Saturday, March 21, 2015

3/15/2015 BATTLE OF THE BANDS RESULTS AND MORE WHO HE HOEY?

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STMcC’s Vote On ‘2015, March 15: Battle Of The Bands'
(Or, 'War Vs. Gary Hoey')
And The Final Tally:

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Howdy, Doggs & Doggettes! Look who's here!

Yep. Made the move (thanks be to God) and I'm coming to you live from Reno, Nevada, "The Biggest Little City In The Woild".

First, I wanna thank EVERYONE who voted on my last BOTB installment. I think I may have set a personal best for number of votes submitted in a single BOTB contest. Maybe I should just disappear mo' often, eh?

Lots of surprises for me in the voting: I KNEW War would win, but I also knew Gary Hoey would get a few votes, but I didn't think he'd get as many as he did.

It was a great surprise to see Sig Too make an appearance and submit a vote. No, I did NOT think DiscConnected was going to vote for Hoey, even though I first learned about Hoey from Dr. Disc Dude. I was totally floored by the fact my Brother voted for Hoey instead of War. (The ONLY thing that could have surprised me more is if Alex Cavanaugh had voted for War.)

And last but not least, I was shocked to my toes that Arlee Bird, Sheboyganboy Six and I all voted the same way: WAR. I don't know if that's ever happened before. Surely the End Times are here!

Yeah, I voted for War. Hoey's cover is a fantastic piece of guitar work (great backing on the bass and drums, too!) There's only one thing I can ding it on: Tempo too fast.

C'mon, this is "Low Rider". Anybody who knows anything about Low Riders (and I was born and raised in L.A., so I knows plenty) knows that not 1 in 8 Chicanos crammed into a '65 Chevy Impala could find the gas pedal if their lives depended on it! In fact, I doubt a single vato has ever touched an accelerator. I think they've always just put the Impala in neutral, gave it a push, and then went cruisin' by coastin'.

I have a neat little newspaper clipping about the connection between War and "Hispanics - particularly Mexican-Americans" - tucked into my compact disc copy of 'The Best Of War And More'. It's too long to type up now, but if I get enough requests for it in the next couple days, I will type it up and post it in the comment section of THIS blog bit.

So, the voting results? They were...

War = 15 votes
Hoey = 8 votes

or...

War = 14 votes
Hoey = 8 votes

or...

War = 13 votes
Hoey = 8 votes

I counted 3 times and got three different totals. The ONLY THING I feel pretty confident about is that Gary Hoey got 8 votes and War won. Goes to show how tired I am (in conjunction with this table that is too low, this chair that is too high, and my "computer monitor reading glasses" which are still packed in some box - God only knows which one!) Ya know, another couple hours and some Grand Marnier in my silver cup and Gary Hoey could probably WIN this Battle!

I hope to see y'all voting again in my next 'Battle Of The Bands' installment on April Fool's Day. (I'll actually be around to respond to comments on that one.)

Below is an old review I wrote about a Gary Hoey album, for anyone who cares enough to read mo'...

[From the STMcC archive; 2006, August 1st]
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I'm kind of a quirky character - "unique" is the word that my friends have used to describe me. Those who were not my friends used other less friendly words from time to time, but those people are all dead now so there's no point in our discussing them.

One of my little "quirks" is to occasionally ask odd questions from out of the blue. It might be a reasonable question such as, "The year of your best Summer?" (Mine was '74, how 'bout yers?) Or the question might be something totally nonsensical like, "What did you do when the crops failed?"

Now, if you expect to remain a friend of mine for very long you will be required to consistently reply immediately with something (at least mildly amusing) that we can develop into a full-blown, long-term nonsensical discussion. Acceptable answers to that last question would go something like: "We turned to cannibalism" or "I died in the famine." You get the idea?

When I suddenly blurted out, "Best guitarist?" to my buddy at work, The Great LC, he answered, "Gary Hoey."
I said, "HOEY? WHO HE?"

I thought I had heard of all the highly acclaimed guitarists but this cat was news to me. Well, the compact disc-addicted Rams fan, The Great LC, loaned me a copy of one of his Hoey CDs and I was turned onto truly one of the most unjustly unknown six-string slingers extant. And it came as an added surprise and bonus when I discovered that 'Who He Hoey' had also written and performed the musical soundtrack for the movie sequel 'ENDLESS SUMMER II' (1994).

