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

Dropping acid and driving are a rarely a good combination. I say this from experience. In fact, after the last time I did this (sadly, it happened more than once) I didn't drive for two years. No, I wasn't cited or arrested or anything of the sort...I was simply too freaked out. I was thinking about this particular instance today while writing a song...about trains. Now that you're probably more convinced than ever that I am, indeed, a bit whicky in the whacky woo, trust me...this will make sense in just a bit. I grew up in a small town in Ohio...firmly in the American "Rust Belt". This was steel country. Almost everyone I knew had ties to the steel mills. Everyones dad worked in the mills, in some capacity. Our dad didn't...but as a cardiologist, he basically kept these hard-working men (and women) alive. I was informed of dad's actual job description by a family friend, who was actually better known for his leg-breaking talents for a local family bus...

Sometimes losing someone helps you prioritize things. Being comfortably in "middle age" (provided I live well into my 90s), I pay attention to that voice inside of my head that says things like "It's time to shit or get off the pot" (one of our grandmother's favorite phrases) or "You ain't getting any younger" or "Maybe I should get that growth looked at by someone other than the cat". The past two years, my life has been a stagnant mess. After all of the legal bullshit, health issues, etc., I lost my career in the mental health field. Honestly, I haven't known what the hell to do. I've done all sorts of jobs...and so far, none have lasted, or paid well, or given me any level of the security I figured I've have at my age. Well Boo Friggin' Hoo Metzger ! I guess its time to go with my gut...and in my case, that's a lot to go on. My music career has been just as stagnant as everything else. Don't get me wr...

Is there anything harder than suddenly, out of the blue, losing a friend? That's how today started for me and most of my friends here in Pittsburgh. We lost our buddy Osh. An early morning 2 car accident down in the South Side. It was over that fast. I woke up already feeling like shit. Between my heart condition and sleep apnea, mornings suck for me in ways that, fortunately, most will never know. Imagine waking up feeling like someone has been suffocating you. That's how most of my days start. I came downstairs, took my pills and flipped on the laptop to see what was going on on Facebook, while having my coffee. This is how I start most days. Today was bad. I saw a large number of messages in my inbox...rarely a good sign. The first thing I saw in my newsfeed was a post about a car crash. Right away, I knew it wasn't gonna be good. I clicked on the post and read the article. Damn. Tommy Osh gone in a car crash. 47 years old...same as me. Way too young. For anyone. I...

So a snake handler died from a snake bite, after refusing appropriate medical treatment...and this is news? Yes, there are still snake handling Christians in the US. They usually drink poison too. These people are Christians, and very devout, I might add. They also tend to have some fun music going on in church too. They get into it! Are these Christians the "norm"? Ehhhh.....no. Then there's the folks at Westboro Baptist Church, following Fred Phelps. These people are being mislead down a hateful path. There's no other words to describe it. Just "hateful". This congregation calls themselves Christians. In their minds, they are. To most Christians, they are not. I'm a Christian. That fact seems to confuse many who know me. I was recently asked how long I've been a "Bible thumper". Just to set the facts straight, I don't believe I've ever "thumped" any book, religious or secular. I do have a tendency to strongly sugge...

If you're one of the 7 or 8 people on the planet who have been following my music career, you may have noticed some drastic changes...but let me assure you, they are neither drastic nor much of a change. Most of you are probably more accustomed to me writing and playing stuff like this: Yep...that's me too. Loud, noisy rock and/or roll. I love that stuff! But...I like to think that there's more to me and my music than just that. You might have noticed that I've been posting new song demos online as of late...stuff like this: Yep...that's me too. In fact, it's probably closer to who I've always been. I'd just sort of gotten away from that part of me for a bunch of years. I've always loved playing old blues and country kinda stuff. My auntie used to call it my "hog calling music". I always got a kick out of that. But as I look back at life, this is really more like how my songs usually start out. In the past 25 years or so, I...

Was it really a half century ago that The Beatles performed on Ed Sullivan for the first time, and proceeded to knock America on it's collective ass? Here it is, Sunday February 9, 2014...and people are still talking about...revering and reviling the Fab Four...the Moptops...the Lads From Liddypool...The Beatles. An anniversary like this is usually reserved for something of historic significance...not a pop group, right? The Beatles are history. They are our history. Say what you will; The Beatles were good. 38% of the US tuned in to watch these long-haired Liverpudlians. That says something. These days, the media goes out of its way to try to recreate that level of hype, but there is rarely any substance to back it up. The Beatles wrote the lion's share of their early material. That, in itself, was rare. What they wrote was also excellent music. Even Leonard Bernstein agreed. If you don't know who he was, look him up. Suffice to say, the man knew a thing or two about mu...

Bang your fucking drums and throw a parade. This week's flavor is here. It doesn't matter if you buy it, sell it, or even like it...all that matters is that its new and you acknowledge it. Keep taking sides - like it matters. As you draw your last breath, what will your last thought be? Will you die content that you backed a winner or will you simply hope that someone remembers your name? News flash: you won't live forever. By the time you care, it's probably too late anyway. Until then, you'll pay for poison and neglect your children into submission. The electric babysitter is dead but there's a wireless village waiting to raise them for you. All you have to do is breed more than the others and consume. Thinking isn't cool...it never has been. That's what Jesus Washington said in the Bible's Bill of Rights. There's no genius in homogeneous. Pledge allegiance to the Corporations that kill your land. Enjoy the chemicals you ingest and digest and c...

For whatever reasons, I love Groundhog Day. I love the silliness of it. Depending on whether or not the groundhog (Punxsutawney Phil!!!!!!) sees his shadow, we'll either have 6 more weeks of winter, or spring will arrive early...in about 6 weeks. The small town of Punxsutawney, PA is only about 75 miles from my house, yet I've never gone there before for the big celebration. Why? No one ever wants to go. I obviously know some real fuddy duddies. This year, the young'un suggested we go. This came out of the blue. She called from work on Thursday and suggested we go to see the groundhog. I was stoked! By the time Saturday arrived, our plans were loose...but we had a plan, at least. We would leave around 3am for the 90 minute drive, and go see the groundhog and the festivities. The weather wasn't supposed to be too cold, so it sounded like a fair bit of fun. I had planned to take a nap from about 8pm - midnight, but honestly, I was too excited to sleep! Some frien...