Man in Black, Black thoughts ...

The wife and I saw "Walk the Line" tonight. Based on two books: a biography of Johnny Cash's life and his own autobiography, the film was a pretty straight-forward look at the life of the Man in Black. Good performances and good tunes. Cash is one of my heroes. A man who did so much with what he was armed with at birth: a great voice and nearly unlimited talent. However, the movie got me thinking more about what we leave behind once we're dead and gone. I'm not trying to get too down and depressed, but my thoughts quickly turn to what I'll leave behind. At the moment, it doesn't seem like much more than debt and a hole in my family. Of course, many of us have stories that make our lives interesting (those who know me, know I have numerous stories - not all interesting), but very few of us have too much that will linger very long after we expire. So, what is it that makes us get up in the morning and continue on? Work is work. For some of us that is our life. For others it's home, the ones we love and the life we build around that. But what will we be remember for? What makes us who we are? What makes us leave any type of mark? Who's recording that in any shape or form? I think quickly to those who's lives were cut short and who are remembered fondly: James Dean, John Lennon, John Kennedy O'Toole. There are too many to name. But what do we do on a daily basis that makes us not just who we are, but would leave any type of impression on those around us? I think there is little. I try to take life one day at a time and move forward. But apathy and laziness seem to push me to do little more than just go through the motions (and occasionally leave really bad posts on this site). I get up, go to work, come home, sit and wait for life to happen to me. I guess watching movies like "Line" you get the feeling that you can't just expect life to happen, you have to almost happen to life. Push harder, take what you can and give back more than you get. Sounds like the beginnings of a really bad Hallmark card. But it's true. Nothing comes to those with little talent if they aren't willing to take the occasional step in the direction of a life less ordinary and engage in a life more interesting. It's in the book somewhere I know it. And maybe some day I'll walk the line a little less and push myself outside my comfort level and into something just interesting enough to MAKE good story instead of just telling one.

It was beautiful, but it was barely golf...

Went to attempt a round of golf this weekend with a couple of friends from the paper (names omitted here to protect the innocent). We took our criminally poor playing to the incredibly beautiful Spring Valley Golf Course in Milpitas (just outside San Jose). I shot above 100 and below 115. That's all I'll say about the scoring. But I will say my first drive was beautiful. After that I won't comment on any of my shots. Outside of the wonderful scenery of rolling hills, soft breezes, horseback riders and houses with incredible views, there were hang-gliders launching from the highest of the valley's hills. Breathtaking. Our golfing however, was breathtaking in a completely different manner.

Politics and art

The wife and I attended our first event as members of the San Jose Museum of Art this weekend. A special thanks to our connection and friend Karen Williams for setting that up. The presentation was the opening of the display: Visual Politics: The Art of Engagement, a very convincing display of the interconnected history of art and politics (mostly in the past 50+ years). The subject matter varied from Nazi Germany and Jewish suffering to the American Civil Rights movement to the Free Speech movement centered in Berkeley. It was a powerful and sometimes troubling exhibit. But as I've said before, my only rule for art is that it creates emotion by challenging the viewer. Art should make you feel some level of discomfort and help break you from your comfort zone. This exhibit was partnered by the work of Peter Selz who creates a very California-specific view of different political leaders and incidents of the last half century and the effects those movements have had on the exhibit's numerous artists. Very well organized and very worth the trip. If you're near San Jose, the exhibit is free. Go see it.

A spoonful of ...

The wife and I saw Spoon last night at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. One word: amazing. They started the set with "The Beast and Dragon at Dawn" off the new LP and ended with Britt Daniels on guitar playing around with the feedback from a nearby monitor. Throughout it was loud, action, rock and roll. The crowd was really into the show and the venue was incredible! I would like to say that made up for the opening act (it did), but American Music Club was a bit off. First off, they were completely too mellow to open for Spoon and second, the lead singer couldn't get his monitor to work so his mood turned sour the longer they played. He went from introducing songs like, "and this is a song I wrote about a friend of mine who..." to "here's another song." Bastard. Oh, well. Side note. I felt a bit old standing in line before the show. A couple of teens were behind the wife and I talking about how they didn't go see the latest Weezer show, because they had, "like, sold out." However, they did say they would have loved to have seen them during the Blue Album tour ten years ago. "How cool would that have been," one squeaky voiced teen said. "Very cool." I said. I was there. They were in diapers. Oh well. Age always rears its ugly head.

Crime drama you won't see this season...

A friend tipped me off to this little nugget of Elvis-done-good. And an "older-era Elvis" at that.

LAS VEGAS - A retired Elvis Presley impersonator helped police nab a man suspected of stealing more than $300,000 worth of memorabilia from the Elvis-A-Rama museum, authorities said Wednesday.

Duke Adams, a 62-year-old "older-era Elvis," said he was approached while in line at a pharmacy by a man offering to sell him items once owned by Presley, including jewelry, clothing and the king's revolver.

Remembering the March 2004 burglary, Adams said he asked the man to stop by his business the next day. Adams went home and called police.

Authorities arrested Eliab Aguilar last week after the Las Vegas man brought all but one of the stolen items to Adams' employment agency, police said.

The complete story here.

Bands of the moment...

What I'm listening to, not that you should be, but who knows, maybe you should be... (oh and I'm through chapter 2 of the Beatles book and STILL no sign of any Beatle, past or present).

calexico
franz ferdinand
nick drake
and always...MARVIN

JR.? Like, oh my goodness...

