Rock N Roll Hall of Shame

I am a huge fan of Hall of Fame for most anything. Football, baseball, rock & roll, you name it. The 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame made huge strides by inducting Metallica and in 2006 Black Sabbath. 2010 was looking good when KISS was on the ballot. For all of the retarded things Gene Simmons does, KISS is still the band that has more Gold Albums than any other American rock & roll band. They were nominated even though a board member said that they would never be on the ballot as long as he was alive. It was announced earlier this wee that ABBA, The Hollies, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff and Iggy and the Stooges were nominated. Wha.....NO KISS? That is bullshit! The hall continues to turn a blind eye to music that was very influential for 30 years now, hard rock. Just a little info on the nominating committee for the hall, 9 of the 32 voters are current or former contributors of Rolling Stone Magazine. Shocker......
Speaking of RS, they are another of my targets in this edition. I received the "Decade" edition. They rated the 50 top albums of the 2000's. Radiohead with "Kid A" was the top. BULLSHIT! Radiohead has got to be one of the worst peddlers of shit that is passed off as music. They are a droning bunch of pussies. Fuck you Rolling Stone. Bob Dylan, who I cannot figure out is revered as a saint in music, has 2 albums in the top 15. All of the U2 and Springsteen albums released in the decade were in the 50. Only one "hard rock" band had an album is the 50, that was System of a Down "Toxicity". Abomination.
My son Jackson kicks ass! He is just the best little guy in the world. He makes me feel like I have actually done 1 thing right in my time on the earth. He is beautiful, smart and as lovable as I could have hoped. Dad loves ya, buddy!

The Decade in Music

I am going to post a weak and cheesy Top 25 list. These are my top 25 albums of the decade. My criteria for the list is very simple; no re issues, greatest hits, live albums or compilations. Also, I have either bought the album or listened to a majority of the album. There is no number one just a basic list. Oh, and just because U2 or Springsteen issue an album, it does not make it good. However, Rolling Stone Magazine may disagree.

Eric Clapton & BB King- Riding With the King" (2000)
Everclear- "Songs From An American Movie- Vol 1" (2000)
Jack Johnson- "Brushfire Fairytales" (2001)
White Stripes- "White Blood Cells (2001)
Rob Zombie- "Sinister Urge"
Jerry Cantrell- "Degradation Trip" (2002)
Bruce Springsteen- "The Rising" (2002)
Johnny Cash- "American IV- The Man Comes Around" (2002)
White Stripes- "Elephants" (2003)
Jack Johnson- "On and On" (2003)
Jet- "Get Born"- 2003
Velvet Revolver- "Contraband"- 2004
Social Distortion- "Sex, Love & Rock n Roll"- 2004
White Stripes- "Get Behind Me Satan"- 2005
Jack Johnson- "In Between Dreams"- 2005
Rob Zombie- "Educated Horses"- 2006
Buckcherry-"15"- 2006
John Fogarty- "Revival"- 2007
Motley Crue- "Sailnts of Los Angeles"- 2008
Metallica- "Death Magnetic"- 2008
AC DC- "Black Ice"- 2008
Motorhead- "Motorizer"- 2008
Chickenfoot- "Chickenfoot"- 2009
Pearl Jam- "Backspacer"- 2009
Alice in Chains- "Black Gives Way to Blue"- 2009

Metallica in LA

I went to the Metallica show last night at the Honda Center in Anaheim. I bought the ticket in February and had waited all this time. I got off work and ate dinner with Amy & Jack and just felt blah. I told Amy that I really didn't want to go but she talked me into it. Thanks, honey! This concert kicked some major booty.
Since the age of 12, I have been to over 100 concerts. Out of those concerts I have never witnessed Metallica. This show was probably in the top 3 of any show that I have been to. The stage was set up better than any show set up. The stage is in the middle of the arena, wide open with 4 mikes on opposite sides of the stage. The drum riser was set in a way that it was rotated to face all portions of the crowd as the show moved along. Everyone could see what was happening and the place was sold out without having empty seat to the side or back of a traditional stage set up.
The show opens and they just ripped through a few new cuts off of the Death Magnetic album. From there the group was totally interactive with the crowd and not so robotic. They were having fun at what they do. The pyro was awesome. They played for 2 1/2 hours at full speed and just killed. They played the greats; "Battery", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Trapped Under Ice", "Sad But True", "Cyanide", "Enter Sandman", "Nothing Else Matters" and on and on. This show had the loudest fan participation that I can ever remember. The crowd was deafening. What a show.

