the march 31 2007 rumble

quite a lot of the same as the last week's show, since nobody could hear it. happy belated to me, ans YES! the mavis is here...

kris kristofferson-me and bobby mcgee
k. mccarty-rocketship
buzzcocks-everybody's happy nowadays
nancy jacobs and her sisters-baby are yeng
roxy music- do the strand
don gibson- sea of heartbreak

de la soul- eye know
jacques dutronc- les cactus
the modern lovers- abominable snowman in the market
barry adamson- suck on the honey of love
bob dylan- most likely you go your way and i'll go mine
pere ubu- i will wait
robert mitchum- little old wine drinker me

nick howard- miss music
violent femmes- please do not go
gnarls barkley- transformer
los lobos- kiko and the lavender moon
the beach boys- pet sounds
iggy pop- five foot one

strongbad- the cheat is not dead
a certain ratio- do the du
willie nelson- yesterdays wine
pepe deluxe- everybody pass me by
mississippi sheiks- sitting on the top of the world

puffy ami yumi- friends forever
david bowie- the man who sold the world
devo- the day my baby gave me a surprise
pearls before swine-guardian angels
slapp happy-strayed
colin newman-1,2,3, beep beep

fiction plane-if only
nick lowe-36" high
the flaming lips-do you realize?
tom jones-sixteen tons
os mutantes-a minha menina


and that's all, volks..

for jane

as i get older (more creaks, more ghosts) i realise that there are few things in us that never change.

one in particular.

i was looking at a photo of an old friend on her myspace page (a friend that i seen once or twice since we parted ways back in the late 80's) and there it was.

the smile that still showed the 20 something that i had fallen head over heels for in my time as an angry silly young punk.

we had a great and awkward long distance romance after she booked my band. she introduced me to a better san francisco, good punk musics, underground comics, jello biafra spoken word, walking barefoot in the city, the world of zines, and the art of using random phrases to name punk bands.

all with that smile.

she even charmed my then roomate, the contrarian mr. zinder. he loved her smile.

we broke up on good terms and have gotten in touch from time to time.

she probably doesn't know what a profound influence she has had on my life, since back then i could barely tell anyone what they meant to me, but she gave me a shove in the right direction. she was honest, thoughtful and never full of herself. smart, too. and for some reason she liked me.

i wasn't too proud of myself in that period, yet here was someone i admired showing me what a little confidence could do. and to try to smile. more by the junior zen example of seeing the world with that smile.

and lord, how remembering to carry that smile has gotten me through death, disease, divorce, insanity, fair weather friends and clumsy dates.

years later i'm looking at her photos, and there she is beaming with some young turks.

that smile.

it was good to know that we have both kept our smiles, no matter what.

and to a great extant, i owe her that smile.

now i can (sort of) say thanks.

and junior zen example would make a great punk band name.

the man in the white suit

so it's around eleven p.m. on last night and things at the diner are just winding down.

ida, my fellow server and are are getting ready to cash out at the front computer, just across from the main entrance when we both spy an rather shifty looking 30 something white guy wearing what i think of as white surgical gear.

the world weary ida (southern african american transplant that has a major bullshit detector) stage whispers to me: "that one got out of the looney bin".

the white suited short-haired fellow is holding open the door for a departing customer, all the while looking at the two of us at the counter with a rather apologetic smile. he saunters over, and loudly asks: "do you folks know where county jail is?"

a bit flabbergasted, i try to give directions but ida tells him directly: "just keep goin' down sunset blvd east, about a coupla miles and you can't miss it, son."

he's holding the door again for another departee, saying (to all): "thanks, i thought so. i just escaped but my family's driving me back. i'm not armed or dangerous or nuthin'. just gotta finish up." and proceeds to leave the eatery himself and into the open passenger door of a brand new looking powder blue convertible with a white top parked just outside.

we stare at the blue auto as it pulls out of the parking lot , then ida lets out a "hnuh" and walks away.

i turn to the nearest customer at the counter, who was listening in and he says "welcome to LA".

old punks

you know what i noticed the other day?

old punks make great stereotypical old folks.

i mean with a generally cranky attitude, a loathing of authority, a lack of disregard towards the thoughts of fellow citizen's dress codes, fussiness about personal things (music, film, books),cheapness/thrift store mentality, a mis-trust of new technologies, and ridiculous hair-do's, it's a wonder no one's made a stand up routine out of it.

maybe i lost a calling.

then again, this will do.

threetwentyfourohseven rumble city

yes, the belated birthday show wherein i play a selection of my favorite songs. an especially good evening as i'm accompanied by my favorite little lady, miss mavis, the apple of my eye.

and i'm 43!!

