Very Interesting

You must admit...it's a nice job.

JUNE 12--A North Carolina man is facing criminal charges for creating an amusing piece of public art from construction barrels. Joseph Carnevale, 21, was nabbed Wednesday after a Raleigh Police Department investigation determined that he was responsible for the work (seen below) constructed May 31 on a roadway adjacent to North Carolina State University. Carnevale, pictured in the mug shot at right, was charged with misdemeanor larceny for allegedly building his orange monster from materials pilfered from a construction site. According to an arrest warrant, Carnevale "destroyed three road blocking barrels by cutting and screwing them together to form a statue." Police estimated that Carnevale's artwork caused $360 in damages to Hamlett Associates, the North Carolina construction company that owned the barrels. Carnevale is scheduled for a July 21 court appearance in Wake County.

from "The Smoking Gun"

The Top 100

It was the spring of 1982. I was the music director at KY102 in Kansas City. Teh Warner Brothers rep told me of this new supergroup that I immediately laughed off. Supergroup? Great. How many times have I heard that? Right around March of 1982, they exploded on the scene.
Asia began with the apparent demise of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, two of the flagship bands of British progressive rock. After the break-up of King Crimson in 1974, various plans for a super group involving bassist John Wetton had been mooted, including the abortive British Bulldog project with Bill Bruford and Rick Wakeman in 1976. In 1977, Bruford and Wetton were reunited in UK, along with guitarist Allan Holdsworth and keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson. Their eponymous debut was released in 1978. By 1980, after UK's demise, a new super group project was suggested involving Wetton, Wakeman, drummer Carl Palmer and (then little known) guitarist Trevor Rabin, but Wakeman walked out of the project shortly before they were due to sign to Geffen and before they had ever played together. Rabin, in a filmed interview from 1984 and included in the recently released and updated DVD 9012Live, said that his involvement with this project never went anywhere because "there was no chemistry" among the participants.
In early 1981, Wetton and Yes guitarist Steve Howe were brought together by A&R man John Kalodner and Geffen Records to start working and writing. They were eventually joined by Carl Palmer, and finally by Howe's recent Yes cohort, keyboardist Geoff Downes. The band's early offerings, under the auspices of Geffen record label head David Geffen and Kalodner, were considered disappointing by music critics and fans of traditional progressive rock, who found the music closer to radio-friendly AOR pop-rock. However, Asia clicked with fans of arena acts such as Journey, Boston, and Styx. Rolling Stone gave Asia an indifferent review, while still acknowledging the band's musicianship was a cut above the usual AOR expectations.
It was this progressive rock fan's dream. "Heat of the Moment" which sounds very dated today (because of the reference to the year 1982 in the lyrics)hit the airwaves first, then "Only Time Will Tell", and "Soul Survivor". My favorites on the disc include "Time Again", "Wildest Dreams" and "Here Comes the Feeling". This was the largest selling album of 1982 with over 4 million copies sold. I saw these guys at the Starlight Theater in the summer and it was incredibly hot. This goes down in my top 100 of all time. Sadly, they never got close to this record in the future.
They have broken up and reunited more time than anyone can count.

Cool links

Be an optimist, live longer.
Click here

Nine natural ways to beat depression
Click here

The 101 great things about summer.
Click here

Summer Hangover Kit
click here

Great Basketball Shots

Very cool. I wonder how long it took them to shoot this?

Video of the Day May 26 2009

It'a a dance off between USF and UConn during a rain delay at the College Baseball Tournament.



"Transforminators"

HAPPY aNNIVERSARY mAD mAGAZINE

This guy made a tribute to Alfred E. Nuemann out of old AOL discs.

Pretty weird if you ask me.

Happy 500th issue, Mad Magazine.

Save The Marx Brothers Home

This is the video of the Marx Brothers Boyhood Home Preservation Movement

Picture of the Day

Prefab green homes get affordable
One of the largest manufacturers of mobile homes plans to enter the market of environmentally friendly, prefab homes with a model that is seriously affordable.By Popular Mechanics





An exterior view of the innovative, prefab Clayton i-house.

It looks like a house you'd order from Ikea. It sounds like a house designed by Apple. The I-House just might be the future — well, one future, anyway — of the housing market.

Clayton Homes, based in Maryville, Tenn., is one of America's largest manufacturers of mobile homes and prefabricated housing. So when President Kevin Clayton wanted to go green, he gave his architects a free hand, instructing them to incorporate as many green products as possible and to produce a home that was super energy-efficient — the only constraint was that it had to be something that could be built in existing facilities.

