Coloring Books For A Cause!

It never occurred to me to pick up an Adult Coloring Book before, but a global pandemic quarantine will have you doing a lot of things you've never done before. When my Mom was in a nursing home, her neighbor lady colored in a coloring book all day, every day, and I thought it was really sad. But then all of this happened, pretty much everything is sad, and I heard that Har Mar Superstar (Sean Tillman) and his fiancée, Laura Hauser, had created Coloring Books For A Cause, and suddenly I'm a crazed colorer.

Brainstorming ways that they could help local Minneapolis musicians out of gigs, Tillman and Hauser (a teacher and illustrator) thought about how First Avenue was celebrating its 50th Anniversary, all local musicians have played or hope to play on that storied stage, we're all home going nuts ... how about The Big Coloring Book of First Avenue and the bands who love it, to support them while they're out of work?! A plan was hatched, page were drawn, and the first Coloring Book For A Cause was off to the printers! All in like two weeks. The Twin Cities Music Community Trust is stoked!

So many great Minneapolis bands are in there ... I had a blast coloring Babes In Toyland, especially Lori Barbero's dreads.

Prince is in there, of course, as First Avenue is widely known as the house that Prince built for Purple Rain ... but the truth is he didn't play there all that often, and a zillion other bands have really made it what it is, but the association is there for life. And we're all forever proud of it.

The Replacements ... Hüsker Du .,.. Soul Asylum ... the classic First Ave bands are very well represented.

Newer (to the rest of the world) acts like Lizzo and Nur-D are there too ...

... as well as pages of the club itself for you to go freestyle and fill in however you like. It's weird, but it IS kind of addicting. Like, I get my mom's old roommate now. There's something soothing about it, and there is a satisfaction when you complete a page, as well as a kind of numbing to what's going on around you. I'm a coloring book convert!

And that's a good thing, because they're already on their THIRD Coloring Book For A Cause! There is now The Big Coloring Book of Grumpy's and Palmer's - to benefit the service industry workers currently out of their jobs at those classic Minneapolis bars. There is also now the brand new Dance Party Coloring Book - to benefit Violence Free Minnesota, because there is sadly a lot of domestic violence going on during this pandemic. Color for a cause!

It's catching on too. City Pages put a coloring page on their inside cover, with a totally appropriate phrase for the times:

... And the Star Tribune is releasing weekly coloring pages now, to be in with the cool kids. It's heartwarming to see how quickly these books are being churned out and snatched up, as they really are helping people while they're at it. This virus has done a lot of harm, but we're seeing an awful lot of good come out of it too. People are thinking of creative ways to help each other left and right, and I'm hoping that that will be the lasting legacy of this absolutely insane time in all of our lives around the world. I gotta go finish coloring in Atmosphere to look like Smurfs (Slug asked for it), but order yours and post your pictures, and help out some excellent organizations while you're at it. Thanks!

Order your super cool coloring books HERE.

*PS - I think this is a great idea for clubs and bands and bars all around the world to do! All the local people would get into it. Give it a shot!

Venice Muralist Never Hits Minneapolis - A Day Of Prince Art

Well, I'm back in Minneapolis for a bit, but always take a little Venice with me. I was happy to hear that muralist Jonas Never (artist of the big black and white Touch Of Evil piece on Windward in Venice, among many others) was here in town working on a big Prince piece downtown in the North Loop, on the side of a Floyd's Barbershop.

I went down to check it out, and it's a great addition (though the face reminds me more of Fred Armisen as Prince) to the many Prince tributes around the legend's hometown. It made me want to pay a visit to Paisley Park, as I hadn't been out there since I went after Prince's death in 2016. All the hoopla has settled down out there, but as I drove down Highway 5 past Paisley Park, I had to pull over fast. I saw that down a bike path along the highway there was still a big fence full of purple tributes to Prince Rogers Nelson. There was nowhere to safely park, so I went to an office park, climbed a fence, walked back along the highway, through a drainage ditch, over another little fence, and behold - a beautiful memorial remains for all to come from around the globe and pay their respects.

