^^^I have always been "Strider"...even going back to the daze of Sam's Electric Magic site, and shall remain Strider. I've noticed a new member here that has my JimmyPage.com member name...which was a little disconcerting at first.

Zemun, are you the former "spidersandsnakes" back in disguise? Probably not, as your post displays a shocking lack of EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!! I always find it inexplicable and too soon for "Nineties nostalgia"...until I realize the decade began over 20 years ago. Good grief, I'm getting old. The best thing about Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" is the film's theme of how every generation pines for a time before they were born. Owen Wilson thinks Paris of the 20s-30s was the greatest; Marion Cotillard thinks it was the Paris of La Belle Époque, and when they both go back to that era, the artists they meet pine for the Renaissance.

Well ledzepfilm, it appears AA didn't like what you posted as he had your post REMOVED. I hope this isn't a 'Freezer'-type situation.

Not only have I never seen or heard this record, I didn't even know it existed. But then, I never was interested or put much stock in all those rumours about Led Zeppelin singing to "my sweet satan" and the backwards masking baloney. I'm old and decrepit enough to remember the "Paul is Dead" craze that flourished in the late-60s and all I got out of that was ruined copies of my Beatles records from playing them backwards and fucking up the groove and my needle. When I first started hearing whispers of supposed hidden messages in "Stairway to Heaven" around 1976 or 1977, my bullshit detector immediately went off, and I refused to fall for this latest ruse. I wasn't going to ruin my Led Zeppelin IV album playing it backwards. That's why when this thread first surfaced, I read the original post and took a pass. For one thing, anyone who puts the slightest credence in the backwards masking is immediately suspect to me. There's an idiot on YouTube who goes by the name of WorldWideZep or WorldWideKillers and he posts some pretty good Zeppelin clips on his account. But he has this annoying and infantile habit of always titling "STH" "Stairway to Hell". For another, I knew there was no need to respond as there would be plenty of other members here that would reply and set this Thread-starter straight. But this morning, thanks to Turn the Page's bump, this thread caught my eye, and for the first time I decided to read thru the entire thread...and I am glad I did. For no other reason than Evster's Thelemic posts...thanks, dude! I was having flashbacks to being in the Bodhi Tree bookshop(where I got to meet and shake hands with Robert and Jimmy several times over the years)...my friends Flash and Roxanne worked there and you could always count on a discussion of Crowley, Thelemic thought and the Occult taking place there on a regular basis. Man, I miss Ev.

Post #7: Party Bus to San Diego! Date: Sunday, February 6, 1977 As it was a Sunday, I did my weekly ritual of reading the Sunday Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times and came across this most intriguing ad: Now, unlike the 1975 tour, where Led Zeppelin played two dates at the San Diego Sports Arena, in 1977 they only scheduled one show. I guess with the multiple LA Forum dates, they figured anybody that couldn't see the San Diego show could drive up for the Forum gigs. What I am curious about is if ANYONE here took this Party Bus to the San Diego show, or knows someone who did? You don't hear much about the 1977 San Diego gig, other than John Bonham was off his game. Anyway, this sounds like it would have been fun...an entire bus-full of Zeppelin freaks! FYI, Troy Ticket Service was one of those Ticket Brokers that dotted the Southern California landscape. Basically a legal ticket scalper, you paid a deposit and that would guarantee you a ticket without you having to wait in line on the day tickets went on sale. Depending on the popularity of the band, and the desirability of the concert and the ticket location, a ticket with a face value of $9 could cost you anywhere from $12, $15, on up to $25, or even as much as $30 sometimes. Also in the February 6, 1977 Calendar section was this ad for auditions for the show that would eventually become the "Beatlemania" Broadway sensation: And if you look at the top, you will note that Lee Michaels was playing a club in Huntington Beach that night. The same Lee Michaels that opened for Led Zeppelin at the 1973 Kezar Stadium show in San Francisco...and who played on the bill with Led Zeppelin and Grand Funk Railroad in Detroit in 1969. Lastly, there was an ad for a Foghat show that because it was scheduled for a Saturday, I could probably make:

^^^Cream was way before the Allman Brothers. Grateful Dead were more in the same time period as Cream, although it should be noted Cream's first LP came out in 1966, while the Dead's first album was released in 1967.

