This page is for Michael to get a chance to speak in his own words, let off some steam, spout off, spew hot air, grouse, stand on his soapbox, scratch his chin, chew the fat, rant and rave, ponder, blab, gripe.... Got your own rant, then sign the guestbook or if you're feeling lazy, just view the guestbook.
June, 2005
Los Shakers "Break It All" video
December 29, 2005
I saw the new King Kong movie & didn't like it much. Too loud & too many people getting attacked by scary/gross/pre-historic giant bugs too often. Too long.
Do you like hard-boiled fiction?
My brother's band The Student Teachers
The Mumps Finally have a web page
The Balancing Act were one of my favorite bands
Ever wonder what happened to the band Dirty Looks?
For radio fans: lots to read & listen to here
My daughter sure is cute
March 23, 2005
Recently rented Semi Tough andSmile. I loved them both.
February 1, 2005
Two of my pals have new BLOGS:
Spike Priggen
Bill Reed
January 1, 2005
The big news is that I am now the father of a tiny little baby named Juniper!. Born December 23.
September 16, 2004
Saw Deke Dickerson last night at the Rodeo Bar (free peanuts!). Deke is one of the all time greats. If he plays in your town, simply: go see him. He plays, he sings, he writes, he covers!
September 2004
Spent most of the past 10 months mixing, mastering and shopping around the next album, which looks like it's going to be called "Goodbye Cheater". After a mildly frustrating search for a slightly larger concern, it will end up being released on the fine Confidential Recordings label (which I happen to co-own) in January 2005 . Since the album was recorded mostly in two days it is kind of odd that it has taken so long to get it released., I'll try to do better next time. Anyway, I think it is my best record yet (and I dont say that every time).
Meanwhile try to check out Media Matters before Election Day.
November 2003
My ex-roommate, and old friend TORIN ALTER has just released a new album. We lived together in Hollywood for about a year in the late 1980's while he studied Philosophy and I waited tables at a Mexican restaurant. We were robbed (my guitar & bass - gone), I slept on the floor... but it was a fun year. Please check the album out.
August 2003
The best ice creams are: Godiva Dark Chocolate, Edy's Dreammery Triple Butter Pecan, Dr. Mike's Chocolate and Hagen Das' Vanilla & Coffee. All Ben & Jerry's is awful.
April 2003
My pal Frank Bango has an excellent new album out called "The Unstudied Sea" and I like it very much.
January 23, 2003
home of The
Wildweeds
Joey Reynolds interviews
Husky Team!
my
pal Gary Calamar does a great interview with the amazing Solomon
Burke!
my
pal Joe Belock does a great interview with Jonathan Richman (it starts @
2:32)
organ
groove archives
frank's vinyl museum
Billy
Bremner q & a
November 4
I though this was semi mind blowing:
As of today there are
1565 used copies of REM's crappy album "Monster" available on HALF.COM.
Rocktober 22
PLEASE BUY ALL YOR HOLIDAY/CHRISTMAS PRESENTS HERE!
September 28
read the first two paragraphs on this page
My frustration with "Real Player" lead me to this excellent (& FREE) computer music player
July 26
Went to see Wilson Pickett in Brooklyn. An AMAZING show!
July 15
SOME MORE LINKS:
DOE!
- YOU NEED THESE
PHONE
CALLS
ARNOLD
Mike
Randle's diary from the road w. Arthur Lee & Love!
June 26
June 17
I have a poison ivy rash on my arm. I was looking on the web for info & a cure and found THIS PAGE on which people have written some of their home remedies. Some of them are hysterical. I especially liked this one:
I don't recommend this to anyone at all, but what helps my poison
ivy is to take a rough washcloth, soak it in pure, 100% clorox bleach, and
proceed to rub it on the affected area(s) until it burns so bad that you
want to scream bloody murder. Initially, it makes you writhe in pain, but
later there's no itch, its dry within hours. This also works well for
ringworm. Once again, I don't advise anyone to do this, in fact, make sure
you don't. It will hurt like crazy and might have very bad effects on your
skin. byebye ivy, though.
-- andrew (aappkkxx@xxx.com) submitted
7/May/2001
June 5
JOHN MILLER has a new solo album out that is really excellent. We have been listening to it quite a lot at my house lately.
January 25
SOME LINKS:
PLAY
MAIL
FREE
SUBSCRIPTION TO TAPE OP MAGAZINE
TRY THIS WITH
YOUR GUITAR
I LISTEN TO
THIS
ARE YOU BUSY
JUNE 28?
WASTE A FEW
MINUTES HERE
BIG
AL
MS AT FMU -
LISTEN
They
were my favorite American band!
December 20
Everybody's asking me what my gift suggestions are for this year. Well Bed Bath & Beyond (right next to the Stop & Shop supermarket) has a big pile of "GO AWAY" doormats that looked like a great deal.
