Friday, October 2, 2009

Hangin' with the band in Miami

This was one of my first record albums. It was given to me by the band's members when I was a kid.

Pacific Gas & Electric was staying in the same Miami Beach hotel as my family. It was sometime in the late 1960s. I was no more than 12 years old.


I was shooting pool by myself when the dudes walked into the room. It was obvious that these guys were either in a rock band or a biker gang. I liked music but never heard of this band. Still, it was very cool meeting them. We played pool together a few times over the course of several days. I was somewhat of a cocky little kid from Long Island, so this didn't feel that strange to me.

The band took a liking to me for some reason. I found out that they were basing themselves in Miami for a couple weeks while they gigged around the state and into Georgia. They took small, private planes to their shows and were playing in some music festival locally. They even invited me to one of the gigs, which in hindsight seems almost a bit creepy. My parents weren't thrilled that I was hanging out with long-haired hippies. Still, I wasn't going to be denied a chance to be an unofficial part of the band for a few days. I didn't make it to the gig, however. That just wasn't going to fly with the parents.

For a kid who was well on his way to being a fan of all things rock 'n' roll, this chance encounter with the band sent me on my way to learning to play guitar and starting up some garage bands. I never took a lesson, but neither did PG&E's guitarist, Tom Marshall. Like him, I was self taught.

My favorite guys in the band were Brent Block, bassist, and Charlie Allen, lead singer. To this day, I remember how Block signed my album cover: "Boogie on." Unfortunately, the vinyl album is long gone. I remember Block looking like a taller version of Dennis Hopper in the movie, Easy Rider.

Allen was originally a drummer from Baltimore. He eventually became lead singer because of his bluesy, dynamic voice. He was replaced on drums by Canned Heat's former drummer, Frank Cook.

The band's only hit was Are You Ready. The song is rarely if ever played on classic rock radio stations. But I can still hear it in my head. Probably played it a thousand times when I was a kid.

I liked Charlie Allen the best, probably because he had that lead singer, charismatic quality. But he also had a down-to-earth, lived-the-blues aura about him. If I recall correctly, he was the only black guy in the band. When I Googled his name recently, I found out that he died in 1990 at age 48. Not sure what the caused of death was, but living the rock 'n' roll life was pretty hard on many musicians from that era.

I remember that vacation ending with my walking through the hotel lobby and being handed the autographed album. Allen and Block were there to give it to me. Might have been one or two other guys there, too. Roadies or managers. They also signed some hotel brochure cards.

It was depressing leaving the hotel and going back to being an ordinary kid.
At that age one can have all sorts of dreams about being famous and living the life. It was kind of nice to be able to dream like that - to be able to think that everything would just fall into place in life.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Working smart more important than ever

Reflecting on the YouTube video on my previous post, one of the biggest challenges for newspapers is in continuing to publish the revenue-producing print products while creating online versions that are attractive to readers and advertisers. Newsrooms essentially have to pull double duty with fewer people because of all the layoffs and cutbacks in recent years. Not the best environment to spawn innovation. Yet, it has to be done in order for big and small media companies to survive and thrive in the future. And it has to be done fast because the old model is failing.

How does any company build a new product when the old product still exists? Imagine suddenly making a car-repair place fix cars and planes, with no new staffing and minimal training. The difference between online and print news products are often that stark. Gathering content for each has enough variations to require training and additional skill sets, not to mention time. Most newspaper folks will tell you they were stretched 20 years ago, before having to concern themselves with the web. So no wonder the stress level in newsrooms these days is off the charts.

Working smart is more important than working hard. I've always believed that. Those newspaper publishers and editors who subscribe to that belief will probably survive. Those who think everyone can work 70 hours a week and everything will be fine, well, they probably won't last much longer.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Music died for print monopolies

Sadly, journalists will appreciate this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CqRcCHk_Pc

Digital is hammering print in the news business, and still some companies don't get it. The more stubborn mega-media companies are being brought down by dudes with funny haircuts and iPhones.

