Odds and Sods Part II

The above pic was taken the last time Julie played at BB King's and that's my other "son" Louie on guitar. Eric is of course on drums but he's hidden as usual.

Right now we are in white out conditions - it looks like a blizzard, in fact, it probably is a blizzard, and my boss said I could go home but I'm not particularly anxious to go out in that so I'm vacillating back and forth here...cab, no cab, walk, sleep at the office (ha), etc.

So while I try and make up my mind, I will drive you all nuts and tell you what my daughter made me for dinner last night. Her Sunday dinners are now legendary. I would have taken digital photographs but I was starving and she'd spent the entire afternoon tantalizing me with the various aromas coming out of the kitchen.

We started out with with hand made dumplings stuffed with chicken, dried shitake mushrooms, garlic, and scallion. She made a dipping sauce that was to die for -- soy sauce, scallion, garlic, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, honey, and chile peppers.

I really think I could live on that sauce and all it needs is some booze in it and I would never require another form of food or drink.

Next course: A healthy salad. Rock lobster tail meat tossed with red onion, celery, tiny chunks of steamed red bliss potato, vanilla oil (made from real vanilla beans) and a mixture of sunflower and hazel nut oils, creme fraiche, dijon mustard, fresh tarragon, lemon juice, and white wine vinegar served over red lettuce and maiche.

She surrounded our individual plates thusly...the lettuce on the bottom, the lobster salad mixture in the middle, and all around the rim of the plate, seared scallops.

I didn't want dinner to end, ever.

And what's maiche, you ask? Because I had no idea myself, it sounds like something you'd spray at someone trying to steal your handbag. It's actually a wonderful lettuce, nutty and buttery tasting.

Only Julie would know from maiche.

Dessert: A heart healthy key lime pie made from yoghurt. Now you might think that sounds gross, but it was one of the best key lime pies I ever ate in my life. I can't wait to go home now and eat another piece - that's going to be my dinner tonight.

Anyway, that's the news for now. I should really leave the office; I'm terrified of getting stranded here really. I was only joking about sleeping here - it's bad enough I feel like I do that anyway. And besides, that pie is calling my name...

Flamingo

So as I've mentioned, besides his brilliant band with Julie, Teddi and Dan of Rock School, Eric has a side project with some other Rock School kids - Haffie, Matt Manser, Julia Ranier, and Dan Nitz. The name of their band is Flamingo, and they've just finished recording/mixing a six song demo called "Among the Ash Heaps and Millionaires".

You get ten points if you know where that phrase orginates.

Okay, time's up, I'll tell you. It was the alternate title F. Scott Fitzgerald had chosen for The Great Gatsby.

Anyway, I got my first listen to the newly mixed CD yesterday and almost fainted. First of all, let me say this. I'm the world's harshest music critic. I may rave about my kids here, but there are plenty of times I'm dissatisfied and I don't hold back. I'm probably even too quick to criticize because these kids are such incredible musicians that I expect greatness from them all the time. I've been to Rock School shows where I leave on an almost magical high with a silly smile pasted on my face for days; but I've also been to shows where I've been pissed beyond belief at sloppy playing and/or bad, inappropriate set lists and I've even made nasty comments likening the shows to crappy suburban high school recitals. In other words, I'm no angel, even where Julie and Eric are concerned.

From the minute I heard the opening notes of Flamingo's CD yesterday, I had the chills. First of all, Julia's vocals...I can't even describe it. She's the way Norah Jones or Aimee Mann or even Natalie Merchant wish they sounded...with the sixties psychedelic soul of a Janis Joplin and Sandy Denny thrown in. You don't get that from her when you hear her doing covers for Rock School like Springsteen's Born to Run or Boston's Long Time. (Okay, I despise Springsteen and Boston so maybe that has something to do with it). But anyway, on this CD, Julia's voice is other worldy - she's fucking unbelievable.

And then you have the guitar players: Haffie, Matt, and Julia herself. These are three of the best guitarists in Rock School, apologies to the other Rock School greats because yep, there are many, but these three have a spectacular chemistry together. And I feel like a traitor saying this because my own daughter is a bassist, but Dan Nitz, who normally plays guitar, kicks ass on bass.

But most importantly - the song writing. It's fucking amazing! I tried to put my finger on their sound and to be honest, I couldn't, because it's so original they may be one of the few bands to be actually doing something NEW! It's fresh, it's modern, but there are influences of Zappa, Cream, and even the Allman Brothers... with a modern bluesy, jazzy twist. And the lyrics are also very, very impressive. But I think their time with Paul/Rock School and being part of his All-Stars and studying Zappa is what I hear the most - that unbelievable, intelligent musicianship and their tightness as a band. It's pure perfection. What's even more fun is that they are all such talented, well rounded musicians that on one song, they switch off instruments and some play glockenspiel, dulcimer, even trumpet.

