This book is a short and breezy novel by the author of “Running With Scissors” and “Dry”, among other works. He has a dark sense of humor and wit, which led me to hope for great things from this book. But it wasn’t great. It was mildly entertaining and had it’s moments. [continued]
The Book I Read: Hotel California By Barney Hoskyns
It was Southern California in the 60s and 70s. It was a great time and place for music. Until it wasn’t anymore. So many great artists came out of this fertile slice of space and time. Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Warren Zevon, Buffalo Springfield, Tom Waits, JD Souther, Judee Sill, Lowell George (Little Feat), Gram Parsons, The Mamas and The Papas, and more. It was a hotbed for artistic expression and creativity, though it was eventually headed for a very sobering meet up with commercialism, drugs, ego, greed, and corporate rock. This is a very interesting history, meticulously researched, and filled with hundreds of candid quotes and insights. I like a lot of the music, and I thought I knew about it, but I learned a lot from this book. [continued]
The Book I Read: Paul Simon – A Life, By Marc Eliot
I’ve been a fan of Paul Simon (with and without Garfunkel) for a long long time. He’s a great songwriter and artist. That said, I did learn a few things from this book. But with THAT said, I wish I had learned a lot more. This book is a quick and easy read, and its worth reading for what it is. However, it’s quick because it’s short and sometimes light on substance. I learned some new facts and information, but throughout the book I kept wishing that the author would dig deeper and provide more.
Our Latest 16 Music Items
Here is the latest music update. Some were new, some were used, most were cheap, a couple were free, and of course some were for the wife. The CDs are first, then the vinyl. Click on the “read more” link to see the whole list. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused?
Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!
ARTIST TITLE FORMAT SIZE COUNTRY COMMENTS
Hart, Beth & Joe Bonamassa Seesaw CD 5 US
Hart, Beth War In My Mind CD 5 US Amazon limited box with two bonus tracks
Pretenders, The Hate For Sale CD 5 US
Mullins, Shawn Soul’s Core Revival CD 5 US
Prince Transmission Impossible CD 5 US 3-CD Bootleg
Browne, Jaskson The Broadcast Archive CD 5 US 4-CD Bootleg
Jethro Tull Skating On Thin Ice CD 5 US 2-CD Bootleg
V/A Garden Of Earthly Delights – An XTC Celebration CD 5 US Tribute to XTC
The Book I Read: “Breathing The Same Air” By Andrew Stafford
It was the spring of 1984. The author had been diagnosed with a lifelong illness. But then things got better. A lot better. Through a combination of luck, perseverance, and XTC fanaticism, Mr. Stafford was able to sit in on a series of recording sessions for XTC, one of the best, most clever, most unique, and most interesting bands in the world. The book recounts how he was there during a couple months while they were recording their album The Big Express. There are some tangents in the writing, mostly interesting though, and his memory is fuzzy about some things. He fully admits it though. [continued]
The Book I Read: Apropos Of Nothing By Woody Allen
“At five or so, I became aware of mortality and figured, uh-oh, this is not what I signed on for. I had never agreed to be finite.” – from Apropos Of Nothing
I love Woody Allen. Ever since the seventies when I saw his “early, funny films”. And through out the years (and films) until today and after that I’m sure. I’ve seen all the films save for one of two, many of them multiple times, and I feel strongly that he is the best, most interesting, and most entertaining director and writer in films today. If you agree you can leave a comment below this review. If not, you can leave a comment on that old mailbox outside your door and down the street. Oh, wait, they took that out. Too bad. Now read the rest of the review…
The Book I Read: Reckless By Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie is a badass woman. And I mean that in the best possible way. This book chronicles her life, as told by herself. She doesn’t mince words and includes some less flattering parts too. But she remains a unique woman in modern rock. Her attitude and reluctance to compromise set her apart from many others in the business. [continued]
Our Latest 26 Music Items
Here is the latest music update. Some were new, some were used, most were cheap, a couple were free, and of course some were for the wife. The CDs are first, then the vinyl. Click on the “read more” link to see the whole post. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused?
Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!
ARTIST TITLE FORMAT SIZE COUNTRY COMMENTS
Prince 1999 Box Set CD 5 US Five CDs, One DVD
Prince The Versace Experience – Prelude To Gold CD 5 US
Prince Sing The Hits Of Prince Volume 1 CD 5 US Karaoke CD
Martinez, Melanie K-12 CD 5 US CD plus DVD
Eilish, Billie When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? CD 5 US
Dukes Of Stratosphear Psurroundabout Ride CD 5 US CD plus Blu-Ray
Rolling Stones, The Exile On Main Street CD 5 US
Furstenfeld, Justin Songs From An Open Book CD 5 US
Furstenfeld, Justin Open Book Winter Album CD 5 US
New Order Spooky CD 5 UK
Devo Baby Doll CD 5 US
Weezer Weezer (Blue Album) CD 5 US
Weezer Weezer (Green Album) CD 5 US
Our Latest 59 Music Items
Here is the latest music update. Some were new, some were used, most were cheap, a couple were free, and of course some were for the wife and/or kid. The CDs are first, then the vinyl, then the 8-tracks LOL yes really. Click on the “read more” link to see the whole post. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused?
Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!
ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS
Beatles, The – Abbey Road Super Deluxe Edition CD 5 US 3 CDs, 1 Blu-Ray
Hitchcock, Robyn/Andy Partridge – Planet England CD 5 UK
Barnett, Courtney – Tell Me How You Really Feel CD 5 US
TC&I – Naked Flames – Live At Swindon Arts Cent CD 5 UK Colin and Terry from XTC
Waits, Tom – Nighthawks At The Diner CD 5 UK
Lahey, Alex – I Love You Like A Brother CD 5 US
Morgxn – Vital CD 5 US
OMD – Peel Sessions 1979-1983 CD 5 US
Dylan, Bob – The Times They Are A-Changin’ CD 5 US
Dylan, Bob and The Band – The Basement Tapes CD 5 US
Decemberists, The – Her Majesty CD 5 US
John, Elton and Leon Russell – The Union CD 5 US
Pictures From The 2019 Seattle And Bumbershoot Trip
Hello again, family, friends, and everyone else. The pictures from our 2019 trip to Seattle and the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (and much more!) are now online! We had a great time and so did our friends. Take a look at the pictures.
If you are thinking of going in 2020, let me know!
If you have any questions, just ask. And leave a comment if you want….
2019 Prince At The MoPop Museum photos
The 2019 Seattle And Bumbershoot Trip – Part 2
Click here to read part 1 first
Continued from part 1. I’ll post some pictures soon. It’s our annual trip, read all about part 2 now.
Saturday August 31
The 2019 Seattle And Bumbershoot Trip – Part One
It’s our annual trip to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. We go every year, since 2001, making this our 19th year in a row. And we love it more than ever. This year our granddaughter Josephine went with us again. Also traveling, our friends Mama O and Claudia, and Margaret from Portland.
I’ll post some pictures soon, but first, here’s what we did on our trip.
Monday August 26th
