Big Leather Couch: Elvis

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Monday and a new week begins...

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Monday, January 09, 2012 4 Of Your Sparks

The trip to SoCal went well. The press approvals were on time and we only had one night where we were at the plant until after 10pm.

Got to hook up with my fraternity brother Jaime and his girlfriend Christa on Friday. We had a small lunch right near the water and then - as happened last June when I last saw them - some door staining took place!

It was just odd that every time I come it happens. Good thing someone else was there as his doors are heavier than anything!

Then we went to a great dinner on the Redondo Beach Pier at Kincaid's. Had a roasted sirloin that was bursting with flavor and maybe - yes maybe - the BEST Clam Chowder I had ever tasted. That is saying a lot for a boy who grew up in the NY and New England region.

Then on Saturday I flew home. Nancy had taken me to the airport, so she was coming to pick me up. Before I left town, I thought to myself that it would be a good idea to stop at Uncle Lou's for some of his famous fried chicken. I never mentioned it to Nancy and it slipped my mind.

When she pulled up in the car, after a kiss, she turns to me and says "Why don't you order a full chicken from Uncle Lou's?"

Did I marry the right woman or what?

Well, in the end, it would have taken too long from a whole chicken so we grabbed a 7 piece meal, a sausage and cheese plate, a bottle of Corruption (Lou's special spice) and headed home.

Spent yesterday watching my Giants put a whooping on the Falcons. Next stop is Green Bay and as a fan I believe my team can win.

As someone who had 4 Packer players (Rogers, Jennings, Crosby and Finley) all season and picked up Driver and Flynn late I know how strong that team is!

Yes, we had Flynn stating in game 17 when they benched Rogers. Sure we were nervous and damn right we were surprised when Flynn threw for six TDs.

Dean and I won our Super Bowl in that league which is ahem a pay for play league. My two freebie leagues on ESPN with Jayman and with Brad, I came in 2nd in one and 4th in the other, so a decent season as far as fantasy is concerned.

Tonight begins my International Blues Challenge coverage with the first of three shows with past winners.

Tonight, Sean Carney and the band Trampled Under Foot (who are siblings!).

Then the week Jan 31 - Feb 4. Seems like it is coming fast. This week I need to go down and run a test show for the Hot Spot I am purchasing. I was told it would be better to supply my own wireless. No biggie.

I have been busy recording the ads I had left. Over all, for the first year, I did well enough to cover expenses with some left over. But there are still many spots which were made available. Next year.

I did miss one thing in Memphis while I was gone...ELVIS WEEK!

I might have to make up for missing this past Friday's Five On Friday...or maybe some form of it all...now the wheels are turning. hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Hey, did oyu notice, this turned into a real blog post! LOLOL

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Five On Friday - Five Degrees Of Musical Progression

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Friday, February 18, 2011 13 Of Your Sparks

On Friday's our friend TRAVIS from Trav's Thoughts does a fun game called FIVE ON FRIDAY, where the participants put together a set of five songs. The sets can be random, specific to an artist, specific to a genre, or in the case this week Progressive.

Start with a song and then see how the progression from one song to another builds.

This is a fun one and I had a blast building this set.

Here are the general rules for FIVE ON FRIDAY:

Check out the other participants by clicking on his link above...and join in!

You can register for free at playlist.com and type in a band name and BAM the song will be there to assist in building your playlist.

Travis lays out some guidelines for this meme and they go like this:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. Choose a particular theme to share with us. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

3. I don't know how to make a specific linky, so be sure to leave me a comment to let me know that you participated.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

OK, so the progression:

1) BLACKBIRD - The Beatles - This played on my iTouch and I decided to make it my jumping off point. Written by Paul, though credited to McCartney/Lennon), McCartney explained on PBS's Great Performances (Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road), aired in 2006, that the guitar accompaniment for "Blackbird" was inspired by J.S. Bach's Bourrée in E minor, a well known lute piece, often played on the classical guitar...

This caused me to jump to:

2)BOUREE - Jethro Tull - from their album "Stand Up", which Anderson rearranged from the JS Bach song...

Ah Rock and Roll Flute...and this led me to:

3) UNDUN - Guess Who - because it has a very cool flute solo at about the 2:15 mark in the song...

