With Someone Else's Money- You Don't Know Me At All

Well, sports fans, football season is eight days away.
For those of us in the South, it's kind of like getting ready to go to church.
With an uncertain future this season for my Bulldogs, I am hopeful that we win more than we lose.
I think they call this a rebuilding year.  That's a nice way to tell the alumni and other supporters, "We're probably going to suck."
At any rate, I secured my place this week for the road trip to the Georgia/Florida game in late October.
I always go with my friend Bill, a good friend of mine from McDonough.
Although it's not true, it seems we only talk during football season.
It probably seems that way because we talk so much during football season.
His folks have a place on the Georgia coast, and we usually stay there and drive down to Jax for the game on Saturday.
We have our meals all planned out.
There's nothing like The Shell House for crab legs...and the Buccaneer Club for fried shrimp.
He's a little more optimistic than I am about the season.  He says 10-2.
He's always been a little bit crazy.
Speaking of  UGA, Ben Folds had a contest and had singing groups from universities send in tapes of them singing a cappella versions of his songs.  The best ones he will put on his new album.
UGA's "With Someone Else's Money" won one of the slots.
Go Dawgs...or something.

The Timelords- Doctorin' The Tardis

In 1986, Bill Drummond was pretty well established in the British music scene.
He had co-founded Zoo Records, played guitar in the Liverpool band "Big In Japan", and was the manager of "Echo and the Bunnymen" and "The Teardrop Explodes".
At the time, he was talent scout for record label WEA.
On July 26 of that year, he resigned his position.
He stated, "I am nearly 33 1/3 years old.  It is time for a revolution in my life. There is a mountain to climb the hard way, and I want to see the world from the top."
Incidentally, 33 1/3 revolutions per minute is the speed at which a vinyl LP revolves on a turntable.
So he released a well-received solo LP  that was more folksy than anything called "The Man".
On New Years' Day 1987, while taking a walk, he decided to make a hip-hop record.
He called his friend, fellow musician, Jimmy Cauty, and "The Justified Ancients of MuMu" was formed.
They released a couple of albums with Drummond doing most of the vocals.  However, their favorite instrument of choice was the digital sampler with which they would plagiarize the history of popular music.
They sampled everyone from The Beatles to Samantha Fox to Abba to Whitney Houston.
In 1988, Drummond and Cauty became "Time Boy" and "Lord Rock", and released a hit single "Doctorin' the Tardis".  This prompted them to release a book entitled, "The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)".
Also in 1988, under the names "King Boy D" and "Rockman Rock" they released a few singles as The KLF.
You may remember "3AM Eternal" with the hook "KLF is gonna rock ya".
After successive name changes and a plethora of highly influential dance records, Drummond and Cauty ultimately became, as The KLF, the biggest-selling singles act in the world for 1991.
On February 12, 1992 they performed a live version of "3AM Eternal" at the Brit Awards.
Drummond and Cauty had planned to throw buckets of sheep blood all over the audience but was prevented from doing so by the BBC.  Instead, the performance was garnished by a cigar-chomping, kilt-wearing Drummond firing blanks from an automatic weapon just over the crowd's heads.  As the band left the stage, their promoter made an announcement on the PA system:  "The KLF have now left the music business."  Later that night, the band dumped a dead sheep at one of the after-parties.  It had a message tied around it's waist:  "I died for ewe--bon appetit."

Tift Merritt- Mixtape

OK, so where were we?
Ahhh....the mixtape.
Nothing says "I love you" like the mixtape.
To pick out those special songs and to take the time to record them, just for that special someone.
Alright, the tongue is now out of the cheek.
In all honesty, I have made a few mixtapes in my day.
In essence, this blog is one giant mixtape to the world, saying, "Hey!  I think you're special!"
Just kidding.
Not that you're not special.
But anyways.
Wifey was cleaning out the van a couple of days ago and there was a mixtape that a guy she dated years ago made for her.
The label on it is "Good Stuff".
It is mostly.  A little Spandeau Ballet never hurt anyone.  You know this much is true.
She says that the guy made it for her after their second date.  She thought that was a bit weird.
I'm not sure the number of dates that it is OK to make a mixtape after, but apparently 2 is not it.
She said that just meant that there wasn't gonna be a third.
And, that my friends, was good for me.
This song, "Mixtape", is by a very talented artist that is originally from Houston, Texas.
I'm playing this just for you.

