Chuck's Place

Turn out the lights as you go...

2008-02-10T15:45:00.000-05:00

And that's a wrap!

As of today (February 10th, 2008), I'm officially closing the doors in terms of updating this blog. I maintain a comic book website (Comic Related) and within that's site's very active forum, I recently added a blog feature. I've restarted Chuck's Place (which saw it's birth here) within that site. If you enjoyed what you've read here and follow the world of comics and sequential art, I invite you to continue following my daily ramblings there.

Daily? Yes, for the last 11 days I've been posting there at least once every 24 hours. As it's integrated with a site I basically live on updating multiple times a day, it's just easier to stay focused on blogging while there.

Please feel free to visit the new Chuck's Place here.

Punk: Attitude

2008-01-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

Interested in checking out a solid little documentary? I highly recommend Don Letts film Punk: Attitude. I've seen it four or five times and ran into it again this evening on IFC.

Anytime I stumble across it, I end up watching it. This film is like comfort food to me. It's like bumping into unexpected friends at a great bar you haven't been to in a couple years and having a band you've never heard ake the stage just as the conversation hits a lull. As I watch, I'm reminded of the scent of beer on a hardwood floor and cigarette smoke in the air. Nice!

I think I could listen to Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, John Cale and Legs McNeil talk all day (pretty much in that order).

Side note... If I were back against the wall and asked to identify one celebrity I feel truly akin to politically, it would be Henry Rollins. Without a moment's hesitation, this man has it right and his spoken word shows are second to none.

This film, in addition to being basically fun and incredibly interesting, shares amazing interview quotes, a perfect line-up of creators (though I note that Steve Albini and Big Black are missing) and proves a solid music history introduction for the uninitiated. So much of today's good music owes aspects of it's sound, drive and creative energy to this period of music history. Besides, how can you not love a film that opens with these words by Henry Rollins...

All you need is one guy or girl to stand up and say fuck this and everyone goes "voice of a generation, thank you, I've been thinking that, I never had the guts to stand up and say it". And all of the sudden fuck this has a back beat. You know, like John Lennon always said, "say what you mean, mean what you say, put a beat to it, go!"

Writer's Strike

2008-01-15T19:11:00.000-05:00

Honestly, the future of television programming looks bleak. Okay, I'll say it. Sorry you network execs, but you suck! It's true. I stand by those two words and here's why...

First, I fault you for not giving writers their fair share during the current strike. Next, I fault you for reality television. These two faults are directly related as Cops and America's Most Wanted (the original reality venues) grew out of the previous strike of the 70's. In today's current strike, you are quite literally denying people food on the table and a mortgage payment in the dead of winter for pennies on the dvd or download.

I also take issue with your approach to the writers of reality television. I don't care what you say, reality television is in one form or another scripted. We all know it and those "producers" deserve to be called, credited and paid for the job they are doing. They are writers.

As the strike continues, you're throwing away quality scripted programming for more episodes of Dancing With The Yahoos, Skating With the Simpletons or American Idon'treallycare (my names for these shows) . I get that a 5th grade may know more facts than I do and if that's true I don't really want to have it rubbed in my face on a weekly basis. I honestly couldn't care less what's in briefcase number three and, unless you're talking about my monthly paycheck, you can tuck the power of 10 back in the programming closet because it's meaningless to my life.

Also, on the flip side of the coin, if this strike ends up killing Joss Whedon's new series Dollhouse, I may just burn my television.

Getting off the soap box and settling into a bit more serious topic, people sometimes see this strike as the rich quibbling with the rich. That couldn't be further from the truth. These aren't the multimillionaire media moguls who are being hurt. These are paycheck to paycheck creative writers and their families who already live a life dependent on finding the next great idea. That's not an easy profession to begin with. Now, for a simple monetary point that should be a given in my eye, they don't even have the ability to try and sell that good idea to support their family. It's a new low in my book and I lay blame squarely on the backs of greed found at the network executive level. Give these people what they are due!

