They say it happens in threes. Unfortunately, the last few days have seen that adage sadly borne out again, as the entertainment world has lost three fine gentleman: Ray Dennis Steckler over the weekend, Patrick McGoohan yesterday, and today Ricardo Montalban.
Ray Dennis Steckler may be the least well-known of the three in mainstream culture, but fans of rock-n-roll infused B-movies of the sixties know his work very well: "Wild Guitars", "The Thrill Killers", and "Rat Pfink a Boo Boo" are among the canon of drive-in shlock classics Steckler directed and produced...and often acted in under the alias Cash Flagg.
Patrick McGoohan had a slightly higher profile in the mainstream, best known to a generation of TV viewers as Number Six, or "The Prisoner", McGoohan's career spanned five decades of work in movies and television, including a parody of the Number Six character in a 2000 episode of The Simpsons.
Ricardo Montalban had the most well-known career of the three, but it will be a shame if he is remembered only as Mr. Roarke, as Cpt. Kirk's greatest foe Khan, or as the car commercial guy selling us on "rich, Corinthian leather" interiors. While these may be the roles for which he is best remembered, Montalban's resume demonstrates an actor with far greater talent.
A moment of remembrance, please, for these three gentleman. May they rest in peace.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
7 Things About Me
Ken Mueller (@kmueller62) of the excellent blog I Threw a Brick through a Window, tagged me with the current "meme of the week," which means I am now bound by the unbreakable laws of the Blogosphere to respond in kind. A tip of the cap to you, Ken -- spending the afternoon putting this post together has allowed me to nicely avoid doing laundry and vacuuming the house. You know, I really need to hire a maid...
Anyhoo, this is how the game is played:
1. Link your original tagger(s) and leave a comment on this blog posting when you’ve “memed."
2. List these rules on your blog.
3. Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
4. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
5. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.
That's the simple part. Now, let's see if I can actually come up with seven interesting/unusual/random/bizarre things about myself...
1. I Don't Drive. I do not now have, nor have I ever had, a Driver's License. Of course, the first question everyone asks me is, "Why not?" (Well, actually, that's the second question they ask. The first is usually "Are you f---'n nuts?!?") And the thing is, I don't have a good answer as to why. I just have never driven. There's no physical handicap, legal decree, or bizarre phobia that stops me. It just has never been high on my priority list. I walk a lot, and long walks don't bother me. If walking is out of the question, there is public transportation, taxi service, or sharing rides with friends...and yes, I always offer to contribute a few bucks for gas!
2. My First Television Appearance. Had you lived in Lancaster circa 1971/1972, you might have seen the four- or five-year-old version of me smiling at you from the set of Percy Platypus and Friends, a Saturday morning kids' show broadcast from WGAL. The show had a 15-year run here ending in 1974, and one of the recurring segments was celebrating the birthdays of kids in the audience. I just spoke with my Mom about this, and neither she nor I can pinpoint the date, but somewhere in a dusty old scrapbook there is evidence of this; when we find it, I will post it!
3. Green Eggs & Ham. Like most high schools, ours held an annual talent show. It was filled each year with the typical acts: dancers, musicians, the usual ho-hum stuff. Being a staunch anti-conformist even back then, I entered the talent show one year with an act where all I did was read Green Eggs and Ham aloud. This was not a recital of the book - I memorized nothing. Had the book in front of me, and read it. Mind you, every act had to pass an audition to get into the talent show, meaning that someone else was cut in favor of my reading a children's book to the audience. Ah, the subversion! I dare say it was the hit of the show - people still talk about it today. Some years later, when Rev. Jesse Jackson read Green Eggs and Ham on SNL, I got phone calls from old high school friends saying, "Hey, he stole your act!"
4. Johnny Thunders Bought Me a Beer. About a year before his death, legendary New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders came to Richmond, VA as a solo act. At the time, I was Music Director for the University of Richmond's radio station, WDCE, and got a call from Johnny's manager asking if we would like to interview him on air while he was in town. Wound up having to pick him up from the hotel and bring him to the station, and then give him a ride to the club where he was playing. So, a friend and I wound up hanging out with Johnny Thunders for the better part of an afternoon and evening, and drinking on his tab. Had a standing invitation to come see him play in NYC, but unfortunately Johnny passed away roughly ten months later, reportedly from a drug overdose.
