Stuff I'm Reading: The Spy Next Door

The Spy Next Door: The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Damaging FBI Agent in U.S. History by Elaine Shannon

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the true story upon which the movie "Breach" was based, about Robert Hanssen, the man who worked for the FBI and spied for the Soviet Union (and after the breakup of the USSR, Russia) for over 20 years. It is a fascinating story--how this pious, upstanding, downright boring man was able to fool everyone around him as he passed along infomation in "dead drops" as "Ramon Garcia." The more I read, I also gained a real understanding of how something like 9-11 happened without it being uncovered by intelligence agencies. The technology the FBI possessed was behind the times, the flow of information amongst intelligence agencies was poor, plus there was an attitude among the people of the FBI that their agents were of a higher caliber than most people, and were beyond reproach and incapable of such treachery.

The book is written pretty much like an extended magazine article, offering background when needed, trying to offer answers where possible, but still the best answer is that no one really knows why Hanssen did what he did. And to this day the information he sold to our enemies could still be used to hurt us. Frightening stuff.


View all my reviews.

More Davey G musical updates.

I have compiled over a dozen new songs since the last time I played live, and my hope is that maybe half of them are usable. Yesterday I wrote a song called “Frustrating Conversationalist” which will I will probably open with soon, and “Pimple,” a song about keeping your problems in perspective, because it is my solemn hope that Davey G will one day improve your life through my message of self-help and spiritual guidance.
The key to writing Davey G songs, as I’ve learned after all this time, is to just let go and tap into the inner shower-singer in all of us…to record those little moments in the car when I have no radio and I’m singing to myself things like “Bob Bob Bob, Bob Bob or Ann” and wondering if that Beach Boys song is really about a bi-sexual trying to decide if he’s going to spend the night with a boy, Bob, or a girl, Ann. And then someone tells me that the song is actually “Barbara Ann”…but I think that my version is funnier. I digress.

I have 2 shows coming up this fall/winter, with the possibility of a third. The first is Saturday, November 1, at the Windup Space at 12 W. North Avenue in Baltimore. I will be playing with The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad, Bene Gesserit Witch and Markitect. This should be a really great show where you can first hear some of the new Davey G material.

I will have another show on Thursday, December 11 at the Sidebar, at 218 E. Lexington Street in Baltimore. Details forthcoming, as this was just arranged yesterday.

Being on my mailing list is the best way to know when the shows happen. Go to the “Contact Me” link on my site and e-mail me, and I will add you.
Thanks for reading today!

--Davey G.

www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

Stuff I'm Reading: America Between the Wars

America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11 by Derek Chollet

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a refreshing history that steers clear of editorializing, cheerleading or any of the things that could have made this partisan pap. As the title states, this is a history from the fall of the Berlin Wall (11-9) to 9-11, and how in spite of what we think, 9-11 did not "change everything." The 12 years between the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the War on Terror were years where there was great struggle to determine what the role of the U.S in the world would be--how military and economic issues would shake out in the wake of the fall of Communism. Clinton does not get off easy, neither does Bush, but in revealing faults the authors also show how the U.S' Iraq policy in 2008 is really just an extension of policies that were already in place.

While I love a good book that gleefully trashes the current administration, I really benefited more from this type of history that puts the present into perspective.


View all my reviews.

Kyle, and why VEIP sucks.

Kyle, My hard-luck little car.

This is an update on the status of Kyle, my 1992 Honda Civic VTEC, and why I really hate the Maryland Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP).

My car has been unable to pass the VEIP, which is a test that all cars in Maryland have to take every two years to help reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, thereby helping to control pollution. In theory, I am totally in favor of this. But in practice, it is a seriously messed up system, and here is why.

