Either way you slice it, I’m starting to grow weary of the fight and Red Team, Blue Team politics. To quote our current President who once said, “We are not a Liberal America, we are not a conservative America, We are the United States of America”. Words to live by no matter who says them. Unfortunately we are collection of Blue states and Red States and we’ve developed into something I don’t recognize nor do I like it. I was having a discussion with someone the other day. That conversation ended on a very contentious note in large part because the person I was speaking to said something rather hateful and I couldn’t let it go. But the conversation was started with this person spewing right wing talking points that were thrown around during the last national election. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, nor could I believe how whole heartedly they were speaking about these old talking points.

I understand that somehow, just by virtue of being outspoken in the political circle I probably get into more political conversations then I care to. I also understand that most people that engage me believe they can change my way of thinking. I’m always up for the conversation, and I’m always willing to listen and learn, it may not result in a changed mind but it could result in a different approach. That being said, I really believe the people we vote into office don’t extend that same common courtesy to each other. Decisions are being made that effect you and I with wanton disregard for how it effects us (hence the Occupy movement). But what do you do about it? Well, short of joining the band wagon to Occupy (which isn’t a bad thing to do), I’m out of answers.

I’m also tired of trying to defend a position. Here’s the bottom line, as American’s we can agree on a few basic principles – first, we should all help one another, second, we should be fiscally responsible while doing it and third do it with the least amount of Government intervention possible. But because of the current climate however we can’t seem to separate those ideals from the parties in which them came (and I use “came” loosely because I really believe the all hold these beliefs to be true). But the spin takes over and “Liberals” want to help people, Conservatives want to save money, Tea Partiers (or your Dad’s Libertarian party) wants people to make decisions for people. But at the end of the day – I want all that stuff so what am I?

So even though it keeps crossing my mind not to vote – I probably will, only because I’m civic minded. But I think I will change my political party from the Pedestrian Party to the Occupy Party because it would seem that it’s something we all can agree with – well, at least 99% of us. What the hell is up with that?

Unions were formed because there is strength in numbers.  They came about because the worker was being abused and the only way to stop that abuse was to ban together and rise up against the abuser.  If you have everybody that works for the “man” stand against the “man” then you, as the “man” have to take notice.  Pretty simple concept, of course a simpler concept would have been to not mistreat your fellow human in the first place, but – different column, different day.  So Unions were formed, and let’s face it, for the most part Unions are protecting what’s left of our middle class.  They ensure that your job will be protected, the ensure that you can’t be signaled out and best of all they guarantee a livable wage.  So how can it be all bad?

Let’s start with the NFL and the players union or as I like to call it millionaires fighting with billionaires.  So right out of the gate we have a hard time feeling bad for anyone in this situation.  Well, let’s peel back a few layers of the onion.  They have effectively canceled the NFL season at this point.  So the billionaires will sit on their yachts and the millionaires will… well, sit on their yachts.  But what about the thousands employed at the stadiums?  Where’s there union to protect them?  What!  They don’t have a union!  They’re effectively are left sitting on their hands hoping that some agreement can be reached.  So there you have it, Unions stink!  The only protect the people that know their secret hand shake, and forsake those that don’t.

et’s stay in the sports arena for a moment and turn the clock back to the 50’s and 60’s.  That would be the owner’s age.  When the owners ruled the roost and you as a player were lucky to be able to play professional sports.  But back then; while owners were the wealthiest folks in the kingdom, their front line players were traded like meat, payed salaries that got them through the season (as long as they weren’t hurt).  Let’s face it, unions moved in and gave the players a say, they protected the mistreated and gave them a strong voice against their “oppressor”.  Unions don’t stink – they’re the best thing ever!

