Skip to main content

Hello, Dali! (Now with 50% More Photos)

Hola, Soul Mates,

I'm feeling very jet lagged. Just got back from Espana. Catalunya and Andalucia to be more precise. I even learned Catalan (jo parlo catala, amics) and spoke it in broken fashion to amused natives. But wait, here's proof...

It's me at the Dali Teatro-Museu in Figueres on Salvador's birthday. The place is more funhouse than museum. This objet d'art was hidden in a stairwell. I call it "The Crowned Peacock Dreams of Genie."



Dali lived here. He's buried here. I'm being idiotic here. Genuflecting or posing? Felicitats, Salvador! It was his birthday and I was the only one celebrating. And yes, I did sing "Happy Birthday" to him.



Another installation that defies explanation. But it's got a real crocodile and a real light bulb and artificial limbs involved. What's not to like?



Seems like every town in Catalonia has some sort of memorial to John Lennon. This sign had fallen off (no, I did not keep it), so it made for a good prop. I'm not sure what the Lennon connection is... His second book was A Spaniard in the Works; he wrote Strawberry Fields Forever in Spain...



Here's the kid at the famous cafe, El 4 Gats in Barcelona. In Picasso's favorite seat. I made that part up. I will say that the folks at the Picasso museum are completely uptight. Not like the Dali staff who seem to encourage picture taking and merriment.



I also got to see the one of sport's greatest Ronaldhino score a goal in person at the FC Barcelona v. Betis draw a week ago. The match was equalised in the 89th minute. Very exciting, but not the result I was hoping for.


The food and people in Spain are awesome. Made a good friend, Don Alfonso Fenes, in Sevilla at Bar Campanario. His cook does a mean Patates Roquefort. And there is nothing like sangria at siesta on a Saharan afternoon, journaling and listening to the cathedral bells.



Watched the Sevilla futbol team make its triumphant parade into Plaza San Francisco after winning the UEFA cup final. That was mayhem and 50,000 Sevillistas fiesta-ing well past midnight.



It was nice taking some time away from Los Angeles with the better half. Hope you didn't miss me too much. I managed to NOT think about music the entire time. Wasn't until the flight home that I started mulling over things.
When I got back to the office our official invite for IPO LA had arrived. I'm pleased to announce that we've been given the plum spot of the festival. Saturday Aug. 4 at 9 pm at the Knitting Factory. Which means the show is for all ages. Mark your calendars.

We'll be going back to the studio for mixing in another week. More sleep! More sleep.
Love, Power, Peace

Comments

Unknown said…
Wow! Where you raising a glass and saying "Drink to me?"
Dave said…
Um..Xto..I'm shocked..after all these years together you should know that Normie was raising his glass uttering "To Knowledge.."
P.S. Oh yeah..Spurs in 6 baby!!
Unknown said…
That's what he or we would say in any other chair of any other establishment or home or location. THIS chair, however, would require a different protocol. THEN "To knowledge..."

Spurs in 5 wit' da home cookin'. Deron Williams is good. Eva Longoria is better. Reminds me of what Tony Parker would say, channeling Richard Pryor on the lions in the African bush - "Take a picture o' dat!"
Norman K said…
Actually, I'll give Dave 2 points for the Posse reference. But I've gotta give George (ha ha) 3 because those were Picasso's last words and we were in Pizcazzo's hizzy!

Spurns in 5.
Unknown said…
Who u callin' George? Yount!
Dave said…
I would have paid to see Norm teach the Spaniards how to say "Recka Stow".....
P.S. Valid point on the toasts Xto..
Unknown said…
Avez-vous un crayon? That's French.

Popular posts from this blog

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...

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...