Everyone knows who Andy Rooney is, right? He's been a part of the TV series, "60 Minutes" for well over thirty-five years and is known for his often insightful, sometimes cantankerous rants about anything and everything. He's also a very entertaining writer. In his book, "Word For Word", which I'm currently reading, Rooney talks about "The Quest For An Honest Politician" and has a list of questions that he'd like to ask anyone running for office before making a decision about that person.
Well, we all know that I love to do surveys and I was reading Andy's questions for prospective politicians. I seriously doubt that I'll ever run for political office, but just in case that does happen, I want to go ahead and get the tough questions out of the way. And since these are Andy Rooney's questions, it'll be just like he's interviewing me. Ain't that cool? So...
An Andy Rooney Interview With... ME!
What's the worst thing about you? Maybe it's my habit of procrastination or maybe it's my phobia of phones (hate those damn things). Nah, both of those things are minor in nature. The worst thing? Probably my anti-social tendecies and my aversion to interacting with people. I'm not a "people person". I try sometimes and can "fake it", but anytime I have to deal with new faces or anyone outside my "social circle", it tears my nerves up and is really hard for me to do.
Tell me five books you've read and liked. "Notes To Myself" by Hugh Prather, "Interview With A Vampire", by Anne Rice, "Adventures In Larryland" by Larry Zbyszko, "Standing Firm" by Dan Quayle and "Why Me?" by Sammy Davis Jr.
Do you think the defense budget should be bigger or smaller? It needs to be cut. Fine tune the budget and eliminate waste and consolidate the departments of the DOD and Pentagon to ensure a tighter ship on a smaller budget. We can't afford it as it is right now.
What time do you get up on Sundays? Usually around 11:30 am - 12:00 noon - but there is no set time. Just whenever I feel like it, depending on what I hope to get accomplished for that particular day.
Are you for or against killing murderers? If there is no doubt as to the murderer's guilt and intent, then I do support the death penalty. An eye for an eye.
Do you think the government should do more or less for the people who can't or don't do things for themselves? The people who can't do things for themselves, due to disability, age, illness or some factor beyond their control, the government should help as much as they can. For people who are able to work, but don't want to do anything for themselves - they're just wanting to cash in on the government's dime, they should be given a limited amount of aid, but with stipulations and a timeline as to how long the aid lasts.
Abortion, yes or no? Yes
If you were supposed to meet your wife in an hour and you were driving on a long, straight, deserted highway, seventy miles from where she was in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and there were no cops around, would you be on time? Would I speed? I'm sure that my gas pedal might touch the floor once or twice during the drive and I might not be exactly on time, but I would be close.
Do you believe in religious freedom? As was said in the movie "Dogma", it's not what you believe, but that you do believe. Absolutely. A person should be able to worship as he or she pleases with one slight provision. We don't interfere with their beliefs and they don't interfere with the belief of others.
Do you believe a person has a right to not be religious? Absolutely. Religion is a great thing for some people, but it's not for everyone. A person has to find their own way and can not be condemned for choosing a different path from the mainstream.
What's your favorite kind of dog? The Taco Bell dogs and Pugs.
Do you make the toast or does your wife? I'm not married, but I think the task would more often fall to me than my better half. I like to cook and am the more domestic of the two of us.
At what age do you think people should be allowed to drink alcohol in public? Age 18 - if a person can vote, smoke, buy guns and be drafted, they should be allowed to drink a beer. It's that simple.
Would you try to help or hinder the building of more nuclear energy plants? Nuclear energy is cleaner and safer than ever and more nuclear plants would help alleviate our country's need for foreign oil. I would definitely support more nuclear energy plants - it would be better for our country, as well as create jobs.
Do you take astrology seriously? I like to read the horoscopes, but do I take them seriously? Nope - they're strictly entertainment.
Would you go to a chiropractor or an orthopedist if you had a back problem? Probably the orthopedist - I'd prefer to have full treatment and care, including x-rays, scans, therapy rather than just having someone crack my back.
Is it okay for men's clubs to keep women out? Just yes or no please. Yes
Are you for or against gun control? I do agree that there has to be some limitations on what weapons are allowed to be out there in the streets, but gun control should be limited and legislated with common sense rather than fear-mongering and rash judgements.
Would you open up or further close down the public's access to government information through the press? Unless it truly is a matter that needs to remain classified, the government should be transparent and open to all media scrutiny.
If the most able and experienced man for the job was homosexual, would you appoint him? Absolutely. A person's sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with the way they do their job and obviously, the most qualified person would be the one I'd want for any job.
Busing, yes or no? No.
Affirmative Action? Not at all - a person gets a job, placement in a college or anything else by being the most qualified and most deserving - not because of their race or gender. Quotas of any kind are not right and do not work.
Whom do you like better, rich people or poor people? People are people and I've never cared one way or the other about their social status. If I get along with them and like them, their income, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc are all insignificant and does not matter.
Have you ever smoked marijuana? Yes, I have. Not crazy about it though - my "drug of choice" is alcohol.
Are you for or against farm subsidies? I can see where they're beneficial for some - if it wasn't for the help from the Government, many more farmers would be out of business and unable to survive or compete. I think there is a lot of abuse of this government policy and each case put forth needs to be decided on a case by case basis, but I would support continuing doing the subsidies so long as they're necessary to help keep the American family farms solvent.
What about tobacco? Do you feel the same about taxpayers subsidizing farmers who grow tobacco? I live in NC and without these subsidies, this state, my home, would be hurt greatly and thousands of people would be out of work. I don't smoke and don't care much for these subsidies, but I would continue to support them and help keep my home state strong.
Do you carry a fountain pen? Not often - no.
Which do you like bettter, chocolate or vanilla ice cream? I preferred chocolate when I was younger, but as I've gotten older, my tastes have changed. I'm more of a vanilla type guy now.
How do you take your coffee? I love the smell of a fresh pot of coffee, but I can't stand the taste. I don't drink coffee at all. I drink Diet Pepsi or water.
And there you go, Mr. Rooney. My answers to your questions, honest and to the point. No secrets here.
So do you think that Andy Rooney would vote for me for a political office? Probably not. But he's old and probably wouldn't vote for anyone under seventy years of age anyhow. Is Rooney registered to vote in NC? Nope, so no worries here.
If you get a chance to read Andy Rooney's books (any of them), do so. He's funny and entertaining and I've yet to find one that was not a good, fun read. And go read more of my blogs too. Maybe I'm the next Andy Rooney? Nah, probably not. He's one of a kind. But I am the only me (and thank God for that!)
I'm out of here - take care and have a great day!
Friday, October 21, 2011
SC Voter ID Law: My Thoughts - October 21, 2011
Not quite so long ago, the State of South Carolina passed a Voter ID Law that requires voters to show valid identification when coming to vote. It seems simple enough, doesn't it. After all, what's the big deal, right?
And then the naysayers started. According to The South Carolina Election Commission, who decided to look at the problems concerning this new law, the precients with the largest number of voters not allowed to cast a ballot due to not having ID, were generally areas with a large non-white population and most specifically in areas where there were a large number of black college students.
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian issued a statement saying that this new law "is disenfranchising huge groups of people who don't have the money to go get an ID card". MSNBC Commentator Chris Matthews took it a step farther on his show, "Hardball", where he accused SC Governor Nikki Haley (R) of being out of touch and then compared the new Voter ID law to Jim Crow era racism, stating "There have been complaints by many South Carolinians that the law [requiring citizens to show photo identification at the polls] will effectively end up disenfranchising many traditionally Democratic supporters in the state."
It just goes on and on and on as cries of racism and voter supression ring out all across the land. It's not fair to make the 80 year old Grandma show ID to vote. It's not fair to force these people, who are in bad health and on fixed incomes go down and get a valid picture ID. It's not fair that these students, who are hard at work trying to study and learn and prepare for their futures, to force them to go down and get an ID card. It's all discrimination and voter supression. It's racist.
I'm calling it right now. Bullcrap!
If these allegedly supressed voters want to write a check, they have to show ID. If they want to open an account at a bank or withdraw money from a bank account, they have to show ID. If they want to buy a pack of cigarettes or buy a six pack of beer, they have to show an ID. If they have a job, they're required by law to show ID before being hired. If they drive, they have to have a license which is (surprise) a picture ID. If they want to get married, they have to show an ID. If they apply for Food Stamps or unemployment benefits or disability or Medicare or any kind of Government aid, they have to show an ID. If they want to open any kind of account anywhere or rent a home or buy a car or buy insurance or be admitted into a hospital, people have to show an ID.
Let me guess. All of those things are voter supression and racist too, right?
Showing an ID is just a simple fact of life and unless you don't drive, don't have a bank account, don't pay bills, don't have an income or job, don't visit doctor's offices, don't drink and don't smoke and have no contact of any kind with the real world, you will be required at some point in your life to have a valid ID card. That's just how it is and anyone who claims otherwise is just far more out of touch than Chris Matthews seems to feel SC Governor Haley allegedly is.
If you're going to vote in SC, be prepared to show an ID. If you can't show an ID, as you aleady do for so many other purposes in daily life, then you don't deserve the right to vote. It not disenfranchising or racist. It's just the way things are in order to prevent voter fraud and non-citizens from attempting to vote. It might be inconvenient, but so what? Life gets that way sometimes and it's about time that all of these rabble-rousers claiming "racism" at every drop of a hat wise up and learn this.
Thank you,
And then the naysayers started. According to The South Carolina Election Commission, who decided to look at the problems concerning this new law, the precients with the largest number of voters not allowed to cast a ballot due to not having ID, were generally areas with a large non-white population and most specifically in areas where there were a large number of black college students.
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian issued a statement saying that this new law "is disenfranchising huge groups of people who don't have the money to go get an ID card". MSNBC Commentator Chris Matthews took it a step farther on his show, "Hardball", where he accused SC Governor Nikki Haley (R) of being out of touch and then compared the new Voter ID law to Jim Crow era racism, stating "There have been complaints by many South Carolinians that the law [requiring citizens to show photo identification at the polls] will effectively end up disenfranchising many traditionally Democratic supporters in the state."
It just goes on and on and on as cries of racism and voter supression ring out all across the land. It's not fair to make the 80 year old Grandma show ID to vote. It's not fair to force these people, who are in bad health and on fixed incomes go down and get a valid picture ID. It's not fair that these students, who are hard at work trying to study and learn and prepare for their futures, to force them to go down and get an ID card. It's all discrimination and voter supression. It's racist.