Well, the next step was easy, since guitarist for the Guess Who was Randy Bachman, we chose...

4) TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS - Bachman Turner Overdrive - one of their huge hits from the album Bachman–Turner Overdrive II...

And of course, Takin' Care Of Business became a catch phrase and the TCB logo was placed on his airplane, the Lisa Marie...so

5) DEVIL IN DISGUISE - Elvis Presley -

Hope you enjoyed the progression that sprang from my brain cells.

Try it yourself someday...it makes you think and can lead you in so many directions!

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

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Fun Times In Memphis...

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Friday, March 26, 2010 13 Of Your Sparks

Mom Joan had an operation to open up the disc in her spine which had crushed when she fell back in December. All went well...She is resting at home.

Love you mom.

So, Wednesday afternoon one of my fraternity brothers, Tim, drove down from St. Louis to spend the night. Tim's wife was back in California this week and Nancy has been on business in Louisiana this week, so the timing was perfect.

Tim lives in California mostly, but his youngest is going to prep school in St. Louis and Tim and Cece decided to rent a house for the school year to be closer to their son.

Tim is a damn good guitarist and I am going to share one of his songs this Monday on Music On The Couch

When he arrived at 4:30, we immediately headed on down to Beale Street and walked up and down the street waiting for the vibe to hit us. In a very short time it did in the form of some tasty blues guitar coming out of the Superior Bar.

We walked in, took a seat, ordered two 32oz glasses of Sam Adams, some food and settled in. What we received was 3 hours of incredible entertainment. The man on the stage played one hell of a guitar and had the voice of an old cotton field bluesman. Only he was a 30-something white guy.

He played without a break the entire time. When he completed his set, we invited him over to the table and bought him a couple of beers and talked.

His story is pretty cool and I am going to let him tell it to y'all sometime in June on Music On The Couch. he and his wife are expecting their second child in the next month and he is putting the finishing touches on his second CD. We exchanged emails and will talk.

His name is Chad Nordhoff and I will share one of the songs from his self titled 2007 CD....this is Got No Prayer

I am hopeful to get back to Beale more often and find more of these gems to share with y'all.

We then traveled across the street to one of the open bar areas where Miss Louisiana Mojo was belting the blues. As she sang she saw us both bopping to the music and she came over and of course, one of her team snapped a picture, which we then payed $10 to purchase. When we got back home I scanned it in so both Tim and I could have a copy...

We finished up at Club 152, where we caught the Grant Garland Trio Real good sounds from this trio. The lead vocalist, guitarist, Grant, can play a mean guitar and has some kind of Stevie Wonder/SRV thing going with his vocals

OH and while in Superior Bar, we also found Elvis..no really, we did...he was there. Both Tim and I took pictures with our cell phones, but Elvis being Elvis and him not wanted the world to know he is still alive, well he blurred all the shots...I post here to give you some idea that we were NOT THAT DRUNK..and it really was Elvis..he even sang some Karaoke!!!

We had a great time and obviously did not get into trouble, because YOU did not get a call...right? See YOU are listed in my cell phone under "Bail Money", so if we had gotten into trouble YOU would have known!

Have a fantastic weekend all...remember on Monday night, JohnH, Starrlight and Sean Coleman join me on Music On The Couch for a roundtable about the music industry, past, present and future...your calls will be welcome!

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WTF??????

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10 Of Your Sparks

So, you tell me kiddies…are we totally f**ked as a collective group of citizens, do we now judge based upon the ‘image’ of a person.

The crime is unimportant?

If you act with remorse and reach out to the victims you are treated differently than if you are arrogant and offend people?

Here is the situation. Michael Vick, y’all know him…Atlanta Falcons quarterback. Rich as all get out. Struts around with an attitude and a posse, feeling like the world should get out of his way.

Along with your posse you are into dog fighting – a disgusting ‘sport’ that goes on in basements all over the country.

Michael gets caught and denies denies denies. He gets arrogant and ticks off groups like PETA (a bunch of scary people IMHO)…and he fights for his innocence.

What happens? He goes to court – stays arrogant – and is sentenced to two years in jail and more time under house arrest. He loses his job with the Atlanta Falcons and can not be reinstated into the NFL to find another job, until Commissioner Goodell deems his remorseful is sincere. At the same time the above named group of scary people are continuing their fight to ensure this man never works at his profession again.

