HBO's Vinyl...Underwhelming

When I first read that HBO was going to be running a series entitled "Vinyl" which would be about the music scene in NYC during the 70's, and executive produced by Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese, I was thrilled as I'm a huge Stones and Scorsese fan. Marty has always been one of my favorite directors, running a close second to Billy Wilder. Except for "Hugo," I've seen every one of Scorsese's films with my favorites being "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "King of Comedy," "Casino," "Goodfellas," and "The Last Temptation of Christ". Besides his directorial skills, one of the things I love about Scorsese is his ear and the music he employs in most of his films. And although Keith is my "favorite" Stone, Jagger is no slouch so I immediately assumed a Scorsese/Jagger collaboration would be a win-win. Well, after watching the first four episodes of "Vinyl" to say I am underwhelmed would be an understatement.

Having lived in New York during that time period the music that emerged became the soundtrack to my life. Based on the promos I had seen for "Vinyl" highlighting the New York Dolls, I expected the series to be about the forerunners to what would eventually be termed "punk rock." The main band in "Vinyl" is called The Nasty Bits and is led by Mick Jagger's son. Some say he's based on Richard Hell, but I don't see it. They are so bland I can't imagine what punk group they're based on, but I know I never would have bought one of their albums.

Bobby Cannavale, who I liked in "Boardwalk Empire" plays a coked-out record executive of a dying label in search of new sounds. In the pilot episode he attends a performance of the New York Dolls playing the Mercer Arts Center which collapses during their show. Although the Center did collapse in 1973 and the Dolls had played there, it did not happen during a Dolls performance. That really annoyed me. And therein lies the danger of combining fact with fiction. From then on I'm questioning everything I'm watching...Did this really happen or is it made up? Who is this band supposed to be? What record label is this? Until the fourth episode when I asked, "Why am I watching this over-produced crap?"

I came up with more reasons why I shouldn't be watching it rather than why I continue to watch it. Other than a couple of songs from The New York Dolls and Velvet Underground, the music soundtrack is less than stellar. Marty, where's that silver ear? Whoever casted this series should be fired. Thus far, all the entertainers have been miscast with one of the worst being Robert Plant. How hard is it to find a hot looking long-haired Englishman with a hairy chest exposed? The acting of many of the principal players borders on the absurd. When Cannavale snorts lines of coke it's like a caricature of what one would think a coke head is. Back in the day I've seen my share of snorters and never have I seen anyone react to the drug like that. Ray Romano is surprisingly good as another executive, as is Bo Dietl, and I loved Andrew Dice's over-the-top performance. *SPOILER ALERT* Unfortunately, he was killed off too soon.

The lighting is so horribly wrong -- too many colored gels have been used -- it makes it look like a show shot on a Hollywood set rather than on location in New York City. New York City in the 70's was a gritty, dangerous, yet musically exciting time and place. This series captures none of that. It just feels fake, fake, fake.

After four episodes, I'm beginning to think Scorsese should stick to gangster films and Jagger to Stones music. Yet, I'm still watching it. Why? I don't know. Maybe I'm waiting for an episode that doesn't make me scratch my head or say, "Please kill me." Fans of the series will be happy to hear HBO has renewed it for another season. Wonder how they're gonna fuck up from 1974 on...

Patti Smith in 2014 - I Danced, I Sang, I Cried

I really don't have much on my bucket list, but one item I did have on it was to see Patti Smith perform live again. I never thought it would happen, but I always held out hope. Those of you who know me, know what a huge fan I am, and the rest of you now know. I've been with her from the beginning, and the last time I went to see her I was 19 years old...May 20th, 1978 when she was performing at the Palladium in New York City.

Unfortunately, I never made it to the show. Instead, I spent the night in a Brooklyn police station after a friend and I got beat up and robbed the moment we stepped on an N train on our way into the city, by a gang that was hopped up and heading back from Coney Island to their stomping grounds in Sunset Park.

