Sunday, July 31, 2005

A boy and his dog


I have lots of pictures of Buffy, but didnt' realize until I saw this one that I don't have any of her with me. My brother took this one last Christmas. Check out those red converses! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

The Best Show on TV: Northern Exposure

It's hard to pick out the best in any type of media, be it music, books, tv, whatever.  Everyone has their own thoughts as to what makes something good.  What one person thinks is great I think stinks, while my best of life might make someone else puke.  So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think Northern Exposure was and is, if not the best, one of the best shows television ever produced. 
 
Back when it was first on the air in the early ninties most tv critics agreed.  Lately I've read comments that a lot thing Northern Exposure didn't age well.  I have to disagree.  I'm in the middle of watching the second season on DVD right now and I still think it is great.  Season Three has been out for a short while and I plan on getting it before the week is out.
 
Northern Exposure was a show that mixed reality and the magic.  Ed and his spirit companion "He Who Waits", Maggie's Mom flying, the beautiful girl who stole Chris In The Morning's voice...you never knew what could happen on this show.  But the best feature of the show was its heart.  It was a show that in the end wanted us to feel good about ourselves, about being human.  No, every show didn't end with a sermon or some life changing for the better event, sometimes things happened you didn't like, sometimes bad things happened, but beneath it all there was a wonderful soul to the show. It was a show that could make me laugh and cry all within the same hour.
 
So here's to Joel, Maggie, Chris In The Morning, Adam, Maurcie, Shelly, Hollings, Ed, Marylin, Ruth Ann and all the others.  You did something only the best movies, music, books can do and so few do...you moved me, you made me think, you made me feel.  What more can you say?

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Wow!
 
That's all I can say?  I don't want to give anything away, but Wow!
 
I can't believe who dies.  Or who the Half Blood Prince is.  Now we just have to wait for the final book.

Liftoff!


What can be said? Posted by Picasa

Discovery Blasts OFF!

I think the exploration of space is one of the grandest and greatest achievements mankind can and has done.  Congress and the President (sadly most of them, not just the current one) are being very short sighted in any cutbacks to the space program.  More good has come from this program than most.
 
For more information on the new launch hopefuly this link will work:
 
 

John Hiatt concert

Ok, you would think after just seeing one awesome concert that the odds the next one would not be as good.  Well how about even better?  I went in expecting a lot from this one, it was John Hiatt, one of the greatest singer/songwriters out there and his last show I went to I would rate in the top ten of my concert going experience.
 
This show I went with Heather and Larry.  We left as soon as Larry got off work, Heather and I both were off.   We wanted to eat at the restaruant part of the House of Blues, not because there food is that wonderful (it's actually fairly good) but because if you eat and save your receipt you can bypass the line to get in the concert.   Sneaky devils we are.
 
We bypassed the normal line to get in the concert, but there was line for the people that ate at the HOB and was bypassing the line to get in the concert.  Ok, I know irony when I get hit in the face with it.  At one point the line to bypass the line was longer than the line to get in from off the street.  But it was ok, cause we were like the fifth people in line to get in.  One cool thing was while we were waiting in line a guy from the HOB walked up and down the line handing out show posters.  Anyone that knows me knows I am a big poster fan for shows I go to, it's something I've started in the last year.  If possible I like to get the poster for the show or tour I see.  Some posters list all the shows for the tour, while some like the Wilco one at the Palace in New Orleans listed just that show.  So I was very happy before we even got in.
 
Did we get good seats?  Well, no, there are no seats in the HOB.  But we got good standing.  We were right at center stage, directly beneath John Hiatt's microphone. 
 
The opening act was the North Mississippi Allstars, who also were John's backing band.  They played with him on his newest cd, Master of Diaster.  The Allstars are the brothers Dickerson, Luther and Cody, sons of the legendary record producer Jim Dickerson.   They did an aucostic opening act.  They were really good. 
 
Than they left for about twenty minutes and came back with John Hiatt.  The difference was this time Cody who played guitar with the band for their number played drums.  At the end he would play the washboard too, very talented.  His brother played guitar and sang lead for the group.
 
We were so close that we could read the set list they taped to the floor so we knew what songs were coming.  John Hiatt puts on a great show.  He looks like he is having the time of his life on stage.  The other guys would look at him and just laugh. He would jump and dance and prance around the stage as he was singing.  His tongue has a habit of hanging out of his mouth sometimes when he is playing the guitar.  I'm surprised he didn't bite it with all the leaping about he was doing.
 
After the show ended I manged to get John to autograph the concert poster.   Than Luther was walking across the stage, shaking everyone's hands and I was able to get him to sign it too.  How cool is that?
 
The only drawback to the show was the heat.  It was as hot as the Devil's Kitchen in there.  Heather was really nice at one point and went and got us all some water.  I think I would have passed out without that water.  Or jumped on stage and took the water from John Hiatt, I was starting to watch him drink his water and forget about the show for awhile there.
 
Still one of the best shows I have ever seen and for me that is high compliment.  I have seen a few shows, so I would have to rank this in the top ten.   As a side note, his new cd I liked, but didn't think any of the songs were that special.  After hearing them live I have gained a better appreciation of the songs.  He ended with a new one, Back on the Corner Again which is just classic. 
 
After the show I had to go back to work and finish out the night which sucked. 
 

John Hiatt


Really crappy picture from the concert. I took it with my camera phone which doesn't work all that good unless you're right next to the person and as close as we were we still weren't that close. Posted by Picasa

John Hiatt's playlist


This is the playlist from the show. It was taped to the stage next to John Hiatt's microphone stand. As soon as the show ended Larry reached up and pulled it off. How cool is this? Posted by Picasa

Have A Little Faith In Me

When the road gets dark
And you can no longer see
just let my love throw a spark
And have a little faith in me

And when the tears you cry
Are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try
And have a little faith in me
And

CHORUS:
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me

When your secret heart
Cannot speak so easily
Come here darlin'
From a whisper start
To have a little faith in me

And when your back's against the wall
Just turn around and you will see
i will catch, i will catch your fall baby
Just have a little faith in me

