O.K., I'm Jealous
Yes, I am jealous. Not of some guy who happened to look in my wife's direction. Or of all the people I know who have "made something" of themselves before 40. And not of all the guys who get to play guitar for a living. I am jealous of
A tall boy with glasses who thinks too much for his own good. And I am also jealous of the
American Blogger. I would be jealous of the
Floating Catman but he is so dang polite (we opened the door to the bathroom for me and held it for me, nice.) See these two blogmasters actually have people commenting on their blogs, and not just me! I know, I know, "post more and often", "it takes time to get people to respond." Whatever, I'm still jealous. I want it now! (See Veruca Salt)
Here are some reasons why people may not comment:
1. Nobody gives a rat's
2. My wife is too busy at work to comment on all my posts
3. I'm not sarcastic enough
4. I don't cuss (not on purpose anyway)
5. I talked about God
6. I don't have a cool template
7. I said I was a Christian (and they are all dorks)
8. Nobody likes The Who
9. I took a shot at Kerry
10. NOBODY IS READING THIS ANYWAY!
I'm going to read someone else's blog.
Morning Moon
The moon was in my windshield as I drove to work today. It was a wonderful thing especially after a desert storm like last night. It is not even 7 am and it's already been a great day!
BIG GUITARS FROM MEMPHIS
If you are into very intense rockabilly guitar stuff you HAVE to check out
Big Guitars From Memphis I came across these guys a few years back when Mp3.com was worth something. This guy slings a double necker with one 6 and one 12 stringer...very fast, very big.
Aunt Mad
My Aunt who I haven't talked to in years recently made contact with me. This was cool because I owe most of the creative/artistic blood in me to that (my mom's) side of my family. They were all very into music and my grandma was a dance teacher in Tucson. She had a million cats. But they were all kind of hippies in a way. I remember this aunt, we'll call her Aunt Mad (I called her The Mad Scientist!) gave me Jimi Hendrix Smash Hits in like 4th grade! Can you imagine an little 4th grade dude in a white, Catholic school shirt waling around singing, "Foxy Lady"? I think it was my Uncle Jimmy (her brother) who turned me on to The Who (greatest rock and roll band) in the form of Odds and Sodds -The album with Long Live Rock on it! And of course they turned me on to the Beatles who my mom reassured me for years were going to get back together! ANYWAY, it is good to hear from her. I was going somewhere with this...The other side of my family gave me a lot of money...Now I don't have any money but the music is ingrained in my soul. Thanks Aunt Mad.
And Kerry Would Know How?
...because he lives there and all.
Kerry:"I think the prime minister is, obviously, contradicting his own statement of a few days ago, where he said the terrorists are pouring into the country.""The president says that things are getting better in Iraq and we must just stay the same course," said Kerry. "Well, I disagree. They're not getting better and we need to change the course to protect our troops and to win.
OK JOHN, say what you mean: "Look how bad everything is so you should vote for me!" Yeah, thats how you do it. Put down Allawis and make yourself look good. Um, doesn't work here Mr. Longface.
Bush: "You can't lead this country if your ally in Iraq feels like you question his credibility." "The message ought to be to the Iraqi people: 'We support you.'
And we support you W!
Cat Wants In Plug
As a follow up to Guitars and God I would like to plug a friend's site
Cat Wants In. It is basically the best site for Christian music. There is a lot of good Christain music out there. Don't get me wrong. Or do, whatever.
U2 BTW
U2's upcoming album, "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", has a song on it called "Yahweh"...I wonder what Bono has to say about Him?
Guitars and God
Riddle me this Batman: Can a Christian man listen to secular rock and roll and still worship God at the same time? Many a good church-goer would most definitely say no. Stay away from that devil music. But I beg to differ. God wants my heart...it's all through the
bible. If my heart leaps at the
Pete Townshend's first guitar crash of Won't Get Fooled Again and I thank God I am alive at that moment then
what? I did not put my fiery passion for guitar driven rock in my heart...so Who did? While I am not a big Bryan Adams fan but I heard "I got my first real six-string/Yeah at the five and dime/Played it till my fingers bled/it was the summer of '69, and I started crying.