The first 'ENDLESS SUMMER' movie (1966) you'll remember was the original full-length movie on surfing that - along with the fabulous music of The Beach Boys - really pushed the sport into the American consciousness, and it is still considered the classic, holy grail of surfing films. (In the days before art house/cult flick movie theatres and Beta/VHS tapes, they used to show 'Endless Summer' at the packed Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to kids like me who rode waves all Summer long in our quest for skin cancer. That was before the invention of sunblock, ya understand!)

So, is 'Who He Hoey' really the "best guitarist"? Well, The Great LC ain't no dummy, and I'd say that Hoey is darned sure in the running; the cat can really sling it! I think I'd still have to side with Danny Gatton because, despite his amazing versatility, I'm not sure Hoey could quite match Gatton's exquisite finesse on numbers like 'Canadian Sunset' and 'Poinciana.' But I'd certainly be interested in seeing the boys duel. That won't happen any time soon though because Gatton "died in the famine" of '94.

But let's briefly examine this soundtrack and see what 'Who He Hoey' is doing on it:

The first thing you'll be happy to find is that this does NOT sound like your typical movie soundtrack album. There is none of that draggy "movie music" with cheesy orchestras sawing away on strings that meander over nondescript melodies - you know wot ahm talkin' 'bout here: FILLER! No way dudes and dudettes, this is a SERIOUS surf guitar Rock album! This is the one movie soundtrack album that REALLY ROCKS! I mean this baby makes most so-called "real" Hard Rock guitar albums sound like the "movie filler" we've been yakkin' 'bout here!

[Due to popular demand - namely FAE & Dixie Polka - I have now converted the following titles into YouTube links. Turn it UP!]

It opens with 'RIPTIDE', a highly electrified excursion into swirling waters of sonic danger. (How many of you blokes know how to swim out of a riptide? There's a secret to it, but I'm keepin' it to myself.)

'BLAST' is a heavy-chorded piece of menace (think Black Sabbath or sumpin' like dat), but 'SWEET WATER' is a fluidly-picked bit of metal funk with neo-reggae rhythms.

Then we get Hoey's outrageous cover of the old War classic, 'LOW RIDER' - the unofficial theme song of my hometown, Los Angeles (maybe you've heard of the place?) It's obvious that Hoey's amplifiers go up to eleven and that's where he keeps 'em set during most of these recordings.

If you don't get mental pictures of some long-haired surfer dude pulling off spinners and hanging ten on his longboard while Hoey plays his original composition 'WALKIN' THE NOSE' then you simply have no imagination whatsoever (and yer gonna be in big trouble when out of the blue I ask you to, "Tell me about your business with Roger O'Vernout.")

'DRIVE' has a nice little melody; it's not gonna wake the children or anything, but it's got a good beat and you can dance to it.

With 'LA ROSA NEGRA' (that means "The White Petunia" in Spanish), Hoey gives us his Carlos Santana impersonation; it's fairly Latinized for a White Surfer-lookin' dude, and it's a "daisy" of a tune.

OK, yer halfway thru this disc now, Surfcats.

'LINUS AND LUCY' is a cover of Vince Guaraldi's famous theme song for the Charlie Brown TV specials, and Hoey launches into it with all kinds of weird harmonic shifts and...somehow I'm thinkin' dat Linus an' da kids (and even Snoopy) would have had a difficult time doing their goofy dances to this version!

'SURFDOGGIN' is one of my favorite tracks. It's a bit o'tickling Country-Surf Pickin'. I dunno but metinks 'Who He Hoey' may have invented a new genre with this composition and it really shows off his nimble fingers as they fly all over that fretboard and make me smile - this piece has a real Sense O'Humor...SERIOUSLY! "No, no, I'm nuh kiddin' you, uh!"

'PIPE' is an almost indescribably moody composition with Hoey's sparking guitar trading licks with Bud "Barefoot and Slippery" Shank's nasty Tenor Sax and Tony Franklin's great grumbling Bass pushing everything through the whitewater - probably my very favorite cut.

