Books: Columbine

Columbine by Dave Cullen

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a thorough and well-written book that delves into the events, causes, and aftermath of the Columbine tragedy. It has been 10 years since the massacre inflicted by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, and answers as to why they did it are still murky. There are many misconceptions about that day, and this book does an excellent job of sorting out the truth, and debunking many of the rumors. 13 students died, many were wounded, and Cullen tells their stories. He explores the nature of psychotics and suggests that any thought that this was a revenge killing are completely false. He explores the journals and videos left behind by the killers and gets to an underlying truth, one that is perhaps unsatisfying to those who need a “why?”: they were disturbed, not motivated by the same desires that motivate normal people, and it is quite possible that nothing could have stopped this (save, of course, preventing the easy access to firearms that allowed it to take shape).

It is tragedy, but there are tales of hope within. Patrick Ireland, the boy who was seen stumbling out the window, has a story that is downright inspiring. After he was shot, he was unable to walk or speak properly. It looked like he would have permanent brain damage and maybe, if he was lucky, he might be able to walk with a crutch, and the occasional support of a wheelchair. But months and months of hard work and a fierce determination led him to a remarkable recovery and today, he lives a life where his injuries do not define him. Now he walks on his own, and the wheelchair is gone.



Reading this, I found myself getting a little pissed at a lot of the people who blamed video games, violent movies, “liberals” and the like for this tragedy. I also got angry at the media for how they picked up and reported the myths, which spread and became like truth. Get past the bullshit. Read this and find out the truth.




View all my reviews.

Nerdfest Videos are up!

Videos from my most recent performance at Nerdfest 3D are up! Please check out the show you missed! Or re-live the show you made! Note that there are some brand new songs that are not on any of my albums.

Videos courtesy of Miltonius Prime (thanks!)

http://www.myspace.com/miltoniusprime


Frustrating Conversationalist
Sandwich
Old and Cranky
Forget about Youth in Asia
Sit Down, Shut Up
I am a Champion
STDs
I Love Crack
Wash the Dish
Lotion
Man Friend

Notes on Nerdfest, Davey G.

notes from Nerdfest 3D, The Windup Space, Saturday June 6th.

Openers.

Oh, my, what can I say? Well, for starters, I opened a show for the first time in awhile--it’s what I asked for, I guess, when I said “just don’t put me on last.” Opening has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are the low expectations that make it possible to rise above. How many times in your life have you been to a show where the opening band blows away the headliner? I can think of maybe two or three times that has happened over a good 20 years of going to shows. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it is truly a special thing.
Then there are the disadvantages of going first. Those low expectations also mean that many people may not bother to show up early, or (even worse) they don’t pay any attention to you.
But for this show, I can say that I had the right crowd, and I think I managed to score a hit. I’ve played some of my new songs at least two or three times now, they’re still not quite stuck in my brain yet (note cards, note cards). I played “Get a load of THAT guy,” “Old and Cranky,” “Sit Down, Shut Up,” and “Frustrating Conversationalist,” as well as all the old classics, and the reception was good.

The Lotion Bit.

I hadn’t done the lotion bit in awhile. The show in March was cold, the show in May was…probably not the best audience (kids). But this time, I had prepped a particularly watery and messy mix, which made for a spectacular show on the floor of the Windup Space (sorry, Russell) and by the end, I had spent another whole bottle on the longest running gimmick of the Davey G and the Keyboard show.

Oh, Crap.
Not long after this, I realized that I had misplaced my wedding ring…it occurred to me that perhaps in the messiness of the lotion bit, it might have slipped off my usually otherwise dry and fat finger. I made the obligatory PA announcement… “uh, hey, if anyone finds my ring…you know, it’s kind of important…looks like a circle…”

Whew.
It turned up just a few hours later. When I was unloading my gear, I did a careful search of everything, and then it turned up inside my keyboard box. So it did not come off during the lotion bit, after all…

Closers.
All in all, a good show, a good crowd. Thanks to everyone who showed up, helped me out, thanks to the Windup Space and Save Vs. Poison for inviting me to play. Maybe I’ll see you next year???

Thanks for reading!
--Davey G.

Ps--there is a video of this show, when I get the URL I will post it here or in another post on the blog.

Davey G at Nerdfest! Saturday, June 6!

Hi,
So busy, so busy, I never even had time to blog about the wonderful time I had playing Free Comic Book Day last month (thank you all for coming out!).
Why so busy? Well, let’s just say that the Mrs. and I have become homeowners (thank you) and our time has been consumed with things like moving and telling kids to get off my lawn. But it’s all worth it, and now we move on to the next exciting thing, namely, my next appearance at Nerdfest!


