Gifted.

It sho 'nuff been a while since i done did devote some time to my journalistic endeavor. Things have been a bit hectic. Last weekend was a blur 'cause I was hardly home. This weekend will be no different. The pix are from a show last weekend with Jim Wurster at the school he works for/at. As you can see, the beard is coming along scraggly. I love it. Johanna was tested for Gifted and it's been determined that she is. This worries me. I'm extremely proud and pleased with this news but (believe it or not...hell, I wouldn't) I tested positive for this Gifted stuff and i'm a little leery of it. I felt it helped isolate me from other normal kids and, probably at one time, gave me a false sense of importance or superiority. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure I learned some great things in Gifted class....just ask Pete. I just want her to be normal and not let it go to her head. She is truly an amazing kid and i'm really glad she inherited her Mother's brains. Maybe she'll want to take up an instrument some day other than the sitar. Now, on the way to school, we play an Anoushka Shankar cd and she plays a recital for me on air sitar. Not too badly, either. Except she holds it like Bill Wyman held the bass. Tomorrow, i'm playing at the SouthShore Grill with Davee Bryan. I've never played with him before so it ought to be interesting. Then the next two nights i'm at Elwood's.

I Just Had To. Rick Made Me Do It.

Some Thoughts on JL.

Tonight, it felt good to play some Beatles songs with the Dillengers. I wanted to watch something about John Lennon to commemorate December 8th, so I ended up watching Let It Be. Not exactly the most uplifting movie...Somehow I found this.
That sort of makes it all better.

And The Wheel Done Did Roll On.

Last night, after Eat practice, I went to see my co-worker Eric's band The Wheel. They played at The Funky Buddha in Byoca. I was pleasantly surprised! They were really good. The guitarists got really great sounds (kudos for the hollow-body guitarist for playing VERY clean through a PA head....that takes guts....or insanity!) and the overall band sound was really good for the little place they were playing in. The drummer deserves mention for being ultra-steady and keeping the tempos in line. I wish I could have heard Eric more. Rich got up to play a blues and the night ended on a high note....an A, I think.

The Santa Experience.

I forgot to post pix this week. We went to go see our local Santa so Johanna could tell him EXACTLY what she wants for Xmas. In the first pic, she's explaining to him how he could be a bit more efficient with his goody distribution. Second pic, her eyes got red when she realized she wouldn't be able to take over the operation (or as she calls it, "Santa's racket"). Third pic shows her dissatisfaction with the circus' treatment of animals. Who's the proud Papa?

Interrupting All Programs!

Last weekend, we went to see the Joe Strummer movie in Lake Worth and since then i've been listening to The Clash non-stop. This Is Radio Clash is one of my all-time favorites. I remember when I was about 11 buying The Clash's first (second over here) album with my allowance at Peaches' in Ft. Lauderdale. I still have it but I lost the bonus single that came with it. I never felt The Clash were really punk. As soon as they saw fit, they broke out of that pigeonhole. I mean, they had a cover of Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves on the first record! You wouldn't catch the Pistols or Black Flag trying that. There's so many great Clash songs and my favorites are usually sung by Joe. Rest In Peace John Mellor.

My Oh My #3.

Last night was devastatingly bad. We showed up at Elwood's apparently without any prior knowledge on how to play musical instruments. I haven't played drums in a while and it was painful....to listen to. I'm not gonna go into it 'cause i'll sound like a whiner 49er. I took a pain killer and I woke up groggy....but with no pain!

Today was so busy at work, I didn't pee 'til I got home. Friday, i'm playing with the Drunkandsilly Gayboys at O'Hara's. Saturday, I had a gig at Elwood's with the usual suspects until Chuck called me up with our yearly Xmas party gig that he forgot all aboot (Canadian). So I called my trusty back-up and got released from Elwood's duty. But i'll be there Sunday. I haven't had a full-gig weekend in awhile so it ought to be interesting....to somebody.

Wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Kris gave me one of my Xmas prezzies early 'cause Johanna saw it and she can't keep a secret yet. Not that she gave it away. We just figured she'd let the cat out of the bag eventually.

Tracking The Beard #1.

