Hey gang, find a new blogpost over at my "Traffic Report" blog.
And don't worry, I'll have the usual insano rant on this one for my homies soon enough.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Goodbye Pontiac
I learned to drive in a dark-green '72 Pontiac Catalina.
The reason that the great green Pontiac Catalina became my car is that there was plenty of metal around me to protect me from pretty much whatever could've hit me (the energy crisis of the mid-70's was still affecting the 80's, therefore, the only thing on the road that was any threat to this green Hulking monstrosity was my buddy Johann's JIINORMOUS blue land yacht, which outweighed it by a half-tonne easily - it could seat five of my more corpulent relatives in the back seat).
What the hell was that huge blue... Chrysler? Well, they might be next.
Anyway, I do think of that old green Pontiac every once in a while. And now that Pontiac's timeline is finalizing, it's unlikely I'll be travelling down that memory lane anytime soon.
Thank goodness I missed that first mailbox. My dad wouldn't have EVER let me live that down.
I'm not crying over the upcoming demise of the Pontiac line; I seriously can't remember the last time I was in a Pontiac.
My dad was in the passenger seat, I had slipped behind the wheel - 15, cocky and nervous, and just exhilerated to actually be behind the wheel.
Of course, I was Awful. I've never been a great driver, but I learned enough to become cautious and careful, thanks to my dad. But boy, that afternoon... yeesh.
The reason that the great green Pontiac Catalina became my car is that there was plenty of metal around me to protect me from pretty much whatever could've hit me (the energy crisis of the mid-70's was still affecting the 80's, therefore, the only thing on the road that was any threat to this green Hulking monstrosity was my buddy Johann's JIINORMOUS blue land yacht, which outweighed it by a half-tonne easily - it could seat five of my more corpulent relatives in the back seat).
What the hell was that huge blue... Chrysler? Well, they might be next.
Anyway, I do think of that old green Pontiac every once in a while. And now that Pontiac's timeline is finalizing, it's unlikely I'll be travelling down that memory lane anytime soon.
Thank goodness I missed that first mailbox. My dad wouldn't have EVER let me live that down.
Monday, April 6, 2009
get up stand up
There's a reason that I do not go see horror movies; reality is a helluva lot scarier than they could ever be.
This is what truly terrifies and angers me. (Warning, NSFW images & text.)
If you are looking for a way to oppose this idiocy, support a great cause, and enjoy some theater as well, please check this out tomorrow night. It’s part of the V-day organization, which has raised over $60 million to fund grassroots efforts stop violence against women. The money raised from Tuesday’s performances will go to the Benton County Women’s Shelter and the women of the congo.
I'm not going to make it, as I've had a certain date with my Sweetie planned for some time (been working on it since we met!), which I'll blog about later. But if you do get out to see this, give 'em a high five for me.
This is what truly terrifies and angers me. (Warning, NSFW images & text.)
If you are looking for a way to oppose this idiocy, support a great cause, and enjoy some theater as well, please check this out tomorrow night. It’s part of the V-day organization, which has raised over $60 million to fund grassroots efforts stop violence against women. The money raised from Tuesday’s performances will go to the Benton County Women’s Shelter and the women of the congo.
I'm not going to make it, as I've had a certain date with my Sweetie planned for some time (been working on it since we met!), which I'll blog about later. But if you do get out to see this, give 'em a high five for me.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
blowback
I absolutely love it when a former music industry lawyer starts off a blog post by saying "Stop lying."
(Not that I've ever thought Lefsetz was lying to me in his blog, but still - the irony is kinda delicious.)
What's a bit disheartening is that he's calling out the marketing industry; specifically, Microsoft's latest ads promoting the, ah, thriftiness of purchasing a PC over a Mac.
Seth Godin has a similar note in one of his recent blogposts. While Seth didn't specifically say "stop lying," he did point out the consequences of the accumulation of those lies.
A cloud of distrustfulness is forming over us, brought on by the lies of athletes, bankers, politicians, marketers, and even the people who made peanut butter, who made us think their products were safe while they packed dirty containers in dirty warehouses. We're in a time where we are not just questioning how safe our cars are, but if the manufacturers will be around long enough to perform warranty service.
