avast! ye evildoers ~ ~ pclef.net

I'M SO TIRED

...arrived home from Baltimore screening about 2:30 am...about 4 hours sleep...what used to be routine is now crippling...major kudos to my traveling compadres, who endured my feckless navigating with kind patience...the screening appeared to come off rather well. gorgeous theater, old-timey moviehouse, 800-seater, probably dating back to the 1930s, given the decor...met the man himself, Pete Kohn, who signed my movie poster small--as if addressing a letter...nowhere on Earth will you find a more humble movie star...

good to be home. back to the studio...and bed.

...

STREETS OF BALTIMORE

Hey Pete, What Time Is It?

Time to go to Baltimore and Win the Championship!

Theatrical Premiere Tonight!!!

CLICK FOR DETAILS

See y'all on the red carpet....

...

I'M NOT A LOSER PART II

'KEEPER OF THE KOHN' WINS AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY AT PALM BEACH FILM FESTIVAL!!!!!

CLICK:
PALM BEACH FILM FESTIVAL

CLICK:
KEEPER OF THE KOHN

...heading down to Baltimore tomorrow to attend the big theatrical premiere...

...

LOOKING AT YOU

I have endeavored to make a few minor tweaks, inasmuch as I can learn how, and using available space for some other items -- one such thing I've fancied for a while is an ongoing gallery of the guitars that enter the orbit of stratcat central from time to time...the first installment (lower right) is the main slab of thudstaff himself, nicknamed "ol' yeller," a very fine-sounding bass...this reissue model of the original fender precision bass design (circa 1951), entered the mainstream market just last year. this particular axe is all stock, save for a replacement seymour duncan quarter pounder pickup, which provides copious quantities of thud, girth, and delightful string noise and transients...a great recording bass, despite its potentially noisy single-coil setup (it isn't). it was in the shop for a little wiring checkup, and I've been enjoying its company quite a bit. much better sounding for a wider variety of things than my old phil lynott-approved ibanez roadstar II...fatter, rounder, bigger...I imagine that through an SVT, this axe would be more menacing than Donald Rumsfeld at a Greenpeace rally....

...

RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL

not much to post today, but I thought I'd provide a general reference roadmap of the area which is verging on total non-functionality on my person...can't figure out the source....recent foray with mexican food? baby tummy virus? something spurlt in the frig? a "gut reaction" to the undigestable means of sustenance available to one whose perspicacity is worn and fatigued from holding back the oceanic malaise? tainted foodstuffs newly overlooked by a market-driven FDA? who knows. I just wish it wasn't so loud. sounds like a perky simian has escaped the cage and is hurling gastric blobs against the bubbling air pockets inside the abdominal zoo...which of course is what is causing the burping eggs. I've never had a food phobia but I'm beginning to get the gist...

am hoping I feel better for tonight's episode of The Shield.....Shane's gone bad and I can't wait to see how Vic & the Strike Team breaks it down...

...

PLAYING IN THE BAND

Bobby Lee Rodgers, one utterly confounding note-dripping mofo....

banjo (as shown in pic) through a leslie cabinet , Gibson ES-150 with blocked f-holes, also through leslie cab--which gets all kinds of cool faux organ stuff, in addition to fattening up the banjo plink with some milkshake-thick chorusing...on top of that, chops to spare. after some investigation, I learned he's a berkely alum, so that might explain some of the technical proficiency, but unlike his guitar partner Jimmy Herring (hollywood musician's institute grad), his playing was a force of fascinating lick montage that ran the gamut from front porch twang to smoky urban archtop cool. Jimmy Herring, much as I admired his sound and playing, should be tithing to Dicky Betts on a regular basis--his solos in the first set were basically a conglomeration of allmans licks on steroids, as per shiny PRS solidbody into H&K (tubeman?) stomper, volume pedal, and blackface fender super--righteous tone, but a cat who has a hard time harnessing the forces of speed licks spilling forth from his fingers, using dynamics to build up more gradually for effect (something I struggle with myself at times). by the second set, he was indeed a bit looser and had some fine moments...

but I'll be keeping an eye out for Bobby Lee....

...

