I’ll be blogging about my new job as Arjen’s PM in a different location, because it doesn’t seem right to do that here. You can find it at www.ayreon.com/blog. So if you are curious about what managing a tortured musical genius mastermind entails, now you know where to find out!

I’ve not finalized the design yet, because I’ve had to set it up in a few spare minutes here and there while on the road for the Promo tour. It will be prettier later.

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As I’ve hinted in sporadic Twitter updates, there have been some big changes going on for me over the past couple of months. One of the biggest is that I’ve quit my job and taken a new one — as personal manager for Arjen Lucassen.

The idea of being any kind of “manager” is massively daunting, to say the least, and because I rate Arjen so highly as a person I’ll be under a lot of self-imposed pressure not to screw up! But luckily I thrive on learning new things, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Arjen’s previous manager, the unquenchable and extremely talented Yvette Boertje, was effectively the manager of Stream of Passion when I was in the band, so I know about the high standards people have come to expect from Arjen’s management. Here is her official statement from the Ayreon website:

“After working for Arjen for as a manager for nearly five years, I decided it was time to move on and, among other things, pursue my screenwriting career.

We’ve looked for a replacement and are happy to announce that Lori Linstruth will be taking over my tasks. She recently moved from Sweden to the Netherlands and, after a short transitional period, is now ready to take on the job! Please welcome Lori as the new personal manager, webmaster, messageboard administrator, and shopkeeper for Arjen!”

I wish Yvette the best of luck with her new adventures!

Because everything is so new for me and there is so much to do leading up to the release of 01011001, we’ll actually be making the transition gradually throughout December. But after Jan 1, 2008, the training wheels come off and I’ll have to balance on my own. EEK!

Of course all of this anxiety will (hopefully!) blow over soon. Before you know it I’ll probably be running around in cheap lounge suits, smoking a big cigar…

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Just a quick update to let interested parties know that my pink HM is now listed on Ebay, as the original private bidder has changed their mind (no hard feelings, of course!).

You can find the listing here.

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Circumstances are forcing me to sell my beloved HM Strats; I’d like to give readers here first shot at them before I list them on Ebay.

The guitars for sale are the pink and blue ones in the photo below. I’ve also created a page with lots of photos.

Specs

Both guitars recently had the frets dressed.

Pink HM Strat

Make bid

Bridge pickup: Joe Barden
Neck Pickup: Duncan JB Jr bridge, white. I can put the original pickup back in if you prefer.
Middle pickup: The original single-coil installed by Fender. Not sure what it is.
Trem: Kahler Spyder, all parts work but they don’t all match because I’ve had to retrofit spares.
Trivia: Used on SoP tour and in “Out in the Real World” video.
Neck: Overall condition of the frets is very good. Neck has clear varnish on back, like a standard Fender.

Blue-green HM Strat -SOLD 601 Euros

Bridge: Not sure — probably a Tom Anderson
Neck Pickup: Duncan JB Jr neck, black and missing top cover. I can put the original pickup back in if you prefer.
Middle pickup: The original single-coil installed by Fender. Not sure what it is.
Trem: Kahler Spyder, all parts work but they don’t all match because I’ve had to retrofit spares.
Neck: Overall condition of the frets is good. Neck has finish sanded off on the back, feels very smooth.
Trivia: I used this guitar to record all of my Demo 2004, all of the guitar work with SoP, and guest solos on Mountain of Power

More photos and details available on request.

Note to potential US Buyers: I will be in the US between 26 October and 5 November, so I can ship from there which will drastically reduce the shipping costs.

Interested parties please email me: lori at feminoise dot com . The guitars will go to the highest bidders, as the only main reason I’m selling is because I need to raise some cash.

Sorry for the lack of real articles lately — major life changes are going on here at the moment so I’ve had to put blogging on the back burner for a while. I’ll be back soon…with a vengeance!

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