Another abandoned blog

Hey. I have moved all operations over to www.thursdaysaremagical.com - See you there.

Oscar thoughts:

Steve Martin is almost as annoying as Robin Williams.
I did not enjoy the actor testimonials.
Technically I thought the show was awful. Who was directing? Anyone? What were those camera angles?
I read somewhere that they need the big dance number so that everyone can go potty before the big awards, so fine.
Meryl’s fake head-back roars of laughter at her own expense are wearing thin.
I love that Jeff Bridges won.
I love that Cameron lost… and I believe that, had he not had a movie in competition, Hurt Locker would not have won. Pure spite.
Whatever happened to Linda Hamilton?
T-Bone Burnett is cool.
Did I mention Helen Mirren?
Lauren Bacall didn’t get to talk?
Who decided what constituted “horror”? That was even worse than the obit reel.
I was thrilled that Logoland won!
Finally, Helen Mirren.

25 not-so-random things about me, loosely in chronological order...


This was written as a Facebook exercise.

1. One of my first memories is of being five years old and being accused by our next-door neighbors of breaking into their house to watch TV and eat peanut butter sandwiches. My parents never believed I was innocent.
2. When I was six, my family moved from Bakersfield to Odense, Denmark. We sailed first class, with another Army family, on the SS Gripsholm luxury liner. I still remember exploring the ship for hours.
3. My prized possession at that age was my Roy Rogers double holster set. I dreamed of leading a militia of American kids down the streets of Odense, wiping out the Danish boys who would bully me because I was an outsider.
4. We moved back to the U.S. when I was 12. I then dreamed of escaping back to Denmark to escape from being bullied because I knew no “American” sports and was still an outsider.
5. To this day I have absolutely no use for baseball, football (American) or basketball, and hate the whole culture built around them. I tend to keep quiet about this.
6. I was caught shoplifting when I was 13. My haul: a Sonny and Cher single and a bag of Red Vines. Never again have I been that scared. Fortunately they took pity on me.
7. My first rock show was The Beatles, Candlestick Park, September 30, 1965. My mom drove. The beginning of a lifelong addiction to live music.
8. I knew two guitarists in high school who went on to semi-notoriety: Pat Thrall (Meat Loaf) and Brad Gillis (Night Ranger). Brad Gillis still owes me $100.
9. I was part of my school underground newspaper, and was almost expelled when we published my interview with the information officer from the Black Panthers headquarters in Oakland. We were kids dealing in issues beyond our grasp, playing with fire...but no regrets.
10. In the 1970s I was a fan of prog and of “difficult” music. My instrument was an ARP 2600 synthesizer, with multiple effects and miles of cable. I miss it.
11. My first wife was my high school girlfriend, Terry. We were together 9 years and miserable for 8 of them. She passed away in 2001, but I didn’t learn of it for 6 years.
12. When I left my first wife, I left behind almost everything except my stereo and half of our records. One of several reasons that there are almost no photos of me from 1974 to 1983.
13. My first punk-era band, in 1978, was called Beta Newt. Our first gig was at the legendary Mabuhay Gardens. As we were taking the stage Frank Zappa and several band members sat right up front. It took almost two entire songs for us to annoy them enough to leave. Jeff the bassist, a huge Zappa fan, quit on the spot and never spoke to us again. I thought it was great then, and I still do,
14. In 1979 I passed up a chance to move to NYC with another band because I wasn’t ready to leave my wife. Everyone from that band is dead.
15. I met Shannon on June 14, 1984, at a four-day personal growth seminar called The Sage Experience. I saw her across a crowded room and knew she was the one. Yes, it sounds cheesy but it’s the truth.
16. A woman named Buffy once saved my life.
17. It took 14 years for me to feel at home in Minnesota.
18. I will happily go to an art opening. I enjoy looking at art. I buy my fair share of it, perhaps more. Just don’t ask me to read The Artist’s Statement. Please. There’s a reason people become VISUAL artists. Save it for the grant proposal and let the work do the talking.
19. It irks me no end that I can’t speak Spanish. It irks me further that I procrastinate about learning.
20. Mrs. Emma Peel defined my notion of the ideal woman. I married the only woman I’ve ever known who came close to that ideal; I’m grateful that she lacks the ass-kicking skills that would no doubt have landed me in hospital more than once.
21. I cannot understand men my age who go after women in their 20s; all I see are some other guys’ daughters.
22. On that topic, I have the greatest daughter of all time.
23. I would support a ban on advertisement of prescription medications.
24. I’ve had to stare down my opposition to the death penalty more than once, but have always come out on the right side.
25. I still believe the perfect song can save the world, despite evidence to the contrary: neither Stardust nor Waterloo Sunset did the trick. They did, however, shape my life. Maybe that’s enough.

2008 Live

This year, we probably saw less live music than years past... partially due to my accident, partially due to not enough good tours coming through Minneapolis. As it was, we roadtripped several times to Chicago and once to Austin for shows.

