Tomorrow begins the end of America (I Fear)

Well kids, we had 2 years to fix the fuck-ups of Dubya. And despite great progress (national health, the end of old style lobbying, a President that actually CARES about people and not as much about corporations), our brilliantly impatient nation is about to shit through an entire gaggle of morons into office that will gum up the political works for the next two years.
Then, in 2012, The Repugnikkkans will be able to point to the political clusterfuck they created by voting down any proposed legislation and point to Obama as being ineffective.We finally get an intelligent and moral  man, bereft of scandals and willing to LISTEN to the needs of our people, and these baseless moral cripples wouldn't vote that water was wet if it was the Democratic stance.

Dear Tea Party: sorry that Obama was not able to weave straw into gold in 24 months, but guess what... things are getting better! Thanks in advance for fucking up the country again.

I PRAY THAT I AM WRONG. Please. Anyone reading this. Go vote. And vote wisely. Whatever your local issues... vote with an eye towards fixing them.

(I Was At This Show)

(I Was At This Show Too - Central Park - The Loose Joints remarks were directed at me and my friends!)

C is for Cookie

A friend of mine gave me a chocolate chip cookie yesterday. This was a special cookie, provided by the state of California. As such, it contained "medicine". California is (I believe) the only state in the union that allows weed to be "medicine".

"Wait until after work, Nazz", I was advised. Yeah, right. I attacked it like I was the cookie monster.

About an hour later, I felt it coming on. The high lasted about 6 hours. As my dedication to science is so great, I refrained from any other intoxicants during this time. The buzz seemed to be alot more "spacy" rather than physical. However, I did pig out a whole lot once I got home, so I guess the posit that it increases appetite was true. Maybe it's some sort of "munchie strain".

It's absolutely absurd that medical marijuana is not available for consumption by anyone who needs it. Don't even get me started on why the shit is illegal to begin with. The drug war is a complete failure. Let's use our resources on helping people, not persecuting them.

And for your Friday... here's a poem:

Tina Louise

You always seemed

like too much work

And MaryAnn was low maintainance

And when we finally met

Over drinks and madness

You were too old

And you still wouldn't fuck me

Toonage:

The Clash - Janie Jones (live NYC 6-4-81)

The Beatles - What's The New Mary Jane (unreleased)

Neil Young - Roll Another Number (6-18-84 Reseda California)

Mickey Hart - Granma's Cookies

(More than) A Touch Of Grey

So, the other day, on a lovely evening over beers, the missus informs me "y'know, if you're going to ever start coloring your hair, it's time to do it, it's really turning grey".

And a WTF moment arrives.

All right, so I am the proud father of a 15 and 11 year old. And I have been married 21 years. But when did I get old? When did people start calling me sir?
Aren't I usually wearing torn jeans and a rock or beer t-shirt? Aren't I usually wearing a bandana or baseball cap? Aren't I the most immature, juvenile adult on the planet?

Wait a minute... I'm an adult?????

When did this aging crap occur?

So, my back constantly hurts. So, my knees give out after running a mile or so. So, I need a couple of extra hours sleep after my usual binge. I'm still King Of The Night-time World, aren't I? I can still out-party anyone I know. In the end, it'll be me and Keith Richards left. Or something.
I used to get so pissed off when I had to show proof of age. Now, the rare occasions I get proofed, I'm actually thankful.

Yeah, I know it beats the alternative. It is NOT better to burn out... despite what this guy says. And each day brings another entry into my scrapbook of madness.

I think I'll pass on the hair tinting; honey. I'm gonna ride on what brought me to this point.

PS- Hey you darn kids, get off my lawn!

Toonage:
Agent Orange - Everything Turns Grey
Pennywise - Touch Of Grey (Grateful Dead cover live)

Neil Young - Hey Hey My My Into The Black

Anarchy Six (Redd Kross) - Old Punks

Protect Me From My Enemy, Myself

Insanity is the only sane reaction to an insane society.

-- Thomas Szas --



Bookage:
John Kennedy Toole - A Confederacy Of Dunces


Toonage:
Porter Waggoner - Committed To Parkview
Roky Erikson & The Demons - Don't Shake Me Lucifer
UK Subs - Down On The Farm
Neil Young - C'mon Baby, Let's Go Downtown (Live Fillmore)
Syd Barrett - No Good Trying


----------------
Now playing: Barry Mann - Who Put The Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)
via FoxyTunes

Burning Renditions

Here in the North East, it's hot. Went to around 100 degrees .
Big Fucking Deal.
The media makes it out like we've never had hot days before. Get over it people. In fact, I wore a denim jacket to work today. Mostly because I couldn't find my holster and I need to carry my sidearm. But people looked at me like I was crazy to have a jacket on. I like it hot. In fact, let it get to 110 degrees. New Yorkers are a buncha pussies. However, it is nce to see sweaty women in various states of undress.

