July 3rd, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Unskinny Bench”
Chapters00:00 - Intro / Old strings / Cancel culture
Notes
Uncle Larry restrings his trusty old 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard whilst proudly displaying what 55 years (well 39 actively) of drinking ice cold beer will inevitably do to a man’s belly.
...and for your curiosity, here’s this bloke called Jesse Wells that i mentioned...the one that some posh internet bird made a video about trying to cancel....what the fuck ever...
a lot of folks don’t like his style or his voice…you may not either, i totally get it.
personally, i think he’s cool.
even if you hate it, you gotta admit the boy has a way with words.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyem3gD6XN8
oh, and by the way, i got a guy working on the "touched by an uncle" t shirts that many of you have been asking for.
here's the donation links to the Homeskoolin' channel if you are so inclined
paypal is tombukovac@gmail.com
venmo is @tom-bukovac-1
TAGS
July 1st, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 323, Tom Bukovac, “Mrs. Duckwiler? Please Hold My Calls”
Chapters00:00 - Raw Blues
02:32 - Hello, friends! / Squeaky chair / Leisrure Time Lager
03:37 - Thank you for donations / Churning out material
04:33 - Missing Episode 244
05:09 - Raw Dogging Flights (no entertainment on plane)
06:42 - Gibson Les Paul TV Special (07:26 - story) / Brian Willis (Quarterflash)
08:29 - Gwen Stephani record and good P90 sound
10:13 - Recording tone Heaven with Goldtop (Starstruck Studios)
11:12 - Top 5 guitars / Cannot pick them out
13:50 - Great rhythm guitar track? / Ry Cooder (based entire rhythm guitar upon him)
16:00 - Lesson: Rhythm / Not putting your guitar volume on 10 / Germanium fuzz
Notes
Uncle Larry gets jiggy with an old 225 Parsons Street Firebird plugged into a forgotten old Epiphone tube amp with some particularly trashy reverb
Thank you guys for the continued support of my pitiful little homegrown channel....i hope you guys TRULY understand how much i appreciate the donations and the kind comments. it inspires me to continue on.
study this people...study it so much that it seeps into your soul and your playing.
https://youtu.be/9V9jtHjno9w?si=tal3n...
people just played differently back in this era...musicians were speaking a much deeper more soulful language....and it was happening EVERYWHERE
the tulsa sound with the leon russell crew... the muscle shoals band...the memphis studio crew... the nashville sound...it was all so rhythmic and so musical
pay REALLY CLOSE attention to this pocket that these guys have cooking here.
so relaxed., so funky....the chug, the churn, the wobble of this rhythm section is just fucking unbelievable.
no it's certainly not "perfect", or even "precise".... but it's human as fuck...and it gets that booty shakin' more than a computer ever could.
just one of many great examples of the mature/wise beyond their years musical interplay that was commonplace back in these days...no big deal, it was just the way people played.
oh, and imagine this friends....these guys were all in their 20's when they did this shit
and TOTALLY unrelated, but equally as awesome....
you guys have all seen this before...but it's time to watch it again....pure comedic genius
https://youtu.be/QIKsvWgoYss?si=o0LpP...
June 30th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 322, Tom Bukovac, “Turn Me On, I’m A Sideman”
Chapters00:00 - Rockin out
06:05 - "Ebo" Tweed Deluxe / Magic settings / Granny wisdom
07:33 - Update
08:14 - Get on The Gear Page / Tendency to rush guitar playing (BobbyS) / Practicing "rests"
10:49 - Afraid of the holes and space in music
12:34 - Class Presentation turn out
13:40 - Tiny little world / Vice President (String Locker)
14:38 - Rick Beato interview
16:12 - Pompus in reviewing someone's guitar player
17:42 - Fix something on the house
Notes
Uncle Larry gives you some more deep early morning thoughts and heats up the tubes on a whipped old super late tweed deluxe (1961) that looks like someone peed on it.
if this channel is indeed a consistent source of musical ideas and concepts you regularly steal, please pay the toll at
tombukovac@gmail.com (paypal)
@Tom-Bukovac-1 (venmo)
it all helps my friends....i'm going broke trying to get the boys moved into a house that they are actually gonna want to invite their friends to when they are all old enough to drive and smoke weed out of a toilet paper roll with a hole punched in it...
now i need that grill that all the brats are gonna get cooked on...and the cut up vegetables that get grilled with a little olive oil and salt inside the tin foil....you know what i'm sayin'...
