Pays to be illegal

This is classic!

Becoming Illegal: An actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his Senator



The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC , 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United State s for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.


Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could b egin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United State s for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,
Donald Ruppert
Burlington , IA

Get your Forms (NOW)!
Call your Internal Revenue Service
1-800-289-1040

Good week for music

This past Saturday I went to see Frogg Café for the 4th (?) time at the Old Franklin Schoolhouse in Metuchen.



It was a really good show, and I thought the band was even more "together" than they have ever been. It should be noted that this is quite a statement considering the fact that one of the focal members of the band, Nick Lieto, was absent (along with his brother John). I don't know exactly why he wasn't there, just that the water cooler talk is that he's "taking a break." One gossiper opined that he is trying to work out marriage problems. What that would have to do with brother John is anyone's guess.
It was interesting to see how they were going to manage without Nick's vocals and horns. As it turned out, Steve Uh handled the vocals very well, with Andrew Sussman and Bill Ayasse backing him up. As for the horns, most of the main parts were picked up by Bill Ayasse on violin, with some slack being picked up by the keyboards (I forget the guy's name filling in).
Anyway, as I said, it was a good show, and it was especially enjoyable because of the very intimate setting of the venue. It may as well have been someone's large living room. I sat in the front row, which meant that if the guitar player dropped his pick, I could have picked it up and handed it to him without either of us really moving from our respective spots.
Despite the fact that the show started over an hour late, and my disappointment that they were actually the opening band (for a band called 3rd Degree , whom I'd never heard of before), they actually played a nice set, including Abyss of Dissension, Frank Zappa's 'King Kong' (with a Big Swifty tease), and a killer cover of King Crimson's 'Red.'
I took a few pictures of each band, which can be viewed by clicking the pictures above.

Elsewhere in music this week, today marked the U.S. release of Porcupine Tree's 'Fear Of A Blank Planet.' Despite already hearing it in it's entirety last October in concert, as well as on several "unofficial" live recordings, I was able to enjoy this material as if it was brand new. This is an amazing album, and in my opinion is one of their most cohesive albums to date. That the entire album flows flawlessly from one song to the next, with no song being out of place, only helps the fact that this is a concept album.
From a lyrical content standpoint, it's a rather depressing album. It focuses on modern teen angst ("Don't try engaging me. The vaguest of shrugs, the prescription drugs. You'll never find a person inside."), offering no hope for resolution and no happy ending.
So, while I listened to this album 3 times today (4th as I type this), I thoroughly enjoyed the music, while at the same time being grateful I am not a parent of a teen, and feeling sympathy for the people I know who are.

I do highly recommend the album though. It is truly a work of art.
For a much more detailed review, click here.
It should be noted that I found this review AFTER I typed this blog post. I add this disclaimer because there is a line or two that is almost verbatim to what I said.

Two years, one week, three days, 17 hours smober
25924 cigarettes not smoked, saving $6,805.30
Life saved: 12 weeks, 6 days

A milestone

I started smoking when I was 19, and over the next 22 years, I had quit at least 2 or 3 times. However, I was never able to stay off the smokes for more than a year.

So, I'm proud to say that as of yesterday, I have been "smober" for 2 years! Hopefully this means it's permanent.

Two years, one day, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 22 seconds.
25603 cigarettes not smoked, saving $6,720.94.
Life saved: 12 weeks, 4 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes.

Gotta love technology (Pt 2)

I was looking on the Cingular site and noticed that I was eligible for an upgrade on my phone. I was contemplating getting a Blackberry or something similar, but decided that I did not want to spend an additional $40 (over and above my calling plan) for a data plan. So I decided to get the brand new RAZR V3xx. On this I can still access my GMail on the internet, and the phonebook stores all the same info as Outlook.







