Sweethook - EMS Picnic 2010 7/25/10 - Cunningham Park,The Queens

Performing outdoors is always very different and in this case became a treat after some questionable weather passed us by. We arrived at the EMS picnic under looming clouds that promptly burst into rain giving the terrain a Spielberg Apocalypse atmosphere but waited out the short summer storm and proceeded to set up our equipment right there in the dirt under a picnic tent. Thanks to the power generator hundreds of feet away for the juice and to the crowd of onlookers for appreciating our particular brand of Banjo Rock.



You probably had to be there and be me but it Really warmed my heart to return from getting a bite to eat at the 2010 EMS picnic where my band was performing only to find my drums commandeered by some of the children in attendance. (Youtube)

White Wedding - Private Party 7/24/10 - New Jersey

One of the best private parties that we have had the privilege to perform at done up in true 80s style with an 80s costume contest and the attendees truly in the spirit of things.





Earlier that afternoon I picked up a pound of Prosciutto Balls at Landi's Pork Store of Brooklyn.

Brian May Lecture/Signing - A Village Lost & Found 7/23/10 Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York City

Always a joy to meet Mr. May and in this case attend a short lecture as well in a lecture hall proper at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during a promotional trek for the art book "A Village Lost & Found" which celebrates and archives the stereographic pictograms which T.R. Williams spent his life creating. I was a little surprised to see that most of the crowd seemed to be "stereoscope" enthusiasts as opposed to the expected QUEEN fan but this gave a satisfactory feeling at the proceedings to pronounce the book a success in its own right without a Red Special Toting Curly Haired Rock Star Icon name checked as an author to pre-merit the books quality, popularity and appeal.





I had no idea what to ask Mr. Brian May and being exhausted with pedestrian QUEEN questions I went with the obvious.

me: "On a completely unrelated subject have you been following the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva ?"

Brian May: "From a Distance"

e.g.-(The upcoming experiments at the Large Hadron Collider have sparked fears among the public that the LHC particle collisions might produce doomsday phenomena, involving the production of stable microscopic black holes or the creation of hypothetical particles called strangelets)



Of course Jamie not only got her book signed but also her complimentary 3-D glasses, ticket stub and needing something QUEEN related, Her last minute purchase of a QUEEN(s) book (see below).

I was there as Jamie asked "Would you sign my QUEEN book?" to which Brian May took a brief gander at and replied "I guess so" we knew Mr. May would be good humored and accommodating but this also leaves Jamie with a highly collectable "one of a kind" piece within the "arcana" set as well (see below).

For those with NO Sense of humor write me or figure it out for yourself (see below).

White Wedding - Bally Bunion 7/17/10 Brooklyn, New York

A nice return engagement to the Bunion. We got a few more bookings and an even larger crowd this time. The band debuted Six New tunes at this gig (Turning Japanese, Take On Me, Billie Jean, Jump, The Power Of Love and Dont You Want Me) and they all went without a hitch.









I Dont remember the name of the diner but this was Very yummy (6 of 10 stars)

Cheap Trick/Squeeze Radio City Music Hall 7/13/10 New York City

Had Great sixth row (left off the aisle) seats for most of Cheap Trick but once the Squeeze fans filtered in we were sent back to our original twelfth row seats which it must be said were still Terrifically Magnificent.

During the Squeeze portion post-seating I accommodated a Starburst Fruit Chew orally and unintentionally extracted a Wisdom Tooth, Extremely Unnerving !!!

The Tooth Fairy IS A GYP!!!

The Agony & The Ecstasy Of Phil Spector 7/12/10 Film Forum, New York City

Let it never be forgotten that Rock & Roll can make you a little crazy and in some individuals a little more than others. Mr. Spector is surely "touched" but this film also allows us a glimpse of his genius, fortitude, intellect and most rewardingly his famous sense of humor. A good portion of the audience I sat with laughed for all the wrong reasons at all the wrong moments but Mr. Spector also had me laughing out loud (LOL) with his Lennon impression and ruminations on Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and Brian Wilson as well as himself. The murder trial and Beatles years are given ample attention but what most of us truly love him for and why he is a legendary figure amongst the music intelligentsia, namely The Wall Of Sound which is given a too brief history in my opinion, I would have liked 20-200 minutes more with the wrecking crew at Gold Star (hopefully another separate documentary altogether). There is a chillingly poignant moment when Mr. Spector attempts to describe the illogical motivation behind the mind of Mark David Chapman and perhaps unwittingly winds up describing himself.

And for a Phil Spector Production or Anything At All Containing his Recorded Work it Is Nice To Know that Houston street's own FILM FORUM (www.filmforum.org) has a Sound system that Rocks!!! PLAY IT LOUD Indeed.



I popped a shot of the marquee overhang outdoors for archival reasons and once seated was informed by the minx to my left that (Sir) Paul Schaefer was sitting nearly behind me so I made sure to keep my Cilia-Enlivening Habitquashing ex-smoker's cough as civil as possible so as not to bother the audience or the minx' concentration on the film and eyeballed Paul (Blues Brothers, David Letterman) for a great part of the evening.



Probably only my second/third visit to the Caliente Cab Company Ever but what mere mortal can resist the temptations of a Tasty, Delicious, Warm & Filling Tortilla of Joy. In my case the "Mission" Burrito for at least the second time in my life.

(custom "Tomato" Flour Tortilla 75 cents extra)