Barbary Lane Revisited

What follows are my thoughts on reading the entire nine-book ‘Tales of the City’ series, and I promise, there are NO SPOILERS. So, if you’re currently reading any of the nine stories, or plan to start (or finally finish) the series, you can read this without fearing a plot point will be revealed.

I’ll start at the beginning. One day during the summer of 1995, my friend Kim emailed me and said ‘You really should read the book ‘Tales of the City’ by Armistead Maupin. You’d love it.’ I filed that away, but that’s all I did. I didn’t immediately go find the book and start reading.

Soon after Kim recommended the book to me, Bravo TV broadcast the 1993 miniseries based on that first book. I happened to catch it totally by accident, but five minutes into the first episode, two things were readily apparent: 1) I fell hard for Laura Linney (still love her) and 2) I would be buying the book very soon.

After watching the ‘Tales of the City’ miniseries, I discovered there were FIVE subsequent books in the series, and those six books had been packaged in a huge hardcover two volume set. Armed with all six books (albeit in two not so compact volumes); I set out to visit Barbary Lane.

It’s hard for me to put into words how I felt after reading the first two ‘Tales’ stories. It was something akin to nostalgia for a place I had never been to and characters that were fictional. That the setting was San Francisco in 1977 made no difference. I completely identified with the characters and relished reading about their adventures, their triumphs and their fears. That first book is the reason why, to this day, I have a soft spot in my heart for any woman named Mona.

Those first six books (Tales of the City; More Tales of the City; Further Tales of the City; Babycakes; Significant Others and Sure of You) carried the story from 1977 to 1988 and I often wondered how Mary Ann, Michael Mouse, Mona, Brian and Anna handled the nineties. Since the author Armistead Maupin had moved on to write other books, I considered the series closed and chose to believe that everyone survived the 1989 earthquake, and that Anna Madrigal was often seen sweeping her sidewalk.

Imagine my surprise and almost sheer giddiness when, in a bookstore in 2007 I saw a large display that said ‘MICHAEL TOLLIVER LIVES: In stores June 2007!” I couldn’t wait to find out what my ‘friends’ had been up to since The Eighties ended. I remember buying that book on a Friday and being finished by Sunday, and again, I thought the ending was suitable and was happy to catch up with everyone.

Fast forward to July of this year: At my current job (a call center), whenever I have down time, I like to read. I have become a big fan of reading eBooks on my iPhone, downloaded from the library. I was trying to think of something fun to read when I decided to search for eBooks available by Maupin. I was thrilled to see almost the entire ‘Tales” series was available (all but Book Six, ‘Sure of You’), but also there had been two new books released since the last one I read in 2007! This had me feeling like a long lost friend had decided to drop by unannounced to say ‘Hi’ after being incommunicado for seven years. I was elated that the series was now nine books long!

Sitting at my desk, I saw the new titles that concluded the series (‘Mary Ann in Autumn,’ released in 2010 and ‘The Days of Anna Madrigal,’ released in October 2014) and I had to decide, ‘Do I jump in at Book Eight, or start back at the beginning? Even though I had read the first two books at least four times each, and other books in the series had been read multiple times, I decided to start back at the beginning, because I figured the latter books would reference seemingly minor moments from the earlier books, and I wanted to be able to remember all of it.

On Wednesday July 8, I started reading ‘Tales of the City’ again (for the fifth time in the last twenty years) and read the other stories that followed. I was surprised at how much I remembered and how wonderful and breezy reading those books is. Of course, since I discovered this wonderful series in the nineties, the first six books were like time capsules of the late 70s/80s and for me had a built in nostalgia. Reading the last three books, set in the present time (more or less), it made the story not only come full circle for me, but it made these characters, though aged, seem more relevant and alive than ever. 

Wednesday (August 5) I finished reading the ninth (and final?) book in the series. I tore through the first seven books because I love them and I had read them all at least once before. I even read the eighth book quickly because I knew I had another book to read after I was done.  With the last one, however, I found myself stalling. It’s not that I didn’t want to know how it ended; it’s just that I wasn’t ready for the series to end yet. It’s been a day since I turned that last page, and I’m still not ready for it to be over. 