There were so many lovely sentiments written, and so many creative ways of showing one's love for the Artist that can never be replaced, and who will clearly never, ever be forgotten. People had whole books inside of plastic sleeves, flowers, pancake mix, starfish and coffee, and even a purple Prince jacket. One could spend the whole afternoon just reading what Prince has meant to so many.

A little sign said that the memorial was kept up by area neighbors, and to please not take anything, and to be sure to visit the tunnel too. Tunnel?! On my way ...

I was surprised to see a guy down there in the tunnel under the highway, wearing a purple beret and painting away at an easel. His name is Dan Lacey, and he is known as the "Painter of Pancakes". I remembered seeing him back in 2016, when he was set up among the droves of mourners and tributes, doing a piece of Prince on a bike.

Lacey continues to paint Prince and help maintain the Memorial, and he was great about giving me all the information and trivia on Prince that one would ever hope for. He even had a flyer printed up called "Prince's Places", and you can go visit the various homes and landmarks made famous by our beloved native son, including all of the local murals.

There was a piece of Prince done on the ceiling of the tunnel, that Lacey told me was done by an artist that used to cut herself, but now uses knives to create. He pointed out the detail on her piece, and you could see that the whole work was made up of Prince symbols created with a knife. Cool.

A couple more people came through while I was down there in the tunnel chatting with Lacey, and you could see that they too were visibly moved. It was their first visit to Paisley Park, and I forget now where they were from, but their point of being in Minnesota was to pay their respects at Paisley Park. Prince's life was so big and reached out so far, that it's sad all over again when you realize what a massive void his loss has left, and how easily it could have been prevented. It's truly a damn shame.

I told Lacey I would let him know when the Never mural was done and where it is, so here you go! And thank you for helping to keep the wonderful memories of this once in a lifetime star alive for Minnesotans, and for his legions of fans from around the world. He was truly something else.

Prince Rogers Nelson June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016 - Forever.

Clogtown - Twin Cities Highlights!

I'm in Minnesota way longer than I thought I would be, so now have to give some Minnesota love. I've been working like a dog to help my Mom out, battling insurance companies, being a ferocious advocate, and working on her house, so haven't been able to be out and about as much as I normally would be, but I thought it would be nice to shout out some of the highlight places I've been able to hit so far while I'm here. I like to look for the creative and cool stuff wherever I am, and Minneapolis people might not have found them yet in their busy lives, and Los Angeles people (and everyone world wide!) might like to hit them up the next time you visit. Let's start with the appropriately named Minnesota Nice Cream (reminding me of our departed Venice N'Ice Cream!).

This little spot in Northeast Minneapolis is a fun place to stop with the kids. The ice cream is just soft serve, but you can top it with a zillion things - including edible glitter!

I kind of thought it would be bright rainbow glitter, but it was more a subtle gold you had to search for, but still - fun! Right up Broadway is Spyhouse Coffee, a coffee shop so hipster it might as well be in L.A.

My brother and I do a lot of coffee research when we're both in town, and Spyhouse is in the Top Ten, if not the Top Five. The space is big and airy, and full of folks typing away on their laptops. There are five locations around the Twin Cities, but this is probably the one to go to for that Northeast vibe - plus it's walkable to the ice cream after.

Paul's favorite coffee this trip was from Northern Coffeeworks, on Washington Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis. It was pretty delicious, and they had a trail cookie that was pretty much a meal that was a real highlight for Paul. Not me (nuts. blech.)

MY favorite coffee so far this trip was found at Gray Fox Coffee & Wine. First, it's coffee AND wine. Let's go. I also dig their motto: "Be Swift. Be Clever."

Then, it's the most beautiful cup of coffee I've ever been served. I heard about Gray Fox from reading the City Pages Best Of lists, and Gray Fox won "Best Gimmick". That's because they use an espresso ink jet printer (!) to make gorgeous landscapes in your foam! I missed out on the Marilyn Monroe picture because I'm told it was just for Valentine's Day this year, but I'll take my sunshine and waves any day. That was a rainy, mentally hard day, and this lovely cup of joe really did help to make it better. (I know my friend Nicely at Menotti's in Venice would scoff at this, as he is the Latté art champion, and is a pouring purist, but this was still pretty dang impressive!).

