No singin' in church this morn. A Christian dance troupe from Nicaraugua was scheduled to perform during the service. They needed the stage, so no choir. We sat with the congregation instead. The dancers are called The Nicavangelists and they are really good; very uplifting and inspirational. You can Google 'em. This was actually the second time they have come to our church. The first time was just about a year ago. I may have written about them back then, too.
So, no choir and no choir practice either. Super tired anyway, just from getting up early for church.
'Twas a little cooler today, only 103, but in the early evening a breeze came in and cooled things down further, maybe to the mid 80s. Still super humid, with even a little drizzle. As the afternoon progressed, the sky looked incredible with the mottled clouds and setting sun, so upon arriving home at 6:45 for my evening break, I grabbed my cam and walked over to the Trusty CSUN Parking Structure for Yet Another Series Of Sunset Photographs. One day I will be known as The Photographer of Spider Webs & Sunsets, haha (and maybe squirrels, too, or bunnies). I mean, I hope that is not all I am known for, but I understand if that is currently the case. The main photo opportunities that have presented themselves recently - given my truncated travel time, as my work allows - have been Webs (at Aliso Canyon) and Beautiful Sunsets (as seen from The Parking Structure).
But over the years I've really taken photos of all kinds of stuff, lol. One day, if I ever have time, I will go through old photo albums and post more of my stuff. The part I don't like is having to peel the pics out of the albums, because of the necessary care involved, but I would like to post more of my pics from my High School years, and all the rock n' roll stuff from that time. Don't hold me to it, however!
One day I will scan Every Doggone Photo I Have Ever Taken, but it might take awhile.......
Elizabeth, if you are reading I saw a post of yours today, via Joel W. (I think), and it was about the need for a walk in nature to de-stress and to reconnect, so maybe you were doing just that. I know how much you love the parks, open spaces and natural areas in Wisconsin, so I hope you are finding some good places around the Chicago area too. I'll bet you are, and I would like to see some photos as soon as you've got some. I also hope you are continuing to work on your music. That is something that I think you must not break the continuity of - your composing and recording of your music. I can imagine it must be tough to find time for everything, but as we have talked about in the past, there really is time to Get A Ton Of Stuff Done. Some degree of scheduling is the key (as if you didn't know that..) :)
I hope your car has been - or will soon be - repaired, and that all is generally well. Once you get used to your new home and have been there a few months, things will get easier and more familiar. :)
Well, I finished Noel Monk's Van Halen book today. It was quite a read, and it really took me back to that time, when Van Halen was my favorite band and Eddie was my idol, as he was for so many guitarists my age, back then. I loved the guy, and I can't say that about many musicians, where it went beyond just being a fan. There was something about Edward, perhaps his everpresent smile and his obvious joy onstage, and also his volcanic musical energy and incredibly catchy compositions, that just seemed to open up his personality to his fans. You know how some rock stars are "mysterious" (often by calculation)? EVH was none of that. He was a bit reclusive, yes, but he wore his musical heart on his sleeve, and you couldn't help but love the guy in addition to being in awe of his guitar prowess.
I knew he had a drug problem (which I would never have suspected in the 80s), and I knew it was pretty bad, from pictures of him in the 1990s. But I never knew how bad it was, with cocaine, until I read this book. It is a wonder he is alive, and God Bless that he is.
And David Lee Roth, well........wow. I will always be a DLR fan, and I will always testify to the fact that there is only one Van Halen, with Dave at the helm. Anything else is just Van Hagar.
But having said that, and still loving the band now (because they were life changers for me), I must say that, in reading Monk's book, and he seems like an honest man, I think that my opinion of Diamond Dave has changed just a bit.
He doesn't seem like a very nice guy. Nor does Alex Van Halen.
They seem like a couple of real jerks, to be honest. This is all notwithstanding of how great they are as part of Van Halen, of course. But there is a reason the original band broke up in early 1985, and basically has not put out any new music since then. The reunion album in 2012 was great, but all the songs were written in the 1970s.
When you read about the amount of drugs and alcohol that these bands consume, bands like Van Halen, you wonder how any of them lived through it, except for Michael Anthony, a nice guy and non addict by all accounts. I think back on my own abuse of drugs and alcohol, and I am shocked. I was a teetotaler compared to the guys in Van Halen, and many other bands.
And when you combine the extreme substance abuse with the kind of major league egotism and hedonism possessed by a guy like Roth, and Eddie too, who was cheating on his wife from Day One, it's not only a wonder that the band stayed together for as long as it did, but it's also a wonder that fans like me can read such a book and remain fans.
The guys in VH are some troubled guys, which is why we haven't had any new music out of them in 35 years.
The book does remind you of the good times, however. At one point they were the greatest live band I have ever seen. And in these later years, in their sporadic reunions, they have still been great, even as EVH and Roth and Alex the SOB have passed 60 years of age.
But the book also closes on some very sad notes, sad and very shocking, which make you think of what might have been, and how many great albums they might have continued to put out, had they not been the way they were.
If you are a Van Halen fan, I cannot recommend Noel Monk's book highly enough. He tells the good with the bad, and really - for us fans who only saw 'em onstage - it was mostly excellent. But it's also the story of rock and roll egotism in the extreme, and that part is a sorry story.
VH forever! I love 'em still.......
See you in the morning.
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