This God Forsaken Thread Is Brimming With Cigarettes And Pathos (3 Viewers)

[rockaction]

Speaking of pathos, I wish I could just stop time. I didn't create the sentiment; I'm not the first and hardly the last to think to it, but it was bestowed upon me in all its glory by one, I think, Frank Conroy, who had written a memoir called Stop-Time. I remember it being recommended to me and reading it, and finding it uneventful, so I put it away, but not before the title had gotten a hold of me.

I don't really know how else to express it other than that there are times where there are people in my life where I wish I could just stop time and have it be settled that this is where we're at and that everyday daily living takes a back seat to the here and now. I was gathered for the Fourth with my brother, his children, my parents, me, and couldn't help but get the feeling there weren't too many of these left, that every moment needed a stop time. But it's not just holidays. It's starting to be every time I deal with any of them, and I can't shake an otherwise maudlin feeling about the whole thing. This isn't whining about it, really. It's sort of a hope against hopes that we're not so bogged in the day to day that we take for granted that the day is what the day is, and there will always be another. It's especially tough to bring up around parents, because then it's all about their potential death and who wants to be the guy that drags that into it? So I don't, but damn I wish, for just two moments, that I could stop time when we're all together because even this sheltered life has been tough enough -- I need something unconditional, like an ear, or some love. And whether that last is something that I have no control over.

I wish I could just stop time - time
Carve a little edified branch bring a little peace of mind
Maybe pay you back a quarter to a dime
So I could make it right maybe bring the root sublime...

I don't know. Stop time, please.

 

[otb_lifer]

the last time my entire immediate family was together was July of '77 ... there were 6 - my parents, and us 4 boys. 

we're down to 3 atm, losing both my father and brother at very young ages (Dad was 47, Bro was 30) ... Mom passed at the more "acceptable" age of 82 (2 days prior to her 83rd birthday).

when your entire world is rocked and shook out it's foundation before you even hit double digits in age, well ... it's as horrible as it sounds. 

point is, you never even entertain an amoeba on a flea of a thought of the family never being together again ... unfathomable to one so young - too busy bemoaning having to wear Garanimals and suffering botched "serf" haircuts from the upstairs neighbor (who washed our hair with dish detergent).

time spent now with remaining family is few and far between - there's a distance that's not geographically cumbersome as much as it's emotionally vast in it's indifference. 

oldest brother left for the Navy upon turning 17, youngest brother spent more than half his life locked up ... so i had a globetrotter and an inmate that i never had the chance to grow up with due to those circumstances.  we're blood, not thick. 

street friends became closer, and more like family - rarely saw those 2 brothers i mentioned, and the one who was around had very little use for me ... he ran with a very dangerous crew, and was awaiting gun & extortion charges upon his first cardiac event (he was 24 at that time).

he survived for roughly 5 more years, caught a medical break on his pinch, did very little time - but still had the contempt for me, exacerbated by a beatdown i gave one of his coke buddies - i was all but disowned 'til the afternoon he passed in my arms. 

Dad's death tossed our family into a state of dysfunctional disrepair that we never overcame ... efforts were futile and ill-advised - we were nuclear, alright - but not in the "traditional" sense, if ya know what i mean. 

if someone told me back in summer of '77, as we enjoyed our bungalow in Seaside Heights, that it would be the last time together (Dad entered the hospital in August '77), well ... i guess i would've #### Twinkies - can't wrap my head around this ####. 

 

[rockaction]

I just threw on some Springsteen because of the half-master speed record I just found online. Should I buy it just for the sound? Inquiring minds all ask, riveted.

Well, no. Hold your horses, Chach. A resounding no boomed from the speakers. The guttural cacophony is somehow making its way with an average girl, but she's the only girl he's got. And he's flying into the night, desperate and screwed by the American dream, he its detritus, cast-off and blinded by the light, working that nine to five, busted up on the outside, banged up on the inside.

And there's every Springsteen song for you. And now the pounding piano.

Tramps like us...baby, woah oh oh oh ohhhhh

 

[otb_lifer]

i am loathe to very few acts as i am to the Boss - uggghhh. 

the Dead used to be public enemy #1 for me in the rock realm, but the further i'm removed from the memories of the feather earrings/winesacks/mescaline/nod squads/tiedyes, etc ... i guess i am finding a very begrudging appreciation for their slice of Americana - the music itself is not terribly offensive, it's just the thought of tripping jammers noodling the #### out in a middle part for as long as the typical Ramones concert ... bang for the buck MY ### - i will never understand it. 

but i can appreciate it ... somewhat  

the Boss is a bore - setting himself up as the everyman - good lord, please spare me. Time Magazine foisted this trapdoor troubador front and center, and did more for his career than any of his mumbling prattle ... and folks complain about Dylan's voice?

speaking of Bob, yes, the aforementioned Time posited this charlatan as the new Bob, this on the heels of "Blood on the Tracks" ... as if the master needed a knockoff. 

i will allow that "For You" features some remarkable lyrical gymnastics, and is the most glaring example of the Dylan rip ... "Sherry Darling" is a great tune. 

but i just can't with this shim - film at 11 and all. 