Memories

If you've read my precious entries, you have found me to be really cynical and overly sarcastic. I take a step back today to remember a great man. Today I came home for lunch and logged on to my Facebook page. There was an entry from Donna Crowther. The entry was titled "Christmas Tree Lot with Tim 1994". The tag line was as follows: This may not be meaningful to everyone else, but it is classic Tim at Christmas....Enjoy the memories everyone!" I clicked on it and it was a video of the Crowther Family at Christmas time. I sat and wept at the sight of Tim before me again. As I sat with Amy and Jackson at dinner tonight I was telling Amy about the video and the pictures that his daughter in law posted and I broke down, just as I am doing as I write this. Why you ask?
Tim passed away in 1996. That has stuck with me every day since. You see, Tim Crowther was one the best men I have ever had the pleasure to be friends with. Tim was a contemporary of my dad's, he was a Peace Officer for the City of Glendora. He was also a champion of the Glendora community. Tim only knew of me through my dad and the first day that I met Tim he took a liking to me, I have no clue why. I can remember that day when he came up behind me and said that I had grease on my neck. My dad had a side business of selling used car parts. Tim proceeds to tell me it must run in our veins. Tim had a way with words.
From that moment on, Tim always made me feel as if he was watching over me. I played basketball for the man, baseball and he was instrumental in me looking at a career in law enforcement at one time. His family and his community were his life. When Glendora Police Officer Louis Pompeii was killed and his murderers were on trial, Time was there for every court appearance, I believe. Why, because he cared for Louie. He would have done that for most anyone that was in his heart.
Tim always had a warm smile and a kind word. Unless you pissed him off. I only witnessed his temper once. During a little league game at San Dimas High School, the umpire was baiting Tim. He took the bait and he erupted. It took 2 or 3 people to separate him from that ump. He was remorseful of that day because he told that showed a lack of character. I said it showed he was human. He just flashed that smile and told me to never do what he did. A few years later, I was playing high school football at Charter Oak High School. I was rarely on the field, however this night I got some unusually high minutes on the field. I recognized one of the referees as the umpire that Tim had the infamous disagreement with. As a play developed, I had a vision, a vision that entailed me putting my helmet in this guys back and exacting a little revenge. So, I had a 10 yard start and put a lick on this guy as hard as I would have had he been in pads. He went ass over tea kettle about 5 yards out of bounds. I then got up and said, earmuffs for those with an aversion to profanity, "That was for Tim Crowther, you low life motherfucker". His eyes were crossed and he was a little out of it. I don't remember ever telling Tim about that, but I'm sure he would not have been pleased.
In conclusion, seeing this video brought back many great memories of Tim. I had an opportunity to see Donna this week and that voice just brought be back to being a 12 year old kid at the ball park again. It also was hard as I have the utmost respect and love for Tim. I can never, ever imagine the pain and sorrow his family feels. They are great people. Donna, Dan and Dana, I feel that I am a better person for knowing him and I am sure that you are, too......in spades. I look at my son Jackson and feel a little cheated that he is not able to get a little of that magic dust that I got as a kid.

