Is This Living?

Um, that's brilliant.

Careering
PiL

A face is raining
Across the border
The pride of history
The same as murder
Is this living
He's been careering

The steady hand as planned
Behind the reasoning
No claim for property
Both sides of the river
There is bacteria
Is this living
He's been careering

Trigger machinery
Mangle the military
No one should be there
Is this living
Blown into breeze
Scatter concrete
The jagged metal bad life
Manufactured
He's been careering

Is this living
A face is raining
Across the border
The pride of history
The same as murder
Is this living careering

There must be meaning
Behind the moaning
Spreading tales
Like coffin nails
Is this living
He's been careering

It's raining
I need to hide
Trigger machinery
I've been careering

Across the border
Is this living
Both sides of the river
There is bacteria
Armoured machinery mangled

Post Punk Party Mix

I'm a little distracted worrying about my mom. This blog is a good diversion. It's nice to be home, and I noticed something after being in the hospital for 6 days. When I play my iPod in the car, I am not switching songs all the time. I am actually listening to playlists. One of them is this one, and it was wiped from my computer--it existed only on my iPod. It was a playlist I made for a party here at the house. I invited the Humanities folks over for a holiday get-together. I asked them to bring their iPods. I challenged them to make a mix (this was even before we hired Joshua!!). Kim and Larry brought mixes. This is the mix I made. I just uploaded it to 8tracks.

Some of these tracks were converted from vinyl. To this day, that is my only source for Kilimanjaro by The Teardrop Explodes. Found the original party invite from back in 2005:

My wife Kathy and I will be hosting a 2006 Humanities Welcome Back party at our house on Thursday, January 12, 2006. This is the day of Welcome Back. All MCC Humanities faculty & staff (including kids, spouses and partners) are welcome.

Post Punk Party Mix

Oh, and something's changed over at 8tracks. Mix descriptions are now limited to 140 characters. In a way, I guess that's good. I tend to be long-winded there. That's what the blog is for. They also don't want you to post playlists (which I never did). Again, that's what the blog is for.

Playlist

1. We Live As We Dream Alone / Gang Of Four
2. Metal / Gary Newman
3. Fall In Love With Me / Japan
4. Frustration / Soft Cell
5. Telegraph / OMD
6. Everybody's Happy Nowadays / Buzzcocks
7. The Love Parade / The Undertones
   
8. Went Crazy / The Teardrop Explodes
   
9. Heart and Soul / Joy Division
   
10. Do It Clean / Echo and the Bunnymen
    
11. Ice Age / Joy Division
    
12. Third Uncle / Bauhaus
    
13. Not Great Men / Gang Of Four

Oh, and that photo is Ian McCulloch from Echo. I think those kids were gorgeous.

> On Dec 22, 2005, at 1:08 AM, Steve Robinson wrote:
>
> Okay, Kim & Larry--fire up your iPods.
>
> If you think it would be fun, please accept my invitation to put a
> party playlist together on your 'pods. We'll hook 'em up to the
> stereo on the 12th as a great soundtrack for our gathering.
>
> I'm torn about mine; not sure if I should select a theme, or just
> go for overall vibe.
>
> I looooooove party music.

Teardrop Explodes

Gang of Four Were Brilliant

Buzzcocks

I loved them in high school. They are still really fun. You've got to love this really boring video of them playing. I think Steve Diggle is the coolest-looking guy. At 17, I wished I looked like him (he's the guy to the left of Pete playing the blond Les Paul Special). Gotta love the 80s skinny-tied Steve Garvey dancing and playing his Music Man bass.





Here's another video, this one from German TV. This is so obviously a lip-synch. Must have been common then--I'll bet they just didn't care. I mean, that is the version from the record; you can hear two guitars, but Pete isn't playing. I mean, there's even a fade-out. But Garvey is playing a J-Bass. Cool!





Here's another good one; it's my favorite Buzzcocks song, "Are Everything," which had a trick fadeout at the end.



I love this song because there's no bridge; it just repeats and repeats. Gotta love it!