Hoey duets with one of his heroes, surf guitar legend DICK DALE, on Dick Dale's classic 'SHAKE & STOMP (Part II)' and it sounds like that wacko who used to juggle live chain saws on Venice Beach...only faster and louder. Forget about waking the children, this one's gonna getcha evicted from yer apartment.

'THEME FROM THE ENDLESS SUMMER' is the theme song from the movie 'Endless Summer' (guess that's why they called it that) and I've liked the tune since I first heard the original recording by The Sandals.

'ESCAPE' is pure Heavy Metal “Shock 'N' Awe” pyrotechnics. You might as well crank it up full blast because the manager's already on his way over to yer unit with the eviction notice in his hand anyway.

And the disc ends with the surprisingly "spiritual" 'THE DEEP' - it's an electric ballad with long notes of sustain. With this one, 'Who He Hoey' proves that still waters really do run DEEP - this is a genuinely moving piece of introspection and a fitting way to end what is otherwise an energetic assault, like an electric eel attack while riding waves in the Big Blue. And for that reason, I love to work-out to this disc! Yer gonna dig it too.

I'll end this review now with just one question for ya:
"What were you doing on the trail with Lewis and Clark?"

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

28 comments:

  1. Glad you're all settled in and all. Hope you're happy in your new location and all your dreams come true.

    Looks like no matter how many times you count it, Hoey is not going to win that Battle. I was tempted to vote for his version as it was good, but then I went back and listened to War one more time and knew that was the definitive version than no one--not even Neil Young or Beethoven--could improve on.

    Good Battle though and look forward to the next big event. I've got mine ready to go. I think it might be one of my shorter BOTB posts even though I managed to combine everything that is happening on that day into one tidy post. I'm kind of pleased with what I did with it.

    Why heck, I've even got my BOTB post done for the 15th!

    Now to do about 100 more A to Z posts.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Wrote By Rote

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    1. BOIDMAN LEE ~
      So far, I feel like I've pretty much died and gone to Heaven. Love this place. Have loved it since about 1972 or '73 when I was first here on a family vacation.

      Just yesterday I was riding my bicycle home from the grocery store and the sun was just sliding down in the West, and rather than kick my kickstand, I wanted to kick myself for waiting so long to move here.

      Of course, I haven't looked for a job yet (and worst of all, FOUND one), so I could still change my mind. As Tom Petty said: "You can still change your mind; you can change your feelings".

      But I can't imagine this could turn out badly in the long run. Truthfully, all I've really wanted for the last 20 years was NOT to die in Airheadzona. I think I can safely say that my dream's come true.

      See ya at the April 1st BOTB, Brother!

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

      Delete
  2. Al Bondigas here. I was hitting the peace pipe with Sacagawea. That's what I was doing on the trail with Lewis and Clark.

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    1. Judge Al ~
      Nappy, NAPPY, NAPPY!
      I'm literally chuckling as I type this...

      That was one of about ten million references I could have used that you and YOU ALONE would "get". I originally wrote that back in 2006, and today it was pointing at YOU just as much as it was 9 years ago! (Better check my "math".)

      What I'm about to write is hilarious to me...

      Just the other day, I was unpacking all my books and I came across one I stole from you: 'ON THE TRAIL WITH LEWIS AND CLARK' by Bonnie C. Howard (Supervisor, Intermediate Grades, Louisville, Kentucky)

      Yeah, I stole it from you. Go ahead and file a lawsuit. Good luck with that, seeing as how YOU stole it from Grant Elementary School in Santa Monica and did book reports on it from about 4th grade through 12th grade at Santa Monica High School! Ha-Ha! You weren't just a thief - you were a thief AND a genius (and a scholastic underachiever).

      This is gonna blow yer mind:
      The book was copyrighted in 1939, and a rubber stamp on the title page indicates that the Santa Monica School District (Grant elementary) acquired this copy on April 3, 1940!

      Hell, you didn't even start submitting book reports on it until - when - 1970? And they got you through high school graduation in '79? Only a JUDGE could get away with THAT!

      You are my hero!