Anyway, one of the Rock School teachers, Nero, heard the demo for the first time and immediately got Flamingo their first gig opening for his own band on March 19 at a really cool club in Philadelphia, The Fire. They aren't on the schedule yet because it stops at March 12, but of course I'll be posting updates here.

So that was my excitement for yesterday.

Time Fries...

That would be my daughter's boyfriend, Matt, on bass and his first cousin, future megastar, C.J. Tywoniak, on guitar

Wow, has it really been three days since I posted? Time fries, as I was told by my favorite waiter at a Chinese restaurant when I ate there with my kids. He hadn't seen them in a while and was shocked to see they were now young adults. Time fries is probably the most perfect expression ever, huh. Anyway, there's been a lot of turmoil in the House of Slick over the past 72 hours but it all seems to be straightened out now (I hope!) so I'm back.

First of all, thanks to the lovely and talented M.A. Burns who forwarded me the above photograph, several more of which I'll be posting, taken at the recent Tony Levin/California Guitar Trio concert. She is a huge prog rock fan and travels with the band snapping photos, and she was really freaked out by the talented Rock School kids who opened for them. Anyway, we met for the first time at the show, chatted a bit, exchanged email addresses, and then she sent me a disk full of her photos. How cool is that!

Also, thanks to everyone who has bought my book and coffee cups, etc. Sheesh, I didn't realize being a writer also meant being a saleswoman, but there you have it.

So without further ado, and because I need Eric to go on line and update my website which I've neglected terribly since starting this blog, here's a few more of M.A.'s photos and M.A., if you are reading this, YOU ROCK!

Louis Graff

Max DiMezza and CJ

Kenny Liu and Julie

Max

Paul conducting the band

My wild child, Eric

C.J.

Matt and C.J.

UPDATE -Eric's just wrapped up my website renovations for me. Please check it out at www.robinslick.com

Quick plug for Flash Fiction Cafe (and me)...

I'm just popping by to let you know that you can now purchase one of my two stories selected to be on coffee mugs (and which will be shipped to cafes and coffee houses all over the world) directly from the site right here

My first story to go print is called Dreaming of Flying, and as you can see, you have your choice of two different mugs. I assume the mug with my story Last Supper will be forthcoming within the next few days.

C'mon, you know you want one. I'm gonna be famous someday. Even if it's for jumping out a 40th floor window naked screaming "I can't take it any more!"

Seriously, support your local writer. And there's some other really great writers with mugs for sale as well. Support them, too. And I must admit, they are very cool looking cups - you may even want a set of four. Ha ha.

Odds and Sods...

So I'm still depressed over this insane world and recent headlines -- who gives a fuck if Paris Hilton's address book is hacked and on the web and what Jesus looked like as a young boy (don't even get me started on that one). Or that Bush was a pothead in college (like we didn't know that - he should start smoking again if you ask me). Anyway, the word is that apparently Hunter Thompson took his life because he couldn't deal with getting old and being in pain.

I can relate.

But luckily, while I agonize over the above as well as my novels and a couple of short stories out there in "should we accept or reject" limbo land, I can live vicariously through my kids. There is a strong rumor that a MAJOR rock star is about to join them on both the soundtrack and in concert but again, I'm sworn to secrecy. All I can tell you is that this is someone I idolized -- have all the CDs/albums/even eight tracks dating back from the seventies...and well, I'd better not say anymore and jinx it. But of course more to follow...

Anyway, the poster above is about some upcoming shows in which my son is performing, and if they're anything like the one in Florida, I cannot wait.

Eric told me it was one of the most awesome shows ever. The sound man at the Broward Center worked for seven years for Pink Floyd among others and he was amazing. The kids opened with a Floyd song - Time - and they all had wireless mics. But of course here's my proud mom moment - they did a verson of the Band's The Weight -- which I have never heard them do; I didn't even know it was in their repertoire; and guess who did the vocals while he played the drums? Damn it! I love the way Eric sings but he rarely does it in concert. He told me he aced the song and had Stevie and Madison singing harmonies with him. They also did a killer version of Almost Cut My Hair and Fil did the vocals.

Another cute story was that Eric was doing the opening riffs to a Devo song and he's the only one on stage. So he keeps drumming, and he's looking around, like, where the hell is everyone? Suddenly, those maniacs - Joey, Mike, and Dan, came running down the aisles with their wireless mics screaming ARE WE NOT MEN? or something like that and the crowd went wild.

