Norman's Rockwell

A few nights ago, I finally got to see Steely Dan in concert at the minty fresh Nokia Theater across the street from Staples Center. First off, the venue is pristine. The sound is the best in town and they boast two hi-def screens that flank the stage. Not that the Dan are much to look at, but they are such fantastic performers, I got a kick out of seeing them "up close." Don Fagen channels Ray Charles by way of Transylvania. A vampiric soul man? Darn tootin '. And Walter Becker? He's like a Gerry Anderson Super-Marionette . His head and arms seemed to move independently as his body remained planted in place. But those guitar solos! Walter killed on FM . Steely Dan do come across well on stage. Don is a hoot and Walter does a deadpan that Dan Aykroyd's Elwood Blues could only dream of. As for the set. It wasn't chock full of greatest hits. They did pull out their pop hits Hey Nineteen and Peg; but the show was mainly a gift to their albums' fans. Th...

Today is Harrison Ford's 66 th birthday. Mr. Ford holds a dear place in my movie-going memory. Yes, I saw the new Indiana Jones movie after coming back from the UK. It was alright, but basically a pastiche of the original. The two big characters Harrison created rank among the most influential and coolest in my reckoning. No one has come close to Han Solo's effortless hipness nor Dr. Jones' wry heroism. From 1977 to 1985, I went out of my way to see every movie starring Harrison Ford that I could. That meant many viewings of the western/Yiddish comedy the Frisco Kid as well as the innovative Blade Runner . I used to wait with baited breath for the opening of a new Harrison Ford movie. Mom used to take me straight from school on a Friday afternoon to see an Indiana Jones or Star Wars film the day it opened. Of course, my favorite memory was going to an advance screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark in Cleveland. I passed up going to the big end of the year party for the 6 ...

My 500th blog. Thanks for stopping by! Late last night I discovered that there is one more great Summer album. Bruce Springsteen's Magic . There are records that immediately evoke a place and time for me. I thought I might not find another Summer set. Music has gone so far down hill in general. There are some good singles, but few entire albums that hit the mark. Magic was released last October to much fanfare and debuted at Number 1. The lead single Radio Nowhere wasn't a killer, even though it was a freebie on iTunes . So I didn't pay any more attention to the record. Combine that with the fact that Bruce was pretty well snubbed by the Grammys in the major categories. Then around Christmas, I heard Bruce's second single The Girls In Their Summer Clothes . Now that it is the dog days, TGITSC is magnificent. The true test was listening to the CD in my car with the windows rolled down on a warm July night as I ran some evening errands. Brilliant. Shimmering. It'...

Lately, I have been having plenty of trouble with MySpace . I can barely log on without the site crashing my computer. Or without spyware leeching through the pages. I hope that if any of you are visiting me via MySpace that you are not encountering these problems. It's been very frustrating as you might imagine. Anyway, you should still be able to check out the song samples and leave comments there. It might take me a while to respond, but that's why. Right now, I'm listening to Handel's Water Music . Nice and relaxing. I'm hopeful that the worst of the Summer heat is done. There's a cool wind refreshing NoHo . Between the high temps and food poisoning last week, I was done right in. Thanks again to everyone for their prayers and well-wishing. Tonight, I attended a nice function at church. Dining on grilled hot dogs and crock pot chili. After dinner al fresco, a bunch of us watched August Rush . A very nicely done fable about an orphan who is a musical prod...

Hey all, just checking in here on the blog. It's been a long hot Summer for the first two weeks of it. I've been really out of sorts. Got a nasty case of food poisoning on Tuesday that has lingered up to the present. No fun at all. Nothing like several hours in the ER getting an IV. And a return visit might be in store. Interest seems to be building in my upcoming gigs which helps lighten the mood. But seriously, watch what you order when you're dining out. Hope your 4 th of July was safe and fun. I did get to see a dozen fireworks last night. Peace & Health