The other thing everyone keeps asking is for my "best of" list for the year.... well I'll do what I did last year.. here's a list of good & bad stuff:
GOOD
Dawsons Creek (but not Dawson or Jen)
Cheap Hotel -
Ron Sexsmith
Nick Lowe - The Convincer
NRBQ - The Scraps Companion
(especially Mare Take Me Home)
Felicity
Sun Lok
Kee
Vegas
Pernice Brothers - Sunlight Shines
Teenage Fanclub - I
Need Direction
Some Ryan Adams songs ("Firecracker" is really
good!)
BAD
Saving Silverman
AI
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(boooooooooring)
any movie where someone shoots a gun while holding it
sideways
tech support at Hewlett packard
October 26
Lots of folks have been asking if my friends & family are all safe. I'm happy to say that everyone I know is physically fine, most of my friends and family are goofballs, who were nowhere near the World Trade Center.
I left for the tour of Japan on September 22. Airport security was pretty much the same as always. The plane was almost empty, which was nice for stretching out on the 14 & 1/2-hour flight. The people in Japan were incredible. During my performances they were quiet compared to US crowds, but after they were sweet and gave me lot of nice presents, and asked for autographs! AND- I sold out of tee-shirts! (They're valuable collectors' items now).
It was great to get to see Marshall Crenshaw's sets every night. I've seen him play over the years a bunch of times, but never solo, and he seems to have re-arranged all his songs, and they sound great solo. I asked him where he learned his finger-picking style, and he said from a Danny Gatton video tape!
I must say special thanks to Izumi (who put the whole tour together), Junko (from my Japanese label, who was great to hang out with and was an organizational whiz) and to Yutaka and Ryohei (our crew/road managers) who are two of the sweetest guys on the planet, and did a karaoke duet of "Say Say Say" that was mind blowing!
Dean Brownrout (the former co-president of BIG DEAL) and I have just started a new record label Confidential Recordings and it's keeping me busy!
Life goes on, and "AI" is still terrible!
July 26
the movie "AI" stinks.
July 15
I just returned from a five week driving across the country honeymoon. (I got married)
SawTeeenage Fanclub twice in NYC this week, two great shows. Did not get much sleep.
Happy birthday Mark Bacino. (We got him the Nick Lowe "Wilderness Years" cd, and the Lyres first album!)
This site needs a new web site designer.... anybody interested?
February 22
It's been a while since my last rant, so forgive me Father... I started a "best of 2000" list in December, but it was pages and pages of dreck. Here it is in a nutshell :
GOOD: BAD:
Went to see NRBQ at Toads Place in New haven last night with Jordon and
Scott. The band were excellent (as usual). From where I was standing I
could really appreciate what Tommy was doing, he re-defines the drums, and
he sang "Mellow Yellow". Slightly mind blowing. The teetering, obnoxious,
drunken crowd was on the verge of ruining it for me, (but sometimes I
think I'd like to go live in a lighthouse). We ate at Cracker Barrel off I95 (where,
naturally, I'm a member of the "Neighbor Club")(for which I've received no
benefits) and I had the "Uncle Herschel's Favorite" breakfast, with the
"spicy grilled" catfish, 2 eggs over easy, Hashbrown Casserole, grits,
corn muffins & biscits!
My trip to the U.K. was exhausting and fun. The worst thing was having
to sleep on the floor at Heathrow, the best thing was that we got to meet
Jonathan Richman, (who we were opening for) and when I mentioned that
Chris would be dj-ing after the gig Jonathan played the entire George
McCrae song "Rock You Baby" for us in the dressing room.(One of the
highlights of my show biz career). I also got to see Teenage Fanclub play
twice while in London they were incredible. Love their new album,
"Howdy!", especially the song "I Need Direction". Movies I saw on the
planes: "Shaft", "The Patriot", "Snow Day" & "The Adventures Of Rocky
And Bullwinkle". I found my copy of Be Be's kids, so you all can stop your worrying.
After 12 years in Brooklyn I have moved to Connecticut, and the Autumn
leaf display up here was truly mind blowing.
I just found my copy of Grand Royal magazine, issue 2. (The one with
Lee Perry on the cover, in the Mets batting helmet, that looks like a
Wheaties box...) I forgot how really good it is. A total crack up. It's
packed with nutty info and articles.It's good! Did I loan my CD of Robin Harris' "Be Be's Kids" to anybody? I cant
find it anywhere?
Treniers at Ceasar's Palace
Beat Rodeo at
Manitoba's (every Monday)
The Wonder Boys
Pita Famous on Coney
Island Avenue
Banana Pudding from The Magnolia Bakery
NRBQ
Ray
Mason
High Fidelity
Sun Lok Kee
Laura Cantrell's album "Not The
Tremblin Kind"
A Tree Grows In
Brooklyn
Clam Pizza at Pepe's
The New Star Wars movie
Aida (the worst)
Chicken
Run
Moishe's Movers
November 26
November 25
November 16
November 3
October 13 (Rocktober?)
October 12, 2000