June 25th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 320, “The Hallmarks Of An Intermediate Level Guitar Player”
Chapters00:00 - Update, thanks, and life experiences
05:25 - New chapter of Home Skoolin' and evaluations
07:43 - 4 Things of Intermediate Guitar Player
08:03 - #1: Choking the neck / Killing the tone / Light touch players
10:42 - #2: Rushing playing the guitar / White people
12:09 - #3: Lose nervous chatter / Leave space
14:32 - #4: Involuntary vibrato
17:23 - Summary / Let's people know you are serious with intent
Notes
Uncle Larry can’t play for ya today, but he can sure talk.
Written by Mutt Lange, all of these amazing backing vocals were multi-tracked by one guy, Johnny Colla
• Huey Lewis & The News Do You Believe...
Music is so much better now
June 20th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 318, Tom Bukovac, “How To Write A Song”
Chapters00:00 - Eagles - Victim of Love
01:16 - What's up class!
01:42 - '73-74 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe chopper / Doug Jarrell (Rumbleseat)
03:35 - Fernandes Telecaster
05:00 - New house / '70 Monte Carlo for sale
06:33 - D'Addario endorsement and buying strings/ Goodrich volume pedal / Thanks
08:00 - How do you write songs? / Building songs
10:00 - Have your interest in guitars waning? / Goldtop and Burst are the top / Total instruments (less than 50)
12:23 - Thoughts on tribute bands? (Fairweather)
15:00 - Pop song chords vs Jazz song
17:15 - Listening to Genesis / Conditioned to listen to 4 chords music
Notes
Thanks for watching friends
I wanted to give a sincere thank you to Doug Jarrell for the fine work on my instruments
To D’Addario and Andy Pitcher for the supplies
To the boys at Goodrich Sound for the bangin’ new volume pedal.
Upcoming things to look out for:
In Stereo vinyl will be here in early July, appreciate your patience on that
There are still a handful of tickets left for the Guthrie and Uncle Larry record release parties in august 16 and 17…it’s about to be sold out
There are still tickets around if you wanna come see old Larry plunkin in the band behind Vince Gill at the Ryman for a few nights August 1-4
Guthrie and I are going to Hotlanta next week to film an episode with Rick Beato talking about our new record as well, so keep an eye out for that too friends
If you are getting something out of these videos, every little contribution helps
My PayPal is tombukovac@gmail.com
My Venmo is @Tom-Bukovac-1
June 17th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 317, Tom Bukovac, “English Birds”
Chapters00:00 - 70's imagery
01:20 - Van Halen tuning / Hi friends!
01:43 - The Butter trick
02:10 - Rock Williams band story
03:07 - Lesson: The Butter trick (get that fu fu) / Knife pick attack with upstroke
05:10 - Early morning chess / Uncle Larry Garage Sale Tele went fast
05:57 - '52 Goldtop
06:25 - 3rd & Lindsley Bukovac & Guthrie special guests gig
07:05 - Wrist pain, arm pain, carpal tunnel / Arthritis / Hand stretches
10:27 - "Got a pool guy yet, Larry?" / Need for a pool guy
11:08 - What does it cost to make a record in Nashville? / Break down of costs
14:10 - Milwaukee completely furnished studio for cheap
14:56 - Funniest comment? Namath DJ your party
17:20 - Some gal that interviews people
18:00 - Tube amps and Eric "Ebo" Borash
Notes
Uncle Larry dives into some deep VCB waters and serves up the recipe for butter tone, whilst continuing the tour through the various colors of XTS t shirts
May 27th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 313, Tom Bukovac, “Rumours”
Chapters00:00 - Playing some unique licks with an attenuator
00:25 - New upcomer and Heart - Barracuda
00:35 - Loop playing with soul
04:05 - Hello, friends! / Memorial Day tribute / Starbucks tangent
05:38 - Update / Vince Gill gig at Ryman
06:30 - Bukovac & Guthrie show w/ special guests
07:25 - Back to playing that beautiful music
08:35 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / Attenuators?