For a few weeks now, i've been growing my beard. I used to hear the expression "growing my beard for winter" when I lived in Denver and I always thought that was a cool idea. Even though we don't get winter weather conditions here, I thought it would be cool to adopt the idea anyway. So far, it's coming in a lot whiter than it did last time. Then again, last time Jojo was 1. It's gonna take awhile to grow it long enough to cover the holes.

Today is my first gig since i've been back from my trips. I'm gonna be at Elwood's for the first time in about a month or so. I'm sure i'm gonna be real rusty and achy afterward. Getting old sucks! I got this old snare drum from Harry Johnson's estate and I really like the tone of it. I've been playing it for a while. It has no name on it and the parts are really cheap. Everytime I bring it to a gig, it snaps a rod and I have to use another one but today I modified it with sturdier parts so hopefully that won't happen again.

It's been real nice being home the last 4 days. I've spent all my time with my family and I haven't had to do much running around. Friday, we bought "HELP!" and watched it. Kris talked me out of buying the deluxe edition which is real expensive. I didn't really want all the special crap that came with it so we did the right thing. There is so much cool stuff coming out for the holiday season music wise. I got my Amazon wish list workin'.

I'm In A New York Plate Of Rind.

I got back on Monday night after my flight was delayed for an hour or so. I miss New York but i'm glad to be back with my family who I missed very much. The trip started early Saturday morning. By mistake (or accident) I ended up being on the same plane with two of the Thursday's Children. I brought along Bob Spitz's Beatles book and i read that on the plane. I'm an avid beatlereader and I've been avoiding this one 'cause the some of the picture credits are wrong. If these were wrong, how could the book be right? Well, I was mistaken. It's a really good book...so far. Anyway, my uncle met me at the airport and we went back to his place on 93rd in Manhattan. We stayed long enough to drop things off and we walked Central Park.

When we got to the outside of the Dakota where John was murdered, I got a weird chill and I felt very sad. We continued on through Strawberry Fields and decided to have lunch at the Boathouse. We were eating outside when I noticed my cold uticaria flaring up. It was pretty cold and I forgot my gloves and hat back at the apartment. When we got back, I took a benedryl and fought being tired the rest of the night. The next day, I dragged my uncle to the Village to see some music sites. We got to Electric Lady Studios, The Cafe Wha, and a few other cool spots. I bought a mono "Beatles' '65" at Bleeker Bob's and we had some great pizza. We also hit Ground Zero. We got back to the apartment and I ran back out with my uncle's girlfriend, Lynn. We ended up going to 30 Rockefeller Plaza and Times Square before it was time to get back for the gig.

We ended up being later than I expected 'cause we waited for my uncle Rick and aunt Carol to show up and we all took the subway. We made it to the Parkside Lounge and I was disappointed to see hardly anyone there. We didn't play for too many people but we played well. The club's snare drum was broken so the guy on after us lent me his...Thanks! Next day, I had to leave. When I woke up, they were working on the hot water pipes in my uncle's building so I couldn't have a shower. P.U.! I'm leaving out a bunch of stuff but nothing really important. Tonight, I had an Eat rehearsal after not having one for two weeks. It was hard blowing the dust off but we warmed up eventually. Tomorrow is Turkey Day but most importantly....NO WORK!!!! I do have a lot of stuff to do and i have to find some time to make Kris realize we desperately need the special edition of HELP! on DVD. Happy Thanksgiving!

I Didn't Seee Robert Ulrich...

but I did see Vince Neil. He's quite short. Vacation is over and that's ok. If you haven't figured it out (or read Kris' blog), we went to Las Vegas. It was like I expected. I'm not a big drinker or a gambler so there wasn't much for me there...except sore feet and a complete emptying of the wallet. Actually, there was something. The Love show at the Mirage. That was an emotional experience seeing the Beatles' music being interpreted in such a way. The next day, we went to the gift shop and I couldn't pick out anything to buy 'cause I wanted it all.