5. Wanna Get Under My Skin? Be Late. The surest way to aggravate me is to not be somewhere at the time you said you would be there. In my work, if a meeting is scheduled for 3:00, I expect everyone to be there at 3:00 - not 3:05 or 3:10. Same thing in my social life. If I'm meeting someone for dinner, I expect her to be on time. Early is even better, but if I have to wait, my annoyance and irritation grows exponentially with each passing minute!
6. The First Non-Kiddie Record I Ever Owned was "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel, bought for me by my parents when I was very young because I loved the "coo-coo-ca-choo" part. The first non-kiddie record I ever specifically asked for was Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun," which I played to the point of driving everyone batty. I was a child of the '70s...
7. I Don't Believe in Radon. I think the radon gas scare is one of the greatest money-making scams of all time. Someone came up with the idea of saying, "There is this gas, and you can't see it, smell it, or detect it, but it will kill you! Luckily, I can detect it, and for a price I will tell you if it is in your house or not. Then, for a second fee, I will remove it from your home. Finally, for a third fee, I'll test again to make sure it is gone." How can you argue? You don't want to die, so you give someone your money to detect and remove something that you can't even tell if it was there or not to start with! Yeah, you're not scamming me with that one...
OK, now it's my turn to tag 7 fellow bloggers. Also, this gives me a chance to suggest to my readers that they also read these folks' blogs:
Gayle
Greg
Ethan
Gil
Alan
Daniel
You - yeah you, you who are reading this! Guess what? Tag - you're it!
Anyhoo, this is how the game is played:
1. Link your original tagger(s) and leave a comment on this blog posting when you’ve “memed."
2. List these rules on your blog.
3. Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
4. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
5. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.
That's the simple part. Now, let's see if I can actually come up with seven interesting/unusual/random/bizarre things about myself...
1. I Don't Drive. I do not now have, nor have I ever had, a Driver's License. Of course, the first question everyone asks me is, "Why not?" (Well, actually, that's the second question they ask. The first is usually "Are you f---'n nuts?!?") And the thing is, I don't have a good answer as to why. I just have never driven. There's no physical handicap, legal decree, or bizarre phobia that stops me. It just has never been high on my priority list. I walk a lot, and long walks don't bother me. If walking is out of the question, there is public transportation, taxi service, or sharing rides with friends...and yes, I always offer to contribute a few bucks for gas!
2. My First Television Appearance. Had you lived in Lancaster circa 1971/1972, you might have seen the four- or five-year-old version of me smiling at you from the set of Percy Platypus and Friends, a Saturday morning kids' show broadcast from WGAL. The show had a 15-year run here ending in 1974, and one of the recurring segments was celebrating the birthdays of kids in the audience. I just spoke with my Mom about this, and neither she nor I can pinpoint the date, but somewhere in a dusty old scrapbook there is evidence of this; when we find it, I will post it!
3. Green Eggs & Ham. Like most high schools, ours held an annual talent show. It was filled each year with the typical acts: dancers, musicians, the usual ho-hum stuff. Being a staunch anti-conformist even back then, I entered the talent show one year with an act where all I did was read Green Eggs and Ham aloud. This was not a recital of the book - I memorized nothing. Had the book in front of me, and read it. Mind you, every act had to pass an audition to get into the talent show, meaning that someone else was cut in favor of my reading a children's book to the audience. Ah, the subversion! I dare say it was the hit of the show - people still talk about it today. Some years later, when Rev. Jesse Jackson read Green Eggs and Ham on SNL, I got phone calls from old high school friends saying, "Hey, he stole your act!"
4. Johnny Thunders Bought Me a Beer. About a year before his death, legendary New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders came to Richmond, VA as a solo act. At the time, I was Music Director for the University of Richmond's radio station, WDCE, and got a call from Johnny's manager asking if we would like to interview him on air while he was in town. Wound up having to pick him up from the hotel and bring him to the station, and then give him a ride to the club where he was playing. So, a friend and I wound up hanging out with Johnny Thunders for the better part of an afternoon and evening, and drinking on his tab. Had a standing invitation to come see him play in NYC, but unfortunately Johnny passed away roughly ten months later, reportedly from a drug overdose.
