We're Bumpin' Booties, Having Us A Ball Y'all.

Oh, Blog! I've missed you. You know how your Mom tells you, "If you don't have anything nice to say..."? I've been up. I've been down. Tryin' to get the feelin' again. I don't wanna get a reputation of being a downer (too late). I can't hardly remember what happened last week (or today for that matter!). Well, here's what I remember... Thursday, I had dinner with my Dad for a belated Father's Day deal. It was very awkward. I feel like the man doesn't know me at all and Thursday only confirmed my feeling. He just ranted about things he knows i'm sensitive about (i'm not gonna tell you what he said so you won't dislike him before you know him). Food was consumed. I tried my best to reach out to him and make him feel loved but my attempts fell flat and I was left having dinner with a stranger who has some serious problems. I hope I learn from these events and not turn into him. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Friday, I took an hour off work and ran down to Ft. Rockerdale to play a Starlight Series concert with the Funkasmelly Voidoids. It was really hott!!! Luckily, I brought my trusty industrial blower which normally would do the trick but felt like it was blowing hot breath on me. Ick! Crowd was pretty good. We had to do a bunch of "How y'all doin' tonight?" to get them riled. Thinking aboot (Canada) it now, I would have killed one of us if I was really hot and sticky and the performers were not satisfied with my mere clapping. I must say right here and now that I was not responsible for any of the applause baiting. Thankfully, the sun went down for the second set and then the place packed out. It felt like Woodstock or something. You could see people as far as the I could see. I found out afterward that my volume knob on my amp was really loose and kept turning me off. I kept messing with it but the vibration of the sound kept turning it back to zero every few minutes. Hmmm. We played halfway decently and didn't offend too many people.

Saturday, The Dillengers played a benefit for a guy called John Wurm. I told Rick I would do an acoustic set long ago when he didn't have anyone to play but luckily, I didn't have to. I must work on my confidence. Anyway, Bill (our bass player) was out of town tending to sick family in Alabama so our old bassist Charlie Gonzales stepped up to the plate. The best thing to happen all night was a band called Thursday's Child. They were on before us and they had some great songs and a great sound similar to Sixpence None The Richer. They gave me a cd and it's great. I went on their MySpace and gushed about how great they are. If you're wondering, I am getting paid each time I use the word "great".

Yesterday, the family went to my Mom's house for my nephew RJ's birthday. My sister was there and we had a good talk about the state of my Dad. My Mom joined in and straightened me out on some things. We all reminisced about my late sister Nancy like we always do when we get together. I wish Kris and Jojo could have met her. Sunday was Elwood's and we had to start late 'cause Charlie had a gig across town that didn't end 'til 8. Rick proposed we kill some time with an acoustic set. Luckily, that didn't happen. I must work on my confidence. When I got there, some kids were sitting in the front seats and they had guitars with them. They were chatting with us about musician crap. "What kind of cymbals do you use?". "I have a @#$%^*! drum set at home". You get it. I set up and walked away and this kid sat down at my drums and started moving things around! I yelled at him not to move anything around and, by this time, the crowd that was there was interested in what this kid was going to do so I didn't want to look like a bad guy and kick him off my drums so I let it slide. I walked down to Starbucks to forget the whole thing. My problem with it is the etiquette(?) issue. I would never just jump on someone's instrument without asking (i wouldn't do it anyway unless i was asked) and I CERTAINLY wouldn't move anything. Little bastard.

Last night, I took melatonin (kris' suggestion) to help me sleep and it was great. I woke up a few times (like i always do) but this time I fell right back to sleep. Kris told me they can give you weird dreams and it didn't disappoint. All I really remember is Bruce Springsteen was in my dream. That would be weird enough but I remember seeing him on TV through a shop window yesterday and now it makes sense. I'll let you know what I dream of tonight. I hope it's happy.

Happy Birthday, Co-Writer Of "Say Say Say".

It's Paul McChonley's birthday, everyone! Can you hear me? Is this on? I'm gonna go out on a limb and admit that one of my favorite McChonley albums is "Red Rose Speedway". He had Henry McCullough with him then and he couldn't be beat. The solo to "My Love"? C'mon! I can't say much for his latest single. So I won't. But he was in The Beatles, so it's OK. Here, There and Everywhere. The Night Before. Hold Me Tight. I'm Down. The list is endless. Pete probably thinks the new single is genius 'cause he tends to like most things I don't...like 80's Genesis and BJ Thomas.

Dammit, Jim, I'm Not A Nurse.

