$ 2.00 !!!!!!

I should have never been shown how to do this. I'm addicted. I'm addicted to lots of things. Lately, I have a worrying addiction to McDonald's iced coffee. I feel incomplete without it and it's making me fat. I'm addicted to music. That's why I try not to go record shopping because I pine for the things I can't have or afford. That's also why I try to stay out of music stores. That and I can't stand musicians. And 14 year-old guitar players who are better than me. Which is all of them. Tonight, we're going to see Keith play and go to a birthday party for a friend called Vena. I'm thinking of the bringing a camera for blackmail purposes so stay tuned.

Of Course, I've Had It In The Ear Before

I'm glad my REM post opened up a debate. It seems everybody liked them at some point. This is my new favorite band. Rick sent this to me and it is awesome.

Opportune

Today is a good day. I took Jojo to school and the weather is perfect. Breezy. A little chilly. Excellent. I'm definitely a weather-driven person. I won't go outside if it's too hot. Cold I can deal with. I picked up this stupid thing called Cold Uticaria(?) which makes me break out in hives if cold hits my skin. It's not always so severe but I have to take Benedryl to make the hives stop and then I have to have a nap...which is always encouraged! Kris asked me to make an REM cd for her so i've been listening to them. They ruled my world for a lot of years and i've stolen some of their approach now and again. Who doesn't like jangly guitars? I'm sure (next to John Lennon, Roger McGuinn and Tom Pettty) Peter Buck has helped sell quite a few Rickenbackers. When i'm on a session and I run out of ideas, I always revert back to the Peter Buck picking method. Works every time.

Citrus Mod

Not a bad weekend. Dinner with family. Drum parts. Last night, we finally got some rain. Unfortunately, it was while we were playing. I got some of Harry's cymbals from Bill and Rick. Thanks guys. I put some heads on Bob's drums and trotted them out for the four people who showed up to see. Got the Zombiies dvd that just came out. I haven't watched it yet. The Sunday gig starts earlier now. Johanna built some butterflies so we let the last one go on Saturday. Welcome, new week!

You've Been A Problem So Long, Maybe Someone Should Solve You.

I believe i've found the worst song ever. Not surprisingly, it's by Santana (who we will now refer to as Satana). The only Satana I really like is the first LP. Mike Shrieve was/is an excellent drummer and fellow disciple of Elvin Jones. Anyway, the song is called Open Invitation. It's so cliche and Carlosguitarlos is getting this cheesy metal-type sound (rather unconvincingly). The production (i e drum sound) is typical late 70's poof. A co-worker brought in "The Best Of Satana" and forced me to listen to it. I'd much rather sandpaper an eyeball or three than do that again. Tonight, we ate dinner at Pei Wei and it was swell. I went to Home Depot to get some crap to take 20-year old adhesive off Bob's drums. It's gonna take some elbow to remove this stuff. It clearly tells you on the label to use in a well ventilated area. Well, that would be the smart thing to do (I hope by now you're seeing where i'm going with this.). After a while, my chest felt heavy and I had to go outside for some air. I still don't feel right. Stupid. Jojo is currently sleeping in my bed so we can wake up together tomorrow. Everything is suddenly all right in the world.
P.S. There's a Yosemite pic for ya, Keith!

Does It Hurt To Be So Full Of Shit?

I don't know why, but I was watching some of the Republican candidate debate and I realized they are so full of shit. That really goes for all politicians. I know i'm a little late to come to this conclusion. Why do they always talk about health care? They're never gonna do anything about it 'cause we need more fucking tanks and flame throwers. God, i'm pissed off. Last election, I got all whipped up into a frenzy over this and the bad guy won. We got our dicks knocked into the dirt majorly! I don't know if I have the mental energy to do this again. Why are all these losers afraid to stand up for gay marriage and abortion rights? We're not all Neanderthals who haven't changed with the times. Stand up for us little guys, you stupid fucks! We went to see the Lion King play the other day and it was really cool. Johanna loved it, naturally. Tonight, I went to a funeral for a fellow drummer named Harry Johnson. Thankfully, it wasn't too religious. They were having a jam afterwards but I didn't stay for it. I've been waiting all week for Friday to come. I have a rare weekend off except for Sunday. I gotta make my way down to Hollywood to get some drum supplies to work on Bob's drums and get them out of my house. They've become furniture.

The Key Of PH

I'm finding it very hard to blog these days. I'm so busy doing stupid things that not only have I not stopped to smell the roses, the damn things died waiting for me. I had a rehearsal tonight with Jim Wurster for our May 18th gig which will probably be a disaster. Especially if i'm involved in it. The Zombies are reuniting in London next year to perform "Odessey and Oracle" (one of my favorite LPs)live and I wanna be there. I was thinking of some more guilty pleasure songs today and most of them were by Fleetwood Mac. I tend to prefer the blues band era with Peter Green but I still love the 70's-coked-out version too. They really liked the key of F which is one of my faves. "Gypsy","Go Your Own Way","Sara"...all in F. "Crazy Arms", "Day After Day"(badfinger), "Just Like A Woman", "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Give Me Love", "Hot Burrito #1"....all in F. Just a good key all the way around. I was also listening to James Taylor's first album (on Apple) and wondered why it bombed. It's got some really cool stuff on it and Paul McCartney plays bass on "Carolina On My Mind". Isn't that enough? Tomorrow I go to a funeral of someone I barely knew. The service is supposed to be quite religious and it's making me nervous. I might have to duck out early. I'm so tired that i'm starting to believe the voices in my head.