The result was the Clayton I-House (view Clayton’s online tour of it here), an innovative prefab home that can be powered for a dollar a day, thanks to Low-E windows, solar augmentation, high-efficiency appliances and superior insulation. The solar panels on the roof don't supply all the home's needs, but they do cut electricity consumption in half. There's also a tankless water heater and a cistern that collects rainwater from the roof for use in gardening, car washing or other outdoor uses. Floors are made of fast-growing bamboo, and paint and insulation are low- or zero-emission.

The basic I-House is 992 square feet, though the design's blend of indoor and outdoor space makes it seem bigger. Though final prices haven't been set, Clayton hopes to deliver it for about $100,000. But the "core" unit can be expanded by adding additional rooms in different configurations to suit the buyer's needs and the character of the lot — placing rooms above one another to accommodate, for example, a hillside. Clayton Vice President Chris Nicely says the goal is to allow as much customization — both in configuration and interiors — as possible. It can be set on a traditional foundation, for example, or it can sit on piers driven into the ground.

As innovative as the energy and environmental features are, though, it's the design that draws attention. As Popular Mechanics toured a display model near the Knoxville airport, people were stopping in to look it over. "I'm not a mobile-home kind of guy," one man said, "but I could see living in this." That's the idea.

The Clayton folks see the typical customer for the I-House as being younger and more affluent than traditional mobile-home buyers. The interior and exterior are attractive, looking like something from a high-end home show, not the kind of disposable mobile home you'd see coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The house more closely resembles a product that you might buy from Ikea. In fact, it is a house you might buy from Ikea: Kevin Clayton is a fan of the Scandinavian furniture company, and Clayton Homes is exploring a partnership with Ikea that would feature display models at Ikea stores and even allow people to design and order their own I-Houses from the Ikea Web site. (Clayton's own Web site will allow this in a few months, via a build-your-own I-House feature. They'll even let you visit the factory while it's built.)

So where does the I-House fit in to the troubled times of the current housing market? Well, obviously, it's not for everyone; even with several expansion modules added, large families will probably find it a bit small. But with big, expensive houses looking less attractive as investments — since their values are actually plummeting in many markets — and with energy costs virtually certain to climb in coming years, the market for a small but stylish house that has lots of high-end amenities with a low energy bill is likely to be pretty big. And if you're like a lot of Americans, you spend most of your time in a couple of rooms anyway, regardless of how many rooms your house has.

But the I-House's impact is likely to go beyond this particular home. What was learned in the process of designing and building this energy-efficient home has fed back into the rest of Clayton Homes' product line, Nicely says. An ordinary mobile home that gets much lower energy bills may not be as exciting as the I-House, but multiplied by millions, it's likely to have an impact. And the strong interest in the I-House's look and "green" character is also likely to encourage other builders including the makers of traditional site-built homes — to add green features as well.

Mash Up Mix Ups

Here's a mix up mash up that I found very entertaining...

Beatles/Monkees "I'm A Paperback Writer"



One more features Blondie and The Doors "Rapture On The Storm"

Video of the Day

Picture of the Day

Ruling, please?

Manny!

How surprising. An arrogant prick of a ballplayer tests positive for a banned substance. He'll lose more money by not playing for 55 days then we could evah imagine.
He'll lose in...get this....55 days, 7.7 million dollars. That's $7,700,000 in about two months. Here's the worst of it, I just heard that no one in the Dodger organization is angry. I stand in wonder. What the hell would make them angry? He killed someone? Stupid, stupid, stupid. 6 of the top 17 all time home run hitters are under suspicion. What in the name of Bob Gibson and George Brett is going on here? I just can't get my arms around how massive this problem is. And no cares. Bud Selig doesn't acre. Joe Torre. Manny's team mates. His fans. Morality and integrity. I am stumped. help

Poco Reunites!!!!

From my friend Dan Durcholz:
For Immediate Release
May 7, 2009
POCO REUNION AT STAGECOACH HAS INDUSTRY BUZZING

Young, Furay, Messina, Schmitt, Cotton and Grantham Dazzle in CA

“What an extraordinary collection of Southern California music history backstage following Poco’s reunion performance tonight.”—Randy Lewis, LA Times

Nashville, TN—To say that country rock pioneers Poco are a footnote to a host of other musical acts would be like saying The Beatles are a footnote to Wings. After a stunning reunion two weekends ago at STAGECOACH, there are rumblings in the music industry that if all were right with the world, Poco would have its rightful place in the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.

