"Long As I Can See the Light"
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, the amazing Reverand Rick retired at the top of his game to become an artist, while the jury is still out for me. QUOTE: "Just do your thing. Come as you are." MUSICIANS: Reverend Rick, Paramahansa Yogananda, John Fogerty VENUES: Studio City, Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, Claremont, Self Realization Fellowship, Echo Park, Altadena INSTRUMENTS: Unitarian Universalism, poetry reading, pandemic, podcasting, Zoom, Eaton Fire, GoFundMe, AA LULLABYE: "Long As I Can See the LIght" by John Fogerty SOUNDS: wind, birds, gravel, footsteps, saw, PHOTO: "Ricky's...
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I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, my recent reconnection to music makes me travel back in time to 2004, where I was living in a basement apartment in "Eagle Rock" and working on a one person show called "Broken Hearts and Sad Country Songs." QUOTE: "Whatever!" MUSICIANS: Stan Hillas, Kittens For Christian, Bruce Springsteen, Marilyn Monroe, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan VENUES: United Kingdom, Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, Sun Valley INSTRUMENTS: spoken word and music, podcasting, Karaoke SONGS: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" "Dancing In The Dark" "Funny How Time Slips Away" SOUNDS: wind,...
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Hollywood Way to The Valley
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, an innocent Sunday drive to the Hollywood Bowl box office with my dad, turns into a mudslide of deep hometown memories. QUOTE: "If you don't drive through your hometown, are you really in your hometown?" LULLABY: "Hooray for Hollywood" (Whitling/Mercer) MUSICIANS/CAST: John Fogerty, Joan Anderson, George Clooney, Billy Strings, Bob Dylan LOCATIONS: The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, Hollywood Way, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Studio, Universal Studios, Cahuenga Pass, Highland Ave., Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood United Methodist Church, Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood...
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California Sober at The Hollywood Bowl
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I took my dad to see Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival at The Hollywood Bowl and it somehow magically restored my faith in my own home town. QUOTE: "I would call it a borderline spiritual experience..." LULLABY: "California Sober" by Billy Strings MUSICIANS/CAST: Willie Nelson, P-22 (mountain lion), Ricky Gervais, Sierra Hull, Billy Strings, Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett, Deadheads, Jimi Hendrix LOCATIONS: The Hollywood Bowl, Ventura Blvd, Universal City, Burbank, Griffith Park, LA Zoo, Greek Theatre, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, LA County, Hollywood HIlls, California,...
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LA in La La Land
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I finally watched La La Land and it really struck me to the core, especially the scenes at my beloved Smoke House and the wacky one person show stuff. QUOTE: "My recording situation isn't perfect..." CAST: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Ming Ming (cameo) LOCATIONS: Oregon, 105 Freeway, The Dresden Room, The Smoke House, Warner Bros., Griffith Park, The Griffith Observatory, Sunset Blvd. FILM/TV: A Complete Unknown, The Chocolate War, La La Land, SNL, Drive, Barbie, Portlandia PODCASTS: Pine Drive-in SOUNDS: children playing footsteps, gravel, airplane, birds, meow...
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My Own Private Chocolate War
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I trip out on being a heathen freshman at a Catholic high school, and then I goof on the reason why I left. QUOTE: "I didn't want to sell the chocolates." CAST: Pope Francis, Jesus of Nazareth, Spartacus, Chris Prine, Danny DeVito, Annette Bening, Jennifer Jason Leigh LOCATIONS: Notre Dame High School, Beth Meier Preschool, Corvallis High School, Descanso Gardens, Altadena PROPS: Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, My Own Private Idaho, The Chocolate War, Poolman, The Big Lebowski, Chinatown FAITHS: Catholicism, Judaism, Unitarian Universalist SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel, ...
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Completely Unknown
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, after stumbling from the ashes, I finally sat down to have my mind blown by the film A Complete Unknown...twice. QUOTE: "The wheels have completely fallen off the wagon." CAST: Brandi Carlile, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joe Friday, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Fred Neil, James Mangold, Elijah Wald, Timothée Chalamet, Sylvester Stallone, Joaquin Phoenix, Johnny Cash, Boyd Holbrook, Joan Baez, Monica Barbaro, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Suze Rotolo, Scott Warmuth SPECIAL GUEST STAR: Ming Ming LOCATIONS: Burbank, Altadena, Ming Ming's Barn PROPS: ADU, Grammys, SNL, Hulu, A...
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"Have a nice f**king day, Sir!"
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, my super funky weekend was redeemed after Reverend Rick let his freak flag fly from the pulpit of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City. QUOTE: "I don't know if I should say this in church." PEOPLE: Kris Kristofferson, Philip Roth, Jack Nicholson PLACES: Altadena, Los Angeles, DTLA, Los Angeles Central Library, Universal City, Studio City, Harvard Westlake Sports Complex, UUCSC THINGS: Sunday Morning Coming Down, The Last Detail, Shore Patrol PHOTO: "Beautiful UU Springstar" shot with my RECORDED: March 31, 2025 in "The Cafe" under the flight path of the ...
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Marching into Podcasthon
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I talk about how I'm struggling to keep my head on straight this year as I deal with the Altadena Fire, my induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame and my 20th anniversary of podcasting. All while trying to celebrate the efforts of the people at Podcasthon, as Dean and I ask for your help with our own non-profit, the History of Podcasting Project. PEOPLE: PLACES: Altadena, Burbank, Los Angeles, California, Canada, France, "The Gulf of Canada" THINGS: Eaton Fire (Altadena Fire), , , GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Podcast Hall of Fame Trophy Boxed" shot with my RECORDED: March 19, 2025 in...
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Altadena, Revisited (Part 1)
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I headed up to Altadena to visit the three historic places where I once lived. All three were burned to the ground. Yet I still feel a tinge of hope. PEOPLE: David Lynch, Zane Grey PLACES: Altadena, Jane's Village, Zane Grey Estate, Woodbury Building THINGS: History of Podcasting Project SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, airplane GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Woodbury Building Mural" shot with my RECORDED: March 1, 2025 in the "Cafe" under the flight path of the in , GEAR: Zoom H1 XLR with Sennheiser MD 46 microphone. HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak...
info_outlineHey Dude, I check-in from my new pad, where I'm hunkered down for who knows how long. I also riff on my plan to gather and share my family's trippy stories.
PEOPLE: Joan Anderson, Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, Zane Grey
PLACES: California, Burbank, Mt. Olympus, Sunset Boulevard, Laurel Canyon, Warner Bros.
THINGS: The Handmaid's Tale, Pulitzer, Peabody Award, S-Town, podcast novel, Beat, FBI, artsy-fartsy
SOUNDS: birds, airplanes, wind, palm trees
GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal
PHOTO: "Twin Palms" shot on my "new" iPhone6
RECORDED: March 21, 2020 under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California
GEAR: Marantz Solid State Recorder PMD670, Sennheiser MD 46 microphone
DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.
HYPE/SWIPE: "Don't call me dude." - John Lurie