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  3. ~ D-FensDogG... you seemed to have a big G spot in your title. So you're GLAD to be home! Congratulations!
    Not to sound whiny (as I have no cheese to accompany it), but I kinda-sorta expected you to post the *Endless Summer ll* album for play. You know, like BOTBer Cathy plays full albums on Sunday, I think. I go cranks her up and iron or sumptin. No complaints... I'm over it.

    I read the review and am thinking to copy it (no, not copy for other purposes), and go find the album soz I can appear knowledgeable. Maybe not. Nice review but I think listening and reading it together would be awesome...

    I voted for Hoey, even though I'd figured he'd lose to War... but I'd liked his version. Heck I can sing the song - I know the words... but I can't play guitar like that. Heck I can't play accordion like that. (Move over Myron-um).

    I'll close with this - short comment; yeah - I'm changing my wicked ways.
    >>...""What were you doing on the trail with Lewis and Clark?"
    I was securing mushroom specimens - strictly for medicinal porpoises. Yeah and that Buffet song, "... Fens to the left - Fens to the right..." yep, that was mine. Made up the lyrics on the trail. Axe Lewis. "Ah, Louie, Louweeee, " yep, mine again! Shroom songster... that was my yob.

    Glad you're home. (bye)

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    1. dp ~
      Alright, I have caved into the wishes of you and FAE and the song titles are now links to the music at YouTube.

      I had originally intended to do that anyway but it was getting late in the day and I decided to skip it just so I could get my "STMcC Returns" post up sooner.

      Thanks for the welcoming, and I'm glad you noticed the new big G spot. That goes back to maybe 2006 or thereabouts (before I started blogging at Blogspot) when I told my White buddy Aron (nicknamed "A-Dogg" by me) that he wasn't yet hip, cool, and Black enough to get a big G in his name.

      Later, Aron posted some great stuffs and I told him he had now earned a big G in "A-DogG".

      After decades of dreamin' of moving here, having finally accomplished it, I figured I too had earned a big G in D-FensDogG. (History shows that the first big G for me appeared while I was still commenting from a public library computer in Sparks, just a couple blocks East of my new Reno home.)

      Now the question is: What were Lewis & Clark doing on the trail with YOU? (Wait! Don't say. This is a family-rated blog... sometimes. Ha!)

      ~ D-FensDogG

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    2. ~ D-FensDogG, I know the links took time, so thank you for doing that. Your review was 'on da money'. Most of the songs I'd heard before but didn't realize Hoey was the artist. Wasn't it you that used his 'Linus and Lucy' last Christmas, in a BOTB? (maybe not.) 'Walkin' the Nose' was played at my big brother's wedding reception - they're big into beach shag/ jitterbug competition. It's a perfect song for that.

      >>..."What were Lewis & Clark doing on the trail with YOU?" (Did I get the question backwards? No!) (Family rated blog? I've definitely messed that up at times. Oops, might as well dump my wicked ways all-together.)

      To answer THIS question... Lewis and Clark worked for me. Yep. I was the local owner of "Dixie Doodle Schroom Tune Bar-'em and Grill-'em Lounge." When they weren't waiting tables, they'd form the harmony to my schroom tune set. Everyone thinks they did the trailblazing, but actually, we sent out,'Bob, Carol, Ted & Alice' for that stuff. (No, I missed that movie too.) There's nothing like a "DDSTB&GL" Portabella Night Cap...yum.

      Enjoy your time, DFDogG! Thanks, again. (smile)

      Delete
    3. dp ~
      I seem to remember 'Linus & Lucy' as a Christmas BOTB installment. I wanna say it was John Holton who may have used it, but I'm not as confident of that as I was that it was Elton John who used the line about a "best friend floating in the bottom of a glass".

      'Walkin' The Nose' is a great piece of music. Good for weddings, funerals (is there a difference between 'em?) beach parties, house parties, bar parties and just plain old "party parties".

      Your story about Lewis and Clark seems a bit suspect, as that's NOT AT ALL what the history books say. But ya know what? I believes you anyway. Who could make something like that up?

      ~ D-FensDogG

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  4. Just sent an e-mail to the old address, but just in case that's no longer any good, glad you made it up there safe and glad it's looking to be a good move.

    LC

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    1. Got it. And thanks! It IS looking good.

      Check yer Email, Brother.

      ~ D-FensDogG

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  5. Yay! I'm so glad that you're tucked in right and tight in Reno.