I love a donut, and the best we've had so far this trip were from Sleepy V's Rebel Donut Bar in Northeast. Yum flavors on mini donuts, so you can try more than one! Plus the staff was fun and cool and get the little lemon poppy seed one. Mmmm. (There are still more to try, so this is not the final answer on donuts, just a shout out.)

Also in Northeast, Young Joni wins so far on the drinks front. Paul and I bellied up one afternoon to share one of the best Minneapolis pizzas, and extra creative cocktails that we would have tried way more of had we taken a car service. We'll be back. (But also shout out to Houlihan's in Richfield for your generous 2 for 1's!)

There is never going to be a burger that replaces Matt's Bar or The 5/8 Club's Jucy Lucys in my heart ... but MAN, is the burger at Bull's Horn Food and Drink ever something special. Honestly, one of the best I've ever had, with perfect McDonald's style fries, without the poison or whatever they fry those things in. SO good, and while I'll never order the fried bologna sandwich (yuck), my friend did and proclaimed it the best ever - and has already requested a return visit to chow that again.

A "new" dive bar, Bull's Horn is like being on the set of an old dive bar ... a little more polished, but still with "Meat Raffle" signs, neon beer signs, and deer heads like you'd find at a lakeside bar up North. I liked that there was a purple haired, nose ringed girl sitting at the bar next to an old man with a cane, easily in his 90's. It had that feeling like all are truly welcome here, hipster or oldster. Yes, we'll also be back here.

Back in Richfield, I was delighted to find that there is another new, non-chain restaurant besides Lyn 65. Local Roots has opened up across from the Ice Arena, and is a great place for locals to meet up for breakfast or lunch. Home grown and home cooked, the crowd reminded me of the old King Oscar's crowd ... old timers, neighbors, little kids zipping around in a play room ... all enjoying a hearty, delicious breakfast. I dug it.

There are so many wonderful things to do and see and eat in Minnesota in the Summer, so I'll keep investigating while I'm here, but if you do nothing else on your visit to the Twin Cities (or your free time if you live here), PLEASE go see the incredible show Hearts of Our People at the Minneapolis Institute of Art that I already gushed about. It is just so so wonderful.

Oh, and I can't forget the blast that was Prince Night at Target Field, complete with a Twins victory to keep them firmly in first place! A wonderful, gorgeous night celebrating our hometown hero. 

I miss Venice terribly (especially missed the Neptune Parade this past weekend! Hail King Mike! Hail Queen Alix!), but the quest to find the new, unusual, creative, and excellent must continue, wherever I am. It's the (my) age old conundrum of lakes vs. oceans ... and I will always love and need to be near both. I hope you will enjoy some of my findings in Lake Country before I return to Ocean Pacific. And for now, LOVE to all, EVERYwhere!

A Conversation With Lenny Kravitz At The Grammy Museum

I've been a fan of Lenny Kravitz since we used our fake i.d.'s to get in to see him at First Avenue in Minneapolis back in the day. It was freezing cold out, but about a zillion degrees inside that fabled club as everyone was squeezed in tight to see him play a 15 minute version of "Let Love Rule" to close out the night, making us feel like big peacenik hippies all together who could really make a difference. It was a special show, and I've never forgotten that feeling.

Last night at The Grammy Museum in Downtown L.A., I got that feeling all over again from simply listening to him speak. Kravitz is a real cool cat, and his conversation with Grammy Executive Director, Scott Goldman was intimate and inspiring, but also very touching. I got choked up more than once. Introduced by Goldman as an artist who transcends genre, style, race, and class, who has won 4 Grammys, had 11 studio albums selling in the millions, and is an actor too. Kravitz was there to discuss his most recent album, Raise Vibration - and that's exactly what he did in that room - without ever playing a note (which was kind of disappointing, if I'm honest, as usually they have a chat and then a little mini-set at the Grammy Museum, and this time only two chairs and mics were on the stage).

