DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS
My Fellow Americans, Life is actually just a microscopic, deluded moment in time, so let's cut to the freakin' chase. One look at our impending election debacle can solidify my case. It has been my contention since birth, that the answer to every difficulty we encounter on this sacred yet demented Stone, can be revealed with ultimate clarity through the ultra neurotic engagements of Music, Art, Literature, Film, Poetry and a good Pastrami sandwich. Why would any sane human spend so must time on a film set (Do you know how long you gotta wait until your 8 second deliverance of an edited beyond repair line gets a chance to become a professional embarrassment etched in time forever? ) or expend so much energy in a recording studio, piecing together another ode to a man or woman who could not care less how much love existed within your digestive tract? It's all about hymns and prayers and a quest for mercy and forgiveness and silence and faith. We were blessed with Charles Bukowski, Gene Chandler, Lenny Bruce, Mitch Ryder and a legion of creative explorers whose influences provided the air we breathe. So Let's Dance! This site shall explore the reaper, find a way to disarm the stench of injustice, discover some true loves and talk it all over before it's all over. So what's the worst that our desires could produce? Failure? So sue me. I'm going to require your assistance in making as much trouble for the grown-ups as possible. Let the record show that my childish heart yearns to disrupt the madness. Join me Ladies and Germs!
With Gratitude For Gena Rowlands, Nancy Sinatra, Jerry Quarry, Leo Gorcey, Arthur Alexander and Joey Heatherton, Your Splendid Bohemian, Rich Buckland.
DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS
HOTEL BOHEMIA PRESENTS "RAGGED GLORY"- A FATHER AND SON'S EXPEDITION TO PHOENIX, ARIZONA TO SHARE AND DOCUMENT THE BURNISHED BRONZE OF NEIL YOUNG, AND HIS LOVE EARTH TOUR
Neil Young, Talking Stick Amphitheater, Phoenix, AZ, 4/27/2024
RAGGED GLORY
Maybe Neil Young isn’t as spry as he used to be, but who is? At 78, to be playing hard core rock with the passion he displays isn’t only a goddam miracle, it’s a revelation. And, just like young Micah Nelson, who filled in for Nils Lofgren (who’s on tour with his other Sensei, Bruce Springsteen) to jam with Crazy Horse stalwarts Billy Talbot on bass and Ralph Molina on drums - demonstrates a generational melding that gives hope to us aging rockers. So, also when my son suggested that he and I fly to Phoenix to catch Neil’s latest (I won’t say last because who the fuck knows) tour, I gratefully accepted the familial love that was being offered.
And, what a show it was! The opening act of Reverend Billy and the Church of the Stop Shopping Choir was a weird, trippy, and funk-fueled way to begin the evening. But since combining positive energy against Climate Change with tornado-like rock and roll force is Neil’s thing, it didn’t surprise me that he recruited this legendary street performer to be his emissary.
The early spring evening temp in Phoenix was perfect, and Neil was in a generous mood to give this fans what they craved - the golden oldies from Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Zuma, and Rust Never Sleeps - with a short acoustic interlude playing Comes a Time and Heart of Gold (which everybody sang along to). It felt like a fucking campfire. And, looooong kick ass jams, which is what my son was craving. Down by the River and Cortez the Killer were at least 15 minutes each. And, what Neil may have lost in dexterity, he more than makes up for with heart-tugging, sonic crunching lyricism. For my money, he’s one of the best rock guitarists who ever slung an axe.
There are compensations to getting older; one of which is sharing your heroes with your children, and having them love them along with you.
