Bike 2: 115.2; 20.6.
92 of 'em (degrees), when I left at about 1:00. Pleased to have a little shade along the greenway, and hope the recent tree work provides shade for future generations of hikers and cyclists.
I have biked 110.6 miles this week, two more miles than my previous high; could still log more tomorrow.
Sonoma Rep, Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival is staging "Taming of the Shrew" outdoors in Sebastopol's Ives park--three more nights. It's a great rendition of a classic comedy. Bring a picnic dinner and a bottle of wine, and you're set!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Two major hills
Bike 2: 94.6; 23.3
Steely Dan was really cool. I could think of all kinds of reasons to be disappointed or annoyed, but the fact is, they put on a great show, with a good number of songs I (mostly) know, presented in just-new-enough ways.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a Steely Dan song stuck in my head, and (yesterday AND) this morning I had the odd sensation of having two at once: Gaucho and Aja, endless loop between the chorus of Gaucho and that little Chinese-sounding instrumental part of Aja…
Absolutely terrible opening group—(what I would call) freeform jazz by a quartet of electronic keyboard, drums, trumpet and sax. No vocals; keyboardists sets a tone, each player emotes heavily, lather rinse repeat. Everyone politely claps, not only at the end of the song, but after each *&*%#% solo—of which every song consists of exactly four, of course: noodle noodle noodle noodle, big ending. No Theme! Thankfully, they only did three or four songs. I hesitate to mention the name, but you already know if you like or hate this kind of jazz, so in case you want to avoid them, it was these wallies: http://www.samyahel.com/home.html.
The band came on and did a funked-up instrumental of “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies,” segued into “The Fez,” and in the middle of this, Becker and Fagen entered.
So the group included Becker and Fagen, lead guitarist, bass, backing keyboard, bass and tenor saxes, trumpet, trombone, drums, and three lovely afro’d backup singers. They have a Web page with everyone listed http://www.steelydan.com/2kband.html.
Guitarist, drummer, singers, and horns had occasional standout moments. I got to thinking, no single guitarist is ever gonna fill the chair, no? Because even on individual albums, they’d have at least 10 guitar credits, and that was really a big part of the freshness of their sound, the various different soloists—especially on guitar. So to have one guy sit through 15 songs is more than any one guitarist probably ever did with them. But “Show Biz Kids” didn’t sound right to me without that slide… who was that on the original, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter? The backup singers really added a lot to the quality of performances and the visual aspect of the show--and reminded me how many songs featured a trio like this, including ah Clydie King (I remembered THAT name; the others were Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews)...
The set had an odd boxy geometric design as a backdrop (I think it was some portion of the Citizen box set logo), across which various motifs were projected. Common colored spots shone down on group and individuals, with occasional rotating-pattern spots (like on the “Show Biz Kids” punchline). One really cool, lovely dark purple song ending.
Did anyone note the irony of Steely Dan T-Shirts (cf "Show Biz Kids") for sale ($30+) in the lobby? There was a nice Aja one, but I don’t wear black much. All the others looked rather phoned-in, pieced together out of old fonts and clip art, with no intimate knowledge of the group? I really treasure my “Morse Science High School” T-shirt from the Firesign show…They also had CDs, a $65 sweatshirt (?!), hats with “SD” on the front, key chains ($15), and coffee cups. You wouldn’t even GET a reference to a “Steely Dan Coffee Cup,” back in the day!
I doubt there was a person under 40 in the audience—none, at least, who came willingly.
I think Donald was trying to channel Ray Charles, with the sunglasses and odd posture at the keyboard. Or has he always done that?
Becker only spoke up once, during “Hey 19,” with a funny bit about how all the cells in your body are replaced every seven years, and the cell that remembered that amber-colored beverage must’ve been replaced, but the backup singers would remember it—oh yeah, “Cuervo Gold”! And he sang “Gaucho” in kind of a low register with little or no backup.
Interesting that they didn’t do the earlier hits like “Do It Again,” “Reeling in the Years,” "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," but I was pretty happy with the song selection, with relatively obscure stuff like “Fez,” Parker’s Band,” but still would’ve liked one or two from the first album and maybe “My Old School,” “King of the World,” stuff like that. Only one encore did seem a little chintzy, but it was a good 90 minutes plus overall. Of course, I’d’ve happily sat through the entire catalog, and for $100 a ticket, I feel they shoulda played requests at my house, but I guess that’s what tickets cost for an elusive top-name act like the Dan of Steel now…
The vocals were really hard to decipher--whether from the sound system or Fagen’s delivery, I can’t say--but I kinda felt bad for T, who hadn’t lived and breathed these songs, to get no idea of what was being said in e.g., “Show Biz Kids,” which was clear as a bell and bristling with angry wit on the album of course.
