Usain Bolt hits Beijing hard, Eno/Byrne return

earbender.com has received an unprecedented number of hits over the past few weeks due to the tremendous achievements by Jamaican runners at Beijing combined with the fact that I have written about them a few times.

I am very proud to be a fan of the Jamaican track team! As I said to a friend of mine, "who won the most medals, per capita?" My guess is Jamaica! Congratulations on the achievements of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson, Kerron Stewart, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shareefa Lloyd, Rosemarie White, Shericka Williams, Nesta Carter, and Melanie Walker (not the one from KCMP).

Here are a few nice links to check out:

The Bangladesh Daily Star thinks Usain Bolt is the hero of the Olympics, not Michael Phelps, and I agree.

Shelly-Ann Fraser credits "Reggae Power" for the team's success.

Daddy Bolt home - Usain Bolt's father talks about Usain's diet as a child ("A quart of cow's milk every morning."

Usain credits "hard work, fast track" for three records

Faster than Fast - Sports Illustrated's profile of Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.

Why Jamaica Rules at Track - Reason no. 6 - "because Usain Bolt was born there."

Prime Minister Bruce Golding appealed to the country to improve itself in response to its burst of attention, saying "Let us use this moment, this unprecedented display of world-class excellence, this moment of triumph and glory, to unite as a people."

"World's Fastest Country? It's Jamaica, Mon" -- according to the coach, this is the beginning of a dynasty.


*******

Eno and Byrne made the album above available for streaming so I am pleased to help spread the music around. They are a couple of my favorite artists, although I haven't been an active Byrne fan since True Stories and the cover of Time. Little Creatures was a nice comeback to the original four-piece lineup after being in the Fela knock off business, but True Stories and its associated hype turned me off.

Additionally, I played "Psycho Killer" on guitar when I saw David Byrne at Guitar Center once and he ignored it. I should've played "Pulled Up" maybe.



And finally, and I do mean finally, Pervis Jackson RIP: he was the deep voice in the Spinners, who I just saw at the Philly Soul show in Atlantic City. He sang the line "12:45" in "Games People Play." The Juke Joint Soul site had a sweet tribute.

They Stole Watt's Bass!

...And the rest of Iggy and the Stooges' equipment on Monday morning in Montreal. Their truck was parked at the hotel, and sometime between 6:30 and 7:30am, thieves stole the vehicle, later recovered empty a few blocks away.

watt checked in to say that the subsequent show at the legendary Massey Hall in Toronto, on rented equipment was a good one, as he felt better by staying focused on the fact that it was 55 years after the "greatest jazz concert" with Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Charles Mingus where Bird himself played a plastic saxophone (see photo above).

watt wails for his 50th:




Here is the email watt sent out:

if anyone has information, ANY INFORMATION!
please, please, PLEASE as soon as possible contact
Eric Fischer at:
nycentral13@gmail.com
cell phone: +1 646 932 1907

PLEASE FORWARD AS FAR AND WIDE AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!!!

IGGY AND THE STOOGES
EQUIPMENT STOLEN ON AUGUST 4, 2008
OUTSIDE THE EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL
208 SAINT ANTOINE OUEST,
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA

all equipment was in a rented penske 15 foot yellow truck
with u.s. (michigan) license plate number AC46493
and the theft had to have happened in the morning,
between 6:30 and 7:30 am

there's a web page at:

http://www.hootpage.com/stoogesstolenstuff/stoogesstolenstuff.html

that will soon have pictures and updates to more stuff found missing


Item Country of Origin Serial Number

Red roadcase containing: USA No serial number
Red Gibson 1963 EB-3 bass (this is mike watt's bass!) USA No serial number

Black roadcase containing: USA No serial number
Reverend Flying V guitar - Volcano black USA #08001

Black roadcase containing: USA No serial number
Reverend Orange guitar USA 03416 ZSL7

Black fibre case containg: USA No serial number
Gibson red SG short scale bass USA No serial number

Black roadcase containing: USA No serial number
Marshall Vintage/Modern Amplifier UK M-2007-07-0926-2 RoHS

Black roadcase containing: USA No serial number
Marshall Vintage/Modern Amplifier UK M-2007-07-0927-2 RoHS

4x Marshall 4x12 Cabinets (with Tuki cover) UK #1 Slant: M-2007-05-0149-0

4x Marshall 4x12 Cabinets (with Tuki cover) UK #2 Straight: M-2006-49-0380-0

4x Marshall 4x12 Cabinets (with Tuki cover) UK #3 Slant: M-2007-05-0150-0

4x Marshall 4x12 Cabinets (with Tuki cover) UK #4 Straight: M-2006-49-0381-0

Orange Calzone road case containing:
Guitar pedal board and pedals USA/Japan No serial number
Assorted leads USA/UK No serial number
2x mic stands Germany No serial number
Assorted strings and spares USA No serial number
plus:
2x Boss TU2 Chromatic Tuner
Boss CH1 Super Chorus
Fulltone OCD Overdrive
Crybaby Wah
Peterson Strobo-Stomp Tuner Pedal
Whirlwind A/B Boxes
Whirlwind Cable Tester
and many many istrument cables
various tools ( screwdrivers, soldering iron, pliers, etc... )
tambourine and maracas