I should probably start from the beginning. Kris' stepfather gave us a ride to the airport where we found out our flight was cancelled. Spirit eventually got us on a Delta flight and we got there a little early. We were pretty exhausted when we got there and I think we just walked around a bit, ate alot and went to bed. The next day was our anniversary (Happy Anniversary!) and we went to a few casinos and walked around. We had lunch at an Irish pub at New York New York. We saw Love that night and that was awesome. We went to the Revolution Lounge and left when I found out it would be 20 bucks for me to get in (ladies free!). See ya! Went back to the Beatles gift shop and it was too crowded. Next morning, we had breakfast at the Bellagio and that was good. Did some more walking around and I think by that point we were already tired of Vegas. You all should read my wife's blog on this 'cause it's much better. I'm sure i'm leaving out a bunch of stuff. What i'll always remember was how well we got along and how we enjoyed each other's company on this trip. I love you, babe!

Today, I went back to work. Tonight, I watched an old Popeye cartoon with Jojo and she dug it. I'm so glad we have similar taste. She likes all the cartoons I grew up with like Bugs Bunny and all the Looney Toons. I gotta really listen close to the Thursday's Child material tonight. We have a last rehearsal tomorrow night and I don't want to fuck it up. I'm gonna be a real nervous wreck at the gig. I really hope this stuff sinks in so I don't embarrass them.

Fuck You. Bye!

I'm outta here 'til Tuesday for a small vacation for our 7th Anniversary. My, how time flies! It's gonna be nice to beat it out of here for a while. Where we're going is supposed to be a little chilly at night so that'll be nice. Last night, I saw Keith at the Funkabilly show and that was swell. I'm having slight issues with my lawn and the Homo-wners Association wrote me a letter saying they'd fine me if I didn't get on it. I didn't get on it but I asked for an extension and i've yet to hear back from them. I mentioned this problem to my Dad. Big mistake. This morning he shows up in my driveway ready to dig my lawn up. He called a landscaping service and he was gonna wait around 'til they got there to give him an estimate. I didn't have time to hang around and I certainly did not want to leave him with my key so I explained my situation and eventually order was restored. I escaped sure death yet again listeners! Kris was chomping at the bit to put a foot in his ass and that would not be good. Once a rift is opened, it'll never go away. Hope y'all have a good weekend! See ya Tuesday!

I'm Pissing Myself.

I WANT TO SHOOT THE WHOLE DAY DOWN!

I'm home for lunch and I gotta keep it short 'cause work is way too busy. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH Shi.......rt. Photos from yesterday courtesy of Karen Wideen. We was LOUD! I'm glad she cut the bald off me. I actually have a mohawk in that picture. Am I always cross-eyed when i drum? All the time?

Sock It To Me, JB!

I feel good! I just got off the phone with Keith and talking to him reminded me of how important friends are. This week has been a blur. I had my first rehearsal with thursday's child and it went rather well. I still have about 5 more songs to learn in a short amount of time. The gig is only about two weeks away. I suppose we'll just have to see what happens. The Eat rehearsals are going better than expected. Kenny is out of town this week so i'll have a week off there. Friday, we did a leukemia walk in WPB for our friend Bongo and that was cool. We raised a shitpile of money and Johanna had a great time.

Last night, I played the Ashtray (Poorhouse) in downtown Ft. Rockerdale with Joel DaSilva and that was interesting as usual. Unbeknownst to me, there was big rock concert going on at the end of the street so parking was fooked. I found a place a few blocks away for 20 bucks. There goes my food/soda money. Playing was OK. I wore my earplugs so I can hear pretty well today. Tonight, I played with Charlie Pickett at Nova University for a film festival and that went OK. Of course, we were way loud but that didn't seem to bother anyone. Rick rode up with me and we listened to some WFMU programs on the way. Karen archived some of my Teenage Fanclub/Tom Waits videos on to DVD so I have those...Thanks! On the way home, I played Rick "Winter" and he really liked it so I lent him Grand Prix and Songs From Northern Britain...We could have another TFC convert on our hands. He mentioned possibly covering one of their songs in the Dillengers.

I'm so overwhelmed with the projects i've taken on but part of the reason I feel so good is 'cause i'm able to do these things. Instead of bottling in my emotions, I get to let them out on the guitar or some drums. Even a bad gig is better than say....cleaning a toilet! I'm a real lucky guy! Thank you, music gods!