It was fun to recognize (most of the) songs in the first few notes and sing along, and somewhat surprising that much of the audience was singing along too. I always felt the Dan were kinda “ours” prior to Aja… but then again, a lot more were singing to “Peg” than to “Parker’s Band”… (But everyone seemed to know “Kid Charlemagne,” which I thought was not that well known, so what do *I* know…)
Anyway, a great, fun, entertaining show. I was very glad I went.
OK!
Today's bike ride again made the big loop completed by Guerneville Rd., 116, and Green Valley, and I think the maximum speed on my odometer (35.4) probably IS accurate, and I got to at least 32 today on that Green Valley hill. Too bad about that stop sign right at the bottom of the hill. Think I'll do this loop backwards sometime just to get the long downhill without a stop on Guerneville Rd.
I did the Barlow Lane hill as a little add-on. I don't think it adds much if any to the mileage, but it does include a little extra sleigh ride on Mill Station Rd.
90 miles on the week now. Need 18 to surpass my last "big week."
Need a bell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Steven D. Miller [mailto:steve@born-today.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 11:49 PM
To: 'Terrie Miller'
Subject: Set List
Everyone’s Gone to the Movies (instrumental)
The Fez (Becker and Fagen enter)
Royal Scam
I Got the News
Show Biz Kids
Bodhisattva
Two Against Nature
Hey 19
?? “…not the case…”
FM
?? “…yes we’re gonna have a…”
Gaucho
Black Friday
Parker’s Band
Josie
Aja
?? “…Can’t Stop the Fire…” band intros (Guitarist John Harrington, drummer Kevin something, alto sax, Bob something, yeah I got THOSE down!)
Black Cow
Peg
Kid Charlemagne (Encore)
Steely Dan was really cool. I could think of all kinds of reasons to be disappointed or annoyed, but the fact is, they put on a great show, with a good number of songs I (mostly) know, presented in just-new-enough ways.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a Steely Dan song stuck in my head, and (yesterday AND) this morning I had the odd sensation of having two at once: Gaucho and Aja, endless loop between the chorus of Gaucho and that little Chinese-sounding instrumental part of Aja…
Absolutely terrible opening group—(what I would call) freeform jazz by a quartet of electronic keyboard, drums, trumpet and sax. No vocals; keyboardists sets a tone, each player emotes heavily, lather rinse repeat. Everyone politely claps, not only at the end of the song, but after each *&*%#% solo—of which every song consists of exactly four, of course: noodle noodle noodle noodle, big ending. No Theme! Thankfully, they only did three or four songs. I hesitate to mention the name, but you already know if you like or hate this kind of jazz, so in case you want to avoid them, it was these wallies: http://www.samyahel.com/home.html.
The band came on and did a funked-up instrumental of “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies,” segued into “The Fez,” and in the middle of this, Becker and Fagen entered.
So the group included Becker and Fagen, lead guitarist, bass, backing keyboard, bass and tenor saxes, trumpet, trombone, drums, and three lovely afro’d backup singers. They have a Web page with everyone listed http://www.steelydan.com/2kband.html.
Guitarist, drummer, singers, and horns had occasional standout moments. I got to thinking, no single guitarist is ever gonna fill the chair, no? Because even on individual albums, they’d have at least 10 guitar credits, and that was really a big part of the freshness of their sound, the various different soloists—especially on guitar. So to have one guy sit through 15 songs is more than any one guitarist probably ever did with them. But “Show Biz Kids” didn’t sound right to me without that slide… who was that on the original, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter? The backup singers really added a lot to the quality of performances and the visual aspect of the show--and reminded me how many songs featured a trio like this, including ah Clydie King (I remembered THAT name; the others were Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews)...
The set had an odd boxy geometric design as a backdrop (I think it was some portion of the Citizen box set logo), across which various motifs were projected. Common colored spots shone down on group and individuals, with occasional rotating-pattern spots (like on the “Show Biz Kids” punchline). One really cool, lovely dark purple song ending.
Did anyone note the irony of Steely Dan T-Shirts (cf "Show Biz Kids") for sale ($30+) in the lobby? There was a nice Aja one, but I don’t wear black much. All the others looked rather phoned-in, pieced together out of old fonts and clip art, with no intimate knowledge of the group? I really treasure my “Morse Science High School” T-shirt from the Firesign show…They also had CDs, a $65 sweatshirt (?!), hats with “SD” on the front, key chains ($15), and coffee cups. You wouldn’t even GET a reference to a “Steely Dan Coffee Cup,” back in the day!