I also really liked Steve Garvey's bass playing. Here are some pictures of the new bassist; in one, he's playing a MM similar to the one Garvey was playing in the video above and on the cover of Singles Going Steady. In the other, it looks like he's playing one of those Marcus Miller J-Bass models.

Snoozester

Okay, this is pointless... perfect for my blog!

I am staying overnight in the hospital. It's not a hotel. I have a 5:25 am flight back to Detroit tomorrow. Staying in a hotel, I could ask for a wakeup call. Not here. Google "wake up call service" and you will encounter snoozester.com

I tested it. It works. Wake up call scheduled for 2:30 am.

We'll see if I get up in time to gas up and return the rental car and make the flight.

You can earn me free Snoozster credits by signing up:
Sign up for a free Snoozester account

On the serious side... my mother is going to be stable for a few days, so I can now return to my life in Michigan. What she has is a form of interstitial lung disease called viral cyrptogenic pneumonitis. She will be unconscious and on the ventilator for about a week. The potential prognosis is much better for this preliminary diagnosis than it would have been for some of the other interstitial pneumonias. I will stay in touch with her partner as she regains consciousness and hopefully is weaned from the breathing machine. I imagine I will be back down here soon to help in some way. Best to head home and participate in my life there until we find out how I can be of use in the future.

Pneumonia vs. Pneumonitis

Although the names are nearly identical, pneumonitis is not the same as pneumonia. Pneumonitis is lung inflammation without infection, whereas pneumonia is lung inflammation that results from infection. In addition, pneumonia is generally limited to one or two areas of the lungs, but pneumonitis involves all five lobes — two in the left lung and three in the right.
--MayoClinic.com

A difference explained.

Ellington Quarter

No changes in my mom's condition. Just waiting for morning shift change to be over. Meanwhile, more pointless stuff.

DC did the right thing by honoring Duke on their quarter. Duke is America's Bach.

My Mom Is In The Hospital

I've been writing around it as though I don't have friends who check this blog. Sorry for that.

Here's the scoop: my mom is in ICU here at Norfolk General. We thought she had pneumonia, but it's much more serious. She's on a ventilator, not breathing by herself, and we really don't know what's going on. Signs point to interstitial lung disease or cancer. We're worried and I am down here until we find out what is going on.

Thanks for caring. And sorry for not being more direct about it.

No More Driving

Long story, but it was important to Bob to travel back to Hatteras Island these past two nights. He's going back again. I am done. I need to stay here. Driving back to Avon every night is the equivalent of driving from Flint to Muskegon.

8:05 p.m. UPDATE.

Bob just left to make this drive again, and I am so glad that I am staying here with Mom. My room is right here, and the thought of NOT making that drive again makes me happy. It's nice to be happy about something.

Goldplated Motorscooters

Jackie Brown is playing on TNT here in the ICU waiting room. A movie like that without blood and swearwords just ain't a move no more. Just heard a speech from Samuel L. Jackson where the "motorscooters" was substituted for "mot$herf*ckers" and "goldplated" for "god-damned." Meanwhile, I can't help but overhear one end of cellphone conversation about power of attorney and their patient dying.

Juxtaposition.

Five Guys

I've only eaten there twice, but my favorite burger joint is Five Guys. It's a DC thing, but it's spreading. Just like a virus. Like this great quote from Snow Crash:

The franchise and the virus work on the same principle: what thrives in one place will thrive in another. You just have to find a sufficiently virulent business plan, condense it into a three-ring binder — its DNA — xerox it, and embed it in the fertile lining of a well-traveled highway, preferably one with a left-turn lane….

Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

So, I had a Five Guys in DC when my dad was having heart surgery in DC. Had some two nights ago on the drive from Norfolk to Avon to take Bob home.

Inconsequential Zone Ahead

Because this is a blog about inconsquential stuff that doesn't matter, I won't be writing about my stay here at Norfolk Sentara Genreal Hospital. If my blog had even an informal editorial policy, it would prohibit writing about life and death matters; oblique references would be permitted, I suppose. But the blog is a distraction--something to occupy idle brain cells and document pointless projects. Surely there must be a "pointless" angle to this story.

