Having just moved into a new house, I promise you I will try my utmost to not write every day about the trials, tribulations and successes of home ownership. Today, however, I will write about that very subject. I'll start by delivering a message to whomever redecorated all of our doorways and window trim back in the 1950's - why did you paint over varnish? Have you no clue?
While internally debating if I should, in fact, find these people and bill them for the extra time it takes to remove paint & varnish, I did discover something called 5F5 Paint & Varnish Remover that could very well defeat any large army with relative ease. This stuff is nuclear. Case in point: you take a crappy .99 cent paintbrush and apply it to the area. Within 2-3 minutes, if you listen closely enough, you can actually hear the paint sizzling. Yes, sizzling, my friends. Within another 60 seconds, it has bubbled up and is ready to be scraped off. Easy enough, right? Oh, no. Because under the paint, there's the varnish. Oh, that dastardly, gooey, nasty varnish. Yep, that's gotta come off, too. So slap on another round of this fire-in-a-can, wait another 5-10 minutes, then proceed to completely ruin whatever scraper you are using because of the goo. The goo! Oh, the goo!
A couple more observations around this clearly illegal material. I was told that if you even got a drop on your hand, that it would burn, almost as if your hand were on fire. Thinking back to my high doubts about Shaw's shopping carts locking up, I had to experiment to see if, in fact, this were true. Once again, I was proven so very wrong. I dripped just a little tiny tiny drop on my hand and sure enough, was at the faucet within 30 seconds getting it off my hand. They sell this over the counter! Finally, one last fact about 5F5, which should drive home the point: in reading the can (after I used it, of course), it says, verbatim, "if ingested induce vomiting immeadiately." Now this cracks me up. This stuff is so potent that there is no other option than to have yourself throw up as soon as possible. All hail paint & varnish remover.
As I was washing off some paintbrushes last night, something popped into my head - a memory. I have no idea where this memory came from or why it popped into my head at that particular time, but the memory just hit me. I remembered that I saw a car in the 1970s, and it very well could have been my grandfather's (on my mother's side), and on that car was a bumper sticker that read "Remember When.........Air Was Clean and Sex Was Dirty?" Why did I remember this? No idea.
OK, first there's a colossal power failure in the biggest city in the U.S., and now there's been another one in the largest city in the UK? Am I being paranoid? I hope not.
Song now playing: Elliot Smith - "Alameda"
w8.27.2003
Okay, new comments section up and running! It's a new provider, so all the old comments are gone. Not like y'all were commenting your asses off anyway. What does a guy have to do to get some comments rolling around here. Ah yes - get some people to read the site. I'll have to work on that. Or something.
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The comments field has been temporarily disabled until I can find a provider that does not have their head up their asses. Yeah. OK. Nice.
Song now playing: Led Zeppelin - "Nobody's Fault But Mine"
w8.25.2003
Well, it was a weekend of firsts, of discoveries and of re-discoveries. Won't you join me for an edition of a very special RustedRobot?
Firsts - I used my first power tool on Saturday - an electric sander for two bedrooms we're re-doing. It totally kicked ass. I know, it's somewhat ridiculous that I am 32 years old and have never used a power tool. It's sort of inexcusable, really, but I'd readily admit that prior to this weekend, my interest and effectiveness in power tools and fixing stuff was as reliable as that dude from Stone Temple Pilots staying sober. So yeah, this weekend was chock-full of such exciting events(and please note intense sarcasm here) as stripping wallpaper, sanding, scraping wallpaper glue off walls, moving stuff, washing walls and then using "sheet rock compound." This occured approximately 42 hours per day. I am dog tired but the rumor I am hearing is that I will truly appreciate the results when I see the finished products. At this point, I think I might prefer to be struck repeatedly in the elbow with a heavy metal shovel.
Discoveries - I am not a vegetarian, but Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs kick total ass. The dude at the store promised me I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between real meatballs and this product, a soy substitute. He was right on. You just drop these frozen meatballs into some sauce and let 'er simmer for about 10 minutes, and voila! Meatless meatballs that taste like meat. Beautiful! Having them for lunch as I type this.
Re-discoveries - Oh, the pain. I pulled out Richard and Linda Thompson's Shoot Out The Lights yesterday while cooking the aforementioned meatless meatballs, and all was well. This was the Thompson's last album together, and it was a doozy. Recorded as their relationship and marriage fell completely apart, the songs are riddled with pain, bitterness and recorded with great, meticulous care. "Man In Need" and "Walking On A Wire" are about as close to perfection as two songs can get. Don't even think about forgetting "Back Street Slide," either - where the male Thompson publically ponders the, uh, vows of marriage........as usual, other people's pain makes tremendous music.
Song now playing: Faith No More - "A Small Victory"
w8.22.2003
I don't have much of anything to report today, other than the fact that the new Fountains Of Wayne album is a total gas! Really one of the best records I've heard this year.
I was driving my car the other day, through a bunch of twisting, wooded back roads in central Massachusetts - driving past all kinds of new, cookie-cutter housing developments and I realized that I consider these to be the bane of our peaceful existence. Someday we'll look back on these character-less, souless, identical sets of homes the same way we look at those perfectly circular cement-domed baseball stadiums which were built in the '60s - an eyesore. An insult to the otherwise pleasant aesthetics of all things rural. Why do I sometimes feel like robots - real robots - live in these houses? They all look exactly the same, the layout inside is the same and whenever I drive anywhere near them, I don't feel any.......life. Am I wrong? I very well might be unfairly pigeon-holing these, but I think I may be close to correct. By the way, I am not talking about condo developments - those are for a different type person alltogether, and far more justified.
