Got tickets to Billy Strings 12/29 and 30 in New Orleans. Going with my daughter for my birthday (29th) and holiday break. Very excited!

PF - I never looked at that commercial the way you described, but you’re Dead on! I always thought at the time it was one of these “Man Smart/Woman Smarter” ads that continue to this day.

Picking up chicken tenders from Ezells

You can get an order of GIZZARDS for 10$

Re commercials: yes many commercials aimed at women feature a doofy man

Ah, commerce

43 years ago I hitchiked up to Portland Oregon from the Bay Area for a knockout weekend with the Good old Grateful Dead. Party all day down by the Willamette River and then a knockout out show by the Dead. Big Fun!

....reminds me of Cumberland Blues a bit. 🍻
Take that opinion for what it is. Check it out.

You up yet?

Mr. Barnum checks in soon.

Maybe next week?

Imagine he has several weeks of PT.

Edit: and, Day Tripper

It is true.. I encountered the Senator in Vegas in an undisclosed, secret room 700 feet below the Venetian Hotel that can only be entered by dialing a secret number into the pay phone in the main lobby. We grooved to good music, tried very hard not to fall forward or lose our balance and met with a large group of people afterwards at an unnamed thai restaurant where food and beverage flowed, and conversation glowed with the gold of sunshine.

That is all I am allowed to say.

The trip was bittersweet though. I lost my father the day before we left due to a battle with Myeloma, Leukemia and a most dangerous encounter with a garden hose doing what he loved. It's always the garden hose that does you in. To make matters worse, when I got back my mother was in the ICU at the same hospital fighting an infection from the dreaded mersa bacteria in her leg. After a certain age, life is so very fragile. So a bittersweet month in the life of JimInMD. It took me more than a week to catch up the thread here as I have spent the better part of the last couple months in a hospital less than a mile away from Merriweather Post Pavilion, which is still alive and well but so very different than the place I used to see our favorite furry freak brothers.

I read some great passages from one of my closest neighbors here, Mr. Ones, who is battling similar foes, hopefully with great success. Music is the best. My sister just moved to Annapolis so I get the feeling I drove past your hang several times this month.

One of my most poignant memories during this time was driving to the hospital and hearing Box of Rain which brought some heavy reflection. But hey, I busted my mother out of the hospital yesterday and dropped her off at my sister's house where she will be spending the week with her daughter, son in law, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. How cool is that? The circle of life. Plus I finally came home and got the first good nights sleep I have had in over a month.

Finally.. did anyone except me watch that excellent Mickey Hart Experience special on ESPN of all stations a couple nights ago? It was a documentary of sorts comparing rhythms in the universe to drumming and sports. It was very enjoyable. Highly Recommended.

"Rhythm is the center of humanity...."

Featured interviews include Bill Walton (of course), Phil Jackson, the Planet Drum folks, Joe Montana, Arnold Palmer, Mario Andretti, Alex Hannold, Laila Ali, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bob Cousy and countless others.

Music heals.

Edit: Oh, I forgot to add.. I took my son to his first (sort of) dead show. He had a good time. His comment the next day, I had a good time. Does everyone smoke that much weed at a dead show? My answer, what did you expect? I, of course, did not smoke any weed that night but managed a clandestine 25mg or a very tasty hybrid edible. It's legal now, it's up to him to decide and make sense of it all. As it should be.

That's all I have. As you were.

Jim sorry for the loss of your father, losing a parent is rough. Hopefully your mom will be better soon.

Jim - Sorry to hear of the passing of your father, a tough experience to endure for remaining family, and made even tougher by your mother’s recent health troubles. Better days ahead.
“ A box of rain will ease the pain
And love will see you through”

Sorry for your loss brother, and good vibes for your Mom.

"Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul"

I'm very sorry for your loss. Coping with the loss of a parent is months of emotional tsunamis. The Beatles (and many other musical artists) helped me A LOT.

Good health to your mother, my man.

