NYC Journal

raydm6 said:
Absolutely Cal. He could squeeze so much emotion out of the instrument; close to a human voice.

Still have a lot of old vinyl from his early solo efforts.
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Ray,

Jeff was just so expressive. He had a great set of hands. If you really know his music you realize how much of his tone came from his hands. Also he played with dynamics.

Cal
 
Been doing my own goodbye to Jeff Beck by listening to music I have not listened to for decades. I also watched a documentary that mostly concentrated on the early days with the Yardbirds.

A word used repeatedly to describe Jeff’s playing was “unrestrained” but I don’t think that accurately conveys what I hear. I hear clarity in tone and expression; I hear articulation and a sense of purpose to ideas that connected; and I hear a great range of dynamics.

What I hear is control, ability and technic that was really expressive.

I reflect on the word “unrestrained” not true or accurate in Jeff Beck’s playing.

The live performances are the best examples of what I’m talking about. I wish I would have seen a live performance.

Cal
 
Cal,

I’m not a big concert goer, but maybe ten years ago a work friend sold me tickets to a Eric Clapton concert at Madison Square Garden. They were on the floor really pretty good seats, but the big surprise was the opening act was Jeff Beck. Both my wife and I were actually more grateful to see Jeff Beck as he totally out shined Eric Clapton by a long shot.

I’ve actually been pretty lucky in seeing some of the greats by ‘accident’ years ago I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Beacon shorty before he died.

And one artist I have gone out of my way to see is Jack White...

Joe
 
Joe,

I have been told by many guitar players that seeing Jeff Beck play live is beyond amazing.

One of my friends made a point that he saw him many times, and according to him when Jeff was “on” it was a life changer.

I watched the video of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat that was crazy great.

Just too many great live performances…

I saw Led Zepplin in the mid 70’s and Jimmy Page was not so great live. In fact I was disappointed.

I think Eric was best in Cream. There is a video of a live version of Crossroads that kinda is great and compare to Jeff’s live playing. Something spontaneous that was Jeff Beck like.

Seems to me that Jeff played in a lively manner all the time. To me this is expression: to be in the moment.

Jimmy Page did well in the studio, but I was not so impressed live.

Cal
 
“Maggie” reports that somehow she “butt-called” our agent yesterday, and the Venessa called her back.

Our agent has taken a rare three week vacation. Maggie was told there were many requests for our “digital-book” which are a digital portfolio lifted off of Instagram.

So now we know there is great interest and the follow through has to be done to get “optioned” and then get the “call.”

“Option” means booking a tentative date of availability, and the “call” means the gig is “booked.” Generally one finds out on short notice that they got the call, and this can be the day before. Know this can involve travel and flying internationally.

I hate the last minute aspect of all of this.

Call me a “Ho” but the money I could use.

Don’t know if its long Covid but it seems like I still have a cough from before Christmas. My immune system is not as strong as it once was.

Interesting how Jeff Beck’s ego was different than Eric or Jimmy. IMHO Jeff stayed humble and kinda kept growing, but he also grew frustrated and had bursts of anger.

Did you know that Jeff Beck was into Hot Rods?

Cal
 
It almost seems like Northrop Grumman is head hunting and wants to recruit me and give me a job.

”Maggie” reports that this is likely since the worker shortage makes older workers valuable. Also they know from having me as a former employee my work history.

Seems like it took some data mining to locate me, and now I’m being spammed from them.

Interesting. I feel like I’m being attacked because this is an aggressive hard sell.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
Interesting how Jeff Beck’s ego was different than Eric or Jimmy. IMHO Jeff stayed humble and kinda kept growing, but he also grew frustrated and had bursts of anger.

Did you know that Jeff Beck was into Hot Rods?

Cal
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Cal, I was surprised that all the remembrances and tributes to Jeff never mentioned his love of cars (which if memory serves eclipsed his love of playing guitar)

I watched a Jeff Beck doc a couple of years back which was really interesting, I'm trying to locate it as it touched upon his home life

Paul
 
“Maggie” had turned in her MSS (manuscript) that was a first draft in the beginning of December, and now finally the edits came back.

The good, the bad, and the ugly:

The Good: Maggie had a bidding war and got an big advance. When I did my MFA in Creative Writing I was taught not to expect any advance as a first time author. Maggie was given freedom to write her book without guidance and was given “creative-freedom” to write the book she wanted. She also has an editor that is a friendly AL-Lie.

The Bad: seems like the publication date will be pushed back to 2024 instead of 2023. The MSS needs a total rewrite, but it seems the publisher is allowing adequate time to enable a good rewrite. (BTW this process with new emerging writers is how first time authors are developed).

The Ugly: seems like the focus of the book has to meet and include “Accidental Icon” in a more positive narrative. Know that Maggie told the story of the fraught aspects, the commercialization, the hamster wheel trappings, and how she outgrew the notoriety eventually abandoning the life of a “Digital Influencer.”

