Being Better - Define It

Somehow I lost a chunk of this after publishing —- now pissed. I’ll try to recreate.

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It’s been too long. I have countless drafts and starts and stops to Blog entries commemorating a number of events, stressors and triumphs from the past several months. Many pages have torn from notebooks to start the next “journal,” “diary,” monologue, or whatever you’d call it. 

But, like everyone (or most, I guess), an alarm rings, an email or text comes in that warrants attention, or you’re off and pacing to any number of chores/responsibilities that make up your existence.

Each year, we hammer out a robust list of resolutions designed to make us “Better.” Whether it’s a nod to health, money, mental well-being or learning a skill, we all have something (or many) in our lives that we want to make “Better.”

I do it weekly. I put together the exhaustive list of “To-do” items. And I get overwhelmed and salty, knowing that it’s a Sisyphus situation. I’m gonna through a bunch of things. I’m gonna check some boxes, but the Sharpie’s not gonna touch each of those lines. 

Damned it all. The point of this blog is to find a little peace in the day, highlight finding the Lighter Thoughts. Jack Handey of SNL had his “Deep Thoughts,” and we’ll have some of those here. But it’s more about seeing/doing the things on your list, celebrating those triumphs and moving forward.

Friend of the show and colleague Jay Glazer talks about “fighting the grey.” In his appearances with us and his book “Unbreakable,” he speaks of rough mornings, and I can relate, to be sure. So, each day, I’m going to work - dare I say “Resolve” - to add at least one post. Short, in-depth expository or whatever - check in here. The goal is Community and talking … and embracing the positivity amid the chaos. 

So, with that in mind — What are my 3 victories today?

1. Great show on FOX Sports Radio this morning with Bucky Brooks. We absolutely destroyed a number of narratives and created some new while dissecting the NFL Division Games from Saturday and previewing Sunday’s tilts. 

(I’ll include game-watching on a larger scale here. We had all the drama we wanted, and then some.)

2. Long-ass nap. Sleep and I have been enemies since I broke my leg my sophomore year of High School (long story for another time). So, I’m learning to pause and listen to my body and foggy mind. I know it’s caused major issues in my past and still impact others, and contributes to physical and mental health. 

Nas said in NY State of Mind: “I don’t sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.” The line was later cited by Greg Dulli in “Omertà.” 

3. I communicated with a great number of friends, colleagues and my brothers during the Sunday games. Text messages, calls and some Twitter back and forth. Add some of the 2021 Glogg and a hearty soup. And that’s a winner.

Community. Communication. Pathos. 

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How do you define “Better?”

LIVE - How do you pronounce it?

If you read a past post or listened to five minutes of my radio world, you know that Wordsmithing is one of my favorite pastimes. The English language is maddening with synonyms and multiple meanings to words (not unique to English, but you get the point), so there’s a sizable playground at hand. 

I’ve referenced Colin Hay in past entries in this space. Big fan of his storytelling and rich lyrics, to be sure. I recall a Men at Work classic as I ponder yesterday’s outing. “People just love to play with words.”

The word of the day is —- LIVE

In context, you know how it’s being used and how to pronounce it. However, I think both in stand-alone should become part of your everyday mantras. Stick with me a second.

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Live - “Show me how to live!” - Soundgarden lyrics. 

Live - “You are looking LIVE!” - classic Brent Musberger intro to calling a sporting event and setting the scene. 

Living -  Actions, words, interactions with others, and processing day-to-day events and activities and the emotional responses. Getting out and about and experiencing people, places and things. 

Live - Being in the moment, that sensation that accompanies stimuli and loud noises (well, in my business, anyway), power chords, choruses, ensembles and front men/women. That feeling that resonates in your soul - singalongs or a big bass line (see the previous entry on “It’s So Easy”). 

We got out on Sunday night and watched Hamilton, a return to LIVE theater in Hollywood. It was like seeing it again for the first time, the electricity flowing through the audience and that response to the opening number and specific phrases and songs. Full nerd out —- Peggy Schuyler, Hercules Mulligan, Thomas Jefferson and King George are family favorites, and subtle turns of phrase and gestures b added levity and texture. 

Thanks to Taylor Iman Jones, Wallace Smith, Simon Longnight and Rory O’Malley and the rest of the cast. I could 

And here’s Men at Work —- sing along: 

Rock N Roll Circle

 In my last piece, I posted a sweet shot off Dockweiler Beach - sunset and the rolling waves.

It’s the beautiful metaphor for so many things in life, and a big part of the ending of “The Good Place,” which I finished a fresh viewing of earlier this week. One of the characters named Chidi, a Professor of Moral Philosophy, talks about life and death while invoking Buddhist teachings.  

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“Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it, measure it — its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through. It’s there and you can see it and you know what it is. It’s a wave. And then it crashes on the shore, and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be, for a little while. That’s one conception of death for a Buddhist. The wave returns to the ocean  — where it came from, and where it’s supposed to be.”

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With that quote and quiet time on the beach as the backdrop, so much of the past week wove together for me. I took a couple days away from the radio show to get the mind and body right and gather some data points together ahead of the NFL marathon. I probably slept more than I should have, thereby leaving a number of things undone, but the cries of a sleep-deprived body were finally heard. 