The killing of any animal is sick. Dog fighting is wrong. It is illegal. Michael Vick needed to pay for his crimes. He has. Like any other American convicted of a crime he now deserves the opportunity to get his life back and try and play football. No group has the right to deny him this.

Dante Stallworth. This name you may not know…or maybe you have just begun hearing it recently.

Dante plays football also. He is a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. On March 13, 2009, Dante spent the night drinking at Miami Beach's Fountainebleau hotel. On his way home Dante ran down 59-year-old Mario Reyes as he was crossing the street.

Stallworth told the court he flashed his lights when he saw Reyes in the road, but still struck and killed the man, a construction crane operator, who was rushing to catch a bus after finishing his shift around 7:15 a.m. (ummm 7:15am, Miami...March...sun is up - what does flashing your lights do?)

Stallworth was driving about 50 in a 40 MPH zone and blew a 1.2 on the sobriety scale, well above the legal limit of .08. (On his way home from partying all night I can't believe his alcohol level was that low!)

So, what happens? Stallworth made a financial arrangement with the family of Mr. Reyes to avoid a lawsuit. Their attorney, Rodolfo Suarez, read a statement saying the family wants to "bring closure to this emotional and tragic event." Suarez was not immediately available to comment after the hearing.

In today’s world ‘closure’ means ‘show me the money' I guess.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle cited Stallworth's lack of previous criminal record, cooperation with police and willingness to accept responsibility as factors in the plea deal. Rundle also said the Reyes family — particularly the victim's 15-year-old daughter — wanted the case resolved to avoid any more pain.

"For all of these reasons, a just resolution of this case has been reached," Rundle said.

So, yesterday Stallworth stood in court and learned his fate. Ready kiddies…..?

30 days in jail
he must undergo drug and alcohol testing
he will have a lifetime driver's license suspension
he must perform 1,000 hours of community service.

Stallworths attorney, Chris Lyons said after five years, Stallworth could win approval for limited driving such as for employment.

Stallworth faced 15 years in prison. After his release from jail, Stallworth must serve two years of house arrest and spend eight years on probation.

No word from the NFL if Stallworth will be able to play football this year. Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns before last season and the night before the crash, Stallworth earned a $4.5 million roster bonus from the Browns. (Let's Party all-night long boys, papa got paid!)

So, here we have it kiddies…kill a dog, show no remorse…2 years.

Kill a human, show remorse…30 days.

So, you tell me kiddies, I ask again…are we totally f**ked as a collective group of citizens, do we now judge based upon the ‘image’ of a person.

The crime is unimportant?

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR
WONDERFUL WISHES YESTERDAY.
I truly appreciate the signs of friendship I received.

That stuff is just a little too much Jail House Rock for me....This, on the other hand is P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

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ELVIS

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Thursday, August 16, 2007 27 Of Your Sparks

Elvis Aaron Presley

(January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977),
Elvis; "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", "The King"

This is "Elvis Week" here in Memphis to celebrate his life and death and this year is the 30th Anniversary of his death.

We have not gone over to that part of town, as we were told it is a madhouse. There has been things going on since last Friday and the celebration continues through this weekend.

We have noticed some of the out-of-state license plates around our portion of town.

The entire calendar of events can be found HERE

Did not have a lot of time to write today, so we will share music with you to honor

THE KING

"CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU"
(Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, George David Weiss)

"UNCHAINED MELODY"
(Hy Zaret & Alex North)

"ONE NIGHT"
(D. Bartholomew & P. King)

"JAILHOUSE ROCK"
(Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller)

"HOUND DOG"
(Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller)

"THE WONDER OF YOU"
(Baker Knight)

Tomorrow, we bring you to the dentist and the wild and wooly time we had on Wednesday...
which is why we did not have time to write much more today...

Thank You, Thank You Very Much...