As some readers may remember, my car had a problem last year where my door did not shut, and therefore I had to hold it shut with a rope and then climb out the passenger’s side door. Because of this, I asked for an extension on my emissions test, as it requires the testers to get in and out of the car. I had three more months to put off taking this test while I tried to figure out the problem. Then, in what I referred to as the Christmas Miracle, Kyle was fixed, and I was overjoyed to finally be able to enter and exit my car like a real person. I immediately took him to the emissions facility…and failed, and was given another three month extension.

One of the ways to get a waiver for this test is if you can show you have spent at least $450 in emissions-related repairs. I took him to my mechanic, and he pretty much said that he’d have a really hard time working up that kind of a bill for me to get a waiver, and furthermore, some older cars just cannot pass this test. And furthermore than that, the VEIP level of $450 is not cumulative. In other words, you can’t drop $200, fail, and then spend another $250 and count it as $450 and get a waiver--you have to spend that much before the test. I decided it would be better to just wait until the three months were almost up and then give Kyle a tune-up and see if that would help.

I waited the three months, got the tune-up (this tune-up would cost about $220)
and went to the emissions place…and failed again. Now what? I wondered.

Question: What happens when your car keeps failing the emissions test?

Answer: Nothing.

Nothing happens. They gave me an inspection certificate with a new due date on it, one month from that date. I went into the office and I asked them, “What happens if my car keeps failing?”
“You keep coming back,” was the answer. And you keep paying $14 every time. And now I have come back and failed the emissions test every month since April. I now have a stack of papers from every failed test, and now I come to my point about why VEIP sucks:
My car, which according to their test which is designed to curb pollution, fails that test every month. According to their test, my car pollutes beyond a reasonable degree. But the only consequence is that I just have to keep coming back and giving them money every month, so that I am complying with the law. I had grave fears that failing emissions meant that I had to take my car off the road or something, but apparently that fear was unfounded. The state of Maryland apparently doesn’t actually care whether my car pollutes or not--they just want me to keep paying $14 a month to stay out of trouble.

What a fucking toothless law. Never mind the fact that my car averages less than 6000 miles a year, that the trip to the emissions place constitutes the most driving I do all month. (I ride my bike everywhere, I walk all the time and my car is mostly for errands or get my equipment to shows, so if anyone is going to accuse me of being “part of the problem” of climate change, they need to calm down.)

It is actually cheaper for me to go ahead and pay the $14 every month than it would be to actually fix my car (and believe me, while I love Kyle, he is 15 years old and I am not putting any more serious money into him).

So to review: My car, while running great, is not passing the VEIP test; the VEIP program is toothless and silly.

Not that I am unhappy that no one’s taking my car off the road or anything, but every month I do this silly pain in the ass trip to the emissions place and every month I fail and every month I give the state of Maryland $14 to keep my “polluting” car on the road.
How does this help the environment?

Davey “The polluter” G.
www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

Davey G and his (Parenthetical) Album.

Creative inertia is all about killing the editor inside your head, writing what you want to write without going “nah, that sucks.” There will be plenty of time for others to say that later.
In the last three days I’ve pumped out more writing and new songs than I had in awhile because one idea paves the way for two or three more. For now, I will continue to write songs for the album for which I am using the working title of “(Parenthetical).”

www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

New Davey G songs in the works.

I’ve been down in the studio the last few days, putting together words with tunes and I think the results will end up on the next album. As it stands, I have the makings of 8 new songs. This seems to be the way in which I work--a lot of material coming out all at once.
What to look forward to at the next Davey G show: A really bizarre tango song, and a country ditty. And I think my next album might all be songs with parenthetical (like this!) titles. Maybe I’ll call the album “Parenthetical.” Though it’s probably been done before.

With any luck…2 new shows are in the works. Check back, and if you’re not already, get on my mailing list, through the link on my site!
www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

Stuff I'm Reading: Charlatan by Pope Brock

Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dr. J.R Brinkley, the world’s greatest quack in the golden age of quacks of the ‘20s and ‘30s, pioneered a technique in which he injected goat testicles into the testicles of men, in an effort to increase their virility. The operation was a fraud, but thousands of patients submitted themselves to this “treatment,” making Dr. Brinkley a very rich man and raising the ire of Dr. Fishbein, the man who eventually brought him down.