And good health vibes to Mr. ones, PTB, and everyone else.

Condolences Jim.
Still miss Dad 24 years later.
But it does get easier as time slips away.
Hoping the best for you and yours.
Cheers

Just wanted to say that this is a great release ... I'm not a 1971 fan typically, I love it of course, but would rank 71 at the bottom of a list that includes 68, 69, 70, 72, 73 and 74 ... that said, the main show, 4-13, is a hot hot show and an excellent selection by Dave ... Disc 2 in particular is phenomenal, the end of 4-13-71 with an epic Good Lovin' followed by the absolute gift that is any material from the magical Fall 1970, including an Attics, just a brilliantly conceived disc combining 71 and 70 ... thanks Dave and company

It has occurred to me that Meet Up At The Movies and any Winterland '74 anniversary stuff, will probably be one in the same...like an expanded and remastered Grateful Dead Movie or something??

Maybe they will show any filmed extended jams

Like the entire PITB from 10/16

:)))

…then the garden hose will!
Sorry Jim, I know you’ve been dealing with your family’s issues for awhile now.
You’ve had so much going on that it’s all probably a blur at this point, but now you’re back home so hopefully at least a bit of respite if not some normalcy.
(and here’s hoping yer mom is A ok now).
As long of a strange trip it’s been, you’ll be glad you had the time and experiences with your folks, all of them, even some of the unpleasant ones, that you were able to these last few years. Time is a weird mistress…

Be well, heal up, and good to “see” ya, we missed ya!

Jim, sorry to hear of your fathers passing, I wish you and your mom well.

"A hopeful candle lingers In the land of lullabies"

ps. 51 will cure anything!

Jim, so sorry to hear about the passing of your father. Losing a parent is very difficult and we are sending good vibes your way.

Be well.

Sorry to hear you news Jim. My condolences

Sorry to hear about your dad, Jim. That's a rough one. Mine passed decades ago, I still think of him every day. I'm sure he'll be with you, too. Cherish those memories.

Sorry for your loss, Jim.

My dad passed two years ago this month. But as people sometimes say, he's still with me. Just this morning I went down to Home Depot to pick up some stuff from their nursery, and I flashed really vividly about doing that kind of thing with my dad. He liked to garden, and he liked to go to nurseries and putter around and pick up some flowers or a shrub for the backyard, so we would often be there early in the morning to pick up a few things. And he was right there with me today.

Such a long long time to be gone. But then again, not really gone. Not completely.

I'm going out to plant some flowers. Have a great day y'all.

Didn’t you also have a recent run in with the medical establishment?
Glad to see the bastards didn’t take you out, hope all went well.

Now if only we’d hear from PT…

:)))

I’m doing ok thanks. Knee’s still swollen and have reduced movement but it’s still only two weeks.

Good morning, rockers!!!

Been laying low, trying to navigate through the minefields of life.........

On vacation. Today is my 10th weddinmg anniversary, I get to spend the day with the woman I love, who makes my life better evry day, who fights like a champion against the viscious hatreds of cancer............

Also on tap for today:
Buy a resonator guitar.
Go antiquing.
Later, chow down on some bison.

Despite the vissisitudes of life---and death---life is good. Savor it, luxuriate in it.....

And remember to listen to the music.................

We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person.....

Rock on,

Doc
May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live........

My eyes lit up when I saw you were buying a resonator today. Amazing guitars - I'd be interested to know how you got on.

I hope you have a great day Doc happy anniversary

Special Grateful Dead issue for the 60 years hit the stands. Picked mine up on the way home from work today.

Happy Anniversary Doc

....the misses and I are celebrating our 25th next month. Sept 11th (we got married two years before 9/11. I've never forgotten our anniversary lol). Heading to Sedona AZ for a few days of hot tubbing R & R, hiking, hot air AM ballon rides and a steam train tour. Oh. And food. Lots of food. It will be our first time there.

I will watch for it

My first wedding was on 8/6/77.

8/6 is the day we dropped the bomb on Japan.

