Last week I was supposed to have lunch with Charlotte Pritt. She's Chairperson of the West Virginia Mountain Party...and former Democratic Candidate for Governor in 1996. She beat Joe Manchin in the Primary. But, our youngest Governor, Cecil Underwood, became our oldest Governor. Big Money and Big Lies doomed Charlotte. They said she wanted condoms in kindergarten, and that was the mild stuff.
I canceled my lunch and just drifted around the Capitol Complex. The first person I saw off the elevator was Sir Hoppy Kerchival announcing his Talkline show in the corner. During a commercial break, I walked over.
"Hey Hops..what's the Haps?" Big smiles. We do this little thing once a year during the last week of the Session. "Tell me something good, Rao".
"We'll Hop, last year I told you to put big money on Shelley Capito's Democratic opponent, Howard. You laughed and said she'd steamroller him with 75%. You were right on the mark."
After a little small talk, I handed him one of the Ray Lane stickers. He looked confused. "Ray Lane? I don't get it."
"You don't get it because you just read the news...you don't listen. A few weeks ago, your top story was this..."The Chairman of the Board of Hewlett Packard, Ray Lane, stepped aside today..."
"Oh...that Ray Lane" Then, the questions started. He thought he had a huge scoop. Ray Lane was moving back to West Virginia to win Jay Rockefeller's open Senate seat. Shelley Capito would have to raise as much as Ray has in pocket change.
"Yea, Hop, his resume is pure gold. Board of Governors of WVU. Chairman of the Board of Carnegie Mellon. Heck, their Computer Center is named after him and his wife. And..we can forget Co-Chairing the Special Olympics. But, his big fish was his long time Presidency at Oracle before Larry Ellison threw enough money at him to leave. Of course, being a managing partner at Kleiner Perkins...the primier Venture Capitalists...has it's perks, too. I understand he shares an espresso maker with another partner, Al Gore."
"So when's Ray going to announce?" Hoppy finally asks. Then, he takes a hard long look at me.
"Rao..you're bullshitting me. Ray Lane doesn't know anything about this, does he. This is one of your usual political pranks, isn't it?''
Hoppy busted me. I walked away and waved..."Hey...if Ray calls and asks you if you know me...tell him no."
I'll get Ray back. I'm almost positive he was in that gang that stole my lunch money at Carnot Elementary back in '57.
I've given up all rational hope that Capito will say anything from deep in her own heart. If her handler from BrabenderCox, Kent Gates doesn't write it, She doesn't say it. I guess that's why she calls him her "Spokesman". She really does want to support her sisters, but just can't. The campaign donations will stop.
My Congresswoman hasn't been much of one. Shelly Capito, [R-WV 2nd]rode the Bush/Cheney coat tail, but everyone knows her Father, Former West Virginia Governor Arch Moore, paved her golden road. She joined the esteemed Congressional Class of 2000. They were all stars then, and still are. Capito has been a loyal soldier for Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Not so much for West Virginia.
Capito and Cantor are predicted to cruise easily back to power. They're relying on Grover Norquist and Karl Rove to tend to the public relations details. But, giving folks an excitingly bland diet of bread and circuses has worn thin. The jig is up.
Capito and Cantor abdicated to K Street from the start. Paul Ryan showed them how.
Capito and Cantor are finally losing sleep. They're tormented nightly that the secret Democratic breeding labs had finally met success. These new dogs are sky BLUE..in certain light...but immediately shift to RED Their teeth are enormous.
Howard Swint and Wayne Powell will walk the back roads of their sweet Appalachia to do the memory of Robert C. Byrd right.
"Losing American, Senator?". Bob was a fiddler, so I can understand his pessimism.
He would have loved to stick around for this election.
Finally, I have to mention Christmas. Every year the Christmas card influx begins with the full color card of Jay Rockefeller's family. I've saved them all. He's the kind of guy you can't buy anything for. I always wanted to surprise him with a present that shocked him. Something he never thought would bring such joy.
I will give him two Congressmen to feed. Howard and Wayne will show him how to finally have fun.