I'm calling it right now. Bullcrap!
If these allegedly supressed voters want to write a check, they have to show ID. If they want to open an account at a bank or withdraw money from a bank account, they have to show ID. If they want to buy a pack of cigarettes or buy a six pack of beer, they have to show an ID. If they have a job, they're required by law to show ID before being hired. If they drive, they have to have a license which is (surprise) a picture ID. If they want to get married, they have to show an ID. If they apply for Food Stamps or unemployment benefits or disability or Medicare or any kind of Government aid, they have to show an ID. If they want to open any kind of account anywhere or rent a home or buy a car or buy insurance or be admitted into a hospital, people have to show an ID.
Let me guess. All of those things are voter supression and racist too, right?
Showing an ID is just a simple fact of life and unless you don't drive, don't have a bank account, don't pay bills, don't have an income or job, don't visit doctor's offices, don't drink and don't smoke and have no contact of any kind with the real world, you will be required at some point in your life to have a valid ID card. That's just how it is and anyone who claims otherwise is just far more out of touch than Chris Matthews seems to feel SC Governor Haley allegedly is.
If you're going to vote in SC, be prepared to show an ID. If you can't show an ID, as you aleady do for so many other purposes in daily life, then you don't deserve the right to vote. It not disenfranchising or racist. It's just the way things are in order to prevent voter fraud and non-citizens from attempting to vote. It might be inconvenient, but so what? Life gets that way sometimes and it's about time that all of these rabble-rousers claiming "racism" at every drop of a hat wise up and learn this.
Thank you,
Waylon Jennnings Playlist: October 21, 2011
Following in the footsteps of my "Playlist: Alice Cooper" blog a few days ago, which got far more readers and response than I expected, I want to do it again and take a look at what I view as the "must-hear" songs of another truly iconic legend of music, the only and only original "Country Music Outlaw", Waylon Jennings. In a career that spanned close to forty years, with 67 studio albums, 21 compilation albums and 25 # 1 singles, Waylon was truly a man among men and one of the best around. He wasn't country and he wasn't rock. He was just Waylon.
I first discovered Waylon's music around 1976. Mind you that I was only ten years old and all of my peers (can a ten year old have peers?) were into the hard rock sounds of Led Zeppelin or Alice Cooper (another one of my favorites) or Lynyrd Skynyrd. And there were a few getting into the dance and disco sounds that were dominating at the time and making an impression. I listened to all of that music too, but nestled among the Alice albums I "borrowed" from my older sisters and the Rod Stewart's, David Bowie's, and Elton John's, there was this grizzly old country dude with a black hat and the always present cigarette hanging from the mouth, making some damn good music that stood out far and beyond anything else on the country radio stations of the time.
So what I'm going to do here is go down the list of Walyon's career and list thirteen songs that I feel that everyone should hear at some point in their life. And if you're not a fan of country music or Walyon Jennings, after listening to these songs, I don't know what to say because these songs were not necessarily hits and most of them didn't chart or didn't get any airplay, but they revealed the heart and soul of what country music should be and is supposed to be.
He was an original among legends and a phenom among icons. Along with friends, Willie, Johnny, Hank and his wife, Jessi Colter, he turned the country music industry on it's tail and forced changes that kept the genre alive when it was on life support. There's only one and he did it better than anyone. This is Waylon...
Nashville Bum: This song comes from the 1966 movie soundtrack "Nashville Rebel", which was a movie starring, guess who - Waylon Jennings. With only a couple of years in Nashville to his credit, Waylon was cast as not only the lead actor for this low-budget movie, but also wrote the soundtrack too, much like George Strait did for the movie, "Pure Country" many years later. The movie didn't do very well, but the soundtrack actually managed to chart and Waylon started getting attention. This particular song is quite simply what it sounds like - a young singer / songwriter comes to Nashville and struggles and endures to become a star. It's funny and entertaining, but insightful as well. This was Waylon trying to find his way and find his sound and although it's years before Waylon's name became a household word, it shows that he was off to a great start.
The Dark Side Of Fame: This comes from the 1967 album, "Waylon: The One And Only", which was reissued in 1978 as "The Dark Side of Fame". It's just a chilling and moving song that talks about the sacrifices and struggle to make it in Nashville or anywhere actually and how someone who appears to have it all might not really have anything where it counts. If I ever make an album (and Lord help us if I do), this is another song that I'd like to cover, although I know I could never do it justice as Waylon did. If Waylon had stopped performing right after releasing this song, he still could have called his career a success because with this song, he got it just right.
Bob Wills Is Still The King: This live track from the 1975 "Dreaming My Dreams" album is an example of the magic Waylon had in connecting with the live crowds and how rough & ready songs, with little polish and a raw gritty feel, if done right, could bring the house down. Waylon pays tribute to one of his childhood heroes, Bob Wills, a true Texas icon, as well as gets in a shout out to Willie Nelson in the process too. He's just Walyon, having fun and rocking hard, and nobody does it better - not then and not now.
If You See Me Getting Smaller: This comes from the 1977 "Ol' Waylon" album and it sounds to me like Waylon, who was firmly entrapped in the clutches of cocaine addiction at this point of his career, was starting to realize that he needed a break and some time to get away. It's a public acknowledgement that things were hard and he was losing himself into the drugs and into the dark side of the business. It's a good song that I've listened to time and time again when I was feeling overwhelmed.
Don't Ya'll Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand: This comes from the 1978 "I've Always Been Crazy" album and it's classic Waylon dealing with the frustration that, after the success of himself and Willie, everyone and anyone at the time started wanting to be "an outlaw", trying to cash in on their bandwagon. It's just Waylon's way of dealing wth the craziness of the entire situation. And also, Waylon gets in a few lines about how the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) conducted a raid on his studio and really screwed up the entire case. They had him, but their own incompetence messed things up and Waylon was found not guilty of criminal charges. And then he made a hit song, essentially confessing about the whole situation. A good fun song and Waylon at his best.
It's All Right: From 1980's "Music Man" album, this is just Waylon and his band, the steel guitar rocking hard and having fun. As the lyrics of the song itself say, "I've been singing about some friends of mine and the stories could be wrong / Well I made 'em up and I lie alot, but I got me a pretty good song". A lot of namedropping and a lot of energy and fun, crammed into a two minute song. A "pretty good song" indeed.
Wild Side Of Life: This is a duet with wife Jessi Colter, a musical icon in her own right, from the duet album by Waylon and Jessi from 1981, called "Leather and Lace". Just a note here. Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac fame, wrote a song called "Leather and Lace" especially for Waylon and Jessi for this album, hence the title, but ended up keeping the song for herself and released it as a single on her first solo album.
As for this song, you take a classic song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", let Jessi add some lyrics (the Wild Side of Life part), put them together with two great singers who just mesh and go so well together, in voice and in life, and cut them loose. Everytime that Waylon and Jessi sang together, you could feel the passion and energy for each other in their songs. This song really exemplified the whole scenario and is only second to "Storms Never Last" as the ultimate Waylon - Jessi duet, at least in my eyes.
Write Your Own Songs: This comes from the duet album called "Willie and Waylon: WW II", released in 1982. This is the second duet album with these two men and although it charted, it was obvious at this point that Willie and Waylon both were starting to fade from the charts and begin the downside of their careers. But at this point,I don't think they really cared. This song is an example of classic tongue in cheek lyrics and a few rather blatant lyrics as well where they are telling the music companies and exeutives that they're going to do things their own way and that they (the music executives) need to (literally) get their head out of their asses and listen to the artists and if they can't do that, respect the artists, they can just write their own songs and kiss the artists (Waylon & Willie's) asses. The song ruffled quite a few feathers in the Nashville establishment and I'm suprised that it made it to an album. But I'm glad it did. Waylon was well known for being extremely blunt when he had something to say and with this song, both he and Willie Nelson took it to a new level. Gotta love it!
Leave Them Boys Alone: This is a song recorded with friends Hank Williams Jr. and legend Ernest Tubb (Tubb's last recording) from the 1983 "Waylon and Company" album. It's exactly what it says with Waylon and Hank rolling off their list of accomplishments and Ernest backing them up, saying that their songs and sales prove that they know what they're doing. Hank Williams did, Waylon does, and Hank Jr. does as well. It's a message for the powers-that-be to quit criticizing and complaining and just shut their mouths and enjoy the music and the success. Classic Waylon doing what he does best - putting people in their place and scoring a hit at the same time.
The Eagle: This comes from the album, "The Eagle", released in 1990. Waylon had been dropped from the major record labels at this point and was considered to be a has-been. This is the way that the newly clean Waylon, having kicked his cocaine habit and recovered from all his financial problems, sent a message to everyone that he might not be what he was, but he was still a definite force to be reckoned with and the best thing for everyone to do is just back off. Great symbolism in the song and just a great song altogether.
Shooter's Theme: This comes from the 1993 album, "Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals and Dirt", a childrens' album that Waylon released after realizing just how much he loved his son Shooter, who is now a legitimate country-rock star in his own right, and as a way to just pay homage to children in general, who's company, once he got clean, Waylon realized that he tended to prefer over the company of adults. The entire album is great and although it's made for kids, it's thoroughly enjoyable and fun to listen to for adults as well, reminding us of how the way we see things and the way that kids see things can be so totally different at times. In this song, it's just a love song between a father and his son and nobody does a love song better than Waylon.
You Don't Mess Around With Me: A rough and rowdy song from the 1994 album, "Waymore's Blues - Part II" that is a throwback to the earlier, outlaw sound that Waylon perfected so early in his career. This song was used on a soundtrack for some movie at the time (can't remember which one) and was his last single to ever chart. Waylon's career was winding down after problems with diabetes, blood pressure and heart attacks and I guess this was just one final hurrah to let everyone know that he's still the same Billy Bad-Ass and not to be taken lightly or forgotten about.
Ain't No Road Too Long: This comes from the soundtrack for the movie "Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird" Waylon has a featured role in that movie as well, playing a Turkey Truck driver who Bird Bird encounters in his efforts to get back to Sesame Street. It's Waylon, Big Bird, Grover and the rest of the Sesame Street cast and it's exactly what you'd expect - AWESOME!