I refuse to watch a slew of new reality programming or games shows. Thankfully, my wife Katie never got the chance to watch X-Files when it first ran and TNT was good enough to start rerunning the series from the start at the top of the year. My television is squarely tuned to retro TV each evening. When not doing website updates or watching quality series from years past, I'm opting to read my way through the strike grabbing books, comics and graphic novels I've always wanted to check out (both old and new). I'm voting with my pocket book and I sincerely hope ratings for the networks (and the sale of ads to their sponsors) are impacted in the days and weeks ahead.

Support creativity! Support the writer's strike!

Why do a blog?

2008-01-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

This has kind of become a blog on a quest for a reason to exist.

I’ve talked a bit about music. I’ve talked a bit about politics. I’ve covered some news I found interesting. I’ve even told you a few personal stories and quoted a few people I enjoy. What I haven’t found is the actual course I want to chart with this space on the internet and I believe every space should have a reason to exist.

For the life of me, I’m not sure what that reason should be as I’m not particularly famous and I’m not always particularly interesting (though I can be when called upon). If I were to chart my life here it would read very much the same each day. Work at the University of Kentucky and update a website focused on comic books.

My wife blogs about her life a little and covers her daily work with horses which is a great topic for her. She’s building a following on the internet in her own right. Over on my main website dedicated to comics, it's getting quite a good following. Writing for the sake of simply writing just doesn’t seem enough to justify a blog in today's cluttered internet.

Taking stock and looking for a topic or a point, I guess I have lived a lot of life in my time so far…

I’ve had lunch with Frank Miller and I’ve drank at a bar with Ice-T. I’ve shaken both the hand of David Hasselhoff as he filmed Knight Rider and Nelson Mandela as he exited a hotel in Washington, DC. I’ve walked the trails of Mount Rainier outside Seattle touching snow at the base of its peaks (pictured above, it might just be my favorite spot on this planet).

I’ve slept in the hotel where a would be assassin tried to kill then President Ronald Regan more times than I can count. I've walked the halls of the Watergate Hotel. I've sat in on congress as reproductive rights legislation was argued and I saw the Pentagon just days after the plane took down its walls.

I listened to amazing music in New Orleans just before Katrina hit and in Memphis well after the days of Elvis were done. I’ve swam in every ocean that borders our fine country and watched a different times legends such as BB King, Lou Reed and Dr. John play before packed halls.

I’ve been on the set as movies were filmed. I’ve joked around with Dee Dee Ramone and Ace Fraley in the World Trade Center before it fell and hung out with the Pixies backstage during their first round as a band. I organized concerts for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Violent Femmes. I’ve checked ID’s at a night club door while still only eighteen. I’ve introduced battles of the bands and organized many smaller shows for clubs. I’ve even taken in a drag show laughing at the humor of Miss Raven in Atlanta with some friends who are no longer with us today.

I was there on the front lawn of the White House when Bill Clinton took his first oath of office as President and stood in Florida as EPCOT Center was in its first few weeks of existence. I’ve watched with pride as my mother charted political campaigns in Ohio and watched candidates I support loose more times than they’ve won.

I’ve joked at funerals, ridiculed weddings, celebrated losses and cried at births.

I was sitting in front of a television watching as MTv went on the air, the bands took the stage for Live Aid, the Challenger explored and the World Trade Center fell.

I’ve owned and run seven comic book stores and given away X-Men #1 twice. I’ve read more comics than most and fewer than some. I’ve been a gamer geek and told a lot of stories about superheroes over the years. I’ve debated the physics of a broadsword on more than one occasion and made some great friendships.

I’ve managed a radio station and even hosted my own radio show (the Hammer Party) for a time. I’ve played music on the radio by bands no one has ever heard of both in the night and during the day. At one point, I had an on-air shift that followed Ashley Judd and I will forever lament the last show of the Resurrected Bloated Floaters.

I’ve walked the streets of more than a few cities at 3AM and rode the subways of New York long past the point of safety and long after the bars had closed. I’ve traveled to almost every state in the US (excluding Hawaii) and I’ve swayed to the sound of the Butthole Surfers as the strobe lights raged at a New York club called The World while a riot engulfed the streets of Alphabet City.