I hear the audience clapped and screamed throughout - it was completely sold out; they were all strangers -- no family or friends, and it was an amazing experience. I've of course been scouting all of the Florida newspapers to see if anyone reviewed them, and you know if I find something, I'll post it here.

Why, why, why did I miss what probably would have been my favorite classic rock All-Star show? But Eric tells me there will be more of that at the shows listed above in NJ and NY, so I really can't wait.

He also told me a hilarious story about getting lost in the van with Uber Lord Paul for three hours looking for fun and games in South Beach after the show...nuff said about that.

Another bizarre tale concerns the airport in Atlantic City where they boarded the plane for Florida. When Madison was asked to remove her shoes and she said "Aw, do I have to?", over the loudspeaker came "SHOE REFUSAL, SHOE REFUSAL". Then, when Eric put his duffel bag through the x-ray machine, alarms started ringing because he had his cowbell in it. The security crew removed it, held it up, and said WHAT IS THIS?

Yeah, he plans to bring down the plane and take over the world with a cowbell.

But anyway, Eric told them what it was, and they said "Oh, is this your instrument...you know, what you play?"

D'oh.

So he explained further, even though he really didn't want to, and they started asking the usual lame questions: Oh, you guys are musicians, do you like being musicians, etc. etc.

Get used to it, Eric. The world is stupid and they get even stupider when faced with "celebrities".

In Julie news, she's still really into her band with Teddi, Eric, and Dan -- they had rehearsal here last night and they're just awesome, but before their practice, she made us dinner. Holy cow - fresh tomato soup with cheddar accompanied by a small plate of home made ravioli (!) stuffed with wild mushrooms in a light cream sauce. I thought I was eating in one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. She's amazing! And woo hoo, I get to take the left overs for lunch today.

And yes, as soon as I'm "allowed", I will be posting more news on Julie's band as well as a separate project Eric has with some other Rock School kids - I'm going to have my first listen to the mixed version of their CD tonight. I hear it's incredible, but then again, why wouldn't it be.

Damn it!

I was of course going to write all about Eric's spectacular experience playing drums at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Florida this weekend but I'm sitting here feeling very shocked and sad right now and unable to think straight.

'GONZO' JOURNALIST HUNTER S. THOMPSON DIES

Legendary US author Hunter S Thompson, a sharp-witted icon of the 1960s counter-culture, has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say.

The 67-year-old writer and journalist, best known for his 1972 book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, apparently shot himself at his home at Woody Creek, outside the ski resort of Aspen in the western US state of Colorado.

Thompson's son, Juan, released a family statement to the Aspen Daily News, saying: "Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family."

Thompson was considered by many to be one of the most important American authors of the 20th century.

The ever-rebellious Thompson was born in the southern state of Kentucky in July 1937 and frequently got into trouble with the law in his early years for drinking and vandalism, spending 60 days in jail on one occasion.

He was enlisted in the US Air Force in 1956 and managed to get assigned as a sports writer for the air base newspaper at Eglin Air Proving Ground in Florida.

But the unsettled youngster quickly became dissatisfied with the rigours of military routine and his high-jinks led to an honorable discharge after only a year in 1957.

He spent several years in Puerto Rico and South America working for various newspapers, mostly as a sports reporter.

In 1963, Thompson wed Sandy Conklin, a union that would last 18 years and produce one child, Juan. He also moved to Woody Creek, where he would spend most of the rest of his life.

Almost always writing in the first person, Thompson flirted with the border between fiction and fact and threw out any attempt at objectivity. His style became known as 'gonzo' journalism and made him a cult figure.

He shot to fame in 1966 after the publication of his book Hell's Angels, the story of his relationship with the then-feared motorcycle gang.

Thompson made his drug and alcohol-fueled antics and clashes with authority the central theme of his work, challenging the conventions of traditional journalism and creating a larger-than-life outlaw persona for himself along the way.

The book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the apocryphal tale of a wild, drug-fuelled weekend spent in the desert gambling hub of Las Vegas by the protagonist Raoul Duke, a thinly disguised version of Thompson.

Thompson claimed at the time that the book and its tales of LSD use were accurate examples of gonzo journalism but later admitted that some of the events in it never took place.

But the stories of his heady experiences earned him a popular reputation as a wild-living, hard-drinking, LSD-crazed writer bent on self-destruction.

The book became the basis for a 1998 Hollywood adaptation, starring Johnny Depp as Thompson's alter-ego, Raoul Duke.