So it would seem that Unions protect the common man against the not so common man.  But I’ll say it again, if people would just be decent to one another, there probably wouldn’t be a need for unions at all.  But alas, people are not decent, they’re not fair, they take as much as they can without giving anything back.  This is precisely where Reganomics failed!  President Reagan development trickle down economics – give the wealthy tax breaks and incentives and they will in turn create better paying jobs and give back to the worker.  One thing Ronny forgot about, greed!  Greed took over and it failed.  It was a brilliant concept, but it relied on people to execute it – and that’s where it fails.

Again, when it comes to unions I’m sitting on the fence.  I see the need, but when the unions get control they begin to develop that swagger that says you can’t touch me.  Obviously I’m not talking about all Unions, not all unions operate that way, but the ones that do… well let’s just say it only takes one bad apple.  But how many bad apples hide behind the shield of American Capitalism?  Plenty – and they continue to do so and will continue to so.  So until folks realize they’re dealing with folks then there will always be a need for unions.  So I sit here fence sitting, It all boils down to something Martin Luther King, Jr. said – “we must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish as fools”.  What the Hell is up with that?

The other day I pulled into my gym parking lot, snow has consumed thirty percent of the parking so at a busy time parking is at a premium.  Yet when I pulled into the parking lot the other day, there is was – the clearest violation of not parking between the lines.  This tiny Japanese sedan was centered directly over a line taking up two spaces!  Nothing frosts my cookies more than that.  Countless parking spaces chewed up by Mother Nature and now some “I park like an Idiot” award recipient takes up two spots!  Common courtesy – that’s all I’m asking for!  It’s all I want you to consider prior to running into the gym and hopping on the elliptical trainer before you start your grueling session of texting and talking on the phone while never breaking a sweat!

And while I’m on the subject of keeping it between the lines, can we discuss for a minute highway driving during a storm?  SLOW DOWN!!!!  It really doesn’t take much more than that, again a pretty simple rule – one that is not even difficult to remember.  We drove down to New York to get our Grandson during the height of the Friday Snow storm, and by simply keeping my speed right around 40 miles per hour I’m able to tell you that it can be done!  Yet every Chachie with an SUV or some vehicle engineered by Swedes thinks that the rule of “Slow Down” doesn’t apply to them.  Now, I’m not a mean person, I don’t wish anyone any harm – but every time I see someone in the middle of the medium I derive some twisted pleasure from it.  I’m not talking about the person that is just off the road, I’m talking 40 feet deep into the medium.  The kind of deep you can only achieve if you drive around the highways during a snow storm with your head stuffed so far up your…, well let’s just say – a feeling of invincibility.

How about State Troopers?  They log about 200 miles during a snow storm in rear wheel drive vehicles going from accident to accident.  How do you think they stay on the road?  Nope, it’s not magic State Police powers; it’s driving according to roads conditions.  Oh, and common courtesy for your fellow driver.

I get things will happen, I’m not judging.  I’m simply saying pay attention to the lines; they are there for a reason.  That reason, is to keep your vehicle between them!  It’s pretty simple.  But if you’re the kind of a driver that swerves to miss a tree only to discover it’s you air freshener – please turn your license in!  What the hell is up with that?

Forever I’ve heard of the thing called a mid-life crisis.  Guys going off the deep end looking for something they can no longer have – their youth.  So instead they buy sports cars, dress inappropriately, go after women they are no longer suited for, and the list goes on.  Well I never thought I was going to have a mid-life crisis, and as described above I’m still not having one.  But it had occurred to me in the last year or so that I was trying to achieve  and do things I found difficult in my 20′s.  And to make things worse, I was willing to die while attempting them.  So in fact I may be going through a little mid-life crisis at least mentally.

Only my mid-life crisis is coming out in something called a Tough Mudder.  It’s a 9 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit.  It’s Iron Man meet Burning man.  And it’s happening in the beginning of May at Mount Snow, and I will be there with 12 team mates trying not to break an ankle.