Still, there's a few folks out there that we trust. Here and there. Good friends, soulmates, family members, a blogger we might actually know, Oprah, and that really funny and warm internet-sensation musician that flies in from NYC to thrill a couple hundred fans on a Tuesday night in Northwest Arkansas.
The key here is transparency, something that Kevin Coupe has mentioned more than a few times in the last several months on his blog, MorningNewsBeat. [Actually, Kevin talks a lot more about it than just what I linked to, and he walks the talk, too.] If companies were more open about themselves, if people were more open about themselves, some of our trust wouldn't have been so misplaced.
A lot of folks have a lot to answer to in regards to devious practices, marketing or otherwise. And we the people have to decide to trust or not to trust them ever again. There's no way I can tell who's lying or who's not.
Luckily, there is this thing called the internet, which tends to call you out on your beliefs and your statements, and there's a couple of thousand bloggers and citizen journalists out there (who may or may not be in their PJs in the basement) that are willing to dig and find out if it's real or if it's pure BS.
[Full disclosure - I'm in my sweats, just 'cause I'm getting ready to get on the treadmill. I'm not in my basement, 'cause it's actually kinda spooky.]
And you really don't want that kind of trouble, do you big companies? It's hard for people to regain their trust in you. And in these troubled times (drink!), are you willing to risk it and pay twice as much? - once for the BS marketing, and again for the blowback?
(Not that I've ever thought Lefsetz was lying to me in his blog, but still - the irony is kinda delicious.)
What's a bit disheartening is that he's calling out the marketing industry; specifically, Microsoft's latest ads promoting the, ah, thriftiness of purchasing a PC over a Mac.
Seth Godin has a similar note in one of his recent blogposts. While Seth didn't specifically say "stop lying," he did point out the consequences of the accumulation of those lies.
A cloud of distrustfulness is forming over us, brought on by the lies of athletes, bankers, politicians, marketers, and even the people who made peanut butter, who made us think their products were safe while they packed dirty containers in dirty warehouses. We're in a time where we are not just questioning how safe our cars are, but if the manufacturers will be around long enough to perform warranty service.
Still, there's a few folks out there that we trust. Here and there. Good friends, soulmates, family members, a blogger we might actually know, Oprah, and that really funny and warm internet-sensation musician that flies in from NYC to thrill a couple hundred fans on a Tuesday night in Northwest Arkansas.
The key here is transparency, something that Kevin Coupe has mentioned more than a few times in the last several months on his blog, MorningNewsBeat. [Actually, Kevin talks a lot more about it than just what I linked to, and he walks the talk, too.] If companies were more open about themselves, if people were more open about themselves, some of our trust wouldn't have been so misplaced.
A lot of folks have a lot to answer to in regards to devious practices, marketing or otherwise. And we the people have to decide to trust or not to trust them ever again. There's no way I can tell who's lying or who's not.
Luckily, there is this thing called the internet, which tends to call you out on your beliefs and your statements, and there's a couple of thousand bloggers and citizen journalists out there (who may or may not be in their PJs in the basement) that are willing to dig and find out if it's real or if it's pure BS.
[Full disclosure - I'm in my sweats, just 'cause I'm getting ready to get on the treadmill. I'm not in my basement, 'cause it's actually kinda spooky.]
And you really don't want that kind of trouble, do you big companies? It's hard for people to regain their trust in you. And in these troubled times (drink!), are you willing to risk it and pay twice as much? - once for the BS marketing, and again for the blowback?
(Sorry for the prob - I've fixed the link!)
Here's a sneak peek at my new professional blog! I'm still putting some finishing touches on it (and learning how to use Wordpress), but the official grand opening is on April 12th.
Here's a sneak peek at my new professional blog! I'm still putting some finishing touches on it (and learning how to use Wordpress), but the official grand opening is on April 12th.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
the delight of learning
Truly interesting post on Lefsetz' Letter regarding a conversation he had with Seth Godin about music education. It's not about guys in wigs who created waltzes a half-gazillion years ago, it's about learning how to make music.
It reminded me about why I quit piano lessons - I was learning to make music, but not the music I wanted to learn to make. (Honestly? "Beth" by Kiss. It was on the radio, it had piano, and it wasn't so freakin' hard to learn, but it wasn't in Mrs. Huguley's radar, so I wound up losing interest.) I picked up the bass because I could play "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" without a lot of training, and it led me to learn much more complicated songs, play in bands, learn to play and sing at the same time, and eventually lead my own band (before the drummer moved and the subsequent tragic breakup).