Along the way, however, Brinkley also pioneered some non-medical promotional techniques, many of which are still in use today. He helped to popularize early country music, bringing it to the masses as it had never been brought before. His “border blaster” radio transmissions and his airplane tours used in his campaign for Governor of Kansas were the predecessors of many modern political campaign tools. He was a uniquely American creation, almost a folk hero, for whom even the exposure of the fraud he had perpetuated failed to dull his image. And Fishbein’s actions in his effort to bring him down brought about the regulatory teeth of the American Medical Association, thereby (hopefully) ensuring that the doctor you see today has a real degree from a real college and is in fact, licensed to treat you.


View all my reviews.

Apropos of absolutely nothing at all…

I just downloaded The Dollyrots album, “Because I’m Awesome.” They just played in my hometown of Pittsfield Massachusetts, and for possibly the first time ever, I actually wish I could have been back there instead of here.
It’s a three piece power pop/punk with a female singer--lots of fun, great energy, reminds me of The Fastbacks. I got hooked on the title track “Because I’m Awesome” when I thought about changing my name to Mr. Awesome.

Andy Poncherello has hosted this band back in the homeland a few times now and the band itself now claims Pittsfield (my hometown) as its adopted home city on their Myspace page, which gives me a small swelling of pride.
I just wanted to spread the joy and hopefully maybe you’ll like them as much as I do.

www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

Links, recaps...

I haven’t posted in about a month and now I think it’s hard to get back into it. As Jim Gaffigan says in his new routine, “You ever have a friend who you go so long without calling that you decide to end the friendship?” But it’s nothing like that with this blog, I just haven’t been on top of it lately.
So today I’m posting about the things that I have been up to, and maybe a few things that are upcoming.

*The July 3 show at the Sidebar turned out to be the best show of the 4 that I have played in the last 2 months (lot of numbers, I know.) There were lots of people there, and many of the more rabid new fans stood right up front, which was admittedly a little disturbing. I was a somewhat nervous when I realized that I would be unable to play through my second keyboard due to technical difficulties, and I had to reorganize my set. But 8 years of keyboardin’ means I have a lot of songs in the tank.

*Weird Al, July 11, Pier 6 in Baltimore. Great, once again.

*Jim Gaffigan, July 18, Landmark Theater in Richmond, VA. Hot Pockets! The Sexy Tour. He is a funny man.

*July 19. Visited the Museum of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House in Richmond. Not as disturbing as you might think. I’m a big history fan, and the White House is an absolute must see if you are another history fan.

*Saw The Dark Knight. Stop screwing around and go see this freakin’ movie!

I’m getting back to writing some more. I plan to come out with the next Davezine (#14) this fall, the issue about Bad Roommates. I decided that the format to my zine will change a little. After 3 years of short stories (a novella, even) I think I want to go back to a shorter form that may be more inviting to new readers. This one should also have some contributors.
We’ll see about the fall schedule of performances. I will of course post any new shows in this space.

That is all for now. Thanks for reading my blog today!

Davey G.

If you have been missing Davey G...

Davey G and the Keyboard at the Sidebar!
Thursday, July 3

Recently I have been playing some of the best shows of my Davey G and the Keyboard career, with eight year’s worth of songs, two keyboards and countless bottles of lotion. I invite you to come out to see the next one and see what you’ve been missing!

With
The Aggromatics,
Media Darling
Rocky 3
Singleton.

(probably a 7 dollar cover for this wonderful line-up)

The Sidebar is located at 218 E. Lexington Street, at the corner of Lexington and Guilford. On-street parking is available in front of the club, on Guilford, or on Lexington by the courthouse.

