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There’s no more smooth jazz stations in Central Jersey anymore. For the most part, no big loss. Smooth jazz was so undefined that Billy Joel and Sting were played along with Boney James and Chris Botti. I don’t recall Billy Joel ever saying he was a jazz player.

Radio Station CD 101.9 in New York City, explored smooth electronica for awhile, but it stopped and went back to undefined smooth jazz. They've since quit all that and went into another genre.

I get the Sounds of the Season on my cable television music so I hear the smooth electronica from time to time. (Air, Paul Hardcastle and the Jazzmasters). Someone just informed me that genre is called “lounge” on Pandora. All the other musicians that play that genre get no airplay anywhere else.

I have a copy of Mindi Abair’s “It Just Happens That Way” after I heard “Lucy” on CD101.9. Since that station is something else now, Mindi Abair gets no airplay and apparently she’s put out 4 or so compact discs by now. I never would've know if I only listened to the radio. I found out in a Barnes & Noble music section.

So many artists, so much radio space filled with crap.

I got hooked on the show “Bones” this past summer. I think the first show I saw was the Christmas one where Chris Kringle is killed. The way they find the killer in the room of Santas is very funny. Then, I saw the show where they steal the body from the wake. The Emmy people don’t really watch television, because if they did, that show would’ve been the show of the year. The sing-along in the funeral parlor and the ironic twist at the end, were priceless.

Anyway, I got my hands on a copy of The Devil Bones by Kathy Reich, the first book on which the show is supposedly based. It wasn’t even close. There’s no Booth, no Angela, no Hodgins and worse yet no Dr. Sweets!

The television Brennan is played by young Emily Deschanel. The book Brennan is over 40 with a college-age daughter. The television Brennan has her moments of quirky humor, but book Brennan is very straight.

I’ll give the book credit, the story was very involving and I learned a lot about Santeria and other religions. The story had loads of plot twists, but not confusing ones. When it came to the parts about book Brennan dating or her daughter, I passed.

Book Brennan’s stories are very good, but I didn’t care for her. Television Brennan is so interesting that the cases are almost an afterthought.

I joined the “Bones Television Show” on Facebook and I have to say that I enjoy television Brennan more.

How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely.

At first I didn’t want to read this book because these books make publishing a book sound simple. Someone writes a book in one draft, finds a publisher and counts the money from royalties.

What a crock!

I published two books and have no money to count. I’m still re-writing the 15^th opening of a story and it’s still not there.

Hely’s book is supposed to be a comical look at writers, writer’s groups, publishers and whole publishing industry. It was funny and there’s a lot that is true. I can’t recommend this to other writers I know because Hely really blasts them. I’ve been part of the big art versus commerce debate. I’ve met the writers that have picked out clothes for the awards dinners they’ll go to, before they’ve typed one word. Hely’s character does all of this. He sets out to write a book with all the keys to success, movie rights, merchandising, and gratuitous mentions of religion and “finding oneself.” He knows someone in the publishing business already so he uses contacts to get the publishing deal. The writing job mostly falls to his copyeditor and he finds success. Things change in part 2. The book stays comical and aggravatingly realistic throughout.

I don’t remember how I came across this book, but it was worth the read. For the authors that follow this, you'll certainly see people you know.

The downside of his popularity is that Bruce Springsteen can’t play a club somewhere. I listed to Tracks recently along with some other songs. He has some pretty ballads. Of course any Springsteen fan would say “Fever,” but there’s also “Wages of Sin” “Meeting Across the River” “Back in Your Arms” and “Magic.” There’s no way to enjoy the simple beauty of these songs in an arena or stadium.  The noise power needed to reach all the people would kill the subtle songs. Even the mellow rock songs like “For You” Loose Ends” “County Fair” would play really well in a small place. The CDs of “Magic” and “Working on a Dream” sound really pretty on my earphones, there’s no way they could keep that sound in a loud stadium.

OK all those ballads would be a little too mellow, but Springsteen can make some real pretty songs that never see the light along with all those arena power songs.

Bruce Springsteen opened his last ever group of concerts at Giants Stadium on September 30^th. I was there. Somehow it was the only cold day in the entire two weeks of concerts. The E-Street band had to wear gloves while playing. The woman next to me wrapped herself in a blanket.

In the end, it didn’t matter, the concert scorched. He opened the show with a song he wrote for the occasion, then went into “Seeds” “Johnny 99” and “Atlantic City.” Loud and powerful music blasted through the stadium. He ran from one end of the stage to the other and into the audience. He counted off songs while pogoing.

I wonder if it was because he was freezing too.

They played for three straight hours with no costume changes, no headset microphones, and no back up dancers. At sixty years old, Springsteen and the E-Street Band played longer and with more energy than anyone else out on tour.

They played “Growing Up,” and it feels like we’re still growing up instead of old.

Street Gang- Michael Davis

            Street Gang is the story of the world famous television show, Sesame Street. To think it was just a kid show is a mistake.