And there you go. My opinions of what I feel are the consumate "Waylon Jennings" songs that every person needs to hear at least once. Any Waylon music is good music - the man wore his heart on his sleeve and didn't hold back an ounce for anyone. The legacy continues today with wife Jessi Colter, who is an incredible songwriter and singer in her own right and son Shooter Jennings, who has his own sound, his own style of music, but is equally as cantankerous and unwilling to compromise as his father was.
If you get a chance, go to ITunes or You-Tube and listen to these songs and feel the magic and power that radiate from them. You'll be so glad that you did. It's not country - it's not rock - it's just Waylon. And that's really all we need.
Waylon Jennings
Rest In Peace
June 15, 1937 - February 13, 2002
I first discovered Waylon's music around 1976. Mind you that I was only ten years old and all of my peers (can a ten year old have peers?) were into the hard rock sounds of Led Zeppelin or Alice Cooper (another one of my favorites) or Lynyrd Skynyrd. And there were a few getting into the dance and disco sounds that were dominating at the time and making an impression. I listened to all of that music too, but nestled among the Alice albums I "borrowed" from my older sisters and the Rod Stewart's, David Bowie's, and Elton John's, there was this grizzly old country dude with a black hat and the always present cigarette hanging from the mouth, making some damn good music that stood out far and beyond anything else on the country radio stations of the time.
So what I'm going to do here is go down the list of Walyon's career and list thirteen songs that I feel that everyone should hear at some point in their life. And if you're not a fan of country music or Walyon Jennings, after listening to these songs, I don't know what to say because these songs were not necessarily hits and most of them didn't chart or didn't get any airplay, but they revealed the heart and soul of what country music should be and is supposed to be.
He was an original among legends and a phenom among icons. Along with friends, Willie, Johnny, Hank and his wife, Jessi Colter, he turned the country music industry on it's tail and forced changes that kept the genre alive when it was on life support. There's only one and he did it better than anyone. This is Waylon...
Nashville Bum: This song comes from the 1966 movie soundtrack "Nashville Rebel", which was a movie starring, guess who - Waylon Jennings. With only a couple of years in Nashville to his credit, Waylon was cast as not only the lead actor for this low-budget movie, but also wrote the soundtrack too, much like George Strait did for the movie, "Pure Country" many years later. The movie didn't do very well, but the soundtrack actually managed to chart and Waylon started getting attention. This particular song is quite simply what it sounds like - a young singer / songwriter comes to Nashville and struggles and endures to become a star. It's funny and entertaining, but insightful as well. This was Waylon trying to find his way and find his sound and although it's years before Waylon's name became a household word, it shows that he was off to a great start.
The Dark Side Of Fame: This comes from the 1967 album, "Waylon: The One And Only", which was reissued in 1978 as "The Dark Side of Fame". It's just a chilling and moving song that talks about the sacrifices and struggle to make it in Nashville or anywhere actually and how someone who appears to have it all might not really have anything where it counts. If I ever make an album (and Lord help us if I do), this is another song that I'd like to cover, although I know I could never do it justice as Waylon did. If Waylon had stopped performing right after releasing this song, he still could have called his career a success because with this song, he got it just right.
Bob Wills Is Still The King: This live track from the 1975 "Dreaming My Dreams" album is an example of the magic Waylon had in connecting with the live crowds and how rough & ready songs, with little polish and a raw gritty feel, if done right, could bring the house down. Waylon pays tribute to one of his childhood heroes, Bob Wills, a true Texas icon, as well as gets in a shout out to Willie Nelson in the process too. He's just Walyon, having fun and rocking hard, and nobody does it better - not then and not now.
If You See Me Getting Smaller: This comes from the 1977 "Ol' Waylon" album and it sounds to me like Waylon, who was firmly entrapped in the clutches of cocaine addiction at this point of his career, was starting to realize that he needed a break and some time to get away. It's a public acknowledgement that things were hard and he was losing himself into the drugs and into the dark side of the business. It's a good song that I've listened to time and time again when I was feeling overwhelmed.
Don't Ya'll Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand: This comes from the 1978 "I've Always Been Crazy" album and it's classic Waylon dealing with the frustration that, after the success of himself and Willie, everyone and anyone at the time started wanting to be "an outlaw", trying to cash in on their bandwagon. It's just Waylon's way of dealing wth the craziness of the entire situation. And also, Waylon gets in a few lines about how the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) conducted a raid on his studio and really screwed up the entire case. They had him, but their own incompetence messed things up and Waylon was found not guilty of criminal charges. And then he made a hit song, essentially confessing about the whole situation. A good fun song and Waylon at his best.
It's All Right: From 1980's "Music Man" album, this is just Waylon and his band, the steel guitar rocking hard and having fun. As the lyrics of the song itself say, "I've been singing about some friends of mine and the stories could be wrong / Well I made 'em up and I lie alot, but I got me a pretty good song". A lot of namedropping and a lot of energy and fun, crammed into a two minute song. A "pretty good song" indeed.
Wild Side Of Life: This is a duet with wife Jessi Colter, a musical icon in her own right, from the duet album by Waylon and Jessi from 1981, called "Leather and Lace". Just a note here. Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac fame, wrote a song called "Leather and Lace" especially for Waylon and Jessi for this album, hence the title, but ended up keeping the song for herself and released it as a single on her first solo album.
As for this song, you take a classic song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", let Jessi add some lyrics (the Wild Side of Life part), put them together with two great singers who just mesh and go so well together, in voice and in life, and cut them loose. Everytime that Waylon and Jessi sang together, you could feel the passion and energy for each other in their songs. This song really exemplified the whole scenario and is only second to "Storms Never Last" as the ultimate Waylon - Jessi duet, at least in my eyes.
Write Your Own Songs: This comes from the duet album called "Willie and Waylon: WW II", released in 1982. This is the second duet album with these two men and although it charted, it was obvious at this point that Willie and Waylon both were starting to fade from the charts and begin the downside of their careers. But at this point,I don't think they really cared. This song is an example of classic tongue in cheek lyrics and a few rather blatant lyrics as well where they are telling the music companies and exeutives that they're going to do things their own way and that they (the music executives) need to (literally) get their head out of their asses and listen to the artists and if they can't do that, respect the artists, they can just write their own songs and kiss the artists (Waylon & Willie's) asses. The song ruffled quite a few feathers in the Nashville establishment and I'm suprised that it made it to an album. But I'm glad it did. Waylon was well known for being extremely blunt when he had something to say and with this song, both he and Willie Nelson took it to a new level. Gotta love it!
Leave Them Boys Alone: This is a song recorded with friends Hank Williams Jr. and legend Ernest Tubb (Tubb's last recording) from the 1983 "Waylon and Company" album. It's exactly what it says with Waylon and Hank rolling off their list of accomplishments and Ernest backing them up, saying that their songs and sales prove that they know what they're doing. Hank Williams did, Waylon does, and Hank Jr. does as well. It's a message for the powers-that-be to quit criticizing and complaining and just shut their mouths and enjoy the music and the success. Classic Waylon doing what he does best - putting people in their place and scoring a hit at the same time.
The Eagle: This comes from the album, "The Eagle", released in 1990. Waylon had been dropped from the major record labels at this point and was considered to be a has-been. This is the way that the newly clean Waylon, having kicked his cocaine habit and recovered from all his financial problems, sent a message to everyone that he might not be what he was, but he was still a definite force to be reckoned with and the best thing for everyone to do is just back off. Great symbolism in the song and just a great song altogether.
Shooter's Theme: This comes from the 1993 album, "Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals and Dirt", a childrens' album that Waylon released after realizing just how much he loved his son Shooter, who is now a legitimate country-rock star in his own right, and as a way to just pay homage to children in general, who's company, once he got clean, Waylon realized that he tended to prefer over the company of adults. The entire album is great and although it's made for kids, it's thoroughly enjoyable and fun to listen to for adults as well, reminding us of how the way we see things and the way that kids see things can be so totally different at times. In this song, it's just a love song between a father and his son and nobody does a love song better than Waylon.
You Don't Mess Around With Me: A rough and rowdy song from the 1994 album, "Waymore's Blues - Part II" that is a throwback to the earlier, outlaw sound that Waylon perfected so early in his career. This song was used on a soundtrack for some movie at the time (can't remember which one) and was his last single to ever chart. Waylon's career was winding down after problems with diabetes, blood pressure and heart attacks and I guess this was just one final hurrah to let everyone know that he's still the same Billy Bad-Ass and not to be taken lightly or forgotten about.
Ain't No Road Too Long: This comes from the soundtrack for the movie "Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird" Waylon has a featured role in that movie as well, playing a Turkey Truck driver who Bird Bird encounters in his efforts to get back to Sesame Street. It's Waylon, Big Bird, Grover and the rest of the Sesame Street cast and it's exactly what you'd expect - AWESOME!
And there you go. My opinions of what I feel are the consumate "Waylon Jennings" songs that every person needs to hear at least once. Any Waylon music is good music - the man wore his heart on his sleeve and didn't hold back an ounce for anyone. The legacy continues today with wife Jessi Colter, who is an incredible songwriter and singer in her own right and son Shooter Jennings, who has his own sound, his own style of music, but is equally as cantankerous and unwilling to compromise as his father was.
If you get a chance, go to ITunes or You-Tube and listen to these songs and feel the magic and power that radiate from them. You'll be so glad that you did. It's not country - it's not rock - it's just Waylon. And that's really all we need.
Waylon Jennings
Rest In Peace
June 15, 1937 - February 13, 2002
Monsters Under My Bed (Dream) - October 21, 2011
I just woke up a few short minutes ago. It's 5:30 in the morning and I just had one hell of a dream that has really shaken me. Already, the details are fading from my mind, but I'll try to recap what I can.
I'm with my Mom and we're in some kind of store. And I have no idea why we're there or even where we're at, but I guess I work there because the people are acknowledging me as if I belong and one woman asks me if I'm working today. I recognize her from the Food Bank where I do my volunteer work, but I can't recall her name. I tell her I'm not working, but I am wearing some kind of uniform. She need some help with something and I tell her that I'll be back as soon as I go vote so I can help her. And I mention to Mom that when we finish voting, I have to help that lady and it'll probably just be moving a few things.
So we go to his row of machines and I see a woman standing at the electrical outlets and they're unplugged. I tell her that she had to plug them in so we can go vote and she makes a comment, "since it's you, Dougie" and plugs the machines back in. Several of the machines brighten up with light and they're like the old quarter machines from years ago. I climb into what seems to be an old roller coaster seat, but I'm calling it a train, and sit next to Ma. And then I get back out and go deposit two dollars worth of quarters into the slots, to get the machine moving and then sit back down in my seat.