CHORUS

SUNG OVER FADE:
Well, I've been loving you for such a long time girl
Expecting nothing in return
Just for you to have a little faith in me
You see time, time is our friend
'Cause for us there is no end
And all you gotta do is have a little faith in me
I said I will hold you up, i will hold you up
your love gives me strength enough
So have a little faith in me




copyright by John Hiatt

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Giants Among Us

And giants walked among us.
Ok, I'm not even sure if that is a real quote, but it seems like it is. Or should be. The giants I am talking about are musical giants.
Last night I went to a concert featuring Gatemouth Brown and friends. Said friends included Sonny Landreth, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Snooks Eaglin. I should have such friends. The concert was held in the Parish, which is the small room above the regular House of Blues venue. It holds about three hundred people tops. The place was sold out. It's nice because it is so small. The stage is only about two feet above the floor. Larry and I were center stage, right against the front of the stage. We were so close we could have reached out and touched the performers.
I don't know the names of the backing band for all the guests, but they were great. The saxophone player was wonderful, he could blow that sax. Everyone played their best. For those you don't know, Gatemouth Brown is sick. He has lung cancer and is not expected to live a whole lot longer. So this was probably one of his last, if not last performances. I would guess it will probably be his last as I'll explain later.
The first up was Sonny Landreth. Sonny is a local boy, down from Lafeyette. He is one of the world's greatest slide guitarist. Besides putting out his own terrific music he plays backup on a lot of other singer's cds. He is a memeber of the Goners, the legendary backup band for John Hiatt. The Goners get together with John every few albums or so, and when they do it is almost a guarantte that is will be one of his best albums in years. Or since the last one with the Goners.
Standing there, literally just feet away from him playing, it was amazing to watch his fingers fly on the strings. He made that guitar do things....all I can say is that it was amazing. Sonny is the baby of this bunch, probably in his mid thirties.
Next up was Walter "Wolfman" Washington. A blues singer. But he looked too happy to be singing the blues. When he was up on stage singing he had the biggest grin in the world, his teeth flashing at the auidence. But happy or not, the man can sing the blues.
After Mr. Washington came Snooks Eaglin. Now for those unfamilar with the name, Snooks is a blind blues singer and as Larry said probably older than dirt. Snooks was at the first JazzFest thirty five years ago and I think he was old than. He was lead on stage and sat down. He complained about the chair he was in, it was actually for Gatemouth, saying it was like a bike seat and he didn't ride a bike here. There switched chairs for him, getting him an older straight back wooden one. Than he went to town. He likes to talk to the auidence as he sings.
After a few songs they came out and moved him over sligthly to the side of the stage. Than the main attraction came out. Gatemouth Brown. Gatemouth is more than just a blues singer. He sings and plays all types of music. He was in a wheelchair, we actually saw him drive up as we waited in line earlier. Well, not him, his ride and they got him out and put him in his wheelchair and brought him inside. They helped him out of the wheelchair and onto the stage, sitting him down on the chair that Snooks didn't like. They carried his oxygen bottle and placed it besides him onstage. He had tubes running around his head and in his nose, helping him to breathe. Very familar set up from going through this not long ago with my Dad.
Gatemouth sat for a few minutes listening to the rest of the band playing. He was as skinny as a prision camp inmate. I could have probably wrapped my hand around one of his legs. But he was dressed in his best, with his cowboy hat on. But you could see he was in pain. He would bow his head and I was close enough to him to see tears in his eyes. Every breath was a struggle. But he wanted to play. After a few minutes of listening to the band he played for a few minutes. Than he had to stop and listen again. I just don't think he could literally play that long. This went on for about three songs and than he called out to the side of the stage. "I'm done."
They came and got him and brought him back to his wheelchair and pushed him back into the dressing rooms. Snnoks, bless his heart, could not see what was going on, he just kept on playing and singing.
Overall it was three and a half hours of music. It was a great experience, seeing performers as talented as these. I noticed that Sonny and Wolfman, even though their sets were long over, stayed to the very end, standing by the side of the stage, watching and listening. I think they are as big as Gatemouth fans as the rest of us. And while it wasn't long set by Gatemouth I was glad to get to see and hear him, whatever little I could. But I just don't think he'll be doing any more shows, this one was hard enough to do, so I think this was probably Gatemouth's last performance. (A side note here about Gatemouth: He lives in the same small town I do, Slidell and even has his home phone number listed in the phone book. I just think that is kind of cool.)
After the show we discovered Gatemouth outside in his wheelchair. He was signing some autographs, even though it was hard for him to even do this. But the man must like to sing autographs, the first person that came up to him and asked for one didn't even need a pen, Gatemouth pulled a shapie out of his shirt pocket to sign for him. Than Sonny Landreth came out and went up and talked with him for a few minutes and afterwards he walked off with his girlfriend. Than they loaded Gatemouth into his van and was off.
Like I said at the start of this post, these guys are musical giants and tonight I got to see some musical history.

Friday, July 22, 2005

Has the whole world gone crazy?

I know, I know.  A stuipd question.   But I just saw there were bombings in Egypt now.  More in London the other day.  We have leaders in our government giving out the names of our spies due to politics.  I saw a tape of a Senator (I don't remember which one, just that that she was a she) saying she didn't care about the civil rights of so called terrorists.  Aren't we supposed to be the good guys?  Aren't we supposed to care about things like this?  I thought being the good guys meant that we didn't stoop to the same level of the bad guys.  They're about to make the patriotic act long lasting now, a law that lets our government spy on us if they just think we might be doing something wrong.  That lets our government treat us like criminals if we check out the wrong book from the library. 
 
I don't know, I guess I thought our country stood for certain things, certain principles.  Nowdays it seems all our governments cares about is if you're Republican or Democract, if you're one than you're against the other no matter what. 
 
You know, back after Sept 11 when the President of the United States said he wanted bin Laden dead or alive, even than, when it was a lot easier to agree after just living through those days of terror and dread and horror, even than, I thought that was wrong.  Yes, we are pretty postive that bin Laden was responsible for the acts on Sept 11, we can even be postive that he was, but don't we have laws that say everyone is supposed to get their day in court.  Yes, I want bin Laden caught and punished.  But I would like it done the right way.  When the President says we want him dead or alive all we're doing is telling anyone who can get within shooting distance of him is to shoot him and bring his head back. 
 
I guess when I was a kid I actually believed in the super hero comic books I read.  Captain America, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Superman, Batman, all those characters fought evil, but they had a code.  They wouldn't kill, they wouldn't act like the bad guy in order to defeat the bad guy.  Nowdays in comic books it's sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys.  I'm not saying it makes for bad stories now, but I miss those old heroes who knew what being a good guy meant.
 
Sometimes it gets to me.  I still believe this is the greatest country in the world.  I believe in the words written over two hundred years ago.  I belive in the freedoms that so many died fighting for.  I just hate to see it mean so little now days.

Emmylou Harris

Just got the new cd from Emmylou Harris: Heartaches and Highways, The Very Best of Emmylou Harris.  Not much more need be said about this, but if you like great singing than this cd is for you.

