NIRVANA

Seeing Joan Jett sing with the band screams the obvious. The ultimate path to honor Kurt's memory, and breath new life into music we all thought was tucked away in a closed chapter of our past, is for the band to embark on a limited tour with Courtney doing the honors. For all of her faults, surely there's no more appropriate voice to sing his words. Love her or hate her, she's earned that much at least. Old wounds and past battles will likely block that road I'm afraid. But talk about the ghost in the room, that's a monumental show I'd make considerable effort to attend.

Vaccination Hysteria

I have visions of Pro-Vaxxers rallying that each child, from the ripe old age of a few weeks old and on into adulthood (and beyond?) be strapped to a gurney and forcibly vaccinated, parents wishes be damned.  Maybe the anti-vaxxers are really hated because they refuse to go with the flow like lemmings over a pharmaceutically induced cliff.  Anything that puts billions in the pockets of pharmaceutical giants, anti-depressents are a good example (Read Cracked for a great discourse on just how this happens) should be looked upon with a skeptical gaze.  Follow the money.

There are and have been serious consequences for some children vaccinated and not due necessarily to any previous or current impurities, just your run of the mill drug reactions.  You can look on the CDC's own website to see the many chronicled cases of death after an immunization reaction.  To blindly make this into a black and white, you're wrong, I'm right issue is less useful than taking a more nuanced approach.  And to all the Pro-Vaxxers who scream outrage about the "public good," just be sure your kids are vaccinated and they'll have nothing to fear from the renegade masses of the non-comformists.

On Writing

Almost six months to the day after I shipped off my 80,000 word rough memoir manuscript to the lively engaging woman, an agent in the Bay area whom I'd met at the Flathead Writer's Conference, I received a reply. Comfortable in the fact that my draft would not be a project she would be taking on, after perusing the company's published works on their web site, I nonetheless felt gratified to at least hear back from her. Not to mention the fact that a real live agent, the first I'd ever met, actually requested the whole thing and then read it. I presume she read it, but hey, you never know. I do know she read my first 15 pages at least, which we discussed during our 15 minute one on one at the conference.

She encouraged me however, which was refreshing. She inquired for an update on my status with the main man in my storyline, (I'm still in contact with him) and if I'd been keeping up my usual shenanigans (I have) detailed in my book. I shipped off a brief response, and she suggested I find a structural editor, both a good and bad sign. She thought the work was worth saving and completing, and it badly needs major work. Not news of course. I have already started to cut with savage swipes to reduce and remove the peripheral crap I'd been holding on to.

It's not unlike a mass of film footage, a rough pile of loosely connected shit which must be skillfully woven into an actual, flowing, coherent, entertaining and well paced movie, or in my case, a quick, fun read. I shall power on. I did relay to her that without the blessing of my main man, chances are the work will remain under wraps. And shipping the 80,000 words off for him to read seems unlikely, at best.

PORTLAND

I hadn't been for many, many years, since 1996 when the kids and I did our west coast triangle tour during spring break and saw on the news from a Motel 6 in Coeur d'Alene that the Unibomber had been arrested just a few short miles from our town, Helena, which was now filled with satellite wielding trucks transmitting the global news.  My oldest daughter ran into David Bloom, who was camped out in our town for the mayhem, in the check out lane at our local Hastings.

It would be many years later during his assignment abroad embedded with US troops in Iraq in 2003 when he would be stricken suddenly by an embolism and die at a young 40.  I clearly remember worrying about him when seeing his frequent war front reports on NBC nightly news thinking to myself, bring him home and get him out of there.  When Tom Brokaw announced at the top of the broadcast that night saying one of our own has died, I knew instinctively it was David Bloom and was greatly saddened.

West Coast Romp November 2013

New Pearl Jam

Enjoying my virginal perusing of the new Pearl Jam release, Lightning Bolt, through a free stream on iTunes.  Familiarity will be required for my two shows next month in LA and Oakland. Though it's been just over a year since the Jon Tester Missoula show, I'm raring to go to see them again.  Taking the double city show opportunity to drive up the California Highway 1 coastal route, which has always been on my fuck yeah! list.  Haven't worked out all the logistics yet, but a plan will be forthcoming after I return from the next trip in 10 days to LA for another Hollywood Bowl show, Thom Yorke and Flea's amalgamation of Atoms for Peace.  Finally I'll get to see the autistic artist in the flesh.  The many shows I've listened to online tell me he is a class act and will be worth the long wait I've had.

Swan Valley

Coming back from the Flathead Writer's Conference September 29, 2013.  Now I have to start on editing my memoir in ernest.  No more screwing around.  Learning how much you don't know could be discouraging, and it's certainly daunting, but I will power on.  My favorite quote from the conference is from Nora Roberts: "you can fix a bad page, you can't fix a blank one." 