 

[rockaction]

I listened to a bit of "Sherry Darling" while at it. I can see where you'd like it. I thought it was just the Boss being Boss. Not much to add today to cigarettes or pathos. July is a slow month for me. Football is weeks away (a month?) away from training camp, so any sports stuff is slow. I used to be in full bore for baseball, but as I mentioned in the baseball thread on the first page of the FFA, I don't watch it much anymore.

Peace out this early morning, fellas. May all your writings find their muse and may your gambling hopes come true.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

i am loathe to very few acts as i am to the Boss - uggghhh. 

the Dead used to be public enemy #1 for me in the rock realm, but the further i'm removed from the memories of the feather earrings/winesacks/mescaline/nod squads/tiedyes, etc ... i guess i am finding a very begrudging appreciation for their slice of Americana - the music itself is not terribly offensive, it's just the thought of tripping jammers noodling the #### out in a middle part for as long as the typical Ramones concert ... bang for the buck MY ### - i will never understand it. 

but i can appreciate it ... somewhat  

the Boss is a bore - setting himself up as the everyman - good lord, please spare me. Time Magazine foisted this trapdoor troubador front and center, and did more for his career than any of his mumbling prattle ... and folks complain about Dylan's voice?

speaking of Bob, yes, the aforementioned Time posited this charlatan as the new Bob, this on the heels of "Blood on the Tracks" ... as if the master needed a knockoff. 

i will allow that "For You" features some remarkable lyrical gymnastics, and is the most glaring example of the Dylan rip ... "Sherry Darling" is a great tune. 

but i just can't with this shim - film at 11 and all. 

Bruce is a one-trick pony. He's got a few very good songs and a lot of stuff that's blah, and some things that border on self-parody. 

I should like the Dead given how much I like Phish and some other bands that do improv, but I generally find their stuff sluggish. I prefer Garcia's playing in contexts outside the Dead. 

 

[rockaction]

Bruce is a one-trick pony. He's got a few very good songs and a lot of stuff that's blah, and some things that border on self-parody. 

I should like the Dead given how much I like Phish and some other bands that do improv, but I generally find their stuff sluggish. I prefer Garcia's playing in contexts outside the Dead. 

Constraints by others are often things that can make one find one's true genius if one lacks discipline or is headstrong about doing it their way. I'm having this very thought about Vince Staples, who otb and wikkid won't really know or care about, but he is a stellar rapper that seems to want to do things endlessly his way, down to beats. Now, that's fine for artistic integrity, but he's picking lackluster beats and limiting subjects to rap over and about. Sort of sad to watch a really talented guy remain on the periphery of things while other lesser talents take the day. And it's all about editing, really.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Springsteen has always been about explaining Elvis, like a physicist with the Big Bang. He came along - i saw his sound attract 2000 Bostonians to the street outside a corner bar he was playing without anyone knowing who he was - wanting to Rock, and Roll at a time when R&R was splintering. The world found it compelling and the best music journalist there was became his manager so he could be the evangel to this Rock & Roll Deity. Li'l Brucey probably would have been fine ever making sub-urban streets glisten with the tidal wash of his creative torrents but, if they were asking him to be the next Elvis, he was gonna humanize that, too, be the heart of Rock & Roll, the history of Rock & Roll and not sell out to movies & Vegas. The Boss would allow the world to shape him as long it was into a world he could live in. Been a long time since i listened to his music, but i think he did a pretty damn good job of it, all-in-all.

ETA: guess i'm gonna need guidance on Staples - just watched 3 vids and, if there's anything i like less than the preening, woundlicking, gangstaverse of hiphop , it's the acts that claim they gonna worship the preening, woundlicking, gangstaverse of hiphop WAAAAY different than other worshippers of the preening, woundlicking, gangstaverse of hiphop do.

