enemies (and how to make them): Jewish Princess dept.

Enemies come in many forms, for me, mostly women: Lucky me. In this context, a few names come to mind. What do they have in common?

In 1961, my first year at Long Beach State College, out in front of the library, I met a girl to whom I was attracted, tho I can't really say why. She was Jewish, princess comes to mind? She told me she had experienced numbness in her hand the nite before, and at that point, I should've walked away, but I didn't. I asked her out, she was willing, freckled and lived close to me near Spring St. We went out, after a few dates, I found out she enjoyed giving fellacio, tho I could never get in her pants, when I came in her mouth, that was all I needed to know. So I got Penny blow jobs on pretty much every date.

Then her health quckly deteriorated, but she was generally well enough to continue the sucking part and though we both found out she had MS, that wasn't enough to prevent me, Mr. Nice Guy, from producing the promised penis.

Meantime, I had enrolled in a start-up fraternity, and with it, a "brother" was named Gil, a smiling Jewish folk singer, all the rage in the 60s. Now Penny had a younger sis, Billie, who, as it turned out, was a better bet. I introed Billie to Gil, and guess what? Love at first sight? You betchum, Red Ryder. As far as I know, they're still together to this day, so I created a monster, because Gil made me nervous when he hung around, arrogant and smarmy son-of-a-bitch that he was. I was soon sorry I'd ever made the move, because the dislike was mutual.

Things with Penny dropped off to nothingness - I can tolerate just so many hospital visits - and our plans of being together were dead-ended. Penny died shortly after I met Sylvia in 1964. I took Sylvia over to visit Penny once, but I think that was a mistake too.

Penny's mom, Jean, didn't take it well, but I think she still lives in the home, probably reads me in the Beachcomber, and has Steve-burns-at-the-stake ceremonies.

(xx) was also Jewish, tho she goes by (xx2) now. I was teaching R&R history at the local Cal State, in conjunction with my radio career, and she came in one night in mid-semester with a wasted accapella LP on the Relic label. She sort of began following me around. She was a teacher in O.C., and would invite us over for various events. Then in '89, just as I was being fired from radio, she became involved with a bunch of doo wop nuts, starting the local doo wop society in our add-on room. It went well, and (xx) began getting power.

At some point, (xx), whom I think is on anti-psych meds, turned against me and Sylvia, with whom she was even closer and now we are arch enemies. I think it had to do with problems I was having with the society, a review she wanted me to do of a show, her failure to back me up in a meeting after promising me she'd do so, and a brief unfortunate mention I made to her of a quickie affair she had with an ex-con gun-toting society treasurer named B - he did her in the park.

During the early days of our feud, she became my doppleganger, imitating me by co-hosting a super-chaotic Doo Wop Society Radio Show on KWIZ, writing articles for community newspapers, including one for the Beachcomber, Discoveries, et and trying to assert her will and attempting to take over the local doo wop movement. It was an ugly time.

She's now (xx2), lives next door to a new friend, RR - really MR - who does the garage mania show on Wxxx, I show I helped him and N, his female partner, get. Will they turn on me? One only hopes so, but so far, we're pretty damned convivial, a danger sign. Doo Wop Society show upcoming: I'm sure the new (xx2) will be there, and I plan to show up too.

fire!

Past Sunday, I forsook NFL to go to the OC Record Show's first appearance at the Retail Clerk's Union. I took $22 cash and change, dropped it all on about 55 45s, one or two were junk, but also I got a great black rocker, Al Savage "I Need" on Lido (I guess it's the same Savage that was on Herald), it lists cheap, but I've never seen it before. Got soul on Sue, small Chicago labels, jazz like a Lionel Hampton double ep with cover, great stuff, Byrds promo only ep on Scholastic label, New Seekers Coke 45, some okay stuff, one junker.

Now, officially out of $$, I approached Phil Powell who had been guarding these 45s originally ("I bought them" - "I plan to buy them" - "I can't find the owner" - "you take what you want"). Phil left when I began going thru them and found good to great stuff. He wanted several, including a Coleman Hawkins EP, so after I did the deal, I brought it to him, and now needing cash, told him to give me what it was worth to him - $5 in ones, but that was the deal. So I had some cash, but no more 45s were readily available, including those brought by Skid Roper, an San Diego dealer who had great stuff in the past.

Last night, I was barbequing some pork ribs in the commideaux (sp?), when unbeknownst to me, the same thing was happening next door. This requires some background. Lin, our unpleasant midget Italian neighbor's teenaged son, Patrick, who is a stroke victim, no wonder - based on his mother's passivity and his grandfather's verbal abuse ("you brats"), was home alone - he should have some sort of supervision - was home heating cooking oil and presto! by some conspiracy or other bad luck, the kitchen exploded into flames. I smell what I think is my bbq, but see some haze in the driveway, so I walk out front, and there's Patrick with a neighbor, and I ask "who's house is on fire", hear the sirens, and Patrick answers "Lin's!" Finally, I catch on, it's the next-door house.

