Time, I think, to get back to regular posting. Let there be Momentum!
As I sit here watching the news halfway through my 57th year on Earth, I get the feeling that things are weirder than they’ve been in a long, long time. I was too young for Watergate; 2024 is shaping up to be at least as wild, with the added bonus of being an election year. And we all remember what Dr. Thompson said:
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
As it happens I was just in Hunter’s hometown of Louisville, though to be honest I didn’t really think about that at the time. We went out for Cuban food then had some whiskey flights. This was part of a whirlwind journey that also included Nashville, Memphis, and Owensboro, Kentucky, home of the Green River distillery.
There may be more to say on that subject later. I am still in recovery mode. Meanwhile dickhead, whatshisface, the orange guy, was in court today, for the first time facing actual personal legal danger for one of his many, many crimes. I’m not getting my hopes up but still — it’s progress.
This is also the day when I traditionally mark the birthday of my cat Johnny. This is his 19th and he is unlikely to see his 20th, as his body is beginning to fail on multiple fronts. But at the moment he continues to eat and sleep and purr and yell that he wants to go outside, now.
Finally, the NBA regular season ended yesterday, and when the wheel of fortune ceased its spinning my team held the 10th seed in the Western Conference. This means that they have to beat the Sacramento Kings tomorrow, then win a second game against either the Lakers or Pelicans, just for the privilege of playing a seven-game series against Oklahoma City. Under these circumstances it would be foolish to expect too much, but when has that ever stopped me? I will tell you right now with a completely straight face that the Warriors — who rallied to finish 46-36 after suffering a baffling malaise for much of the season — remain a force to be reckoned with, and that nothing they do — from total faceplant to deep playoff run — will surprise me.
Not that JC — I’m talking about John Cale. Not the one from Oklahoma, the one from Wales. Author of many great songs, “Cocaine” and “After Midnight” not among them. I’ll let him explain further:
An interesting confluence of birthdays today: Robbie Robertson and the RZA. You could say that both have spent considerable time as musical masterminds presiding over groups of formidable talents; would that make the Wu-Tang Clan the Band of hip-hop? I guess it would.
Since I just downloaded a groovy new table-making plug-in for WordPress, let’s look at them in table form, shall we?
Robbie Robertson
The RZA
Birth Name
Jaime Robert Klegerman
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs
DOB
July 5, 1943
July 5, 1969
Hometown
Toronto
Brooklyn
Personal Factoid
Mother was Mohawk, father was Jewish
Named after Bobby and John Kennedy
Professional Factoid
Produced Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise"
Appears on Shaquille O'Neal's "Shaq-Fu: Da Return"
Musical Groups
The Band, Levon & the Hawks, Little Caesar & The Consuls, Robbie Robertson and the Rhythm Chords, Robbie & The Robots, Thumper & the Trambones
Wu-Tang Clan, Gravediggaz, All in Together Now
Eccentric Musical Associate
Garth Hudson, Bob Dylan
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Best-Known Compositions
The Weight, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Up on Cripple Creek
I like this picture because the kitty on Lennon’s shoulder is a dead ringer for my cat Johnny. Don’t know who that lady standing next to him is, but she kind of gives me the creeps.
