Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars

Nine Years Gone... George Harrison

George Harrison passed away nine years ago. The secret has been out for a while, hasn't it? Harrison was probably the most talented Beatle. All Things Must Pass is still one of my favorite albums. Myrna and I used to do this tune: I Dig Love.

Harrison's melodic sense is truly brilliant. He did everything with the minimum number of notes. His lyrics are equally lean and penetrating.

Harrison's yearning to meet and to know God permeates all his music. His approach was very simple: God is Love.

Myrna was a great student of music. She studied all the classics, from Bessie Smith to Lena Horne. On long road trips, I'd bring along a set of CDs for study. One of them was All Things Must Pass. I still listen to it, which is more than I can say for the classic Beatles albums.

Going on a decade without George Harrison. Six years without Myrna. What's ahead, I do not know.

One thing I do know: All Things Must Pass. No doubt about that. Nothing in this material world can last.

Flagrant Age Discrimination in craigstlist Ad

Here we go again. In the world of design and multimedia, the kids don't hesitate to engage in age discrimination. Here's a shameless ad from today's craigslist.com.

What is the potential employer really trying to say here? Basically, they're broke and they can barely afford to pay their bills. I get that. Farther down the ad, they suggest that the lucky designer who takes this job should also expect to provide their own tools, i.e., computer and software.

This is definitely not a job I want. The skill level is way below my status. I've got a decent job. I watch craigslist to find that rare work at home job from a major employer who can actually afford to pay.

15 years ago, I worked for major design shops. Wouldn't mind working for them again, but the reality is that when I interview for the jobs, the guy interviewing me is a 35 year old wearing torn blue jeans and a t-shirt. No way in hell he's going to hire me.

When the agencies call me about the design shops, I refuse to even go out on the interviews. I'm eminently qualified. I've done every job in the multimedia business.

The kids are a study. The design shops are relentlessly liberal and PC, yet age discrimination doesn't strike them as of any particular importance.

The kids don't like to work with old guys.  It cramps their style.  Forces them to act like grownups.  And, it's a depressing omen sitting right there beside them, reminding them that one day, in the not too distant future, they'll be 50 or 60 years old.

The better run design shops have learned not to be as stupidly out in the open about age discrimination. That doesn't mean they aren't engaging in it.

Willie Nelson Busted! For Pot! No Kidding!

Talk about producing contempt for the law. Willie Nelson busted for pot by the U.S. Border Patrol! The morons found 6 ounces in his tour bus. No shit! How's that for a surprise?

I'm a pretty apolitical guy. I don't give a shit to an extent that is hard to believe. But, busting Willie for pot! Jesus Christ, these morons in the DEA and the Border Patrol, and in all of the fucking police agencies need to find something better to do with their time.

The anti-marijuana crusade is a farce! What else can I say?

We're paying these Keystone Kops for this idiocy! In the midst of a tough recession and two wars, we're paying these dumb bastards to bust people for smoking pot.

Stupid beyond belief.  Disgusting.

And, here's another news item in the great Prohibition fiasco: Feds seize 20 tons of pot in San Diego.

Haven't smoked since Myrna died.  Don't know exactly why.  It was one of those things that I did with Myrna.  Not the same at all without her.  Without her, smoking is lonely and empty.  I can't bear it.

I'm a Keyboard Player Now!

When Myrna died, I realized that I was up against it as a musician. She had really carried the weight in bookings. Every venue wants a beautiful, talented woman. And, I played mostly guitar in our various band configurations. Sure, I played piano when we did the cafe thing.

So, the problem I faced was pretty simple: How in the hell was I going to continue to play and work? Without Myrna, booking was just about impossible. And playing guitar? When the call goes out for auditions, dozens of guitar players show up. I knew that it was unlikely that I would find work there.

It was keyboards or nothing. Piano was my first instrument. I've played piano since... well... since I remember being alive. Probably started by the time I was 3 years old. But, I'd never really worked at mastering the art of playing keys as a sideman. An entirely different thing than amusing myself at home, or playing behind Myrna.

A real pro keyboard player knows several song books: jazz standards, Golden Oldies, Doo Wop, blues standards, big band standards, Broadway standards, and more. I knew a lot of this stuff on guitar, but not piano. So I set out to learn the basics.