09:35 - Do you use direct sounds? / Direct rack effects (TC 2290, etc.)
11:39 - Gibson SG Special and playing
Notes
Uncle Larry WILL indeed be playing with Vince Gill during his residency at the Ryman August 1 through 4…that gig is firm, officially "on the books" as they say in the biz....
...but this other thing that I overheard some weird drunk guy blabbing on and on about at the bar last night is definitely NOT confirmed by any stretch…
the guy was saying something about some gig by two Nashville guitar nerds who were all excited about some dumb instrumental record they made...i can't really remember the details because i wasn't really listening...
i do remember though that he kept saying that it’s ESPECIALLY NOT supposed to happen on those two calendar days that fall in between august 15 and 18...but thats about all i remember
and totally unrelated...
hey guys....if you DO like this channel and you ARE stealing all my free ideas, please visit the tip jar.
this shit doesn't grow on trees ya know
paypal is tombukovac@gmail.com
venmo is @Tom-Bukovac-1
thank you friends
May 14th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 309, Tom Bukovac, “From Dusk Til Dawn”
Chapters00:00 - The Blues coming to town
04:10 - Bad jacks / Hey, friends! / Suffering the Summer
05:40 - Cool gifts / Charles Bukowski Envelope Filter
07:38 - Not really a wah or filter user
08:34 - Shit in life that really works (Advil, Dawn, Music City Bridge, etc.)
09:25 - Amazon is making pedals now
10:35 - Base tone sound
11:30 - Amazon Distortion / Liking Amazon
13:00 - Thanks / Building & writing a song
15:40 - Techniques ("devices"), styles, mixing it up
17:30 - Killer show "Rust Valley Restorers" with Mike Hall
Notes
Uncle Larry revels in late spring with a 57 PAF goldie and a hot cuppa joe
....and he tries out a coupla pedals too....
more CD's are coming early next week....1500 have already sold and we hastily ordered 1000 more cuz we didn't think we were gonna sell that many
Vinyl coming very soon
thank you for your patience friends
May 6th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Bonus “No User Serviceable Parts Inside”
Chapters00:00 - Strumming along
00:37 - Hey friends! / Gildan
01:26 - '56 Gibson Les Paul Special
02:15 - Strymon Flint Reverb
03:03 - Reverb comparison
03:33 - Back to the guitar
05:21 - Another '58 Gibson Les Paul Special
06:08 - Quarter inch up on the pickup
07:21 - Back to the '56 bridge pickup / Pukey middle sound
08:16 - Bukovac & Guthrie Record
Notes
Don’t adjust your set, you are not seeing double…it's just two TV specials from the golden age…
In the video I failed to mention that the neck on the 56 that’s for sale is a good bit chunkier than the one on my '=58.
If interested email me at tombukovac@gmail.com
to buy the Guthrie Trapp "In Stereo" record click here friends
https://bakedalaskarecords.com/products/in-stereo-cd
May 6th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 306, Tom Bukovac, “In Stereo” Album Review” (well, first half anyway)
Chapters00:00 - Sliding and a pickin'
00:20 - Good morning / "In Stereo" record deep dive setup
01:27 - Coffee and not giving a fuck
02:45 - Folgers Classic Roast is the Gildan of coffee
03:33 - Beer snobs / Being picky
04:04 - "In Stereo" talk
05:10 - Tracks listing order, dissection
06:05 - Track sequencing
Notes
Uncle Larry goes through the first few tracks of the new album with you ….