Wanna pick something up? Start with something simple and get the excitement started. Seth's completely right, and Gladwell's 10,000 hours theory only indicates that the enthusiasm is harder to kill for the truly committed. (I loved the story about John Mayer. Yay teachers!)
Meanwhile, it's been a while since I had blisters on my fingers.
It reminded me about why I quit piano lessons - I was learning to make music, but not the music I wanted to learn to make. (Honestly? "Beth" by Kiss. It was on the radio, it had piano, and it wasn't so freakin' hard to learn, but it wasn't in Mrs. Huguley's radar, so I wound up losing interest.) I picked up the bass because I could play "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" without a lot of training, and it led me to learn much more complicated songs, play in bands, learn to play and sing at the same time, and eventually lead my own band (before the drummer moved and the subsequent tragic breakup).
Wanna pick something up? Start with something simple and get the excitement started. Seth's completely right, and Gladwell's 10,000 hours theory only indicates that the enthusiasm is harder to kill for the truly committed. (I loved the story about John Mayer. Yay teachers!)
Meanwhile, it's been a while since I had blisters on my fingers.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
OK, OK, already....
So I get a note from one of the 3 and 3/4 people who've actually read this blog asking if I am ever gonna blog again... and the answer is yes!
OK, enough already. I've been thru a lot of changes in the last 2 months. But I've not forgotten the blog. After things settle down a bit (probably mid-April), I'm launching my professional blog and weekly podcast.
Until then, I'm too busy looking for my next adventure. You'll just have to wait! Sorry!
OK, enough already. I've been thru a lot of changes in the last 2 months. But I've not forgotten the blog. After things settle down a bit (probably mid-April), I'm launching my professional blog and weekly podcast.
Until then, I'm too busy looking for my next adventure. You'll just have to wait! Sorry!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Springsteen’s mistake
A couple of friends have mentioned this to me, on Facebook and other areas, so I figured I should blog about my reaction to Springsteen’s mistake.
First, some history: I’ve been a Bruce fan since 1981.Senior year in high school, I was driving myself around… and I remember getting up at 3 or 4 AM to get dressed and go stand in line at the Carolina Colisseum for tickets to my very first rock concert – Bruce Springsteen’s tour for “The River.”
The concert was on a Sunday night. I had to sneak out of church to meet my friends and take my seat for the show. I did not stay in my seat once the show started, and I came home hoarse from singing along to ‘Hungry Heart,’ ‘Independence Day’ (which resonated thru my teenaged heart and my relationship with my father), and, of course, ‘Born To Run.’ Actually, hoarse is not quite right – I couldn’t talk for a couple of days afterwards, simply because I blew my voice out singing along with Broooooce!
Fast forward a few years – I take my best girl (whom I’m still friends with, I’m glad to say) to see Bruce’s ‘Born In the USA’ tour. We had nosebleed seats. It was awesome. My ears rang for days!
In the years since I last saw Bruce live, I’ve had about eight different jobs, most of which at the same company, moved to northwest Arkansas, gotten married to my best friend (and the most patient woman I know), had major open-heart surgery, gained fifty pounds, owned my first dog, got older, lost dogs and cats to illness and old age, listened to a lot of music, and continued to admire and support Mr. Springsteen thru his music.
Now, I don’t know how I compare to other fans; I love Bruce for all the music and I’ve read a lot about him, trying to understand the motivations, the mystery, and the man behind the music. I like to think I have somewhat of a grip on his background and his understandably liberal politics; his family life, his two marriages, etc. I’m not saying I’m any kind of expert, but I’d like to think I know a little of the man behind the guitar.
So when it was announced that Springsteen had a new greatest hits package that was going to be exclusively at Walmart, I was surprised. Didn’t think Bruce would be doing exclusive deals, but I guess I really didn’t know what to think. (Long time readers, i.e. my close friends, already know that WM saved my life, so I’m pretty biased about the company and the people in it. Just so ya know – full disclosure, eh?) I was not surprised that there was some fan backlash on that.
