Thanks for visiting.  I’m doing some fixing up on this page.  Bear with me and the bland design till then?  Thanks!

The release date for Charles Leerhsen’s new book, Crazy Good: The true story of Dan Patch, the most famous horse in America, is nearing.

Not sure who Dan Patch is?

• At a time when the highest-paid baseball player, Ty Cobb, was making $12,000 a year, Dan Patch was earning over a million dollars. At a time when champion horses were household names, a workhorse from an ordinary farm became an undefeated legend.

That’s who Dan Patch is.

In Crazy Good, Charles Leerhsen brings to life an all-but-forgotten hero of a bygone era. Click here to read an excerpt of the book.

Want to learn how I first found out about the amazing Dan Patch and the engaging Charles Leerhsen? Click here.

Crazy Good hits the shelves on May 20. You can order it online now.

This six word memoir thing has been up long enough. If anyone wants to send in more. I’ll still move them to the front.

Meanwhile, I’ll put up some links to videos of music/musicians who are great–and in some way overlooked or overshadowed mass marketed music. If you want to add your favorite underrated musicians to the mix, I’ll pull the links to the front page.

Thanks, Daddy Rhon, for starting it out and posting this:

Okay, buddy. I am late to the game, but here is my friend Miss Anton Shaw rawkin’ Patty B’s Heartbreaker. She’s a local talent in Dallas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnYCGtfVsw0

Here are my original posts:

“Hallelujah,” written by Leonard Cohen, performed by the amazing Over The Rhine. Click here.

“Lonely Lasts So Long,” by Diana Jones. Click here.

“Can’t Find the Way,” by Mary Gauthier. Click here. Anything by Mary Gauthier is masterful. After you watch this video, pick up a CD or three.

If alt-folk is not your thing, try “Handlebars,” by the Flobots. Click here.

In that same vein, here’s Gil Scott Heron’s The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. This was first recorded in 1976–or maybe it was 73? Click here.

This is more uplifting, but back to acoustic music. The video is not really a video, but it’s a feel good song, so just close your eyes and listen. Or dance. Click here.

Here’s Bettye Lavette backed by the Drive By Truckers. Click here.

Here’s Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy) doing his thing: Click here.

I can’t find any good MP3s or videos by Martha Wainwright or Lucy Wainwright-Roche, both whom are worth a good listen.

Not Quite What I Was Planning is an anthology of six word memoirs by famous and obscure writers. (My good friend, Sarah Saffian, is one of the contributors.) It’s a fun book, so I stole the idea and am inviting people to post their six word memoirs here. Daddy Rhon has in turn stolen the idea from me and posted it on the Daddy Rhon site. And so it goes. Post your six word memoir in “comments” at the end of this blog and I’ll pull it to the front page. Looking forward to reading your six words.

And now for the memoirs:

Two from multi-lingual, multi-talented, downright wonderful Zoe Cech:

tomando mi vida día por día.

And. . .

dreaming big.
loving always.
stopping never.

__________

Two from Patty Delarios: Took a long detour. Back now.

and. . .

Oh hell. Did I miss something? –Patty Delarios

Jump, sink, swim. Jump, sink, swim. –Sandy Cech

Innovation, ruckus: Keep them shook up. — The inimitable Marty Cech

___________

Six words: keep me coming back. — Les Johnson

Check out Narrative Magazine next month to read Les’s first publication. Congrats Les!

__________

Here’s one from Ike Cech, a performing artist (actor, make-up artist, voice-overs, you name it–this guy is talented!)

Spontaneous and carefree as a dustmite.

______

Leslie McCormick gets two because she’s a Gemini:

Nothing much happened but Junebug love.

AND: Outside wheatfields blooming wrong love in

Refused painted map. Experiments are home. –Martine Mcdonald.

Had some loss. Now I’m full. –Lisa Cech.

_________

Heaven has baseball. I’m pitching Tuesday. –Chris Orr.

________

S/he always had one word too many.

AND

Never was any good at rules. –Both by Daddy Rhon

____________

Holy crap. Are you shitting me?

And…

Blue sky black raven red dirt. –BK Loren

Busted out of prison. Found home. –Rugsy the prison dog.

Epilepsy shakes me. Kindness moves me. –Bo the dog.

Person Marilyn Krysl

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Person Sarah Saffian

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I’m so enamored with “One Nation Under Elvis” by Rebecca Solnit that I can’t help myself from posting the link here for others to read. It’s in the current issue of Orion Magazine, a great, independent, no-ad mag. The writing and art that fills Orion’s pages is always good, but this story just struck a chord with me. It’s intelligent, compassionate, fresh, and I just plain love it. To read it, click here: Orion Magazine: Rebecca Solnit
I loved this comment posted in response to the above post so much that I have pulled it to the front page.  Thanks, Martine, for submitting it.  You’re amazing.

Comment by the one and only Martine, AKA McBeanie:

When I was 6 years old, my prized Christmas present was serial-numbered, certificate wielding, puckered-lip gold leaf Elvis Presley collector’s plate. I coveted it more than my jumbo Lego set. True story. In middle school, I would get into tepid arguments with my fellow seventh graders about the merits of Elvis, his charitiable work and the impossibility of him being racist, my primary reference being the 68′ comeback special pre-interview. All this bubblegum adolescent passion and appreciation for equality - while wearing my violet crushed velvet bell bottoms - in 1996.

Like my well-intention desire for bell-bottoms past their hayday and the need to defend an icon of soul, we can stick with participating in a continuous narrative that racism is only a problem for some people out there somewhere, where we are way too educated and aware to go because we want to maintain face. The pockets of illumination as well as ignorance are closer than we think and I choose to take responsibility everyday about what my privleges have afforded me, even if I would be categorized as a triply marginalized person by other standards. It is too easy for the privleged to even make such a leap of distinction about where bigotry is and is not and I appreciate Rebecca’s commentary on easing up on the self-righteous finger-pointing one can so easily fall into.

The discontinuous narrative is the bloom of a piece like this when we can check-in, adjust our sails and do better collectively by everybody on the next page, where we all take responsibility, where we all take up a corner of work.

Wow, I’m becoming such a fan of Rebecca Solnit! Thanks for this, BK!