ledger good but brad pitt did that character (better) in 12 monkeys. dark. two-face! too damn long. emotionally embroiled. gyllenhaal = hott. intense! edge of seat (wondering will it end).
i recently received a rather rude comment from an individual regarding the picture at right. more specifically, my hair coloring. or even more specifically, my lack of it.
the comment came on facebook where this unnamed individual had the unmitigated gall to say, “Uh….Scott….did you dye your hair BLONDE???!?!?!?!” and my response was along the lines of, “why are you picking on me? it’s gray – don’t be a meanie!”
i’ve had gray in my hair since the tender age of 16 when a quarter-size patch appeared near my hairline. it’s not a big deal, really.
but i’ll never forget the day ten or so years ago when i almost bought the farm because of gray hair.
lise and i were out together for the day. we were living in maryland and had driven up to lancaster, pennsylvania to drive around, get some lunch, shop amish, and enjoy the time with each other. it was approaching evening with the orange sun setting fire to the ground in the direction we’re heading. i was driving down the narrow road, shared with amish horse-and-buggy types in both directions, when, out of nowhere, lise swings her arm over and whacks me square in the chest, exclaiming, “Oh My Gosh!!!”
well, i about drove into a ditch, taking a couple bonnet-capped mennonites with us.
“what on earth’s going on?!? why are you hitting me and scaring me? What? WHAT??”
“you’ve got a gray hair in your beard!”
“WHA??? you almost get us KILLED because of a gray hair in my BEARD??”
we’ve laughed every time the story has been told in the intervening years, but at that point i was ready to open the passenger side door and leave her with electricity-less ones. thankfully her response was redeeming and to the point: “well, i still love you, even if you are old and gray.”
and indeed, that gray hair mated with others and their ilk have spread throughout my facial hair.
it’s not a big deal. really.
i’ve been on a bit of a joe satriani kick the last few days. his technical proficiency aside, he makes some of the best put together songs out there and with such attention to melody. i almost forget that i’m listening to a completely instrumental guitar album. it’s not just “chops” – it’s musical poetry.
this video is of one of my favorite satriani songs, a love song written for his wife – “always with me, always with you” from his album surfing with the alien. this was recorded two years ago and is probably the best version of it that i’ve heard.
i can’t sing.
that’s not a whiny, self-pitying, boo-hoo statement. i just can’t sing. i DO sing, i simply don’t do it in a way that is humanly bearable to those around me.
but don chaffer – there’s no one i know who has a sweeter voice among male singers.
Download On A Night That Felt Outdated
his songwriting is fantastic. his production skills are over the top. his guitar work is wonderful and expansive.
but oh wow – he just has the sweetest and most expressive voice i’ve ever heard. the above song is called On A Night That Felt Outdated – it was captured live a couple years ago at a concert that has been posted online for download here.
chaffer’s band, waterdeep, has been an underground favorite for years with folks who like folksy, bluesy, jam-band, acoustic, electric, rock & funk – they’ve been consistent in their drive to put out solid, well-put-together music without compromising the music itself.
one thing i particularly appreciate about his music (oh, that voice) has been his ability to stay true to living life – chaffer is a christian who writes and sings about real life not the syrupy sappiness that gets played on mainstream christian radio stations. he writes about pain, about joy, about his family, his frustrations, despair, and contentment – all without becoming a caricature or a pretender. much of what passes for “christian” music today is a cartoon of life – it’s not real or even remotely realistic.
Download Bob Dylan’s Shelter From the Storm
the above song was recorded at the same concert as the first one – he and his wife lori do a cover of bob dylan’s shelter from the storm.
some of our favorite concerts have been waterdeep shows – they have a cohesiveness and fluidity that showcases not only their collective skill as a unit, but the individual skills of each member. being in the audience as they branch off into long, extended solos and improvisational songs is almost surreal.
but that voice. so sweet. so high.
oh, when i grow up, please let me be able to sing like don chaffer.
as a kid, i remember going through my dad’s record collection and playing a little of everything. he had a cool box that was big enough to hold a number of 45′s (or singles) – he had a card for each one and a short description included on the card – and he had a whole lot of stuff from when he was growing up (50′s and 60′s).