I first heard about the Tough Mudder when the temperatures are still allowing me to play golf and we were all not up to our belt loops in snow.  My original thought, why would someone do that to themselves.  But curiosity got the best of me and I went to the Tough Mudder web-site, and I have to say there was something there that intrigued me.  Firstly because it’s at Mount Snow so its right in my back yard, but secondly I saw a finish line.  See I’ve packed back on a few pounds, not a lot but a few.  So I saw this as an opportunity to regain some discipline in my daily routine.  Also the whole entire Mudder event is based on camaraderie and the whole idea behind the event is to finish the course, help your fellow Mudder and have a good time – it’s not about finishing first!  Well if you don’t need me to finish first – I’m your guy!

In the Tough Mudder there are over 20 obstacles, Firewalker, Berlin Walls, Electroshock therapy, Kiss of Mud, Death march just to name a few.  Each one of them designed to tax you physically and mentally.  As if running a 9 mile mountain trail wasn’t enough.  Needless to say being in some sort of good physical condition is important so let the training begin.  I began doing something I never liked doing – running.  I started with trail running, then the snows came (and kept coming), so I hit the pavement running at least three 5k’s a week.  And here’s what I discovered,  I still don’t like running for running’s sake, except when I’m on a trail.  Which is why I’m not going it alone, I’ve assembled a team, they range from Personal Trainers to Bank Presidents,  State Police to Radio Deejays, all committed to starting and finishing.  Which is all you can ask in an event like this.

Six days a week is my goal, six days a week I’m either running down Canal Street or tossing around kettle bells at the gym.  I try to alternate between strength and stamina.  It would certainly be easier if there was a magic pill for it all, but there’s not.  So for further motivation we’re supporting the Windham County Relay for Life (which is having it’s kick off at the VFW on the 15th) and the Wounded Warrior Project.  Because no matter what happens during the Tough Mudder nothing can be as hard as a cancer diagnosis or serving your country during war time.  So I keep that in front of me, and that keeps me going.

Besides, I have two chances to get recognized at the Mudder, one for being a top finishing male or SENIOR (45 and over according to them)!!!  Really?  What the Hell is Up with That?

Back in the day football heroes were just that, football heroes.  I’m sure there were a few idiots; there always seem to be a few.  But when athlete after athlete gets chance after chance simply because they work some magic with a ball and someone gets rich off that magic, I have a real problem with that.  We could talk about Dwight Gooden, Steve Howe, Darryl Strawberry, Barry Bonds, Dexter Manly all day long.  We could about how they hurt their careers with their addictions.  But at the end of the day they were really only hurting themselves.  Sure, you could make the case that they were affecting their families, but other than emotions nobody died and they all for the most part rehabbed.

If to err is human and forgiving divine, then I guess Michael Vick is the 2010 poster child for that.  Before I get into the meat and bones of what I’m trying to say let me say this.  The guy is a tremendous athlete.  The things he can do on a football field put excitement into the game.  There is no denying it.  But now that an otherwise spectacular season is in the books people seem to be rallying to his side.  Well, not so quick.

I am a forgive and forget kind of guy when it comes to certain things.  If Barry Bonds wants to shoot himself full of game enhancing substances, that’s his decision, it’s going to hurt one person and that’s Barry Bonds.  If an athlete has a substance abuse problem again, a conscience decision that they can make.  And the fact that their respective sports keep allowing them to play even though they’ve broken a hard fast rule, well again – not really hurting anyone.  But if you and I broke the same set of company rules, I don’t think we would be welcomed back with open arms.

Me however I don’t understand the whole “we forgive Michael Vick craze” (unless you’re a Philly Fan).  Need I remind everyone of what he did?  He funded the something called “The Bad Newz Kennels” – a dog fighting ring.  Dogs that did not perform up to expectations would be killed by repeatedly picked up and slammed to the concrete until lifeless, they would be electrocuted, hung, drown and that only a few of the ways.  Hundreds if not thousands of animals met their death as a result of Michael Vick, and I for one am not so quick to forgive.  But the NFL saw dollars signs and the pressure mounted and the Philadelphia Eagles scooped him up.