Kravitz, dressed in denim and shades on inside, spoke to how the recording of Raise Vibration in his home studio in the Bahamas was "an exercise in faith and patience ... I let the creative process be what it wanted to be." Three years had gone by since has last album, and there were a lot of outside opinions on what Kravitz should do next - most all of which he ignored. "I grew up West Indian and Russian Jewish ... it was all about respecting the elders. I've got people saying 'You've got to remain relevant' - what the hell does that mean? It's about respect. I produce my albums." He met with the hit songwriters of the moment, but "I didn't feel it in my gut. Authenticity is IMPORTANT to me." That much is clear. To that end, Kravitz went to the Bahamas and woke up with the dream of this record in his head ... and "The floodgates opened, and the whole album came out. I dreamed the whole record ... You just hear it, it's really hard to explain. I knew I was on MY path." The entire album was recorded, produced, and engineered by Kravitz and his dear friend and musical partner, Craig Ross ("His Mom is here so we have to talk about him!"), and they did it exactly their way.

Once living in his pea green, rented Ford Pinto and working at Leroy's Fish Market ("On Washington and Rimpau"), Kravitz said about those times, "I never said I wanted to be a Star. I said I wanted to be a Musician." That earned him both applause and respect in the room, as most people who attend things at the Clive Davis Theater care about the music, not the hype.

Often described as "Retro", Kravitz laughed at that, saying, "I like to play instruments. I like to hear the character of the players ... their hands ... it's not coming out of a box." The environment helps too, and about working in the Bahamas, Kravitz said, "That's where my roots are ... I FEEL the Bahamas. You can hear and feel yourself there." Both his first manager (Steve Smith) and the man who signed him to Virgin Records (Jeff Ayeroff) were there sitting in front of me, and once Kravitz got his first advance ("Remember when you used to get an advance?"), he bought his land in the Bahamas - and a Harley. The studio he built on that land is where Kravitz has recorded his last three albums, including Raise Vibration.

Digging into that album, Goldman asked Kravitz about some of the tracks and themes on it, starting with the song, "Johnny Cash". Kravitz said he woke up with the phrase, "Hold me like Johnny Cash" running through his head, and he couldn't shake it. He sat down to write about a breakup he'd been going through (I'm available for consoling, Lenny), and couldn't get that refrain out of his head. Then he shared the very moving story of his mother (Roxie Roker - Mrs. Willis on The Jeffersons - one half of televison's first interracial couple) dying from cancer. Kravitz had been sitting at her hospital bedside for days, and left only to go shower at producer Rick Rubin's house, where he had been staying. The mere 30 minutes that he was gone was when his mother passed away. He got the call on a house phone at Rubins' house, and as he received the terribly sad news, Johnny Cash and June Carter walked down the staircase to him. They were there to record Cash's American Recordings, and instantly saw something was wrong with Kravitz. He told them his mother had just died, and they both enveloped him on either side in a group hug of consolation and comfort and spoke to him almost in prayer, though they all barely knew each other. "God always provides what you need ... and that's where I got 'Hold me like Johnny Cash'." The hushed room broke into applause - and tears, if you're me.

"Do you consider yourself an activist?", asked Goldman, to which Kravitz simply replied,"Yeah." He elaborated, saying that 30 years later ("Good God!") in his career, he's still not even close to who he will become. "I've done nothing yet ... Activism, I know I'll be stepping deeply into." That brought up his friendship with Colin Kaepernick, who Kravitz said he admires for "Standing up - or kneeling down - for what he believes in." He talked about how if you look back at footage of Muhammad Ali, he said whatever he felt, and "That stuff was hardcore!" We all respect the flag, but "Let's focus on what's important. National Anthems are great, but it's ONE planet, and our survival depends on working together. We're ALL ONE." I was happy to see that those good old "Let Love Rule" vibes remain very much intact with this guy.

They next spoke about how there are vocals by Micheal Jackson on the new Kravitz song, "Low". Kravitz had worked on Jackson's Invincible album, for which these vocals were recorded, and they were good friends. "It's cool to have his spirit and sound on "Low" - his screams are an exclamation point on it." He said he's heard dissses like, "Lenny thinks he's slick trying to sound like Michael" and that he was biting from him, "Like it was wack" - but it's really him. The Jackson Five were the first concert Kravitz ever went to, and it made him realize, "It was everything about life that I wanted. It changed my life." When he got to record a song with Michael, and they listened to the track together, Kravitz said, "His leg went out -  WHOOPASH! - and I knew it was good." Everyone laughed at that, but Kravitz obviously revered Jackson, saying, "It's so beautiful to remain humble, hungry, to hone your craft ... He did it all, but he was still hungry. That's the way to be, Man." GROWTH.