Following is a list of the 150 Elvis albums, singles and extended-plays whose American sales, as of January 2005, have received gold, platinum or multi-platinum designations from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

81 Albums

Elvis Presley, Gold
Elvis, Gold
Loving You, Gold
Elvis' Christmas Album (1957 Package), 3X Platinum
King Creole, Gold
Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 1, 6X Platinum
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong (Elvis' Gold Records, Vol. 2), Platinum
Elvis Is Back, Gold
G.I. Blues, Platinum
His Hand in Mine, Platinum
Something for Everybody, Gold
Blue Hawaii 3X Platinum
Girls! Girls! Girls!, Gold
Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 3, Platinum
Roustabout, Gold
Girl Happy, Gold
How Great Thou Art 2X, Platinum
Elvis, NBC TV Special Platinum
Elvis' Gold Records, Vol. 4, Gold
Elvis Sings Flaming Star, Plantinum
From Elvis in Memphis, Gold
Elvis: From Memphis to Vegas, From Vegas to Memphis, Gold
On Stage, February 1970, Platinum
Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, 2x Platinum
Elvis' Christmas Album (1970 Package), 9X Platinum
Elvis, That's the Way It Is, Gold
Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Gold
Elvis Country, Gold
Elvis: The Other Sides; 50 Gold Award Hits, Vol. 2, Gold
You'll Never Walk Alone, 3X Platinum
Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas, 3X Platinum
Elvis Now, Gold
He Touched Me, Platinum
Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden, 3X Platinum
Elvis Sings Burning Love and Hits from His Movies, Vol. 2, 2X Platinum
Separate Ways, Platinum
Aloha from Hawaii, 5X Platinum
Elvis, A Legendary Performer, Vol. 1, 2X Platinum
Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis, Gold
Pure Gold, 2X Platinum
Elvis, A Legendary Performer, Vol. 2, 2X Platinum
From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee, Gold
Welcome to My World, Platinum
Moody Blue, 2X Platinum
Elvis in Concert, 3X Platinum
He Walks Beside Me, Gold
Elvis, A Legendary Performer, Vol. 3, Gold
Our Memories of Elvis, Gold
This Is Elvis, Gold
Elvis Aron Presley, Platinum
Memories of Christmas, Gold
The Number One Hits, 3X Platinum
The Top Ten Hits, 4X Platinum
Elvis, The King of Rock 'n' Roll, The Complete 50's Masters, 2X Platinum
Elvis, From Nashville to Memphis, The Essential 60's Masters I, Platinum
Elvis: His Greatest Hits (Readers Digest compilation), Platinum
Blue Christmas, Gold
Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 5, Gold
Amazing Grace, 2X Platinum
If Everyday Was Like Christmas, Platinum
Walk a Mile in My Shoes, The Essential 70's Masters, Gold
50 Years - 50 Hits, 2X Platinum
Let's Be Friends, Platinum
Worldwide Gold Award Hits, Vol. 1 & 2 (club version), Platinum
The Elvis Presley Story, 2X Platinum
Elvis Gospel Treasury, Gold
The Complete Sun Sessions, Gold
Heart and Soul, Gold
It's Christmas Time, 2X Platinum
The Rock 'n' Roll Era, Gold
The Legend Lives On, Gold
Platinum - A Life In Music, Gold
ELVIS 30 #1 HITS, 4X Platinum
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE, Platinum
Elvis Sings Hits From His Movies Vol. 1, Platinum
Almost In Love, Platinum
Double Dynamite, Platinum
Love Me Tender (1987 compilation), Gold
I Got Lucky, Gold
C'mon Everybody, Gold
Frankie and Johnny, Platinum