Speaking of suburbia, does anyone remember the "Tot Finder" stickers? Do they still have those? Did they have them outside of Massachusetts? Frankly, I don't remember. For those of you who don't know, the Tot Finder sticker was a large sticker placed in the windows of children's rooms so firefighters knew where the children were sleeping or cowering in fear if the house were on fire. I had totally forgotten about those stickers - they eventually came off my bedroom window at some point, although I don't remember when and I had obviously blocked it from my mind for at least 15 years before it popped into my head again yesterday. Tot Finder. Makes me laugh for some reason. Here's a pic:
For those of you who are fans of one of Earth's greatest rock bands, Sloan's latest offering, calledAction Pact, hit the streets yesterday. I've only heard the single thus far, but it's vintage Sloan - insanely catchy. Their last album was good, but not their best, so let's hope this one kicks some ass. Now we wait for the tour......
Song now playing: The Bottle Rockets - "Gas Girl"
w8.18.2003
My new commute is 12.1 miles each way. Takes about 22 minutes. I'm now located about 1.5 miles from one of the best homemade ice cream stands in the state, which is dangerously delicious. One mile exactly to the gym. 21 miles to Somerville's Davis Square, where we now "used" to live. Our first phone call was received by my friend Leo Daley. Our last official night in Somerville was capped off by a beautiful chopped brisket sandwich at Redbones. Stephanie had the pulled pork. Finally, moving sucks, but the excitement of a new house overrides it anytime. I've just found this out. I've also found out that the best way to unload a lawn tractor from a pick-up truck is to have your friend drive the truck straight into a ditch and then just push the tractor off, because the hitch in the back is now almost perfectly level with the ground. Worked like a charm.
For an interesting overview of the song "Blinded By The Light," including some hilarious user-submitted lyrics (what people think they're saying), click here, this page includes my favorite user-submission: "Wrapped up like a douche bag for the Roman in the night." (courtesy Jilly.org).
Song now playing: Uncle Tupelo - "Chickamauga"
w8.15.2003
As if you didn't know already, much of the northeastern United States lost power yesterday afternoon. We in Massachusetts were unaffected by it, but I knew something was amiss when all of the IM addresses in our New York office suddenly signed off at the same time. We live in very interesting times, don't we? If anyone was starting to feel like the effects of 9/11 were starting to burn off, yesterday's event put the hurtling train right back on the tracks. Among the media frenzy and swirling rumors, it's a solid assumption that the first thing people thought of was that beautiful Tuesday morning before the dark clouds of terrorism and bare-fisted, pure fright hit our psyche. As a frequent flyer and devoted follower of history, September 11 still crosses my mind on a daily basis.
All that being said, I feel, in my little corner of the universe, that I should mention how out-of-control our media has become. Of course, the major networks or CNN are the first things we turn on for news, but they really dialed up the melodrama for yesterday's blackout. Hearing constant refereces from the civilians on the streets of New York about the city's glorious attitude and their referencing of how much everyone helps one another really gets to be achingly repetitive after a while. It would be one thing if it were true, I suppose. Not to throw my blanket of opinion over an entire city, but let's get real. A power outage, even one on this grand a scale, does not need this kind of coverage in the press, nor do we need to be told a million times about how cooperative and beautiful the people of New York are, while being told nothing about the people of Plattsburgh, NY or my old stomping grounds of Kent, Ohio. Those people are just as hot (climate-wise, I mean) & frustrated as the New Yorkers are. Oh well. Off my soapbox.
I'm moving "big stuff" tomorrow and will be officially in a new house starting tomorrow night. All kinds of emotion play into that. Of course, the overwhelming feeling that you own a entire property - the work, the responsibility, the debt. It's an odd combination of fright, comfort & excitement all rolled into one. At times, it's also very difficult for me to comprehend that I am moving out of the city. I had been convinced that I would stay forever and sometimes it's difficult for me to accept that I am leaving. Granted, I'm only 20 miles out, but it's frustrating because the real estate market in and near the city is just offensive, and it's really a shame, because people like us who truly enjoy being near it and taking advantage of what it has to offer are leaving. At some point, I believe city officials are going to realize just how damaging that is going to be for the city in the coming years - that young professionals who don't make $150,000 a year cannot live there. More people are leaving Massachusetts than are moving in. While it might not be an epidemic yet, it's a shame that people like us can't stay there. It hurts. But I'm excited about the prospect of owning my own place - it's something I've been saving fastidiously for and daydreaming about for years now. Starting a record label sidetracked that a little bit, but here I am. A homeowner. A new day dawning, of sorts. More dollar bills for the Home Depot tills!
Song now playing: Creeper Lagoon - "Tracy"
w8.13.2003
Okay, emergency news bulletin: some scary dude has an entire page, with an essay, on his love for Jan Smithers, who played Bailey Quarters on the great show WKRP in Cincinnati. Now, I tend to agree that Jan Smithers was equally attractive or in the same league as Loni Anderson, the only problem was that she had to play the nerd and wear the glasses. But this page is ridiculous. And brilliant.
Song now playing: Teenage Fanclub - "Bad World"
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I have to give out major props to a band called The Drive-By Truckers. No, it's not a great name for a band. Yes, they're from "the south," so they might remind you a little bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd. They have a few albums out that have some good cuts on them here and there, but on their new album, called Decoration Day, they finally break through with a thorough, great album. The lyrics are painted with sincerity, regret and the occasional bombast party-anthems, but it's quite clear that I made a mistake a few years ago when I labeled this band a novelty act that just happened to have a great singer. They are not a novelty act, and they still have a great singer. You can find a cover story on them in the new issue of No Depression, and I feel so strongly about the quality of this album that I might burn a copy of it for someone who asks. I can't guarantee when, though, as I am in the process of moving. Anyway, here's the terrific lyrics to one of their songs, called "Outfit":
You want to grow up to paint houses like me, a trailer in my yard till you're 23 You want to be old after 42 years, keep dropping the hammer and grinding the gears
Well, I used to go out in a Mustang, a 302 Mach One in green. Me and your Mama made you in the back and I sold it to buy her a ring. And I learned not to say much of nothing and I figured you already know but in case you don’t or maybe forgot, I’ll lay it out real nice and slow
Don’t call what your wearing an outfit. Don’t ever say your car is broke. Don’t worry about losing your accent, a Southern Man tells better jokes. Have fun but stay clear of the needle. Call home on your sister’s birthday. Don’t tell them you’re bigger than Jesus, don’t give it away.