Metro Gallery. 6-15

With Everthus the Deadbeats, Person Parcel, and Quartet Offensive.

There is certainly an advantage to having done a show a few days earlier--this is as close as I get to a “touring” mentality, where I might play consecutive days. This time, it was the Metro Gallery, my first time there.
Nice space--good size, comfortable seating, the sound is really kick-ass. When their bar is in place, I believe this will become the trifecta of performance spaces: comfort for the crowd, good sound with a nice sized stage for the musicians, and a bar for everyone.

To the show itself…it was truly an eclectic mix, starting with my low budget musical comedy, and ending with Jazz.
I opened, and largely played the same set as I did at the Sidebar. The one difference is a change I will probably effect into all my shows now, and that is the inclusion of a plastic tarp to catch the lotion from the “lotion” bit. It made the bit funnier, because it was putting a lot more production into this silly-ass bit that I’ve been doing for eight years. Good show for me.

Everthus the Deadbeats (from Indianapolis, Indiana) played a great show--versatile musicians who switched instruments, I thought of it as a weird cross between the Doors, Country Music from another planet, and the Cramps. But I’m really not sure if that covers it. Good stuff!

Person Parcel (My second time with them.) Gary B. and Ryn with an acoustic guitar and vocals, a folky, catchy, sing-along-foot stomping show. They are a fun duo.

I was packed up and on my way out during Quartet Offensive, which is in no way meant to diminish their music, but such is the reality of the Sunday night show.

I hope that some of you can make it out to my next show, which will be at the Sidebar on Thursday, July 3.

6-11, Sidebar

Tough night. It being Wednesday, in the summertime, with many people either needing to get up for work in the morning, or still at work or just unable to be up at midnight to see a Davey G show…turnout was light. I had to summon forth the words of (of all people) Henry Rollins, who wrote about this in Get in the Van--he was talking about playing a show where only 2 people came. He was pissed off about it, until someone changed his mind and told him that it shouldn’t matter: those 2 people came, they paid, and they deserved to see as good a show as he could do. Remembering that, I did the best show I could do. And as far as that went, it was great. The people there, the other bands, their friends were very energetic and happy to be there.

Some of my best stuff came out last night. As I played to this room, “Fantasy World,” with its’ message about how nothing I do will ever matter, really rang true (but believe me, if you know me personally, you know that I am optimistic to the point of obnoxiousness, and this “message” is only half-serious). And when I rebounded from that depressing song with my happy anthem of self-affirmation, “I am a Champion” I really put my heart into it. I put “Wash the Dish” at the end, with all my annoyance and “professional” frustration on display. While I would liked to have played for a packed house, sometimes it’s just better to have those few people who really enjoy what I’m doing.

Fourth Grade Security Risk could be like my musical cousin--he plays with keyboards and his songs are really funny. He also has a really good singing voice. I told him so.
http://www.fgsr.net/

Markitect was again, great--guitars with sequencers a la (here you go again with this comparison) Atom and His Package. The songs are catchy, fun, and funny. He talks a lot. That’s what he says when he’s on the stage. But I don’t mind.
www.myspace.com/mindblowingrock


Rare Candy, an offshoot of Entertainment System, are a video game music band. There is some amazing musical talent here, performed very tight--I really think the keyboardists are terrific. They make me feel inferior about my own keyboarding.
http://www.myspace.com/rarecandyband

Books I'm Reading.

(I'm going to go back to putting my book reviews on my blog...here's one now)

The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is about that period of time after World War II and before the advent of TV and Rock ‘N Roll, when Comic books were seen as a scourge, a threat to the moral fiber of the country, meant to be stamped out at all costs. It’s pretty shocking to realize how little has changed, how every few years there is some new thing that reactionary types need to hold as responsible for society’s evils. There is never a sense of the “shit happens” or the ability to see a big picture. As a result, the comic industry, with all the talented artists and writers were destroyed, giving way to a new wave of comics with superheroes with pure morals and no ambiguity. Lost forever were the great books of the pre-comic code era, some of which I have in reprints from the ‘90s. Comics were forced to become squeaky-clean, and the wave of comic book hysteria described in this book is to blame.