"All I'm interested in is being myself," said the guy who realized he didn't need to be "Romeo Blue" anymore (his original stage moniker) - he was Lenny Kravitz (who he said sounded more like a lawyer or a psychologist, but this one is definitely himself - and definitely a Rock Star). "You get influenced, and then you find who you are." Race didn't matter to Kravitz until first grade when he went to school and it mattered to other people. His mother told him, "You're black and white. 50/50. Celebrate BOTH sides - but society will only see you as Black." Kravitz thought, "Well, didn't Black people invent rock and roll?" and was just fine with that.

Prince was another big influence on Kravitz, starting in high school (at Beverly Hills High, where he brought the "Culture" from Baldwin Hills. "They had Rodéo Drive - We had ROdeo.") with the Dirty Mind album. "Here was another young, biracial guy I could relate to. He didn't act like anyone else. He didn't look like anyone else. I got DEEP into it." After Let Love Rule came out, Kravitz got a call from Prince. PRINCE! They struck up a friendship, even double-dating French girls when they both were living in Paris. They would play gigs and guest on each others' stages, and Prince would give him a bag of money after. "He's the only person that ever gave me a bag of money." They were friends until he passed away, and of the new song "Gold Dust", Kravitz said he wrote it the morning that Prince died. After he was gone, Kravitz was given Prince's guitar - a main one that he used all the time on stage. "His guitar is all over this album. His energy was in the room and brought something special to this album." And it's true. You can hear and feel it.

Kravitz credited his time with his love, Lisa Bonet, as what really got him started at being a good songwriter. They had a hippie lifestyle, very much in love, and very free. "No one could figure out what box to put you in," Goldman suggested, to which Kravitz offered his advice to new artists - "Do You". They next opened up the floor to questions, which ranged from if he considers his music gospel ("Absolutely. The first track is a prayer.") to not very subtly asking if he'd work with someone in a studio that he didn't know ("You never know.") to how he likes acting compared to music ("Let's be real, I've only made four movies. I like not having all the control, and I want to do more of it.").

Going back to Craig Ross, Kravitz said their friendship is a gift. He had just made Mama Said and was playing pool at HAC (Hollywood Athletic Club for those of you who remember that), and Charlotte from The Go Go's pointed to a guy with "A big Jewfro" and said, "There's your new guitar player" - which Kravitz needed. "We're always together, he moved to the Bahamas too ... we've never had an argument ... he's never asked for something and been said 'no' to, and I've never asked him something and been said 'no' to. We're like brothers." Then Ross's mother in the audience shouted, "Thank you!", and it choked me up again. So sweet.

Reflecting on the fact that Let Love Rule is coming up on 30 years old (!), Kravitz said it was a very special record to him ... "My dream came true." "I caught the tail end of the REAL thing. Real music executives who knew what was going on. It was me, but a very different me. That album set the tone of my music and my message, and from then until now, I've never left my message." The message that we'd all be so much better off if we all agreed to let LOVE rule. Thank goodness we still have artists like Kravitz to remind us of that, have always done so, and will continue to speak their truth to power.

Let. Love. Rule.

Raise Vibration is available now everywhere.


*Photos by Paul Gronner Photography.

Beck At The Bowl - Where It's At!

Beck at The Bowl! You know I wasn't going to miss this one ... though I did miss opening act St. Vincent doing a D.J. set as "St. Vicious" ... but we weren't in a big rush to see someone spin records for their Hollywood Bowl gig + L.A. traffic = Sorry, St. Vicious.

 

We did hear a little Talking Heads being spun as we walked up the hill, but everyone around us kind of just shrugged when asked how it was, so I imagine it was just like listening to tunes on the radio as we drove up Highland. Good enough for us.

