My Christmas present. I hope to be comfortable with this instrument soon, as it would make the upcoming solo shows a lot less bothersome for me. (I can hear the purists groaning already.)

Mention of the continuing solo tour at LiveDaily.

A mention of an upcoming cover of one of my songs at Billboard.

A mention at The Daily Collegian.

A mention at Contra Costa Times.

A mention at Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.

A mention of the Low remix at Aversion.

Last week was nothing but shopping and cleaning, knowing that there would be many hungry men in my home on Christmas Day. New flatware, silverware, food, drink, decorations. For the event itself, I enlisted the aid of Circle In A Square, who turned out to be one of the saving graces of the weekend - such an industrious and helpful lad!

Two weeks ago, I called the appliance repair guy, and had some replacement parts ordered for my somewhat temperamental range. As fate would have it, the parts did not arrive until Friday afternoon, and I was told there was no way they could repair the range until next Wednesday. I crossed my fingers, and later that evening, broiled two big strip steaks. No problem. Everything is fine.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon. While organizing the next day's cooking schedule, eeeent eeeent eeeent emanates from the control panel of the range. Whaaaaa? Not now. Not now. Now. F1-11 service error. Disconnect appliance and call 800-xxx-xxxx immediately. The number has clearly changed, or else the singles dating service I was connected to also does stove repair. I start to show a little concern. Fortunately, there is a second range remaining in my basement. It works. Circle knocks it off the 2x4s it was resting on. I hear it crash to the floor from upstairs. I begin whistling a happy tune to myself, and try to pretend it never happened. But it did. He eventually emerges, bringing the news that "it still works!" OK, we're still in business. After more preparation, we head to Baltimore for a fabulous Christmas Eve party. Lots of BLOWOFF and rugby buds in attendance - even Rich makes an appearance.

On to Sunday. Merry Christmas. A solid and steady rain falls outside. W stops by to see the tree, and graciously gives us a ride downtown. A wet walk back to the house, picking up final items at the corner store. People start arriving around 3. Dinner is served at 5:30, and other than me forgetting to put out the corn, everything is fine. The Sean Show stopped in early to nibble on appetizers. Clickboo and CynOp show up with pie, ice cream, and two friends. Jimbo brings rice, and Copperred brings homemade bread and cookies. D, M and R arrive with lovely desserts. M arrives with more appetizers. A roaring fire crackles all afternoon, good music, great company. A plentiful bounty. The day couldn't be much better.

A quick trip to the bar, where more buds showed up. Continuing the holiday reverie, a little horseplay, and I'm exhausted. Yesterday, cleaning and chilling. Today, I am sick as a dog, but have out-of-town friends to entertain this week; it's time to suck it up and be the best host I can be!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday season. I've had a wonderful year, and I pray that 2006 will be at least half as good as 2005.

A song just came up on my laptop a few minutes ago, while I was decorating the big tree. It reminded me of a very fun evening this August. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I'm a musician. I'd like to think I'm a story teller, and that those tales might make a difference in peoples' lives. I hope my little stories make folks think about life, memory, happiness, loss, change, love. I hope my work has a positive effect on those who stumble across it - without it, I would have nothing. Nothing.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, friends. Happy Holidays. God bless all of you.

- - - - - - - - - -

The lyrics are here.

Buy the album here.

Dolly Parton: Hard Candy Christmas

MP3 files are posted for evaluation purposes only. Through this site, I'm trying to share and promote good music with others, who will also hopefully continue to support these artists. Everyone is encouraged to purchase music and concert tickets for the artists you feel merit your hard earned dollars. If you hold copyright to one of these songs and would like the file removed, please let me know. Availability is limited.


Me and the tree.


Me and my blue shadow.
All shadows were blue last Sunday afternoon.
I'd never seen that before.

While working this morning, I noticed two small birds on the neighbors' ledge. One was carrying a six inch piece of multicolored tinsel. They played with it for a while, then flew away, leaving the tinsel on the ledge.

It's going to warm up this afternoon. A slight breeze.

Well, it's that time of the year: "best of" lists! I'm going to start with the most important one: my 10 favorite moments of 2005. This year was a great one for me, both personally and professionally, and I've had a fun morning reliving those times. I think about the people who shared these moments with me - I am so grateful to have such good friends and acquaintances. They are usually linked within the posts, with the exception of three wonderful gentlemen (non-bloggers, naturally) who are near and dear to me. They know who they are.

