...............Issue
8 ~ November, 2002...............
...............Issue
8 ~ November, 2002...............|
Fire by
Rick Brown The
phone rang at work a few weeks ago. It was my wife. She doesn't call
me during the day much. But it wasn't unusual either. I asked her what
was up and she blurted out, "My parents house burnt down!"
"What?", I replied. Yvonne is not the type to joke around
especially about something like this. "Their house burnt down early
this morning."
I've been through some tragedy in my lifetime…perhaps more than most at an earlier age. But there is always some one who has had it harder. That's one important thing I've learned. Another is that there are pretty much two kinds of people when it comes to tragedy, strife, or death. There are those who rise to the occasion…put their grief aside for when there is time…and do what they have to do with the bravest face they can come up with. And then there are those who just lose it and are no good to anybody…especially themselves. I assumed Yvonne's parents were the former…and I was right.
When a person is "doing what he has to do" a lot of the reality is that you are just plain in shock. That's not necessarily a bad thing either. Hazel, my mother in law, seemed to me to be in shock. She had a right to be. Yet she was going into what used to be her family's homestead with a bravery and steadfastness I have rarely seen in my 50 years…pulling, what hours ago had been personal treasures, from the ashes to wonder aloud if they were worth saving. Everything stunk of smoke. Clothes, furniture, knickknacks…and shoes…were strewn in the early fall sun. I always notice the shoes when there is a tragedy. I don't know why really. Maybe there is something intensely personal about one's shoes. I can't say…but I always see them singularly.
We
worked through the afternoon pulling things from the house…saying
our "what if 's" and "lucky that's"…doing what
I'm sure all families must have to do to grieve and move on. In the
end though…there wasn't much left except a different life for these
two people who only 5 days earlier had their family together in this
house. It was their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. A moment to
pause and be proud…to celebrate…and now this dark, dark cloud
had made the timing the biggest "what if" as well as "lucky
that".
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The Guitars of Rick's Guitars
Yvonne's Guitars
Web Wizard's Guitars
Cory's Guitars Johnny C's Guitars
Partick's Guitar
Ted Playing
Dr. John Bennett's "Guitar" Guitorre git,
nekkid tar fish, sun, |
Two
Big Ass Jazz Guitarists: by Ted Kane Since
this is the Big Ass Guitar Issue of Naked Sunfish, I thought it would
be appropriate to do a piece on jazz guitarists. The history of jazz guitar
seemed much too big a topic for a Pot Luck column, though, so I decided
to write about a couple of relatively obscure players that I both enjoy
and also think would be of particular interest to the Naked Sunfish community.
Each mini-bio is followed by a selected discography linked, when possible,
to purchase information on amazon.com, designed to save you the backstrain
of trying to find these Visit
the All New Excuse
me, is it getting hot down here??
By: roberto lynch It's here, isn't it? Global warming, I mean…it didn't exactly creep in like a thief in the night, did it? The early signs have been here for decades. The "greenhouse effect" has been a mantra for environmentalists since the 1970s. No…it came in the front door…in broad daylight…in fact, we left the door open... Recently, the
Christian Science Monitor reported that smoke from nearby burning forests
and peat bogs have sent the carbon monoxide levels in Moscow to more than
twice the admissible levels…and Western Russia has experienced the
worst draught in 100 years. The
Cute Beatle
October 10, 2002 The Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio Reviewed by Rick Brown The
one known as the "Cute Beatle" embraced himself as just that
from beginning to end of this almost too good for words show. Coming down
the aisle at the Value City Arena to begin the evening was a lovely looking
woman dressed in Victorian garb, fanning herself with casual opulence.
She was soon joined by other spotlighted characters in powdered wigs,
On stage was a sort of surreal circus/dance involving cartoon-ish players,
including an enormous body builder and an amazingly sensual contortionist.
This was certainly the strangest opening to a rock concert I had ever
witnessed. And at the point where I assumed the crowd could take no more
of this living dream sequence the silhouette of Sir Paul appeared behind
a giant screen onstage. The
Rolling Stones
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio October 20, 2002 Reviewed
by Cory Tressler "It's
good to be anywhere." This Zen-like statement fell out of Keith Richards'
rambling mouth just after an uncomfortable introduction by his band mate
Sir Michael "Mick" Jagger. Richards, who looked and sounded
like a cross between Burgess Meredith (Mickey Goldmill from the Rocky
movies) and a cosmic weirdo freak from the 1960's, seemed to have an underlying
uneasiness directed towards his "glimmer twin/soul brother"
Sir Jagger. Throughout the evening whenever the famous Sir Jagger danced
(or pranced) his way towards the area of the stage where Richards was
playing, Keith would turn his back and creep away in the opposite direction.