We had just enough to time to scarf down our picnic before the lights went dark and Beck took the stage in full Rock Star mode, all in black with a toreador-style hat, and plenty of dramatics. He and his backing band tore into "Devil's Haircut", and Beck was super animated, bouncing all over the place, and shouting "Odelay! Buenos Noches! How you doing, Los Angeles?!" We were doing awesome, and it just kept getting better. "New Pollution" was excellent, and Beck explained that this was a homecoming show, and that they'd been on tour forever (15 months), and were excited to play tracks from his newest album Colors for their hometown friends, family, and neighbors. "Hi Neighbors! There is no better place to be on a Friday night in Los Angeles!" We all roared in agreement, and were given "Mixed Bizness" as a reward. You could tell that they'd been on the road playing this set for a while, as the banter veered pretty close to rehearsed cheese at times, like when artists work the song title into the chat, it always feels lounge singer-y to me - but I don't think Beck minds being lounge singer-like sometimes ... as in the lead up to "Up All Night". "If I see boys and girls dancing, can we stay up all night?" Like that.

Then it got a lot more L.A.-centric ... "This song isn't appreciated in other parts of the world, but I think it will be here ... I'm from the East side, Pico-Union. My first studio was in Boyle Heights, and every day I'd walk down the street and they'd say 'Hey, Güero! Who do you think you are, Axl Rose?!" That, of course, led to "Qué Onda Güero", and people loved it. Speaking of the people - this was a VERY white audience, with some of the all-time worst white dancing I've ever seen. Like, shockingly bad. Wow. You can't diss it really, though. Music that gets people up and dancing should always be celebrated, it's just ... Wow. I think Beck is rock and roll that has been deemed "safe" for the older, whiter crowds that still want to feel cool, but will never mosh. Have never moshed. Safe rock. Having said that, Beck doesn't play it safe at all when it comes to his musical genres, doing exactly whatever he wants, when he wants. The entire night wound all over the place, from utter pop to deep gospel stomp, and everyone loved all of it, That's the beauty of Beck. He'll make them like kinds of music they might never have heard before,and gets them up and out of their chairs, FEELING it. That's a rare and important gift, and a delight (and comedy) to witness.

"The last time I played here was ten years ago! When I play songs here in Los Angeles, you get it and know what I'm talking about ... you're a product of your surroundings, and these are some strange, beautiful surroundings. This one is for the Lovers ... people don't talk about slow jams anymore, but I'm bringing that back." And Beck did bring slow jam back with "Debra" and its laughs-getting shout outs to places in L.A. like Glendale and Zankou Chicken. Beck is funny! And I'd never found him sexy before really, and both my friend and I were like, "Beck. Huh." with his swagger and playing stirring up new admiration for both his humor and total command of his show. Then he REALLY got into my heart with a lovely tribute to Prince, and a cover of "Raspberry Beret". The first time Beck ever came to the Bowl for a show was to see Prince - and I was there too. It was special, and now I love Beck even more.

"Nicotine & Gravy" was fly, and then "Hollywood Freaks" was brought out for the Hollywood weirdos in the house, complete with a big, trippy light show featuring lasers. Lasers really get the folks up dancing! The lady in front of us was losing her mind, and I was happy for her - even as her husband just checked Twitter and tried not to look at her going nuts. "I'm So Free " and "Dear Life" were both gorgeous, but up next was the highlight of the night for me. Beck brought out Fred Martin and his Levite Camp choir that blew the place apart with "Fourteen Rivers, Fourteen Floods", and "Like A Ship Without A Sail". Holy (literally) Moly! It was something else, full of harmonica and acoustic guitar and piano and clapping and WOW. "That was something special for tonight!" said Beck when it was over, and just, thank you. It was fantastic. (It also begged the question, HOW is Beck a Scientologist?! Like, WHAT?! So smart, so talented, bringing up Christian choirs, but believing in E-meters and shit like that? I don't get it.)

"Any requests?" brought out shouts for everything in Beck's catalog, plus one clever older white man yelling "Sinatra!" (Told you. Safe rock crowd.) Beck and his backing band harmonized at the front of the stage acoustically for a sublime version of "Lost Cause" that almost made me cry. "Truckdrivin' Downstairs Neighbor" was more L.A. storytelling (about lost record stores like Aron's, Moby Disc, Peaches), and then right into "Blue Moon" that was so pretty I decided then and there that acoustic, pretty Beck is my favorite Beck.

