130
41
The North Forklanding Blues
Friday was a blah day with really nothing to report. Work has been insane and so has the volume. So I unfortunately could not make it for the Musical Box performance for Friday night which would have been the Foxtrot tour from ’72. It also occurred to me that there would be no way for me to see Saturday’s show due to the radio broadcast. It would have been cool too, because it was the ’73 Selling England By The Pound tour…one of my favs. By the time I got out of work, I was spent. But I convinced myself to get out and head to the Jughandle Inn to see Standard Deviation….you know….that band I’ve been buzzin about. Anyway, I waited for Roger to arrive with Jack, and they couldn’t help but break my balls about Musical Box not doing Phil Collins music. (Sarcasm) …nonetheless 11/7/06 is d-day. So I get home, Roger and Jack pull up and the aroma of the jungle welcomed me. It was time to go to the Jug. I arrived after a sports update at Wawa with Kevin. I am always the bearer of bad news. The night was cold driving up Forklanding. Imagining what it must have been like a hundred years earlier. A bumpy ass road. Well, a dirt road. What a busy place this once was at one time. Back before roads were not straight. Forklanding winds all the way to the Jughandle and crosses route 73. It’s there that the settlement was first created. Right on the banks of the North and South branch of the Pennsauken Creek. I can only imagine in my head how the layout once was. Now, just a mere frame of what it used to be…littered with 500,000$ houses and baseball parks on the north side. Sad. No need to preserve anything here. Very sad. I pulled into the Jug to see the chickens at the entrance. Well, at least something still remains from this one time small farming community. (The chickens are added there by the owners). The chickens are in jeopardy of being extinct from here as well since the crows and hawks have caught on. So much like life. What irony. Once I walked in, I was comforted with the smell of stale beer and good music. Standard Deviation was already through their first set. Roger was nowhere to be found. Déjà vu. I sat down and ordered a beer from bartender Vince. Vince and I graduated together in 1991 and was always someone I admired in school. Vince was real, very direct, and wasn’t afraid to call ‘em the way he saw ‘em. He got the girl of his dreams in Barrie that also went to school with us and graduated the same year. Talking to him was made me realize that it’s not always a bad thing to look back. Vince has a baby now, and is happy with his life. He never knew what he wanted to do with his life for years. We would sit out back of his house, drink beers and ponder, ‘what do you think we will be doing in the year 2006?’ Well here it is Vince. You are married to a great girl, you have baby now, and work at the Jughandle Inn in Cinnaminson, and that's not a bad thing at all. I think it's cool. I am still working, doing radio, etc. The only difference between then and now is I have arthritis. We went down the paths we were supposed to go. But it’s nice to check in to see how your movie is going so far. We rapped for a while and it felt good. The beers set in, and so did Roger. I was curious to know if Standard Deviation did ‘The Theme From The Sparrow’. I know, how selfish of me. I asked this beautiful blonde that I see at their shows a lot if they played. Well I come to find out it’s Billy Corvino’s wife Cami. She said, “You must be Tom.” We chatted for a while, but it’s nearly impossible to understand anyone when a band is playing and you are sitting that close. It’s funny, Roger will ask me questions and it’s like “Dude, I can’t hear a fucking thing you are saying.” I just nod and go, “Ok.” So as he wandered, the band played. They did a lot of bar band stuff which I am not surprised….you have to, in this setting. But they would break into their original material which is always great. The band can be very funky, and cook. This is cool stuff live.Not to mention that Tim McKinstry and Bill are incredible together. The whole band is great, but seeing these two guys play together is great. They compliment each other in the sound of the band. Rarely do I get excited about 2 musicians, especially local ones. These guys have something to build on progressive rock wise. The smell is good from the kitchen. Garlic wings extraordinaire. The band plays, and a chick that could probably beat up any guy in the bar walks over to talk to me. I promised my friends I wouldn’t be cold or mean to any girl that approached me I did not know. So I gave a slight smile and started watching the band again. Roger comes back in after chasing chickens in the lot. He sits and orders a soda. The band’s set ends. Here comes the girl with chicken wing bones hanging out of her mouth walking towards me. Uh oh.
“Hi, how are ya?”
“Good, you?”
“I’m really pissed right now. My boyfriend left me here.”
“oh, I’m sorry to hear that. My name is Tom by the way, this is the keyboardist Tim.”
“Oh hi. My name is Kim.”
“Nice to meet ya Kim…I was just going to have a smoke, wanna go?”
It was just then as I walked out the door and she started acting weird. Cami, Bill’s wife, is outside smoking as well with the band.
“Hey guys, awesome set.”
I say hi and start chatting with Cami, only to have Kim give me the look like we had been dating for 5 years or something.
“Well I have to go. Bye.”
Poof! She stormed away. Wow. Now I know why I am single. Didn’t matter, I didn’t really care to be honest, but it was funny. We go back into the bar, and once again, Roger is nowhere to be found. At this point he’s outside wrestling chickens. I come back to my seat after speaking with f’d up George and Bill, who by the way, are loyal gagliarchives listeners and knew everything that I played. I loved that. I look at the bar and see they bought me a drink. Nice job. I rapped with Vince a little more behind the bar, and the next thing I know there is a 50 year old woman flirting with me. Ok, cool. What vibe am I giving off? This is getting too strange. Oh well. I need to go to Wawa. I left as the band finished, said my goodbyes, petted the chickens, and drove down lonely Forklanding Road back into town, a road that seemed larger than life to me at one time. I thought about the insight that Vince gave me, and how right he was. I was really happy that his life came together. I really was. You always wonder about classmates you were tight with....I am critical of everyone at times, but I had this fuzzy feeling looking at Vince’s life. He said, “Tom the question is, are YOU happy? Look at me; I never knew what I wanted. All the pressures of what everyone AROUND me wanted, made me crazy. Now look. I couldn’t be happier right now. That’s right, I work at the Jug and I have a child and a great wife with a great job. What more could I want?” As I drove home, the song on my CD summed it up.
High Hopes
Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young,
In a world of magnets and miracles.
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun
Along the long road and on down the causeway
Do they still meet there by the cut
There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide
At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Go down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river

