I was a certified loser now. There would be no more advanced classes for me. My eighth grade classmates were the average and the rowdy: Tony, who actually pulled the “dick in […]
James Stafford
34. Little John the Conqueroo
Hal and I walked over to Time Out after school and waited for his mother. I was a school bus kid, so this was my first time in the legendary junior high […]
Deep Cuts: Intro to WockaWoll Guitar
Back in the meedly-meedly-meedly ’80s when speed was the name of the game, a guitarist friend of mine said to me: “Nobody at a party will ask you how many notes you […]
33. I Don’t Know How You Were Inverted
My sister’s boyfriend Mike, the crown prince of The Guys In Black Tee Shirts Who Jam, and his brother Neil were the first guys like me to dip their toes into the […]
Rush Photos and Set List: Sleep Train Pavillion, Concord, California, June 26, 2011
Outstanding venue, outstanding show. Three hours overall with a half hour intermission, no opening act. That’s a lot of Rush. And what can I say about a stage design that includes a steam punk […]
32. What’s Your Favorite Color Baby?
There is a fine line sometimes between romance and memory. I am guilty of putting on the rose-colored Bootsy shades, but I try to keep it to a minimum. Sometimes, though, it is […]
31. I Was Walking In He Was Walking Out
“Your tennis shoes are good enough. It’s just little league,” my father said. “It’s Pony league, and it says I have to have spikes.” I handed him the registration form and equipment […]
You Don’t Need To Hear From Me This Week
Kelly Mahan Jaramillo can tell you why music matters much better than I can: http://kellymahanjaramillo.wordpress.com/
30. Strewn With Time’s Dead Flowers
Andrew Gold passed away a couple of days ago. Cancer, age fifty-nine. Only fifteen years older than me. I don’t really know much about the guy other than two of his songs […]
29. You Don’t Know What the Sound Is, Darlin’
Summer 1985, early afternoon — the slow time. Dwayne and I are the only employees in the store. I’m fresh out of high school, he is thirty-five with a bachelor’s in history. […]
Why It Matters 