Butte Folk Festival 2013

The Girl was amazing.

San Francisco March 2013

The War on Drugs, still, again, ad nauseam.....

5/17/12  Those bratty pot smokers wonder why no one offers them any respect.  I don't wonder.  At a screening tonight of Code of the West, a documentary film about our infamous Montana fight over medical marijuana that took place during the legislative session in winter/spring of 2011, the boos and ughs and disgusted sighs during the panel discussion show the immaturity that plagues the marijuana movement in general.  And this is from someone who wholeheartedly supports legalization or at the very least, decriminalization of pot.  

Even the right wing wackos have a right to voice their opinions without the derisive jeers from the audience.  Whether they're really that dumb or just too stoned to realize that the bad behavior hurts their cause, I haven't decided.  The old adage if you can't beat 'em, join 'em would be well served if they dressed nicer, combed their long, straggly locks and yielded the floor when another was speaking.

I've always hoped my decent, non-stoner presence could serve as a force for good; to be part of the pro-legalization crowd and yet show we're not all loser, stoner dudes.  However, tonight, for the first time, I guess I was embarrassed to be in an audience that would jeer and boo.

It just gives the conservative, right wingers comfort to view what they see as a wide gulf between them and their opponents on the legalization front.  If the right wingers can articulate their absurd, illogical views with a calm voice and a straight face, why can't the subversives do the same?  Since the army of individuals against the War on Drugs has arguments that hold so much more water, it seems counterproductive to me to get down and slather around in the muck.  It's hard to imagine you'll be taken seriously, even if you are the voice of reason.

In The Void

Well this blog is truly in the ethernet I think, and since I haven't posted since March, sorely neglected. This, however, will be a quick, short note. My writings have been focussed elsewhere, on that "book" I've been writing, and so far have north of 35 pages, very small font, so I AM making progress. May have to self-publish, which works fine by me, so I'll just keep plugging along and in a year or so should have a rough draft of my adventures/memoir. It actually feels like it's a true possibility now, kind of like since I've kept painting, however sporadically, I'm beginning to feel like a sometime, novice painter. Very funny indeed.

They Say Everyone Has One Good Book in Them

Whoever the fuck "they" are, I still often wonder if it's true.  And I'm thinking if it's true, I'd better get started on mine.  Since I figure it will take 5 years and thousands of revisions to be a workable piece worthy of an audience. I'm thinking movie adaptation of course.  Think it'll have to be a novel, as I, like most people, live way too much of a predictable day to day life to make a memoir riveting enough to keep anyone's attention past the first paragraph.  But the more I deal with writing at work and the more I see just how anal I am about the English language, I do believe I could write something halfway interesting. So I have a couple of themes in mind, one my rebirth in the dating world after my 14 year absence, another is the long distance love affair with my overly intellectual bad attitude 29 year old in the gay city.   Both would need some embellishment, however certain aspects of each have been so fucking entertaining to me, I find it hard to believe anyone with a slightly twisted sense of humor like mine wouldn't at least get a few chuckles from the telling of the travails.  So onward and upward I think.  Better get cracking on that first draft.

Oscar Surprises

Well it would seem no one is expecting any rock the boat upsets tonight. Of course I am certainly hoping Annette Bening does win for best actress. I'm a big fan of Natalie Portman, Closer is one of my favorite performances of hers, but Black Swan by itself is a deeply flawed film and I'm a firm believer that the whole project should fly if the individuals are to be lauded for their performances. And The Kids Are All Right is a winner through and through. This is Annette's fourth nomination for an Oscar, and while she has a long career yet ahead of her, she's overdue. Her turn as the neurotic real estate agent wife in American Beauty was also Oscar worthy, and that was back in 2000, so it's been a long time coming. Natalie Portman will have many more years to again achieve her nominations and as talented as she is she will surely get at least a couple more. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that academy members recognize that it is Annette's year.

An even longer shot is best supporting actor which by all accounts is a lock for Christian Bale. And he does deserve it, but I'm still hoping that he's burned enough bridges with his on set tirades that the academy will overlook him. And while Geoffrey Rush does deserve an Oscar for the King's Speech, he already has one statue in his trophy case with Shine. So hope against hope, I would love to see Mark Ruffalo walk away with his first. He's been slow and steady and generally under the radar for many years while collecting a long list of stellar performances, the most notable as Laura Linney's troubled brother in You Can Count On Me. Other notable titles include Zodiac, In the Cut, a little seen but very good film with Meg Ryan in her most gritty role and my favorite film of hers, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

So let's hope for a few choice memorable moments, and more than a few upsets.