Here's Howard...Howard Swint
Here's Wayne...Wayne Powell
This will continue..until November. Come back a lot.
Greetings from West Virginia. We're still losing ground here at a good clip in the ongoing Coal War. Big Coal had it's way for a hundred years, but now Big Gas has taken them on. King Gas is a new term that West Virginian's have a hard time saying.
The early war saw unions broken and maimed. That battle never stopped. The environmental front fared no better. With the law on their side, they were positive the horrendous atrocity called Mountaintop Removal would be banned. Nearly twenty years ago, Republican Federal Judge Haden ruled against Coal. He wrote that MTR ruins the water. He scolded for not having post mining plans in place before the first explosions. He pointed to the lack of compliance requiring the mountains being returned to the AOC. That's Approximate Original Contour.
I could go on and on but I'd just be repeating what Ken Ward has been writing in his Coal Tattoo blog at the Charleston Gazette. It's a must read as he's compiled years and years of information and comments from all sides.
Coal has always won politician's hearts and wallets. Until now. Once scorned as a Wall Street carpetbagger, Senator Jay Rockefeller has stood up. He swiftly kicked Big Coal in the head. Told them to grow up. The Friends of Coal went apoplectic and doubled up their recruitment efforts.
My representative in Congress, Shelley Moore Capito, has stepped up for Coal. All she talks about is Obama's War on Coal. Capito for Congress. Shelley Moore...as we call her...has a political pedigree unmatched in Meth Virginia. Her father, Arch, was a three time Governor. He was well loved until he went to the slammer. That's another story for later. Shelley only gave Coal part of her efforts in DC this last ten years. Wall Street is her tried and true baby.
She's at the front of the line to replace Spencer Baucus as Chairmen of the House Committee on Financial Services. A regulators dream job. The problem is that Shelley doesn't regulate much, but has learned the rare talent of making lucrative stock trades. More on that later, too.
Shelley has a woman problem at present. While smearing coal dust on her face and wearing that black miner's helmet at the GOP convention, she forgot her biggest fan base. Women have loved Shelley. A Republican in a two to one Democratic state had traditionally no chance of election...for anything. Our State government is packed dark blue. She's looking for her seventh term, but the mist of her former base is evaporating before her very eyes. Choosing coal instead of women was an unexpected political blunder at the highest level.
A fellow named Howard F. Swint is challenging her. Much, much more on Howard later, but you can check in on him and his Howard and Goliath story on his facebook. Howard's facebook Come back and get your dose of Meth Virgina.
I've been called rotten names my whole life and since my mother passed on, I've been returning fire. Shelley Moore Capito has been my representative in the U.S. Congress for the last very long twelve years. She was superglued to the George W. Bush coatails and turned West Virginia from dark blue to kind of pink. We still had Senator Robert Byrd bring home multimillions.
Back in 2000, 2012 was a distant uncertainty. I would have bet huge money that Shelley Moore Capito would be a one termer. After all, her dad, former Governor Arch Moore, was sent to the slammer for years. Around West Virginia we just call her Shelley Moore. She likes it. Capito is so Italian.
Italians are highly invisible around here. It's so much easier to drop the vowel and get on with being an American. I bring this up only because I'm an authority. I thought about it, but if go and start dropping vowels I'll be left being Dave R.
I haven't blogged for over a year, and when I did, it was spotty. Who want's to read about Mountaintop Removal when Google is full of it. Who cares about fixed elections in their little hometown? Who really cares that Texas inmate, Keith Judd, came very close to beating President Obama in the Democratic primary. He took ten of our 55 counties.
Our two Democratic leaders, Governor Tomblin and Senator Manchin are not going to the convention and have stated they're not sure if they'll be voting for the President. That's not as important as knowing if they voted for Keith Judd.
I didn't but I should have. I tried to sell Keith on buying Taylor Guitars for his Hollywood music store, Nadine's back in the 70's.
In a little over four months, this blogpost will be finished. Obama will have won...Shelley Moore will have lost and life will be what it is in West Virginia. Wild, Wonderful and full of meth.