The concert gods gave me a date with Guns N’ Roses at the beautiful Banc of California Stadium. Now, I’ve been adamant about the need to celebrate those meaningful artists on the proverbial soundtrack of your life. At this point, the checklist of “Seeing favorite artists LIVE” is littered with marks, and I’ve been blessed to see a couple wicked GNR shows through the years. So, I thought of skipping it. But my daughter put it best. “Crazy year, and these guys fought a long time.”

I found a ticket and made my way to the stadium. Mammoth WVH, Wolfgang Van Halen’s band, had begun their set when I arrived. Here’s a sample of their work - “Don’t Back Down”

After a brief pause - no, seriously - GNR hit the stage just before 8pm. The mini-movie on the screen delivered Duff McKagan’s unmistakable bass line from “It’s So Easy,” and that was it. I was in a perfect space for the next three hours. Songs spanning some 35 years came at me in waves, and happily, I could pass any mental acuity test tied to lyric retention. The setlist included a bevy of gems, from “Appetite” through “Chinese Democracy,” with a couple turns into covers like “Wichita Lineman” and “The Seeker.” 

Axl even joked about the release of a new song, “Absurd,” that’s charted well. He essentially said, “No! Really! New music!”

I could have cleaned up on bar bets with some of the fans around me if we’d wagered on which song would flow out of a Slash lick. Again, decent ear and memory - just wished I’d learned to play. But that’s a lamentation/project for a future date. 

As we hit the finale of “Paradise City,” there was only one word to describe the crowd and the band. Joyful. The band smiled through the set - I can only imagine what was on those signs or the view at the front of the stage - and played a raucous three-hour set. I mention that again because, well, that ain’t the norm in today’s marketplace, and we were all the better for the deep list. 

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That ties to the sad news out of the rock world that came down on Tuesday.  Lifetime Stones drummer Charlie Watts died at the agent 80. It had been previously announced that he wouldn’t be joining the Stones on tour this fall (we have our seats for October 17th), but fans held out hope for his recovery. 

The tributes were plentiful from his contemporaries and those influenced. Most included a nod to his style - dress and playing - as “Cool.” Watts was a jazz drummer in the greatest Rock N’ Roll band in the world. Read any tribute to him from rock journalists and fans and there’s destined to be a note about being the cool player among the theatrics of the great “Rock N’ Roll Circus.” 

My brother texted me the classic John Hiatt track “Slow Turning” after hearing the news. 

“Now I'm in my car 
I got the radio on 
I'm yellin' at the kids in the back seat 
'Cause they're bangin' like Charlie Watts”

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I’d already immersed myself in the Stones deep tracks ahead of the October date, but this news just made me hear it differently. Pick a tune from any Stones era and focus on the beat. Just listen to a couple tracks off of “Steel Wheels,” and Watts’ drumming sets it all. And that ties us back to GNR. GNR had several high-profile shows in Los Angeles opening for The Rolling Stones in 1989 as the “Steel Wheels” tour got underway.

Colin Hay posted to his Facebook account in tribute: “I think the universe skipped a beat yesterday, looked back and realized, sadly, that it had to carry on. RIP CW”

Keith Richards displayed a “CLOSED” sign over Watts’ drum kit.

I’ll be sorry to have only seen him perform live briefly, years ago in Las Vegas, before I lost consciousness and found myself in a medical facility. Guess I’ll have to wait for the Great Gig In The Sky.

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The Stones made news a couple times during the pandemic. The song “Living In A Ghost Town” became a top-10 hit. And then there was the famous Together At Home concert to bring awareness and funds toward healthcare workers. The Stones contributed a version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and Charlie went viral. Check out the video — he just exudes coolness.  

Rediscovering An Early Love

Writing used to come so easily. 

When I was in school, I could dial up pages of drivel (brilliance in my eyes at the time) about a sonnet, play or random historical quote. I was a top draft choice for group projects during my MBA run because of my ability to synthesize numbers and analysis. At the outset of my media career, I routinely cranked out multiple long-form columns without much trouble.

But trying to hammer out pieces regularly here has been a difficult task. Many false starts and quick one-liners more appropriate for Twitter have littered my “Drafts” queue. 

It’s certainly a far cry from the warm, inviting glow of the red light in my radio world. Words flow, for lack of a better analogy, like water. While I’m not generally subject to what I term “hot take nonsense,” I’ve no problem deftly moving between sports topics and mixing in pop culture and social concepts (again, this man’s humble opinion). 

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But I’m going to be better about trying. That’s the first step. And in these past two weeks, there was that pause, a moment of clarity, to perhaps unclog that blockage. 

We got back to the beach. We met up with some old friends for a bonfire and celebration. Well, mourning for the girls as they pondered a new school year. But we spent ample time walking the beach, observing the chaotic existence of sand crabs scurrying in self-preservation and breathing. 