P.S. I just got in the mail RhinoHandmade's Aretha Live in Philly 1972 and it is the shizzle.

Boy, You're Gonna Juggle That Weight.

Eat rehearsals are getting better. Now I gotta cram for thursday's child. I'm gonna need (to quote Bob Dylan) a dump truck to unload my head! Last night, I went to a b'day party for Matt Winfree of the SpoonBenders and I was surprised to see my Funkabilly mates there. All 5 in the same room! I'm really tired today and I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. QUIT YER CRYIN' SOLDIER!

Saw It Written And I Saw It Say.

The Funkabillies have been out of commission for what seems like an eternity. I've been obsessing over Nick Drake over the past few days. That's not a bad thing. I was watching part of a documentary on him on YouTube and it said in his last year he didn't leave the house much at all. I could be that way easily. I come home for lunch most days and it's torture having to leave to go back to work. Tonight's Eat rehearsal went pretty well. I went into it tired so it was hard working up the energy to play fast punk drums but i made it ok. I guess we're going to try to play a gig in December. Next Thursday, I have my first rehearsal with thursday's child. I hope we have quite a few of them before the New York gig. Trying to learn two band's worth of material is wearing me out. This Friday, The Dillengers are playing a pick-up gig at some place called Igot's in Lake Worth. I need a massage badly! I'm all out of whack. Tired!

Eat Me.

OK. it's official. I called my Uncle Jack in NYC and he said I could stay with him a few days so I will be playing a gig in New York with Thursday's Child on November 18th. I haven't been to New York since my Grandmother passed in the late 80's. I've meant to go back but I could never find the money or the time. I'm gonna take a shitload of pictures and I really hope to see Electric Lady Studios and/or the Village Vanguard. I'll probably try to take in Ground Zero. If I can handle it. Tonight's Eat practice went well. I still don't feel like i'm part of it. I'm trying to keep up with them and I guess i'm doing OK. I think we have a long way to go but they'd probably tell you different. I think i'm more of a perfectionist than they are. It is fun playing fast and i'm not having trouble like I thought I would. I did have to wear earplugs tonight 'cause Ed's amp was on a chair pointed right at me. No ringing so that's a good thing.

Yesterday, I bought the new Tom Petty documentary (Running Down A Dream) and I got through half of it. It's about 4 hours long. So today I listened to him and was reminded of how many great songs he has. Tomorrow i'm going to Bob Wlos' studio to sift through tapes (!) to find one suitable for a new project. I have some old songs i'd like to record so we'll see what happens.

When You're Hot....You're Probably Only Room Temperature.

Oh, what a weekend. Last night, the Fs played the Hurricane in Dehray (home of the silent L) and that went as planned. We hadn't played in a few weeks (which is becoming a trend) and it showed. I'd seen the place previously and thought the Gibson amp would do fine (like it does at O'Hara's). It cried UNCLE in the first song and it had a long way to go. The tone was fine but we were so LOUD that I had no headroom so the mellow songs sounded like Black Sabbath on molasses. Good grief. It was a tough crowd to win over. Seemed like everyone I could see had their arms folded just staring us down. I'm sure my perspective is off. Of course, the manager loved us and wants us back once a month. The shittier we are, the more people like it. I don't get it. I left there with my ears SERIOUSLY ringing. Which is how I woke up this morning. Which is how I am now. What?

Today, the Dillengers had a soundcheck at the Cuillo Theater at 4. Just for the record, I generally hate these things. Nothing more fun then hitting the bass drum for a half an hour. And everyone practicing their numbers (1-2-3-4 Check-Check-Repeat). Anyway, the band that was on before us decided to turn the soundcheck into their rehearsal so we sat around a lot longer than we should have. We finally got our turn and it took forever to get the sound right. Luckily, the guy before me did all the boomboom kick drum nonsense. They only had a mic on the kick drum and one overhead. Simple. I was up in the cheap seats listening to their rehearsal knowing we were going to be really loud. It was a very live room. We finally got out of there and didn't return 'til 8:30. I found the dressing room and a had a piece of cold pizza that was there for the entertainers. Behind that room was a prop closet and Bill and I tried on some feather boas. We would have worn them but we would have upstaged poor Rickypoo. The aforementioned band before us must've been having fun 'cause they kept on playing past the allotted quit time. That's not cool. We ended up playing quite badly and loudly to roughly half the people that were there when I arrived. Oh, well.

