Big Leather Couch

Welcome to Friday all...

Long day yesterday, we worked at the Habitat house from about 11 until 4. We installed kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities...we caulked windows and did clean-up. It was a good day all in all. Unlike our last build, the future homeowner was on site yesterday. A very nice woman who was just so friendly to everyone there.

The home ServiceMaster is building is right next door to a home being built by Federal Express employees. Two families within weeks of moving in to brand new homes!

Yesterday we wrote that 300 homes have been built in the US. We were told today that was wrong. It is actually 300 homes in the Memphis area alone!

Pretty freakin' cool....



We are continuing the voting for the next Tuneage Tutelage until Saturday and then will post the winning entry next week. If you have not voted...join in the fun...Remember, you can vote for two different artists.




Criminal Minds began on Wednesday and man did they start off with a bang...If you have not watched this show and you enjoy the kind of stories we have shared during our Monday Matinee's then jump on in Wednesday evenings at 9:00 PM eastern...


The steroids discussion seems to make it's way back onto The Couch over and over (OK, sure, it is because we report on the guy we call Steroid-head) and two of our favorite guests made their points with intelligence and passion in our comments section yesterday.

If you did not see them, take a few minutes and go back there to read.

Katherine, I appreciate your view, but as Travis pointed out, no matter what, it was cheating. Any player who showed a size gain over four years as we saw with McGuire, Sosa, Bonds, Caminiti and Giambi...well...no amount of weight lifting would do that...Of course there are others, but these are the most evident.

The use of steroids assisted in the death of Caminiti...the waste of a good life. Out of the players listed only one has even come close to admitting to the use of the drug. Sure Giambi never said what he was apologizing for, but we all knew.

Do I condone his use of the drug because he happens to play for the NY Yankees? Absolutely not and I do believe IF it can be proved he should be banned from the game. Has he continued to be a productive hitter, as you pointed out about Mr. Bonds, absolutely.

Has Sammy Sosa, who along with McGuire was touted to help save baseball when they had their 'historic' summer (man is that strange to say now), continued to be the same player he was when he was most likely using? Absolutely not. So in some ways the use of the drug DID help to set records.

The one guy who probably could have used steroids for their powers to help recover from injuries is, ironically, the one player we certainly thought would break the home run record when he broke into the game...That player is Ken Griffey, Jr. Injuries have plagued him for the past 5-6 years and he has not been the player he could have been injury free.

Welcome to another week…

So, THE COUCH went home this weekend…had a nice time. Great to see Allyson and Matt & Rocky. In the end, was only home about 36 hours, but did get to sleep in our bed which was also nice. (Image of a COUCH in a bed…. Hehehe)

Spent all day Saturday packing - mostly kitchen things. LOL…hope THE COUCH can fit this all in the new apartment.

Leave Thursday morning for NJ. Pick up the U-Haul that day…load it all in and start the drive Friday morning with Matt. Will get back to Memphis early on Saturday, unload it all and then Sunday morning take Matt to the airport.

Need to get over to apartment this week and get it ready…you know put in the shelf paper, hang the shower curtain, domestic stuff like that! LOL

Thanks to THE COUCH’s CORRESPONDENT Pia and Reuters News Service for this next one:

It seems that almost a dozen Japanese tourist visiting Paris each year end up needing psychological treatment!

Already this year, Japan's embassy in Paris has had to repatriate at least four visitors -- including two women who believed their hotel room was being bugged and there was a plot against them.

Previous cases include a man convinced he was the French "Sun King", Louis XIV, and a woman who believed she was being attacked with microwaves, Japanese embassy official Yoshikatsu Aoyagi has said.

The phenomenon, dubbed "Paris Syndrome", was first detailed in the psychiatric journal Nervure in 2004.

You see…in Japan, shop owners treat the customer as kings and queens, while in Paris, the help is rude and hardly even notice them. Then they get on the subways and no one smiles and the crime is something the tourists are unfamiliar with.

The Japanese think that Paris is a wonderland and that all French people are happy and friendly.

