Once upon a time, during the somewhat ill-fated 2007 Big State Festival in College Station (think ACL Fest, but all country and crammed into the dusty fairway of a racetrack), I was unceremoniously booted from a stage by Billy Joe Shaver, where I was seconds from introducing him. I had been warned to be ready for unpredictable developments, so I can’t say I was surprised, really. And while I was sore about it for awhile, over the years I’ve come to understand that Billy just didn’t want anybody coming between him and his people. I got a chance to hang out with him at another gig a few years later, and he couldn’t have been cooler. I didn’t bring up the Big State thing.
Gosh this year has sucked. Nice piece from Rolling Stone on Eddie Van Halen, which reminds me of my early admiration for the band as a kid, which was not only fueled by Eddie’s amazing work, but conversely, also had a lot to do with Michael Anthony’s relatively easy bass parts, considering my membership as a bass player in a middle-school cover band at the time.
I’ve never been a Zappa fan, but most of the people I know who are are very cool people. Is it too late to join the club? Maybe not!
And finally, Memory Lane continues with a new David Bowie biopic.