Forever and ever

Out In The Sun
Saturday was a beautiful day. I ran some errands but more or less just moseyed on through some reading and driving. Then came prep time. Another blockbuster week of new music. Scott McGill gave me his new solo album titled Awareness. This features Ritchie Decarlo and bassist Chico Huff. This album is phenomenal. I’m partial because I am a big McGill fan. The CD features Scotty doing the ‘fretless’ thing. I didn’t know what to expect when I first heard it. Well now I am sold. Great disc and a totally different look on how Scott plays. Tonight I featured the new disc from multi instrumentalist Roger Powell titled Fossil Poets…this new disc comes to us from Inner Knot records who are part of Discipline Global Mobile. Very new age…lots of atmospheres…my listeners complained I should have featured it as the Fourth Hour Space Out spotlight. After the Strawbs show last Sunday, I was flattered to get the new disc from Chas Cronk of old tunes done acoustic called Painted Sky. Very nice. Response on the Strawbs is always good. The wackiness at 1am was a live concert recorded in 2004 from Gong in Tokyo, Japan. Gotta love the Gnomes. I’d say the disc that got the most response tonight was the long awaited new double CD from Rocket Scientists titled Revolution Road. Schiff and Norlander are very powerful on this. A late entry into tonight’s program was Clive Nolan and Agneiszka Swita titled closer. The noted composer/keyboardist Clive Nolan met Polish singer Agneiszka Swita some time ago, (Who is drop dead gorgeous by the way) and vowed to record together. This disc from what we understand is just an EP with a full length album to be done. Her voice is angelic. We'll also featured new music from the ProgQuebec label and the excellent 1977 and 1979 releases from L’engoulevent; I’ile Ou Vivent Les Loups and Etoifilan. With a special thanks to Anchor, I featured the new triple live disc from Dream Theater titled Score - 20th Anniversary World Tour. Quick side note. I remember when I was playing Dream Theater back in 1992 and thinking that these guys were the NEXT ones. And yeah, they have lived up to the expectations. They are one of the greatest Prog Metal bands of all time, if not the greatest. Oh by the way, I got this great email from Bob Garneau, one of my loyalist listeners who has been recording my shows for almost a decade. He sent this email about a show from 2000:
Hi Tom,

Attached you will find an updated, but still incomplete, tracklist for show 671.

This all begins with a broken TV...

Back at Christmastime (2005) my sister gave us a TV. I think it was a 20-inch.. it had a nice
indentation on top, pretty close to geometric center, in a hexagon shape. Turns out she left
a candle burning, and it got too hot and melted into the top of the TV. Didn't seem to affect
the TV, though. About a month ago my kids started complaining about the picture going funny.
For a while, it never did it while I was watching, then one day it did. Went widescreen mode,
except the picture was about 3 inches high. Not watchable at all. But turning off the TV and
waiting for a bit cured it, at least until last week. Then it just plain got stuck in that mode.
Well, since we needed a new TV, and the one in the livingroom was a 10 year old 27-inch job,
no way in heck are the kids getting a new one, so it's off the Best Buy. We picked up a very
nice 30-inch flat-screen TV (that's about 3 feet deep...) and weighs about 110 pounds. After
we finally get the thing in the house, we find out it will not fit into the space for a TV in our
entertainment center. The wife's idea is to get a table for it and stick my stereo equipment
out in the family room. That's fine, except in the family room I've got nowhere to run my
antenna to tune in WBZC. That's another story in itself.. some of which I am sure you
must remember as I've told bits of it over the years. Anyway, suffice to say I am ever
so close to WBZC in stereo that it hurts.. but I digress.. So, now we need a new entertainment
center that will hold a TV almost 32 inches wide, and 5 pieces of stereo equipment. Sauder
comes to the rescue yet again. While I have everything out of the previous cabinet, I find
a half dozen VCR tapes labeled "Gagliarchives". 4 of them have been recorded to my PC at
some point in the not to distant past and archived as MP3, but I run across 2 more that are not!
The one I am listening to as I type you this note is from December of 2000. I looked at the
tracklist on gagliarchives.com, and boy is your version of it messed up... So in the interest of
completeness, I have sent you an updated version of said show, although I am not sure
of all of it is correct. If you would like a CD of the show, let me know. The sound quality is
about a 6 of 10.. some hiss, a few static dropouts, and some "tunneling".. where a few bits
sound like it's in a tunnel.

BTW, it was a really good show. I especially liked the Kevin Gilbert Thud Live material.
Any chance of you getting some on in the next few weeks??? Please???

Bob Garneau.. getting close to 10 years as a loyal listener!!!
How cool is that?
I’ve Got Blisters On Mah Fingahs
Sunday I got up early to watch the Eagles game. Second week in a row we started like crap, came back, only to lose it in the 4th with 9 seconds left and a 62 yard field goal. Who does that? NOBODY. IT WAS THE SECOND LONGEST IN NFL HISTORY. WHO THE FRIG DOES THAT? Anyway, we are 4-3 now. We should be 7-0. Why you ask? Giants loss; we should have blown them out. Even Giants fans agree. New Orleans? We came back to take the lead only to lose it on a field goal after they held the ball for 4 hours. Tampa Bay? Come on. Who kicks a 62 yard field goal? The Eagles will win 9 in a row now. I was thoroughly disgusted and wanted nothing to do with football, although I have to say it again. 62 yards? Huh? Who? Anyway, my plan was to put in the new speakers that Jack gave me. I got home and started working. First, I took apart the front speakers to find that the new ones wouldn’t fit. I was very bummed. So, I decided to use a trick my dad taught me when I was a kid. Put cement glue around the rim of the dry rotted rubber on the paper and let it dry. Worked like a charm. Unfortunately the left front speaker had a bigger problem. The spider BEHIND the speaker itself was damaged. They separated. More or less meaning I would have to get it re-coned. That costs more than the speaker itself. So, I moved to the back speakers on the roll bar. Amidst taking out my old kicker box speakers, I cut my finger. Not bad, but enough where it was bleeding on my face. My neighbors stopped and asked,
“Hey are you ok?”
“Yeah I’m ok, just trying to get these in there.”
“What the hell happened with that Eagles game?” Ugh. Do I have to respond?
“Well, we didn’t win. 62 yard field goal will get you every time.” (blood dripping into my eyes)
“That’s why I am a Bears fan.”
“Bears fan? Oh come on.” I said disgustedly.
“Well, the Eagles haven’t been that good over the last few years.”
“uhh…they went to the superbowl in 2005.”
“Oh they did? I totally forgot.”
“Yeah, they also have been in every championship before that since 2001.”
“Are you sure?”
At this point I gave up. People just don’t think when they speak. At this point, the speakers in the roll bar worked, and the right front worked, while the other speaker was quiet with only the tweeter working. I was done and spent. Just as I was ready to run in and change for food shopping, my neighbor and his hot girlfriend come outside. She’s a HUGE NY sports fan.
“Heh heh heh…so, I see your Eagles blew it again eh?” she said sarcastically.
“Yeah, yeah I know.”
“So what happened to those losers huh?” With a shit eating grin on her face.
“Same thing that happened to the Mets. Only thing was, the Mets losing was so much sweeter.”
You would have thought I killed her pet or something. “Where ya goin? Ya got all quiet…”
She slammed the door and left while her boyfriend Bill just smirked. I was happy. Nothing in the world like telling a NY fan the truth. So I went to the supermarket in Cherry Hill and went food shopping. Food shopping is very therapeutic to me. People think I am crazy, but I really do love shopping at the store. So I got all my necessities and made it home by 11pm. including some great steaks I live for. Another weekend wrapped up. I am off this coming Friday to hang out with my buddy Pole. We are supposed to drink or something like that. In the meantime, I will be prepping all week for the ill fated Halloween show. Should be a spooky one! Speaking of spooky, time to make my prediction for this Saturday. The Eagles must win Sunday.
Eagles 17, Jaguars 9

Program 975 Ran 4 Hours.

