Michael Cavacini

An award-winning arts and culture blog.

30 Dec 2018

Positively Unstoppable: Diamond Dallas Page Discusses DDPY, WWE, & Owning It

Diamond Dallas Page is an amazing human being who can be defined by one word: positivity. His positivity, along with DDP’s persistence and work ethic, is what catapulted him to becoming a three-time world champion in professional wrestling and a WWE Hall of Fame inductee in 2017. It’s also what enabled him to develop and grow DDPY, a fantastic health and wellness program that I, along with millions of other people around the world, use on a daily basis. On January 15, Dallas is releasing his third book entitled Positively Unstoppable: The Art of Owning It, where he provides the reader with a blueprint for how they can apply his approach to their lives. DDP was kind enough to speak with me for an hour about his amazing journey thus far. I hope you enjoy this lengthy and insightful discussion. Bang!

19 Dec 2018

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Ken Mansfield Discuses The Beatles Final Concert

Ken Mansfield, the former US Manager for Apple Records, has a new book out entitled The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert. It’s a terrific read that recounts his time working with the Beatles, including being a few feet from the iconic band as they performed their final concert on the roof of 3 Savile Row in London on January 30, 1969. Below is a recent interview I conducted with Ken, where we talked about his new book and his time with the Fab Four.

Posted in Interview, Music and tagged George Harrison, Interview, John Lennon, Ken Mansfield, Michael Cavacini, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beatles, The Roof

13 Dec 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion

Dark Horse is back with another beautiful hardcover book celebrating The Legend of Zelda. Entitled Creating a Champion, this oversized tome is the ultimate companion to the award-winning video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and includes material from both of its DLC packs. This book features nearly fifty pages of sketches and official illustrations from Takumi Wada, two-hundred and ninety-six pages of design artwork and commentary about the making of the game from the creators, a fifty-five-page historical section that divulges the history of Hyrule as it is known in-game, and interviews with key members of the development team, including Hidemaro Fujibayashi, Satoru Takizawa, Takumi Wada, and Eiji Aonuma.

30 Oct 2018

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Manilow Magic In Vegas

Barry Manilow is a class act. He and his team care about the fans on a level unlike any other celebrity I’ve met, and they go above and beyond across the board. A perfect example of this is my recent trip with my wife to Las Vegas to see Barry Manilow’s new residency, which is entitled Manilow Las Vegas: The Hits Come Home! Back in June I was invited, along with 19 other lucky fans, to attend a special interview Barry did in the Rainbow Room in New York. At the end of the interview he turned to the fans and said that he wanted all of us to come see his new show in Vegas on opening night, which was the following week, and that he was going to give us free tickets to the show and pay for our airfare and hotel expenses. In addition to paying my expenses, Barry included a +1 with my package so my wife could join me. Naturally, my mind was blown by this astounding act of generosity.

Posted in Music, Review and tagged Barry Manilow, Casino, Las Vegas, Manilow Las Vegas, Michael Cavacini, Review, Vegas, Westgate, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino

24 Oct 2018

Book Review: Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia

Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia covers the first 30 years of the most well-known video game franchise ever. This book was originally released in Japan three years ago and it is now finally available in an English translation. Unfortunately, it doesn’t cover any Super Mario games beyond it’s original publication date: 2015. So, you’re not going to get any info about Super Mario Odyssey or any other recent titles in this 255-page tome. Another strange omission is there’s no essay from Shigeru Miyamoto, the visionary producer and director of the original Super Mario Bros. game and a constant creative force in the franchise. Instead, we get an introduction by Takashi Tezuka, one of the designers from the original game. Sure, his insight is interesting. But I would have preferred an introduction by Shigeru Miyamoto and an afterword by Takashi Tezuka, since Miyamoto is more important and well known. Aside from these gripes, there’s plenty to enjoy in this book. It covers all of the major games from the original Super Mario Bros to Super Mario 3D World. This beautifully bound book will let you track the evolution of the Goomba, witness the introduction of Yoshi, and relive your favorite levels. It also includes tips to help you find every coin, star, sun, and mushroom, and it even provides explanations for glitches. Overall, Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia is an excellent book that fitingly pays tribute to my favorit video game character of all time. It’s a reminder and celebration of the magical characters and games that only Nintendo can create.

Posted in Books, Review, Video Games and tagged Book, DK, DK Publishing, Encyclopedia, Michael Cavacini, Review, Super Mario, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Encyclopedia | Leave a comment

10 Oct 2018

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Nashville Music City

Behind the keyboard featured in Journey’s “Separate Ways” music video. Below it is the piano that Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry wrote “Faithfully” on.

In September, my wife and I went to Nashville to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary. We chose Nashville because we wanted to go someplace that felt new but didn’t require a ridiculous amount of travel time or money. Also, everyone I’ve spoken with that’s been to Nashville has enjoyed their time there. In addition to eating an insane amount of fried food and meat, our trip was punctuated by several music-related excursions, which I detail below.

08 Oct 2018

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Dennis DeYoung’s Grand Illusion

fullsizeoutput_35bd Dennis DeYoung is one of the greatest vocalists in the history of music, and he’s currently on tour performing one of the best rock albums of all time – The Grand Illusion by STYX – in its entirety, along with a handful of classics fans know and love. I attended his recent concert in Philadelphia and it was excellent. From start to finish, it was a tour de force of musicianship and showmanship.

Posted in Music, Review, Uncategorized and tagged Dennis DeYoung, Michael Cavacini, music, Review, Styx, The Grand Illusion

08 Oct 2018

Book Review: The World Of The Rock

DK Publishing is back with another new hardback WWE book: The World of the Rock. Is it worth buying? Below is my video review of this 160-page book, which is available now.

Posted in Books, Pro Wrestling, Review and tagged Book, DK Publishing, Michael Cavacini, Pro Wrestling, Review, The Rock, WWE | Leave a comment

05 Oct 2018

A Conversation With Night Ranger’s Eric Levy

Photo: Ash Newell

As far as I’m concerned, Night Ranger is the most underrated classic rock band on the planet. Not only do they have a rich history comprised of countless classic hits and terrific albums, but they also continue to record and release stellar new music and play live for thousands of adoring fans. The band’s keyboardist, Eric Levy, was kind enough to speak with me about what it’s like being in Night Ranger. I hope you enjoy our discussion.

Posted in Interview, Music and tagged Brad Gillis, Classic Rock, Eric Levy, Interview, Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy, Keri Kelly, Michael Cavacini, music, Night Ranger | Leave a comment

04 Oct 2018

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Review: Steve Perry’s Traces

Steve Perry is the greatest male vocalist I’ve ever heard. I remember buying Journey’s Greatest Hits album many years ago and listening to the songs and discovering that I already knew most of them but didn’t realize the band behind these timeless tracks was Journey. While the guitar, piano, drumming, and bass were all exceptional, what captivated me most was that voice. How it soared to heights unimaginable for most humans and how it lovingly and soulfully intoned every word that was sung. With my headphones on, a Discman in my hands, and my eyes turned skyward, I gazed at the stars as the balmy beach breeze and Steve Perry’s vocals washed over me. It was a defining musical moment for me and one I fondly look back on when I think of this special band and this epic voice.