I went home with the Waitress, the way I always do...

An interesting solo acoustic performance of "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" by Warren Zevon.

(I'm pretty sure my friend Wayne Benton would punch me in the face if I tried to bang on his 12 String this way)

Leanna/Chattanooga/John Prine

Post in progress-enjoy these pictures while you wait...

T-Shirt of The Week: TIE

Here's an interesting excerpt from a biography that suggests there weren't any hard feelings between Ronnie and Neil. There's a surprising amount of documentation (and preposterous opinions) on the subject.
Ronnie VanZant in his Neil Young "Tonight's The Night" shirt
Neil Young performing in a Lynyrd Skynrd T-Shirt

From the book Freebirds: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Story by Marley Brant:

"The presentation of the song "Sweet Home Alabama" in concert was accompanied by the unfurling of Skynyrd's traditional backdrop, a huge Confederate battle flag. The reaction of the audience was always the same: vigorous, fervent, and instantaneous. Neil Young's song "Southern Man" had offended many Southerners by seeming to accuse all people born in the south of being intolerant racists. Young's observations were obviously generalized and not accurate and Southerners were ecstatic when Skynyrd defended their honor by releasing "Sweet Home Alabama" with its direct references to Young's faux pas. The idea that the Southern man, or woman, didn't need Neil Young around to point out the problems of their society was overwhelmingly supported by Skynyrd fans.

"We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," Ronnie told Rolling Stone magazine regarding the creation of the answer song. The band felt that Young's lyrical content was representative of the shortsighted "Yankee" belief that all Southern men should be held accountable for the verbalizations and actions of a racist minority.

While the rebuttal was heartfelt, Skynyrd held Neil Young in high regard for his musical achievements and they weren't intending to start a feud of any kind. "Neil is amazing, wonderful... a superstar," said Van Zant. "I showed the verse to Ed King and asked him what Neil might think. Ed said he'd dig it; he'd be laughing at it." Ed King says that the tune was not so much a direct attack on Young but just a good regional song.

The song was well received but immediately put a stigma on the band as rednecks. Producer Al Kooper added. "Hey, you have to be more careful when you write a song now. But I'll tell you something -- Neil Young loved it. That's true, he told me so to my face."

NOTE: I was remiss in attributing my source of material for this post.. It comes from "Thrasher's Wheat", avery active Neil Young fan site- Link to their story here
IThis update after the comment below- Sorry, guys.

Road Trip Planning-Chattanooga, TN

Baby and I are planning a weekend getaway to Chattanooga to see John Prine (and Leon Redbone) at the Tivoli Theatre.

We always enjoy our trips to East Tennessee. The folks there are so... colorful!


We found a cute little B&B on the internet.



Stay tuned for all the details when we get back.

Another issue I'm struggling with.

I'll eventually get inspired again.

Cruel Joke of The Day

I ordered a pack of these magnetic prank bumper stickers from eBay and have had loads of fun sending my friends off in all different directions completely oblivious to why everyone was giving them odd looks on the road.



Unfortunately, sometimes the hunter gets captured by the prey, as I realized when I came out of Hoover City Hall and realized I'd driven there with an "I(heart)AN&L" sticker on my front quarter panel.

It's like getting shot with your own gun.

Tom Dowd-Duane Allman-Eric Clapton

This is a really cool clip from a documentary film called "Tom Dowd and the language of Music". I highly recommendend it.


A man who seemingly fit many lives into one lifetime, Tom Dowd was born on October 20, 1925 in New York City. At a young age he excelled in mathematics and physics, leading to his work from the ages of 16 to 20 on the Manhattan Project at Columbia University. In 1946, as a sergeant in the Army Corps of Engineers, he oversaw a team of radiation detection specialists at the atomic bomb tests in Bikini Atoll. After his discharge from Army, he soon began applying his science background to help revolutionize the process of recording music. While working for Atlantic Records, his pioneering work in binaural stereo recording, and later his design of the eight-track console, modernized the recording industry.
Tom Dowd produced and engineered timeless records for artists including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Cream, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, Dusty Springfield and countless other celebrated musicians. Dowd also formed both strong professional and personal relationships with many of these artists, including Eric Clapton, starting with Cream and leading to their working partnership on Layla and Other Assorted Loves Songs and collaborations on several of Clapton's finest solo albums.