Apr 7: Mastering day, NYC
Apr 15 - 17: Weekend trip, NYC
Jun 10 - 12: Capital Pride weekend, WDC
Jun 26: BLOWOFF, Twin Cities Pride, MN
Jul 24: "Body Of Song" release party, WDC
Aug 5 - 7: Fun weekend, DC and Rehoboth Beach DE
Aug 23: Dolly Parton, WDC
Sep 8 - 9: Hamburg, Germany
Oct 7: Bob Mould Band, 9:30 Club, WDC
Nov 29: Solo performance, Alexandria VA

There are plenty of other moments that could have made the list. Even better: there's still a few weeks to add more great times to the memory bank. We'll see!

Another year-end mention. Spotted by Susan.

Speaking of mentions, the MW "Coverboy Of The Year" contest is final. Congratulations to the first runner-up, Scott Jones. Scott's a super nice guy, and a very hard worker in the gym. Not to mention, a former Mr. DC Eagle. Of the three, who do you think I voted for? ( I know, that was too easy.)

Finally going to see Jarhead tonight.

I'm saving the longer post until tomorrow.

There's a bigger post coming later today. In the mean time, here's a creepy story. Very pro wrestling - is that wrong for me to say?

The new Charmin tissue ads are freaking me out. "Best For Bear Bottoms." Indeed. Where do bears come from? And what, exactly, is a bear? Depends. Not those kind of Depends.

This is a very funny story in the Onion.

Here's some crazy European technology and marketing.

Pictures from Saturday's party. Blogtastic shot of me and Wonkette.

There's other silliness I'm forgetting. Watch for the big post later today.

UPDATE:My first year-end list appearance! First spotted by Scott. If anyone spots more, forward them by e-mail, attention Ms. Crawford.

A fun weekend in the 202.

Friday night, met up with a friend for dinner at Duplex. He tried to assure me that my eyes will eventually adjust to my new glasses, but I'm not buying it. I have a prescription for progressive lenses, and they are bugging my eye muscles out. I think I need to change them to reading glasses.

Saturday, I was a featured guest at the NLGJA-DC holiday party. It was held at Busboys And Poets, a new multi-purpose space in my neighborhood. A fun event; met lots of interesting people, saw some old friends and acquaintances, including Wonkette (who has her first novel published next month).

After that, me and Rich presented the final Backbar BLOWOFF (for the foreseeable future). We've been spinning downstairs for over 2 years, and are cautiously optimistic about our move to the main room. We're trading the intimacy of the small space for the potential of a larger audience; we'll see if people like the big room. We'll be performing our live set every month, which is nice. Regarding this particular night: I won't even attempt to list everyone in attendance, but it was a veritable buffet of BosWash bloggerati.

Sunday, met up with friends at (surprise) Busboys And Poets. The desserts are completely sinful, and the coffee and company was good. A quiet evening at home rounded out the festivities. It was strange to be in DC for an entire weekend. I have a few more - before the Europe tour begins.

- - - - - - - - - -

This time of year is always a mixed blessing for me - but a blessing nonetheless. I've been spending a lot of time working on new music, while most people are dashing about with various social obligations. I'm blessed to have some wonderful friends and acquaintances, both in and out of DC. I try my best to juggle my time across the people who are important to me, the necessary professional obligations, and my desire to stay indoors and create. I'm lucky to have my work and my social network - and the December holidays always give me cause to consider my good fortune.

Now that I've actually checked my e-mail and A-blogs, I notice I'm included in a story on the front page of today's local paper. I guess I'd better get dressed and go buy a copy or two, before heading into video editing land.

UPDATE: This just in, courtesy Towleroad. Second from the left will do for me, thank you very much.

Most of you know of my life-long passion for professional wrestling. It's a passion that started when I was a youngster in upstate New York, watching various promotions from Canada (Vancouver, Montreal) and the US (New York City), all with different stars and presentations. Years later, in Minneapolis, I got "smartened up" to the business. The various presentations were known as "booking philosophies". Each territory educated their fans to react to the ways they told the stories. Some promoters went with blood and guts violence, others offered a more traditional style informed by amateur wrestling. As I learned what I liked, and what history showed to be effective at the box office (and effective in killing a town), I became more of a student of the business. With the exception of music, my infatuation with the wrestling business took up most of my brain power.

One of my biggest regrets in life as a wrestling fan was that I never went to a show in St. Louis. For decades, the town was the Mecca of professional wrestling. The man who promoted the town was named Sam Muchnick, and he was one of the most influential men in the history of the business. Philosophically, the St. Louis approach to wrestling appealed to me. Clear winners and losers, as opposed to the ego-driven cluster-fuck finishes that have tainted the game, particularly in the past 8 years. An aura of believability, or, at the least, the suspension of disbelief. The championship is the ultimate prize. Make the big angles special, and make them count. Proper pacing of the show from start to finish. Tons of little things that would make this post a mile long. I have a collection of programs from years of shows at Kiel Auditorium - hundreds of them in chronological order. From studying those programs, I was able to understand the general mechanics of booking.