There are 3 things this phone does that my Nokia didn't do, 2 of which I think are really cool. First, it plays MP3s, which I doubt I will ever use it for.
The two things that I really like are 1) It plays streaming video, so that I can check out news updates, sports, movie trailers, etc., whenever I want. But what I like most is 2) The voice dialing capability. Now, I've had voice dialing in many phones before, but the difference here is that I don't have to program the name in each individual contact. I just press a button (either on the phone or my bluetooth headset), and it asks for a command, which could be name dial, number dial, camera, voicemail, redial, or recent calls. If I say name dial, it asks the name of the person, and then asks which number (home, mobile, etc). Or I could just say "number dial" and then I just say the number. And yes, I realize that this technology has been around a while, but it's the first phone that I've had that does it, so I'm diggin' it. :-)

In America, since when...

....does political correctness trump free speech?

When is someone going to have the fucking balls to ask Al Sharpton when he's going to apologize to the individuals whose careers he ruined during the Tawana Brawley (sp?) case? When will people realize that making sure a line is drawn between black and white is what he does? Or that black "victims" are what keep him in "business?" Blacks who are successful and are able to actually make something of themselves in society are his worst enemy. He seems to fight for civil rights...as long as your not an "Uncle Tom."
That's ok though...it would seem that even many blacks do not support this hypocrite:



As Bill Maher alluded to at the start of his show this past Friday, this country needs to take a dose of "Getoveritall".

Rather than continue on a tirade about this, I'll just say that I pretty much agree with this angry dummy:



The thing that many people do not seem to realize is that we do NOT have the right to not be offended. There is nothing in the constitution that protects you from getting your feelings hurt!
And it's only going to get worse. Look at the news nowadays. It's not even news, it's a fuckin' variety show! Heaven forbid that the news doesn't pacify the viewers from hard hitting reality.
And what about the way parents are raising their kids these days. Mommies bringing their kids a juicy box between innings?
Also, I hear that many little leagues don't keep score anymore, so that there are no winners or losers. What the fuck is up with that? This country is fast becoming a nation of spoiled pussies.
Whatever happened to building character? With all the doting parents and those people who cowtow to anyone with a big mouth, this country is so doomed! It sometimes makes me wish I was born 20 years earlier.

Gotta love technology (Pt 1)

The one thing about electronics that you can pretty much always count on is that they will always go down in price. So as long as you don't have to be the first on your block with something, patience will save you money. I finally got myself a Pioneer Inno, which is a combination XM radio/MP3 player. This thing is awesome! It plays live XM at home, in the car, or on the go, and for those times where you just can't get a good signal, you can use half of it's 1GB of memory for your own MP3s. The other half is reserved for XM content which you can record as you listen. Not only can you schedule a recording, but because it keeps a buffer, you can record a song that you like, even if the song is half over (provided you had the radio on that channel since the beginning of the song). Oh, and it also supports Audible.com content, so you can also listen to audiobooks or any other audible content like Opie & Anthony archives. With the help of Napster software, you can organize all your music, including making playlists of all your music. You can even make a playlist combining XM recorded content with your own MP3s.
You can also save your favorite artists/songs so that you are alerted if an artist/song is playing on another channel. And unlike previous XM hardware, with the Inno you don't have to wait until a favorite artist comes on to capture it as a favorite, you can type your favorites in yourself. And unlike previous XM2go units, it doesn't have to be docked in a cradle to record (only scheduled recordings require this). If you're out walking and want to record the song you're listening to, you just simply record it. Oh, and the full color display is pretty cool too.
Anyway, I started this by mentioning dropping prices on electronics. Well, when the Inno came out little more than a year ago, it was $400 (and it doesn't come with a car kit). I bought mine plus a car kit (about $60 itself) for $200. That was a couple of months ago. Now, you can get a refurbished Inno for $119 here. Or, better yet, you can get a brand new Samsung Helix for only $109.95 at Amazon.
The Helix is identical to the Inno except for the outer shell. For a while, Amazon was selling the Helix for $89.95 w/free shipping, but I guess people cleaned them out because I don't see it anymore. I bought 2 at that price (one for Valerie and one for her daughter Megan). The one they have now for $109 is sold by an outside vendor.
So, if you like your MP3 player, but also like to hear something different once in a while, I highly recommend picking one of these up. Like the ads say, it'll change the way you listen to music. :-)