I’ve worked in sports promotion and I’ve been part of a merry group of travelers who supported the sport of powerboat and unlimited hydroplane racing giving me that feeling of running off and joining the circus. I’ve seen a boat go well over 200 mph on the water throwing a ton of water in the air and ridden in one that took me through a 90 degree turn just after hitting 100 mph. I’ve eaten pancakes with the fine people of Saskatoon, I’ve rolled with the punches in Bay City even stumbling upon an unexpected street concert by Cheap Trick.

I’ve seen powerboats hung from billboards in Florida by accident, shared a meal with the legendary Seebold family, heard tales of testing Mercury engines on Lake X, watched as boats almost flew into crowds during exhibition runs and heard tell of one boat that was actually lost in a rainstorm while driving cross country. I’ve taken photographs of these fine crafts which have been seen on the web, in magazines and even on t-shirts and been heralded with awards for my work.

One foggy morning I watched as a friend died during a testing session in San Diego (fare the well George Stratton) and seen more than a few people injured pursing a sport they loved. I’ve attended functions with August Bush IV, COE of Budweiser, more than once and I’ve worked to support the series both while drunk and while so tired I could barely stand.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a father who laid out the map of the United States at the end of a school year and asked time and again in all sincerity… “Where do you want to go?” I’ve also been lucky enough to have a mother who made sure I had the support needed to get me there.

I’ve watched the sun set on the streets of Anchorage, Alaska at 11 PM at night and spotted a moose walking through those same downtown area well past midnight. I’ve raised horses and been a bit of a farmer (though my wife does more work than me). I’ve traveled cross-country by car more than once. I’ve flown cross-country more times than I can count even taking to the air the day the skies reopened after 9-11.

I’ve beat the house in Vegas and lost my shirt once or twice. I play blackjack with a legend coaching me and met a dealer who had worked the same table since before I was born. I fell in love with that city, not for it's lights and excitement but for the ghost of its past and the mystique of what it once was.

I know the love an amazing woman who has proven herself to be the greatest thing I’ve every known. I am happy in ways no man should be and driven to do more with each 24 hours than anyone expects. Those same hours always seem to fade away quicker than they should. I never feel like I’ve done enough but then I see how a man like Leonard Cohen can take a year to write a single song that just might change the world and I’m reminded I might be doing more than I should.

Why do a blog?

I don’t have that answer yet, but I know I want to write and I know the answer will come. I’ll find a purpose for writing one day soon. Until that time, I’ll just write. Read if you wish… I’ll try and keep it interesting.

Quoting Cohen

2008-01-11T23:04:00.000-05:00

I said to Hank Williams...
How lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
A hundred floors above me
In the tower of song

- Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song, 1988

Looking back on New Hampshire

2008-01-11T22:08:00.001-05:00

What a funny dynamic… For Iowa I called the unexpected Clinton upset perfectly. In New Hampshire I relied on the polls more than my gut and didn’t see the Clinton resurgence coming. Not even a little…

You have to hand it to Clinton for turning a campaign that had the ill taste of a Washington insider around in just four days. I know some would say it all changed in one tearful moment heard ‘round the world. They might not be that far off. Personally, I think the truth goes a little deeper than that moment as there was already a concentrated effort by the Clinton campaign to change the tone of the message prior to the unveiling of her personal side.

For the record, I believe that the tear moment was a very honest moment from a very tired candidate. I respect that any candidate in today’s political grindhouse can let down their guard, even for just a moment. It resonated with me as it did for so many others. Enough to sway a vote? No. Enough to get me to listen? Yes.

I think the day the word “experience” started to become a dirty word (aren’t these strange times?) and “change” become the phrase littered into ever sentence of every speech, Clinton wisely shifted her tone expanding beyond the standard Democrat base toward a younger vote. She began enlisting the aid of her daughter in bridging that occasionally slight generation gap and it had an under current that eventually swelled to a brief call to arms for interpersonal politics. It worked with the voters.

Me? I didn’t see it coming for her. Not even a little…

Her connection to young women voters in New Hampshire was pretty staggering. It’s amazing how differently she’s now viewed as a candidate this week. I would love to compare her coverage this week to tape of the discussions prior to the primary.

In terms of my failure to call the Democrat race, at least I’m in good company, pendent-wise. Everyone seemed to blow that one, but it really didn’t help that the last serious poll numbers came in about an hour before Clinton’s now hallowed “choked up” moment. I would speculate on how different the numbers could have been but I guess we got those poll results in real time the next day as the actual primary took place.