Sad story, yes, but you got the wrong Josh Powell. This story is about a Joshua Powell, a Caucasian in Utah who is now dead. Josh Powell, the basketball player, is considerably taller...and blacker(he's African-American)...and definitely alive.

^^^Wow, I had no idea...you fooled me.

Well, the wee lad can't speak so who knows if he's really "enjoying" the snow and cold, hehe. Just kidding around. He looks adorable as always.

Hello Olga(from the Volga?)!

Dude, MM was THERE!!! Being AT the concert trumps whatever bootleg you've seen. I have this argument all the time with young trainspotting whippersnappers: watching or listening to a recording of a concert, whether official or bootleg, IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING THERE!!! Plus, MM said Knebworth 79 was the best concert HE'D SEEN...he didn't say it was the best Zeppelin concert they ever did, just the best one he saw in person. It's his personal choice, just as it's my personal choice if I say June 23, 1977, June 25, 1972, March 12, 1975, or whatever date is the best Zeppelin concert I ever saw. You can come back and point out all the mistakes and flaws you hear on the bootleg or whatever, it's not going to change my mind. What you see and hear at the actual concert is different, and supersedes, any recorded representation of said concert.

Thanks Stargroves for the info. Norton Buffalo is one of those names that have been lost in the mists of my memory. Shame about his passing. I eventually did see Steve Miller later that summer, but cannot recall if Nortan Buffalo was on the bill or in Steve's band. Quite frankly, none of the Steve Miller Band members stands out in my memory.They were one of the more anonymous, faceless bands of the 70s. Oh, there was quite a buzz about "Rumours", Led Zep Girl, believe me. You couldn't escape that album if you tried...it was all over the radio in 1977; AM and FM. You can PM me any questions you have about Rumours. Well, my memory only goes so far. Sure, today I would probably still remember the dates being changed from March to June, but I wouldn't be able to tell you the exact date the announcement was made if I didn't have the old article. Like I explained with the 1973 concert posts, my memory was helped by old notes, journals and newspaper clippings I kept. Plus, every time I would get together with old friends(or new) and relive old concerts, each time I would talk about a Led Zeppelin concert further ingrained itself into my mind. Which is why I have a clearer recall of a 1973 Led Zeppelin concert than I do of the 1983 Psychedelic Furs or 1993 Ned's Atomic Dustbin concerts; nobody ever asks me about the Furs or Ned's shows.

Ugh...BLACKFOOT?!?! I haven't thought about them in eons...the last time I listened to one of their albums("Strikes" the ONLY Blackfoot album you need; I also had "Highway Song Live") was when I was still in the Army, stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas. 1982. After that, they were an afterthought. I subsequently was stationed in Germany and I couldn't bring all my records over, so I had to make decisions on who was worthy of going to Germany and who stayed behind. Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Outlaws made the cut...Blackfoot didn't. I left them for my little brothers to play and never gave them a second thought. Blackfoot are one of those bands best left in the dustbins of history. They were radio filler, grade C fodder to fill the time between albums and tours of superior hard rock bands. Hence they were always opening up for somebody in the 70s. In fact, contrary to the PR blurb above, I always considered Blackfoot a Seventies band. I first saw them in the 70s, and their look and sound was redolent of the 70s. Christ, Blackfoot wasn't even up to Ted Nugent/Molly Hatchet/April Wine level. As for this latest news about a "Blackfoot" band with no original members...well, I'm sure I've made my feelings known before about how I feel about phony bands, so my disgust should be obvious. As for anybody that attends one of these gigs, one can only think of the old saying, "A fool and his money are soon parted".