Six months in a St. Florian foundry, they call it Industrial Park. Then hospital maintenance and Tech School just to memorize Frigidaire parts. But I got to missing your Mama and I got to missing you too. So I went back to painting for my old man and I guess that’s what I’ll always do
So don’t try to change who you are boy, and don’t try to be who you ain’t. And don’t let me catch you in Kendale with a bucket of wealthy-man’s paint.
Don’t call what your wearing an outfit. Don’t ever say your car is broke. Don’t sing with a fake British accent. Don’t act like your family’s a joke. Have fun, but stay clear of the needle, call home on your sister’s birthday. Don’t tell them you’re bigger than Jesus, Don’t give it away.
w8.12.2003
Normally, the grocery store is not a cause for a weblog column. Today, however, it is. Last night I went for the usual, run-of-the-mill trip to the store, located in the heart of Porter Square in Cambridge, MA. Other than having the single worst parking lot in the history of mankind, this store is like any other grocery store, you go in, do your biz, and escape with minimal harm. There were two occurences last night, however, that I feel I need to make the public aware of.
First off, while inside the grocery store exploring the offerings, I came across the Goldfish section, which as you know could be the best snack cracker ever presented to the masses. Well, upon further examination of the Goldfish area, I noticed a new offering from the Fish-people, and that was "Colored Goldfish." Colored Goldfish? Were my eyes deceiving me or were these snack crackers now offered in blues, reds and greens? My beloved, traditional Goldfish cracker company was selling their souls to the new generation to try and get them to buy crackers by adding color? An abomination, I say. It's a sure sign of one thing: the apocolypse. Goldfish crackers should always be that yellowish-tannish color and never - ever - deviate. Thankfully, they still offer the normal colors for us traditionalists.
Calming down and getting my breath back, I checked out and went outside with my groceries and my cart, when I ran smack dab into a big sign which informed me that Shaw's Supermarkets has now placed yellow lines around the entire parking lot and that they've installed technology where once a shopping cart is taken beyond those yellow lines, the cart will automatically lock up. I thought this had to be a joke. How is that even possible? Well, I was about to find out.
I was doggedly determined to prove Shaw's wrong by taking the care outside their property. They couldn't fool me with some sign proclaiming a mysterious Jetson-esque technology to automatically stop a shopping cart. I look around, and sure enough, just to my left about 50 feet away is the daunting yellow line. It's daring me - calling my name to come try it out and see if I can skirt the long arm of the Shaw's law. So even though I have a car and there's positively no need to take the cart off the grounds, off I go, in pursuit of the challenge to defy my pessimism. I race to just before the yellow line, pause, and picture myself crossing the line and having lasers come from the roof and freeze me in time. Or make me bald. Or have loud sirens wail. After pausing momentarily, I cross the line. Nothing happens. I move another six inches and I hear a click, and sure enough, the damn cart stops dead in its tracks. I try to push - nothing. I try to pull it backwards to see if it will "unlock" - no dice. I cannot move it. It is at this point I begin to laugh out loud and examine the cart. Surely the people around me, particularly one woman on a bike watching me, thinks I am a complete, certified maniac, which I very well may be. I slowly walked away from the cart, mystified and amazed that they have the power to remotely stop shopping carts and pondering the next wave of preventive technology for the brutal crime of removing shopping carts. Amazing.
Song now playing: Elliot Smith - "Bled White"
w8.11.2003
Hi all. I'm back. Thanks to Dave for pinch-hitting over the last week or so. He's one hell of a dude, isn't he? It looks like his appearance here sparked a bug in Dave that won't die - he'll be kicking off his own blog pretty soon, I think. I mean, he asked me about the whole process of starting one, so.....maybe look for a Dave-Blog soon enough? Time will tell.
I woke up this morning and I had the song "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul in my head. Can someone explain what that means? Did I have a dream about Paula Abdul? Is it my conscious telling me that I need someone to tell me - straight up - if they're really going to love me forever? Or am I really just caught in a "hit-and-run?" I just don't know.
Is anyone else looking forward to the titanic pitching matchup tonight between Pedro Martinez and Tim Hudson! A battle of wildcard teams! Come on now!
Song now playing: The Blacks - "Fake Out Jesus"
w8.9.2003
Hi. Recuperating for me has meant a CD making binge like never before! So far this weekend I made the following for Jeff...I've been mailing these out in batches of 4 so as to not overwhelm him (yeah, right). It's been fun though...not much else to do except make music and lay down and relax while I get well.
Soft Boys compilation courtesy Matt Hickey Mix CD courtesy of Garry Morse Frank Black & The Catholics: Show Me Your Tears (SpinArt 2003) Joe Mannix: White Flag (BongoBeat 2003) Cracker: Garage D'Or (Virgin 2000) Dan Baird: Love Songs For The Hearing Impaired (Def American 1992) Cracker: Forever (Virgin 2001) The Pretenders: Loose Screw (Artemis 2002) Hayseed: In Other Words (Artist Friendly 2003) Disgraceland: The Thundering Skies Of (EMI Australia 1998) Vells: S/T (LuckyHorse Industries 2003) Magnet: On Your Side (LuckyHorse Industries 2003) The Sleepy Jackson: Lovers (Astralwerks 2003) Big Star from #1 Record (1972)
Jeff has a couple of these, I know. But the ones that he has are often the perfect complement as the finishing touch on a CD...
Hey, rave on! Dave
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Good afternoon. I've been enjoying a very quiet Saturday afternoon, listening to Hayseed's new record, In Other Words. I saw Hayseed once and only once, at Twangfest in St. Louis in 1998. His stellar performance that night led to my discovery of his debut record, Melic. Melic is a fantastic record -- not one I'd define as "alt-country" but more as country-folk. It remains to be one of the best records I've heard in years -- a classic. I've a feeling that In Other Words may sink in just the same...
