Brush With Greatness Number 15

One of my favorites, here. How cool was it to interview Joe Walsh? He looks like my high school science teacher rather than the second best American guitar player ever (with apologies to Stevie Ray).
He was very interesting, funny and incredibly smart.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (again)

A couple of weeks ago, our midday guy Charlie Brennan was interviewing Peter Tork of The Monkees and Charlie made a stink about The Monkees not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I like Charlie and sometimes I think he does stuff like this just to get a rise out of people. If The Monkees go in before Three Dog Night, The Doobie Brothers, The Moody Blues, Chicago Neil Diamond, The Band or even Paul Revere and The Raiders, I will officially give away my albums. That would be a travesty.

What A Week...

This week was one for the record books. It started with the announcement of the Route 66 program. The show was announced at KMOX while I was out sick. Nice. I have received emails from across the country about the program. A guy in Tulsa has posted the story to his "egroup" and I have also recieved an email from a guy at another station in town that wants to share the stuff he has. I think this show is going to be huge. A part time job that will certainly take up a great deal of preparation and time. I couldn't ask for a better venue or have more exceptional backing from the management at KMOX. After all, Dave Ervin approached me to do it. How fortunate for me. Like I said before, I thought the headphones were hung up for good, but...KMOX is another plateau altogether

Broadway night at the Fox last night. For shits and grins, we decided to head down to the Fabulous Fox Theatre and witness a night of great singers. No matter what kind of music you are into, you have to appreciate the artform of singing. I am into a lot of different things lately and as I get older, I appreciate singers not necessarily from the rock genre. I have been in love with Linda Eder for a while. While working at WSSM (Smoooooth Jazz), I got her Christmas CD and it has become a staple for the holidays. Very easy on the eyes, to me she emulates Barbra Striesand a bit too much. All of her songs sounded the same last night.

On the other hand Brian Mitchell Stokes kicked my ass. He actually did a song unplugged at the Fox. I have never witnessed an audience so silent in my life. Not a peep. He sounded great. I don't remember him from the show, but he was on Trapper John MD and Frazier too. What a powerful God given talent he has. I came for Linda but was left really impressed with Brian. Nice evening.

One thing really did bother me last night. While at the Fox, a VERY obese woman was causing all sorts of headaches for her surrounding seat mates. She looked just like the picture above. She had to walk with a walker and literally could not fit in the aisle or in her seat. It took her about ten minutes to navigate sitting down. Of course she came in late, had to get up twice and basically was a major disruption. She was snarling at people who were genuinely put out by waiting for her to figure out how to put all of that into her seat. I try to be as empathetic as the next guy (even more so) but geez. How did you let yourself get that way? If it's some kind of genetic disorder, I understand, but please, push yourself away from the table.

On the way to the Fox, while attired in my crisply ironed shirt, khakis and a blazer, I stopped at a red light while getting off the interstate at Grand. I saw a woman sitting on the side of the road with her head buried in her hands. A gentleman, who was obviously down on his luck was trying to bum money to get to the bus station so he and his girlfriend could go home to Memphis (or so he said). I was in a bad place, he made sure he had my attention. What to do? I reached into my wallet to give him a couple of bucks and instead of grabbing two ones, I grabbed a one and a five. I gave it to him. Yeah, I know. But Jesus once said "what you do to the least of me, you do to me." I believe in karma, I believe that the meek shall inherit the Earth. I hope he got back to Memphis.

The two latest songs to be ripped off and used for commercials: "Come And Get It" by Badfinger for General Motors and "Karn Evil #9" (welcome back my friends to the show that never ends) by Emerson Lake and Palmer for Dr. Pepper. I can actually understand the first one but what the fuck does the lyrics to Karn Evil #9 have to do with soda? I am boycotting Dr. Pepper until that campaign goes off the air.

Two words for Ken Burns' "The War". Absolutely brilliant!

It's the second annual KMOX Jazz and Wine Festival today. Last year we had about 200 advance tickets sold with an attendance of about 2,200. This year 900 presold, so it oughtta be big. I will be there all day today. This is one part of the job I really like. Shaking hands and kissing babes..er uh, I mean babies. It's good to make a connection with the people that listen.

