SL Man

written and performed by

It's nine o'clock on a Sunday eve
the regular crowd's logging in
there's a nooby standing next to me
with a box fully rezzed on his chin

He says, "Hey, can you spare a few Lindens?
I'd like to buy some prim hair."
I felt so sorry for him I bought him some skin
'cause all of us once had been there

La, la, la, de de da
la la, de de da da da

Sing us a song you're the SL man
Sing us a song tonite
We're all in the mood for a melody
just make it about Second Life

Now Elwood, he's a friend of mine
we met at SLCC
He's logged in every night but he say's it's alright
'cause it's better than watching TV

He knows Second Life can be an addiction
one that's not easy to face
since you don't leave your house
and a click of your mouse
logs you right back into this place.

La, la, la, de de da
la la, de de da da da

Sing us a song you're the SL man
Sing us a song tonite
We're all in the mood for a melody
just make it about Second Life

Rocky was a single father
when he first found Second Life
and then one day he met Elseamae
and soon she'll become his wife

'Cause now they are living together
they no longer are alone
they once shared a world that is virtual
and now they are sharing a home

La, la, la, de de da
la la, de de da da da

Sing us a song you're the SL man
Sing us a song tonite
We're all in the mood for a melody
just make it about Second Life

It's a pretty good crowd for a Sunday eve
Liam and Chrissy IM me a smile
'cause they know that it's me you're all coming to see
to forget your real life for awhile

So I'll play you my songs about Second Life
while the lag makes us all move so slow
and I just want to say thanks for coming today.
That's something I thought you should now.

La, la, la, de de da
la la, de de da da da

Sing us a song you're the SL man
Sing us a song tonite
We're all in the mood for a melody
just make it about Second Life

Wasting Away in Second Life

written and performed by Niko Donburi

I'm logged on every weeknite
if I'm not it don't feel right
this virtual world is all that I need

Strumming my six string
earning Lindens while I sing
an original song or a parody

Wasting away the day in Second Life
searching through my vast inventory
some people claim that it is just a game
But it's not to you and me....

I don't know the reason
I find SL so pleasing
given the problems I have logging in

always dealing with updates
that give me nothing but headaches
I'm just glad that I don't own a sim

Wasting away the day in Second Life
searching through my vast inventory
some people claim that it is just a game
But it's not to you and me....

A surge blew up my desktop
so I've borrowed a laptop
I can barely log in
with this old Mac Book Pro.

But I'm not complaining
'cause it's entertaining
to see you all grey
and moving so slow

Wasting away the day in Second Life
searching through my vast inventory
some people claim that it is just a game
But it's not, to you and me....

Yes, some people claim that it is just a game
but it's not to you and me.

* * * *
Contrary to popular belief, I am not a Buffett fan in real life. That made parodying this song even more difficult as I had to listen to it a couple of dozen times to get the feel. Perhaps one of you Parrotheads out there can let me know how I did...

44 Lines about 22 Lindens

written and performed by Niko Donburi

Torley is the famous Linden
He's the one that does the blog
Robla works in management
He's just another Linden cog
Meta is the data cruncher
for the common metrics team
Poppy Linden finds the bugs
that cause us residents to scream

Pathfinder sends his snapshots
to his famous Flickr page
Mia rounds up volunteers
who do good work but don't get paid
Chiyo Linden is Japanese
we all call her Chiyo-chan
Colossus works with Jesse
keeping live music going strong

Brad is making Windlight
to turn the weather on and off
Bridie helps to fix the grid
when it starts to hack and cough
Elle is the French Linden
she's the one I'd like to meet
Blue Linden is famous
for the avatars that look so neat

He's also known as Cyan Linden
on the teen grid

Frontier's techy articles
I can never understand
Ginsu made the final call
on who or what got permabanned
Catherine's gift at marketing
helps Linden Lab stay in the press
Steve makes the SL Viewer
so Second Life will looks its best
Phoenix works on Open Source
for which he gets a lot of grief
Harry's making help search better
that should give us all relief
Cory's Linden Scripting Language
is what our world is based upon
but Philip Linden had the vision
so he's the one that ends this song

Thank you Lindens.
44 lines about 22 Lindens.

* * * *
After the success of "Dear Linden, Dear Linden" I noticed that there was a lot of animosity being expressed at my shows towards those that ran our virtual world. While some of it was certainly warranted, not all of it was. I wanted to write something that would thank the Lindens for all that they had done, and hopefully stall off them permabanning me from Second Life for my writing songs about them. I'm still here, so I guess it worked!!

The Linden

written and performed by Niko Donburi

On a warm summer's evening
on a train out of Chicago
I met up with a Linden
we were both too tired to sleep

So we took turns at trying
to sniff out someone's wi-fi
'til boredom overtook us
and he began to speak

He said, "You know, I've made living
being a grid monkey.
I helped debug the client
and the flexi-prim.
Phillip, he's a friend of mine,
and I know all his secrets
and if you promise not tell
I'll share some of them."

So I gave to him my promise
and he turned to his computer
found an unprotected node
and logged into Second Life
the lag was non-existent
and the rendering amazing
He said, "If you're going to play the game
you've got to use Windlight.

And you've got to know when to log in
know whom to IM
have a couple secret alts
and know which scripts to run.
Don't ever count your Lindens
while they're trading on the Lindex
they'll be time enough for counting
when the transfer's done.

Now every Linden knows
that if you want to turn a profit
make enough to pay your tier
and have a bunch to keep
you've got to buy land like Anshe
or peddle porn like Stroker
and the best job you can hope for
is with Electric Sheep."

And when he'd finished speaking,
he turned to his computer.
Logged out of Second Life
and put his laptop to sleep.
But just a few days later
that Linden, he was fired
for telling me them secrets
that I could not keep

You've got to know when to log in
know whom to IM
have a couple secret alts
and know which scripts to run.
Don't ever count your Lindens
while they're trading on the Lindex
they'll be time enough for counting
when the transfer's done.

Virtual Stranger

written and performed by Niko Donburi.

Karen had a lonely day
couldn't wait to put the kids to bed
all her troubles went away
when she logged in and became someone else instead
of who she was
or whom they wanted her to be.

In this new world, she was free.

But no one told her of the danger.
Nobody told her that the secrets she'd tell
Would be used by a virtual stranger
to break her real life heart as well.

Henry worked from one to nine
logged in as soon as he got home.
Barely gave his wife the time
couldn't wait until he was all alone
IMing
and staying up much too late

In this new life he was great.

But no one told him of the danger.
Nobody told him that the secrets he'd tell
Would be used by a virtual stranger
to break his real life heart as well.

What happens in your second life
should stay in your second life
but what happens if your second life
won't stay in your second life?

How can someone whose virtual
cause so much pain that is physical?
How can someone whose virtual
cause so much pain that is physical?


Nobody told me of the danger
Nobody told me that the secrets I'd tell
would be used by a virtual stranger
to break my real life heart as well.