The Beatles- Come Together

Recently, conservative radio talk show host, Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced that she will not be renewing her contract at the end of the year.  This stems from a recent call that she took.
Jade called in to Dr. Laura's show with a complaint about her husband.
Jade is a black woman and she is married to a white man.
She states that her husband's friends and family make racist comments in front of her, and her husband doesn't check them, and it's hurting Jade's feelings.
Instead of addressing the issue, Dr. Laura begins to "teach" her caller what is, and what is not a racial comment.  Apparently, to Dr. Laura, there is no such thing as a racial comment.
She thinks that because a comedian uses the term "nigger" on HBO, that it's open game for everybody.
This is the FREAKING 21st Century!!!  We're still having this conversation?!?!
For crying out loud!!!
To anybody that cares...the word is offensive.  Just don't use it.
That goes for the HBO comics, too.
If we ever want to get past this, then there has to be no more of the "my side, your side" mentality.
Dr. Laura said that "black people voted for Obama just beacuse he was black."
That's probably true in some cases.
But some white people didn't vote for him just because he was black.
And that's the sad truth, as well.
Slavery is history.
Most people that are alive today 1) Wish it never happened; and 2) Don't understand why it happened in the first place.
I think it's important sometimes to look back, but mostly to see where you screwed up so you don't screw up again and so you can make the future better.
It's more important to move forward.
I mean, "Can't we all just get along?"
I hope that Jade and her husband gets professional counseling.
Respect and dignity are not something to be poo-pooed.

David Garrett- Smells Like Teen Spirit

Earlier this year, April I think, I went to Sambuca Jazz Cafe' for the second time.
I love live music and live jazz after a long day/week, is just what the doctor ordered.
On this particular evening, trumpet player Joey Summerville was the opening act.
Very nice and smooth.
Then came Ken Ford.
Ken Ford is an amazing electric violinist.  Trained in classical music, he held the prestigious title of Concert Master for the African American Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the mid 90's, he took a leap of faith from his background as an IT Programmer, to pursue his music.
He had already begun to wow audiences with his interpretation of jazz and R&B tunes.
With three solo releases, and an electrifying stage presence, he has become a heavily requested name at many of the jazz music festivals nationwide.
Another genre-bending violinist is David Garrett.
Garrett was born in Germany to an American mother and a German father.
Like Ford, Garrett began to play at a very early age.
At age 17, he had a gig with the Munich Philharminc Orchestra in Delhi and Mumbai marking the 50th anniversary of India's independance.
After graduating from the Julliard School in New York, he was struck with a desire to arouse young people's interest in classical music.
On his past CD's, he incorporated a mix of classical with popular songs, including some of his original material.
His latest release, "Rock Symphonies", is similar in that vein, borrowing tracks from Guns 'n Roses, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, as well as this track from Nirvana.
And, yes, ladies.  He supplemented his income during his Julliard days with some modeling work.
I've got to go now.  I'm feeling hair envy.