This time it was the Republican story that I hit correctly predicting McCain, Romney and Huckabee, 1.. 2.. 3.. This isn’t as impressive as my Democrat picks for Iowa but I’ll take ‘em where I can get ‘em.

Now as we look ahead, I lament the fact that my home state, Kentucky, doesn’t have a voice in this primary process. As we don’t get to vote until May 20^th, I’m betting most of the fun will be over by that point and we’ll have set our respective candidates. Do I have a firm candidate who I’m certain I would vote for if the primary were held here tomorrow? Nope, not even a little…

Count me as undecided. Also, count me as enjoying the election fun!

New Hampshire Primary Predictions

2008-01-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

Here are my predictions for tomorrow's New Hampshire Primary.

On the Democrat side...
1) O'Bama
2) Clinton
3) Edwards

On the Republican side...
1) McCain
2) Romney
3) Huckabee

On the Democrat side, this feels like much more of a lock than Iowa.

I'm a bit more shaky on the Republican side as I feel Giuliani might find some unexpected support even though he basically ignored the state. I don't think Huckabee has the religious base to pull in the numbers in New Hampshire which also may feed into some Giuliani come-from-behind fun.

Switching to the front two, I know the final poll numbers had Romney pulling back into the race with McCain but I think McCain will hold off for the victory. He has such solid momentum at this stage in the game plus Romney seems unable to overcome the well earned impression that he changes his stance on an issue to meet the whim of the moment.

Iowa Caucus Results

2008-01-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

I didn't do half bad (or actually I guess you could say I did half bad). Half full, half empty... It's all in how you look at it.

In terms of yesterday's predictions, I flat out nailed the Democrat results calling that trifecta perfectly. That said, I kind of blew it on the Republican side. I guess that shows which contest I'm actually watching like a hawk.

I was pleased to see both Edwards and O'Bama finish so strong. I really don't have a personal choice yet out of the big three in terms of who I would like to see as the front runner for the party, but I do know I don't want Edwards out of the race. O'Bama and Edwards speeches last night were solid and persuasive. My wife was especially taken with Edwards approach to the issues (which isn't new, but was laid out well last night). Clinton's speech struck me as just a bit weaker. Her "it's a good night for Democrats" pitch and the recurring allusions to "I'm above the fold" are wearing a little thin for this voter.

Particularly interesting on the Democrat side was the support of women voters that swung to O'Bama rather than Clinton. Also the age demographics and the fact that O'Bama scored well with younger rather than older voters is worth noting.

On the Republican side, I clearly underestimated the impact religion would play in Iowa. I don't see Huckabee repeating the success in New Hampshire as it's a very different audience, but you know I didn't see him overtaking Romney's get out the vote efforts last night. Fred Thompson was a bit of surprise. I've been writing him off as generally too apathetic around the edges to be a legitimate candidate, but I'll have to reassess a little. I think the desire for change in Washington played more of a role in McCain's fourth place finish than Thompson's campaign efforts to date.

Iowa Caucus Predictions

2008-01-03T08:38:00.000-05:00

Here are my predictions for today's Iowa Caucuses.

On the Democrat side...
1) O'Bama
2) Edwards
3) Clinton

On the Republican side...
1) Romney
2) Huckabee
3) McCain

We'll see what the day brings. I base my guesses on the "second choice" impact of Democratic caucusing in Iowa and strong organizational efforts. I think the "second choice" pickup will work heavily in O'Bama's favor and I believe the strong organizational ground campaigns of Romney and Edwards will lead to their showing well. I could be completely wrong on the Clinton upset, but I think Iowa's heavy independent lean will be hard for her to overcome in this first contest. New Hampshire should play very differently, but I'm interested to see what the day brings.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-20T11:10:00.000-05:00

Illustration by Frank Daenen

Mellencamp, Cohen and the Hall of Fame

2007-12-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

I was quite pleased to see this year's list of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two in particular stood out for me. One... John Mellencamp. The other... Leonard Cohen. Jack and Diana, by Mellencamp, was a song that framed my youth and Everybody Knows, by Cohen, framed my college years. If my life had a soundtrack, I know both of these artists (and those two songs in particular) would be represented.