Two weeks until my daughter comes home for a few days. Can't wait. I sure miss her.

That Didn't Last Long...

The press release went out on Tuesday. Yep, I am back in the game, contrary to what you may have heard. Someone asked my yesterday about my statement that "I would never put the headphones on again". Well, when KMOX calls, you certainly listen.
This is going to be an absolute blast. The first night will be October 14th. It will be streamed, too. These classic songs, mixed for AM radio, back on AM radio. I hope I can pull this off.

The Traffic Jam "the Debut"

This was our first performance ever. Sure looks like it, huh?

Enjoy the video (drop outs and all) from the year 1987.

New Who

Never-before-seen concert and archival footage is at the center of"Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who" and its companion film "Six Quick Ones," due Nov. 6 on DVD via Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The movies were made with the cooperation of surviving members PeteTownshend and Roger Daltrey, who also contributed material from their personal archives."We decided the film was really about the journey to the top," executive producer Nigel Sinclair tells Billboard.com. "You really see these four young people putting it together. Then, the band becomes successful and many things happen: some good and some bad. We discerned from it that the most interesting thing was the evolution of Pete and Roger's relationship. The fact that these two are able to continue as the Who, it is almost like it was meant to be that way. Discovering, as we did from interviewing them, what the magic or their working partnership was, that was very exciting."When the project first got off the ground, original director Murray Lerner put out a request online for fan-shoot footage or rare clips. This yielded "quite a considerable amount of stuff that nobody had ever seen before," Sinclair says. "I'd say almost half of the [clips] have never been seen before in any context."Sinclair is particularly excited about film shot by managers Chris Stampand Kit Lambert in 1964, when the Who were still known as the High Numbers. "They shot a number of songs of the band playing in a hotel in London," he says. "The film was lost for the ages, but three years ago, an old gentleman in Amsterdam was cleaning out his loft. His grandson knew this was what the Who used to call themselves, and they put it onand realized what it was."But taking possession of such disparate footage proved a bit of a logistical nightmare for the production team. "We had 834 separate items we had to clear in the past few months," Sinclair says. "Ourpost-production specialist is now writing a PhD paper for NYU based onthis project. It was unprecedented. It is really difficult to take thesedifferent formats and make them work."The film culminates with a clip of the Who performing "Tea & Theatre"earlier this year in California, a moment Sinclair says was "key to the story telling. You take for granted how many partnerships have really survived in the art business. Simon ain't with Garfunkel anymore. We find ourselves in the film reflecting on that and that song becomes very poetic and powerful."Elsewhere, the narrative is helped along by interviews with fans such as Sting, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, U2's the Edge and Oasis' Noel Gallagher. "For me, Edge's comments about Pete's guitar playing really revealed what is his sound and why does he sound so different," Sinclair says.Look for "Amazing Journey" to have a limited theatrical run in theUnited Kingdom later this year, as well as a handful of screenings inmajor U.S. markets.

I can't wait for this. For most of my formative years, The Who were Top 5 on my list. I'll take anything from "Tommy", "Who's Next" or "Quadrophenia" any time. Unfortunately, they haven't really knocked me out with anything since "Eminence Front" in 1982. But, the three afore mentioned albums are all in the Raley Album Hall of Fame as Charter Members. I hope it comes to St. Louis.

stuff from saturday

having breakfast on my back porch, looking over the neighborhood on this beautiful saturday has inspired me to write stuff...oh, how lucky you are.....

this guy is john anderson, he ran for president in 1980. i think he was one of the smartest guys to ever run, which, of course, precluded him from winning the nomination. his idea at the time was to raise the gasoline tax by fifty cents a gallon and all of that money would have been set aside to reasearch alternative fuels. he decared we would be energy independent by 1990. that was 17 years ago. i wonder how that would have turned out. he would have never been elected because the companies that depend on us sucking oil out of the ground in the middle east would never have allowed it. i just wonder....