Harry Potter

Ok, I'm a little slow.  Everyone else was out getting the new Harry Potter last week when it came out.  I just bought the Half Prince today.  I'm still finishing up the Order of the Phoenix now.  I'm at the last hundred pages and should finish it by tommorrow, so I'll start the new one this weekend. 

Evan Hunter Dead

I missed this when it happened, but just saw a notice of it.  On July 6 Evan Hunter died from cancer.  Evan Hunter is better known as the writer Ed McBain.  As McBain he wrote the 87th Precinct novels.  He published the first one in 1956, Cophater.  He all but created the police procedural.  He also published novels under the Evan Hunter name (his real name which he changed from Salvatore Lombino), Mothers and Daughters; Sons; Love, Dad; and many others.  He wrote screenplays such as The Blackboard Jungle and The Birds.  There were over 54 novels in the 87th Precinct novels, a new one is coming out this September.  He was writing to the end. 
 
As Ed McBain he was one of my favorite writers.  He used a rotating cast of characters throughout the 87th Precinct novels.  Besides making you belive in what was going on his characters took on a life of their own.  I'm going to miss reading his books.

Monday, July 18, 2005

Just another word for treason...

Ted Rall, a cartoonist and columnist has a great column about the whole Karl Rove thing.  You can find it at Ted Rall.com. 
 
Is anyone else disgusted with the whole thing?  Now Bush is trying to backpedal on his pledge to fire whoever was responsible by saying he wants to make sure a crime was actually done.  So if Rove doesn't get arrested or charged with a crime I guess it'll be allright.  And what are the odds of that happening?
 
It never ceases to astound me though.  If this had been Bill Clinton the Republicans would have been calling for his impeachment.   But I guess we hold different people up to different standards.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Lori McKenna

I just read somewhere that Faith Hill is recording three of Lori McKenna's songs on her new cd coming out next month.  In fact the title song "Fireflies" is a McKenna song.  I like Faith Hill and think she is a good singer, but I think Lori McKenna is a great singer and songwriter.  I've long been a fan of her music, so hopefully this new exposure through Faith Hill will help her career.  At least if nothing it should help her bank account.
 
Lori McKenna has three cds out at the stores, Paperwings and Halos, Pieces of Me and her newest Bittertown.  All are great cds, filled with some great music and singing.  Her voice is not the ususal cookie cutter sound of most female singers.  If I had to say she sounded like anyone I would say I hear traces of Lucinda Williams in her voice.  Her songs are wonderful, tales of love, hope and life. 
 
I just found out that she also has another cd out, The Kitchen Tapes which she sells only through her website.  She recorded it at her kitchen table, just her and her guitar.  I'm going to have to order it now. 
 
If you get a chance check her out.

The Historian

One thing I did this week on my vacation was read.  It was nice just sitting around all day with nothing to do but read.  One of the books I read was the new novel by Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian.
 
It takes a DaVinci Code style to Dracula.  It puts Dracula alive and living in the now, with a historian trying to track him down and hints and clues appearing all over the world in real life events places.
 
I was surprised, you assume the main character of the book is going to be the daughter of the Historian, but it really is about her father.  The title Historian could actually apply to a few of the characters in the book, including Dracula himself. 
 
It's a book without a lot of real action, especially considering the subject matter, but I found it interesting and I raced through the six hundred pages in two days. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ok, it seems like it's taken forever to get here.  For me the big movie of the summer was supposed to be the Fantastic Four.  That was the movie I was putting all my hope and faith into it.  It's a terrible thing when a man loses his hope.  But wait, there is still a glimmer of hope on the horizon.  What is it?  It's Charlie!
 
I loved this movie!   It definitely is a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie.  The colors and effects in this movie are just wonderful.  Depp is great as Willie Wonka.  I never saw the orginial so I don't have the comparsion to make, but I can't see anyone doing Wonka as well as Depp.  He plays him with such a snide look, such a dislike of children, well not just children but all people at times.  The little remarks he makes, the looks on his face.  The glass elevator...I laughed so hard when he went to get in it.  Both times. 
 
The reviews have been kind to this movie, less so to Depp.  Most have not liked his version of Willie Wonka.  I say they're wrong.  He is great as Wonka.  This movie is really good.  Go see it now!

Friday, July 15, 2005

Ramones


Ramones at Washington. Posted by Picasa

The Greatest Rock Band in the World: Ramones

This is one of what will probably be quite a few posts about who should be considered for the title of greatest rock bands in the world.  We already know the Beatles are one of them.  The rest are up for grabs.  I plan to just post some of my thoughts on different groups as I think of them.  I've already made a post about U2, this time it's the Ramones.   Feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts and choices.
 
(This one is for Laura Lee.  She doesn't understand how the Ramones could be considered one of the greatest rock bands in the world. She wanted five reasons why they should be, so here are my five reasons, Laura.)
 
1.)  They helped create punk music.  Any time you try to pinpoint who actually created a style of music, it gets hard.  The New York Dolls were before the Ramones, but most groups that considered themselves punk and a lot that didn't all give their dues to the Ramones.
 
2) Their songs.  Blitzkreig Bop, Shenna is a Punk Rocker, Teenage Lobotomy, Beat on the Brat, Gimmie Gimmie Shock Treatment, Pinhead, Rock and Roll High School, Do You Remember Rock n Roll?, Rockaway Beach....the list goes on and on.  How can you not smile and want to just get up and jump around when you hear these songs?  The songs were short, simple and fast.
 
3) They rescued rock music from the overblown, pretenious "art" rock that was everywhere at the time.  Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes, all the groups that made singles that lasted an entire side of an album (oops, this is for those who remember albums and not cds) and thought just plain rock music was not good enough. 
 
4) The cover to their first album.  The were dressed in torn jeans, leather jackets, long hair hanging in their face.  They looked like punks.  They looked like throwbacks to the 50s and the beginning of rock and roll.
 
5) And the best reason of all...they're just cool!
 
There was nothing serious about the Ramones, their song titles are evidence of that.  But that's what made them so great.  I know in my last post about U2 I liked the fact that they thought rock music could save the world, that they did take their music so serious.  But not all groups have to be like that.  I admire and like groups like U2, but I also find something fresh and vital to rock music in groups like the Ramones.

Blitzkrieg Bop

Hey ho, let's go Hey ho, let's go Hey ho, let's go Hey ho, let's go
They're forming in straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The Blitzkrieg Bop

They're piling in the back seat
They're generating steam heat
Pulsating to the back beat
The Blitzkrieg Bop

Hey ho, let's go
Shoot'em in the back now
What they want, I don't know
They're all reved up and ready to go

Pop Ups?