Usually I find myself at odds with the Hall of Fame's choices, but this year 'ya did good kid. The induction ceremony will take place on March 10th, 2008 in New York City

"The 2008 inductees are trailblazers - all unique and influential in their genres," Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President and CEO Joel Peresman said in a statement. "From poetry to pop, these five acts demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself."

What I feel like most days

2007-12-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

Click the image to check it out in full scale.

Restoring my faith

2007-12-10T11:10:00.001-05:00

This single image of former Vice President (and current President in Supreme Court imposed exile ... he would have been re-elected in '04) Al Gore receiving the Nobel Peace Prize restores my faith, just a little, that the world will right itself after November 4th 2008.

“We still have the power to choose our fate, and the remaining question is only this... Have we the will to act vigorously and in time, or will we remain imprisoned by a dangerous illusion?” - Al Gore accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10th.

Chalk Art Creativity

2007-12-03T09:37:00.000-05:00

I love artistic creativity, especially when it ties into comics. Check out these chalk drawings...

Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his art on the pavement of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium.

You can view more of his work here as these two don't even scratch the surface.

Quoting Waits

2007-11-30T22:05:00.001-05:00

"I've always been afraid I was going to tap the world on the shoulder for 20 years and when it finally turned around, I was going to forget what I had to say."

-- Tom Waits, Speaking with Playboy Magazine in March of 1988

This easily goes down as one of my favorite quotes. It's typical of Tom Waits that he would utter something profound in passing during a simple "20 questions" article with Playboy [read it here]. I have a lot of respect for this artist's quirky nature, quick wit, musical experimentation and gravely voice. I could speed days working my way through his discography and leave with a welcome smile on my face.

If you've never listened to Tom Waits, I highly recommend spending an evening with your favorite drink of choice (the harder the alcohol the better) and his 1975 Nighthawks At The Diner album. Similarly, his song Hold On from the 1999 Mule Variations album easily holds a spot in any top 5 list I could devise.

Greatest Headstone Ever

2007-11-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Being someone who lives around horses these days, I really appreciated this grave headstone. It is the headstone of Russell J. Larsen and it can be found in the Logan City Cemetery in Logan, Utah.

I thank Jack Lowe, a friend I haven't seen in far too long, for sending me this photo.

Quoting Springsteen

2007-10-14T10:07:00.000-04:00

"They say you can't take it with you but I think that they're wrong.
Cause all I know is I woke up this morning and something big was gone."

Terry's Song off the album Magic - Bruce Springsteen, 2007

Quoting Ellis

2007-10-05T15:48:00.000-04:00

"What makes you burn? Find more of that. (Unless it's, you know, paraffin or something)"

- Warren Ellis, September 2006

9/11 ... Six Years Later

2007-09-11T13:45:00.000-04:00

Today being the sixth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the state of our nation and the state of the world... [reflection, reflection, reflection] ...Okay, that was depressing.

I Remember...

I remember the the very personal side of September 11th, 2001. I remember crying or wanting to cry for days. I remember sitting at my desk when the first word came that there was a problem in New York. I remember how news spread down our hallway when the first plane hit the tower. I remember how we didn't really understand what was happening. I remember colleagues asking "Who could be stupid enough to hit the biggest damned building in New York?" I remember my boss pulling a television out of a closet and stopping everything so we, as a group, could learn what was taking place. I remember how the mood and scope of what was happening changed in an instant as we all watched, live, as the second plane hit the towers.

I remember the internet slowing to a stop as people searched for answers. I remember the difficulty calling family as cell networks were tested to their limits. I remember the frantic way reports were coming in from everywhere speculating on a host of possible attacks throughout the country. I remember the feeling of hopelessness as a plane hit the pentagon. I remember when word came of those who fought back and died in a far away Pennsylvania field. I remember looking up at the sky and wondering if Fort Knox would be a target.

I remember the utter loss of innocence. I remember the moment I stopped feeling protected here in the United States. I remember questioning my hope for the future.