Medieval Times

So Valerie and I went to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament last night. It was her Valentine's Day present to me (in addition to "The Departed" DVD...awesome movie).
Anyway, ever since this MT opened (about one score and three years ago) I had always thought I'd like to go there. This was my first time and it really was a lot of fun.
When you first enter, you get crowned with a lovely paper crown like kids get at Burger King, except the color of the crown signifies what section you're sitting in and what knight you are rooting for. As you proceed through the next door, you are stopped to pose for an obligatory picture with either the "King" or the "Princess", depending on which way you walk in. We got a picture with the Princess and then they took one of just the two of us. Next, it was off to the bar. Now, if you're the type that likes to take advantage of what could possibly be a once in a lifetime event, and you drink, here's where you could drop some serious cash. We each had a beer in a purchased beer stein (Yeungling for Val, Sam Adams Winter Ale for me), as well as a shot (double actually) of Southern Comfort in a mini-stein/shot glass (also purchased). The whole shebang was $50. Sounds like a lot, but considering the fact that a similar stein (empty) at Spamalot was $25, and that the SoCo was actually four shots worth, it really wasn't too bad. And the MT stein is actually bigger and nicer than the Spamalot one.
We found ourselves seated in the front row just inside the entrance in a four seat section next to a nice young couple.
The staff refer to you as M'lord/M'lady, and with the exception of the royalty and knights, they are referred to as wenches and serfs. So along came our serving wench to take our drink orders and get us set for dinner (there was a separate beer wench to get the beer). The menu consists of (in order) vegetable soup, garlic bread, a half roasted chicken, one spare rib, one half roasted potato, and an apple turnover. Oh, and this is all consumed without utensils. The food was okay. Not the greatest, not the worst. Certainly edible...all of it. You're really there for the show anyway. The show commences very shortly after you're seated, and continues right through coffee. Actually, the show and dinner seemed rigidly timed and synchronized. The show was entertaining. Nothing much different from any other "medieval" type attraction you may have seen elsewhere, except this was longer and had a storyline.
Valerie got chosen by our knight to fight for. This was done by him riding towards us and extending his lance out to Valerie so she could retrieve the flag from the lance (on the flag were the words "Queen of Beauty and Love"). This meant that he was fighting in her honor. Now, I did some quick research on this, and apparently, a knight would choose a woman, preferrably one who was married to a man of higher rank. If the knight won, he expected to receive his "reward", and it was downright treachery for the woman to refuse. Turns out that our knight did indeed win. Lucky for me, he was killed by a traitor before he could collect any such "reward." ;-)

It was hard to get decent pics with the lighting and all the fast movement, but here's a few (clicking the pic should open a new window/tab to the photo album):

Medieval Times

Other highlights of the show were the choreography of the beautiful white horses, and the falcon, of which I got about 12 seconds of video footage. It simply flew around too fast to get any more. Here it is:




One year, ten months, one week, four days, 11 hours smober.
27299 cigarettes not smoked, saving $7,166.45.

Catching Up

Been awhile since I posted anything (what else is new?).

Let's see if I can recall a couple of highlights of the last 2 months...

Back in late December, Val and I went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Meadowlands. It was pretty much what I expected based on what I had heard about them and seen on video. We probably would have appreciated the full experience more if we were sitting in front of the stage, but we were off to the side. It was a pleasant surprise seeing Alex Skolnick playing with them. I had no idea he was touring with them. Anyway, of course the show stopper was the appearance of Greg Lake to close the show.

Pretty much the only event in January was when I took Val's son Stephen to a Devils/Rangers game on the 16th (it was his Xmas gift from me). That was a lot of fun. I had never been to a pro hockey game before, and I really enjoyed it. Stephen seemed to as well.

The biggest thing to happen lately was that I sold my Subaru because it was just too small and uncomfortable for all the driving I do. I think I've developed sciatica from it. Anyway, I replaced it with what has been one of my "dream" cars for almost 20 years. I am now the delighted owner of a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder. It is so much more comfortable than the Subaru, and I love being able to see in front of most other cars because of the added height. Here's my new baby:




Finally, for Valentine's Day, Val bought us tickets to go to Medieval Times on Saturday. For those not in the know, this is a dinner theater of sorts. It's basically an etiquette-free dinner (no utensils) with a medieval show (jousting and such). I've never been there, and I'm really looking forward to it.