Then they get there and see the reality…a dirty city with rude sullen people and it just makes the Japanese go a bit wack-a-doo!

HA! We Americans already know the truth…a bunch of whiny sniveling blowhards who would be eating bratwurst and sauerkraut if it were not for us….
Also from Reuters we learn this:

Abel Gonzales, 36, a computer analyst from Dallas, tried about 15 different
varieties before coming up with his perfect recipe -- a batter mix made with
Coca-Cola syrup, a drizzle of strawberry syrup, and some strawberries.

Balls of the batter are then deep-fried, ending up like ping-pong ball sized
doughnuts which are then served in a cup, topped with Coca-Cola syrup,
whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry on the top.

"It tastes great," said Sue Gooding, a spokeswoman for the State Fair of Texas where Gonzales' fried Coke made its debut this fall. "It was a huge success."

Gonzales ran two stands at the State Fair of Texas and sold up to 35,000
fried Cokes over 24 days for $4.50 each -- and won a prize for coming up
with "most creative" new fair food.

Now other fairs in North Carolina and Arizona are following the trend, and
other people are trying to emulate Gonzales' recipe.

Seems this new creation is a hit all over the US at state fairs.

Good old Abel will be working on his Sprite and Diet Coke recipes this off-season to try and reduce the number of calories in his creation.

Ummm…Able, dude…you are selling these at the same place people gorge on fried dough, whipped sugar, fried pork fat and more…do you really think they give a dang how many calories is in your new creation???
Today marks the anniversary of the death of DUANE ALLMAN. Duane is another person whose abilities and talents have touched THE COUCH’s life. Thanks for the reminder Travis!

THE COUCH has told the story of “meeting” Duane back around 1970 standing at a urinal at Stony Brook University on Long Island, but the short version for those of you who have not heard it.

Was a concert where Mountain was the Top Bill. The opening act came out and just wailed. Some incredible music. Between acts, THE COUCH runs to men’s room and am standing there.

Glancing to the right and see one of the guys who was just on stage. “Hey man, you guys are f**king great, but never caught your name.” As we are finishing up he says (deep southern drawl), “Thanks, we’re the Allman Brothers Band, I’m Duane Allman.” He washes his hands and is gone…

Michael Ventre, MSNBC contributor, did a very special tribute to Duane today. We will quote from it, as he said it better then THE COUCH could.

Outside of niches occupied by guitar fanatics and Southern blues-rock devotees, the name Duane Allman is often ignored. He wasn’t flamboyant. He didn’t live the stereotypical life of rock and roll excess.

His most notable work came either as a session player for other artists, or as an unassuming member of a band he co-founded with his brother Gregg. And he is probably recognized the most for his work on the slide guitar, practically a lost art today.

Yet Duane Allman — who died about a month shy of his 25th birthday, on October 29, 1971, 35 years ago — was one of the most influential guitar players of his generation. His untimely passing in a motorcycle accident only a few months after the release of the now classic album, “The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East,” was as much of a blow to the world of rock as any of the aforementioned icons.

While Clapton is exceptionally good on “Layla,” Duane Allman’s slide transformed the album from an earnest homage to the blues that would provide filler during a lull in Clapton’s career into one of the landmark works of rock and roll.

The memories of Duane Allman are clear and precise, just like his playing. There were few bells and whistles associated with him, no fuzz or tremolo effects to enhance the natural sound of his Gibson Les Paul. His picking was pure, much like that of the blues gods he emulated.

That unadulterated style reflected his personality. He was, by almost all accounts, a good-natured soul with a big heart and a carefree spirit. It seemed that whoever came into contact with Duane Allman liked him, although he wasn’t very tolerant of nonsense and especially media attention. He was a pleasant individual, but a forceful and intense presence as well.

Duane Allman wasn’t just a blues mimic. He developed his own Southern-fried rocking version of the blues. Fellow blues greats like Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughn — two Texans with generous splashes of Southern Comfort on their licks — became known more for the speed in which their hands picked and their fingers moved across the frets, although they are considered geniuses in their own rights.

