Yes, I Admit It - My Blog Rules - and The Power of Adrian Belew

Gary Slick and Eric Slick crashing out at O'Hare Airport in Chicago following the Adrian Belew Power Trio tour November, 2006

Okay, so I have all kinds of cool news today and I'm like, really stoked.

Yesterday in the comments section of my blog I received this note:

"Your site has won a Blog of the Day Award"

I clicked on that link and was so thrilled! So thank you, Bonnie, for your kind selection and excellent taste...and now for my acceptance speech. I wish to thank the Academy, my family, my therapist...oh, I'm kidding...I don't have a therapist...I mean, I need a therapist, I'm sure most will agree, but nope, don't have one.

Yet.

Har har.

Anyway, they were kind enough to provide me with an award button, which I have posted on the right hand sidebar here.

And in a classic case of the type of serendipity I adore, Neil Gaiman won the exact same award yesterday, too.

Heart be still. It gets better. As if that excitement wasn't enough, this morning I came down to the news that yes, yes, yes, I'm one of ten finalists (out of like a gazillion nominated) in the 2007 Web Blog Awards, Diarist and voting will begin late tonight for the winners -- you know I will be posting a link for that as soon one appears on their site.

So why did I post a photograph of Eric and Gary instead of my stunning face? Because you know me, I got way more psyched when I discovered today that Eric, who is currently on tour with Delicious in Asheville, North Carolina, has updated his blog.

I was just laughing out loud reading it - Eric is hilarious. And ahem, genetically an excellent writer, for which I will take full credit.

And...look out...because Gary, former computer hater...wait...he still hates computers but he's reluctantly become a part of the "If I can't beat 'em, I'm gonna join 'em gang", has asked me to set up a blog of his own. Right not it's nothing more than a URL address but he will probably be posting within the next day or so and his "platform" (ha! to all of you writers out there who moaned out loud as soon as they read that word) will be something on the order of Rock Music 101. Gary is an extensive musicologist and has probably attended thousands of concerts in his lifetime...yes...his Mommy even took him to see the Beatles in 1966 when he was too young to go anywhere but the bathroom by himself and he not only has the original ticket stubs ($4.50! Four freaking dollars and fifty cents!) he has the actual program from the show, which was held at the now demolished JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

But if I know my husband, he'll probably also rant from time to time about Republicans and yuppies as well because, he is, after all, my husband. So watch this space - I'll put up an alert when Gary writes his first words of wisdom.

Oh, and I am sure he'll be blogging from at least part of the Adrian Belew tour this February/March, and speaking of that...hey hey hey...more good news for me, I just discovered that Pollstar had a feature article on their website about the trio yesterday!

The Power Of Adrian Belew
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007 3:15AM

"Adrian Belew, self-described "world's greatest experimental whammy twang bar czar rhino king crimson stunt guitarist," has announced the first round of dates for an early 2008 tour of the U.S. accompanied by siblings Eric and Julie Slick.

The Adrian Belew Power Trio kicks off its trek February 19 at Triple Door in Seattle so far is scheduled to hit clubs and theatres around the country through mid-March.

Highlights of the tour include stops at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Ore. (February 20), Slim's in San Francisco (February 23), the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, Calif. (February 26), the Santa Fe Brewing Company in New Mexico (February 29), World Café Live in Philadelphia (March 12), and B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City (March 13).

Tickets are available through links at www.adrianbelew.net.

Here's a clip of Belew (accompanied by the Slicks) doing that voodoo-that-he-do at the Carriage House Theatre in Saratoga, Calif., in October 2006."


So yeah, Pollstar posted that video of the trio, which, by the way, is the most watched You Tube of all the trio offerings out there -- in fact, it's even on Adrian Belew's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nomination Page. Alas, Adrian was not nominated this year but it's the first year he's eligible and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that he's going to be inducted sooner rather than later.

In other news, I've made no secret that I am decidedly not a Bruce Springsteen fan because my taste in music runs more to British blues rock and punk, but good grief, the man has the #1 CD on the Billboard charts right now and the evil, wicked, Republican, corporate Clear Channel, who own approximately 40% of the country's radio stations -- that would be 1,165 of 'em -- has banned the entire CD from their playlist because of Bruce's liberal politics!

""When you have artists like the Dixie Chicks and Bruce Springsteen who have overtly spoken out against this Administration, they are taken to task in spite the clear and undeniable indications from the marketplace that people want to hear their music. What seems to be happening-- if sales are any kind of a barometer of what the marketplace is-- is that these politically-connected radio networks like Clear Channel are not looking to succeed as radio stations as much as pushing forward some political agenda."

I think I'm gonna be sick. I mean, I already knew the evil Republicans running this country, headed by the madman in the White House, were a completely unconstitutional dictatorship who owned the media, but banning Bruce Springsteen? Oh. My. God.

I am embarrassed to be an American right now. We need to do something about this, people. The government is fucking with our music, damn it!

So let's start right here. That link will take you to a Petition to Boycott Clear Channel.

And to my fellow animal loving friends, here's a bit more on the PETA side to this story...we all really need to unite here...googling Clear Channel, PETA, and other suchlike connecting links has rendered me totally unable to eat breakfast this morning. I seriously feel like I'm going to hurl.

I do believe a definite return to my wild hippie protest days is in order and I'm taking all of you along with me.

Anyway..

Ooh, I almost forgot - I have some more way cool music news - Julie's boyfriend Matt, as I've mentioned before, is in an amazing band, Cheers Elephant, and yesterday they got a fabulous review in the Philadelphia Weekly:

"Cheers Elephant

Fri., Nov. 2, 9pm. $7. With Papertrigger, Drink up Buttercup + Sisters 3. Millcreek Tavern, 4200 Chester Ave. 215.222.1255. www.millcreektavernphilly.com

Cheers Elephant sound more British than most young Philly bands. They set out for prime Kinks real estate, and nearly close the deal with their rambunctious shows. (They could grow up to become the Teeth.) But as smoothly as songs like “Here We Are” and “Wide Eyed” channel ’60s psych and folk, the band reveals spidery digressions and fat Primus-style basslines amid their noisy rave-ups live. The result is a heady swirl of influences that grapple with each other for attention while Cheers Elephant play happily along. These guys may not have their sound set in stone yet, but most everything they’re doing is pleasing to the ears. (Doug Wallen)"

Yay, Matt!

Oh well. The best blogger of October 31, 2007 needs to split now. Why, you ask? Because today is November 1, and you know what that means. Oh, you don't? Sigh...okay...here it is. Today is the start of National Novel Writing Month. So I will be joining thousands and thousands of other writers across all seven continents in an effort to complete a 50,000 word novel by November 30. That's something like just under 2,000 words a day, which is only daunting if you don't have a plot (ha) but I'm pretty lucky here...I'm using it as a vehicle to write the third book in the Three Days in New York City series so I've already got my characters, my plot, and okay, I'll admit it, some really sick humor ready and waiting to burst from my fingers to the computer keyboard.

And speaking of humor, Susan Henderson has a great topic going on over at Lit Park this week - name your top five humorous books. I am such a dork - I must have been over-caffeinated yesterday because while I easily came up with my first four choices, I stumbled and could not think of #5 so I did the lamest thing ever - I picked my own book. Thank God my good friend Ellen Meister, whose own book I selected for its brilliant humor, came in and bailed me out. Ack! Susan, when are you going to get that edit button? I cringed all day over my "vanitized" selection - I reminded myself of...never mind...why make it worse than it really is?

Okay, enough of me. I'm off to type...what's that again...2,000 words for National Novel Writing Month, or "Nano" to you...

Later,
xo