Never Forget Chairman Meow

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Chairman Meow's amazing appearance atop the home of Skippy Jammer

Chairman Meow's narrowly escaped encounter with a coyote

Chairman Meow meets Scratch and Sniff

Farewell to the King of Cats

Shortly after 6:00 PM, Saturday April 10, 2010, Chairman Meow, the twenty-three year old King of Cats passed away peacefully with all of his family with him in attendance. God-speed to ya, ya fine cat.

I took this photo of Chairman last night while he was still bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Dumb Drivers and Blind Drives

Last week I was driving toward Santa Cruz on Graham Hill Road when I noticed a traffic sign that said, "Blind Drive Ahead."

I immediately began to wonder... If there are blind drives, does that mean that there are also Deaf Drives and Mute Drives too? How about Dumb Drives? There are certainly lots of Dumb Drivers out there.

Superbowl daZe

So far so good anyway. I'm speaking, of course, about the super bowl and the fact that I still haven't found out who the competing teams are this year. I don't know because I'm not at all interested in the big distraction and do my best every year avoiding what has become the climatic opiate of the masses.

While talking to my dad on the phone earlier today, he couldn't understand why I didn't know who was playing and attempted to inform me, but I quickly stopped him before he could say anything more than the Saints. Fortunately I've stayed aloof from the sports scene long enough to not know where the Saints hail from. The only Saints I know about, are the Latter-day Saints I know from Utah, but I doubt that the Beehive State has a professional football team. They wouldn't call them something stupid like the Saints if they did.

Gentlemen Broncos Pleases Santa Cruz Midnight Movie Goers

Applause erupted in the old art-deco Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz late Friday night (actually early Saturday morning), as the final credits began to roll for Gentlemen Broncos, a movie that only a few lucky folks have had the opportunity to view.

More than half of the audience members in the Del Mar weren't even aware that there would be a final scene after the credits had run, but they stayed anyway, and again, expressed their approval with more applause as the house lights were turned on, and the movie was officially over. A midnight movie is tough for an old-phart like me to endure, but I decided to attend the following night too, because who knows when I'll get the opportunity to see Gentlemen Broncos again? The Saturday night crowd was equally as enthusiastic about the movie.

When I saw this movie for the first time last Thanksgiving, I assumed that it would become as commonplace as Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, but that didn't happen. Gentlemen Broncos should have been a mainstream hit, but bad reviews and poor earnings in the first days of its release, caused Searchlight Pictures to panic, and they hastily reacted by canceling national distribution of the film that I and so many had been looking forward to seeing again or for the first time. Those coming soon posters and trailers suddenly became sad and empty promises, and it seems that now only a handful of people will see Gentlemen Broncos in a theater.

The reaction of the Santa Cruz crowd last weekend gives me hope that Gentlemen Broncos will catch on as an underground midnight movie sensation. Everyone I spoke with after the show liked Gentlemen Broncos very much. Everyone seemed surprised at its obscurity, and lack of attention. Gentlemen Broncos has all the makings of a cult-classic - great acting, intentionally awkward, ridiculous, & quirky scenes, and some really intriguing cinematography too. There's even a theater cry room in one of the scenes. Popcorn balls appear throughout the film, therefore if Gentlemen Broncos does become a midnight movie sensation, popcorn balls should surely become part of the pageantry of the attendees. That would be fun to clean up.

Unfortunately, what should be, isn't always what is, and Gentlemen Broncos may disappear forever. Hopefully, there will be a DVD release of Gentlemen Broncos in the the near future, otherwise, this pseudo science fiction oddity may become another Whiffs* (1974), and dissipate like a cloud of Hollywood Smoke... forever.

So if Gentlemen Broncos comes to your local midnight movie house, be sure to don your grandmother's nightgown, grab a pink cape, fake moustache, and long blond haired wig, then mount your battle stag and head over to the cinematic yeast mine. Don't forget the popcorn balls... two in a bag. And beware Younglings donning mammary cannons intent on probing the mysteries of the Human mind. I hate those.

*Like Gentlemen Broncos, much of Whiffs was filmed in Tooele, UT and it also should have become a mainstream hit. Whiffs featured big names like Elliot Gould, (his role following M*A*S*H), Eddie Albert, Jenifer O'Neil, etc. Whiffs even received an Academy Award nomination for its title song, but only a few folks actually got to see Whiffs before it was swept under the rug. There was a limited VHS release of Whiffs, but the film has never been released on DVD, and probably never will be.

Whiffs Trailer from 1975 - sorry about the commercial!!!