View all my reviews.

shows

Hi Everyone,
Come out this Wednesday for my next show!

If you miss that, I’m also playing a show on Father’s Day at the Metro Gallery.
Sunday, June 15
Davey G and the Keyboard at the Metro Gallery! With Everthus the Deadbeats, Person Parcel and Quartet Offensive. 1700 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Doors at 8!

Hope to see you there!




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The Summer of G!

Let's just make this official...it's the Summer of G!

The Summer of G!
Davey G and the Keyboard’s June/July Shows!


Wednesday, June 11
Davey G and the Keyboard At the Sidebar! With Markitect and Fourth Grade Security Risk! 218 E. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Doors at 9!
http://www.sidebartavern.com/

Sunday, June 15
Davey G and the Keyboard at the Metro Gallery! with Everthus the Deadbeats, Person Parcel and Quartet Offensive. Doors at 8!
www.themetrogallery.net

Thursday, July 3
Davey G and the Keyboard at the Sidebar! With S1NGLETON, Rocky 3(PA), Media Darling and Aggromatics.
218 E. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Doors at 9!
http://www.sidebartavern.com/

www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

Davey G and the Keyboard’s June/July Tour Dates!

Strap Yourself in, Kids!

June
June 1. No show.
June 2. No show.
June 3. No show.
June 4. Off
June 5. Off.
June 6. No show.
June 7 Off
June 8. Off
June 9. Nothing happening tonight
June 10. Or tonight.
June 11. Davey G and the Keyboard At the Sidebar! With Markitect and Fourth Grade Security Risk! 218 E. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Doors at 9!
June 12. Hey, I just played last night, what the hell do you expect?
June 13. Off.
June 14. Nope.
Sunday, June 15th, 2008. Davey G and the Keyboard at the Metro Gallery!
www. themetrogallery. net
with Everthus the Deadbeats
Person Parcel
Quartet Offensive
Doors are at 8pm.
June 16. Off.
June 17. No show.
June 18. No Davey G show tonight.
June 19. Nope.
June 20. Off.
June 21. Hey, Man, I got a life outside of Davey G.
June 22. No show.
June 23. Davey G will not be appearing tonight.
June 24. No.
June 25. No shows for a few days.
June 26. Off
June 27. Off.
June 28. Nothing.
June 29. Zilch,
June 30. Off night.
July
July 1. Off
July 2. No show.
July 3. Davey G and the Keyboard at the Sidebar! 218 E. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Doors at 9!
The last night of the Tour!
With other bands TBA!

Much excitement!
www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

I Saw a Laser Printer…

Davezine numbers 9 through the most recent Davezine 13 (not including number 11) have all been printed on the trusty HP PSC 750, an inkjet printer/scanner/copier which I have used the living crap out of ever since picking it up sometime in 2002 (or maybe it was 2001?). I have plowed ahead with this printer, using it far beyond its’ intended capacity, even as the panel instructions were displayed in French, refilling the ink after about every 400 or so copies. It has been a finicky, yet durable little guy, and as I am unnaturally loyal to inanimate objects (my partner is a keyboard), it is always hard to admit that I need to move on and make an upgrade.

I decided that Davezine Number 13 would be the last zine to come from the PSC 750. I can describe the process of assembling this zine at home with a printer that only does about 6 pages a minute, but let’s just say it takes an unnaturally long time to put out, say 100 copies of a 40 page publication with this kind of technology. It is with the zine, and my sanity in mind that I look to the future of the Davey G enterprise.

I am buying a new printer. Don’t know exactly when, or what kind (but I have some ideas) and it will be a laser printer. Life has been pretty good to me, and I can actually afford to move out of these dark ages and start printing like a real man.


