DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS

This nation’s troubled history with Manifest Destiny will continue to haunt us for some time. Throughout the decades some Native voices have emerged and contributed to the ongoing cultural conversation: most recently on the Broadway stage, on film, and television, and this awareness might move us towards some, if not restitution for atrocities past, at least a dialogue that might point the way tow...

What is the fascination that we have with seductive avatars of oblivion? Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams indoctrinated the adolescent me to the possibilities of the Succubus, and became my tween age, gothic sex symbol; the painting by Pre-Raphaeite John Millet:  Ophelia (who floats beautifully in the river) hung on my dorm wall for years.  Today, Double Trouble features a couple of ice queens who...

At risk of seeming sexist, it must be noted that the two prodigies of the bass featured here are female, and perhaps that, in some sense, informs their approach to their artistry.  Listening to BC by Tal Wilkenfeld, and Esparanza Spalding’s Vague Suspicions, one cannot help but appreciate both the technical precision, and the soulfulness of their musical expression.  The bass rarely takes the lead...

DT: STRING THEORY / TELEVISION AND KALEIDOSCOPE The guitar as we know it has had an illustrious evolution, starting its journey in ancient Mesopotamia, then finding its earliest recognizable incarnation 5 centuries ago in Spain, and continuing to move through various cultures until blossoming into its electric manifestation in the modern era. It was the magic wand to the baby boom generation - sud...

DT: STAYING HYDRATED WITH MARTY ROBBINS AND REV. AL GREEN H2O - we can’t live without it. As the temperatures rise, physically and spiritually, you better keep plenty of the life giving elixir handy. The human body contains over 50% of the stuff, the earth- about 70 percent. It’s all around; within and without us.  From the book of symbols:  “River is vital fluidity: the rivers move through both t...

ANCHORS AWEIGH! This episode comes from diary entries written from March to August, 2018 - and, involve labyrinthian efforts to get my nephew into the Navy.  My dreams were plentiful and disturbing, but nothing compared to the bureaucratic nightmares that lay before us.  Enjoy!

The story of one of the sunniest and funniest personalities to emerge in the world of rock, the Turtles ‘ Mark Volman, is being told in a  book whose title is a play on the name of his biggest hit, “Happy Together”. However, unlike many memoirs, Volman’s own words comprise less than five percent of the text. Instead, this is a third-person oral history, much like Legs McNeil’s wonderful punk rock...

Long ago and far away, around 1970, there was a smoldering rage that permeated through every strata of American society. Following a flurry of assassinations in the mid sixties, the Manson murders in ‘69, riots in Detroit, the Motor City in ’67, and in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic Convention, at Kent State in ‘70 with the murder of four protesting students - it seemed that the whole fabric of so...

Joe HIll A songwriter, itinerant laborer, and union organizer, Joe Hill became famous around the world after a Utah court convicted him of murder. Even before the international campaign to have his conviction reversed, however, Joe Hill was well known in hobo jungles, on picket lines and at workers' rallies as the author of popular labor songs and as an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) a...

SUNNY SONGS: LOW YO YO STUFF by Captain Beefheart (WB, 1972) We do what we gotta do to survive. We’ve got to activate our low yo yo stuff. Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart knew that better than most. Frank Zappa’s high school buddy and inspiration blew in from the desert fully formed as a cubist blues man. He reordered our mitochondria by breaking the order of music apart, and lyrically access...

Today we feature two black female vocalists, born 66 years apart, both renown for their independent spirit, singing songs about trying to make love work -  despite clear signs to the contrary.  As artists, they’ve both shunned the spotlight, maintaining the mystery of their magic:  Sippie Wallace quit show business for 30 years, preferring to express herself through her church organ, and LGBTQ ico...

Gossip, Tittle Tattle, rumors, hearsay, dishing the dirt, idle talk, back stabbing…. It’s not one of the seven deadly sins, but maybe it should be. How many friendships, how many marriages, and how many jobs have been lost through spiteful blather? In this episode of Double Trouble Howlin’ Wolf and Gene Pitney testify to the adverse effects of pitiless small town talk.  Mind your own business, “th...

In the summer of 2019, in the halcyon days before the Pandemic, Chemayne and I got to share a 25th anniversary celebration experience that we had put off for 5 years: an Alaskan cruise. A year and a half later, the world was in chaos and Chemayne was gone, but these images and moments, preserved in the diary, live on. Let's go north to Alaska together, accompanied by some amusingly connected...