Nerdfest 3D!
Saturday, June 6
The Windup Space,
12 W. North Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland
21202
www.thewindupspace.com

What follows is the schedule of events, as they’ve been given to me. Note that I am going on early, around 7:30, so get there early!
Hope to see you there!

--Davey G.




4:00 - OPEN - Gaming begins
7:30 – 8:00 - DAVEY G and the KEYBOARD
8:00 – 8:20 - Science Presentation #1
8:20 – 8:50- MILTONIUS PRIME and MC DIABEATS
8:50 - 9:10 – Science Presentation #2
9:10 - 9:50 –DIRTY MARMADUKE FLUTE SQUAD
9:50 –10:10 - Science Presentation #3
10:10 – 10:50 –BENE GESSERIT WITCH
10:50 – 11:10 - Band transition
11:10 – 11:50 – ABIKU
11:50 – 12:10 - Band transition
12:10 – 12:50 - PERVERSE OSMOSIS
1:00 - CLOSE

Free Comic Book Day with Davey G and Friends!

Hello everyone,

I’m excited…excited beyond the usual level of excitement that accompanies the announcement of an upcoming show. I’m really hoping that you can come out and see me play at my second Free Comic book Day show on Saturday May 2 at the Collector's Corner in Parkville. I know last year’s was a hoot, with many costumed superheroes and lots of free stuff available. (You must bring your camera, trust me.) And the bands! Even if I wasn’t playing, I’d come out to see the Dune-inspired rock of Bene Gesserit Witch, not to mention the sheer rock power of the Mandroids. Did I mention that this show is FREE? Very excited.


FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
Saturday May 2, 2009 / 10:00am-6:00pm
Collectors Corner 8108-A Harford Rd., Parkville, MD
www.collectorscornermd.com
FREE / ALL AGES
FINAL TIME SCHEDULE
Basically bands on the hour.
5:00 – 5:40 - Mandroids
4:00 – 4:40 - Person Parcel (Gary B)
3:00 – 3:40 - Muscle Twin
2:00 – 2:40 - Davey G and the Keyboard
1:00- 1:40 – Bene Gesserit Witch
12:00 – 12:40 – The Alameda


Thanks for reading!

--Davey G.

Books: The Wishbones by Tom Perrotta

The Wishbones by Tom Perrotta

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been reading all the Tom Perrotta books and I think this one might be the saddest, in terms of what it reveals about the nature of dreams and in this case, not knowing when to let them go. Many of the later books involve some middle aged person undergoing a crisis (with the exception of Joe College) but this one is about a somewhat younger character and has the funny yet depressing theme of growing up and getting over your adolescence. This is the story of Dave, guitarist in the wedding group the Wishbones, who somewhat impulsively decides to ask his girlfriend of fifteen years to marry him. The fact that he has been with the same girl...on and off...for so long indicates a serious problem, an inability to get over himself and commit to something other than his music. Additionally, there is his affair with a woman in the city, which tests and challenges his upcoming marriage and makes him wonder why he is going through with it. He is hanging on to his dream of being a rock star when the dream has long since moved past him. It is heartbreaking, but you spend more time laughing out loud at the way the story unfolds.

I enjoy Tom Perrotta's books so much I almost hate that I read them so fast. I also think that he has an excellent sense for writing about relationships, often nailing the many feelings we go through when we are in one. Soooo good! Bad Haircut next!


View all my reviews.

Books: Inventing Niagara

Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power and Lies by Ginger Strand

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The central premise of this book is that the natural wonder we know as Niagara Falls is in fact an example of how nature is manipulated for man’s own purposes but still sold as “nature.” The author’s love of the subject is obvious--this is as much about her own voyage of discovery as it is about Niagara Falls. We follow her as she meets interesting people associated with the Falls. She describes her many visits to the region, the many people she meets, what she uncovers at the library, the local records, etc. It all comes across in a way that is interesting to read. What we learn in this book is how the power of Niagara was harnessed and then ultimately re-shaped for the benefit of tourism, making it more user-friendly rather than literally just letting it run its course. The history of industry in the area is explored; how manufacturing once thrived until it mostly left for places with cheaper power and lower taxes. The toxic history is presented, from the region’s unwitting role in the development of the atomic bomb to Love Canal and beyond. The last chapter is about the state of the American side of the falls, which has not fared as well as the Canadian side, partly due to the fact that the Canadians had casino gambling to draw people over to their side. Apparently now there is a casino on the American side, but is it really enough to save the region? And should a beautiful natural treasure like Niagara Falls ever need “saving?” The history of the American side reads like a horror story of something that has happened to a lot of once-great American cities.