 

[otb_lifer]

was just out on the ol' schtoop having a smoke ... yuuuuge thunderclap rolled by, scattering a flock of sparrows in perfect V formation - was pretty cool, like they anticipated it - coulda sworn they jetted a cOunt hair prior to the clap intuitive ####ers, that lot. 

i also noticed a smattering of roughly 20 discarded butts littering my sidewalk space - i been flicking like a demon past coupla days, as a (suspected) torn meniscus has me shying away from taking the trudge down the flight to my basement office ... i can navigate down there in the mornings to take care of biz, with but one sledgehammer-like blow to my kneecap kinda pain, but if i don't need to be there the rest of the day, so be it. 

i was polishing off an iced latte, so i popped the dead cigs in there, and kinda/sorta kicked the rest, as best i could, to the curb. 

delicious iced concoction from my favorite Argentinan empanada emporium ... but it will be my last - 

i took a trek down there to grab one, and place my bets on the afternoon's slate of games ... my daughter is home with me today, so i invited her along, and got her a very tasty caramel-leche pastry to keep her busy and/or amused/occupied whilst i diddled about. 

then it hit me - like Costanza with Tatiana - the java took the expressway, if ya know what i'm saying, and i had a very legit sense of .... uhhhh ... urgency. 

approached the counter, and inquired about the use of their facilities - was very politely told "ooooh, very sorry, but only for employees!" WITH HER FLASHING THE BIGGEST SMILE ... THEY ARE ####### CORDIAL, I'LL GIVE 'EM THAT. 

now, this did not sit well with your buddy otb ... ####, i'm dumping (see whut i did thar?) an easy $75 per week up in that mutha, and i am always as cordial as my d-bag leanings allow ... yeah, a right PEACH (as ol' MoCS was fond of saying)

had my daughter not been with me, i honestly think i woulda pulled a G.G. Allin on them ... seriously ... they can kiss my hairy Mick/Guinea ###.  ####### scumbags. 

this necessitated a full on race-walk home, not unlike Dave Wottle ... the jernt is only a few blocks from my place, but a very busy blvd. needs to be crossed prior to hitting my street ... and, yep, i missed the green light by a second. 

i had to dart in n' out like duckin' Frogger, while yelling back to my daughter to wait for the light. 

i made it. 

barely. 

i'm not even a fan of using a public terlit to squat on, but this is a very clean & tidy cafe ... it sure as #### ain't the PA, or a Midtown Mickey D's.  

S.C.U.M.B.A.G.S. 

full. on. boycott. 

they will never see another cotdamn penny - i wish them ill will, fwiw. 

ps - i am not fond of the Boss ... that's about as eloquent and profound as i will get.  i know what i don't like, and i don't like his phony ###.  stick that in yer wheelhouse. 

pps - Rock, me n' the hiphop twain shall never meet - lest it's "Just A Friend" or "White Lines" ... but i trust your take on the artist you mentioned is spot on. 

 

[rockaction]

ETA: guess i'm gonna need guidance on Staples - just watched 3 vids and, if there's anything i like less than the preening, woundlicking, gangstaverse of hiphop , it's the acts that claim they gonna worship the preening, woundlicking, gangstaverse of hiphop WAAAAY different than other worshippers of the preening, woundlicking, gangstaverse of hiphop do.

Staples is, by most accounts, a technical master of flow (or being able to smoothly incorporate all sorts of rhymes into and over beats provided him). He's a former Crip, a modern, Gen Z former gangbanger from Long Beach, CA, USA. His neologism of  "Norf" Side Long Beach into the term "Norf Norf" (his biggest "hit") has become a cultural staple (see what I did there) in both the hip hop lexicon and everyday slang out here. Vince's first mixed tapes were laced with a bit of grittiness, and he got signed to Def Jam, arguably the Premier League of labels. For Def Jam, he cut Summertime '06, a look back at his youth growing up. It was received with acclaim, both for the verbal dexterity and his partnership with No I.D., who provided the miminalist beats over which Vince rapped.

Vince is interesting. He does not play aggrieved, and he's a very smart and old soul. He does not play the victim. He is not sanguine about either white or black. Reality just is what it is. In one of his interviews, they asked about a reaction video to "Norf Norf" by a suburban woman who couldn't believe the subject matter nor the complete lack of disregard for society and its structures. Expecting Vince to condemn the sheltered woman, Vince simply said something to the effect of "Well, she should be upset by it. Why shouldn't she be?"