158
34
The Rudderrow Shuffle
Finally. My Jeep was finished. It took nearly two weeks, but the problem transmission wise, has finally been resolved. The funny part? It wasn’t even the transmission. It was the bearings that make the differential work. The Jeep also needed a Synchro kit. Or maybe they made that up. The Jeep also got what I didn’t ask for, a new clutch. I have to be honest. Despite the price, the hassle of trying to get rides everywhere, and being trapped like a prisoner in my apartment for two weeks, I was overjoyed to get my jeep back. I awoke early on Saturday to pick her up. I couldn’t help but think of all the little things I fixed, that took forever to do, the irony would result in my tranny needing repair soon after. But, my Jeep has been loyal and I can’t bash the situation really. Despite the mileage, she has really been good to me. She has shown me things and places I normally wouldn’t see…at least with a car. As I pulled up to the repair shop, there she was. My dad, being the gem he is, decided to wait this time and not take off like he did when the CLACK CLACK CLACK happened the last weekend I thought she was drivable. This may sound silly, but I wanted to hug my Jeep. I’ve never felt that way about a vehicle before. I actually wanted to hug it. I still think my Jeep and Jeeps in general, are the greatest thing that ever hit the road. Yeah it’s dirty, yeah there are stains on the floor from oil, coffee and dirt, yeah the back seat has a sheen of sugar sand on it, yeah the speakers are rigged in the sound bar till I install my new ones Tuesday, yeah the nicest thing in the car is the stereo…sure I hit a deer and his hair is still embedded in the radiator, yeah the wheel hub and fender are still bent, sure the running board on the passenger’s side is broken, but I still adore it. I don’t know why. I just do. I rolled the back window up, took the drivers side windows down and did a test drive. Siiiiiiigh. God I missed it. Shifting the gears was a bit tighter with the new clutch, and at least the whirring sound is gone. I was ecstatic. It was cold but I didn’t care. I am one with the road. I drove through Moorestown while blasting Supper’s Ready. Every year I pull this out and still to this day find myself getting misty at the end. If you can’t admit that it moves you, either you are dead, or you must be a Borg. So after so many years of knowing this song front ward and backwards…I finally decided to reveal my interpretation of it…
Supper’s Ready
I first heard this song when I was 14 and was immediately entranced by its construction and design. So in order for me to describe this, I will need you to get your Genesis Foxtrot CD, and put track 6 on pause. I’ll wait…………………………..
Ok ready?
i.LOVER’S LEAP
The scene begins with our main character explaining to his wife about his disappearance for the last week. She looks at him confused…perplexed. As he begins to go into the strange story, it fades back to before he vanished. The scene takes us to bedtime for a couple that hasn’t had the best of times as of late. Like anything in a relationship, the mind plays tricks and you question yourself whether in fact you are still in love with that person. The questions of uncertainty can reign dominant at times…it all begins to make things hazy. Am I ‘in’ love? Am I just going through the motions? Is our love strong enough? Can this last? These questions prior are plaguing our main character….
Walking across the sitting-room, I turn the television off.
Sitting beside you, I look into your eyes.
As the sound of motorcars fades in the night time.
I swear I saw your face change, it didn't seem quite right . . . .. .
He flashes back to the beginning of their love.
And its hello babe with your guardian eyes so blue.
Hey my baby don't you know our love is true.
The stagnation of marriage was setting in. But as he gets up to close the windows and shutters due to the bright moon, he sees an unfamiliar site. Seven priests walking on his lawn, one with a cross in his hand. They beckon him to come outside. He turns to look at his sleeping wife...
Coming closer with our eyes, a distance falls around our bodies.
Out in the garden, the moon seems very bright.
Six saintly shrouded men move across the lawn slowly,
The seventh walks in front with a cross held high in hand. .....
He remembers his wife calling him in for dinner whilst working in the garden…the first time they moved into their cottage. His fear and curiosity keep him fixated on his lawn.
And it’s hey babe your supper's waiting for you.
Hey my baby don't you know our love is true.
The scene returns to him explaining what has happened on his journey to his wife who stares at his tattered and ripped clothes. He starts crying and hugging his wife…
I've been so far from here,
Far from your warm arms.
It’s good to feel you again.
It’s been a long long time. Hasn't it?
The scene fades to our character walking into the horizon with children in large masses following him…they are dressed in white as well. He walks as if he knows what he has to do, yet has no idea what he is supposed to do. As they walk through the lush green fields with a backdrop that could only be reproduced through art, our hero arrives with the children at a setting that is familiar to him. It’s his normal life. But he sees what he hasn’t seen before, or chose not to see before. All the simple things that engulf his life are truly a battle between what is right and wrong. A setting that seemed so comforting and not obvious to him in normal life, has all of the sudden become the most critically evil thing he has encountered. The farmer and the fireman question his faith…
ii. THE GUARANTEED ETERNAL SANCTUARY MAN
I know a farmer who looks after the farm,
With water clear, he cares for all his harvest.
I know a fireman who looks after the fire.
Our main character is torn. Little does he know, the devil has incarnated himself in these normal roles of peace and normality. He tries to penetrate our hero’s psyche. They ridicule and criticize his beliefs…their deception almost works…
You, can't you see he's fooled you all.
Yes, he's here again, can't you see he's fooled you all.
Share his peace,
Sign the lease.
He's a supersonic scientist,
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary man.
Look, look into my mouth he cries.
And all the children lost down many paths,
I bet my life, you'll walk inside,
Hand in hand, gland in gland,
With a spoonful of miracle,
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary.
He realizes he is in fact the Devil trying to sway him...he turns to look at the children…he finds comfort in their innocence…something he no longer has.
We will rock you, rock you little snake,
We will keep you snug and warm.