Pop Beck was back next, and the techno lasers and electronica video game style backdrop was completely different than the tunes played right before, and that required a Beck costume change as well, now back in all white to play us "Dreams" and "Girl". Everyone was up and dancing again for his "Sun-Eyed Girl", and that led right into "Wow" from Colors, that really was WOW. This was the rapping, attitude, break dance moves Beck - and I think he's my second favorite Beck. The man wears a LOT of musical hats (and just hats in general), and cracked everyone up again here when he said, "Say it like Owen Wilson ... Woooow". A decent impression that slayed the crowd.

"Loser" was next, and everyone went wild. This was how we first met Beck, and it brings me back to such a time in L.A. ... just moved here, driving down the Wilshire corridor, feeling young and disillusioned at the same time - as the sun shined over it all. "Loser" is a bookmark on the timeline of my life, and it was a pure treat to hear it again live at the Bowl. And it was also pretty funny - and powerful - that Beck can get a whole crowd singing loudly "I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?" Calling themselves losers and asking to be killed is some serious lyric power, dude. "E-Pro" was next with its "Na na na na na na na!" chorus, that makes me think of E-Meter. No. At this point, my friend turned to me and said, "He's like a legit weirdo rock star. There aren't many of those anymore." True point of fact, and he also looks the SAME as he did when "Loser" dropped, for real. Rock keeps you young (if done the right way), clearly.

A quick little breather brought back Beck in a sparkly jacket and his whole crew on stage."Where It's At" was a total crowd pleaser, and also the answer to what was cool to be at on this night in L.A. THIS was where it was at. "That was a good drum break!" That led into band intros ("There's gonna be some preening!"), and each instrument did a little riff on a cover, from Talking Heads to Phil Collins (the drum standout) as Jason Falkner, Roger Manning, Jr, Dwayne Moore, Chris Coleman, Jake Sinclair, Cecilia Della Peruti, and Alex Lilly each got their well-deserved applause.

After a crowd singalong of "Happy Birthday" for Annie Clark (St. Vincent had her birthday this day, now I felt bad that we'd missed her spinning!), Beck got DOWN for "One Foot In The Grave" - a foot stomping, harmonica playing honky-tonker that the people loved. "He can do whatever he wants and everyone loves it", I said to my friend, and truly believed that he could have done polka jams and the crowd would have begun square dancing. Beck is a musical alchemist. "I think they're about to pull the plug on us, so the power might go out in the middle of this ...!" said Beck as they reprised "Where It's At" with full disco lighting and distorted vocals. The entire band electric slid sideways together off stage, and the crowd just kept on dancing. "That was some entertaining shit!" was overheard, and absolute fact. Beck puts on a SHOW.

Thank you, Beck! Thank you, Bowl! Another in a storied history of awesome shows. I'm so grateful for nights like these ... they really are what keep you going in this crazy world. It's like, WOW.

*Press photos courtesy of The Hollywood Bowl 

Conversations With Bootsy Collins At The Miracle!

William "Bootsy" Collins is the best. What a happy, kind, positive spirit this funk legend is, and we got to hear all about him and his life in his conversation with UCLA professor, Dr. Scot Brown, held at the fantastic Miracle Theater in Inglewood last Friday night.

Collins was there to discuss his new album, World Wide Funk, as well as to promote his Bootsy Collins Foundation, whose mission statement is "To inspire, educate, and enrich the lives of individuals from all backgrounds", and he did all of that in a single evening at the Miracle.

There was a meet and greet held before the actual sit-down with Dr. Brown, and when I was introduced to Mr. Bootsy Collins (!), I got unexpectedly emotional out of the blue, and almost cried. You see, I first ever heard of Collins and the Parliament Funkadelic because of Prince, who would always shout out to Bootsy and the P-Funk as major inspirations of his, and you can for sure hear it in his and the "Minneapolis Sound". Prince even inducted them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with proper respect and admiration. Collins seemed to understand the moment I simply said, "Prince", and we shared an embrace over the immense loss of Prince - but also over the joy of the moment in being there to celebrate the music, because we still can. It was special.

