This N' That

A few hours before I head into the office - some thoughts.

Again, thanks to my friends Don Myers, Mike Frantz, Joan Zwagerman, and the Cullen boys for commenting in print or on Substack on recent events. They do a wonderful job of getting details and picking apart issues of the days. If I joined in ( and I might at some point), it would be like a Greek Chorus at this juncture. So I’ll let them handle it for now. Down the road, who knows?

We lost a few people of note recently. Marianne Faithfull went on to quite the prolific recording career, once she was finished playing the muse to Mick, Keef, and the Stones back in the early days. I somehow missed her brilliant punk/new wave album from 1979,” Broken English” and had to revisit that. Marianne lived a couple of different lives in one. It’s only rock and roll, and thank you, Marianne.

Actor Gene Hackman passed away under some tragic circumstances - if it was dementia or Alzheimer’s that Mr. Hackman succumbed to, boy, what a slow killer of a disease. “The French Connection” comes to mind, as Gene got the Oscar nod for a brilliant portrayal of detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle. Either truly sadistically scary in “Unforgiven” or sneaking in some comedy such as the hermit in “Young Frankenstein” (“Wait! I was going to make expresso!”), Gene brought a smoldering intensity to every role. Thanks Gene - we will be re-watching your movies for a long time.

Hernia, slight heart murmur, eye floaters, vertigo, back issues sometimes due to flat feet and bowlegs - well, I never really share whatever health concerns pop up with me these days. Seems like the modus operandi when you hit a certain age. Some folks have it far worse. Still, you’ve got to carry on. Use it or lose it, kids.

I’ve been subscribing to “No Depression” magazine since the mid 1990’s. Not only is the journalism quality stuff, but I find out about new and old musicians on the Americana/roots rock/whatever music scenes. Their spring 2025 journal brings forth a bevy of stories, one in particular about the disappearing musician middle class. I see it, and I’ve seen enough to know that I’ve seen too much, to borrow a baseball quote. A pittance for streaming royalties, rising costs of traveling, healthcare, and lower income from playing gigs, the lack of small or any music venues reopening since the pandemic - good luck to any artist sailing these waters today. Just a few of many problems. Looking back, I probably had it better than what I thought that I had it during my gig days. Even with those odds, folks continue to soldier forth. Bless them all - we need you, especially these days.

Speaking of music, I’ve had the pleasure of spinning a few discs as of late. Tobacco City is a Chicago based band that conjures up a musical brew that reminds you of early Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Throw in some cosmic country jams and we’ll call it good. Their new album, “Horses”, is a total pleasure. As we mention Emmylou, I revisited her game-changing classic ‘90’s albums, “Wrecking Ball” and the live set companion,”Spyboy”. Producer Daniel Lanois, whom I’ve touted as one of my favorites, brings a timeless mix of music to the proceedings for “Wrecking Ball”. You can’t go wrong with a live band consisting of Emmylou, Buddy Miller, Daryl Johnson, and Brady Blade for the live disc. And yes, I do have a ‘program’ that I’m addicted to on the weekends - CBS “Saturday Morning”. The segments on there are wonderfully insightful, plus I’ve never gone wrong with any band that they book on there for the music segment that wraps up the show. Boy howdy and pass the Krispy Kreme coffee.

That’s all for now - have a great week, everyone. Let’s make the most of it and give each other a hand up.