I had spent so much time not thinking of the past, or the future. On that day, that night, her last… I wasn’t thinking of the present anymore, either. She lay there, with enough Fentanyl to kill a rhino, gasping for breath. Whimpering for breath. All I could think of was, “Please quit, my love. …
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I am alone. Been alone for a long time now. I’m not referring to periods of loneliness, when your only contact with those you like or love is perhaps a fleeting hour at the bar on Fridays. My “alone” is one happy hour at the bar being a highlight of the month. Two months. Social …
(I imagine Burgess Meredith in the role) “YOU! Get off of the sidewalk! Retreat to your unit, er, home, immediately!” “But… the sky is so blue today, and the air smells so good. It is a good day for a walk.“ “Practice social distancing, now!” “But I am practicing social distancing… there’s no one around.” …
Damn. I once wrote that when I was a kid, I was convinced that the Harlem Globetrotters were comprised of players too talented for pro basketball. Supermen. Superheroes; their colorful uniforms a costume. No joke. I don’t think I was the only young person who considered the pre-Jordan, pre-Bird NBA to be boring B-league stuff …
A posthumous “Best Disruptive Innovation” award to Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and producer/impresario Trevor Horn. Eighties music was rife with social and political commentary, but much of it was either too soft or too hard. The masses weren’t smart enough for Devo, and Black Flag was a little rough on most suburbanites’ ears. In comes …
I’m only askin’ But I… I think you know One of the greatest songs of my generation, twice played on a mixtape in the car today on a brief trip to Oly… and then when I turned on XM33, there it was again. Released as a single 35 years ago next month, from one of …
Yet to spot a pretty girl in my new home of Kelso/Longview, but I do hold out hope – for one of the most beautiful women in the world was from Longview, and lived here her entire life. It was a bit of a sensation when a Washington State girl, Sharry Konopski, became Playboy’s Playmate …
It’s astounding that almost 20 years after I first hassled the Butler brothers about releasing a new album, they finally did it. The video for the second single, “You’ll Be Mine,” dropped today. Classic Psychedelic Furs meets the 21st century, at last. From our conversations, I got the impression that Richard and Tim might’ve had …
As a decades-long fan of both sex and honesty, this is naturally one of my Depeche Mode favorites. “Stripped” is of course not about sex, but about the intimacy that on the best of nights sex can be, ironically, a gateway to. Nose-to-nose on a couch, intertwined in bed… sharing dreams, fears… truths. On the …
Every great once in a while I get fan mail. Or, a nice note about something, really. I sent this little bit from EPB as a response to such a note. I am not a great writer; though I will nowadays admit that I’m a good, completely self-taught bit of a hack. I never finished …
She might pass close to your route maybe once a week, a month, a year… sometime she’s so close, you can almost make out her flags; at others, she’s a flickering light in the dark distance. All you can do is keep muscle and coal on hand down in the boiler, the decks swabbed; lines …
Damn, at 2:15 AM, I feel like Donald Fagen on the cover of The Nightfly album. A Valentine’s Day postscript, this song and video from the Dark Prince. Meant to post it earlier, as it is one of the most exquisite love songs of my generation. I’ve heard him sing it on stage many times, …
My countdown to Valentine’s Day continues with one of the most romantic songs I can think of. Paired with a brilliantly unusual video that’s somehow absolutely perfect… they have literally brought me to tears, on occasion, for over 30 years now. It. Is. So. Fucking. Great. At the band’s peak, Bono and the Edge evoked …
King went to Memphis to help a labor dispute, two months before I was born… King went to a lot of places, knowing full well a gunman might be waiting. He went with a trust in his god, with conviction. But his god didn’t fail him… America failed Dr. King, and continues to fail him. …
Drums are not like the piano or the guitar.They are inherently loud. Noisy. They take up space. Drums do not travel well, and do not adorn living rooms as de facto furniture. The scourge of basements and garages, the source of loathing and scorn by parents for generations.Thus, in decades of olde one may have …