So pretty much they want a happy ending…

In a positive light I can see why they would want to tell a different story. Also this is business…

Still the opportunity, the advance, and the possibilities are great, but true expression got compromised.

The result might be or could be a better book.

Anyways, me personally I don’t think I could be happy allowing others to control and commodify my work, but that’s just me.

Maggie’s POV at this point is to just move forward. They say good writing is rewriting, and I say this is likely true.

Not so glam being a writer when you are edited. I’m glad I can reveal the truth and the smut here Is all I can say.

Freedom to me is UBER important. Truth is writing is not only hard work, but also not what people imagine. The takeaway though is that Maggie finally learned the lessons I already knew, and she has a platform in mind where she can regain control her work.

I hate to say, “I told you so…” Oh-well…

Cal
 
The 8x8 cedar Garden Shed will get delivered a week from today.

Let’s see if I get another free lift gate delivery.

This pallet weighs 1250 pounds, so I hope so. I think because of the size of the pallet that this denotes and dictates the size of the truck to be a lift gated truck, but not a tractor trailer because my hood is a maze of dead ends with narrow streets.

Anyways I feel lucky…

A second thought on connecting the tower room to the front bedroom is not to do it. The tower room is a novel and unique space as is, we would loose two closets, and the gain of a enlarged nice master bedroom is not worth the cost because it involves some structural work.

Our money could be spent elsewhere…

Cal
 
FULL DISCLOSURE: Call me a “Ho” but I was deeply involved with Accidental Icon, and it involved about 6 years of my life. I too was on an unsustainable “hampster wheel,” but truth be told the financial rewards led us to being able to escape Madhattan, retire with comfort, and have some interesting experiences.

Not all bad, but it made a huge difference. Basically a side hustle that changed our lives, but it was demanding, stressful, and kinda took over our lives.

Anyways I just want to express the good, the bad and the ugly. Not all bad…

Anyways the good is another story that shows a different character arc… Still kinda valid… but not the whole truth…

I guess I am a “Ho” though because I did do it for the money.

Cal
 
The solicitations from Northrop Grumman are definitely part of a recruitment drive to try and snag me.

I’m so old tech that I deem myself so old school that I’m obsolete. I’m cool with that because I don’t want to work anymore.

It makes sense that with the worker shortage that data mined to see if I was interested. Now I get spammed in my promotions and in my social media, even though I use firewalls so I can be left alone.

Interesting…

It’s not easy trying to mind my own business.

Cal
 
PaulW128 said:
Cal, I was surprised that all the remembrances and tributes to Jeff never mentioned his love of cars (which if memory serves eclipsed his love of playing guitar)

I watched a Jeff Beck doc a couple of years back which was really interesting, I'm trying to locate it as it touched upon his home life

Paul
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Paul,

I watched “A Man For All Seasons” a documentary that had a length of an hour 40 minutes.

Pretty much free on YouTube.

There is another 2018 Documentary called “Still On The Run” but I’m to cheap to pay for it.

I was aware of Jeff’s Hot Rod fetish. Also he was injured pretty badly in 1969 in a car crash.

There is also a half an hour car show that featured Jeff and his fleet of hot rods. There was a half hour part one and a half an hour part 2. I saw a little of his Tudor mansion and a stable of hot rods.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
Paul,

I watched “A Man For All Seasons” a documentary that had a length of an hour 40 minutes.

Pretty much free on YouTube.

There is another 2018 Documentary called “Still On The Run” but I’m to cheap to pay for it.

I was aware of Jeff’s Hot Rod fetish. Also he was injured pretty badly in 1969 in a car crash.

There is also a half an hour car show that featured Jeff and his fleet of hot rods. There was a half hour part one and a half an hour part 2. I saw a little of his Tudor mansion and a stable of hot rods.

Cal
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Cal,

I'm pretty sure it was "Still On The Run" that I was trying to remember the name of. It was free when I watched it but I'm not surprised that it's now for rent!

Thanks for reminding me of the name

Paul
 
Looks like a snow globe outside with the wind and snow flurries outside in Peekskill.

My childish hope is that this Hip-Shot CNC’ed bridge is delivered today. The Callahan Strat hard tail bridge has a bit wide string spacing, and is not so elegant on the Cabronita. The Hip-Shot is the same bridge that Fender uses on their Custom Shop Cabronita “Especial.”

The new bridge was costly…

No remorse in building out a Cabronita. I love it, and it is refreshing to have an Alder bodied guitar. Much softer attack than all the swamp ash Tele’s I own, but still mucho bright.

I am a spoiled brat.

Cal
 
I was sitting in my dining room when I heard a cracking sound and then a crash as a tree trunk fatigued by the wind violently split and the tree crashed to the ground.

So this edit of “Maggie’s” manuscript (MSS) reframed a lot of negative baggage into a more positive outlook. Now she is reliving the past history in a new way.

Kinda funny how this took about 7 years to evolve. Perhaps the first few years was fun and exciting, and then it became work as she quickly gained 500K followers.