So Vick just finished a stellar season.  One that launched the Eagles into the playoffs and beat my Giants twice.  I’ve been accused of sour grapes because of my stance on Vick, but I can assure you nothing could be further from the truth.  I’m just bothered by this news cycle society we live in.  This society that allows a player like Michael Vick to serve time, apologize and ask for the ball back – then get it!  Again, I make the argument – if that were you and me do I don’t think we’d be afforded the same luxury.

What upsets me the most is the inhumane treatment of defenseless animals.  I get that we in a culture that allows you to go to prison get out and apparently you’re rehabilitated.  But I don’t buy it.  Do I think that Michael Vick is going to charge back into dog fighting – NO.  In fact he’s even said that he would like to own a dog. And what could be worse than being a dog in an animal shelter?  Being adopted by Michael Vick – What the hell is up with that?

But nooooooo!   Nader ran on the Green Party ticket (for the record I believed in 90 percent of what he said) and pulled just enough of the vote away from Gore and cost him the election.  Many will argue this with me and to you I say – SHUT UP!!!!!  You know I’m right!  You know that if Nader hadn’t shown up and talked in a language that everyone could understand that folks wouldn’t have been drawn away from Mr. Inconvenient Truth and he would have won.  New Hampshire alone was so hotly  contested that if Johnny Consumer Advocate was rating the The new Daewoo Leganza instead of giving Granite Staters false hope – then we would most likely be in the dark about a woman that is so batshit crazy we can hardly believe that she links full sentences together…. sometimes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ll never forget it.  My Blackberry vibrated, I pulled it from the holster and saw that I had an AP update from the radio station.  I was on the Golf course walking down the 3rd fairway and asked my golf partner the follow question – “who the f*ck is Sally Pal-lin?”.  Why? – he asked.  Because John McCain just selected her as his running mate.  Well even my news sources didn’t know who she was.  The next story that came through had her correct name and stated that she was the Governor of Alaska and former Mayor of Wasilla.  Of course at the time we had now idea we were about to witness two years of poo flinging.  We were entertained by it.  A hard working housewife prototype from the land of Moose, Grizzlies & salmon s0 big that would snap most rods in two.  She seemed like a tough no nonsense woman who garnered national attention at the RNC by saying (excuse me) sayin’ “the difference between a hockey mom and a pit-bull was lipstick”.   Sure it was cute and adorable.  For the same amount of money this woman and her clan could have lived right next door to you (firing up there snow machines at 3:00 in the morning with more fuel in them, then in the machines).   So I get that folks were drawn to her.  But then it all began to fall into place… SHE’S A F*UCKING IDIOT!!!!!  Jesus H Tap Dancing Christ, if McCain wins Caribou Barbie is a heart beat from the Presidency!  All of a sudden it wasn’t so funny anymore.  It took on a panicky feeling, just like a bad stomach on a crowded subway – you just have to stand there, pinch your cheeks and hope for the best.

But now Sarah Palin is showing interest in running for the highest level office in the land.  She’s actually discussed this and feels like she could beat Barrack Obama.  She really, really believes that if she ran in 2012 she would win and take over the oval office.  WOW!!!  Let me stop and say this at this point,  I don’t think Sarah Palin is an idiot because she’s a conservative, I think she’s an idiot because  I don’t need a crowbar to separate my head from my the inside of my ass!   She’s swaggering around while the grown ups are busy working.  She’s doing her level best to keep her face in the public eye.  She whips up her base with tough talk comments.  Well, I’ve got news for you lady  you need to win a majority of the vote so you’d better step out from behind your protective shield and discover how tough of a run is ahead of you.  Because the world is tough, but it’s even tougher if you’re stupid!