From my personal favorite rhyme scheme, "Lift Me Up"

We love our neighborhood, so all my brothers bang the hood
I never vote for presidents, the presidents that changed the hood
Is dead and green, was standin' on this mezzanine in Paris, France
Finna spaz 'cause most my homies never finna get this chance
All these white folks chanting when I asked 'em where my #####s at?
Goin' crazy, got me goin' crazy, I can't get wit' that
Wonder if they know, I know they won't go where we kick it at?
Ho, this #### ain't Gryffindor, we really killin', kick in doors
Fight between my conscious, and the skin that's on my body
Man, I need to fight the power, but I need that new Ferrari
Man, I breathe in, bleed this, Poppy Street
I shot them guns 'cause talk is cheap
Bow your head and pray, okay, now walk wit' me

See, this weight is on my shoulders, pray Jehovah lift me up
And my pain is never over, pills and potions fix me up
I just want to live it up, can a mother####er breathe?
Life ain't always what it seems, so please just lift me up
Lift me up, lift me up, lift me up, lift me up, lift me up
Lift me up, lift me up, lift me up, lift me up, lift me up
Lift me up, lift me up, lift me up, lift me up, lift me up

Vince has a mercenary aspect to him. He raps for money. He doesn't show off stacks of bills like Instagram rappers do, nor does he flaunt any sort of wealth or brag about it. But when asked, he says that he raps and creates rhymes so that he can get paid and find a way out. But there seems to be little or no excess inventory listing going on like we find with a lot of rappers. His is not a girls, cars, beats vibe. And that is his problem. What to rap about? He is an introspective person, but that only carries with a certain artistic flair. If not militancy (he's often mistaken for militant because of some of his rhymes and his propensity to speak the truth about American culture regarding the black situation), and if not inventory-having pleasures, then what is left? The self is all that is left, yet Vince doesn't write soliloquies. He writes realities, and that only goes so far.

And his beats. He wants to become a different sort of rapper, one that turns in artistic renderings without flourish nor effect. He picks great producers, but they're usually very minimalist in approach, and while his rhymes stand center stage, there's relatively little joy in the music. One has to be sort of a hardened hip hop veteran to see the tropes he's subverting within the hip hop context, but he does. And people notice. See, the above passage was almost an anti-preening, anti-wound licking exercise. It was embracing a different reality, a violent one. But he acknowledges his popularity with the kids. "I feel like Mick and Richards," he says, "They feel like Muddy Waters." Then goes on and says "So tell me what's the difference, so tell me what's the difference." In the end, a quick bar (a couplet in rap terms, or so I think. The definition is loose.) turns into a sociopolitical music critique right quick, placing Vince's place in society and the milieu in which he travels to something of the Stones, who, to put it nicely, borrowed heavily from bluesmen. But note that he's not picking a fight with it, just observing.

And observing is what he does, and often. It's just that he needs an editor, an A&R man, somebody to get him back to delivering slight bangers like on Summertime '06. He got away from that and got really self-conscious. That's what I was saying before. It's almost as if his clout grew so much that there's nobody to really tell him that his latest output isn't exactly fan-friendly. His latest LP has ten songs, all mid-tempo to the nth degree and clocking in at no more than three minutes. But they feel almost long in some sense.

Anyway, all I'm really trying to convey is that sometimes an artist gets stuck in trying to do something, to accomplishment something truly artistic, and loses sight that it's really a conversation with the listener. Vince hasn't forgotten it in content, but he has in his delivery and his beat selection. This isn't to criticize him too greatly; other people have done much worse when left to their own devices. It's just that Summertime '06 was such a wallop that everything else since doesn't do it justice. Perhaps it's as an old friend of mine once said, back about an indie band I liked but had fallen off. "Rock," he said, "Sometimes people only have one thing in them. Perhaps they're not that good."

But I don't think it is this way with Vince. He's still dexterous, rapping with great flow, etc. He's just not an inspiring listen right now.

 

[rockaction]

pps - Rock, me n' the hiphop twain shall never meet - lest it's "Just A Friend" or "White Lines" ... but i trust your take on the artist you mentioned is spot on.

Yeah, I wasn't expecting you guys to dig on the trip this guy is on, I just found the broader point about artistic control and self-editing salient in this instance.

 

[otb_lifer]

on to day 3 of the Empanada siege/boycott 

was thinking of pulling an "Elaine at Putamayo", strutting by the cafe with a handful of patties and an iced beverage or two ... but it was too friggin' humid for such chicanery. 

i'll take comfort in knowing their daily receipts will feel pinch enough - plus missing out on my devilish banter and observations, which i always liberally sprinkled in with my order(s).

speaking of which, it's already 84 degrees, with stifling humidity - and it's 7:40 a.m. as i post this - the swamp ### is gonna kill today, and i got a spiffy affair to see to later, few muckity mucks are tossing a clambake up the blvd ... figure a 12 pack of Modelo Especial is the pre-game call, hoping that will totally anesthetize the meniscus pain - with new wrinkle of wrist discomfort from pushing off on it so much to displace weight off said knee. 

funny part? i'm still doing my full workout and running every day, and the knee is fine during that

having the Dead Boys kick my day off here ... Stiv was solid. they were horribly misnomered "the American Sex Pistols", they were more akin to the classic Dolls (or Heartbreakers), imo ... they had a few sonic (pun intended) monents, but for the most part were just raw and boozy/bluesy. 

got a feeling in my knees

that tell me the degrees

i been loved on

you got dents in your head

that tell me all the beds

you've been shoved on

‐------‐------------‐----------------------------

¡Viva Boycott!