A cover slides forth and the train / cart is moving. Lots of turns and moves and we are in this parking lot like area. Looks more like a car wash actually. Our ride is shuttled into a row of cars and Ma is pointing over to the row next to us and commenting how that a person there looks like a former neighbor of ours. We get out and start walking down a path and this is the final step before going to vote. Ma is falling behind and she's quiet. I turn around and she's having trouble walking. Her ankle, which swells on occasion, is just rubbery and she can barely walk. Two women, one of whom just passed away last week, Sadie and another woman, who I recognize as the one who "plugged us in" earlier are there and they each place an arm under Ma to help her walk. She says she's got to vote and they bring out a stretcher for her as we enter what I guess is the voting room.
I"m standing there distraught, being ingnored by everyone else and Sadie is looking at papers and calling out names for Ma to "vote" on, and Ma keeps saying "Anyone, but Clarence". Who the hell is Clarence. And the door busts open and my sister, Terri comes storming in. Where is Ma. She looks at Ma lying on the stretcher and she demands that we take her back to some place and get help. And we pick up the stretcher - Me on one end and Sadie and the other woman on the other and Terri leads up very quickly up and across a gravel road and I'm thinking to myself that this can't be right. Terri can barely walk on her own and yet, here she is, walking so fast in front of us, gravel keeps flying back at us.
And we get to the room where we're headed and Terri is ignoring Ma, but screaming at Sadie and the other woman, ripping them a new hole about why they didn't call her immediately before Ma got hurt.. My other sister, Lynn, is now there too and she isn't saying anything, but just staring at Ma with the strangest, lost expression on her face. I ask where Steve is and they say he's not answering his phone. Lynn wants to know why I didn't call anyone and I point at the Blazer, my car which is suddenly there, and say that I don't have my phone and it's locked in the Blazer. I hear a voice from Ma and she's barely able to move and is trying to hand me keys to the Blazer and makes a comment about how I can't forget my keys because she won't have hers anymore.
And then I woke up. That's the dream, as best I remember. Now I just have to figure out what it means.
I'm thinking it's just my subconcious way of putting a few things in perspective. Ma turns 75 years old on this coming Saturday and although she won't go see a doctor, her health is not what it was, even though she won't admit to it. Lately, we've had a few talks where she's spoken about the house and everything around here and how she wants me to stay here at the house if anything ever happens to her. I'm her primary beneficiary and the executor of her estate. It's not that I asked for it or want to be, but I guess that she feels that I'm the one who's most capable of handling things if the need arises.
But handling what exactly? My siblings are all physically handicapped. My sister has had a series of strokes, starting with when she was 24 and she's not, either physically or emotionally, capable of dealing with much. Hell, most of the time, the medications she's on make her more like a zombie than a real person. My brother is an alcoholic, bi-polar, and has had three heart attacks thus far and is well on his way to another one. And my other sister, she's fighting MS, as well as alcoholism and even though she's rather strong and capable, she can be a handful in her own right.
I was thinking lately about what happens to them if anything happens to Ma? She looks after them all to some extent, does their laundry, drives them all to their numerous doctor appointments, makes sure they get to the store, and just does all those "Mom" things that they take for granted. I'm a capable person, at least I like to think so, and I can handle stressful situations if I need to do so. I could handle, I think, final arrangements and dealing with the estate and putting things in order and all of that stuff. It's just pull the emotions inside, put on the business face and go to work and get things done. But what about the family. If anything happens to Ma, does that responsibility of looking after all of them fall on me and my shoulders?
I think that's what this dream was about. I realize Ma is getting older and I notice that the health is failing somewhat and I see little things and wonder if the mind isn't slowly failing as well. And I'm wondering to myself, can I do what she's done. If we lose her, can we endure and survive or will we all be lost and the family dissolve and die?
I'm thinking about this stuff and I realized something. This dream just really knocked it home for me. Damn it, I'm scared as hell. I have these questions and I'm wondring, will I be strong enough to do what I'll have to do and will I be able to shoulder the support for my family I'll have to do - or will I buckle under it all and just give up and become lost in the transition, never to be seen again?
I just don't know.
I'm with my Mom and we're in some kind of store. And I have no idea why we're there or even where we're at, but I guess I work there because the people are acknowledging me as if I belong and one woman asks me if I'm working today. I recognize her from the Food Bank where I do my volunteer work, but I can't recall her name. I tell her I'm not working, but I am wearing some kind of uniform. She need some help with something and I tell her that I'll be back as soon as I go vote so I can help her. And I mention to Mom that when we finish voting, I have to help that lady and it'll probably just be moving a few things.
So we go to his row of machines and I see a woman standing at the electrical outlets and they're unplugged. I tell her that she had to plug them in so we can go vote and she makes a comment, "since it's you, Dougie" and plugs the machines back in. Several of the machines brighten up with light and they're like the old quarter machines from years ago. I climb into what seems to be an old roller coaster seat, but I'm calling it a train, and sit next to Ma. And then I get back out and go deposit two dollars worth of quarters into the slots, to get the machine moving and then sit back down in my seat.
A cover slides forth and the train / cart is moving. Lots of turns and moves and we are in this parking lot like area. Looks more like a car wash actually. Our ride is shuttled into a row of cars and Ma is pointing over to the row next to us and commenting how that a person there looks like a former neighbor of ours. We get out and start walking down a path and this is the final step before going to vote. Ma is falling behind and she's quiet. I turn around and she's having trouble walking. Her ankle, which swells on occasion, is just rubbery and she can barely walk. Two women, one of whom just passed away last week, Sadie and another woman, who I recognize as the one who "plugged us in" earlier are there and they each place an arm under Ma to help her walk. She says she's got to vote and they bring out a stretcher for her as we enter what I guess is the voting room.
I"m standing there distraught, being ingnored by everyone else and Sadie is looking at papers and calling out names for Ma to "vote" on, and Ma keeps saying "Anyone, but Clarence". Who the hell is Clarence. And the door busts open and my sister, Terri comes storming in. Where is Ma. She looks at Ma lying on the stretcher and she demands that we take her back to some place and get help. And we pick up the stretcher - Me on one end and Sadie and the other woman on the other and Terri leads up very quickly up and across a gravel road and I'm thinking to myself that this can't be right. Terri can barely walk on her own and yet, here she is, walking so fast in front of us, gravel keeps flying back at us.
And we get to the room where we're headed and Terri is ignoring Ma, but screaming at Sadie and the other woman, ripping them a new hole about why they didn't call her immediately before Ma got hurt.. My other sister, Lynn, is now there too and she isn't saying anything, but just staring at Ma with the strangest, lost expression on her face. I ask where Steve is and they say he's not answering his phone. Lynn wants to know why I didn't call anyone and I point at the Blazer, my car which is suddenly there, and say that I don't have my phone and it's locked in the Blazer. I hear a voice from Ma and she's barely able to move and is trying to hand me keys to the Blazer and makes a comment about how I can't forget my keys because she won't have hers anymore.
And then I woke up. That's the dream, as best I remember. Now I just have to figure out what it means.
I'm thinking it's just my subconcious way of putting a few things in perspective. Ma turns 75 years old on this coming Saturday and although she won't go see a doctor, her health is not what it was, even though she won't admit to it. Lately, we've had a few talks where she's spoken about the house and everything around here and how she wants me to stay here at the house if anything ever happens to her. I'm her primary beneficiary and the executor of her estate. It's not that I asked for it or want to be, but I guess that she feels that I'm the one who's most capable of handling things if the need arises.
But handling what exactly? My siblings are all physically handicapped. My sister has had a series of strokes, starting with when she was 24 and she's not, either physically or emotionally, capable of dealing with much. Hell, most of the time, the medications she's on make her more like a zombie than a real person. My brother is an alcoholic, bi-polar, and has had three heart attacks thus far and is well on his way to another one. And my other sister, she's fighting MS, as well as alcoholism and even though she's rather strong and capable, she can be a handful in her own right.
I was thinking lately about what happens to them if anything happens to Ma? She looks after them all to some extent, does their laundry, drives them all to their numerous doctor appointments, makes sure they get to the store, and just does all those "Mom" things that they take for granted. I'm a capable person, at least I like to think so, and I can handle stressful situations if I need to do so. I could handle, I think, final arrangements and dealing with the estate and putting things in order and all of that stuff. It's just pull the emotions inside, put on the business face and go to work and get things done. But what about the family. If anything happens to Ma, does that responsibility of looking after all of them fall on me and my shoulders?
I think that's what this dream was about. I realize Ma is getting older and I notice that the health is failing somewhat and I see little things and wonder if the mind isn't slowly failing as well. And I'm wondering to myself, can I do what she's done. If we lose her, can we endure and survive or will we all be lost and the family dissolve and die?
I'm thinking about this stuff and I realized something. This dream just really knocked it home for me. Damn it, I'm scared as hell. I have these questions and I'm wondring, will I be strong enough to do what I'll have to do and will I be able to shoulder the support for my family I'll have to do - or will I buckle under it all and just give up and become lost in the transition, never to be seen again?
I just don't know.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Playlist: Alice Cooper - October 19, 2011
The Playlist: Alice Cooper
In the current issue of Rolling Stone, one of the feature columns is something called "The Playlist Issue" where different musical stars are given a topic of music and discuss their favorite artists or songs or whatever that relates to that particular topic. For example, Mick Jagger talks about Reggae and Cee Lo Green talks about Southern Based Rap. John Mellencamp talks about "Rebellion Songs" while Tom Petty talks about "Elvis songs".I guess the whole idea to is turn people on to different types of music outside the big hits that everyone already knows about.
Well, I was glancing through the magazine and thought to myself, I should do a playlist for Alice Cooper. Everyone already knows who Alice Cooper is, right? The old time rocker who had such hits as "School's Out", "No More Mister Nice Guy", "Poison" and "Eighteen". And those are all great songs. But with a man who has released 26 studio albums, 8 live albums, 9 compilation ablums and probably hundreds of bootleg albums piecing together songs from assorted albums and soundtracks, have you really heard the best stuff and do you really know who Alice is?
