Norman's Rockwell

Da Mayor: Doctor, always do the right thing. Mookie: That's it? I got it, I'm gone. Last night, I watched "Do The Right Thing" all the way through for the first time in six or seven years. The first time I saw it was on July 4, 1989 with my mother. Pure cinematic fireworks. All-American and revolutionary. We were both intrigued by this movie that had made such a splash at Cannes earlier that year. We didn't know anyone else who'd seen it, but we had seen Spike Lee's previous movie ("School Daze" featuring my Dad.) There were only another dozen viewers in that theatre in Jacksonville. We had no idea what we were getting into. When the movie was done, we all sat through the credits in stunned silence. DTRT became a lightning rod that summer amid blockbusters like "Batman," "Ghostbusters 2," and "Indiana Jones 3." The opening sequence is iconic: Public Enemy's aural assault, the visual style of DP Ernest Dickerson a...

After talking with Murdy yesterday, I realized that a top 10 albums list would take me too much thought right now. And I would have to go through all of my ticket stubs to rank the top 10 concerts I've attended. But John and I got to discussing the first CDs we purchased, back when buying a CD meant something. They were about $15 a pop on average in 1988. Doing the inflationary math that's roughly $27 to you and me now. And you think music is a rip-off today! Ha ha ha. The very first title I bought, sheepishly, because I didn't actually own a CD player and somehow I thought the store clerk would know, was the Beatles' "Help!" Got it at the Wiz in the Pentagon City metro stop in NoVa after doing a tour of *duh* the Pentagon. So jogging my imperfect memory, between May and July 4 th of 1988, I purchased, in order... 1. The Beatles, "Help!" The Wiz , Pentagon City. 2. Prince & The Revolution, "Parade." The Wiz , Georgetown. 3 & 4....

Hey all, don't know when Blogger will update my posts, so I'll just keep writing with faith that you'll be reading this soon.  In music news, a friend of mine has been plying me with tracks he's been working on for the past several months. Today, though he left one on my voicemail that was very enticing. All bleeps and blurps , but solid. It might be a one-off, but with yet another article in RS about the demise of the CD, that's probably the way to go for a new release: digital only.  I'm also pondering recording some of the acoustic numbers I've been doing at Church. Some of you might be interested in hearing my arrangements. We'll see.  As you may get from my previous posts, I'm listening to a lot of Dylan. I've reloaded all of Bob's material onto my iPod . Hadn't listened to Time Out Of Mind or Modern Times since late '06. Times was my favorite record that year. Word on the street is that Dylan's got a hard-country set comin...

Hey Family, Blogger is experiencing lots of glitches right now. So much of this may be repeated material from this week's blogs. Hopefully these past few posts will get published. This morning, Church was wonderful. Pastor Joey's message was deep. He discussed how our personal faith is a private matter. You've got as much right to ask me if I've been saved as I have to ask how much money you make. You can probably guess, no alter calls at our church. I know for a fact that I'm loved and I'm trying to get right with Christ. Life is still challenging and exhausting, but the reward is greater for the effort. Today during worship, I sang Pressing On from Dylan's 1980 LP Saved . This evening, I bought the whole disc (thanks Jackie & Medardo , it's a Birthday present!) from iTunes . It's an underrated work. I prefer it to Slow Train Coming , Dylan's first born-again record. I'm digging the title track, What Can I Do For You? and Solid Rock , ...

Last night was our final drawing class at the Norton-Simon museum in Pasadena. It was part of a series of 4 lessons. I did fairly well with the head and face. But two sessions of the body/torso did me in. However, I made a nice comeback with the hands and feet. Didn't know I had it in me. It doesn't hurt to have 17 th and 18 th C. masters to study. I've mentioned my appreciation for the N-S before. Highly recommended. My previous blog met with lots of glitches. I still can't tell if it published. So, just in case, a reminder: tomorrow I will be singing the Just As We Are segment in church at 10:30. The selected song is Bob Dylan's Pressing On from his 1980 LP Saved . Time to work! Peace & Love

Hey Y'all. Been a good week for you, I hope. Got in a little while ago from communion for Ash Wednesday. God only knows how much I needed it. It was a silent service in Boyer Chapel. One of my favorite spaces. Last night, we went to the Groundlings ' theatre to see Jeremy Rowley reprise his show Inland Empire . Some bits were reruns and there were several new sketches, but it was all inspired illness. Jeremy plays these unhinged characters from the Riverside area; his mathematically challenged Dad in " Family Dinner" was a favorite of mine. You may know Jeremy's voice from the Lost Untangled shorts on ABC. Or check out his shorts on YouTube: Kids are Safe is Germanic madness and I don't even know how he filmed Trippin ' At D-Land . Something that struck me going to the Groundlings on Melrose was the loss of the Gig. I must have played the Gig several dozen times between 1997-2006. It had been two-plus years since my last appearance there with R.H.S. A...

I just finished doing something I haven't done in a decade or two. I played several dozen Beatles songs, including I'll Be Back, Tell Me Why, Julia and Michelle , on my (new) acoustic guitar. Picked up an inexpensive Yamaha with birthday funds. It occurred to me that I've never actually owned a real acoustic guitar. The first guitar I ever bought, and it's displayed in the corner of this very room, is not a hollow body, but is considered an acoustic electric. It's not really good for either, but it's a piece of my musical history. Anyway, after the old Ibanez couldn't hold a tune in church today, I determined that it was time for a new member to join the family. It took me about 90 minutes to pick out a guitar and then the salesman brought out a minty fresh one from the stock room. Trying to help the musical economy! So this evening, I unwrapped the new guitar, tuned it up and went to town. First I worked on what will be the special music at church next mo...