I remember the day the skies closed to air traffic. I remember looking up from my front lawn and knowing there were absolutely no planes in the sky. I remember boarding a plane for San Diego the day the airways reopened. I remember my mother asking me not to take that flight. I remember how quiet that plane ride was as we crossed the country. I remember the way the passengers cheered and a few cried when that same plane landed in San Diego.

I remember feeling patriotic and wanting to go get the bad guys. I remember, for a moment, questioning my long dislike of our President as he stood there at ground zero promising revenge. I remember my disappointment and disillusionment as that same President ignored the real threats to our nation to go fight meaningless battles.

I remember not being able to take my eyes off the television coverage. I remember the gray dust coating a great city. I remember hanging on ever overturned stone, every falling wall. I remember the stories of bravery as first responders rushed in and lost their lives. I remember families desperately hunting loved ones. I remember sharing in that pain even though I've never met nor will ever meet those people.

I remember the pain of that year and, in many ways, the years since. Quite simply, I remember and I hope I never see a greater tragedy which might cause me to forget.

Square Watermelons?

2007-09-11T11:17:00.000-04:00

Square Watermelons? Yes, it's true. As many know, a round watermelon can take up a lot of room in a refrigerator and the traditionally round fruit often sits awkwardly on a shelf. Japanese farmers have forced their watermelons to grow into a square shape by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while the fruit is still growing on the vine.

Check out the full story here.

Quoting Adams

2007-09-04T08:25:00.000-04:00

Sherlock Holmes once said that once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. I, however, do not like to eliminate the impossible.

--Dirk Gently, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (by Douglas Adams)

Three Years Covering Comics

2007-09-01T15:03:00.000-04:00

I'm going to work hard to keep the shameless plugs for my main website (Comic Related) to a minimum here within my personal blog. That said, today I'm going against the grain and I'm officially inviting you to visit www.comicrelated.com as it's my site's three year anniversary!

Comic Related debuted back on September 1, 2004. Today, I wrote a full story sharing some of it's achievements and my plans for the future.

The site has witnessed a real growth in readership over the last year. At the end of August 2006, we had 302,506 hits and 35,043 user sessions for that month. During the last 365 days, that's grown to our current August 2007 count of 503,952 hits and a record setting (for us anyway) 76,420 user sessions. That's almost a 66% growth in hits and we more than doubled our readership over the last year. If you're into comics, I think you'll like what you see.

Farewell Hilly Kristal

2007-08-30T21:13:00.000-04:00

I'll get to CBGB in a moment... For a few years in the late 80's I was lucky enough to run WRFL 88.1 FM here in Lexington, KY. Within the station's studio a lot of history was made, but those are stories for another time. This evening, I want to start with a door that was utterly covered with every obscure band sticker we could find. It was a door I loved.

Record companies like to send radio stations tons of stuff to get them excited about the music they're hyping. On any given day, we would get 2-3 boxes of t-shirts, promo albums, CD's, posters, press sheets and, yes, promotional stickers. A little over half of those stickers would somehow end up stuck to that ever thickening door which housed our station's second sound studio.

Acting as back-up to our primary on-air studio, we mostly used this room to listen to new music late at night, hang out and cut tape on the reel-to-reels for promo carts. We would splice together a little bit of everything from music to spoken word in an effort to build our own unique blend of promotional materials and give our station its own voice on-air. Yes, back in the day, we were quite the pre-digital splicing badits. We would spend hours building our own audio one splice and one bit of tape at a time. It was a lot harder than it is in today's digital world, but we really loved the finished product. Needless to say, a lot of good memories tie to that room and, quite literally, hinged on that sticker covered door.

In 1989, I traveled by train to New York attending the CMJ Music Convention on behalf of the station. The show took place in, of all places, the World Trade Center. It's sad what time and terrorism would eventually do to that great building but my memories aren't of death and destruction, but rather talking with Dee Dee Ramone, hanging out with Ace Fraley (pictured below), spending an afternoon getting to know Ice-T and talking up the importance of our little station with an army of industry types.

As part of the convention, bands were performing throughout the city and our CMJ ID would get us into the clubs for free. We spent the nights lurking our way across the New York subway hopping from bar to bar taking in acts like the Butthole Surfers, George Clinton, Lilac Time, Nine Inch Nails, 3rd Base, Soundgarden, Poi Dog Pondering and many others.