* * * *

For what it is worth, this is my favorite of my SL songs. Like Living Virtually, it is an original, and touches somewhat on a similar theme of the power of a virtual life. This one, of course, takes a somewhat sadder view of what can happen when the bright line between the virtual and the real starts to dim.

All Souls Day Celebration: Sunday, Nov.2nd

All readers of this post are hereby cordially invited to attend an All Souls Day Celebration in Barcelona Sim beginning at 6:00 pm SL this coming Sunday. Music entertainment will be provided by yours truly, Niko Donburi. Please be advised that the event will be recorded for use in a machinima.

Interview with Sokmunky Rutabaga

[19:06] Niko Donburi: Hi, mind if I ask you a somewhat off-the-wall question?

[19:06] Sokmunky Rutabaga: HI! what's up?
[19:07] Sokmunky Rutabaga: I like questions.

[19:07] Niko Donburi: Why Rutabaga? Why did you select that for your last name in SL?

[19:08] Sokmunky Rutabaga: cause I like rutabagas. they're yummy. and it's fun to say.

[19:08] Sokmunky Rutabaga: and most people don't know what they are.

[19:09] Sokmunky Rutabaga: so my native name would be something like foot-covering-cuddly-toy tastes like yummy ground root, or something.
[19:10] Sokmunky Rutabaga: also, rutabagas containa compound that breaks down into cyanide. which is cool.

[19:10] Sokmunky Rutabaga grins

[19:10] Niko Donburi: lol

[19:11] Sokmunky Rutabaga: how's that for an answer?

[19:11] Niko Donburi: mind if I publish your response on my blog?

[19:11] Sokmunky Rutabaga: ok, as long as I can link it :)

Interview with Lina Lageos: ZeroG SkyDancer

Pursuant to her request, this interview has been removed.

Interview with Circe Broom: The Queen of Live Music

[19:57] Niko Donburi: Why did you chose Broom to be your last name in SL?

[19:58] Circe Broom: I'm a witch
[19:58] Circe Broom: and thought it funny

[19:58] Niko Donburi: were you a witch in RL before or in SL?

[19:58] Circe Broom: in RL before

[19:59] Niko Donburi: a wiccan?

[19:59] Circe Broom: yes, but my own kind.. just as with any religion, I dislike extremes

[20:00] Niko Donburi: not with a coven then?

[20:00] Circe Broom: I was solitary for years, then found folks up here in of like mind

[20:00] Circe Broom: and yes, but three of them moved away
[20:01] Circe Broom: and some of the spirit was lost..

[20:01] Niko Donburi: yes, the greater the number the greater the power

[20:01] Circe Broom: stuff happens
[20:01] Circe Broom: yes
[20:02] Circe Broom: we've done really fine stuff, I think.. and I think maybe I am alive right now because of our power...
[20:02] Circe Broom: and we have been a positive force in our neighborhood... are well regarded
[20:03] Niko Donburi: good

[20:03] Niko Donburi: mind if I quote you for the interview?
[20:04] Niko Donburi: I'll need a jpg or the one you just sent and any links you want your name linked to

[20:05] Circe Broom: ooh let me get a better one! My hair's a MESS LOL
[20:05] Circe Broom: LINKS ooh baby

[20:05] Niko Donburi: lo
l[20:05] Niko Donburi: nothing but the best here..!

[20:06] Niko Donburi: so, is that a yes?

[20:06] Circe Broom: YES

[20:06] Niko Donburi: lol

Interview with Xerses Goff:

[19:22] Niko Donburi: I was going to ask you, why did you chose Goff to be your last name in SL?

[19:23] Xerses Goff: lol, it was the last nome of a former footabll coach at my college.

[19:23] Niko Donburi: Can I quote you for my blog?

[19:24] Xerses Goff: sure.

[19:24] Niko Donburi: send me a jpg via nikodonburi@yahoo.com and any links you want linked to

[19:24] Xerses Goff: just doen't use my spelling, lol

[19:24] Niko Donburi: lol

Ever find yourself just a few Lindens short to buy something you want? Hate when that happens. Here's what I want to buy next, but only had L1141 left in the account after purchasing all the machinima apps. So, guess it's time to do another concert! :-)

Interview with Chrissy Cordeaux: Mistress of Barcelona

[18:58] Niko Donburi: (1) why did you chose Cordeaux to be your last name in SL?

[19:02] Chrissy Cordeaux: because I liked the way it sounded....It might sound silly, but I wanted my name to sound cute but sophisticated at the same time.

[19:04] Niko Donburi: mind if I post your response on my blog?

[19:04] Chrissy Cordeaux: sure, go ahead

Saw a tweet by Torley which had a tinyurl. Followed it to the above. Is that cool or what!

Thanks Torley!

Saw a tweet by Torley that gave a tinyurl. Followed it and found the above. Is that cool or what?

You must see

Interview with Chugabug Goodnight: Machinamist

[19:21] Niko Donburi: Hello, Miss Goodnight!

[19:21] chugabug Goodnight: Niko!,, how are you?

[19:22] Niko Donburi: Just checking out Nautilus after reading Radar's blog

[19:22] chugabug Goodnight: ah, cool.. his pics came out really good

[19:22] Niko Donburi: Yes
[19:23] Niko Donburi: I wanted to ask you a question or two, if it's okay

[19:23] chugabug Goodnight: sure

[19:23] Niko Donburi: first one... why did you choose Goodnight as you last name here in SL?

[19:25] chugabug Goodnight: I knew ppl would think of "chug a bug" as a drinking "connotation", so.. what do you do when you drink?... You wanna go "goodnight"!

[19:25] Niko Donburi: lol

[19:25] chugabug Goodnight: I do, any way
[19:25] chugabug Goodnight: lol
[19:26] chugabug Goodnight: and, chugabug has NOTHING to do with drinking
[19:26] chugabug Goodnight: #2?

[19:26] Niko Donburi: wait, since you opened the door I'm going to ask: what, then, does chugabug have to do with?

[19:26] chugabug Goodnight: haha
[19:27] chugabug Goodnight: curious?
[19:28] chugabug Goodnight: when I was a kid.. in a neighborhood game of football (co-ed) I could run the ball down the field, dodging everybody and my friends said "you can CHUG a ball down the field!" "cute as a bug in a rug". Make sense?

[19:29] Niko Donburi: lol

[19:30] chugabug Goodnight: true story

[19:31] Niko Donburi: want the second question?
[19:32] chugabug Goodnight: sure, if you wanna ask it

[19:33] Niko Donburi: every other person I've interviewed has at least SOMETHING in the "About" section on their profile.
[19:33] Niko Donburi: You have nothing.
[19:33] Niko Donburi: Why?
[19:33] Niko Donburi: Why nothing?

[19:34] chugabug Goodnight: Hmmm, good question

[19:35] Niko Donburi chuckles

[19:35] chugabug Goodnight: In my skype profile, my quote is "I've got nothing", and I guess that means I don't have much to say
[19:36] chugabug Goodnight: guess, I don't have much to say
[19:36] chugabug Goodnight: until you get to know me...[19:36] chugabug Goodnight darts her eyes up

[19:36] Niko Donburi smiles

[19:37] chugabug Goodnight: this for your blog?