At the time I still had the wrinkled ticket wedged tight in my back black jean's pocket, and although I was bruised and beaten, I still wanted to go catch the show. It never happened. I always regretted it. Shortly soon after, Patti met Fred Sonic Smith, they married, she moved to Michigan, and they started a family. Patti put performing on hold and, like many other mothers, focused her life on the children.

After the death of her husband, and by the time Patti re-emerged back in New York City I had gotten married, moved to Virginia, and put my life on hold to raise my children. I still listened to her music, bought every new cd, read all her books and usually capped the year by listening to her on Sirius as she performed a New Year's Eve show at the Bowery Ballroom.

I had gotten used to being alone on New Year's Eve with Patti, me dancing and singing, while the other members of my family hid, or left. One year I heard two friends scream my name during a lull in between songs, and I felt, for a second, I was in New York City. So it was a great disappointment when I discovered Patti was no longer being broadcast live on Sirius. Being far away from my friends and family in New York, never getting invited to any parties in Roanoke, made each New Year's Eve in Virginia a depressing date. This past New Year's Eve looked to be the worst one yet as both of my children wouldn't be spending it with us.

And then my cousin came to my rescue. The only person I know who is a bigger Patti fan than I am, he asked me if I wanted to see Patti Smith with him at Webster Hall on Patti's birthday, December 30. YES! So I set about arranging things so we could run up to New York right after Christmas, and if all went well, even spend New Year's Eve there amongst friends. By the time he went to get the tickets Patti's birthday show was sold out, but she was also performing the night before so he got tickets for that night.

I then heard that another band that I loved from back in the day, Television, would be playing at Irving Plaza the night before Patti played. Since he had bought me Patti tickets for Christmas, I told my cousin I would buy Television tickets for his Christmas present. When I received a notice that Gogol Bordello was also going to be playing in New York City on January 2nd I thought I hit the rock 'n roll trifecta! I figured this musical holiday trip would be my live performance swan song.

We drove into the city to see Television and congrats to former mayor Bloomberg to making the city, especially the lower east side, a place I no longer recognized, and one unfriendly to car drivers. Every avenue and street caters to bicyclists. Parking spots are even rarer than they were, and the lanes barely fit a vehicle. We almost got creamed on E. Houston Street, before the show, and I was so shaken up I had heart palpitations. Thank God my husband was driving because if it was me we probably wouldn't have made it to the show.

I can't remember the last time I was at Irving Plaza, but it was a time when I was younger, thinner, could stand for hours in a hot crowded place, and didn't pay $8 for a 12 ounce can of Budweiser. We stood way in the back and I could barely see Tom Verlaine. Too many tall people were blocking my view and we were stuck under red spotlights that made me feel like I was a piece of chicken being kept warm while sitting on a counter. The show was good, but cut short after Verlaine's hand cramped up while playing Marquee Moon. I felt so bad for him. You could see he wanted to go on, but his 60-something year old hand was making it impossible. Before this happened I was mesmerized by the way his guitar sang. His voice did not sing as well and I thought he might be fighting off a cold or something. By the time we left all three of us were complaining about our aching feet, back, parched throat, etc. My husband was glad he was staying home the next night. After taking an hour to find a parking spot back at the house, waking up sore after a restless sleep, I felt like staying home the next night too. But I couldn't, so I pushed myself, and told my cousin we would be taking the train into the city instead of driving. I hate driving the mini van in Roanoke, there was no way I was attempting it in the city, and driving around hours looking for a spot in Brooklyn was insane.

Just the mere thought of taking the subway to see Patti brought back horrible memories. I was working myself up into a near panic attack just waiting on the platform. I kept telling myself I was being ridiculous, but every gangsta that stepped onto the train I imagined would pull out a straight-edged razor and threaten me with it. As my pepper spray was illegal in NYC, I had taken a Binaca spray in its place -- thank you Elaine from Seinfeld -- and I hoped I only would have to use it to kill bad breath. When we finally arrived, my heart jumped when I saw the marquee...