The original members of Poco were all on hand to celebrate a reunion, as well as the return of drummer George Grantham after a stroke four years ago was a highlight. You want royalty? The lineup featured founding or long-time members Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, Grantham, Timothy B. Schmitt (Eagles), Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield) and Jim Messina (Loggins & Messina) to go along with current Poco members Jack Sundrud and George Lawrence. Whew.

“Having every significant member of Poco reunite for the Stagecoach Festival was an event that was very special to the fans and to all of us,” said Young. “It was a thrill to stand onstage again with Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Timothy B. Schmit and George Grantham after forty years of Poco music. I hope that we can do it again someday.”

Industry veteran Bob Lefsetz had this to say in his blog, after a reader sent him an e-mail wondering aloud why Madonna is being considered for the Rock Hall but not Poco: “This performance was not made for fame, not even that much cash. But in it beats the heart of rock and roll. An aged band reunites for the DVD, they bury old hurts for the revenue. But watching this performance, you think Poco just did it for the joy.”

That pretty much says it all.

About Poco

Pioneers of the country-rock sound that soared out of California in the late sixties and early seventies, Poco was the inspiration for bands like The Eagles, Firefall, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Pure Prairie League, Little River Band and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, as well as the new breed of country-rock acts. After Poco’s debut album in 1969, Pickin’ Up The Pieces, received a perfect rating from Rolling Stone Magazine, the band went through several personnel changes including the departure of Messina and Furay, as well as when bassist Randy Meisner left to join The Eagles. Poco went on to chart several times with hits like “Crazy Love” and “Heart of the Night” (both from the critically acclaimed Legend album), as well as “Rose of Cimarron,” “Good Feeling To Know” and “You’d Better Think Twice.” In 1989, the band brought back Messina, Furay and Meisner to record Legacy, which spawned a few more of the band’s Top 40 hits, “Call It Love” and “Nothing To Hide.”

The band’s most recent discs – 2002’s Running Horse, 2005’s Bareback At Big Sky and the 2004 live CD/DVD Keeping The Legend Alive – are among the best of their career. Poco’s plans for the future include more recording and touring, as well as Rusty’s long-awaited book about life in the music business. Jack and Rusty have also discovered a second career as award-winning composers for a line of children’s videos. In addition, readers of Guitar Player voted Rusty Young into their ‘Gallery of Greats’ beside musicians like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. They received a Grammy nomination for ‘Instrumental of the Year’ and fans can find Poco memorabilia on display at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. With forty years, twenty-five albums and thousands of fans behind them, Poco was, is and forever will be the defining voice of country/rock.

For more information about Poco, please visit www.poconut.com or www.rickalter.com

Post Number 1,500 (give or take a few)

This one is about the happenstance of the universe and how one day, one call can change your life. Is there such a thing as coincidence? Are our plans laid out in front of us before we ever travel down the road? It seems strange to me that some things are lined up like the cosmic Masterlock, waiting for the tumblers to trip and fall into place. What happens when the lock opens? How can things you did years ago set up in the world of today and then hit you like a ton of bricks and render everything you knew not quite what you know? Had my world rocked today and I'm not sure what to think. It's a good thing, quite surprising and pleasant but then again it puts into play the battle between head and heart. Never ending cosmic drama that changes everything you know and feel. Tune in again in this place tomorrow for more incoherent babbling from yours truly.

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"Oftentimes we say goodbye to the person we love without wanting to. Though that doesn’t mean that we've stopped loving them or we've stopped to care. Sometimes goodbye is a painful way to say I love you."
by Kezia

Pictures of the Day

A whole bunch of Marines departed Springfield on their way to overseas. My partner on the air put together a send off that was very successful. God speed, men. There is a light in the window on for all of you.

Video of The Day

Pregnant Women Are Smug

OK, OK, it's all in jest.

RIP Dominic DeLuise

I never quite knew what to make of this guy growing up. All I knew is that he was a natural talent with a great laugh. Gone at 76.

Cannonball Outtakes


Maybe his best scene ever...

Video Of The Day

Impromtu piano recital featuring Fran and Marlo Cowan at the Mayo clinic atrium. They've been married for 62 years and he's 90.