[19:37] Niko Donburi: yes, and with your permission I'd like to post it.

[19:38] chugabug Goodnight: ah, cool

[19:38] Niko Donburi: so is it ok?

[19:38] chugabug Goodnight: it's ok, yes

[19:38] Niko Donburi grins

how :-) turns to :-( in five minutes

So, do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Good news: this morning I check my mail (nikodonburi at yahoo.com if you ever want to reach me) and my standing Google search reveals that someone has been talking about me. Not just an ordinary someone, but my friend, the famed podcaster Radar Masukami of SL Under the Radar. He did a post on his blog Reading Radar about me with a nice comment.


Bad news: I then go and click over to listen to his podcast. This is where it gets sad. SL Under the Radar is no more. The 39th episode is the last.

I can appreciate the need to change. If you've ever taken the time to start at the beginning of this blog and read through you will undoubtedly noted that I have taken some time off, had a bit of a career change, renewed my Second Life by spending some time off the computer and in the real world. But I've always come back. Let's hope Radar does the same.

How Stuff Works has a list of 59 famous people who died before 40. I note the following passed at 39:

56. Anna Nicole Smith (39)


57. Dennis Wilson (39)


58. Malcolm X (39)


59. Martin Luther King, Jr. (39)



I propose that we add the following: 60. SL Under the Radar (39th Episode)

machinima: svarga

This is the second composition from Music for Virtual Worlds. The footage is captured at my favorite sim, Svarga, a virtual ecosystem. A detailed description of Svarga with an interview of its creator, Laukosargas Svarog, can be found over at New World Notes.

Interview with Yxes Delacroix: SL Podcaster / SL TV Producer

[19:37] Niko Donburi: Why did you chose Delacroix to be your last name in SL?

[19:38] Yxes Delacroix: hehe i thought it looked good with Yxes. :)
[19:38] Yxes Delacroix: why do you ask?

[19:39] Niko Donburi: guess that makes me want to ask, why Yxes?

[19:40] Yxes Delacroix: cuz it is just sexY backwards! (and i never thought i would have to "say" either of them!! hehe)

[19:41] Niko Donburi: can I quote you in my interview series?

[19:41] Yxes Delacroix: why is that? why are you asking about my name?
[19:41] Yxes Delacroix: sure, you can quote me....

Machinima: Koryo

As those of you who routinely attend my in-world shows will now, in addition to my SL parodies and other originals I typically play a solo acoustic guitar composition sometime during the set, or more than one if the venue is appropriate it (such as Barcelona).

I'm in the process of compiling these into a machinima collection entitled Music for a Virtual World. Here is the first track, filmed in my corner of the virtual world: koryo.

Interview with Kaklick Martin: Live Music Performer

Considered one of the elders of the Second Life music scene, Bryan "ka-klick" Baker is a good friend to me and many others in SL. Be sure and check his regular Friday in-world show.


[2008/10/17 20:57] Niko Donburi: Why did you choose Martin as a last name?

[20:00] Kaklick Martin: Because it sounded good w/ Kaklick and it was a Guitar Maker's name. Sending you a time sensitive thing on Yahoo.

[20:25] Niko Donburi: Is it OK if I publish your comment on my blog?

[20:29] Kaklick Martin: which one? but yeah, probably

[20:29] Niko Donburi: the one about your lawt name

[20:30] Kaklick Martin: is that like a hawt last name?
[20:30] Kaklick Martin: lol
[20:30] Kaklick Martin: sure

Interview with Nethermind Bliss: Social Media Activist

Nethermind Bliss was the heart and soul of SLCC2007. Without her hard and thankless work, there would be no live music at the Convention. Example #1: SLCC2008.




[20:29] Niko Donburi: May I ask you a question?

[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: hi, Niko, long time no chat :)
[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: sure thing

[20:29] Niko Donburi: Why did you chose Bliss as your last name here in SL?

[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: interesting, and unexpected, question :)

[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: I chose it for two reasons
[20:30] Nethermind Bliss: because one, it was short, whereas Nethermind was a long name, so for linguistic reasons, it was musical in nature
[20:30] Nethermind Bliss: and two, because it's ultimately what most seek, by different definitions

[20:31] Niko Donburi: nice answer.

[20:31] Nethermind Bliss: what made you ask?

[20:31] Niko Donburi: May I quote you on my blog?

[20:31] Nethermind Bliss: absolutely
[20:31] Nethermind Bliss: I am as transparent as they come :)
[20:31] Niko Donburi: hehe

Interview with Nethermind Bliss:

[20:29] Niko Donburi: May I ask you a question?

[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: hi, Niko, long time no chat :)

[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: sure thing

[20:29] Niko Donburi: Why did you chose Bliss as your last name here in SL?

[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: interesting, and unexpected, question :)

[20:29] Nethermind Bliss: I chose it for two reasons

[20:30] Nethermind Bliss: because one, it was short, whereas Nethermind was a long name, so for linguistic reasons, it was musical in nature

[20:30] Nethermind Bliss: and two, because it's ultimately what most seek, by different definitions

[20:31] Niko Donburi: nice answer.

[20:31] Nethermind Bliss: what made you ask?

[20:31] Niko Donburi: May I quote you on my blog?

[20:31] Nethermind Bliss: absolutely

[20:31] Nethermind Bliss: I am as transparent as they come :)

[20:31] Niko Donburi: hehe

Interview with Haroldthe Burrel: SL Relay for Life Team Captain

[18:59] Niko Donburi: Why did you chose Burrel to be your last name in SL?

[18:59] Haroldthe Burrel: heya Niko
[18:59] Haroldthe Burrel: Genesis

[19:00] Niko Donburi: As in the Bible or the band?

[19:00] Haroldthe Burrel: i came here from Mystonline, and my name there was Watcheroftheskies

[19:01] Niko Donburi: So you are a transient from another world

[19:01] Haroldthe Burrel: nope, really like Peter gabriel. lol

[19:01] Niko Donburi: lol
[19:01] Niko Donburi: mind if I quote you on my blog?

[19:01] Haroldthe Burrel: not at all

Interview with Serenity Brezoianu: Music Afficionado

Serenity is someone I met at a show. We've IMd a few times we've seen each other on and I always enjoy having her in the audience. By her profile uou can just tell she's a deep person:

We build walls. We wear a mask pretending to be what we aren't. We build the wall around us so high that people can't really know us. We are afraid of truth. We run as far as we can from it.
Then, there is the other side! A small part just wants to be heard, to be who you really should be. Fear keeps you from it all. Fear, I think is one of the most intense feelings. Fear. Fear keeps you from being the friend you could be. If you shared that ... you just don't know.



[18:37] Niko Donburi: Why did you choose Brezoianu as your last name in SL?

[18:38] Serenity Brezoianu: =) because it sounded weird =)

[18:38] Niko Donburi: lol

[18:38] Serenity Brezoianu: and it has lots of vowels

[18:38] Niko Donburi: why the vowels?
[18:39] Niko Donburi: why did that attract you to the name?