He has passed his first test of temptation.
He remembers his life. He has a home, a family, a loving wife that he wishes he was with now. How does one explain this all?
Our hero finds himself between two armies. These are armies that have fought for centuries. He’s been called into battle….
iii. IKHNATON AND ITSACON AND THEIR BAND OF MERRY MEN
Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest,
We walked across the fields to see the children of the West,
We saw a host of dark skinned warriors standing still below the ground,
Waiting for battle.
Fights begun, they've been released.
Killing foe for peace . . . bang, bang, bang.
Bang, bang, bang . . .
And they've given me a wonderful potion,
'Cos I cannot contain my emotion.
And even though I'm feeling good,
Something tells me, I'd better activate my prayer capsule.
The side our hero is on has won…the energy of the music captures the intensity of battle.
Today's a day to celebrate, the foe have met their fate.
The order for rejoicing and dancing has come from our warlord.
Unfortunately, winning isn’t always everything…and war is not always the answer. Despite the joy of their victory…our hero contemplates his circumstance. As those around him celebrate…he realizes what sets himself apart from the warriors. He is torn yet again.
iv. HOW DARE I BE SO BEAUTIFUL?
Wandering in the chaos the battle has left,
We climb up the mountain of human flesh,
To a plateau of green grass, and green trees full of life.
A young figure sits still by a pool,
He's been stamped "Human Bacon" by some butchery tool (he is you).
Social Security took care of this lad,
We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower.
A flower?
v. WILLOW FARM
He turns to see a beautiful flower standing in front of him almost heckling him…despite its beauty you can obviously see this doesn’t fit….Narcissus is inane…and insane…the flower begins to show the worth of our hero’s life and his colorful offering to lure him to his world…
If you go down to Willow Farm, to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies.
Open your eyes, it’s full of surprise, everyone lies, (Degrading the value of human life)
like the fox on the rocks, and the musical box. (Sees old Henry’s head knocked off)
Oh, there's Mum and Dad, and good and bad,
and everyone's happy to be here. (All the things we are raised to believe are good are everywhere…even in hell…or so he wants us to think.)
There's Winston Churchill dressed in drag,
he used to be a British flag, plastic bag, what a drag.
The frog was a prince, the prince was a brick,
the brick was an egg,
the egg was a bird,
Hadn't you heard?
(They are going to change you to a human being!)
Yes we're happy as fish, and gorgeous as geese,
and wonderfully clean in the morning.
(Narcissus does his best to tempt our hero…..)
We’ve got everything, we’re growing everything,
We’ve got some in,
We’ve got some out,
We’ve got some wild things floating about.
Everyone, we’re changing everyone,
You name them all,
We’ve had them here,
And the real stars are still to appear.
ALL CHANGE!
(The scene shows Narcissus reeling off all the celebrities that crossed to his side, including all the world leaders and people of interest)
Feel your body melt;
Mum to mud to mad to dad Dad diddley office,
Dad diddley office,
You're all full of ball. (This life is all a lie….if you join us, you will appreciate things more. Who needs faith when you have all this decadence?)
Dad to dam to dum to mum
Mum diddley washing, Mum diddley washing,
You're all full of ball.
Let me hear your lies, we're living this up to the eyes.
Ooee-ooee-ooee-aa
Momma I want you now.
(His fear begins to take over him and starts to realize, whoever this is, is not for good)
And as you listen to my voice
To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause. (Our hero sees who this really is now)
You've been here all the time, (Life is hell on earth for some)
Like it or not, like what you got,
You're under the soil,
Yes deep in the soil. (We all wind up going in the same place. Is human life and faith worth it?)
So we'll end with a whistle and end with a bang and all of us fit in our places.
He has passed his second test. Satan gives up and vanishes into the ground while the costume of Narcissus he wore is ripped apart in anger at our hero not flinching. Our hero takes the children to a safe place to rest. He needs too. Dealing with Satan is traumatic and exhausting….as he sleeps he is suddenly awakened by remembering what the Farmer and Fireman did to him earlier….there are more tests yet to take my friend.
The battle of good and evil, the Apocalypse is upon us.
vi. APOCALYPSE IN 9/8 (CO-STARRING THE DELICIOUS TALENTS OF GABBLE RATCHET)
With the guards of Magog, swarming around,
The Pied Piper takes his children underground.
Dragon's coming out of the sea,
Shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me. (God looks at our hero)
He brings down the fire from the skies,
You can tell he's doing well by the look in human eyes.
Better not compromise. (You cannot compromise with the Devil. There are no negotiations.)
It won't be easy. (Damn right it won’t)
The battle ensues. All those that have died before have risen up. It’s what has taken place in Revelation. The seven churches, the fire, the brimstone, Satan’s minions, they are all in the heat of the battle.
666 is no longer alone,
He's getting out the marrow in your backbone,
And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll,
Gonna blow right down inside your soul.
Pythagoras with the looking-glass, reflects the full moon, (His numbers figure correctly)
In blood, he's writing the lyrics of a brand new tune.
It now fast forwards to our hero with his wife finishing his story he had no idea he would tell. Her eyes are damp…and after all the chaos, pain, insanity, and peril. All he can see are her beautiful blue eyes he swore to honor till his death…
And it’s hey babe, with your guardian eyes so blue,
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true,
I've been so far from here,
Far from your loving arms,
Now I'm back again, and baby it's going to work out fine.
vii AS SURE AS EGGS IS EGGS (ACHING MEN'S FEET)
Can't you feel our souls ignite
Shedding ever-changing colours, in the darkness of the fading night.
Like the river joins the ocean, as the germ in a seed grows
We have finally been freed to get back home.
Babies are conceived, people are freed, souls once lost are now found, all the pain, sorrow, and sadness fall away
There's an angel standing in the sun, and he's crying with a loud voice,
"This is the supper of the mighty one".
Lord of Lords,
King of Kings,
Has returned to lead his children home,
To take them to the New Jerusalem.
And the children walk into the sunset….he stands back with his wife and watches…