So as you can see if Ralph Nader never ran for the office of the President of the United States.  Then we would have probably not heard about Sarah Palin until the Governors was rocked buy rumors of millions of dollars being embezzled and the Wasilla Warrior was the head suspect.  Yep it all Ralph Naders fault, Bush/Cheney – at least the first 4 years (sorry to tell you that the second term is on us), McCain / Palin.  Other than then that – I like the guy!  What the hell is up with that?

I also heard that they are going to start to take away American Citizens jobs, because they feel that the federal stimulus package didn’t work and they need to get that money back.  How do I know this?  The blogosphere told me so don’t worry about it just except what I say as the truth!

Here’s what I do know and I’ll let you in on it.  Wiki-pedia is a great place to start a thought, and a horrible place to finish it.  Blogs, are great and often fun to read, yet very few of them hold themselves to a “news” standard (mine is no different – it is just my opinion with a few random facts thrown in).  But if you write it they will panic… right?  It’s also a great place to start rumors much like the current “Obama is spending 2.7 billion on his trip to India”.  Some Yahoo blogger wrote about it and for some reason it went viral.  It’s time we do research people, it’s time we hold folks accountable for their actions.  I don’t expect that to happen, even with a “new look” Washington DC.

This represent how the parties see each other. I don't actually agree with them.

Here we go, are you ready for the next 2 years?  Are you ready for the infighting, posturing & smugness?  I know I’m not!  And it already started not 24 hours after the election was done.  Rasmussen released a poll that basically said 60 percent of us expected the new house to disappoint.  I don’t know about you – I never get asked, because if they asked me I would tell them that I hope they succeed.  I would have told them, that even though I feel the Democrats best support the issues that I like, having some balance could be a good thing.  I am honestly hoping beyond hope that political shenanigans stop and some governing begins.  But at the end of the day I guess I fall into that sixty percentile that feels disappointment will fall on my doorstep once again.

Truth be told I’m disheartened by the entire process.  The constant political wrangling while lives hang in the balance.  The people we send inside the beltway to represent us often get caught up in the fracas and forget why they are there in the first place – to represent us!  But then that sort of speaks to the poll Rasmussen did, and it’s actually very telling.  We constantly elect people we feel aren’t going to get the job done.  Don’t you find that curious?  Why don’t we hold our elected officials to task more?  If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times – in an age where it’s easier to contact our officials we seem to do it less.   And if you have a talking point politician representing you then I hate to say it, but… it’s time for them to go.  If they can not speak about something without falling back on party politics how can they effectively represent you and me?

Thanks Pundit Kitchen for this brilliant graphic!

Something that has been thrown around a lot is setting terms limits on elected officials.  I never really quite understood why we want to do that.  Aren’t elections a form of setting term limits?  Every Senator has a two year term in which to serve and if they don’t get anything done then vote them out.  But people on a whole don’t really pay attention to the issues and often vote by name recognition or party.  And that, at the end of the day is the problem.  People don’t have the complete scope and they don’t take a part in the process correctly.  So here’s my challenge to you.  If you see something you don’t like write you Congressman, put the issue in the subject line and in the body of the letter ask… What the hell is up with that?

When I was younger we studied in school how Christopher Columbus came to the Americas and discovered this great land.  We knew the names of the ships – The Nina, The Pinta and the Santa Maria.  We knew that in fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue. We were led to believe that this Italian dude hired by the Spaniards (fresh off the inquisition) under the rule of the Catholic Church was a hero.  Well there’s a funny thing about being a kid – you grow up, you stop playing with legos and you start to build actual houses.  Having a National Holiday named after Christopher Columbus is no different then giving the likes of  Hitler his own national holiday.

If I hit the streets with a petition that stated the first Monday of November we had a national holiday called White Supremacy Day how far do you think I would get?  My guess is I would get shot or at the very least I would be stopped.  How does Happy Hilter Day sound or Merry Mussolini, they hurt to say – don’t they?  So how is it that Christopher Columbus day is celebrated or allowed to be celebrated?  Sure the initial mission might have been pure, but it’s not how it ended the proof is in his own journal, Columbus himself documented – “with 50 men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want”.   But as it turns out he couldn’t, but he could take the indigenous people who were peaceful and reign terror on them all in the name of the church.