Speaking of pussies, I am going to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss tonite. So, aside from their collaborations from their album Raising Sand, I'll get to hear pussified versions of some Led Zep tunes, as they are playing reconstructed versions of "Black Dog", "When The Levee Breaks", and a couple of others. Jeez, old Planty looks an awful lot like this guy these days. But Krauss is kinda hot.
But not as hot as it is outside.

Toonage:
Robert Plant & Allison Krauss - Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson
The Replacements - Misty Mountain Hop (Live)
Pearl Jam w/ Robert Plant - Thank You (Live 10-5-05)
Aerosmith w/ Robert Plant & Jimmy Page - Bring It On Home (Live 1-12-95)
Neil Young, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page - When The Levee Breaks/For What It's Worth (Live 1-12-95)

In The Wintertime...

Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway.

The trees had been stripped by a recent wind

of their white covering of frost,

and they seemed to lean toward each other,

black and ominous, in the fading light.

A vast silence reigned over the land.

Jack London.... "White Fang"

Toonage:

Frank Zappa & The Mothers - Don't Eat The Yellow Snow

Dinosaur Jr. - Almost Ready

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winterlong (live Fillmore 1970)

Rezillos - Cold Wars

Lomas - Ice Cold Ice (Husker Du Cover)

The Heroin Diaries

“I had not taken a bath in a year nor changed my clothes or removed them except to stick a needle every hour in the fibrous grey

wooden flesh of heroin addiction. . .

I did absolutely nothing.”

...William Burroughs

The book du jour at the residence is Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries". First off, I never liked Motley Crue very much. As a punk, I hated hair metal. And while I was always in favor of sex, drugs and rock n roll, I absolutely despised the attempt at "singing" that Vince Neil screeched. The Crue had some righteous riffs, but why would you have a giant pussy like Vince Neil lead your band? According to The Heroin Diaries (and Tommy Lee's book as well), the rest of the band thought he was an asshole as well. Plus, Vince Neil murdered Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle and paralyzed another person in a 1984 car crash.

However, Nikki Sixx seems to have been a guy I coulda gotten along with. Well, aside from the Heroin of course. He professes to have been influenced by all the "right" bands... Iggy, Sex Pistols, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, etc.

It's nicely packaged, with Ralph Steadman style nightmarish art on virtually every page (lots of black and red)

The book itself reproduces his diaries from 1986 through 1988, at the height of The Crue's stardom and the depth's of Sixx's addiction. According to the book, he grew up pretty much unloved and abandoned. He's not exactly blaming his addictions on his childhood, but it certainly seems to be a factor. But Sixx takes all the credit for becoming a junkie and does not blame it on the r n r lifestyle. Escapades with former Prince anti-ingenue Vanity and various seedy denizens of the L.A. rock underground provide lotsa laughs (not!) and it's a miracle that Sixx was capable of keeping a diary, much less playing bass and writing the material for the band.

A cautionary tale to be sure and one that I would recommend to any teenagers. Hey kids, hard drugs are bad, mmmkay? There is absolutely no glamour or bragging in the book. It's simply a harrowing and sad tale of a guy who had it all, and almost blew it all.

Toonage:
Replacements - Hold My Life (live 7-27-87 NYC)
Velvet Underground - Heroin (demo)
Neil Young - The Needle And The Damage Done (live London 2-27-71)
Rancid - Junkie Man
Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - Too Much Junkie Business (live)
Keith Richards - Before They Make Me Run (live 1993)
Rolling Stones - Sister Morphine (1969 outtake)

Taking off to the great green north

Take Off,

To The Great White North

Take Off,

It's A Beauty Way To Go

I gotta work on my Canadian dialect. Hey hosers! (or is that "un-PC"?). Headin' up to Canada for the Montreal Beer Festival and some well deserved r 'n' r. Which of course gives me an excuse to post some tunes from some of the cream of Canadian artiste's. Sorry folks, I don't have any Triumph or Bryan Adams!


We originally wanted to take the William Shatner tour; but can you believe it, they don't offer one! The shame of our neighbor's to the north is that they have NOT made William Shatner into a national icon. From what I heard, they don't even close the schools in honor of his birthday! At least Canada has it's national "Geddy Lee Day". What? They don't have that either? WTF?

At the very least, we're looking to take in a couple of Expo's games at Jarry Park, so at least we have that going for us. Does this guy still pitch for them?

Well, if you happen to be in Montreal this week and see some drunk guy in a Ramones T-Shirt...well, buy him a beer!

Toonage:
Rush - The Spirit Of Radio (live)
Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
DOA - All Apologies (Nirvana cover)
Neil Young - Roll Another One (live) (june 18, 1984)
The Kings - Switch Into Glide
New Pornographers - My Slow Descent Into Alcoholism