    Now, I can't wait to hear what you have to say about JOA. Can you tell that I've been holding that in for a LONG TIME????

    Oh, and what did you think of my collaboration with Bryan? I bet you didn't see that comin'!

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    1. GIRL WONDER ~
      Gonna wait until I've seen all the JOA episodes. Will need a bit mo' time. Sorry. Don't even have my NetFlix account reopened yet.

      Yeah, I saw the collaboration with Bryan. I was not only surprised but a little bit hurt. I'm offline for only a week and a half and he's already cheating on me with you, you home-wrecker!

      Seriously, it was a cool one-two punch. I couldn't help laughing even though it's such an awful, hateful and nasty thang.

      I'm so glad that the only companionship I need can be found in a bottle ...and my best friend floats in the bottom of a glass. [100 points if you can tell me the song I quoted from above without looking it up anywhere. I'll even give you a big clue about the performer. Think: "The Liberace of Rock". ...Get it?]

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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    2. Its from the most manly song that guy ever wrote. And I don't know why he limited it to only one day per week.

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    3. Your clue was good. Elton John. And I could then hear him singing the lyric, but I couldn't pinpoint the song, so I forfeit the 100 points. I then looked it up online and was like, "Oh yeah, I can hear it now." I'm excellent with these sort of questions after the answer is revealed.

      Delete
    4. ROBIN ~
      :-) Yeah, my test scores also improve considerably right after someone gives me the answers.

      I'm gonna give you 50 points anyway, just for playing and for at least getting Elton John from the clue "The Liberace of Rock".

      I'm also giving 50 points to SHEBOYGANBOY SIX for his humorous comment.

      Right, Six, what's wrong with Friday night for fighting? Hell, even Sunday afternoon, right after the church service lets out is a pretty good time, too.

      Ya know, once upon a time, I sorta considered 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting' to be in the running for first "Punk" song.

      But not too long ago it dawned on me that something else is probably an even better choice, but damned if I can remember what song it was at the moment. But it'll come back to me and when it does, I'll get back to you.

      ~ D-FensDogG

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  6. Thanks for the links (the music links that is; not those little sausage links that come in a jar or can, which I know you occasionally crave), been enjoying 'em all afternoon (the music, not the little sausages).

    Glad you're back all hooked up. I see the gangs all harem.

    Well, you're still cute as a button. Try to keep your trousers on. I'll say a little prayer for you.

    As for Lewis and Clark they were sissy boys. You get it? Ha, ha, ha.

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    1. FAE ~
      It's a good album. (Those little Vienna sausages are good, too.) However, in posting this review, I quoted myself word-for-word from 2006, and at that time my favorite track was 'PIPE'. Nowadays (and for years now), my favorite track -by far - is 'SURFDOGGIN'. That is some exquisite fretboard work! Like "Dick Dale meets Roy Clark" or something. Spectacularly smooth, fleet, and fantabulous.

      "The gang's all harem"...
      Ha!-Ha! Did you invent that line, or steal it from someone?

      Lewis and Clark, sissy boys? No, I don't get it. We yakkin' Jerry Lewis and Dick Clark? Roy Clark? Roy Rogers? Mr. Rogers? Aaron Rodgers? Roger Dodger?

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  7. Yay, STMcC is back in action - and HOW. Wow, this was a great post with fantastic links!

    I wasn't familiar with this album and now I keep playing a couple of those links. Curse you, STMcC, I have cleaning to do!

    My brother had a classic Impala (white with red convertible top and red interior) that he used to loan out for parades and weddings. He should have turned it into a lowrider...

    Glad you're settling in, buddy.

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    1. CHERDO-REE-OOO!
      Hey, thanks for the Welcome Back Kotter Komment!

      I was a long time gone but now I'm back 'n' better'n ever! (Well, a bit tired and off-the-leash. And I'm gonna have to start lookin' for a job sometime this week [Dont'cha hate it when that happens?!] but otherwise I'm as happy as a dog in a fire hydrant park.)