Kari Jobe- The More I Seek You

There is a new song by a guy named Jason Gray that, I believe, really captures the essence of Christianity.
Some of the lyrics are:  "Give me rules, I will break them.  Show me lines, I will cross them.  I need more than a truth to believe.  I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes...Give me words, I'll misuse them.  Obligations, I'll misplace them.  'Cause all religion ever made of me was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet.  It never set me free."
"It's gotta be more like falling in love than something to believe in.
More like losing my heart than giving my allegience."
Religion can bring discipline, but it can't set you free from yourself.
We're all goofs, of which I am the chief.  (Paraphrase from the Apostle Paul.)
Religion will help point that out.
But if you take the time and investigate "the love letter" that was written specifically to you, and understand the depth of the love, the sacrifice that was made, and observe the passion that God shows for you each day, simply by making the sun come up, then your stone heart is able to melt before the One that has gone to the ends of the Earth, just for you.
Jason's song goes on to say:  "It was love that made me a believer in more than a name, a faith, a creed.
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me."
This song by worship leader Kari Jobe has a similar tone.
If you're having trouble believing that anyone could love you that much, do a little experiment.
Tonight, look out at the stars.  The Bible says that they are "signs and tokens of God's provident care."
Yes, the light show is just for you, too.

Candace and Jeremy- Do-Nothing Day

I used to work at a Mercedes-Benz dealership.
I worked in the service division.  I was a porter.
That was a fancy term for the guy that cleans up the shop and washes the customers' cars that come in for service.
My friends Pebbles and Poops both worked there with me.
We usually had a good time, with the proper balance of goofing off and getting stuff done.
Like most dealerships, if a customer's car needed to be in service for an extended amount of time, there was a courtesy shuttle that transported the customer to wherever they needed to go.
This job was performed by "Do-Nothing".
"Do-Nothing" was a guy our age that drove the courtesy van.
He got his name because apparently the folks in the parts department and the mechanics thought that he did...well...nothing.
He was a stylish guy.  If memory serves me correctly, he used to model.
He was also friends with another of our friends, Gin-Gin.
We had our annual Christmas party at the owner's house in Peachtree City.  It was quite an elaborate place.
As the evening went on, we had worn out our welcome along with the owner's refreshments (not necessarily in that order).
"Do-Nothing" was the one that drove us back to the hotel that we were staying in.
We had a chance to hang out a couple of times after that, but not long after, I left the dealership for a different job, and we lost touch.
Thankfully, I recently found his wife on Facebook, and was able to re-connect through her.
He used to have this nice Elgin watch.
He would hold up his watch and say, "Jose', can you see Con-Seiko?  No, Elgin."
It was kind of a lame joke, but it was an attempt at "doing something".
The title of this Phineas and Ferb song reminded me of my old pal, "Do-Nothing".
I think everybody was just jealous.  They just wanted your job.

Michael Buble'- Haven't Met You Yet

Wifey has gotten me hooked on several television shows over the last few years.
First there was American Idol.  Then came So You Think You Can Dance.
I think Biggest Loser or Extreme Home Makeover was next.
Somewhere in the mix was Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares.
One of the latest is Ace of Cakes.
It's a show about a bakery.  Sounds pretty manly, I know.
The owner is Chef Duff, a round guy with a goatee and a tattoo.
Sounds like me.
Anyway, he and his staff, made up of some of his closest friends, create some pretty incredible pieces of art, all made of cake.
For one show that we watched recently, they made a cake for Drew Carey's son's birthday.  I think he was turning 5.  It was in the shape of Lego Indiana Jones.  Pretty rockin'.
I think it was the same episode that they made a cake for a couple that met in a grocery store.
He affectionately called her his "SMG" or "Super Market Girl".
His friends later told him that the initials "SMG" stood for Sub Machine Gun.
Oh, and she also had a thing for rubber duckies.
So, they got married.
I think it was for her birthday that he got Charm City Cakes to do a cake of a rubber ducky toting a machine gun.
I never said the show was normal.
This is a fun video.  Anytime you have a dancing butcher in your video, you should win some sort of award.
Hey, I never said I was normal, either.