West Virginia just had a special election to put Joe Manchin in Robert Byrd's Senate seat. Now we have to choose a governor in another special election in October. Then, 2012 will be on us. Register with the West Virginia Mountain Party and you'll be able to say..."Don't Blame Us!"
I just retired officially. My Social Security check is meager and the following resume might help it grow.
RESUME RESUMED
I was born David Anthony Rao in 1949..son of Ida and Frank Rao. Our home was within a three wood to the spanking new Greater Pittsburgh Airport on Beers School Road.
I attended Moon Township schools until high school. I entered the 10th grade at Coraopolis. We moved from our county home once we were surrounded by gas stations and burger joints. I was a faithful alter boy for my next door neighbor priest, Father Leo Beck. I served my Sunday mass on the stage of the Airport Theater..for the workers. I was being groomed to follow my brother Paul into the seminary.
At Cory high, I played football and golf. I was the captain of both. Foge Fazio was my coach..RIP. Most importantly, I was crowned Prince of the Prom in '66..King in '67.
Attended Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. for two years before transferring to San Diego State. Completed three more years of pre-law before leaving without a degree. The draft called, but my football injuries saved me from serving in southeast Asia.
Remained in San Diego for my first real job. The American Dream was a guitar building collective started by the Radding Brothers; Sam and Gene . Electric Sam moved it to a larger location in Lemon Grove and recruited more builders...Greg Deering , Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor . Gene and I remained with the College Avenue storefront. There I learned to build dulcimers, guitars and concentrated on repairs and restorations.
As the 70's arrived, we were over a dozen. The other eleven were builders and didn't care to become involved with repair work. Repair became my niche.
Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug bought out the American Dream and have done the American Dream in spades. In 1974, I returned to the Amercian Dream storefront with Gene.
Gene soon left the shop and another builder..Bob "Moze" Mossay became my new partner. Moze just built and I just repaired. The guitar market was booming.
In 1977 I moved to Chicago to live with my sister, Roberta, and John Powers. John, a former Pittsburgh Steeler, was dying. I stayed for a year.
I came back to Moze Guitars and plenty of work. Paul Rothchild, producer of the Doors, had just formed a high line guitar company. Rothchild Musical Instruments distributed the cream of the guitar world. Alembic, Augustino, Travis Bean, Larrivee, and Taylor .
I had answered a want ad in Guitar Player magazine while in Chicago. Paul was looking for a Midwest sales representative. While visiting Taylor, Paul and Bob were discussing the departed West Coast rep and who might replace him. Paul mentioned my name and said I disappeared. Bob replied, "he was just here a few hours ago".
Paul and I had lunch and I began traveling the roads from San Diego to British Columbia in a Volkswagen Bus loaded with a gold mine of guitars. It was a short trip. Paul gave up the dream and suggested I move north to San Francisco to help Rick Turner at Alembic .
The day I arrived, Rick was fired...even though his 49% of stock made him president of the company. I remained and worked the set up room with Larry Robinson. We also built some customs. Bob Morris lived close by. He was an old American Dreamer, working for Stephen Stills . He enticed me to visit LA to appraise Stephen's collection and do a few repairs.
Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys recruited me to do their firsts nationwide tour with Brother Brian . After the last show, I called Stills' house for Bob Morris. Stills answered and after some talk, demanded I come back to work for him.
After four years working with CSN as traffic control. I delegated as much as possible to free my days for golf. Nash introduced me to Count Hilary Yogi, the obscure trick shot golfer . A short clip of the Count.... We attempted a comeback that never materialized. As CSN prepared to tour in support of the Daylight Again album, I was accidentally injured. I had to cancel. I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit family and found my wife. Married at 38 and left Hollywood behind.
To prepare for the arrival of our first child, we moved to the mountains of West Virginia when Ben was a year old. Luke came soon after.
For five years I worked at Appalachian Mental Health Center's Group Home managing behaviors of aggressive clients. Another injury occurred as I was tossed like a ragdoll into a wall. Five years of long term disability payments allowed me to become politically active. I drew editorial cartoons for the Elkins Intermountain for a few years until I was censored. I ran for Mayor of Elkins and hold the record for the least amount of votes in a citywide election. Two.