Since it is a well-known fact that men are wimps when it comes to pain and childbirth, I am posting this article here, for all you tough dames. It makes my eyes water reading about it... Woman Delivers 14 Pound Baby ‘Naturally’ By Maria Vultaggio on January 31st, 2012 Whoa baby, lately it seems women have been giving birth to some big babies! Just a few months ago a woman from Texas gave birth to a sixteen-pound infant. Expectedly, these women have been birthing their children with pain medication to make the labor easier. However, a woman from Iowa gave birth to a baby who almost weighed fourteen pounds, not to mention she did it all “naturally.” “We just wanted to avoid any unnecessary procedures,” Kendall Stewardson said today on “Good Morning America.” “We decided to fight for that (a natural delivery) because we wanted to try to lower my chances of getting a C-section. Baby Asher Stewardson made parents Kendall and Joshua Stewardson proud as he joined their family as their second child. The couple’s first baby, Judah, was born at twelve pounds so they were not too surprised with what Asher weighed at his birth. “We were just really blessed that God enabled my body to be able to do this well,” Stewardson explained on “GMA,” “It went really fast. Six hours is something no one can complain about.” After the six-hour labor, Stewardson’s second child measured in at 23 1/2 inches long, weighing 13 pounds 12 ounces. As it is healthier for the child, many women are attempting to give birth without the facilitation of drugs. “We had decided to research all of our options before we had Judah just to see what would happen to me,” Stewardson said. “We started to research doing it naturally. There are a lot of options for women out there, but this seemed like the best thing for me and Judah, and then Asher.” Stewardson went on to explain that when a woman gives birth to a bigger baby, there’s less baby weight to lose after the pregnancy; another benefit of having a child naturally! Both mother and child are doing well. http://youtu.be/5ar84S_9S60 Big baby: Asher Stewardson was born Jan. 26, 2012, weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces. Big surprise: An Iowa woman delivered a 13 pound baby Thursday without painkillers or a cesarean section Not the first: The newborn named Asher is just one pound more than the birth weight of his older brother (shown in the arms of his father left) who was 12 pounds Record: Asher's weight of 13 pounds took the record for the Mercy Medical Hospital but was just short of the state's record of 14 pounds in 1980 Healthy: Medical staff say that Asher is completely healthy despite his size and his nine-day delay in birth Watch video here: http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz1lGggJqvC

I've had the pleasure and honour of seeing JPJ with Robyn Hitchcock before, and it is a treat that no one should miss! So if you live anywhere near Butterworth Hall, get thy arse in gear and go see them! Besides the greatness of John Paul Jones, there is the delightful English eccentricity of Robyn Hitchcock...who should be named a National Treasure.