Tom Dowd passed away on October 27, 2002, one week after his 77th birthday. He will never be forgotten.

On a personal note- Kirk West, the former Road Manager for the Allman Brothers showed me this (small) loud silk shirt that Duane saw Eric wearing around this time, and mentioned he liked it. Clapton literally took it off his back and handed to Duane. It's probably on display at the Allman's Big House" museum in Macon.

No, this ISN'T an assumed name...

It's funny how your Associations Change over the course of a lifetime.
I don't have the energy to explain exactly what "The Drag Inn Association" was, but many of my oldest friends knew it well.

It must be official- it's signed by Jim Hoban!

Lowering the bar...

Due to a profound lack of inspiration, imagination, and originality, I'm reduced to posting funny newspaper clippings.

I'm now the Jay Leno of bloggery.

I think chick was askin' for it...

Size Matters!!

My friend Alyson's comment: "It's twoo, it's twoo!!"

(disclaimer: This is not a political blog)

Brush with Greatness: Kevin Welch

I met Kevin Welch and his lovely daughter Savannah at Threadgill's in Austin when Savannah's band "The Trishas" was opening for Willis Alan Ramsay.

Kevin Welch is our friends favorite singer and will be performing at the new Moonlight Music Cafe- "Moonlight on the Mountain" (just a few blocks from my house in Bluff Park) on April 8th 2010. (corrected-I initially said the 7th)

See Kevin Welch website HERE


Take time to watch this video, amazingly good!

Kevin Welch grew up in Oklahoma. He already toured as a teenager with several bands, before he moved to Nashville in 1978 to work as a songwriter. Singers like Ricky Skaggs, Waylon Jennings and Don Williams were using his material. At the same time he was very active in local clubs with his band - The Overtones. His popularity grew and in 1988 he signed a record contract with Warner Brothers.

In 1990 the album Kevin Welch was recorded and 2 years later Western Beat. Both albums received rave reviews, but did not sell very well. Warner Brothers discharged Welch from the contract.

In 1994 he founded with his partner Kieran Kane and Tammy Rogers, Mike Henderson and Harry Stinson the record label Dead Reckoning Records. The following year Life Down Here on Earth was published and in 1999 Beneath My Wheels. The majority of songs are Welch's originals. In 2002 the album Millionaire was recorded with several Danish musicians.

In Europe he is known mainly for his hit "Something About You" (contained in Western Beat) which was used as background music in Tuborg's commercials.

In 2004 Welch teamed up with fellow Dead Reckoning artists Kieran Kane and Fats Kaplin to produce You Can't Save Everybody. The trio followed this up with Lost John Dean in 2006, to general acclaim. Lost John Dean reached number one on the Americana charts, and resulted in nominations for several awards including Duo/Group of the year at the 2006 Americana Honors and Awards. (WIKI)



Savannah Welch is very nice young lady and a multi-talented singer, actress and model.

NOTE NOTE NOTE! see below-It appears Kevin Welch commented on my humble, sketchy little blog.

Earl Campbell: American Badass

I lived in Houston for a couple of years when Earl Campbell was in his prime, moving there in the summer of '79.

Earl Campbell was amazing. I regret never seeing an Oilers game, though I caught quite a few Baseball games at the Astrodome. (I Saw JR Richard and Nolan Ryan pitch a few times, which was pretty cool too)

Earl Campbell had a relatively short career (as do most running backs), and is in poor health these days.