[18:39] Serenity Brezoianu: not ordinary... and at the time i didn't want to be ordinary ...

[18:39] Niko Donburi: and now?

[18:41] Serenity Brezoianu: now... the name fits... just different... I am described by someone I met here that I date now as Quirky =)

[18:42] Niko Donburi grins. You are.
[18:42] Niko Donburi: lol

[18:42] Serenity Brezoianu: =)

[18:42] Niko Donburi: mind if I quote you on my blog?

[18:43] Serenity Brezoianu: lol yes it's fine =)

Interview with Rocky Merosi: SL DJ

Rocky is one of my closest friends in Second Life. More about him later!

[18:32] Rocky Merosi: WOO
[18:32] Rocky Merosi: lol you are on

[18:32] Niko Donburi: hey, a question
[18:32] Niko Donburi: why did you choose Merosi as your last name in SL?

[18:33] Rocky Merosi: complete randomness :P

[18:33] Niko Donburi: lol
[18:33] Niko Donburi: why doesn't that surprise me?

[18:34] Rocky Merosi: Hey I am a random sorta person lol
[18:34] Niko Donburi: can I post your response to my blog?

[18:34] Rocky Merosi: sure lol

Now available: Live at the Cafe in Barcelona

Live at the Cafe

Been going through Niko withdrawal for the past month or so? I've been working on a new music video collection, Music for a Virtual World, which is busy consuming my free time. I've also been updating my blog and related sites so be sure and look around.

So that you won't suffer too much, I've edited down and uploaded a live show to my last.fm site. It's one big mp3 file and contains all the usual between song chatter I often indulge in. All songs are originals and subject to the usual license arrangement elsewhere in the site. Feel free to listen to the stream or download it to your iPod or play any of the songs on your podcast. The lineup is just under an hour in length.

Here's the song lineup:

1. Dear Linden, Dear Linden
2. Living Virtually
3. Naive Mind
4. God Doesn't Care
5. Virtual Strangers
6. Won't Be Home Tonite
7. Escape (The Second Life Song)
8. Christmas Cake
9. Second Life (That's Where I Want to Be)
10. Dearly Beloved
11. The Next Gone
12. My Favorite Things (About Second Life)
13. It's the End of the World (In Second Life)
    

As many of you know, The Cafe in the Barcelona Sim is one of my favorite venues. Rendered in brick-for-brick detail of the central plaza in Barcelona, it is a hub of the international live music scene. I'm planning on recording a video there on the new album.

There are four kinds of people in the world:

1. Those who read books.
2. Those who write books.
3. Those who sell books.
4. Those who ignore books.
   

Which are you?

Niko Donburi SL Satirist

Niko Donburi SL Satirist, originally uploaded by Paisley Beebe.

Check this out. Found it while running a flickr search on myself. Paisley Beebe rocks. Check out her Tonite Live! I need to remind myself to give her an IM to see if I can come back on when my new mp3 collection is release, "Dancing with Lindens"

Interview with Savanah Markova

[2008/10/18 20:19] Niko Donburi: can I ask you a question?

[2008/10/18 20:19] Savanah Markova: yeah sure
[2008/10/18 20:21] Savanah Markova: what's up?

[2008/10/18 20:22] Niko Donburi: why did you chose Markova as your last name?

[2008/10/18 20:23] Savanah Markova: lol
[2008/10/18 20:23] Savanah Markova: I liked it the most out of the available options
[2008/10/18 20:23] Savanah Markova: why do you ask?

[2008/10/18 20:24] Niko Donburi: can I post your response to my blog in my interview?
[2008/10/18 20:24] Niko Donburi: I"ll need you to email me a great jpg of yourself and any link
you want people sent to

[2008/10/18 20:24] Savanah Markova: what?
[2008/10/18 20:24] Savanah Markova: why?
[2008/10/18 20:24] Savanah Markova: for what>?
[2008/10/18 20:24] Savanah Markova: lol

[2008/10/18 20:25] Niko Donburi: I am doing a series of iterviews of people I know in SL
[2008/10/18 20:25] Niko Donburi: asking them why their last name was chosen
[2008/10/18 20:26] Niko Donburi: why "markova" and not "miller" or something else

[2008/10/18 20:26] Savanah Markova: I see

[2008/10/18 20:27] Niko Donburi: so...
[2008/10/18 20:27] Niko Donburi: can I?

[2008/10/18 20:27] Savanah Markova: idk
[2008/10/18 20:27] Savanah Markova: lol

[2008/10/18 20:27] Niko Donburi: please
[2008/10/18 20:27] Niko Donburi: post to the site
[2008/10/18 20:27] Niko Donburi: ?

[2008/10/18 20:28] Savanah Markova: I'll think about it?

[2008/10/18 20:28] Niko Donburi: you'll be listed as the one who got away
[2008/10/18 20:29] Niko Donburi: :-)

[18:20] Savanah Markova: (Saved Sat Oct 18 22:35:37 2008) yeah go ahead and post it

Interview with Flameheart Sol - Proprietress of the House of Flames

[2008/10/17 21:05] Niko Donburi: Why did you choose "Sol" as your SL last name?

[2008/10/18 9:01] Flameheart Sol: Hey there handsome...how are you???? What a question :). I chose it because it is Spanish for sun, and I am full of fire and passion (redheaded, Sicilian, Leo). I had no idea what my first name should be, but once Sol was chosen, Flameheart was the first thing that came to mond. Funny thing is that now I am also called Flameheart in real life. The name muist fit :). What is going on wtih you????

[2008/10/18 9:03] Niko Donburi: I'm well, thanks. Thanks also for the info. Can I quote you on my blog?

[2008/10/18 19:42] Flameheart Sol: sure you can quote me :)

Interview with Katronix Serf: Podiobook Producer and Podcaster

[19:43] Niko Donburi: Why did you choose "Serf" as your last name?

[19:44] Katronix Serf: dunno, it was just one of the options, when I joined :-)
[19:45] Katronix Serf: why?

[19:47] Niko Donburi: But why THAT one and not, say, Donburi or something else?

[19:48] Katronix Serf: honestly don't know... I don't even recall if back then we had a choice of last name

[19:48] Niko Donburi: Yeah, there was a selection screen. We are similar in rez day
[19:49] Niko Donburi: I'm doing an interview of people in SL asking them why they chose that particular last name.

[19:49] Katronix Serf: oh ok.... sorry I don't know... I probably picked the default it chose for me

[19:49] Niko Donburi: You can read the results on my blog at http://www.nikodonburi.com/
[19:49] Niko Donburi: You are the first to either have just randomnly chose one or doesn't want to tell me!
[19:49] Niko Donburi: lol

[19:49] Katronix Serf: lol

[19:50] Niko Donburi: can I quote this chat as your interview on the blog? I will also upload a photo of you and a weblink to whereever you want it to go.
[19:50] Niko Donburi: Also, are you still podcasting?