'goin downtown, gonna see my girl, gonna sing her a song, gonna show her my'....' taste of st. louis' is this weekend, and i am heading down town, hey i even have free parking. definately going to catch the radiators at 7 pm and then try to stick around to catch big head todd and the monsters at ten. i love the radiators and think big head todd were very much overlooked in the nineties. yeah, i may actually eat and drink something.

this weekend is the weekend i attempt to transfer a number of theold vhs tapes i have to dvd. tapes of my band, emily at one day old, paul playing in the snow with our new puppy who died a couple of years ago at the great old age of 14. very important stuff that i am afraid will start to disappear soon. wish me luck

we close with another great old gas station.....

this reminds me of what might have appeared on the old route 66. speaking of which, there is news coming concerning that. oh wait, what the heck, while i am feeling nostalgic, let's visit an ad from yesteryear

Links (and lots of 'em)

10 Things You Might’ve Been Better Off Not Knowing About Your Body

The eight manliest musicals ever made

The best cleavage in music...sorry but hey, I'm just a guy

The 50 Hottest Women in Music

The Top 25 Bands That Should Re-unite

The Top 40 Nerdiest Real Names of Famous Musicians

Brush With Greatness 14

Tony Jordan (ass't promotions guy at KSHE), Richie (I nailed Heather Locklear AND Denise Richards in one year)Sambora and me. KSHE lobby circa 1997.

This weekend

Every September in my little town of Kirkwood, the Greentree Festival is king. Here is a link the festival's website. It starts with a Friday night opening of all the booths that cram Kirkwood Park. The parade is on Saturday morning and it IS the place for all Kirkwooders to see and be seen. Yesterday, I manned the Kirkwood YMCA's booth as we were the only booth selling grilled corn. Believe me, with one of my very first jobs detassling corn (ugh, hot, nasty, dirty, work) I know how to get those tassles and husks pulled down in record time. I did 11-2pm and will go back today from 12-5:30. Being on the Board of Directors at the Y, I feel it's my job to pitch in.
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Got great news from the doctor this weekend. Love that!
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What the hell is up with the weather, anyway? 105 two weeks ago. 48 last night. This week 90.
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My second favorite teacher in the world has infected another high school with her enthusiasm and love for the kids. When I went to make my every semester trip to Washington High School, Michelle Hoch gave me a copy of a DVD that chronicles what her kids are doing when it comes to reporting for their local "TV station". These kids are very very good. They also have that passion required to be successful. And 80% stems from the motivation provided by the teacher. Well, the idea has now been adapted by St. Louis Priory and the debut of "Rebel TV". The idea is in place, the logistics need to be worked out. Congrats, Michelle, you are the teacher I have always wanted to be. You rock! You continue to have an influence on all you touch in some way. See ya next semester.

Now, That's One Hell of A Fish

Reminds me of an old girlfriend. Sorry.

It's an African Tiger fish. Here is the link with more information

Cheater!

NEW YORK - New England coach Bill Belichick was fined the NFL maximum of $500,000 Thursday and the Patriots were ordered to pay $250,000 for videotaping an opponent’s offensive and defensive signals.
Commissioner Roger Goodell also ordered the team to give up next year’s first-round draft choice if it reaches the playoffs and second- and third-round picks if it doesn’t.

Another cheater. It ain't enough that baseball has a closet full, now football does too. Makes you wonder how they won all of those Superbowls huh? He should be fired and the team should be ashamed of itself. But, listening to the Patriots fanatics, it's OK becasue all of the other teams are doing it too. Really?

Newspaper Article circa 1981

That's me lower right. Looks like I lost the "arms" race doesn't it? Who cut your hair? Hey, farmer? That was an awesome studio, my favorite ever.
Phil Witt looks the same.

Another Cover Song That Does NOT Suck

I really thought this was one of the classiest, most talented men on the planet. I have followed his career from Vinegar Joe "Never Met A Dog" through "Sneakin Sally Through The Alley" to this. He performed in a suit every time I saw him. A Suit! I never saw him sweat either. I got to interview him about six weeks before he died. I had the great opportunity to tell him how much "Every Kinda People" meant to me. I think he was touched. He covers two of my favorite Marvin Gaye songs with passion and the way I think Marvin would have liked. Class. Class. Class. RIP Robert, you are truly missed by me and thousands of others.

