Show #27 : Going Solo

We discussed the survey of the Greatest Guitar solos of all time on aboutguitars.com. Here's their list....
10) Crossroads- Eric Clapton
9) Crazy Train-Randy Rhoads
8) Hotel California-Don Felder and Joe Walsh
7) One- Kirk Hammett(Metallica)
6) November Rain (GnR)- Slash
5) All Along the Watchtower- Jimi Hendrix
4) Comfortably Numb-David Gilmour
3) Freebird- Gary Rossington and Allen Collins
2) Eruption- Eddie Van Halen
1) Stairway to Heaven-Jimmy Page

I said most of those were ok except for November Rain....I think Slash is a great guitarist but his solos are all wanking off and way too long sometimes. The Hotel California solo is memorable..but not worthy of the top 10 of all time.

Here's my top 10 or so favorites( I don't like saying "best"). These are the ones that bring me back to somewhere else or immediately spring me into air guitar mode. I'm a very good air guitarist by the way. These are in no particular order:


1) Over the Mountain- Randy Rhoads(Ozzy)
2) Freewill- Alex Lifeson(Rush)
3)Reelin' in the Years-Elliott Randall(steely dan)
4) Shoot to Thrill -Angus Young
5)Man in the Box- Jerry Cantrell(alice in chains)
6) Rainbow in the Dark- Vivian Campbell(Dio)- he went on to suck in Def Leppard
7) Hitch a Ride-Tom Scholz (Boston)
8) Riviera Paradise- Stevie Ray Vaughan
9) Freeway Jam-Jeff Beck... so many , but I picked this one
10) Flight of Icarus-Dave Murray and Adrian Smith(Iron Maiden)
11) Red House- Jimi Hendrix
12) Feel Your Love Tonight- Eddie Van Halen( VH)
13) War Pigs-Tony Iommi (Sabbath)
14)Since I've Been Loving You-Jimmy Page( Led Zeppelin)...too many to choose from.but this song always kicks my ass.
Honorable Mentions
15) Joe Perry- anything off the Aerosmith album "Rocks"
16) Richie Blackmore-Solo from "Lazy" off the Machine Head album- thats Deep Purple for anyone playing at home

Why don't you add your own....if you're not too young and have no idea what a guitar "solo" is...

Show #26 : The Gay Show

Jefe's interview with me regarding my mother's homosexuality in episode #26 could have been better. I hope I didn't sound like I was attacking my Mother because I was not. I love my Mom. Its been over 12 years since my mothers exodus and I'm completely fine with her choices and her lifestyle. I'm not as close to her as I once was. It's something I regret, and can't really pinpoint the origins of, other than the fact that she's lived in Florida for the past decade. I don't really see her as much as I used to, and I miss her, epspecially now when we're just about to have a baby.

As for the interview.....well , when my Mother left, it was a time of great turmoil, more than our suburban upbringings could handle.....it was very much a story...with alot of ugliness and hurt. It had twists and weirdness unlike anything I had witnessed prior. For the first year or two I hovered in protective mode, for the sake of my brother's well being and to give my Dad a break.
I wasn't really affected by my Mother's leaving until 5 years after, and after a long term of silence between her and the rest of our family, I sought her out, just like I used to when in emotional neediness as a teen.....some barriers were broken and we welcomed her and her partner Alix back into our lives.
My mother and Alix strangely flow in and out of my life now...its weird but she has almost daily conversations with my sister and her grandkids and I go months without speaking to her. I honestly have no reason for that other than the distance....of which I wish there was less.......

Show #25 : The 700 Dollar Bag

So I said I'd post a picture of the 700 Dollar bag that my wife bought in New York City. I'm just putting the picture up, no info, no link to where you can buy it. Any company who slaps some leather together , surrounds it with glossy promos in all the ladies magazines, thus tricking the mildly fashion minded female that its a must have, doesn't need my help. I'm disgusted, remember? A cow was killed for wadded kleenex, lip gloss and breath mints. Moo-Hoo.