Well, the day everybody(well, everybody that has a stock portfolio) has been expecting and waiting for is finally coming. Facebook is going public...they filed yesterday and it will probably be in May. Some people thought they had waited too long, that Mark Zuckerberg should have taken Facebook public before the buzz cooled off. I guess we'll see whether he was right or wrong, but all signs point to THIS being one of the biggest, if not THE BIGGEST IPO's in history....certainly in Internet Business history. I've posted several articles below about the topic. Facebook IPO: $5 Billion Filing to Sell Stock in May Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a keynote address during the Facebook f8 conference, Sept. 22, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) By NED POTTER (@NedPotterABC) Feb. 1, 2012 Facebook, in one of the world's most widely anticipated IPOs, or initial public offerings of stock, filed papers this afternoon to raise at least $5 billion and begin to sell stock this spring. The filing was made online with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington. If all goes as planned, it will likely take until May for Facebook stock to begin trading on a stock exchange. "There is a huge need and a huge opportunity to get everyone in the world connected, to give everyone a voice and to help transform society for the future," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, in a letter that accompanied the filing. "The scale of the technology and infrastructure that must be built is unprecedented, and we believe this is the most important problem we can focus on. "We hope to strengthen how people relate to each other," he said. Zuckerberg, now 27, famously started Facebook when he was a student at Harvard University in 2004. Today, it has more than 800 million active users, and Zuckerberg said they have made more than 100 billion connections with each other. Facebook, along the way, has made a lot of money. It revealed in today's filing that in 2011 it had profits of $1 billion on sales of $3.7 billion. "It is a major sign of maturation" for Facebook to go public, said Lawrence Summers, the former secretary of the Treasury who was president of Harvard when Zuckerberg began Facebook. "It means more cash flow, it means even more visibility, it means even more responsibility to shareholders, but also to the broader society. "It is both a recognition of what has been accomplished, and it points to the fact that Mark Zuckerberg has done a remarkable thing in building a global institution in a very short time," said Summers. Several major investment banks are involved in the IPO, with Morgan Stanley in the lead role. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital and JP Morgan are also included. Analysts said that this offering will change the Internet sector, creating what will be one of the world's most valuable Internet companies. "Will Facebook's IPO be the biggest IPO in American history? Probably not," said David Kirkpatrick, author of "The Facebook Effect." "But it will certainly be, by far, the biggest Internet or technology IPO we've ever seen." Others warned that Facebook may not be a surefire winner for small investors looking to make some quick money. Certainly, Facebook has been profitable, but it has already made a great deal of money as a private company. It has more than 800 million active users -- up 45 percent in 2011 -- but growth in the United States and other Western countries has already begun to slow. Most of its recent growth in membership has been in countries such as Brazil and India. Why go public now, anyway? Since Facebook already has more than 500 investors, it is required to make certain financial information public anyway under SEC regulations. The deadline to file this information expires in April. Zuckerberg reportedly decided to go public once it became clear that the company had become too big to keep its finances private. By going public, Facebook loses some of its mystery and cool, having to declare profits and losses and answer to shareholders every quarter. But the company will have access to new cash and can use the value of its stock to acquire other companies and to reward its employees. Many of Facebook's 3,000 employees could now become Silicon Valley millionaires. Zuckerberg, himself, is already said to be the world's youngest billionaire. The SEC filing showed that he asked to reduce his salary to $1 per year starting next Jan. 1. "We believe that we have an opportunity to have an important impact on the world and build a lasting company in the process," he wrote in his letter today. ABC News Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report. ___________________________________________ Facebook's IPO filing, by the numbers By Nathan Olivarez-Giles, Los Angeles Times February 2, 2012 1:39pm. Facebook's IPO filing on Wednesday offers investors, bankers, analysts, journalists and anyone willing to read the massive S-1 document a deeper look at the business and financial side of the world's largest social network than we've ever had before. Our team of tech and business reporters has been digging into the filing, reporting on the Menlo Park, Calif., company's $3.7-billion revenue, rivalries with Twitter and Google+, perspective on China, social mission and hacker ethos, Zynga accounting for 12% of Facebook's revenue, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's pay cut from $600,000 in 2012 to $1 in 2013 and even what the IPO could mean for the Winklevoss twins. But that wasn't all the S-1 had to say. Here are some other highlights from Facebook's IPO filing before the company actually goes public in May: Users: Facebook has an average of 845 million monthly active users, 483 million of whom log into the social network daily. Workforce: At the end of 2011, Facebook had 3,200 full-time employees, up 50% from 2,127 employees 2010. In 2009, the company had 1,218 employees. Worldwide: Facebook's plan, unsurprisingly, is to continue to grow by gaining more users in countries around the world. But the company also said in its S-1 that it plans to grow its workforce worldwide as well. "We plan to continue the international expansion of our business operations and the translation of our products," Facebook said. Currently, Facebook is offered in more than 70 different languages, and the company has data centers in more than 20 different countries. Popularity: Facebook said that about 60% of the online population in the U.S. and U.K. is registered on the social network. But Facebook is more popular in Chile, Turkey and Venezuela, where the company has "penetration rates of greater than 80% of Internet users." There are more than 2 billion Internet users worldwide and Facebook said its goal is to connect all of them through its social network. "In countries such as Brazil, Germany, and India we estimate that we have penetration rates of approximately 20-30%; in countries such as Japan, Russia, and South Korea we estimate that we have penetration rates of less than 15%; and in China, where Facebook access is restricted, we have near 0% penetration," the filing said. Money in the bank: Facebook said that it had $1.5 billion at its disposal in a mix of "cash and cash equivalents" as of Dec. 31, as well as $2.3 billion in "marketable securities." In 2010, Facebook had $1.7 billion in cash and cash equivalents and no marketable securities. Total assets on hand amounted to $6.6 billion in 2011, while Facebook had a total of $1.4 billion in liabilities. R&D: Facebook's research and development efforts have seen massive growth over the last few years. In 2011, the company spent $388 million, or about 10.5% of its revenue, on R&D. In 2010, Facebook spent less than half that amount, with $144 million going toward R&D. In 2009, the company spend $87 million on R&D, up from $47 million in 2008 and $81 million in 2007. Patents: Faceook said a major factor in whether or not the company will be able to maintain the huge success it's had thus far will ride on its ability to "protect our core technology and intellectual property." To do that, Facebook will "rely on a combination of patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, including know-how, license agreements, confidentiality procedures, non-disclosure agreements with third parties, employee disclosure and invention assignment agreements, and other contractual rights." The social media giant ended 2011 with 56 patents and 503 patent applications filed in the U.S., along with 33 corresponding patents and 149 patent applications filed in foreign countries. RELATED: Facebook's S-1 already has a (fake) Twitter account Facebook IPO: Winklevoss twins could reap big payday Facebook IPO: Mark Zuckerberg's salary falling to $1 in 2013 -- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

