This is one of my favorite clips going around right now. A buddy sent it to me a while ago and I just found it again.
I love it on so many levels. First of all it features the magnificent Marc Ford, the on-again-off-again guitarist for the Black Crowes. In my opinion, Ford is one of the most under-rated guitarists in the world. I love to watch and listen to him play. He’s got such a fluid and tasteful style.
What makes this particular clip from a show in Moscow so fun, however, is the craziness that begins around the 4:40 mark as some Eastern European hippie decides he’s going to blow some harp with the band.
Check out the Chuck Norris-style front kick Ford dishes out. Finally, after the “security guard” awakes from his vodka-induced slumber, he appears on stage looking like he’s straight out of the KGB. I hope that fan’s 40-seconds on stage were worth the next 40 years he’s probably spending in Siberia.
Our paper ran a wire story this week that was an interview with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. On the heels of the their successful reunion show in London last month, Page said he would like to take the band out on the road sometime in the next year. This video discusses the possibility.
I’ve seldom been so torn about anything. There was no bigger Zeppelin fan than me in my youth. I had every CD (actually I had all their cassettes, then had to buy them all over again to have them on CD). I read everything I could get my hands on about the band. I watched “The Song Remains the Same,” the band’s concert video so many times the VHS tape finally gave out. I’m still a big fan. I now have TSRS on DVD like any good fan, along with their gigantic concert package released a few years ago. Zeppelin was the soundtrack to my youth, and I still jam to them from time to time.
But I can’t say that I’m excited about the possibility of a reunion tour. Would I plunk down my $150 or whatever it will cost to see them? Absolutely. I’ve seen singer Robert Plant on numerous occassions even though I’m not a huge fan of a lot of his solo work (with the exception of the new disc “Raising Sand” with Alison Krauss, which is excellent). I saw the tour with Plant and Page and enjoyed every second of it.
But a Zeppelin tour? First of all, the obvious … Is it really Zeppelin? If the band didn’t consider it to be Zeppelin in 1980 after John Bonham’s death, why is it now? Perhaps more so than any other band in history, this drummer was key to the Zeppelin sound. Watch those old Zeppelin shows and you can see why Page went nuts when he discovered Bonzo. Sure, there is the Jason Bonham blood line, but sorry to disagree with a lot that I’ve seen written … Jason is NOT John Bonham. Is he a good drummer? Sure. But he’s not in the same league as his dad. It’s like reuniting the 1986 Boston Celtics, but replacing Bill Walton with Luke.
That leads me to my next point. Zeppelin 2008 (or 2009) would be about as close in ability to Zeppelin 1971 as Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish 2008 would be to the ‘86 Celtics. First of all they’d sorely miss the thunderous foundation Bonzo provided. Second of all, Page has a LOT of miles on him. Everything I read about last month’s London show was glowing. The dozens of YouTube clips I’ve watched were good. But one clip causes me the greatest concern, and that is a clip of “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” Pretty good performance. But that song had always been a guitar showcase for Page, his fingers flying up and down the neck — wringing every bent note out of his Les Paul. The ‘07 version was pedestrian to say the least. I’m not criticizing. Hell, at the height of his power, no guitarist took more chances live than Page except maybe Jimi Hendrix. I’m just saying Page is not the same player he was.
What made Zeppelin so amazing live were those chances they took, the improvisational runs they’d go on. Jimmy would go into a solo and you’d think, “how the hell is he going to get out of this,” and he always found a way. He was an explorer. I’m not saying a modern day Zeppelin show would suck. They are all still excellent musicians. But they wouldn’t be the musical trailblazers they were then.
It kills me that I never got to see Zeppelin live. My chance will probably come later this year or next year. And I’ll pay my money, and I’ll love the show. But I’ll know. I’ll know it’s really a Page, Plant, John Paul Jones reunion tour, and not a Led Zeppelin tour.
The hated and despised Detroit Pistons are in town tonight to face the beloved Pacers. I stay away from sports media coverage for the most part on the days when the Pacers play the Pistons out of fear I’ll see or read something about “the brawl.” Even to this day I can’t watch video of it. It’s too painful.
