Dumpster Guitar

Found this (1976?) Gibson J-50 Deluxe guitar in the garbage. The bridge needed to be re-glued in place. It sounds great, though the intonation needs a little work. Technically if I wanted this restored, the guitar repair guy said it would cost about $800. Which probably really means $1000+. Um.. I'm not going to pump $1000 into a guitar I found in the dumpster just to get a guitar that I can buy in "excellent condition" on e-bay for about $1100. Sorry, mister repair man, this isn't my child.

The Top 10 Ugliest Cars in the World

Business Week releases their list of top 10 ugliest cars in the world.

My parents owned two of them.

At the same time.


The AMC Pacer.



The Ford Pinto.

Just Like the Good New Days

I just read the Wall Street Journal article about "relic guitars". If you don't know, what a "relic" guitar is, it's basically a brand new guitar that was beaten up to look like it is an old model worn out guitar. These have been around for years but apparently they're getting very popular as real "vintage" guitar prices start to rise. I didn't know that both Sting and Andy Summers of the Police both use relic guitars (based on their own originals) on stage. Actually during their concert I saw a few months ago, I remarked to someone that it was strange to see them using the exact same instruments that they used in the 80's. Now I know why. I (like most people) have always thought that relic guitars are a pretty stupid concept. I guess when you buy a guitar that is already crapped up, you don't feel so bad when you drop it on the floor. That theory falls down when you find out that you pay a premium for someone to beat up your new guitar. The Jeff Beck relic guitar (pictured) is supposedly an exact replica (all the way down to the scratches and worn out spots) of one of his real guitars. Price tag about $10,000. Um yeah, that's 4 zeros. I guess the point of these guitars is the same as buying worn out jeans. Instead of having something around forever and actually wearing it out yourself with tales of high adventure, you can buy the fake history and get the look of being a seasoned professional right away. I think they should extend this concept to other products.

You should be able to buy a brand new old model car that is is already dinged and dented up. I think the US car makers should capitalize on this. Maybe they should loan them out to driving schools and rental car companies for a couple of months before delivery. Thrown in some corroded spark plugs maybe an oil leak or two and they'll be flying off the show room floor. Have you driven a Ford Lately? How about a 2007, beaten up Pinto?

Mmmm.. Fish Sticks and Sprinkles

This is what she wanted for dinner

Disco at the Guggenheim

OK, here's my kid activity review of "The Shapes of Space" exhibit at the Guggenheim. I saw this online and saw it in Time Out Kids and decided to take Elana. In short, it's worth every penny I spent. I had free tickets. If you have to spend the $18 or $20 a head that people normally spend to get in... go elsewhere.

If you've never been to the Guggenheim Museum in NYC, I'll tell you the description that I tell everyone. The building is almost always more interesting than the actual exhibits. This new exhibit doesn't disappoint... the building is still more interesting than the actual exhibits. If you want crazy modern art wierdness, spend the extra $2 and go to the MOMA. If you're looking for a kid activity, spend the money on "Baby Loves Disco" instead.

The show is mostly the usual Guggenheim fare of giant solid black canvases and lots of empty space. I guess this show is targeted at the NYC dweller, who really appreciates the value of large, wasted, empty space. The one installation of any interest is the one pictured above. No surprise, every article about this exhibit shows a picture of this room because the rest isn't much to speak of. As we all know, with modern art the quality of the work is inversely proportional to the length of the bullshit explanation that comes with it. The above piece had a lengthy explanation. Summarized, the artist is making some weak association between moden artists like Piet Mondrian... e.g.


...and a disco. Oh see! He took a lighted floor that you could find in numerous dance clubs across the world and he put it into a museum? Isn't that clever? Um... no. The fine line here between clever and stupid would be that if it floor was a lot more like a Mondrian painting, (i.e. different sized boxes, black border lines, Mondrian's pallet etc) then it might be cute. At least Elana had a lot of fun running around in this room and screaming.

Geek Farm On Stage at CBGB's

I haven't seen this photo in a while but the bass player (Kenny) just posted it. This is a Geek Farm show at CBGB's just before it closed down. Supposedly we still have an album in the works. It's all recorded but it hasn't been mixed.

That Jaeques is One Pain in the Ass

Stumbled across this photo on flickr of this guy who has his ass branded. I guess he wants everyone to know who is mooning them.

This picture reminds me of this guy.


I used to rent a music studio near times square and this guy had the studio across the hall. His branding is the word "REVENGE" across his collar bone. Lots of interesting stories from that building that I won't go into now. Let's just say that every fellony that could be committed was being comitted in that building on a regular basis. I was just there for the music.