Horse Manure Park

"I fought my whole life . . . because I wanted to hear and know the whole story, my story, our story, and understand as much of it as I could. This, I presented as my long and noisy prayer, my magic trick. Hoping it would rock your very soul and then pass on, to be read, heard, sung and altered by you and your blood, that it might strengthen and help make sense of your story. Go tell it." These are the concluding sentences of Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run , his new, unapologetic and beautifully written memoir. After reading the last few words, I am inspired to write, so here I am. Whenever I hear a great new album or read an inspiring book, I always feel like I need to share the good news; there is hope out there ! People are still writing and creating good stuff! I realize most folks couldn't care less, but that's okay. I am who I am. I was given Born to Run as a Christmas gift and I was anxious to read it, not because I am a big Springsteen fan, bec...

It is the last day of 2016. Thank you for "tuning in" to read my posts; it is a rare event when something new pops up here (and I really must change that). If I was a true believer in resolutions, I would resolve to write more. But my cynical side tells me I am setting myself up for failure. The excuses will fly left and right why I don't post more often. Instead, I will write today -- mark time as the year ends -- and see what tomorrow brings. The past year was very memorable, but for mostly the wrong reasons. So many famous people in the entertainment industry died this year and I've taken a few minutes to compile a list (certainly not exhaustive): David Bowie Alan Rickman Dan Haggerty  Glenn Frey Abe Vigoda Maurice White  Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird ) Sir George Martin  Frank Sinatra, Jr. Garry Shandling  Patty Duke Merle Haggard Prince Morley Safer Elie Wiesel (author of Night ) Garry Mashall Gene Wilder Bobby Vee Kay Sta...

As this incredible election fades away in the rearview mirror, I feel I should mark time here. I know most people will stop reading right here because I mentioned "election," but there is something I feel I should say based on what I'm witnessing around me. Social media has become a poisonous place, especially post-election. I am troubled that friendships are being destroyed and families have become divided over this election. Think about what we are doing to one another. I know this is a Simple Simon idea, but there is one solitary truth that everyone should understand... No one cares about you except your family and your friends.  Believe it or not, Hillary Clinton really didn't give a damn about you. She wanted your vote. She had her own agenda. Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about you. He wanted your vote. And he has his own agenda. Yet, with limited time on planet earth, we are slashing each other's throats over two vile human beings who ...

An unforgettable and historic World Series has come to a thrilling conclusion and somewhere up there, my mom is smiling. My mom loved baseball. It was probably her favorite sport. In fact, the main reason I enjoy baseball to this day is because it reminds me of her. Of course, she loved the Minnesota Twins and when I was a kid, the Twins play-by-play was tuned in on our kitchen radio every summer evening (this was back when we only had one t.v. channel -- yes, only one! -- and it was very rare to be able to watch a regular season Twins game). I am so thankful she was able to see the Twins win a World Series in 1987; she was absolutely thrilled. She had her favorite Twins sweatshirt which she wore all the time. I have just one picture of her wearing that shirt, but for the life of me I can't find it. In fact, when my mom died unexpectedly on May 2, 1990, she was wearing that shirt. I found this picture online. It is identical to my mom's favorite Twins shirt. But he...

My "favorite" time of year is approaching. No, I'm not talking about the election, although heaven knows I will be glad when it's over. I'm not talking about Halloween. I'm talking, of course, about the nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This is truly my pet peeve. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame makes me crazy. I've been critical of it for years because it is simply not done right. While the pretentious nominations committee have recently allowed fans a token online vote, in the end the committee will nominate who they darn well please. In short, the nomination process is controlled by a small number of individuals -- most of them frustrated journalists -- who allow their own personal tastes and the smell of their own farts to get in the way of blatantly obvious choices. For years I screamed at the Hall for their refusal to even place KISS on the nomination ballot. Forget the fact that no other American band has sold more gold rec...

A chilly October morning. Fresh coffee is brewing. I have the day off. Here's what is on my mind today. The presidential election is less than a month away and it can't come soon enough. I can barely bring myself to look at social media right now. Almost everything is politically charged; one person argues Clinton is horrible while another counters Trump is awful. Both sides are convinced their candidate can do no evil while the other is Lucifer incarnate. Friends are getting upset with friends, brothers are fighting with sisters. Can we just stop? Here's they way I look at it, and be mindful I claim to be neither Republican nor Democrat; in fact, I think a huge problem with American politics is the two party system (I will get to this later). This is a complicated nation; it is a melting pot of many religions, races, creeds and philosophies. I don't think we can be dumbed down to a simple two party system any longer. It's not the 1820's anymore. I am al...

Today is my birthday. I came screaming into this world 47 years ago. But one thing you will never hear me complain about is growing old. As the old saying goes, "Never complain about getting old; it is a privilege denied to many." I'm paraphrasing there... and I do not know who said it. But it is very true. And I was reminded of this truth on Wednesday. My brother's soulmate, my sister-in-law, Kathy, passed away in the early morning hours of October 5th. Kathy battled cancer for several years and she was a warrior. In August, she made the courageous decision to withdraw any further chemo treatments as they were making her incredibly ill. Her choice was to live the rest of her life on her terms, doing things she enjoyed, rather than spending her days in and out of hospitals with no quality of life. She made this resolution knowing her time was short and she embraced every moment she had left. It was simply a measure of her bravery and faith. She did it her way ...