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 Dr BLT's CDiary

1.31.08

 I was in third grade at Woodlawn Elementary School in Steinbach, Manitoba.  That's in mid-western Canada and its the town where I was born.

I believe I was nine.  Her name was Lori Quaker.  She had blonde hair and blue eyes.  I was too shy to tell her how she made me feel, so I wrote a note.  It was short and to the point.  It simply said, "Lori is sweet."  I couldn't drum up the courage to give the note to her myself, so I asked Abe, this kid I thought was my friend, to pass it on to her.  

He passed it on alright, to nearly everybody in the school.  She was the last to receive it, but it eventually got to her.  She was flattered.  We were an item for a few weeks.  Then one day I saw her with another boy.  I walked up to the two of them, and she didn't try to hide it.  She simply said, "Bruce, I'd like you to meet my other boyfriend."  

That was the moment my heart broke.  And it was the moment I knew that I was a one-woman man and needed a one-man woman.   How did my heart heal?  I'm sure I tried various methods of easing the pain, but the only one that seemed to work was the passage of time.  

How about you?  Tell us about your first broken heart.  How did it feel?  How did it heal?  Or has it?  

You know the rules of my blog n roll game.  I provide the music, an opening statement and you provide the comments, links etc.

Ready....set.......blog n roll!

PS: I recorded this version of the song on January 31, 2008.  It will appear on a forthcoming CD entitled Shattered Valentines.

I wrote it just before Valentines Day, 1993, in an effort to heal a broken heart.  I performed it at a place called Java Jazz in Bakersfield.  It was a wonderful place but no longer exists.  Members of the crowd insisted that I perform it again right after I performed it the first time, so I did.  

Stay tuned (literally) at:

http://www.drblt.net

Shattered Valentine (original version)

Dr BLT

words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2008

knees in North Dakota

ankles in LA

I'm a shattered valentine

mouth in Mississippi

nose is in Bombay

I'm a shattered valentine

since you broke my heart

and you messed with my mind

since you broke my heart

I'm a shattered valentine

arms in West Virginia

trunk in Tennessee

I'm a shattered valentine

knuckles in north of Jasper

elbows in D.C.

I'm a shattered valentine

since you broke my heart

and you messed with my mind

since you broke my heart

I'm a shattered valentine

what will I do if I ain't got you

where will I go, oh lord

I just don't know

where will I find myself?

in pieces, lost in time

you'll find that I've been shattered

like a shattered valentine

eyelids in New Brunswick

Lips in Hudson's Bay

I'm a shattered valentine

can't get myself together

since my baby went away

I'm a shattered valentine

since you broke my heart

and you messed with my mind

since you broke my heart

I'm a shattered valentine

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  Dr BLT's CDiary

1/30/08

I won Bad, Bad Leroy Brown the 45 rpm record for a 50s dress-up contest in my elementary school after dressing up as Elvis.  I wore that record out like a favorite pair of shoes.

Jim's words wax prophetic in the words to Time in a Bottle.  He was on this earth for such a short time, but songs like this one, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Operator and I Have to Say I Love You in a Song are 3-4 minute legacies and each are tributes to the man that made little money even as he gave us some of his greatest hits.  

Croce, 30, died in a small commercial plane crash on September 20, 1973, one day before his third ABC album, I Got a Name was scheduled to be released. 

I miss Jim and his simple, poignant, creative ballads.  It's such a cliche, but none the less true that we really don't appreciate those people we treasure until they're gone.  

How about you?  Who do you wish you had more time to spend with?  It could be somebody close, or someone a little more distant, like a recording artist whose songs you treasured.  Either way, share your memories here in the comments section below.

Oh, BTW, I recorded Time in a Bottle (Jim's Hymn: A Tribute to Jim Croce) with local guitarist Todd Christensen on January 28, 2008.  It will be featured on my forthcomingAltar'd Hymns collection.

Stay Tuned

at 

http://www.drblt.net

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 This campaign is clearly full of surprises.  I was rooting for McCain, partly because I had resigned myself, apparently prematurely to McCain securing the nomination for the Republicans.  After tonight, I have serious doubts about whether McCain's momentum can be sustained.

CNN brought us this night of pure entertainment and suspense.   Romney clearly kicked his butt, in a brilliant TKO that cut to the roots of McCain's professed Reagan allegiance, referring to McCain's claim that he supported setting a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq as one of the types of dirty tricks that Reagan would have opposed.  

It was a very bad night for McCain, who was on the defensive and never recovered.  Even Ron Paul had moments in which he shined sitting next to a chagrined McCain.  Huckabee was his usually charming, witty self, and would make a fine President in my opinion.  

But this was clearly Romney's night.  This has been a campaign marked by surprises and comebacks.  I'm not sure the extent to which this will be reflected in the polls, but my guess is that McCain won't have quite as good a night's rest as he did the previous night.  

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That's the likely scenario, if you don't give up your McCain grudge, embrace him as your candidate and enthusiastically head out to the polls to vote for him in November. 