I hope I'm not drooling and peeing in my pants at 90

Sunday Night Coming Down

Under the heading of "a picture is worth a thousand words"..we'll title this one "Goodbye".

God bless them all and their families.
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It's the night before the first day of school, no sleep for me. I start in the old five day on air mode tomorrow. I could never sleep before the first day of school and I won't be getting much tonight. Springfield is a very cool town. People seem to be very nice and very real. Not much guessing or pretentiousness here. I haven't actually done a five day a week show since Nashville. Before then, it was 2004. It'll be like a bike. A bit shaky at first but then gaining speed and momentum.
We'll have some new folk on here tomorrow, so I may clean up the place a bit.

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Woke up at 6:30 this morning to read at at church at 7:30. I love it when I read for that service. Crispness in the air, the day is fresh and clean. The service is basically older. After I read and during the "give your neighbor a sign of peace" part, two older women told me how much they enjoyed me reading. God didn't give me many talents but I constantly thank him for the one due south of my mouth.
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Every once in a while, I'll hear a TV theme that will conjure up great memories from days long ago. Tonight, three examples of that on WGN TV. First, "WKRP in Cincinnati", then "Newhart" (the one from the late eighties) and to top at off was "The Honeymooners" theme with that great voice guy.







"If it didn't mean anything, you wouldn't be nervous." coach Truman Smith 1971

Tomorrow 5pm-6pm www.ksgf.com
Any and all good karma is appreciated and acknowledged.

Music Is The Universal Language

The one thing as humans we all share is the love of music. This video eloquently demonstrates that fact.
Thanks Jeanne

This Weekend

Wow, busy from the get go. I had a list of stuff to do that was a mile long, but got 95% finished. Mowed the yard, trimmed the hedges, shoveled up the tomato patch, got said tomatoes and planted them, cleaned out half the garage...yadda yadda. Still waiting for the genius to write an op-ed piece in the Springfield paper. I know exactly what I want to say but need to set it up and deliver in the correct manner. I figure that it will hit me at once, it always does.
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Sorry to hear the news about Bea Arthur. She was 86 and pretty much finished her life doing what she wanted. "CBS Sunday Morning" featured a piece they did on her in 2001, when she did a one woman show all over the country. They way I look at it...if you are doing what you want at the age of 78 and getting paid well for it, then you rule the world. Simple as that.
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Draft day come and gone. Just a way for a 24 hour sports channel to fill up live programming. Seems folks are happy with the Rams, some most folks aren't with the Chiefs. I've no idea either way but Kirkwood boy Jeremy Maclin goes to the Eagles. Good for him. Seeing men with perfectly coiffed hair get excited over young men scares me a bit but I guess it's their job.
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It seems the Cardinals get hammered on Sundays. I don't know the history, but it seems to me that the boys get a licking on Sunday.

Workin For The Weekend

I saw a story on the local news here tonight where they reported the average family credit card debt is $11,000. Can that be right? Since I have none, that means that means that someone has racked up $22,000 on their card. How can you do that? $2,200? I could see that. No wonder this country is so screwed up right now. My parents are spinning. We NEVER bought anything on credit. Ever.
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The trailer for "Star Trek" looks great. From what I have seen and heard, that may have the first blockbuster of the summer. Talk about being kid again. I was ten when it came on TV. Living in Ava, there was only station we got from Springfield very well. KY 3 played "Star Trek" then wrestling at 10:30 on Saturday night. At 12:30am, it was time for bed. Damn, I wish I could stay up that late now.
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I found a cool walking trail behind the place that is just about a mile long. Perfect. Since I hurt my ankle, I haven't been getting nearly as much exercise as I should . Getting rotund. This will help me chart my progress. Playing bball once a week won't cut it. I am going to have to run although it harkens me back to bball practice as running was used as punishment. It is still punishment.
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On ESPN tonight when I got home from work (6:15), there was a video game competition on one of their channels (?)and a "This Is Your Life" with John Elway called "Homecoming" on the other. I guess when you have to fill 24/7 with sports, you get the dregs every now and then. Speaking of sports, thanks Tony Gonzalez, too bad you never won a ring. Never got close really. You may be a Falcon now, but you'll always be a Chief to me. Class, style and grace, you had the whole package. Like Derrick Thomas, one of the best players ever not to even get close.
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Ipod jukebox:
"Roundabout"-Yes (Bill Bruford's masterpiece)
"Shambala"-3 Dog Night
"Another Record"-Genesis
"Love Is Here"-Jim Messina
"Mistress of Mine"-Little River Band
"Madman"-The Jayhawks
"Missing Train"-Richie Havens
"Mighty Love (pt. 1)-Spinners
"Monkey Man"-Rolling Stones
"Indian Summer"-Poco
"May Be Wrong"-Savoy Brown
"Roundabout"(rough mix)-Yes....nice, full circle.