Duane’s strength was in his blues instincts. He chose his notes carefully, allowing space to breath between them, but still capable of hitting the accelerator when necessary and wailing. While some guitarists overwhelm a song with their power, Duane’s playing perfectly complemented the songs he played on while still projecting strength. Some of his long improvisations exhibit impeccable blues, rock and jazz influences, which is why “At Fillmore East” is such a staple in most music fans’ libraries.

He had the confidence and passion of an accomplished artist, but he also radiated the loyalty and trust of a good brother and friend to those who admired him. Although it has been 35 years since he passed, his presence is still felt and his music is still relevant.
The full text of the article can be found HERE
Some facts you might not know:
In 2003 Rolling Stone magazine listed their 100 greatest guitarists. #1 was Jimi…#2 was Duane...ahead of all the rest.
Allman used the Coricidin medicine bottle as a guitar slide
In 1998 the Georgia state legislature passed a resolution designating a stretch of State Highway 19 within Macon as "Duane Allman Boulevard" in memory of him.

Shortly after Duane's death, Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd dedicated the song "Free Bird", which he initially wrote for a friend's wedding, to the memory of Duane Allman.

After Duane died, they called the next album Eat a Peach for one of Duane's interview lines, in response to the question "How are you helping the revolution?": "There ain't no revolution, only evolution, but every time I'm in Georgia I eat a peach for peace."

The album was NOT called Eat A Peach because it was a peach truck that Duane hit with his motorcycle as legend speaks.

In a bizarre coincidence, bassist Berry Oakley would die 13 months later in a similar motorcycle crash with a truck, not but three blocks away from the site of Duane's.

Eric Clapton invited Duane to join Derek & the Dominoes after the Layla sessions, but Duane declined, preferring to stay with his brother and The Allman Brothers Band.

Finally…You may not know it, but you probably have heard the sweet sound of Duane’s guitar and slide work on some of your favorite songs. He worked as a session musician at the Muscle Shoals Studios in Alabama for a period of time before the ABB came into being.

This is a short list of some of those songs he is on:
The Road Of Love - Clarence Carter
The Weight - Aretha Franklin
Games People Play - King Curtis
Shake For Me - John Hammond
Loan Me A Dime - Boz Scaggs
Rollin' Stone - Johnny Jenkins
Livin' On The Open Road - Delaney And Bonnie
Down Along The Cove - Johnny Jenkins
Please Be With Me - Cowboy
Mean Old World - Eric Clapton & Duane Allman
Layla - Derek And The Dominos
It Ain't Fair - Aretha Franklin
Weight, The - King Curtis
You Reap What You Sow - Otis Rush
Matchbox - Ronnie Hawkins
Born To Be Wild - Wilson Pickett
Stuff You Gotta Watch - Arthur Conley
Dirty Old Man - Lulu
Push, Push - Herbie Mann
I Walk On Guilded Splinters - Johnnie Jenkins
Waiting For A Train - Boz Scaggs
Don't Tell Me Your Troubles - Ronnie Hawkins
Going Upstairs - Sam Samudio
Come On In My Kitchen - Delaney And Bonnie
Hey Jude - Wilson Pickett – When Eric Clapton heard the slide at the end of this song, he wanted to know who it was and made plans to meet Duane very soon afterward. That was the beginning of their collaboration on Layla

What could have been if he had continued playing over the last 35 years….

Thanks for sitting on THE COUCH, hope you enjoyed your stay.

Remember .. Nets For Malaria - UNFoundation.org/malaria - find the big SI's Nothing But Net logo ... Or call 202.887.9040. Every cent goes to buying nets to place over the beds of children in Africa to stomp out Malaria. PLEASE HELP.

Keep that spark of insanity kids...It helps keep you an individual.

SONG TITLE INDEX:
Paris Is Something Wrong: Songwriter/Composer: Paul Anka
Sugar Sugar: Songwriter/Composer: Jeff Barry / Andy Kim
Free Bird: Songwriter/Composer: Allen Collins / Ronald W. VanZant