God The Painter Volume 9

R I P Joe Zawinul

VIENNA, Austria - Joe Zawinul, who soared to fame as one of the creators of jazz fusion and performed and recorded with Miles Davis, died early Tuesday, a hospital official said. He was 75.
Zawinul had been hospitalized since last month. A spokeswoman for Vienna's Wilhelmina Clinic confirmed his death without giving details. His manager, Risa Zincke, said Zawinul suffered from a rare form of skin cancer, according to the Austria Press Agency.
Zawinul won widespread acclaim for his keyboard work on chart-topping Davis albums such as "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew," and was a leading force behind the so-called "Electric Jazz" movement.
In 1970, Zawinul founded the band Weather Report and produced a series of albums including "Heavy Weather," "Black Market" and "I Sing the Body Electric." After that band's breakup, he founded the Zawinul Syndicate in 1987.
Zawinul, who was born in the Austrian capital, Vienna, and emigrated to the United States in 1959, is credited with bringing the electric piano and synthesizer into the jazz mainstream.
This past spring, he toured Europe to mark the 20th anniversary of the Zawinul Syndicate. He sought medical attention when the tour ended, the Viennese Hospital Association said in a statement last month.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer said Zawinul's death meant the loss of a "music ambassador" who was known and cherished around the world. "As a person and through his music, Joe Zawinul will remain unforgettable for us all," Fischer said in a statement.
Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer praised Zawinul's "unpretentious way of dealing with listeners" and said he wasn't "blinded by superficialities."
"Wherever he performed, he impressed with his playing," Gusenbauer said in a statement.
Zawinul's son, Erich, said his father would not be forgotten. "He lives on," Erich Zawinul was quoted as saying by APA.
Zawinul played with Maynard Ferguson and Dinah Washington before joining alto saxophonist great Cannonball Adderley in 1961 for nine years, according to a biography on his Web site. With Adderley, Zawinul wrote several important songs, among them the slow and funky hit "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy."
Zawinul then moved on to a brief collaboration with Miles Davis, at the time Davis was moving into the electric arena. It was Zawinul's tune "In a Silent Way" that served as the title track of Davis' first electric foray.
Funeral plans were not immediately released, but Vienna Mayor Michael Haeupl told reporters he would be given an honorary grave in the capital.

Another record store in play got me hooked on Weather Reaport. "Mysterious Traveller" was the album that was playing on the stereo in the record store and I couldn't believe the nasty funky shit that was being played at ear splitting volume. Who was in Weather Report? Only these guys: Miroslav Vitouš (1970–74)Airto Moreira (1970–71)Alphonse Mouzon (1970–71)75)Leon 'Ndugu' Chancler (1975)Chester Thompson (1976)Jaco Pastorius (1976–82)Michael Walden (1976)Omar Hakim (1983–85)Victor Bailey (1983-86)Jose Rossy (1983–84)Mino Cinelu (1984-86) and more. What a talent, what a musician. Pick up a copy of "Mysterious Traveller" and tell me that ain't great!!!

Beautiful Day Junk

Spending my lunch hour (and in between writing two presentations) taking a break and blogging. I haven't felt very creative lately, so thought I would share my own very pretentious view of the world.

Rams suck, Chiefs suck, Cardinals done, Tony done.

So help me out. I heard that MYV held their annual Video Music Awards the other night. Will someone please tell me the day that MTV started playing music again? I haven't seen a video on there in ages, although I haven't checked lately. VH1 doesn't show music anymore either. So, should MTV take the M out of their name? How about VH1? The "V" needs to go..and the H, too.

My daughter called to inform that she got really bored at school last Saturday night. All of the other kids on her floor went out drinking and she didn't want any part of it. She has seen what drinking does to a person and she doesn't want to do that. God, thank you so much.

The longer he is dead, the more I appreciate the kind gentle soul that was George Harrison.
Of all the musicians that have passed, I truly miss him the most.

Beautiful day here in St. Louis.

Raley"s Lifetime Achievement Award

I scanned this CD cover because there are no copies available anywhere (mea culpa, Henry's website has it available for purchase there). This was my "Boston".

