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

Once upon a time, I was a bass player. I never strived to be one; I just became one. The band I was in at the time (The Swingin' Caddilacs, circa 1982 or so) needed a bass player and I just happened to own an electric bass (a very nice Hondo P-bass copy). I also owned an Ampeg V4 amp, which while not a bass amp per se, more than handled the job (for years). I figured this would last maybe a few months. I was wrong. I spent the next 8 years as a bassist. I got pretty good at it. I gigged with a number of bands, did session work, and eventually graduated to playing the upright bass. NOTE : Playing upright bass is very physically challenging. It's like wrestling a corpse on a dance floor. If you ever see someone playing an upright (aka dog house, bull fiddle, double bass), you need to show them the respect they've earned. Regardless of the player's proficiency, it's a demanding instrument. The player's entire body is involved. It's also a helluva lotta fun!...

I was chatting with an old friend, Adrian, from the UK today. Normally, we'll talk music or share bad jokes...but today was different. We got on the subject of the economy and politics. We discussed how too many of our contemporaries are all too willing to "sit at home, moan & groan, and take it on the chin" from our governments.  It's the old "you can't fight city hall" mentality. I, for one, find this type of thinking sad. Adrian had stated his unhappiness with Britain spending $8 million to host the Olympics. I tried to play Devil's Advocate and point out the revenues from outside the games that this should produce, but Adrian made it clear that most of his fellow countrymen won't see a penny of it. Britain, like many other countries, is still suffering from the economic woes that are plaguing most of the world. There don't seem to be enough jobs or enough money to go around...yet the rich keep on becoming richer. The same problem as...

It's funny...I know so many right wingers that love to say things like "...just keep drinking that Kool Aid". They are, of course, referencing Jim Jones' poisoned Kool Aid with which he and his followers committed mass suicide. While madness and mass-suicide, as a rule, are not particularly amusing, I find it humorous that these folks like to believe that anyone who doesn't follow their ideology must be brainwashed. Funny. Let's talk about brainwashing, shall we? The extreme right, you know, the Tea Party, Republicans, the religious Right, etc., are masters of brainwashing! They have convinced so many people to believe ridiculous lies. Their weapon of choice? Fear. They figure if it works for the 6 o'clock news (we've all seen the fear-based tags..."Local women eats a sandwich...AND DIES! More about this story after a few words from our sponsors") it can/will work for them too. And it has. One of my personal faves is how the right wingers...

It's getting to be that time again kids. This country appears to be ridiculously divided on issues that seem pretty much "non issues" to most of us. Back in the 19th century it was slavery. Ending slavery meant, for the most part, that a bunch of rich, white southern guys were going to lose "free" labor and their feelings of superiority. In reality, it probably cost more to buy, house and feed slaves than these guys actually lost. So that leaves bigotry and it's ensuing feelings of superiority (aka control ). North Carolina has just made damned sure that ain't no homersexshals gittin' hitched there! I can just hear all of the slack-jawed yokels crying " Hell, it just ain't right for no 2 mens or womens gettin' hitched together ".  But as those of us with at least semi functioning brains can attest, there's no problem with two consenting adults wanting to share their lives together. Sure sure sure...Cletus and the good ol...

"...and they lived happily ever after"  Have you ever wondered just what that means? I'm sure that we all heard fairy tales as children. Some of us may still be passing these on to our children. The basic tenet of the fairy tale is there is something not right with the world but once the hero/heroine solves this, everything is A-OK! Usually the prince and princess wed or ride off into the sunset or go kill some dragons (endangered species lists weren't very popular back then). And they all live happily ever after. Right? Fast forward to the 21st century. OK, the dragons are gone, we have indoor plumbing, 300+ channels on TV, and social media sites. Other than that, things are still pretty much the same. So, in today's world, just what does "happily ever after" mean? OK, let's take a look at this. Janey and Johnny meet online. They've posted some photos (probably a few years old, at least) to make themselves look as physically attractive as ...