Live music, road trips, reading, history, microbiology, dogs, outdoor stuff (camping, hiking, paddling), and various spiritual, "countercultural" and 420-type activities.
Music
Grateful Dead and related, Beatles, Ramones, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Fishbone, Jonathan Richman, Skatalites, Blotto, The Clash, Talking Heads, the Doors, The Who, Sonic Youth, The Tragically Hip, The Dead Boys, Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, The Undertones, Green Day, Foo Fighers, Burning Spear, Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Hot Tuna, U2, Iggy Pop, Gene Vincent, Country Joe and the Fish, Blondie, The Band, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Tom Waits, Harry Chapin, Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, The Tubes, Primus, Moon Boot Lover, Soulive, Yolk, Conehead Buddha, moe., Ominous Seapods, Maceo Parker, P-Funk, Donna the Buffalo, Hot Hot Heat, Phish, Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Rancid, Madness, The Specials, Toots and the Maytals, Sex Pistols, Public Image Ltd., Kudzu Kings, Jambay, Apollo Sunshine, Brothers Past, and various bands that I've been in, or jam frequently with (Dr. Jah, Free Association, Brain Darts, Bootleg, Deadbeats ...).
Movies
A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Rock 'n' Roll High School, The Grateful Dead Movie, Harold and Maude, Repo Man, Kentucky Fried Movie, Star Wars (Episodes 4-6), Blank Generation, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, An American Werewolf in London, The Nasty Girl, Dr. Zhivago, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Roger and Me, Farenheit 911, Time Bandits, A Clockwork Orange, Real Genius, Superfly, Platoon, Stripes, Nosferatu, The Atomic Cafe, Up in Smoke, Dr. Strangelove, Fail Safe, 8 Days in May, The Manchurian Candidate, The Last Waltz, Hair Spray, King of Hearts, The Great Race, Mystery Train, Brazil, Airplane!, Pulp Fiction, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Gone With the Wind, Sugarland Express, The Producers, Little Shop of Horrors, Paths of Glory, Animal House, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life of Brian, Arsenic and Old Lace, Duck Soup, The Piano Movers, Reservoir Dogs, Yellow Submarine, Squeal of Death, True Stories, Young Frankenstein, The Concert for Bangladesh, Stop Making Sense, Punk: Attitude, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Pooty Tang, This is Spinal Tap, Shenandoah, A Boy and His Dog, The Last Temptation of Christ.
Television
James Burke's "Connections" and "The Day the Universe Changed" ; The Simpsons; Babylon 5; The Power of Myth (Joseph Campbell w/ Bill Moyers), The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, "The Civil War" by Ken Burns, Get Smart, "The Rhythm of Life" with George Martin, 24, SCTV, The Daily Show, South Park, Drawn Together, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek (TOS, TNG, DS9), Farscape, Law and Order, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Book Notes, Campus Ladies, Howard Goodall's Big Bangs, Later...With Jools Holland.
Books
Currently: "Blake's Poetry and Designs"
Heroes
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Jesus, Nelson Mandela, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John Lennon, Joey Ramone, Jerry Garcia, Michael Miller, "Cousin Terry" Miller, Mike Hartnett (RIP-RFB) and the Rye Breaders, the Rainbow Family, Steve Hager, Jack Herer, Sts. Joseph and Francis, and many of my friends.
Brian's "Bass Pantheon": Paul McCartney, Phil Lesh, Dee Dee Ramone, John Entwistle, Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Lloyd Brevett, Jack Casady, Rob Derhak, Stanley Clark, Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins, Mark White, Mike Gordon, Oteil Burbridge, Les Claypool, George Porter, Harry Shearer, Dave Woolworth.
Still in progress, though basically .... I'm a gallantly foolish person, sensitive and silly, an intellectual know-it-all but sometimes totally clueless.
Performing bass and singing for people has given me some of the greatest rewards, both imagined and previously unimagined, but has also cost me dearly. That's life!
Music is a need, though not my only one. Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets has been my main band for about 10 years now, and I've been playing with the Deadbeats for a few months too (every Wednesday @ Valentines, especially). I also play guitar, trombone and percussion. When not on the road, I sing in the choir at St. Vincent de Paul church on Madison Ave. in Albany, which features some fabulous musicians (keyboards, guitars, wind instruments, percussion) and vocalists.
One really useful trait is my sense of direction (whether rural or urban, I have a hard time getting lost) which is especially useful for long space-drives and going to shows wherever they are. Between that, my fairly quick reflexes and a very busy guardian angel, I've gotten this far, and intend to continue!
SCREENING AT LA SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL JULY 27 Check out the trailer for WE LOVE YOU the upcoming DOCUMENTARY about the RAINBOW GATHERINGS or www.weloveyoufilm.com
Brian, your train gig sounds amazing. Give me a month or so heads up next year. I hope you and the band are all well. You're invited to my Pot Patriot CD Release Party Thursday June 25 in Austin Texas at Ruta Maya. It's a benefit for NORML and Outgrow Big Bro. Burro Magic, Paul Bullock, One Step Program, and Jet Baker perform. Here's the video invitation:
greetings love! let me start by saying I MISS YOU TERRIBLY! i know i've been a bad friend in that i haven't come out to see you lately but things at work have been overwhelming and my son is coming back from VA this month so i am preparing to be in mommy mode again. do you have plans for new years? anything fun going on? i have yet to make plans but believe me, i plan to make it a fabulous one :) hopefully we'll see each other soon! ~hugs~
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