UPDATE: …and I got one!

I wrote that last part this morning, then decided to look on-line, resuming the search I had started a few weeks ago. And then I went to Staples. And they had the one I was looking for: an HP LaserJet 3055. A clearance discount, and I got the very last one in the store.

I hooked it up, and let me tell you: HOLY CRAP!!! These copies absolutely blow away my old printer. Just for the hell of it, I am copying Davezine #10. Yes. I am now printing like a real man.


www.daveygandthekeyboard.com
(if you can believe it, I have 3 new shows coming up to announce, so stay handy, or tuned in, or whatever the kids are saying...)

A Triumph...

Saturday, May 3, 2008
Free Comic Book Day.

This was an outdoor show at a rather large gathering. I find there are two types of shows that I play, and each is a different challenge. The first type is the one where people come to see a live performance, where they have paid money and know what they are getting into when they come. The second type is the one where I am playing somewhere, at a party or whatever and there may be a lot of people there but they are not necessarily interested in seeing me or my music. It is then the challenge of trying to win over those people who may or may not even care. This is essentially what this show was for me.

I was playing at one in the afternoon and I tailored my set to be what I called “PG-13.” That is, no STD’s, no I Love Crack and no F-words. Even so, my set will never be exactly child-friendly. I still use bad words like “ass” and “Goddamn,” but Goddammit my ass was at least trying. It went well--I did 12 songs, captured on my 3 dollar tape recorder. I had spent the week making practice tapes and as I listen to the tape made of this show, it is not very much different--which is kind of the point. I was pleased. Now if only I can start bringing my camera to these things, next time I will have more/better pictures for you--this was a colorful crowd of costumed superheroes, little kids, middle-aged comic book fans, punk rockers, and parents of little kids.

Big thanks to the Mandroids for inviting me, Pablonius Bill and Person Parcel for playing. Thanks to Collector’s Corner. Apologies to the bands I didn’t stick around for because I had to go to work.

Anyone who wants a copy of one of the remaining 4 cassette tapes from a week’s worth of practices leave a comment and I will see what I can do.

Thanks for reading! More shows coming up soon!

www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

Saturday's Line-up for Free Comic Book Day!

The Line-up (with approximate times)

1-1:20 Davey G. & the Keyboard
1:25-1:45 Person Parcel
1:50-2:10 Mandroids
2:15-2:35 Pablonious Bill
2:40-3:00 Rare Candy

Saturday at the Collector’s Corner…
Free Comic Book Day!
8108 A Harford Road
Baltimore, MD
21234


Hope to see you there!

--DGK

Davey G’s Experiment in sales of single copy analog cassette tapes (OR…would anyone actually want that?)

Davey G’s Experiment in sales of single copy analog cassette tapes (OR…would anyone actually want that?)


I am trying something radically different for this next show…at least, I am offering something I have never offered before: a very unique look into my practice regimen. You see, for this show only, I am making recordings of my practices which will be available for sale at my show on Saturday. Only one copy of each practice will exist, making it one of a kind. Oh yeah--it’s cassette tape only. Analog. And there will only by 5: one for each practice this week. So you need to jump on it, if you want a copy.
Each tape is 15 songs long--my set, warts and all, and will be available for 3 bucks.

Saturday’s (probable) Set:

Handshake
Drinking Beer at Grandma’s House
Sandwich
Bed
Office Supply Store
Irritating
Chairman of the Keyboard
Fantasy World
I am a Champion
Wash the Dish
Atari Generation
Be My Friend
Lotion
Man-Friend
Breaking the Law.

Come out to the Collector’s Corner this weekend for free Comic Book Day!
8108 A Harford Road
Baltimore, MD
21234
With Davey G and the Keyboard, the Mandroids, Pablonious Bill, and Person Parcel!



Come around noon to catch the bands--I’ll try to update you on times as soon as I can!
www.daveygandthekeyboard.com