him, I knew I had to recruit this guy.

When I called Wayne, he seemed eager to do it. I think he was still on a high from the CNN bit he just did, and was looking for more video to send in to I-report. In my conversation with Wayne, I realized that there were two kinds of people I was talking to when asking them to become involved in what I was doing. There was the kind that thought I was not very serious, and did not realize the potential of what I was doing. Then there were the ones who knew exactly what could come of this, and jumped on board right away. Wayne was obviously from the latter group, and invited me to be a guest on his show as well as document the attempt.

I probably should have known about Worlds of Wayne Podcast by then, but as usual I had been too wrapped up in my own little projects to know what the heck is going on in Omaha. I must admit, I did not realize the potential of a podcast show at first. After going to the Worlds of Wayne website, I was thoroughly impressed, and when I went to his studio, I knew he was a professional, and this was no small gig.


As it turns out, Wayne lives down the street from me in Benson, and had his studio in his basement. The room was comfortable, and set up perfectly for an interview. I sat at one side of a desk, and he sat at the other side. He had a lot of fun looking equipment hooked up to his computer, which he messed around with for a minute. I was pretty nervous for a bit. This wasn’t my first interview, but I always get a little nervous for things like this. Wayne quelled my anxiety quickly with his adept experience, and put the microphone in front of me. After doing a couple mic checks, the interview began. He was very smooth, and kept it going, and it went a lot better than I thought it would. If you want to listen to that interview, you can go to Worlds of Wayne and listen to episode 76.

The final video that Wayne shot is posted to the right on this blog, and also in the video and pictures section. As this blog rolls on, I will talk more about Wayne and the video when we get to the Record Breaking Day. In the meantime, I went to Wayne’s studio again last night for a follow up interview. We talked about what has happened since I broke the record, and plans I have for the future. Oh…and I do have some plans formulating! Wayne and I were practically brainstorming during the podcast. That episode should be up on his website anytime now, I believe it will be episode 105. Also, Wayne has agreed to be a guest blogger on my blog! That’s right; the PodFather of Omaha himself will soon be scribbling on this very blog. Be sure to come back soon and check it out.


Cheers!

Episode VII: In the Octagon!

The last 2 weeks of October I was pretty busy trying to get sponsors, and I talked to many of them practically at the same time. One of them was Tim Bazer at Omaha Fight Club. When I think about Tim, the first thing that comes to mind is that he has got to be one of the hardest working guys in town. I don’t’ know how he does it. Almost every week he sets up the Octagon, usually at Chez Paree, and puts on an incredible show of fighters for hundreds of people. Even though he was busy, it was easy to work with Tim, because he was always on the phone or had an appointment somewhere, so he had an answer for me right away if I had any questions. He was interested and on board pretty quickly.

I actually got the idea to call him from the former administrative assistant where I work, Bobbi Lovejoy. Every day, one of the fighters for Omaha fight Club, Andy Smith, comes in to deliver packages for his day job. Andy is the Light Heavy Weight Champion of O.F.C. One day after he came in, Bobbi suddenly looked at me and said, "Why don’t you call Omaha Fight club to sponsor you?” DUH. I hadn’t even thought about that, but it was obviously a great idea. The demographics were there. I was sure that there were tons of people interested in O.F.C. that would also like to come see a local guy break the record for World’s Tallest Mohawk and enjoy a benefit concert with some punk and rock and roll bands. So the next day when Andy came in, I talked to him and got Tim’s number, and it was all good from there.

Over the phone, Tim mentioned something about doing an announcement at one of his shows. I pictured him or a ring girl announcing the show for the crowd, and thought that would be cool. However, he had something way better in mind! In fact, I am kind of excited to get to some of the cool video and pictures I have leading up to the record breaking event, so I am going to jump ahead a little bit here to November 7th, and talk about when Tuco and I went down to Chez Paree to see one of the fights that Tim invited us to.


I had never been to Chez Paree before, and I was surprised at how huge the place is. When we arrived, there were already a ton of people there. I think the end count was around five or seven hundred. I am not sure, but it was a lot!

I had talked to Tim earlier, and that is when he told me what he was going to let me do. In between two of the fights, he was actually going to let ME go into the ring, and talk as much as I want about the record breaking show! I was very excited about this, and realized that I should probably start documenting this whole Mohawk thing, so I asked Steve if he could record it with his video phone. Had I realized what a cool fight this was going to be, and had more time, I would have gotten a better video camera and recorded the whole thing, fights and all, if they would have let us. Anyway, while we were watching the fights, I nervously jotted down a few things to say, and wrote a list of all the sponsors and bands for the event. I have played in front of thousands of people before in some past bands I had been in, but I still get nervous every time I play, or go in front of a crowd for any reason. I was alone for this one, no band with me. However, when Tim motioned at me to get into the octagon, I pushed all the jitters aside, rolled in my confidence, and entered the cage centered among that huge crowd, and this is what Steve got on video:



What do ya think? I'll tell you what, when I first got the idea to break the record for tallest Mohawk, I would have never guessed in a million years that a few months later I would be in the octagon in front of hundreds of people announcing this event. And there were so many more surprises for me to come. Every time I revisit these videos or pictures, I am so glad I pushed through the doubts I had and went through with it, along with everyone who helped. It was so much fun, and the experience was unforgettable. I would recommend to anyone who is thinking of breaking a record, or anything like that, DO IT. You will not regret it. Oh, and if you haven’t seen an Omaha Fight Club Fight, I would recommend that as well. The whole night was a blast!

