Watching the news tonight, I enjoyed this story about the Library of Congress getting some new additions to what they have in the archives.  They are very selective about what is chosen to represent our culture in the recording industry, so there’s not even the amount of songs that I have in my iTunes, but they did make an effort to get a little more cool stuff in there this year.  Like The Band and Patti Smith. 

Here’s the link to see the story for yourself:  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6612109n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

He’s the master of self promotion, no doubt about it.  He’s everywhere.  Kiss has been merchandised in every way possible.  Not just the normal rock star stuff, but there’s even KISS soap.  I blogged about it a few months ago because I thought it was so funny.  Gene Simmons himself has been merchandised in every way possible.  He’s been on every TV show from “The Apprentice” to his own “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” which follows his life with partner Shannon Tweed and their two children.  I’ve interviewed him myself on KGON, and found him to be upbeat and charming.  He’s everything you would think Gene Simmons would be in a conversation. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen “William Shatner’s Raw Nerve” or not, but give it a whirl.  He may not be your cup of tea, but I love the guy.  The Shat can do no wrong.  I think from his role as Captain James T. Kirk through his role in “Boston Legal” he’s wonderful.  He makes me laugh, he makes fun of himself, and he conducts a pretty good interview that isn’t the norm of what we see in a celebrity interview.  His conversation with Gene Simmons was especially good.  I’ve never seen him more open about who he really is.  On “Family Jewels” Gene comes across as a good guy and a good dad, but this was different somehow. 

So if you get the chance to see Shatner’s Raw Nerve with Gene, check it out.

I bought the tickets when they were on a pre sale, and I couldn’t wait to see him at the Bagdad.  However I didn’t allow for this last bout with the surgery and infection from hell.  So, I couldn’t go.  Boo hoo.  If you went to see Anthony swear and talk “foodie” with Portland hipsters, and if you got a copy of the book, let me know how it was.  I offered the tickets up to a couple of friends and they weren’t up for going, so I sent the man cub of the house to go and see if he could get face value for the tickets, or if he couldn’t to at least pick up a copy of the book…which was going to be a very expensive book indeed.  Luckily the tickets went to two happy people, and I recovered what was going to be a loss.  Tragedy averted.  Well sort of, because I really wanted to go. 

The sun is out for a brief showing today.  It feels so great to just get warm.  I’ve been wrapped in blankets for weeks.  This is summer? 

Back to reading.  I’m doing my best to pay attention to Richard Russo’s “Bridge of Sighs.”  I love his books, but my mind is just into wandering, which makes me go and read the same page over a few times before I move along.  It’s irritating.  I’m not even on pain pills.  This is just how my mind is NOT working right now.

So, if you saw bad boy celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain last night, let me know how it was.  Did he swear more at the second show?  It was an “all adult” show at 9:30.  What kid would want to see him anyway? 

I finally saw “Avatar.”  Amazing effects, but sad.  I guess in IMAX 3D it was incredible.  I saw “Alice in Wonderland” that way and couldn’t get used to the glasses. 

Have a good one and enjoy the little glimpse of the sun we have.

Greetings!  Hope Father’s Day was outstanding despite the June gloom we are having.  What’s the thing with this weather?  I have cousins and friends in other places that are telling me that it’s actually sunny and hot around the U.S. outside of the Great Pacific Northwest.  Really?

I was all encouraged that I would be returning to work sometime this week, but had a little setback that has delayed things a bit.  I won’t go into the grizzly details because I’m living them and I can’t stand hearing about my own bad self as it is.  Let’s just say that I’m staying on this side of cautious because I do not want anymore medical crap to deal with for the rest of my natural life.  Dear God, please let me just be well.  It’s my nightly prayer.  Yes, I pray.  Ask most people who have run the medical mile and they will also probably tell you that they pray, or at least have a little dialogue with a being higher than themselves.  The cosmic muffin perhaps, but someone.

So, I will be back when I’m better and am sure this infection is all cleared up.  Looking at the calendar, this coming Thursday will only be 3 weeks after the 3rd surgery on the same part of my body within a year.  That alone blows my mind.  For someone who has radiated good health until that little cancer thing in 2006, I just never imagined it would  happen to me, but that’s what we all say, right?  So, anyway, it will be just under a month when I return…again…to rock with you and enjoy the rest of the summer.