CON MUCHO GUSTO!

 

[wikkidpissah]

NADA DE (empa)NADA!!! TODOS DE NADA!

 

[otb_lifer]

Thematicalcideawicz



oyster bar. 

F.t.Double You.

 

[rockaction]

I've learned the hard way that my useful customership and witty banter aren't necessarily integral to everyone's business, however one construes it. It's a humbling lesson, but it is so. They're probably in the red anyway, no matter if fifty-eighty daily walks out the door.

Never cut a deal with the broke, they'll always somehow pass their debts onto you emotionally. You guys have had more life experience than I; I just happen to be sort of an expert on modern personality-as-commodity questions. Especially when it comes to a walking sucker like myself.

I love I love my flower girls

This was the next song after The Cowsills.

Sunshine Superman - Donovan - check the chiquita in the video montage. Whoa.

 

[otb_lifer]

I've learned the hard way that my useful customership and witty banter aren't necessarily integral to everyone's business, however one construes it. It's a humbling lesson, but it is so. They're probably in the red anyway, no matter if fifty-eighty daily walks out the door.

you got it all wrong, friend ... see, i'm important! i spend money, and make bets from there 

who else will regale them with such Runyonesque presence? a latter day Bukowski? Chris Schenkel?

oooooh, i think not. 

I love I love my flower girls

This was the next song after The Cowsills.

Sunshine Superman - Donovan - check the chiquita in the video montage. Whoa.

Mr. Leitch was rarely sans a dazzling chiquita - and though Enid Karl was kinda subpar as per his usual lot, they did craft the intoxicating Ione Skye - who will soon turn 51! 

coupla great indie treats from her early career: "The Rachel Papers", where she slow burns a Mick Jagger doppelganger into blue ball Hades ... and "Gas, Food, Lodging", where she's paired in a melancholy desert drama with the equally vexing Fairuza Balk. 

btw, the Cowsills have long been rumored to have been the actual Partridge Family musicians on record ... no confirmation from Mr. Kincaid, tho ...

 

[rockaction]

you got it all wrong, friend ... see, i'm important! i spend money, and make bets from there 

who else will regale them with such Runyonesque presence? a latter day Bukowski? Chris Schenkel?

oooooh, i think not.

I consider myself corrected. I, of course, would miss one otb around should he ever decide to remove his company from my store. Wouldn't necessarily have him or I as a living advertisement near the storefront to come in and enjoy the banter , but that's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think the first song by Bruce Springsteen I heard on the radio was "Born To Run". If I heard one from an earlier album, I've forgotten. Anyway, my first thought was "this is a parody" - like along the lines of Sha Na Na or a bunch of gimmick records that were hitting the charts at the time. I was also still in the early phases of weaning myself off of Art Rock, so this was like nothing I'd hear on AOR - I mean, outside of 40-minute farts like Yes' latest LP, you also had stuck-in-sludge stuff like Bad Company or Sabbath; or the Stones recycling their catalog. But AOR was pretty much a dead end in 1975 (other than the mighty, mighty Grand Funk Railroad). I secretly gave "Born To Run" props for at least doing something different and having more energy than any other record I knew of at the time.

My problem with Bruce has always been that his best lyrics never aligned with his best music. Born In The USA is about the closest he ever came, and most Boss fanatics I know hate that album.

The Dead, like most of the SF hippy bands not named Santana, bore me to tears. They're not "bad" (like the Airplane, who was awful), just....... I dunno, like yellow mustard or something - blase, bland, and instantly forgettable.

 

[rockaction]

Loving Uruk's perspective on things. Always good to have seen the written word from you, Uruk.

I disagree about the Dead, but I'll bet you'd find yourself among good company in that regard in this thread. I think I'm the only Jerry guy, and I came about that after being very much disposed like all y'all are towards them, except I actively thought they were "bad" and disliked them and the culture they brought with them. Now, I've done a 180-degree turn on that.

