Tuesday, April 20, 2010

One More And That's It

When I was a young boy my father used to denounce rock'n'roll by claiming he could sing better than Robert Plant or Mick Jagger or whoever we were listening to at the moment. Here at last is someone my father actually can sing better than. Congrats Dad.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Rush At Redrocks

I'm excited, tickets go on sale for Rush at Redrocks Amphitheater tomorrow. I haven't been in a concert going mood for years but I think I'm going to try to get tickets for this one. Reo Speedwagon is also playing this summer there. I've seen them three times already though and they just aren't the same without Gary Richrath.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Overdoing A Good Thing

I know I just did this a few weeks ago but the iTunes is really picking up it's game on the shuffle function. So far I've had:

John The Revelator - Son House. I went through a blues phase a few years ago after a motorcycle trip to Clarksdale Mississippi. This is a crazy a capella song and not the type of thing I usually listen to but I love it.
Have A Drink On Me - AC/DC. The other end of the spectrum. A classic in it's own right.
What Are We Waiting For - The Yayhoos. A group with Dan Baird, whom I didn't appreciate until long after the Georgia Satellites were no more. I love that they give a shout out to Jackie Gleason.
Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry. This may come off as gay but if I could have anyone's voice it would be Steve Perry's.
Just Can't Wait - J. Geils Band. The first 8 track I ever bought was "Love Stinks".
Slide Devil Man Slide - Popa Chubby. I can't remember where I first heard this song. I probably had an immature attraction to Popa's name. This is some crazy slide guitar with the whole "crossroads" theme of the devil and a young boy.
Train In Vain - The Clash. This is from the more recent "Live: From Here To Eternity" album. These guys would have been something to see live.
Killing Floor - Howling Wolf. There for awhile I was playing from my blues playlist. I got this at the same time as Son House. I knew Howling Wolf from the ZZ Top song. I figured if he's good enough for ZZ he's good enough for me.
Hurtin' Kind (I Got My Eyes On You) - Robert Plant. I saw Robert on tour for this album with my brother. One of the great memories of my life.
Life By The Drop - Stevie Ray Vaughn. This one got me started tonight. This is from his last album. I think of all the great music we missed out on and it makes me sad. I usually don't give a rat's ass about dead celebrities but I really miss Stevie.
Headknocker - Foreigner. You can't beat the lyrics, "He drives a 57 coupe and walks with a stoop".
Land Of Confusion - Disturbed. From what I understand I probably wouldn't like the rest of their stuff. I'm sure when they came out with this song it was about Bush and the war and such. Seems quaint now.
Con Alma - Dizzy Gillespie. I should mention that I was going through a jazz period around the same time as my blues phase. I don't know enough about the intricacies of syncopation and such but even I can tell this guy had it going on.
Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan. Bought because I heard it had a wicked Jimmy Page solo. I almost can't sit through the first part to get there though. Maybe some LSD would help?
Moody Blue - Elvis Presley. "Tell me, am I getting through?" IT'S THE KING BABY!!!

Thanks for indulging my list. I don't really have anyone to talk to about music anymore and I think it's why I'm so cranky about the current state of America. Well, that and the current state is kinda messed up these days.

Monday, April 12, 2010

My Day

Nothing much happened. I came out of a bathroom stall and nearly ran full on into Hagrid. This guy had to have been 6'5" if he was an inch. His hair was disheveled and when I said "excuse me" his reply was a grunt. The only difference was he was in shorts and a t-shirt. Kind of Hagrid on holiday.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Confessions of a Libertarian Federal Employee

Or how I learned to stop worrying and live with being a hypocrite. (Hint: It involves prodigious amounts of alcohol.)

I guess it's time for the big anti-government federal employee to explain how it all came to be. I have a high school degree and a highly specialized career. Unfortunately there are only so many ways I can go with my ability to disarm bombs. My career as a private contractor (still living off the tax payer's dime) was great except for the fact that I was married and on the road 300 days a year. When I wasn't on the road I wasn't getting paid. Now I get to be with my wife and have a steady paycheck.

There is literally not a day that goes by that I don't think of myself as a hypocrite. I don't tell the wife though because she would feel bad that I'm doing this for her and do something stupid like try to make me go back on the road. And I'm not worried about her reading it here, she's not that interested in my blog.

Don't get me wrong. I think what I do and what a lot of Federal employees do are worthwhile enough. It's just the level of waste and incompetence in so much of what goes on makes my skin crawl. It's a terrible mindset of just making due that I hope I never become accustom to (no rhyme intended). If I hadn't come in as a Libertarian I would have become one after seeing what goes on here.

So for now I'm one of the growing number of people who find themselves not producing and living off of the 53% of America that pays taxes. I hope you'll all forgive me and that the Tea Party puts me out of a job.

A little update. I just reread this after a few days and it didn't age well. I should clarify that I'm not nearly as self loathing as this post makes me appear. And I'm not self-medicating with liquor. That's just a joke.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

A Little Change Of Pace

I was just doing some of those Living Social "Pick Five"things and listening to iTunes and thought I would do a list of the songs I've listened to tonight. It's been a rare, care free night this evening. Something that doesn't happen too much lately and one that comes at the price of shirking my laundry responsibilities. So in no particular order here are some songs on my iTunes:

On An Island - David Gilmore. Not quite Pink Floyd but close enough.
Easy Street - David Lee Roth. Remember "Crazy From The Heat". Remember when your favorite band breaking up was your biggest worry?
Love Removal Machine - The Cult. I remember when my brother discovered The Cult and I received mix tapes of them and the Replacements during Desert Storm.
Mercury Blues - David Lindley. Purchased on the recommendation of Joe Satriani from his iTunes play list. Do they still have celebrity play lists? Anyway, this version is better then Alan Jackson's (nothing against Alan, this just has a better guitar solo).
92 Subaru - Fountains of Wayne. These guys should be bigger than they are I think. I was driving in Wayne, New Jersey once and passed a store that sold bird baths and fountains for lawns. It's name was Fountains of Wayne. I don't know anything about the band but I'm guessing they are from New Jersey.
Stay With Me - Faces. Man, I really miss good old fashioned rock and roll. There's no way I could have predicted that I would be pining for Rod Stewart's scratchy voice 30 years later.
Oh La La - Faces. I never really heard this song until a few years ago in that ad for something, printers I think. I really like it.
Dance Dance - Fallout Boy. Something newer. I feel like a sad little emo girl when I listen to this. Oh well, my tastes have always been suspect anyway.
Say What You Will - Fastway. Old school bitch!!!
Immigrant Song - I'll never forget how cool I thought it was that a song title had the word song in it. Man I was a stupid little kid.
Kiss Me Deadly - Lita Ford. I went through puberty again because of the video.
Motorcycle Mama - Neil Young. I got it because it has motorcycle in the title. I have to confess I never got Neil's appeal. the song is okay.
All The Way From Memphis - Mott The Hoople. Reminds me of our trips to Memphis and how lucky I got to grow up during the greatest period of rock music ever, the 70's.
Hair Of The Dog - Nazareth. What can I say, the first song I ever heard on the radio that included the phrase "son of a bitch". I thought that was bad ass.
Baby Please Don't Go - Muddy Waters. If you know me you were probably expecting Ted Nugent or AC/DC.
Van Halen - Nerf Herder. a punk band catches the feeling of your favorite band breaking up. See Easy Street above. They're a litte hard on Sammy though.

Ah, I love music.