At least that’s what I think…

Or what I hope….
Gagliathetics
I felt good Saturday night…maybe it was because I was driving again…what a new experience that is! I stopped off at Jack’s to pick up some music for the program, and drool over his computer system. Jack has so many toys he could probably tap into the Pentagon’s computers if he tried. He offered up a mint vinyl copy of Second’s Out from Genesis. Now the reason being, last Saturday I featured Foxtrot, and played the suite better known as Supper’s Ready. So a lot of you emailed me to say I should play the Phil Collins version as well seeing that Second’s Out was released this time back in 1977. Unfortunately, I don’t have it on CD, but I still believe in vinyl for depth in sound. Unfortunately, there is popping and clicking that the beloved item does that turns off so many in this digital age. So, upon arriving at the studio, I sat in productions and listened to the album. Sounded good, no clicking, very little popping etc. Then came airplay time. It was awful. The clicking was so loud through the compressor in the FM antenna I almost stopped it. Dan in western Colorado was ripping me for playing it…while others were crucifying me for playing anything that Phil Collins was on. Whatever. People really are shallow. Phil Collins resume alone from 1971-1981 should be suffice to say that he paid his dues. Phil is a very open minded drummer that offered his skills and only 10% of the time albeit vocals. So whatever on that. Grow up and take your blinders off. Stop the hatin. Our main premiere tonight was the new disc from keyboardist extraordinaire Scott Kinsey titled Kinesthetics. This excellent new album features a who’s who of session artists. Vinnie Colauita, Scott Henderson, Gary Willis, Alex Acuna…I could go down the list. This disc in the post airing received a ton of buzz from both local and internet. It’s calling for a second spin soo….Another big response was in the new double CD from Richard Pinhas titled Metatron in our 4th Hour Space Out Segment. The CD has the new sound the Pinny is goin for, but still rocks at other intervals. Features some help from the old days, and new as well on this gem from the French master. Speaking of French, I continued on with our second straight spotlight on the new discs from the ProgQuebec label. This week it was an unearthed live concert from Maneige recorded between 1974-1975 titled Les Porches Live. The sound quality was quite succulent, and even features a never released track from the era. After feed back was so great following independent artist Tom Grose and his Jetsam CD, we featured his other 06 release titled At Bay….Not exactly the response like Jetsam, but still was favorable. We kicked things off tonight with the iconic, landmark recording from composer/keyboardist Patrick Moraz tited The Story Of I. This was a milestone for Patrick, which put him at the forefront of keyboardists of the time. The sound quality in these remasters is totally worth the price. Patrick will join us soon to reflect on this new set of gems re-released. I also got a little funky in the midnight hour by featuring the new disc from Club D'Elf titled Now I Understand. This is more of a collective that was turned on to me by Jeannie Becker, host of our Sunday show Time Out For Jazz. It’s a mix of RnB, funk, jazz, rock, ambient, trance….with many indicators pointing it towards prog rock…no doubt the influence is there. ReR just sent on the latest remaster of the 1980 album from Italian project Picchio Dal Pozzo and their Abbiamo Tutti I Suoi Problemi. This band was one of the rare Italian bands with a heavy Canterbury influence. I think this is another underrated gem that’s a must get. After the show, I left for home with the windows still off. I was surprised there was no frost on my eyebrows once I got there. God I love my Jeep…………………………..
I Am Immersed, And Love Forgets
Sunday was a tough day. The Eagles lost to the Saints in New Orleans. A game they clearly should have won. Well, at least they responded and scored 21 unanswered points. That’s why I believe this Eagles team is the partially the Eagles of the last few years (excluding 05-06). I have to admit, being an Eagles fan is great. At least right now. But I’ll be honest. It’s just as great when they are losing. And I mean this only in the camaraderie that the fandom has. Other than that, it’s a great excuse to get drunk early on a Sunday morning. After the game, I jetted to my house to prep for the Strawbs concert in Philadelphia’s Tin Angel. The date was with Roger and Cindy. This means usually, when the Strawbs play in Philly, it’s a cry fest for both me and Rohario. It hits us in a primal way…kinda like when you hear the bagpipes. Either it hits you spiritually, or you think it’s this obnoxious noisemaker that looks like a big spider. That’s what I think of the Strawbs. We arrived at Serrano for dinner in my incognito outfit. Didn’t matter, people still knew who I was. It was nice to put faces to your listener’s names. I had some of Roger’s Duck Pizza. It was ok, but I am not a big fan of Duck. It tends to be greasy and gamey and is rarely ever a first choice. The bread was good though. Once the show started in the cramped Tin Angel, I sat next Cindy and began to take in the ambiance. The set list went like this:
Benedictus -- (Beautiful start. Always a smile to be had to see this song played)
Simple Visions -- (Great as well, besides the guy that kept yelling, “Wow, Wow, Wow”)
New World – (Maybe he was high, but the guy kicked the “Wow, Wow, Wow” up a notch)
Flower And the Young Man – (Another great story to be told that had nothing to do with the song)
Golden Salamander – (“Wow, Wow, Wow” well now he is sitting by the bathroom goin “Do it Do it”)
Two Weeks Last Summer – (I’m buzzed now, but out of the blue the Bush bashers came out and started chanting. They heard crickets following the rant. Cousins looked at them as if they were nuts)
Ghosts – (What can I say, this is a tear jerker. I can’t look at Rog during this song.)
Shine on Silver Sun (Always beautiful live, but not a personal favorite)
Autumn – (I didn’t make it through the song. Too powerful for me…sobbed through it.)
The Battle (Outside smoking)
The River/Down By the Sea (Still outside, met their road manager who was hot)
Lay Down (Got back for this. Great song…always makes me think of…)
Hero And Heroine (Do I need to explain? It’s a classic)
After the show, I spoke with Dave briefly, then Lambert, and closing out with Chas. All in all a great show, and it never seems to fail. I always meet the coolest people at these shows. Maybe that’s why I am into this music after all. Not for the music at all….As for the Eagles game against Tampa Bay this coming weekend? Eagles win in a rout. They rebound big. 31-10. Donovan has a career day.

Program 974 Ran 3 Hours And 58 Minutes.