During the mid 90's, I opened "Spruce Guitars" with Richard Stutler. We folded within six months.
In 2000, I was a candidate for the West Virginia State Senate. I ran in the Democratic Primary against Senator Mike Ross. I garnered 25% in eight counties without spending a dime.
For five years I worked for the Civic Development Group telemarketing. I raised funds for the Texas State Fraternal Order of Police. I was a top called, never taking no for an answer. Civic closed down after pressure from the FTC.
The filing period for filing for our special Governor's election is over. A very quick process for a 11 month term. We'll have another primary next spring for the full term.
I was considering running in the Mountain Party primary challenging Jesse Johnson. I strongly objected to the Mountain Party's affiliation with the U. S. Greens. It only took our party of 1000 measly members seven years to get co-opted by the outside world.
Politics is an artform here in Appalachia. Last month, leaders of the Mountain Party held a conference call with me assessing my willingness to place my name on the ballot for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Robert Byrds passing. I was thrilled.
"Can you raise the $1750 filing fee?"...."Sure". Then, it occured to me that I wasn't talking to the real leader of the Mountain Party, Jesse Johnson, but guys who had never been on the ballot. I mentioned Jesse.
"Are you guys sure Jesse won't be filing?" They assured me Jesse was running on the ballot already...and wanted to be elected to the House before he ran for his third time as Governor in 2012. It was settled..I would file the last day. Just before calling some benefactors for the filing fee, I decided to check the Secretary of State's website. In bold was Jesse. He filed afterall...that dog.
Getting stabbed in the chest is nothing new for me, so I've decided to ditch the Mountain Party. I mentally ditched years ago when the party affiliated with the US Green party. A big mistake. The Mountain Party, with a measly 1000 members, never made the local ballots like we had hoped in the beginning. Ten years is enough.
55 Pies in the Skies will be coming to a ballot near you. Stay tuned.
With 29 miners dead, West Virginia is finally being discovered. We're not just Next Virginia. It's fitting that the first completed state building was the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
Don Blankenship has been King Coal for quite some time. It's past time to impeach. As there's no provision in the constitution for removing a King, the Court of Public Opinion will have to do.
I'm devoted to his impeachment. I have named my new band after him. Don Blankenship soon to appear at a bar near you.
The "Phantom Golfer" was included as the last chapter of "The Secret of Golf". George Peper and Mary Tiegreen's 2005 compilation ended with "The Greatest Player you never met". He became an overnight sensation.
This clip of us was shot 25 years ago. Five years later, he was gone. Since, many folks have found me while searching for him. He wasn't only a golfer. He was a human dynamo.
Another fighter..Ali..claimed on film.. "Oh, ...I always said that I was the greatest...No..No, you're the greatest!".
18 THEORIES"
Since retiring from the sordid West Virginia political mire, I've been hanging with a bunch of golf addicts instead of power mongers. My blood pressure in now normal.
We all meet on the Golf Channel's discussion board. One particular thread, 18 Theories, has been going on for years. It's the only one I read. It began as a discussion about the 2005 "Secret of Golf" book by George Peper and Mary Tiegreen. It explores the various secrets of the worlds greatest teachers.
Of particular note are the posts by a fellow called "tb 172", but his friends call him Tom. He, alone, has been able to relay the holy grail on the back of a business card. "Squish and Turn".
Here's today's exchange..
tb172: The horizontal gear is your hip/waist. The vertical gear is the torso/shoulders. You Must lateral flex the spine to engage them. All other members just enjoy the ride. You throw the clubhead in a circle as this happens.
From reading your postings, the loose connection is that your forward inclination to the ball from the hips at address sets the shoulders on an oblique plane. The compression of the respective side maintains that plane from take away to impact.
The hips move counter clockwise as shoulders move clockwise. That keeps you balanced, centered. You are timing it with the throw. Like the second hand of a clock. The quicker you can do that, the farther the ball goes.
If you compress the right side from a chip, pitch or full swing. The ball happens to majgically be in the way of the downstroke. It is crucial for precision that everything finishes. That means arrive at impact with everything you took away.