V Day

So I debated on whether to wear black this year for Valentines, but honestly it's been such a great year, I ended up wearing a red sweater, my red italia booties and red earrings given to me by my oldest. Pretty damn chipper actually, and although I didn't get flowers or chocolates, I have received both this year (once at the same time which had never happened in my life). And just last Friday received chocolates by a grateful tenant who moved into our building because I was so damn helpful and pleasant. Score! And Parrot chocolates, no less, the best in the west. They were delish, but thankfully I shared with the co-workers or else I could've easily downed the whole box myself. It's one of the few things I lose total control over, chocolate. Received a couple of valentines good wishes, one totally unexpected by the adorable chef at the B-Bar. Man why didn't we hook up when we had the opportunity, and in Paradise no less! Guess that was my pre-wild child phase, which I'm hoping I never move out of.... So on to Chicago if all goes as planned, then Outer Banks in May, and just realized today I get 4 days off for the 4th, so may just have to plan another adventure. This being free and single stuff is pretty liberating.

Post Secret

In the 2 or 3 minutes it took me to read post secret today, 7000 others also logged on to read it. Hard to believe almost half a billion people have read it to date.

Blue Valentine

Here is the latest case of a movie that disappointed mainly because of what it could have been. I so wanted to love it, especially after waiting a year to see it. This was the only movie I stood in line for at Sundance that I did not get in, the buzz was at such a fever pitch that everyone who could attend, did. It's also a case of where you got the distinct impression that the making of the film was much more intense and personal and emotionally intimate than the actual final product. Seeing the director Derek Cianfrance, Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling on Charlie Rose describing the scene on the bridge sounded so much more intense and charged when they talked about it. That Michelle had no idea Ryan was going to climb the fencing of the bridge, as if to jump, and that she had been sworn to a secret that she was not to tell, no matter what. The scene could've used several more minutes of build up to the finale of her blurting out she was pregnant. But it all happened so fast that any drama was soon deflated. Another 30 minutes of depth of both the characters, what made them tick, what did they want that they weren't receiving from the relationship? And the story should have been developed, we want to see the pain and agony that always accompanies a failing relationship. Not because we're gluttons for punishment, but because we've all been through the heart wrenching pain that happens when just love alone can't save your marriage/relationship. Why had they fallen out of love? Where had it all gone wrong? Those questions are never answered. True the "NC 17" scene was very emotional, but it had more to do with the camera angle and the hint of rape than the intense feelings they felt for each other. Michelle and Ryan are both terrific actors, but I have a feeling a substantial part of their performance was left on the cutting room floor.

Neil, still master after all these years

So I had always heard about Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit, thought it was way Northern California, but alas just south of San Fran. When I saw the lineup: reunion Buffalo Springfield, Pearl Jam and my favs Modest Mouse, not to mention freakin' Billy Idol (I know!) who I never thought I'd see in my lifetime, I decided this was the year to go. Not really any reason not to, which is good enough reason to do it in my book. Since tickets hadn't gone on sale yet, it was a real viable trip. And when a week out I lucked into an 11th row ticket from the late releases for night one, I felt blessed. No sitting on the lawn in the rain, which despite the great music, would have been miserable. Luckily both nights I was under the big tent covering the front half of the crowd. It really lived up to the adventurous weekend I was hoping for, despite the rain, so I was very happy I'd lucked into finding out about it in time. Seeing Buffalo Springfield do all their greats, from when I was barely a teenager, was like a time warp trip. Nice to see them all but honestly Neil and Stephen Stills are still rockin' their asses off and look healthy and happy which is fun to see. Not like Dylan who's a caricature of his former self and should just call it a day. And of course hunka wunka Eddie Vedder, singing Patti Smith's Dancing Barefoot and Modest Mouse doing acoustic Cowboy Dan were also highlights. But silly as it seems, seeing a limo driver holding a cardboard sign saying my name by the exit of San Jose airport really was the most surreal moment! On to my next adventure......

Phoenix, say hello

HOLY CRAP! It's been so long since I've posted I forgot all my login shit, luckily I finally got it. So after literally years with no one spending time reading any of my stuff I see some Phoenix peruser has actually looked a few times. So write me a comment, I'm always game to hear from far away folks. And reading some old posts from 5 years ago I'm happy to say a lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same, in all the right places thankfully! Maybe I'll actually start posting more. Funny after seeing the two U2 reviews, I'll be headed to SLC to see them again in May after seeing them at the Rose Bowl Oct 2009. They never get old! I mean seeing them of course, because yes, they are getting up there a little bit! Well have to go run now, one of the good things that hasn't changed. The lack of sex, FINALLY has changed for the better. And yes, absence does make the heart grow fonder! (absence of sex of course)

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