Did I kill the pop ups?  I think I did, but I'm not sure.  I hope I did.  Is anyone still getting popups when they come to my site? 

Reflections in a Cracked Mirror

First off let me say I like my life right now.  I really do.  And I'm not just saying that to try and convince myself.  Still there is always a but to everything isn't there.  And there's a but to that statement too.
 
Birthdays are a time of reflection.  After so many of them you tend to look back and think of things you hoped to have accomplished by certain birthdays, places you hoped to be.  Birthdays serve as nothing better than markers in life, letting us know where we are, where we wanted to be and where we hope to be. 
 
Tuesday was a birthday for me.  I'm not a big birthday person.  Most of my birthdays I've spent working.  I don't have to request it off, I am just as happy to spend it working.  Family and some friends will call me to wish me a Happy.  Ususally any presents that I am going to get, from parents or whoever, I will have gotten early, since they are never sure they will see me on my birthday.  So in most ways my birthday is just a normal day.  And that's cool.
 
I guess since I'm off this week for vacation and it's a vacation where I'm doing nothing but sitting around the house being lazy when this birthday came it gave me time to think about things.  I had planned this vacation to basically do nothing, I needed some downtime to just recharge my batteries.  I've been on the go so much lately, that I just wanted time to sit around and read and play on the computer.  I figured that I would be leaving so many messages on different blogs that people would get tired of me (if that's possible).  But I found everytime I sat down to write a comment (save for a few I managed to get out) I found myself unable to write anything.  My mind would go off in other directions.
 
I like living alone.  I've lived alone for the majority of my life.  I can say that I'm comfortable enough with myself that I don't mind it.  I can do what I want, when I want.  Still it would be nice to have someone to come home to, someone to share my life, or at least part of it with.  It doesn't have to be a wife, a girlfriend to share things with, talk over things with, would be nice.  Someone sometimes to just hold on to, when things seem to get too rough and when words aren't needed.
 
I can't even remember the last date I went on.  It's been at least two years.  No, I take that back, I did go on one about a year ago.  Was introduced to this woman through a mutual friend, we talked a few times, mainly on the computer through email.  Decided to meet at Copelands.  Went and had dinner.  It was....ok.  She was nice.  Kept getting up to go to the bathroom, I mean like at least seven or eight times.  Didn't eat her meal, ended up taking it home in a to go box.  But she seemed like a nice woman.  I told her that I'd call her sometime and we could try it again.  Maybe it was just an off night for her.  This was a Friday.  Sat I went over my brothers and didnt' get home till Sunday.  Found an email from her, calling me a liar for not calling her.  Now maybe I'm wrong, but is one day too long to wait.  Any of the women out there help me out.  When I said I'd call her, didn't I have the grace period of more than one day?  And I told her I was going over my brothers for the weekend when we were talking.  I decided that this did not bode well, so I decided to let her think what she wanted and did not call her.  If her reaction was going to be that off that quick, it was something I decided I didn't want to get invovled with.  Maybe I was wrong...but I just didn't see that heading in a direction I wanted to go.
 
I like my job.  I enjoy what I do.  I love setting aisles, doing planograms, making the store look good.  Still it wasn't what I expected to be doing at this point in my life.  From as early as I can remember I have always wanted to write.  I've always wrote.  From my earliest days I can remember trying to sell what I wrote.  I always thought that I would be writing comic books.  Among other things.  Stories.  Novels.  Anything and everything. 
 
And I have written stories.  And I have sold stories.  I have written comic books that have been published.  It's been awhile.  Almost ten years.
 
Even when I wasn't selling anything, when I was writing and trying, it was enough.  Just the act of writing.  The quote that I put at the top of this blog says it perfectly, it was like I had to write, to get it down, to get it out of me, or I would die.  I would blow off friends, I would skip parties, I would stay home to write.  And it felt good.  Even if I wasn't getting published, the act of writing felt good.
 
Than I actually started selling stuff.  I was getting published.  I was making contacts.  Things were going fairly good.  And somehow it all came to a screeching halt.  Why I'm not sure.  It just seemed that I didnt' want to write anymore.  I stopped.  It happened at a bad moment in the comic industry, when it was down sizing, so it made it easy for me to stop, the work was drying up too. 
 
The bad part is that I still have all these ideas floating around in my head.  I keep thinking great stories, of great characters, of great opening scenes.  But everytime I go to put them down on paper it seems the words just disappear.  I'll start a line and than think of something else I need to go do.
 
I have the greatest friends.  But somehow I've distanced myself from some of them over the last year.  I've let contact with them fade away until I haven't talked to them in at least twelve months.  And these are some of my closest friends, friends I've had for over twenty years some of them, some of them shorter lenghts of time but still just as dear to me.
 
I've had some rough times in the last year with some people I thought were friends to discover that they weren't too.  I don't want to get into it too much on here, I really dont' want to talk too much about them, but some things I felt betrayed on and some things that I probably didnt' act in the best also. 
 
So....like I said this week has been a time of reflection.  And maybe that's good.  It lets me see what I have, what I can have, and what I need to work for.  It's just meant that for once I've kept my big mouth shut around here and been quieter than normal.  I promise that will stop.  I will start posting on my blog again.  And on yours and yours and of course yours....

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Stuff From My Site

The cafe press link on my sidebar is a link to HappyHour Comics site, where you can find all sorts of stuff featuring characters from my comic books and even some stuff with my photos on them.  Check it out, you might find something you like. 

Changes

I've been making a few changes around here, as if you couldn't tell.  I know I haven't been around lately.  I've been on vacation and thought that I would be posting a lot this week, but it just hasn't worked out like I thought.  I've had a few things on my mind, I've been thinking about posting a blog about it, but still am thinking things through in my mind.  But I decided to at least start blogging again...I'm sorry I haven't been here and that I haven't posted much on anyone's site lately.  I aim to change in the next few days. 
 
How does the changes look?  The quote that leads off my blog now is from a song that LiVEwire alerted me to.  I think it perfectly captures how a writer should think, it's how I used to think when I felt like I had to get my thoughts and words down.  It's something I haven't felt in awhile, but hope to again.  Thanks LiVEwire to introducing me to the song and the singer, Anna Nalick.  I've been listening to her a lot lately. 
 