I think Z-o-S-o is referring to Robert Plant's use of two vocal mics at various concerts in 1970.

Yes, I agree...just macho posturing. The Knebworth you refer to was in 1976...and Lynyrd Skynyrd did impress more than the Stones that day. You have to understand that the BBC were very British and quaint. They didn't want any unruliness on their radio broadcasts, so they would ask the audience to be quiet during the songs and just politely clap afterwards. The BBC engineers were also notorious for being adamant about never letting the needle "go in the red", meaning they didn't want to record shows at too high a volume and distortion. Which is why the BBC Paris Theatre show of April 1, 1971 sounds so sedate compared to other radio rock concert broadcasts, like the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Lynryd Skynyrd played in the afternoon...then 10cc...then after a long hour-plus wait, the Stones. Nevertheless, Skynyrd's set was THE ONE people remembered from that day, so in effect, they did blow the Stones away. Just like ZZ Top blew the Stones away in 1981 when I saw them at the Houston Astrodome and the Dallas Cotton Bowl. Once again, this is an example of a poorly-titled thread. How could Led Zeppelin have been booed off the stage when they hadn't even played their set yet. Peter Grant was booed, yes. The audience wanted more GFR than the brief set they got...that was the promotors fault. And Peter Grant, who was being a little too sensitive. But then, if there was a time curfew, that could have been a problem. If I buy a ticket, I don't want the headliner's set cut short because of the opener...no matter how good the opening act is, I came to see the headliner. And waiting as long as they did meant that some of the audience(according to this source, which isn't exactly impartial) left by the time Zeppelin came on. But do we have any proof or evidence that ONCE the band did come and play that people booed them? I have a hard time believing that. Other than Gene Simmons and KISS, no other band from the 70s has done a better job of self-aggrandizement and inflating their own myth than Grand Funk Railroad. Much of what they say about themselves is to be taken with a hefty grain of salt.