Rolling Stone Magazine

Growing up, I read anything I could my hands on, newspapers, books, cereal boxes and magazines. I have had an affinity for magazines for years. I have had subscriptions to so many magazines, such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Playboy (yes, I read the articles), Sports Illustrated, Hit Parader, Creem (music), Circus and Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone was the adult magazine. It had the music and politics that made me feel somewhat smart after reading about guys in made up feuds beating the ever loving shit out of each other.
A while back, I was listening to my favorite radio program, PMS. This is a Fox Sports Radio Show with former USC Trojan running back (poor guy) Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith. Money was once the "Sports Guy" on KROQ for the Kevin and Bean Show, taking over for some putz named Jimmy Kimmel. Matt was an executive in the music industry prior to K&B. Anyway, he was relating a story of how he was infatuated with Rolling Stone. He loved the magazine until one day he got the latest issue in the mail. Who was on the cover? Actress (hard for me to label her as such) sometime comedienne and Jim Carey's punch-board, Jenny McCarthy. The cover story was a fluff piece. After finishing the read, Matt immediately called RS and canceled his subscription because he felt that the magazine had lost it's way.
I have been a subscriber for about 5 years now. I have now seen the light that Matt once saw. Here are a few nuggets that have made me question my need for the magazine. Since 2007 the following have graced the cover of this once iconic magazine: Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Brittney Spears (twice), The Hills (!), Jonas Bros (twice), Gossip Girl (!!), Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert. FOB and PATD are emo crap that I hope has died. Brittney Spears puts out awful dance music that gay clubs in West Hollywood won't even play. Bitch needs to quit lip synching her shows that parents spend $90.00 to take their daughters to. The Hills.......WHAT IN THE FUCK! Gossip Girl......>WHAT IN THE FUCK! Jonas Bros. Does anyone over the age of 14 listen to them? I cannot even begin to think that these cheesedicks will be around without a Disney contract in 5 years. Taylor Swift appears to have mesmerized the MTV crowd with here ah shucks candy coated crud. Lady Gaga. More like Lady Caca. Poker face? Looks like some tried to put a fire out on her face with a fire place poker. And Adam Lambert. How in the fuck do you get a cover for not doing anything but losing to some plain vanilla fucker on American Idol? So what he is gay. Whoopdy fartin doo. He still hasn't done shit in music. That song for 2012, pure shit in the legendary words of Gordon Ramsay.
They put Obama on the cover 5 times in 2 years and it wasn't to mock him like they did the Bush. They really lost me recently. Madonna was on the cover. Basically, the article was a ball washer for her. they kissed her ass for being another "legend" that hasn't done anything in 15 years worth a turd. They finally put Metal God Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead in the rag with a pretty lengthy story. Too bad the story was a rehashing of his autobiography "White Line Fever". The author constantly referred to that book during the article. I was psyched to see him paid some mention but the story just blew monkeys. Boooooooooooooooooooo!
My last bitch is the music reviews. I do not believe that I have seen any album, no matter how horrible, get less than 2 stars out of 5. David Fricke, a well respected journalist does most of the big reviews. I swear that U2 and Springsteen have never made a bad album in their career. This guy ball washes them incessantly. If Bono put out a recording of himself prepping for a colonoscopy (imagine the sounds) Fricke would lend it some sort of artistic credence. If a disk sucks, just come out and say it. FUCK! Come renewal time, I may have to pass. I just cannot handle any more shitty young actors and "artists" that just have no business of getting blown up for having done nothing to deserve it.