53 Singles

Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One, 2x Platinum
Blue Suede Shoes/Tutti Frutti, Gold
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You/My Baby Left Me, Platinum
Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel 4X Platinum
Love Me Tender/Any Way You Want Me, 3X Platinum
Too Much/Playing for Keeps, Platinum
All Shook Up/That's When Your Heartaches Begin, 2X Platinum
(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear/Loving You, 2x Platinum
Jailhouse Rock/Treat Me Nice, 2X Platinum
Don't/I Beg of You, Platinum
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck/Doncha' Think It's Time, Platinum
Hard Headed Woman/Don't Ask Me Why, Platinum
I Got Stung/One Night, Platinum
(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I/I Need Your Love Tonight, Platinum
A Big Hunk o' Love/My Wish Came True, Gold
Stuck on You/Fame and Fortune, Platinum
It's Now or Never/A Mess of Blues, Platinum
Are You Lonesome Tonight/I Gotta Know, 2X Platinum
Surrender/Lonely Man, Platinum
I Feel So Bad/Wild in the Country, Gold
(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame/Little Sister, Gold
Can't Help Falling in Love/Rock-a-Hula Baby, Platinum
Good Luck Charm/Anything That's Part of You, Platinum
She's Not You/Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello, Gold
Return to Sender/Where Do You Come From, Platinum
One Broken Heart For Sale/They Remind Me Too Much of You, Gold
(You're the) Devil in Disguise/Please Don't Drag That String Around, Gold
Bossa Nova Baby/Witchcraft, Gold
Kissin' Cousins/It Hurts Me, Gold
Viva Las Vegas/What'd I Say, Gold
Ain't That Loving You, Baby/Ask Me, Gold
Crying in the Chapel/I Believe in the Man in the Sky, Platinum
I'm Yours/Long Lonely Highway, Gold
Puppet on a String/Wooden Heart, Gold
Blue Christmas/Santa Claus Is Back in Town, Platinum
Tell Me Why/ Blue River, Gold
Frankie and Johnny/Please Don't Stop Loving Me, Gold
If I Can Dream/Edge of Reality, Gold
In the Ghetto/Any Day Now, Platinum
Clean Up Your Own Back Yard/The Fair is Moving On, Gold
Suspicious Minds/You'll Think of Me, Platinum
Don't Cry Daddy/Rubberneckin', Platinum
Kentucky Rain/My Little Friend, Gold
The Wonder of You/Mama Liked the Roses, Gold
I've Lost You/The Next Step Is Love, Gold
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me/Patch It Up, Gold
I Really Don't Want to Know/There Goes My Everything, Gold
Burning Love/It's a Matter of Time, Platinum
Separate Ways/Always on My Mind, Gold
Way Down/Pledging My Love, Platinum
My Way/America, Gold
That's All Right, Gold
Good Rockin' Tonight, Gold

16 Extended Play Singles

Elvis Presley (including Blue Suede Shoes), Gold
Heartbreak Hotel, Gold
Elvis Presley (including Shake, Rattle & Roll), Gold
The Real Elvis, Platinum
Elvis, Volume 1, 2X Platinum
Love Me Tender, Platinum
Elvis, Volume 2, Gold
Peace in the Valley, Platinum
Loving You, Volume 1, Gold
Loving You, Volume 2, Platinum
Jailhouse Rock, 2X Platinum
Elvis Sings Christmas Songs, Platinum
King Creole, Volume, 1 Platinum
King Creole, Volume, 2 Platinum
Follow That Dream, Platinum
Kid Galahad, Gold

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Missed, So Wrong; 10,000 Maniacs

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Monday, July 30, 2007 28 Of Your Sparks

Head over to MORGEN'S to see more "Missed" contributions...

Last week we published "Hollow", a writing from back in our college days.

IT SEEMS WE MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY...

Our most excellent friend Travis wrote and told us he enjoyed it greatly ... and that is had the rhythm and pace of a poem.

He then took the words we had written and reformatted them to fit into how he was 'hearing them' in his head.

He did a wonderful thing....took the words and gave them more impact and meaning, just by changing the format... incredible Travis... you are a special guy!

Hollow
It is dark in the room;
Not even a sliver of light from below the door;
Not a sound to be heard,
except the sound of the blood pumping through his veins.

That pounding sound inside his head;
reminding him that he is still alive;
even as his surroundings tell him differently.
So hollow.

He sits still;
not feeling the desire to move; in the tiny room he lives
in the total darkness.
Once he had stretched out his arms,
and could touch each of the four walls from where he sat.

So close.
His arms folded quickly;
and he had not moved since.
His ears reaching out for a sound other than the pounding;
or worse yet, his own breathing.

The reminders that he is in this space
and the nightmare shall not end.

If the beating stopped,
if the breathing sounds stopped,
would he feel more content?

Would the hollowness be filled?
Would the sounds that now make him cringe, when gone, be missed?
Would the hollowness ebb?

If they gave him one final wish,
and if he did ask for another chance,
would they actually grant such a thing?
Or would they just shake their head slowly,
and say that second chances were not the things of wishes?

So he sits,
silently,
motionlessly,
and begins to feel the hollowness surround him.
Sitting still,
as it begins to envelop him,
and he waits for it to complete it's mission.

thanks Travis...

