Saturday, December 07, 2024

Secret Successes and Broken Shoelaces

Hey Dude, I'm really sorry it's been so long since my last call. I riff about a "big f'n deal" announcement that is still a secret, while also lamenting all of the broken shoelaces in my life. 

QUOTE: "It's not the big things in life that kill you. It's the little things like breaking a shoelace with no time left." - Charles Bukowski 

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: Charles Bukowski, Sylvester Stallone

PLACES: North Hollywood High School

THINGS: Rocky, X (the band), Twitter, Bluesky

SOUNDS: plane, birds, footsteps, gravel path,  Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes 

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Cafe at Christmas" shot with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: December 6, 2024 on the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in BurbankCalifornia

GEAR: iPhone XS voice memo recorder.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Ode to Joan Baez


Hey Dude, the other night I watched the Joan Baez documentary "I Am a Noise" and it struck me to the core. My new found reverence for Joan Baez is beyond measure. Plus I couldn't think of my favorite singer's name...Brandi Carlile. 

QUOTE: "Madonna, not Madonna the performer. Madonna the Virgin Mary." 

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: Norah Jones, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Eilish & Finneas, The Carpenters, The Go-Go's, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Virgin Mary, Taylor Swift, Aretha Franklin, Adele, Mimi Fariña

PLACES: Laguna Beach, California, Los Angeles, Highland Park, Southern California, Altadena, Carmel, Woodside

THINGS: The Go-Go's documentary, Seinfeld, Break Point, Netflix, I Am a Noise, civil rights, Quakers, pacifism, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

SOUNDS: plane, birds, footsteps, gravel path, Mimi, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Joan Baez Googled" shot with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: March 18, 2024 on the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

 

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Going Viral

 


Hey Dude, I had a minor battle with COVID before I really went viral with a Star Wars post in a Generation X group on Facebook.

QUOTE: "A two-year-old has no context of anything..." 

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: David Letterman

PLACES: Hollywood Burbank Airport, Canada

THINGS: COVID-19, vaccines, Star Wars, micro-generations, 1977, Substack, Generation X, 1965-1980, 1960, 1980, Facebook, History of Podcasting, Rocky

SOUNDS: birds, footsteps, gravel path, plane, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Star Wars Viral" shot with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: February 16, 2024 on the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.


Sunday, December 31, 2023

The Day After Christmas

 

Hey Dude, I left you melancholy message about my crazy days before the holidays, along with a sad remembrance of my mom's last Christmas.

QUOTE: "At least that's what I call the day after Christmas..." 

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: Dean Whitbread, Doug Mcintyre

PLACES: England, Henry's Tacos, Ernie's Taco House, Casa Vega, El Coyote

THINGS: Libsyn, Subaru, Outback, Crosstrek, Faberge egg, Christmas, Christmas Eve, "It's A Wonderful Life", redemption story, Boxing Day, Redeye Radio, KFI, New Years, IBM

SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel path, the 5 Freeway, birds, Ming-Ming, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "First Christmas" from an original photo, shot with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: December 28, 2023 from the "The Barn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Spoken Word and Music at the Hong Kong Cafe


Hey Dude, the PBS documentary "The Chinatown Punk Wars" took me back in my mind to my best live performance at the Hong Kong Cafe.

QUOTE: "I was totally free on stage." 

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: The Dude, Karen Carpenter, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, Keith Morris, John Doe

PLACES: DTLA, Arts District, Al's Bar, Chinatown, Echo Park, Sunset Blvd., Millie's, Madame Wong's, Hong Kong Cafe

THINGS: Generation X, Boomers, micro generation, Artbound, PBS, "The Chinatown Punk Wars", punk rock, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, new wave, podcasting, Kittens for Christian, industrial punk, spoken word, Thanksgiving

SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel path, the 5 Freeway, birds, Ming-Ming, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Hong Kong Palm" with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: November 16, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

 

Saturday, September 02, 2023

Rebel Without a Reunion

Hey Dude, the brewing storm inside my sobriety kept me from going to my North Hollywood High School "rebel reunion" for the class of 1984. I also riff on the weather.