Episode VI: A Little Strategy, and What Not to Do

Somewhere around the time I did the first trial run, I had gotten a few more sponsors, a venue for the show, and a date set for the whole thing. The first graphic I made for the One Percent Productions website was on October 20th, 2008. That graphic was soon replace with a second graphic from the show flyer.













I talked to to Jim Johnson and Marc Leibowitz from The Waiting Room Lounge and One Percent Productions and they generously donated the venue for the date of November 14th, 2008. I specifically chose this date for a few reasons. First of all, I wanted the benefit concert to be on a Friday or Saturday so more people could come out. Todd at Universal recommended that the press conference be held on a slow news day like Monday or Thursday, but Monday is a terrible day to hold a concert, so that was out. Thursday isn’t bad, and I thought about maybe splitting it up and holding the press conference on a Thursday, then the benefit concert on a Friday. After thinking about it for a while, I thought it would be better not to split it up. I wanted it to be an all day event, where I hold the press conference in the morning, then go around town wearing the Mohawk and stopping by different radio stations and television to talk to them, and promote the benefit concert in the evening. Then the day would be topped off by jamming with The Filthy Few while wearing the Mohawk. The whole day event just felt like a better idea to me, like it was more of a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. So I decided to hold it on a Thursday to get the best media coverage I could.

I can’t remember why, but I wanted to do it in November. I think it was because that would give me enough time to prepare, and it wouldn’t put me too close to the Christmas season. There were only two weeks in November where I could get maximum news coverage, the weeks between Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Well, the Thursdays in both of those weeks were already booked up at the Waiting Room, and so was the first Friday. The only date that would be available and still be within the time frame I wanted was Friday, November 14th. So, I decided that would be fine. I was trying to get the most news coverage as possible because it was a requirement for Guinness that the record attempt get into the news. I also wanted to get as many people at the benefit concert as possible for The Filthy Few’s last show and to raise a lot of money for the charities, but I figured I had done enough to ensure that it gets covered pretty well. Besides, I had originally wanted it on a Friday anyway, so it all worked out.

I remember a feeling I had when I got off the phone with Jim from The Waiting Room after we agreed upon the date. "That’s it”, I thought, “its set in stone. No turning back now”. Not that I wanted to turn back, but it was a feeling of skittish relief, and finalization. It was Like I had just set a date for a surgery, or something that was going to change my life forever. I tried not to let that feeling overcome me, because I didn’t want to get a big head, or set myself up for disappointment, but it was definitely a feeling of things to come. I had no idea it was going to be blown up as much as it was, but I knew it was going to be big.

As long as I am talking about strategy behind my decisions, let me tell you about a decision I made that I thought was good, but ended up being a mistake. What I did was wait until the last few weeks before getting a hold of media outlets like The Reader and 89.7 The River. My thinking behind this was that I did not want my plans to get out too soon for fear that someone else would get wind of it and break the record before I did. What I should have done was contacted the media a month or more out, and shared with them my thinking on keeping it a little quiet. They would have understood, and we could have had more time to work together. This point really hit home when I got a bit of a tongue lashing from the reader. On October 30th, I sent them a proposal, and asked them if they wanted to help out by donating a page or two for advertising the event. I received a prompt response from John Heaston who wrote, and I quote, “You should be shot for sending this to me 2 weeks before the event. That said, let me see what we can get done.” I laughed my ass off when I read that! I know he was not seriously upset, and I took it as I think he intended it and thought it was funny. However, it was a good point. If you ever have an event you need to coordinate, don’t wait to talk to anyone because you are afraid it will get out, just talk to the right people and tell them to keep it on the down-low. Anyway, the Reader was very kind, and donated a couple of adverts for the event in the issues to come.
I also sent proposals to Capes Comics, and Paradigm Gardens around this time, and I contacted Tim Bazer at Omaha Fight Club, and Wayne Brekke from Worlds of Wayne. There is some good stories and lots of pics and video that go along with these sponsors, so I am going to talk about them some more in the next episodes. Wanna see what it’s like to be in the Octagon? How about behind the mike at Worlds of Wayne Podcast? Come back soon to find out!

I Didn't Know He Called Himself "Rhubarb Red"

Well, arguably one of the most influential men of this century died today. Les Paul was 94. When I Googled his name to read the story, I saw that in the beginning of his career, he billed himself as "Red Hot Red", or "Rhubarb Red". Interesting. Probably something that I should know, being a guitar player. People are sometimes surprised that I don't know things like that. But what can I say; I was too busy playing my Les Paul to find out.

I grew up playing a Les Paul Custom Sunburst guitar. It’s a pretty heavy guitar for a kid to learn on, but it was my dad’s only guitar at the time. He eventually bought me my own guitar, but it was too late. I had already gotten used to, or should I say, fell in love with, the Les Paul. So of course I ended up playing it, and my dad played the guitar he bought for me.