OK, we found this over on SPARKY'S blog from when he did the Blogothon. His charity is the Shriners Childrens Hospitals, a 22 hospital network that treats the children of North America for free for various difficult diseases and even has 3 hospitals that specialize as burn care units. It truly is an amazing organization that his wife has experienced first hand in Philadelphia.

Please go over and check it out and if possible make a contribution to the cause.

BUT...what we found made us cringe. We have not seen this in our market yet, and we think you will find it easy to understand why.

This is HORRIBLE....hear us ....HORRIBLE..and the worst thing....well watch this first...

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...you want to know the really horrible thing about that?

Read this:

"Viva Las Vegas"
(Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman)

Elvis Presley Music, Inc. (renewed)
Mort Shuman Songs (BMI)
Renewed 1993 Sharwyn Felder, Geoffrey Felder.
All rights on behalf of Sharyn & Geoffrey Felder
administered by Pomus Songs, Inc. (BMI)
All rights on behalf of Mort Shuman Songs (BMI)
administered by Warner-Tamerlane
Publishing Corp. (BMI)
All rights reserved. Used by permission

DO you see it thee? Yup! This is Lisa Marie and Priscilla allowing this crap! This is from the ELVIS site under the licensing area...

Elvis Presley Enterprises' Licensing Division is charged with the responsibility of protecting and preserving the integrity of Elvis Presley, Graceland and other related properties. We accomplish this through the pursuit of the right commercial opportunities that fit with our financial strategies while maintaining desired branding and positioning for Elvis and our other properties.

We devote personalized attention to each of our more than 100 licensees and we are sensitive to the unique situations and financial goals of each. Years of experience combined with a true sense of support and responsiveness for our licensees distinguish EPE's licensing team as one of the best in the industry.

Contact us today and let us explore together how we can develop mutually beneficial merchandising and licensing programs.

The ley word there is mutually beneficial. It appears that if you slap Elvis' face on something, it benefits them because you must check out the list of LICENSEES. We considered listing them here, but really, it would have taken up too much space.

Look, we are not trying to say that "Viva Las Vegas" is an American classic, but it just seems so so wrong to us.

Natalie Merchant...hell of a voice...and she is an incredible word-smith also...This from the "IN MY TRIBE" album. It is called "THE PAINTED DESERT" and is written by drummer Jerome Augustyniak and Ms. Merchant. Natalie on vocals, Jerome on drums, Robert Buck on guitars, Dennis Drew on keyboards and Steven Gustafson on bass guitar.

Hope you enjoy...

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Visit, Tour, Doc, Peace Globes & Kidney Stones

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Tuesday, June 05, 2007 24 Of Your Sparks

So, all y’all know mom Joan and dad Vince came in for the weekend…

We had a real nice visit with them. They arrived Friday afternoon and got the grand tour of Casa Bond in Memphis, It began at about 5:01 Pm and ended at 5:01:30 – hehehe …well it ain’t that big folks…

Went to dinner and decided to bring them over to Corkys. Mom had heard about it on food TV and as any Memphian will tell you, there are some better places, but for a first visit it was a good choice.

We got seated and met our waiter who was in a “Let’s have fun” mood. He and dad shot jokes back and forth especially when dad ordered the regular rack of ribs and waiter-boy said “OH, you want the ‘girly portion’ then.”

Dad shot back wondering if our waiter had ever “served a New Yorker and didn’t get a tip!”

After dinner we went back to casa bond and watched the Yankees take game one from the Red Sox…good game

Saturday we were up and out to the “Italian Fest” here in Memphis. Have to tell you, sorely disappointed. First off there is a $10 charge just to get in and the food prices were not cheap at all. We checked out the “Gravy-Making” contestant tents, but it was still too early for any activity.

Did stop by the judging tent and put our name in to lead a team next year. Not too excited though as we were told that there is a waiting list and most people come back year after year….Guess they realized how good my gravy is and are afraid of me…LOL

Then we went downtown and did the SUN STUDIO tour. Have done this already and have sent a few people there (including Memphians who have never been).

It is the best $10 you will spend in Memphis. From the original recordings by Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King and Elvis…to just feeling the history in the place and finally getting your picture taken with the main studio microphone used by Elvis and Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis and so many other greats…(this is the location where the infamous "Millionn Dollar Quartet" photo was taken.