With that said, I do believe print journalists have many desirable skills that can transfer to digital platforms. It's just a matter of getting on board and working for a company that understands the benefits of moving to digital. Too many papers are wasting too many resources trying to keep print alive. Print should be a billboard, sort of speak, to promote web sites and other electronic delivery systems. But the real money and time investments must go into web site development and marketing, not in cutting down more trees and delivering a product that is yesterday's news.

The man makes the clothes

I do have some standards for dress, starting with the fact that I don't support the idea of people working in the nude unless they are in that sort of, uhhhh, occupation.

We are, as a society, overly concerned about the exterior. We tend to pre-judge people based on how young they are, how pretty they look or how they comb their hair. This is particularly true in many workplaces. Studies have shown, for instance, that heavier folks are often passed over for a job simply because of their weight. This often leads to employers hiring less productive, less qualified people who happen to look good in the office Christmas party photographs. Meanwhile, the company is tanking because it hasn't hired the best and the brightest. Packaging often seems more important than qualifications.

Of course, there are exceptions. Hooters, for instance, has to meet a different standard in hiring because they sell more than just chicken wings and bad beer. Yes, cops need to look like cops for practical reasons involving public safety. And I suppose if you're selling business suits it's a good idea to be well dressed. Hopefully, you get a clothing discount.

I think folks place different values on appearances. In many cases, it's easier to judge someone on how they look versus trying to get to know them.

To my eye, some people look far better when they are in casual clothing as opposed to more formal wear. The opposite can also true with other folks. It's not only what you wear, but how you wear it. What it makes you feel. If you look stiff and uncomfortable in a business suit, you're going to project that to the world and defeat the purpose of wearing the suit. On the other hand, Marines probably feel more like Marines when in their uniforms, which is not a bad thing when it comes to defending the country.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Jay Leno Show has pedal to the metal

The Jay Leno Show is already losing viewers. After premiering with about 18 million viewers on Sept. 14, the show dipped to under 7 million per night in its second week. Of course, the initial high number was mainly due to the novelty and heavy promotion of the former Tonight Show host moving to prime time.

There are a couple things wrong with the Leno show. First, his new show is only 60 minutes as compared with the Tonight Show, which is 90 minutes. Everything seems rushed. There isn't proper spacing between the jokes during the monologue, so it comes across as a list rather than a conversation. Pauses in comedy, like spacing in music, is very important. Lists aren't all that compelling. The interviews with guests are also rushed, but in some cases that's actually a good thing (see Kayne West). The jury is still out on the no-desk set. And I am already quite bored with the Ford green car racing bit. I wonder if Ford quietly agreed to pay the show big bucks for the "free" publicity? Television shows, like newspapers and other media, are looking for new ways to make money as the advertising model is in decline.

Leno now saves classic skits, like "Headlines," for the end of the show. I still like the segment but it seems like a throw-away when butted up against the 11 p.m. news.

Kevin Eubanks still leads the band and has good chemistry with Jay. Sidekicks are an essential ingredient for this genre. He's also a pretty damn good guitarist.

Some might say the show is now tighter and moves faster. Leno goes up against stiffer competition at 10 p.m. than he did at 11:30. I am not a fan of most network dramas, so Leno pretty much has my attention on most nights.
Plus, we all need a laugh at the end of the day. But still, I think the show needs a bit of refining if it's going to stop the bleeding.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Odds and ends

My two picks to make it to the Super Bowl - the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens - are each 3-0 and won by large margins on Sunday ... After losing to the hapless Detroit Lions, I can only conclude that the Washington Redskins have far too many low-character players who are only interested in getting paid ... The New York Yankees clinching the AL East against the rival Boston Red Sox this weekend was sweet, but certainly not the ultimate goal for a team that has won 26 world championships ... My daughter and her husband were in Florida this weekend, attending an event at Disney World and sparking my memories of when she (pictured above) was a tad bit younger and living in the Sunshine State ... It appears that next week's episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm will start the ball rolling on the Seinfeld reunion ... Best German beer and brats in the area: Doner Bistro in Leesburg, Va.