That requires instinct. I think That is at the root of what you are talking about. But it's hard to trust the natural swing instinct, if one does not trust ones jacked up swing. Especially when abused by mags, corporate instructors. and tippers. I try to erase that, I don't know too many who came out without being frustrated with bad backs.
Aping is the key here. The old way. Find a sucessful swing and ape it.
I aped that move from Bobby Jones. Sybervision Tape. Spent a lot of time figuring out what makes it tick. Because I was a 15hcp and shot par after viewing it 20 times over one night while on vacation. A month after vacation I lost it. I did not know what I was doing. But I was doing it. I found someone who taught it. Mike Austin. That man could hit a ball. Mike got me into kinesiology, facinating. The human Body is a wonderful thing.
In the end you are correct. You must trust the proprioceptor nervous system to do it's job. (muscle memory) That is why you have to practice every club in the bag equally. They are like notes in a scale."
Tom has helped many avoid many of the dead ends the game of golf offers.
Springtime in Appalachia Early April
The blooms are stark raving in the hollers and I should be digging ramps on north slopes. My friends think I've dropped off the end of a ravine. I've been busy spinning my wheels.
West Virginia has been home for twenty five years and if I stay another..please shoot me. A lot of focus is here. Big Coal and little politicians abound. I have, true the pledge to my dear wife, renounced all politics since my 60th last year. Since heart attacks gallop in my family, I'm watching all my selves.
I've decided to keep the Illustrious phantom golfer at the top knowing it's the best content I'll ever have. Besides, it's a thorn in the ass of Tim Nicholls, the manager of Shell Castle LLC, the owner of Count Yogi Golf Company. Yesterday I received a cease and desist notice from Nicholls demanding a lot of things. I'll post it later.
I've taken several blogs down that mention the phantom golfer, but I refuse to keep this creator of golf art off the web. He was the people's golfer and my good friend.
So, Shell Castle LLC, through their manager, Nicholls, sent me the following, thick with threats and warnings.
Shell Castle Enterprises LLC 2893 Instone Court Westlake Village, California 91361 (805) 558-9337 countyogi@hotmail.com April 11, 2010 VIA E-MAIL [raodave@yahoo.com] & U.S. MAIL Mr. David Rao 909½ South Henry Elkins, West Virginia 26241 RE: Shell Castle Enterprises LLC (“SCE LLC”) Infringement of Copyrights and Trademarks Dear Mr. Rao: This letter will serve as formal notice that the above-referenced company is the legal owner of various registered copyrighted materials and trademarks, all regarding the marks “Count Yogi” (USPTO Application No. 77/562442) “Yogi Golf,” (USPTO Application No. 77/908971) and “King of Golf” (copyrighted film, US Copyright Registration No. PA0000664978, registered on September 13, 1993). SCE LLC is the assignee of Timothy R. Nicholls, successor owner of these materials from Harry Montana Frankenberg, professionally known as Count Hilary Yogi. It has come to our attention that you are, or have been, utilizing these copyrighted materials and registered trademarks, and showing videos or internet streaming which utilizes our copyrighted films to promote your business without our knowledge, authorization or permission. We hereby demand that you cease and desist from utilizing any of our copyrighted materials or trademarks, including, but not limited to, the materials and trademarks stated above, or personally benefiting in any manner from this illegal infringement. You are currently in violation of both state and federal laws, including, but not limited to, the Federal Copyright Act and Lanham Act, infringement of intellectual property, conversion, fraud, intentional misrepresentation, unfair competition and tortious interference with prospective economic advantage. Moreover, we hereby demand that you identify (if any), the individuals and/or companies or business entities, including their principals and officers, you have collaborated with or with whom you have done business using our copyrighted materials and trademarks, so that they may also be contacted, including, but not limited to, their names, their addresses, telephone and facsimile numbers and e-mail addresses. Should you fail or refuse to promptly respond to this demand and cooperate by voluntarily providing said information if any, please be advised that SCE LLC has already consulted with legal counsel and are fully prepared to go forward forthwith against you alone with any and all remedies to protect and enforce our rights regarding this infringement, in both law and equity. In addition, SCE LLC will also seek immediate injunctive relief, which will include reimbursement of reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs to do so. At this point in time, you can keep damages as minimal as possible by immediately taking down the offending materials from the internet or any other public arena or media, cease and desist forthwith the use of our copyrighted materials and trademarks, and voluntarily providing the requested information. We do have all the proper documentation to prove our ownership rights. We hope that we will hear from immediately. Nothing contained herein should be construed as a waiver of any of SCE LLC’s rights, claims and remedies available to me, in law or in equity, all of which are hereby expressly reserved. You may govern yourself accordingly. Very truly yours, SHELL CASTLE ENTERPRISES, LLC TIMOTHY R. NICHOLLS, Trustee, Shell Castle Trust No. 1, Its Manager, Shell Castle Enterprises, LLC SCE/tkih cc: Counsel
I love the last line of his letter. "You may govern yourself accordingly." He implies I am guilty of many felonious acts. He really should have had his lawyer look the letter over before sending it. I'd love to make him feel better, but can't. I'm going to govern myself accordingly. I promise
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Massey Energy has been put on notice by the EPA that the assault on the mountains has new defenders in the White House. Again...mountains don't grow on trees.