 

[Ilov80s]

Been enjoying the recent posts here. I don't always agree with the thoughts of you guys but I also feel I'm one of the few here who can actually understand (almost) all of them. I am a better reader than author though, I don't have the knack for lengthy, humorous and insightful commentary. I'll continue to lurk. And listen to The Boss. Not sorry. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

forgot to mention that the Boss made me as famous as i pretty much ever been. actors did most of the voices on my 70s radio comedy show Zero Hour. the two most popular characters i voiced were a Jacques Cousteau parody named Francois Blohole - beat that for hi-concept - and Future Bruce Springsteen. i had made note that the mumbly singing that opened Born to Run (which was the biggest song in the country when i started my show) kinda sounded like an old man complaining, so we wrote a sketch where an aged Boss is in a nursing home complaining that the wheelchairs were suicide machines, the tubs were deathtraps and the head nurse was on a last-chance power drive. the response was  good so we kept doing it. i remember Thunder Road was mostly about Jello...

 

[rockaction]

Been enjoying the recent posts here. I don't always agree with the thoughts of you guys but I also feel I'm one of the few here who can actually understand (almost) all of them. I am a better reader than author though, I don't have the knack for lengthy, humorous and insightful commentary. I'll continue to lurk. And listen to The Boss. Not sorry. 

I can only speak for myself: My highfalutin language act that I disguise as writing should not deter anybody from feeling inspired to write. This is a place for any sort of observation, really, with a nod towards otb's wonderful "Harry, keep the change" thread and the reaction thereto. It's a place for a dude to post and post proper. And I think you do get it, like you say. Good to have you reading. Perhaps you'll feel like writing sometime and maybe (again, I speak for myself here but I'll include the others in sentiment) we can jump all over you and tell you it stinks in not so many ways because deep down, that's how we show we love this stuff we talk about, and how welov80s, too.

 

[Ilov80s]

forgot to mention that the Boss made me as famous as i pretty much ever been. actors did most of the voices on my 70s radio comedy show Zero Hour. the two most popular characters i voiced were a Jacques Cousteau parody named Francois Blohole - beat that for hi-concept - and Future Bruce Springsteen. i had made note that the mumbly singing that opened Born to Run (which was the biggest song in the country when i started my show) kinda sounded like an old man complaining, so we wrote a sketch where an aged Boss is in a nursing home complaining that the wheelchairs were suicide machines, the tubs were deathtraps and the head nurse was on a last-chance power drive. the response was  good so we kept doing it. i remember Thunder Road was mostly about Jello...

Love that bit, there is a lot of meat there 

I can only speak for myself: My highfalutin language act that I disguise as writing should not deter anybody from feeling inspired to write. This is a place for any sort of observation, really, with a nod towards otb's wonderful "Harry, keep the change" thread and the reaction thereto. It's a place for a dude to post and post proper. And I think you do get it, like you say. Good to have you reading. Perhaps you'll feel like writing sometime and maybe (again, I speak for myself here but I'll include the others in sentiment) we can jump all over you and tell you it stinks in not so many ways because deep down, that's how we show we love this stuff we talk about, and how welov80s, too.

I know what you mean, but for me writing is far more utilitarian. I really enjoy seeing people expressing themselves with some style and purpose. Even when I disagree with someone's point in this thread, I usually find myself admiring the approach. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

we should be proud of ourselves - think of the thousands of people our act eventually made give up writing in this forum...

 

[rockaction]

we should be proud of ourselves - think of the thousands of people our act eventually made give up writing in this forum...

Lol. "Just checking in to see if you boys were interesting or coherent yet. Nope. Looks like side boards again for me!"

 

[otb_lifer]

The Dead, like most of the SF hippy bands not named Santana, bore me to tears. They're not "bad" (like the Airplane, who was awful), just....... I dunno, like yellow mustard or something - blase, bland, and instantly forgettable.

yes. 

i always viewed them as there being no "there" there ... was a buncha noodling and spinning that ultimately went "pfffffft".

i spoke in an older thread of how i attended a shindig (much to my chagrin) tossed by the resident school Deadheads ... was a chick by name of Kim i kinda fancied, and she was prominent in said scene, so off i went. 

i fueled up toot sweet, was wired for sound, if not direct action ... topped the blow off with a half handle of ol' Grandad to abate the soaring, and i settled in. 

it was all i could do to surgically remove the dream catcher earrings Kim was wearing from my mind's eye - and the party was low as #### on booze. 

was akin to being on the GG Bridge at dawn, what with the herb fog that was insane ... i never partook, still to this day - anyways, they were all high as ####, and living up to the "nod squad" moniker ... it was an easy hill for them to climb. 

i coerced her into leaving with me to score more liquor (and powder), and as we left a live version of "Friend of the Devil" had just started ... we were gone for at least 20 minutes, and, upon returning, SAME TRACK WAS PLAYING. 

how the #### can folks do this to themselves? there is no "there" anywhere. 