Now, I’ll be the first to tell you, there’s nothing special about the greatest hits package. In fact, it looks like a record company kinda thing - a quickie package (no unreleased tunes, no demos, nothing special about it at all) that’s for the folks who see Bruce on the Superbowl and want a single disc of his hits. (My inner Lewis Black is screaming at this – “WHAT!?!?!? YOU WANNA DISTILL BRUCE TO ONE DISC? YOU MIGHT AS WELL DO A READER’S DIGEST VERSION OF THE BIBLE! OR MAKE A RINGTONE OUT OF DVORAK’S NEW WORLD SYMPHONY! OR MAYBE BAKE A FOURTEEN COURSE MEAL INTO A HOT POCKET!”)
So I’m not surprised that Bruce distanced himself from the package in a recent interview. He’s been a friend of the unions and working people for a long time, and he’s got a rep to protect. That, and WM’s rep in that area could use some improvement, which I know they’re working on. (I’m not saying that they don’t do most of their people a solid, but the rest of the world doesn’t realize it. Then again, there are some folks who have a vested interest in stirring up trouble, but theirs is a different agenda, and that would be a whole ‘nother discussion.)
Basically, Bruce said he made a mistake with the exclusive package. He implied that the mistake was with the venue, not the product (though, truth be told, it could be both). I can understand that, given what I know of the man.
So, what does this come down to? I think that Bruce signed off on something he really didn’t understand – and find me a rock star that hasn’t done that. (Again, I'm willing to bet it was some half-assed idea that the record company came up with rather than Bruce.) A certain group of fans took him to task for that, but the majority of America could care less. Bruce realized his mistake, too late to do anything about it. Instead of denouncing it or getting up in the record company’s face (or WM’s face) about it, he answered as honestly as he knew how when the question was put to him. No love lost, but nothing said that he’d regret in the morning.
Some have asked me how I felt about all this, since they know about my longtime fandom of both Bruce and Walmart. Well, the product disappoints me – the greatest hits package, as I’ve said, is nothing to write home about. I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with the venue; I suspect most of Bruce’s problem with Walmart comes from what he’s been told about the company (most likely by folks who are biased against Walmart). Then again, Bruce isn’t pulling any of his music out of Walmart, so I don’t think he’s hatin’ the place. The rest of it is kinda like ‘inside baseball’ – only of a concern to a handful of the truly obsessed (fans of Bruce or otherwise).
Meanwhile, tickets for the Bruce’s Tulsa visit go on sale February 7th, and I’m taking my Sweetie to her first Springsteen concert. I can’t wait! And if you’ve never seen Bruce in concert, put it on your to-do list this year; it’s the complete spirit of rock and roll, a revival of optimism and positivism, and one of the most joyous events you’ll ever experience.
And the new record is really quite wonderful. It’s a product of the road, a more unfocused work than the previous “Magic,” full of energy and life and a bit more wildness and unpredictability, and not without some blemishes and flaws. It's real and it breathes. Also, Bruce has taken to doing some crooning (that’s what I’m callin’ it – I know, some folks don’t like his voice, big deal) and here he’s singing more fully than just yellin’ and hollerin’ (as my dad would say). You really oughta check it out.
And that's all I've got to say 'bout that.
First, some history: I’ve been a Bruce fan since 1981.Senior year in high school, I was driving myself around… and I remember getting up at 3 or 4 AM to get dressed and go stand in line at the Carolina Colisseum for tickets to my very first rock concert – Bruce Springsteen’s tour for “The River.”
The concert was on a Sunday night. I had to sneak out of church to meet my friends and take my seat for the show. I did not stay in my seat once the show started, and I came home hoarse from singing along to ‘Hungry Heart,’ ‘Independence Day’ (which resonated thru my teenaged heart and my relationship with my father), and, of course, ‘Born To Run.’ Actually, hoarse is not quite right – I couldn’t talk for a couple of days afterwards, simply because I blew my voice out singing along with Broooooce!
Fast forward a few years – I take my best girl (whom I’m still friends with, I’m glad to say) to see Bruce’s ‘Born In the USA’ tour. We had nosebleed seats. It was awesome. My ears rang for days!