Right before Henry did "Shannon" (song about a dog for goodness sake), he released a monster recording that after all this time, had my CD Player today on my trip to Washington. Henry Gross is a fine guitar player, owner of a massive falsetto voice and employing a crack studio band. Even though this album was produced by Terry Cashman, it ranks right up there with Boston's first and Journey's "Infinity" as some of the ballsiest production projects. The phrase I can use to describe this album is crisp, pop music. Sweet guitars, great playing, fun writing has made this album (that is out of print) one of my alltime favorites. Henry Gross may be one of the most underrated guitar players of our time. I am not sure why this cat wasn't a huge star. Sometimes, it's like that, just ask the members of Shooting Star

R I P Luciano

ROME (AP) - Luciano Pavarotti, opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71. He was the son of a singing baker and became the king of the high C's.
Pavarotti, who had been diagnosed last year with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment last month, died at his home in his native Modena at 5 a.m., his manager told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement.

This is one guy who could bring me to tears with a note. We have lost maybe the greatest voice ever. Glad to see his wife, daughters and sisters were there when he passed.

Thirty Years On...

Hey, Vick! Can you believe that I almost forgot what today was? It truly amazes and astonishes me how quickly time flies. Love ya, Dad. Too bad I never heard you say those words to me. Did he ever say that to you, Vick?

Post 900!!! My Dream Job

KUOO-FM, Okoboji’s Information Station is looking for a hard working and ambitious afternoon drive personality for our A/C station in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Live and work in the great Okoboji resort area. The successful candidate must have at least one year live on-air experience.Responsibilities included but not limited to…Air Shift, Production, Remotes, writing scripts, host community events, Produce and execute on-air radio show that is both entertaining and informative to the listening audience. Experience with Cool Edit, STORQ, and Audio Vault a plus. Please send your air check, resume, and references to Marty Spies, PO Box 528, Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360. For more information, call Marty Spies 712-336-5800 or e-mail mspies@nrgmedia.com. KUOO is an equal opportunity employer.

In the words of Simon and Garfunkel.."if I could, I surely would.." Very beautiful part of Iowa, but brother does it get cold there. Maybe someday.

Time For A Bit of Culture

Ron Mueck is a London-based photo-realist artist. Born in Melbourne , Australia , to parents who were toy makers, he labored on children's television shows for 15 years before working in special effects for such films as Labyrinth, a 1986 fantasy epic starring David Bowie. Mueck then started his own company in London, making models to be photographed for advertisements. He has lots of the dolls he made during his advertising years stored in his home. Although some still have, he feels, a presence on their own, many were made just to be photographed from a particular angle one strip of a face, for example, with a lot of loose material lurking an inch outside the camera's frame. Eventually Mueck concluded that photography pretty much destroys the physical presence of the original object, and so he turned to fine art and sculpture. In the early 1990's, still in his advertising days, Mueck was commissioned to make something highly realistic, and was wondering what material would do the trick. Latex was the usual, but he wanted something harder, more precise. Luckily, he saw a little architectural decor on the wall of a boutique and inquired as to the nice, pink stuff's nature. Fiberglass resin was the answer, and Mueck has made it his bronze and marble ever since. Ron Mueck's work became world-famous when a poignant sculpture of his dead fathers small, naked body caused shock waves in the Royal Academy's Sensation exhibition in 1997. The attention to detail and sheer technical brilliance of his figures are incredible, but it is Mueck's use of scale that takes your breath away.

His work is lifelike but not life size, and being face to face with the tiny, gossiping Two Women (2005)or the monumental woman In Bed (2005)is an unforgettable experience.

Mueck's huge 4.5m crouching Boy was the centerpiece of the Millennium Dome in London and of the Venice Biennale in 2001. The artist's work is becoming ever more intriguing, ranging from smaller-than-life size naked figures to much larger, but never actual, life size. Consequently his hyper-realistic sculptures in fiberglass and silicone, while extraordinarily lifelike, challenge us by their odd scale. The psychological confrontation for the viewer is to recognize and assimilate two contradictory realities.