Other than Hayseed, I listened to another mellow record that has been tagged "alt-country" -- Canyon's Live In NYC. Canyon reminds of early Neil Young, Scud Mountain Boys, Bonnie Prince Billy, and Smog...so far, so good.
Just picked up the new Pretenders record that critics worldwide are proclaiming to be their best in a decade. It's good, no doubt about that!
Welp, I'm in a Cracker mood now...going to pull out Forever and Garage D'Or and make Jeff some music...
Rave on! Dave
w8.8.2003
Good morning. Not much in the way of music going out to Jeff today...
FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve 2003)...everyone's raving about this one in the UK and US press!
WHIRLWIND HEAT: Do Rabbits Wonder? (V2 2003)...read some good things about them in the UK press.
SOCIAL DISTORTION: Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell (1992 Sony)...one of my favorite records of the 90s. Pure R'N'R! Just recently bought the CD at Borders for $10.
CHRIS MARS: Horseshoes And Hand Grenades (1992 Smash)...another favorite of mine from the 90s and from a former Replacement. His first solo record and a rockin' good time!
It's overcast here in St. Charles, Illinois today. We're about 47 miles straight west of downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan, so the weather downtown may be quite different than it is out here amongst the corn and bean fields. My wife, Georgia, and son, Joe, are going to Brookfield Zoo with my best friend Tom's wife, Meg'n, and their kids Sam and Max. Sam and Max are identical twins and they're a handful (what kids aren't?) and a hoot! I've yet to distinguish between the two of them and they're now six years old. I can't imagine the fun those two boys are going to have in high school with the girls! They're all off to Brookfield Zoo today, one of the largest in the world. Last year I took Joseph there before his 2nd birthday and it was near 100F that day...just brutal. It was difficult to enjoy the day but fun nevertheless since he'd never seen dolphins, elephants, monkeys, giraffes, and other wild and endangered species.
Today I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment at 8:00am, which means I'd have to leave home by 5:30am to contend with rush hour traffic into the city. Instead, because I haven't been sleeping well at night, I woke at 11:30pm, 1:00am, and 3:00am last night and then crashed. I woke at 8:00am and had to call off the appointment. In any case, I'm doing well...just tired and a little sore still. The main reason I needed to go today to the doc was to get the 41 staples removed from my abdomen, but that'll have to wait until next week now. The staples are cause my skin to itch like mad, so they're ripe for pullin' and it means I'm healing just fine.
Now I'm going to read the news on AOL...whoo hoo! I'll check in later. Until then... Rave on! Dave
w8.7.2003
Jeff Intermission: I need to step in here for a second (isn't Dave the bomb, by the way?). Anyway, I have to share with you this little nugget, which details my life in the last week or so: I flew to Atlanta today. Just for the day. Got on the plane at 7am this morning, did business all day, got on a plane and flew home. When I came into Boston and stepped out through the gate at 10pm tonight and into the airport, I said to myself "this gate looks familiar. I must have flown out of here at some point recently." Then I realized it - yes, I did fly out of this gate. This morning. Now, back to my hallucinating...........go Dave.
I've got two new excellent slideshows, both taken from my trip to California last week. Some of these, if I may say so myself, are postcard-esque. I'm not trying to be cocky, I'm just saying all one really needs to do is go there and take the pictures. Some incredible scenery. I hope you all understand why I believe California is easily the most beautiful state in the U.S. when you look at these:
1. THIS is a few quick snaps I took while walking on the Golden Gate Bridge last Saturday. Pictures probably don't do it justice.
Speaking of pictures not doing something justice, some of THESE just blow my mind. Our company conference was over at around noon last Friday and I had nothing to do, so I said "screw it, I'm renting a car and driving around." Drive around I did! Ended up driving about 75 miles south, down the coast from the farm town of Watsonville all the way south to Big Sur, which has some of the most amazing scenery I think I've ever seen. By the way, these pictures from this drive I took were all taken at roadside! I mean, you just stop the car, get out, take the pictures. The Pacific Coast Highway stretches like this for over 100 miles. Maybe 200. You're literally driving at the edge of cliffs and over bridges that you only thought existed in RoadRunner/Wily E. Coyote cartoons. I had been there before, but it never ceases to amaze me how jaw-dropping it is. Just look at the last picture in this set. It stopped me dead in my tracks. Oh, one more thing, you'll see I threw in a picture from a baseball stadium. It was a shot I took at the Oakland A's-Cleveland Indians baseball game a week or so ago. The sky turned this marvelous color, so I had to take the shot. It had nothing to do with my drive down the coast, but it still deserves inclusion nonetheless. Another highlight of the game was Milton Bradley of the Indians being called out on strikes. He got so mad that he threw his bat and helmet at the umpire and tried to "get at him." Good stuff......what a baby.
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The sleep of the just...
There are a few strange things that can happen during sleep, and by strange I mean normal strange (I used to live in a roach infested apartment almost 20 years ago in Chicago...another story, another time). One is when you're falling asleep and you jerk, sometime violently, to stop yourself from "falling." Another natural way to wake during sleep is from a dream or nightmare. More frightening than that to whomever sleeps with you is if you're a sleepwalker. And finally, there's the panic wake. I've been pushing it a bit too much since my surgery, and yesterday was an especially tiring day for me. I didn't sleep well last night despite how tired I was, but today conked out at about noon. I woke at 4:00pm in that rare but familiar panic mode..."Where am I? What time is it? What day is it? I've slept through the entire day and night! AHHHHHHHHHH!" Well, it's still afternoon and the worst of the lot is that I missed the Cubs game...