I doubt there was a person under 40 in the audience—none, at least, who came willingly.
I think Donald was trying to channel Ray Charles, with the sunglasses and odd posture at the keyboard. Or has he always done that?
Becker only spoke up once, during “Hey 19,” with a funny bit about how all the cells in your body are replaced every seven years, and the cell that remembered that amber-colored beverage must’ve been replaced, but the backup singers would remember it—oh yeah, “Cuervo Gold”! And he sang “Gaucho” in kind of a low register with little or no backup.
Interesting that they didn’t do the earlier hits like “Do It Again,” “Reeling in the Years,” "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," but I was pretty happy with the song selection, with relatively obscure stuff like “Fez,” Parker’s Band,” but still would’ve liked one or two from the first album and maybe “My Old School,” “King of the World,” stuff like that. Only one encore did seem a little chintzy, but it was a good 90 minutes plus overall. Of course, I’d’ve happily sat through the entire catalog, and for $100 a ticket, I feel they shoulda played requests at my house, but I guess that’s what tickets cost for an elusive top-name act like the Dan of Steel now…
The vocals were really hard to decipher--whether from the sound system or Fagen’s delivery, I can’t say--but I kinda felt bad for T, who hadn’t lived and breathed these songs, to get no idea of what was being said in e.g., “Show Biz Kids,” which was clear as a bell and bristling with angry wit on the album of course.
It was fun to recognize (most of the) songs in the first few notes and sing along, and somewhat surprising that much of the audience was singing along too. I always felt the Dan were kinda “ours” prior to Aja… but then again, a lot more were singing to “Peg” than to “Parker’s Band”… (But everyone seemed to know “Kid Charlemagne,” which I thought was not that well known, so what do *I* know…)
Anyway, a great, fun, entertaining show. I was very glad I went.
OK!
Today's bike ride again made the big loop completed by Guerneville Rd., 116, and Green Valley, and I think the maximum speed on my odometer (35.4) probably IS accurate, and I got to at least 32 today on that Green Valley hill. Too bad about that stop sign right at the bottom of the hill. Think I'll do this loop backwards sometime just to get the long downhill without a stop on Guerneville Rd.
I did the Barlow Lane hill as a little add-on. I don't think it adds much if any to the mileage, but it does include a little extra sleigh ride on Mill Station Rd.
90 miles on the week now. Need 18 to surpass my last "big week."
Need a bell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Steven D. Miller [mailto:steve@born-today.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 11:49 PM
To: 'Terrie Miller'
Subject: Set List
Everyone’s Gone to the Movies (instrumental)
The Fez (Becker and Fagen enter)
Royal Scam
I Got the News
Show Biz Kids
Bodhisattva
Two Against Nature
Hey 19
?? “…not the case…”
FM
?? “…yes we’re gonna have a…”
Gaucho
Black Friday
Parker’s Band
Josie
Aja
?? “…Can’t Stop the Fire…” band intros (Guitarist John Harrington, drummer Kevin something, alto sax, Bob something, yeah I got THOSE down!)
Black Cow
Peg
Kid Charlemagne (Encore)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Rodota Schmodota
Bike 2: 71.3; 26.1.
That's 2/3 of the way to 100 miles on the week, but I'm actually hoping for more like 120, or at least more than my biggest week so far (108.6).
My average speed over the 26 miles today was a little over 13mph--actually only about 1mph faster than on the old bike, but it feels a lot faster. This route is unpaved, though still not mud or gravel, for about 10 of the 26 miles.
I'm sure all the statistics are scintillating to anyone unfortunate enough to be reading this, but I like to keep track of stuff.
Tonight: Steely Dan! They are one of my many "hero" groups--and were not really a group at all, per se, during their main recording years (1972-82 or so).
I think many listeners got a certain impression from "Back, Jack, do it again" that conveyed an image that didn't really jibe with what the Dan really were. For one, they were more jazz than rock or pop. For another, they were probably the smartest lyricists yet then heard (and maybe still). For still another (another what? another "THING"!), because they weren't a band per se, they had the most talented musicians available in LA-area recording studios, and they could enlist the right group of players for each song on an album if they pleased. They (Becker and Fagen, the core of Steely Dan) were also notorious perfectionists in the studio, so what you heard on those six classic albums was absolutely the best possible sound that could be wrung for the studios and musicians of the time.
Then as if for irony, Fagen's none-too-melodic voice presided over the whole affair.
This might've been the height of what Punk was a response to, in a way, but I bet most music-literate punks would have nothing but good words for the Dan, who after all peopled their songs with cranks, misfits, and downright perverts, in settings that ranged from seedy to creepy to post-apocalyptic. Where the Eagles at their best might've laid claim to some of this territory, it had to have been a strain for them; the Dan at their worst walked all over the Eagles.