Tomorrow we play a birthday party at our regular gig, Elwood's. Monday is a rehearsal for an Allman Brothers tribute thing I said yes to which I haven't done my homework for. OOPS! I'll have to cram at work Monday. Wednesday is a practice with The Eat. Thursday could be recording with Bob Wlos. I think I had something to do Tuesday but I can't remember. Saturday is a gig at Elwood's. I'm in over my head.

I Want You Around.

Whew! End of the weekend. This week, I had a rehearsal with The Eat and they didn't tell me to go away so I guess i'm in. I've got another rehearsal with them sometime early this week. I also have a Funkabilly rehearsal seeing as we have a gig on Friday. Saturday and Sunday, i'm with the Dillengers (Sunday at Elwood's for a birthday party of some sort). Listening to the Eat material has slid me into a punk phase. I've been listening to the Ramones and the Muffs a lot lately. Even though they're on the light side of it, they're still my faves. I may break out some Black Flag this week to see if it gets me fired.

Saturday afternoon, I had lunch with my friend Jen over by the Sawgrass Mills mall and that was fun. Got the new Mojo and a new live Ramones DVD at the Borders there. That night, Kris and I went out to Carrabba's for dinner and I ate some overly-cheesy ravioli which made my lactose-intolerant ass do the St. Vitus dance (look it up). Then we ended up at a place near here called Shea's (an irish pub). We sat and listened to a few tunes and some lady got up and sat in. She sounded like the bad chorus teacher in elementary school so we beat it out of there pretty early. My full stomach must've cut the oxygen to my brain somehow and I felt really tired and I was nodding off with Louis Black on the TV. I'm a shitty date.

I'm Easily The Stupidest Person You Know.

Once again, Best Buy fucked me. I wasted my lunch hour looking around for this thing and I realize I probably have to go downtown (!!!!) to Borders to get it 'cause everything around here sucks. Everytime something new comes out, Best Buy doesn't have it or misfiles it and nobody can find it....but I still keep coming back. Pavlov's dog? Tomorrow, I have jury duty in WPB. Weeeeeee! I can hardly contain myself. I gotta be there by 8 so i'll probably take a nap on I-95 like everyone else.

I Can Stereotype 60 Words A Minute (if they're and, but and or).

It's fookin' raining! I was driving this morning and I was getting this cool stereo thunder effect. These are the scenes from this morning. Since I don't eat vegetables, i've been trying to take vitamins and drink juices and stuff. I know what you're saying but at least it's better than nothing at all. Even if it pours, i'm still gonna make the trek to the dreaded Best Buy. Mama needs a new Otis Redding DVD!

Brainpan Aliceripple.

On the way home from work today, there was a brief moment where everything was alright with/in the world. I can't explain it. I was just singing along with the radio and I felt great. It's amazing how music can just perk you up. On The Muffs song Agony the first thing you hear is this intake of breath before Kim starts singing and every time I hear it it's like a release. You ever have that joyful anger? Like when some asshole in line at the grocery store who's being a complaining whiner slips and falls on his ass. You're angry but at the same time happy that he got his. Speaking of grocery stores, last night I had to go to Publix (pronounced like pubic) for some odds and sods and I happened to catch this guy's eye who was in a wheelchair and I gave him a real big smile and he went from a frown to a grin in nothing flat. I should start a smile campaign. When people smile at me it just makes everything better. It's hard to be grumpy with someone giving you the SAY CHEESE in your face. I can't be. Tomorrow, the Stax/Volt tour DVD comes out so you'll find me at the local Best Buy during lunch. C'mon by. I'll buy. Congress and Old Boynton Beach Blvd. Somewhere close to 12:40. See ya there. I'll be the one with the smile.

Am I Pleasuring You? or Here's Looking Up Your Old Address.