In 1970, Thompson ran for the office of Sheriff in Pitkin, Colorado, campaigning on the "Freak Power" ticket. He lost by a handful of votes.

His other works include Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, a collection articles he wrote for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the election campaign of then-president Richard M Nixon.

Thompson became such an icon that cartoonist Garry Trudeau based the wild character of Duke in his "Doonesbury" comic strip on him.

Thompson is survived to his second wife, Anita Beymunk, whom he married two years ago, his son Juan and a grandson.

Saturday, February 19

In today's news, my son is on his way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida right now to play a completely sold out show at the Broward Center for Performing Arts - that's in excess of 500 seats. Lucky bastard. It's 75 degrees there at the moment as opposed to 17 degrees here. But of course now I'm going into a total panic because I just heard we're getting a snow storm tomorrow just in time for his plane to arrive back in Philadelphia.

Oh well, worrying is what I do best, anyway.

I'm still sitting on some major Eric news but I'm not allowed to blab, just tantalize.

Anyway, I hope to have some additional information about a few different things later...right now I have to clean up after said son. He decided to have an impromptu sleep over here last night prior to leaving for Florida with other boys in the band so I had four of them crashed out overnight in the living room which means four sets of sheets and blankets to toss in the washer and about eighty seven dishes in the sink.

What the fuck, I love it. The kids, that is. The housework...feh. If it were up to me, I'd throw the blankets and dishes out rather than deal with cleaning them, but you know, that would be childish.

Or would it...

Eric and Rock School in Long Island Press...

In today's Long Island, NY Press - my son's prolific one sentence following an hour long interview. Ha! But still very, very cool.

The Original School of Rock Comes to New York
Jesse Serwer 02/16/2005 11:26 am

It's early Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, and a bunch of rocker types are discussing the merits of Jethro Tull and Devo, pondering the significance of how many Google hits their own bands get, and just generally hanging out.

All of a sudden, the crew gets the word: It's showtime. The group's ringleader—a short man with wild, bugged-out eyes and a beer gut protruding from his Led Zeppelin shirt—places his hand against that of a little boy who will later be running around the room with a pair of drumsticks, and tells the child's mother, "He's a drummer all right."

It's not the precocious 5-year-old but his reserved older sister that Paul Green is interested in selling to, though, and he begins making his pitch to 12-year-old Ilana Roth and her parents.

"Isn't this a cool place? Don't you want to hang out here?"

It's open-house day at the newly minted New York City branch of the Paul Green School of Rock, a loft space-turned-musical playground in Hell's Kitchen that opens for business this week, and is the latest in a chain of nine similar schools opened by the Philadelphia-based Green. By April 1, Green plans to have his 6- to 17-year-old students—many of whom, like Ilana Roth, have never played a rock song before in their life—tackling Pink Floyd's The Wall. On May 13 they play their first show at the Tribeca Rock Club.

"You know the show South Park -- Crank Yankers -- His band was on those shows," Green tells a young guitar player, gesturing to Dave Dreiwitz, the bassist of Ween, and one of several notable artists who will be giving lessons and helping Green run the New York school (the others include Guided by Voices drummer Kevin March, drummer Claude Coleman of Ween and Eagles of Death Metal, and Eddie "Eyeball" Cisneros of 2 Skinnee J's).

"Wouldn't you rather have a teacher who goes on tour, comes back and tells you stories about what it's like as opposed to some guy that's all washed up?"

While his natural ability to talk kids' language might make Green seem like the perfect babysitter, he lets his potential students know right away he means business.

"I am not nice," Green says. "You just think I am because your parents are here. Once they leave...."

If you think that the idea is inspired by Jack Black's 2004 hit comedy, School of Rock, then you have it backwards. The Paul Green School of Rock actually dates back to 1998 when Green, a self-described "bitter, failed musician" who was offering guitar lessons at a Philadelphia music store, decided to start bringing his students to his band's practice space. Before long, Green was molding groups of kids—average age 14—into full-fledged Led Zep and Pink Floyd cover bands, and performing with them at area clubs and art spaces.

"At first, I thought no one else could do what I do," says Green, whose résumé includes playing guitar in Philly metal acts Sweet Pussy and Apollo Creed, as well as time spent in the Jersey Shore cover-band circuit. "Then I let my staff run the program when I went to Germany. After the sour grapes, I realized that I had created a system that gives confidence and a positive, meaningful experience to our alienated, MTV youth culture."