            The book begins with a study of children’s shows in the early years of television. Many of these shows featured adults that acted as school teachers. Because it’s called “commercial television” these adults also sold toys and cereals during the show.

            Joan Cooney, who had spent years in journalism and television, along with associates that had worked on other shows wanted to create a new type of show. They studied watching habits of other programs. A popular show among adults was called “Laugh In.” Children responded to the rapid fire jokes and silly sight gags even when they didn’t get the joke. The constant repetition of commercials and jingles also struck them. From that, they drew inspiration.

            Jim Henson gets credit in this book for Sesame Street's success because of his odd sense of humor. His characters weren’t the sweet hand puppets of early television. He had monsters that ate cookies and letters and lived in garbage pails, but, they weren’t scary.

            Through the late 1970’s-1990’s, demographics changed and eventually Sesame Street was replaced by Barney and Nickelodeon. Jim Henson passed away. Different characters came out and eventually it became the “Elmo” show. Only Carroll Spinney, Big Bird, remains from the original puppeteers.

            Given the scope of characters and years involved, Street Gang, could’ve been difficult to follow, but instead it was easy to read. The language flowed and the story never felt disjointed. Sesame Street influenced pop culture and understanding of youth. Throughout the book, many celebrities show up, whether working with directly with Sesame Street or through a degree of separation.

            A community of educators and entertainers came together to bring the youth of the country together.

4^th of July-Asbury Park-Sandy

I like listening to early Springsteen in summer. This song came off “The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle” album. The picture on the back shows the band in shorts and open shirts. The whole concept is to give a summer at the beach vibe. The above song features amusement games, fortune tellers, rides and the sand.

Asbury Park went into decline since the 1980’s which is such a brutal shame because it was such a good place and it’s right next to Ocean Grove, another summer community. Asbury had two big buildings filled with rides and video games right near the beach. The Convention Hall opened in the 1930’s with a performance by the Marx Brothers. All the history just got abandoned. Asbury Park has tried to come back for the past ten years, but something goes wrong or someone gets arrested.

I went there three weeks ago and it was an enjoyable day. They have miniature golf, stands, and a water park on the boardwalk. The beach was clean. The bathrooms were spotless and when a community bathroom can be so clean, that’s impressive.

My friend has a stand called, Breezily Amused at the Ocean Grove border. She carried kites, flags, beach toys, candles, Frisbees, and a lot of other beach stuff. I spend over an hour just browsing. It’s only opened on weekends now that summer is over. I think she has an agreement to be there will into winter so anyone walking around can still stop in. It’s worth it.  

Asbury Park doesn’t look like it did thirty years ago, but for a day at the beach, it was worth the trip.

A lot of special effects in movies are done with a green screen behind the actors. Images are put on the screen later so the actor that was just in a room with a green screen could now be in space or the middle of a fire. I saw this show on FIT TV called Namaste Yoga where the three yoga participants do their poses while the background changes. At first, it’s cool how the background changes, but upon closer viewing I noticed that the floor changes style too.

This happens in movies too, but with the slow movements of yoga, the scenery change is more pronounced. At first one of the participants does a Warrior one and the background is a rainy alleyway where she stands next to a puddle. She opens her arms for Warrior two, the background becomes a field and she’s in ankle high grass. She leans forward for Triangle and she’s in a garage on a concrete floor. The scenes change with every movement.

The announcer has this way of smooth late-night FM deejay way of saying “body.” She doesn’t say the middle part as “odd” as b-odd-ee. It sounds more like “buddy.”

“Allow your buddy to move with the motion.”

“You should breathe with your buddy movements.”
I don't know if the announcer is one of the participants, but they picked a really good announcer for the show.

Mind you, the amazing scene changes and the announcer’s calm voice has gotten me off the recliner. It's just too soothing. It’s such a cool show to watch. I wonder if stoners get into it to come down and watch the pretty scenes.

I thought about this song from the OJays last week when I had computer problems.

A warning popped-up with a Microsoft badge on the side telling me that a virus had infected my computer and I had to protect it now before it destroyed files. I clicked on the Microsoft badge and was sent a warning that I wasn’t secure. I needed to download the new protection or I would lose files. I backed out of it. Something didn’t look right.

Further warnings popped up about the virus problem and that I needed protection.

It turned out that the security program was the virus!

This is called malware or adware and a phishing virus. It comes out of nowhere and presents a situation like this for someone to download it. They use logos of brands you trust and look professional enough to make you wonder. If you look at it, they got you.

I don’t know if I can legally give the name of the company. The computer tech at Staples told me that HP, Microsoft, or Apple don’t have warnings about viruses. That only comes from a security program like McAfee or Norton.

This company posing as help is really a backstabbing virus.

Because of this company, I had to go a week with no Free Cell, no blogs, and no e-mail. I had to buy actual newspapers for the news.

Don’t let it happen to you.

