September 27, 2008

Let's Go Mets!!!!!

Mr. Met begging for one more win!

Went to the Mets' debacle last nite. Perhaps the last time Nazz jr and I will be at the old stadium in Flushing. Yes, it's a dump, but it's MY dump.
I must have gone to a couple of hundred Mets games at Shea Stadium in my life. Growing up a couple of miles away from the park will let you do that. I remember walking through Flushing Meadow Park back when I was 12 years old to go to games and sit in the upper deck for $1.60. These days, I don't let my kids play outside without watching em. And yet, back in the day, my mom would let me and my pre-teen pals trek a couple of miles to go to games.

I was at the 1986 World Series Game 7, when the Mets beat the Red Sox thanks to a couple of botched Red Sox plays (hooray for Bob Stanley's wild pitch and Bill Buckner allowing Mookie Wilson's grounder to go through the five hole). I actually snuck into the game, but that's a story for another posting.

I also have a big bag full of gen-u-ine Shea Stadium turf (well, it's dead grass and dirt now) from when we stormed the field when they clinched the division back in '86. We actually got written up in the NY newspapers since we jumped onto the netting behind home plate and jumped 20 feet onto the field (amazing how Vodka, Champagne and Valium reduce your inhibitions).

We're down to possibly one game left. The Mets need to beat the Marlins tomorrow and have the Brewers lose. Or, if they both finish with the same record, it's a one game play-off on Monday. So, the Metskies BETTER FREAKIN' WIN!

It was sad to say goodbye last nite. The new park is going to be beautiful (at a cost much higher for tix of course) ... and less seats (to drive up the demand); but will it be home?

Here's a couple of pix from last nite... I have tickets for one of the play-off games, I hope I get to use em!

LET'S GO METS!!!!!!!!!!!!!A view of the field.
You can see Citifield (the new stadium, in the background
Jose Jose Jose Reyes hitting the ball.

September 24, 2008

Ca Plane Pour Moi



Possibly the greatest song of all time. Three chords- F Bb and Eb. And the lyrics, well, they speak for themselves, don't they?
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Yam! Bam! mon chat Splash
Git sur mon lit a bouffe
sa langue en buvant tout mon whisky
quant a moi peu dormi, vide, brime
J'ai du dormir dans la gouttiere
Ou j'ai eu un flash
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
En quatre couleurs

Allez hop! un matin
Une louloute est venue chez-moi
Poupee de cellophane, cheveux chinois
un sparadrap, une gueule de bois
a bu ma biere dans un grand verre en caoutchouc
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
Comme un indien dans son igloo

Ca plane pour moi ca plane pour moi
Ca plane pour moi moi moi moi moi
Ca plane pour moi
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
Ca plane pour moi

Allez hop! la nana quel panard!
Quelle vibration!
de s'envoyer sur le paillasson
Limee, ruinee, videe, comblee
You are the King of the divan!
Qu'elle me dit en passant
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
I am the King of the divan

Ca plane pour moi ca plane pour moi
Ca plane pour moi moi moi moi moi
Ca plane pour moi
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
Ca plane pour moi

Allez hop! t'occupe t'inquiete
touche pas ma planete
It's not today
Quel le ciel me tombera sur la tete
et que la colle me manquera
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
Ca plane pour moi

Allez hop! ma nana s'est tiree
S'est barree enfin c'est marre a tout casse
L'evier, le bar me laissant seul
Comme un grand connard
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
Le pied dans le plat

Ca plane pour moi ca plane pour moi
Ca plane pour moi moi moi moi moi
Ca plane pour moi
Oooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
Ca plane pour moi
Ca plane pour moi ca plane pour moi
Ca plane pour moi moi moi moi moi

-

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Toonage:
Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi
Sonic Youth - Ca Plane Pour Moi
Thee Headcoatees - Ca Plane Pour Moi

and, for those who prefer the Anglo version:

Elton Motello - Jet Boy Jet Girl
The Damned - Jet Boy Jet Girl
Chronic Generation - Jet Boy Jet Girl




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Now playing: Guitar Wolf - Fujiyama Attack
via FoxyTunes




September 22, 2008

Gonna Leave This (Un)Brokedown Palace

Utterly absurd to be tearing down Yankee Stadium. The fat cats get fatter. Regardless, Nazz Jr. and I made once last pilgrammage for the final games.
This is a shot taken as we drove away. You can see the Yankee Stadium lettering in blue, right above our Ramones air freshener!
The Yankee Stadium Facade.