In those days, the release of a new Steely Dan album was reason enough to go and buy it, sight unseen.
As I thought about them today riding my bike, I thought of "King of the World" from the "Countdown to Ecstasy" album, with the aforementioned post-apocalyptic setting:
Hello one and all
Was it you I used to know
Can't you hear me call
On this old ham radio
All I got to say
I'm alive and feeling fine
If you come my way
You can share my poison wine
CHORUS:
No marigolds in the promised land
There's a hole in the ground
Where they used to grow
Any man left on the Rio Grande
Is the king of the world
As far as I know
I don't want your bread
I don't need your helping hand
I can't be no savage
I can't be no highwayman
Show me where you are
You and I will spend this day
Driving in my car
Through the ruins of Santa Fe
CHORUS
I'm reading last year's papers
Although I don't know why
Assassins cons and rapers
Might as well die
If you come around
No more pain and no regrets
Watch the sun go brown
Smoking cobalt cigarettes
There's no need to hide
Taking things the easy way
If I stay inside
I might live till Saturday
CHORUS
The verses follow a pretty basic rock chord progression--"All Along the Watchtower" backwards--and then we go practically into free-form jazzland on the choruses, with chords 98% of rockers never attempt (of the groups of whom I know some of their charts, you might be surprised to know that the only other group that went out into this territory beyond 4/4 time and major, minor, and seventh chords, was the Grateful Dead.
Maybe this is my way back into playing music. Must find the old Steely Dan book. Which was funny in itself, because in an introduction to this book, Becker/Fagen themselves claim that they use something called a "mu" chord wherein one adds a full step to the octave note--which creates for example a pretty difficult-to-play barre chord--and I'm still not sure if they were joking, but they said if you tried to play their songs without using these "mu" chords and they found out about it, you'd be in some sort of trouble. (Though neither of these scrawny guys looked capable of beating up Eleanor Roosevelt in a fair fight, they could certainly deliver blistering and withering verbal abuse, if their lyrics gave any indication.)
Here's to Steely Dan! Can't wait to see 'em tonite!
That's 2/3 of the way to 100 miles on the week, but I'm actually hoping for more like 120, or at least more than my biggest week so far (108.6).
My average speed over the 26 miles today was a little over 13mph--actually only about 1mph faster than on the old bike, but it feels a lot faster. This route is unpaved, though still not mud or gravel, for about 10 of the 26 miles.
I'm sure all the statistics are scintillating to anyone unfortunate enough to be reading this, but I like to keep track of stuff.
Tonight: Steely Dan! They are one of my many "hero" groups--and were not really a group at all, per se, during their main recording years (1972-82 or so).
I think many listeners got a certain impression from "Back, Jack, do it again" that conveyed an image that didn't really jibe with what the Dan really were. For one, they were more jazz than rock or pop. For another, they were probably the smartest lyricists yet then heard (and maybe still). For still another (another what? another "THING"!), because they weren't a band per se, they had the most talented musicians available in LA-area recording studios, and they could enlist the right group of players for each song on an album if they pleased. They (Becker and Fagen, the core of Steely Dan) were also notorious perfectionists in the studio, so what you heard on those six classic albums was absolutely the best possible sound that could be wrung for the studios and musicians of the time.
Then as if for irony, Fagen's none-too-melodic voice presided over the whole affair.
This might've been the height of what Punk was a response to, in a way, but I bet most music-literate punks would have nothing but good words for the Dan, who after all peopled their songs with cranks, misfits, and downright perverts, in settings that ranged from seedy to creepy to post-apocalyptic. Where the Eagles at their best might've laid claim to some of this territory, it had to have been a strain for them; the Dan at their worst walked all over the Eagles.
In those days, the release of a new Steely Dan album was reason enough to go and buy it, sight unseen.
As I thought about them today riding my bike, I thought of "King of the World" from the "Countdown to Ecstasy" album, with the aforementioned post-apocalyptic setting:
Hello one and all
Was it you I used to know
Can't you hear me call
On this old ham radio
All I got to say
I'm alive and feeling fine
If you come my way
You can share my poison wine
CHORUS:
No marigolds in the promised land
There's a hole in the ground
Where they used to grow
Any man left on the Rio Grande
Is the king of the world
As far as I know
I don't want your bread
I don't need your helping hand
I can't be no savage
I can't be no highwayman
Show me where you are
You and I will spend this day
Driving in my car
Through the ruins of Santa Fe
CHORUS
I'm reading last year's papers
Although I don't know why
Assassins cons and rapers
Might as well die
If you come around
No more pain and no regrets
Watch the sun go brown
Smoking cobalt cigarettes
There's no need to hide
Taking things the easy way
If I stay inside
I might live till Saturday
CHORUS
The verses follow a pretty basic rock chord progression--"All Along the Watchtower" backwards--and then we go practically into free-form jazzland on the choruses, with chords 98% of rockers never attempt (of the groups of whom I know some of their charts, you might be surprised to know that the only other group that went out into this territory beyond 4/4 time and major, minor, and seventh chords, was the Grateful Dead.