I'll probably be changing things on here again in the future.  I can't stop meddling with it.  I know I probably have too much on it, but I'm one of those that thing more is better.  I just can't help adding to it.  Hope it doesn't distract everyone too much from the actual post themselves.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Krazy #2


More Krazy. Posted by Picasa

Krazy #1 (out of order again, first should be last and last should be first)


More Krazy Kat. These are just panels from the strips, so they probably don't make much sense. Posted by Picasa

Krazy #3


These were copies from an original newspaper from the thirties, so the quality isn't the best. Posted by Picasa

Krazy #4


Krazy Kat by George Herriman, one of the greatest comic strips of all time. The next few posts are going to be some examples, just cause I found these on my computer when I was cleaning it up. Posted by Picasa

Random Musings or I Just Don't Have A Lot to Say Right Now

As reported before, Dennis missed us. 
 
I'm still trying out these contacts.  I've gotten a lot better putting them in, they only take like five or ten minutes to put in.  Still not sure about wearing them.   Reading close up can be a pain.  The doctor said it would take a while for my brian to adjust to the lens, they are mono, one is for distance and one is for close up and my brian has to figure it out.  Could be trouble there.
 
Off this week.  Not planning on doing much of anything. 
 
San Diego Comic Con is this week.  A few years ago when I just happened to be off the same week I ended up going at the last minute.  Not planning to this year.  I used to go every year for awhile there.   I remember one year, when the Chicago Comic Con was two weeks before the SDCC I went to Chicago, stayed a few days afterwards with my friend Terry and than went to SDCC.  Almost felt like a real pro, going to one convention after another.
 
Another friend of mine is back from Iraq.  He is back for good.  He lost three members of his team over there.  He was the team leader.  Not in a real cheerful mood right now, and I can't blame him.  He's not real optimistic about the whole situation over there.
 
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes out this Friday.  Should be interesting.  I think this is going to be one of the those movies that is either really good or really bad, I dont' see a lot of middle ground here.  I think it's going to be really good.
 
Son Volt is coming to New Orleans!  Yea!  Of course they're coming the day before I leave for Austin in Sept for the Austin City Festival.  These things can never be spaced out, it's just like when I got back from Bonnaroo, Ryan Adams and John Fogerty were playing back to back. 
 
John Hiatt is playing at the end of this month. 
 
Ok, enough rambling on about nothing really.  I figure being off this week I'll probably be on this computer a lot more than normal, so if I leave a lot of posts on your blogs it's just cause I was bored and had nothing bettter to do with my free time.  (Now how sad is that?)

Missing Posts

Ok, yesterday was weird.  I made a post on here about Dennis missing us and it's gone.  I also made a lot of posts on different people's blogs and when I was surfing around this morning I didn't see them.  My computer must have been acting up yesterday.   Well, Dennis missed us and if I can I'll try to repost to those blogs I did yesterday...if I remember what I was posting.  Hopefully this one will post.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Fantastic Four

Saw the new movie, Fantastic Four last night.  I was really looking forward to this movie when it was first announced.  Fantastic Four was one of my favorite comic books when I was younger.  But as it got closer to coming out all I read was terrible things about it.  I haven't seen any reviews that were very kind to it.  So what did I think about it?
 
It's ok.  It doesn't come close to Spiderman or Batman.  Some parts of it were pretty good, some parts of it were pretty bad.  Anything to do with Victor Von Doom should be considered part of the pretty bad parts.  They took a bad guy that helped inspire Darth Vader and made him into a third rate cut out villain.
 
The good parts are mainly the ones were they interact as a family.  The Thing and Human Torch are the two best characters in the movie.  Jessica Alba is hot, but she doesn't exactly shine in her role.  Mr. Fantastic was ok.  The interplay between Thing and Torch made me smile, remembering similar bits from the comic books. 
 
The bridge scene where they become the "Fantastic Four" is not well done.  The Thing trying to rescue a man about to attempt suicide and than causing a lot of damage is kind of dumb.  And how did the other three, who just happened to be stuck on the bridge at the same time, know it was the Thing ahead of them.  And Reed tells Sue to turn invisible and get naked so she can get through the crowd and see what's causing the problem, only later to say something about getting to Ben up there, makes no sense.  As much as I like seeing Jessica Alba in her bra and panties it added nothing to the storyline.  Why was her turing invisible going to help her get through the crowd, especially since they follow alongside her and neither Reed nor Johnny are invisible. 
 
I thought the special effects on the Thing were very good.  He looks pretty realistic.  Michael Chilikis is great as the Thing.  Of all the actors he does the best job.  Followed closely by Chris Evans as the Torch.  He plays Johnny Storm as the ultimate jock that doesn't want to grow up. 
 
The whole character of Von Doom is terrible.  They replay the Harry Osborne rich man losing all his money and company to the outsiders with Doom.   They start him out as super rich and powerful, with one mistake he loses it all.  Doom should have inspired fear and hate like Darth Vader. 
 
I could go on and on about this movie.  I can say it was a luke warm ok.  Like I said there were some parts that I enjoyed.  The biggest failure was the lack of awe in it.  In the best superhero movies there is always the point when you look at the scene and feel awe at what's going on.  You get goosebumps when he says "I'm Batman" or when the people on the train stand in front of a beaten Spiderman and tell Doc Ock that he has to go through them to get to the hero....there are countless scenes like that in the best comic book movies.  In Fantastic Four there are none.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

London

I was pulling a suitcase behind me that must have weighed a thousand pounds.  I was spending a month in Europe, so I had to pack accordingly.  I had taken the train from Heathrow to a stop where now I was calling Andy, my friend in England.  Andy lives near Stratford on Avon, I was going to stay with him and his girlfriend for a week.  Andy told me to take the subway to my next stop (I'm sorry my memory just isn't good enough to remember all the names of the streets and stops) and he would meet me there. 
 
So here I was dragging this monster of a suitcase behind me, looknig for where I needed to get on the subway.  At one point I saw someone that worked for the subway.  I asked him where I needed to go.  He explained that I needed to go back out to the street, down a block and down to the underground there.  I sighed and lugged my luggage back up the stairs.  Down a block and down the stairs.  I should admit that I'm one of those people that can get lost walking across the street.I wandered around, up some more stairs and who should I see?  The guy that helped me before.  Somehow I had circled around and was back where I started. 
 
He looked at me and at first didn't recognize me, than I could see the light go off in his eyes.  He looked upset.  Why was I back here?  He apologized, even though it wasn't his fault.  He gave me directions even an idot could follow...it must have worked cause this time I was able to follow them.  I won't go into the rest of the nightmare that it took to get to Andy...the subway line was closed farther down, we had to get on a train, than a bus, and finally made it, like three hours late.  To find Andy still waiting for me, now that's what a friend is.
 
