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The Way We Get By – Trailer from The Way We Get By on Vimeo.
I have been lucky enough to get to know Tedy Bruschi a little bit, and I have to tell you that the guy you saw on TV saying goodbye today is the exact same guy you meet in person. Intense, businesslike, but always always having fun. Last summer I played in Tedy’s foursome at the Spaulding Rehab tournament at the TPC in Norton, and he was as gracious as you can be with fans, who stopped him the whole time we played to say hello.
His retirement today is the rarest of occurances in sports: an athlete who knows when it is time to quit. One only need to look at the great Brett Farve to see how hard it is for professional athletes to call it a career, but Tedy got it right today. Not willing to be a part time player, or to feel like he was a step behind, he is saying goodbye to the only team he has known for his 13 year pro career.
He had a chance to say “see ya” to the Patriots and go to Green Bay for bigger dollars, but he said the only thing he could think of when he visited was that the Packers had beated his beloved Patriots in the Superbowl. As fans, we all find time to criticize athletes who have none of the loyalty to their team we have come to expect, so it’s important to point out that Tedy Bruschi is someone who remained loyal, took less money to stay, and delivered three titles to the Pats.
The Coach called him the “perfect” player during today’s press conference. He is much more than that. The Perfect Patriot. And a guy who truly cared about his team and the fans. How many players can you name, in any sport, who play their whole career with one team and love doing it? I would hope that number 54 is retired very soon…maybe even on opening night. When the Patriots play a Buffalo Bills team who highest profile player is the exact opposite of Tedy. Talk about contrasts! Good luck to Tedy Bruschi…we will miss you!!!
It was just a few months ago, in April, that Attorney General Eric Holder said “It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned by the Justice Department”. So why then, in a complete about-face, did Holder and this administration announce yesterday that a special prosecutor, John Durham, would begin an investigation into whether the CIA broke the law when interrogating terrorists.
And yes, I call them terrorists. I know it is popular, now that the sheer terror of September 11th is all but a distant memory for some, to call them “detainees” but I insist on describing them as they are: angry people who want to do harm to the United States, our citizens and our way of life.
We are told that some of these CIA interrogators, gasp, “threatened to do harm to the families” of some of these enemy combatants. With breathless indignation, we are also told some were threatened with assault with a power drill. Of course, there is no indication that a single Al AQueda soldier ever had a power drill actually used on him, but that doesn’t matter to our Attorney General. (As an aside, I prefer to hope that somewhere deep inside the bowels of Gitmo, a CIA operative sodomized one of these killers with one, but there doesn’t appear to be any evidence to back it up).
A cynical person like myself might ask “why now?” As the health care debate continues to lean less and less in the President’s favor, why would this administration remove that most important of issues from their priority list and direct the country’s attention back to the previous President, a man who has been out of office going on 8 months? I think I just answered my own question.
President Obama told us, those who voted for him and those who did not, that he was not interested in focusing on what happened during the Bush years. We were moving forward, onward and upward, and we weren’t going to waste alot of time on what that guy did. I guess that was true, until his administration became mired in a Health Care debate that didn’t go their way. Now, suddenly, is the time to point fingers and place blame. It’s easy to imagine them hanging on the Vineyard and saying “Let’s remind everybody how awful Bush and Cheney were”. I’m not impressed.
Mr. Holder said it himself. It is “unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America”, but that is just what they intend to do. And they won’t stop until they find a way to pin it all on Dick Cheney. After all, he had the audacity to believe that the safety of the many, outweighs the suffering of the few. But then again…we’re not talking about Health Care anymore, are we?
I started the Summer vacation drinking…I mean research, as soon as I got home from work on the Friday before heading down to Sweet Cape Cod for the week. I pulled a cold Southampton Publick House IPA out of my fridge and poured it into a glass while whiping the drool from my mouth. I’m usually suspicious of people who use the “olde” English spelling for things like “shoppe” or preface it with “Ye”. But I had heard good things about this New York brewery. It poured a light amber with a thin sudsy head. A great hop aroma with a slight smokiness. The first sip not only contained a strong hop taste but was also had the bittersweet grapefruit rind flavor which lingered after the finish. Keep in mind, I had the natural high of the night before a week’s vacation, so it was hard to ruin my chipper mood. It’s high carbonation made it refreshing and I give it high points for drinkability. Great with the oversized cheeseburgers with whiskey chipotle sauce I had for dinner.