My cuz

I dressed smarter for this show by wearing comfortable shoes that had a sole, a very light-weight shirt, a jacket I could tie around my waist, and I smuggled in a bottle of water. We found a spot to the left of the stage much closer than I thought we would have gotten. There was only one tall guy in front of me so I was able to see unobstructed as long as I tilted to the right. The crowd was electric and everyone was so nice. Way different than the night before where I had this one loose cannon near me muttering, "I feel like I gotta hurt somebody. I'm gonna go off, I can feel it!" as he became more and more drunk. He must have smuggled in his own booze! In front of me at Webster Hall, was a dad my age with his two teen-aged children. The only bad thing about where we stood was someone was letting out silent but deadly farts the entire show. Disgusting!

Anyway, I was surprised when Michael Stipe stepped out on the stage before Patti.

The one "big head" in my way. Stipe complained it was cold, but having sweated like a roasted chicken the previous night I was happy it wasn't stifling.

He said she had asked him to open up by reading poetry or performing or something. It had been eight years since he performed on a stage and he said he was nervous. He told us how he played Webster when it was the Ritz and knew REM had "made it" when they opened for Gang of Four. When he stood on that stage at that time he thought the Ritz was huge. Then as REM got bigger and bigger whenever he came back to town and went to the Ritz he thought it was tiny. Now, once again, after not singing for so long, looking out over the audience, he thought it was huge. His voice has changed, but he sounded great. He performed six songs, accompanied on piano by Patti's daughter Jesse which included New York, New York. Anyone can sing that song, and if you're a New Yorker, especially someone who moved out of New York, it will bring tears to your eyes and chills down your spine. "These little town blues are melting away..."



And then Patti stepped on stage and I was transported back to the seventies.

Her voice, her mannerisms, her back-and-forth with the audience was everything I remembered seeing her the dozens of times. Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Dougherty were still right there with her. The band was tight, she was loose, and I felt young again. I danced, I sang, I cried. It was beautiful. I couldn't believe she was going to be 68 in a couple of hours. I didn't want the night to end. The only "disappointment" was when she said they wouldn't be performing anything from Horses as November 10, 2015 was the 40th anniversary of the album and they planned to perform it live in New York City on that date. Yes, I want to go!

Right before she ended the show she gave what I would call a pep speech, and when she ended it with stating we shouldn't fear, or never have fear, or show no fear, or something to that effect, I felt like she was talking directly to me. Fear is stifling. Fear stops you from living life to the fullest. I want to make 2015 the year of no fear.

As if to put it to the test, we got back on the subway around midnight and the train that pulled in was an N train. Not only did we take it, but we had to switch trains on 59th Street in Brooklyn, the very station where I was beaten and mugged. I stood there waiting on the empty platform for the R to come, and guess what, I felt no fear...

Kudos to Daytime Blue Ridge

That's me in the middle with my beautiful daughter sitting next to me on the set of Daytime Blue Ridge. A friend of mine said I looked bored, but nervous is probably more the case. And, had I realized the producer was taking a wide shot of all of the guests, instead of one at a time, I probably would have at least attempted a smile!

Daytime Blue Ridge is a local news and entertainment show which runs on WSLS, the NBC affiliate in Roanoke, at noon. Yesterday was my first live television appearance being interviewed for my books. I have to say all the folks at DBR were great. They made me feel very comfortable. Natalie Faunce was a great interviewer and even prettier in person. And Jeff Haniwiech, who filled in for Mike Wilson, has a fun personality. No wonder my daughter wants to work there after graduation.

Those of you who are either friends or fans of my Facebook Author Page probably have already seen this interview, but for those who haven't here it is...



Four minutes goes very fast and I tried to get in as much as the time would allow, without speaking as fast as I normally do. I have to give props to Daytime Blue Ridge for being so supportive of the Roanoke community. They recognize there's talent in these dar hills and have graciously given us a place to introduce viewers to our various endeavors.

One of the main obstacles an independent author faces is that too many media outlets refuse to give credence to our work. Although I have received support and interviews in local publications, efforts to get my books reviewed have been thwarted. Our local newspaper, The Roanoke Times, refuses to not only review any self-published author, but also accept reviews from others for self-published books. As I have been a paid columnist, as well as a free contributor to a blog, the irony is not lost on me.