So my littlest brother Joshua now has a claim to fame. During his weekend of debauchery at Texas Motor Speedway he was having trouble getting back to his camper on the infield (won't go into the reasonings behind why that was the case). Anyway, he hitched a ride with a very famous racing name: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stumbling along, trying to find his way back to the campsite, he was offered a ride by the famous NASCAR driver and escorted home in the bed of Jr.'s pickup truck. Of course this is his story and I have no way of backing it up. But I trust him and it makes for a good posting.

Sushi, PLEASE!!!

Ok. So the wife and I are certified sushi addicts and in this town that can be tough. I'm serious, we're registered sushi offenders. Look it up, they have us on a list somewhere. We're not this bad, but at times we get close. Of course, she's got more control than I do. Being the much more mature 30-something (oops ... Probably shouldn't report that, she's 29 :) ), she usually stops before the foaming at the mouth stage. For me, well for proof of my will power see this, this or that. Anyway. Our problem is that we're both reformed small-town folk. And now that we live in a small town again (California DOES have small towns, this one, pleasantly), our timing is quite off. Sushi places, or restaurants in general here, close at 9 p.m. on weekdays and we seem to always hit the place pretty close to that cut-off time. So the wife and I tonight planned on going to our favorite place only to find out that it closed in 20 minutes. Luckily we got in before the place closed. Unluckily we sat down, menus in hand in time to get plenty of stares and plenty of bad service (one of the waitresses actually rolled her eyes at us). So, we left without eating, feeling completely unfulfilled and in dire straits. Actually we left in NEED of our sushi fix. But being the needy addicts we are, we traveled around town in search of any place open. Four places later we were able to find someone that would take us in (good thing too, because they don't offer IV injections of this stuff, no matter how desperate our need). Anyway, we settle on this tiny place, tucked in the back of a shopping center on Hopyard Ave, conveniently located next to a brewery. And long story, short. It worked out. They closed at 9:30, but were kind enough to allow us our fix. Friendly service, no matter how late it was. So we sat, with older owner as she ate at the table next to us. It was a great experience and very good sushi - either that or we were just dying for it at that point. So there is no moral to this story, what little story there is. Just good sushi (finally) and in the end a good tip for the folks that took us in.

Teaching the world to sing?

The artist formerly known as Jack White of White Stripes fame has signed on with Coke to write a new song for an upcoming commercial. White, a self-described Coke-addict (there are others - you know who you are), reminds me of an interesting argument I made some years ago in a column about selling out. The column was a piece of satire about the convergence of commercialism, capitalism, marketing and democracy. I painted a long-and-winding narrative about a nation led by President Bill Cosby (during his Jell-O pitching days) and bankrolled by the likes of Coca-Cola and Microsoft (and that was before these guys took over). It was a sophomoric attempt to show my displeasure at how personality sells and now a decade later, some of those feelings remain true. But in 2005, I wonder exactly how bad certain levels of "selling out" are? To an extent, numerous people were introduced to Richard Buckner because of VW's use of "Ariel Rameriez" in one of their car commercials (There are also, of course, Modest Mouse and Nissan, Eminem and iTunes, Franz Ferdinand and Sony). My opinion now is that the integrity of any artist is in their ability to push the limits of their medium. Art must challenge the viewer and leave them changed by the experience. As long as artists retain their license to stretch their skills and engage their audience (and themselves) doing a little extra on the side doesn't seem to disrupt the balance.

For more on music in advertising go here.

Deck the Hops with ...

FA-LA-LA-LA-LAAA-LA-LA-LA-LAAAAAAAAAA. Tis' the season for good beer. October has passed and with it, cases of Samuel Adams Octoberfest have disappeared from supermarket shelves. But concerned beer drinker, neverfear... The time is now for SA Winter Lager! Bought my first six pack of the wonder beer tonight and promptly siphoned several bottles through my blood stream. It is the best of the seasonal Sam Adams for what I'm concerned. Just in case those friends of mine from Texas are worried, the greatest beer in the world is still my one and only favorite. Of course any day's a good day for Guinness. So my Top 5 lists for this blog will begin with my Top 5 favorite beers. If that's not enough, visit my friends at IBBD.
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And we start now:
5. Samuel Adams Winter Lager
4. Smithwicks
3. Black and Tan
2. Guinness
1. Shiner

Paperback Writer

Yes, this is EXACTLY what I needed to help pass the time. And what a lot of time it will take to read all 992 pages of this meet the Beatles. 992 pages! I'm a huge fan and all (my mother "grew up with them" and I'm "into them" as she likes to say), but that's a lot of effort no matter what Publishers Weekly says. But hey, this is one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time (stayed tuned to my arguments on my top lists. I promise it will entertain, and soon.). They were, after all, Bigger than Jesus. And with teasers such as this: In 1962, when the band cut its first audition for Sir George Martin, all four members had a venereal disease... what self-loving Beatles fan WOULDN'T put down $29 for a copy? And Ringo doesn't even appear until like Page 351.

Dawn: When men of reason go to bed.

Lunesta be damned! My affliction now resides online. Tiring of sleepless nights that hold me prisoner to such bewitching boredom as endless infomercials and infinite galaxies inside the World Wide Web, I now share my disease (and late-night thoughts) with you gentle reader. Those within my circle know much of my ailment and will no doubt stray to yet another update of visualeditors.com or the latest from CNN. But those who manage to wonder from the information age's latest delivery system to my little corner of the night can read up on those times where sleep is just another theme I know very little about. So this is my introduction (your introduction) to what is and what will be ... Did I mention I was also a procrastinator and that I get bored easily? Check for updates.

Oh yeah, a thank you to Ambrose Bierce for the title quote.