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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.