kris kristofferson-sunday morning coming down
de la soul-the magic number
the jam-that's entertainment
devo- the day my baby gave me a surprise
nancy jacobs & her sisters- baby are yeng

colin newman- safe
os mutantes-a minha menina
the modern lovers-roadrunner
tom jones-puppet man
blind gary davis-samson and delilah

the flaming lips-do you realize
bob dylan-most likely you go your way and i'll go mine
michel legrand-di gue ding ding
robert mitchum-little ole wine drinker me
mr bowie-the man who sold the world

wire-the 15th
the halo benders-don't touch my bikini
calexico-corona
nick lowe-36" high
charles trenet-boum!

the beach boys-god only knows
scritti politti-skank bloc bologna
iggy pop-i'm bored

sorry, tech problems stopped the show

waiting

i must say that five months of hitting craigslist, scanning the classified, pounding the pavement, hitting up friends, sending out unsolicited resumes, checking on-line job sites and a few other means have resulted in:

1) weeks or months of waiting for an obnoxious "no thanks" (and no thanks to you, k&l wine shitheads)
2) "oh, but you're over-qualified" (means stop right here)
3) "sorry, she's not going on maternity leave"-that was a sad story
4) we'll let you know by friday (means that they will never call you back)
5) congrats! you're now a waiter!

oddly enough, working four or five five hour shifts a weekas a waiter earns me more than the awful office manager job that i was at 50-60 hours a week. and that was a union gig. and i get to walk to the local diner that i now work at.

favorite questions at the new gig:

1) do you barbeque your fries?
2) can you just order for me?
3) i'll have the omlette with everything (over 40 items on the menu)
4) do you have that as a vegan option (i stress, diner!)

part of working at a trendy local diner, and living in the same area for 20 years means the past catches up to you. daily.

1) i now have to wait on the slumlord whom my ex and called the housing dept. on (we won), who tried to kill us (long story)
2) i also have to wait on my ex boss from another local coffee house. not charming.
3) ex-girlfriends and internet dating mistakes make for awkward order taking.
4) the now very successful club owner that aced myself and other partners out in the most weasly manner possible pops in once a week. he goes out of his way to avoid eye contact. i do enjoy his squirming.

and did i mention how much i dislike cell phones? try taking an order while someone is yammering away. very polite.

on the other hand, one of the internet dating errors apologised profusely for even taking a call while i was nearby. and that was nice of her,

and i get to eat for almost free most days.

easy travel to other planets

over thanksgiving, the mavis and i took a bus up to san francisco from los angeles via a very unique service.

seems that the ever growing chinese/asian communities don't much care for the appropriately malinged greyhound bus lines ("hell in tin"), so they have their own fairlly luxurios service to and fro various cities.

and anyone can book seats. hell, you can even book the one next to you, if you want guaranteed room.

these former tour buses have cushy seats, lots o' leg room, quick stops, and a roughly seven hour travel time (about an hour more than driving yourself), with none of the crappy sad greyhiund terminal experieces that we all treasure. the buses go from 'chinatown to chinatown' and it's just great.

the one catch:

the mavis and i were the whitest folks on board, and no one spoke much english. it was just like being elsewhere. and that was fun. the drivers really tried to be nice, especially at stops. barking 'ten minnis' or 'tirty haffa ow' at the casa de fruta or lovely coalinga.

the only two odd things were the canned 'classic chinese pop' played by one driver (note to self for next time: discman), and the just sort of dubbed ultra violent gangster/slavery ring martial arts shoot out dvd that culminated with the bride machine-gunning her unwanted groom after he killed the two leads. i think.

mavis just grooved to her discman, and i tried to read or nap.

oh, yes, one other oddity: about half-way each trip, the driver would stop the bus, give a little lecture and go down the aisle taking the 'general tip' of a few dollars per passenger. everyone doled out.

one assumes the bus would go no further if payment was not given.

i really look forward to more trips.

el returno del rumble city inspector show 3 17 07

ahora en el sabado gigante!!!

the undertones-mars bar
freakwater-buckets of oil
qotsa-leg of lamb
amadou et mariam-fantani

elvis costello-living in paradise
willie nelson-i gotta get drunk
5 gentlemen-si tu reviens chez moi
nicky thomas-love of the common people

the stranglers-spain
butthole surfers-the hurdy gurdy man
nina simone-save me
gnarls barkley-gone daddy gone
southland's ladies quartette-my loved ones are waiting for me
slade-cum on feel the noize
xtc-english roundabout
tripod jimmie-mirror on the wall

kings of leon-the bucket
eastside sinfonietta-the liquor dealer's dream
dennis wilson-river song
moonshine kate-my man's a jolly railroad man
calexico-yours and mine

jacques dutronc-les cactus
jon spencer blues explosion-bellbottoms (intro only)
bob & marcia-young, gifted and black
willie nelson-hello walls
sex mob-ripple
puttanesca-lick my decals off, baby
michel polnareff-la mouche

the undertones-it's going to happen
hala strana-peal
qotsa-the lost art of keeping a secret
althea & donna-uptown top ranking
the other elvis-(i don't want to go to) chelsea

nino ferrer-alexandre!