If you haven’t heard the record yet you should save this video to watch later…seriously
here is the link to buy the record
https://bakedalaskarecords.com
Unrelated, if any of you guys are looking for a bangin 56 les paul tv special I have one here for sale. A friend brought it over…he wants 15k plus domestic US shipping for it
It’s a damn nice guitar
Cons:
Old Grovers clearly put on a million years ago, original keys not included
Refretted with slightly larger than original sized frets
Comes in a 70s Gibson les paul case
Pros:
Nice comfortable weight
Beautiful fairly worn original TV finish with no overspray and no repairs whatsoever
Big chunky kick ass neck
It’s already got a music city bridge on it
all original parts otherwise
This guitar plays great, sounds great, looks great
Email me for photos at tombukovac@gmail.com
April 7th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 299, Tom Bukovac, “Shootout At The Kalamazoo Corral”
Chapters00:00 - Hello, friends! / Shootout ('57 Goldtop, '59 Black Custom, '58 Burst, '69 Custom)
00:24 - Notice of the pitch angle
00:44 - Nice day fishing / Disclaimers
01:45 - Shootout setup (Big Jam Distortion, Vemuram Shanks, Princeton)
02:40 - '57 Goldtop Bridge
03:33 - '58 Burst Bridge ("Larryburst")
04:45 - '59 Custom Bridge ("Black Beauty")
05:58 - '69 Custom Bridge
07:03 - Blind test setup
07:48 - Exhibit A
08:20 - Exhibit B
08:56 - Exhibit C
09:34 - Exhibit D
10:16 - Lick A
10:45 - Lick B
11:18 - Lick C
11:48 - Lick D
12:31 - Acoustic A
12:56 - Acoustic B
13:19 - Acoustic C
13:46 - Acoustic D
14:13 - Closeout and VCB (Viewer Comment Bin)
14:35 - Recovering alcoholic viewer "The booze guy" / "Thinking abou it..."
16:12 - Q: Sessions sounding out of tune? A: Takes a lot to build the song; Practicing...we know
17:55 - "Black Beauty" '59 Custom helps drives the player / Inspiration factor
19:34 - Happy fishing
Notes
Uncle Larry performs a friendly little bridge pickup only shootout on a few of the more noteworthy items that came from the Golden Age of the Greatest Guitar Company To Ever Exist on this beautiful planet of ours….and a 69 too
This video is for entertainment purposes only…no user serviceable parts inside
Directors note: the guitars were cycled through in the same order in each of the “blind tests”…results will be forthcoming for anyone that actually gives a fuck
Spoiler Alert! - Guitars
A - '58 Burst
B - '57 Goldtop
C - '69 Custom
D - '59 Black Custom
April 6th, 2024
Homeskoolin' Volume 298, Tom Bukovac, "Something Borrowed Something Black"
Chapters00:00 - Session take on the goldtop
01:45 - Playing some ZZ Top montage riffs into full rock n' roll into Joe Walsh on a black Gibson Les Paul Custom
08:58 - The 3 best guitars I've played but don't own (Dan Auerbach - '60 Tele Custom, Jim Bagget - '38 Martin D-18, Elliot Michael - '59 Gibson Les Paul Custom)
09:27 - '59 Gibson Les Paul Custom
10:23 - Acoustically played
10:50 - Bridge pickup
11:32 - Playing like Jimmy Page
11:58 - Out-of-phase bridge and middle pickup (shit sound)
12:24 - Neck pickup
13:10 - Trying to buy the guitar / Headstock repair, doesn't care
Notes
"well the bitter comes out better on a stolen guitar"...
The opening bit is one of Nicky G's soulful masterpieces...from the sessions we did this week.
April 5th, 2024
Holmeskoolin’ Bonus “Early Morning Bench Time”
Chapters00:00 - Reverend Willy's string change on '57 Goldtop / Haggling
Notes
Coffee and PAF’s with Larry.
April 3rd, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 297, Tom Bukovac, “Bench Bum”
Chapters00:00 - Hello, friends! (catch phrase) / Impending storm
00:57 - Changing up YouTube / 1 of 31,000 / Changing strings (dead strings)
31:57 - Crease that string to stay in tune
37:06 - Marshall stuff for sale
Notes
Uncle Larry breathes some new life into an exhausted old 69 custom.
I have had lots of inquiries about the "pile of plexi"...i'm going to start off by trying to sell the entire collection at once...35K for all 7 pieces. if you study the market on plexi's with original transformers you will clearly see that is a very fair price. I know that people who are card carrying members of the old marshall cult like to buy things in collections so i am starting there. local pickup only of course...no shipping. i would also consider a trade for a dead original slab board 59 or 60 two tone tele custom...and of course any no excuses pre 1965 es-335
March 30th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 295, Tom Bukovac “Colorado”
Chapters00:00 - Loopin' with the echoing '58 Burst
06:21 - Hello, Homeskoolers'!
