MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE LEAD GUITARISTS - A LIST / RANKING

1.  Jimmy Page
2.  Pete Townshend
3.  Jimi Hendrix
4.  The Edge
5.  Keith Richards
6.  David Gilmour
7.  Neil Young
8.  Joe Perry
9.  Peter Buck (REM)
10.  Robbie Krieger (The Doors)
11.  Ritchie Blackmore
12.  Eric Clapton
13.  Johhny Marr (The Smiths)
14.  Dave Davies
15.  George Harrison
16.  Mick Jones (The Clash / Big Audio Dynamite)
17.  Angus Young
18.  Tom Scholz (Boston) 
19.  Frank Zappa
20.  Chuck Berry
21.  Denny Laine (Wings)
22.  Dave Mason (Traffic) 
23.  Keith Levene (Public Image Ltd.) 
24.  Bob Dylan
25.  Joe Walsh
26.  Ron Wood 
27.  Randy California (Spirit)
28.  Alex Lifeson (Rush)
29.  Andy Summers
30.  Kurt Cobain
31.  Jack White
32.  John Lennon
33.  Lindsey Buckingham
34.  Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues) 
35.  Slash
36.  Ray Davies
37.  Bruce Springsteen
38.  Robert Smith (The Cure)
39.  Arlo Guthrie
40.  Joe Strummer (The Clash) 
41.  Pete Ham (Badfinger)
42.  Lou Reed
43.  Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam)
44.  Brian Jones
45.  Steve Howe 
46.  Dave Sharp (The Alarm)
47.  Prince
48.  Mark Knopler
49.  Paul Stanley
50.  Pete Shelley (The Buzzcocks)
51.  Tom Petty
52.  Nick Lowe
53.  Buddy Holly
54.  Ace Frehley
55.  Roy Orbison
56.  Billy Corgan
57.  Stephen Stills
58.  Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) 
59.  Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane / Starship)
60.  Ron Asheton (The Stooges) 
61.  Brian James (The Damned) 
62.  Ann Wilson
63.  Nancy Wilson
64.  Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
65.  Steve Marriot (The Faces)
66.  Glenn Frey (The Eagles)
67.  Rick Neilsen (Cheap Trick) 
68.  Johnny Thunders (New York Dolls)
69.  Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
70.  Duane Allmann
71.  Alanis Morrisette
72.  James Young (Styx)
73.  Elvis Costello
74.  Dave Edmunds
75.  Jeff Lynne
76.  Tommy Shaw (Styx)
77.  Chris Difford (Squeeze)
78.  Brian May (Queen)
79.  Roger Steen (The Tubes)

RANDOM "HAIKU" POEMS

This is a short selection of 'haiku' poems, all written by me.  All but one follow the traditional 'seven syllables - five syllables - seven syllables' format.  

1)           "Safe":

             This haiku is safe

             It can't hurt anyone

             It's just a poem!

2)            "Sexy":

             This one's erotic

             It's naked, and all oiled up...

             Too bad it's not real!

3)            "Boring":

             This haiku is dull

             Wash dishes, doing laundry...

             Be glad it's over!

4)            "Funny":

             This haiku's funny:

             So this traveling salesman...

             Uh-oh, no more room!

5)            "Ode to our Commander-in-Chief":

             Orange-haired troglodyte

             Molester of many gals;

             Go tweet yourself, Trump!

6)                  "Haiku Without a Cause":

 

              This one is so rebellious

              It breaks the 'five-seven-five' rule!

MY FAVORITE COMIC ARTISTS

1. Will Eisner
2. Robert Crumb
3. Barry Smith
4. Neal Adams
5. Hal Foster
6. Jack Kirby
7. Wallace Wood
8. Bill Everett
9. Rich Corben
10. Bill Elder
11. Al Feldstein
12. Al Williamson
13. Jack Davis
14. Floyd Gottfredson
15. Gilbert Shelton
16. Steve Ditko
17. Sheldon Modoff
18. Carl Barks
19. Alex Raymond
20. Frank King
21. Harold Grey
22. John Severin
23. Bob Kane
24. Harvey Kurtzman
25. Siegel and Shuster
26. Reed Crandall
27. Johnny Craig
28. Gil Kane
29. Al Capp
30. Jack Cole
31. Walt Kelly
32. Bernie Krigstein
33. Garry Trudeau
34. Winsor McCay
35. Walt Kelly
36. Graham Ingels
37. Marshall Rogers
38. Frank Frazetta
39. Bernard Bailey
40. Frank Brunner
41. Chester Gould
42. Gene Colan
43. Milton Caniff
44. Jack Kamen
45. John Buscema
46. C.C. Beck
47. George Evans
48. Al Avison
49. John Byrne
50. Todd McFarland

RANDOM 'TOP TEN' LISTS

TOP TEN MUSICALS:

1)  "Sweeney Todd" 

2)  "Jesus Christ Superstar" 

3)  "Hair" 

4)  "West Side Story" 

5)  "Spamalot!" 