THE NIGHT BEFORE

I'm sorry about all those mean things I said about the deadheads. I was wrong about deadhead nation. I was in the wrong county of deadhead nation, apparently, just a few vomit throws from Country Nerd and Keg Swill, up the road apiece from Slouching Void and Hairy Pits. But in the majestic foothills of New Jersey, their plump and shapely womenfolk with the bare shoulders greet your entrance as they dance in a circle around their head-bobbing mates who glear in pure physical ecstasy as pacific waves of guitar notes wash over them like a coltrane sunrise.

the truth is, I had a wonderful time and learned perhaps the most valuable of all lessons available from the jerry garcia ouevre: cheer up. it ain't so bad. we can make funky weird music and dance around like idiots, pretend we're all enchanted hippies for a few hours, and sometimes something amazing will happen, like Hubert Sumlin will drop by to jam some blues with us.

Hubert Sumlin. A Friday Night in Teaneck: "Spoonful," "Sitting On Top of the World," (which the band was a little unclear about), even a jam on "Tequila"...playing a classic (I'm guessing '57 reissue) sunburst Les Paul, happy as a clam. I had moved right up to the stage, and it was fascinating to watch the rest of the band try and keep up and support him with what was obviously zero hours of rehearsal.

it worked. and yeah, Jimmy Herring. quite technically proficient, I must say. But I was unexpectedly blown away by the band's other guitarist, whom I am going to identify and find more about. a banjo through a leslie? righteous. then some wicked ES-150 archtop licks all over this crazy rambling honky clatter.

cheer up.

...

FEEL LIKE A STRANGER

This is Jimmy Herring. The word on the street is that he shreds MAJORLY (hopefully minorly too). Filled in when Jerry Garcia died. Long-time veteran of the H.O.R.D.E. jam band scene…all good reasons for me to be completely disinterested (in going to see him tonight with Col. Bruce Hampton)!! Sorry, not a fan of the Grateful Dead. My musician pals are deservedly tired of hearing my verbal castigation of their entire ethos, and since I have no desire to dredge up the old saw, I won’t do it here.

On the other hand, maybe I will.

Fact is, I own a few of their albums (from childhood-they're vinyl), but as is often the case with hype on a mass-hysterical scale (e.g. Pope JP2, Mother Teresa, the Boston Red Sox, Desperate Housewives, Hilary Swank, Friends, The West Wing, Titanic, the Bush Family, Hillary, Oprah, etc.…), I just don’t get it--the whole lemming mindstate of the deadhead tribe…to me, they are/were the musical equivalent of high school ski club, a country club for the kids who didn’t have to work to pay tuition, who went "on tour" and consequently never learned how to be themselves, dress (or bathe) themselves, or be original in any way, which ultimately is the antithesis of what the guy who helped start it all--Ken Kesey--had in mind. Also, the GD sucked live (memo to deadhead nation: LSD makes everything sound awesome)…OK, ‘nuff said…

But this new “jam band” scene is full of hippy musicos imbued with a love of 1950s & 1960s jazz, name-checking everyone from Coltrane to Miles to Sun Ra in their interviews. So, off I go to experience an evening of (hopefully) some fine playing, sans tie-die.

Also, it's a pretty idiot-proof call for me, as my next-door neighbor got the tix and is giving me a lift. So, a little suburban male bonding with my new friend, the hardcore family guy/deadhead. & the club has tables & chairs, food & drink, so wtf—aside from the fact that I haven’t been up to much of anything outside the house for a long time, & jonesing to catch some sort of live music, this sounds like a step up to quasi-jazz club environs. Who knew? I’m game…

And a big thumbs up if Mr. Herring arrives with one of those tasty PRS hollowbody models with the triple P90 config…

...

THE WORD

your boyfriend exfoliates pre-sex, shocking poll results, p. 79

you know, every once in a while when someone asks me what I do for a living, I pause thoughtfully, trying to somehow sort out the conflicting emotions of shame and vertigo, before I announce to them that I work in the magazine publishing industry. I pause again, and take in their own conflicting reactions of disgust and envy...

the reason I bring this up is because I happened to notice that this week, Jane
magazine coined a new word, to wit:

EXCLUSIVE: HOLLYWOOD "IT GIRL" MAJORLY CRASHES AND BURNS

Majorly? WTF? Who talks like this?