Sure, there were a couple long dialogues on the greater meaning of life and aspirations and all, but it was about pausing from the race for a minute. We lifted the tech break to grab a couple of these shots. The reminder of the ebb and flow of the world spoke enough.

And bleeds into the next pieces —- my Rock N Roll circle. 

EOD - July 7 (Well, July 28)

 Wrote this a couple weeks back … not sure why it hadn’t posted. 

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“Peace and Love.”

That’s the phrase to utilize on 7/7 every year. It’s truly more than that - it’s a mantra to live by. 

Or to try to live by. 

Let’s face it. There are myriad externalities that churn into a massive ball of stressors. We struggle with our interpersonal relationships and work commitments as we fight to present our best selves. Say nothing of the internal struggles and vacillation of one’s “worth.” That’s a longer missive for another time - measuring systems, validation and seeking approval and all.

But this one’s about swiping that to the side with the speed and dexterity of a fearsome NFL pass rusher.

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Sometimes you need to just pause, select an artist and let the playlist be your guide. I got some great work in, a thriller with England over Denmark in the semifinals of the Euro2020 tournament and I streamed myriad Ringo Starr songs. 

Sir Richard Starkey turned 81 on Wednesday. I celebrate the Beatles catalog and have always revered the stylings of Ringo’s solo career. My daughters and I have seen Ringo and his All-Starr Band twice, and his appearance at a 2019 Paul McCartney show in LA remains a near-religious experience. 

So, dialing up myriad live renditions of “Photograph,” “It Don’t Come Easy,” and “With A Little Help From My Friends” put me in the proper mindset to dominate a day. I whipped up a beautiful chicken divan, took a long stroll with the dog and crushed a four-hour national radio run on FSR. 

Positivity. On Wednesday, the dips on my roller coaster - a crude analogy, without a doubt - seemed to pass more quickly, and I leaned into the turns. There’s no promise that Thursday will be a repeat. But I’ll try. 

But for a moment …  I present the legend of “I’m The Greatest.”

FYW: A Story For The Heart

I spent a lot of time at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with my older daughter when she was little. Doctor consultations ahead of surgical procedures and the yearly checkups made for a day’s adventure. And for my daughter, an immersion into a world with kids of every race and nationality, all there to find some support for myriad conditions. I loved watching the kids become fast friends - watching the videos on the television, sharing coloring supplies or, as she aged, my daughter holding court and reading to the younger kids. It was a community of folks, all anxious about what that day’s news would be, but finding a moment of peace in the laughter of the little ones. 

So, on some small level, I feel the connection to the family of former NFL tight end and new FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen. His son TJ was born with a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The short of it is that the left side of the heart does not form correctly.

(You can Learn More About Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome here.)

According to Olsen, eight-year old TJ had undergone three open heart surgeries and lived with a modified heart. This past week, TJ received a heart transplant. The journey, and his family’s wave of emotions, was chronicled in short form for People Magazine. And, this sweet video post-surgery that brings you back to basics: 

TJ Says Thank You

I can’t wait to see the updates on TJ’s story. Tales of hope and positivity speak to our humanity and bond us all. I speak of the power of that communal energy found in concerts and sports and theater, and energy akin to that felt in prayer services. And like those moments in the waiting room at Children’s. 

EOD: June 7th

 There are some days when everything crashes around you. I’ve long had the ability, propensity and let’s face it, stupidity, to grind days until I had nothing left. You think you’re helping in the moment to get things done and, as I’ve always said, “to keep the line moving.” But, at some point, you hit the swing into negative returns and cause some frustration and pain to those around you. 

And, you find your own health compromised. The more elaborate tales of this ilk will arrive in book form sometime in the future. 

Suffice to say, the first win of Monday is simple ... nap. Nap for 15 minutes. Stretch it out to an hour if you can. Mine felt like a second half to a night’s sleep, leading to a rally for the day.

What else happened?

1. Nice long walks with the dog. Put on some tunes and just get the body moving. I carry a wide array of songs and artist in my playlist, a collection termed “The Devil’s Jukebox” long ago. So, Monday’s journeys included some Gutter Twins, Elton John deep cuts, Warren Zevon, Roger Waters and a block of Jethro Tull. 

One of the songs at the start of the walk was a Gutter Twins cover  of Jose Gonzalez’s “Down The Line.” 

I always forget the surroundings or, more likely, don’t much care and start singing along: 

“Don’t let the darkness eat you up!”

Check out the original here. 

Gonzalez’s “Down The Line”

2. I finally finished the draft for my Will. Psychologically damning and that recognition of age and how spread out your money can get. Diversification is a good thing. Just make sure you’ve got your spreadsheet of sites and logins handy. I do need to add one or two instructional lines — think Shawshank Redemption, and to produce the latest in the farewell playlist. Oh, and to procure a lot of mini-bottles of booze for the global toast. 

3. Finally, the FSR show on Monday had its twists and turns. The band “Jimmy Eat World” became part of the soundtrack because of the band’s appearance at halftime of the Suns-Nuggets game. We argued about the ongoing Aaron Rodgers saga, chronicled two blowouts in the NBA and celebrated Kevin Durant and the resurgent Blake Griffin.