When I went to work at WCW in September 1999, I lobbied hard for a return to this style of booking. I had some people believing that it was for the best, but others argued louder for the raunchy style that had become popular in the WWF (now WWE). When two of the writers from the WWF were hired, my lobbying ceased to be heard. Out with the old, in with the "Viagra On A Pole" matches. Out with clean finishes, in with multiple run-ins and ref bumps. The strangest part: tell the crowd that someone is "writing" this stuff, and these writers are deciding the fate of all the boys. (So much for believing what you see happening in the ring.) Wrestlers become actors, wandering around backstage trying to memorize the lines that were written for them, instead of learning the craft of crowd manipulation and athletic improvisation. I tried my best, but was generally ignored. I left for a short period, returned for a spell, and was eventually sent home in March 2000 - in favor of the raunch. Within one year, WCW was purchased, at a fire sale price, by the WWE.

I've spent the last day reading a book about the glory days of St. Louis wrestling. I've read a fair amount of books about the business. I've been in the business. This book is a fascinating read for anyone who has more than a passing interest in pro wrestling. Larry Matysik recounts the stories of his life in wrestling, from young fan to right hand man, from being "the boss" to working for the WWF. I managed to work myself into a similar spot for a brief moment in my life, and it was an amazing journey. Mr. Matysik's book does justice to the characters, the lifestyle, the politics of a most unique and unorthodox profession.

The boys always told me: once you get the business in your blood, you can't get rid of it. It's a hard one to explain to people. "Wrestling At The Chase" might help normal folks understand the allure.

One of my good friends has been in charge of this project all year, and here it is. I've been a beta tester for weeks, and it's a great service. You might want to give it a try. It sounds like they're working on some special features for Mac OS users as well. It works fine for me, running OS 10.4.3. Here's a review of Pipeline at PCMag.com.

A nice review (with photos) of September's Minneapolis show.

A recent interview with Washington Square News.

This weekend looks to be very busy. Beyond the personal / seasonal obligations, I'm scheduled to be a special guest at the NLGJA-DC holiday party. More details here.

BLOWOFF later that evening. It's the final Backbar event for the foreseeable future; we move upstairs (1200 capacity) in January. Thanks to everyone who helped us grow this event in the past three years. I appreciate the support - and it's the funnest party in town!

A photo to warm up a cold December afternoon. We are the same height, weight, and BMI (which is a seemingly useless measurement). FYI: I am not nearly that tight in the midriff.

Friday's show in Philly was fun. The traffic from DC to PA was not.

Saturday morning, Circle In A Square took me to see Body Worlds. It was an interesting experience. I think it was positioned more as a science exhibit for America; something tells me it might be an "art" thing in Germany. If someone knows, let me know. UPDATE: I have since been told was presented as science.

Drove to NYC, and turned in a great show. Lisa Pearl, who shot the timeline photos for Body Of Song (and the mannequins for the limited edition) was in town - always good to see her.

Sunday, met up with some friends in the afternoon, then headed up to Midtown for a few hours. That evening, I attended a birthday dinner in honor of my bud Trevor. Fun company, good food, and I peeled off before the evening turned into Monday morning.

This morning, I headed up to Times Square for some interview segments that will air on LOGO. If what they say is true, you'll be seeing me sprinkled liberally across the programming grid. Loaded up the Element, headed for the Holland Tunnel, and returned home to find snow in the yard. People drive like babies in snow, at least south of the Maryland border. Note to the novices: the roads have to be freezing for them to be icy. It was 38 degrees.


St. Patrick's Cathedral, NYC


The tree at Rockefeller Center.


Donated toys at Starbucks.


Snow in the yard.

Is this what I have to look forward to this weekend? Too funny! When I first saw the headline, I thought it was going to be a story on a new way gay guys in Manhattan blow off their dates. The upside: men in Chelsea are eating again. What's your town's Gay Index? DC is off the charts.

A nice plug for tonight's show.

A nice plug for Saturday's show.

A good review of the Milwaukee show - see what you might be missing? I like how the blurry photo makes my arms look huge - right outta BigMuscle or something. Have a good weekend!

Be safe. Get involved if you can.

HIV / AIDS in DC.