BLUES, more blues, even more blues, BEER, barbecue, (my bbq blog is: http://donobbq.blogspot.com/ but myspace won't let me link it anymore), racquetball, Battleground Europe, computers, geology, video production, photography, poker, poke her, fishin', Final Cut Pro, Texas history, blues sheet music before 1930, girls going wild. I hang out at bars a lot. Sometimes I drive 200 miles to hang out in bars. It doesn't pay well, but it is entertaining on so many levels. Sometimes the show is on the stage, sometimes it's in the crowd, sometimes it's in the parking lot, but there's always a show .
Music
Earl Hooker, Otis Rush, Freddie King, Big Bill, Billy Boy Arnold, Robert Petway, Wild Jimmy Spruill, Peetie Wheatstraw, Jerry McCain, The Tigerman, Little Walter, Lafayette "Thing" Thomas, Albert King, Bessie Smith, Jimmy Reed, T-Bone, Lightnin, Lemon, Mance, Jazz Gillum, Dave Mackenzie, Johnnie Taylor, Ray Agee, Booker T. and the MGs, Hound Dog Taylor, JLV, Muddy, Little Milton, Cripple Clarence Lofton, Etta James, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Albert Collins, Bobby Rush, Nick Moss, Johnny Copeland, Ike Turner, Magic Sam, BB King, Lowell Fulson, Magic Slim, Eddie Taylor, Percy Mayfield, Boogie Boy Ikuto, Dr. Velvet, Luther Tucker, Sonny Boy 1 and 2, Memphis Slim, Gary Clark Jr., Slim Harpo, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Booty, Ray Charles, Jimmy McCracklin, Christian Dozzler, Tampa Red, Knockout Gregg and Blue Weather, Blind Willie McTell, Roy Gaines, Bobby Blue Bland, Memphis Minnie, Anson, Bo Carter, Ray Sharpe, Jimmy Rogers, Mr. Itch, Little Joe Blue, U.P. Wilson, Leroy Carr, Pat Schram, Black Ace, The Brownman, Skip James, Junior Parker, Katie Webster, Jackalope Jones, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Eddie Hope and the Mannish Boys, Thurmon Valentine, Happy Kyne and the Mirthmakers, Claude and the Hightones, Groovy Eyes, Samuel James......
Movies
Mars Attacks, Repo Man, Little Big Man, Aliens, The Life of Brian, Godzilla (the original), Lawrence of Arabia, Office Space, Raising Arizona, Almost Famous, Crumb, Alien Avengers, The Thing (the original), Shaun of the Dead, The Hudsucker Proxy, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Ed Wood, Erik the Viking, Kamikaze Girls, The Mysterians, Dogma, Ghost World, The Lady Killers, They Live, Idiocracy, Dr. Strangelove, Eating Raul, American Splendor, Roadie, The Green Pastures, Fracture, Mystery Train, Harold and Kumar, Man of the Century, In Bruges, yeah..I like weird movies. The weirder, the better.
Television
Green Acres, Car 54 Where Are You?, The Phil Silvers Show (Sgt Bilko), The Prisoner, Red Dwarf, Fernwood Tonight, The Twilight Zone, Reel Wild Cinema, Slam Bang Theater (slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch...), The Sopranos, Band of Brothers, Iron Chef, Dave Chapelle, Penn and Teller's BULLSHIT!!, Fawlty Towers, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, The Science Channel
Books
How to Lie with Statistics, Footfall, The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer, Microcosmic God, Take This Book Please, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Blues Who's Who
Heroes
Everybody who does the REAL stuff. Everybody who supports the people who do the REAL stuff.
About me: I'm a 5th generation Texan who loves the blues. Since 1983 I've been hosting a weekly blues radio show on KNON 89.3FM in Dallas, where I'm known as "Don O." I'm also the blues format director at KNON. You can hear me on the radio or streaming on the web from 6-8pm CST on Fridays. http://KNON.org
One of my current projects is called the DFW Blues Scene Sampler Project. I'm filming local blues bands doing original tunes for online streaming and maybe, down the line, a DVD. I'm a total noob on this video stuff but it's fun to do and hopefully it will help the scene a little. The goal is to turn folks onto the great live blues scene we have here in Dallas/Fort Worth. Hopefully, this will lead new people to visit a club, book a gig, or maybe buy a CD!! The videos are up on youtube where I'm getting about 500 hits a week. That is small potatoes for someplace like youtube, but that's another 500 potential customers for DFW blues bands, so it's a good thing. I just noticed there have been over 110,000 views of my DFW blues videos, so far. I haven't shot a lot recently due to sound and lighting issues in the few remaining clubs, but there will be more new vids up, soon. My "channel" is here: http://www.youtube.com/bluesdfw
The vids below are not part of the blues scene sampler project, they're just live performances on my radio show at KNON, shot with a little sony digicam. Just for fun. There are more of these on the Texas Blues Radio myspace page
Here's some video of Samuel James playing live on my KNON radio show on Friday, September 12th, 2008. He's an awesome new talent and an amazing songwriter. Check out his myspace (link from my top friends).
Samuel James - Woooo Rosa live on KNON in Dallas
Hey Don O, thanks again for having Jim and I be a part of the KNON Bluesfest. I had a blast. It's so great to know other people who have such a genuine love for the blues. See ya soon.
Don ,were doing the Ft Worth Christmas All- Stars this year at the old Hop .. now The Aardvark Dec 25th , hope to see you , if not have a great Christmas man!!