5. Wanna Get Under My Skin? Be Late. The surest way to aggravate me is to not be somewhere at the time you said you would be there. In my work, if a meeting is scheduled for 3:00, I expect everyone to be there at 3:00 - not 3:05 or 3:10. Same thing in my social life. If I'm meeting someone for dinner, I expect her to be on time. Early is even better, but if I have to wait, my annoyance and irritation grows exponentially with each passing minute!
6. The First Non-Kiddie Record I Ever Owned was "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel, bought for me by my parents when I was very young because I loved the "coo-coo-ca-choo" part. The first non-kiddie record I ever specifically asked for was Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun," which I played to the point of driving everyone batty. I was a child of the '70s...
7. I Don't Believe in Radon. I think the radon gas scare is one of the greatest money-making scams of all time. Someone came up with the idea of saying, "There is this gas, and you can't see it, smell it, or detect it, but it will kill you! Luckily, I can detect it, and for a price I will tell you if it is in your house or not. Then, for a second fee, I will remove it from your home. Finally, for a third fee, I'll test again to make sure it is gone." How can you argue? You don't want to die, so you give someone your money to detect and remove something that you can't even tell if it was there or not to start with! Yeah, you're not scamming me with that one...
OK, now it's my turn to tag 7 fellow bloggers. Also, this gives me a chance to suggest to my readers that they also read these folks' blogs:
Gayle
Greg
Ethan
Gil
Alan
Daniel
You - yeah you, you who are reading this! Guess what? Tag - you're it!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Boston Radio Great Steve LeVeille Taken Off the Air
I am what they call a Night Owl. My natural sleep/wake cycle is such that I am usually up until 2:00 or 3:00 AM, and regularly sleep in until 11:00 AM or noon. As such, I have over the years become a fan of overnight talk radio on the AM dial. Not the pre-packaged and often pre-recorded syndicated talk radio "product" that is foisted upon us by the networks, but good, old-fashioned, hometown talk radio done live in the studio of the station broadcasting it; authentic, off-the-cuff, spontaneous radio that has, for the large part, sadly disappeared from the airwaves.
I've listened to WBZ 1030AM out of Boston for as long as I can remember. WBZ was the last outpost for non-syndicated overnight talk. I was introduced to Bostonian legends like Larry Glick and Norm Nathan as a youngster when I would spend the night at my grandmother's house: she fell asleep nightly listening to WBZ. After I graduated college, I found myself listening to those same programs: Norm Nathan until his passing, Bob Raleigh until his retirement, Jordan Rich on the weekends, and Steve LeVeille.
Steve LeVeille took over WBZ's overnight (midnight to 5:00 AM) slot in 1999, and for the past decade he has presented the most enjoyable late-night radio program found on the dial. While echoes of LeVeille's predecessors can certainly be heard in his broadcasts, he had a signature style all his own. The Steve LeVeille Broadcast was a nightly mix of thoughtful debate on current events (both those local to Boston and those affecting the entire country...or the entire world) and general lighthearted fun that often slipped into outright silliness, as when he would have Mel Simons in the guest chair conducting his Audio Clip Trivia Quiz. The revered LeVeille-Hagopian Polls (cofounded with WBZ writer/producer Garo Hagopian) got to the heart of issues affecting listeners, asking such soul-searching questions as "paper or plastic?", "red, white, or blue?", or "soda, cola or pop?", and listeners waited for the tell-tale siren indicating a Deviation Alert: someone had made the first non-offered choice!
Though I never met the man, and never called into his program, I felt certain common bonds with LeVeille. Being a life-long Phillies fan, I could easily identify with his yearly frustration with his beloved Red Sox -- and found myself swept up in the joy of the Bosox finally winning the World Series in 2004. Like me, Steve was flabbergasted that each winter's snowstorms brought on a rush to the grocery stores to stock up on milk and bread, as if everyone should hunker down and subsist on French Toast until the storm passes. When he campaigned to change that tradition to one where we should run out before a storm and stock up on Marshmallow Fluff instead, I jumped on that bandwagon.
What made his radio program work so well was Steve's inherent understanding of his role: while so many who enter the talk radio field model themselves after the Limbaughs, Sterns, Larry Kings, and others who shine the spotlight mainly on themselves, Steve LeVeille knew from Day One that he was not the star of his show. He was merely our Master of Ceremonies whose job it was to guide us through whatever may ensue in each night's five-hour block; the callers were the stars. He gave everyone the ability to speak their piece, and while he certainly let his opinions on things be known, he always did so as an aside while trying to get at the reasons the callers felt as they did. He never belittled anyone for their stances, although he did not suffer fools long. If you couldn't explain why you felt as you did, or, worse yet, rambled on without getting to a point, you were done. But, every caller was treated well by Steve, whether they were weekly regulars or one-time callers, and his easy, conversational approach made even the most nervous first-time-caller-long-time-listeners a bit more confident.