But still, the chutzpah... the iron will, and clarity of purpose, to unbuckle the zeitgeist and transform an adjective, a simple term signifying something of substance and significance (or military rank bearing similar qualities thereof), into that most passive wimpchild of syntax, the adverb. well, one dashes away a single poignant teardrop, salutes the masthead, and rededicates one's life (majorly) to the pursuit of such lofty enterprise, knowing that there will be but a mere few of us who actually succeed in climbing all the way to the summit of mount malaprop.

Hat's off to you, Jane

...majorly...

...who(m)ever you are....

....

GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME

one day soon, god willing and the creek don't rise....

joints sore, lower back overextended, muscles twitching with fatigue, a bit sunburned...the usual, as I again recover from a full two-day excursion of yanking up ivy, raking up huge quantities of rocks and fieldstones (the work seems to be a combination of 19th century Irish potato farmer, crossed with early 20th century alabama chain gang), pulling, digging, lifting, toting, and whoa lawdy singin' dem songs of hope and salvation as I sow hidebound kernels of optimism toward a fruitful outcome to this nascent planting season.

all this for a small patch of lawn. the new sprinkler came in mighty handy. and where the ivy has been removed, the birds have landed in search of worms and grubs. mother nature, thus far, seems to be in approval of my humble efforts. before/after, pre/post photos will be posted in coming weeks...

...

TAXMAN

...and the highwayman said, "your money or your life!"....

and then he took both...

You can read this, and other page-turning prose, in my new book,
"The 19th Century Stagecoach Bandit Archetype: A Model for Modern-Day Governance"
....coming soon to a bookmonger near you....

Happy Tax Day Suckers....

...

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

the beginning of an MVP season?

YANKS WIN 5-2 AT FENWAY

Finally, irrefutable proof that last year's postseason was a fluke,
and that Curt Schilling is a chump.

Bring on the champagne!!!

...

I'M NOT A LOSER

'KEEPER OF THE KOHN' WINS BEST DOCUMENTARY AT VAIL FILM FESTIVAL!!!!!

CLICK:
VAIL FILM FESTIVAL

CLICK:
KEEPER OF THE KOHN

watch this space for announcements of upcoming New York-area screenings...

...

COMPLETE CONTROL

smoke 'em if ya got 'em mikey...

kind reader, I've been doing some thinking lately about revamping this here web thing, and giving it some more entertaining features, with fewer entries resembling Moby liner notes ... but I couldn't help noticing this bit, which is excerpted from today's NY Times, regarding all those arrests at last year's RNC (draw your own conclusions):

" Seven months after the convention at Madison Square Garden, criminal charges have fallen against all but a handful of people arrested that week. Of the 1,670 cases that have run their full course, 91 percent ended with the charges dismissed or with a verdict of not guilty after trial. Many were dropped without any finding of wrongdoing, but also without any serious inquiry into the circumstances of the arrests, with the Manhattan district attorney's office agreeing that the cases should be "adjourned in contemplation of dismissal." "

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

...

MANIC MONDAY

You can trust us, America, because our hair is so perfectly groomed...

Bob Mould’s “Body of Song” is finished. One hopes for a turning away from the gay disco influence.

Increased news reporting on priest kiddy raping in the media. My bad.

Yanks, slow start. Bosox get their rings today. OK, Boston, do it again.

Michael Jackson, guilty or innocent, is a fucking weirdo.

John Bolton: “I will work with all at the UN, but I refuse to dye my moustache.”

Tiger Wood wins Masters Tournament. And I should care because…..?

Jack Nicklaus calls it a day. Ditto…

Kofi Annan urges world to pay more attention to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Kofi, where ya been bro’? Need a little PR just about now? Here’s a thought: yell. no, louder.

The newly elected president of Iraq is named Talabani. I shit you not.

FDA to “weigh” breast implant ban. Southern California caught in collective shudder.

Bird flu continues to spread unabated. Yngwie still at large…

POISON IVY

Hedera Helix, my would-be nemesis...

DEATH BE NOT PROUD

ITEM:

ROME, April 7 - Cardinal Bernard Law, who was forced to resign in disgrace as archbishop of Boston two years ago for protecting sexually abusive priests, was named by the Vatican today as one of nine prelates who will have the honor of presiding over funeral Masses for Pope John Paul II.

[Last week, when it became clear that the Pope’s death was imminent, I anticipated the media phenomenon and so forth (though never once did I think it would be quite this big a deal), and wrote out a bit on the seemingly-forgotten issue of molestations by Catholic priests that had been in the news in recent years. But then I thought again—this is a man who stood up to Nazis, to communists, and reached out to people of other faiths to try and forge some unity and brotherhood. I thought OK, let’s just hang back on this one, let the man go to his rest, and hope for a better day.