Apparently, I live in a place crawling with horny people in a hurry. Last night, I had a panic attack while playing. We were in the middle of a song and, all of a sudden, I felt like I wanted to get the hell out of there. My heart started beating real fast and I was sweating profusely. After the set, I went outside for a bit and the feeling subsided. When I told Kris about it this morning, she suggested maybe my caffeine intake is too high. She could be right. I've been having these panic attacks lately and the only thing that's changed is the iced coffee addiction. So tonight, I tried a decaf and it didn't taste any different and no attacks were had. Back to last night; Jeff Watkins, a friend of the band who played sax in James Brown's band and is currently on the road with Joss Stone, sat in last night. At the end of the night, Bongo suggested we play "War Pigs" and we did. At the solo, I screamed to Jeff "Play something crazy!" and he did. It reminded me of The Stooges' Fun House. Great stuff. I decided to bring the Marshall and that was a mistake. I was battling it all night long. Which probably didn't help my anxiety.
Happy Father's Day! This is by far my favorite day of the year. I love being a Dad more than just about anything. This morning, I woke up to the family bearing cards and gifts. Jojo made me a clay handprint at camp. We had Waffle Haus and went to Kris' Mom's house to visit and give her stepfather a prezzie. It rained like fuck and I was hoping the gig would be called off but it wasn't. There was no-one there when we arrived, but it picked up a little bit. This weekend, I put some heads and snares on this drum I got from Harry Johnson and it sounded great tonight. I'm really glad to be home. My back was hurting so I took a pain killer and i'm feeling pretty damn good right now. This week, I have The Bamboo Room on Wednesday, The Starlight Music Series Concert in Ft. Lauderdale on Friday and a benefit at The South Shore Grill on Saturday. Ugh! I also forgot to call Constantine this weekend so if you're reading this....i'm a dick. Call me!

Sometimes I Get Those Cramps Real Hard.

I'm not convinced that I love my Telecaster the way it is. The front pickup sounds mushy. Looks good though. I talked to a bandmate/friend from high school, Constantine Jones, this week. We played together in a band that never really got out of his garage. I told the other member of that band, Pete, about our conversation and one of the first things out of his mouth was "Let's put a band together!". I thought that was jumping the gun a bit. I have been thinking about it as Pete has been beating me up about forming a band to do some of my songs and some other stuff. I must admit i'm excited by the prospect of playing in something new. There's quite a few songs i've never played with a band before. Bands are hard work though. Trying to get everyone to agree. Finding time to rehearse. Tap dancing around the fragile egos. Mine included. I talked to my friend Matt to feel him out about maybe being part of it and he seemed interested. I told him I don't know if it's gonna get off the ground or not. I haven't really talked to anyone about these possibilities. Who knows. Maybe if we just took it lightly and everyone wants to do it, it might work. We'll see.
I forgot how important Andy Summers is. I listened to the entire Police catalogue today and I was amazed at his colorings and tasty phrasing. Great stuff. I actually met Andy in Berkeley at Amoeba Records some years back. He was in town doing a club show and was out record shopping. We met in the Jazz section. Very nice. Very short. I think i'm suffering from some sort of depression or chemical imbalance. When I don't play with the Billies for a while, I get real anxious a few days before the next gig. We're playing tomorrow and i'm already nervous. Every morning, I go in to work feeling anxious and worried and about an hour later I have this unexplained feeling of euphoria like something wonderful is on the horizon or how much I love my family and then the feeling fades.
I guess i'm worried about the big ups and downs. I suppose i've always been a little anxious but it's intensifying as I get older. I know I don't wanna be on any drugs that are going to give me an artificial feeling of security or deny me the natural downs that I always feel. I'd just like to get rid of the anxiety. Any maybe find something that can boost my self-esteem and confidence.....Yeah, right! Kris said on her MySpace, they're listing the 5 most important albums of their lives and I would find it impossible to list only five...from each genre! Too much great music out there. Right now, i'm stuck on Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack. And Exile on Main St. And Zenyatta Mondatta. Even though Capitol dropped the ball with Sgt. Pepper, on August 28 (happyberfdaykris!) they're re-releasing Pink Floyd's Piper At The Gates Of Dawn as a 3 cd set with mono and stereo mixes and the singles of the period like Arnold Layne and Apples and Oranges. Weeeeeeeeee!

Happiness Found.

It was great. Friday, we checked in at the Jupiter Resort and rested. We met a couple from California and hung out with them for a while. Saturday, we hung out on the beach. We got a couple of deck chairs and an umbrella and sat in the shade. It was awesome. It was very relaxing which was exactly what we needed. We got to spend some time together and it really renewed our relationship. I can't wait to do it again! That night, we left the balcony door open and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean. We came back early afternoon and I took Johanna to the Y to swim and spend some time with her. It wasn't the best idea 'cause I was real tired when we got home and I had to go to the gig at Elwood's. I was dragging ass until the break when I was able to buy some iced coffee and then everything took off. I'm not glad to be home. I wanna go away again. Thanks for a swell weekend, Kris! I love you very much!

