Secret Successes and Broken Shoelaces
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I'm really sorry it's been so long since my last call. I riff about a "big f'n deal" announcement that is still a secret, while also lamenting all of the broken shoelaces in my life. QUOTE: "It's not the big things in life that kill you. It's the little things like breaking a shoelace with no time left." - Charles Bukowski PEOPLE: Charles Bukowski, Sylvester Stallone PLACES: North Hollywood High School THINGS: Rocky, X (the band), Twitter, Bluesky SOUNDS: plane, birds, footsteps, gravel path, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Cafe at Christmas" shot with my RECORDED: December...
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Ode to Joan Baez
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, the other night I watched the Joan Baez documentary "I Am a Noise" and it struck me to the core. My new found reverence for Joan Baez is beyond measure. Plus I couldn't think of my favorite singer's name...Brandi Carlile. QUOTE: "Madonna, not Madonna the performer. Madonna the Virgin Mary." PEOPLE: Norah Jones, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Eilish & Finneas, The Carpenters, The Go-Go's, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Virgin Mary, Taylor Swift, Aretha Franklin, Adele, Mimi Fariña PLACES: Laguna Beach, California, Los Angeles, Highland...
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Going Viral
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I had a minor battle with COVID before I really went viral with a Star Wars post in a Generation X group on Facebook. QUOTE: "A two-year-old has no context of anything..." PEOPLE: David Letterman PLACES: Hollywood Burbank Airport, Canada THINGS: COVID-19, vaccines, Star Wars, micro-generations, 1977, Substack, Generation X, 1965-1980, 1960, 1980, Facebook, History of Podcasting, Rocky SOUNDS: birds, footsteps, gravel path, plane, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Star Wars Viral" shot with my RECORDED: February 16, 2024 on the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the in , ...
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The Day After Christmas
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I left you a melancholy message about my crazy days before the holidays, along with a sad remembrance of my mom's last Christmas. QUOTE: "At least that's what I call the day after Christmas..." PEOPLE: Dean Whitbread, Doug Mcintyre PLACES: England, Henry's Tacos, Ernie's Taco House, Casa Vega, El Coyote THINGS: Libsyn, Subaru, Outback, Crosstrek, Faberge egg, Christmas, Christmas Eve, "It's A Wonderful Life", redemption story, Boxing Day, Redeye Radio, KFI, New Years, IBM SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel path, the 5 Freeway, birds, Ming-Ming, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "First...
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Spoken Word and Music at the Hong Kong Cafe
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, the PBS documentary "The Chinatown Punk Wars" took me back in my mind to my best live performance at the Hong Kong Cafe. QUOTE: "I was totally free on stage." PEOPLE: , , , , , , PLACES: , , , , , , , , THINGS: , , micro generation, , , "The Chinatown Punk Wars", , , , , , , , , SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel path, the 5 Freeway, birds, Ming-Ming, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Hong Kong Palm" with my RECORDED: November 16, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the in , GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip"...
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Rebel Without a Reunion
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, the brewing storm inside my sobriety kept me from going to my North Hollywood High School "rebel reunion" for the class of 1984. I also riff on the weather. QUOTE: "The wind blowing kinda stirred my soul." PEOPLE: , PLACES: , THINGS: , SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel path, the 5 Freeway, knee pop, motorcycle, helicopter, birds, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Football Profile Pic" with my RECORDED: September 1, 2023 from the "Lavina Cafe" under the flight path of the in , GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone....
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The GLOW of My Great Uncle's FBI File
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, the FBI finally sent me the file on my Great Uncle Blayney. It's a 210 page mixed bag, but now I have a new angle to tell his story. I also recently binged GLOW and Ted Lasso. QUOTE: "I'm not easy to work with, for sure." PEOPLE: , , , , , , PLACES: , , , ., THINGS: , HULU, , , , , , , SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, wind, plane, the 5 Freeway, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Cafe Revisited" with my RECORDED: July 21, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the in , GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone. HYPE: "It's...
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Rebuilding My Engine
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, my life has been a real jigsaw puzzle, slowly put back together this past month. Not only does my truck have a rebuilt engine, I may have found my voice...again. QUOTE: "At first I thought it was going to be a disaster, but in the end, it was perfect." PEOPLE: , , , PLACES: , , (), , , , , , , THINGS: , , , SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, wind, birds, plane, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Intro Pod Tweet" with my RECORDED: June 29, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the in , GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3...
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Star Wars Generation
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I riff on the idea of "micro-generations" and make the case that I'm at the center of my own private "Star Wars Generation" even though I'm really a Rocky guy. QUOTE: "The wheelhouse crowd for Star Wars..." PEOPLE/ACTORS: , , , , , , PLACES: , FILM/TV: Brady Bunch, , , , , , , , , , THINGS: , , , , , moon landing, Watergate, analog, astronomy SOUNDS: birds, footsteps, gravel path, airplane, helicopter GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Google Star Wars and Rocky" with my RECORDED: February 5, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the in , GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital...
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Inspired by Annie Lennox (and Friends)
Verge of the Dude
Hey Dude, I was feeling deep blue until I saw a Facebook post from an old high school classmate, and later the video of Annie Lennox getting inducted into the Rock Hall. QUOTE: "Whenever I need to jump start my creativity, I watch it." PEOPLE: , , , , , , , , , , , PLACES: , , , THINGS: , , , , , , , , SOUNDS: wind, birds, footsteps, gravel path, saw, dog bark, GENRE: , , PHOTO: "Google Lennox and Bowie" with my RECORDED: November 22, 2022 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the in , GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone....
info_outlineHey Dude, the FBI finally sent me the file on my Great Uncle Blayney. It's a 210 page mixed bag, but now I have a new angle to tell his story. I also recently binged GLOW and Ted Lasso.
QUOTE: "I'm not easy to work with, for sure."
PEOPLE: Alison Brie, Marc Maron, Jason Sudeikis, Lester Holt, Blayney F. Matthews, Alan Ladd, Joseph Dougherty
PLACES: Lowe's, Glassel Park, Eagle Rock, Warner Bros., Hollywood Burbank Airport
THINGS: Netflix, HULU, GLOW, Ted Lasso, SNL, FBI, Los Angeles County District Attorney, draft board, Academy Awards
SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, wind, plane, the 5 Freeway, Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes
GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal
PHOTO: "Cafe Revisited" with my iPhone XS
RECORDED: July 21, 2023 from the "Wawona Lawn" under the flight path of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California
GEAR: Sony ICD PX370 digital voice recorder and Sony ECM CS3 "tie-clip" microphone.
HYPE: "It's a beatnik kinda literary thing in a podcast cloak of darkness." Timothy Kimo Brien (cohost on Podwrecked and host of Create Art Podcast)
DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.