Well, it’s official. Edmonds is …..
I have been quietly cheering on Jim Edmonds even though he has gone over to the dark side (aka the Cubs). Tonight, after hearing the following on the news…
When FSN’s Brent Stover and Claiborne (KTRS) approached Edmonds after the game for a quickie on-field interview that has become standard procedure for MLB rights holders, Edmonds blew them off and said:
“I’m (censored) done with St. Louis TV and radio and I’m (censored) done with the Cardinals.”
And then he walked into the Cubs dugout.
… I am done with the drama queen. Get over it Jim.
Long Live Jim Edmonds
The San Diego Padres cut Jim Edmonds from the roster this week. It has been written that “Water covers 80% of the Earth, Jim Edmonds covers the rest.” I will remember Jim as one of the best that ever played the position for the Cards, along with Curt Flood and Willie McGee. I hope baseball sees fit to honor him (as a Cardinal) in the Hall of Fame.
Jim, thanks for some great years of baseball!
I Love Technology….sometimes
I love my computers, TiVo and digitally enhanced stuff but when it comes to music, I am becoming more and more decidedly analog. I want my gear to be free of USB connections. Don’t get me wrong, I think the editing capability of the Line6 POD is really cool but the sound leaves something to be desired. OK, my iPod can keep it’s USB connection but that is where I draw the line.
I have been playing an Orange Rockerverb. Sold off my high tech guitars for things like the Duesenberg and ESP Vintage Plus guitars. We even found a 1964 Hammond B3 to add to the stable. There is nothing like it on the planet. The stars align when you get a read drum set, a nice guitar with a tube amp, an old P-bass and a Hammond all rockin’ together.
So, for now, you will still find me online and I am still the old .tom but…..musicially, I am a Luddite.
Is David Archuleta really Barack Obama?
If he sings one more song about hope or change, I am going to lose my mind. Sing something depressing….please.
OK, regular readers of the blog will see that I have a horrible track record picking winners of reality shows. I intend to keep my streak alive. OK, here goes….Carly and Brooke need to go home as does Syesha. I could do without David Archuleta. David Cook is cool. Jason Castro is cool but not for this competition.
- Carly gets a bar gig and lots more tattoos.
- Brooke is a singer/songwriter and picks up where Jewel left of when she ran off with that bull rider.
- David Archuleta needs to be the next Josh Groban.
- Syesha will work on Broadway (or at least Off Broadway).
- Jason Castro has a career if he stays true to himself and writes well.
- David Cook wins it all!!!!
Sorry David, I am sure I just killed your chances.
Mike Campbell came to live with me Monday!!!
My Duesenberg Mike Campbell came in on Monday and WOW. Gotta go play it but will write more soon.
Miss the Writers?
I started out being OK with the TV Writer’s strike. Maybe it was my entry into the Kübler-Ross model of Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Sure, there were plenty of shows left in the can. I got to see Heroes so I was a happy camper. Then I moved quickly through Anger, Bargaining and Depression. I have come ’round to Acceptance. I have found myself wandering up the dial and spending an unhealthy amount of time with Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) and the guys from Mythbusters. Lucky for me the Speed Channel has been airing the Barrett-Jackson auto auctions. And what would we all do without Howie Mandel?
I initially thought maybe my guitar skills would improve with all this extra practice time on my hands. Ha….fat chance of that. Luckily, a fellow Acoustic Guitar Forum member created a new forum for those of us involved in leading music at church. Developing Worship has taken a bit of my time and it is a lot of fun. I think we are in the first 3 weeks or so of existence and it is growing quickly. Should turn out to be a great community of leaders and I think fills a much needed hole in the web.
So, back to the TV writers. I am not at all against them getting a cut of the DVD and online revenue. I think everyone needs to re-consider what it means to monetize services in today’s cyber-world. The real question for me is….after the strike, will we get better content? Please, oh please……. Oh great, I am back to the bargaining phase of the model. J
Techno Christmas
Santa brought a 20″ iMac this year. Man, the Apple is a sweet machine. The only trouble I had so far is moving email from Outlook 2007 on the PC to the Mac. Once I stumbled on the trick of moving it though Mozilla Thunderbird (thanks guys!!!) all was well.
Dad (me) found a Wii and we have been playing that like crazy since Christmas morning. My arm is killing me. I may end up with Tommy John Surgery from playing Wii baseball if I am not careful.
Too much useless info?
We spent a lot of time with the family this week. We played a new DVD-based Trivial Pursuit edition and frankly, I scared myself a little. I need to get out of the house more. There is too much useless info in my head and I have forgotten all the good stuff like differential equations and the like. It’s a wonder I ever get home. 
Next Great American Band
I have been sort of half-heartedly watching FOX Television’s Next Great American Band. While it is way too early to predict a winner, I can tell you one thing for sure, the only bands that interest me musically right now are dot dot dot and Tres Bien! Why? Because they sound fresh. Come on folks, are you really thinking you are going to be the next big thing sounding like someone who was only marginally interesting two decades ago? I would pay to see the two of them tour together. Now all that said, I think the Clark Brothers are very interesting. I also really liked The Likes of You but…they are gone.
Musical Soul Searching
Who am I musically speaking? I am the sum of all that I have done in the past, maybe even everything I have heard. Some of that playing was rewarding, some just plain excruciating (for me and probably the audience). Anybody playing rock and roll these days who does not say they were influenced by The Beatles is lying. But Bob Dylan taught me that music can say something. The Clash and The Ramones showed me how to ROCK. Tom Petty (and especially those Heartbreakers) and Bruce Springsteen (WITH the E Street Band)…’nuff said! All the pre-”alt-country” bands of the 80s taught me to embrace my inner Johnny Cash. Finally U2 showed me that it is the sum of the parts, not the individuals that make the band. Four guys who don’t know the meaning of can’t, CAN be the best band in the world.
I grew up in the 70s and 80s. The music of those decades is at the core of who I am. I grew up in the suburbs in a totally stable family so I have little or no “teen angst” to deal with but for the life of me, I cannot shake my connection to punk rock. Why? I suspect it is because it is music that speaks to the core of me, reaches me at the primal level much like bluegrass or the blues does. There is an underlying virtuosity in punk rock that cannot be measured in the 4/4 rhythms and 3 chords. Learn to play tightly with others at that speed and you will be a champ.