Hello music friends.
It has been an unusually long time since my last Ramble story. My apologies. There are lots of reasons for the silence, and will spare you the itemized list.
BUT… I will say, I have been focused on my new baseball music project. If you are a baseball fan, please check it out – Baseball DJ (website) for a unique presentation of baseball songs.
Most don’t care, but I do…
There is a void in the world for someone to champion baseball songs and I decided to take the post.
If you enjoy, share my site with your baseball friends.
Baseball songs leads me to the next ramble topic… Bruce Springsteen.
Contrary to popular belief, Bruce’s “Glory Days” is not a baseball song. It has a great opening baseball verse about a high school ballplayer, but it’s not a baseball song. Hence, it was marked with an asterisk on the best baseball songs of all time list.
Click here for the list.
I have not seen the new Bruce movie. Have you?
The reviews from music friends are not good, BUT… I still want to see it. The rub is that the movie is depressing and boring.
Here is a robust review from Jersey’s Best Podcast that I like…
As is the case with traditional music biopics, the film is not focused on his entire life. The Springsteen movie – “Delivered Me From Nowhere” – focuses on Bruce’s time in Asbury Park, NJ when he wrote the epic “Nebraska” album. Heavy stuff.
No shit, the movie is “depressing” to most… so is the album. Like I said… stay tuned.
Here is my take on the best music biopics (click here).
Although I am not a Bruce fan, I am huge Asbury Park fan. That place is the real deal. Stay at The Berkeley, drink at Kim Marie’s and eat the next morning at Frank’s on Main Street.
Last month, I brought a good friend (Butcher Matt) to the Berkeley to share in some phun. (Thanks John for hosting on the porch.)
SIDENOTE: I have written often about Asbury (if you have time for that rabbit hole, here are two stories I like about the joint)…
“Best Music City in US… Asbury (July 2018)”
“Legendary Budos Band Show at House of Independents (Aug 2022)”
During my recent trip, as always, I walked the boardwalk just after sunrise to soak in the Asbury vibe. Call me crazy, but it is seriously rejuvenating.
Kind of like yoga, without the work. Oddly, the cold mornings are my favorite. That place is Nebraska. Ever catch the graffiti art? It is a treat.
Here are some pics I snapped last week around 6:30am.
The transition from Springsteen to this ramble’s last topic is the recent “Becoming Led Zeppelin” movie (now on Netflix). I enjoyed the movie, but I wish it was better. It should have been, and I will tell you why…
I read C.M Kushins book on Zeppelin drummer John Bonham first. “Beast” explains it all. The whole Led Zeppelin story.
Anything cool I heard in the movie, I already read in the new Bonham book. In 1985, I read “Hammer of the Gods” and so the love affair began. The “shark” story is gold for a 12 year old boy.
Now we all love Led Zeppelin. It is one of those unsaid American man things. My “discovery” of “Song Remains the Same” with my running mates is a wonderful moment in time. Like many gents of my generation, we wore out our battered VHS copy in someone’s basement. Skipping school to do so was a rite of passage. (Thanks Bone.)
Discovering bands in the pre-Internet days was special. Maybe I can get C.M. to co-write book on this topic with me? (C.M., call or text me at 845-598-6320 if you wanna have some fun with this.)
A few huge takeaways from “The Beast” that struck a chord and blessed me with deeper understanding of the band…
- Bonham was a beast. The music stardom hot plate is not for many. Bonham went too far. I can deal with the booze and drugs, but his mean antics shaded his genius.
- Unlike most bands that form organically, Jimmy Page was insanely deliberate was forming Zeppelin. He was a true musical wizard. I love the book’s take on what Page was all about. The movie explores this idea really well.
- Zeppelin songs and album’s always blurred together for me. The best part of the “The Beast” is the context provided about each album. Understanding the environment the shaped the songs and promotions (a huge part of 70s rock) explains so much.
For example, I never knew John Paul Jones was the driving force behind Zeppelin’s “In Through the Outdoor.” Released in 1979, the new experimental music played a crucial role. It helped band mate Robert Plant heal after the tragic death of his son. Plant wrote “All of My Love” in tribute.
Although not on the album, I wanted to share a cool recent take by John Paul Jones and friends on my favorite Zeppelin song “When the Levee Breaks”.
Enjoy… talk soon.
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