Jerry Lee, Carl Perkins (NOT Bruce Sprinsteen- hehe)
Elvis & Johnny Cash

Check out their SITE and make sure you click on the FREE TOUR link at the top and sit back and enjoy….

After that we went up and did the Riverfront Loop on the trolley. It brings you all along Main Street and then down along the river and back…a nice way to see a good portion of downtown…OH and it is only $1.00 ($0.50 for seniors – what a deal!). Want to know more about the Trolley? Check it out HERE

When we got off the trolley, we knocked back a pitcher of beer at Huey’s across from the Peabody Hotel and then made our way across the street to see the evening “MARCH OF THE DUCKS”

You see there are 5 ducks that live in the Peabody and every morning they march from their home on the roof, down the elevator to the fountain in the hotel lobby. There they get to swim and hang until 5:00 PM when they get marched back to the elevator and up to their penthouse home…Check out the history of the Ducks, HERE…It is pretty interesting…

We then walked over to Beale Street and did some people watching. We decided to go back toward Casa Bond for dinner and headed back.

After dinner we sat and chatted for a while before bedtime called.

Sunday was a lazy day overall. Mom and dad did a movie mid-day and then came back to a nice pasta dinner.

Watched the Yankee/Red Sox rubber game .. Good game.

They headed out this yesterday a bit before 7:00 AM to make their way down into Georgia. They should arrive back in Boynton Beach tomorrow.

It was great seeing them…and no blood was shed! LOL

We'll be dragging THE COUCH over to
Doc's RADIO HAPPY HOUR
tonight at 9:00 PM EDT

Tomorrow is PEACE GLOBE DAY #3…If you do not have a globe, get over to MIMI’s and do it NOW….

PEACE TRAIN
Cat Stevens
Composer: Cat Stevens

Now I've been happy lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately,
dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be,
some day it's going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again

Now I've been smiling lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun

Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy roller

Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train

Get your bags together,
go bring your good friends too
Cause it's getting nearer,
it soon will be with you

Now come and join the living,
it's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer,
soon it will all be true

Now I've been crying lately,
thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating,
why can't we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again

Well, after finishing this, we had a bit of a scare. went into a fit of fierce sharp pain in our left back and abdomen. After trying to "rub some dirt on it and walk it off", we ended up going for an ambulance ride to the hospital to be diagnosed with our first Kidney Stone.

Got home about 10 minutes ago...still groggy from the meds they gave me to kill the pain...

Well, you know what? It is not fun when you don't have anyone real close. Reached out to my bosses and they were great as was brother Rich, all the way from San Antonio.

Off to bed...

Full Story

7 Songs, Important Medical Information, Best Audio Codes & New Friends

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Tuesday, March 20, 2007 21 Of Your Sparks

OK, WELL TUG AND THEN TWYLA
BOTH TAGGED ME FOR THIS...

I guarantee that my answers will be different then anyone else!

Name the Seven songs I am listening to now:

1) PLACES I'VE BEEN - Taylor Hicks

2) JUST TO FEEL THAT WAY - Taylor Hicks

3) CANDY MAN - Hot Tuna

4) ONE NIGHT - Elvis Presley

5) HIGHER & HIGHER - Jackie Wilson

6) SNOW ((HEY OH)) - Red Hot Chili Peppers

7) CANDY MAN - Christina Aguliera

Hard to select seven songs, when my i-tunes is over 200 hours of music, plus all the vinyl I play, but recently these seem to find their way to the play position often.

We are asking all my friends both male and female to journey over to CATHY'S today and read the incredible story of her fight with Cervical Cancer. You need to learn why a pap test can change your life.

We have written to Best Audio Codes to find out what is going on over there. 90% of the codes we have tried over the last few days have not worked.

Want to continue to hear music on THE COUCH and other sites, go HERE and send them a short note asking what is going on. We figure the more they get asked, the faster they will get it fixed. This is a tremendous site that offers a great service and we would hate to lose it.

You may have noticed a few new links along the right. We have added:

THE 108

SARGE CHARLIE

SGT. DUB

AND

BOB DENVER.COM
Home of Little Buddy Radio

If you have not visited them, click on their links and tell 'em
THE COUCH SENT YA

You should not get too much flack!

Full Story

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