Campbell was born in Tyler, Texas, the sixth of eleven children. His father died when he was 11 years old. He began playing football in fifth grade as a kicker, but moved to linebacker and running back in sixth grade. In 1973, he led the Corky Nelson-coached John Tyler High School to the Texas 4A State Championship (4A then was the largest classification in the state). Then-Oklahoma Sooners head coach Barry Switzer, who unsuccessfully recruited Campbell, said in his 1989 book that Campbell was the only player he ever saw who could have gone straight from high school to the NFL and immediately been a star.

Campbell possessed a rare combination of speed and power, and was a prolific running back from 1978 through 1985. His outstanding single-season performance in 1979 earned him All-Pro, Pro Bowl, and NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. It was also the second of three consecutive seasons in which he led the league in rushing. Only Jim Brown had previously accomplished that feat. Campbell led the NFL in rushing in 1978, 1979, and 1980. He played in five Pro Bowls and finished his career with 9,407 yards and 74 touchdowns rushing along with 806 yards on 121 receptions. In 1980, Campbell's best year in the NFL, he ran for 1,934 yards including four 200-yard rushing games, including a personal best 206 yards against the Chicago Bears. Despite playing against stacked defenses and being gang-tackled nearly every time he carried the ball (a then-record 373 times), Campbell managed to average 5.2 yards per carry and score 13 rushing touchdowns in 1980 alone.

In 1980, Campbell married his high school girlfriend Reuchalle Reuna Smith. They have two sons: Christian, who ran track at the University of Houston, and Tyler, who currently plays football for San Diego State University.

Due to the many carries in his NFL career and numerous hits on his body, Campbell has great difficulty walking and sometimes requires the use of a wheelchair. In 2004, ESPN showed a segment about retired and current NFL players who deal with chronic injuries due to playing in the NFL over a number of years. The segment showed Earl Campbell at a farm using a wheelchair. Campbell has developed severe arthritis in his knees and has debilitating back pain. He attributes his back pain to a congenital back condition aggravated by his football career.

Earl is now a prominent businessman residing in Austin, Texas and still actively participates in University of Texas Athletics. Earl Campbell currently serves as President of Earl Campbell Meat Products, Inc. which manufactures and sells Earl Campbell's Smoked Sausage and other food products and barbecue sauce.

Spring Fever?

This has been the longest winter in my memory, so here are some random photos of the Summer Game, taken at Wrigley Field in 2007 or 2008.

Inspecting The Troops Is More Fun When You're Royalty

"The Last Great American Roadhouse"

Here are some crappy photos I took at the FloraBama. Included are a blurry outside shot, my friend with what I can only assume was an off-duty stripper, and a fantastic Mullet.

The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package (aka The Flora-Bama), located on Perdido Key Florida, is a beachside oyster bar, beach bar, and Gulf Coast cultural landmark, touted as being America's "Last Great Roadhouse". The Flora-Bama takes its name from its location on the Florida - Alabama border line. The bar is in fact located all within Florida, with the Alabama line being about six feet from the western outside wall. Contrary to what some might describe it as, it is not a nightclub. It is a beach bar.

Widely known as a place where "you can have a millionaire sitting next to a biker," this unique make-up of bar patrons is one of the contributing factors to its large appeal and attraction. Locals mingle with tourists rather easily and on large holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, cars line the highway for miles in both directions as the bar draws such a large crowd. The Flora-Bama first gained national attention when former Oakland Raiders quarterback and NFL MVP Kenny Stabler referred to the Flora-Bama as "the best watering hole in the country
Despite being closed for many months while repairing and rebuilding after Hurricane Ivan, the Flora-Bama's crowd swarmed right back to the bar as soon as it reopened its doors. There is live music to be had every day of the week, with usually at least five bands playing on Saturdays. It is still a spot likely to attract celebrity visitors, with faces such as Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Kid Rock, and Kenny Stabler sometimes seen amongst the patrons.

This photo is notable only for the discarded bras hanging above the dancefloor.

Where Was This When I needed It?

Finally, A Practical Gift Idea. A Home Vasectomy kit.