they were a very balkanized tribe ... most of the other cliques/crews could co-mingle and party/fight together ... metalheads/punks/guidos/wavers/romantics/funkytowners/jocks/geeks/etc ... it wasn't necessarily as Stalinist as John Hughes would have you believe. 

oh, we were not exactly the gorgeous mosaic Dinkins waxed about, either ... but we could all hang for the common good of getting wasted or defending the turf. 

but the Deadheads/Hippies were never present at the other parties ... folks would go to theirs, but they never traveled to ours. 

i struck out with Kim ... she wanted me to do mescaline hits with her, and that was a yuuuge no-no ... not for this guy, so i bailed.  when we reconvened in Algebra come Monday the vibe was icy - but she made ammends later that day down in the auto shop - take the girl out the patchouli and weed and she was downright animal.  brief, but memorable - so the hippie bridge was crossed ✌

"Waterloo" was playing in the market this morning - i was  later than usual due to a 7/11 stop, so i guess i caught the 70s portion of their neutral soundtrack - and i was cool with that, because i love AABA. 

did any other group ever craft such remarkable pop goodness?  yeah, gimme them Swedes over the Boss or the Dead any day ... 

DEAD .... HEAD! DEAD ... HEAD!!!

from Frisco to Red Rocks

from the White House to Wembley

they all dance around in circles

like a Moonie assembly

they eat lots of reds & vitamin C

they drink cheap wine laced with LSD

they drop and they snort, without any luck

'cuz whatever they're on - the Dead still suck!

 

[otb_lifer]

marking the 5 year anniversay of my Mom's passing today

she did as good as could be expected, trying to wrangle us 4 boys after my Dad passed ... we certainly didn't make it easy on her - but she was up to the task, i assure you - a tough Irish spitfire, she could mix it up with the best of 'em. 

the Alzheimers kicked in pretty bad at the end, exacerbated by a tumble she took which incurred a severe head injury - knocked me backwards to see such a spirited woman that diminished ... was so very tragic and humbling. 

i pray she finally found her peace ✌ 

 

[rockaction]

marking the 5 year anniversay of my Mom's passing today

she did as good as could be expected, trying to wrangle us 4 boys after my Dad passed ... we certainly didn't make it easy on her - but she was up to the task, i assure you - a tough Irish spitfire, she could mix it up with the best of 'em. 

the Alzheimers kicked in pretty bad at the end, exacerbated by a tumble she took which incurred a severe head injury - knocked me backwards to see such a spirited woman that diminished ... was so very tragic and humbling. 

i pray she finally found her peace ✌ 

Argh, man. That's tough to read. Have a blessed day. Remember good times with her.

RIP, otb's Mom.

 

[otb_lifer]

one GOOD apple?

ye olde Youtubez rabbit holing here ... interesting take.

 

[otb_lifer]

Argh, man. That's tough to read. Have a blessed day. Remember good times with her.

RIP, otb's Mom.

wanted to drop a thanks in here, Rock ... the emoji wasn't enough ✌

she worked in the mental health field for roughly 20 years, which led to her volunteering at one of the first batteted women's shelters on the West Side. 

i happened up around there a couple days ago, kicking around the old 'hood - saw quite a few familiar faces, surprisingly - had my daughter with me, so good behavoir was the order of the day

ran into one of the Nuns who helped run the shelter - we chatted for a good half hour or so ... was very touched by all the wonderful things she had to say about mom and her time spent there. 

we never really grasped the scope of what she was doing, because we were older and running the streets, and honestly didn't give a flyin' ####. 

but to hear how many lives she got to impact, especially the children, really put her legacy in a completely different light - no wonder she had "no time" for us. 

Sister also let on how therapeutic the work was for mom ... she got as good as she gave - i guess being there for those who desperately needed help gave her a greater sense of purpose, seeing as how she couldn't reach any of her sons. 

a chance meeting for sure, but one i'll forever cherish - added bonus of having my daughter hear such glowing words about her granma - that was the icing. 

 

[Ilov80s]

wanted to drop a thanks in here, Rock ... the emoji wasn't enough ✌

she worked in the mental health field for roughly 20 years, which led to her volunteering at one of the first batteted women's shelters on the West Side. 

i happened up around there a couple days ago, kicking around the old 'hood - saw quite a few familiar faces, surprisingly - had my daughter with me, so good behavoir was the order of the day

ran into one of the Nuns who helped run the shelter - we chatted for a good half hour or so ... was very touched by all the wonderful things she had to say about mom and her time spent there. 

we never really grasped the scope of what she was doing, because we were older and running the streets, and honestly didn't give a flyin' ####. 

but to hear how many lives she got to impact, especially the children, really put her legacy in a completely different light - no wonder she had "no time" for us. 