I'm not saying that Obama could not win the Democratic nomination.  That is still within the realm of possibility, but even with Obama, charming, likeable and intelligent as he is, you would have to face policy after policy that rubbed you the wrong way, and you may face chaos from a precipitous withdrawal of troops in Iraq. 

So give up the grudge and get behind the man, before it's too late.  That's my advice to my fellow Republicans.  Take it or leave it, but if you leave it, be prepared to face Capitol Hill-ary for the next 4 to 8 weeks. 

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 Dr BLT's CDiary

The date was January 29, 2008, the first calm day after a week of wild storms that spread across California.  To put the day in an historical perspective, it was also the day John McCain won the Republican primaries in Florida.  

To put it in a familial context, it was the day I learned that my parents would be coming down for a visit from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and they would be arriving the very next evening.  I plan to dedicate the Altar'd Hymns CD to them, since they were the ones to expose me to these hymns by playing them on the piano and organ around our house, and taking me to church as a child.   

Todd headed out to my home studio last night for our first recording session together for the forthcoming CD, Altar'd Hymns.  He is a local guitarist and if things continue to go as well as they did during the course of this, our initial session, he will make a significant contribution to the CD in terms of his skills on the acoustic guitar.  

He's playing on this version of Old Rugged Cross.  

Stay tuned at:

http://www.drblt.net

Welcome to BLTv, I'm your host and blog n roll VJ.  It's Flashback Friday, and today, we're flashing back to one-hit wonderland with a hit by The Hood from 1974.   No, bubblegum has never tasted this sweet.  But my question is this: Is it too sweet for you to stomach?  In the game of blog n roll, I let you be the judge.

Ready...set...BLOG N ROLL!

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 Some people can't believe I'm a shrink just because I don't act like one.  They are suspicious of my degree, entertaining the hypothesis that it's one of those cheap-and-easy internet schools.  Well, I got tired of proclamations that I graduated from an APA-accredited institution, and, like many of the presidential candidates, I've changed my tune and altered my answer.  Without further ado, this is:

Where Did I go to School?  Buck U!

words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2008

you ask me, “Dr BLT, where did you go to school?”

where did you learn to that rebel attitude

and I don’t hesitate to let you know

where I came from

as I reply, I simply say, “Buck U!”

Buck U

Buck U

the school of Buck and his great Buckaroos

I watched him play his guitar

painted red, white and blue

now all that I can say is just

Buck U

I studied Buck and Merle

and Red and Ferlin, Homer too

They bucked the system

with their brand of blues

and I’m a lifetime student

of the Streets of Bakersfield

I took the old and learned to make it new

Buck U

Buck U

the school of Buck and his great Buckaroos

I learned to buck the system and

to my own school be true

now all that I can say is just

Buck U

yes I’ve been schooled by the best

the pioneers who came from Nashville West

Mr. Owens and his Buckaroos

I graduated cum LOUD

if Buck were here 

I'd make him proud

and that's my al mater

BUCK U!

Buck U

Buck U

the school of Buck and his great Buckaroos

I learned to buck the system and

to my own school be true

now all that I can say is just

Buck U

STAY TUNED AT:

http://www.drblt.net

This story is making the rounds, but I haven't seen it around here.  Maybe if he takes Johnny Cash's advice in Get Rhythm, they'll invite him to join the Blue Man Group. 

Remember, you saw it here first on BLTv.

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Over the long weekend, beginning on Saturday, January 19th, I took a trip with my wife and 2 1/2-year-young daughter to Sacramento.  I made a pilgrimage to 19th and J to begin work on my new CD, 19th and J (The Place I Used to Play).

When we arrived in Sacramento, it was cold as hell (oh yeah, I've been told hell is actually rather hot), well you get my drift (or should I say, "draft"?)

We went to one of our favorite restuarants on Saturday night: Bucca de Beppo's.  Then we hit the Arden Fair Mall and did some serious shopping.  We don't have any decent malls in Bakersfield.

On Sunday morning, I went to Starbucks, and then to Noah's Bagels on 19th and J and met up with my friend Joe, a man I have known for years whom I refer to as a "permanent fixture" at Noah's. 

I wrote a song called The Place I Used to Play as I sat in the cold in front of Noah's Bagels.  I didn't have a pen to "pen" the song with (pardon the pen pun), so I borrowed one from the manager of Noah's.  The song came to me quickly, as most do when I feel inspired (which is most of the time). 

After working on my forthcoming CD, I took my wife and daughter out for breakfast at the Tower Cafe, another one of our favorite resturaunts. We hit all of our favorite spots over the weekend and I returned to 19th and J the following morning to write a couple more tunes (I'll share those later). 

In the meantime, here's a sample to what will be the title track on:

19th and J: The Place I Used to Play

Dr BLT copyright 2008

http://www.drblt.net/music/... s_oidt="0" href="http://www.drblt.net/music/PlaceDemo2.mp3">http://www.drblt.net/music/...