So…so long, Les. And thanks for inventing reverb, multi-track recording, and the best electric guitar in the world.

Episode V: The Fist Trial Run

I had my first trial run set for October 21st at Capitol School. I already had help from my girlfriend, Allyson, putting up the Mohawk once, so I was 100% confident that I could beat the record. These trial runs at Capitol were just to make sure everything went smooth on the Record Breaking Day. I did NOT want to hold a press conference and get all of these people and businesses together just to show the world how great I was at screwing up a record attempt! I had to make sure that everything went perfectly, or at least as close to perfect as I could get.




So I told you that I met with Calarice Zomer. She is the one that helped pick the students that were going to help with the Mohawk, and helped set everything up for the press conference. And, yes, I did say students. When I first got this idea, I thought I was going to need a seasoned professional hairstylist to help me. However, after seeing some of the students work, and talking with Scott and Clarice, I was absolutely certain that the students here were up to the task. Plus, I liked the idea of having students from a hairstyling school put up the Mohawk. Something about it made it seem….I don’t know…kind of like we were banding together, or forming a team to do something that we were all new to, and we had to figure it out together, and learn as we go. I think it also put a little element of risk to the task in the eyes of other people. I had complete confidence in the students, but when I told other people that it was the students that were going to raise the Hawk, they were surprised and impressed, and it made it a little more exciting to them.

The day came for us to raise the Hawk for the first time. I was charged and excited, but a little apprehensive. I came to Capitol prepared with all of the necessary provisions: Ten cans of hairspray…check. Two big pieces of cardboard…check. Order from Chaos T-shirt…check. Camera…check. Camera woman…check. The camera woman that day was my girlfriend Allyson’s mom, Alyce. I took this picture of her while lying on the table. She usually doesn't have her arms crossed, and has a wonderful smile, but I caught her off guard with this one!



It was 10:00 in the morning. I went in and Clarice introduced me to Elliot and Katie, the two stylists who were now my partners in Mohawk raising crime. We cleared off a large table that was full of mannequin heads for me to lie upon, and we got started. It didn’t take long for a crowd to start gathering. There are a lot of students there, and I must say it was pretty nice lying down on a table that was waist high and surrounded by a bunch of beautiful women.






After about 3 hours of teasing, combing, spraying, flipping, hair drying, and 4 cans of hairspray, it finally looked ready. As I sat up, the applause came...and the Mohawk was erected! I remember Elliot stopped clapping and immediately came to adjust the Mohawk, as it was leaning to the side…a lot! However, it was standing, and we knew that next time we could make it stand straight.



It felt pretty weird. I constantly had a feeling like it was falling over, and it was throwing off my balance. I couldn’t help tilting my head to the right a little bit, so I was walking kind of funny. Katie measured the Mohawk, and it was just under 27 inches. Overall, it was a success, and now we all knew for sure that it could be done, and I could beat the record.



There was a couple things we learned from the trial run. First, we definitely needed a bigger, more sturdy piece of cardboard. We also needed to find a way to prop it up a bit. You can see in the picture of me lying on my side that my head is not straight, and that’s what made the Mohawk curved. We also learned that oil-based hairspray cannot be used, because it is too heavy. It must be water-based. Additionally, even though it took a lot of time and effort, we learned that it was a lot of fun to put up a Mohawk, and we all had a great time doing it!

Get a Haircut, and Get a Real Job. (Or at Least a Haircut).

The day before yesterday, (Friday), I went to Capitol and got my sides shaved and the hawk cut and cleaned up. Tuco tagged along, and he just happened to have a camera, so we took some pics! Ok, actually, I asked him to come along and take some pics. I got some plans fer this hawk, after all, and I want to document everything while it still sits upon my head.

I didn’t stand it up, but I had to thin it out, because I think I figured out a way to put it up without the huge boards, and in half the time. If it is thinner at the base, I think I can just lay down and have someone help brush it and put something a little more heavy duty than hairspray on the base, (not sure what yet), and then just lightly hairspray the top, so as not to make it too heavy. Hopefully I can get it done in under a half hour, because I want to start wearing it up more often. I also wanted to get it braided for when I don’t wear it up.
A very kind and beautiful woman named Octavia was my stylist, and she did an amazing job! She had her work cut out for her, too, because I let the sides and back go for months with no cut or trim. It was looking pretty nasty, check out this mop!
Tuco and I goofed around with Octavia and a few other stylists there while she was working away. We talked with a cool stylist named Brooke who just happened to get a Mohawk herself the day before.

Here's the results of Octavia's work:















Later on that night, we met up with Chad at the Sydney to check out the Filter Kings. They put on an excellent show! We didn’t have a camera for that, but here is a pic of them from another show.
If you haven’t seen them and get a chance to, I would highly recommend doing so.

Oh,I almost forgot. While I was at Capitol, I found out that an article was written about Capitol Schools and me in the May issue of Beauty Launchpad. I can see why, after all, I am a launchpad of beauty. (yea right!)
Anyway, they had a plaque of the article hung up by the door. Pretty cool!