If this ninth book is indeed where the story ends, then I can say Maupin delivers a satisfying ending to a beautiful vibrant series. 

As a fan, I hope Maupin finds more stories to tell. If that doesn't happen, then I'm content to start again at Page One of Book One and have it be 1977 once again. 

--Barry

08.07.15

Podcast Recommendation: "Check Out These Records I Got"

I wanted to take a moment to recommend a podcast for your listening pleasure. If you are a music nerd and/or a fan of vinyl, then you should listen to the aptly titled “Check Out These Records I Got,” a podcast hosted by Patrick Crowling. Patrick is one of those rare individuals who still have a great collection of records, and he’s always on the look-out for a rare gem or something so off the wall that he has to have it. I am happy to report that episode one (available here) centers around Richmond’s own Plan 9 Records, and the show is full of surprises. You’ll hear songs from Flo & Eddie, The Monocles and probably far too many ‘songs’ from a 1963 album labeled ‘For Adults Only.”


New episodes of COTRIG drop every Tuesday so be sure to subscribe via iTunes, or on the Facebook Page. You can also follow him on Twitter [@COTRIGPodcast]. It’s informative and fun with snaps, crackles and pops included.


--Barry
07.27.15

McCartney Out There Tour 06.23.15 @JPJ (I Hope You're Having Fun)

How does an artist cover over fifty years of music (!) in one night and make everyone happy? I don't think that's possible, but some of McCartney's remaining contemporaries could learn something from him on how to 'give the people what they want.' (I'm looking at you Bob Dylan!)

Photo by Dana Washington Kiser

I was lucky enough to first see Paul McCartney in concert in 2009, and it remains one my most favorite concert experiences. Tuesday’s show at UVA’s John Paul Jones Arena afforded me the unique opportunity to see McCartney in a much smaller setting. After seeing his appearance on the SNL 40th Anniversary Special in February, I had some minor reservations, wondering if he could still sing the songs I love as well as he did when I saw him six years earlier, but once the date for the show at JPJ Arena was announced, those reservations disappeared with the knowledge that every tour could be Paul’s last tour; so I quickly snapped up a single ticket on the floor of the arena.

I will go ahead and post the set list, courtesy of the wonderfully informative website setlist.fm:

1. Eight Days a Week  

2. Save Us 

3. Got to Get You into My Life 

4. One After 909 

5. Temporary Secretary 

6. Let Me Roll It (w/ "Foxy Lady" snippet) 

7. Paperback Writer 

8. My Valentine 

9. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five 

10. The Long and Winding Road 

11. Maybe I'm Amazed 

12. I've Just Seen a Face 

13. We Can Work It Out 

14. Another Day 

15. Hope for the Future 

16. And I Love Her 

17. Blackbird 

18. Here Today 

19. New 

20. Queenie Eye 

21. Lady Madonna 

22. All Together Now 

23. Lovely Rita 

24. Eleanor Rigby 

25. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! 

26. Something 

27. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 

28. Band on the Run 

29. Back in the U.S.S.R. 

30. Let It Be 

31. Live and Let Die 

32. Hey Jude 

Encore:

33. Another Girl 

34. Hi, Hi, Hi 

35. Can't Buy Me Love 

36. Yesterday 

37. Helter Skelter 

38. Golden Slumbers 

39. Carry That Weight 

40. The End

Okay, first things first, the man just turned seventy-three on Thursday (June 18) and yet he’s still putting on shows that include forty songs and have a running time of about two hours and forty-five minutes!

There were a few moments where the voice sounded very thin and unsure, most notably on the verses of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, but for the most part he sounded great, and while the song selections were very similar to the show I saw in 2009, there was enough variation to keep it very entertaining. 

One of the biggest surprises was how well the song ‘Queenie Eye’ from his latest record ‘New’ translates to the stage. Granted, with such a well known back catalog of Beatles and Wings songs, playing any new song is going to irritate some fans, and when “Queenie Eye” began, a lot of fans did head toward the concourse for a bit, but I really enjoyed the energy and the call and response of the chorus. It was a very surprising highlight.