Woody Allen, besides being a filmmaker, is also a passionate jazz enthusiast, particularly New Orleans-style jazz. He regularly plays clarinet with his band every Monday night at the Hotel Carlyle. Every once in a while, the band hits the road...I saw him at the Jazz Bakery last decade. Well, right after Christmas last December, he and his band played UCLA's Royce Hall, and there was this nice little Q & A in the LA Times just before the day of the concert. Since it talks about New Orleans jazz and Woody's love for it, I thought it appropriate for the New Orleans thread. Woody Allen won't toot his own horn The filmmaker downplays his abilities as a New Orleans-style clarinetist, but that doesn't stop him from touring the world with a band, including a stop Thursday at UCLA. Woody Allen plays the clarinet while jamming with his New Orleans Jazz Band… (Will Yurman / Associated Press) By Christopher Smith Los Angeles Times December 27, 2011 Talk to Woody Allen and he'll go out of his way to tell you what a crummy musician he is, and yet, for the past half-century or so, his innumerable live performances likely have introduced New Orleans-style jazz to more audiences in America and Europe than anyone outside of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The renowned filmmaker's enthusiasm for his hobby animated a recent phone chat that found the 76-year-old passionate in discussing topics as varied as the artist he'd most like to have played with and his dogged determination to practice at all hours. While Allen continues to make a movie per year, including this year's Oscar-buzzy "Midnight in Paris," he also steadfastly plays clarinet in his New Orleans Jazz Band, which comes to town Thursday night to UCLA's Royce Hall. -- How do you rate yourself as a musician? It's not a particular talent that I have, but a great love -- I'm strictly like a weekend golfer or something. I don't kid myself -- people come and see me because they've seen my movies. I am surrounded by good musicians and I do my best, but it's strictly enthusiasm. -- If you could use the time-travel conceit from "Midnight in Paris" and be transported back to the formative years of New Orleans jazz to play with an artist, who would it be? I would like to play with Bunk Johnson's band. He played trumpet as early as 1909 or 1910, but we only really know him from the jazz revival of the mid-'40s, the Bunk Johnson-George Lewis [clarinet] Decca recordings. Hear them play "Maryland, My Maryland" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band" ... these performances are beautiful and rare. These guys were not schooled or complicated or adventuresome, it just sounds as it should. All those guys who are fancy and complex and full of gimmicks -- it doesn't mean anything to me. But the Bunk Johnson band was just so alive, such a crude, primitive and great experience to listen to. -- When you grew up in the '40s, jazz and swing were American pop music. But New Orleans jazz, by that time, was an older form. How did you first encounter it? Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter and Billie Holiday -- that was my basic pop music growing up. It was a great time to listen to the radio. But when I was around 13 I heard a recorded jazz concert in Paris with Sidney Bechet [the first notable jazz saxophonist] and I thought it was something special. That got me interested in New Orleans-style music. So like every young kid, when you start to get interested in something, whether it's baseball batting averages or stamp collecting, you become obsessive with it. So did I with this music -- I bought every jazz record of his I could find and I decided to learn the soprano saxophone because that is what Sidney Bechet played. -- How did you start playing to audiences? I started off just as a hobby, strictly playing with guys my age. Just for fun, once a week, like you might get together for a poker game. After a couple years of this, one of the guys said it would be more fun if we played for people instead of in a living room. I didn't really care -- I had been a stand-up comedian by then for a couple years, I didn't really need an audience, but I didn't mind it. Then, when I was doing stand-up comedy at the Hungry i in San Francisco, it was a couple blocks away from a little jazz joint called Earthquake Magoo's that had Turk Murphy, a good New Orleans-style trombonist. I used to go over and listen to his band. He found out I played clarinet and he muscled me into bringing my instrument to sit in with them. I protested I wasn't that good, but he wouldn't take no for an answer, and once he got me playing, I began to play more with other people, not just with records on a Victrola. A group got together and we started playing local cafes in New York once a week. We played at Michael's Pub for 30 years and we switched to the Carlyle Hotel and we have played there now on Monday nights for many years. -- Are you ever nervous, before a show, going out in front of people? Never for a second. My attitude is: "Look, I'm playing for fun, for my own enjoyment, and if the people want to come and enjoy it, great. If not, then not." When people think of this music, they probably think of guys in, I don't know, striped jackets and straw boater hats doing silly stuff onstage and playing "When the Saints Go Marching In." We've never done that -- we play authentic music, with no eye to crowd-pleasing or commerciality. -- It seems people do want to hear you. Shows what I know about audiences. About 20 years ago or so, someone thought we should go out on a concert tour and I thought that was the silliest thing, nobody would ever come. Our first concert tour in Europe, we were sold out in opera houses and concert halls, playing to audiences of 2,000 to 5,000 night after night, so this hobby started to be a very fulfilling thing. -- Did it strike you that if this movie thing didn't work out you could pay the rent playing music? I don't think I could. Again, I don't say this out of false modesty -- it's a realistic appraisal. I can't read music, I don't have a natural ear, I don't have great talent. I can tell when I hear a great New Orleans clarinet player, the sound is so full of excitement, and it's wonderful to listen to even if the guy plays a simple melody.... When I play, I mean, I try, but it's as dead as a doornail. -- You've only made one or two jazz albums. Why? They wouldn't be worth anything artistically, really. We made a recording once when we played in a church in New York -- it had good, New Orleans-style clean acoustics, reverberation, so we liked the way we sounded. We recorded them with our own tape recorder -- they weren't made in a music studio. And the songs that were less bad we put on the record. -- Do you still practice your clarinet every day? At least half an hour. You have to practice every day, even in order to play as badly as I do. Your lip is involved, your embouchure [the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece] -- you just can't play effectively if you don't. -- Do you need to practice at a certain time or a certain place? I've practiced many different times in many places when I am out shooting. I have practiced out in the snow. I've come back to my hotel room at 11 o'clock at night out of town when I was making films and put the quilt over my head on the bed so I wouldn't wake anybody up at that hour. I've practiced in churches in Europe when I couldn't find any other spot. In automobiles where I would have the driver find a secluded street. Or I'd get in the car by myself and lock the doors when it was too cold outside. -- After 50 years of this, do you feel guilty if you miss a day of practice? Yes. -- If there is to be an epitaph written for you as a musician, what should it say? He was a terrible musician, but he really loved doing it. -- Copyright 2011 Los Angeles Times