Steve LeVeille is no longer on the air. As LeVeille himself noted in an interview with the Boston Herald, he was laid off without warning after he completed his December 29th show. After a decade, The Steve LeVeille Broadcast is suddenly no more, with barely a statement from WBZ, and without the opportunity to say "goodbye." Sadly, it has been replaced on WBZ by something called Overnight America - another soulless, syndicated, cookie-cutter piece of network talk radio product. And to say that LeVeille's many fans in the "38 states and all the best provinces of Canada" that WBZ's signal reaches are upset is an understatement.
A "Bring Back Steve LeVeille" campaign has been initiated by several of his fans; I quickly added my name to this petition. If you were a fan of Steve's, I urge you to join the chorus of voices asking for his return. If you never listened to The Steve LeVeille Broadcast, but understand that losing one of the last of a dying breed of true radio personalities only means a greater influence of CRaP (Corporate Radio Product) and hate that as much as I do, I urge you to sign the petition. If and when Steve returns, you can hear him on WBZ's website, which offers streaming live audio, and perhaps find yourself becoming a fan.
I, for one, sure hope WBZ listens to those who have been listening to WBZ for so many years. We miss you, Steve!
I've listened to WBZ 1030AM out of Boston for as long as I can remember. WBZ was the last outpost for non-syndicated overnight talk. I was introduced to Bostonian legends like Larry Glick and Norm Nathan as a youngster when I would spend the night at my grandmother's house: she fell asleep nightly listening to WBZ. After I graduated college, I found myself listening to those same programs: Norm Nathan until his passing, Bob Raleigh until his retirement, Jordan Rich on the weekends, and Steve LeVeille.
Steve LeVeille took over WBZ's overnight (midnight to 5:00 AM) slot in 1999, and for the past decade he has presented the most enjoyable late-night radio program found on the dial. While echoes of LeVeille's predecessors can certainly be heard in his broadcasts, he had a signature style all his own. The Steve LeVeille Broadcast was a nightly mix of thoughtful debate on current events (both those local to Boston and those affecting the entire country...or the entire world) and general lighthearted fun that often slipped into outright silliness, as when he would have Mel Simons in the guest chair conducting his Audio Clip Trivia Quiz. The revered LeVeille-Hagopian Polls (cofounded with WBZ writer/producer Garo Hagopian) got to the heart of issues affecting listeners, asking such soul-searching questions as "paper or plastic?", "red, white, or blue?", or "soda, cola or pop?", and listeners waited for the tell-tale siren indicating a Deviation Alert: someone had made the first non-offered choice!
Though I never met the man, and never called into his program, I felt certain common bonds with LeVeille. Being a life-long Phillies fan, I could easily identify with his yearly frustration with his beloved Red Sox -- and found myself swept up in the joy of the Bosox finally winning the World Series in 2004. Like me, Steve was flabbergasted that each winter's snowstorms brought on a rush to the grocery stores to stock up on milk and bread, as if everyone should hunker down and subsist on French Toast until the storm passes. When he campaigned to change that tradition to one where we should run out before a storm and stock up on Marshmallow Fluff instead, I jumped on that bandwagon.
What made his radio program work so well was Steve's inherent understanding of his role: while so many who enter the talk radio field model themselves after the Limbaughs, Sterns, Larry Kings, and others who shine the spotlight mainly on themselves, Steve LeVeille knew from Day One that he was not the star of his show. He was merely our Master of Ceremonies whose job it was to guide us through whatever may ensue in each night's five-hour block; the callers were the stars. He gave everyone the ability to speak their piece, and while he certainly let his opinions on things be known, he always did so as an aside while trying to get at the reasons the callers felt as they did. He never belittled anyone for their stances, although he did not suffer fools long. If you couldn't explain why you felt as you did, or, worse yet, rambled on without getting to a point, you were done. But, every caller was treated well by Steve, whether they were weekly regulars or one-time callers, and his easy, conversational approach made even the most nervous first-time-caller-long-time-listeners a bit more confident.