Cardboard box containing:
Assorted replacement drum heads USA No serial number

Gretsch Silver Sparkle Catalina drum kit USA No serial number
26" Kick Drum No serial number
13" Rack Tom No serial number
18" Floor Tom No serial number
4x Cymbal Stands No serial number
1x Snare Stand No serial number
1x Hi Hat Stand No serial number
1x Drum Throne No serial number

Eden D810 Bass cabinet USA D810RP4 0703E5001

Eden D810 Bass cabinet USA D810RP4 0703E5002

Cardboard box containg:
Eden VT300 Bass amplifier USA 0601E5115

Cardboard box containg:
Eden VT300 Bass amplifier USA 0507E5033

Floor Fan CHINA No serial number

Floor Fan CHINA No serial number

Green clamshell suitcase containing:
Yamaha snare drum JAPAN No serial number
Yahama kick pedal JAPAN No serial number
Zildjian Mega Bell cymbal USA No serial number
Zildjian 15" Hi-Hats USA No serial number
3x Zildjian 18" 19" 20" crash medium cymbals USA No serial number

Brown Epiphone guitar case:
Black Epiphone EB3 short scale bass KOREA F300503


PLEASE FORWARD AS FAR AND WIDE AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!!!


if anyone has information, ANY INFORMATION!
please, please, PLEASE as soon as possible contact
Eric Fischer at:
nycentral13@gmail.com
cell phone: +1 646 932 1907




can you believe this shit?

Goose Gossage's Big Day

"Fearsome and fearless"* Yankee reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage is to be inducted into just about an hour to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. I wish I could be there! It will be a crowded one I'm sure. Also, I once had the great fortune to meet the Goose in the best of all places, a Willie Nelson show (see photo at right!). He's been friends with Poodie and all in the Willie camp since he was blazing fastballs in the 70s, and had his own bus backstage.

But mainly, I remember his White Sox cards, then heading to Pittsburgh and over to the Yankees as a big free agent, even though Sparky Lyle had won the Cy Young Award as a reliever in 77 (and a few others afterwards too). Those Yankees were incredible! As we face the Sox and go into tonight's game w/an eight game win streak, I hope we win one for the Goose tonight.

It would be hard to imagine Goose's speech won't include Thurman Munson, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Graig Nettles and other (Cliff Johnson?) Yankee teammates.

I saw him do it to the Red Sox on the last day of the 78 season, the pine tar incident and heard the tape where he told reporters to "take it to the fat man upstairs" many times before finally running into him in 2003. What a great guy.

I saw him pitch for the Giants, A's and Mariners at the end of his run. He may have been on one or two others too. Texas? Cubs. Anyhow, many cheers for the GOOSE!

Congrats to the great Goose Gossage on your induction to the Hall!

MLB All Star Game Review

A week later, I'm looking back on the 2008 MLB All Star Game and am happy the whole thing is over. I am very pleased the game turned out so well, because everything else felt like a rip off. The "Fan Fest" had very little content that wasn't an ad, even though it cost $30 to get in. The tickets were priced exorbitantly, but the parade was pretty excellent.

More than any other time since I've been a baseball fan, MLB is marketing very aggressively and I think I've had enough. And I'm a fan of marketing! I like logos, street teams, contests, events, promo items AND the game of baseball, so to have been pushed to far is really saying something.

I currently go to games, watch them on cable tv, have an online subscription for MLB.TV I am usually asked to upgrade, play fantasy baseball w/my friends and horde memorabilia. I have stopped buying the swag, but that's another post!

The thing that got me was the "MLB Insider's Club," an official fan club licensed by MLB that focuses on a publication they will create from fan's written contributions. Of course they will get a credit towards MLB merch if their material is used. This magazine sinfully emulates many of the features we love about Baseball Digest, such as letters (MLB just stole the title -- "The Fans Speak Out" outright), history, "The Game I'll Never Forget," "Quick Quiz" and its general perspective on the game. "Warm Up Tosses" is something I look forward to reading.

Baseball Digest is down to 8 issues per year and I believe MLB should buy it and make it the official (old) fan's journal. The history of the game is its focal point, so everyone who goes to the Hall of Fame should get a subscription included in their admission price. I don't know why Baseball Digest is unable to market effectively (it may have just been a way to sell souvenirs all these years -- look at their ads). Are Golf Digest and their other publications suffering too?

MLB Insider Club is "ONLY $2 a month!" That's $24 per year in my book, more than enough to treat yourself to a Baseball Digest subscription and still have enough for a soda.

Buddy Guy "Skin Deep" solo guitar!!!!

Please enjoy earbender.com's first video exclusive (please share it far and wide) from Buddy Guy!!!!!!