6)  "Hamilton" 

7)  "Evita"

8)  "The Music Man" 

9)  "Fiddler on the Roof"

10)  "Oliver!" 

Side note:  I was in a school production of "Oliver!" as a schoolboy.  I played one of the orphans in the opening number about food.  So that song "Food Glorious Food" is pretty much engraved into my permanent consciousness.  To this day, I cannot sing a note (at least no on key), so it wasn't the start of an auspicious career in musical theatre, by any means.  

A PERSONAL "TOP TEN" LIST

As way of introduction, here is a personal 'top ten' list, directly relating to my life.

1)  I am a genuine 'Summer of Love' baby - born in '67.  To further my connection to that era, I have two relatives who got engaged at Woodstock. Whether they stayed away from the notorious 'brown acid', only they know.  Whether they went skinny-dipping in that big-ass lake that they had up there, I don't want to know.  lol

2)  I have a life-long love for - bordering on obsession - with the arts.  In rough order of preference, they include:  the visual arts (cinema, TV series, comic art, and painting);  musical (mainly classic rock, with some alt. rock and new wave to balance it out;  I also like selected classical and folk artists, and some show tunes as well);  live performance (excluding opera, for some reasons); and literary (I mostly read fiction from the 20th century by US and English authors;  any non-fiction I read is usually about the arts).  My personal contributions to (or crimes against, depending on one's standards) to the arts include a play ("Irrational Dreams", a comedy soap opera script about the movie industry in LA;  this was produced in an off-off-Broadway workshop in the early 2000s;  script available on www.lulu.com), a novel (Golden Strings, originally published in 2017;  see elsewhere on this blog for more info about it), and a few short stories (which will soon be published in anthology format).  I also have free-lance journalism credits, mostly in NY-based periodicals (such as Our Town, The West Side Spirit, and The New York Planet).  I am currently (as of July 2020) working on a new novel, about a rock star who think that he is immortal.  The working title is Icarus Rising.

3)  I have been as far north as Canada (Ottowa), as far west as California (San Francisco), as far east as Maine (the coastline), and as far south as Georgia (Atlanta).  And no, I have never been to Europe, but I would love to go there one day.

4)  I am fewer than six degrees separated from Kevin Bacon, in line with that famous 'game'.  To wit:  a)  I was in an improv troupe with one Artie Lange, who later became a famous comic and Howard Stern's sidekick;  b)  Artie had a bit part in the movie called "The Bachelor", with Renee Zellwegger;  c)  Renee and Tom Cruise were in "Jerry Maguire";  d)  Tommy Boy and Kevin B. in "A Few Good Men".  To only go by movie roles, it still applies to me.  To wit, again:  a)  I was an extra in "Get Him to the Greek", with Jonah Hill;  b)  Jonah and Leo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street";  c)  Leo and Robert DeNiro in "This Boy's Life";  d)  DeNiro and Kevin B. in "Sleepers".

5)  I once made a member of Monty Python laugh out loud.  The full story:  I met John Cleese at a book signing c. 2016, and when it was my turn to meet him, I had money in my hand;  I presented it to him, and said "I'd like to buy an argument, please!"  He 'got' the joke, and I got my celebrity autograph.  I also met the late Terry Jones in a similar fashion, but I didn't try and be 'clever' in that scenario;  I didn't make him, laugh, but I did get his autograph.  RIP, Terry.