QUOTE: "The wind blowing kinda stirred my soul."

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: Sinéad O'Connor, Dean Whitbread

PLACES: North Hollywood High School, Walter Reed Junior High School

THINGS: Tropical Storm Hilary, History of Podcasting

SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel path, the 5 Freeway, knee pop, motorcycle, helicopter, birds,  Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes 

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Football Profile Pic" with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: September 1, 2023 from the "Lavina Cafe" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in BurbankCalifornia

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

The GLOW of My Great Uncle's FBI File

Hey Dude, the FBI finally sent me the file on my Great Uncle Blayney. It's a 210 page mixed bag, but now I have a new angle to tell his story. I also recently binged GLOW and Ted Lasso. 

QUOTE: "I'm not easy to work with, for sure."

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: Alison Brie, Marc Maron, Jason Sudeikis, Lester Holt, Blayney F. Matthews, Alan Ladd, Joseph Dougherty

PLACES: Lowe's, Glassel Park, Eagle Rock, Warner Bros., Hollywood Burbank Airport

THINGS: Netflix, HULU, GLOW, Ted Lasso, SNL, FBI, Los Angeles County District Attorney, draft board, Academy Awards

SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, wind, plane, the 5 Freeway, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes 

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Cafe Revisited" with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: July 21, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in BurbankCalifornia

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

 

Saturday, July 01, 2023

Rebuilding My Engine

 


Hey Dude, my life has been a real jigsaw puzzle, slowly put back together this past month. Not only does my truck have a rebuilt engine, I may have found my voice...again. 

QUOTE: "At first I thought it was going to be a disaster, but in the end, it was perfect."

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE: Dean Whitbread, John in the UK, Father Time, Joseph Dougherty

PLACES: Altadena Library, Bob Lucas Branch, Bob's Big Boy (Toluca Lake), Yosemite, Fresno, Oakhurst, Frazier Park, Los Angeles County, Bakersfield, Central Valley

THINGS: Ford Ranger Truck, History of Podcasting, Facebook, Podcast Movement

SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, wind, birds, plane, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Intro Pod Tweet" with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: June 29, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Star Wars Generation

Hey Dude, I riff on the idea of "micro-generations" and make the case that I'm at the center of my own private "Star Wars Generation" even though I'm really a Rocky guy.

QUOTE: "The wheelhouse crowd for Star Wars..."

AUDIO LINK

PEOPLE/ACTORS: JFK, David Sheehan, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Sylvester Stallone, Christopher Walken

PLACES: Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood High School

FILM/TV: Brady Bunch, Star Wars, Rocky, Han Solo, American Graffiti, Phantom Menace, Shampoo, 1883, 1923, Yellowstone, Tulsa King

THINGS: micro-generations, Generation X, baby boomers, millennials, JFK Assassination, moon landing, Watergate, analog, astronomy

SOUNDS: birds, footsteps, gravel path, airplane, helicopter Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Google Star Wars and Rocky" with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: February 5, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Inspired by Annie Lennox (and Friends)

Hey Dude, I was feeling deep blue until I saw a Facebook post from an old high school classmate, and later the video of Annie Lennox getting inducted into the Rock Hall.

AUDIO LINK

QUOTE: "Whenever I need to jump start my creativity, I watch it."

PEOPLE: Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, Eurythmics, Edge, U2, The Tourists, Freddie Mercury, Queen, David Bowie, Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Jack Kerouac

PLACES: The Valley, North Hollywood High School, Wembley Stadium, Universe

THINGS: ADU, Facebook, "California Girls", Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Story Salon, "Under Pressure", Showgirls, Bound, Thanksgiving

SOUNDS: wind, birds, footsteps, gravel path, saw, dog bark, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes 

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Google Lennox and Bowie" with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: November 22, 2022 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in BurbankCalifornia

GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.

HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.