Here are the lyrics:

this is the place I used to play

right here on 19th Street and J

whether skies were blue

or whether grey

this is the place I used to play

started back in 2006

ened in 2000 and one

I got rather serious

when I wasn't having fun

and I wrote new songs

and I played new songs

when the governor was old and Gray

on the local news

and MTV with Cake

for goodness sake

this is the place I used to play

this is the place I used to play

but now those days are gone away

Rolling Blackouts and the crazy guy

who threw hot coffee in my eye

and I wrote new songs

and I played new songs

when the governor was old and Gray

on the local news

and MTV with Cake

for goodness sake

this is the place I used to play

Noah's Bagels

and Starbucks

some days I was out of luck

made some friends

every now and then

as I sat in the same old chair

at the place I used to play

and I wrote new songs

and I played new songs

when the governor was old and Gray

on the local news

and MTV with Cake

for goodness sake

this is the place I used to play

That's right, it's Flashback Friday on Dr BLTv.  I'm your host and bloggin' VJ, Dr BLT.  Today I'm bringing real rap back to the streets of Bakersfield.  That's right.  I said it.  Vanilla Ice got a bad rap, so I'm bringin' him back, right here on Dr BLTv!

ICE ICE BABY!

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Hi.  Welcome to Dr BLTv.  Welcome to FLASHBACK FRIDAY.  I'm Dr BLT.  I'm your host, and I'm your bloggin' VJ.  Today I'll be serving up some early 70s Canadian rock by a band that never seems to die or grow old.  I'm talking RUSH.  I'm talking IN THE MOOD.  This is a "live" version of one of their very first hits.  I would best describe it as testosterone-driven.  ENJOY!

I couldn't get the link to work on the Bakersfield.com template, but you can find the song here:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

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If Huckabee won the nomination for the Republicans, and Hillary won for the Democrats, who would you vote for?  Why? 

BTW, welcome to my new Friday feature, Friday Face-off. 

The rules of blog n roll are simple.  I supply the music (or not) and you supply the opinion (or music too, if you have some to share). 

So, who will it be, Huckabee or Hillary?

Ready.....set.........BLOG N ROLL!

Welcome to the new Face-off Friday series on Dr BLTv.  Today, it's a battle of the bands.  Two German bands, Ramstein and revolverheld will face off and you will let me know which band you prefer.  The song by Ramstein is called Du Hast.  The song by revolverheld is called Mit dir Chillin.

For those of you that have never played my game of blog n roll, it's really quite simple.  I provide the song(s) and you supply the comments. 

Ready...set....blog n roll!

First, let's all take a moment to celebrate in Steve negative news (which is positive in the world of cancer).  Steve, I'm happy to hear that you tested negative for any remaining cancer.  I'm rooting for you all the way!  My whole family is behind you.

For those who don't know Steve Swenson, he's a Bakersfield Californian writer and award-winning blogger over at Bakersfield.com

He's been blogging through his battle with throat cancer and facing it with unspeakable style and courage. 

My prayers continue to be with you, Steve, as you approach what I'm hoping will be the final chapter in your journey, one I'm hoping ends with good health and many more years of healthy living. 

Sometimes there is no one cure for cancer.  Rather, in most cases, there are multiple avenues by which symptoms may be ameliorated.  Most of them feel worse than the cancer itself. 

In cases of incurable cancer, patients are often comforted through prayer, music, alternative treatment and the like.  Here's a link to an article that tells a story of how one cancer patient is getting through the nightmare. 

http://www.postbulletin.com...

Today, we celebrate the legacy of Ken Nelson 1911-2008, the quintessential producer who was behind some of the greatest hits of the Bakersfield Sound era, who died Sunday, at age 96. 

Let's begin with this Buck Owens television performance of Act Naturally.  This episode is the first in the Full Nelson Dr BLTv series (not to be confused with my Ricky Nelson tribute CD that shares the same title. 

As always, STAY TUNED at:

http://www.drblt.net

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Some wouldn't give it a second thought.  If asked what Bush's greatest failure had been, they would automatically reply, "The war in Iraq."  Others would point to the constitution and how he supposedly disregarded it to forward his own agenda. 

I would disagree with both of these assertions.  For me, a cautious supporter of this administration, his greatest failure had to do with a failed promise to be a "Uniter, not a Divider." 

If he had been a true Uniter, he would have been more successful in uniting the nation and in forming a coalition that would have done the job in Iraq, with much less bloodshed, and with earlier earmarks of success. 

If he had been a true Uniter, he would have been able to quell some of the hate speech and vitriol that is so prominent on today's blogs and within the country in general.  He would have been able to prevent the cyanide of cynicism from taking such a collosal toll on our nation.

Bush did many things right, but those things are not typically addressed in the press.  But his failure to be a Uniter is a Herculian failure, and should not be swept under the carpet, even by a Bush supporter (but not a Bush apologist). 

Some will perpetuate divisiveness no matter who is in power.  But Bush could have done a much better job of doing what the Beatles suggested we all do, "Come together, right now...." 

United we stand, divided we fall.  We're falling.