[19:50] Katronix Serf: sure
[19:51] Katronix Serf: I am still podcasting, but not under my SL name anymore

[19:51] Niko Donburi: you have the coolest SL name, IMHO, why not use it?

[19:51] Katronix Serf: lol thanks

[19:51] Niko Donburi: BTW, how did you come up with Katronix? THAT wasn't on the list!@

[19:52] Katronix Serf: well, my RL name is so incredibly common, I wanted something that isn't common. So I threw letters together :-)

[19:52] Niko Donburi: Damn, that's cool.
[19:52] Niko Donburi: Can I quote that?

[19:52] Katronix Serf: sure

[19:53] Niko Donburi cuts and pastes into his blog post before Kat changes its mind.

Interview: Kira Finn

[2008/10/17 20:35] Niko Donburi: Hey, why did you choose "Finn" as a last name

Kira Finn: (Saved Sat Oct 18 19:33:40 2008) Well....I loved the name Kira even before I knew anything about SL. If I had a daughter that would of been her name. So when I signed into SL I knew I wanted that name and Finn seemed to just fit.

[19:42] Kira Finn: (Saved Sat Oct 18 19:34:10 2008) Can I ask why you are asking?
[19:43] Niko Donburi: Can I post your response as part of my interview of my favorite people in Second Life?
[19:43] Kira Finn: Sure
[19:43] Kira Finn: I'm one of your favorite people in SL?
[19:43] Niko Donburi shakes his head and rolls his eyes
[19:43] Kira Finn: lol

Hey, let go of that Ego Surf

While learning to use Technorati!, I ran across this post by Poppy Linden referencing "44 Lines about 22 Lindens" (you remember: Poppy Linden finds the bugs that cause us residents to scream). He found whilst ego-surfing himself. I found it by doing the same. Guess it's one ego strokin' another, eh?

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Interview with Phoenixa Sol: SL Dancer

[9:01] Phoenixa Sol: hiya, hope all is going great!
[9:02] Niko Donburi: Hi! A question for you: why did you choose your last name to be "Sol" ?
[9:03] Phoenixa Sol: phoenix... firey. Sol... sunshine. (and also, I live in San Fran bay area, and most of the names in that time frame were streets of san fran, which I flat out REFUSED to have
[9:03] Phoenixa Sol: Sol also because spoken could be swapped as "soul"
[9:03] Niko Donburi: lol
[9:03] Phoenixa Sol: i dance from the core of my soul
[9:04] Niko Donburi: is it okay for me to quote you on my blog on how you derived your name?
[9:04] Phoenixa Sol: sure, make sure you say that "Phoenix" was already taken, so I created Phoenixa by adding the A

Interview with Durzle Darkstone: Virtual DJ

[20:47] Niko Donburi: Why did you choose Darkstone as your SL last name?
[20:48] Durzle Darkstone: It was mysterious
[20:48] Durzle Darkstone: grins
[20:48] Durzle Darkstone: and went exceptionally well with Durzle
[20:48] Niko Donburi: lol; mind if I quote you?
[20:49] Durzle Darkstone: depends
[20:49] Niko Donburi: upon?
[20:49] Durzle Darkstone: why? and to whom?
[20:49] Durzle Darkstone: what's the context
[20:49] Durzle Darkstone: LOL
[20:49] Niko Donburi: on my blog I am posting the response to all my friends in SL on why they chose their last name
[20:49] Niko Donburi: the story
[20:49] Durzle Darkstone: sure
[20:50] Niko Donburi: send me a SL photo of yoruself, a link or slyrl
[20:50] Niko Donburi: slurl
[20:50] Niko Donburi: it is okay to publish?
[20:50] Durzle Darkstone: how many responses have you gotten?
[20:50] Niko Donburi: two up so far
[20:50] Niko Donburi: www.nikoburi.com
[20:50] Niko Donburi: www.nikodonburi.com
[20:51] Durzle Darkstone: lol
[20:51] Durzle Darkstone: ok, you been drinking?
[20:51] Durzle Darkstone: what's the story behind it?
[20:52] Niko Donburi: just thought it would be something cool, all the neat people I know in Sl. That's why you are among the first asked
[20:52] Durzle Darkstone: how bout you?
[20:52] Niko Donburi: My last name?
[20:53] Durzle Darkstone: nods
[20:53] Niko Donburi: Donburi is a rice dish in Japan.
[20:53] Niko Donburi: Oyako Donburi is chicken and egg on rice
[20:53] Niko Donburi: Quite good. Incidently, it means "Mother and Child" on Rice
[20:54] Niko Donburi: Nikko means smile in japanese
[20:54] Durzle Darkstone: shehs
[20:54] Niko Donburi: I shortened it to Niko for spelling
[20:54] Durzle Darkstone: deep thoughts
[20:54] Durzle Darkstone: that's great
[20:54] Niko Donburi: so, can I post it?
[20:54] Durzle Darkstone: I came up with mine so quick
[20:54] Durzle Darkstone: and loved it
[20:54] Durzle Darkstone: nods, sure

Interview with Elwood Abernathy: Virtual Landlord of Thousand Palms

[20:42] Niko Donburi: why did you choose "Abernathy" to be your last name in SL?

[20:42] Elwood Abernathy: only because it was at the top of the list, the first one there

[20:42] Elwood Abernathy: i never looked down the list

[20:42] Elwood Abernathy: and Elwood is my fahters middle name
[20:43] Elwood Abernathy: i did not expect to stay
[20:43] Elwood Abernathy: i was going to sign up see what the hype was and then leave
[20:43] Elwood Abernathy: and then in one week i met like 10 different people and had to stay to see them lol

[20:43] Elwood Abernathy: and here i am

[20:44] Niko Donburi: wow

[20:44] Elwood Abernathy: with no where to go

[20:44] Niko Donburi: 3 years later

[20:44] Elwood Abernathy: almost
[20:44] Elwood Abernathy: we are old timers now

[20:44] Niko Donburi: Can I quote you on my blog?

[20:44] Elwood Abernathy: lol
[20:44] Elwood Abernathy: sure

[20:44] Niko Donburi: cool
[20:44] Niko Donburi: feel free to send me a link to a site or something if you want it linked

[20:44] Elwood Abernathy: ok

Interview with Esch Snoats: Artropolis

[20:35] Niko Donburi: Hey, why did you choose "Snoats" as a last name
[20:36] Esch Snoats: I was trying to find a name that sounds like someone clearing their nose when they spoke.. My av looks like someone who speaks with this snooty nasally voice, so "Snoats" sounded good that way :P
[20:36] Niko Donburi: are you serious?
[20:36] Esch Snoats: Yeah :P
[20:37] Esch Snoats: Say my av's name out loud with a snooty nasally voice
[20:38] Niko Donburi: can I quote you on how you chose your name?
[20:38] Esch Snoats: lol sure

Blog alert: A N00b's Progress

Blogger & SLPhotographer Lelani Carver posted a nice entry on A N00b's Progress . Her posts have a definite Asian-vibe, which is really cool. I'll have to remember to play her "Christmas Cake" and some of my other songs from my time in Japan and Indonesia.