Some particularly noteworthy nights:
King Crimson, Park West Chicago. Two nights. Very few of my friends understood why I went, but they would have had they been there. I saw the second and third of three shows, each very different but both powerful. As these may be the last King Crimson shows due to the increasing reticence of Robert Fripp to appear in public and/or engage the business of touring, I'm glad I was there.
The Pogues, Riviera Theater Chicago. The classic lineup from "If I Should Fall...". Shane McGowan looked as if he could be blown over by a sneeze, Philip Chevron was still obviously recovering from his illness, but they were MIGHTY and life-affirming and tear-generating and magical.
Wilco, Stubb's Ampitheater Austin. A particularly comfortable Austin night, with Tweedy and the band in top form and lots of humor. Fantastic sound.
Calexico, Fine Line Minneapolis. This may be tied with Wilco for show of the year. What a great, great band. Openers The Acorn were excellent as well, and will be big if they can stay on the path.
New Pornographers, Walker Arts Minneapolis. Even without Neko they rocked.
David Byrne, State Minneapolis. Amazing integration of dance with music, killer band. This show was NOT sold out. Shame on Minneapolis.
The New Standards, Dakota Minneapolis. My favorite local band.
Nachito Herrera Big Band, also at the Dakota. Playing his Cubanismo charts with some out-of-town help. A blast.

BIggest regrets (missed shows): Shelby Lynne, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Chicago the night after my accident.

I'm forgetting some other great shows but these stand out.

UPDATE: see the next post for a few words on The New Standards Holiday Show.

Bring on 2009.

We were at a loverly, albeit rain-soaked, reception last Saturday night. The most excellent bride had the foresight to have the caterers stock some Fernet behind the bar. As it developed, it was not ALL for me...I met a stylish Argentinean named Felix, who introduced me to the Buenos Aires style (with Coca-Cola over ice). Normally I drink it SF-style, shots with ginger ale chaser.
I love making new friends.

Less-than-Great Cities Of The World
#1 in a Series: Seattle

transcribed more or less directly from my tiny note pad...

1. In a word, dismal. There is no other word to describe this sorry jetsam of aluminum siding, rotting shingles, smog-choked ever-sorta-green trees and 1972 Datsun pickup trucks. See #4 below on that topic.
2. lower-middle-class shanty town that makes Berkeley look like a vanguard of urban planning chic.
3. death of the monorail expansion plan can only be attributed to transplanted Californians’ desire to not be reminded of whence they fled, including any good ideas about efficiency, quality of life issues and building communities.
4. the sheer quantity of driving required to get around puts California to shame. There is an acknowledged obsession with keeping older, less efficient “vehicles” (any hunk of metal with wheels and the latent capacity for forward motion) on the road as a badge of honor.
5. Frankly, the only “green” culture I saw was mildew-related.
6. what music scene?? Are you counting the punk grrls stripping to Soundgarden at the Lusty Lady? The clientele I observed appeared to be exclusively restaurant kitchen staff on break. If you see or hear the phrase “A visit to the LL is a rite of passage, and no one can otherwise claim to have seen Seattle”, trust me and run away.
7. Does it not seem odd that there are exactly two decent breakfast places, owned by the same guy, one with atrocious coffee and one with great? Find them yourself.
8. There is a very cool Cuban hole-in-the-wall neighborhood café with some of the best food, and certainly the absolute best grilled chicken, I have ever eaten. Three expat co-owners in the kitchen turning out food and great drinks with godknowswhat liquors. Dinner for 3 with cocktails $77. whew. Maybe Seattle is not so dismal… again, you can find this place on your own just like I had to. Hint: it’s triangular.
9. People will smile at you, talk to you, listen to you. Women hold doors for men. This is good.
10. Downtown is hideous. Barely discernable grid, illogical one-way patterns, bums. Good, old-fashioned American bums.
11. The bums are the apparent guard anointed at the gates to the Public Market. The highly touted fish kiosks are no better than any others in town, with the added cachet of inaccessibility to the locals (now that the city is eliminating short-term parking that would make access by locals feasible) (see “monorail”). Flying fish shows for people whose knowledge of tuna begins and ends with Charley and Jessica Simpson.
12. On a more positive note, the shoe selection at Nordstrom (adorably designated “Store #1” on their website) is pretty darn sweet.
13. another mitigating factor re: item 5 above…a Sunday night session in the basement bar of a well-known club yielded some surprises. The Latin band in house supplied enthusiasm and individual talent in quantities sufficient to overcome their less than rigorous approach to arrangements or rehearsal. There were also excellent dancers on the floor. At times, watching lithe, mostly Asian and mostly expert dancers twirl and spin against a white backlit plastic wall, the effect was magnificent. Not to mention that my tab for a premium whiskey and a boutique ginger ale was six dollars. Hell of a bartender. Doubled as the sound guy.
14. We will not even discuss the tragedy known as Pioneer Square. Look it up, visit if you must, but I’m telling you it is a waste of time.
15. The rainfall estimate is not exaggerated.
16. All three of my cab drivers spoke perfect English and knew where they were going. Unusual. Pleasantly so. As a tourist, I should not have to give directions to a cab driver, yet this is more and more frequently the case everywhere I travel (from Phoenix to Paris). Maybe it was just my weekend.
17. I found a pretty interesting store specializing in “grey-market”, meaning probably smuggled from Canada, mod furniture and accessories. Their hesitancy to order an Eames knockoff for direct shipment to my home town was telling; then again, I see conspiracies and collusion everywhere.