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Coke Adds Life

Jan 6 - I've seen so many great shows this month. One of the perks that comes with living in Santa Cruz, CA, is the fact that so many wonderful musicians want to come here to play for our sophisticated, and musically elite audiences. January started with a bang... and boom, & thump when one of my all-time favorite guitarists, Alan Holdsworth, took the stage with three other all time favorites; Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson, and Terry Bozzio of Zappa infamy. This was my first live Holdsworth experience so I was pretty stoked, especially considering that last time he played Santa Cruz, I missed the show because I got the day wrong. Duh! I've been lucky to see Tony Levin a handful of times over the years, both with his own band, as well as the California Guitar Trio. I saw Pat Mastelotto play with King Crimson at the Fillmore in San Francisco back in 2000, and again with the California Guitar Trio at the old beloved Palookaville... may it rest in peace. I first saw Terry Bozzio with Zappa at the Salt Palace back in 1976, then again in 1979 when UK opened for Jethro Tull at the D Event Center. The show at Kuumbwa on January 6, was blissful, and consisted of a couple hours improvisational pieces.

Jan 7 - The following night, I got to see the Vox Jaguars play at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz. It was their first show in months, and the boys played a rousing set until 12:30 AM. Fortunately for the enthusiastic crowd, the Crepe Place allowed one last encore and TVJ's had fun with one of their favorite crowd pleasers, Metropolis. A fitting farewell tune for a band that may never play together again.

Jan 21 - Felton is only a few minutes from Sana Cruz, and that's where our whole family went to see the California Guitar Trio. Before my mom died last month, she gave us some money for Christmas, and told me to get something meaningful with it. When I heard that CGT was coming, I promptly used some of the money on four tickets for my family. Something meaningful. A night out with my family, seeing one of our favorite ensembles.


Jan 23 - Good, probably isn't the correct adjective to describe the Residents show in the Rio Theater last Saturday night. Spooky, creepy, entertaining, and even funny; the Residents' Talking Light Tour was something I won't soon forget. The Residents' simple stylish sets are always impressive. This show was no exception and exhibited masterful use of theme, lighting, depth, strobe, space, and technology to create a uniquely Residents experience that left me wanting a tall sparkling glass of Coca Cola...  

Roller Coaster

emotionz

Solstice

Today, rain is gently falling and accumulating on the leaves.




The Kombucha is brewed, bottled, and ready to be enjoyed.

The Solstice beast made a rare appearance to welcome Winter.

An Unfamiliar Tune on Mayberry's Dark Side

For my generation, the theme song to the Andy Griffith Show is an established and well known melody. Even my own kids know it and whistle the familiar tune at the mention of Mayberry, or any of the town-folk there. Mighty Mo and I recently began whistling the tune simultaneously when we happened upon an unopened DVD set of the Andy Griffith Show at the flea market. MM paid a couple of bucks for two DVD's, and placed them in her multi-compartmentalized handmade bag, the theme song still playing loudly in our heads as we continued to stroll about the open-air market in pursuit of other great finds.

Sometime after dark, we prepared to watch our new DVD's. The cellophane peeled from the box rather easily, and the end of the box gave little resistance as I peeled back the paper-board flap to reveal one shiny disc inside. The familiar tune was playing clearly in my head, and I was no doubt whistling parts of it too, as I removed the disc from the box, inspecting it's condition before placing it in the tray of my over-rated and super-sensitive first-generation Sony DVD player. My 19 year-old son subconsciously whistled the theme tune as he breezed through the room, the way teenagers do... food in hand, and constantly on-line and in-touch with the brave new cyber world where something is always happening and someone is always doing something that they want the world to know about. I wish he'd take time to view the show with us, but I suspect that I'll catch him watching it by himself one of these days. Both kids dug Gomer Pyle USMC, and will likely get a hoot out of these Andy Griffith Shows too. They already know the theme song. Right? 

We took our seats on the functional leather couch that we bought from the Lava Rock coffee shop when it went out of business a few years back, and prepared ourselves to see Opie and his Pa walking down the dirt road toward their favorite fishin' hole, as the familiar theme song played. But to our surprise, horror, dismay, (choose your adjective), when I pushed play to watch the first episode, there was a completely different tune being performed by what sounded to be the same whistlers, even though everything else was the same. Opie even picked up the rock and tossed it into the water like he always does, but the music was different. Mighty Mo and I looked at each other with bewilderment, wondering what in the hell we were hearing.

It was like a dream, and I began to entertain the idea that perhaps I was dreaming when the episode turned out to be one I had never seen. I didn't think it was possible to have missed an episode, because in my day, it was almost as if the show was required viewing, and I performed my duty by watching every episode multiple times... or so I thought.

The episode was kind of creepy too. It was about a naughty spoiled rich kid who in the end, received a good paddlin' out in the old wood shed behind the sheriff's office. Everyone seemed to take delight in that, (except for the spoiled kid of course). In fact, a subtle and uncomfortable theme of abuse runs throughout this entire episode. I was appalled at how badly Andy dealt with Opie... I won't reveal that, though.