KSTT Radio

I wish I could enlarge the pictures more than I can. Maybe I don't know how, I am not sure. The picture on the left is pretty self explanatory. This was the KSTT staff right after I left the building. Right before then, I did overnights at KSTT and middays at 97X. Mike Keneally was one of the funniest jocks ever and I'd like to find him again. Jay Gregory recently passed, he drove in from Sterling Il every day (about 60 miles). Another great underrated jock and a better guy. Jay was a very funny, animated, gregarious guy who shaped my sound a lot. Jim Ohara is still there. Michelle is somewhere and of course, that's Spike Odell, who just retired at the age of 55 after doing about 20 years at WGN in Chicago. Good for him. I have known Spike since high school. His dad was the police chief of the East Moline Police Department. His wife was my favorite bank teller.

The picture up on the right is a KSTT "survey" from July 14-24th 1972. (If you look closely, you can almost make out the print). The summer of my 16th year.
Here was the top five:
1. "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast"-Wayne Newton
2. "Happiest Girl in the Whole USA-Donna Fargo (up from 11 the week before)
3. "Brandy"-Looking Glass
4. "Sealed With a Kiss"-Bobby Vinton
5. "Hold Her Tight"-The Osmonds.

Ick. But, here are some other songs they were playing:
14. "Couldn't I Just Tell You"-Todd Rundgren
21. "Happy"-Rolling Stones
31. "Good Feeling To Know"(!?)-Poco
33. "Immigration Man"-Crosby and Nash
34. "Lady Elenore"-Lindisfarne (great song)
38. "Join Together"-The Who

There are three songs by bands that even I don't know
"Music's Calling Me" by Griffin
"It's Alright (I Don't Mind)" by Robey, Falk and Bod
"Waitin' Line" by Spyder's Gang
I honestly don't remember ever hearing those songs on the radio. I'm sure I did.

KSTT was also playing album cuts like:
"Rock and Roll Crazies"-Manassas
"Stairway to Heaven" yes!
"Mona Lisas and Mat Hatters"-Elton
"You're Still A Young Man"-Tower of Power
"Blue Sky"-Allman Bros
"Them Changes"-Santana and Miles
"I Just Want to Make Love to You"-Foghat

Within minutes of each other, you could hear Donna Fargo and Led Zeppelin, Bobby Vinton and Tower of Power, The Osmonds and Foghat, and Mac Davis and The Allman Brothers. Now, THAT's a great radio station and one of the biggest contibutors on the soundtrack of my life! Especially during the time when music meant so much to me and my friends. On AM, kids. How much that station influenced cannot be stated in words. Literally, the soundtrack of my adolescence.





I got this from the still cruisin usa website:

Radio station KSTT was a large part of the lives of baby boomers in the Quad Cities years ago. KSTT AM 1170 was on the air from 1946 until the late 80's. The station was located on east river drive in Davenport, across from Hostess Bakeries. The studio had a large window in the northwest corner where listeners could watch their favorite on air jock spin records. KSTT was "The Big #1", rated the #1 station in the Quad Cities for over 3 decades. No one else even came close during their record run at the top. . People who listened to the station would remember such jocks as Spike O'Dell, Lou Gutenberger, Lee Shannon, Jay Gregory, Mark Stevens, Bobby Rich, Ruth and Fred, and Jim O'Hara, each of them spinning top 40 hits in their own style. Booty Bottles, Top 40 surveys, Chicken Man and Big Red were also part of "the station you've grown up with". KSTT listeners participated in many on air contests, calling in on the Ruth and Fred show, calling in song requests, and phoning in news tips. KSTT sponsored hootenannys and hops, ballgames, Good Guy a Go Go dances, picnics, and had listeners search for "Bootie Bottles, filled with gift certificates, and keys to motorcycles. Quad City area seviceman had tapes sent to them in Vietnam. Dick Orkins famous "Chickenman show and Toothfairy episodes were heard daily. As fm radio began to gain popularity in the seventies, KSTT's audience began to shrink. People were now listening to KIIK 104 fm. by the eighties, KSTT was simulcasting with its sister station WXLP fm 97X. By 1992 they had switched their call letters to KJOC and had become an all sports talk station. The KSTT building at 1111 East river drive is now a law firm. But out of respect for the radio station, it is named KSTT Place. The interior still has the KSTT station memorabilia hanging on the walls. The picture window the jocks spun records in is still there. Former KSTT newsman Jim Orr summed it up "The radio station was a really special thing. We've been a lot of places. But nothing compares to KSTT."