Oh, I have one. During this morning's drive from Avon, NC I picked up a hitchhiker. This guy had run out of gas and spent the night in the van. No problem believing him--there is absolutely NOTHING on that part of the island. I don't suppose picking up hitchhikers is a good idea anymore; this guy reminded me of The Dude from The Big Lebowski. True, he could have been more like Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. But it was damp, and I felt like helping him out.

After I dropped off The Dude in Whalebone, this Oscar Wilde quote came into my head:

"To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune;
To lose both, looks like carelessness."

--Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest

I was able to get it all in my head, just missed the "may be" and had "can be." How's that for pointless and stupid?

I know what warrants a blog entry. Five Guys.

TUNE Syncron SB-4S LTB

Just went into the old file cabinet and the basement and found the product lit for the old Tune bass. The most popular model was the Bass Maniac--sold a lot of those. They also made all kinds of high-end neck-through models. Didn't like any of those. The best one was the one I owned--a basic bolt on.

The model I owned was a Tune Syncron SB-4S LTB. It's identical to the red one pictured here, but in transparent blue. It was cool.



You can see the transparent blue finish below. Body was basswood (ash), and the neck was maple with an ebony board. The thing was light. The active P/J pickups sounded a lot like EMGs. This was a great gig bass.



I ended up returning it because the truss rod had a ring in it. It was part of a brand new line the store was taking on, and my manager threw his weight around to get the American distributor to take it back. In retrospect, I should have kept it. You only heard the truss rod ring when slapping and without the amp. No matter how I tried, I could not get the sound to come out of an amp. And since it's an electric bass, who cared what it sounded like unplugged?

I just remembered that when Diatribe went into the studio, I took a fretless TUNE Syncron that I borrowed from the store. It was just like my blue one, but it was black, fretless, and had a J-Bass pickup set. Not sure if I played it on any of the scratch tracks, but it never made it on anything even if I did: I had to re-record every bass part in one session all by myself because the DI box we used had a short in it! So I re-recorded everything listening to the scratch on headphones. I used my Fender Jazz for those takes.

WARNING: UGLY PHOTOS!

And to cap off all this nostalgia, here are two really ugly shots of me playing that bass at a houseparty. I remember this one. Yes, that is me playing with TWO accordion players--it was Zydeco night! The second shot is me looking pasty-white and very Ian Curtis-like. I am just about Ian's age there. Longish hair and unfortunate floral silk shirt. Circa 1989 or 1990.




There's a good look at my rig in the last photo: Peavey MegaBASS head (400w); Hartke 2x10; MESA/Boogie 1x15. That Boogie cab is the best sounding bass box I ever heard. It made that house shake like a mot%erf*ck&er!

For photos of me with other basses from my past, click here.

My previous basses

• MX P-Bass copy (red--my first bass)
• MX P-Bass copy (black--homemade fretless)
• Rickenbacker 4001 (homemade fretless--borrowed)
• Charvel/Jackson PJ
• Japanese Fender Jazz
• Tune Syncron SB-4
• Teisco Del Rey EB-200
• 1964 Fender Jazz Bass
• Late 80s Fender '62 Reissue P-Bass (Japan)
• Squier 60s Vibe Jazz Bass

Back here a little

I haven't been blogging much. Parents in and out of the hospital (quite literally, actually--one just out, the other just in).

It's hard to write and think about nothing when you're thinking about something. But here's a little nothing. I used to own a really crappy Teisco Del Rey electric bass. It was the crappiest little thing, but it was waaaaaaaaay cool. It came into the store one day and the guitarist in our band really wanted me to buy it. He often played his Teisco guitar on our gig--it was his very first guitar.

Steve could get a great sound out of his Teisco. When I gigged with the bass, I could only play it on a tune or two. It never stayed in tune and it sounded like ass. I remember listening to a tape from the board--the drummer was really pissed because it was a great take, good enough to put on a demo, but the bass just sounded like total crap. Still, it was really cool-looking.



Mine was similar to this one, but it was a solid color slate blue/green. It looked and sounded like something out of a Japanese monster movie. I sold it to buy another bass (which I also sold).

More photos. None of these is the right color. Model number was EB-200 or NB-4.