Over all, this is a good read. It is more of an exploration of the author’s curiosity than it is a call to action for the environment, which is probably a good thing, cause, well, I’m pretty lazy.


View all my reviews.

Irritated at (big surprise) City Paper.

http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17733

Should I be irritated that this review of Awesomefest doesn't even mention me? I can't help it.

Davey G Awesomefest re-cap.

Photo by Mike Walley-Rund

This was an afternoon show in the great outdoors in March, which turned out to not be such a great idea; it was eventually moved indoors. But the first 3 acts, including mine, were played in the parking lot, which was fun but cold. It was interesting to have random people walking by or standing in the alley hearing such classics as “I Love Crack” and “Man-Friend,” as well as a couple new ones “Old and Cranky” and “Sit Down, Shut Up.” I had notes on index cards which were blown around in the wind--they’re mostly just place-holders with key words in case I forget something…when I played “Sit Down…” I kind of garbled some of the lines.
Here are a few of them:

“Putting up a fight doesn’t float my boat/
Things are easier now that I’ve given up hope.
Sit Down! Shut Up! Don’t Put up a fight!”

This was one of the few shows in my career where I didn’t do the lotion bit. It was cold, and like I said at the time, I’m dedicated to my craft…but not THAT dedicated.
Admittedly, I did not stick around for most of this, because like my new song says, I’m old and cranky.

BTW…
For anyone interested, I am now on Twitter. I’m still new to it, and for some reason still unable to use it from my phone (which kinda defeats the purpose of it) but I will work this out hopefully soon. My username is “daveygandthe” which I hope will encompass all of my future projects.

I have a lot more information about my next 2 shows but I think this will be enough for now. Check back soon!

--Davey G.

Notes on preparing for Awesomefest this Weekend.

I’ve been getting my set together for the show this Saturday and it’s looking pretty good--I’m adding possibly 3 brand new songs, including one that I am calling “Old and Cranky.” The other songs are yet to be determined, as I’ll probably be tinkering with the set until the last minute--who knows, I may do more.
It looks like I’m going on around 2:30 or so, but you’ll actually want to get there in time to see Wild Bonerz, who are on before me at around 2. They are a split-off from The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad and are always entertaining. There will be screenings of movies and a total of 14 bands taking the stage, and it is all to benefit a new comic book shop called Awesometown Comics. It’s mind boggling, crazy even.
This Saturday at the Sidebar.
http://www.sidebartavern.com/
Doors open at 1:30.
In case you haven’t seen the flyer it looks like this:






Hope to see you there.
--Davey G.

Update on the next show at the Sidebar.

I am re-posting the latest info I have about this show, which is this Saturday, March 14. Note the estimated times of the bands--I should be on at about 2:45, so keep that in mind if you are coming out to see Davey G.
The Sidebar is located at 218 E. Lexington Street in beautiful downtown Baltimore, Maryland.

Awesome fest, march 14th, 2009
1:30: DOORS
2:00-2:25 wild bonerz
2:45-3:10 davey g and the keyboard
3:30-3:55 side affects
4:15-4:40 totalitarian vegetables
5:00-5:30 trash camp
5:50-6:20 pfisters
6:40-7:10 4th horseman
7:30-8:00 werewolves
8:20-8:50 open mic knights
9:10-9:40 cult classics
10:00-10:30 entertainment system
10:50-11:20 bukkake party tonight
11:40-12:10 death in custody
12:30-1:00 stout

in addition to bands playing, we will also be having a screening of "Isle of the Damned" at 2:30 and 8:00, and possibly "Grave Mistakes" at 4:30 and 10:00 inside the bar.

Enjoy!

--Davey G.

Come to see Davey G and the Keyboard on March 14!

March 14, in just 2 weeks from now, I will be making my first appearance of 2009, with a slew of new songs and a smattering of old ones in a benefit show to raise money for "Awesome Town Comics.” Come check it out!


Take note: this show will start in the afternoon and I will be going on fairly early (probably 2 or 2:30). The order listed below is the order in which the bands will appear.


Saturday, 3/14/ 2009
at the Sidebar
218 East Lexington St, Baltimore MD

$10.00 at the door
doors at 1:30, show at 2.

With:

wild bonerz
Davey G and the keyboard (second! Get there early!!!)
open mic knights
side affects
totalitarian vegetables
trash camp
pfisters
4th horseman
werewolves
cult classics
entertainment system
bukkake party tonight
death in custody
stout
survivors of camp crystal lake



www.daveygandthekeyboard.com


--Davey G and the Keyboard, enjoying the snow day.