150
65
Wranglin’ My Bearings
After the Monday night game, it was inevitable. Time to take the car to Cottman. I didn’t want to. I hate mechanics. They are liars. Cheating, sniveling, non emotional liars. They will rack up charges that don’t exist, and not to mention they back pedal once you prove to them they are being shady. So, extremely reluctant, my dad insisted I go to the mechanic up the street by his house. He swears by him. Me? I hate them all. If and when I ever become a terrorist, I plan on taking out all the local mechanics, and then DMV. I will tell everyone to get out of the buildings, but then just blow up their infrastructure. Bombing is too easy though. I’d want a fortified and reinforced Mac Truck. Then I will just blow right through these places. Anyway, my dad follows me to the Cottman transmission place. I walk in there and I could tell already that these guys were ready for me.
“Jeep giving you problems?”
“Yes, it sounds as if my bearings are grinding.”
“Ok, looks like you will need a new clutch.”
“Huh? I haven’t even given you my key yet.”
“Yeah but that’s usually what happens.”
I was furious already. I turn to my father and he gives me that ‘don’t worry, I know these guys, and they are cool.’ look. So at this point, my face is getting hot and my pressure is rising.
“When was the last time you blew your clutch out?”
“NEVER”
“Are you sure? How many miles have put on it?”
“150,000 miles. NEVER NEEDED TO PUT IN A CLUTCH EVER.”
“Oh…ok. Maybe you won’t need one….but I sure hope you don’t have the suitcase transmission”
“What? Suitcase? Did you just make that up? Do you think I am a rogue or something?”
My dad silently kicks me behind the counter. I didn’t want him to think I was mad for him taking me here, but he knows dam right well that I HATE dealerships, mechanics, and transmission garages. They are liars and thieves and should be all shot execution style. So reluctantly, I gave my key to him. This was Tuesday. By Thursday, I decided to check in on them.
“Yes I’m calling in regards to my 1997 Jeep Wrangler I dropped off Tuesday…can I get a status report?”
“oh…”(Silent giggling) “ Yeah, the Wrangler. We have no clue. Waiting on parts right now.”
“Ok, when can I expect it done?”
“hmmm..maybe next week. If you want, you can come get it now and just bring it back Monday….you won’t do anymore damage than is already done.”
So my dad decides to take me to it. Hey it’s a lot better than to hassle anyone else for rides all weekend long. We get there. It’s raining. I walk in, and ask for my keys.
“Yeah, your Jeep should be fine to drive around this weekend.”
I get in, start my Jeep, put it in reverse and KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK KLACK.
I pull it back into the spot. Walk in, look right at him.
“Dude, I’m not taking that Jeep. It’s making noises it WASN’T making when I brought it here.”
“oh…you know what? I think they opened it up and moved some stuff around when they checked it out.”
“Well, why would you give it to me?”
No response. I hate them. LIARS. SCUMBAGS. Worse than lawyers and the liberal New Jersey state government.
Thru These Walls
I sat in my apartment every night this week wanting to bite my veins out of my arms. Yeah I have no car. Not like I would have gone out anyway….but still, at least I would have had a car to go out with to like….say…. ‘Wawa’ or something. I can’t even do that. The closest ‘store’ is the gas station on Route 38 and the Uni mart a quarter mile away. It’s close when you have a vehicle…30 minutes without one. So, with the help of the Great Santoni, I was able to get rides home from work, but was trapped once I was home. Santoni is a great guy. Reminds me of every Italian cousin I ever had. He is the authority on College Football both past and present, and the NFL. Then he is just as brilliant in his knowledge of Baseball, and Hockey. Even Basketball. He is very passionate about it, and my admiration of him is that he has the same ‘negadelphia’ view that I have on local sports. We are both on the same page. His knowledge of sports history would be as comparable as my knowledge of progressive rock and fusion. But his negativity is more solid than mine because deep down inside, I find a way to get pulled back into loving my teams. By the time Friday arrived, I couldn’t wait to actually stay home. Here it is Friday night, and I have NO desire to do anything. Another thing that bums me out is the loss of my nest egg due to this transmission ordeal. Just when I think I am getting ahead, THEY PULL ME BACK IN. Oh well…that’s life.
The Special K
Saturday morning was panicky. I thought about maybe getting a ride up to the station to at least drop a 4 hour tape since I most likely wouldn’t be able to get a ride home. I couldn’t find anyone to help me get up there or at least make an arrangement for me to get to work. Between my friends sleeping and going to weddings and the like, I was in a tight spot. Then I got the best call of the day. My Dad decided to give in and lend me one of the 3 cars he has for the day. He already told me I would be getting his 1985 Chrysler LeBaron literally in mint condition. So I am counting the days so I can drive that, while I rebuild and repair my Jeep. My first car was a Plymouth Reliant so I know how the K cars operate. Little boxie cars with an engine slightly stronger than a lawn mower and surprisingly good on gas. The paint job is fading and corroding like most mid 80’s MOPAR paint brands, but I’ll just go to Maaco and get it repainted black. The interior of the car smelled a bit musty due to the leak within the door….nothing some Carpet Fresh can’t get rid of. I drove the car back and it reminded me of the old days. I pulled up in front of my house with my neighbors staring.
“What happened to your car?”
“Transmission”
“So you bought this?”
“No, this is my dad’s car he’s giving me.”
“So you won’t have your Jeep anymore?”
“No I will get it back this week.”
“What will you do with this car?”
“I will give it back to my dad so he can turn it over to me.”
“But what about your Jeep?”
I walked inside at that point. Why even go through it again? I capped the afternoon off with watching the Yankees lose (YAY) and working on Saturday’s show. It was fun to see NY lose…or any NY team for that matter….kinda pumps me up in a weird way…HA!
The Thunder From Down Under
The accumulation of great music has been a bit much in the last few weeks. There is just too much to play with too little time. My special guest this week would be a sure thing. Frank Gambale. Frank began playing music at a young in Australia before heading to the United States in his early twenties. From there, the rest is history. He played and recorded with some of the best; John Luc Ponty, Chick Corea, Holdsworth etc. He was good spirited and talked about his most recent compilations that have been released, and his new album as well called Natural High. The new disc is standards and all acoustic, something that Frank hasn’t stepped into in quite some time. We talked about some of the Yamaha gear he has been using along with his upcoming tour dates with Chick Corea and his upcoming tour to India for the first time. At #1 for the fourth week is The Mars Volta. This CD is sending shockwaves almost as strong as it’s predecessor and the new Pure Reason Revolution. Requests have been in full force from the younger crowd, but now the older crowd is appreciating it as well. One point I want to get across…the PRR CD is getting almost as many requests as of now…so who knows what could happen next week. Tonight I featured some more fusion oriented CD’s. The first being a disc that knocked me off my chair when I first tracked it in Tom Grose’s Jetsam. This CD has a strong Zappa influence but his keyboard playing and guitar playing are second to none. Where did he come from? Who knows, I can’t find anything about this guy anywhere. But nonetheless, it’s a good disc. More avant-jazz in Fasteau/Jordan/Thompson and their People Of The Ninth: New Orleans And The Hurricane 2005 CD. Fans of ReR and Cuneiform will eat this disc up. And apparently, this must be BRAND new because there are no listings online anywhere in regards to it. Great stuff. Speaking of Cuneiform, the new September releases are getting some great feedback. I featured the new Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic album featuring vocalist Oral Moses titled Extreme Spirituals. From their website; Oral Moses is a major interpreter of the African American canon. Born in South Carolina, he began singing in the US 7th Army Soldiers Chorus, continued as a member of the famed Fisk Jubilee singers, then earned his doctorate in vocal performance and opera at the University of Michigan. Moses' scholarly work is featured in the seminal anthology, Feel the Spirit: Studies in 19th Century Afro-American Music. He has also released several CDs. His voice is booming and powerful. He has the amazing ability to make this all work with the backdrop of the avant-garde music of Birdsongs. Great work, and should not be overlooked. These songs are powerful, and truly are the roots to our history as a people…not just African American history, but American history. We concluded our spotlight in our 4th Hour Space Out with Jade Warrior’s 4th reissue from Eclectic titled Way Of The Sun. Another beautiful and stunning album that finally got the justice it deserved in being remastered and reissued. Speaking of reissues, the magicians at Progquebec have returned with a new set goodies. This week I went with vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Jacques Tom Rivest of Pollen fame and his self titled debut solo album. And as always around this week, I feature the album that changed it all for me. Genesis Foxtrot. What October is complete without a little Supper’s Ready?
Don’t Believe The Hype
TO, TO, TO, TO,….oh whatever. Go away would you? Sunday was the Innovator’s annual Progbecue. This year it was off the hizzy. Ken smoked several Pork butts, grilled incredible chicken sausage, and thousands of other things. This year was special because they had a wide assortment of different foods. Everything was absolutely incredible. The smell of pork, smoke, the sounds of people laughing, talking, drinking…all in all it was an absolute success. I had to stop and smile to myself at this one. It was a party. Football on, on the big screen, Innovator’s music blasting downstairs from the basement, obscure artwork littering the modern set up of this wonderful house, and great people. Drummer Vic Stevens was there whom I hadn’t seen since his return to South Jersey from Colorado. Vic loves making sure he puts me in my place when I start to say intelligent things. Scott McGill was there who handed me a fresh copy of his latest work…fellow Paisan and ARK drummer John Macaluso was there as well with his beautiful girlfriend. John and I rapped for a while and every time I look at this guy, I can’t help but see our life has so many parallels. A little nudge, and I could be this guy. Tom from SPV was there and was a pleasure to put a face to the name I have been talking to for so many years. He was very curious about my family history, and about southern New Jersey’s history. Also in attendance were Innovator’s neighbors Fred and his lovely wife. Michael Mazur showed up as well. He’s a big teddy bear this guy. Always smiling. Just as I was leaving, keyboard extraordinaire Vitali Kuprij arrived with his girlfriend…it truly was a who’s who at this party I had to sadly leave. I left halfway through the first quarter of the Eagles game while the much hated Cowboys had the lead. I went to my parents to watch the second half. What a game. The best game I have seen Donovan McNabb have in a couple years. Not to mention, TO was no factor. He didn’t catch a ball until midway through the third quarter. Lot of overhype. My friends who were in attendance at Eagles nation down in South Philly said it was nuts. 700 different news agencies were present. Including Al-Jazeera. This was the big game. And guess what. WE WON. Lito Sheppard picks off a passing attempt from Drew Bledsoe just as he was aiming for Terry Glenn. Lito ran it back 102 yards for the touchdown. God it was awesome. This game may be the tide turner on all the nay sayers that insist on having the Eagles under the radar. Their next opponent will be the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. The Saints will be tough, and this won’t be a cake walk. I think as of now, Drew Brees is the real deal at QB, while Reggie Bush may be a rookie…he is very scary. However, I think the Eagles will in. 24-21
Time to watch Sportscenter, read the Cowboys message board, laugh and gloat.