Coronas and Miss California and More

Hey Jesse,
I love you. Please, though. I am not old enough to have three grandkids. Stop. Three darling, beautiful girls. All born with three weeks of the another on the calendar, right? I am really happy for you. And me. And Aspen. And Amelia.
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I am not much of a beer guy. Give me tequila or rum anyday. I do think that the best tasting beer bar none is Corona. Could it be the water, brewing process or "something else?". I am enjoying an "iced" one while typing. Nectar of the Gods.
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So, Miss California tells the truth about how she feels and "Perez Hilton" is offended. One question...who is Perez Hilton and why does anyone give a shit about what he thinks? I had to Google this clown to find out he has some website where he draws pictures on photos of the stars. Shut up. This is a free society with free speech. You are going to be offended at some point in your life. Develop a thick skin. Grow up. You won't always win the race. Everyone will not always agree with you. You will not always agree with everyone. She is who she is and she has guts for standing up for what she believes. Whether you or I agree with her is irrelevant. It's her opinion. It's a free country. Perez Hilton is not someone I would even consider to be mildly important. Now she's famous.
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Albert Pujols may go down as the best player I have ever seen. He's approaching Brett and Gibson. I never saw Stan Musial, he was my mom and grandfather's favorite, they were Cardinals fans from the forties.
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Ipod Jukebox:

"Give It To Me"-J. Geils Band
"Just As If You Were Here"-Frank Sinatra (shaddapp!)
"Eventually"-Carole King
"Smile Away"-Paul McCartney
"Shock The Monkey"-Peter Gabriel
"Rocket Man"-Elton John
"Angel From Montgomery"-Bonnie Raitt (this has been top ten on my list since 1978)
"The Letter"-Joe Cocker
"So Unkind"-Love Sculpture

Mondays Mental Meltdown...

Not really.
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I have just found "low fat oatmeal raisin cookie ice cream". It's great to be an American. Yes, it tastes just like it sounds. Woof!
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I don't know why, but I am bummed that Todd Rundgren sold "Hello It's Me" to Tums. Tums is a great St. Louis company, but I'm not sure what the song has to do with antacid.
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Thought I got away from this but someone was stabbed about 1/4 mile from here in a domestic dispute. Hope it's not a pattern. Just found a nice place to run not far from here. The Y is so expensive, but man, that sauna and steam room sure feel good.
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Last night, minced fish (fish sticks), tonight shaved chicken heated on a George Forman grill with cheap Chardonnay out of a plastic cup. Trendsetter me.
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This just about the time I start caring about the NBA. Intervention and Operation Repo are repeats, so it's the NBA for me. Still like the Spurs, but the loss of Ginobli is going to kill them. Intervention reminds me that no matter how bad my life gets...
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The Ipod tunes...
"I'm On Fire"-Bruce Springsteen
"Rock and Roll Dreams Come True"-Jim Steinman
"It's Your Thing"-Isley Brothers
"We Got Married"-Paul McCartney
"Silent House"-Dixie Chicks
"Through It All There's You"-Robert Plamer
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On Facebook, John "Records" Landecker is now my friend. I got on "Boogie Check" once in about 1973 or so. He hung up on me. I was never so flattered. I am sure that's what got me in. Crack for big kids.
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This 420 tidbit...the length of "Smokin'" by Boston is 4:20. The 420 thing wasn't popular that long ago, pretty clever and ahead of their time if you ask me.