One year, ten months, four days, 16 hours smober.
27027 cigarettes not smoked, saving $7,095.14.

MOFO!

Got the new Zappa CD today that was ordered months and months ago. It's a 4 disc special edition available only through Barfko-Swill, and it arrived today. MOFO stands for "Making of Freak Out!", and this marks the 40th anniversary of that first Mothers of Invention album.
Anyway, haven't given the whole thing a listen yet, but thought I'd post pics of the cool packaging and the credits (of which I am included).

Here's the front of the closed package:


Here's the back:


The next four are of it opened, one disc at a time:


..>




And finally, here's the part of the credits with my name:



Anyone who preordered this early enough got their name in it. Also, notice the name in the upper left corner of the pic above.

Almost forgot!

One year, eight months, one day, 18 hours smober.
24430 cigarettes not smoked, saving $6,413.45.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish you all (what...4 of you?) a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in case this is my last blog of 2006. Considering my usual posting frequency, that's very likely!
Here's an oldie but goody to get you in the spirit. Val and I are going to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra (the music behind the video) on Thursday. Should be an awesome show, and a great way to end a great year of concerts!

Happy Holidays!

Last weekend

I've been to quite a few shows this year, and I have to say that this past weekend was the most ass-kicking weekend of concerts to date. Friday night Val and I went to see Tool, whom I've never seen before. It was better than I had expected. It was little more than listening to the CDs on the ultimate sound system, but that's a good thing. Great performances and high energy.
Saturday, Val, her son Stephen, and I took a trip to Philly to visit her daughter Megan at Drexel U. After dinner with Megan's boyfriend, the 4 of us went to see Porcupine Tree at the Keswick Theatre. It was probably the best PT show I've seen (this being either my 3rd or 4th time seeing them). They played about an hour of brand new material, which was pretty good, but unfortunately it was at the expense of their older material (Buying New Soul being the oldest tune they played). Most of the second set was pulled from their latest albums, In Absentia and Deadwing.

Porcupine Tree | Keswick Theatre : Glenside, PA | 10.7.06
Photos ©2006 Joe del Tufo, Studio M Live


Another good thing was that the kids seemed to enjoy it...especially Megan.
All in all it was a great weekend of concerts...one that will likely not be topped for a while.

One year, five months, three weeks, five days
21770 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,714.84

Random Thoughts

-- Listening to Frank Zappa I notice that no matter how many times I've heard any given album, I still manage to find something interesting that I had not consciously noticed prior.

-- The older I get, the pickier I get about my coffee.

-- For some reason, rainy days make me appreciate what I have.

-- I really need to lose some serious weight.

-- The only person you can truly depend on is in the mirror. Friends and family can let you down.

-- Why did Marcia, Jan, and Cindy take on the Brady name?

-- This is currently the longest stretch of time I have ever quit smoking for (One year, five months, two weeks, three days, 15 hours. 21,425 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,624.15).

-- The Miami Dolphins suck.

-- Really looking forward to Tool on Friday and especially Porcupine Tree on Saturday (they are performing yet-to-be-released material).

-- My mom is a good egg.

Get rich quick! Ask me how!

Don't smoke cigarettes! That's how!
I was in Walmart the other day, and noticed that cigs were selling for $6.60/pack!!
Damn, am I glad I've stayed off them!

One year, four months, one week, four days, 17 hours
19949 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,236.79

Active Summer

This has quite possibly been the most socially active summer of my adulthood. I don't recall ever having a stretch of time where I had something to do almost every weekend, and I don't think I've been to as many shows/concerts in one summer as this year. Of course, I have my significant other Valerie to thank, as the following text would not exist were it not for her.

The Spring/Summer season kicked off with a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure in April or May to get our first use of our season passes that Val bought for us and her kids. It was a little chilly, so the Hurricane Harbor part of the park was not an option (not even sure it was open yet). But having season passes takes the pressure off to try and do as much as possible in one day. It's much more relaxing knowing you can come back anytime for "free".