Rave on! Dave
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One final note about my extended family (and this contains music content...). A few years ago I'd written in the music forum that I participate in (with a few hundred others members) about my cousin Jan's husband, Mike Connolly. For those of you who may recall, Mike received a citizen's medal of distinction/honor (which I believe is one of the highest, or highest, civilian honors that can be awarded -- with only a handful given each year) for helping to save the lives of drowning people on a treacherous and windswept lake. I thought about Mike because two summers ago, around the same time as my last surgery for Crohn's Disease, he had brain surgery that was of the highest risk. Mike made it through a miraculous recovery and has returned to his love of teaching and of exploring the great outdoors. I mention Mike now because last week he wrote me to say hello and mentioned that he was starting to explore progressive Irish music. Since my music library goes well beyond pop, rock, folk, and county and into world music I made Mike a few CDs that I hope he's enjoying. For those of you who are into such music, this is what I sent...
The Skiffle Sessions” / Live In Belfast: Van Morrison, Lonnie Donegan, Chris Barber (Pointblank/Virgin 2000) The Music Of Ed Reavy (Irish field recordings late 1970s) (Rounder Records 2001) Traditional Irish Music In America: Chicago (Rounder Records 2001) Traditional Irish Music In America: The East Coast (Rounder 2001) Davie Stewart: “Go On, Sing Another Song: The Alan Lomax Collection” Rounder Records 2002 (Scottish field recordings 1957) Jimmy MacBeath “Tramps & Hawkers: The Alan Lomax Collection” Rounder Records 2002 (Scottish field recordings 1951-1953) John Strachan: “Songs From Aberdeenshire: The Alan Lomax Collection” Rounder Records 2002 (Scottish field recordings 1951) Traditional Irish Wind Instrumentals: “Light Through The Leaves” (Rounder Records 2001) Celtic Harp: Aryeh Frankfurter (The Morning Dew) Irish Instrumentals (2003 ARC Music UK)
Rave on! Dave
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Aunt Babe, Part Two...
Back again for a short story of one large family's love for one another. As I mentioned first thing yesterday morning, my Aunt Babe's funeral and service were yesterday. As sick as she was with cancer -- I hadn't seen her in about 5 weeks but my Dad and Uncle Leo said they'd never seen anyone so sick as my Aunt Babe this past weekend -- she continued to fight to the very end. The cancer took everything from her physically, and of course mentally as well near the end, although she obviously fought so stubbornly hard to stay alive the past few weeks.
Yesterday I also mentioned my Grandma Klug, who's in her 101th year and still lives at home by herself. I just can't imagine losing a child. What one thinks of most often is that of young parents losing a young child. But to my Grandma, my Aunt Babe, Aunt Jane, Aunt Irene, and my Dad are still the "kids" and will forever be so. Yesterday was one of melancholy for me. I'd cried so many tears in the past many weeks for my Aunt Babe that what was left inside were thoughts that she'd finally met eternal life, and I tried to focus on that. Of course, it was very sad to see my cousins -- my Aunt Babe's kids Joe and Diane -- and their families, and my heart hurts for them as well as for my Aunt Jane, Aunt Irene, my Dad and Grandma. A bright light did, however, shine yesterday during my cousin Aaron's eulogy, which was one of eloquence and pure love. And yes, he too mentioned Southern Comfort as I did yesterday...at that point tears were met with smiles. I must say that Aaron's eulogy was the best I'd ever heard -- he met the challenge with courage and strength and I greatly admire him all the more for it.
My greatest fear in life is the death of those I love, so it's something that never escapes me. As my Aunts and Uncles get older, like my in-laws, I pray for them daily -- for their health and happiness. For the most part they're all in good health, but only God knows when it's one's time to go. My greatest fear of all is losing my parents...it's just something that I cannot fathom. Likewise, the mere thought of being without my loving wife, Georgia, or my beautiful son Joseph, hurts my heart just thinking about it.
In case you haven't noticed, I'm an extremely, but genuinely, sentimental individual. And with the Grandma Klug family as close together as we all are, that in and of itself is the greatest gift I've ever received: Family...
Love the ones you’re with. With all you heart and soul... Dave
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Top of the morning to you! It's about 4:30am Central and another sun is almost on the rise. I noticed last night that the sky was dusk-to-dark at about 8:30pm, while just five weeks ago that wasn't happening until after 9:00pm. Can autumn be so soon to arrive?!? I've yet to see a Cubs or White Sox game this year, although I have had the opportunity to see the Kane County Cougars many times (exciting ball...they're a Class A team of Oakland’s and sell out almost every game with capacity seating at about 15,000...not bad for minor league ball!).
Music. This morning's mail out to Jeff includes the following CDs:
MOTT THE HOOPLE: Greatest Hits (1976 CBS) JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS: “L.A.M.F.” (1977) (1994 Jungle UK) THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA: Higher Ground (RealWorld Records 2002) CHAMPION JACK DUPREE "A Portrait Of" (Rounder Heritage 2000) BUZZCOCKS (Merge 2003) CAESARS: 39 Minutes Of Bliss (Astralwerks 2003) SUPERCHUNK: Cup Of Sand (Merge 2003) RICHARD HELL: Time (1974-1084) (Matador 2002) VAN MORRISON: The Philosopher’s Stone (1998 Polydor) VAN MORRISON: 1967 Bang Masters (1991 Sony) MARK OLSON & THE CREEKDIPPERS: “December’s Child” (Dualtone 2002) THE CHURCH: Parallel Universe (Thirsty Ear 2002)
This morning I was digging through my electronic files that pertain to Jeff, which would include almost every piece of correspondence exchanged since 1995. Yeah, someday I'm gonna write that book about Tar Hut Records and the indie music underground. While searching I came across an interesting mix CD I made Jeff two years ago. I actually remember the occasion because my CD-R was on the blink and it took several takes to burn this one off. At the time I made a note to Jeff that there was no reason for the particular song selection or order, and from the looks of it I can see that's mostly true, although I did throw on some tunes from artists that Jeff is particularly fond of including Van, Bare Jr., Dan Baird, Green, Paul K., The Kinks (early), Cigar Store Indians, Cracker, and Ween.