Steve LeVeille is no longer on the air. As LeVeille himself noted in an interview with the Boston Herald, he was laid off without warning after he completed his December 29th show. After a decade, The Steve LeVeille Broadcast is suddenly no more, with barely a statement from WBZ, and without the opportunity to say "goodbye." Sadly, it has been replaced on WBZ by something called Overnight America - another soulless, syndicated, cookie-cutter piece of network talk radio product. And to say that LeVeille's many fans in the "38 states and all the best provinces of Canada" that WBZ's signal reaches are upset is an understatement.
A "Bring Back Steve LeVeille" campaign has been initiated by several of his fans; I quickly added my name to this petition. If you were a fan of Steve's, I urge you to join the chorus of voices asking for his return. If you never listened to The Steve LeVeille Broadcast, but understand that losing one of the last of a dying breed of true radio personalities only means a greater influence of CRaP (Corporate Radio Product) and hate that as much as I do, I urge you to sign the petition. If and when Steve returns, you can hear him on WBZ's website, which offers streaming live audio, and perhaps find yourself becoming a fan.
I, for one, sure hope WBZ listens to those who have been listening to WBZ for so many years. We miss you, Steve!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
R.I.P. Ron Asheton, 7/17/48 - 1/6/09
Just learned that former Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton was found dead in his home yesterday. He was just 60 years old. I have not seen a reported cause of death yet.
In Asheton's memory, here's footage of the Stooges at the Cincinnati Pop Festival in 1970.
In Asheton's memory, here's footage of the Stooges at the Cincinnati Pop Festival in 1970.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Dickies at the 941 Club 1/3/09
Great time last night at The 941 Theater in Philadelphia, PA to see Van Nuys, CA's greatest contribution to punk rock, The Dickies. Absolutely had a great friggin' time - a little hole-in-the-wall BYOB venue on Front Street, about 250 - 300 people, a "stage" that was little more than plywood on cinderblocks raised about a foot off the ground: this is how to see a punk show! Heck, you had to go "backstage" to find the restrooms, fercrissake!
I am learning that it takes a little longer for my 42 year old body to recover from the crowd crush and the decibel level (ears are still ringing, dogs still barking from standing on a concrete floor for hours), but the fun was worth it. Am I showing my age by saying I'm kinda glad PA has the smoking ban nowadays because at least I side-stepped the traditional morning-after hack-a-lung-a-thon?
This was a four-band show; unfortunately, we got there a little late and missed the first band, The Trakes.
We arrived just as Philadelphia's own The SlotCars took the stage. Now, I've been to enough shows in my life to know that opening bands are always a gamble, and home-town opening bands can sometimes be double jeopardy. The SlotCars came through, though, with a fine set. All of the expected spaces on the punk band bingo card could be checked off: song about the band itself? Check. Instrumental with vocal interjection from the bass player? Check. Surf-styled tune? Check. Nifty cover? Check. This, however, was not just "punk rock by the numbers." The band had an energy and a personality that took their minimal guitar/bass/drum basement band vibe to another level or two higher, and they score bonus points for having a wicked sense of humor about themselves, the Scene (with a capital S), and their local fans. Follow the link to their MySpace page and listen to "SlotCars Theme" and their cover of "Little Deuce Coupe", and enjoy!
Kitty and the Kowalskis from New York were up next. Following the "chick singer and three guys" band formula and blasting out a melodic-punk sound with more than a little resemblance at times to Tex & the Horseheads (check out "Mr. Wrong" and "I Love You Baby But I Hate Your Friends" on the Kowalski's MySpace page), they played one helluva set. Good to know that I'm not the only one feeling my age: Kitty called herself out for trying to play a punk show in a sweater and declared herself to be a "child of the sixties".
So, two-fer-two on the opening bands - a great start to the 2009 concert year! (Based on what I've heard on their MySpace page, the Trakes would've been right there, too.) But my friends and I - and by self-admission, the opening bands - were really there for only one reason: to see The Dickies!
