Category Archives: moldies but moodies

Bridge

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Sunday night, the big whoop di doo. Just got back an hour or so from Garfield. My niece’s graduation party. Corinne has graduated from Kean University so kudos and congratulations to her.

It was nice to see my brothers and their families. Of course Annemarie and her family were missing being in California and all, but they will be here in July so we will all have to wait.

My niece Meghan’s husband Rob was an able grillmeister. Brian and Karen were underneath the patio umbrella which was set upon the new patio. Since my last visit Elaine and Frank had some bricks laid down so that was nice.

My other nieces Hillary and Cassie were being teenage girls since they are teenage girls, Hillary is a voracious reader, always a book nearby. Cassie had boys on her mind. My nephew Brian alternated between the barbecue and inside watching TV.

The original plan was to take a train out to Garfield from Hoboken but Bill decided to rent a Zip Car. That made things a lot simpler. No need to pick Bill and I up at the train station.

Bill’s mother was invited but she wasn’t up for it and since it was a bit nippy outside by the barbecue it was for the best that she didn’t join us.

A few of Corinne’s friends were there, they seemed like a nice bunch. Before they arrived they attempted a game of beer pong which didn’t go that well due to the wind.

We all went inside for cake which Brian and Karen and family had to forgo since my nephew had a matter that he needed to attend. That was too bad since they missed a good cake.

Bill and I had a nice ride home, by passing the usual drive up Riverview Avenue where I grew up. That always leaves me with bittersweet feelings. Most of the people that I grew up with have either died or moved on.

Last night I watched most of a 2 disc DVD from the BBC about Glastonbury. Glastonbury is a major rock and roll festival, quite big. It’s been going on for decades, from the beginning with maybe 20,00 people over 3 or 4 days to 300,000 punters.

All the top name UK & US music acts usually perform, R.E.M., Macca, Moz,Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (guess the roster includes Australians), Radiohead and Coldplay. Quite a distance from the Incredible String Band.

It’s pure escapism usually accompanied by tons of mud. It does look like fun though and a pair of Wellies would definitely be recommended. But I fear my days of major rock festivals are over.

The last festival I attended was the first Lollpalooza which didn’t end well. It started off fine, I went with Chaz and Steve Saporito and a few other friends, mainly to see Siouxsie & the Banshees who cancelled that date.

We saw Nine Inch Nails, Living Colour, Butthole Surfers, Ice-T’s Body Count and Rollins Band. It was mediocre at best, still I was entertained.

Things were partially trippy, then the other half was ingested which was a slippery slope.

It was a few months after my mother suddenly died and things were getting dodgy in my conscious mind.

Luckily Steve Saporito talked me down as Jane’s Addiction hit the stage at sundown which in my mind turned the crowd into outtakes from Apocalypse Now. Not a good position to be in, in my state of mind.

On the ride back I kept asking to pull over so I could get a drink to counter the lysergic in my head, which didn’t seem to leave until a day or so later.

All I got was ‘Oh John, you’re such an alcoholic.’

SNL was good last night, Will Farrell hosted and there were a few surprises like Norm McDonald, Maya Rudolph and Amy Poeler as well as Tom Hanks. Green Day was Green Day which was boring. Buzzcocks did it better, but I guess Green Day’s hearts are in the right place.

In the chest under the rib cage.

Corinne, the Graduate

Corinne, the Graduate

Meghan, 2009 Garfield Hall of Fame inductee

Meghan, 2009 Garfield Hall of Fame inductee

Elaine & Frank

Elaine & Frank

Cake Stabbing Corinne

Cake Stabbing Corinne

Singin’ In The Rain

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Well I am home again, first official 3 day weekend. I’m presently listening to a version of Singin’ In The Rain by a Brooklyn band called Just Water. It’s a song I had as a 45 that I bought after hearing the song a few times on the old WPIX- FM back in the late 1970’s.

It’s more of a power pop song, you could imagine Cheap Trick singing it, or maybe Shoes. I’ve been looking for it online for a while, since finding songs online was the thing to do. Found it on iTunes oddly enough even though I could swear it wasn’t there a few months ago.

Still, for $0.99 I couldn’t resist. I’m sure when I originally bought it, it was more than $0.99. It was an independent record then and reading about it today, I found that it was picked up by Stiff Records back in the day.

I used to love Stiff Records and would buy the compilations of their artists and sometimes artists that weren’t on Stiff. Music by John Cooper Clarke, A. More, The Modettes etc. Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Lene Lovich were all on Stiff at one point, as was Madness. But I never really liked Madness once they left 2 Tone Records.

That’s the type of music geek I was. I would search out record labels. I guess that’s how it’s always been for music geeks. If you liked a certain type of Soul and R&B, then buying Atlantic, Motown or Stax among others, you probably couldn’t do wrong.

With Punk, New Wave and Post Punk, it was almost the same but sometimes you could get a real stinker. Those were the days when there was lot’s of spending cash, and $40.00 spent in a record store would have you coming home with a few albums and singles.

I’d ride the Path or the bus home and just look at the album covers, anxious to play what was inside. I’m the guy who would trek up Rochelle Avenue, boom box resting in the crook of my arm on Friday nights, buying whatever I could get at Sam Goody or Alexanders where most of the albums were on sale for $4.99.

My brothers and sister were all possessive about their music so it wouldn’t be surprising to find 2 or 3 copies of Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones, or anything by the Beatles. My father couldn’t understand it and once stopped me from getting the Stones Some Girls album with the original artwork (which they got sued over and forced to change) for myself since my brother Brian had a copy.

Yes, I hate to say it but I was Shattered.

It was also around the time where I would go to St. Marks Sounds and buy countless import 45’s at $5.00 a pop. Special versions, different mixes, posters, colored vinyl always made money leave my pocket and wind up in the register of the British woman with the red hair, or the dread locked brother who managed the bag check. I was in awe of that woman for some reason. I think I had a weakness for strong, judgmental women.

Around the corner from St. Marks Sounds was Free Being, which I mentioned last week. That was a dreary store but also had great selections. Sounds is still around I think, Free Being isn’t. St. Marks Place is a shopping mall these days and you probably wouldn’t see Prince walking down the street (like I did), or the Rolling Stones shooting a video on the 4th of July weekend in St. Marks Bar & Grill.

I also downloaded for free from Popdose today, The Inmates covering Dirty Water, another song from my WPIX FM listening days, as well as 2 versions of Peter Gabriel, Steam which was way after WPIX-FM went to ‘love songs, nothing but love songs’.

I recommend checking out and subscribing to Popdose. Every night I get interesting articles about pop culture and occasional free downloads.

http://popdose.com/