I played with everybody who would let me sit in, from rank amateurs to some very strong pros, like Nikki Armstrong, who was incredibly generous with her time and her band. And I hacked my way through a bunch of bands, including Ken Briggs' Nite Train Band in Albany. Played with a standard blues band out of Bergen County in Jersey that didn't last very long due to testosterone poisoning.  (Ironically, this was probably the most talented of the bands.)  Even organized my own Golden Oldies rock band, Saints & Sinners.

At every step along the way, I learned something. Must have played a thousand songs. Easily drove 60,000 miles. Made a few bucks. Occasionally, the audience got into it and cheered.

And, now, I think I've figured it out. I'm a pro. What a struggle it's been! I'm playing in a good working band, Rockamundo, and I know what I'm doing!

Next steps: (1) develop the repertoire I need to do the piano bar gig, (2) try to put a band together to play my original music, and (3) play in (or perhaps lead) a standard Chicago style blues band.

I'm thinking that by the time I retire, I could be working consistently as a keyboard player. Maybe I could be out there two or three nights a week. I could really use the money. I don't like being inactive, so I need something to do. And, I'd have some fun.

At least, that's the goal.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll also find a way to play some guitar. Big Joe, help me out!

I'm Thankful for Myrna

I remember everything about her. In fact, I remember the first words and the last words she spoke to me.

This picture was taken during our last days together in the summer of 2004, only months before Myrna died. Although she was suffering terribly, she rode on the back of the Harley to a rally in Rochester.

I met her in Chicago in 1988, where we happened to be working together. I was the computer tech guy in the office. She walked by me, and managed to brush against me. I turned around to see who had touched me... and there was Myrna tugging on my shirt sleeve.

“Do you know how to operate this equipment?” she asked me.

I looked down to see that incredibly beautiful Filipina, her hair blue-black in her youth.  I could barely restrain myself from laughing. Years later, I asked her if she had intended the double entendre. She claimed innocence, but I don't believe that one. Myrna was the master of the double entendre and sexual innuendo.

Eighteen years later, I sat by her hospital bed as she was dying.

“What am I supposed to do without you?” I asked her.

With her last breath she said: “Sing!”

Suffering through death with Myrna was the most incredible spiritual experience of my life.

Every day with Myrna was memorable. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that Myrna loved me. It's still hard to believe that she loved me, but I am thankful that she did.

Thank you God, for giving me Myrna.

Fighting Illini Lose to Texas at the Garden

My alma mater, the Fighting Illini, played Texas in a basketball game at Madison Square Garden last Thursday night... and I was there! The game was part of a double header in the Coaches vs. Cancer charity tournament. 

In the picture above, the Illini huddle up prior to the opening tipoff.

The Garden is a great place to watch a game. Every seat seems to be within reach of courtside. The court seems so small when it's filled up with all those giant kids. Doesn't look at all like it does on TV. You wonder how the players even find room to move. The college court is smaller than the pro court. And the college 3-point line is a chip shot.

A large contingent of New York Illini showed up for the game. They sat behind the Seventh Avenue basket. My seats were close to the Illini fans, but because the crowd was a little sparse, I moved to empty courtside seats as soon as the game began. The Illini brought a small pep band, but no cheerleading squad.

Texas featured some very tough kids, in particular, Hamilton Jordan, a freshman McDonald's All-American. He was a bull, driving to the basket with sleek moves all night. At times, the Illini looked completely overmatched, but somehow (mostly, courtesy of Illini point guard Demetri McCamey), they stayed close. Finally, the boys lost in OT.

The Chicago press has been puffing up Illinois as a national championship contender. They seem a little short on muscle to me. Jereme Richmond, the Illini's own freshman McDonald's All-American was very impressive, and he showed some tough inside moves. He scored the tying basket on a macho drive to the hoop with only seconds left in regulation.

Wish I could make the trip to Champaign for a home game this year. Doesn't look likely.

Rockamundo at the Grasshopper in Cedar Grove

I'll be playing my first gig with the Jersey classic rock and roll band, Rockamundo, on Friday night.   We'll be playing at the Grasshopper in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. Click here to download the flyer for the gig.

Rockamundo features two women in the band. We have a woman drummer, Leslie. That's a first for me. I've worked with a lot of fine women musicians, but never with a woman drummer. And Linny covers lead and backup vocals and hand rhythm instruments.

This band has its shit together, if you know what I mean. We have fun playing together and the level of musicianship is very good.

I'll be playing keys on this gig. Had to learn a whole bunch of new tunes.