06:43 - '58 Gibson Les Paul "Burst" / "Like your favorite restaurante" / Internet transportation of guitars
07:45 - Brett Papa video of Tom and Guthrie in the studio / Guthrie record / Expensive to make a record
08:44 - "Using cowboy chords?" / CAGED
10:00 - Friend wants a 70's Fawn Marshall JMP
10:28 - Selling Marshalls?
11:37 - Best effect pedal company / Electro-Harmonix
12:58 - Talking with Eric "Ebo" Borash
14:04 - Lesson: Loop & "4 Bar Loop" / New Country songs themes (alcohol) / "Colorado" song
Notes
i just did a google images search for "beautiful colorado snowy landscape" to put something pretty in the thumbnail for this video.
i don't know who those people are, but those snowy mountains in the background are just beautiful aren't they?
in this video...Uncle Larry plunks on a 58 burst and gets into some naughty VCB...
"can't forget the way her brown hair catches the wind...shoulda stayed in coloraaaaaadoooo".....
ya' know, something like that for the last bit of the soaring chorus...
and....since we have a lot of new viewers coming along recently...
let me tell ya' how shit works around here...
first off, i NEVER ask anyone to subscribe or "smash that like button"....
if you do indeed learn some useful stuff from this channel and feel like it is indeed helping you as a player, all i ask is that you just throw a little something in the tip jar...especially since it's tax season ferchrissakes
You can make PayPal donations to this address:
tombukovac@gmail.com
You can make Venmo donations to this address:
@Tom-Bukovac-1
a person could potentially purchase a myriad of Homeskoolin' related merch..including several different extremely comfortable and nice feeling T-shirts and some beautifully constructed coffee mugs for those afflicted with thin lips...i pride myself on having the comfiest t shirts on earth...no scratchy bad fitting horseshit here people.. check it out at
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/merch/tom-bukovac/
AND....believe it or not....i have a new website people....an actual proper website.
https://thesessionman.com
You can see all kinds of weird old photos there, you can also purchase a download of the live concert i did last December if you like.
A lot of these very same new viewers don't seem to know that Uncle Larry made a couple records that they could potentially listen to... one is an instrumental solo record called "Plexi Soul" that is available here:
https://tombukovac.bandcamp.com/album/plexi-soul
another is an instrumental collaboration with his dear friend Dean Deleo (originally from the Stone Temple Pilots organization) that is available here:
https://tripthewitch.bandcamp.com/album/trip-the-witch
March 26th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Inner Mounting Cleveland”
Chapters00:00 - Trance, sitar-like guitar
01:21 - The holy temple of Marshalls
Notes
Awaken…with Uncle Larry…
TAGS
March 21st, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 292, Tom Bukovac, “Fresh Out Da Bed”
Chapters00:00 - Testing out the Junior and letting it ring out
04:40 - Hello, Larry! / Fresh out the bed / Thanks for 100k subscribers / Buk-o-Vac / New mugs
06:00 - 4 years to the day - 100,000
06:30 - Ticketmaster situation for Weezer / Appreciation for Homeskoolers / Road trip?
08:03 - '57 Gibson Les Paul Junior
09:04 - Try that chord see how it sounds
09:20 - Packing material trick / Open the bottom of guitar box first
10:50 - Brett Papa work
11:01 - In tune chord [0 11 x 13 14 14] (E69)
11:34 - "Whatcha been listening to?" / Sly and The Family Stone
13:07 - "Whatcha been watching, Larry?" / "What Went Wrong"
Notes
Uncle Larry explores the deepest crevasses of a 60 junior he just got….and gives ya a life hack that you might actually use.
new coffee cups!
