Ahhh ... the tasty tone of the Les Paul Standard. I suppose if I were stuck on a deserted island, this would be the one guitar I'd need to have with me. Oh, and I'd need my Fender Blues Deluxe amp. And a source of electricity.
Legions of great players have slung a Les Paul over their shoulders. Jimmy Page. Mike Bloomfield. Billy Gibbons. Peter Green. Dickey Betts. Robert Fripp. And of course Les Paul himself. I like to think I channel the masters whenever I plug mine in. All I know for sure is that this guitar is heavenly, a machine capable of sounds so seductive that I fall more severely under its spell every time I pick it up, or even look at it.
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My family managed to escape for the weekend to Cocoa Beach, not one of Florida's most celebrated stretches of coastline but a pretty nice one we've decided (and it's just an hour's drive). We took up residence in an oceanfront hotel, frolicked in the surf, ate pizza and just generally enjoyed each other's company amid unfamiliar surroundings. It was good to get away, if only for a weekend. My wife can speak to this more specifically, but I know the hours at home get excruciatingly long during the summer, when school's out and the kids have decided they're done with toys, crayons, games and so forth. Our beach trip was just what the doctor ordered. Everybody seems contented. For now. He's been called one of the greatest reporters of the 20th century, and I totally agree. You can't walk very far in my house without stepping on a Power Ranger toy. And most of them have pointy little swords and other plastic weapons of painful proportions. When I got the idea of putting my music online so a few buddies could hear the files, I wasn't planning on posting my ramblings in a so-called blog. The reason I started toying with Guitar Dad was because I discovered this free website creator, Weebly, and the product was easy to set up and fun. Even though I write all the flippin' time in my day job, and have for almost 20 years, I apparently can't get enough of it. The blog format inspires little bursts of storytelling and challenges me to find just the right image for my latest entry. It doesn't burn too much of my time and it's a nice creative outlet. To all you family members and friends who've been directed here, and you lucky rascals who've stumbled onto Guitar Dad, thanks for dropping by. We’re fascinated by the news that Anheuser-Busch, the pride of St. Louis, is getting gobbled up by Belgium-based InBev. It’s a monster deal, valued at $52 billion and considered the largest-ever cash transaction. The combined company will brew about a quarter of the world’s beer, including A-B staples Bud and Michelob as well as InBev’s Stella Artois, Bass and others. Seeing reviews of the new film about Hunter Thompson inspired me to revisit some of the literary legend's most notable works. It goes without saying that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a masterpiece. What kind of masterpiece, I’m not sure, but it’s both brilliant and degenerate and quite distinctively so. Having the house to myself for the next few days means several things. Above all, it means missing my wife and kids profoundly while they visit family out of town. Guitar Dad’s pad is a weirdly quiet place without my boisterous brood running about, demanding this and that, cracking me up and just generally being super cute and fun. One of the most breathtaking places on earth is Big Sur along the rugged central California coast. Over the past few days wildfires have charred some 65,000 acres of the neighboring Los Padres National Forest, and flames have destroyed several homes just a stone's throw from the celebrated Ventana Inn and Spa off Highway 1. Web surfing may be making us stupid. Writer Nicholas Carr makes a strong case for this theory in the Atlantic Monthly. Here's his take on why reading the old-fashioned way, not online, is better for our brains. |
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