One evening we got off the subway one stop too early and decided to walk the rest of the way through Alphabet City. We were traveling over to a club called The World to take in the Surfers (a show that I can honestly say changed my life ... again, a story for another time). On the way, we passed a couple blocks barricaded off by cruisers and manned by police. We asked an officer what was taking place and he calmly explained "a small riot". Needless to say, it was an interesting night.

While in New York, I had the opportunity to visit the legendary CBGB and take in a show. That club made a real impression. I couldn't tell you the name of the band I saw there that night (some punk, metal band) but I can tell you the impact the bar made on me. It felt like it had a life of it's own and I think, in many ways, it did. It was one of those rare places where it seemed as if the people visiting were trying to live up to the expectations of the walls rather than vice versa. Those walls, covered as they were in band stickers, graffiti and rock history, reminded me all too well of our little modest sound studio door back home. I loved the place and spent as much time reading the walls as listening to the band.

For years after my return from New York, I proudly wore a CBGB sweatshirt from the club. Looking back, I probably wore it far more often than I should have. It's pictured in that shot with Ace. One night I lost it at an all night party. I hated to see it go, but if I had to loose it, that seemed like a fitting way for it to go its own way.

Many years later, I would sit here in my home and watch news reports detailing the fight to keep CBGB from closing. It wasn't lack of interest that threatened those hallowed halls but rather a fight with a local Bowery restoration committee and the actual owners of the property. CBGB was rented space. In the end, despite the hard work of many of music's finest, the club lost it's battle and closed on October of 2006.

Why am I telling you this story now? Yesterday, the world lost Hilly Kristal at age 75 to lung cancer. Hilly started CBGB and helped give a home to the birth of punk rock in America. He provided a venue that helped launch bands such as the Ramones, the Dead Boys, the Talking Heads, Blondie and so very many others. Just for giving us the Ramones alone, CBGB should have been deemed a national treasure and preserved. Instead, it ended with the words "RIP Hilly, we'll miss you, thank you" spray painted on its long closed doors. CBGB closed in 2006 and Hilly died in 2007. It's been a tough couple years for rock n' roll.

Rural Internet Pains

2007-08-29T22:01:00.001-04:00

Ian Lamont writes "Rural US residents don't have the same kind of access to broadband services as those who live in urban or suburban areas. According to the federal government, just 17% of rural U.S. households subscribe to broadband service. But the problem is more than a conflict between Wall Street and small-town residents wanting to surf the 'Net or play Warcraft — the lack of broadband access prevents many businesses from growing and diversifying rural economies, as it's expensive or impossible to get broadband. From the article: 'Soon after moving to Gilsum, N.H. (population 811), [Kim] Rossey learned that he couldn't get broadband to support his Web programming business, TooCoolWebs. DSL wasn't available, and the local cable service provider wasn't interested in extending the cabling for its broadband service the three-tenths of a mile required to reach Rossey's house — even if he paid the full $7,000 cost. Rossey ended up signing a two-year, $450-per-month contract for a T1 line that delivers 1.44Mbit/sec. of bandwidth. He pays 10 times more than the cable provider would have charged and receives one quarter of the bandwidth.' The author also notes that larger businesses are being crimped, from a national call center to a national retailer which claims 17% of its store locations can't get broadband." Source - ISPs to rural America: Live with dial-up (with thanks to SlashDot for the pointer)

Adding my own two cents, even if you opt for satellite internet (which is what we use here on the farm), watch out for three damnable words... "Fair Access Policy". Read that policy and weep. Under satellite, you can look forward to paying twice as much for 75% of the speed with a daily cap on downloads and lazy-at-best upload speeds. It's tough to download a simple movie purchased from ITunes under Fair Access. What's fair about that?

Eavesdropping Loop

2007-08-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

A federal appeals court ruled earlier this year that an individual cannot challenge President Bush's order permitting warrantless eavesdropping on phone calls into and out of the United States unless that person fell victim to eavesdropping under the program. According to law professors cited by the Los Angeles Times, anyone who could prove that would be barred from revealing that fact to the public under related national security laws.