Instead of working for herself, Maggie found herself working for art directors and not having creative control as things got commodified.

So finally after decades Maggie fully understands how talent can be wasted and commodified to the extent that you lose creative control and the work is no longer hers.

I had my eyes wide open, I made my choices, and I’m happy being under the radar. Being famous or in the public eye is a huge hassle, and then starts a trend mill that is never sustainable, or very rarely.

I do have to say though I have a messy life, and parts of the house and yard are works in progress. Ceilings are lacking in the hallway and dining room. The back-backyard is a construction zone, and there are all these open projects.

The front-backyard looks pretty good though, and I love my new kitchen and powder room. The new front entrance is great, but I need to install lighting, a door bell, and a door pull-close mechanism.

So I’m in a very unsettled space, but things are moving forward. Know that as pretty some parts of the house is that parts of it are still ghetto, construction zones, and works in progress.

Seems like I got a complete green light to build out the garage. Not sure where the Chevy C-10 fits in. Glad I bought it, but also I might cull down. Let’s see…

Retirement is an unsettled place where anything can happen. In a ways I get the feeling that I’m more alive and can be more creative.

Perhaps my selfishness allows me to be happy in the messes I make. To be honest because I have so many things going on it is a bit crazy, but still crazy-good.

Anyways I’m glad Maggie turned the page and is in a happier space that is exciting.

This Friday coming up will be the 1250 pound shed delivery. They say it takes 2-3 people to assemble in weekend, but I end up doing it by myself.

Cal
 
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  • Getting There Set of GX680 Lenses Seiko Shutters by Nokton48, on Flickr

  • Getting there with my set of Fuji GX680 lenses, with Seiko #2 Shutters added. Mounted on PLaubel Peco Junior boards and Minolta SRT cable releases, Yellow Filters on each, and Hoods too. From the left front, the 50mm F5.6, then the 65mm F5.6, then the 80mm F5.6. On the far right front, the 100mm F4. Back Row, from the left, the 125mm F3.2, then the 150mm F5.6. Next the 180mm F3.2, and on the far right, the 210mm F5.6 Also adding the 250mm F5.6, should be tommorrow, got another Seiko Shutter coming. The 50mm front view reminds me of the HAL9000 fisheye in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It looks about the same LOL. Testing phase is coming up. Will utilize them all depending on the situation. I doubt I'll take them out all at once, too much weight! But select two or three depending on what my intended use will be. In the studio I will have the luxury of selecting whichever meets the intended needs of the photograph. So very straightforward. And good to have a choice of focal lengths in the same modern glass. The 50mm and 65mm take a Gel 4x4 Fuji Hood which is cool with me; I have a complete set of 4x4 B&W Gel Wrattens
 
Nokton48 said:
  • Getting There Set of GX680 Lenses Seiko Shutters by Nokton48, on FlickrGetting there with my set of Fuji GX680 lenses, with Seiko #2 Shutters added. Mounted on PLaubel Peco Junior boards and Minolta SRT cable releases, Yellow Filters on each, and Hoods too. From the left front, the 50mm F5.6, then the 65mm F5.6, then the 80mm F5.6. On the far right front, the 100mm F4. Back Row, from the left, the 125mm F3.2, then the 150mm F5.6. Next the 180mm F3.2, and on the far right, the 210mm F5.6 Also adding the 250mm F5.6, should be tommorrow, got another Seiko Shutter coming. The 50mm front view reminds me of the HAL9000 fisheye in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It looks about the same LOL. Testing phase is coming up. Will utilize them all depending on the situation. I doubt I'll take them out all at once, too much weight! But select two or three depending on what my intended use will be. In the studio I will have the luxury of selecting whichever meets the intended needs of the photograph. So very straightforward. And good to have a choice of focal lengths in the same modern glass. The 50mm and 65mm take a Gel 4x4 Fuji Hood which is cool with me; I have a complete set of 4x4 B&W Gel Wrattens
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Devil Dan,

Crazy-good I say.

”Maggie” is pushing me a long to build out my garage studio. Time to do some obsessive thinking.

I salvaged my old exterior kitchen door to be recycled into my garage studio entrance. I also have that library ladder I found being discarded by the Health Food Store on Second Avenue in Madhattan that I discovered on my walk to work from Grand Central.

One idea is to build out a darkroom in my garage. Makes sense to me because I can make a clean room and have HVAC. Plumbing would be a big deal though…

Anyways still crazy…

Cal
 
Interestingly I have been sending money to Ukraine in exchange for obscure bits of Russian gear. Where else can you get a 95mm glass filter without dropping a couple of hundred? Also I bought a couple of 70mm A70 Hasselblad "Rubber Wheels", also now being produced by our friends from Ukraine. Shipping on the "Panchromar 95mm Yellow Green" was cheap, and only took ten days delivery. Happy to send my money to some of the folks over there. Sure they will need it. By the way Cal this Guy has filters up to 120mm
 
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