This is such a good album, I stuck around to hear it out this afternoon.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E by Travis Tritt, from 1992. Here.
Is he still this good? I’d go see him if he ever came to NorCal. Rockin country roll!
My friend Roger and I went on a 1-1/2 hour run—well, swift walk—in Frank’s Valley last night. Bitterly cold on the coast, but as we got deeper into the valley, and got circulation going, it got warmer. We’re about the same age, both recovering from shoulder surgery, and both San Francisco natives, so we have a lot to talk about. Last night we reminisced about the theaters on Market Street in the ’40s. The Fox (a movie palace), the Orpheum, the Warfield, the Golden Gate, the United Artists, the Esquire, and in an alley behind the Esquire, the Tivoli. Then on to the neighborhood theaters, like the Empire, The Parkside, the El Rey…
This is a photo shot with my iPhone on the way home, driving along the coast, the red lights being an approaching car. I discovered that if I touched my brakes, I saw the road reflectors light up red in my rear view mirror. So I’d touch the brake pedal every once in a while, see the string of red lights in the mirror, then focus back on the road in front. It was like a light show, with this music on Sirius Radio: Meet Me in the Morning by Bob Dylan, Rambling Man by Waylon, then Bring Back Joe by Scotty McCreery. Fahhr out!
Great pleasures can be so simple.
Now listening to Frampton Comes Alive, a great live recording made in San Francisco (at Winterland, 1975) in front of 7000 fans, when the musicians forgot they were being recorded. Frampton said they were all amazed when they heard the recording afterwards.
Pinetop Perkins playing boogie woogie now. Years ago I walked by the Sweetwater bar in Mill Valley and there was a sign saying “Tonight — Pinetop Perkins.” Yeow! I was there. He was in his ’80s, slim, wearing a purple suit with lavender tie. It was rare, like getting a chance to see Muddy Waters (who he played with). He flirted with the ladies. “Put on your high-heel sneakers, wear your wig hat on your head.…”
Last night saw Skyfall, the latest James Bond movie. I loved it. A bit overlong, but very enjoyable. Sly tongue in cheek plot w. references to the old Bond movies. Great photography, stylish graphics, good acting. Now here’s a good mainstream American movie.
Such great stuff now coming in for our new book on 20th century nomadics. It’s kinda like I’m a spectator watching all these great stories, adventures and photos come in. Book as living organism.
This Delta radial arm saw must be 50 years old. Bought it used in the ’70s. Has worked flawlessly ever since. American made. At left is a Back Revolution machine, sold by Stretching Inc. Use to invert and stretch spine. You hang upside down by yr. hips.
Time to venture out into the day. This afternoon, old friend Don Manoukian coming by. Don played for the Oakland Raiders in the late ’50s, was a professional wrestler known as “The Bruiser.” From a big Reno Armenian family, his mom was a great cook.
“My Way” by Andre Rieu
This was a great show, on January 25th, 2013. I don’t know if it can be tracked down somewhere. Jimmy looks really good (and he’s 65!). This wasn’t my favorite number. but it’s the only one I could find from that session.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-QyvCFBfPA
I’m two weeks past my shoulder operation, and practically stylin. A little better every day. I don’t get to start therapy for another 3 weeks. Right arm better but still weak. Walked 5 miles yesterday, along beach with mixmaster ocean, water tussled and murky, 20+mph cold winds from north. Walking along thinking how gnarly it was, then realized how great it was to be moving. Every single time in my life I’ve forced myself to get out there and move (run, walk, bike, paddle, skate) I’ve felt immeasurably better. Get out there, stupid!
Around the homestead:
-Olives I’ve had about 15 gallons of small green olives in water, salt and vinegar for about 3 months, and they’re practically ready. Still a hint of bitterness, but plump and flavorful.
-Sauerkraut Another thing you just set up and nature’s microorganisms do it all. You only add salt to shredded cabbage, maybe a little water. Used our own cabbage, and it’s fermenting away in the 2-gallon Polish crock in the pantry.
-Chickens W’re getting 12-14 eggs a day from our little beauties. I favor the Golden Seabright eggs because the birds are so beautiful; maybe the beauty may come through a bit in the eggs, who knows?
-Green smoothies I use the Blendtec blender a lot, make a green smoothie for lunch when I’m busy. Fresh greens from garden, fruit, protein powder…
-Nightly vegetables Lesley has provided our vegetables from her garden practically every night for months. Broccoli cooked within minutes of picking is so different — sweet.
-Crabs It’s a lousy crab season. However, son Evan has been catching them with one of those little snare traps off a fishing rod from shore.
From Rick Gordon
I’m too out of it culture-wise these days, living in the sort-of country, to know the presently cool musical groups, but once in a while I stumble upon something, like this delightful band.
California to the hilt. Singer at mike: “How many people here have smoked ganja tonight?” All hands in audience go up. A little band from the Sacramento Valley, they’ve got reggae right. “California reggae is pumpin…”
Kind of special to me because I spent teenage years on my dad’s rice farm in Colusa, a town of 3,000 people, and hung out with Colusa kids. My best friend in Colusa, Jim Davison, was a pianist, and I played the uke. A lot of boozing and singing. My first real sweetheart, Roxana. Parties, driving, swimming, cheeseburgers, root beer milk shakes, KGMS late night rock ‘n roll from Sacramento… It was special for me, a San Francisco kid, to be accepted into teenage culture of this small town — so I’m partially a Valley native.
Anyway, Colusa’s not too far from Chico, so to have hung out in this area 60 years ago, and now hear this Sacramento Valley/Jamacia fusion was a jolt. Here’s some progress. Evolution. Seeds of Rastafarai have grown in NorCal farm country. To tell the truth, I find a lot of reggae boring, but these guys fresh and vital. Plus Katherine has got some chops. A rich voice, lots of power…
Surfers, I guarantee you’re gonna like this CD: https://shltr.net/mysticrts (There’s also a DVD with this CD, haven’t seen it yet).
Jeez, has this been a shitty week. And jeez, am I a big baby. Yes. Any body part goes wrong and I’m devastated. I look at friends like Sherm in his wheelchair, can’t move a muscle or talk these days and he perseveres, and gets a twinkle in his eye when I give him shit. Or a bunch of my high school friends, who I saw recently at a 60th reunion. I should not complain.
I had surgery to repair a rotator cuff repair a week ago,and it was only arthroscopic, for christsake, you know, “…minimally invasive.” Well I’ll tell you, my body does not like any kind of invasion. My arm’s been strapped to my side,with the bladder for an ice machine inside the bandage, all week. Can’t tie own shoes. Can barely sleep, have never slept on my back. After 3 days of the pain pills (oxy), I felt so groggy and shitty, I quit them. I don’t understand people taking oxy “recreationally”). Makes me feel like I’m in a hazy, fuzzy tunnel. I’ll deal with some pain in exchange for some mental clarity.
Anyway, just started getting into gear last night. I had given Lucky Peach magazine several hundred of my photos to do a story in their next issue, which is on “the apocalypse.” The angle on me being homemade shelter, gardening, foraging, stuff you can do for yrslf in tough times. They let me comment on the 6-page layout (turned out great, they used about 50 of my photos), and I went through it with them yesterday (Sunday), and this got me back into the communication groove. Issue will be out mid-Feb.