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/tom-bukovac-homeskoolin-mug.html
and if you have never heard this total awesomeness, you're welcome...the funkiest, blackest shit EVER recorded by human beings on this planet if ya ask me...
dig the guitar/horn stabs in the verse...how the FUCK did they do that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6xhSqz_4m8
March 21st, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 291, Tom Bukovac, “Greenville Blues”
Chapters00:00 - Monte Carlo driving into setup video
02:15 - Studfinder didn't fit / 100,000 subscribers
03:20 - Weezer
08:52 - Gibson Les Paul Jr is in tune
10:07 - Nik Drusel and Music City Bridge what guitars will work
Notes
Uncle Larry throws a stud finder on a recently acquired 1960 LP Junior....
if you have questions about what bridge to get for your guitar, email Nick at
howdy@musiccitybridge.com
March 14th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 290, Tom Bukovac, “The New Jazzmaster”
Chapters00:00 - Quiet blissful notes that form something else
02:25 - Hello, Homeskoolers'! / New chair
03:00 - Beer, thanks, Gwen, staying up for a minute
03:17 - Lesson: Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin' (Steve Lukather)
04:55 - Gwen Stephani / Learning all the time / Gear brought to session
07:03 - The sound of the Jaguar / Unique compared to Jazzmaster / "Jazzmaster harder to fit into track"
10:38 - Unbelievable tone of the Gibson Les Paul Special / Love John Cougar
12:45 - Using the Burst in conjunction with poinky guitar in session is great
14:18 - Old Gretsch guitars and their sound / No sustain in Gretsch for studio / ES-335 & P90 jangle for alternative
Notes
Uncle Larry gets pretty deep into the mindset of recording guitars….I apologize as this one may quite possibly bore the hell out of anyone who isn’t a studio rat.
Thanks for watchin’ anyway!
and....since we have a lot of new viewers coming along recently...
let me tell ya' how shit works around here...
first off, i NEVER ask anyone to subscribe or "smash that like button"....
if you do indeed learn some useful stuff from this channel and feel like it is indeed helping you as a player, all i ask is that you just throw a little something in the tip jar...especially since it's taxseason
ferchrissakes
you can make PayPal donations to this address:
tombukovac@gmail.com
You can make Venmo donations to this address:
@Tom-Bukovac-1
but wait....THERE'S MERCH TOO!!!!
a person could potentially purchase a myriad of Homeskoolin' related merch..including several different extremely comfortable and nice feeling T-shirts and some beautifully constructed coffee mugs for those afflicted with thin lips...i pride myself on having the comfiest t shirts on earth...no scratchy bad fitting horseshit here people.. check it out at
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/merch/tom-bukovac/
AND....believe it or not....i have a new website people....an actual proper website.
https://thesessionman.com
You can see all kinds of weird old photos there, you can also purchase a download of the live concert i did last December if you like.
A lot of these very same new viewers don't seem to know that Uncle Larry made a couple records that they could potentially listen to...
one is an instrumental solo record called "Plexi Soul" that is available here:
https://tombukovac.bandcamp.com/album/plexi-soul
another is an instrumental collaboration with his dear friend Dean Deleo (originally from the Stone Temple Pilots organization) that is available here:
https://tripthewitch.bandcamp.com/album/trip-the-witch
March 5th, 2024
Homeskoolin’ Volume 288, Tom Bukovac, “Triggered Hippies”
Chapters
00:00 - Little acoustic strumming
02:23 - Hello, friends! / Little background of Tommy Bukovac
03:14 - "Oh, Southern Man" / Compare North to South / Social animal
05:03 - Nicky G and plane crash story (Nashville)
05:50 - Garage Sale over / '57 Goldtop & '58 Burst, why anything else? / Scarlett Johansson
07:30 - Old beer cans thanks
08:01 - Uncle Larry's Garage Sale / '84 Gibson J45
09:45 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / Listen to records you like and study the emotion
12:00 - What makes a musician great? / Connection between sound and emotions (that's the secret) / Good records have 'worlds'
13:23 - "'Dead zone' after football?"
13:34 - Stevie Ray Vaughan (SRV)
15:00 - Trigger Hippy days with Nicky G, Joan Osborne
17:50 - Analytical mind in great musicians
Notes
Uncle Larry gets deep into the VCB here….we might want to send a search party to retrieve him…