I remember the summer of '81 when "me and some boys from school got a band and we tried real hard" in my dad's garage. We had egg crates all over the walls, little stash places everywhere, a drum kit, amps, guitars, all the things of heaven. The garage door even opened up to air out the smoke when it was time for my dad or stepmother to come home. That song at 6:00 in the morning as I was driving to work IN A TIE took me back to some of the most magical times of my life. And it brought me closer to God. I thanked him that I had those times. It reminded me that there is still a longhaired guitar player in my heart and he mustn't be shoved down into a dark recess of my memory bank because I am a Christian now. As a matter of fact, I thought Jesus was cool when I was a kid because He had long hair!
I also got closer to God because I was reminded of what I was saved from. If my "dream" had come true, I would have been up there with Hendrix, but not because of my guitar playing. I would be dead from drugs and booze. Thank you Jesus! Sure, I wish I had a gold record hanging in my house but at least I have a house, and a wife, kids, the whole shebang. But as long as I stay away from reveling in the "glory days" of partying like a rock star and relish what music does to my soul then YES, I can listen to
The Who, The Beatles, even Guns 'N Roses and feel closer to God.
Then there is Christian music. Now the message is the thing there but, for the most part, the music wanes. The bands that can hold even a small candle to the rockers of old still don't come close. Yes, there are some very good Christian bands, Third Day, Sonic Flood, Casting Crowns, and some excellent musicians and songwriters, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Thomlin, Lincoln Brewster, but
still. While the words outweigh the music bringing the good news to the world, it is the music that often lets me down. Now I am not knocking Christian rock, I am just saying, FOR ME, listening to certain secular music goes deeper into my soul and moves me. And that is where God is.
Today's Loser: Home Depot
I was sent this by an
American Blogger at work. What losers (not the blogger!). I wonder if the marketing team is patting themselves of the back. For every stinking wry smile on their faces is hundreds of downtrodden, heart broken stares into space by the people who lost their homes and lives. I am sure many of these people are thanking God for what they have left. The ad people at Home Depot should start asking God to forgive them. I am cancelling my account.
My Wife Digs Zeppelin
I'm not sure quite how it happened when my wife's true soul was revealed to me. I think I was calling her on the cell phone while she was driving. I couldn't hear her over the music. That's when it all became clear. Rock and Roll by Zeppelin was CRANKED in the background. I know she must have had at least one of my kids in the car! Oh but what would our friends from church say? (Actually, some of them would want to borrow the CD) But that's when I called her on it. "Honey, it's alright. I already know. You dig Zeppelin." At that very moment a huge weight was lifted off of her beautiful soul as her confession rang over Jimmy Page's guitar solo. "Yes, I dig Zeppelin. I really do."
WOW! what a moment. Straight out of a ZA meeting. "Hi I'm Angell, and I dig Zeppelin." then from the crowd..."Hi Angell."
Ever since then she has been free to rock out whenever one of the new Cadillac commercials comes on. It took a while for our 10-year-old to get used to it. After all, dad is the wild one. His huge smile spreads across his face as he raises one eye brow as if to say, " Ah ha. Now I now what's going on!" Now her true rock and roll girl that has been hiding in her heart can come out and shake her hair. I have been trying to sneak up on her to catch her playing air guitar with the broom but she has kept all that closely under wraps.
But this should not be suprising. When we met I had hair down to my shoulders, four ear rings, ripped jeans and a flowered shirt on, and a black Les Paul Custom hanging around my neck on the makeshift stage of the now long-gone Long Wong's in Tempe. It is the very best in rock and roller meets knock-out brunette-who-leaves-her-fiance-to-hang-with-guitar player story. I'll tell the story someday. It has a happy ending that goes something like, "Guitar player marries knock out brunette-they have two great kids-they find God-and SHE DIGS ZEPPELIN! Now that rocks.
When Angel Falls
What will happen when Angel falls?
Will she reach out to me?
Will I be the lucky soul
To help her mend her wings?
She's flies sideways
And sometimes not at all
Will I be the lucky one to catch
Her when she falls?
Angell please hurry
I'm waiting on the ground
As you spiral out of control
What will it take to bring you down?
I wish you would throw it all away
And give yourself to me
Let me in your broken heart
If only I could heal
She flies, sometimes against the wind
She flies, sometimes in the clouds
She flies, sometimes on the dark
She flies, sometimes in the rain
Ready 4 School
Here she is, ready for her first day of school. And yes, she's wearing pink!