I'd only seen the Dickies live once before, at Fiend Fest in Asbury Park, NJ in 2003. They put on a great show then, but as part of the packaged tour with several other bands, their set was truncated. Last night, the spotlight was all theirs, and they did not disappoint! Over the course of roughly an hour and a half or so, we got a virtual Dickies' jukebox. They roared out of the gates with "Rosemary," and gave us everything from the early classics ("Give it Back", "You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)", "Manny, Moe & Jack") to their best known hyper-speed covers ("Nights in White Satin", "Paranoid") to prime examples of their newer material ("My Pop the Cop"). The almost non-existent stage created an environment of band and fans becoming almost one, resulting in Leonard Grave Phillips allowing the crowd to become his call-and-response partners on "I'm OK You're OK" and "Got it at the Store", and we basically sang "Gigantor" for him!
The band did two encores - first encore included a hysterical sing-along on Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World", and the second closed the night out as any Dickies show should be closed: with their turbo-fast slam through of the "Banana Splits Theme".
Hung around a bit after the show and got to talk with both Stan Lee and Leonard - and yes, for those who asked, every Dickies record I own is now autographed.
All in all a great night, a lot of fun, and a heck of a way to celebrate my birthday and kick off a new year of shows. Visit my online album of pics I took throughout the night - forgive the quality, I only had my cell-phone camera with me. If any of you were also at the show, please leave a comment with your review.
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Saturday, January 3, 2009
Last Minute Substitute Concert
Woo hoo! My birthday celebrations are saved!
As you read in an earlier post, plans to catch the Damned three times this week were made irrelevant when Dave Vanian came down with the flu. My birthday is Tuesday, so seeing the Damned tonight in NJ and tomorrow in Philly was to be my way of celebrating.
A buddy called me up today and asked whether I still had tomorrow free. I did, and now plans to go to Philadelphia are back on...the Dickies are playing!
Ironically, the last time I saw the Dickies, they were part of the Fiend Fest lineup with the Damned. I'm taking the records to get signed (fingers crossed), and will have the full report here on Sunday...assuming the Canceled Concert Curse is broken...
As you read in an earlier post, plans to catch the Damned three times this week were made irrelevant when Dave Vanian came down with the flu. My birthday is Tuesday, so seeing the Damned tonight in NJ and tomorrow in Philly was to be my way of celebrating.
A buddy called me up today and asked whether I still had tomorrow free. I did, and now plans to go to Philadelphia are back on...the Dickies are playing!
Ironically, the last time I saw the Dickies, they were part of the Fiend Fest lineup with the Damned. I'm taking the records to get signed (fingers crossed), and will have the full report here on Sunday...assuming the Canceled Concert Curse is broken...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Um, That's Not a Word...
Economic times are tough for everyone, but perhaps the used car dealership in Mechanicsburg, PA where I spotted this attempt at advertising a drop in price should invest some of their dwindling profits in a dictionary...
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
They Canceled the Whole Damned Tour!
Life in a Bungalow is reporting a full cancellation of the Damned's US East Coast leg of their tour in support of their wonderful new album, So, Who's Paranoid? (buy here!)
I was going to be at the Washington, DC show last night, the Asbury Park, NJ show on Friday, and the Philadelphia, PA show on Saturday, so I am greatly disappointed -- this was how I was going to be ringing in the new year and celebrating my birthday!
As yet unconfirmed reports are that Dave Vanian has the flu. If true, here's hoping he gets well soon. The flu is no fun!
As of this point in time, the Damned's website, Official Damned.com, is only announcing last night's DC show, today's planned NYC mini-show, and tonight's Poughkeepsie, NY show as canceled; the NJ and Philly shows are still being advertised. Perhaps a glimmer of hope?
I was going to be at the Washington, DC show last night, the Asbury Park, NJ show on Friday, and the Philadelphia, PA show on Saturday, so I am greatly disappointed -- this was how I was going to be ringing in the new year and celebrating my birthday!
As yet unconfirmed reports are that Dave Vanian has the flu. If true, here's hoping he gets well soon. The flu is no fun!
As of this point in time, the Damned's website, Official Damned.com, is only announcing last night's DC show, today's planned NYC mini-show, and tonight's Poughkeepsie, NY show as canceled; the NJ and Philly shows are still being advertised. Perhaps a glimmer of hope?
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Rock This Town
OK, another check mark on my Life Experience list. Sitting here last night, just a few minutes after midnight, doing some online work and just about ready to close up shop and hit the sack.
At about 12:04 ET, there was a low rumble that quickly got louder and louder, like a train passing by right next to my window. Given that I was on the second floor and the nearest train tracks are several miles away, that couldn't be!