6)  A list of other celebs whom I have encountered or spotted in real life, from time to time:  Woody Allen, Al Pacino, Paul Simon (got his autograph!), Ed Koch (ditto), Robert Redford (in his limo), JFK Jr., John Lydon (who actually claimed to be David Bowie!), Liza Minelli, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Hopkins (trying to look 'incognito'), Bette Midler, Amy Poehler, George Stephanapolous, Jodie Foster, Lorne Michaels, Robert DeNiro, Kevin Costner, Adam Sandler, Kenan Thompson, Mike Myers (doing a surprise appearance at The Upright Citizens Brigade theatre), Chevy Chase (ditto), Cicely Strong, Chris Parnell, Sigourney Weaver, Eliot Spitzer, Alec Baldwin, Jimmy Fallon, and even 'The Donald' (who thankfully didn't try and grab any body parts).  

7)  I play Saint George every year in a Mummer's play;  if you are unfamiliar with this, it's a very old English play (dating at least as far back as the 1800s) with Medieval themes, often about Christmas themes.  I do this every year (in December) with a few relatives, and whomever they can round up to play the various roles.  I originally played this role in an off-Broadway musical called "The Christmas Revels", which played at the Symphony Space Theatre.  There is a youtube clip of a small-scale production we did at a local restaurant, c. 2016:  www.youtube.com/HudsonValleyMummers

8)  I am big on 'open-mike' shows, and have been both audience and participant in these.  It led to my being a contestant in a mock 'beauty' pageant called "The Mister Lower East Side Contest".  The first time I entered this contest, I won a special award ('Mister Congenality');  my routine was a monologue from "Henry V", with dialogue slightly altered for the occasion.

9)  I have never been married, but have had a few relationships that - if they had lasted longer - might have led to matrimony, down the line.  Hope does spring eternal, though.  I am talking about a cure for COVID, here, not marriage!

10)  When I got expelled from the Pencey school in New England, I had to take the train back home to New York City, where I live.  I couldn't go home right away, though, because then my folks and my younger sister Phoebe would have known something was up, as I was returning home before school vacation officially began.  Er, wait...  That was supposed to be part of Holden Caulfield's personal 'top ten list', not mine.  Sorry about that!

MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE NOVELS

1.  On the Road - Kerouac

2 - 4.  "Lord of the Rings" trilogy - Tolkien

5.  The Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck

6.  Tarzan of the Apes - E.R. Burroughs

7.  The Adventures of Kavalier & Klay - Chabon

8.  Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow

9.  The Dharma Bums - Kerouac

10.  The Catcher in the Rye - Salinger

11.  The Hobbit - Tolkien

12.  The Maltese Falcon - Hammett

13.  The Accidental Tourist - Tyler

14.  Midnight Cowboy - O'Herlihy

15.  The Return of Tarzan - E.R. Burroughs

16.  Dr. Sax - Kerouac

17.  The Road To Wellville - Boyle

18.  For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway

19.  Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck

20.  The Quick and the Loving - Irving

1. On the Road - Kerouac 2 - 4. "Lord of the Rings" trilogy - Tolkien 5. The Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck 6. Tarzan of the Apes - E.R. Burroughs

A sample chapter from my novel "Golden Strings"

Golden Strings is my debut novel, originally published in 2017 by Editions Dedicaces (a Montreal-based company).  It's currently available on the Barnes and Noble imprint.  It's a literary odyssey set in the heady summer of 1974.  The protagonist of this story is Gary Sapling, an eighteen-year-old musical prodigy (with the acoustic guitar).  Gary lives in the (fictitious) small town of Panville, California, working a menial job in the local shopping mall.  He secretly dreams of becoming a star, so he can leave his predictable daily life behind.  His life journey takes a dramatic turn when he accepts an invitation to visit his divorced uncle Karl, who lives in a remote part of California.  The two of them make an impulsive trip to San Francisco, a city about which Gary has always been curious.  They book a hotel room there, and take in the local sights.  It's there that Gary meets and quickly bonds with a local guerrilla theatre troupe called the 'Frisco Freedom Collective.  Gary soon moves in to their communal apartment,, and enters a loose love triangle with Bonnie and Lori, two young female members of the Collective.  As the summer of 1974 progresses, Gary is cast as the lead in a short 'indie' movie, books a paying gig at a local venue, and finds true love in a way that he wasn't expecting.

Golden Strings is mainly influenced by "Hair" (the movie version in particular), "Boogie Nights", and "Almost Famous", as well as the counter-cultural writings and art of the late sixties and early seventies.  It's meant for mature, open-minded readers.  

