Verge of the Dude

Hey Dude, the amazing Reverand Rick retired at the top of his game to become an artist, while the jury is still out for me. 

QUOTE: "Just do your thing. Come as you are."

MUSICIANS: Reverend Rick, Paramahansa Yogananda, John Fogerty

VENUES: Studio City, Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, Claremont, Self Realization Fellowship, Echo Park, Altadena

INSTRUMENTS: Unitarian Universalism, poetry reading, pandemic, podcasting, ...

Hey Dude, my recent reconnection to music makes me travel back in time to 2004, where I was living in a basement apartment in "Eagle Rock" and working on a one person show called "Broken Hearts and Sad Country Songs." 

QUOTE: "Whatever!"

MUSICIANS: Stan Hillas, Kittens For Christian, Bruce Springsteen, Marilyn Monroe, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan

VENUES: United Kingdom, Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, Sun Valley

INSTRUMENTS: ...

Hey Dude, an innocent Sunday drive to the Hollywood Bowl box office with my dad, turns into a mudslide of deep hometown memories.

QUOTE: "If you don't drive through your hometown, are you really in your hometown?"

LULLABY: "Hooray for Hollywood" (Whitling/Mercer)

MUSICIANS/CAST:  John Fogerty, Joan Anderson, George Clooney, Billy Strings, Bob Dylan

LOCATIONS: The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, Hollywood Way, Warner Bros., Walt Disney S...

Hey Dude, I took my dad to see Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival at The Hollywood Bowl and it somehow magically restored my faith in my own home town.

QUOTE: "I would call it a borderline spiritual experience..."

LULLABY: "California Sober" by Billy Strings

MUSICIANS/CAST: Willie Nelson, P-22 (mountain lion), Ricky Gervais, Sierra Hull, Billy Strings, Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett, Deadheads, Jimi Hendrix

LOCATIONS: The Hollywood B...

Hey Dude, I finally watched La La Land and it really struck me to the core, especially the scenes at my beloved Smoke House and the wacky one person show stuff. 

QUOTE: "My recording situation isn't perfect..."

CAST: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Ming Ming (cameo)

LOCATIONS: Oregon, 105 Freeway, The Dresden Room, The Smoke House, Warner Bros., Griffith Park, The Griffith Observatory, Sunset Blvd. 

FILM/TV: A Complete Unknown, The Choco...

Hey Dude, I trip out on being a heathen freshman at a Catholic high school, and then I goof on the reason why I left.

QUOTE: "I didn't want to sell the chocolates."

CAST: Pope Francis, Jesus of Nazareth, Spartacus, Chris Prine, Danny DeVito, Annette Bening, Jennifer Jason Leigh

LOCATIONS: Notre Dame High School, Beth Meier Preschool, Corvallis High School, Descanso Gardens, Altadena

PROPS: Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, My Ow...

Hey Dude, after stumbling from the ashes, I finally sat down to have my mind blown by the film A Complete Unknown...twice.

QUOTE: "The wheels have completely fallen off the wagon."

CAST: Brandi Carlile, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joe Friday, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Fred Neil, James Mangold, Elijah Wald, Timothée Chalamet, Sylvester Stallone, Joaquin Phoenix, Johnny Cash, Boyd Holbrook, Joan Baez, Monica Barbaro, Edward Norton, E...

Hey Dude, my super funky weekend was redeemed after Reverend Rick let his freak flag fly from the pulpit of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City.

QUOTE: "I don't know if I should say this in church."

PEOPLE: Kris Kristofferson, Philip Roth, Jack Nicholson

PLACES: Altadena, Los Angeles, DTLA, Los Angeles Central Library, Universal City, Studio City, Harvard Westlake Sports Complex, UUCSC

THINGS: Sunday Morning Coming Dow...

Hey Dude, I talk about how I'm struggling to keep my head on straight this year as I deal with the Altadena Fire, my induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame and my 20th anniversary of podcasting. All while trying to celebrate the efforts of the people at Podcasthon, as Dean and I ask for your help with our own non-profit, the History of Podcasting Project. 

PEOPLE: Dean Whitbread

PLACES: Altadena, Burbank, Los Angeles, California,...

Hey Dude, I headed up to Altadena to visit the three historic places where I once lived. All three were burned to the ground. Yet I still feel a tinge of hope.

PEOPLE: David Lynch, Zane Grey

PLACES: Altadena, Jane's Village, Zane Grey Estate, Woodbury Building

THINGS: History of Podcasting Project

SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, airplane  Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes 

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO...