After spending a week with Andy and his girlfriend I went back and spent a week in London.  There was a lot I wanted to see.  Andy told me that the best way to get around was the underground, the subway.  At first I was a little hesitant.  Everywhere I've lived in the States has not had a subway...but I've heard the stories about the subways in New York and other cities.  How bad they can be.  (I know they aren't all that bad, but you now how something like that gets hold of you.)  But I figured that if I wanted to get around I was going to have to take the subway.
 
About five blocks down the street from my hotel was a major hub for the subway and trains.  It was almost like a mini mall, stores and places to eat as well as entrances to the subway and the trains. 
 
Andy was right.  Getting around London was easy with the subway.  I loved it.  Sometimes I had to get off at one stop and get on another route, but it was cool.  I saw all the sights.  The farthest I went on the subway was to see Abbey Roads studio.  You don't think I was going to be in London and not see Abbey Road.  I even took a picture of the crosswalk from the cover to the album.
 
I also took a double decker bus while I was in London.  How could you not take one of those great old double decker buses when you're in London?  The wind was whipping through my hair was I sat on the top and listened to the guide describe the sights as we drove by.  What a way to travel.
 
All these thoughts went through my mind when I heard about the bombings in London today.  I couldn't believe it.  I might have been sat on those same seats that were blown up.  I probably rode one of those subways. 
 
But what I thought about was that old guy that helped me on my way.  He worked on the subway, he might have been down there when the bombs went off.  What did he do to deserve to die?  He was just a nice man trying to help people. 
 
I'm not going to get into politics in this post, I might write more along those lines later, about what I think of this situation and Bush and...I'm sorry I said I wouldn't get into that on this post.  
 
Everyone I meet in London was nice and friendly.  I never saw any of that "we hate Americans" while I was there.  I'm sure it exists, but everyone over there was more than nice. 
 
I was touring Warwick castle, Andy had to work and it wasn't that far from where he lives, so he just dropped me off.  After the castle I walked over to visit Shakespeare's home and village.   But while I was at Warwick, there was one tower that was supposedly haunted.  I was about to start up it, to check it out, when this group of grade school (at least grade school here, I'm not sure of what it is in the English school system)(around 7-8 year old) girls, out on a school field trip, came up behind me.  They were all talking about how scary this was going to be, there were ghosts.  Some of the girls were saying they didnt' want to go.  One of the girls saw me and asked me "Hey mister, can we go up with you."  So we all trooped up the tower and looked for ghosts that we didnt see.
 
I know that story has nothing to do with the subways or the bombings.  Except that those girls live in England.  They'd be in their teens now, maybe in London, maybe riding on the subway, maybe on there today when the bombs went off.  What did they do to deserve to die?
 
Of course the answer to this is nothing.  None of these people did anything to deserve to die.  I dont' understand a God that would want his people to kill others just because they dont' agree with you. 
 
Ok, I'm not going to go off on a rant about God on this post either.  I wanted to try and keep it personal.  Too often when we see these type of things on the news we feel saddened by it but it's had to feel that personal connection.  We don't know these people, we feel for them, but it's still not that personal connection.  This time I felt that connection, even though I can't say that any of these people were there when the bombs went off.  But it made me feel like I might have known some of them. 
 
I could go on and on here.  It's easy to just write and write, not try to think or feel too much about the whole situation.  Everyone in London has my deepest sympathies.  There's a few people in blog land from that area that I've talked to on here and I feel bad for them and hope for the best for them.  I wish I could say my prayers were with everyone, but I can't offer prayers to a God that would allow such suffering in the first place.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Howard the Duck

I just added on my sidebar, right next to the support the comic book legal defense fund, a picture of Howard the Duck.  I had to point this out.  Howard was and remains one of my favorite comic books of all time.  Of course Howard is copyright by Marvel Comics, but he was created by Steve Gerber.  Yes, the same Gerber I was just talking about in a recent post about his other creation Omega the Unknown.   I went into some of the legal battle Gerber had with Marvel over the ownership of the duck in the Omega post so I won't repeat it here.
 
To me Howard is one of the best written comic books.  Still.  Marvel recently reprinted most of his run in their Essential series, the black and white reprints of comic series.  I love this series, yes, it may not be in color, but where else are you going to get two or three dozen issues of a comic for under thirty dollars.  I think the Essential series only had like three or four issues to go before they finished the series before it was canceled.  I wish they had packed in those last few issues, now they'll never be reprinted.
 
Now if Marvel would just reprint Gerber's Defenders stories.

It's a boy! And it's name is Dennis!

Tropical depression number three is now named Dennis.  It's on its way to becoming a hurricane and a mighty big one at that.  On one news channel tonight they said it could likely reach category three, which the weather man said it would be the first cat three storm to form while that far in the gulf since the 1930s.  And if it is that strong that far out, it only stands to gain more strength as it comes towards us.  The path they are predicting puts it towards Gulfport and Mobile, which actually would put us on the good side of the storm.  But it really is too far out to know yet, it could go anywhere.  It's best path would be to turn and just head back out in the Atlantic, unfortunately I don't think that is going to happen. 
 
Except since I'm going on vacation next week I'll be like a magnet drawing the hurricane towards me.  Sometimes nature goes out of its way to ruin my vacation.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


This one's for LiVEwiRe, I know she's been waiting for this movie. Posted by Picasa

Jeepers Peepers Where'd You Get Those Peepers?

I did something that I said I would never do today.  I got contacts.  It was never that I hated contacts, it's just the idea of putting something on my eye always freaked me out.  I was used to glasses, I've been wearing them since I was in sixth grade, so I figured that I would keep on wearing them.  But the idea of contacts always was there in the back of my mind.
 
So today I decided to take my fears by the horns, so to speak, and go do it.  Well, I found out I'm not that freaked out by putting something on my eye.  It's just hard to do.  I keep blinking.  It took me two hours to put the contacts in at the store.  Than after I put them in they told me I had to take them out and do it again.  They wanted to make sure I knew how to take them out.  That was fun, trying to take them out.  I got one out and they took pity on me and said if I could put it back in they would be happy.  I just think they were tired of me in their exam room.  Another hour passed and I did get it back in.
 
They told me to leave them in for about four hours today and six tommorrow and than I could leave them in for the day.  My four hours are about up, so now I have to try and go take them out again.
 
I had to get mono contacts, my glasses are bi focals and they don't make bi focal contacts.  Mono contacts are each contact is a different perscribtion.  One is for distance, the other is for nearer things.  It takes getting used to.  The doctor says that the brain figures it out and starts seeing things right fairly soon.  I don't have much trouble with distance, but trying to read close up is a little difficult right now.
 