The Making of Dark Side of the Moon (1997)

In preparation for this weekend's MCC Social Activities Team event (titled either Pink Floyd & Pizza or Lasers & Luigi's), here's a 50-minute doc about the making of one of the greatest rock and roll records ever.





These vids aren't on my YouTube channel, and since they're blatant copyright violations, they might disappear at any time. I did stitch them together into a video playlist (learned how to do that from Philip!). Enjoy!

This is a neat little documentary.

Well, it's a danger that we could become slaves of all our equipment. And in the past, we have been. But what we're trying to do is to sort it all out, so that we're not... It worries me sometimes. That we have this much equipment. And you can hide behind it.

Richard Wright, 1972

Let's Play Asteroids (feels like Boyne Highlands ca. 1982)

Asteroids made by Neave Games

Writing & Listening

Eliza Carthy & The Kings of Calicutt (1997)

TIP: As your friends what you should listen to; they won't steer you wrong.

So, I spent much of the day working on a big writing project that is due on June 1, 2009. Feels like dissertation days. At any rate, I had a visit from my pal Aaron who teaches History at our place. I love to talk with teachers. I love talking with people who like music. It's the first time anyone has mentioned Neil Peart (Rush drummer) in my office that I know about; I was proud to show off my little office audiophile rig and show that I had every Rush record at my fingertips, even though I didn't know that until right then.

At any rate, Aaron recommended Eliza Carthy, who is great. It's been a long time since I've dug in deep on the Celtic thing. Wrote and listened to her stuff for most of the afternoon (that is, until the paint dried in the room next door).

BMW 1150GS

I love Harleys, but if I were buying a bike for myself to ride out west, this would be my ride:



Great for the highway; even better for the BLM trails and land. Take a tent, sleeping bag, camping gear. Say goodbye to the world for a couple of weeks. Stop into a motel every few days to take a shower and charge the BlackBerry.

Ah, the thought...

OUCH! This hurts. Look at this:



Buy It Now on eBay for $8K. That thing is 600 lbs of pure freedom! Add a tent, sleeping bag, cookstove and extra gas tank and you wouldn't hear from me for a month!

Year: 2003
Make: BMW
Model: R-Series
Mileage: 54,000
Engine: 1130 CC
Exterior Color: Silver
Accent Color: Gray
Body Style: Dual Sport Adventure
Title Status: Clear

Street Glide

I've got a cool model of a Harley StreetGlide in my office. It's exactly like this one, which I rented last year for the Colorado Plateau motorcycle trip with my dad:


After the car accident, I didn't think I'd be pining away for a motorcycle ride. But I am ready to do it again. Man that's a sweet-looking bike!

From the 7-Year Old's Perspective

Owen brought this drawing home from school yesterday. Both he and his sister are doing fine--they don't seem to be shaken by the incident at all. Kath also took them both the the pediatrician; they checked out A-OK.



Thanks be to God, or engineers, or lucky stars, or whomever you thank in these situations.

Everyone Is Okay...

Perhaps it would be a good thing to write out the whole incident. But I frankly just don't have the energy to do that--I've told the story so many times. The only thing that matters is the ending: our kids are fine, I am fine, and we continue to be some of the luckiest people in the world. Maybe I'll come back and write about it after the police report is posted.





Here's the e-mail I sent to my boss:

Everyone is fine now, but the kids and I were in a serious car accident on I-75 yesterday (Kathy wasn't with us in the van). All three of us went to the hospital, but we were discharged last night with minor pains, cuts, and whiplash. We were slowing down for a construction backup and were rear-ended by a car going about 65 mph. Everyone is doing great considering. I'm certain the kids will be going to school on Monday, and I won't need to miss any time at work--again, just whiplash, bumps and bruises. It could have been a whole lot worse.

My main reason for sending the e-mail is to let you know that I might need to do some rental car stuff on Monday morning before I get into the office. Also, I might need to duck out to arrange something with the totalled van--we still don't know where it is right now, as the ambulance took the kids and me away from the scene before it was towed. The van is totally scrap now--the truck that hit us intruded into the rear about 3 feet!

Again, everyone is okay, and I feel very, very fortunate. I just wanted to let you know. See you tomorrow!