           

                   

     

CHAPTER THIRTEEN The Teapot Theatre was a small house (seventy-five seats) in the Russian Hill district. A big wooden sign hanging over the front doors showed a big grey teakettle, with the theatre's name stenciled in black. That made it easy for theatre-goers to find the place. Gary and his uncle arrived at 10:20. A live play (a brand-new work by someone of whom neither Gary nor Karl had heard) had just let out. Random people were arriving at the theatre, for the 'frisco Freedom Collective show. Some of them were holding the same flyer that Bonnie had given Gary. Gary had his guitar with him, just as Bonnie had instructed him. A man with a long, scruffy beard sat at the entrance, taking donations from the incoming theatre-goers. Karl gave him a few dollars, as he and his nephew entered. Gary was afraid that the man might ask him why he was bringing his guitar, but that wasn’t the case. "Hey, buddy, good thing you brought your guitar with you. There is audience participation at the end, and you can play that thing, if you want." “I hope no one minds if I do!” Gary replied, with a wink. He and Karl sat down in the second row. By show-time (10:30, just as the flyer had noted), about three dozen people were seated in the theatre. The lights dimmed, and there was a small rustle of anticipation amidst the crowd. Loud rock music blared from the two speakers at the top of the stage, and five actors eagerly ran out from behind the red velvet curtain. There was Bonnie (Gary recognized her right away) and four others. Everyone in the cast was wearing lime-green woolen pant legs, with drawstrings around the waist. They also wore white t-shirts with the troupe’s name printed in dark blue. They all introduced themselves, one by one. The first of the two men was Ray, a tall man with a thick head of dark brown hair, and a medium build. The other male actor was Brandon, who had a lean frame, a mustache, and wavy black hair. He had an odd complexion - half-white, and half-amber. Besides Bonnie, there were two females in the cast. One was Lori, a tall, attractive brunette in a long ponytail. The other, who linked her hand with Ray's, was named Dawn. She was also pretty, with short light-brown hair and a small build. All of the actors looked to be in their twenties, although Gary supposed that Ray and Dawn might have had a few years on the other three. After the cast introduced themselves, their show began. Short blackouts, accompanied by bursts of recorded music, helped the transitions. The first bit was a pre-written sketch, titled "What's Next for Tricky Dicky?" For this comic vignette, Ray donned a plastic face mask of President Nixon. The premise was that since Nixon looked to be on his way out, he would have to find some new line of work. "Why not a restaurant?" Dawn asked rhetorically. She played Pat Nixon, helping to take orders from the customers (played by the other three actors). "Dick, why don't you start frying up the burgers these nice people want for lunch," Dawn asked Ray (as Nixon). "Because, Pat..." Ray drawled, in his best 'Nixonian' voice; "I am not a cook." This line, a play on the real Nixon's "I am not a crook" sound-bite, was the catalyst for Dawn (as Pat Nixon) to take on the cooking duties herself. The skit ended with Nixon trying to inflate the customers' bill, and getting caught. "Well, it looks like old habits die hard," said Dawn (still in character). The skit got a decent amount of applause at the end. Gary thought it was amusing. As far as he could tell, his uncle liked it also. The next bit was much longer, and not quite as funny. Ray entered as 'Mister Harold Uptight', who introduces himself as 'just another wage slave in modern-day corporate America, pretty much resigned to his fate'. He was dressed up for this role, wearing dark slacks, a starched white shirt, and a tie. A spotlight shone on Brandon, who played a nasally-voiced "Rod Sterling" for this scene. "Little does 'Harold Uptight' know, but he's about to enter a new dimension. A dimension so bizarre, so outlandish, and so downright hip that it can only be called... The 'frisco Zone." As the scene progressed, colorful flashing lights shone down on 'Harold', as he mimed waiting for his usual "train home to the suburbs". Pulsating rock music played over the sound system, as the three female actors, all wearing brightly-hued saris, danced seductively around him. They stripped off his clothes, until he was down to his skivvies. The three women on the stage all covered his exposed skin with body paint, turning him into a living canvas of art. "Hey - I really like this!" Ray (as Harold) yelled gleefully. He defiantly threw the discarded clothes offstage. "I don't need these stupid 'corporate clothes' anymore!" he yelled. "From now on, I'm doing nothing but dancing!" That skit morphed into a long interpretive dance number, with all five actors slinking around on stage. Brandon joined them, bare-chested with a few American Indian - style clothes (a loincloth, moccasins and a headband). As they danced to the accompaniment of light-rock