Stop by and say hello.

UPDATE: Click here for the set list for Rockamundo's Cedar Grove gig.

The Million Dollar Road Trip

What's this? I passed by this Airstream and SUV rig on the way to work this morning.

The Million Dollar Road Trip is, basically, a mobile billboard. The young men behind this venture are selling ad space on the Airstream trailer for $100 a pop. They hope to sell a million bucks in advertising by the end of their trip. So far, according to their site, they've sold $99,000 worth of advertising.

The rolling billboard is not exactly a new idea. You see them all the time in Manhattan. So, what's the pitch? Here's what the owners of the rig say:

MDRT will attend sporting events, music festivals, conferences, college campuses, street parties, and more. We will be in every contiguous state and 50 cities. Over 4 million people will see the Airstream this year - your ad will be on it! 

Part of the pitch is that some of the advertisers will be selected for “Inspiration Grants.”   What is this all about?

As MDRT covers this country, in every city and town we are seeking others who are dreaming big and acting boldly.  We want to find entrepreneurs who are following their passions and taking a risk to create something. 

Every other Sunday, we will post new candidates who have inspired us while on the road. Then, YOU VOTE to decide who gets the grant!  The candidate with the most votes on Sunday at 5:00 pm wins. The Inspiration Grant Winner will receive a no-strings CASH PRIZE and FREE ADVERTISING on the Airstream.  

So, it's all about advertising. And traveling around the country in an Airstream trailer. Will they make their million bucks?

Haircut and a Film Shoot... 14 Bucks!

I found a little barbershop just off Washington Square Park. A real throwback. (Should have taken some pics.) Haircut... 14 bucks! So, I decided to try it out on my lunch hour yesterday.

Walking through the park, I encountered this film shoot. Well, it could have been more than one shoot. Shoots are a daily occurrence at the park. Many of them are New York University student productions. Small scale. This shoot appears to be a large scale pro job. Tons of equipment. Lots of old guys standing around.

I dodged the ganja sales crew as I walked past this second site. Unless you want to buy the most expensive oregano in history, I'd suggest that you pass up the weed being sold in the park. Once again, lots of expensive equipment and many production people standing around.

Loved the barbershop. Old world Italian guy runs it. He took it slow and easy.

“Take a little off at a time,” he said. “You can always take more off, but you can't put it back on.”

On the way back to the office, I passed the equipment truck. I love this stuff. I should have been on the equipment end of the movie/video biz. Setting up and breaking down. I like pushing buttons on mixers, too. Just my kind of toys.

And, I'm good at standing around and collecting my pay, too.

New Ideas... Old Ideas

I'd really love to hear, see or read some new ideas. New ideas are remarkably in short supply. The same political debates have been repeated endlessly my entire life. Music (or perhaps my taste in music) has seemed to be at a standstill since 1973. How many times can you listen to “Stairway to Heaven?”

I took a walk along Bowery Street yesterday and passed by this unique building, which looks like a bunch of aluminum boxes stacked in a haphazard fashion atop one another. This is the home of the New Museum. The joint also has a blog. 

Here's the museum's mission statement:

Founded in 1977, the New Museum is a leading destination for new art and new ideas. It is Manhattan's only dedicated contemporary art museum and is respected internationally for the adventurousness and global scope of its curatorial program.

Is the building itself a new idea? I don't know. It's interesting and unique, that's for sure. But, the idea behind it, which is to refuse to acknowledge functionality, was pioneered by Frank Gehry.  And, the New Museum still adheres to the rectangular box structure, which Gehry has completely abandoned in some of his wackier concepts.

What in the world is this?

I guess you could call it a junk sculpture, one of many in front of the Thrift Shop at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on Prince Street near Bowery. This appears to be a version of that politically incorrect classic, the cigar store Indian.

I had to go back to work so I really couldn't spend much time at the Thrift Shop. It seems to specialize in these junk sculptures.

Maybe I'm the problem. When you get older, you are much less receptive to new ideas. The brain fills up with stuff and there's very little spare room. I used to listen to everything. Now, not so much. And political ideas just annoy me. I don't want to do anything about political problems because I'm tired and beat up and I'm having enough difficulty just taking care of myself.

I've read nothing but technical manuals for years, because I've been struggling to stay employed and earn a living. Now that that part of my life is coming to an end, I will probably return to reading for pleasure. Maybe new ideas do exist.