my son the rising rockstar v: 50 minutes of fame

They take the stage. With the lights turned on between sets I can see water dripping from the ceiling above the stage mike. Melting snow on a leaking roof. I resist the urge to help them set up their instruments and amps. They know what they’re doing. Bob, the lead member, got here early and [...]

who am I on the 9 X 12 screen?

I thought I was a low-key working stiff who enjoys writing, nature, and urban living. Part of “work” is checking my e-mail. And when I log onto it I start to feel like several different people. 
To Marissa, a former co-worker, I’m someone waiting to read “feel good” messages that need to be forwarded to ten people [...]

my son the rising rockstar iv: meeting the band

As hard hitting as my son’s band is, the five members appear, at least physically, more like a Sunday school choir as they now set up their equipment on stage in this loud and dimly lit bar. This skewed impression comes from the fact that they are performing in the wake of the just-departed opening band, [...]

field research on alternative transportation

I’ve started walking to work. I’m trying to save money on gas and get back in shape from sitting around all winter. It’s three-and-a-half miles to my office so I only walk on nice days. After two weeks of walking to work three times a week, I’ve logged 42 miles, lost a couple pounds, and saved [...]

my son the rising rock star iii: debut warm-up

“Chardonnay, please.” 
The barely-twenty blonde bartender covered by less clothing than I wear at the beach smiles and raises her eyebrows as in, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” 
“Chardonnay!” I raise my voice. She super-raises her eyebrows.  
I lean over the bar and cup my mouth with my hands like an Alpine yodeler trying to reach Austria from France, [...]

professional neighbors

When the time goes behind in the fall or ahead in the spring, as it did last week, the psychiatrist in the next office comes in the front room of my office suite and changes my wall clock. It’s battery powered and tends to run slower than an AC clock, so he also comes in throughout [...]

my son the rising rock star ii: the music

 My son, Jeremy, and I met for lunch. We talked mostly about music. He introduced me to modern rock (by playing it constantly when he lived with me). I find much of it as inspiring as that of my own youth. I was drawn to it then because it represented young men and women successfully articulating their feelings, [...]

my son the rising rock star i: recording

They found a studio where the guy agreed to produce a seven-song CD for $1,125. When Jeremy first called to tell me, I wondered at their doing this before they’d even played out. To me the natural step after practicing for a year behind closed doors would be to play for an audience, even just [...]

the experts speak

This morning on the radio, the news announcer said, “Do you ever wonder why wives like Mrs. Spitzer and Hillary Clinton stand by their husbands? Stay tuned; we’ll be joined by a marriage counselor and ‘couples’ expert right after the news.” 
The ‘couples’ expert called in from Texas and, while her oil-well accent begged listening to, [...]

the river

I was going to write about my son today, since I wrote about my daughter last time. But this past Sunday I learned that a woman I was once married to had died…almost eight months ago. 
I went through the afternoon in disbelief. You see, I’m still traveling “dumb,” with a teenage sense of vulnerability: How could [...]