Muddy Waters- Hoochie Coochie Man

It's amazing how one person can touch so many lives.
Especially when, as a young boy, your fondness for playing in the mud earns you the nickname of "Muddy".
But Muddy Waters influenced many an artist.
He helped Chuck Berry get his first recording contract.
His 1958 tour of England was possibly the first time "electric blues" was heard in that part of the world.  It was so loud, in fact, that one critic had to retreat to the toilets to write his review.
"The Rolling Stones" names themselves after his 1950 song "Rollin' Stone".
Jimi Hendrix once stated that Waters was the first guitar player that he was aware of and went on to say that he "first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death."
Eric Clapton, a huge fan of Muddy Waters, was heavily influenced by his sound.  His band "Cream" covered "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on their debut album "Fresh Cream".
The song was also covered by the band Canned Heat and by Bob Dylan.
One of Led Zeppelin's biggest hits, "Whole Lotta Love", is lyrically based on Waters' song "You Need Love".
Angus Young from AC/DC wrote "You Shook Me All Night Long" based on the Muddy Waters song, "You Shook Me".
This song, "Hoochie Coochie Man", written by Willie Dixon was covered by Humble Pie, Paul Rodgers, and most famously by The Allman Brothers Band.
After his death in 1983, fellow blues musician, BB King, said, "It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music".
Whatever your gift is, use it.  The future benefactors of your contribution thank you in advance.

Radiohead- 15 Step

Six kids from England that end up at the same school for boys got together and started playing some music.
They called themselves "On A Friday", referring to the band's usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.
They graduated and headed off to university, but continued to get together on weekends and holidays.
After all but one member had completed their university degrees, the band regrouped and started to record demos and play live shows around Oxford.
Impressed by the band's live performances, the owners of Oxford's Courtyard Studios produced a demo tape for the band and became the band's managers.
One of the band's members worked at a record store.  One day a record label representative happened to be in the store.  Following this chance meeting, the band signed a six-album recording contract with the label.
The label recommended that they change their name to "Radiohead", a reference to a song from the "Talking Heads" album "True Stories".
The band released their first single, "Creep", to a not-so-favourable reception.
One popular British music magazine called them "a lily-livered excuse for a rock band."
BBC Radio 1 blacklisted the song saying that it was "too depressing".
Seven albums and three Grammys later, it looks like the six lads from the Abingdon School has had the last laugh.
Their 2007 album, "In Rainbows" was independantly released, first as a downloadable digital file, where the customer could pay whatever they wanted, including nothing. 
1.2 million digital copies were reportedly sold by the date of the release.
The physical album was released two months later.
This is the first track from "In Rainbows".

Angelique Kidjo- Agbalagba

A patient of mine recently returned from a mission trip to the western part of Africa.
The group that went totaled 13 people.
There is a tribe there that has no access to the Gospel in their native dialect.
This particular mission team went with the objective of performing a wordless drama that depicts the Gospel as well as other Bible truths.  They were also training some of the full-time missionary teams there to do the drama as well.
Love has no color.  It has no nationality.  It has no language.
Angelique Kidjo, also from the western region of Africa, is a Grammy award winning singer, dancer, and songwriter.
She creates music that crosses boundaries, genres and ethnicities, finding the connections that link musical forms from every part of the world,while still bonding closely with her own traditions.
Her most recent release, "Oyo", features songs that influenced her as she was growing up, from traditional West African artists, as well as Western artists such as James Brown, Bono, and Otis Redding. 
This is the final track from the album.  Simply beautiful.
Speaking of beautiful, Wifey is leaving in September on her first mission trip.  She is traveling to Indonesia to help create a time of retreat and encouragement to a group of female missionaries that are in full-time service in that country.
She and her team have to raise prayer support as well as financial support for expenses.
If you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation to her trip, you may send a check made out to FBCW or First Baptist Church of Woodstock (nothing on the comment line, please) and send it to:
Gregg Chiropractic Center, Inc.
12910 Hwy 92-Suite 108
Woodstock, GA  30188