1. Otis Redding: Respect (1967) 2. Elvis Costello & The Attractions: B Movie (1980) 3. Van Morrison: You Make Me Feel So Free (1979) 4. The Clash: Clampdown (1979) 5. Bare Jr.: I Wanna Live (1998) 6. Redd Kross: Saragon (1995) 7. Dan Baird: Cumberland River (1996) 8. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Fortunate Son (1969) 9. Green: I Love Her (1991) 10. Paul K: Slow It Down (1996) 11. The Kinks: Waterloo Sunset (1972) 12. Roy Orbison: The Comedians (1989) 13. Cigar Store Indians: This Town Ain’t Cool (1995) 14. Ramones: I Wanna Be Sedated (1977) 15. Fred Eaglesmith: 105 (1997) 16. The Who: Behind Blue Eyes (1971) 17. R.E.M.: Sitting Still (1983) 18. Bob Dylan: Neighborhood Bully (1983) 19. The Replacements: Can’t Hardly Wait (1987) 20. Cracker: Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now) (1992) 21. Iggy Pop: The Passenger (1977) 22. Ween: Piss Up A Rope (1996)
I just checked the mainstream news for the day on AOL and I see that Dylan has a new song out, perhaps associated with the movie he's in but I didn't explore any further. 50 Cent still rules the airwaves and this week's Top 9 are...drum roll... 1. Fefe Dobson, 'Take Me Away' 2. Beyoncé & Jay-Z, 'Crazy in Love' 3. Cristian, 'No Hace Falta' 4. Chingy, 'Right Thurr' 5. R. Kelly, 'Thoia Thoing' 6. Mya, 'My Love Is Like... Wo' 7. Black Eyed Peas, 'Where Is the Love?' 8. Fabolous, 'So Into You' 9. Ashanti, 'Rock Wit U'
I haven't heard any of these songs, or any of these artist's music. Apparently, Fefe is taking all the charts by storm. Interesting...
The Top 9 videos are... 1. Hilary Duff, 'So Yesterday' 2. 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg, 'P.I.M.P.' 3. Justin Timberlake, 'Se?orita' 4. Christina & Lil' Kim, 'Can't Hold...' 5. Foo Fighters, 'Low' 6. Alien Ant Farm, 'These Days' 7. Nelly & P. Diddy, 'Shake Ya... 8. Black Eyed Peas, 'Where Is the Love' 9. 50 Cent, 'Many Men'
To the best of my knowledge this list is compiled by MTV. The only song I've heard is Foo Fighter's Low. I do wish my cable provider offered MTV2, since I think I'd actually dig at least some of what they play on that station.
In other news, I picked up the new issue of Harp magazine (did I mention this yesterday?) and it's another fine issue with features on the "Southern Rock Revival," North Mississippi All-Stars, Drive-By-Truckers, Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers, Kings of Leon, Steve Wynn, Scott Miller, My Morning Jacket, Patrick Park, Guided By Voices, and Liz Phair (Wow! Lots of rootsy/alt-country stuff going down in this issue). Pick it up at Borders or Tower...good reading. And if you subscribe you get to choose one free CD from a selection of six. I did so and picked Joe Henry's new "Tiny Voices" which should complete my Joe Henry collection.
Welp, all for now. Gotta get me another cup of Dohack with lots of cream and sugar. Rave on! Dave
w8.6.2003
Good morning. Today is a sad one for my family and me. My Aunt Babe -- my Dad's sister -- died of cancer on Monday and today is the funeral service for which we depart soon. We're a close family, and a large one on my Dad's side. My Grandma Klug is 101 and still lives at home, takes care of herself, and knows more about the world than all the people I know combined. She's the Queen Mother with almost 40 grandchildren and over a dozen great grand children. I think that one of the saddest parts of this whole thing is the fact that my Grandma actually saw one of her kids die. Of course, that happens every day...that's life. But she's 101 and I find the irony to be overwhelming at this time. To my Grandma, Aunt Babe was always one of the kids. She was her third daughter and what a character! My Aunt Babe was sweet and loveable, and had these little things about her that I'll never forget. One, just for example, is that she'd always offer up a "highball" if you visited her at home (I LOVE that word -- highball! You just don't hear that word anymore unless you're watching a Dick Van Dyke rerun or visiting with my Aunt Babe). A "highball" is a mixed drink...in her case, 7-Up and Southern Comfort. Now, I hate Southern Comfort but Aunt Babe's highballs were a magic potion, and before you knew it everyone was glowing and laughing. Aunt Babe was cool. Always sneaking that dollar bill in your pocket or hand like nobody's business. But what I'll miss most about Aunt Babe is her Rudolph routine. You see, every year at Christmas we celebrate Christmas Eve at my Grandma Kluge’s house in downstate Illinois in Peru (the heart of the Illinois River valley). Far outside my Grandma's living room window, miles away, is a radio tower with a flashing red light to warn aircraft. Well, that flashing red light was Rudolph leading Santa around town for at least the past 50 years or so...according to Aunt Babe! Fortunately for my son, Joseph, who's almost three, he got to experience my Aunt Babe's show..."Whoa! What's that!?!?!? It’s RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER!!!!" And Joseph and the other little ones would jump for joy every single time. Amazing fun...
I've tried to think of a song to dedicate to my Aunt Babe, but I'm numb and appropriate songs escape me at this time. Perhaps something by Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby? Or Dean Martin...yeah, Dean. Aunt Babe would swing with Dean, highball and cigarette in hand...
To the Promised Land, Aunt Babe. You made me laugh. You made me smile. I love you. Dave
w8.5.2003
Magazines and baseball...