Columbus was a slave trader, so he wouldn’t try and “convert” all to Christianity because at the time, under Spanish law it was not legal to use Christians as slaves.  So the lucky ones were sold into slavery and not feed to the dogs or hanged in groups of 13 to reflect the 12 apostles and Jesus Christ.  Yet here, in 2010 we just celebrated another day that has this guys name attached to it.  I liken it to watching someone punch your aging Grandmother in the face, then adding that person to your Christmas card list.  I’m happy that our kids go to school on this day, I’m happy my company doesn’t recognize it as a holiday, but I’m tormented that we as a nation aren’t just a little more offended.

For the record, in case you need a refresher on your history Columbus in his opium induced high thought he was discovering India.  He thought he had circumvented the globed after just five weeks.  What he found was the Bahamas and demanded that it was India.  But who was going to argue with him, the guy cut the legs off children – he was an animal.   Columbus never actually set foot on “America” / The Untied Sates – but one of the folks that worked with him did Amerigo Vespucci – hence “America”.

So here’s what I propose: dump the whole Columbus was a hero thing – because he wasn’t.  If we need to do a weekend where we can sell apple pies and hold harvest festivals then rename the weekend “national old home week”, you can still buy Kitchen Witches and hand carved signs that say Welcome.  Trust me, people would feel better about it and they would actually participate more.  But in the meantime to prove my point I’m going to file the paperwork to get Charles Manson on a postage stamp – What the hell is up with that?

he hung 13 at a time to represent the apostles and Christ

Before last week’s primaries, anyone that was listening to talking point right wing gas bags took utter pride in telling us how the Democrats are in trouble. They would say that Obama and his band of merry politicians would be out in 2012 and this country would usher back in backbone and reason. This country would once again rise from the ashes and shine proudly again. To which I would say, I don’t think the Dems are in as much trouble as Rush Limbaugh would lead you to believe — however, if enough of these tea baggers get through, it’s not the Dems that are in trouble, it’s the Guardians of Privilege that will be in a world of hurt.
Well, the elections happened last week. Ralph Paladino, who was running for governor of New York, won his primary. Christine O’Donnell from Delaware got the GOP nod, Kelly Ayotte got backing from Sarah Palin and all of a sudden, she’s running for a Senate seat in New Hampshire. Well, those were the primaries, the elections themselves are still several weeks away and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But I can tell you this, any state that handed GOP reigns to a tea bagger — suddenly turned blue, so if Republican Red is your favorite shade of politics, then, my friend, you’ve got some worries.

I understand why the Tea Party was formed. People are generally frustrated with how things are going. The status quo, well, no longer applies.

Liberals want their government to pay for everything; the conservatives want to pay for nothing. The Dems want to rob from the rich and give to the poor while the Pubs want to rob from the poor and give to the rich. And frankly the Dems have their own level of crazy that has yet to be named. But the Tea Party is funded, it has big money backers. It’s got just enough attention to turn, well — ugly.

I’m wondering if I’m the only one seeing the writing on the walls here. I wonder if anyone else can make the parallels between history and what going on with the Tea Party movement. Maybe this is just my liberal bias. Perhaps it’s just my turn to drop something into the spin machine and incite some controversy. Let me offer this. In 1919 a group of people formed, they did so from a small segment of the right wing party. It appealed largely to the middle class that felt they would have their best interests at heart. Some of their platform was based on fiscal responsibility but mostly for the working man — your everyday “Joe the Plumber.” Innocent enough at first but then they started to omit people from their plan — if you weren’t like them, you weren’t allowed in. That party was the Nazi Party and before it finally was taken out by both Republicans and Democrats alike, it did a ton of damage. So I hope I’m not the only one who can see this. Sure it might be funny to laugh at now. We may be too busy to really stop and see what is unfolding before our very eyes. But when I hear Paladino quote the plaque on the Statue of Liberty and say “No, don’t bring us your poor,” or when Christine O’Donnell considers masturbation a form of adultery. I’m sorry — this is crazy feeding on crazy!

