happy birthday to a certain someone

hi ho steverino

Hello. Today is Steve Albini's birthday. Happy birthday Steve! Have a nice day! Maybe u'll take a walk,or play your guitar, or shoot some pool, or maybe take a trip with your mates, or, knowing u, u'd like to get a little work done, maybe have some tea and toast. Then u'll blow out the candles on your cake. And i'll always remember the time i saw u in Big Black at the I-Beam in SanFrancisco.

mural mural on the wall

Hello. U r looking at the inside of the Beach Chalet. That bright stuff coming in thru the windows is sunlight, i think. It hasnt been sunny in Sam Fram 4 so long, i kinda 4get what it's like.
The good news is that the smoke from all the wildfires seems 2 b clearing out. But clearing out to where? I red that the smoke plume is over 1500 miles long and has reached Nebraska. Sorry u 'braskans and all those along the way.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy getting ready to watch this.
And how YOU doin'?

rok-u like a hurricane

Hello. And speaking of rocks, hope u r liking yours, Sunshine!
It's freezing cold and foggy in Sam Fram, but i guess i'd choose that over hot and humid. Like Jr. Grenadier said, "beat the heat." Maybe u r outdoors today, having a picnic or a cook-out .
No tour or shows or anything...2busy bundling up in preparation for leaving the house.
And how YOU doin'?

mimsy farmers

san rafael farmers' mkt

Hello. Went to the farmers' market at the Civic Center in San Rafael. Click on the pic then click slideshow 4 pix in large 4mat.
Woodja getta look at these blueberries? I love u CCOF.
While at the market i told BFF Rich, "please dont ever ask me to move away from Northern Cali." And BFF Rich said 2 me, "I wont, if u promise never 2 ask me 2 move 2 Long Island."
We had the best time sitting on the ground in the sun while we shared a fresh organic Mexican brunch from Donna's Tamales. The to-go tapioca we had later at home was so good i (almost) wanted 2 poke my eye out with my spoon. It was vegan, made with organic coconut milk, and i added blueberries, blackberries and rasperries on top. Aye carumba!
We bought two kinds of Barlovento chocolate bars, my favorite one has sea salt sprinkles. HELLo. And of course, pizza and bread from Panorama. Click that little horizontal arrow at the bottom of their page to see all their different offerings go by.
Well, no tour or shows or anything...2busy learning the Wedding March on my accordion.
And how YOU doin'?

let there b light

chihuly

Hello. Rode my bike to meet my friend Linda at the de young museum this morning 2 see the Chihuly exhibit. Click on the pic then click slideshow 2 view pix in large 4mat.
I was glad we'd decided 2 meet early;by the time we were finished looking, the place was packed with hundreds of museum-goers.
Linda wore the cutest shoes, and so did I (except hers were blue and silver, and mines were black satin).
And now i'm back home, doing the b-word.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy with my nose pushed up against the window-pane.
And how YOU doin'?

mr stim says

Hello. ONE of us got some serious ink 2day. Holla BFF!
On the way home from yoga class this sunny afternoon, i drove by the Legion of Honor where i saw something extraordinary sparkling in the light. More on this wonderfulness tomorrow.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy eating chocolate.
And how YOU doin'?

sea of love

Hello. 2day i (sadly) felt autumn sneak up on my ass.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy spending 2much time looking 4 pic of a donkey in autum leaves.
And how YOU doin'?

spinning wheel, got 2go 'round

Hello. Can u tell that here at the Angel House, we like multi-tasking? Killing 2 birds with one stone is better than having a bird in your bushes. Or in your flowers. Wait, is that how that goes? Anyway, who wants 2 kill a bird? Not me.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy eating frozen grapes while listening to something on the radio that sounds like the Last Poets but i dont think it is.
And how YOU doin'?

sunday morning, and i'm...

...uh, drooling.

more songs about (buildings and) food

Hello. Whew. After eating an entire pizza, AND a side dish of yellow beets, steamed beet-tops, and toast with goat cheese on top, AND an incredbile slice of raspberry nectarine galette at Pizette 211, I could barely ride my bike back 2 ye olde blogging station.
And speaking of food, last night i dreamed i was in a restaurant whose menu featured items that were named after mx-80 songs, and mx-80 music was being played.
And speaking of music, this is my new favorite myspace band. I like them because they're fruity (nae offense lads) and the drums and percussion are really good, kind of like the drums in Polaris. Remember them? They were an instrumental-only band, and opened some shows for Spiritualized(more than)a few years ago. I used 2 like 2 take ppl who didnt know about Spiritualized to their shows. I remember taking Mike Wyren to one, and maybe it was the incessant strobe or relentless light show, but after a coupla songs he says 2 me "I dont have 2 take this shit" and walked out. Sorry, mate!
And speaking of crazy events, tonite there is a womens' roller derby at Fort Mason in the Herbst Pavillion, which is an an odd place to have it(roller derby is kinda low-brow for Fort Mason).
No tour or shows or anything...2busy growing my hair long.
And how YOU doin'?

i've shot at clouds from both sides now

Hello. Here's what's disturbing me currently. I dont even know what 2 say about this, so let's just move on with our lives.