Guess I dropped my own bomb,,,, but I remember the date!

Guess the second one stuck, 3/19/83. Hard to remember because my parents were 3/21/51.
(glad the 2nd stuck,,,, who else could afford all these records!)

lemme guess, tge first had no credit ; ) 😁

I have to wonder if his wife has the key? My guess, she does not or more likely it was clandestinely constructed by digging a cavernous acoustically perfect arena shaped hobit cave in the hillside behind the house. All construction being done at night using the same low decibel construction methods Andy Dufresne used in the Shawshank Redemption. One either enters the room through an elaborate series of hidden doors or perhaps a small door is hidden behind the Raquel Welch poster in the center of the room. Either way I can only imagine what it looks like and if kept intact.. in 50 years or so it could be turned into a museum.

Happy Anniversary Doc.. new guitar, happy day.

Speaking of Dennis' music room, mine needs some serious attention. My collection has become scattered as I have outgrown my space allotment about the time Boxzilla arrived. First world problems to be sure.

Been listening to a whole bunch of GD recently. Imagine that.

With that fancy smancy shelving he still has lots of room too!
But only a picture mind you, and I’ve just blown my Non disclosure he made me sign, Ooopps, I better mind erase asap as the enemy will thus arrive soon and want to “persuade” me to give them intel I don’t have, good god, the horror!

But…?
Does the stereo work yet?

... a bum like me doesn't meet a dame with dough.

You have to meet THEM when their young and poor and recognize potential!

yes the stereo works.

Preamp needed all new capacitors, and it got new tubes.

Got a new cd player, old one had "issues".

New one (Yamaha CD-S303 Single CD Player) was 400, nice thing it plays from usb memory sticks.

Downside to usb mem stick playing is the unit doesn't really have a good navigation system.

Upside I can line up a playlist and just let it play.

I'm doing a decent size puzzle in the room right now so "optimal" listening is hard with an 8x5 with a puzzle on it in the middle of your sound stage, but still sounds great.

This further allowed me to compare mp3 recording to cd recording, 320 level mp3 and store bought cd.

I'll be honest at this point,, you'd be hard pressed to hear the difference. Certainly you can't hear any while hanging with people doing the puzzle.

Turntable is next thing to get going,,, need to get puzzle done so I can get the room!

I might have seen the same photo.. I cannot recall the specifics.

I do have it on good authority that the security system and series of doors one must pass to get into the secret lair with the vinyl and box sets was modeled after the secret system used to gain access to Control headquarters as seen in the opening credits of Get Smart.

Coincidentally, Dennis was last seen driving a red 1965 sunbeam tiger mark 1 convertible and his wife answers to 99.

But does he have any records from the Sacred Cows?

(sorry to the 95% that probably don't get these references.. but for those that do, the Sacred Cows rock. I swear it's Jorma on guitar)

Thanks to all for the very kind words. Such heart warming thoughts from a very special bunch of freaks.

Had to look that up Jim as I was not a huge fan of Get Smart and I'm sure I never saw that episode. Great set with mood lighting including neon signs spelling things like Kaos, Obey, and Kill. Uncredited musicians are Ben Benay, Jerry Scheff, and John Greek. Larry Storch as The Groovy Guru trying to take over the world as all of Maxwell and 99's opponents do. Wasn't Buck Henry one of the writers? The song was... interesting?
Oddly there is a current local band somewhere with that moniker. I saw clips of them on face book. They claim to be a bunch of dads trying to be rock stars. But how can they top that 60s hit song Kill, Kill, Kill?
Cheers
Hmm... Max and 99 save the day by taking some sort of pill. Was that still legal then?

Is that the one when he’s wearing his awesome tie-dye suit?

Yes to Buck Henry, one of the better Saturday Night Live hosts a half decade later.

I guess I had this image that Dennis' music room should be some clandestine secret and it reminded me of the cold war spoof that once was. Clearly Chaos want's his box set and at least a small piece of his vinyl collection.