Did I forget to mention that the Tea Party may be a bit Racist?

All I’m trying to say is, if we don’t watch what’s happening, if we write this off as some sort of passing phase, it won’t pass and we’ll be in another mess. There are signs all around us. For instance the whole immigration reform bill. It clearly states you can not ethnically profile, yet in order to enforce it, you have to ethnically profile (crazy feeding crazy). It’s like having a natural childbirth without having to push. Maybe it’s just my own paranoia but I for one am keeping a close eye on this whole thing. I’m not scared, but I am aware.

Best way I heard the Tea Party described was like this: How many tea partiers does it take to change a lightbulb? Ten million and five: One to buy a lightbulb, one to call Obama a racist, one to misspell a rally poster, one to complain about the socialist conspiracy, one to change the bulb, and 10 million to sit in the dark even though the light is on. What the hell is up with that?

Being a child of the (’60s) ‘70’s I grew up with some great Rock and Roll. As a kid, Led Zeppelin was my all-time favorite band. I couldn’t get enough; it’s all I played for about a year. The likes of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton forced me to buy my first guitar just so I could attempt to make the sounds they made (for the record, I never really got there — but I tried). As I would try to dig deep down and pull inspiration from anywhere I could to keep going, I began to read the stories in the liner notes. I wanted to know that they struggled to find the cords as I was struggling trying to play them. But there was never any mention of a struggle, so I decided that my hopes of writing great songs and being a rock star were fleeting. I wouldn’t stop playing the guitar but I would recognize that those that make great music have a gift that I didn’t possess. I made my peace with it and just kept listening to all the greats — Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Robin Trower … Did you ever notice all of these great Classic Rock Gods came out of the same era?

One day while reading the liner notes (again) and thinking to myself that Led Zeppelin were brilliant song writers, I was disheartened to find out that two of my favorite songs were written by a non-band member. It was a crushing blow for me; I’ll never forget it. I was really upset that these guys that I revered as geniuses actually sought out help to write a couple of songs. The songs were “You Shook Me” and “I Can’t Quit you Babe.” I knew nothing about the blues at that point but I knew those songs spoke to me more than the others. I could feel those songs in my bones every time I played the album. Yet some guy that went by the name of W. Dixon wrote those tunes.

One day while working in a restaurant kitchen cleaning the dishes the radio was playing a “three for Thursday set” of Rolling Stones — the last song was “Little Red Rooster.” I loved it and turned it up a little. The guy who scrubbed the pots and pans said to me, “You like Willie Dixon?”

“Who?”

“The guy that wrote this tune the Stones stole,” he said. Then it washed over me … W. Dixon equals Willie Dixon. He continued to tell me that a guy named Howlin’ Wolf originally did this tune. Enough was enough, I was going to find a record store the very next day and check into this guy. I did just that, I ventured into a small record store in Brattleboro asked the guy behind the counter if he ever heard of Willie Dixon? He came out from behind the counter, never saying a word, went to the blues section of the store and pulled out the Willie Dixon album “I am the Blues.” He handed it to me and said, “Take this home and listen to it. I open tomorrow at 10. I’ll sell you more you like then”.

He was right, I never looked back. I was hooked on the blues! And this past weekend I took 20 of my 48 hours off and listened to it at the second annual Vermont Blues Festival at Mount Snow. The music just washes over you; you can feel it in your soul. How serious am I about the blues? I didn’t even play one hole of golf the entire weekend! What the hell is up with that?

Artist: Dane Tilghman