I do like them though so far.  It's the first time since I was 11 that I haven't worn glasses.  I can go buy sunglasses now and wear real sunglasses!  It's the little things in life that make me happy :)

Hurricane season again

Well here we go again.   Cindy is heading this way.  Or it's not.  It's always hard to know with these things.  One minute it's heading right towards us, than it's hitting Florida.  (Sorry Beelzebabe).  And once Cindy hits, tropical depression number three is just sitting out there waiting it's turn.
 
Last year when the big hurricane (I can never remember their name) was supposed to hit, everyone around here was leaving the city and heading out.  Even my brother and parents left and went up to Memphis.  I decided to rough it out.  I was like, "hey, no problem."  I remember that evening sitting home, watching the news and listening to the weather man say that anyone in Slidell to the west of pearl river was in serious trouble, the storm was going to hit hard there.  I sat thinking, mmmmm...I'm on the west of pearl river in Slidell.  I was thinking that it might have been best for me to leave than, but it was too late.  Luckily the storm didn't hit us as bad as everyone thought it was going to.
 
So now we get to do it all over again.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Joss #1


What can I say about Joss Stone? I love her! She's beautiful, she's got talent to burn. I love both her albums. All this and she just turned 18. Posted by Picasa

Joss #2


This was my second time seeing Joss. The first time was at the HOB, before hardly anyone knew who she was. Again I was at the front of the stage. I had first heard of her on NPR radio, an interview and some snippets of songs...I was hooked from the first. Posted by Picasa

Joss #3


It was weird, standing next to us was a group of girls from Gulfport, which is about an hour from us. Go all the way to Tennessee to meet people from near us. Posted by Picasa

Joss #4


We were right at the edge of the stage for Joss. The people in between us and the stage were media, they created an aisleway for media people to come get in our way. We got to the stage about two hours before Joss went on, to make sure we got a good spot. Posted by Picasa

Joss #5


What more can I say about Joss? For Nick she was the reason he went to Bonnaroo. After her concert he said he could go home now and he would be happy. Posted by Picasa

Holiday Thoughts

HAPPY 4th OF JULY
Coming home from work this morning (and don't ask why I had to go in for three hours to unlock the store and let people in and out cause a manager that doesn't have keys was scheduled) I was listening to NPR radio.  They recited the Declartion of Independence, different reporters doing different parts.   They did the entire document. 
 
Call me a nerd, call me foolish, call me naive (just don't call me late for supper...ok, ok, old joke), but I got goose bumps listening to it.  I still think it is one of the greatest written documents in the world. 
 
As screwed up as our country gets sometimes, as stupid as our leaders get (and they don't get much stupider than our present leader) this is still the greatest country in the world. 
 
Some people don't understand that criticizing your country doesn't mean yuo love your country any less, it might mean you love it a little more.  You're willing to see the bad things as well as the good, and try to change the bad.  That's what those guys did some two hundred odd years ago...they saw the bad and tried to change it.  Did a pretty good job of it too, wouldhn't you say?

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Omega The Unknown

Most of you reading this probably have no idea who Omega the Unknown is.  So first a little history....Omega was created back in the seventies by Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes.  Gerber is the creator of one of my favorite comic book series of all time, Howard the Duck.  Gerber was one of my favorite writers during that time, when I was growing up.  His work on the Defenders was some of the most original superhero work I remember reading.  But to be honest Omega didnt' really do much for me.  Maybe it was just over my head at the time. 
 
All these works were created while Gerber was working at Marvel Comics.  Later he went on to sue Marvel over the ownership of Howard the Duck.  The suit was settled out of court and all parties were told they couldn't disclose the outcome, so I have no idea what happened or what he got.  I know he didn't get Howard the Duck, Marvel has went on to publish various issues of the Duck.   Hopefully he got something out of it.
 
Now I've dipped my toe in the world of comic books, but all my writings were pretty much done for small independent companies, which meant I got to own all my creations.  I did do a series that was an adaptation of a book series, so I knew that I would have no claim on that going in.
 
During the seventies it wasn't quite as clear cut.  It's easy to say that anyone working for Marvel or DC should have known that anything they created was owned by the company.  But nothing is ever easy.  It seems that there were no contracts signed at Marvel by the creators, the company put a little stamp on the back of the check that was supposed to give all rights to them.  The legalities of this is still in question.
 
It's hard to grow up and realize that the company that you loved as a kid, that you thought was filled only with heroes like they wrote about was nothing more than another big corporation that wanted to own everything.
 
Jack Kirby, creator or co-creator of almost the entire Marvel Universe and definite co creator of the Fantastic Four, his family gets nothing from the new Fantastic Four movie that's about to come out.  It's his vision, his characters, but he gets zip.  Kirby's family (Jack is dead) should have millions, think about all the Marvel characters and all the money they have generated...Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, IronMan, Avengers...the list goes on and on. 
 
Omega the Unknown has been announced to be coming back, written by novelist Jonathn Lethem (I probably misspelled the name, this is from memory and we all know how bad my memory is). 

Gerber is understandably upset by this.  Omega was very personal to him, if anyone brings it back they should have went to him.   Can Marvel do this legally?  For the moment yes.  I doubt that Gerber wants to get into another big legal battle with Marvel again.  Last time it took years of his life and a lot of money.  And money is something Marvel can afford to throw away on a suit like this, trying to get the little guy to quit before he's spent all his money.  Morally is another matter and something that Marvel evidently doesn't care about.

It would be nice if the company that you thought was filled with heroes did something heroic for once. 

So that's that the little box you might have noticed on the sidebar is for, that Omega The Unknow was created by Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes. 

Friday, July 01, 2005

Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of

I'm not afraid
Of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me
That I haven't already heard


I'm just trying to find
A decent melody
A song that I can sing
In my own company


I never thought you were a fool
But darling look at you
You gotta stand up straight
Carry your own weight
These tears are going nowhere baby


You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And now you can't get out of it


Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it


I will not forsake
The colors that you bring
The nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing


I am still enchanted
By the light you brought to me
I listen through your ears
Through your eyes I can see


And you are such a fool
To worry like you do
I know it's tough
And you can never get enough
Of what you don't really need now
My, oh my


You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it


Oh love, look at you now
You've got yourself stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it


I was unconscious, half asleep
The water is warm 'til you discover how deep


I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall
It's a long way down to nothing at all


You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it


Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it


And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if our way should falter
Along the stony pass


And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if your way should falter
Along this stony pass


It's just a moment
This time will pass

The Greatest Rock Band in the World: U2

Ok, I got this from Laura Lee's site.  She mentioned a few posts back about a conversation she had with some friends about who were among the greatest rock bands in the world.   I threw in my two cents worth, but I was not really thinking about it too much at the time.  I can't get the idea out of my head.  Who is the greatest rock and roll band?
 