We were a bit reluctant to watch another episode, but were too curious about the theme music so we decided to sit through another. Once again, an episode neither of us had seen... and the same unfamiliar tune to boot. In fact, every episode had the same unfamiliar tune, even though some of the shows were familiar. Strange! 

PATT

On the first night of Hanukkah...
Progressive rock legends, Terry Bozio, Allan Holdsworth, Tony Levin, and Pat Mastelotto have united, and will play two shows at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California on January 6, 2010.

The Residents

Oh, Shit!
The Residents will be kicking off their latest tour at the Rio in Santa Cruz, California on January 23, 2010. I got my ticket.

I See the Sea or Life's a Beach

Sea Weed

Sea Foam

See Wharf

foodZ

Now that this year's fresh figs have come and gone, I wanted to remember the delightful little salad Mighty Mo made last week. The figs were perfectly ripe, as were their salad companions of sliced pear. Delicate goat cheese mingled with walnuts ornamented strips of fresh green lettuce. A glistening papaya poppy-seed dressing added colour and tartness. A sprinkle of black salt enhanced the texture and flavor, in addition to providing a stunning visual.

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today - Remembering the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989

Santa Cruz was experiencing one of the hottest days of the year, much like today... hot and muggy. A few miles to the south, in Nisene Marks State park, Mother Nature was preparing to play one of her nastiest tricks on the Central Coast. At 5:04 PM, six miles below the surface of the forested hills of the picturesque park, the San Andreas Fault released a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that caused the mountain to heave, and as if a stone had been dropped into a pool of water, a ripple wave radiated out from the epicenter, snapping trees as it spread in every direction. Within moments, the powerful shockwave began to devastate the homes and buildings of California's Central Coast region.

Eileen was standing in the checkout line at Staff of Life grocery store when the wave hit. The shaking caused the hanging light above her head to break free, and nearly hit her as it came down, swinging just inches from her face.

Andrea was playing Frisbee on the big open athletic field at the university that overlooks Santa Cruz. She happened to look down towards Santa Cruz, and noticed little puffs of smoke moving across town. As she peered at the unusual scene, she saw the wave crossing the field, and heading toward her. She braced herself and rode out the wave as it passed beneath her. She reported that lamp posts pivoted back and forth as the wave crossed the field. When it reached the buildings, windows began to explode in it's wake.

I was living in Madison, Wisconsin at the time, and remember turning on the TV news soon after the event. From what was being reported by the hyperbolic mainstream media, it appeared as though California, especially San Francisco, had been destroyed. A good life-lesson to not put too much trust in the mainstream media.

The damage was extensive, but not nearly as bad as the evening news had made it out to be. Santa Cruz was hit hardest by the quake. All of the roads were closed and the folks in Surf City were left to fend for themselves. The road closures made it impossible to use trucks to bring in relief supplies into the area. Therefore the Watsonville Airport became one of the most important municipalities in the county, and was the only way in or out of the area for days.

There was no electricity, so only battery operated radios and televisions worked. Unfortunately, there was no television being broadcast, and a quick scan of the radio dial found an eerily quiet hiss of static from one end to the other, except for one bright spot at 1080 on the AM band. Fortunately for Santa Cruz, KSCO was equipped with a generator, and immediately returned to the air within minutes of the quake. The local news radio station quickly became the only source of information in Santa Cruz, and served as the primary staging area for all of the media and other operations who used KSCO's generator to recharge batteries.

Thanks to KSCO for their community service in the Loma Prieta quake and every other major event that has taken place and will take place on the Central Coast.

Historic Beach Street Cafe - Santa Cruz, Ca

New Moon by Maxwell Parrish

Last Thursday I stopped by Beach Street Cafe in Santa Cruz to enjoy the best Eggs Benedict this side of anywhere. I prefer to switch out the ham for turkey and get fruit instead of the stewed potatoes that come with the meal that also includes a glass of Odwalla orange juice, champagne, or mimosa. A pretty good deal for ten bucks.