I haven’t been blogging because I just couldn’t figure out what to say, and it all seems so boring to talk about medical stuff.

So here’s a different subject.  The Tudors on Showtime came to a close last night.  What a great series that was.  It really made history come alive, and while artistic license was used (and made Henry look sexy as hell) it made things more interesting and caused me to do more research about that period of history in England.  I also went back to my pictures of when I went to England and revisited the things that have happened in those places.  Amazing.

Last night was also the season ender of “Treme,” the show about New Orleans after Katrina.  It’s a great show and thank you Gloria for turning me onto it!  Great cast, great plot, incredible music.  I hope they bring it back for another season.

Then there was another episode of “True Blood” which I enjoy because it’s so outlandish.  Vampires with feelings have really invaded pop culture since Anne Rice started writing about them years ago.

I’ve also read some good books, and watched lots of movies, and listened to lots of music.  But I’ll be SO ready to get back to KGON and rock my days away!  I miss you all so very much.  I’m doing all I can to get better, and  enjoy the rest of the summer with you…going to shows and hopefully seeing the sun!

Stay well.  Seriously!

Iris

Dear Mother,

I know you are excited about your date with Iris tonight which is why I am writing this quick note. I just wanted to remind you that she is still recovering from surgery. She has had one hell of a year, one hell of a three years actually, so I will be holding you personally responsible should anything happen to Iris tonight.

I would like you to protect her at all times as if you are a mama grizzly bear and she is a cub and there are horrible poachers hiding nearby just waiting to get their guns on your baby cub. If people try and talk to her, you are to swiftly shoo them away, change the subject or move your body until you are standing in between her and the talker. If that person persists, you are to begin kicking them in the shins until they get the hint.

You need to be hyper-aware of your surroundings at all times, as if you are backstage at a meet and greet trying to keep the drunk people away from the star while keeping a close eye on the woman who promised to grab the star’s crotch during the picture taking while keeping everyone else in line while drinking your own beer, that kind of hyper-aware. If at any point you feel as if you need back-up, you are to call me immediately. The children can walk home from water polo and cook themselves dinner while I come and rescue Iris from the hordes of well-wishers and hangers-on. I’m not kidding, Mom. Her recovery is in your hands.

You are to feed her, get her to the show and then get her safely home in a timely manner. She does not drink (I don’t really know why you’re even hanging out with her) so do not offer unless she specifically asks. Accompany her to the bathroom should she need to go because rest assured, someone will recognize her and try and speak to her, much like I did at the Tom Petty concert four years ago when we were peeing next to each other and I recognized her voice. No, this was not the time she caught me peeing in the boys bathroom because the ladies room line was too long. Constant vigilance, Mother! If she seems to tire, you need to take her home immediately and tuck her into bed. Remember, mama grizzly bear, baby cub, poachers nearby.

Your duty tonight is clear. You had better call me when she is home safe so that I may rest peacefully. You are required to give me updates about how the evening is going via text message, I expect a minimum of three. Oh, and please speak to her about the awesomeness of texting and how she should learn, but don’t harrass her about it, just gentle notions about how you love to text and how it’s the only way you really communicate lately.

Ok, so have fun and protect her from the public. I would like to say that you have my full confidence but after the time you let the 8-year-old Zed drive your Lexus around the parking lot of your apartments because “he loves to drive,” you are still on probation. She needs to heal so you had better be on your best behavior young lady.

Best,
Your Loving Daughter, Amy
_________________________________________________

That being said, I would like to add to my List of Things I Learned at Tom Petty.

12. My mother truly does rock. She went to both Tom Petty shows by herself (the way I usually like to live, travel and go to shows) and enjoyed herself, rocked out, found her way back to her hotel in Ellensburg both nights all by herself (I think, and if not, way to go, MOM!) despite having a flat tire the first night. It is actually very cool to have a mother who appreciates and adores the same awesome music that I do. It could be worse, she could be a Perry Como fan or worse yet, Celine Dion. My mother rocks at every show and despite the fact that she continually harrasses me for tickets to everything, think Superbowl, she is welcome at every show we do. She is KGON.

Well, I pretty much have my day planned for Sunday…doesn’t really differ from any other Sunday though…except it’s day four of the U.S. Open…Go Phil!! I”m gonna “Weberize” some kind of meat, throw back several cold ones and watch the drama unfold.