Maybe this is my way back into playing music. Must find the old Steely Dan book. Which was funny in itself, because in an introduction to this book, Becker/Fagen themselves claim that they use something called a "mu" chord wherein one adds a full step to the octave note--which creates for example a pretty difficult-to-play barre chord--and I'm still not sure if they were joking, but they said if you tried to play their songs without using these "mu" chords and they found out about it, you'd be in some sort of trouble. (Though neither of these scrawny guys looked capable of beating up Eleanor Roosevelt in a fair fight, they could certainly deliver blistering and withering verbal abuse, if their lyrics gave any indication.)
Here's to Steely Dan! Can't wait to see 'em tonite!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Marin Novato
Bike 2: 45.2; 24.4
That's a weird name for a bike. "Marin Novato"; Novato is a town in Marin County, and if you've lived in or near there (as I have for some 35 years), "Marin Novato" is not a sequence or pairing you would normally use. But it's a very cool bike. It has added about 10% to my average speed, even on rough terrain, and I'm regularly passing the mountain bikers now, which makes me feel really good about my progress. Today's ride repeated the loop of July 30, but probably 20 minutes quicker. So I'm pleased with the new bike. The only thing that requires acclimatization is the unsuspended front end, which rattles like a diamondback (heh) on a good bumpy downhill, such as Green Valley Rd. today, where I got up over 30mph and felt like I was hanging on for dear life. But I love the flat-gray color, the different frame shape, the smooth-rolling tires, the softer seat, the disk brakes. Like a sportier car, the bike itself kinda pushes me to ride more aggressively, to pedal a little harder. I need to get bike shoes to use with the pedals, or switch back to the plain pedals until I do. And I need to get a bell, because I hate shouting at people on the trail, and I don't trust them to stay right (if they are on the right to begin with).
Cyclists, again, have a bad rep on the trails, and I try to be conscious of that and conscientious and courteous to other people on the trails, but it is really true that momentum is very important to a cyclist--it's something you work hard to get and are loath to throw away on unnecessary braking, so, for example, when I'm rolling on a nice downhill and there are people three abreast on the trail just before it turns back uphill, I will hit the brakes with more than a little reluctance. But I'll hit the brakes nonetheless, and greet those people with a cheery "good morning." But jeeze, I wish EVERYone was as considerate as ME!
Hoping to do another 100-mile week. 40 miles so far, pretty good start.
That's a weird name for a bike. "Marin Novato"; Novato is a town in Marin County, and if you've lived in or near there (as I have for some 35 years), "Marin Novato" is not a sequence or pairing you would normally use. But it's a very cool bike. It has added about 10% to my average speed, even on rough terrain, and I'm regularly passing the mountain bikers now, which makes me feel really good about my progress. Today's ride repeated the loop of July 30, but probably 20 minutes quicker. So I'm pleased with the new bike. The only thing that requires acclimatization is the unsuspended front end, which rattles like a diamondback (heh) on a good bumpy downhill, such as Green Valley Rd. today, where I got up over 30mph and felt like I was hanging on for dear life. But I love the flat-gray color, the different frame shape, the smooth-rolling tires, the softer seat, the disk brakes. Like a sportier car, the bike itself kinda pushes me to ride more aggressively, to pedal a little harder. I need to get bike shoes to use with the pedals, or switch back to the plain pedals until I do. And I need to get a bell, because I hate shouting at people on the trail, and I don't trust them to stay right (if they are on the right to begin with).
Cyclists, again, have a bad rep on the trails, and I try to be conscious of that and conscientious and courteous to other people on the trails, but it is really true that momentum is very important to a cyclist--it's something you work hard to get and are loath to throw away on unnecessary braking, so, for example, when I'm rolling on a nice downhill and there are people three abreast on the trail just before it turns back uphill, I will hit the brakes with more than a little reluctance. But I'll hit the brakes nonetheless, and greet those people with a cheery "good morning." But jeeze, I wish EVERYone was as considerate as ME!
Hoping to do another 100-mile week. 40 miles so far, pretty good start.
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