In the years since I last saw Bruce live, I’ve had about eight different jobs, most of which at the same company, moved to northwest Arkansas, gotten married to my best friend (and the most patient woman I know), had major open-heart surgery, gained fifty pounds, owned my first dog, got older, lost dogs and cats to illness and old age, listened to a lot of music, and continued to admire and support Mr. Springsteen thru his music.
Now, I don’t know how I compare to other fans; I love Bruce for all the music and I’ve read a lot about him, trying to understand the motivations, the mystery, and the man behind the music. I like to think I have somewhat of a grip on his background and his understandably liberal politics; his family life, his two marriages, etc. I’m not saying I’m any kind of expert, but I’d like to think I know a little of the man behind the guitar.
So when it was announced that Springsteen had a new greatest hits package that was going to be exclusively at Walmart, I was surprised. Didn’t think Bruce would be doing exclusive deals, but I guess I really didn’t know what to think. (Long time readers, i.e. my close friends, already know that WM saved my life, so I’m pretty biased about the company and the people in it. Just so ya know – full disclosure, eh?) I was not surprised that there was some fan backlash on that.
Now, I’ll be the first to tell you, there’s nothing special about the greatest hits package. In fact, it looks like a record company kinda thing - a quickie package (no unreleased tunes, no demos, nothing special about it at all) that’s for the folks who see Bruce on the Superbowl and want a single disc of his hits. (My inner Lewis Black is screaming at this – “WHAT!?!?!? YOU WANNA DISTILL BRUCE TO ONE DISC? YOU MIGHT AS WELL DO A READER’S DIGEST VERSION OF THE BIBLE! OR MAKE A RINGTONE OUT OF DVORAK’S NEW WORLD SYMPHONY! OR MAYBE BAKE A FOURTEEN COURSE MEAL INTO A HOT POCKET!”)
So I’m not surprised that Bruce distanced himself from the package in a recent interview. He’s been a friend of the unions and working people for a long time, and he’s got a rep to protect. That, and WM’s rep in that area could use some improvement, which I know they’re working on. (I’m not saying that they don’t do most of their people a solid, but the rest of the world doesn’t realize it. Then again, there are some folks who have a vested interest in stirring up trouble, but theirs is a different agenda, and that would be a whole ‘nother discussion.)
Basically, Bruce said he made a mistake with the exclusive package. He implied that the mistake was with the venue, not the product (though, truth be told, it could be both). I can understand that, given what I know of the man.
So, what does this come down to? I think that Bruce signed off on something he really didn’t understand – and find me a rock star that hasn’t done that. (Again, I'm willing to bet it was some half-assed idea that the record company came up with rather than Bruce.) A certain group of fans took him to task for that, but the majority of America could care less. Bruce realized his mistake, too late to do anything about it. Instead of denouncing it or getting up in the record company’s face (or WM’s face) about it, he answered as honestly as he knew how when the question was put to him. No love lost, but nothing said that he’d regret in the morning.
Some have asked me how I felt about all this, since they know about my longtime fandom of both Bruce and Walmart. Well, the product disappoints me – the greatest hits package, as I’ve said, is nothing to write home about. I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with the venue; I suspect most of Bruce’s problem with Walmart comes from what he’s been told about the company (most likely by folks who are biased against Walmart). Then again, Bruce isn’t pulling any of his music out of Walmart, so I don’t think he’s hatin’ the place. The rest of it is kinda like ‘inside baseball’ – only of a concern to a handful of the truly obsessed (fans of Bruce or otherwise).
Meanwhile, tickets for the Bruce’s Tulsa visit go on sale February 7th, and I’m taking my Sweetie to her first Springsteen concert. I can’t wait! And if you’ve never seen Bruce in concert, put it on your to-do list this year; it’s the complete spirit of rock and roll, a revival of optimism and positivism, and one of the most joyous events you’ll ever experience.
And the new record is really quite wonderful. It’s a product of the road, a more unfocused work than the previous “Magic,” full of energy and life and a bit more wildness and unpredictability, and not without some blemishes and flaws. It's real and it breathes. Also, Bruce has taken to doing some crooning (that’s what I’m callin’ it – I know, some folks don’t like his voice, big deal) and here he’s singing more fully than just yellin’ and hollerin’ (as my dad would say). You really oughta check it out.
And that's all I've got to say 'bout that.
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