As soon as I saw the trailer and ads for "The Grey", I immediately thought "Liam Neeson is gonna kick some wolve's ass...there better be scenes of Liam strangling a wolf with his bare hands or biting his heart out!" Well, apparently I wasn't the only one to expect that and this review from the LA Weekly suggests I might be disappointed with the film. The Grey Review Liam Neeson fights wolves By Brian Miller Los Angeles Weekly Thursday, Jan 26 2012 I was told there would be more wolf-punching in The Grey. If you crash Liam Neeson and six disposable buddies in the frozen Alaskan wilderness, there is the expectation — nay, the requirement — that Neeson punch as many wolves as possible. Tape pocketknives and broken glass to your fists, improvise other weapons from the plane wreckage, just do what's necessary in the situation, OK? But despite Neeson's recent string of aggrieved-daddy action flicks (Taken, Unknown, etc.), this is not to be. Reuniting with his A-Team director, Joe Carnahan, Neeson is instead a melancholy Irish Catholic given to fits of poetry and religious doubt. He gently shepherds a dying passenger into the beyond. He provides sage advice to the motley survivors — worried by their knowledge of both Alive and Grizzly Man — as he attempts to lead them on a trek to safety. He writes to a mystery woman, glimpsed in gauzy flashbacks (who provides the film's only real jolt in making you think about Natasha Richardson). Along the way, Neeson's pack is revealed to be frail and fearful, as The Grey's dwindling survivors somberly contemplate the odds against them and, as the film takes a mystical turn, the absence of divine providence. There's too much Jack London, and, as they systematically pick off the stragglers, too many CGI wolves go unpunched. —Brian Miller

That Blake Griffin dunk on KP and the OKC Thunder blew up on Twitter apparently...ESPN kept showing everyone's tweets about the dunk. As a Los Angeles native and one who has seen the Clippers reign of futility ever since they moved here in 1984 from San Diego, it is still hard to comprehend the notion of the Clippers being better than the Lakers and actually having B-U-Z-Z, BUZZ! I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop; for the "Clipper Curse" to happen. As for the Lakers, have you seen those horrible new Kobe Bryant commercials for his shoe? I'm sorry, since when does Kobe have the right to talk smack to Jerry Rice? And PLEASE, dominate everything? The only thing Kobe is DOMINATING these days is LOSING! This Laker fan is disgusted.

Wow, you guys could populate your own city!

Post #6: Four Forum Shows Officially Sold Out Date: Wednesday February 2, 1977 No big post today, but did want to share this notice that was in the February 2, 1977 edition of the Los Angeles Times. I read it that day in the school library. So the four LA Forum shows had sold out, and rumours abounded of a 5th Forum date soon to be added. Which meant nothing to me, as the date added would surely be Monday, March 14(a school night), and besides, I was broke. I had little left of the $90 I took with me to get the Zeppelin tickets. I still hadn't decided which of the extra tickets to use to trade, and for which show. I really wanted to go to Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle" concert that was upcoming, but unfortunately, it was on a school night. But the Kinks were playing on an upcoming Friday night, so that was a possibility. P.S. Whatever happened to Norton Buffalo?

Robert's second mic was because they were multitracking the RAH 70 show. It had nothing to do with the video. For one thing, it was 16mm film not video, and there were no video screens used for 70 RAH, so no need for a video feed. And if I remember correctly, all the 16mm film shot at 70 RAH was silent, meaning they had to synch the multitrack audio to the film for the DVD. And for the last time, I don't know why this is so hard for some people to understand, there was NO VIDEO SCREEN at the LA Forum...not in 75, not in 77, not ever! Any film you see from a LA Forum gig is going to be fan-shot. By 1975, the band obviously relaxed their security, as there's a ton of 1975 and 77 8mm fan footage compared to earlier years.