Talked to Bruce Anderson this afternoon. He told me that the house next door 2 his mother's house in Indiana has recently been determined 2b haunted and that tech crews with all kinds of ghost-detecting equipment were coming and going at the house.
I asked Bruce what his mother thought about the whole thing and apparently she said something like "i aint afraid of no ghost."

2day is the first day in about 3 weeks that the sky is not glowing orange-ish, due 2 all the wildfires in northern cali. Because the winds have picked up, the air quality in our immediate area is improving, which is good for us but not good for the firefighters. I red 2day that they've gone from working 24 hour shifts to 48 and even 72 hour shifts.

No tour or shows or anything...2busy being serious.

And how YOU doin'?

friendly fire

Hello. I just finished reading a fascinating account of monks fighting the fire in Big Sur. Except they dont say they r "fighting". Read it here.
And here's another hot place. Dont u wanna go there? I found out about it thru NORTH FORK SOUND. U remember that the No Fo link has recently been added to my list, right? Super shout-out to HT for excellent reportage. More please!
No tour or shows or anything...2busy swimming laps.
And how YOU doin'?

it's a lonely ol' night, can i put my arm around u?

Hello. For days i've been walking around singing that john cougar mellonball song,u know, "custom-made 4 2 lonely ppl like me and u" and all that. Then in today's mail, this "single" showed up. U cant actually play it, it's a cardboard ad for his new release, produced by tbone burnett. I kinda like JCM. (But then again, i like double-hernias).(Sorry, old chuck barris joke).

Johnny's got that american sound down and i'm down with that american sound. Dass why i also like tom petty, the georgia satellites, and the cars. I know what you're thinking: why put the cars in there? Because they sound very american too. Not that i'm patriotic or anything like that. I've just always preferred the US sound over the UK sound. As in, the british invasion left me cold.(Nae offense my teabag amigos).

No tour or shows or anything...2busy checking and re-checking this.

And how YOU doin'?

well i'm walkin', yes indeed, and i'm talkin', yes indeed, and i'm hopin', that u'll come back2me

Hello. These pix were taken on a walk around the Land's End area. Oh say can u see what the coyote is saying? And check out those seat covers. Ya gotta love surfers, right? (Except the "dont live here dont surf here" dummies).
And speaking of empty seats, can u believe that no one will sit next 2 BFF Rich on the bus? Why is that? I dont understand. He's not smelly, he doesnt stare at folks, he doesnt talk 2 himself, he just sits there quietly reading his Kindle.
And yet...twice a week this happens. Ppl would rather stand up the whole way downtown than sit next 2 him. I dont get it. I mean, it's not like he's one sick puppy. (I'm sorry i had to use the term "one sick puppy". I dont like hearing ppl say it, but i wanted 2 use the picture).
No tour or shows or anything..2busy trying 2 wake my butt up. It's alseep from sitting here blogging.
And how YOU doin'?

shortie

Hello. The blue hydrangea was Luchino Visconti's favorite flower. I thought u'd want2know.
No tour or shows or anything..2busy "making" toast.
And how YOU doin'?

u my dog

Hello. This is my favorite dog in yesterday's Sausalito 4th of july parade. I decided not 2 use any of the other pix i took...2many white ppl in goofy outfits and wigs. BFF Rich captured cool stuff on his FLIP tho. Maybe he'll send me a clip of the(white)couple who looked like they had just stepped out of a Max Ernst painting(tried 2 link 2 the perfect Ernst pic, but NO! "forbidden". BFF Rich just told me u r more likely to run into that sitch when trying 2 link 2 fine art pix.) Then there was the very tall(white)guy on roller skates carrying his big(white)cockatiel, looking like he just stepped out of maybe a Kenny Scharf painting? Maybe a cross between Dali and Scharf?