Yeah, I'm a big fan of Alice Cooper and I have in my possession, on either album, cassette or CD every single legitimate Alice Cooper album with one exception. I haven't been able to find "Along Came A Spider" yet so if anyone wants to buy me an early Christmas present, that is an option.
Now what was I saying? Oh yeah, Alice has had a few hits and during his career, spanning 41 years so far, he's sold over sixty-million albums. But if all you know are just the hits, you're missing the best of Alice. I decided to go through all his albums and try to compose a list of the great Alice songs that weren't hits, but are damn good anyhow. These are what I consider the "must hear" songs of Alice Cooper.
I went through every album tracklist and narrowed it down to about thirty-five songs. And then worked that down to twenty. And from there to thirteen songs. And that's what I've got here. These aren't the hits - these are the hidden treasures buried deep inside the albums that I've discovered over the years. If you're a fan of Alice Cooper, these are songs you may or may not already know, but you should listen to again. And if you're not a fan of Alice Cooper, go to YouTube or ITunes and find these songs and give them a listen anyhow. You'll become a fan. It's true. It's damn true.
This is only my opinion, but it's a good one. Trust me.
The Must Hear Songs of Alice Cooper Playlist...
No Tricks (featuring Betty Wright)
This was released as the B-side track of the single, "How You Gonna See Me Know", which was off of 1978's "From The Inside" album. Alice was just getting over a major stay in rehab and this song details efforts to stay clean, while R&B songstress Betty Wright ("No Pain, No Gain", Mother Wit") provides additional lyrics and a bluesy sound saying that you can't always believe what someone tells you. It's an amazing song and one of my favorites. I've always told myself that if I had a voice and a chance to make an album, this song would be one of the first tracks recorded. It's not typical-Alice by any means. It's Alice branching out and expanding himself, pushing the envelope (especially for 1978). And it's good.
No Time For Tears
This song was recorded especially for the movie "Sextette" starring Mae West and was never released on any album until the 1999 Box Set "The Life And Crimes Of Alice Cooper", which is incredible, by the way. I heard this song and it's so simple and yet so real and moving. I would say that it'll bring tears to your eyes, but as the song title says, there's no time for that. Not all all.
The Quiet Room
Another track from 1978's "From The Inside" album. The whole album, based on Alice's stay in a rehab facility, is incredibly deep and a great look into not only the wounded and deranged psyche of Alice, but also of many of his fellow patients who made such an impression on the man that he (along with writer Bernie Taupin) had to immortalize them in song. With this particular song, you can feel the anguish and pain in Alice's voice as he reflects on the times spent in isolation, looking back on his life and wondering just exactly what is going on. Anyone who has moments where they just feel isolated from the world can listen to this song and identify. A great track.
King Of The Silver Screen
This one comes from the 1977 "Lace & Whiskey" album and it's Alice's homage to his love of classic Hollywood and the old movies, the same ones we now watch on the Classic Movie Channels. He talks about how he watching those movies and gets swept away in the characters and the stories and it's almost like being there himself. The whole concept, from what I can gather, is ways to escape life and reality for just a little while. This was in one of his heaviest drinking stages of his life and it's amazing that a person who was so incapacitated so often could work and create such revealing and moving songs. But he managed.
Give The Kid A Break
This one comes from the "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell" album and it's pretty straight forward. The main character of this concept album, Alice, is faced with the Devil and he's pleading and making an argument for leniency, but it just isn't getting through and his arguments fall on deaf ears. Just a great song where Alice shows a lot of different vocal ranges and plays two characters (Alice and The Devil) to the max.
Blow Me Away
A track from the 2000 album "Brutal Planet". It's a little more hard rocking than some of Alice's earlier stuff, but the music rocks and the song really hits a chord with a great message about how brutal and insincere people can be. It takes ahold of the hypocrisy that rules our world and how if you're different from someone else, you're looked down upon and frowned upon, all with an Alice twist.
Stolen Prayer
This whole album, "The Last Temptation" from 1996, was Alice's message to all of those who had trouble believing that a person (Alice) can be religious, but still be a great rock singer and musician as well. It tells the story of a young boy (Steven), tempted by evil andtemptation (Alice) and overcoming the challenge in the end. It's a concept album with biblical overtones that most wouldn't get unless they were looking for that message. The vast majority would just say that this is a damn good rock album and one of Alice's best ever - and it is. The song "Stolen Prayer", written by Alice and Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), just happens to be one of my favorite tracks from the album as Alice talks about dealing with the Prince of Lies and weighing his options. Cornell does back-up vocals and really adds some extra dimensions to the song as well. Just an amazing track, but the whole album is incredible.
Ballad of Dwight Frye
This comes from the 1971 "Love It To Death" album and it's a mixture of a tribute to legendary actor Dwight Frye (he played Renfield in the Bela Lugosi film "Dracula") and Alice's (the character) descent into madness. It's just an amazing song and once you've heard it, you'll never forget it.
Only My Heart Talking (featuring Steven Tyler)
A truly great and incredible love song from Alice's 1989 "Trash" album. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith, American Idol) provides the backing tracks and we get to hear Alice open up his heart and say the things that a person wants to say when their mouth just isn't able to speak clearly and get the message out to the one they love. People tend to underestimate Alice's singing talents, but he manages to stay right there with Steven Tyler and that is definitely no easy task for anyone. Just a great and heart-wrenching song. At least I think so.
Gutter Cat versus The Jets
Alice meets Broadway as he takes the central theme and idea from the movie "Westside Story" and the musical genius of Leonard Bernstein and gives it an Alice twist to create this great number from the 1972 album, "School's Out". This is such an amazing song that works so well on stage during Alice's concerts (and usually leads into "Only Women Bleed") - it's like watching a Broadway presentation dead smack in the middle of a rock concert. Not many people could pull that off - Alice does it easily.
Dead Babies
An Alice look at child abuse and parental neglect from the 1971 "Killer" album. I think this is the song that originally gave the parents and politicians, who were still on the fence about Alice in his early days, the extra fire to crucify and go after the man and proclaim him as bad and evil and everything that was wrong with the world. Alice creates some scenarios in the song where the innocent, babies, are hurt and in the end, Alice, representing those who were responsible for the misdeeds, pays the supreme price. Just a moving and way ahead of it's time song that also works really well in the theatrical parts of Alice's concerts. Chilling!
Pain
This one comes to us from the 1980 "Flush The Fashion" album, which was Alice's response to the Disco movement, as well as an album that now, Alice claims to have no recollection of making and recording. The song is really good though and it gives an identity and substance to everything that is wrong with the world and the dealing with this entity called "Pain". It's like we're face to face and "pain" tries to explain why it does what it does and the pleasure it gets from our suffering. It's a unique and totally surreal way of looking at things, from a totally different perspective than anyone else has ever done, and Alice manages to pull it off. A great track.
I Love America
This comes from 1983's "Da Da" album, which is another album that Alice claims to have no recollection of recording and making. It's probably one of the most artsy albums Alice ever made and there is no particular rhyme or reason as to the songs and the way they're laid out or even why they're there. Coming from a man who perfected the art of "concept albums", there is no concept at all to this one. But the songs are good and moving and easy to get pulled into. This entire album is like a weird dream, brought on by a spicy bowl of chili right before bed - you don't know what to expect or where you're headed and you're relieved when you wake up, but the dream stays entrenched in your mind and leaves you scared, but asking for more. Does that make sense? Probably not.
And this song, strictly tongue in cheek, is just a great centerpiece for this roller coaster ride. It's Alice, explaing why he loves America, just as the title says. I wish he'd make a remake of this song, just to see the video that would accompany it. It's a visual spectacular waiting to happen. If I ever run for a political office (Lord help us all), this song, along with the rock-anthem "Elected", would be my campaign music. It's just a fun track with a cynical, yet eye opening look at some of the things that are great about our country.
And that's my "Playlist" of thirteen songs that everyone, whether or not you're a fan of Alice Cooper or not, should hear. If you listen to these songs and still don't like Alice Cooper, I would recommend a few weeks in the "Quiet Room" for you. And you're a racist. (Not really, but since the popular thing today is to call anyone who doesn't agree with your point of view a racist, I decided to jump on the bandwagon... lol).
Anyhow, these are all good tracks and I think everyone should listen to them (and the entire albums they come from) and make your own decisions from that. Forget what you've heard from others - listen to the music yourself and make up your own mind and I'm sure that you'll end up agreeing with me that Alice C. is "de' man!" At least I think so.
By the way, Alice has a new album out called "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", a long awaited (almost 30 years) follow up to the classic "Welcome To My Nightmare" album, that came out a few weeks ago. And it's good! It's damn good! Check it out if you get the chance. It's probably (in my estimation) the best overall Alice album since 1996's "The Last Temptation". It's a concept album (which Alice specializes in) and Steven (the main character from Alice's first Nightmare album, as well as the Last Temptation album) is being taken once more on a scary and truly unforgettable ride. Check it out on ITunes or in stores near you.
That's it for me. I'm Doug and I'm outta here. Until the next time, Ubuntu!
In the current issue of Rolling Stone, one of the feature columns is something called "The Playlist Issue" where different musical stars are given a topic of music and discuss their favorite artists or songs or whatever that relates to that particular topic. For example, Mick Jagger talks about Reggae and Cee Lo Green talks about Southern Based Rap. John Mellencamp talks about "Rebellion Songs" while Tom Petty talks about "Elvis songs".I guess the whole idea to is turn people on to different types of music outside the big hits that everyone already knows about.
Well, I was glancing through the magazine and thought to myself, I should do a playlist for Alice Cooper. Everyone already knows who Alice Cooper is, right? The old time rocker who had such hits as "School's Out", "No More Mister Nice Guy", "Poison" and "Eighteen". And those are all great songs. But with a man who has released 26 studio albums, 8 live albums, 9 compilation ablums and probably hundreds of bootleg albums piecing together songs from assorted albums and soundtracks, have you really heard the best stuff and do you really know who Alice is?
Yeah, I'm a big fan of Alice Cooper and I have in my possession, on either album, cassette or CD every single legitimate Alice Cooper album with one exception. I haven't been able to find "Along Came A Spider" yet so if anyone wants to buy me an early Christmas present, that is an option.
Now what was I saying? Oh yeah, Alice has had a few hits and during his career, spanning 41 years so far, he's sold over sixty-million albums. But if all you know are just the hits, you're missing the best of Alice. I decided to go through all his albums and try to compose a list of the great Alice songs that weren't hits, but are damn good anyhow. These are what I consider the "must hear" songs of Alice Cooper.