Love Vigilantes- New Order

            Love Vigilantes is a song from the 1980’s band New Order. It’s based on a short story about a Civil War Vet returning home. In the song, a soldier does his unspecified duty and goes home. When he gets there, his wife is shocked and passes out. He sees a telegram that had informed her that he had died.

            The storyline in the Funky Wilkerbean comics took a similar path.

For those that don’t follow the strip, Wally was married to Becky before he was deployed to Iraq. The comic then shot ahead ten years into the future and all the storylines had to be updated. Becky had married a guy from her high school class that .always had a crush on her, but came up short in winning her affections. Wally was nowhere in the comic.

            For two years, the comic showed other character storylines and updated stories, but we never got an update on Wally, until a month ago.

            Wally was reported dead when he was really a prisoner of war. The memories of Becky and their children kept him alive.

            Tom Batiuk, the creator of Funky Wilkerbean, presented a tough scenario. Because of the comic’s time warp forward, Becky had been remarried for eight or nine years. Does Becky stay with the guy that always loved her and stepped up to care for her kids when Becky was told Wally was dead? Does she go back to Wally?

            The decision was made on Sunday. Wally left alone with his high school band horn, his uniform and maybe some money. There has to be more storylines with all the questions. What happens to Becky? She raised kids, got a job, kept friends and eventually fell in love again. Now she knows the truth about Wally, will she feel guilty her whole life for not finding him?

            Wally survived as a prisoner for eight or nine years because he wanted to go back to Becky and the kids that don’t know him anymore. What happens to him? Will the VA be there?

            Love Vigilantes ends with a musical fade out. How could a song answer these questions? How will Tom Batiuk answer these questions?

Squeeze 45’s and Under

            This greatest hits collection came out in 1982, but I didn’t get a copy until 1990 through a mail-order record club. “45’s and Under” is one of those collections that have no bad songs. I recognized every one from A.O.R. radio in the 1980’s or early MTV.

They actually broke up when this release first pressed. It sold so well that they got back together, which began a pattern of breakups and reunions since their original inception in 1974 (according to Wikipedia).

            “45’s and Under” cover songs from 1978-1982 and it still holds up. Unlike other greatest hits collections, no song is a direct copy of another. Each song is its own story and melody. Bouncy songs with hints of sadness mix with sad songs that aren’t melancholy. The singer belts out story songs with a full emotional voice, yet the songs sound effortlessly pop. “Black Coffee in Bed” is a breakup song. The story of “Up the Junction” is she leaves, he gets drunk. “Pulling Muscles from the Shell” is loaded with pop culture references and imagery.

            The mystery of the music world is that a band this polished never had sales to match their reputation. They were early Mtv staples. While there isn’t much Squeeze on 1980’s compilations like “Living in Oblivion” they could be found on many party mix-tapes at the time. “Tempted” was in bar’s jukebox. The closest any Squeeze song gets to the Top 40 at that time was “Tempted”, which peaked at #49.

            Perhaps songs like “Cool for Cats” or “Take Me I’m Yours” were too Euro for many. Maybe they were too “new wave” for continued success. It’s strange that Squeeze still get airplay on the radio decades after these songs were released, but very few played them when they first came out.

My parents had the 45 rpm single version of this hit song from 1964 in their record collection.

The 45 disc was 7 inches in circumference with a hole in the middle. The outer rim of the single spun at 45 revolutions per minute when played. Recording companies made these discs from vinyl poured into a round mold. A stylus cut into the vinyl to embed the music. Another type of stylus played the recording. Because there was contact and friction between the stylus and the record, eventually the vinyl wore out.

The single could still play twenty years after it’s release, but it started with a blast of static. In the middle of the muddle, a deep voice started the song. Violins joined in. The lead singer of the Drifters at that time, Ben E. King cried out that his baby had left after he had done something that broke her heart. It’s never explained what caused the breakup. He’s full of remorse and seeks another chance, but the girl is nowhere to be found.

His back-up singers seem more concerned with keeping time with the music and are oblivious to him. The violins try to drown him out. The stylus would often skip and he would repeat an unintentional line.

King sings with all his force to get above the fray till the last word. The static and pops clear and he is in full command of the song. He’s still not in command of the situation because the intended never actually comes back. The song fades out without resolution.

There’s so much sorrow in King’s voice, but he will live and learn. In the following years, he’ll record “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand by Me.”

If he could survive, then any lonely person could.

We got a copy of the song on compact disc in the 90’s. The static was gone. The violins had perfect pitch. The musical proficiency of the band became even more obvious. Ben E. King’s pleas were clear and in harmony with the band.

It stunk.

For all the studio craftsmanship, it lost power and pain. Vocals that fought through static and 1970’s low watt speakers were now precise and perfect.

How can I relate? How can anyone understand the remorse with no static to fight against? The drama was replaced by precision. The words and notes became meticulous. The beauty of the music overtook the story.

Should I enjoy the studio perfect music or the troubled and unresolved story? Isn’t life an unresolved story? Is life like perfect music?

Somewhere there must be a terrible version of this song on itunes.

That’s the one to listen to.