Mmmmmm, look at this picture i just came across while looking at Kenny's work. I think the idea of eating donuts is always better than actually eating the donuts. I remember the first time i ate a Krispy Kreme with BFF Rich in Reno, i wasnt even half-way thru it and i wanted more. I think it was a crack-donut.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy listening to the refrigerator.
And how YOU dopin'? Oops! Funny typo. Well, ok, then, how YOU dopin'?

go fourth

Hello. I cant get my Sausalito 4th of July parade pix to upload, but here's a cute picture 4 u 2 look at until tomorrow when maybe i'll have better luck. Careful with those fireworks, y'all!

to big sur with love

Hello. Today is the worst day yet for the 2 week-old Basin Complex fire. The winds have picked up, and on top of that, the fire is spreading at night, rather than remaining the same size it was during the day. As George Carlin would say, "weird." My heart goes out to the firefighters, who r looking so tired and dejected. They say they will be fighting the Basin fire throughout the rest of july.

OK, let's move on to some good news. Non-Tour has added a new link, NORTH FORK SOUND. U r gonna love it. I know I do, especially the entry where Lemmy Kilmeister tells a "joke"!
U simply would not believe how foggy it is at the beach right now. Fog is rolling down our street in unprecedented proportions.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy working on some new music.
And how YOU doin'?

cliff hanger

Hello. The air quality here in Sam Fram improved 2day so i took a walk along the beach past the Cliff House.
(Thanx 4 link, Kimba!)
And speaking of Kimba, on my walk back 2 Fort Mason after meeting Kimba 4 lunch today, i passed a dog owner who was having difficulty getting his(offleash)dog, Mack, to come to him. They were quite a ways away from one another. So i lured Mack to his owner with a pizza i had just bought at Greens for BFF Rich's dinner 2nite. At Rich's office in Berkeley, employees r allowed 2 bring their dogs 2 work.
The Basin Complex fire in Big Sur is still burning. The fire is over 1 week old, and firefighters today called it a "raging animal." It is expected to be contained near the end of July. Contained doesnt mean extinguished, it only means the fire is no longer spreading.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy turning on the oven.
And how YOU doin'?

you'll wonder where the yellow went when u brush your teeth with pepsodent

There r alot of teeth in this photo, n'est-ce pas? And speaking of teeth, we r not recommending getting your teeth worked on, then going out right after for a fish and salad lunch. Hey, that looks a little like my first husband.

And speaking of my first husband, i have to send him an email telling him to watch this movie. He would really like it. Wow was it good. Extra Good.
I loved Bruges when i was there. So civilized. So very beautiful. Oh wait, that may not have been Bruges. I might be thinking of Diest (Hello Cleveland!) Well, i cant remember where it was but i know i liked it. The ACC band played a festival near there (wherever "there" was/is) and we walked into a town that had lots of gothic buildings and there was a tiny carnival going on. As if that wasnt surreal enough, there were twin sisters working one of the rides. We had George Earth with us, and he looked at the twins and they looked at him, and well, u get the picture.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy with the dental floss.
And how YOU doin'?

u cant always get a chihuahua

But if u try sometime, maybe u can!
Hello. I know someone who saw the Scorsese/Stones movie in Imax;they said it was frightening to see "the guys" that big.
I saw them back in the day at Cobo Hall in Detroit. (Little, back then)Stevie Wonder was first on the bill. He had a hit song at the time. My brother let me borrow his bitchin' GTO for the night. Did i know how 2 party OR WHAT?
No tour or shows or anything...2busy watching rough cuts.
And how YOU doin'?

sock it 2 me

Hello. Did u ever think u would hear Lou Reed say "sock it to me"? Well i didnt either. Until 2day. I've heard him say "sock it to me" at least 50 times 2day because i'm listening(and listening) to a fantastic bootleg version of SISTER RAY recorded in April 1967, and he keeps saying it. "I'm searchin' for my mainline i said i couldnt hit it sideways", then "sock it to me!"

Thanks to the person who sent me such a great prezzie! According to the liner notes, this is the first known live version of Sister Ray. (I know u all have probably already seen this but i couldnt resist..one more time!) WHAT?!! Did somebody say ENCORE?

No tour or shows or anything...2busy running the air purifier. :-( (Sorry 4u too, Sunshine and Jessie).

And how YOU doin'?

u can always find me...out2lunch!

Hello. Here's today's lunch. Not pictured: corn on dee cob and sliced peaches. And speaking of food, check this out.
Got a message from a myspace friend in belgium. He was in a record store and found a vinyl copy of Wake Up And Cry. When he took it 2the counter2pay for it, the guy said "yeah, a great forgotten artist." Hey! I aint forgotten! And neither is Johnny Rotten. No PROBLEM!
No tour or shows or anything...2busy with my yoga practice.
And how YOU doin'?

u dont need a weatherman2know which way the wind blows

Hello. Just took a walk 2 the mailbox thru fog and smoke. The wind keeps changing direction and is blowing smoke into our area from the fires in Lake County in the north and the Big Sur fires in Monterey.