Perhaps the only misstep in the set was the inclusion of “Temporary Secretary”, a song from 1980 that is truly unlike anything else McCartney has ever done. I knew it would be in the set, but I wasn’t looking forward to it, and its placement in between The Beatles’ classic ‘One After 909’ and the Wings’ concert staple ‘Let Me Roll It’ made its appearance even more of a head-scratcher. 

The song I looked forward to the most when I saw a set list from the Australian leg of the tour was "Another Day." It remains my favorite post-Beatles lyric of his career. I can't really explain why, it just has always been my favorite and I never though I'd hear it in concert, so my night was made when he played that. 

As expected, Paul sang “Here Today’ in tribute to John and “Something” in tribute to George. Before “Maybe I’m Amazed” he said ‘I wrote this one for Linda,’ but I was affected by a more understated tribute to his late wife: During “Band On The   Run,” the screen behind the band showed archival film from the 1975 album cover photo shoot. Seeing a young Paul and Linda posing and smiling with their mates really made me very emotional. It hit me in such a way that I found myself almost ignoring what was happening on stage in order to concentrate on the video footage to watch Linda and Paul onscreen together. 

The overwhelming emotion for me during this show was how at ease McCartney is with his storied past and how eager he is to share some new songs. If he wasn't enjoying touring, Paul could've stopped touring in 1966 after Candlestick Park and never ventured back on stage again. But he still tours, because he truly enjoys it. As I heard classics like "Paperback Writer" and "Lovely Rita" ring throughout the arena, I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it have been fantastic if the technology existed in 1964 that would've allowed John, Paul, George and Ringo to hear themselves onstage, and for the screaming fans to hear the songs?" 

Sadly, that simply wasn't possible back then, but seeing McCartney on stage is probably the next best thing.

Extra special thanks to my dear friend and McCartney fanatic Dana for attending this show with me. It was a pleasure as always.

--Barry

06.25.15

Guest Article at Professor Awesome's website

Hi there!

A few weeks ago my friend Vickie asked me if I wanted to write a story/article about Geek Rock.  Vickie has co-authored a book, called "Geek Rock: An Exploration Of Music And Subculture" with Alex DiBlasi. She also writes an occasional article for the Guitars & Geeks section of the Professor Awesome website. I was very happy to contribute something, and I hope to do so again in the future.

So, here's a link to the article, and you should spend some time looking around the whole site. It has lots of cool stuff!:

They Might Be Giants, They Might...ROCK?

Also check out the book "Geek Rock" here.

A new blog post will appear on this website...soon!

Until then...

Movie Review: Interstellar

I believe it was Stanley Kubrick who said n 1968, "If you understand '2001: A Space Odyssey' after seeing it the first time, then we have failed." "Interstellar" is a far more accessible film then it's 46-year-old counterpart, but in my opinion it is the first movie that equals the sheer magnitude of "2001" and I believe it is a film that should be seen more than once to fully appreciate.

I'll be brief because it is a film that needs to be seen rather than read about. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and the always wonderful Michael Caine star in this story where the objective is quite literally to "save the human race."

Combining elements of classic movies like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "The Abyss" and including several long stretches of scenes that harken back to Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Interstellar" is nothing less than part quantum physics problem brought to life and part classic Hollywood movie joy ride.

You'd have to be very cynical and jaded not to enjoy this movie, and, if you allow philosophical thought to combine with your entertainment, you'll leave the theater asking yourself questions about the universe and the human race that you probably didn't even consider when the movie began. It's an experience that will stay with me for weeks and one I will see several times while it's in the theater.

So in short, go see this movie on the big screen (or in IMAX on an even bigger screen). Let it envelop you in its reality and enjoy the ride. This is almost a perfect example of how great and thought provoking a Hollywood blockbuster can be.

[Note: I saw the film in standard format, but do plan to see it in IMAX soon.]