With investment capital from some wealthy students' parents, Green began opening up satellite schools in Philly suburbs before heading to New Jersey's Bergen County, then San Francisco. Concurrent to the Hell's Kitchen open house, an associate of Paul's is greeting prospective students at the new School of Rock in Salt Lake City.

"We hope to open as many as 25 new schools in the next two years in all the cool cities, and their suburbs," says Green, who will make the trek up to Manhattan from Philadelphia to teach twice a week. He lists Brooklyn, Nassau County and Westchester among the locations he and CEO Jake Szufnarowski are currently scouting. "Someone is going to get the idea to open schools of rock all over the place. It might as well be us."

Green is just back from the Sundance Film Festival, where Rock School, a documentary on the School of Rock, screened to favorable reviews, and where kids from the "Rock School All-Stars"—a group of Philly program veterans who tour and perform about 150 shows annually—got to jam with Alice Cooper.

"A lot of the movie reviews called me a failed artist," says Green. "Which I am. I am very bitter and I live vicariously through the kids. I didn't want to do what it takes to be a rock star in the '90s. I didn't want to hang out with Fred Durst or Carson Daly. I wanted to hang out with Joni Mitchell."

So, while Green likes to call himself the kids' "Überlord," his All-Stars have already soared to heights their mentor never made it to. In addition to Cooper, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, Heart's Ann Wilson and Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan all make appearances alongside the All-Stars on Rock School's soundtrack; they'll play alongside Zappa sideman Ike Willis at a March 5 Zappa cover set in New Jersey.

"We did a 19 shows on the west coast last summer, we're doing a 19-day tour in Europe this summer, we might go to Japan," Green tells his potential students. "We've been in Spin magazine. We are doing a lot for you, so we ask that this be pretty high on your priority list. It should be school, family, then rock school."

A number of Green's original students now work for their mentor, giving lessons at the Philly-area schools.

"Paul's long-term dream is a music scene of real rock 'n' roll that erupts from the rock school rather than the pop rock that is dominating the radio," says Eric Slick, a 17-year-old college freshman and School of Rock All-Star who teaches drums at the Philly headquarters. "He wants to save rock 'n' roll."

Near the end of the open house, things are moving slowly. Only seven kids have enrolled in the program Green expects will soon hold 180. "The only advertising we did is we brought brochures to our show at B.B. King's in December. This is kind of what we wanted—kids who have already seen the shows, so they know what to expect. They will tell their friends. When kids sign up, they usually stay until they graduate high school."

Sensing his newly hired staff might be a little concerned, though, Green pulls them aside.

"You guys understand this is a start-up business, right? I would rather hire a good staff than a skeleton crew. We'll just jam the rest of the time."

Some stuff...

That's Don Argott, director of Rock School, filming Julie for a scene in the movie.

So the film premiers exactly two months from today. Am I excited? Uh...a little.

Julie and Eric are both at Studio 4 right now as we speak, recording Zappa's Inca Roads for the soundtrack. How cool is that.

Meanwhile, Eric has a tough life. While the rest of us spend depressing February in cold, gray Philadelphia, here's how he's spending this weekend: 11:45 Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's staying at the Marriot Marina Hotel
and then playing a set at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts .
He's doing an awesome classic rock set and it starts at 7:30 so if you're in the Fort Lauderdale area, he's worth checking out.



Eric may have some other exciting, interesting, even shocking news soon but I'm not saying a word until it's confirmed. But one thing for sure - he's interviewed in the Long Island, New York Press and it will be on line and in print this Thursday so you know I'll be posting a link for that when it's published. The interview is in conjunction with the grand opening of the NYC Rock School and Eric got the honors because he's now the student in attendance the longest out of like hundreds...he was one of the original fourteen and all of the rest of those kids are all in college now though a few left before "graduation". Funny, I didn't realize that he was the elder statesman but of course got immediately nostalgic again for the good old days at pre-corporate Rock School when we were like one big rag tag family who had barbecues and played baseball together, etc.

That's the hardest thing about being an adult. You realize things change and there's not a fucking thing you can do about it. Worse, you've got to accept it.

Oh what the hell. I still have a good time.

I may not personally be a fan of Valentines Day...

...but my publisher is



Take advantage of this sale and get my book at a reduced rate here

Also, please send me your proof of purchase, credit card info blocked out of course, to Robin81700@yahoo.com. For every 25 books sold, I'm holding a raffle, with the prize being a $25.00 Victoria Secret gift certificate or, if you can't use that, a gift certificate to a store/restaurant, etc. of your choice.

I'm not that far from print benchmark and I'm counting on the support of my friends here to help me get Three Days in print and in a store near you!