If you’re a dad, enjoy the day and remember the 10 things you’ll never here us say…except for #1 (for me anyway).

10. “Well, how ’bout that? I’m lost! Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.”
9. “You know Pumpkin, now that you’re 13, you’ll be ready to start dating boys who drive. Won’t that be fun?”
8. “I noticed that all your friends have a certain hostile attitude. I like that.”
7. “Here’s a credit card and the keys to my new car. GO CRAZY!!”
6. “What do you mean you wanna play football? Figure skating’s not good enough for you, son?”
5. “Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend. You might want to consider throwing a party.”
4. “Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies — ya know — that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.”
3. “No son of mine is going to live under this roof without a nose earring. Now quit your bellyaching, and let’s go to the mall.”
2.”What do you wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.”
1. “What do I want for Father’s Day? Aahh — don’t worry about that. It’s no big deal.” (OK, they might say it. But they don’t mean it.)

I learned a lot of important things after two days camping at the Gorge last weekend for two Tom Petty/Joe Cocker shows.  I would like to share them with you now.

1. I like the sunshine.

2. I should always camp in the old fogey campground as I do not like the general shennanigans and tomfoolery campground after 11pm. At 11pm, I usually like to crawl into my quiet tent and enjoy some quiet time quietly. Not conducive AT ALL to the Gorge campground at any time of day or night.

3. Tom Petty is my favorite band or artist ever and every song he sings is a hit or will be a hit. I worship at the alter of Tom Petty.

4. Joe Cocker rocked it! And he had some bangin’ black chicks in hot purple dresses singing backup as only black chicks can. Joe Cocker rocks.

5. Driving to the Gorge is a haul. It’s like, a day and a half away from Portland. OK, so it’s more like 6 hours but still, it’s a hike. That being said, I should be a long haul trucker when I am done (fired) at KGON. I love to drive and I think I’m pretty good at it, tailgating and speeding aside.

6. Two days of camping is about all I’m good for.

7. People who steal deserve to be shot.

8. Your real true friends are the ones who offer you a pair of their clean underwear after all of your clean underwear has been stolen and you still have two more days of camping left. If you accept that underwear, you’re gross, but it’s the thought that counts.

9. I am definitely a front row kind of girl. If not front row, certainly the first 10 rows. I am in no way, shape or form a sit on the lawn kind of girl. Lawn seats are for hippies who want to smoke some reefer, lay back on their blanket and stare at the stars while they listen to the music. I want to be in the center to the music, thrashing and sweating front and center, not sharing the peace and love on the lawn. I want to be throwing the devil horns three feet from Tom Petty, not smiling at my neighbor while he shares his pot. I want Tom to see me three feet from him, singing along, every word to every song and I want him to think, “damn, that chick is hardcore” because I am hardcore. Lawn seats are definitely not for me. No sir.

10. It takes about five minutes for all hell to break loose at a show where 20,000 people are trying to get in. Once there is a back-up at the gate and people can’t get in and the show has started, be prepared for anarchy. Fences will be busted down, people will pass out, bodies will be laying everywhere and the crowd pushes and shouts and crowds their way through security. We must have waited an hour in line to get in Saturday night and once we made it through the gates, the poor ticket takers weren’t even scanning tickets anymore. They were just snatching them out of the hands of the angry mob, stuffing them into huge plastic garbage bags. I could have had a ticket from last year and they wouldn’t have noticed. It was quite a scene. Not a good one.

11. Most people who are going to be camping for two days and attending two shows will not be able to maintain. They will go all out the first night, balls to the wall, and then spend Saturday hungover and sunburned, hiding in their tents. They may try and rally mid-day, crawl out of their tent, try and throw back a beer and act tough. But rest assured, these people want NOTHING to do with the concert Saturday night and will be looking for any way out of having to go. If they do go, they will look for any excuse to crawl back to the campground unnoticed and sip sprite while huddled around the bag of Doritos.

12. The portable bathrooms at the Gorge are just fine. Very clean, tons of toilet paper and rarely a line. Inside the venue however, I almost peed my pants a hundred times trying to find a toilet close to the stage. Up in the food area at the very top, plenty of toilets. Down in front where the devil-horned hardcore are getting their party on, not so much.

And that concludes my list of things I learned at the Gorge this past weekend. Here are some pictures of Camp KGON and crew.