- Los Angeles Times, July 7th, 2007

Quoting Wright

2007-08-29T21:44:00.000-04:00

If a person with multiple personalities threatens suicide, is that considered a hostage situation?

- Comedian Steven Wright

China regulates reincarnation

2007-08-29T21:08:00.000-04:00

Would would have thought? This week China banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. MSNBC explains "by barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama."

Details found here.

Quoting Twain

2007-08-29T09:24:00.000-04:00

It ain’t that there’s too many fools in the world, it’s just that the lightnin’ ain’t distributed right!

- Mark Twain

Fine television

2007-08-28T20:30:00.000-04:00

Best television show you're not watching... Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Mondays at 10PM on the Travel Channel). Food, foreign lands and a heaping helping of hip. Tivo it up. Watch it. Love it. We're done. Cheers!

Eclipse

2007-08-28T19:33:00.002-04:00

Mornings can be absolutely great or they can be rough as hell. It all depends on how you roll out of bed. Most mornings I spring up and qualify as what you might call a morning person. That lasts just long enough to make it to my coffee at work. I tend to crash hard from there, but rally once the caffeine takes hold. I think this country would crumble without coffee. Maybe that's what happened to Bush. He was deprived of coffee at far to early an age...

This morning, Katie headed out to bring in the boys from their night spent eating grass. Oh wait, we don't have kids. For us "the boys" refers to our three horses. As she returned from the barn, she called for me as I was starting to pull myself together for the day. She had discovered the morning's eclipse. Up by around 5:30 AM, it was prime time for us to watch the moon fade from view. We stood and watched for a few moments in the morning air. All was good with the world. Who knew the earth blocking out the sun could be such a great way to start the day?

I stared to the sky for a few minutes, got some treats for the cat that lives in our barn (and follows Katie back to the house each morning), headed inside and got ready for work.

Life kind of happens in the moments between the big things. That was a pretty good moment.

New Orleans

2007-08-28T09:47:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to spend the better part of a week in New Orleans toward the middle of May, 2005. Just a little more then ninety days later hurricane Katrina devastated the region and erased many of the sites and culture I enjoyed.

During this visit I had a chance to wander and really explore the city. I was quickly taken back by the beauty, the culture, the art, the architecture, the spirit, the food, the music and the overall tone of the city. The art and music in particular made an impression that I never want to forget. As anyone who has been there will tell you, this city had a cultural scene that rivals any seen before or since. That coupled with the ethereal quality of the city to suddenly erupt into music carved a notch somewhere inside my soul.

New Orleans is one of the few cities I've visited (outside of my home here in Kentucky) that I left feeling I could have called home had my life walked a different path. I've traveled quite a bit over the last twenty years and New Orleans was unique in this respect.

In some small way, I've felt pulled to repay this culture for the joy it brought me during my visit. I invite you to visit and explore the Tipitina's Foundation website (found on the web at www.tipitinasfoundation.org). This foundation is dedicated to restoring Louisiana's irreplaceable music community and preserving the region's unique musical culture.

Our government has let down this part of the country in so many ways. Music may seem a small aspect of that tragedy but I would argue that music is the heart of New Orleans. If you rebuild the music, you will succeed in rebuilding the city. Without the music, you've simply rebuilt a city that's missing its heart.

Thinking about this blog

2007-08-28T09:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I commented that I didn't think I would use this space much. Today, I'm not so sure that will be the case. I write a lot about comics over on my website, but the world is filled with a lot to talk about and I think this might be a good place for me to write simply for the sake of writing.

Today, a quote...

The known is finite, the unknown infinite; intellectually we stand on an islet in the midst of an illimitable ocean of inexplicability. Our business in every generation is to reclaim a little more land.

- T.H. Huxley, 1887

Setting up shop

2007-08-27T16:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my humble blogger home. You'll find my full website (Comic Related) located at www.comicrelated.com. I set up shop here primarily to create an account allowing me to comment on a couple friend's blogs. I may utilize the page in days to come, but for now it may prove a bit dormant. Join me on my main site for updates 365 days a year!

By the way, the beautiful woman pictured with me in my photo is my lovely wife Katie.