      Now I'm curious which songs you keep replaying. For me, the one that keeps pulling me back in (like The Family) is SURFDOGGIN'. D-FensDogG loves 'Surfdoggin''. I dig ALL the tracks on this soundtrack (it's a really fun movie, too) but when Gary actually turns down the distortion just a wee bit o' wee and plays more cleanly, I can fully appreciate his dexterity. Protly only Danny Gatton impresses me mo'.

      Hey, cleaning and music do MIX! Try 'The Bill Black Combo' - that was my Ma's "music to clean to". (I got a good musical edgeukation from both of my parents - God keep 'em!)

      It's a good thing your Brother didn't live in L.A. He would probably have had possession of that Impala for less than 24 hours. "No, I no kiddin' you, uh!"

      Yak Later, Good Friend Cherdo. (I'm trying to do my best Shecky Shady Shaft impersonation, but I'm not sure I got it exactly right. I know it goes something like that.)

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  8. Okay, your explanation of the Low Rider made me laugh out loud. Fun story: my grandpa on my mom's side was vato to the core. Handlebar mustache. Snake skin cowboy boots. Played in a mariachi band. Full blooded Mexican. And guess what he drove until the day he died? Just one guess.

    Yep, '65 Impala. And man, did he ride slow in that thing. When the speed limit for Colorado highways was finally raised from 65 to 75, he refused. He said, "Nooo, ees too fas', man. Ees better to crooz at seex-ty fibe, ju know."

    So yes, I would like to read this connection between War and the Mehicanos. Especially because I are one (but I'm more white - something I can tell not just in my pasty skin tone, but in my love of the accelerator).

    ~6B

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    1. 6-B ~
      HA! Your Grandpa definitely has all the vato credentials. To really add the icing on the cake, one almost needs to have the white T-shirt, khaki pants, and the red bandana (rolled thick) worn low, over the upper part of the eyes. At least, that's how it was in Los Angeles, circa 1975.

      And your Grandpa had THE classic Low Rider ride! There are a number of automobiles that would qualify, but growing up in L.A. at the time War's 'Low Rider' was a hit, I've always felt that the '65 Chevy Impala was the archetype ride for los Chicanos. So, the fact your Grandpa had one only further validates his vato foundation.

      Quick story: Back in 1973/'74 when I was involved with the Police Explorer program and was going through the (strenuous as hell!) Los Angeles County Sheriff's Explorer Academy (still my greatest personal achievement), my post started with 4 guys: Ty, Scott, Val (short for Valenzuela) and myself. (Ty committed suicide the year the movie 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' came out.)

      Val used to drive us there on Saturday mornings. He was a Chicano and drove a Chevy Impala (if it wasn't a '65, it was a '66 or '67). My Ma always gave me a dollar to give to Val for gas.

      The only guy who didn't graduate was Val. Our post got rid of him. I never heard why. Maybe he was truly failing the Academy (two-thirds of those who entered DID drop out or fail); maybe they had reason to believe he was attempting to infiltrate the police department on behalf of a Mexican street gang; and maybe they just conjured up some reason to get rid of him because he was a Mexican-American.

      I don't know the true reason. But because a few years later I quit the whole thing when I discovered how much corruption and personal favoritism was involved, I would bet my money on "racism" as the reason Val got canned.

      And by the way, THAT was where my anti-police views first began to sprout - which is ironic considering that my maternal Grandpa was a Policeman, and anybody who breaks into my home will get killed by his old police department-issued .38. ...Ha!

      White, Black, Messican... it'z all good (with me).

      When you wrote "ju know", I GOLed (seriously!) So true and so funny!

      I'll close with the following (now that it's too late to watch any Rocky & Bullwinkle)...

      As you know, I was born and raised a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. My Ma worked for them before I was born, and after I was born, I was used to model Dodger clothing for small children in their advertisements. Nappy even appeared on a Dodger scorecard (about 3 years old) painted by a well-known artist (and I still have these things with me now in Reno).

      In 1988, when the team won their last World Serious, I went to a lot of games with my bestest girlfriend, The Countess, and I was always laughing about how the Mexicans in the stands would shout, "Go Dieyers!"

      The last time I was in L.A. (about 3 years ago), I was walking Olvera Street (Google it!) and saw a stand selling a blue T-shirt with white lettering that said: "Los Doyers". I HAD to buy one, and I have it only a matter of feet from me now.