--Barry

KISS vs. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Or, Careful What You Wish For)

In the summer of 1997, I visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland while on a road trip with some very dear friends. Two things I remember vividly about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during my visit are the top floor rotunda and the gift shop.

The top floor rotunda has large columns of marble with autograph signatures of every Hall of Fame member etched into the marble. It's a very cool and at times somber memorial when you see autographs of members (Lennon, Joplin and Hendrix for example) who were inducted posthumously. As I looked in the K section at the autographs for members of The Kinks and Gladys Knight I laughed and thought, "KISS doesn't belong here, between these two [groups]!"

The gift shop boasted that it had every official release of every Hall of Fame artist that was available on compact disc. Looking thru the "K" section of the CDs I saw that they had every title that KISS had officially released on compact disc, even though they weren't yet members of the Hall of Fame. Talking to the gift shop employee, we both agreed that KISS would "be in the Hall soon after they became eligible in 1999" (Twenty-five years from the year of their first album).

Well, 1999 came and went with no induction for KISS. Then I thought with their announced "Farewell Tour" (cough cough) in 2000, an invite from The Hall would come in 2001.

It didn't.

After many years, it became a joke. Bands that began their careers long after KISS were getting inducted into the Hall of Fame while KISS (and more importantly, their fans) waited.

Eventually, the snub became a badge of honor. KISS was NEVER going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and the band and the fans acted as if they didn't care. "F*** YOU Hall of Fame!! We don't need you!!"

Well, this past autumn, for the first time ever, the Hall of Fame allowed Fan Voting, where fans got to choose four artists from a list of ten bands. The Hall of Fame didn't say that the winners would automatically be inducted, but KISS were included on the ballot of nominees, along with Nirvana, Deep Purple, Hall & Oates and Chic, among others. KISS and their "Army" of fans topped the voting, finishing ahead of all others. Since The Hall had opened the door to fans, and the KISS fans had spoken, there was really no way The Powers That Be could ignore the result.

So, in late December, the announcement was made. The announcement that legions of KISS fans truly believed they would never hear: On April 10, KISS were (finally!) going to be inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

It should have been a joyous moment; a sweet justified victory lap for the band and their fans.

Instead, in the three months since the announcement, members of KISS, past and present, have seemingly been in the press every week, sniping and feuding with one another in a sad display of ego and pettiness.

Bear in mind, I've been a KISS fan for over 36 years, so I have lots of baggage and zero objectivity where this band are concerned. I won't give a rehash of the daggers...I mean quotes flying through the press. If you want to read those, go check out the recent ROLLING STONE cover story. Instead, first here is a brief history (KISSTORY) lesson (Click on the pics to see entire image in a new webpage):

* In the 70s, the name/band KISS meant these four names: Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. As a young fan at that time, it was impossible to think anyone else would ever be in this band.

* Summer 1980, Criss is fired and replaced by Eric Carr, who takes on The Fox persona and is immediately accepted by fans.

Eric Carr Pictures
* Autumn 1982, Frehley quits weeks before the band is scheduled to go on tour. He's replaced by Vinnie Vincent, who, unbeknownst to fans played all the lead guitar parts on that year's "Creatures of the Night" album, even though Ace's likeness appeared on the album. Vincent is given The Ankh makeup design. The less said about this moment in KISSTORY, the better. (L to R: Eric, Paul, Vinnie and Gene)

* After a very tumultuous two-album tenure, Vincent is fired in 1984 and replaced by guitarist Mark St. John for the "Animalize" album. During the sessions for that record, St. John is diagnosed with a severe form of arthritis, Reiter's Syndrome, which caused severe swelling of his hands and arms. In December of 1984, St. John is replaced on lead guitar by Bruce Kulick.

* After three new members in two years, this lineup of Simmons, Stanley, Carr and Kulick finally provided some stability. KISS had a very successful run of pop hits in the late-80's, culminating in the 1990 single "Forever," the band's first US Top Ten Single since "Beth" in 1976. (That's Bruce top right, and Eric in sunglasses in the pic)

* On November 24, 1991 Eric Carr died after battling cancer for a year. KISS soldiered on, enlisting Eric Singer to be their new drummer for 1992's "Revenge" album. (Singer's the blonde...and Bruce is wearing WAY too much lipstick!)

