Our Drunk Neighbor, Jim

there's this guy who lives next door. he's 35 years old and his name is Jim. actually, he doesn't live next door anymore. he lived there but Al, the old man who's hooked up to an oxygen tank who lives there, kicked him out about 2 months ago. unfortunately, he STILL spends a great deal of time there and this sucks. Jim's a drunk. a HARDCORE drunk! i see him at noon and he's already begun his cheap beer buzz and by 9 pm, he's completely wasted and can barely walk or speak. he'll say something to Allyson or i and it's just total incoherent nonsense. he drones on about beating someone up or eating Allyson's tomatoes in the garden or our cat Mooch or whatever the fuck and it's always the same thing: you can't understand most of what he says.

one night, a couple of weeks ago, i was playing my guitar when David, our new housemate came down from his room freaked out because of some shit Jim was doing outside. we both went out there to see what was up. Jim was extremely blitzed, swinging this big ol' ax around, above his head. i asked him what the fuck he was doing and he just drooled out some gibberish about nothing much at all. he chilled out but man, whatta fucking mess! a couple nights ago, around 3 in the morning, i heard some commotion outside and looked out to see what was going on. Jim was on his bike and had fallen into some bushes. he had a cigarette in his mouth and was mumbling something and i just shut the door.

it's very sad. here's a guy who is my age who, if he keeps up at his current loser rate, will probably be dead in 5 years. he's got no hope or goals and apparently only looks forward to popping open a can of beer about 20 times a day. at first, i felt sorry for him. now i just think he's a fucking idiot!


Questions Nobody Ever Asks Me:
  • 1. where do you stand politically?
  • 2. spiritually?
  • 3. what would you do if you didn't play music?
  • 4. name 5 things you wanted to be as a kid.
  • 5. how old were you when you lost your virginity?
  • 6. have you ever smoked pot?
  • 7. who are your favorite N.B.A. players?
  • 8. who are your favorite radio talk show hosts?
  • 9. besides playing, what's been the most interesting things that have happened while on tour?
  • 10. do you like people?

    ...And My Answers:
  • 1. extreme liberal but i HATE political correctness.
  • 2. i've studied buddhism and follow it's basic principles VERY loosely. i have a tough time with the concept of christianity when i see people who call themselves 'born again christians' displaying intolerance and hatred towards gay people. same with other organized religions.
  • 3. i'd LOVE to own and run my own cafe/art/music space. i'd like to have WAY cheap vegetarian food, coffee, live music and all kinds of cool art and photos all over the place. i'd also like to put more time into drawing, photography, writing and acting/writing screenplays.
  • 4. a disk jockey, a player in the A.B.A. (American Basketball Association), a Kung Fu instructor, an actor and a carny (carnival worker).
  • 5. 15 and a half. in the back of a jeep with a girl who was a couple of years older.
  • 6. yes. when i was in my early teens. i hated being stoned. it made me feel terrible, mostly. i did it cuz my "cooler" friends did.
  • 7. Tim Hardaway. Damon Stoudamire. Jason Kidd. Mitch Richmond. Dennis Rod- man (mostly because, despite all the hype around him, he's probably the most open-minded player in the N.B.A.).
  • 8. Bernie Ward, Tom Leykis, Art Bell (freak!), Christine Craft, Don Imus.
  • 9. fucking on a beach in Florida. seeing Andy Warhol at one of shows in N.Y.C.. having a gun pulled on us (5'10") in Indianapolis. having the valve stems of our van tires taken by rednecks in Texas. getting death threats by nazi skins in Florida, Texas and Maryland.
  • 10. as i get older, i find that i don't like people as much as i once did. i appreciate people who are honest (without being cruel), compassionate, open-minded, creative, intelligent and resourceful. i don't like it when i can tell that a person is sheltered and has had little tough times. i don't like 'soul-less' people.

    I Saw Imperial Teen Last Week

    last week, i went to a local bar to see/hear a band from San Francisco called Imperial Teen. the band consists of Jone and Lynn, 2 girls i've known for years (when we all lived in Reno), Roddy (from Faith No More) and a guy named Will. they were GREAT! they're this sorta stripped-down, sometimes fuzzy, sometimes clean, (almost sexy) pop-with-an-edge band that will probably do really well in the mostly over-rated "indie" rock/pop scene. hopefully they will because they're so good and stand far above the rest of the swill that you hear on the radio (assuming that you listen to the radio. i don't).

    it was great seeing them. i got to hang out a little with Jone. some other old Reno friends-Bessie, Katie and Tim- came up for the show, and we talked and laughed and goofed around. i didn't talk with Lynn much. she seemed a bit pre-occupied or something. oh well. i had fun seeing my old Reno pals and again, Imperial Teen rocked the house!


    imperial teen side note:

    it's weird, Lynn and i had sex about 14 years ago and you'd never know it. it was one of those things that neither one of us ever thought would happen and when it did, it seemed strange because we were pals and the idea of us fucking just never came up. after it happened, she and i never discussed it. EVER! it was as though we never did. weird shit.


    Bands I've Loved, Liked And Still Do

    a few weeks ago, i made a list of all the bands i've ever liked/loved. i thought it was kinda interesting, especially the 80's where punk rock dominated my musical tastes. anyway, here's the list. have a chuckle on me.

    SOME OF MY FAVORITE BANDS IN THE 70'S:

    Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, Kiss, Montrose, T-Rex, Mott The Hoople, Aerosmith, Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, The Jam, Sham 69, Generation X and X-Ray Spex.

    THE 80's:

    Black Flag, The Circle Jerks, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, The Dils, The Avengers, D.O.A., The Misfits, Rik L Rik/F-Word, Negative Trend, No Alternative, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, SSD, Government Issue, S.O.A., The Big Boys, Rites Of Spring, Cause For Alarm, Embrace, Husker Du, Iron Cross, Middle Class, Effigies, The Faith, TroubleFunk, Beefeater, U2, America's Hardcore, Replacements, Blitz, R.E.M., Agnostic Front, Operation Ivy, Youth Brigade, Stalag 13, Soul Asylum, The Necros, 'Wild Style' film soundtrack, Circle One,'Flex You Head' D.C. hardcore compilation, 'Process Of Elimination' midwest hardcore compilation, Sin 34, M.I.A., Verbal Assault, Underdog, the Oi compilations, Insted and Rebel Truth.

    makes me wonder if there is any band/performer right now, in the 90's who i would consider "favorites". so far, i can think of:

    Rancid, Nirvana, Bouncing Souls, The Breeders, Big Drill Car, Bob Mould, Dinosaur Jr., Bikini Kill, Beastie Boys, Sick Of It All, H20, Zoinks, Knapsack, Lois, Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Sentridoh, Folk Implosion), Down By Law and Slapstick. fuck, i know there's more but i can't think right now.


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