The Dogfish Head folks continue to prove they are wacko extremists when it comes to brewing spectacular beers. This time, like their Midas Touch, they delve into ancient history to find new and mysterious tastes. This time they go to China, where recently unearthed artifacts have traces of the worlds oldest brew. Chateau Jiahu is based on a northern Chinese concoction painstakingly anylized by University professors and then handed over to the mad professors at Dogfish Head. Like most of their brews, it’s got some crazy shit in it. Pre-geletinized Rice flakes, Chrysanthemum flowers, muscat grapes, etc. After pouring this reddish amber nectar it formed a thin but creamy off-white head. I could smell the fermented fruit, it almost had a musty character. The malt also came through in the aroma and with vanilla and light citrus. I studied the illustration of the hot asian gothy chick on the label while I let it settle. The first sip was rich, as alot of Dogfish Head occasional brews are, tasted of orange and raisin, with a high alcohol taste and a delicious creaminess. This brew made my lips, gums, and teeth tingle. It was so mystifying I started to feel paranoid. What if they messed up a step in the process and accidentally made some kind of hallucinogenic liquid that is eating away at my oral cavity? Is this a trick by the Chinese Government to make us drink a mind control solution disguised as a historical re-creation? Should I get my teeth cleaned? The tingling went away after a couple of sips. As it warmed it’s fruitiness was enhanced and the alcohol taste increased. As I approached the bottom of the bottle my skull started to warm.(8.0 ABV) The Dogfish Head people are witches!! The fermented fruit aroma increased and the taste of apples started to appear. Or was I tripping balls? It finished sweet. This is a brew to be enjoyed and not guzzled. The ancient Chinese must have been very happy drinking this….when they were not being pillaged by Mongols.
I love that point during a Cape Cod vacation when you become “Beachy”. You’ve been at the beach every day body surfing and taking in the sun. Eating snow cones while getting crispy. Using the outside shower to rinse the sand out of your crack. Your skin is covered in layers of salt water, sunscreen, and sweat. It was in this state I refreshed myself with a Whales Tale Pale Ale from Cisco Brewers. I sat on a deck in the sun letting the salt and sand bake into my scalp and grabbed a cold one from the cooler. I first held the iced cold bottle to the back of my neck before I poured it to reveal it’s light copper color and sudsey head. Then first cold sip of this Nantucket brew was light on hops with a touch of grapefruit rind and smokey malt. It was not overbearing and fully drinkable. I enjoyed the full four pack including one in the outdoor shower which is a great summer experience. It finished bitter and crisp and was the go to beer of my summer vacation.
Well, I survived…
It was *97 and there was no shade!
There was amazing food, bubblegum flavored vodka and root beer floats like we used to have when we were kids! But, no shade!
Creed’s instruments started warping in the sun, so we found the only tent we had and covered them before Mark Tremonti’s guitar melted into the roof!
The band was happy, relaxed and genuinely excited to be hangin’ out poolside with us… It was nice to see them that way after the last few years of ‘gossip’ and news stories…
They played 3 songs, one from every album released so far.
The live performance is up in the In-Studio Tunes Page
During the performance, Hill-Man and I were able to get the ‘gossip’ from the band… How the reunion happened, how they feel now that they are back together, what Spinal Tap moments they have endured over the years… and much more.
Check out the interview below!
Creed Rooftop Pool Party Interview
The guys couldn’t have been nicer to all of us! They took the heat in stride, sounded great, and signed autographs for everyone before they left for the Comcast Center show that night!
The new album Full Circle will be out in October 2009.
Click here for all of the details!
Chester Bennington from Linkin Park is releasing the debut album titled
‘Out Of Ashes’ from his side project Dead By Sunrise on October 13.
The 1st single ‘Crawl Back In’ will be on iTunes this Tuesday.
If you want a sneak peek…
Les Paul died today at age 94. You may know the name… But you definitley know the guitar sound that he made famous! We owe Les Paul for so much of the music that we love… So, Thank You Les! Thank you for the soundtrack of my life. And, if you think I am being over dramatic… Just check out this PARTIAL list of people that have played the Les Paul guitar!
Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Bumblefoot (Guns N’ Roses), Lindsey Buckingham, Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard), Chris Chasse (Rise Again), Graham Coxon (Blur), Eric Clapton, Steve Clark (Def Leppard), Sheryl Crow, Al Di Meola, Andy Dunlop (Travis), Elliot Easton (Cars), David “The Edge” Evans (U2), Don Felder (Eagles), John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam), Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, James Hetfield (Metallica), Noel Hogan (The Cranberries), James Honeyman-Scott (The Pretenders), Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Terry Kath (Chicago), Frank Lero (My Chemical Romance), Kerry Livgren (Kansas), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Bob Marley, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Tom Scholz (Boston), Neal Schon (Santana, Journey), Earl Slick (David Bowie),Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), Nancy Wilson (Heart), Neil Young
Click here for more info on the man, the myth, the legend…
What is your favorite Les Paul guitar song?
Me? It might have to be Sweet Child O’ Mine!
The new AIC will be sent to us on Monday, so make sure you are listening to WAAF to hear ‘Check My Brain’
Here’s a 30 second tease if you just can’t wait until then!
The new album Black Gives Way to Blue will be in stores on September 29
and like I reported FIRST back in MAY
Among the many highlights on “Black Gives Way To Blue” is a special guest performance by Elton John. The two rock legends collaborated on the album’s stunning title track, “Black Gives Way To Blue”, a heart-stirring tribute to ALICE IN CHAINS‘ late lead singer Layne Staley.
This is the video for the new Perry Farrell song, “I Like Em’ Big”. Not the usual Jane’s Addiction fare. More of the techno Perry. Quite frankly, who really cares? Look at his wifes bombs! It’s not Rocket Science…
It’s nice to see Rock Stars acting like Rock Stars.
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