Now I have to just figure out how to get on her Flickr page like Maxamillion!

Check out these podcasts!

Since my foray into the wild world of Podsafe Music, I've gotten notices that two podcasts thus far have played some of my SL parodies:

Atlantic Wave Radio out of the UK and Virtual Yooper out of Michigan. His blog is worth checking out, particularly if you ever dreamt of moving up, up and away or ever wanted to be an EMT!

Niko + Podcast = More Listeners?

While all of my songs have been Creative Commons licensed, I took a few minutes and uploaded a few of them to the Podsafe Music Network for those podcasters amongst you. Two of my new songs, The Linden and Virtual Strangers are uploaded for your listening pleasure. Here's the link.

ASD 1 year anniversary show: Sun 9/14 @ 1:30 pm SL

Yes, it's been TOO LONG since I've had a show in SL. The last one being the Music Isle show--which does make for good watching on your iPod, btw.

But whenever I get a chance to perform at ASD Studios, I'm taking it. So mark your calendars, fire up your recording devices and get ready for an hour of SL parodies, audience participation and as much virtual fun as your internet connection can stream.

Drop me an email or IM in-world if you aren't in the group and I'll get you a slurl or TP.

SLCN - Music Arts on the Isle

Always wondered what a Niko Donburi performance was like? Short of logging into Second Life, take a look at this week's episode of JeuL Resistance's Music Arts On the Isle, a weekly videocast from the Second Life Cable Network, where I perform a half hour or so set of SL parodies including the debut performance of Wasting Away the Day (in Second Life), an SL parody of the Buffett classic.

Thanks to all who logged in just for the show. It was good to see you on so late!

It's official: Niko for President

Evidently only viewable with IE. In the words of Liam Serf, guess that makes me a "single platform" candidate:

The Niko Donburi Fan Club

As do most performers in SL, I have a fan club. Members of this group have given me one of their coveted 25 group slots so that they can get notices of my shows. There is no higher compliment in SL than that. To all of you, thank you very much. I truly appreciate it Ace Clellon, Anjali Lebed, Austin Shepherd, Avalon Chevalier, BD Gilmour, Calypso Monentes, Caroline Fierrens, Chrissy Cordeaux, Christina Guffroy, chugabug Goodnight, cinnamon Daniels, Clever Darcy, Diomy Takakura, Douglas Rishmal, Drizael Doobie, Durzle Darkstone, Eeyore Anza, Elseamae Daviau, Elwood Abernathy, Esch Snoats, Ethan Oxbar, Evan Drake, Flameheart Sol, fmires Brun, Friesian Steuben, Fritzees Fizzle, Gando Thurston, Gomem Desoto, Grave Darkstone, Haffa Gaffer, Harmony Patel, Heidi Okelly, Hunter Maltese, Irelyn Christensen, Jaxom Winger, JohnF Munro, Jovana Qinan, jukeboxxx88 Writer, Kaisolin Woonona, Kaklick Martin, Katronix Serf, Kayleigh Cordeaux, Kikoto Takaaki, Kira Finn, Kronos Kirkorian, Kyla Marshall, Kylynn Kemsley, MarkusMatthew Jonesford, Memzie Sideways, Olive Blachere, Penelope Ofeq, Priya Dollinger, Prometheus Windang, Pukk Abel, Radar Masukami, Robin Dale, Rocky Merosi, Sayuri Collas, Serenity Brezoianu, Silver Claymore, Simeon Kondor, Splotch Bloch, Susie Aleixandre, Talia Rosher, Tux DeCuir, Valerian Romeo, Xerses Goff, Yummie Olsen and Zena Karas.

something amazing

My good friend BZ sent this to me. He was pretty amazed by it, as was I.
I modified it slightly to remove the names. The photo on the left is of the flowers he is speaking about....

Dear family and friends...

Today marks the 1-year anniversary of the death of my mother-in-law. She was an amazing person in many ways, and she is greatly missed by all who knew her. I wanted to share with all of you something I believe is a special sign from her that all is well and that she's watching over us.

My wife and I have lived in our house for 17 years, and every year the space on the East side of the house would get overgrown with nasty, thick weeds. This year I was going to get the strongest weed killer I could find and spray that whole area, but for some reason I just haven't made the time to do so.

Two nights ago as I was messing with the grill, trying to get it lit, I happened to look back at the already overgrown weed patch and couldn't believe what I saw.

There in the middle of all that ugliness was a beautiful bunch of daisies!

Again, we've never had anything but ugly weeds back there, and here on this sad anniversary date we were treated to this amazing sight!... By the way, can you all guess what my mother-in-law's favorite flower was?...

(TM)? We don't need no stinkin' (TM)!

Just got an email from Vint Falken notifying me that my new verse for Dear Linden, Dear Linden was chosen to share in the grand prize for the L10,000 Bounty for Best Trademark Parodies with Kanomi's The Tiny Dancing (R) Brand Center. Vint organized the contest in lieu of going on strike, as some other well-known bloggers have done. If I get some time this weekend I'll record the new version and get a link out to all members of the fan club---and post one to Vint's blog as well.

I'd best be transferring that L5,000 before LL gets word of my success... ;-)

Will the fun NEVER end?

In light of the new trademark and copyright issues being enforced by those that run the virtual world "formally known as Second Life" (see Gwyneth Llewelyn's excellent summary of the issue), a new verse for Dear Linden, Dear Linden seemed fitting:


Dear Linden, Dear Linden,
I just don't understand
The new terms of service
About using your brand.
Registered trademarks
And copyright signs,
Must I use them all of the time?
Signed, a blogger

Blogger,Dear blogger
We hear what you say
And at Linden Lab (R)
We don't like things this way
But our lawyers insist
That it must be done
We sincerely hope it won't ruin your fun
Signed, a Linden (TM)

No more calendar :-(

If you haven't noticed, I dumped the web-based calendar system I was using to post gig info. This one was always out of date. Just check my in-world profile for a listing of upcoming shows....

SLUnder the Radar - #26: The Linden

Check out the newest episodes of SL Under the Radar podcast to hear the latest SL parody: The Linden (with all apologies to Kenny Rogers & Company's "The Gambler").

Just a note: all members of the in-world "Niko Donburi Fan Club" received an mp3 download a few weeks ago so log in and sign up!

something sad

Someone sent me this photo, along with a whole bunch of others who are heavily tattooed, pierced, scarred and otherwise voluntarily mangled. This one, however, is the one that caught my attention the most.

What happened to this person during the course of his or her life to cause them to wind up this way? At one time this was a little infant child, helpless and dependent upon the world. Cute and precious beyond anything. And now?

There is much sadness in these eyes. Just look for it. Beyond the piercings, the cuttings, colorings and distortions. Look in his eyes.

something funny

According to the newspaper article, a man named John Beahan sent them this:

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidently left out one letter in her e-mail address and, without realizing his error, sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who had had a heart attack and died. The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends.