I remember Andrea being so distraught, both of us being so shook at the news of his death. It’s such an odd phenomenon, being shook up at a popular figure’s death, and then being dead yourself 9 months later. If you haven’t read this before, this is a good, funny story: A couple of her …
(SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2016) Our beloved Pepper, my baby, left us last Monday after a very brief illness. She was 11. A suspected lung tumor; the vet said that cats often hide symptoms for a long time… all I know is that it was about 10 days from signs of illness to her passing. Last …
2020. Am I the only one who shudders more violently at that number than I did at “2000?” What a f**kin’ joke everything has turned out to be so far in this century. I’ll pick just one that’s in my craw – again – lately: communication. We’ve been back in the age of the telegraph …
Relationships seem to be a series of actions and reactions… some good, some great, some a series of unfortunate misunderstandings – like an episode of Three’s Company, with tears. This song has long reminded me of a period of our marriage in which Andrea was suffering some medical issues and deepening depression that I did …
[Ed. Note – Steve Stav’s wife and fellow journalist, Andrea Miller, died in October 2016 after breast cancer had reached her brain — ending a six-and-a-half year battle. In every way, Andrea was his Myrna Loy, his Elaine May, his Keely Smith. The sort of woman who graciously and cleverly made him think that he …
Holey foreshadowing, Batman. I was just watching Mental As Anything videos last night – stuff I haven’t seen in years – and this evening, read the news that singer/keyboardist Andrew “Greedy” Smith just died of a heart attack while driving in Sydney. Smith, 63, was a beloved figure in Australia for decades, having co-formed Mental …
This prompts something that I’d forgotten… my mom was a fan of the Sears surplus store, especially at Christmas. It was down in the area now called “Sodo.” We’re talking 1970s/early 80s. Though my father had a great job – he was a vice-president of SeaFirst bank, running all their computers – he kept us …
Legendary guitarist Gerry McGee, 82, died of an apparent heart attack in Tokyo Oct. 12 while on a solo tour of Japan. McGee replaced The Ventures’ Nokie Edwards between 1968 (“Hawaii 5-0“) and 1972, and then returned to the band in 1985. He continued performing and recording with The Ventures until two years ago – …
My hearing has been okay since the implant worked itself out of my head (see old “blood streaming down face” story), but I have problems locating the source of sounds. And sometimes certain frequencies(?) don’t sound right. Yesterday I was in line at the 7-11, and I thought I heard a crying baby some feet …
A dizzying cavalcade of romanticism, literally a catalyst for orgasm around the world. Frejus, France, 1982. Roxy Music’s last tour for 19 years, promoting their new (and last) album, Avalon. More than ten years of evolution – some dramatic, some incremental – behind it. A frontman at the peak of his powers, a peak that …
Even if you know who Magazine is, do me a favor and just watch the first number, eh? So freakin’ awesome. And newcomers – tell me how many 21st century acts kinda sorta sound like this, inimitable vocals aside. Howard Devoto is a weird guy. He’s also a genius. And not very consistent in his …
Continuing with today’s Beatles theme… my favorite song by anyone, I suppose. From one of my favorite movies; it’s terribly silly, but you can’t beat the cinematography… or that music. I don’t know why I’ve always loved this song so much, other than I can relate to the sentiments and phrases. It’s the greatest sing-along. …
A Beatles album’s ability to take you away from wherever you are, perhaps even from what you are, has always been one of the band’s strongest selling points. Rubber Soul, Magical Mystery Tour, Sgt. Pepper’s, Help!, The Beatles For Sale, and this one – they take you places. As exciting as the first song is, …
You know, I just prefer Peter Hook, an aging pirate captain bellowing electronic-laced sea shanties late at night. Let’s face it, Bernard has never been a Pavarotti, either, and Mr. Hook has so much more energy and heart. And a sense of humour. – Steve Stav
Everybody from Freddie Mercury to the Boss, on the edges of their seats listening to this micro-epic over the last 55 years – knowing full well the outcome, because they’ve heard it countless times. In the middle of the night – as Springsteen once put it, “best with the lights turned off” – relating to …