June 12th was our first concert, which was Zappa Plays Zappa in NYC. It didn't turn Val into a Zappa groupie, but I think it pretty well exceeded her expectations.
Two weeks later I went to Nearfest. See my other unfinished blog entry for details on that.
Somewhere in late June or early July was another trip to Six Flags, with Hurricane Harbor being included this time. Also sprinkled in there were a graduation party BBQ, two birthday BBQs, a "just friends hanging out" BBQ, and even a doggie birthday BBQ (apparently they exist).
July was capped off attending Ozzfest. It was an experience, I'll say that. I enjoyed the top 4 bands, but I also realized I'm way too old to do the entire day, to be a crowd surfing wave, and be a mosh pit boundary. I believe I've been to my first and last event at Randall's Island.

That brings us to the current month of August. Already we've been to another birthday BBQ, and went to Six Flags again yesterday. We're supposed to go peach picking today....weather permitting.
This Saturday we're going to the Opie & Anthony Traveling Virus Comedy show at the PNC Arts Center. That will wrap up August.

Labor Day weekend we have a BBQ to go to, and on 9/8 we're going to see Godsmack and Rob Zombie at PNC. So far that's it for September.

We kick off October with a Tool concert on Friday the 6th. The very next day, Val, her son Stephen, and myself will make a trek to Philly to visit Val's daughter Megan at Drexel University, then the 4 of us are going to see Porcupine Tree at the Keswick. We cap off the month on Halloween for another Zappa Plays Zappa performance at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, which was formerly the Felt Forum where Frank played many legendary Halloween shows.
As a by the way, both Megan and Valerie have birthdays in that month.

November brings us Valerie's other daughter Lauren's 11th birthday on the 19th. For that, I bought tickets to see Disney on Ice on Friday the 24th. If Megan or Stephen is reading this (unlikely), this is meant to be a surprise for Lauren, so keep it zipped. ;-)

That's about it for now. A real social life....imagine that. :-)

One year, four months, six days, 5 hours
19728 cigarettes not smoked, saving $4,932.11

Syd Barrett dies aged 60

SYD Barrett, the founder of Pink Floyd has died aged 60.

The wayward genius passed away from cancer last Friday in the scruffy semi-detached Cambridge home to which he retreated as a recluse more than 30 years ago.

A spokeswoman for Pink Floyd music publishers said: "I can confirm that Syd Barrett has died.

He died peacefully and there will be a private family funeral.

"We would ask that the family be left alone and be given space at this time."

The singer's funeral will be for family and no members of Pink Floyd are expected to attend.

Syd, who created, named and powered the pied pipers of the psychedelic rock movement, shunned fans and rarely ventured outside his front door following a psychedelic drug induced breakdown at the peak of his career. He was later immortalised in Pink Floyd's song Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

On his death certificate, his occupation was given as "retired musician".

Born Roger Keith Barrett on January 6, 1946, in Cambridge, he was given the nickname Syd aged 15.

During the 1960s, when Syd came of age, Cambridge played a very special part in the spiritual birth of modern pop music across Britain and American.

The local music scene was thriving with bands such as Geof Mott and the Mottoes, the Sundowners, the Swinging Vibros and the Redcaps all vying for popularity.

The Victoria Ballroom - where Marks & Spencer now stands on the Market Square - was one of the most popular hangouts. Musicians including Toni Santi, Clive Welham, Willie Wilson and Nick Barraclough
* now a BBC Radio 2 presenter - were the names on everyone's lips.

But the two Cambridge men who were to have the most lasting effect on British music were Syd, guitarist with Geof Mott and Mottoes, and Dave Gilmour, singer and guitarist with the band Jokers Wild.

Syd formed Pink Floyd in 1965.

His controversial departure was in '68 after he had penned the hit singles Arnold Layneand See Emily Play along with the songs on the first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.

While the band went on to achieve worldwide fame, he lived in the basement of his mother's semi in Cambridge, where he boarded up the windows to keep out of the eyes of the press and fans. He recorded two solo albums.