Tattooed Anal Helicopter

I finally got the Telecaster back yesterday and this is what it looks like. Keith came over last night and introduced us to Mitch Hedburg. Very funny man. Also ded. I've been thinking about how weird it is to like a song I would have hated years ago. Like "Doctor, My Eyes". I still hate the mellow congas but the guitar solo can't be denied. That's Jesse Ed Davis. I wanted to name Johanna Jesse Ed Davis but Kris vetoed. Oh, and it's in F and you can't hate any song in F. Does anyone else like "The Flame" by Cheap Trick? I'm making a cd of sad songs and it's on there. I've also been thinking about this whole Desert Island Disc thing and I realize my list would change at least every hour. Keith has my battery-operated turntable so I would have to get that back before I got stranded. I would be bringing vinyl (natch!). Here goes the big 10 list posted at 11:35 pm. Oh, and I have to have at least 10. I'd wear one pair of underwear for the rest of my life to have room for 10 albums.
1. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
2. Abbey Road - Beatles
3. Odessey and Oracle - Zombies
4. Funhouse - Stooges
5. The Fabulous Style Of - Everly Brothers
6. Otis Blue - Otis Redding
7. Oar - Alexander Spence
8. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
9. Blonder and Blonder - The Muffs
10. Ramones - Ramones
Fuck! I left out Badfinger, Big Star, John Coltrane, The Byrds, Miles Davis, Teenage Fanclub, Tin Machine, The Replacements, Captain Beefheart, The Johnny Burnette Trio, Elvis 1 and 2, The Cramps, Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, The Searchers, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, Moby Grape, Allan Sherman, The Specials, Buffalo Springfield, George Jones, The Bee Gees, Ray Charles, The Louvin Brothers, Chuck Berry, Louis Jordan, The Who, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Cream, Blind Faith, The Band, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fela Kuti, Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Nirvana, Black Flag, Hank Williams, Ravi Shankar, Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, Liz Phair, Elton John, The Police, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Mathis, Gene Clark, Carole King, Taj Mahal, Hem, Little Walter (Matthau), Howlin' Wolf, Getz/Gilberto, The Monkees.....you get the picture. Kris and I are going away this weekend to re-connect and i'm really looking forward to it. Mattafayct, i'm counting the minutes! Respect to my boy, Keef who is headed to the Y.

Flaxen Waxen Botheration On Bald Mountain.

Ok, I'm not obsessing about it or anything but sometimes I miss my hair. I have absolutely no interest in the fake stuff or the drugs that grow it back (probably in places I already have it) but it would be nice to have options. I can only really have one style of haircut. Really short. I guess I could grow my eyebrows up. When I had it, I used to wear it over my eyes when I played to hide from people...the old "Hair Curtain". Sometimes, I still have dreams where it's long, straight and shiny. I guess what triggered it off was a conversation with my friend Matt. He fears his hair is thinning but he still wears it long and it looks fine. I told him not to cut it 'til he has to. I made the mistake of cutting it short and being too lazy to grow it back while I had it. Come to think of it, I deserve what's happened to me. I used to dye it a lot....pretty much every color of the rainbow. I miss doing that, too. The last time I did it was on the 4th of July a bunch of years back. I dyed it red, white and blue.
I'm gonna steal a page from the Keith and list some songs i've been listening to.
1. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry.
Another fine song white people have ruined. Go listen to the original. It SWINGS LIKE A DOBERMAN'S BALLS! I can't dance, but I want to when this is playing. Perks me up every time.
2. Tears Of Rage - The Band.
I just want to hug Richard Manuel and share a plate of cookies with him (can't; he dead). This song has an almost gospel feel to it and a heartbreaking vocal that sends the shivers.
3, 4, 5. Sway, Moonlight Mile, Loving Cup - The Rolling Stones.
Sway has one of the greatest Mick Taylor guitar solos and words that make no sense.
Moonlight Mile is very spooky and stirring. A really great Mick Jagger vocal.
Loving Cup also has a gospel feel and some great piano work.
6. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry - Bob Dylan.
Is there a crap track on Highway 61 Revisited? Kris and I were singing this in the car the other day along with Lay Down Your Weary Tune....GENIUS!

Mobile Homos.

Well, I made it back in one piece a bit worse for wear. The weekend was so-so. We didn't have a lot of people at either show...probably 'cause the weather was so bad on Friday. The club got damaged in the last hurricane and some repairs were still being made. There were holes in the roof and buckets catching the rain inside. We made it through the first night but the inspiration was elsewhere. We did a rehearsal on Saturday afternoon and got a few new tunes under our collective belt. Then we proceeded to destroy them Saturday night. There was this annoying guy who showed up right before the end and demanded to hear some Dan Fogelberg or Jimmy Buffett. Bill told the guy the only time he listens to Dan Fogelberg is when he kisses Rick's belly button. Hilarious. I just about pissed right there.
In the Dillengers (and the Funkabillies, for that matter), we always have this gay innuendo flying around and I think, at first, it used to bother Bill. Seems he got used to it. If you can't lick 'em......We got up super-early so we could get out of there and stopped at Waffle House for some deliciousness. I got home close to 1 p.m. and gave the family love all around. Tonight's gig was pretty good. We were real tired from not sleeping much this weekend and we took it out on our instruments. It was hard and loud and fast. I'm glad to be home. Tomorrow is Jojo's first day at summer camp (she went there last year) and Mommy and I are gonna see her off. Goodnight!
P.S. I did make them listen to Sgt. Pepper on the drive down but only once.
Pix: 1. This is where we stayed behind the club. It is/was icky as Bill indicates with his nose.
2. This pretty much sums it all up. Yes, Pete, that's your ride cymbal.
3. The crowd on Friday. I have a pic from Saturday but it looks the same.
4. The buckets catching the rain.
5. The mostly empty tip jar gets the metal sign.