I'm so relieved to know this guy and his place r ok(4the moment). We watched a docu about him the other night, it was great to see Big Sur back in the day. It's also good to know that Henry Miller's place is still ok for now.

Went to a nice bd party in a beautiful Victorian in the Haight yesterday. Their redwood tree is so tall now. It made me kind of sad. Know what i mean? Because so much time has passed in the blink of an eye.

No tour or shows or anything...2busy crocheting a hat.

And how YOU doin'?

angie angie, aint it good 2b alive

Hello. Kevin Patrick says i look like Angie Dickinson in this photo. Hell yeah i'll take that.

a rock and roll romance...

deanreads

Hello. Went to a book-signing party last night promoting the publication of Dean Wareham's memoir A ROCK AND ROLL ROMANCE. And it was all very nice...yes it was.
Click on the pic then click slideshow 4 large 4mat.
After Dean's reading of excerpts from the book, Britta joined him onstage and they played a few songs. A and R really enjoyed this version of D&B. It was slinky and personal and quiet and very attractive. Dean played acoustic guitar on all songs, and kazoo on one song. I vote for this set-up to tour.
When they were finished with the musical portion of the program, Dean sat in a throne-like chair that was upholstered in black and white cowhide, and signed copies of the book, which were given away free. And speaking of things given away for free, there was an open bar all night (the event was sponsored by Hennessy and Mens' Vogue).
And speaking of touring, no tours for me...2busy monitoring the wildfires in cali, which now number over 1,000. Yikes. (Here's R's live report from Berkeley.)
And how YOU brewin'?

smoke on the water fire in the sky

Hello. No exercise outdoors today and yesterday due to poor air quality. There are over 850 wildfires burning right now in northern cali.
A postcard arrived in the mail announcing an upcoming show of paintings by Kevin Teare. Holla Kebn! Me and Kevin go WAY back. I miss u Kebn! Kevin is a multi-tasker.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy reading my favorite new bloggy.
And how YOU doin'?

yes i did

Hello. Apparently some of u non-tour readers thought yesterday's picture was taken from the internet. Not true. It was taken by holding my camera up to a hole in the wooden fence at the Cliff House. Pretty cool if i do say so myself.
A certain someone is Back-In-The-House and i couldnt b happier about it. :-)
No tour or shows or anything...2busy helping a certain someone detox.
And how YOU doin'?

it's the most wonderful time of the year

Hello summer solstice people. I enjoyed the latest sunset of the year(8:40 pm!)while standing at the Cliff House tonite, and watched a super-cute dad with his wife and baby;he was playing a ukelele and singing to them while the sun was setting. He was really talented on that little uke.
So, enjoy the first day of summer 2morrow!
No tour or shows or anything...2busy watching Thin and Super High Me.
And how YOU doin'?

peas-mo beach

Or, I should say Peas-BO Beach. Yup, that's me, standing up with my bike, eating fresh peas at Wharf Road Beach in Bolinas. That's right, back in Bolinas, and what a treat it was. Unfortunately i was there w/o my BFF Rich, so that part wasnt so nice, but i am helluv looking4ward 2 going back2bo with him in a few weeks. Holla Rich!
The first picture here is of the dirt in Bolinas, which is a beautiful brown color, so sometimes, in certain light, the air right above the ground is glowing golden. Most of the roads r unpaved, there can be alot of dust blowing around.
That's the moon rising over Bolinas this past Wednesday evening. I coulda cried with both my eyes.
I was hanging around Brighton Beach and i saw a surfer riding a wave while twirling around like a whirling dervish on his board. His board wasnt spinning, HE was spinning. Like a TOP. Yeeeeeeeeeeeee-ha!
No tour or shows or anything..2busy looking at houses in bolinas on craigslist.
And how YOU doin?

the surf went up the surf went up, from coast2coast it was the most

great in graton

Hello. Click on the pic then click slideshow. Took a drive on 101 today to Sebastapol, then on to Graton and had lunch here.
It was hot in the country; i was glad 2 get back2 the fog in sam fram.
No tour or shows or anything..2busy pining away.
And how YOU doin'?

got ink?