The drama continues in Appalachia, but no comedy in sight. Tragically, the slaughter of the mountains continues. Our part time legislature is the original Friend of Coal and are even considering issuing vanity license plates for a nice fee. Now, even you can be a Friend of Coal.
As a friend, you can witness Big Bertha, the fifteen story shovel, lovingly dump the coal into overweight trucks and the spoiled rock down in the streams below. Watch fish die and your southern neighbors drink black water. Everyone will thank you for "keeping the lights on".
Don Blankenship runs Massey Coal. Joe Manchin runs West Virginia. Obama runs the U.S. Coal is facing an uncertain future especially here in West Virginia. I was mentioning that Don needed a PR man, but was told it's Joe who needs one. I agreed with my friend Slim.
Slim gets me every time. After I posted that, I glanced at the TV and saw MoJo doing the exact same "West Virginia Strong" commercial for the millionth time. It's an apologetic pitch to let coal live and live "responsibly".
Why, that's what the environmental extremists have been screaming for years. Deep mining and synfuels are good. Mountaintop removal and valley burials suck. Blankenship knows this and laughs at his bank.
Obama never wrote back nor signed my requested petition to Impeach Don, but I'm holding my breath. Byrd is winding down and Rockefeller is...well...a Rockefeller. I doubt Don is sleeping good since the election.
I think Manchin missed the boat by not confiscating all flattened land that wasn't "Approximate Original Contour" as the law demands. With the state owning [that would be us], real development and infrastructure can be planned and implemented. As it is, Don dynamites and moves on. His insatiable appetite to "run coal" at all costs has burned Arcoma in our brains. The belts were smoking, but coal was running. Two dead. Not much when you look at mining history, but two too many.
So, Slim, you are right again. Joe needs us. "Slim Rao Consults" can be in business by this afternoon. I just need to go to the dollar store for the envelopes.
Slim is my political opposite and we agree all the time. We both think West Virginia should stay as wild as possible and moonscaping the view can't attract much. Wildlife and tourists are our economic future, not out of state Coal. _________________ IMPEACH BLANKENSHI
I was going to write a book about us, but our mutual friend and manager, Gerry Tolman warned me not to "tell tales out of school". Good advice. Tabloid sensations are a dime a dozen. I told Gerry I wasn't going to dish dirt [though there was plenty], but that I'd make it a scholarly piece.
Still, no go. Gerry and I go back to the seventies. We both worked on Stills' dime and were pretty much on call 24/7. I had the easier gig. I toyed around with Stills guitars, getting them in top condition and making sure the stage was just as he wanted. Tolman had it rough. He had to play on the stage. I didn't envy him. Sadly, Gerry wasn't long for this world. He crashed on the Hollywood freeway, just when he was at the top.
Gerry became close to Stills manager, Jeff Wald. Besides being Helen Reddy's husband, he knew the business and plucked Gerry to learn it. He learned fast and soon made everyone's life a lot easier.