Program 973 Ran 4 Hours and 3 Minutes.

190
67
All That You Love, Will Be Carried Away
Saturday was a bit chaotic. I had to get my Jeep checked out because something isn’t right. I hear grinding in my transmission. I am very, very worried. I can get it taken care of, but it will pound me financially. The car did some heating up and I fixed that at Pep Boys. But on the good side, I finally got the new JVC car stereo I wanted. That was step 1. Step 2 is to get the rear and front speakers replaced. Then lastly, step 3 is to get the subwoofer. The Jeep needs lots of repairs however. My pride and joy needs 2 new sway bars in the front. She needs a new bumper from the hit and run. The soft top roof needs to be repaired heavily (Dirt and small tears here and there). I need new driver side and passenger side zipper windows. The carpet is absolutely filthy and stained. That needs to be repaired. And last but not least, a problem I have had since I got the Jeep, has been the exhaust. And apparently, this has troubled even the previous owner. And overall, the Jeep needs to be repainted. I won’t rest till all of this is done, and the (gulp) transmission getting repaired. If that’s what the case is anyway. The stereo sounded great though. The only way I got the rumbling in my Jeep to stop was by making the stereo louder. That worked! As I waited for my stereo to get installed, I passed out in Circuit City in the new TV Chair section (they vibrate) as I watched the Memphis game. Once I was called to get back to the installation department, 2 quarters had passed. Now, those that know me know I never close my Jeep up. This stereo installer had the courtesy of closing my whole Jeep up for me. I was kinda flattered to be honest, but wanted to say, “Dude, you didn’t have to do all that. I kinda like it being open and wet with rain.” But when I realized how stupid that was to say, so I just kept quiet. So I popped my first CD in the new player….Echolyn’s The End Is Beautiful, then on to Mats/Morgan On Air With Guests. This CD smokes. Outrageously hot and sonically awesome. I could definitely tell the difference in sound depth with the new JVC. I live for music and if it’s going to be in my car, it better sound good. Look it ain’t Alpine or anything…but it serves its new purpose. When all was said and done, I was on my way to Mount Royal’s SWINEFEST 2006. Many distractions however…the Phillies were playing Florida in a make or break game to keep them alive for a possible playoff trip, my email directions to Ray Laboda never made it to them to get to the radio station for the show…and my Jeep is making funny noises underneath me.
JVC KD G320 DETAILS:
» CD player with built-in amplifier (18 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)
» plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs (including discs loaded with MP3 and WMA files)
» Custom Equalizer (cEQ) — offers six preset tone settings (each setting can be adjusted to your taste) and a 2-band EQ
» loudness
» detachable face
» two sets of preamp outputs (rear outputs can be switched to subwoofer mode)
» subwoofer level and frequency control
» low-pass filter
» CEA-2006 compliant amplifier
» 24-bit digital-to-analog converter
» iPod-ready
» satellite radio-ready
» 18 FM/6 AM presets
» clock
» wireless remote
» CD frequency response: 5-20,000 Hz
» CD signal-to-noise ratio: 98 dB
» FM sensitivity: 11.3 dBf
» warranty: 1 year

Throw Your Pearls Before The Swine
I arrived at the Polish chef’s annual event a bit apprehensive. Last year, I ate a lot. I mean a serious, heart stopping amount. I didn’t know if I could top last year. When I arrived…Greg’s chef hat was the first thing I saw. The smell of hickory and mesquite was in full force, while people circled around the house drinking beer as if we were down at the shore. I saw the smoker, and was drawn to it. I pulled up a chair and let it enshroud me. Temps were riding in the 160 range and Chef Pole wasn’t happy. Banks, the Rush Chairman, made sure to the best of his ability to keep things under control and handled. By 4:00 it was inevitable…the Phillies were eliminated. A slight feeling of emptiness came over me. 162 games of hopes, disappointment, anger, happiness, disgust.......all fell to the floor. The only thing that could keep me out of the doldrums, was beautifully smoked vinegar ribs that Chef Pole is sooooooo good at. So I sat and ate, and insisted everyone turn their back to me while I ate. Kinda like Dennis Hopper as he breathed in the ether in Blue Velvet. “DON’T LOOK AT ME..” I don’t know. I just have this thing that if I don’t know you, you can’t watch me eat ribs or crabs. Weird…I know. As twilight approached, I realized that the world was a pretty small place. This guy named ‘Defaio’, at least I think, knew all my cousins from South Philadelphia, and knew the rest of my entire family. He proclaimed his love for my cousin Lori Ann who I must admit; I even had a thing for. As the night ensued, I really wanted to drink but had to be responsible. The radio show was a special edition as the New Jersey Proghouse guys were coming in. I sent out the directions to them from Pole’s, and it was time for me to get directions to the closest Dunkin Donuts. I left historic Mount Royal for the truck stop district for some hot coffee. There are times in life that good things happen. I pulled up at Dunkin Donuts by 295 north to just get a small cup…only problem was; this was a cash only store. So I had to find a MAC machine. So I pull into the truck stop…tap MAC, pay the $2.95 fee for usin the freakin thing (FUCKING CRIMINALS), smelled urine while I waited for the Gerbils inside the machine to spin my money out, and proceed to get my crack; a small with extra/extra, and a Boston Cream donut. As I am driving away, the cashier stops me. “Wait right here…”
I wait….and here he comes with a large bag of donuts. “You a good guy…tank you for the teep!”
Sometimes................ good things happen. You eventually get something back….
"This Time Alone"
[Lyrics by Ray Weston]

No sounds, this time alone
No one mentions my name, or a single word to me
Finally found this, left the rest behind

Wish I could stay like this
Feel like drifting away, visibility forever
Wide open, focus this time alone

Spring coming, sink so deep
Float so slowly as I go down

Alone at last, no circles to stand in
I've filled my head all full of me
And surrendered completely
Don't take offense if I don't want to share
These circles make me nervous
All closed in and uptight
My save me's go unheard now I've met my weakest point
I need a bit of distance for control

Nobody sees you like I do
Nobody loves you like I do
Nobody needs you like I do

Selfish, but well spent
Few and far between is the luxury of alone
Use this distance, left the rest behind