First- please ignore my lack of proper grammar and punctuation this weekend. Normally I’m a grammar nazi but I’m typing this from my phone so I get a free typos galore pass.

Its saturday morning and the campground at the gorge resembles a post-apocalyptic movie set. One guy was passed out in the road, one on the very top of his car. Many are wandering aimlessly still drunk and babbling to anyone who will listen. Breakfast for most consists of beer and the two older dudes across from us are sharing a joint. They’re coughing their lungs out, maybe I should offer some water. But the sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky and my cooler of beer is still half-full.

The show last night was amazing and of course I would say that but the highlight for me was Tom Petty closing the show with Mystic Eyes. One of my most favorite songs of his that he does on the dvd I’ve been watching. Van Morrison song right? He played lots of new stuff, all good, and lots of hits. I can’t wait for tonight to see him again and how he changes up the set list.

Joe Cocker was superb. Love that I got to see him, he was on my list. Pictures and video will be on the website Monday.

Worst part so far? We were robbed last night. Not only did they ransack our tent, taking ipods, cash, nike tennis shoes, my makeup bag and cash, but they took my entire suitcase and every stitch of clothing I brought. Yes, very dumb to leave cash unsecured and thankfully everything else was locked up. But really, my clothes? Keep the cash, keep the ipod, keep the shoes but please don’t make me wear the same pair of underwear for three days. The clothing is not worth anything at all and I would like it back.

Despite my anger at the theiving bastards who did this, I am still looking forward to the show tonight. I will be wearing the same thing as last night but at least its sunny, I get to be with my best friends, I get to lay in the sun all day, and I get to see my favorite band again tonight. Life is good.

Cash reward to whoever finds my black and white zebra striped bag full of clothes to the KGON tent at the campground. I know they grabbed it and dashed, checking later to see if there was anything of value. Not in that bag. Nothing but clothes. Please return.

The Waiting really is the hardest part. I wish it was tomorrow and I was already camped out at the Gorge, beer in hand, sunshine shining. There is nothing better than the excitement of looking forward to two shows by your favorite band.

This is a video of “Something Good Coming,” a new song off the new album due out any day. I like it. And I like the goatee.

Sometimes I wonder if we’ve just been really naughty to deserve this extended gloom.  Setting rainfall records, longest period into the year without it getting into the 80’s, flowers rotting on the shrubs and vines…it’s getting old.  Yes, I know tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and lovely and the start of a few days of this kind of improvement, but really?

Tomorrow is the first Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Joe Cocker show in the Gorge.  Should be a lovely time for those who are there.  At least I hope it is.  Could be a mud bath.  Is it better weather over in Eastern Washington?

Tomorrow is also the Crosby, Stills and Nash show at the Sleep Country Amphitheater.  I’ll be missing it.  Sigh.  I had great plans for this show, but life came by and bit me on the ass, so I’ll be listening to “Four Way Street” instead here at home.  I see that Neil Young is doing a solo show at a later date.  Couldn’t he just come join his other three friends and have a CSNY show again?  It sounds so easy.

Anyway, the Amphitheater is covered and you should make plans to go and enjoy the CSN show in my place.  That’s the cool thing about the Sleep Country Amphitheater.  Sheltered seating and bathrooms that are not chemical toilets.  I’m getting to the point where that’s one of the things that will make me avoid a concert.

I never was big on camping, and seeing a concert in those surroundings seems too much like camping for me.  Oh, I’ve camped, rock climbed, hiked and run the big old Colorado River on a raft as well as fished for days when I was little and with my family.  That’s why I know I don’t enjoy it.  Doing housework in the outdoors without the convenience of actually having a home to do it in is not a vacation.  Maybe it is for the person who sits around and doesn’t do anything while people bring them food, drink, etc.  I would call that hunting though, because I’d have to kill that person.  Luckily all the family and friends who camped with me in the past were eager workers, but I just never warmed up to the whole event.  My mother tolerated it, but she didn’t enjoy it either.  After a while she just suggested that my Dad go with his brothers and have a good one in the woods or wherever they were headed.  I see her point of view.

So, have fun camping, and watching Petty, or just driving up 1-5 to Ridgefield tomorrow and enjoy some music.

Back to my DVD of Petty live, and listening to “4-Way Street.”