Well it’s been quite pleasant these past 24 hours or so. I was up late, trying to get the sound check video working properly and posted it via good old youtube which has been indispensable to me as of late. So far 37 people have viewed it, whether intentionally or what, I couldn’t tell you. Perhaps they were searching for National Anthem which is the tag I gave the clip, or perhaps, and I highly doubt this, that they connected to the video clip through this blog. Of course I find that hilarious. Also on the bottom of the web clip there is a link to Marvin Gaye singing the National anthem at a basketball game in the 1980’s. I mentioned it to my brother Frank on the phone today and he reminded me of the furor that came out after the event. I think it’s brilliant.

Frank is doing better each day it seems. More responsive on the phone, and Elaine plans to relax after she does her chores. Meg and Rob have arrived in Arcata and are probably seeing the sight (singular) of Arcata. After the town square, what else is there to do? Buy hemp clothing? And I guess Cory is off doing her thing whatever that maybe. She’s legal now so look out world.

I remember seeing Laurie Anderson at the Beacon Theater in the eighties and she was talking about how the Star Spangled Banner is such an odd choice, but perhaps correct to be a national anthem since it’s mainly about a group of people in the dark asking questions that are never answered. She mentioned that the perfect b-side of course would be Yankee Doodle, with it’s Yankee Doodle came to town, riding on a pony. Stuck a feather in it’s cap, and called it macaroni. Very surrealist isn’t it?

I had a good time last night at the game and could easily see myself going to another game somewhere down the line. I met Bill’s old heartthrob, Fred who I actually met once before at his wedding. Yes Fred is straight but definitely plucked Bill’s heart strings. And I didn’t feel threatened by him. Found to be funny and intelligent. Much like me. Hmmm…a pattern?

Today was still pleasant. I woke up pleasantly to find that Bill made coffee and put some cereal in a bowl. I showered and had some coffee and cereal. After a while I went out and got the papers. I need a haircut but Tony my barber was busy. Came back, had some more coffee, did some laundry. Bill split for his voice class and I walked around Hoboken for a bit, ran into Jolly Roger, that rock and roll dentist, now dean of UMDNJ. I congratulated him on his wedding on 07.07.07. He was looking good and quite happy.

Came back, saw Tony the barber was free so I went in and got chopped. He also pays attention to the goatee, snipping off errant gray hairs, even trimming nose and ear when needed. Full service from a nice guy, old school Italian, off the boat.

Now here are some pics from yesterday…

The calm Bill

The anxious Bill

Cecil B. Aquarius relation?

Bills?

Do ya see what eye see? Do ya? Do ya?

pre show

SHOWTIME

Ready to rumble?

his hand is like a hummingbird’s wing. Crazy!

and the home of the brave…..?

what everyone else came to see (NY Liberty in White)

the end

Late edition this one is. Well today was another big event day. Bill was singing at the WNBA New York Liberty basketball game tonight. That was the high point of the day. Other than that I woke up, showered, had coffee, cereal, checked the email and walked over to the bus stop after getting dressed. Seems like a lot of people have been taking Fridays off so the bus wasn’t crowded at all. And since my timing was ‘on’ today, I had gotten on the big comfortable coach bus. I’ve been reading Andrew Loog Oldham’s 2Stoned and haven’t touched the New York so I’m going to be behind. I already am.

Work was very quiet. It was the paid summer intern’s last day and no one was doing anything about it. I inquired if there’d be a lunch or a gift or something along those lines earlier in the week but I didn’t hear anything about it until today. To be precise, about a half hour before I left. I took a half day because of there wasn’t any real need for me to be in the office all day. I planned on taking a half day mainly because of Bill’s singing later in the evening.

I doubt if anyone noticed I was leaving at 1:00 but I wanted to go home, and get dressed in a nice suit and tie, the same suit I wore to Meghan and Rob’s wedding, with the back up tie and pocket silk from that big matrimonial event. I was lucky since it was a beautiful day, it wasn’t raining and there were no steam pipes exploding around midtown Manhattan. I caught a bus and was home by 2:00, after picking up the suit at the dry cleaners. Then, since I was going to be wearing the same, oh so stylish tasseled loafers that I wore to the wedding, I thought it best to get some padding for the heels since I didn’t want another occurrence of the big ass blister from hell.

I ran back down the stairs to Giovanni the shoemaker and spent 10 dollars for 10 seconds and then back up the stairs. I even jumped in the shower, made a tuna sandwich which was really an idea since there was barely enough tuna for a sandwich, so I ate some toast that vaguely smelled and tasted like tuna. Didn’t have the time to make more, I was pressed for time! So much to do, like take a quick shower, and start getting dressed while jazz wafted through the summertime air on the fifth floor.

Got back on the bus to the city and as I was dressed to the nines, I decided to take it easy since it was still a bit humid in the city, though I didn’t have much of a choice since the heel cushions took some getting used to. But they sure were comfortable. I made it to Madison Square Garden and met up with Bill. We were escorted to the floor where Bill was being set up for a sound check, after the Liberty Dancers were done with their rehearsal.

Bill sounded great, probably the best version of the Star Spangled Banner I ever heard. Then we were escorted into the star’s dressing room, after walking down a hallway lined with photographs of all the different rock stars and entertainers that have performed there. It was a bit of a thrill and of course once in the dressing room I looked for drugs that the Rolling Stones might have left behind. Like the Stones would leave any drugs behind. Blame the Oldham book. We watched some TV as Bill started his vocal exercises. Before you knew it we were on the floor of the Garden, being watched by hundreds of people. Bill sang it perfectly and everyone applauded. When Bill gets his video from MSG, I’ll try to post it.

It was really a great evening. Definitely out of the ordinary.

This is from the sound check. Like I said earlier, I will post the ‘official Madison Square Garden’ video. Tomorrow I’ll post some pics. Here’s a video from Bill’s sound check. Enjoy!

Almost like the end of our broadcasting day, innit?