I first saw CSN perform in San Diego just after Woodstock. They had Neil along. The louder the overhead landing jets screamed, the more they twisted their volume knobs to 11. I couldn't hear for days. Being a novice guitar builder, I was more interested in their axes than the fringe jackets and hair.
Ten years later I had a chance to meet Stills at his home high on Mulholland Drive. I was hired on to appraise his collection of a 125 guitars. An enjoyable three week project stretched into a few months. He had so much repair work needed, I could have stayed a year. I was already booked to go on the road with the Beach Boys and tend to Carl Wilson's guitars and set the stage.
While in Boston, I called Stills' house looking for his manager, but got Stephen instead. He asked what I was doing. I told him. "With those guys?...you've got to be kidding. Get your ass back here. You're going to work for me". I hemmed and hawed, and told him I'd see him the next day. That day was the start of a four year stint that taught me the true nature of sleep deprivation.
Stills was the ultimate workaholic. He never stopped. If he wasn't writing, performing, or traveling...he would be working on his golf game. At the time, he was doing his solo gig, using the California Blues Band to polish the tunes set for a new album. Columbia Records sent down the edict that, for the first time in his career, he would have to have an outside producer. It was settled that Barry Beckett, of Muscle Shoals Sound, would be the one.
Barry worked with the cream of the rock world and arrived in LA with a leash. He made it clear the project wouldn't be the usual marathon, but recording would only last three weeks. One week to mix in Alabama. An album in a month? We all laughed, but were pleasantly surprised as Stills became the definition of responsible. Never late, always prepared and following orders. The album was finished just as Beckett predicted.
Stills had worked up several albums worth of material, all excellent. Beckett chose 12 out of nearly thirty new songs. The California Blues Band had them down, so Beckett's deadlines weren't that hard to meet.
Mike Finnigan on Hammond B-3 was the rock. His vamping organ was Stills ocean to swim. Mike, as a rookie, played on Electric Ladyland with Hendrix and the 10 year growing period made him a monster. His vocal harmony was all his. A pro's pro. Mike lets it loose on this clip from the early 90's..."Let me see the Light". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3XP3iyUqdI&feature=related.
Rounding out the band was Trey Thompson on Bass, Billy Meeker on Drums, and Mike Stergis on Guitar. The Beckett produced album never made it to press. All for nothing. Columbia Records and Stills had a contract disagreement that never was settled. The album is sitting in some vault in Nashville.
Though recorded in Hollywood, Beckett wanted to mix it in Alabama. Muscle Shoals was the perfect place for Stills to put on the finishing touches to the best of his career. The signature tune, Southern Cross, eventually was covered by CSN on their Daylight Again album.
The week in Muscle Shoals mixing was a blessing for Stills and I. He only took me along and we weren't prepared for the southern hospitality. The studio sat on the river, hidden from civilization. Quite a difference from Sunset Blvd. We never tired of hearing the George Jones stories. Muscle Shoals was his favorite escape from Nashville. Now it was ours.
Hello. I'm one of the many Rao Brothers scattered from our hometown of Pittsburgh. I'm writing this from the mountains of West Virginia.
West Virginia used to have a slogan on our Welcome signs proclaiming..."Welcome to Wild, Wonderful West Virginia". Our present Governor Joe Manchin has changed it to "West Virginia, Open for Business". He should have posed with coal dust on his face.
Coal has dominated here for a hundred years and isn't leaving. It wasn't until recently that Big Coal went over the line. Mountaintop removal mining is spreading like a plague. Over 1,000 miles of streams have been buried by the giant "valley fills". A fill occurs after the top 600 feet of the mountain is blasted to bits and the tiny seam of coal is dragged and shipped. All the rest is bulldozed down into the valley.
Don't take my word. Google image, Youtube video, or ask anybody in our southern coalfields if mountaintop removal doesn't really suck.
I formally announced my candidacy for Secretary of State at an Elkins City Council meeting weeks ago. Both the print and radio media were there, but chose not to cover a hometown boy going for a statewide office. Being a member of the Mountain Party must not make me legitimate.