I went through every album tracklist and narrowed it down to about thirty-five songs. And then worked that down to twenty. And from there to thirteen songs. And that's what I've got here. These aren't the hits - these are the hidden treasures buried deep inside the albums that I've discovered over the years. If you're a fan of Alice Cooper, these are songs you may or may not already know, but you should listen to again. And if you're not a fan of Alice Cooper, go to YouTube or ITunes and find these songs and give them a listen anyhow. You'll become a fan. It's true. It's damn true.
This is only my opinion, but it's a good one. Trust me.
The Must Hear Songs of Alice Cooper Playlist...
No Tricks (featuring Betty Wright)
This was released as the B-side track of the single, "How You Gonna See Me Know", which was off of 1978's "From The Inside" album. Alice was just getting over a major stay in rehab and this song details efforts to stay clean, while R&B songstress Betty Wright ("No Pain, No Gain", Mother Wit") provides additional lyrics and a bluesy sound saying that you can't always believe what someone tells you. It's an amazing song and one of my favorites. I've always told myself that if I had a voice and a chance to make an album, this song would be one of the first tracks recorded. It's not typical-Alice by any means. It's Alice branching out and expanding himself, pushing the envelope (especially for 1978). And it's good.
No Time For Tears
This song was recorded especially for the movie "Sextette" starring Mae West and was never released on any album until the 1999 Box Set "The Life And Crimes Of Alice Cooper", which is incredible, by the way. I heard this song and it's so simple and yet so real and moving. I would say that it'll bring tears to your eyes, but as the song title says, there's no time for that. Not all all.
The Quiet Room
Another track from 1978's "From The Inside" album. The whole album, based on Alice's stay in a rehab facility, is incredibly deep and a great look into not only the wounded and deranged psyche of Alice, but also of many of his fellow patients who made such an impression on the man that he (along with writer Bernie Taupin) had to immortalize them in song. With this particular song, you can feel the anguish and pain in Alice's voice as he reflects on the times spent in isolation, looking back on his life and wondering just exactly what is going on. Anyone who has moments where they just feel isolated from the world can listen to this song and identify. A great track.
King Of The Silver Screen
This one comes from the 1977 "Lace & Whiskey" album and it's Alice's homage to his love of classic Hollywood and the old movies, the same ones we now watch on the Classic Movie Channels. He talks about how he watching those movies and gets swept away in the characters and the stories and it's almost like being there himself. The whole concept, from what I can gather, is ways to escape life and reality for just a little while. This was in one of his heaviest drinking stages of his life and it's amazing that a person who was so incapacitated so often could work and create such revealing and moving songs. But he managed.
Give The Kid A Break
This one comes from the "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell" album and it's pretty straight forward. The main character of this concept album, Alice, is faced with the Devil and he's pleading and making an argument for leniency, but it just isn't getting through and his arguments fall on deaf ears. Just a great song where Alice shows a lot of different vocal ranges and plays two characters (Alice and The Devil) to the max.
Blow Me Away
A track from the 2000 album "Brutal Planet". It's a little more hard rocking than some of Alice's earlier stuff, but the music rocks and the song really hits a chord with a great message about how brutal and insincere people can be. It takes ahold of the hypocrisy that rules our world and how if you're different from someone else, you're looked down upon and frowned upon, all with an Alice twist.
Stolen Prayer
This whole album, "The Last Temptation" from 1996, was Alice's message to all of those who had trouble believing that a person (Alice) can be religious, but still be a great rock singer and musician as well. It tells the story of a young boy (Steven), tempted by evil andtemptation (Alice) and overcoming the challenge in the end. It's a concept album with biblical overtones that most wouldn't get unless they were looking for that message. The vast majority would just say that this is a damn good rock album and one of Alice's best ever - and it is. The song "Stolen Prayer", written by Alice and Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), just happens to be one of my favorite tracks from the album as Alice talks about dealing with the Prince of Lies and weighing his options. Cornell does back-up vocals and really adds some extra dimensions to the song as well. Just an amazing track, but the whole album is incredible.
Ballad of Dwight Frye
This comes from the 1971 "Love It To Death" album and it's a mixture of a tribute to legendary actor Dwight Frye (he played Renfield in the Bela Lugosi film "Dracula") and Alice's (the character) descent into madness. It's just an amazing song and once you've heard it, you'll never forget it.
Only My Heart Talking (featuring Steven Tyler)
A truly great and incredible love song from Alice's 1989 "Trash" album. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith, American Idol) provides the backing tracks and we get to hear Alice open up his heart and say the things that a person wants to say when their mouth just isn't able to speak clearly and get the message out to the one they love. People tend to underestimate Alice's singing talents, but he manages to stay right there with Steven Tyler and that is definitely no easy task for anyone. Just a great and heart-wrenching song. At least I think so.
Gutter Cat versus The Jets
Alice meets Broadway as he takes the central theme and idea from the movie "Westside Story" and the musical genius of Leonard Bernstein and gives it an Alice twist to create this great number from the 1972 album, "School's Out". This is such an amazing song that works so well on stage during Alice's concerts (and usually leads into "Only Women Bleed") - it's like watching a Broadway presentation dead smack in the middle of a rock concert. Not many people could pull that off - Alice does it easily.
Dead Babies
An Alice look at child abuse and parental neglect from the 1971 "Killer" album. I think this is the song that originally gave the parents and politicians, who were still on the fence about Alice in his early days, the extra fire to crucify and go after the man and proclaim him as bad and evil and everything that was wrong with the world. Alice creates some scenarios in the song where the innocent, babies, are hurt and in the end, Alice, representing those who were responsible for the misdeeds, pays the supreme price. Just a moving and way ahead of it's time song that also works really well in the theatrical parts of Alice's concerts. Chilling!
Pain
This one comes to us from the 1980 "Flush The Fashion" album, which was Alice's response to the Disco movement, as well as an album that now, Alice claims to have no recollection of making and recording. The song is really good though and it gives an identity and substance to everything that is wrong with the world and the dealing with this entity called "Pain". It's like we're face to face and "pain" tries to explain why it does what it does and the pleasure it gets from our suffering. It's a unique and totally surreal way of looking at things, from a totally different perspective than anyone else has ever done, and Alice manages to pull it off. A great track.
I Love America
This comes from 1983's "Da Da" album, which is another album that Alice claims to have no recollection of recording and making. It's probably one of the most artsy albums Alice ever made and there is no particular rhyme or reason as to the songs and the way they're laid out or even why they're there. Coming from a man who perfected the art of "concept albums", there is no concept at all to this one. But the songs are good and moving and easy to get pulled into. This entire album is like a weird dream, brought on by a spicy bowl of chili right before bed - you don't know what to expect or where you're headed and you're relieved when you wake up, but the dream stays entrenched in your mind and leaves you scared, but asking for more. Does that make sense? Probably not.
And this song, strictly tongue in cheek, is just a great centerpiece for this roller coaster ride. It's Alice, explaing why he loves America, just as the title says. I wish he'd make a remake of this song, just to see the video that would accompany it. It's a visual spectacular waiting to happen. If I ever run for a political office (Lord help us all), this song, along with the rock-anthem "Elected", would be my campaign music. It's just a fun track with a cynical, yet eye opening look at some of the things that are great about our country.
And that's my "Playlist" of thirteen songs that everyone, whether or not you're a fan of Alice Cooper or not, should hear. If you listen to these songs and still don't like Alice Cooper, I would recommend a few weeks in the "Quiet Room" for you. And you're a racist. (Not really, but since the popular thing today is to call anyone who doesn't agree with your point of view a racist, I decided to jump on the bandwagon... lol).
Anyhow, these are all good tracks and I think everyone should listen to them (and the entire albums they come from) and make your own decisions from that. Forget what you've heard from others - listen to the music yourself and make up your own mind and I'm sure that you'll end up agreeing with me that Alice C. is "de' man!" At least I think so.
By the way, Alice has a new album out called "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", a long awaited (almost 30 years) follow up to the classic "Welcome To My Nightmare" album, that came out a few weeks ago. And it's good! It's damn good! Check it out if you get the chance. It's probably (in my estimation) the best overall Alice album since 1996's "The Last Temptation". It's a concept album (which Alice specializes in) and Steven (the main character from Alice's first Nightmare album, as well as the Last Temptation album) is being taken once more on a scary and truly unforgettable ride. Check it out on ITunes or in stores near you.
That's it for me. I'm Doug and I'm outta here. Until the next time, Ubuntu!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Three Dreams - October 18, 2011
Had a weird night of tossing and turning last night. And dreams... lots of very strange and weird dreams. It was like a Triple-Feature film at the local movie show. I woke up exhausted. Going to try and remember them as best I can before the memories fade away.
The first one had me in a house. Not sure where or why, but it was a house and I was a guest there. And I was in someone's room. I way laying in the bed and thinking about stars. And a knock on the door and a young man I know, merely as an aquaintance came in and he's only wearing boxers and a t-shirt. And I'm looking at him and wondering what he's doing there. And then I realized it's his room. This young man, who I'll call Christopher, is talking about how he wants to travel the world. And I'm watching him and thinking to myself that he's a good looking guy, but he's underage and off limits. (Even in my dreams, I'm making sure I stay legal). And then, he turns and looks directly at me. The face is so sad and vivid in my memory and he asks if I'm staying around for a while or leaving. I answer that I don't know what I'm doing and want to write a book. He asks if he can do the illustrations and since I know he's very talented in the drawing and painting department, I say "but of course" and he jumped at me, putting his arms around my neck and saying "thank you".
And then I woke up to go pee. Well, I wouldn't call it waking up so much as my eyes opened and I sleep-walked into the bathroom, did my business and came back to bed. My eyes were open, but my body was just on automatic and as soon as I hit the bed again, I was back asleep.
And into another dream. This time, I'm at an old house where I used to stay on occasion - it's the Mans uptown in Laurinburg. Well, it's City Hall now, but an old friend of mine used to live there and for several years, it was one of my homes away from home. Anyhow, I'm at the Mans and in the kitchen, washing dishes and complaining about how messy everyone was. My sister, Lynn, is there and she is asking if I've talked to my agent? Why I have an agent, I don't know. I said, "No, but I talked to Christopher", the same guy from my first dream. And she goes, "you know he's rich, right?"