After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room and saw the computer screen, which read:

TO: My Loving Wife

Subject: I've Arrived

Date: October 16, 2004

I know you are surprised to hear from me.

They have computers here now and you

are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones.

I've just arrived and have been checking in.

I see that everything has been prepared for your

arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then!

Hope your jouney is an uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!

So I Married An Avatar.... part 2

Last month Business Week ran an article "So I Married An Avatar" to which I posted a list of the top 10 reasons why a virtual wedding was better than a real life wedding (or something to that effect.) Evidently it wasn't as funny as I thought because it wasn't posted to the comments section NOR did anyone on the SLEducators listserv even comment.

Then, much to my surprise I received an email from one of the editors late one Friday afternoon asking to use my comment in a new section "Featured Readers Comments" and requesting a photograph. Unfortunately I didn't get the email until after the deadline had run, but evidently that didn't matter as a few days later I found myself--er, my virtual self--as one of the Featured Readers. Here's the link.

Contrary to my wife, I am NOT lame. Yeah to Business Week!

Second CD?

Rumors of a second Niko Donburi CD are... TRUE! Yes, I am working on a follow-up to my first CD, Tales from the Grid, which debuted at SLCC2007. While I am not sure if I will be performing live at SLCC2008 in Tampa (check out their new site) in person like last year's Chicago show, I'll certainly be there virtually--if they'll have me!

If you've been to a show in the past few weeks, you've heard some of the new ones: Virtual Stranger, 44 Lines about 22 Lindens, Should I log in or should I go now, The Linden, and most recently, SL Man. I be firing up the recording studio in over the summer and will start circulating demos to my group members so join up if you haven't already.

Meanwhile, I'm soliciting names. Thus far suggestions include: Tales from the Grid 2.0 and More Tales from the Grid.

So I Married an Avatar...

Having just read the article on the Business Week's website ("So I Married an Avatar"), I couldn't help but make a list of

The top 10 "best things" about a Second Life wedding

(10) No rubber chicken dinners;

(9) Virtual wedding gifts are cheap;

(8) The bridesmaid's don't have to worry about looking fat in their bridesmaid's outfits;

(7) If you don't want to attend you can blame it on your internet provider;

(6) If a guest gets drunk and obnoxious you can mute him/her/it;

(5) If the bride spills red wine on her dress it can be removed with a click of the mouse;

(4) no need to invite that aunt you don't like 'cause she ain't got broadband;

(3) you can play solitaire during the speeches;

(2) everyone looks good dancing;


and the #1 "best thing" about a Second Life wedding....




(1) the honeymoon suite is just a click of the mouse away!

Free - Niko Donburi Ringtones!

Found this website via Sonic Bids which allowed me to make some ringtones for you. They're free so you have NO excuse for not having the chorus of Dear Linden, Dear Linden or Escape - the Second Life song ring when your sweetheart calls.

More from Niko Donburi at Myxer

* * *

More from Niko Donburi at Myxer

Black is the Colour

What follows comes from watching too much YouTube. Tuesday evening as I was cleaning the studio I had YouTube up and was running through some of my favorite clips. Two in particular, Johnny Cash's searing rendition of Trent Reznor's Hurt and the Holohan Sister's version of Black is the Colour of My True Love's Hair some how got mashed up in my brain while I was sleeping. The next morning I tuned to DADGAD, a notorious Celtic guitar tuning, and came up with my version called Black is the Colour. A click on the song title should bring you to the song on last.fm.

In case you aren't familiar with the song, it is a traditional Scottish Song which somehow found its way to the Southern Appalachians. It was originally about a woman whose lover had failed to return from sea but I have changed the gender of the narrator given I'm the one singing it. Us guys can mourn too, you know....

(My version) of the lyrics:

Black is the colour of my true love's hair.

Her face is like some rosy fair,

The prettiest face and the neatest hands,

I love the ground whereon she stands.

I love my love and well she knows,

I love the ground whereon she goes,

If you no more on earth I see,

I can't serve you as you have me.

The winter's passed and the leaves are green,

The time is passed that we have seen,

But still I hope the time will come

When you and I shall be as one.

I go to the Clyde* for to mourn and weep,

But satisfied I never could sleep.

I'll write to you a few short lines,

I'll suffer death ten thousand times.

Black is the colour.

_ _ _ _

* In case you were wondering, the Clyde is a "a river of southwest Scotland flowing about 171 km (106 mi) northwest to the Firth of Clyde, an estuary of the North Channel. The river is navigable to Glasgow for oceangoing vessels." See here.

SL Under the Radar Episode #22

Radar was kind enough to chat abit about 44 lines about 22 Lindens in this recent episode which is fitting given that he interviewed Cogsworth Linden. Do yourself a favor and check out one of SL's best podcasters--you know it is good when Crap Mariner is a fan.

A Public Thank You to LL

Over the past year and a half I've admittedly done more than my share of complaining about Second Life and its troubles. Before the year ended, it was my goal to write a song giving "thanks" to all of the Lindens that make Second Life possible. Despite my grumbing and poking fun at you in song, I do appreciate all of your hard work.

At the same time, I got to wondering about who the "Lindens" are, what they do, etc. Thanks to Google, I stumbled upon the Second Life wiki article about Linden Lab employees which yielded enough information for the following creation:

44 Lines about 22 Lindens

Torley is the famous Linden
He's the one that does the blog
Robla works in management
He's just another Linden cog
Meta is the data cruncher
for the common metrics team
Poppy Linden finds the bugs
that cause us residents to scream

Pathfinder sends his snapshots
to his famous Flickr page
Mia rounds up volunteers
who do good work but don't get paid
Chiyo Linden is Japanese
we all call her Chiyo-chan
Colossus works with Jesse
keeping live music going strong

Brad is making Windlight
to turn the weather on and off
Bridie helps to fix the grid
when it starts to hack and cough
Elle is the french Linden
she's the one I'd like to meet
Blue Linden is famous
for the avatars that look so neat

He's also known as Cyan Linden
on the teen grid

Frontier's techy articles
I can never understand
Ginsu made the final call
on who or what got permabanned
Catherine's gift at marketing
helps Linden Lab stay in the press
Steve makes the SL Viewer
so Second Life will looks its best
Phoenix works on open source
for which he gets a lot of grief
Harry's making help search better
that should give us all relief
Cory's Linden Scripting Language
is what our world is based upon
but Philip Linden had the vision
so he's the one that ends this song

Thank you Lindens.
44 lines about 22 Lindens.

something funny

Received via e-mail, original author unknown:

A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York City two days before Christmas.

'I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing,' he says. 'Forty-five years is enough.'

'Pop, what are you talking about?' the son screams.

'We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,' the father says. 'I'm sick of talking about this, soyou call your sister in Chicago and tell her.'

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.

'Like heck they're getting divorced,' she shouts. 'I'll take care of this!'

She calls her parents immediately, and screams at her father, 'You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing!'

The father hangs up his phone and turns to his wife.

'OK,' he says; "the kids are coming for Christmas and paying their own way.'