I did come across this link recently. This is reason No. 4,567,432,678,980 that I hate the Pistons:
While I am full-blooded white trash — straight out of the trailer parks of Kokomo — I had never before attended a Monster Truck event until Saturday. It was one of the great nights of my life.
Those who know me might think I’m being sarcastic, as I have been known to be a smart-mouthed jerk. But Saturday I went to the Monster Jam at the RCA Dome and it is something I’ll never forget. Not because of the giant trucks smashing stuff — which, I have to admit was more entertaining than I thought it would be — but because I got to do it take my 4-year-old son Zach.
Zach is a car and racing nut. I don’t know where he gets it. Music and sports involving balls have always been my thing. Despite being born and raised near the auto sports capital of the world, I’ve never been a big racing fan. Zach, however, is hooked to the extent that he’ll watch NASCAR races every weekend during the season … by himself. He’ll spend hours playing with his Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, acting out races.
He’s got a Grave Digger toy monster truck along with others, so I decided to take him to Saturday’s show. Man it was so fun watching him cheer on his favorites (Grave Digger, and the Ninja Turtle and Superman trucks). We stayed till the very last car was smashed, and we didn’t get home until past midnight, AND I paid a pretty penny for the tickets, but it was all worth it to have that experience with him.
Above is a video someone shot from Saturday’s event. For those who have never been to a Monster Jam, I’d describe it as the pure hybrid of auto sports and Pro wrestling. For a 4-year-old boy who loves cars and trucks… it was heaven.
So I just returned from the vending area in the beautiful Model Mill Building, where the Daily Times offices are located. As I was waiting for the space-aged pop machine to go through the 40-step process of spitting out my afternoon caffeine fix, I happened to peruse the selections available in the candy machine adjacent to the aforementioned pop machine. One item caught my eye … a Zero bar. I didn’t know Zero bars were still in circulation. Either they are in fact still available for purchase, or that slot in the candy machine has not been filled in 30 years. That wouldn’t surprise me, as I’ve never eaten a Zero bar in my entire life. According to the Hershey’s Web site, they consist of a “unique combination of caramel, peanut and almond nougat covered in delicious white fudge.” Yuck. Granted, I’m not really a fan of sweets. But that doesn’t sound enticing in the least. No wonder the number of people I’ve EVER seen eating a Zero bar is, well, zero.
I don’t know if I can bring myself to watch the Super Bowl this year. Partially because I feel the Colts should be there. But mostly because I cannot root for either of the teams playing.
I was a teenager when the Colts moved to Indy, so my fandom long predated my affection for the home team. Like most kids growing up in central Indiana in the ’70s and early ’80s, I had a favorite team based on something other than proximity. My favorite was the Washington Redskins. I continue to root for them unless they are playing the Colts. One of the Redskins’ biggest division rivals has always been the Giants. Therefore, in good conscience, I cannot root for them to win a world championship.
At the same time, I’d probably root for a team fielded by al Qaeda if it were playing the Evil New England Patriots. I hate the Evil New England Patriots more than any other sports franchise, with the possible exception of baseball’s Giants, and the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks of the NBA.
So what to do about the Super Bowl. I DO NOT want to see the Evil New England Patriots go undefeated. But I can’t root for the Giants. Hmm. Guess I’ll spend Super Sunday cheering each time I open a new beer.
This is my first ever blog. I know, it shows. I’m not the most technologically savvy guy in the world. I still take notes with a pen and paper. I keep my appointments in an old school planner. But, I do like communication, and any tool I can use to communicate to others in the world (either real or cyber) I try to embrace.
The name Off Deadline is a bit of a misnomer. Today, newspaper people are really never off deadline. It is a 24/7 news cycle. But, contrary to the beliefs of my wife and children, I am NOT always at work.
Just a little about me. I’m the editor of the Noblesville Daily Times. I live in Noblesville, Ind. with my wife, Michelle, and two children, Zach and Emily. I’m a sports junkie who lives and dies with the Indiana Pacers, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Music is a passion of mine. I play guitar and write music, and I spend much of my free time when I am off deadline playing, listening to or talking about music. So many of my posts will be music related.
Well, I’ve gotta go meet with my publisher, so I’m outa here for now. I’ll try to post daily, but I make now promises.