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Concert

I am a sucker for anything Hall of Fame related. Pro Football, Baseball and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies...count me in. I am a Hall of Fame whore! I cried during Jim Kelley's induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he spoke about his special needs son. I wasn't even a dad yet and I cried like a bitch.
Recently, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held two nights of concerts at Madison Square Garden commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Hall. Mind you, Rolling Stone Magazine is the keeper of the Hall. However, Ahmet Ertegun was a founder with RS Editor in Chief, Jann Wenner. I respect Mr. Ertegun as the man that sign Led Zeppelin and Cream along with Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles to his Atlantic Records label. Dude was a genius.
The concert covered two nights and displayed an ass load of great music. A few highlights for me were Simon and Garfunkle showing how important they were to the NYC scene in the 60's. No heavier song written than "Sounds of Silence". I never realized how influential they were until the past few years. Paul Simon paid tribute to George Harrison by covering "Here Comes The Sun", my favorite Beatles song, by far. He played the guitar so perfectly, unfortunately, the song was cheapened by having David Crosby and Graham Nash sing with him. They were as brutal in this song as they were in their set.
Stevie Wonder was probably more powerful than he had been in 25 years. He paid tribute to Michael Jackson by covering "The Way You Make Me Feel". Not a big fan of the Jackson music, but to see Stevie breakdown and weep in the middle of the song showed that he was still mourning. I can respect that. He also played with BB King and Smokey Robinson. Cool.
Metallica then hit it on the fucking head. "For Whom The Bell Tolls" started it off. Then they play with Lou Reed. They played with Ozzy who did his worn out thing. The best was they played with Ray Davies of the Kinks. Wholly Shit! Two of my favorites together.
Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy...a guitar fans wet dream. Jeff Beck and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top...the wet spot. Guitars are a voice that speaks only love and the truth.
Springsteen with Sam Moore of Sam and Dave was classic. Any guy (Springsteen) that has Mike Ness play with him in LA is OK with me. Then, he jams into "Fortunate Son" with John Fogarty. Just awesome.
I am a classic rock junkie. If it was not for the 50's and 60's rock n roll, this world would be a miserable place. Thank you rock n roll.

Dumbasses

Watching the morons that were celebrating the Lakers Championship made me think of one thing. What a bunch of stupid motherfuckers. Why burn your own neighborhood when the Lakers win? You scumbag douche bags have no clue. Sit at home like the rest of the Laker fans, that can't afford to go to Staples or Orlando, have a beer and celebrate like normal hums. Fucksticks.
Sammy Sosa named for positive performance enhancing drugs in '03. Duh! Jesus Christ on a crutch, folks. Sammy was a whopping 165 lbs at age 21. By age 40, he was 235 lbs. He cites that nutrition was responsible for weight gain. The dud was not fat. He was cut. This is the guy that just forgot how to speak English on Capitol Hill during the Steroid Hearings a few years back just as Mark McGwire did not want to speak about the past. Any fan could see that Sosa, McGwire, Giambi, Brady Anderson, Caminiti, Canseco, Belle and many others were not normally huge, that there was something amiss. Yes, new ballparks got smaller, but middle infielders got bigger and outfielders got huge. Just saying.........Dumb asses! Grow up and do it the natural way.
On an ending note, Happy Father's Day to all who are fathers. To you who aren't..........drink a beer for me. To all that have pops away from home duty to military service we send you all well wishes and thanks. To those whose fathers are no longer with us, especially Larry Chamberlain, our thoughts are with those. Larry is the father of a former friend of mine. Larry was a different cat. He was a hard ass. He looked at you and sneered. That is until you became an adult then he grunted too. Larry was cool and loved his wife more than anyone I think I have ever seen. Jan was his everything and that was where his soft spot was. He cared for his kids. Tami, I can never feel your pain, but stick in there.
Another who passed a few years back, Tim Crowther, was a huge influence on me. Tim was the biggest mentor to me aside from my dad. Tim was a baseball, softball, basketball and golf coach in the north end of Glendora. He was a Glendora Police Officer who was the opposite of those around him. He was kind, gentle and not a prick like so many other Glendora cops. I am a son of a former Irwindale cop who respects the job immensely. Tim was the type of guy that volunteered even when his kids weren't involved. Tim taught me one awesome thing; take all of the good and bad from a situation and put it in the back of your mind and use the good when faced with a similar situation and do not utilize the bad ever. He was the best. Hang in there Donna, Dan and Dana.
May you all be well. If you have a job be thankful. A contemporary of mine gave me a little mantra: "Stay away from the shopping cart". Meaning- hopefully we do not lose our jobs over the court's whirlwind budget crisis in the next 4 years.

Is Rock n Roll Dead?