Hello. This just in...

u scream i scream

Hello. Finally, a reason2blog:this fudgesicle i just had at FISH in Sausalito. It was served in a tall flute/champagne glass, then u pull it out to eat it. Yeah! And speaking of ice cream, i had a dream last night that i was with SUNSHINE and we saw a scoop of ice cream in a tree. Wisely, i've decided not 2 spend my remaining precious moments googling "ice cream in tree".
At FISH we overheard a woman next2us say "is he a real person or an internet person?" Hmmmm. We werent sure what she meant but it was a cool modern overheard comment.
And speaking of modern, i'm excited to see the Chihuly exhibit at the de young museum. Here's Chihuly.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy overheating.
And how YOU doin'?

the doors

Hello. I'm a lazy blogger these days. Well, not lazy, just uninspired. I sit down 2 blog but nothing happens. Instead, i go here and listen again to COUNT THE DAYS THAT I'M GONE. What a dyn-o-mite song it is. I remember listening to it obsessively when it first came out in the 60s.
No tour or shows or anything...2busy eating peanuts.
And how YOU doin'?

funday in golden gate park

Hello. Took a great bike ride thru Golden Gate Park2day. People sure was partyin'. I especially liked watching the roller-skaters. Alot of them were wearing the lo-cut quad skates. I'm not sure what the point is with quad-skates, it has something to do with the position of the wheels. One of the skaters was wearing these, which looked pretty crazy.

They skate to music coming out of a big boom-box, which is also on wheels. I'm thinking of getting a new pair of skates and joining them. It looks like so much fun. For years i skated every single Saturday at Flint Park in Michigan. The last skate of the day would be "reverse skate"; u went around the rink clockwise instead of counter-clockwise. It took a minute to get used to.
No tour or shows or anything..2busy admiring my new haircut.
And how YOU doin'?

shoot u down (like i'm chris burden)

Hello. I know what's got Dick Manitoba's goat: unwed mothers. But ya know what's got mine? THIS has got mine.

Every weekend lately,this dumb-ass company has been advertising up&down our beach from 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The plane is extra noisy, with a buzzing sound. And why is that? According to a brochure promoting banner planes, the "extra" noise is a GOOD thing because "when people hear a loud plane, they automatically look up, and then we have their attention." OK, you've got our attention. There's a minor problem though: The letters that spell out the company's name are 2small 2 b red without the use of binoculars.

Various towns around the U.S. have complained about the noise but airspace is controlled by the FAA, not city governments, and the FAA tends to favor the banner planes. There IS one place u can go to escape the noise: George Bush's ranch in Texas;banner planes r not allowed to fly over his property. I guess the noise maybe bothers him when he's "thinking".

No tour or shows or anything...2busy watching the marin headlands turn pink.
And how YOU doin'?

i can see clearly now

Hello. Today i kept mis-reading things. I thought a sign for Uniworld Travel Agency said Unworld Travel Agency. I dont know what kind of travel that would be eggsackly, but it sounded kinda scarey and post-apocalyptic. Right after that, i could've sworn the sign in the window of an optometrist's office was advertising Oliver Sachs eyewear, but it was actually for Versace.

And speaking of Dr.Sachs, have u red his book Musicophilia? Wow is it fascinating. It's not one of those books where u think u have all the afflictions tho. And that's a GOOD thing, although i guess i wouldnt mind having the type of synesthesia that links music and colors.

The closest i've been to experiencing what that might be like was at a Sonny Rollins concert. When he played a certain saxophone i saw waves of beautiful blue-ish purple colors coming out of the bell of his horn. After the show i was talking to him and told him what i had seen, and he gave me a huge compliment about how i heard music, saying that i listened in "a special way" and that he was happy i had told him about the colors because he had experienced the same thing on occasion while playing that particular sax. Holla Sonny i still love u. Here's one of my favorite records of his, mostly for the song You Dont Know What Love Is.

No tour or shows or anything...2busy relaxing after attending a wedding at City Hall in Sam Fram.

And how YOU doin'?

i red the news 2day oh boy

Hello and i promise never 2quote the Beatles again. But doesnt it get u, how all news items these days seem 2 have equal importance? It's all very William Burroughs/Brion Gysin. Yesterday's headlines: Barack-O securing the nomination, and Johhny Rotten getting his teeth fixed. Har! I'm waiting for news mash-ups.
BFF Rich sold his Whisper Room 2day thru Craigslist, and wouldnt u know it, the buyer was a big mx-80 fan. Can u buhleeve that shit? The guy noticed some mx photos on the wall and said "wow u have good taste. I LOVE mx-80. I grew up listening to them." When R said "that's my band", the guy got all excited and yelled "are you SERIOUS?!" He'd even had the BBQ vinyl when it was first released in the fanzine. (Hello u-know-who). :-)
No tour or shows or anything...2bu$y tallyho-ing.
And how YOU doin'?

:-(

:-(