I suppose this story emphasizes the disconnect between all of the Vatican hierarchy (not just the Pope) and America, but Cardinal Law was given his illustrious retirement package by JP2 himself, so on second thought, I believe that I will post my pre-hoopla piece, if for no other reason than that there seems to be absolutely no dissent or contrarian point of view extant within this stultifying media blanket of praise.]

Leader of World’s Largest Organized Pedophilia Ring Dies, and is Mourned by Millions.

Boy Scout Leader, Caught with Dirty Pictures, Admits Guilt, and is Vilified by Millions.

Do I defend Mr. Doug Smith, the BSA National Director of Programs? Not in the least. I’m not a fan of anyone who sexualizes young children – much of what passes for legal activity in this country (see career highlights of JonBenet Ramsey) turns my stomach, never mind that of outright felons. But in all the press coverage of this case, which involves trafficking of pornography, never once did I read or see a mention of Mr. Smith having actually made improper physical contact with young boys or girls.

However, we can definitely cite a long list of offending clergy in the Catholic Church, who did indeed do more, much more, than merely touch young, innocent children. And in addition, we have all, most assuredly, witnessed the cover-ups and manifest obfuscations perpetrated by those whose job it is to manage the church—the bishops and cardinals who made payments under the table, who settled out of court, and subsequently did nothing to discipline (or even quarantine) these same priests who were victimizing defenseless, trusting children, whose only mistake was to trust that their pastor would allow them to participate more fully in their church and their faith without trying to fuck them. And the ultimate leader of this hierarchy is the Pope.

There is a rather lengthy list of policies put forth by clergy with which I, and many other Catholics, do not agree, but this is not an area of debate. There is not like pro-life/pro-choice arguments, or well-intentioned discussions regarding birth control, celibacy, or the sanctity of marriage, or even whether or not women should be allowed into the priesthood. No one is rhetorically arguing for increasing the practice of child molestation. Yet this is precisely what the church of John Paul II did, in practice, for the duration of his papacy. This widespread victimization of children happened over and over again, and when the Church learned about it, nothing was done. Rather, efforts were made, actively and in concert, to cloak any outward signs of wrongdoing. And while there were certainly good works that can be attributed to this Pope’s career, how could they possibly matter a farthing to a child who has been raped?

So, I will not sing along with the world chorus that is primed and ready to descant the elegiac myth of the Holy See (“Ooh! He rode his bubble into Des Moines! We happy few!”), amidst the fading echoes of his minions’ prattling on about the sanctity of the life of a woman with the sentient acumen of a mushroom. And since our government sees fit to use our homeland security and intelligence apparatus to go after those would-be sexual predators of kids such as executive suite scoutmasters, then I hope they are expending the same amount of energy going after those in the Roman Catholic machine, since the Church itself is demonstrably more concerned with maintaining its steady and consistent US-sourced cash flow than it is in reigning in the unrepressed sexual perversions of those whose job it is to collect it…

...

LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER

ITEM:

HARTFORD, Conn. Apr 7, 2005 — The state Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would make Connecticut the first state, absent court pressure, to recognize civil unions between same-sex couples.

… I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if all you same-sex fancy lads and girly-girls out there are truly and sincerely eager to take that long walk down the aisle and settle down into the monotone morass of marital malaise, have at it!!

Please, let me be the first to welcome you…to bank-busting mortgages, endless parking lots, overpriced and understaffed daycare centers, the infinite parade of sun-deprived callow-fleshed suburban fatties attired, with no sense of irony whatsoever, in top-of-the-line sportswear. Welcome to the malls of screaming children and polyester pod people. Welcome to the rueful sidelong glances of covetous neighbors. Welcome to lawn care and tree management services, and the poetical music of the drip-drip against bathroom tile, breaking the quiescence of a summer rainstorm as you realize that it’s not the plumbing—it’s the roof. Welcome to severe and unrelenting taxation. Welcome to the land of gas-guzzling SUVs, all adorned with a yellow ribbon conveying thanks to our troops for dying to preserve our ready access to petroleum. Hence, welcome to gas prices. But above all, welcome to TV viewing. For out here on the sprawl of government-endorsed monogamy, there is no theater, there are no book stores, no clubs, no ampitheaters, no performance spaces of any kind. You could detonate a nuclear device and never touch a museum. There are parks, but they are full of little-leaguers whose parents have paid a substantial nut for the right to play there, so please stick to the sidewalk. The restaurants all have the same name, and they’re all located at or near the mall. You can buy anything you want, from stores as big as a city block, but there is no one there to help you find anything.