Jack Johnson-Jungle Gym

Wifey got me a bike for my birthday last month.
I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to take it for a ride.
I haven't been on a bike in about 5 years.
About 5 years ago, I went to New York for a visit.
I rented a bike and for two days we rode all around the city.
We rode all around Battery Park, down to the "Meat Packing District", past Ground Zero, and all along the Hudson River.
We also rode across the Brooklyn Bridge.
There is something special about biking in the city.
I always said that if I didn't have kids that I would enjoy living in the city.
It was one of the most memorable trips that I've ever taken.
The only downside was the saddle sores.
Before that, it had probably been 20 years or more since I had been on a bike.
That's too long.
I think I'll take the bike out today.  Wifey already had her turn on the treadmill, so it's time for me to get the blood pumping.
Jack Johnson provides the soundtrack.

Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb

Mr. M came in the office this morning with his wife.
He's got numbness from his neck down to his fingers.
He's got degeneration in the discs of his neck and arthritits has begun forming.
A recent MRI revealed several disc bulges as well.
There is in chiropractic a phrase that I hate using:  a limitation of matter.
It basically means "it is what it is."
When a tire on an automobile is wearing out, you can patch it or you can replace it.
Unfortunately, there are no replacement spines.
Many people still don't quite understand what a chiropractor does.
It's not voodoo.
It's about structure and function.  Good structure=Good Function.  Poor structure=Poor Function.
It's pretty much that easy.
Our bodies are designed for motion.  Through stress or trauma, the vertebrae can sometimes become stuck.
This results in lack of motion, inflammation, stress on the nervous system, and yes, sometimes, pain.
Mr. M may end up in an orthopedist's office talking about surgery.
I only wished he would have taken care of himself earlier in life.
Wisdom is learning from other's mistakes so you don't have to make them.
By the way, wasn't Pink Floyd a great band?

Bob Marley- Satisfy My Soul

So, I mentioned that C-Bo likes Michael Jackson.
His MP3 consists of Michael Jackson and Weird Al Yankovic.
We were riding in the car back home from dinner out a couple of nights ago and he asks me,
"Do you like Justin Bieber?"
I answered, "I actually haven't heard a whole lot of his songs.  How about you?"
"Not really.  This girl at school said that Justin Bieber is way better than Michael Jackson.
Jared told her she didn't know what she was talking about."
I smiled.
About that time, Bob Marley came on the radio.
Thinking it was the "Legend" CD that we play sometimes, C-Bo says, "I like the next song."
I then explained to him about how radio works...about how there are DJs that play the music and that each radio station is a little different.
I went through my presets and showed him, "This is Dave FM.  That's Mommy and Daddy's favorite.  These next two play Christian music.  This one is out of Clark Atlanta and they play mostly jazz.  This one is classical.  This one is more R&B and soul.  And this one plays soft rock.  They sometimes play Michael Jackson on this one."
"I remember we heard "Wanna Be Startin' Something" on here," he said.
"That's right," I tell him.  (I put it back on Dave FM.  Bob is still singing.)
A few seconds later.
"Can you put some Bob Marley on my MP3?"
I smile again.
"Of course, buddy."