As the rumble continued, the house began shaking. My mind raced - what in Blue Hell is going on here? Some sort of explosion nearby? A couple of large trucks colliding on Columbia Avenue? No, neither of these could be the case either, as the rumbling and shaking was lasting too long.
And then it stopped, just as abruptly as it started. Was that a frickin' earthquake? In Lancaster, PA? In December?
Since I was online at the time, I immediately went to the local TV station's news website. WGAL-TV, channel 8, broadcasts from a building about a block or so west of my home. If I felt this shaking, then anyone there felt must have felt it, too - or so I thought. Then again, our local news is infamous for being a bit slow on the story, and more than a bit lax in their depth of coverage. Their website had nothing, and neither was there any information on their television broadcast.
I also immediately posted status updates on both Facebook and Twitter, basically asking if anyone else had experienced this. Had to make sure I wasn't going cuckoo, y'know! Not a lot of people on Facebook at that time, but Twitter absolutely came to life. For the next hour, several fellow local Twitterers and I exchanged info.
Relatively quickly, the links to the U.S. Geological Survey website started coming in, verifying that indeed, a 3.3 magnitude quake had hit us. Centered in Landisville, PA (a little less than 10 miles from where I am), the quake registered as far south as Maryland, as far west as Carlisle, PA, and as far east as Philadelphia - a huge region. This morning, I noticed the magnitude has been upped to a 3.4.
Once we knew what it was, and once the initial excitement on Twitter settled down, conversation turned to the fact that no news media was reporting anything - nothing at all! I stayed online for about an hour, and by the time I called it a night, there was still nothing on the local news, and precious little info online outside of the USGS site.
Got up this morning and did a cursory check around the house -- no damage, nothing fell over, no new cracks in the walls or ceilings. Definitely a case of the bark being greater than the bite, thankfully. To my knowledge, though, that's the first earthquake I've ever experienced. The whole thing lasted maybe 30 seconds at most, but while it was happening, it sure seemed to be occurring in slow motion.
Thank you to all my fellow Twitterers for being on the ball last night, and for picking up the slack where the news media failed.
At about 12:04 ET, there was a low rumble that quickly got louder and louder, like a train passing by right next to my window. Given that I was on the second floor and the nearest train tracks are several miles away, that couldn't be!
As the rumble continued, the house began shaking. My mind raced - what in Blue Hell is going on here? Some sort of explosion nearby? A couple of large trucks colliding on Columbia Avenue? No, neither of these could be the case either, as the rumbling and shaking was lasting too long.
And then it stopped, just as abruptly as it started. Was that a frickin' earthquake? In Lancaster, PA? In December?
Since I was online at the time, I immediately went to the local TV station's news website. WGAL-TV, channel 8, broadcasts from a building about a block or so west of my home. If I felt this shaking, then anyone there felt must have felt it, too - or so I thought. Then again, our local news is infamous for being a bit slow on the story, and more than a bit lax in their depth of coverage. Their website had nothing, and neither was there any information on their television broadcast.
I also immediately posted status updates on both Facebook and Twitter, basically asking if anyone else had experienced this. Had to make sure I wasn't going cuckoo, y'know! Not a lot of people on Facebook at that time, but Twitter absolutely came to life. For the next hour, several fellow local Twitterers and I exchanged info.
Relatively quickly, the links to the U.S. Geological Survey website started coming in, verifying that indeed, a 3.3 magnitude quake had hit us. Centered in Landisville, PA (a little less than 10 miles from where I am), the quake registered as far south as Maryland, as far west as Carlisle, PA, and as far east as Philadelphia - a huge region. This morning, I noticed the magnitude has been upped to a 3.4.
Once we knew what it was, and once the initial excitement on Twitter settled down, conversation turned to the fact that no news media was reporting anything - nothing at all! I stayed online for about an hour, and by the time I called it a night, there was still nothing on the local news, and precious little info online outside of the USGS site.
Got up this morning and did a cursory check around the house -- no damage, nothing fell over, no new cracks in the walls or ceilings. Definitely a case of the bark being greater than the bite, thankfully. To my knowledge, though, that's the first earthquake I've ever experienced. The whole thing lasted maybe 30 seconds at most, but while it was happening, it sure seemed to be occurring in slow motion.
Thank you to all my fellow Twitterers for being on the ball last night, and for picking up the slack where the news media failed.
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