Good afternoon. I'm a music mag freak. Just love reading about music...could read about music every day (and do, come to think of it). Not sure if you're familiar with this one but it's fast becoming one of my best reads each month...a mag called Harp. It's full-color, glossy, costs about $5 and seems to have solid coverage of rock, pop, and Americana/alt-country. And what's really terrific about the new issue is a full page story on Martin's Folly and their new record. Why so terrific? The Folly were one of the bands that I "discovered" (with the help of Eric "Roscoe" Ambel) while co-owner and A&R guy at the former Tar Hut Records. We had the opportunity to release one record of theirs called Man, It's Cold. Great rootsy pop-rock record and one of my faves, and the best sounding record, of the Tar Hut catalog! The Folly's new one, From Hope, is their third and features a fantastic version of "I Wish I Was Your Mother" with Ian Hunter!
Speaking of mags, I've been reading the new issues of Uncut, CMJ, and Q. Among others that I regularly read include Magnet, Mojo, Paste, Amplifier (when I can find a copy), The Big TakeOver, No Depression and more. Currently, Uncut is my fave Brit mag because of it's coverage and the fact that a free CD comes with each issue. Magnet will likely forever remain my fave US music mag.
Other than that, my day's been crawling along. Took a long nap. Ventured outside by myself for the first time since my surgery and ended up at Borders. I bought Social Distortion's "Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell" for $10! What a score for me since I'd only had that one tape and it's one of my favorite records from the 1990s.
Finally, the big news tonight is that I'm taking my 3 year old son, Joe, to the Kane County Cougars game. They play the Fort Wayne Wizards so it should be a good game. And if minor league ball wasn't exciting enough, you just gotta love the names of some of these teams...Dragons, Lugnuts, Bees, Snappers, Kernels, River Bandits, Timber Rattlers!!!
MIDWEST LEAGUE STANDINGS STANDING OF CLUBS THROUGH GAMES OF 8/04/03
EASTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB SOUTH BEND SILVER HAWKS (ARIZONA) 28 17 .622 BATTLE CREEK YANKEES (NEW YORK YANKEES) 22 23 .489 6.0 WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS (DETROIT) 20 23 .465 7.0 *FORT WAYNE WIZARDS (SAN DIEGO) 20 24 .455 7.5 DAYTON DRAGONS (CINCINNATI) 19 25 .432 8.5 %LANSING LUGNUTS (CHICAGO CUBS) 16 28 .364 11.5
WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 30 14 .682 *KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 26 18 .591 4.0 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 26 19 .578 4.5 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 24 21 .533 6.5 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 23 22 .511 7.5 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 21 24 .467 9.5 %WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 19 25 .432 11.0 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 17 28 .378 13.5
Rave on! Dave
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Top of the morning to you! I'm usually an early riser when I'm working and today's no different. As Jeff mentioned previously, I recently had major surgery so I'm at home on summer vacation, which bureaucrats call short-term disability. As with every day, I begin it with news. News...
This morning's headlines include news that the U.S. has captured a "key" person of interest in the September 11 hijackings. Omar al-Bayoumi, from Saudi Arabia (of course), apparently once threw a welcoming party for two eventual hijackers. Unfortunately for Omar, he'll likely be receiving his own welcoming party soon at Guatanamo Bay in Cuba. In other news, a hotel bomb kills 10 at an Indonesia hotel, the U.S. spells out a Liberia "plan" and the movie "Gigli" tanks. News... What is news but bad news? With the exception of the Gigli bomb, most news is plain old bad news (I mean, who cares about Gigli?). Turn on the TV, open the newspaper or your weekly news mag and what you see and hear and read about are people blowing up people and buildings in terrorists plots, gang violence, political scandals, Wall Street scandals, NBA basketball "hero" scandals, tragedies of Mother Nature, unemployment rates rising, healthcare coverage nightmares continuing...it's all bad news. Imagine a news station or paper that only presented good news? I can't, but someday it's going to happen. For now, we're stuck with bad news reporting. And I won't even touch on such crap as Jerry Springer and the other 39 similar daily "talk" shows that I run into while channel surfing as I recuperate. As such, I turn to music, which isn't regularly reported in the mainstream daily news, unless it's mainstream music (that I'll get to in a moment).
Music... Music is good. Music is meaningful. Music is essential to leading a productive life. Music is like water and food and a good night's sleep all plopped down on a shiny little round piece of plastic. Music. Have you ever known anyone that didn't like music? I haven't, but I do know two people who hate the Beatles, which I believe is underground modern-day communism in action. Yeah, they come right out and say it..."I hate the Beatles. Never liked them." What? Music. I mean, unless you're Tupac or Biggie or into some East vs. West coast music gangbang and have a cap with your name on it, music's good for you. Of course, mainstream music for the most part sucks (as does your favorite band...old joke; get it? Hah!). This morning's music news headlines, for example, include the "new face" of R&B -- Smooth Anthony Hamilton. Good for Smooth! Wait! Who's Smooth? Wait! Who cares? I'm not into contemporary R&B but give me some old R&B/soul/funk like Otis Redding, James Brown, or Sly and Robby and I'll take off like a rocket! Bad music is the very reason why I'll only discuss good music in this forum. And of course, any music that I, or Jeff, listen to is good music.
