Archive for October 2006
Cut Me, Mick
Rock ‘n roll is like boxing. This is not a terrifically original thesis, I realize. Aimee Mann has a whole concept album relating boxing to life, set to (duh) rock ‘n roll. The title, “The Forgotten Arm,” refers (as she told me in this 2002 interview), is derived from a boxing move in which one…
Read MoreSuch Great Heights
The Dewars Lounge in Terminal C of the Southwest Florida Regional Airport is nearly empty. Ours is the last flight of the night. Over beers and sandwiches, I tell Abbi about the round of golf my brother, father and I played this morning. “I tell myself two things before every shot,” I said. “Keep your…
Read MoreIt’s All Behind You
It’s a rare thing to witness someone you love do something you love to do, but better, and to more fanfare. Such was the case last night when my pals Casey Shea, Wes Verhoeve, and Jeff Jacobson — aka
Read MoreIn Between Days (Or, “Daysleeper”)
It’s a pre-flight ritual: LAX’s Expedia Lounge, washing down a Xanax with a tall Sam Adams and a sandwich, writing home. I just got off the phone with Abbi, who I called back after a terse, vacant call from the Hertz shuttle bus. “In the event this is our last conversation,” I said, “I want…
Read MoreInteriors
I woke up at 5:14 this morning, then tossed and turned and worried until the alarm sounded at six. Will this headache go away? Are these chest pains a harbinger? Will my knee heal? Will I finish the marathon? Am I doing too much? Will I get sick next week? What are the lyrics to…
Read MoreBittersweet Surrender
Though I deliver this post to you from the stark white, Midcentury interior of my Palm Springs Bungalow, where the sun is presiding over a crystal clear, 90° afternoon, I will tell you in no uncertain terms (with a reticence to sound like a malcontent) that it is all bittersweet (more sweet than bitter, but…
Read MoreIn A Cab Headed Uptown
I’m in a cab headed uptown, just southeast of Chrysler Building (my favorite New York City skyscraper, hands-down). I’m tapping this missive into my Blackberry while listening to The Changes’ “When I Wake.” The song is genius. The chorus makes me immediately happy: all synths, upbeat drums, and the catchiest melody since Madness’ “Our House.”…
Read MoreIf You Wanna’ Kiss The Sky You Better Learn How To Kneel (On Your Knees Boy)
I’ve had an ice pack on my right knee for so long that cold is beginning to feel hot. So, the doc said it’s quadriceps tendonitis. In fact, both docs said so: Dr. Woo (who was the first doctor available at Manhattan Orthopedic & Sports Medicine), and my go to guy, Iron Man Triathlete Dr.…
Read MoreLet’s Sing Songs (To Spite The Devil)
I have a long standing policy of not stepping foot inside a venue until I’m booked to step onto said venue’s stage. With CBGB, this proved a wise policy. Founded in 1973, CBGB (aka Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers) became the much-celebrated birthplace of punk. The Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, Blondie…
Read MoreRollin’ And Tumblin’
Moments after Abbi snapped a staggeringly adorable photo of Ethan and me, I was crumpled into the fetal position at the bottom of a slide. Yesterday afternoon — a beautiful, clear, crisp fall day — Abbi and I met Chris, Jen, Ethan and Edward at Hippo Playground in Riverside Park. Initially, Ethan was suitably distracted…
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