I can't even remember where I left off. Last week was helllish (which is one more than hellish). I tried to wean myself off caffeine all week and I was a sluggish sack 'o potatoes. At least I wasn't having the dreaded anxiety (i don't think they're panic) attacks. So there's the solution to that problem. I accepted the job with The Eat and i've got my work cut out for me. Their drummer, Chris, was a hero of mine when I was a pup. Still is. I hope I can come up with something that will make them happy. It seems my project calendar is deep in the swamp. It's nice to be needed but it's also nice to conserve sanity. Which of, I suppose, i'm a quart low or two cards shy.

Was O'Hara's last week? Anyway, Bongo ended up being there but he left early. That sucked. There were a few songs that we had to scramble to fill harmony parts. He seems to be a bit up and down at this point and I worry about it. Last night was the return of the Dillengers after a few weeks off and it showed. As usual, I was all over the map timing wise and i'm sure i'm gonna hear aboot (that's Canadian or, as I like to call it, Canoodlean) it today. I deserve it. But it was a good night overall. This guy I know (i guess he could be called a friend even though I don't know him very well)....Fuck it. This friend of mine, James, came by with entourage in tow and that brightened things considerably. James is moving to Nashville to be with his boyfriend, Matt (just kidding). I'm bummed. He was really cool and always nice to me. Rumour has it he may be back in town around Halloween time. Hope so.

Wednesday, I've got the Bamboo Room with the Dildogers (which means Thursday i'll be dumber than a bag o' hammers at work...if not completely def (sic)) and Friday I have my first practice with the Eat. Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it. This week's prediction for listening: Otis Redding and plenty o' The Eat!!

'Lil Peetie.

A few hundred posts back, I mentioned a band called thursday's child and I raved about them quite a bit. I've gotten a few emails from them about possibly playing second guitar with them at a gig or two but scheduling conflicts have prevented us from working together as of yet. This afternoon, I got an email from them asking me to play drums for them at a gig in New York City. I'm hoping I can do it. They're great and it would be nice to play an out-of-town gig. I've been having a lot of dramatrauma in the personal life lately. Stuff I can't really talk about that i've been bitching to everyone about. It's like i'm forgetting to take my lithium and i'm all out of sorts. I'm not on lithium (for those who don't know me). Last night, I met with Yves, Brian and Greg to see if music could be shared and it was. Unfortunately, it was sort of directionless...but not terrible. Eddie O'Brien asked if I would play a gig with The Eat and I jumped at the chance. The Eat were about the best punk band we had around here in the beginning of the Eighties. My stepbrother and I would listen to their records all the time. It is certainly an honor to be asked.

Naked Man Does Laundry. Film at 11.

Haven't posted much 'cause I haven't really done anything interesting. Last year, down time was August-September. This year, it's a month late. I have one gig this month and it's this coming Saturday at O'Hara's. I really hope Bongo is up to it. I think people will boo us if he's not there.

Yesterday, we cleaned up the house a bit and Kris bought a cinnamon broom so the place still smells like a pack of Freshen Up gum. We had our friends Jen and Vena (?) over for a bit last night and I broke out some 45s and spun them. We ended up at the Jetsetter (Jojo at my mom's) and had dinner and checked out the entertainment which was some blues. My mom promised to take Jojo to Chuck E. Cheese (they should close the place 'cause i heard they found a mouse in the kitchen.) and she bailed on the idea so it was left to us to take her this afternoon. I hate that place and some of the kids are snotty little spoiled brats (this is in Byoca). We played skeeball and all the usual games and after spending probably 20 bucks on tokens, we won enough tickets for Jojo to take home a bracelet and two Tootsie Rolls worth about 78 cents.

My day was not going so well when I pulled into Borders to look around and I saw a new John Coltrane video has come out. I had that in my hand at the checkout counter when I noticed a box of stuff they were putting away. Bad idea. On top of the pile was a brand-new OTIS REDDING video!!!!! I was so excited, i was willing to take the beating for spending too much money. I'm counting the hours until Jojo goes to bed so I can tuck into it. It's here This has turned out to be a great day. FUCK TOMORROW!!!!!