Also, welcome to golf.

Of course, within this land of magic and mystery, you’ll be happily bathing in the wellspring of your officiated and duly codified love, yes? And I’m sure the sex is going to be overwhelming in its tender velocity, frequency and variety. And that’s what you're looking for, isn’t it? An endless continuum of the exact same thing. Over and over. ‘Til death do you part. Or at least until…..actually no. That’s it. No more “until.” Together, until death. Good luck you two! You really are an adorable couple…

Enjoy the honeymoon. You’d better.

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

Happy Trails...

This is my Uncle Steve, who passed away October 13, 2002. You might have heard of him, as he wrote many best-selling (and also not so best-selling) books of historical non-fiction, most notably Band of Brothers, D-Day, Undaunted Courage, and the list goes on (if interested, do a search on Amazon-"stephen e. ambrose"). He was a terrific guy and our whole family misses him terribly. Next month, Rutgers University is going to bestow an award, in his name, to Tom Brokaw, who was clever enough to crystallize the overriding theme of Steve's work with the aphorism "greatest generation" as he published his own books of first-person historical accounts of WWII. He's a good choice for the award. And we'll be having a big family reunion at the stratcat ranch thereafter, which should be loads of fun...

Was reminded of him by the Peter Jennings announcement. Smokers, see your doctors! Early detection is your best hope....

...

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

Monsignor, so wonderful to see you!

You're so wonderful, we loved you in The Bells of St. Mary's...

Now tell us, who are you wearing?

...

LEAN ON ME

the best friend I never met...

Now begins the big push for the documentary film KEEPER OF THE KOHN
(for which I wrote/recorded/produced the soundtrack music). Tonight is its first official screening, at the Vail International Film Festival.

Below is a listing of upcoming showings at film festivals around the country. Nothing definite in NYC as of yet, but I'll post announcements as soon as I know...

It already seems to have garnered a small bit of local press: VAIL DAILY article

With a small indie project like this, buzz is everything. So, please, chat it up and tell your friends!

April

Vail International Film Festival, Vail CO
Friday, April 1st, 8:15PM: 1st Screening
Location: Cascade Theater
Saturday, April 2nd, 1PM: 2nd Screening
Location: Marriott Theater (Ballroom)

New River Film Festival, Blacksburg, VA
Thursday, April 7, 4pm: 1st Screening
Location: Old Blacksburg Middle School (500 South Main)
Saturday, April 9, 6pm: 2nd Screening
Location: Old Blacksburg Middle School (500 South Main)

Palm Beach International FF, Greater Palm Beach Area, FL
Friday, April 15th, 4:15PM: 1st Screening
Location: Muvico Parisian 20 @ Cityplace, West Palm Beach, FL
Monday, April 18th, 2PM: 2nd Screening
Location: Muvico Parisian 20 Cityplace, West Palm Beach, FL

Middlebury Lacrosse Alumni Weekend
Saturday, April 16th, Middlebury, VT; Lacrosse Alumni Weekend. Dana
Auditorium, Approximately 8pm;

River Run International FF, Winston-Salem, NC
Saturday, April 23rd, 10AM: Screening 1
Location: Babcock Theater NCSA
Sunday, April 24, 1:30pm, Screening 2
Location: "The Garage"

THEATRICAL PREMIERE: Thursday, April 28th, 7:30PM, Baltimore, MD
Location: Senator Theater, 5904 York Road, Baltimore, MD
Tickets available online:
BALTIMORE TICKETS / US LACROSSE

Trenton Film Festival, Trenton, NJ
Friday, April 29 Time: TBA (between 9am and 5pm)
Location: Gallery 125 (125 South Warren Street)

May, June and Beyond:
Screenings are in the works for NYC, Syracuse, Middlebury Reunion
Weekend, Sports programs/Non-profits/Advocacy organization screenings
throughout the Northeast, and The Vail Lacrosse Shootout (July)

More to come....