APOCALYPSE NOW!  JACKSON BROWNE AND CHUMBAWAMBA Have T***p derangement syndrome? Don’t worry; be happy! Go with the flow. Things can always get worse, right? The dual apocalyptic visions featured today may derive from decades past, when anxiety within the zeitgeist was running hot, but they look positively edenic in retrospect. “All Things Must Pass,” as George Harrison prophetically wrote, and if...

IT’S A CHOICE TO BE HAPPY  (Music and lyrics by Bill Mesnik) What makes me happy? Cause when I feel happy I feel like shit I can’t define it I thought I was happy But was I really happy? I don’t know I just can’t show it Each soggy birthday cake makes me quiver and quake A jog around the lake? I can’t fake it. What makes you happy? Cause you always seem happy Are you free from pain? Oh please expl...

ONE IF BY LAND, TWO IF BY SEA PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS GREATEST HITS by Paul Revere and the Raiders (Columbia, 1967) This group, this record: they were fundamental elements in the experience of the 13 year old Captain Billy. My band, The Full House, played a smokin’ cover of “Steppin’ Out”; Dick Clark’s WHERE THE ACTION IS tv show was a can’t miss, daily after-middle school check in; I coveted...

HANK WILLIAMS, JR. / WHISKEY BENT AND HELL BOUND / ELEKTRA, 1979 I have a good story about Hank Williams, Jr., aka “Bocephus:”  My late wife, Chemayne grew up in the backstages and dressing rooms of the biggest rock n roll arenas in the Southeast. Her mom worked for a couple of regional mega promoters, and Chemayne had many encounters with such 70’s luminaries as Willy Nelson, James Taylor, Roger...

We got a couple of world-class curmudgeons here - who share more than might meet the ear initially: two native Californians renown for their curdled opinion of the world they inhabit, and the populace with whom they share the space; We’re talking Hollywood, specifically, but their bile was generous enough to accommodate the whole of humanity - in all its corrupt, hypocritical manifestations; both...

CAPTAIN BILLY’S MAGIC EIGHT BALL:  ALBERT KING LIVE WIRE/BLUES POWER So, there were three “Kings” of the blues: B.B., Freddie, and Albert.  B.B. had the delicate simplicity. Less was always more with his virtuosity. He was a consummate communicator and showman, and much beloved. Freddie had the muscle and the size. A big man who stood 6’5’’, he was all grit and groan. From his early days when he r...

Some philosophers posit the difficult truth that a world without grief would deprive us of a deeper appreciation of the evanescent beauty of life. Life cannot be grasped; it flows mysteriously from one moment into another - here, and gone. This is your moment to take it all in, so be present and celebrate it, they urge. When Stephen Colbert says that the devastating loss of his father and brothers...

In November of 2016 the family attempted a vacation to Hawaii, which turned out to be a tropical roller coaster. There were loads of psychic shenanigans, along with luaus, snorkeling, and gentle night time island breezes...  And, oh yes - Dreams Galore!

Love is mysterious, and the death of love even more so: it’s complicated, sticky, and heart breaking. When there are children impacted, as was the case with Marvin and Anna Gaye, and Richard and Linda Thompson, the emotional brutality can resonate for generations.  Is it worthy compensation if the anguish produces great art? Life is short - Art is long, and isn’t that what every artist hopes for,...

Films featuring Allen Ginsberg or his work: Howl (2010): This film explores the creation and impact of Ginsberg's iconic poem, Howl, with James Franco portraying the poet.  Kill Your Darlings (2013): This movie focuses on the early years of the Beat Generation and Ginsberg's relationship with Lucien Carr, played by Daniel Radcliffe.  I'm Not There (2007): A biographical musical abou...

We offer today two examples of eerie rock music - notable records that have been inspired by horror literature, and classic suspense. H.P. Lovecraft’s folky psychedelia, and Paul Williams’ soundtrack for Phantom of the Paradise both fit the bill for spine tingling tunefulness. Rock’s dramatic possibilities seem obvious, but have rarely been successful. Theater would seem to be the ideal medium for...

Good ideas are elusive, and you never know when one is gonna smack you in the head - literally.  Sometimes, when life is squeezing the juice out of you, and things are going off the rails, it takes a minor cataclysm to put things back into perspective.  Then you can reset the whole narrative, and move forward. Christmas, 2019 was like that for me.