The Roots- The Fire

Wifey gave me a weekend off last month.
This is something we started doing for each other so we wouldn't end up on the front page of the newspaper.
With 4 kids at home, all under 10 years of age, you need a break now and then to keep sane.
So I left work on Friday afternoon and stopped at the store for some supplies.
Then I drove down to Candler Park Golf Course in Atlanta.
It was only about $12 to walk 9 holes and I got there at about 7:30, so I was one of only about 5 people on the whole course.
I took my time and finished just before 9pm with plenty of daylight to spare.
By this time I was getting hungry, so I got cleaned up and drove over to the Perimeter Mall area and had dinner at one of my favorite places, Chequers Seafood Grill.
I finished dinner and decided to go over to Barnes and Noble and browse around.
After a while, I reckoned it was time to mosey on over to the hotel that I was staying in for the weekend.
I got there just after a huge busload of family reunion-ers had checked in.  Perfect timing.
I took a shower and settled in with my magazines that I had picked up at B&N and turned on late night TV.
I flipped through the pages, not really feeling like reading, and every once in a while, I would glance up at the TV if anything funny was on.
I was getting ready to turn off the TV and turn in when I noticed Jimmy Fallon had a late show.
I always thought that he was mildly funny, so I tuned in for a few more minutes.
When his band started playing, I was like, "That looks like the guy from 'The Roots'."
Sure enough Jimmy has critically-acclaimed hip-hop group, "The Roots" as his house band.
Hailing from Philadelphia, "The Roots" are famed for their jazzy, eclectic approach to hip-hop which includes live instrumentation.
I finished the weekend with naps, reading, time at the pool, a trip to the High Museum, meals at Landmark Diner, Sage Woodfire Grill, and Waffle House, and a workout.
I got back home to my little munchkins and Wifey, feeling refreshed, and just in time to go to friends for a cookout and fireworks.
The only thing left undone was to get a copy of "The Roots" latest release, "How I Got Over", described by the band as "depicting the everyman's search for hope in this dispiriting post-hope zeitgeist".
This track features Grammy award winning soul man, John Legend.

Van Morrison- Into the Mystic

I liked "Raiders of the Lost Ark".
I liked "Back to the Future".
I loved "Ferris Beuller's Day Off".
But my absolute favorite movie of the 1980's was..."Dream a Little Dream".
Probably never heard of it, huh?
It was one of the "Two Coreys" movies.
Corey Haim (RIP) and Corey Feldman play best friends (imagine that).
Feldman's character, Bobby, has a collision with Lainie while taking a short cut back home from a night out.
They bump into each other as elderly neighbor, Coleman, and his wife Gena are performing a meditative experiment in their backyard in an effort to live together forever.
What follows is a sort of body swap between the four characters.
I know it's not exactly Oscar material.
But it drips with 80's nostalgia, from the dancing and music to the clothing and hairstyles.
It has a pretty good soundtrack.  You've got your REM, your Otis Redding, and your Michael Damian.
But this is by far my favorite track.
If you're yearning for the good old days, go rent it.
But beware...the straight to video sequel, "Dream a Little Dream 2" sucks to the highest of suckstivity. 

Frankie Valli- Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Today is the first day of school.
C-Bo is in 4th grade, The Bear is in 2nd grade, and my little Be-Bop starts Kindergarten.
Last night Wifey was getting all of their supplies gathered, bagged, and labeled.
At one point, she says, "I can't believe she's going to be in kindergarten."
Teasing with her as I am prone to do, I say, "Don't start the water works now.  They'll be plenty of time for that in the morning."
She said, "Maybe if I get it all out now, then tomorrow won't be so bad."
"Oh, it will be bad," I said.
This morning we got everybody up and dressed and fed, took them to school, and dropped them off.
We dropped Be-Bop off first.  She just walked in, unloaded her stuff, and went and sat down.
We gave her hugs and kisses and were out.
I looked at Wifey.  She just smiled.  "Maybe I'm used to it now," she said.  No tears.
Then, a little further down the hall, she says, "It helps when she has the BEST teacher ever."
She's right.  We've been very happy with all the teacher's that we've had so far. 
It just so happens that Be-Bop has the same teacher that The Bear had a couple of years ago.
We dropped the older two off (after helping a lost kid find his class) and headed back to the car.
The Moonch, who starts Pre-K in a couple of weeks, said, "Are we going to my class now?"
Now that is going to be different...when all four are in school at the same time.
Thursday mornings, especially.   That's the day that I don't go in the office until 2:00 pm.
That means that after all of the munchkins are off to their appropriate learning facilities, a couple of new things will happen:
1) It will be alot more quiet in our house.
2) Wifey and I get morning dates.
Here's looking at you, kid.