And this just baffles me because I know he's not rich and hell, he's a teenager too. And I just shrug and say, "okay". And then I hear some voices and I can't see who it is, but they're saying that he's not rich - he's a kept man and this woman pays him money. And I'm just wondering why this is my concern? And the voices, which I still can't identify, say that he's miserable and hates his life. And I'm just listening and drinking a glass of juice and wondering if I should call him. And I hear thunder and see lightning flash outside the window and then I wake up again.
Yeah, this is all confusing to me too. So where was I? I woke up and looked at the clock. 4:35 am - I did some quick figuring in my head and realized that I still had over three hours to go before my alarm goes off, so I rolled over and went back to sleep again.
And I start dreaming again almost immediately. I'm in what seems to be a classroom, complete with these small desks like they used in the elementary school. And I'm sitting there listening to a woman I don't recognize up at the front of the room talking. And I realize that I'm in jail and this is some kind of orientation process. She's talking and I'm playing with my pencil, doodling on a notebook. I see flashes of people cramped into cages and am wondering to myself how I'll ever make it through this. I tell myself that I only have a few hours, but then I get scared as I realize that I'm there for several months. A guy comes in and I recognize him - he's a current police officer with the Sheriff's Department and he tells me that I'll be okay and to drink a Pepsi. And I look down and there is a six-pack of Pepsi's on the ground next to me. I reach down and grab a bottle and crack the top, but the guy behind me says that I'm going to get everyone in trouble - that's a violation of the rules and if I don't put it down, he's ratting me out. I take a quck swig and set the bottle aside and my pencil lead breaks. I look around for a pencil sharpener and hear a woman's voice saying "stand in line". I'm in a line and ask where we're going because the line is moving and leading somewhere. No one answers and then I woke up.
And that's when I decided enough was enough. It's not quite 7am and although I have an hour or so to go before I have to get up, I can't handle any more dreams. And here we are now.
I think I'm going to holler at Christopher later on today. I can't help but think that two dreams, out of the blue like that, happened for a reason. We're not really friends so much as aquaintances - he lives several states away and we've only spoken a few times when he was down here visiting family. Smart kid, very energetic and good personality, but still, he's a kid. But I'll give a quick "whazzup?" and check in. And I'm also going to quit eating a bowl of chili right before going to sleep. All those spices might have had something to do with these dreams as well.
And I can't think of anything else to say. Gotta run and get things done today. Time is NOT on my side. Anyhow, those are my dreams from the past few hours. And now, I need a nap. Until the next time...
The first one had me in a house. Not sure where or why, but it was a house and I was a guest there. And I was in someone's room. I way laying in the bed and thinking about stars. And a knock on the door and a young man I know, merely as an aquaintance came in and he's only wearing boxers and a t-shirt. And I'm looking at him and wondering what he's doing there. And then I realized it's his room. This young man, who I'll call Christopher, is talking about how he wants to travel the world. And I'm watching him and thinking to myself that he's a good looking guy, but he's underage and off limits. (Even in my dreams, I'm making sure I stay legal). And then, he turns and looks directly at me. The face is so sad and vivid in my memory and he asks if I'm staying around for a while or leaving. I answer that I don't know what I'm doing and want to write a book. He asks if he can do the illustrations and since I know he's very talented in the drawing and painting department, I say "but of course" and he jumped at me, putting his arms around my neck and saying "thank you".
And then I woke up to go pee. Well, I wouldn't call it waking up so much as my eyes opened and I sleep-walked into the bathroom, did my business and came back to bed. My eyes were open, but my body was just on automatic and as soon as I hit the bed again, I was back asleep.
And into another dream. This time, I'm at an old house where I used to stay on occasion - it's the Mans uptown in Laurinburg. Well, it's City Hall now, but an old friend of mine used to live there and for several years, it was one of my homes away from home. Anyhow, I'm at the Mans and in the kitchen, washing dishes and complaining about how messy everyone was. My sister, Lynn, is there and she is asking if I've talked to my agent? Why I have an agent, I don't know. I said, "No, but I talked to Christopher", the same guy from my first dream. And she goes, "you know he's rich, right?"
And this just baffles me because I know he's not rich and hell, he's a teenager too. And I just shrug and say, "okay". And then I hear some voices and I can't see who it is, but they're saying that he's not rich - he's a kept man and this woman pays him money. And I'm just wondering why this is my concern? And the voices, which I still can't identify, say that he's miserable and hates his life. And I'm just listening and drinking a glass of juice and wondering if I should call him. And I hear thunder and see lightning flash outside the window and then I wake up again.
Yeah, this is all confusing to me too. So where was I? I woke up and looked at the clock. 4:35 am - I did some quick figuring in my head and realized that I still had over three hours to go before my alarm goes off, so I rolled over and went back to sleep again.
And I start dreaming again almost immediately. I'm in what seems to be a classroom, complete with these small desks like they used in the elementary school. And I'm sitting there listening to a woman I don't recognize up at the front of the room talking. And I realize that I'm in jail and this is some kind of orientation process. She's talking and I'm playing with my pencil, doodling on a notebook. I see flashes of people cramped into cages and am wondering to myself how I'll ever make it through this. I tell myself that I only have a few hours, but then I get scared as I realize that I'm there for several months. A guy comes in and I recognize him - he's a current police officer with the Sheriff's Department and he tells me that I'll be okay and to drink a Pepsi. And I look down and there is a six-pack of Pepsi's on the ground next to me. I reach down and grab a bottle and crack the top, but the guy behind me says that I'm going to get everyone in trouble - that's a violation of the rules and if I don't put it down, he's ratting me out. I take a quck swig and set the bottle aside and my pencil lead breaks. I look around for a pencil sharpener and hear a woman's voice saying "stand in line". I'm in a line and ask where we're going because the line is moving and leading somewhere. No one answers and then I woke up.
And that's when I decided enough was enough. It's not quite 7am and although I have an hour or so to go before I have to get up, I can't handle any more dreams. And here we are now.
I think I'm going to holler at Christopher later on today. I can't help but think that two dreams, out of the blue like that, happened for a reason. We're not really friends so much as aquaintances - he lives several states away and we've only spoken a few times when he was down here visiting family. Smart kid, very energetic and good personality, but still, he's a kid. But I'll give a quick "whazzup?" and check in. And I'm also going to quit eating a bowl of chili right before going to sleep. All those spices might have had something to do with these dreams as well.
And I can't think of anything else to say. Gotta run and get things done today. Time is NOT on my side. Anyhow, those are my dreams from the past few hours. And now, I need a nap. Until the next time...
Gutsy Questions Sruvey - October 18, 2011
Gutsy Questions
Would you tell a stranger if they had spinach in their teeth?
Probably not - I was always taught to never talk to strangers.
If you found out you couldn't have kids, would you adopt?
If I had a stable life, could afford it and felt the need for children in my life, I would definitely consider adoption - or else I'd just go snatch 'em off the street - easier that way...
What is your preferred method of birth control?
I only have sex with men - no risk of pregnacy at all..
Do you always wash your hands when you use the bathroom?
Absolutely!
If you had to eliminate a single type of animal forevermore, which would you choose?
Are "pinheads" a type of animal? How about "assholes"? Gotta be a real "animal" - *sighs* - okay, I'd eliminate spider-crickets. Those are some nasty, disgusting creatures.
Have you ever lied about your age?
I don't call it lying - I just call it living in denial.
Ever had an encounter with the police?
Yeppers, I have - and I don't care what their "evidence" says. I was set up! I was framed!
If you could give your parents one gift, what would it be?
Enough money to live comfortably and indulge for their rest of her life (Only got Ma left).
Ever stolen something out of someone's yard?
I don't think I ever have - no.
Did you ever aspire to be a model?
For what magazine? Bears R Us? I know I'm a sexy beast, but modeling is not something I think I'm cut out for.
Have you ever written anything on a bathroom wall or door?
Yeppers - bathroom poetry is a forgotten art.
Do you or have you suffered from any eating disorders?
Nah!
Ever play 7 minutes in heaven? If so, do you recall your partner?
Never played that game, but I have taken many guys to heaven for more than seven minutes... lol.
When playing truth or dare, which do you choose?
Truth
Ever open a bag of chips in the grocery store and eat them before paying?
Not that I can remember - I wait to open stuff until AFTER I pay.
If paid 10 dollars per day, how long would you go without shaving your arm pits?
This must be a "for a girl" question because I don't shave my armpits - I like my body hair.
Were you an "early bloomer"?
Not at all - I was shy and reserved until late in my teens.
How much will you pay per gallon for gas, before you buy a horse?
Horses have teeth - teeth can bite. I don't like "bite" - I prefer to drive - and I do.
Is there someone you stalk on the internet?
You may call it stalking, but I call it being devoted and paying attention to - after all, a restraining order is just another way to say "I love you!"
If your profile is private... why?
My profile is not private - I have nothing to hide.
Do you or have you watched porn?
Of course I have - who hasn't at some point? I like naked people.
Do you wish your boobs were bigger?
Nope - my "man boobs" are big enough as it is - I think I need a reduction... : (
Have you ever cut yourself on purpose?
Why would I do that? Cutting hurts - and I don't like pain. Or blood. Especially not if it's mine.
What's your view on premarital sex?
Well, I'm probably never going to get married, but I like sex - so I would be in support of the whole pre-martial sex - cause that's the only way I'm gonna get any.
Are you closer to your mom or dad?
Mom - she's all I have left anyhow. Dad and I had issues and didn't really talk for the last three years of his life.
Would you ever take an ex back?
Nope - they're "exes" for a reason. There are a few I would gladly reunite with for a few hours of loving and getting funky like a monkey, but then they'd have to leave.
Have you ever thought you were pregnant?
Nope - just fat. Being pregnant have never crossed my mind or been anything I have to worry about.
Do you or have you had any diseases?
I've got diabetes - that's about it.
If you were granted one wish, what would it be?
For justice to take place and the man I love to be here, home with me, while the lying, two-faced, pill-popping bitch who has caused all the hurt and pain and kept us apart would pay and pay dearly for her lies and deeds.
If you could, in retrospect, change one thing about your childhood, what would it be?
I'd probably have been closer to my dad - we wasted a lot of years being apart over some stupid crap.
Have you ever had sex with someone you didn't have feelings for?
Many times - feelings don't really matter so long as they're hot and the sex is good.