Since Jeff was so kind in turning over his site to me for the week, I began making music for him this past weekend as an extension of my gratitude and am now on a craze and can't be bothered with much else (actually, I've been making tapes and CDs for Jeff since we met) . Side note: I won't say I "copy" music for Jeff, just in case the RIAA police are monitoring this site. In the past, Jeff has mentioned my compulsive desire to record for him everything that I get my hands on (even my local library is not exempt from this since they have a fantastic collection of country, folk, and rock music). In fact, I do make music for others, like my great friends Tom "Smokin' Daddy" Braida and Leo "Leon The Lion" Daley, as well as other friends and acquaintances, most of whom are from the Yahoo discussion group/public forum called "No Depression/Alternative-Country." There's a great gang of folks who hang at that site who know good music...people like Matt Hickey, one of my favorite rock critics and overall nice guys who writes for Magnet and other outlets. I buy just about anything Matt raves about and it's most always a sure bet. From that forum I've also met people at SXSW, attended shows with them in Chicago and other cities where we hook up after chatting online, trade good music, and "blah, blah, blah" (- Iggy Pop). I've been "with" the group since 1996 and there's always something interesting to read at the forum, though not as wildly entertaining as this one! So, back to my silly-ass making music spree I started to write about. Since Saturday I've sent Jeff the following recordings...they've all been mailed but he's probably yet to receive them:
Pop, Rock (As you'll come to know, I'm a HUGE Brit-pop/rock freak): THE TYDE: Twice (Rough Trade 2003) FRANK SINATRA: His Great Performances 1955-1960 (2000 Capitol Records) TRASH CAN SINATRAS: Zebra Of The Family (Bobame UK) YOU AM I: Deliverance (SpinArt 2003) The Missing Days Of SPEARMINT (HitBack! 2003) COSMIC ROUGH RIDERS: Too Close To See Far (Measurer UK 2003) CINERAMA: Cinerama Holiday (Manifesto UK 2003) The CASEWORKER: These Weeks Should Be Remembered (Manifesto UK 2003) THE PIXIES: Doolittle (1989 4-A-D/Elektra/Asylum) JETS TO BRAZIL: Orange Rhyming Dictionary (Jade Tree 1998) ROONEY (Geffen 2003) COFFEE IN DULUTH: The Other Side Of Sleep (Chris Cacavas of Green On Red) (GEMA Germany 2003) ST THOMAS: I’m Coming Home (City Slang Germany2001) BALLBOY: A Guide For Daylight Hours (Manifesto UK 2003) THE VULGAR BOATMEN: Wide Awake (No Nostalgia Records 2003) LILYS: Precollection (Manifesto UK 2003) THE VERVE: Urban Hymns (Hut UK 1997) LI’L CAP’N TRAVIS (Sleepy Bunny 1999) WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY: Everything’s Fine (Ryko 2000) DWIGHT TWILLEY: XXI (Greatest Hits) (The Right Stuff/Capitol 1996) 1975-1995 DAMIEN RICE: O (Vector/DRM 2003) BADLY DRAWN BOY: Have You Fed The Fish? (2002 XL UK)
Alt-Country/Roots/Country-Rock/Folk-Rock: CORY BRANAN: The Hell You Say (Madjack 2003) THE DARK HORSES (Going Nowhere 2001) The Essential BYRDS (2003 Sony Legacy) CONTINENTAL DRIFTERS: Better Day (Razor & Tie 2003) X-RATED COWBOYS (Dan Baird’s new band) “Saddest Day Of The Year” (OFFN 2003) TWO COW GARAGE “Please Turn The Gas Back On” (Shelterhouse 2003) SCOTT MILLER & THE COMMONWEALTH “Upside Downside” (2003 Sugar Hill) JESSE DeNATALE: Shangri-La West (Jackpine Social Club 2003) FRED EAGLESMITH & THE FLATHEAD NOODLERS “Balin” (AML Records 2003) DOUG HOEKSTRA: Waiting (Paste 2003) LEFTOVER SALMON / CRACKER “O Cracker, Where Art Thou?” (Pitch A Tent 2003) DENISON WITMER: Recovered (Fugitive 2003)
CDs going out to Jeff later this week include...well, let's wait until later this week or else I'll have nothing else to write about. If anyone's heard any of the above listed CDs and wish to comment please feel free. For this week I'm stuck on The Tyde, Cosmic Rough Ryders (great band...the above listed being their second stunning recording!), Denison Witmer, and Cory Branan, as well as Grandaddy and Superchunk who aren't mentiond above.
Wow! The sun's up! Birds are singing! Alas, the news says that showers are expected today with a high of 80F. But wait! That's good news because it means I don't have to water the flowers today...
Rave on! Dave
w8.4.2003
Hello fans. I am thriled beyond words to have the opportunity to sit in for Jeff while he makes his weekly drug run to Columbia. Dave
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Because of my insane week of house-closing and work-travel, I'm turning over RustedRobot to my good friend Dave, whom I wrote about below. As you know now, he's home recovering from some kick-ass surgery, so he's got a lot of time to spread the gospel. Go crazy, my friend.
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You know it's going to be a long day when you have to wake up at 5:45 for anything. That's the spot I found myself in yesterday morning when I woke up in Millbrae, California, about one mile from the San Francisco Airport. I was supposed to be on a 7am, non-stop flight back to Boston, which would have landed me here about 4:15pm. So the alarm goes off and I jump up, in a daze, take a quick shower, check out and return my rental car. I get into the airport at 6:15am and I can tell something is wrong right away - it's 6am and the airport is just mobbed. Like "workday at 8am" mobbed. I've flown out of SF a few times on this 7am flight and I've never seen anything like this.
So I do the self check-in, and the piece of paper comes out of the machine and says "see the ticket attendant." Now I know I'm in trouble. There's one guy working and people are surrounding him and randomly shouting out questions and proclaiming their life will be over if they don't make their 8am flight. Poor dude. I stand there patiently, because I know my flight ain't leaving at the scheuled time. And oh, was I right. Flight cancelled. "But there's another non-stop Boston flight leaving at 1:30 if you want to wait." I don't want to wait 7 hours in the airport, no.
So I take a flight into Dallas, which leaves SF at 10:15. I wait in Dallas. Wait. Wait. Take a 4:30 flight and finally land in Boston at 9pm last night. For those of you keeping score at home, that's a 15 hour travel odyssey, for a trip that normally takes 6-7 hours. Fun fun.
This morning, I feel like someone hooked one of my belt loops onto a NASCAR racing vehicle and dragged me around the track a couple of hundred times. Tomorrow I close on my house. Then Thursday it's right back on the airplane to Atlanta. Good times, good times......
Song now playing: Son Volt - "Picking Up The Signal"
