July 13, 2025 When the Live Aid benefit concert took place on this day in 1985 I watched every minute on MTV; I got the official, 4-disc DVD set in 2004 and decided that it would be great fun to “rewatch” the whole show today for the fortieth anniversary. Adding to the fun,…
Well I just got back from my 6 week checkup with my surgeon, and he says everything looks excellent. Apparently some of the twinges I was worried about being the hardware loosening was just normal muscle healing, and in fact he thinks that the x-rays show quite a good bit of bone attachment…
I returned to work Monday 13 days after my operation. This is nothing to be proud of, it isn’t a race or anything, instead it is possible because my job is a largely sedentary one that I do at home with a computer and a phone, allowing me to work from bed,…
In yesterday’s post I referred to some post-surgical issues that were causing me trouble. It seems that I must have been allergic to some of the adhesives that were used on me because I have been suffering from a burning, painful, itchy rash all over my back and waist that has…
Six days after my operation, I am glad to be able to report that all in all it has gone better than expected! The “TL;DR” version is: I think that the problems causing my pain and nerve issues were fixed, but some post-operative issues are troubling me now. As I was waiting…
After a very long hiatus from blogging, I have returned to update you on my latest travails. Longtime readers of the blog may recall my back surgery in 2012; if not, here are some helpful links: Back and Badder Than Ever (June 4, 2012) Bringing It All Back Home (June 6, 2012)…
Click here to see all of the previous posts! The February, 1990 issue of Guitar Player was an incredibly important magazine for me, because it is what ultimately led me to buy my Stratocaster. I had been playing an Epiphone Sheraton, which was a cool guitar, but mine had all kinds of tuning…
Click here to see all of the previous posts! The December, 1989 issue of Guitar Player stood out in my mind for the cover interview with Keith Richards, who was celebrating his 46th birthday that month. Hard to believe I’m three years older than Keef was on that cover! On re-reading the issue,…
Click here to see all of the previous posts! The November, 1989 issue of Guitar Player had a number of interesting articles. My recollection is that I was probably more focused on the John Lee Hooker interview at the time (since my main musical interest was the blues), but I’m sure that I read…
Click here to see all of the previous posts! September and October of 1989 were busy months for me as I returned for my second year at Hampshire College, where I continued playing guitar pretty much on my own, except for occasional bluesy jams with my friend Devin Griffiths who even then was…