one in particular that will always remain lodged in my brain was called Delicious! and it featured Jim Backus, of Gilligan’s Island / Mr. Magoo fame.
it was the stupidest thing i’ve ever heard. lush, romantic piano background, corks popping, inebriated individuals laughing, carrying on and on and on…
i remember as a kid listening to this and laughing hysterically! dad would listen, too, and he would laugh as well and by the end we couldn’t stop!
and i still can’t help but laugh with them. it’s so damn funny. and stupid.
but it would be unfair of me to tell you about this and not share, so click below on the Audio MP3 button to hear the actual 45 of Delicious! but please listen responsibly – do not operate heavy machinery while under the influence of Backus and crew.
Download Delicious!
twelve hour drive back home
by end, minute measure lengthens
exponentially
i’m in cincinnati for a couple days hanging out with family, celebrating birthdays, driving to toledo to get lise, and having a good time in the cooler weather.
saturday was a birthday party over at my aunt diane’s house – my cousin chris and her astute, five-year-old offspring camden came in from south bend. cam and i had some interesting conversations about coinslots, cute girls, and tattoos. while creating artistically stunning designs using rubber stamps, cam and i gave each other some gnarly tats of our own.
i gave cam a snoopy tat, thinking that snoopy’s free-wheeling, fun disposition matched his and would make a definite statement to the world about what he’s all about. i dropped, popped, and locked that sucker right on his face and we were both quite pleased with the result.
cam chose a flower tattoo for me. i can only imagine that he
was thinking that my budding optimism, my flowery opinion of the human condition, my blooming love for all God’s creatures, the spring in my step, the buzz of creativity flying through my mind – i must match that flower and by golly i’m gonna wear it proudly!
the rest of the afternoon was spent showing off our sweet tats, having mini-food fights, teaching each other new tricks and phrases, and taking pictures. when we parted, cam and i agreed to never have laser surgery done to remove our gifts to each other, and would always proudly display them to all we encountered! it was a heartwarming, uplifting show of love and admiration for each other and the bond we had formed.
my hopes and dreams were dashed the following morning. my assumption that we had used permanent ink shows my naivete – my tat was last seen circling the drain in the shower. the memories are fading. my pride, collapsed.
cam – it’s time to come visit pensacola.
much sadness at her passing and prayers for her family.
i don’t go ga-ga over all musicians, but katie was special. incredible voice, great musician, and she was hott to boot. lise picks on me, but my favorite track of hers is “Show Your Love” off the No Retakes CD.
check her website out and buy some of her music – you’ll thank me later.
a tradition as old as civilization itself, the end of a meal at any chinese restaurant is always pure joy. how can you go wrong with those sometimes flaky, sometimes rock-hard, sometimes bland, sometimes sweet fortune cookies served after you’ve stuffed yourself silly?
who passed on the tradition to me? i’d be hard pressed to remember at my advanced age, but i will say that once it clicked, it’s never been forgotten.
the check comes.
the fortune cookies, individually wrapped, are placed before you.
the fight to get the one meant for you.
the crinkling of the cellophane.
the cracking of the cookie.
your fortune revealed!
BUT
incomplete!
much breath has been wasted arguing about the proper phrasing necessary to reveal one’s true fortune, but i have come to the conclusion that the only totally encompassing and acceptable phrase is “in your shorts” – it fits almost all situations and fortunes equally well.
many years and hundreds of fortunes later, i’ve whittled down to two the ones that truly reveal the power of chinese fortune-telling and the magic phrase needed for complete revelation.
fight with me if you must, but i will go to the grave standing by my fortune-unlocking, future-revealing phrase. you need to try it yourself – order some chinese tonight, crack that sucker open and give it a run. let me know how it ends. add your own phrase if you must, but at least give this one a shot.
and besides: what guy doesn’t want great physical powers and an iron constitution… in his shorts?
a gentleman in tennessee is suing his church for when he fell and hit his head after being slain in the Spirit last year.
the full article is here.
maybe that fall was supposed to help him achieve humility and show grace in the face of God-given pain?
