Okay! Here we go! More oldies but goodies from my negative vault. I got busy scanning photos. This time I’m posting Ronnie Spector @ The Fastlane – Asbury Park, NJ circa 1981 or 1982. And I do believe that John Eddie And The Front Street Runners opened for her that night. Actually I know they did. My only problem is trying to remember if I photographed the Runners that night too. If I did, I can’t find the negatives. But the search continues.

You have to remember I was still a “starving student” back then and the cost of film and developing would always influence what I did and did not take photos of. Seeing that I photographed Ronnie Spector in black & white, leads me to believe this was a “poorer” shoot and I might have had limited funds. Otherwise I would have shot in color. Continue Reading > > >

What a difference a year makes! It’s quite unbelievable, on March 9, 2012 I set foot into the Visiting Nurses Clinic of Asbury Park and saw nurse practitioner Pat Garduno. Our first meeting, though fruitful, was not the warm, caring, supportive, experience I was use to with my former primary care physician, Dr Rosenfield, back in Seattle. But it was an eye opener! Before I walked in I knew my Type II Diabetes was back and in full swing. A single finger stick glucose test validated that—with a 420 glucose level I was setting off alarms—not only in my head! NP Garduno seemed cold, removed and almost scolding in her behavior. It made me not want to ever come back.

A week later (March 19, 2012) I did return for a follow up. In our previous visit I was given 2 prescriptions for my diabetes as well as one for high cholesterol and was told I’d be on these medications for the rest of my life. I looked at NP Garduno and said, “… you certainly don’t know me very well! I beat this once before and I’ll do it again!” She just rolled her eyes and smirked. Fast forward to the next day and my first visit with nutritionist Janet Blum. Continue Reading > > >

History at times can be a real motherfucker— whether you’re making it or breaking it. Case in point— The Rise And Fall Of The Clash Kindle Edition. Maybe for the first time in history, we have the release of an eBook before the consumer release of the actual film it was made to augment and inform. As The Rise And Fall Of The Clash is not your standard fare documentary (it tells the truth, the whole truth,and nothing but … the truth!) so follows the release of  The Rise and Fall of The Clash Kindle Edition eBook.

The book combines Danny’s account of putting the book together. From conception, to getting the interviews and the process, good and bad, of getting the film finished. It also contains transcriptions of every interview in the film. Oh … dare I forget … six of my own unpublished Clash photos too.

Danny Garcia has been touring the US and Europe showing his film The Rise And Fall Of The Clash from California to New York, from Madrid to London and any place in-between that would let him show his intriguing documentary before its release. While waiting to get the finished film out on DVD and iTunes, Danny has released the Kindle Edition of the book in time for Christmas. An analog version (read U.S. paperback version) will be released sometime early 2013. I’m so glad he did an early release via Amazon as a Kindle Edition eBook— with six of my Clash photos in the book, and I needed to see them! Pronto! One other surprise, the paperback edition is already released on Amazon U.K. Continue Reading > > >

Sonny: What the hell is this?

Clemenza: It’s a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.

It may not have been a Sicilian message, but it was as brutal a message as Mario Puzo might have painted in the Godfather. Another assassin struck, and the east coast was its unwilling mark. Sandy was the henchman and the eastern seaboard was Luca. And sadly, all too much of New York and New Jersey now sleeps with the fishes.

None of my pre-Sandy readiness could have prepared me for such brutality, such devastation. When I awoke that Tuesday morning October 30th at 7:00 AM, it was quiet, uneasily quiet. No howling wind, no rain, no train whistles, not even car sounds. It was spooky. I got out of bed and looked out the window. The sky was still gray, but you could see it was clearing. That thug – Sandy – had come and gone in the night. Thankfully, with the help of earplugs, I slept through her menacing howl. Upon waking, I still had no electric. I wasn’t really counting on it. But it sure would have been nice!

I decided immediately to get dressed, eat something, grab my camera, and go see  if my city was indeed in ruins. Without electric, there was not hot water to shower with, even though my heat and hot water come from the same gas-fired on demand system, it takes a spark of electric to ignite the warming flames. I also realised I had no cell phone service. So much for modern technology. I got dressed, grabbed a few crunch bars, a bottle of water, my camera, and decided to take my car and drive around. Continue Reading > > >

This is what we are made of!

This is the Asbury Park Boardwalk Hurricane Sandy Relief benefit Tee shirt.

Asbury Park Boardwalk is coming back strong and we want to support others who were affected by the storm. We have produced a limited number of Asbury Park Boardwalk Tees. You can purchase these tees at The Bodega in the Grand Arcade of Convention Hall on the Asbury Boardwalk or through the Stone Pony website. Shirts are only $20 and all proceeds will benefit the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.

The Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund was launched by Governor Chris Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie to raise funds and resources to help New Jersey families impacted by the devastation of the storm.

Limited edition, while supplies last!

Men’s shirts in Navy, Black or White – Sizes S-2XL – $20
Ladies Tees in Black – Sizes S-XL – $20

I reposted this (with a little editing) from The Asbury Park Boardwalk’s post on Facebook. This is certainly keeping it local! Though I can’t afford it, I’m off to The Bodega in the Grand Arcade to buy mine right now!