Syd's withdrawal from public life led him to enjoy cult status among some Pink Floyd fans, with many websites and books dedicated to him. He was often described as the first acid casualty.

Clive Welham said: "I only knew Syd before his breakdown. He was a wonderful man - a nice guy with a lovely sense of humour. He was very likeable and had no malice in him.

"He was a very talented painter as well as a musician. How on earth he got mixed up with such awful drugs, I don't know, but he liked to try things and clearly went too far.

"I have often seen him around Cambridge but never talk to him - he was always in a world of his own.

It would have felt wrong and I think it would've been a disastrous things to do - I doubt he would've known who I was."

Last year, in the run-up to Pink Floyd's reunion for Live 8 - in which Syd did not take part - neighbours said the former rock star never answered his door to callers and remained a recluse. They said he found it hard to make eye contact.

At this point, his sister Rosemary Breen, who lived a few miles from Syd in Cambridge, told the News he had not spoken to his former band mates - Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright, or his replacement, Dave Gilmour - for nearly three decades.

She said: "That is another life for him, another world in another time.

He is not Syd anymore, he is Roger.

There is no contact (with the band members) and he does not want them to get in touch with him."

She added: "He does DIY, he listens to music and he goes out."

Mrs Breen helped care for Syd in the years following his breakdown.

She has declined to comment on his death.

Syd's brother Alan Barrett said from his home in Linton, near Cambridge: "Roger died on Friday.

There will be a small family funeral soon. We just wish to be left alone."

Syd's father died when he was still in his teens. It is believed this is one of the factors that led to his downfall.

The late Bernard Stubbings, who ran the city's main music shop with the legendary Cambridge jazz band leader Ken Stevens, remembered Syd in the early days as he played alongside him in Geof Mott and the Mottoes.

Bernard died in 2003. Before his death he recalled Syd: "Syd was a lovely bloke, pure and simple. We all loved him."

It is understood that Syd financed his modest lifestyle through royalties from his Pink Floyd and solo records.

Group's roots were laid in city's pubs and clubs

THE story of Pink Floyd is well- documented, but their roots lay firmly in the pubs, cafes and nightspots of Cambridge in the 1960s - a highpoint which the local music scene has never managed to live up to again.

Syd and Dave Gilmour dominated the Cambridge scene in the early 1960s.

Syd left Cambridge on receiving a scholarship to Camberwell Arts School in London in 1963 and joined a band with his old friend from Cambridge, Roger Waters.

Fellow Cantabrigian emigres Rick Wright and Nick Mason also joined the band and, after a succession of names including Sigma 6, The T Set, the Meggadeaths and The Screaming Abdabs, Syd eventually suggested taking the names of two Georgia bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, and combining the names to create Pink Floyd.

Syd wrote the hit singles Arnold Layneand See Emily Playalong with the songs on the first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.

Two years later, his brain frazzled by drugs, he left the group, his legacy already assured.

Pink Floyd went on to achieve worldwide recognition with epic albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall.

In the 1980s relationships among band members soured and Roger Waters left the band.

He started a legal battle with the remaining members for the rights to the name Pink Floyd, but he failed in his attempt and went on to record solo work instead.

The feud, one of the greatest in rock history, ended for the Live 8 concert in July 2005.

12 July 2006
First appeared in the Cambridge Evening News

R.I.P. Syd

NEARFest 2006 (Pt 1)

Attended NEARFest this past weekend, and I must say it was the best one yet of the three that I've attended. I'm thinking that having a front row orchestra seat helped my enjoyment of it. Of the three years I've been to, this was the first time I actually enjoyed every band. Some more than others obviously, but I stayed the duration for each and every performance, including the solo spotlights.
First was the Friday night "pre-show", now referred to as the "Progressive Legends Showcase".
The Tony Levin Band kicked things off with an outstanding energetic show. In addition to many tunes from his solo efforts, they performed great renditions of Genesis' 'Back In NYC', Gabriel's 'On The Air', and Crim's 'Sleepless' and 'Elephant Talk'.


Next up was Hatfield & The North.
I was only vaguely familiar with their material, but I like National Health, which is almost the same thing.
I did enjoy the set, but it tended to get boring at
times. I think part of it was that I was tired. All in all, I really enjoyed the Friday night showcase.