Hey Dude, obviously there has been a lot going on with the Eaton Fire burning down my studio in downtown Altadena. So many people, suffering so much loss, so I'll wait to tell my side of the story for another day.

My GoFundMe

SOUNDS: footsteps, gravel path, sirens  Laguna Sawdust Cowbell Chimes 

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Go Find Me" shot with my iPhone XS

RECORDED: February 1, 2025 in the "Ca...

Hey Dude, I briefly talk about being inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame, before I flashback to my not so distant dreams of living in the 90s.

QUOTE: "I didn't play it cool enough, so I dropped the ball."

PEOPLE: Grant Baciocco, Hiram, Alicia Silverstone 

PLACES: Orlando, Burbank, Westside, South L.A., San Bernadino

THINGS: Podcast Hall of Fame, Dr. Floyd, Toiley T. Paper, Kittens for Christian, Reality Bites, Portlandia, SNL, m...

Hey Dude, I'm really sorry it's been so long since my last call. I riff about a "big f'n deal" announcement that is still a secret, while also lamenting all of the broken shoelaces in my life. 

QUOTE: "It's not the big things in life that kill you. It's the little things like breaking a shoelace with no time left." - Charles Bukowski 

PEOPLE: Charles Bukowski, Sylvester Stallone

PLACES: North Hollywood High School

THINGS: Rocky, X ...

Hey Dude, the other night I watched the Joan Baez documentary "I Am a Noise" and it struck me to the core. My new found reverence for Joan Baez is beyond measure. Plus I couldn't think of my favorite singer's name...Brandi Carlile.

QUOTE: "Madonna, not Madonna the performer. Madonna the Virgin Mary."

PEOPLE: Norah Jones, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Eilish & Finneas, The Carpenters, The Go-Go's, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga, Judy Collins, ...

Hey Dude, I had a minor battle with COVID before I really went viral with a Star Wars post in a Generation X group on Facebook. 

QUOTE: "A two-year-old has no context of anything..."

PEOPLE: David Letterman

PLACES: Hollywood Burbank Airport, Canada

THINGS: COVID-19, vaccines, Star Wars, micro-generations, 1977, Substack, Generation X, 1965-1980, 1960, 1980, Facebook, History of Podcasting, Rocky

SOUNDS: birds, footsteps, gravel pat...

Hey Dude, I left you a melancholy message about my crazy days before the holidays, along with a sad remembrance of my mom's last Christmas.

QUOTE: "At least that's what I call the day after Christmas..."

PEOPLE: Dean Whitbread, Doug Mcintyre 

PLACES: England, Henry's Tacos, Ernie's Taco House, Casa Vega, El Coyote

THINGS: Libsyn, Subaru, Outback, Crosstrek, Faberge egg, Christmas, Christmas Eve, "It's A Wonderful Life", redemption ...

Hey Dude, the PBS documentary "The Chinatown Punk Wars" took me back in my mind to my best live performance at the Hong Kong Cafe.

QUOTE: "I was totally free on stage."

PEOPLE: The Dude, Karen Carpenter, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, Keith Morris, John Doe

PLACES: DTLA, Arts District, Al's Bar, Chinatown, Echo Park, Sunset Blvd., Millie's, Madame Wong's, Hong Kong Cafe

THINGS: Generation X, Boomers, micro generation, A...

Hey Dude, the brewing storm inside my sobriety kept me from going to my North Hollywood High School "rebel reunion" for the class of 1984. I also riff on the weather.

QUOTE: "The wind blowing kinda stirred my soul."

PEOPLE: Sinéad O'Connor, Dean Whitbread

PLACES: North Hollywood High School, Walter Reed Junior High School

THINGS: Tropical Storm Hilary, History of Podcasting

SOUNDS: wind, footsteps, gravel path, the 5 Freeway, knee ...

Hey Dude, the FBI finally sent me the file on my Great Uncle Blayney. It's a 210 page mixed bag, but now I have a new angle to tell his story. I also recently binged GLOW and Ted Lasso. 

QUOTE: "I'm not easy to work with, for sure."

PEOPLE: Alison Brie, Marc Maron, Jason Sudeikis, Lester Holt, Blayney F. Matthews, Alan Ladd, Joseph Dougherty

PLACES: Lowe's, Glassel Park, Eagle Rock, Warner Bros., Hollywood Burbank Airport

THINGS:...