What I'd like to do is over the next month or however long it takes is just to post some of my takes on who I think are among the greatest rock bands.  And anyone reading this that wants to argue my points or suggest their own, go for it.  I'm interested to see who other people think are some of the greatest. 
 
Now before we even get started I'll save all the arguing and of course list the Beatles.  I don't think there is any argument on that one.  After that it's all up for grabs.  
 
This post I recommend U2.
 
What other band in the last twenty years has mattered as much?  I contend that they have put out two classic albums....The Joshua Tree and Achtung, Baby!  I almost want to put All That You Can't Leave Behind in with those two, but I'm not sure yet.  It's a great album, the more I listen to it the more I like it.  Their newest is too new yet, it's got some good stuff on it, but I don't know it it'll make the ranking of classic. 
 
Also I come from the school that music can change the world and U2 is one of those groups that still believe that.  All music doesn't have to be trying to change the world, I think the Ramones deserve to be in this list and will in another post, but I am moved by a group that can try and change the world and still rock out.  I'm sorry, I guess I'm just an old lost hippie at heart. 
 
I just don't see how anyone can make a list of the greatest bands in the world and not include U2.
 

Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame
You say...

One love
One life
When it's one need
In the night
One love
We get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don't care for it

Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it's...

Too late
Tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
One...

Have you come here for forgiveness
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much
More than a lot
You gave me nothing
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One...life

One

Will Hoge #1


This was from Will's second show. Will is the guy to the right of the guy with the Indiana Jones t shirt. I had just finished talking to him, right before I took this picture. I got him to autograph his new live cd for Heather. He was very nice to talk to and seemed very down to earth. Posted by Picasa

Will Hoge #2


Will Hoge and band on stage. The picure is terrible, I hated the camera I had to use. The first show I was right up at the stage and forgot my camera, this was his second show and I was a lot farther back, we had to leave to go see Earl Scruggs so we didn't get up as close as we could have. Posted by Picasa

Will Hoge

Most people have heard of the famous quote about Bruce Springsteen...."I have seen the future of rock and roll and its name is Bruce Springsteen."  Now I'm not going to argue that point.  But I will say that if there is a future for rock and roll it will be due to people like Will Hoge.
 
Will played what they called the cafe tents at Bonnaroo.  These were small tents set up that sold beer or coffee.  They had tables set up and probably held a hundred people if everyone was jammed together.  From what I gather this was the first year they did this.  The state of Tennessee was pushing Bonnaroo to feature more local acts.  So Bonnaroo decided to use these cafe tents to showcase some of the local acts.  Will is from Nashville and got the call to come play.  He played two shows at the fest.
 
Will played the first show like his life depended on it.  He played as if this was going to be the last show he ever played and decided to go out in a blaze of glory.  This was the third time I've seen Will play and all times he's given a great show, but there was something about this one that was more intense.  He played with an intensity that most performers never exhibit. 
 
All the shows I saw at Bonnaroo were great, but Will played more with his soul and heart than almost anyone else there.  (I have to say Joss Stone gave a soulful show also.)   It's hard to decribe, but you know what it is when you've been to one of those shows.  You can walk out of a show and think it's great, but than every now and than if you get lucky you walk out of a show and feel like you've been beat up, as exhausted as the singer, like the singer has taken your life and just looked inside it and told you secrets that you never imagined.  That was what this show was. 
 
Will knows his rock history.  He dedicated Bye Bye Johnny to Johnnie Johnson, the pianist that played with Chuck Berry and helped shape the future of rock and roll.  He always throws in a few covers that work great.  My only complaint is that normally he ends his show with no instruments or backups at all.  He steps away from the microphone and just sings, with nothing but his voice powering the lyrics.  It's a great ending, this time he didn't.  But it still was a great show.
 
The first time I saw Will he opened for John Hiatt, during John's acoustic tour.  Will perfomed with just his guitar and no band.  Normally opening acts aren't worth listening to, but he was great.  After his show he stayed around selling copies of his cds and signing autographs and talking to anyone that wanted to talk. 
 
Will and his band travel all over performing.  They've released a couple cds, their newest one is a live cd.  Go to WillHoge.com and check it out. 
 
It's nice to know that there is still a future for rock and roll.

Back to Bonnaroo

Ok, after you've all probably thought that I've given up talking about it or posting pictures I'm back to Bonnaroo.  This has just been a rough week, but I'm trying to get caught back up.  Instead of putting the pictures by days I'm just going to post them in sets and by a few of the artists that I did manage to get pictures of.  Didn't get anywhere near the quality of pictures I did at Jazzfest, but I was using one of those little disposable cameras.  I don't promise I'm going to get everyhing done today, but hopefully within the next few days I'll finish up with Bonnaroo.

Bonnaroo Pictures Set One #1


Home sweet home. This was our campsite for the three days of Bonnaroo.  Posted by Picasa

Bonnaroo Pictures Set One #2


Just a random shot of the cars and tents. It was impossible to show how big this area was, my camera wasn't up to it. But there were tents and cars as far as the eyes could see. Posted by Picasa

Bonnaroo Pictures Set One #3


This is a scene of the campsite. Our tent was all the way down this aisle. From where I took this picture we weren't far from centroo, where everything took place. Some of the cars/tents were over an hour walk from centroo. We were about ten minutes. Posted by Picasa

Bonnaroo Pictures Set One #4


The guidepost. There were a couple of them throughout centroo. This reminds me of MASH.  Posted by Picasa

Bonnaroo Pictures Set One#5


This was from the first morning, before many people were there yet. We got in centroo around eight and walked around. This is the stage that Joss Stone was going to play on later that day. This is the second biggest stage for the festival. Posted by Picasa

Bonnaroo Pictures Set Two#6


The giant bobble heads. These bobble heads were across the back of the field towards the second stage. I heard one of the security guards say that they cost $35,000. By the end of the festival they were falling apart.  Posted by Picasa

Supreme Court Justice Retires

Justice O'Connor announced that she is going to retire.  This came somewhat as a surprise, everyone was expecting Chief Justice Rehnquist to retire.  This is not good news.  If the Chief Justice does retire, and I can't imagine him going on much longer, than that is going to give Bush two seats on the Supreme Court to fill.  The Court yeilds too much power for someone like Bush to be making the appointments to the chairs.  I guess it's only fair, the Court gave Bush the presidency so now they're giving him the chance to fill it up with people he choses.  

Beautiful Agony

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