Saturday was kicked off with KBB, a band from Japan. I was a little apprehensive about this one because I didn't care much for Kenso last year.
I was pleasantly surprised. They are a good fusion band that played with a passion and energy that would rarely be rivaled the rest of the weekend.
I bought their 4 Corners Sky CD, as well as the exclusive to Nearfest live DVD. It was a great start to the weekend and I enjoyed them thoroughly.

Next up was Riverside. This was one of the bands I was really looking forward to. I was very disappointed last year when visa problems prevented them from making it to Nearfest 2005. I was especially disappointed at their replacement, Knight Area, which I felt was the most unoriginal band to take the Nearfest stage. Anyway, Riverside did not disappoint in the least. In fact, I think they were better live than they are on their studio albums.
I love their albums, but I enjoyed the live performance much more. I wish they could make it stateside more often...I would definitely see them again.

I'll comment on both solo spotlights together here. Both Richard Leo Johnson and Michael Manring were interesting to watch them at their craft, but I'm glad the spotlights are only 30 minutes. One individual noodling on his instrument of expertise is interesting for only so long.


I was a bit disappointed that Johnson used every one of his half-dozen or so guitars except for the electric. Manring played a very interesting "hyper-bass" which has all kinds of switches and levers on both ends of it which allows him to adjust pitch and tone while he's playing. Like I said, I like both of their playing, but I prefer seeing bands.

After RLJ came FM.
I had seen them once before back in 1981 or 1982, and I recall enjoying them enough to buy one or two of their records (yes, records... not CDs). I also recall being very disappointed in the albums. It would seem that my opinion has not changed in 24 years. I have their 'Black Noise' CD, and am unimpressed by it, but I enjoyed their live performance at Nearfest. Not my favorite band of the weekend, but not my least favorite either. Somewhere in the middle I'd say.


Finally, Ozric Tentacles closed out Day 1 of Nearfest 2006. I knew very little of this band. I have maybe a handful of live shows which I listened to once a long time ago. I enjoyed it only to the extent that I like guitar driven space rock. But I didn't feel that they were playing as a solid unit. The keyboard player was little more than a drug-induced giggling idiot for most of the performance. I don't think she did all that much on her boards. Ed Wynne (leader and guitar player) commented that he's not used to playing in front of a seated audience. "That's right Ed...we're sober and are actually listening to what you're doing." Nevertheless, I enjoyed the set, and felt it was a very entertaining first day.

I'm tired now, so I'll wrap up with part 2 later.

One year, two months, three weeks, one day
17951 cigarettes not smoked, saving $4,487.97

Fun-filled weekend!

Wrapping up an event filled weekend.
Saturday, I went to see Spamalot with Val, my mom, Ed, and Donna. It was really good....pretty much what I had expected from what I'd read and heard. After the show, we went to dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
It was one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in a long time. The food was excellent, the staff was friendly & helpful (sometimes excessively so), and the prices were reasonable (especially for being located in Times Square). With the tip, it came to about $250, which included 4 alcoholic drinks ranging in price from $11 to $13 each (we got to keep the glasses).

Later that night, Val and I went to see Jim Norton at the Stress Factory. It was the most I've laughed in I don't know how long. He absolutely killed. I would highly recommend seeing him if he's performing near you. I know I'll go see him again.

Sunday was a relaxing day for the most part. I hung out with Val at her house. I helped her buy a new grill and we cooked out that evening before going for a nice walk with 3 of her 4 kids (okay, 2 kids and her dog Ozzy).
Today I got caught up with some personal stuff, and pretty much just chilled.

That's it for now I guess.

One year, one month, two weeks, one day.
16424 cigarettes not smoked, saving $4,106.20.
Life saved: 8 weeks, 1 day.

Blog stays

Okay, since not everyone has or wants a myspace account, I've decided to continue to post my blog here and maybe I'll just post a blog entry or bulletin or something on myspace to let people know I've posted again. I decided to keep it here because I like this interface better, and I don't want to lose some of the very few readers I have. :-)