The Worst New Year’s Gig Of All

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And in the 48 years since my first New Year’s Eve gig, I’ve only not worked on six of them, and five of those were consecutive (2008-2012). For the most part, New Year’s Eve sucks from a performance standpoint. Why should people in the mood to get totally shit-faced be in a venue where they […]



What a Nice Way to End the Year

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Let’s have SURGERY! Something I haven’t had in 31 years, after accidentally smashing a light globe with my guitar and a big chunk of glass landing on the base of my thumb, severing a tendon. The club where that accident happened took full responsibility and paid for the surgery, which would have cost me $3200 […]



A Sad Day in San Francisco Remembered

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40 years ago today, around 10:00 in the morning, I went to the nearby Safeway supermarket in San Francisco to pick up a few things, mostly in a great mood, as I was less than three weeks away from getting married for the first time. When I got back home, my fiancé had a look […]



Could this be my last trip to America?

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Actually, whenever I see a newspaper article where the headline is a question, for example “Did Hillary run a child sex ring from a pizza parlour?” my first response is usually no. And that’s probably the answer to this question as well, but if the country I’m going to visit tomorrow for a mere 9 […]



The Good Old Days of Student Activism and Merry Pranks

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I think of these times now because my 50-year high school reunion is happening this weekend, and while I knew it would be difficult logistically to attend, the other factor I had to consider was looking at the list of attendees and seeing three names of people I unfriended and blocked on Facebook as soon […]



The Worst Human Being I Ever Met

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Bear in mind, I never met Donald Trump, nor would I ever care to, but let’s just say the person I’m about to describe is what Trump would be if he ran a nightclub. The man was a thug, a bully, a wannabe gangster, involved in any activity, legal or not, that could squeeze that […]



I Think I Finally Get World Cup

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On this lovely July 4th, the 17th consecutive one I’ve spent in England, I can celebrate becoming even more immersed in this country’s ethic. Last night, I watched the World Cup match between England and Colombia at the Shaftesbury Pub, where on Tuesdays, I normally run the weekly pub quiz. Obviously, that weren’t gonna happen, […]



When She Was A Nice Person

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It was almost exactly 30 years ago today, when Roseanne Barr was gaining national acclaim for her appearances on Tonight Show and other cable comedy specials, but was a few months away from the debut of the “Roseanne” sitcom, that I met and developed a brief friendship with her. I had been working at the […]



“I Give It A Year”

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I’ve never said that, but I’ve sure heard it said a lot in the past few months. I’d like to think a bit more optimistically for Harry & Meghan, given that Harry’s dad was the first royal to divorce since Henry VIII over 400 years ago. There’s certainly reason for people to be skeptical, as […]



My Korean Adventures

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Great to see the summit between Moon and Un, the aftermath of which continues to make one believe Kim Jong-Un has a human side after all. I know Trump will be bellowing incessantly, “I’m responsible for the end of the Korean War. Obama tried and failed, blah blah,” as part of another insane rant to […]