The Next 3 Davey G and the Keyboard shows!

Hello Everyone,
As promised (I think) here is all the latest information that I have about the next three Davey G and the Keyboard shows.

1. Saturday, 3/14/ 2009
2 p.m
A benefit show to raise money for "Awesome Town Comics"
at the Sidebar
218 East Lexington St, Baltimore MD

$10.00 at the door
doors at 1:30, show at 2.

With (in this order):

wild bonerz
Davey G and the keyboard (so get there early!)
open mic knights
side affects
totalitarian vegetables
trash camp
pfisters
4th horseman
werewolves
cult classics
entertainment system
bukkake party tonight
death in custody
stout
survivors of camp crystal lake


2. Saturday 05/02/2009
12:00 PM - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Collectors Corner Comic Shop
8108 Harford Rd PARKVILLE, Maryland 21234
Free
line up so far-
(Mandroids) unconfirmed
Muscle Twin
Gary B and the Notions
Davey G
Bene Gesserit Witch

3. Saturday 06/06/2009
9:00 PM – NERDFEST IN 3-D!
The Windup Space
12 w North Ave Arts District
BALTIMORE, Maryland
$5.00

**MORE DETAILS TO COME
line-up so far-
Bene Gesserit Witch
Davey G
Perverse Osmosis

*** Collectors Corner will be sponsoring Nerdfest which will be IN 3-D! well, we'll be showing 3-d movies at least. (creature from the black lagoon, jaws 3-d, etc...)

This sounds like a fun one--I’ll update as I get more info.
There may be more coming--you'll see it here first!

--Davey G.

A general update on Davey G-related things.

A fan asked me the other day if I had come out with anything new (music or Davezines) that he had missed. This person has bought everything I have come out with in the last 7 years, and I see him at least 3 or 4 times a week, just the type of person I always make sure to update on new developments.

And it occurred to me that to some, like this person, who have followed my “career," it might seem as though I have dropped off the face of the earth. While it is true that Davezine #14: The Bad Roommate Issue has been put on hold, and I have been quiet on the music front (more on that later) I realized it may be in my best interest to provide an update on what it is I am up to, and what people might have to look forward to from me.

I have been doing more writing in the last 6 months or so than ever before and I am making steady progress in the editing of my novel, The Best of Thunder Johnson. I think it is a great story. It is about a guy who works at a cable access station who inadvertently shows a homemade porno movie over the air, who becomes the focus of a disturbed mental patient’s rage. (I’ve been told that being able to state your book’s plot in a single sentence is a good thing, so to that end this is what my book breaks down to.)
I have some plans for this book, which are still developing. All I can say now is that it is coming, and it is taking up a lot of my time, which is why I haven’t come out with any new printed material yet. I would like everyone to read it when it comes out (hopefully this June) and I may self-publish a limited number of copies, if there is interest. As far as this goes, I will offers details in future messages. (Here’s where I plug getting on the mailing list from my site which will keep you in the loop for any future projects.)
Overall, I am just looking at a big picture and trying to focus on getting this writing thing off the ground. After all, I’ve been doing it for something like 20 years (if you count bad high school writing) so I think it’s time I just strap in for the long haul, because apparently this is what I do. You know. Writing.

As to music, Davey G and the Keyboard…
I have a lot of new songs, and the goal is to incorporate as many of them as I can into my set this year. As it stands, I have 3 shows on the schedule, the next one being March 14 at the Sidebar, with another one in May (TBA) and another in June (also TBA). I might (and this is a big “might”) put out another album this year, or early next year. It really depends on a number of things. I think the show is as great as ever, I encourage people to come check it out.

To review:
Keep an eye out for my novel, The Best of Thunder Johnson,
Listen for the upcoming Davey G and the Keyboard shows,
A possible new Davey G album,
And maybe, just maybe, the Bad Roommate edition of Davezine.

Thanks for reading my blog today.

Davey G.

Books: Supreme Courtship

Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Supreme Courtship is about a President who, fed up with the Powerful Senate Judiciary Committee rejecting his Supreme Court nominees, decides to get back at them by nominating Pepper Cartwright, a popular TV judge, a choice that will surely trouble the Senate. Of course, there is an election underway with a President who doesn't really want to be re-elected but runs for spite, in the face of an amendment to limit Presidents to only one term--an amendment that was developed because of him. It will be up to the High Court and its newest judge to resolve this Constitutional Crisis.