My friend K.C. Mancebo had organize the event, and when she took the stage to introduce Collins, Brown, and DJ Lance Rock (of Yo Gabba Gabba! fame, who spun the Pure Funk throughout), it was to a rowdy and excited crowd of superfans who were FEELING it. Brown came out and spoke to how influential funk is on all music ("When people reach for samples, they go back to funk."), and then, "Without further ado, Bootzilla, Zillatron, Casper, The Player of the Year, Bootsy Collins!" Collins came out on stage to chants of "Bootsy!", clad in his black and gold rhinestone spiked get-up, with trademark top hat and star-shaped sunglasses. He cupped his ear to take in the chants, smiling big all the while. He loves it, we love him.

Brown spoke to how funk has progressed, and Collins answered that back in the day, "You couldn't say 'Funk' on the radio ... now you'll get arrested if you DON'T say Funk!" He went on to say, "Funk says come as you are, we accept you, we encourage you, we embrace you. Anyone who wants to have some funking fun, bring your rump to the funk!" It's all just so fun, it's irresistible. Patti Collins, Bootsy's wife, was there too, in all her regal beauty, and also to promote her "Peppermint Patti's Grooveminte Girls" organization. Having fun AND doing good for the community is the best.

                                                                                                         *Photo courtesy of Nick Presniakov

Starting out playing with James Brown is a pretty darn good musical education, and Collins told us that "James Brown taught us the ABC's, he taught us the ONE. All number after that are just numbers... "Love has gotta be there. LOVE is the ONE." After Brown, Collins took up with George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, and then took off on his own with Bootsy's Rubber Band, with great stories for every era. Like how on a song called "Munchies For Your Love", "These were my personal experiences ... I always had my own stash."

                                                                                                         *Photo courtesy of Nick Presniakov

In between awesome statements like "You can't funk with the Funk!" and "You never know how the funk is gonna creep up on you", Collins spoke about how important it is to him that every kid has an instrument, and he's seeing to that through his "Say It Loud" program. This cat just kept getting cooler and cooler the more he spoke.

For Collins, it all started with the church ("Getting down for God!"), where he loved the music he would hear. "Music DROVE me," he explained, "I loved to draw, and paint, but what could I do at school with no guitar?" So he learned the clarinet, and kept at it until he was first chair clarinet. That's why it's so important to him that kids have access to instruments, and he is seeing to it. "If they're interested or good at music, HELP them. Mugs wanna learn. Help kids feel like they're SOMEBODY." When the Q and A portion of the evening began, one man asked where he could get some cool star sunglasses like his. Collins replied that he had them custom made when he first started out so that when kids looked at him, they would see their own reflection in his eyes - as a star. I love that so much, and was my favorite anecdote of the night.

                                                                                                         *Photo courtesy of Nick Presniakov

Another woman snaked me on my questions about Prince, but she asked if they'd ever worked together, and Collins confirmed that they never did. "He would come to shows ... he wasn't a threat, he didn't look like a regular brother (laughter). He took the funk to a whole new generation." That was completely true, because I only knew about the P-Funk due to Prince, and then my late friend, Darren Sakai, who used to play it all the time when he was my roommate in Hawai'i. I sorely wished he could have been there with me to meet one of his favorites. Yep, choked up again!

Catfish Collins was Bootsy's brother, who he said, "Was the whole reason I'm standing up here now. He had my back. Didn't nothing mean nothing but getting to the gig for the people. We'd leave the car in traffic." In response to one man's question about where funk began, Collins replied, "They started calling it 'Funk' with James Brown. They never help the Funk. We need y'all, applaud yourselves (we did). It was never about the money, it was always about giving up the Funk." And you can feel that truth in everything Collins says and does - tangibly.

The questions had to stop sometime, but when they did, the chants began again. "Come back, Bootsy, Come back!" So he stayed and signed everybody's everything, graciously taking photos and taking the time to chat with anyone who approached. It truly was an evening of "Unplanned World Wide Funk Attacks", and we were all better for experiencing it. Massive thank yous to Mr. Bootsy Collins, his wife Patti, Dr. Scot Brown, DJ Lance Rock, K.C. Mancebo, Owen Smith and The Miracle Theater staff, and everyone who was there to feel the funk and the love. Spread it Worldwide!