Skip to main content

It's A Beautiful Morning

Hey Soul Mates,
it's Sunday morning. Just chilling with a homemade cup of espresso. Gotta get the motor running. However, I'm hoping to get out jogging in a little while. Managed to do the loop over at Lake Hollywood for the first time in months yesterday. The knee is ready!

The voting on Next Big Hit got close last night and remains competitive, but our girls in NoVa put us over the hump for the time being. The voting for this week ends at 7 pm PST today. So if you haven't made your selection, now's the time.

Tonight, the girls and I are going to the
Stones concert at the Hollywood Bowl. This should be an historic event. It's their first appearance there since 1966. But, we're not going for the show, we are volunteering for the Red Cross to accept donations on behalf of the group. The Rolling Stones are being very generous (and considering their stature, and what they owe to black southern culture it's appropriate) and they are setting up donation collection centers at every tour stop. So, if you are going to the Bowl tonight, look for me and have that loose change ready for some hurricane relief. Remember, you can still donate on-line.

My brother Nate did a stint in New Orleans on reconstruction detail and said that the parish is worse off than one can imagine. What doesn't come through in the pictures and newscasts is the stench. Lots of work to be done there.

OK, Nov. 6 is an infamous day in history. 10 years ago to the day, evil, money-grubbing, no-good, jive-talking, two-faced manipulator Art Modell announced that my beloved
Browns were leaving Cleveland for no reason whatsoever. The team was losing money, he said. The stadium was no good, the city didn't appreciate him or the organization. He took that cursed team to Baltimore and won the Superbowl. But that's bad juju, man.

Of course, the Browns came back, the team is in the black, the new stadium is beautiful and they sell out every game (with a losing record). Why? Because the city LOVES that team like no other. Plus the natural rivalry between the Browns and the Steelers is still one of the best in all of sport. And the new rivalry between the Ratbirds and the Browns only adds to the fun every season. I did manage to go to the original Browns' last road game in Jacksonville, December of '95. The Brownies lost. And of course, I've been back to Cleveland several times to see them in the new stadium which is a lot more fun than the old Municipal Stadium.

Finally, I'm very excited to see Mr. Postman. My new
Washburn AB40 is on its way. Should arrive tomorrow. I am giddy. The last time I got to play one was at Rick Rosas' studio in Studio City. Schweet. And our promotional give-away for our next show is coming tomorrow too. If you are one of the first 20 people in attendance for our set on Thursday at the Gig, you'll receive a limited edition Nondenominational Holiday ornament from us to you. Consider it an early Christmas/Kwanzaa/Channukah/Whateva present. If you don't live in town and you want to order one for yourself, they will be available through Thanksgiving. After that, you'll find them on eBay. Ha Ha.

All right. I gotta run. Literarily. The hills are calling. Then, get ready to work the Stones' concert.
Love, Power, Peace!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hmm...Norm, you neglected to tell me about the Washburn. Very smoove!
Anonymous said…
I got a used Fender Acoustic. My fingers hurt too much to type this. Ouch.

Popular posts from this blog

John Lennon 40 Years On

Remembering John Lennon today. Forty years have flashed by. I can still hear my clock radio turning on to the incongruent sound of the Beatles on Dec. 9, 1980 and wondering why? I think about John every day. I am fortunate to have been able to make pilgrimage to Mendips, Abbey Road and Strawberry Fields, NY; to play on stages like the Cavern, the Jacaranda and the Troubadour where he performed or made trouble, or both. Here’s a quick playlist for you and me. (Just Like) Starting Over I Should Have Known Better Bless You Nobody Told Me Strawberry Fields Forever Nowhere Man Enjoy the day. Fill it with peace. Fill it with music. #JohnLennon #Liverpool

Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air - Book Review

“The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air” is a trippy new mystery novel from Phillip Mottaz. It captures the grit and gilt of the City of Angels with the flair of a contemporary Raymond Chandler. The brisk pace and wit are reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s entries in the detective game. Flourishes of  Fletch  and “Medium” also spring to mind. However, Mottaz has added a psychic/mutant/superhuman touch and his own comedic voice, structure and internal monologues to the proceedings that help the author announce his own style and the arrival of a literary heroine for a new generation. Hairstylist and budding private investigator, Danica Luman is the perfect character to convey the irony, angst and sarcasm needed to tell a 21st century L.A. crime story. Danica also represents anyone who thought it would be neat to get tangled up in a mystery and the darkly comic cautionary tale that follows. The genre is recognizable, but Mottaz offers a fresh take on the not-ready-for-prime-ti...

Being There [Grammy Recap]

Hey Soul Mates, Check out your boy. Yes, I did look that damn suave at the Grammys last night. Look, the tickets very clearly said "black tie." What could be less rock and roll than black tie? Not wearing "black tie." Frankly, the hipsters and the club girls just looked silly. Maybe I'm getting sartorially conservative, but you must be clean for the Grammys. We arrived early in the afternoon. A beautifully mild afternoon in downtown L.A. and not a sign of the predicted rain. I wanted to experience the whole nine, so we got there in time for the "Pre-telecast" ceremony. This is where 97 of the 108 gramophone statuettes are awarded. It was much more entertaining and endearing than the actual broadcast. The winners were genuinely moved, were not limited in their speech time and came in all stripes. Now, very few of the acts I voted for won. But the day did start off with a bang as OK Go won best short form video for the treadmill hopping video for Here...