I think the local newspapers are making a huge mistake by following in the footsteps of the New York Times and other publications who shut out reviews of independent author books. More and more people are turning to eReaders and discovering authors they never would have if they just read who's on the best-selling list. Snooki was on the NYT bestselling list. Need I say more?

As local newspapers are losing more and more readers, it's my belief they need to focus more on the talents in the community, and not just by listing where and when a specific person is having a reading, etc. Tell them about the book. Let the readers tell us about a book they read. Get everyone involved. Frankly, I don't see the difference between a local author who publishes via a University Press and/or a small publishing company who sells a handful of "real" books, versus a self-published independent author who may even sell more books on-line than either of those. It's the story that matters, not the ISBN number, or if a book is in a brick and mortar store. The times, they are a changing, and newspapers need to change with them. My advice to them...Take a page from Daytime Blue Ridge...Stop following and start leading!

Made for Cable Series

I thought I scored yesterday when I saw the complete series of Spartacus on dvd at the Salem library. Since I don't have Starz, and have seen the ads for the series in Entertainment Weekly, I was glad to pick it up. That is until we watched it.

We were barely able to get through two episodes. I am glad my kids weren't home because I felt like I was watching soft porn instead of a mini series about gladiators. Actually I think pornos probably have better scripts than that show does. The favorite word of the writers seemed to be "cock." We turned it off after I said to my husband the next time I hear the word "cock" that's it. Not two minutes went by before it popped up again. That was it.

Not only did the script suck, what the hell is the story line?, but the actors were horrible (British accents???) and the "look" of the show did not convey Rome, but some CGI fantasy location. Big pass from me.

A lot of cable outlets have some really good original programming series running. This is my list of favorites in no particular order, that are on the air, or slated to return, one day...



HBO - Rome - Loved it. Sure, it had some sex in it, but it wasn't porno, and it actually had a story line. Returning when?

HBO - True Blood - From the opening theme song I was hooked. Although the series has gotten a little "unbelievable" like vampires aren't "unbelievable" to begin with, I love this show. I think Eric and Bill are easy on the eyes and the characters are quite interesting. Returning when?

HBO - Boardwalk Empire - Steve Buscemi is enough for me to watch, but the script and feel of the era is captured perfectly too. Returning when?

HBO - Luck - A new series which has two of my favorite actors - Dustin Hoffman and Dennis Farina. Whenever I see Farina I think back to another great series that was cancelled too soon -- Crime Story. Luck has just begun so it's a little slow right now, but I love the horse racing aspect of it. Shot beautifully, you could feel the excitement as the horses thunder down the track. The show reminds me of my grandmother and her horse track stories.

Showtime - The Borgias - Every time I say I'm going to cancel Showtime it's like they read my mind and create something to make me stay. It happened with The Tudors and then The Borgias. Greed, corruption, Rome, what's not to like? Returning when?

Showtime - Shameless - William Macy is the father of a clan of Irish folks that make the Sopranos look like model citizens. There aren't any redeeming characters in this series, but that's okay. Sometimes there shouldn't be. After you watch this show you're thankful for the family you have.

AMC - The Killing - Not on right now but I liked the dreary setting and storyline, although I was disappointed with the last episode. It reminds me of Twin Peaks without David Lynch's heavy hand. Returning when?

AMC - Mad Men - Love it as it brings me back to my youth. I knew someone like Don Draper in the 60's and the series captures the time perfectly. The only complaint is that by the time it gets back on the air it might be the 70's and Draper will be a hippy. Returning when?

AMC - Walking Dead - A lot of people are into zombies. Frankly, I'm not. I don't think anyone has ever surpassed the original Night of the Living Dead when it comes to them. There aren't any characters on the Walking Dead that I can relate to, or even find interesting, so sometimes I will watch Hoarders instead. Now, those people are way more creepier to me than zombies!