* The lineup of Simmons, Stanley, Kulick and Singer disbanded when Frehley and Criss joined their former bandmates for the mammoth 1996-97 Reunion Tour. Eventually the original lineup repeated their 70s history, becoming one of the biggest touring acts from 1996-2000, only to have Criss and Frehley be dismissed a second time (in 2001and 2003, respectively). Rather than ending KISS entirely, Gene and Paul brought back Singer and put him in the Catman Makeup, and hired Ace's former guitar technician, Tommy Thayer, to fill Ace's platforms (and wear his makeup).
KISS in 1996: Ace, Paul, Gene and Peter
KISS in 2014: Gene, formerly blonde Eric Singer, Paul and Tommy Thayer

Okay, If you've been paying attention, from 1974-2014, there have been ten official members of KISS. When the Hall of Fame announcement was made, fans and even some band members wondered, "Who would be inducted? Just the original four, all ten members, or some combination thereof?". The Hall of Fame board informed Stanley and Simmons that the honor was only being extended to the original lineup.

As a fan, that didn't surprise me, but it angered me. There's no disputing the game-changing impact that Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter had on fans who later became musicians because of albums like "KISS ALIVE!" and "Rock And Roll Over" (the first KISS album I ever had, the one that shaped my life forever). But, every member of KISS (yes, even Tommy Thayer) has made a contribution to KISS, helping make KISS what it is. True, the sight of two "replacements" in the iconic makeup kinda waters down the brand, but ignoring Eric Carr or Bruce Kulick when deciding who from the band gets enshrined is not only shortsighted, it's disrespectful.

I really wanted to see Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter share the stage one last time, play two or three songs, hug (even if it's insincere) and then I would've been fine with the four of them going their separate ways again. Once Stanley learned that only the original four were being honored and The Hall of Fame didn't want a performance from the 2014 lineup, Paul and Gene decided that n o version of KISS would perform at the ceremony. I agree with the decision and I think it's the correct one. If The Originals aren't gonna play, at least I won't have to see the current lineup limp through an off-key rendition of "Rock And Roll All Nite."

Does KISS deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Absolutely. If you dispute that, you haven't been paying attention for the last 40 years. Without KISS, there would be no Motley Crüe, no Bon Jovi, heck, even country mega-star Garth Brooks was a card carrying member of the KISS Army in the 1970s! Even if you discounted everything that came after 1979, KISS would still warrant induction based on that five-year span from 1974-79 that saw KISS release fourteen (!) albums. 

I'm not kidding when I say I have a love/hate relationship with this band. Since there will be no performance by Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter,  I won't be getting HBO for the sole reason of seeing the ceremony. As many missteps and screw-ups as this band has had, I can't stay completely mad at them, because in 1996, KISS gave their fans The Reunion Tour of the original lineup, something I NEVER thought I would see. (Backstory: In July 1979, Matt Richards, a very cool teenage neighbor of mine invited me to see KISS on the DYNASTY tour at The Capital Centre. I was five years old. My mom said "No!" and then Peter left the band the next year, so I thought my chance to see The Originals was gone forever.)

This band gave that wish back to me, seventeen years later, when I truly could appreciate it. 

How many times in anyone's life does that happen? How cool is that?

So, I can't stay mad at them, even as they now have become a caricature. Anything worth merit after The Reunion is a bonus in my book, because The Reunion will never be topped. 

Congratulations to Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter, Eric Carr, Vinnie, Mark, Bruce, Eric Singer and Tommy. But, most of all, congrats to The KISS ARMY, because THE FANS are not only the reason KISS' influence is so far-reaching, they are quite literally the reason KISS will be crashing the party on Thursday night. 

In closing, i will add that it's a bit of a letdown to know, for  a band synonymous with fire and bombast, the only explosions we will see from KISS at the  Induction Ceremony will be their acceptance speeches!