What song that you have downloaded would shock your friends?
The "Strawberry Shortcake" song from the cartoon - I like it - it's cute.
Have you ever taken naughty pictures of yourself?
Nope, but a "friend" did - I got some great pics of him as well. And I kept all the pics (of him and myself). Don't want no surprises popping up anywhere.
If you could change one thing in the world right now, what would you alter?
Cal would be home, we'd have a different President and I'd be about 40lbs lighter (and still sexy as ever).
Are you subscribed to any magazines? If so, which ones?
I get a Diabetes Management magazine that Ma subscribed me to, plus I'm subscribed to OUT, The Advocate and The Philadelphia Trumpet.
Are you easy to get along with?
I'm very easy to get along with - unless you try to take advantage and fuck me over - and then, I'm not quite as nice and happy-go-lucky.
If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
Vince or Vincent..
Can you remain friends with an ex?
Absolutely - I am still friends with most of my exes. Just because they weren't good relationship material doesn't mean that they're not good people or can't be good friends.
Have you ever made a fake Facebook account?
Nope - I've got one and that's all I need..
Would you have sex with a dog for a million dollars?
A million bucks - damn straight! Hell, I'd even have sex with a woman for that much cash. Well, maybe not... lol.
Last person you prank phone called or drunk dialed?
I don't do prank calls or drunk dials - I do drunk text messages and drunk e-mails which as probably just as bad or worse - and it was a casual acquaintance of mine who I think is kind of hot and I, in very explicit terms, told him so. And the offer still stands - any place, any time - I'd rock his world!!
If someone paid you 1,000 dollars to get their name tattoo'd on you would you?
Only a thousand bucks? I don't think so - maybe for 10,000 bucks though.
Do you tend to help others more than they help you?
Yes, yes - a thousand times yes..
If you saw a wealthy looking person drop a 100 dollar bill, would you return it to them?
If I actually see them drop it, then I return it to them - it's not mine and I know who it belongs to so keeping it would be wrong. If I just happen to find it and don't know who it belongs to, then it's ine to keep though.
Would you rather be known for saving 300 people or being a pornstar?
Saving 300 people - porn stars are just viewed as pieces of meat and that's not a life I'd enjoy (I don't think), heroes are rare and hard to find - that's a much better place to be.
Would you want your future children to date someone like you as a teenager?
Compared to so many of the other "teenagers" I see out there, someone like me would be a blessing.
Would you rather drive an old, ugly rustbucket -or- a 2011 truck what gets 6 m.p.g.?
So long as the old, ugly rustbucket runs well and can get me to where I've got to go, I'd stick with it. The newer model trucks are okay, but they really don't do anything for me.
If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?
Upstate New York or Massachusetts - either would be good to see a couple of my all-time favorite people from my Wilmington days - and then over to Iowa, where my bestest friend now resides.
If you went completetly broke would you consider prostitution?
A guy sometimes has to do what he has to do - so yeah.
Do you think downloading music should be against the law?
I used to download a lot of music and I don't care for breaking the law so it should be legal - at least when I do it... lol
If you could choose the very last thing you will see before death, what would it be?
It would be the man I love, by my side and giving me one last kiss and saying "I love you" as I closed my eyes and faded away.
If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have seen?
From a historical point of view, the Salem Witch Trials would be fascinating to see, or maybe seeing Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address - that would be awesone to witness as well.
Would you tell a stranger if they had spinach in their teeth?
Probably not - I was always taught to never talk to strangers.
If you found out you couldn't have kids, would you adopt?
If I had a stable life, could afford it and felt the need for children in my life, I would definitely consider adoption - or else I'd just go snatch 'em off the street - easier that way...
What is your preferred method of birth control?
I only have sex with men - no risk of pregnacy at all..
Do you always wash your hands when you use the bathroom?
Absolutely!
If you had to eliminate a single type of animal forevermore, which would you choose?
Are "pinheads" a type of animal? How about "assholes"? Gotta be a real "animal" - *sighs* - okay, I'd eliminate spider-crickets. Those are some nasty, disgusting creatures.
Have you ever lied about your age?
I don't call it lying - I just call it living in denial.
Ever had an encounter with the police?
Yeppers, I have - and I don't care what their "evidence" says. I was set up! I was framed!
If you could give your parents one gift, what would it be?
Enough money to live comfortably and indulge for their rest of her life (Only got Ma left).
Ever stolen something out of someone's yard?
I don't think I ever have - no.
Did you ever aspire to be a model?
For what magazine? Bears R Us? I know I'm a sexy beast, but modeling is not something I think I'm cut out for.
Have you ever written anything on a bathroom wall or door?
Yeppers - bathroom poetry is a forgotten art.
Do you or have you suffered from any eating disorders?
Nah!
Ever play 7 minutes in heaven? If so, do you recall your partner?
Never played that game, but I have taken many guys to heaven for more than seven minutes... lol.
When playing truth or dare, which do you choose?
Truth
Ever open a bag of chips in the grocery store and eat them before paying?
Not that I can remember - I wait to open stuff until AFTER I pay.
If paid 10 dollars per day, how long would you go without shaving your arm pits?
This must be a "for a girl" question because I don't shave my armpits - I like my body hair.
Were you an "early bloomer"?
Not at all - I was shy and reserved until late in my teens.
How much will you pay per gallon for gas, before you buy a horse?
Horses have teeth - teeth can bite. I don't like "bite" - I prefer to drive - and I do.
Is there someone you stalk on the internet?
You may call it stalking, but I call it being devoted and paying attention to - after all, a restraining order is just another way to say "I love you!"
If your profile is private... why?
My profile is not private - I have nothing to hide.
Do you or have you watched porn?
Of course I have - who hasn't at some point? I like naked people.
Do you wish your boobs were bigger?
Nope - my "man boobs" are big enough as it is - I think I need a reduction... : (
Have you ever cut yourself on purpose?
Why would I do that? Cutting hurts - and I don't like pain. Or blood. Especially not if it's mine.
What's your view on premarital sex?
Well, I'm probably never going to get married, but I like sex - so I would be in support of the whole pre-martial sex - cause that's the only way I'm gonna get any.
Are you closer to your mom or dad?
Mom - she's all I have left anyhow. Dad and I had issues and didn't really talk for the last three years of his life.
Would you ever take an ex back?
Nope - they're "exes" for a reason. There are a few I would gladly reunite with for a few hours of loving and getting funky like a monkey, but then they'd have to leave.
Have you ever thought you were pregnant?
Nope - just fat. Being pregnant have never crossed my mind or been anything I have to worry about.
Do you or have you had any diseases?
I've got diabetes - that's about it.
If you were granted one wish, what would it be?
For justice to take place and the man I love to be here, home with me, while the lying, two-faced, pill-popping bitch who has caused all the hurt and pain and kept us apart would pay and pay dearly for her lies and deeds.
If you could, in retrospect, change one thing about your childhood, what would it be?
I'd probably have been closer to my dad - we wasted a lot of years being apart over some stupid crap.
Have you ever had sex with someone you didn't have feelings for?
Many times - feelings don't really matter so long as they're hot and the sex is good.
What song that you have downloaded would shock your friends?
The "Strawberry Shortcake" song from the cartoon - I like it - it's cute.
Have you ever taken naughty pictures of yourself?
Nope, but a "friend" did - I got some great pics of him as well. And I kept all the pics (of him and myself). Don't want no surprises popping up anywhere.
If you could change one thing in the world right now, what would you alter?
Cal would be home, we'd have a different President and I'd be about 40lbs lighter (and still sexy as ever).
Are you subscribed to any magazines? If so, which ones?
I get a Diabetes Management magazine that Ma subscribed me to, plus I'm subscribed to OUT, The Advocate and The Philadelphia Trumpet.
Are you easy to get along with?
I'm very easy to get along with - unless you try to take advantage and fuck me over - and then, I'm not quite as nice and happy-go-lucky.
If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
Vince or Vincent..
Can you remain friends with an ex?
Absolutely - I am still friends with most of my exes. Just because they weren't good relationship material doesn't mean that they're not good people or can't be good friends.
Have you ever made a fake Facebook account?
Nope - I've got one and that's all I need..
Would you have sex with a dog for a million dollars?
A million bucks - damn straight! Hell, I'd even have sex with a woman for that much cash. Well, maybe not... lol.
Last person you prank phone called or drunk dialed?
I don't do prank calls or drunk dials - I do drunk text messages and drunk e-mails which as probably just as bad or worse - and it was a casual acquaintance of mine who I think is kind of hot and I, in very explicit terms, told him so. And the offer still stands - any place, any time - I'd rock his world!!
If someone paid you 1,000 dollars to get their name tattoo'd on you would you?
Only a thousand bucks? I don't think so - maybe for 10,000 bucks though.
Do you tend to help others more than they help you?
Yes, yes - a thousand times yes..
If you saw a wealthy looking person drop a 100 dollar bill, would you return it to them?
If I actually see them drop it, then I return it to them - it's not mine and I know who it belongs to so keeping it would be wrong. If I just happen to find it and don't know who it belongs to, then it's ine to keep though.
Would you rather be known for saving 300 people or being a pornstar?
Saving 300 people - porn stars are just viewed as pieces of meat and that's not a life I'd enjoy (I don't think), heroes are rare and hard to find - that's a much better place to be.
Would you want your future children to date someone like you as a teenager?
Compared to so many of the other "teenagers" I see out there, someone like me would be a blessing.
Would you rather drive an old, ugly rustbucket -or- a 2011 truck what gets 6 m.p.g.?
So long as the old, ugly rustbucket runs well and can get me to where I've got to go, I'd stick with it. The newer model trucks are okay, but they really don't do anything for me.
If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?
Upstate New York or Massachusetts - either would be good to see a couple of my all-time favorite people from my Wilmington days - and then over to Iowa, where my bestest friend now resides.
If you went completetly broke would you consider prostitution?
A guy sometimes has to do what he has to do - so yeah.
Do you think downloading music should be against the law?
I used to download a lot of music and I don't care for breaking the law so it should be legal - at least when I do it... lol
If you could choose the very last thing you will see before death, what would it be?
It would be the man I love, by my side and giving me one last kiss and saying "I love you" as I closed my eyes and faded away.
If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have seen?
From a historical point of view, the Salem Witch Trials would be fascinating to see, or maybe seeing Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address - that would be awesone to witness as well.
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