I think Buckley is superior at what he does. Christopher Buckley is always an entertaining read. His latest, Supreme Courtship, is just one more in which he just makes political comedy look easy. It's not quite up there with Thank You For Smoking, but for my money (or in this case, my library card) give me any one of his books for the plane ride, bus ride, or jury duty, and let everyone wonder what the hell I am laughing at.




View all my reviews.

The most useless “feel good” regulation of the year.

I put my feelings about the Maryland Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (or VEIP) in a blog post awhile back, based on my own, unique situation with my 1992 Honda Civic. (for those who don’t feel like reviewing the post: It doesn’t pass the VEIP test, therefore I have to go back every month and pay 14 dollars every time just to keep it on the road, which, as it happens, costs less than it would take for me to fix the car.) Now that Barack Obama is President, there are environmentalists who want him to help them adopt stricter emissions standards that surpass the federal standards.

From yesterday’s Examiner:

“Obama called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to re-examine a Bush administration policy that denied California and other states the ability to set their own emissions standards.”

Environmentalists are thrilled.

“It gives leadership states like Maryland the assurance they will be able to meet their own goals to protect the citizens.”--Derek Walker, director of the California Climate Initiative for the Environmental defense Fund, and former head of the Maryland Democratic Party.

(again--I think cleaning up the environment is important, but my experience with the VEIP is that it just doesn’t work--I outlined this thoroughly in an earlier post)


Go ahead! Raise the emissions standards! My car will still keep coming back and failing the test because the law is still toothless and weak, but hey--it’s no skin off my nose.

Dave “The Polluter” G.

I laid out index cards of all the scenes in my new book...

...what the hell was I thinking?

Books: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very readable and entertaining book. The story is about a young girl whose mother left her at four months old to follow the music of the punk scene. The girl starts her own band, in an effort to bring her mother home. In many ways, the simplicity of this story is appealing. But a few parts of the story lost me, and I will freely admit this has to do with a few of my own personal biases: my dislike of certain cultural institutions like MTV and Rolling Stone Magazine. I loved the part about how the band starts, with all of the natural conflicts and issues that are always there when creative types get together. I was less interested when the band gets unnaturally big, as it seemed…maybe a little unbelievable (but then again, that’s just my own bias.) I was kind of hanging on through the whole “mother left to follow the music” thing, because at my ripe old age it seemed like a dumb reason for a mother to leave. (I think I might not have been the right audience for this book.) But once her real reason for leaving is revealed, it was good to see that it was something much more complicated than that. Throughout the book, the author uses a liberal amount of adverbs which for me was a little distracting, making me very aware that someone is telling a story, preventing me from getting lost in it. I feel like this story is really good and could have benefited from a few less words here and there.

Overall, I respect what the author has done. The story is layered and interesting, with good characters--I like the first person narrative of the daughter-- and all in all it was almost like a history lesson of the punk movement as seen through the eyes of the characters. And the author’s background in “bad poetry” and “DIY feminist ‘zines” are pursuits close to my heart, which is the main reason why I examined this book a little more closely than some others.




View all my reviews.

2009!

End of year blog post.

It was a good year for Davey G. I wrote my first draft of my first novel (Nanowrimo 08), played seven Davey G and the Keyboard shows, wrote, wrote songs, and wrote some more. So now what’s up for 2009?

--By June, hopefully you will see the final draft of my novel, The Best of Thunder Johnson. It is the story of a man who makes an unfortunate mistake in his night job at the cable access station, which causes him to become the focus of a disturbed mental patient’s rage. I’ve got good hopes for this one! Check this space for future details!

--A new Davey G set. I hope to revise my set to encompass all new material, including some of the new songs I debuted in 2008, with a sub-set devoted to the classics. (Don’t worry, Man-Friend isn’t going anywhere.)
And while I’m on the subject of shows:

--For this year, I am going to make every attempt to do my act only on weekends, or before holidays or barring that, early on weekdays. This “going on late” thing just isn’t working out for me.

Next show is March 14 at the Sidebar, where I should be going on third, sometime in the afternoon.

--Nanowrimo 09! Nanowrimo 08 changed my life. I hope to make the second novel one to remember.

Those are just a few of the things. I hope to see many of you out at the Davey G show, and hope you enjoy my book when it comes out!

Dave G.



http://www.daveygandthekeyboard.com

Next Week at the Sidebar...Davey G!

Hi,
Next week at the Sidebar…
DAVEY G AND THE KEYBOARD
with
Rare Candy
Markitect
and
Contra

Thursday, December 11, 9 p.m.
7 dollars.

The Sidebar is located at
218 E. Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
http://sidebartavern.com/

Hope to see you there!

--Davey G.

www.daveygandthekeyboard.com