In Praise of Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)

I was flipping around the channels the other day and came across a show hosted by Chris Isaak. His guest Yusuf Islam. Cat Stevens. Stephen Dimitri Georgio. Called by Carly Simon (his old girlfriend) as the most gentle, kindest, sweetest man she has ever went out with. The song "Anticipation" is about him. At one time he spoke to me and through me, knowing my life better than I did. From 1972-1974, he owned a spot on the soundtrack to my life. He resides in the top five during that time, I am sure. When a song like "Father and Son" finds it's way on to the turntable at the age of sixteen, you know that he knows. "On The Road To Find Out", "Wild World","Miles From Friggin Nowhere". Then, right after I discovered "TFTT", "Teaser and the Firecat" was released and "Peace Train" and "The Wind" and "Changes IV". He wasn't kidding. While "Catch Bull at Four" was fine, with "Foreigner", "Buddha and the Chocolate Box" and "Izitso", he was clearly trying too hard. As he told Chris the other night, he went on the road to find out and found it through the Muslim religion. He just disappeared. Through teh years, you'd hear something very infrequently about him. Not too long ago, he was denied entry into the US because he was on a list of potentail terrorists. A guy that penned "Peace Train" was on the same list as people who wanted to kill us. He has been much more accessable lately. I'm glad, while he was on the show, he pulled out the guitar and played with Gunnar Nelson (?) backing him. They were great! Gunnar has some chops to show taht I haven't seen. He and Yusuf harmonized perfectly.



With that in mind (if I can) I'll come up with my ten favorite Cat Stevens songs. There will be so many that are missed.

1. "Miles From Nowhere"I always seem to be miles from nowhere.




2."Father and Son"Damn it, it made me cry. Still does sometimes.


3."The Wind""Where I'll end up, where I'll go, only God really knows..."


4."Wild World"The first thing I heard by him. How to let go.


5."MoonshadowI mean, come on, it's Moonshadow.


6."On The Road To Find Out" I was on the road not too long later



7."Peace Train" Couple this with "Love Train" by the OJays and I wonder what happened.


8."If You Want to Sing Out"Harold and Maude was a killer.



9."Sitting" "I feel the power coming from my hair" Nuff said.



10. "Can't Keep It In"I gotta sing it out!


10.(tie) "18th Avenue"I've been on 18th avenue in Kansas City.

The Ipod Shuffle

Hit the treadmill today at the Y. Sat in the steam/sauna for about an hour. It was a great ending to a Saturday afternoon, almost made me want to take advantage of this coupon from Papa Johns. Errr, probably wouldn't help much. While on the old treadmill, here's what the Ipod spit out:

"Phoenix"-Dan Fogelberg
"I Just Keep Falling In Love"-Steve Goodman
"Sinful Love"-Blue Oyster Cult
"One More Tomorrow"-Henry Gross
"Talk To The Lawyer"-David Lindley
"Loverboy"-Supertramp
"Empty Table"-Frank Sinatra (shaddup!)
"Theme In "A"-Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys
"Heavy Music"-Bob Seger
"When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer"-Eric Clapton and B.B. King

Nice mix, wouldn't you say?

Finally!

Internet access at home. I will be posting a lot this weekend. Stand by.....

Let's Go Blues

I don't think that you could call me a hockey fanatic and be correct. I like the game and had much more passion for it in the 80's than I do now. There was something about seeing a game at the Arena and watching it from around the rafters. The Arena was built with seats that hung over each other rather than a bleacher style. When you were in the upper deck, it felt like you were leaning over the ice from three stories up. I saw the Monday Night Miracle there. I really did like watching the games from high up in the stands. You could see the plays either take form and work or disappate within a few seconds. The Blues at one time were a huge draw in St. Louis, constantly filling the old Arena and the new Kiel..er uh...Savvis..er uh Scottrade Center. Hockey hasn't been very good for awhile, here. The strike comes along and then the Blues owner sells or trades away the heart and soul of the team. Chris Pronger was dealt and the team stripped. In walk David Checketts and John Davidson (a play by play guy who is now the team President). They manipulate good draft choices, add some veterans and for the first time in a bunch of years, the Blues find themselves in the freakin playoffs as the 6th seed. 29 sell outs this year and from the GM to the public address announcer, they have rejuvenized the team and the city with style and class. To be where they were and to now be where they are, it's nothing short of a great sports story. Good guys who have drafted good players who give back to the community and actually meet and greet the fans. I met Andy Maurray a couple of times in the halls of KMOX and he has been nothing short of what he and the team preach. Be a professional. Let's Go Blues indeed. They may be one and done this year but nothing can take away from what they have accomplished.

I Know, I Know...

I'll be back soon. Still having some trouble getting a wireless signal that works. Later this week I'll post more. That's what you get when you move...
Until then...separated at birth?

Khalil Greene Jeff Spocoli