Sister also let on how therapeutic the work was for mom ... she got as good as she gave - i guess being there for those who desperately needed help gave her a greater sense of purpose, seeing as how she couldn't reach any of her sons. 

a chance meeting for sure, but one i'll forever cherish - added bonus of having my daughter hear such glowing words about her granma - that was the icing. 

That's a beautiful story

 

[woodstock]

Stop time tonight. Stop time. 

 

[rockaction]

Giving a listen to Young, Loud, and Snotty right now. Almost ordered another vinyl copy of it to go along with the one I have. I wanna hear the masters from the originals. I wanna hear the bar chords and analog hiss from the tapes recorded on. I'm so sick of TV, anyway.

I wanna get on out of here/find me something to do
I'm so sick of FM/[barely] play my stereo, too
I'm wanna get out on of here/find something to do
Look out babe, here I comes/ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch

 

[otb_lifer]

Giving a listen to Young, Loud, and Snotty right now. Almost ordered another vinyl copy of it to go along with the one I have. I wanna hear the masters from the originals. I wanna hear the bar chords and analog hiss from the tapes recorded on. I'm so sick of TV, anyway.

I wanna get on out of here/find me something to do
I'm so sick of FM/[barely] play my stereo, too
I'm wanna get out on of here/find something to do
Look out babe, here I comes/ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch

"Night of the Living Dead Boys" is undoubtedly the best indicator of what that lot carried to the table ... it's raunchy & messy - spherical, yet pointy in spots - and features (kinda) strained and (somewhat) cringe "banter" from Stiv, trying a tad too hard to live up to that "American Sex Pistols" misnomer.  meh. 

but the snapshot of a gloriously facacta live act is quantum - they sound as tight as a jar of jelly - it's a thrill ride the likes of which even movie phone never coulda advertised. 

they come off as too polished and over wrought on the studio platters, for my taste ... worst being the cover of the Stones "Tell Me", which suffers from a most vanilla and marshmallowy mixing - unlike the Pistols, who benefited greatly from the studio workings of their catalog. 

anywho, for rabbit hole 🕳 monkey shines, i give you Exhibit A which kicks off said LIVE! platter, and is the only place to find this track - 

alone in my room now,
i sit and i try
to think of a reason
why i don't wanna die
i killed a nun just for fun
for 6 weeks they had me on the run
now on my walls i'm writin little poems
life ain't so easy in the detention home.
writin letters in crayon
to all my old friends at school
i wish they'd come see me
but it's against the rules
i killed a nun just for fun
for 6 weeks they had me on the run
now on my walls i'm writin little poems
life ain't so easy in the detention home.
i gotta escape now
i've had all i can take
i'm hopin for weapons
inside my birthday cake
i killed a nun just for fun
for 6 weeks they had me on the run
now on my walls i'm writin little poems
life ain't so easy in the detention home

 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Why you picking fights in the Eagles thread? I hate it when mom and dad argue. 

 

[rockaction]

Why you picking fights in the Eagles thread? I hate it when mom and dad argue. 

Oh my. The Eagles thread. That's the thread of derelicts, junkies, and general miscreants.

A song for the Eagles thread:

We're Gonna Fight

 

[rockaction]

I'll stop in the Eagles thread. We'll stay together and play nice for the kids.

 

[rockaction]

Sorry. I'm back in. DJax, Deamon, the whole crew. 

You guys are too much to leave alone during Jets week. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Sorry. I'm back in. DJax, Deamon, the whole crew. 

You guys are too much to leave alone during Jets week. 

Good thing I didn't go in there today. 

We're not in the same division or even in the same conference, so why do you care? 

 

[woodstock]

Good thing I didn't go in there today. 

We're not in the same division or even in the same conference, so why do you care? 

Fly Eagles, fly! 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Fly Eagles, fly! 

Your buddy seems hung up on a mediocre team from the other conference much in the same way he's hung up on a bar that stiffed him more than 20 years ago. Tell him that obsessing over things that don't really matter is ... for the birds. 

 

[rockaction]

If you prefer weirder ####, Phil Collins played drums on this.

Indeed weird. I can see why their fans hated their movement to poppier stuff.

Talk to me
You never talk to me
Oooh it seems that I can't speak
But I can hear my voice shouting out

 

[otb_lifer]

If you prefer weirder ####, Phil Collins played drums on this.

Indeed weird. I can see why their fans hated their movement to poppier stuff.

Talk to me
You never talk to me
Oooh it seems that I can't speak
But I can hear my voice shouting out

i felt Phil-0 on this one, tbh ... who hasn't been a muted existential kamikaze at least once?



deep as a snail's spit.