I am, I think, I want, I need, this for myself

You Touchin Me, Metuchen You
We presented our radio special centered on the New Jersey Proghouse. Like last year, we were graced with the presence of Ray Laboda, Jim Robinson, and Jon Yarger. They aren’t strangers to me or the radio show and as always, it’s a pleasure to have them on. They have made an impact in central New Jersey in the last 6 years with their small, yet personable concerts. Jim Robinson, the one I have known the longest, worked his butt off in the beginning of his concert series, to something that pretty much controls its own destiny now. In the early days of his concert series, Jim was screwed over a lot. Lying managers, low turnouts, etc. But things have gone his way like they should for good people. His reputation for his concert series now speak for themselves. Karma baby. Jim is a good guy…no agenda, no phoniness, a real person. What you see, is what you get. So his success, I feel personally over the years, is attributed to his fairness and objectiveness in the music and the people he has had over the years. Jim is also the official head cracker at Nearfest. He has done amazing things for our program as well. Him, Kevin Feeley, and Ray Laboda, were instrumental in making sure our live broadcasts in the past went over with no problems. They made sure we had equipment, extra hands, and of course, stuff to give away on the radio show. I can’t say enough about how good Jim is. Ray Laboda and I met only a few years ago. I didn’t know much about him at first, but as we got to talking, I realized he is one of the craziest, most intense, and passionate people I have ever met. The Proghouse is VERY important to him. He is vocal about how he feels, and doesn’t back down from his opinion. Ray is fair to those who are fair to him, and his rewards are obvious. He balances out Jim Robinson perfectly. Not to mention, Ray has one of the greatest sense of humors I know. His wind is disastrously strong. As for Jon Yarger…Jon has been a force in the progrock radio scene since 1996. Hence the website http://www.progradio.net/. Jon is the guy you see at most NJPH concerts running the video camera and getting a quality recording of the performances. Jon was our original internet broadcast carrier before Aural Moon took over in 1999. He was mainly quiet during the broadcast as always Saturday night. Saturday night set a milestone for the most listeners in 2006 at one interval between 1030-1130PM with 210 live listeners…great numbers. One of the big shows coming up at the NJPH will be the coming of Zero Hour on 11/5/06. That is a Sunday. The looks on all their faces when I featured the new album Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond sold them. These guys are going to blow the doors off of that place.
Forever Until Sunday
Sunday I decided, since the Eagles weren’t playing till Monday, to get some little things done I needed to. First, fix the lighter that hasn’t worked in my Jeep since I got it. After 2 hours of rigorous testing, we came to the realization that the wire internally was fried. So after 2 trips to Pep Boys, I found the lighter that would fit. My parent’s neighbor Jeff helped with splicing the wires to run from the fuse box and run it clean with no wires showing. It worked! And no, just because I am a smoker doesn’t mean THAT’S why I got it fixed. I needed to repair it for my second job. Hooking up my Sirius Satellite Network unit. I had the window mount along with the antenna wires and the like set up so you could hardly see it. And the lighter makes it all work…see?
COZY Analyzes Our Logo:

ScippyLisp: I've always wondered why you're wearing a helmet

ScippyLisp: and if it's archives, why do you look futuristic? ;-)

ScippyLisp: and if it is a prog show, how come you don't play Yes? >:o

ScippyLisp: and wtf is a Gagli anyway??? =-O

What Time Is it? It’s 6:30
My dad called me Sunday to say that he couldn’t go to the Eagles game on Monday night because of a recording session. Yeah I was disappointed, but quickly tried to find a partner in crime to go to the game with. I decided on bringing my brother. He happily said yes. We left for the game about 5ish to get to the Linc by 5:30. We arrived at 5:42. We were meeting my Swinefest founder Chef Pole at the game. We parked across the street, and I brought my folding chair, my grill, my walkman, my propane, my charcoal (as a backup), my brother, and my optimism. Once we arrived at the tailgate spot, I started chugging beers. I fired up the grill as well and we started on the prep for an early snack. It was then that Chef’s friend arrived at our tailgate spot. It was also then that an old friend visited me in Mr. Jaegermeister. After 5 Yuenglings, I started on it. Boy was I feeling good. Sadly, I only ate about 3 ribs. Far too worked up for the Eagles game is my thinking…but nonetheless, I am having a good time. By the time I had the third Jaeger, I was in that special place. I started talking to the tailgaters next to us, and after 2 more beers, Pippy and I were trying to GIVE ribs away. Pole's tailgating music consisted of Eagles fight songs, recordings from the field, and of course...John Facenda, the voice of god. So most of the night I kept telling everyone it was 6:30. 15 minutes to kick off, it's 6:30. We closed up shop and it was time to get into the stadium. My brother hadn't been to a regular season game with me in years, and I felt...this is kinda cool...me and my brother on my birthday kinda, are going to see an Eagles game. I think it was the first time in years I actually didn't want to kill him. Once we got to our section, up 3 flights of stairs mind you, the alcohol had kicked in full fledge. The game was tight. By halftime, and two turnovers by the Eagles, it 9-7 Green Bay. I have seen the birds CRUSH the Packers on several occasions here. I was a bit nervous. But just like the old days, the Iggles just pulled away. After chicken fingers, 2 beers, a pretzel and I forget what else, Michael and I decided to head to the lower level and see it up close. It was awesome. Lots of joy in the stadium. But of course, you can never leave a game error free:

http://willdo.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives/2006/10/a_philly_fan_of.html

All I can say is, God Bless Philadelphia.

We got back to Pole and Pippy and the tailgate spot, and were obviously giddy. I wanted to throw a football around, but unfortunately, we had to make one. First time around I went with my folding chair...which is totally absurd I know. But only my brother could get my humor. So, as Pole played Facenda, I went into slow motion as if I was Bart Starr of the Greeeeen Bay Packerzzzzz. (Facenda voice) Pippy couldn't catch ONE of my passes. I was thoroughly dissapointed, but Sawickster came through. The closing of the night was going well until Josh came along. Who is Josh? Well, we don't know really. He just walked over to our spot, and sat in Pippy's char. Josh then proceeded to throw up all over his feet and the sidearm of the chair. Wow. Ok...uhhh...what are we going to do with this guy? At this point, I was 0 for14 on my passes, and I wasn't going to win the imaginary game I was playing at QB in my head. Josh then got up and decided to get in Pole's car. Pippy was going to pee herself from laughing. Pole walked over to him, "Josh, you can't get in my car. Just sit here." At this point, Josh threw up again, all over his arm, and his brand new, crisp Eagles hat went right in the mound. Michael and I both looked at each other and simultaneously went "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww" Live pretend TV is great. So, we got Josh a cab, and Michael headed back to the Jeep. As we walked, I thought about the upcoming opponent in Dallas. I see T.O. being a distraction all week, but he will most likely have a good day with 2 TD's. Donovan will be hot, and the offense will just pull away. Eagles 38, Dallas 20.

As we drove home, I could hear the whirring sound beneath me getting louder. This isn't good. Time to drop it off I think. Figures, so much for my nest egg.

It's 2:15 A.M. I was born now 34 years ago. I gaze at my reflection.

Program 972 Ran 4 hours and 3 minutes