      I would still argue that "Dieyers" is closer to the real pronunciation than is "Doyers", but it's funny (and close enough to the truth) either way.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal Americonned Dieyers Fan'

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  9. Hoey is good, but I'm with you: Gatton was better. I think there are plenty of guitarists AS good as Hoey, at least from hearing this sampling. Thanks for posting it; it was it was fun to read and to hear.

    The comments you are getting on this post have a weird vibe to me. Am I alone in sensing that? Stuff about harems and pants and cheating G-spots. Whew! This is gonna have to become one of the those blogs that required an adult consent button to read!

    And as for Lewis and Clark: I was cramming "Rush's Thunderbolts" down their gullets as fast as Mercury! And that's the straight poop.

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    1. McBUDDY SHEBOYGANBOY SIX ~

      Without any doubt, Danny Gatton was better'n Hoey. But then Gatton was the best who ever lived, so that's no knock on Hoey.

      (Incidentally, Steve Vai, who is actually playing BOTH of the guitars pictured in my header photo - the blonde one AND the red one - has also essentially said the same thing, "that Danny Gatton comes closer than anyone else to being the best guitar player that ever lived". So, anyone who wants to argue with me about that should take it up with Steve Vai first.)

      I was turned on to Gatton by a Blues guitarist friend of mine (who himself was no slouch!) while Gatton was still alive. One listen to 'Harlem Nocturne' and I was fully convinced that he was the best I'd ever heard. I haven't heard anyone since then (which was about 1993) that I thought was even close to Gatton.

      However, I think we part company a bit when you say that "plenty" of guitarists are as good as Hoey.

      I think Hoey is probably one of the ten best ever. Listen to 'SURFDOGGIN'' about ten to twelve times and then reconsider your opinion.

      Who else do you think could play 'SURFDOGGIN'' as cleanly and exquisitely?

      Hendrix, Clapton, Bloomfield? Fuhgeddaboudit! There is nuttin' in their entire recorded history that indicates they could duplicate what Hoey did on 'Surfdoggin''.

      Roy Buchanan? Joe Satriani? Yeah, maybe. But I will say that Satriani could NEVER have actually conceived 'Surfdoggin''. Hoey invented it, but Satriani's playing is so one-dimensional that anything outside of his wheelhouse is totally beyond him. Satriani is probably the most boring, one-dimensional GREAT guitarist I've ever heard.

      So, who does that leave? Mmmm... I dunno... not TOO many. I've heard Buck Dharma play with some very underrated, flying-fingers dexterity, but nothing indicates to me that he could copy Hoey on 'Surfdoggin''.

      The comments here being of a "weird vibe"?... Ha!-Ha! Methinks you are RIGHT. ...But then again, a hard man in Reno is good to find. (Apparently some folks have confused me with someone else.)

      As for your remarks about Lewis and Clark... you state them with such conviction that EVEN I can't dispute you. And THAT'S some "statin'", 'cause you knows how argumentative I can be (when I thinks I can blind 'em with bullshit).

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  10. Glad you're back to brighten up blogland, and teach us a thing or two about Low Rider's. Until you explained it, I thought it was part of the job description for plumbers. I also want to find out the rest of the story in part II. Good luck job hunting, and enjoy your new place, Stephen!

    Julie

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    1. TAKE TWO!
      [I think I was flirtin' with disaster in Take One.]

      GEM JULIE ~
      If I, myself, am able to "brighten up Blogland", then Blogland is in a shitlo-- er, I mean, a craplo-- er, I man, A CARPLOAD of trouble!"

      >>... Low Rider's... I thought it was part of the job description for plumbers.

      You made me (LITERALLY) laugh out loud!.

      Uh... I don't wanna say too much but... a chunky gal once stooped down to show me how something operated and I suddenly thought she was a "plumber". I looked away faster'n' I would have if her butt had been a nuclear bomb explosion test.

      Aww, ...I'm terrible!

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  11. First off, congratulations on making it to the place you wanted to be. Here's hoping you find a job you like there, too, so that heaven on earth feeling continues.

    Second off, LOVED the music clips. I must admit, I never heard of Gary Hoey before, but now I'm determined to get one of his CDs next time I hit the music store. Thanks!

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