Mariano Riviera pitching the 9th inning. You can see the ball speeding it's way to home plate (slightly to the right of the 2nd basemen).
Bookage:
Toonage:





September 16, 2008

The Great Gig In The Sky


Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright passed away the other day at the age of 65. Fucking Cancer.

Pink Floyd is one of my favorite bands and all you punks who think I'm crazy should read the lyrics on albums like Dark Side Of The Moon and especially Animals.

Here's some live Floyd stuff showcasing Richard Wright's work. The video is the classic Echoes from the Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii film.



Toonage:

Pink Floyd - The Great Gig In The Sky (live 7-25-75 Los Angeles)
Pink Floyd - Careful With That Axe, Eugene (John Peel show 1968)
Pink Floyd - Saucerful Of Secrets (Live at Pompeii film + dialogue)
Pink Floyd - Sysphus Part 2

Bookage:

Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey by Nicholas Schaffner

September 15, 2008

Strummerville


Hard to believe that Joe Strummer has been gone over five years already.

I was lucky enough to see The Clash once. I was at one of the legendary June 1981 NYC shows at Bonds. I had given this girl I knew from school money for a ticket when they went on sale and didn't see her again until I ran into her at a May Day Pot Parade (from Washington Square Park to Central Park). Lo and behold, she presents me with a ticket!

Distant memories of the show... driving into NYC and finding a parking space in my 1967 Plymouth Fury. Buying some sort of white powder off a brother in the street; thinking it was THC but lord knows what it really was; running into my Jappy sort of girlfriend (how did SHE get a ticket?), and than seeing the best band in the world. I remember the poor reception the rap stuff got, but seeing em do Safe European Home and London Calling was all a young Punk coulda ever asked for.

Never saw em again. Passed up the show at Shea Stadium with The Who (too "commercial" for my delicate Punk sensibilities). What an idiot I was!

I heartily recommend that you see The Future Is Unwritten; which is a great documentary about Joe.

And if you're in the bar tonite, raise a glass to Joe Strummer! A true Punk Hero.

Toonage:

Joe Strummer Action Town Hall

Joe's Last Show 11-15-02

Joe Strummer w/ Mick Jones - London's Burning

Joe Strummer w/ Mick Jones - White Riot

Joe Strummer w/ Mick Jones - Bankrobber

Joe Strummer w/ Mescalaros - I Fought The Law

Stiff Little Fingers - Strummerville


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Now playing: The Clash - Tommy Gun
via FoxyTunes

September 10, 2008

(Un)Comfortably Numb


Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness

So, is it better to feel nothing or to be affected by things to the point that it's personally damaging? Sometimes the self medicating just isn't effective.
A friend of mine explained to me that "some things are just bigger than you and it's nothing to be ashamed of". I'm not so sure about that. But it is certainly worth trying to pick curtain #2 rather than always selecting curtain #1. Maybe there's something better than canned squid behind it.

Bookage -

Toonage:

September 2, 2008

Like Takin' Carrie To The High School Prom


"I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members."
--Groucho Marx --

I have been notified that I will be the recipient of A BIG HONOR. My industry has an award (I guess it's sort of a lifetime achievement kinda thing - not that I'm particularly a grizzled veteran), complete with a banquet with hundreds of people, a magazine article about yours truly and other assorted aspects.

This is apparently A BIG DEAL.

The question I have is... "WHY ME". I really don't merit this award (and I am not being humble). It is more likely that some peer of mine in the industry decided it would be a nice thing for me to get this honor and nominated me.
Either that, or they figured my company would buy a table at the banquet (fat chance of THAT happening!).

Regardless, this is embarrassing. I vision myself being featured in the article and readers wonderin' WTF? Even worse, I have to accept the award and have a room full of people LOOK at me and wonder "who is this asshole"?!
There are many people in my business that deserve this honor. The fact that I got it cheapens the award forever more.

It's important that I accept this, since it might help me in my career. But jeez, this is like Milli Vanilli being elected into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame! OK, maybe not that bad. Let's go with GWAR. Yeah, me showing up at this banquet is like GWAR showing up at a Baptism.

Maybe I'll just copy this speech word for word. It's perfect.
Now I get to stress about how I'm gonna fuck this up for the next couple of months.



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Now playing: The Runaways - Cherry Bomb
via FoxyTunes



Bookage:
From Hell - Alan Moore

Toonage:
The Smiths - Still Ill
Teengenerate - Fake, Fake, Fake
Brother Brick - Color Me Impressed (Replacements cover)
The Posies - King Midas In Reverse
Tom Petty - Even The Losers