These uncomfortable stage movements were also visible between Ronnie Wood
and Jagger during the two and a half hour show. The tension that was present
during these awkward moments may mean that this latest tour has once again
strained the personal relationships between the members of the world's
greatest rock and roll band, but even with this tension the live music
the Stones produced was a consistent representation of their impressive
and playful career in the rock industry. Cheese
(With No Burger) In Heaven Let's just say
I've never been a big fan of Put in Bay, the little town on South Bass
Island in Lake Erie. My brother refers to it as Put in Jail. He was arrested
for…um…rowing a dingy under the influence. But that's another
story altogether. The few times I have visited there were unpleasant,
especially the summer I was on a sailboat excursion with my aforementioned
brother. It was so crowded we had to tie up to another boat. And another
boat tied up to us, etc, etc. Jimmy Buffet BLARED out of the guy's boat
tied to us, until 4 am. Then resumed at much the same decibel level at
sunrise. To this day I cannot think of anything else when I hear "Cheeseburger
in Paradise". I suppose that's as good a thought for that song as
any. Put in Bay is sort of a "Key mid - West" so to speak. |
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Book
Review - A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me
I've
always been a dog guy. Since the age of 5 years old…with the exception
of 4 years at college…I have had a dog in my home. I learned at
a tender age both the joys of sharing life with a pet dog and the painful
sorrow of the death of a devoted and loyal friend. Still, I really never
enjoyed READING about dogs. I disdain getting too scientific about much
of anything. I mean…I love trees. But I don't care much how they
grow. A good friend who is also a canine caretaker that I sincerely
respect recommended "A Dog Year" to me. So I thought it deserved
a look.
Jon Katz/s style of writing and devotion to his dogs drew me in immediately. And even though I prefer medium to small dogs (I own a precocious Bichon Frise) his emotional involvement with his two Labradors made me look back fondly on the dog I brought home in the summer of 1974 (unbeknownst to my new bride). Daisy was the most wonderful mutt I think I've ever known. Just ask anyone who knew her. And like Mr. Katz, I spent hours and hours…days at a time…with this wonderful creature. I drove a Volkswagen Microbus full of handicapped children to and from their school (I was a history major in college you see.) and Daisy rode each and every run by my side. I drove the "Daisy Bus" 3 runs daily…five days a week.
It's this relationship Katz has with his dogs that made it difficult for me to put this book down. Being a writer he spends most of his days with his animals, walking them, talking to them, and playing with them. He is the alpha dog…the leader of the pack…just as I am with my wife and Henri. (Although exactly who is leader at any given moment might just be in question if you ask Henri…or Yvonne for that matter.)
A
breeder Mr. Katz respects, talks him into rescuing a Border Collie,
and this is where the story takes off into a wonderfully chaotic adventure
involving him, this enthusiastic new house mate and the two "veterans"
of his pack. Anyone who has owned dogs…and by that I mean made
one or more a member of the family…will truly enjoy the honest
and touching story of love, life and death Mr. Katz traces for the 12
months after making his first Border Collie an equal member of his family.
Border Collies are a herding dog and have the energy of an entire VW
Microbus full of screaming children. Consequently the atmosphere is
far from sublime.
Jon
Katz informs the reader of training techniques, the characteristics
of specific breeds and working living arrangements, yet does so in a
mesmerizing storytelling fashion. I could not only relate to his successes…and
failings…with his dogs, but honestly became emotionally involved
with his pack in the same way as my own. I have a great deal of respect
for those who know dogs and own them for the right reasons…mostly
because their number is few. There are millions of dog owners who really
have no specific relationship with their dogs. They pick them out of
a catalog because of the way the breed looks. "A Dog Year"
could very well be just the instruction manual to show them the way;
this is because Katz is wise…and humble enough …to know a
dog owner can learn just as much about themselves…(maybe more)
from the pooch, as they can teach their dog.
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