I wonder if Gene will make Tommy videotape the evening's proceedings, so Gene can include them on the next KISSOLOGY DVD set? :)

--Longarm, KISS ARMY member since 1977

Got To Choose

My parents made sure I knew I could do almost anything anyone else could do as I was growing up. I love them for that. While I never played organized sports, backyard football games with the neighborhood kids were a staple of the first ten years of my life, and I never felt like I didn’t belong.

I carried that confidence through most of my life and part of that confidence is what led me to believe that I could forge my own way and live completely independently, in a city far from home.

As a friend put it the other day, “Living alone is killing you.” And now my confidence is completely shot.

So, after agonizing for months, and at times seeing no way out, I have decided, for the sake of my health and my sanity, to leave Atlanta and return to Richmond.

I really hate that it has come to this, and at the moment I feel like a complete failure. The last seven months (dating back to when I left my job in July) have cost me so much, and now that this ‘experiment’ is ending, I realize that I haven’t solved anything; the exact same questions that I thought were being answered by moving to Atlanta will have be answered at some point down the road.

For now though, I just want to shake this depression and conquer this leg and stomach pain. It's no lie when I say that every hour is a fight to find something positive to hang on to. I’m not sure where I am going to live, I’m not sure what kind of job I will be able to land, and I am not sure how I will get around Richmond. Like I said in a previous blog entry, Richmond, the city, holds very little for me, but it’s the best option now because that’s where my family is and where some very important friends are.

Even though I feel like a total failure because this didn’t work out at all like I planned, I know that the support of family and friends is what I need now if I ever hope to get out of this spiral.

I want to thank my friends in Atlanta, especially Wendy and her family and Vickie and her boyfriend Travis. They have been nothing but fantastic to me since I had an Atlanta zip code on my picture ID card. They have been very supportive, and I love them for it. (As an aside to my Atlanta friends, if you would like to donate some boxes, I would gladly accept).

I want to thank my mom for coordinating my return with the help of her sister and brother in-law. The next few weeks for me are going to be nomadic and hectic as I try and find somewhere new to call home.

I am devastated that my plan for independence didn’t work out, and it hurts that, at the moment, my feelings toward Atlanta are a bit soured. The Braves’ first Spring Training game is in less than two weeks, but at the moment, I could care less about the baseball season. That may change once the games start to count in April, but right now, I don’t see it. That saddens me deeply.

Things I have learned over the last two months:

1)   I don’t own many solo albums by the members of The Beatles, but the one must own record was not recorded by Lennon or McCartney, that mantle belongs to George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass.’ The three-record set has been on my iPod consistently since Christmas and, some of those songs are as close as I will get to singing songs about religion. Even in the depths of my sadness, the songs on this set have offered solace and at times peace. I've owned the record since the mid-1980s, but it wasn't until recently that it fully resonated with me. If you don’t already own it, you should.

2)   Jackie Gleason as Sherriff Buford T. Justice in ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ and clips of an intoxicated Ace Frehley circa 1979-80 will always make me laugh, no matter how sad I am.

3)   At some point over the last 20 years, Apple Jacks cereal added green circles to the orange ones. Who knew?

I’d like to thank Rob H. for his blog, ‘Robster’s Place.’ His last entry from February 3^rd really hit home. Parts of it could have been written by me I identified with it so much. I tried for two days to formulate a reply on his blog page but never mustered up anything I was happy with, so I want to say here that your writing helped me a great deal and it meant a lot. Thank you for being so honest.

I will be back in Richmond soon, and eventually I hope to not feel like a completely broken (and broke) failure. Once I am feeling a ‘bit more like myself’, I’ll look forward to seeing those of you I haven’t seen in a long time. My immediate future will be spent extricating myself from contracts (my lease, Comcast, Georgia Power and, not to mention my employer) and trying to muster up enough energy to move yet again, for the third time in fifteen months.

I really wish things had turned out differently. This one's going to take a long time to get over.

As always, thank you for reading,

Barry