Category Archives: I Love Music

I Miss You Joe Strummer*

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A nice day in Hoboken. Nice enough that there was plenty of parking meaning that a lot of people are out of town this week. Maybe they wanted to use their vacation time and head down the shore or wherever it is that they go. It’s been a cool day, not too hot at all. A little cloudy which could account for the cooler temperatures. On the west we have a cold front moving in with a 40% chance of a storm later in the night. Here’s your seven day forecast and now over to Knob Dore with sports. Knob?

Last night I went out again. It’s amazing the fact that in the past three days, I have gone out twice. A major accomplishment for the shut in that I seem to have become. I went to DC’s Tavern a few blocks away from my apartment to see a friend Mike play an acoustic set. I foolishly got there at 8:00 like the time was posted. You’d think that after working at Maxwells for over 10 years, I would know that the scheduled show time is hardly ever the actual time that bands or acts appear and last night was no different.

Rand and Lisa were coming and I decided to wait outside and have a smoke. The music inside was a bit too ugly for this sensitive lad and it’s one thing to sit there and listen to it and suffer but to have two good friends there to suffer with can make it somewhat enjoyable. It was actually the second time I had been to DC’s Tavern. The first time was a couple of years ago with Rand & Lois and last night was Rand and Lisa. I guess having rand there with a woman whose name starts with an ‘L’ is the way to go.

I gave Mike a bobble head Mr. Met badge for him to wear for good luck. He claimed to have a sore throat and feared he wouldn’t be able to sing the way he usually does but he was fine. There was no need for him to explain the condition of his voice but he did it anyway. DC’s Tavern is a small place and I don’t know how they could have any major events going on. It seems to want to be a roadhouse or something like that but it was cozy.

Rand and Lisa showed up right before Mike started playing. I was working on some Guinness while Rand had some wine and I don’t know what Lisa was drinking. There was a funny moment when I looked down the bar from my end of the bar and if there were a dozen people sitting, at least 10 of them had their smartphones out, texting or looking things up online. I did the same, checking in via Facebook, and posting some pictures of Mike as he played his guitar. And Mike did a very good job despite his misgivings about his voice.

We stayed for the other two singers who followed Mike. I wasn’t planning on it but since Rand and Lisa were staying I did too. Rand made a good point of how these acoustic players singing their own songs seem to sing very sad, maudlin songs. That’s no fun. Laughter between songs but the songs themselves seem to be filled with some god awful sturm und drang. I resolve not to do that if and when I start writing my own songs. I already wrote some lyrics last week, now I just have to find where I put them and then put some music to it.

Had a good walk home with Rand & Lisa afterwards, many jokes about Harry Chapin and his song ‘Taxi’, a song that qualifies as ‘deep’ when you’re 13 years old but after that it is a bit of an embarrassment. I did my busking routine this afternoon, playing for the toddlers. They just love the guitar as much as they like giving me a high five. Today’s songs were I Want to Hold Your Hand and Hateful by the Clash, in honor of Joe Strummer’s birthday. If there is an inspiration for me with regards to busking, it would be Joe Strummer.

I also had some fun today with a scam artist who was trying to get my bank info since I “expressed interest in working for his company”. The funny thing is he was emailing my general address, not the ‘official’ address that I use when sending out resumes. I get a few potential scammers a week and today was fun making them chase their tail around until they got tired and realized they weren’t getting shit from me. This guy couldn’t even tell me where the CH Foundation is or where “Social Care Families” Charity Organization might be. Sure, here’s my bank info! Tell all your scamming friends!

*not an actual song. not yet at least.

Mike Cecchini


Thanks Joe, wherever you are in the universe.


06 (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais
04 – Bhindi Bhagee

I Love My Bitches

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Yesterday was an epic posting wasn’t it? I guess I might write more on Mondays since I don’t write on Sundays anymore. After my epistle to Dippy I found myself immersed in a free association posting on a Facebook group for mainly gay guys (and Harpy) who are as into music as I am. I’m not alone and there are quite a few guys that love love love all types of music. This particular thread was all about connecting one YouTube clip with another. For example, someone posted Bristol Stomp by Dovells, so I posted Stompin’ at the Savoy by Benny Goodman.

Then it was Savoy Brown with Wang Dang Doodle and someone (me) posted Brown Sugar by D’Angelo which was brilliantly followed by Sweet Dreams as sung by Beverly D’Angelo in Coal Miners Daughter. I had no choice but to go for the obvious in Sweet Dreams (are made of this) by Eurythmics and since no one else followed up, I posted Dreams Never End by New Order, commenting that I guess the thread was finished. That alerted a Jersey City friend to comment ‘Nooooo!!!!’ and posted A Dream Goes on Forever by Todd Rundgren. It’s been going on like this for 24 hours.

I was up until 1:30 last night as usual but I was fully plugged into this thread and really enjoying it. It was as sociable as I got yesterday. It was too damn hot and I was too hung over for anything but that. I suppose it was a good thing that Bill went right to bed when he got home. 10 hours later I was in front of the computer screen again finding songs (the more obscure or the more clever, the better). One or two friends thought I was up all night following the thread.

I probably could have stayed up all night but at that hour of the morning there wasn’t anyone else posting and it would come across as wanking, something else that I know quite a bit about. It’s been going on most of the day. I noticed it got busy an hour or so ago, leading me to believe that guys were coming home from work and picked up on the thread. Now it’s gotten quiet after my posting following She Moved Thru the Fair by Anne Briggs I put The Bird and The Bee with My Fair Lady. My Chilltown (JC) friend posted The Birds and the Bees by Patrick & Eugene.

Anyone who knows me, knows my disdain for Pink Floyd, but it was there so I used ‘Careful with that Axe, Eugene’ after about 15 minutes no one else posted so I went with a David Bowie bootleg called Uncle Floyd, a song about Floyd Vivino who hosted a TV show on UHF in the 1970’s and 1980’s in the NY/NJ area. Chilltown friend just posted A Summer Place by Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer. I’m taking a break from the thread for a little while, but since I will be sitting next to the computer, I will be notified anyway and more than likely jump right in again.

Hey, it keeps me off the street and out of trouble. I did go out today, I had to feed Lois and Fred’s cat. Stealthily walking on the shady side of the street, I got the job done and then I went to the really big supermarket in town. I do like this supermarket, mainly because everything is cheaper and there are more choices.

When I go to bed at night, since we haven’t put the air conditioner in yet, the windows are open. I’ve noticed in the past and definitely noticed lately at 1:00 in the morning or thereabouts lately there is a bird that is quite loud on my quiet street. I figured out it was a mockingbird after some online research. The nocturnal mockingbird would sing three or four times a few notes, and then do the same with different notes. It was imitating different birds throughout the night. It’s been going on for a while and I first mentioned it to downstairs neighbor Deborah last week. She heard the bird herself, but now with her air conditioning on, no more birdsongs with closed windows.

As luck would have it, after talking about it early in the day, that night there was no mockingbird. I tell Bill to keep an ear out for it when he goes to bed, and once again there are no birdsongs to be heard. The bird was back last night and I drift off to sleep listening to the birdsongs, occasionally laughing at the sound of a certain bird. I’m glad most of the people in my neighborhood have their air conditioners on so they can’t hear the bird and wouldn’t be annoyed by what to me sounds like music.

" I sing for you John Ozed! "


RIP Andy Griffith


02 Mockingbird (feat. James Taylor)