Open Letter to Readers of ontohollywood

From a post to the Music Dev list, I learned that there is an interest be YouTube performers about coming into SL to perform. I posted the following to the ontohollywood blog and am reposting it here:

As a member of the live music community of Second Life, I'd like to welcome all you readers to come into Second Life and check things out. It's a great place to catch a gig, make some friends or do just about everything that you can imagine.

It is also provides a wonderful opportunity for those of you looking for a place to perform YOUR original music, as long as you keep the following in mind:

(1) Second Life itself is pretty CPU and Graphics card intensive. Adding audio capture and streaming software to the mix will push your system to its limits, not to mention your broadband connection.

(2) Don't expect to learn Second Life AND performing in Second Life in the same day, or even the same week. It is going to take you a while to learn how to get around, communicate, find shows, listen to audio, rez something, search your inventory, buy stuff, etc. You HAVE to learn how to do all of that before you can even be in a position to consider live performing. My advice: get a SL account and spent a few weeks checking out gigs. You'll not only learn how to operate in SL, but you can get an idea of the venues that are available, meet some performers and make a determination as to whether or not SL is for you.

(3) Learning to stream audio is not as simple as "plug-n-play." After you get comfortable in SL and have settled on a virtual instrument to play, head over to one of the open mics that cater to new performers and introduce yourself. They can direct you as to which streaming application you should use and will walk you through the steps of accessing the stream, setting levels, etc. You are going to have to be able to juggle two or three different activities while performing. It's not hard, but does take a while to learn.

(4) Forget making any money in SL, at least at the beginning. No one is going to pay you to play if you don't know what you are doing, are an "unknown" in SL and don't have a following. Play for tips only. It will not only get you more gigs, but it will quickly give you some feedback as to whether or not performing in SL is for you. Think of it as virtual busking.

(5) Contrary to what you may think, SL is not a game to us residents. It is a place. We make friends, enemies, lovers; earn an income and spend a lot of time (and money!). There is a social protocol that is expected to be followed (e.g. use "/" before your typed chat at a gig) and an understood vocabulary. Behind every avatar is another human, some more fragile than others. Yes, there are some assholes in SL. There are also some of the finest people I have ever met. Please be one of the latter, and not the former.

(6) Audiences in SL prefer original music.

Feel free to email me and/or IM me if you make it in-world.

Best of luck,

Niko Donburi - The "Weird Al" of Second Life
www.nikodonburi.com

Slusic & a new look!

I blink and another week or two slips by without me getting the chance to update the blog with the latest happening. Here are some of the highlights:

-- A new service has arisen which caters to SL music performers and fans: Slusic. Two of my CD's worth of music (Tales from the Grid and God doesn't care) are available for streaming. I'm nowhere near getting into the top 10 of songs played, but with your help who knows!... :-)
Click here to go to Niko Donburi's Slusic page

-- After a show on 10/20 I was interviewed by an SLCN reporter(Second Life Cable Network) for a new spot focusing on the SL live music scene. More details to follow...

-- More time in the studio has definitely paid off with not one or two but three new SL songs: "44 Lines About 22 Lindens," "Should I Stay or Should I Log In?" and "Virtual Stranger." While none of them have yet been uploaded for your listening pleasure, I am playing them at my gigs...

-- You can catch my show twice a month at the fine ASD Studios Hollywood sim where I've somehow convinced them to give me a two hour time slot rather than the standard one hour. This not only gives you the listener more time to satisfy your craving for an extra serving of Donburi (hehe nihongo no joudan) but also gives me more time to slow the pace down, add a couple more covers and a lot more originals. Check out the photo above for my latest performance sans hair!

Niko on Tonite Live!

Come early to the set of the Second Life Cable Network's Tonite Live! with Paisley Beebe as it is going to be a packed sim. I'm this week's musical guest and will be interviewed post-performance by Paisley. Click here for a slurl to the show where you can watch it live. The show is also being streamed live in-world, so tune it in. It begins at 6 pm SL on Sun 10/7.

The show will be uploaded to the Tonite Live! website post-premiere so I'll get a link here in the next day or so as well.

Other guests include:

Upo Choche - Artistic Director - who will share how the Act Up Theater group brings 'live' theater to SL and Setori Spire - Metabrand Developer - who speciallizes in the conceptualization, design and development of Metabrands within the SL Metaverse.

OK, I'm outing myself right here before you read it in the Second Life Insider, Second Life Herald or one of the other SL rags....

My show at the Plus sim opening will NOT be live. I am lipsynching the entire event. Actually, since SL lacks any ability to move lips (see Kronos' Lip Flap for more on this), I am not even able to lip synch. I am just going to be standing there, strumming my guitar whilst a German DJ plays my mp3s.

You are no doubt wondering how I went from being the "Weird Al" of Second Life to the Milli Vanilli almost overnight. I am as well.

Just Saturday evening I was rocking out the House of Flame's, raking in the Lindens and now, Monday afternoon at 11:30 am SL I'll be perched on the back of a semi trailer pseudo-lip synching to my OWN tunes at the opening of what appears to be a German Home Depo type store.

What's even worse is that I am doing the whole thing for nothing. Not a Linden. I thought I was going to be playing live so I went and got a nice 100 connect stream, started plugging phrases into Babelfish to have a bit of German patter between songs (don't want to make that infamous Kennedy gaff!) only to find out that they DON'T want me "live" live.

Why did I volunteer to do the show in the first place? Well, it was my understanding that this would be a bit of SL history.... The people behind the scenes will be broadcasting the event from Second Life to the real world via their lifecrawler application. At least, that's what I think is what should be happening. Babelfish translations can only get me so far!

If you are in-world, here is a slurl: http://www.slurl.com/secondlife/plus/288/139/31

Log into the DJ's (slr2) stream here.

House of Flames: Sat 9/22 at 8pm SL

If you can't be in-world at the time of the show, feel free to listen in:

House of Flames stream

Cybster's Concert Stream

It seems like forever since SLCC took place. As of this date, the musical performance have yet to be posted.

Radar Masukami tracked me down after a show for an interview for his podcast, SL Under the Radar:

SL Under the Radar 015 - Niko Donburi on SL, Music, and the SLCC

There are plenty of great musicians in Second Life. Niko Donburi (http://www.nikodonburi.com/) is one such musician, and he talks to me about second life, music, and the experience of playing at the SLCC.

Intro music is "Under the Radar" by the band What The...? (http://www.what-the.com/) Outro song this time is "Dear Linden, Dear Linden by Niko Donburi.

Click here for direct download in mp3

Take a listen to it and his other episodes. And, for you other podcasters out there, don't forget that all of my songs are podcast friendly!!!

SLCC Audio

Despite the technology problems at SLCC 2007 which thwarted plans to have performers in-world at the same time we were performing in Chicago, the audio was professionally captured, recorded and mixed by Nethermind Bliss. It is slowly being posted to the Internet Archive, a hosting site which features all sorts of free stuff that is in the public domain.

All of the music performances at SLCC can be located here.