Dave Howard: Center of the Universe

Coupla Dead People this week. I feel extremely fortunate that I saw James Brown live. Sure I saw him do two songs at a taping of the Arsenio Hall Show in 1992 with this NBC page I was trying to sleep with.

I thought it an odd choice that he did "It's A Man's Man's Man's World"...

KICK ASS!!!

I think my over enthusiastic response to the song selection sunk my chances with sleeping with the NBC page.

Last night. I took my Mom and girlfriend to go see Dreamgirls in Rancho Mirage, California along with every nellie in the Palm Springs area.

It's really great to see a flick when it has a home field advantage.

At the same moment I watched Dreamgirls, just down the street, Gerry Ford was gasping his last gasp.

I also saw Gerry Ford live.

Sure he didn't do the leg splits at the Walnut Creek open air mall that is the last reminder of the small town it used to be. The thing I remember, that even though it was a typical 85 degree California fall, he took off his coat.

"This will really upset the Secret Service" Gerry quipped.

That's the only thing I remember about that day.

I do remember having class election later in the year. Everyone wrote Ford/Dole or Carter/Mondale on a slip of paper in crayon and placed in a red or blue coffee can.

The final tally was 8-1 in favor of Ford/Dole.

I voted for Carter.

What can I say? At 8, I was a fan of peanut butter. All right, HUGE FAN. Still am.

There was little bad you can say about Ford. He got a thrown into a REALLY CRAPPY GIG.
He made the best of it.

James Brown got thrown into a Crappy World.

He made the best of it.

OW! heH! Jump back.... kiss myself.

Living in America.

Thoughts on Peter Boyle

About ten- twelve years ago, Jerry Garcia (or maybe his estate) decided to make a line of Grateful Dead Boxer Shorts and Ties. Giles Weaver and I went to the premiere party (or whatever the hell they call it when you start selling undies and neckwear) in this hanger in the Santa Monica Airport.

Great goodie bags. The "Sugar Magnolia" silk boxers didn't hold up to my manliness, but I still have my "Ramblin" tie.

Just about every Los Angeles power hippie was in attendance. Hopper, Nicholson, Alred, Fonda, Beatty. The atmosphere was both festive and (ahem) fragrant.



However, amongst all these power players was Peter Boyle at cocktailing at the bar.

I remember Giles and I surveying the scene and then both seeing him and in unison saying "Holy Shit... Peter Fuckin Boyle is here"

We were both a bit too stoned to actually go up and talk to him and so we just stood near him and went back and forth on "Where the Buffalo Roam" quotes.

In 2001, Trusty DC found himself having dinner with Peter. He was dating somegirlwhodidsomething on "Everyone Loves Raymond," so he went to the Xmas Party and got "assigned" to Peter Boyle's table. Turns out he was a helluva guy.

Made me pissed off we didn't say anything in that hangar.

Some really awful television

I recently heard that there had been a STAR WARS XMAS SPECIAL in 1978. Now as a ten year old this would have been a pretty big deal... yet I have no recollection of this whatsoever.

So good soul has done us the favor of condensing the extremely painful 120 minutes into a merely stinging five minutes.

Enjoy!