Recently, I pondered the question, "Is Rock n Roll Dead?" The music of today sucks. Pure and simple. Just crap. I was luck enough to grow up in a house of decent music. I heard Ricky Nelson, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Lynard Skynard, Hank Williams, Jr, Jeff Beck amongst others. I got into the metal movement of the 80's. Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, Poison, etc. I have taken quite a lot of shit for that over time.
As a I grew older I expanded my horizons. I began to respect the Ramone's, Social Distortion, Sex Pistols, Motorhead and Iron Maiden. I also began to really look at other music such as The MAvericks, Chris Isaak, Jack Johnson and Dwight Yoakam. So, I have a pretty open mind to music except rap and hip hop, other than Run DMC, Beastie Boys and NWA, whcih I happen to think is the most organic and best of that genre.
I was at a concert a year or so back and in bewtween acts there was pre recorded music playing while the stage was being set up. Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses began playing. The first sniff of Slash's intro brought everyone to their feet. You saw 3/4 of the Gibson rise to their feet and just get crazy. I thought to myself then that music has so changed. After that song, AC DC Highway to Hell began. The WHOLE fucking place erupted. The whole arena was head banging and sang the song from start to finish. It was then that I realized rock n roll is the devil that corrupts us. I mean that in a good way.
I listen to the radio and the only thiong good is the old stuff. I was listening to KLOS last week and Van Halen You Really Got Me, even though a Kinks cover, came screaming out of the speakers and I felt like I did as a teenager. That opening guitar barrage just took my breath away. I then realized that no new music does this anymore. The only really killer music in the last few years has been the Metallica Death MAgnetic album, whic is by far the heaviest Metallica album in many years.
The last Motley Crue album was decent, Metallica was scary heavy and that is about it. I miss waiting outside of Tower Hollywood- RIP for the next huge rock album to drop. I would not even wait in line at Wal Mart for anything new. Rock n Roll is on life support. AC DC, Metallica, Motley Crue, Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles are selling out concerts left and right but we need new blood to keep it breathing.
I am sorry, Coldplay, the Killers, My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy and Avenge Sevenfold are not long ter heirs to the throne. They are not going to be U2 or Springsteen like in 20 years. They are going to be wash outs. Coldplay ripped of Satriani note for note for bajeeber's sake! The fucking Jonas Brothers played with Stevie Wonder at the Grammies. Fuck that! That is sacrilige. Steve Wonder and the Jonas Douches! SHIT!
I say that Rock n Roll is on it's last legs. Fucking Soulja Boy, TI, Lil' Wayne, Beyonce and MIA are what is ruling right now. We need the Peppers and Rage to come in with new albums to cure the disease that is upon us. Is rock n roll dead? Not yeat, but it is on a ventilator in ICU.

Duh!

The news came out this weekend that Alex Rodriguez was 1 of 104 Major League Baseball Players to test positive for steroids in 2003. My response was, DUH! His stats were awesome. He was one of those players whose stats mellowed as the testing commenced. I have long had a love/hate relationship with baseball. I love to watch it, but hate the business side of it.
The owners are whining, big pocketed misers that complain about salaries, but are the one's paying them and creating the market. The players, shall I say, the agents are whining about the value of their clients. Look, you get paid to PLAY baseball. If you are making 3 million bucks to play a kids game, quit you bitchin'. Jesus! Be lucky you have a job that pays you as much as it does. How dare you complain about your salary when you make more than teachers, police officer, fire fighters and road workers. Those people are necessary to make our society a better place. Unlike you, who are taking illegal drugs and acting like a fool.
I hear all these morons that say that steroids were not against the drug testing policy so there should not be any stigma. BS! The drugs are against the law. All major sporting factions, ie: MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MMA, etc claim that testing was installed by public pressures. What? You have employees that are doing things that are against the law. Steroids, EPO, pot, cocaine and heroin are all against the law to possess and use. Get over yourselves! If you are doing somthing illegal it still wrong no matter what you, your agent or union say. We regular folk are going to get nailed. So should they.