instrumental music, a tape played over a boombox that lay in a chair at stage left. The tape featured Bonnie, asking various people "What is the answer?" The answers they had given to this odd question had all been recorded for posterity. The voices captured on tape seemed just as puzzled as Gary had been, when he had first met Bonnie. "What do you mean, exactly?" "What is the answer? I am still working on that, myself. Please let me know if you find out, OK?" "I don't know what the answer is, but I know it can't be found anywhere near here. Maybe we all have to go on that long trek to the Himalayas to find it." "I don't even know what the question is!" And so on. About eight minutes into the tape, Gary recognized his own voice. He whispered to his uncle that it was his - Gary's - voice to which they were listening. Karl just laughed. He pointed to his nephew, indicating to everyone else in the audience that it was Gary's voice on the tape. Some of the audience picked up on that, and gave Gary and Karl waves and 'thumbs up' from their seats. As the tape of Bonnie interviewing various people on the street ended, all five of the actors spread out across the stage. "What's the answer? What's the answer?" they chanted. They answered their own question with cries of "Peace!" Music!" "Love!" "Dancing!" A stagehand (the same bearded man who had taken donations at the front door) quickly ushered out some musical instruments - bongo drums, a mouth harp, a pair of tambourines, and a few dozen pennywhistles. Brandon, who had put on an Indian-style headband, began hitting the bongos. Dawn played one of the pennywhistles, while Lori and Bonnie both played the tambourines. Ray exhorted the crowd to get up and join the cast onstage. "Come on, people, don't just sit there! You are part of this show, too!" A few people in the audience got up onto the stage. Two couples started dancing to the music the cast was making. Bonnie spotted Gary in the audience, and ushered him onto the stage. "Gary, come up here! Bring your guitar!" Gary picked up his guitar case, and left his seat. He walked onto the stage, where Bonnie greeted him with a hug. He took the guitar out of its case, and began strumming some random notes. He made up a four-note melody on the spot. More people in the audience got up and joined Gary and the cast on stage. People danced, played pennywhistles, and grooved along. An attractive brunette woman in a mini-skirt started dance-flirting with Gary. He smiled at her, and she playfully bumped hips with him a few times. Karl got up from the crowd, and Bonnie started dancing with him. Everyone in the theatre was on a natural high, simultaneously creating and grooving on the musical vibe. Gary yelped as he hit a high G chord, and some of the crowd yelped in reply. This after-show bacchanalia lasted nearly until midnight. Ray explained to the crowd that the theatre was about to close for the night, so they had to wind down. "Thanks for coming, everyone! We hope to see you all again, next month!" The people on stage gave the Collective a hearty ovation, and then began leaving the theatre. Ray approached Gary, warmly shaking his hand. "That is some far-out guitar playing, bro! Thanks for joining us!" "It was my pleasure, Ray! It was Bonnie here who invited me to tonight's show." Gary pointed to Bonnie, who was packing the pennywhistles back into a big box. "Bonnie? Sweet. That Bonnie is one great chick." "Yes. I really liked watching her dance with my uncle." Ray invited Gary to a party at his place. He explained that everyone in the Collective lived there, and that they always followed their shows with a big party at their 'pad'. "And if you came here with your uncle, that is cool and everything, but I suggest you come to our pad alone. Things might get kind of freaky, and I don't know if your uncle would want to be a part of that scene. This is strictly a 'no one over thirty' event, if you catch my drift." Gary did get Ray's 'drift'. He told Karl that he was going to a party, and that Karl should just go back to the hotel without him. Karl slipped Gary a five-dollar bill. "This is just in case you need to catch a cab back to the hotel. If anything happens at the party that doesn't feel right to you, just leave, and use this money to catch a cab back to the hotel. Okay?" Gary agreed to that plan, and thanked his uncle. The same stage-hand worked along with the cast to help clean up the theatre. Everyone made small talk, as they packed up the props and changed into 'street' clothes (jeans, t-shirts, and sandals). Dawn helped Ray scrub the body paint off of his body, using tap water from the backstage bathroom (which had a sink). Some of the troupe members made 'inside jokes' that were lost on Gary, but everyone else seemed to appreciate them. It was obvious to Gary that these people knew each other well. Everyone complimented Gary on his musical talents, telling him that he contributed a lot to that night's show. At midnight, the stagehand bid everyone goodnight. Gary and the five troupe members all thanked the stagehand, and left the Teapot together.