How does this relate to the Grateful Dead?

The opening lines of that episode show two agents exchanging secret code language to ensure they are who they say they are and have not been infiltrated by traitors. When I first heard this there was no rewind, but it aired years later and I had to do a double take and rewind. It first aired in January 1968.
___________________________________________________
Wanda : [sign] The Grateful Dead are alive and living in Beverly Hills.

Maxwell Smart : [countersign] Simon and Garfunkel fell off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Agent 86.

Wanda : I'm hip. Courier 12.

Maxwell Smart : Did you get the information on the Groovy Guru?

Wanda : Enough here for the fuzz to peel and freeze.

Maxwell Smart : Huh?

Wanda : Square city. You know, enough to put him away for life.

___________________________________

At the time the Grateful Dead were alive and well but living in Olompali, not Beverly Hills. Still.. for January 68 I'd say they hit the mark for a rinky dink sit com. This was two weeks before what is perhaps my favorite show, February 14th, 1968. Pretty cool for a B+ sitcom of the day. Beats the crap out of Rosanne or Dancing with the Stars.

Buck Henry, born (Buck) Henry Zuckerman, won an Emmy for outstanding writing for that comedy series. Way ahead of the pack in that era of TV indeed Jim. I'd forgotten his co-creator was none other than Mel Brooks! Buck's movie writing credits are also top tier and include an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay for The Graduate. And another shared Oscar nomination for best director with Warren Beatty for Heaven Can Wait. He was way more than the guy doing hilariously creepy weird character skits and recurring characters on SNL (10 appearances) including the straight man to Belushi's samurai where John once cut him on the forehead with the blade. His wiki is an interesting read to say the least.
Cheers

I had to modify my copy of the Control entrance,,, no more phone booth,,, my knees couldn't take it.

Speaking of Scared Cows,,, no one was it it, sorry no Jorma.

But the Groovy Guru was Agarn from F-Troop.

Speaking of F-Troop,, they had a band on once "the Bed Bugs" (real name The Factory), that band had Lowell George in it!

My speciality is stuff duck.

What do you stuff it with?

Another duck, that's why I need so many.

-Agarn

..back when pop songs had deep meanings!

Get Smart, The Munsters, & The Addams Family were 3 of the funniest shows on TV as a kid, and thanks to DVDs, they remain in regular rotation here.
A Cone of Silence built into your music room that doubles as a listening booth would be pretty cool, unless of course, like the series, it never worked. Dennis, take note.
Floor seats for Herbie Hancock are approximately $150USD each, at the always fantastic Massey Hall, with their great acoustics. One of the greats, and a Miles sideman of note. Decisions, decisions.

I really don't watch these 60's comedies anymore (not while the Rifleman and Adam-12 is available)

But, caught a Munsters the other day, only part, but. Grandpa and Eddie are making a robot for the school science fair.

Meanwhile Herman is reading a "joke" book and learning jokes.

They get to the science fair and another father is concern Eddie will win. So in usual tv/movie fashion, he drops a wrench into Eddie robot. Why are wrenches, no matter where they are, are always the size you need to remove a Rail Road train wheel. 18" long and usually a 1.5 inch size,,,,, and they're at a watch factory!

Anyway, the robot is down, so they send Herman out to amuse the crowd while they fix the robot.

Herman starts telling jokes and the crowd, of course, thinks he's the robot.

Funny old joke Herman tells makes me laugh. Recently told to a kid at Autozone.

Did you hear about the new sound suppressor for the car?

It fits right over her mouth!

I say those 3 shows - Smart, Munsters, Addams - stand up to any factory comedy churned out today. I can see an episode of these 3 shows for the 20th time and still find it hilarious. The 60s was not only remarkable music, but television, too.
Besides, I don’t think Gomez and Morticia were just puffing Virginia leaves in their hookah…

Dennis: Blame it on Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times believe it was, where he's astride a giant cog wheel with one of those wrenches. Iconic image.