The Real Memphis Mike (don't settle for imitations)

"I resolve to be the best man I can be." Happy New Year! M

People have asked me over the years, and some of you reading this may have wondered, what got me started playing guitar? I can answer in 2 words: Joe Negri Joe Negri is a genius...but he's too polite and too humble to ever admit it. Or even acknowledge it. He just plays. And plays. And plays. And plays rings around almost any guitarist you've ever heard. I first heard him play when I was a kid. Maybe 5 years old. He used to be on Paul Shannon's Adventure Time TV show. Little did I know at the time, he was also the music director for the station. When I was about 8, my Cub Scout troupe was part of the audience, and I got to hear him play live and got to meet the man. He amazed me. He made it look so simple and so fun. Joe has always been great with kids and has inspired countless "kids" of all ages to start playing guitar. Somewhere at my dad's house, is a photo of my mom and some of her friends with Joe at a show. I've told Joe about this photo many times ...

I have a problem with Kwanzaa. Its only as old as I am (45 years now). I DO NOT have a problem with the ideas it celebrates but I do have a problem with the fact that it was created as a seperatist holiday. And I have a problem with it's creator refering to Jesus Christ as "psychotic". See below: (from Wikipedia...I know, not always 100% accurate...but close enough for jazz) "Maulana Karenga of the US Organization created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the first specifically African American holiday . Karenga said his goal was to "give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning first fruits of the harvest. The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s. Kwanzaa is a celebration that h...

Its getting to where I hate to watch the news or read the paper (or online news). I keep hearing about so much bad stuff...and sadly, a lot of bad stuff here in the US. I've spent the last two years working the night shift at a mental health facility. If its a quiet night, I often listen to the radio and have recently found that one of the NPR stations plays BBC World News all night. If you really want some idea of how the world views us Americans, check out the news from another country. It might be an eye opener. That said, it breaks my heart to hear that 1 in 5 American women are victims of sexual violence. It breaks my heart that we can no longer trust our politicians, bankers, clergy or even athletic coaches. It seems like everyone is out for themselves and their own desires. What ever happened to responsibility? Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe my looking back on the past is merely tinted through my own memories...but was the world always this evil? Growing up, I knew th...

Being a musician, I have worked with many, many, many drummers. Drummers are an essential part of my music. A bad drummer can ruin a song quicker than anything. A good drummer can make a mediocre piece of music sound brilliant. That said, drummers are the bane of my existence. They are, by and large, my favorite people in the world to drink with. They are usually a blast to hang out with. They often even have great production ideas in the studio! But then comes actually working with them. While a drummer's job is to keep time, they don't understand the concept of clocks. If you tell them that load-in time is 6pm, they might be there by 8pm. Hence the concept of DST (Drummer Standard Time). If you want the drummer to be someplace on time, tell him to be there at least two hours before he/she needs to be there. This should mean they'll only be 20 minutes late. And now, my favorite drummer jokes: Q: What does it mean when a drummer is drooling out of both sides of his/her mout...