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

I've long suggested that people support live music. Without the support of the 'fans', it'll fade away. That said, allow me to address a serious issue with live music. Promoters. I swear, there should be a test/licensing involved in becoming a concert promoter! I haven't met many that have the intelligence beyond that of a hydrocephalic spider monkey. At least not locally. I had planned to go to see former Wall of Voodoo singer Stan Ridgway last night at a SMALL bar here in town. I've played this joint numerous times over the years and I'll tell ya, its a nice place. When I got there, I see the poster on the door and the promoter is charging $23 a head! First off...WEIRD price! Why not just make it $25? The section of town this bar is in is pretty low rent/blue collar. People want to go out and have some drinks and a bit of fun. They do NOT want to drop $20+ just walking in the door. (this ain't NYC or LA!) Factor in having a few drinks....and if you...

It's been another year since it happened. I thought after all these years it would get easier. It hasn't. If anything, I've merely grown accustomed to the hole in my life without you. I still get angry at the fuckers that you took you and so many others. Some days I can just about contain the anger...then I think of your smile and I'm "ok" again for awhile. I think I've changed alot since I lost you. I think you'd love me even more (if that's possible). I think you'd be proud of how I handle things these days. I guess you could say I've "mellowed". I have to wonder what you'd be like today. I wonder what would have become of "us". I still think of you on your birthday. Hell, I still think about you almost everyday. I've got cancer again...I'm glad you don't have to go through that with me...you know what a младенец I can be when I'm sick. LOL It amazes me how much I still miss you...even after all we ...

There are 2 kinds of religious zealots in the world. Those who are in it for their own selfish actions (mostly seeking attention) and those who mean it. That said, this weekend could get very ugly for Americans globally if the fools of The Dove World Outreach Center start burning Korans. Muslim zealots are serious. They take their beliefs serious enough to die for them. I've yet to meet an American religious nut serious enough to do it. They might miss something on TV! Pastor Terry Jones exemplifies the worst of America; small minded, mean, disrespectful and ultimately every bit as dangerous as his Muslim counterparts. To even think about burning a Koran, Bible, etc...is just downright wrong. While one may not believe in the teachings, there are others that do and to destroy a symbol of one's faith is not only disrespectful, it's downright evil. FACT: The Bible and the Koran were both written by men. They have many similar stories. There is yet to be any documented physica...

So, I went to my former fave watering hole this eve. Damn...the old place sure has changed. Without naming names, I'll tell ya this much: my granddad, who passed on in 1957, used to drink there. It was pretty much always a small time, neighborhood, old man bar. When I used to drink there, they still refused to have a juke box. Instead, the old TV was usually on A&E or Court TV. Drinks were unbelievably CHEAP! For Pete's sake...the place had a pachinko machine! I remember when my friend Jimmy and his then girfriend were in for a visit. We stopped at my little neighborhood bar to prime the pumps. I bought the first round...smirking all the while. When Jimmy went for the next round, he came back suggesting that they had "undercharged him". I told him, with some personal glee, that no they hadn't; the prices where just that cheap! I stopped going there after I was filmed there for an interview for a documentary on rockabilly music. It took me 5 hours to get out o...

I guess you could say that June 2010 was my month. I kept busy for sure! For starters, I finally settled my artist endorsement thingy with Republic Guitars . Just about a year ago, my good friend Sean Chambers (Sean Menscher & The Rhythm Kings, The Rowdy Bovines) contacted me about Republic and how he was trying to hook me up with an endorsement. Anyone that knows me knows the past couple years kicked my ass, so simply put, I just couldn't be bothered. Well, now that I have it and I have 2 new Republics (a Tricone and a reso uke) I'm kicking myself for not hopping on this earlier! They make truly excellent gear! I've also been working some insane hours at "the real job"...so much in fact that I finally took a vacation!!! 1st one in 15 years! And you know what? I enjoyed it! I might actually take another one! LOL While on vacation, I got to visit my dear friend Dez, my baby cousin Lulu and my old friends Hayden & Georgia, who were kind enough to feed me...a...

People make me sick. Literally. I watched a PBS documentary this evening on vaccinations. It amazes me just how stupid, uneducated and uninformed some people are and choose to remain. It seems that just because they see a video about something on YouTube that they take it as gospel! For Pete's sake folks...look at the source! This level of idiocy is part of what is making all of us sicker. These parents who choose to not have their children vaccinated are also choosing to increase the risk of disease for everyone else. By not having your child vaccinated that leaves your child open to contracting any number of illnesses...illnesses which are, in fact, still around, like polio, dyptheria, whooping cough, etc. Most young mothers these days were never exposed to the types of dangers that these diseases pose. They think that because they don't see it in their own back yard that its not a threat. Well guess again folks. We live in a global society. People travel to and from one coun...

OK, I'm 44 years old now...so I guess that officially makes me old enough to remember when. I remember when most Americans made a decent living, owned their own home, weren't completely saddled with credit card debt, paid their bills on time, weren't worrying about foreclosure and laughed at the thought of buying a Japanese TV or car. Those days really weren't that long ago! Here it is 2010 and what do WE as a country have to show for it? Not much from where I'm sitting. "American Made" usually means overpriced and poorly made (in the eyes of the global economy which we are now a part of, whether you like it or not). Look at everything you own...how much of it was made overseas? Look at your car, your TV, your cell phone...hell, look at your clothes...where were they made? Sure, you saved some bucks...but at what cost? How many people do you know who's job has been "outsourced"? If you know one, that's too many. Sure, people in other coun...