As I passed through the entrance of the old two-story building, I immediately heard an old familiar Talking Heads song playing on the stereo speakers. The Heads were followed by Adrian Belew then Laurie Anderson, and before long, I had heard a dozen or so of my favorite artists including Mountain Animal Hospital, the Vox Jaguars, King Crimson, Harry Nilsson, California Guitar Trio and Captain Beefheart, to name a few, (I wish I had written them all down). I asked my server if we were listening to a satellite radio station and he informed me that it was the Beach Street mix that gets played on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

They probably wondered if I would ever leave because I remained perched in front of the large glass window of the restaurant that looks out at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk for over an hour. Perfect for people watching... one of my favorite pastimes. As I sat watching the world going by the window, a bicyclist lost control and wrecked as she crossed the railroad tracks in front of the Casino. Her bike and body slammed hard against the unforgiving surface of iron rails and cold pavement. My server, as if anticipating the event, grabbed a bag of ice and ran out to see if the unfortunate biker was injured or needed assistance. Apparently, this isn't the first time this has happened. Shocked, stunned, and a little wounded but not broken, the biker peddled away. She'll be more cautious next time she rides this route.

In addition to great food and music, Beach Street Cafe is known for having one of the largest collections of Maxwell Parrish prints in the world. The fantastic and imaginative prints occupy almost every square inch of the powder-blue walls inside the restaurant that has stood less than a hundred yards from the ocean for over a century, making it the oldest building in the area.

Located across the street from the world famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Beach Street Cafe is a special place to enjoy the cool breeze and view the Beach while listening to great music and dining on excellent cuisine. I prefer going there in the off-season months when there are fewer tourists, and the service is more personalized.

Beach Street Cafe has a long history, and while I was there, the owner Willie Case, stopped by so I took the opportunity to ask him a couple of questions about his unique restaurant. He told me that it had been built in the late 1800's, and that by 1902, it was called the St. Francis Grill. Originally, the restaurant enjoyed a longer frontage on Beach Street, and had been known for having the longest bar in California. In 1984, the restaurant was purchased by Willie and his wife Dolly Case, whose already extensive collection of original Maxwell Parrish prints found a new home in the Cafe. The rest is history... the finest food, art, music, climate, and service. I can't imagine Santa Cruz without Beach Street Cafe. Bon appetit!

Rain

Rain returned to Santa Cruz in a BIG way today. We go months without any measurable precipitation, but as soon as summer is over, Mother Nature makes up for missed time and pours it on as though someone's fooled her. She hates that. Today was that day, and we received about five inches so far and it is still coming down. I took some photoZ and videoZ.

Comb Gib Meir Deine Hair - KNOWHATIMEAN?

This morning Mighty Mo, Punk Girl and I were sitting in the sun soaking up rays. No fog today.... Only sunny skies. As we sat enjoying our solar moment, Mighty Mo commented on my hair, saying, "Your hair looks combed today." Combed! OK, I admit that sometimes I forget to comb my hair, but it's only because I'm not a vain person who spends lots of time in front of the mirror. My goatee and nose hairs are always trimmed nicely, but for some reason, I don't pay much attention to what's going on above my eyebrows, therefore my hair doesn't get combed as regularly as perhaps it should. Maybe it stems from the many years of wearing it pulled back in a long pony tail. The showing-scalp flat top* required even less attention. A little butch wax and I was good to go.

Last week I walked into Sure Cuts on Seabright Ave in Santa Cruz, for my semi-annual hair maintenance session with Sean. "Make me look like a Wall Street tycoon" I requested in my usual manner. He did, and I do... combed and everything. "It could work."

* "Particular about the point it made."

**For the uninitiated, the "Make me look like a Wall Street tycoon" line comes from the old nineties Saturday morning TV show, "Hey Vern, It's Ernest," starring Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell. In every episode, Ernest walked into the barbershop and said, "Make Me look like a Wall Street tycoon." The barber never does get it right, and apologizes to Ernest saying, "Silly me... I thought you said... a complete buffoon", "a clock set on noon", "a windswept sand dune", and etc. Ernest would always optimistically reply, "It could work."

Autumn Has Arrived

Wow, where did summer go?

I'm blown away that Autumn has arrived before I had a chance to say goodbye to summer. We hardly hung out.

On the bright side, now that all the tourists have gone home, we have our little town back. Whihoo! One of our quietest weeks recently ended. The tourists were all gone, and the UCSC students hadn't returned. Santa Cruz felt like a little Panguitch in a way. Probably the cool evening temperatures combined with the coziness of our pretty little town.

This is the season when we experience our best weather, so it's time to enjoy Indian summer - Santa Cruz style. I wonder why it's called Indian summer... Would Native American summer be more politically correct? And would Pakistani summer be offensive? And... if there are Indian summers, does that mean that there are Indian winters as well? How (couldn't resist the pun) about other Indian seasons?

Happy Autumn - Jewish New Year and all that jaZZ...

Punkin Harvest

We picked our pumpkins last weekend. Can you guess which one is mine?

shooZ

Mighty Mo and I went to the Santa Cruz Flea Market last weekend and scored on a few items. I was looking for some shoes and found these brand new Vans for only a fist-full of dollars. Mighty Mo found these rain boots at a near-by yard sale too.