Firetrucks arrive, 3 of the big red ones, and pretty soon the fire is out, but the cleanup is horrendous, and neighbors, pretty much all dour and sour, gather on our lawn, to observe and gossip. "Where's the dog?" asks a black fireman. "What does he look like?"
"Pretty much like a coyote" is my rejoinder, because he does. I then find out that Karen, across the street, took in the coyote and Patrick, who's pretty distraught. All in all, not as bad as it could have been. During the fire emergency, Dennis Nesteby came up, and gave me the helper pass for the next OC Record Show, so even the fire worked out OK.

That night, daughter Shea and her boyfriend Rick came over, hour late, and we ate up all the oerdouvres, ribs, wine and had a good time. Then Sylvia's brother Brian showed up and we watched TV, he was fascinated and actually shed tears over a Frank Lloyd Wright doc. on PBS, it was that kind of night.

Next morning, insurance adjusters seen prowling around, picture taking and doing other insurance adjuster stuff, while Lin heard making arrangements to go out with a woman in a robe for latte, extra hot, wonder I?

Today, Sylvia and I went in to Social Security, just like I did in May, to get her benefits, starting in late Nov., so another big hurdle overcome.

This morning I set out on a record hunting binge, responding to responses to my records wanted ad in the Beachcomber. Recently, the ad has yielded a Mystery Train by Elvis on Sun, an early Goldband blues by Walter "Wise" Miller, some soul, a few good lps, a Country Joe & Fish on Rag Baby, some Earl Kings on Ace, Bobby Charles on Chess.

First stop was Denise, a heavy-set lizzie in a sweatshirt, nice woman, who abodes on 14th St. She drug out the LP collection of a resident who had died, mainly pop-crap LPs and a few matching 45s. I give her $2 for two LPs - Dion and an Ahmad Jamal - and she insists I take the whole load, which I do. She helps me haul out the load and adjusts my handtruck on the way out.

Next stop, an apt. on Redondo Ave. south of 7th. Nice guy, Bell is the last name, recognizes me as that guy on cable TV, so that's a start. He tells me he picked these up when he was at Gardena Hi, class of 65. Go thru his 45s, find a Beach Boys on X and a few wasted items, find 2 psych LPs with shot covers, give him 5 bucks. Deal!

Go to Bagatelle's as I owe Steve a book and want to give him some GRT catalogs, which I do. Owner Steve Mintz shows up - we're all left handed - Danny Holloway, aka Zampelli - also left handed - is there, looking for funk 45s and we bullshit for about half hour and Mintz checks the LPs I just got: gives me $11 for several, including the 2 psych ones, so I'm a whole $4 ahead and have some pretty good singles, and 2 LPs to show for it. Cool.

Go to Dizzy On Vinyl on 7th St., Dizzy can't use the LPs, but I give the LPs that Mintz doesn't want to Dizzy anyway and get home in time to see the last case on People's Court, go to the library to get a paper, take a nap, and write up this shit, preparing for the Kerry-Bush debate today. That's a full day in my book.

Oh, did I forget to yell fire in a crowded theater?

If so, fire!

Next blog: my experiences in easy-to-digest form: People who hate me and how they got that way.

Rockinsteve's neighborhood

Ah, politics.

Here's what's been going on lately on the streetwhere I live.

Last Sunday, I gave up on the Oakland Raiders game against whomever they were beating on TV (Buffalo, I think - is that a town?), and decided to wash my neglected 1980 Volvo, probably the newest car I've ever owned.

So I'm out washing my car and finding that there is still some paint underneath the grime, and bathing myself in the process, and here comes the guy - a professional Internet gambler, no less - who lives across the street. I figured that the gossip tree had been activated ("Look out the window, he's actually washing something!!").

He's visting to tell me that I story I wrote in the Long Beachcomber(you can read it yourself for about the next week athttp://www.longbeachcomber.com/index.php?CatID=2&Story=951) aboutthe local Hawaiian Gardens Casino he's well acquained with and it was more or less spot on. Pretty good start to our conversation.

Then he mumbles something about me being a reporter, and I finally figure out he's trying to accuse me of being in bed with Dan Rather (does he have photos?), because I write news stories, and he knowns of 50 reasons why the documents used in the Bush National Guard story were forged and whyisn't Rather apologizing?

OK, fair enough. I asked him "does this story diminish or improve youe life?" or is your life more impacted by the lack of decenthealth insurance in the U.S. (which Bush has never really addressedlike Clinton did, at least) or the impending restablishment ofselective service (because of Bush's Iraq fiasco) which would affecthis two teenaged sons."

But Dan Rather" did this and did that, he answered. And I replied,the Rather story is being kept alive so we can't have theconversation about the issues I brought up, the ones that reallymatter, the ones that make Bush and VP Hal E. Burton (I mean DickCheney), a bad bet for a second term.

Well, my neighbor is still hung up on Dan Rather and I think the story will become another Monicagate or Vince Foster or some grand conspiracy ball of wax. And just when I'm hoping that CBS can provide some documentation about authenticity of some old photocopies, my world explodes: Rather apologized!!

Now the story is gathering big-time momentum and I still don't thinkit's a big deal, but it seems like a whole bunch of folks do. Do you?...care, that is?

El Domingoes sing...once again...

More stuff by less than popular demand here. I've toned down my dowloading, CD creating, but our good friends, Don & Louise Haley in Placerville forwarded me an El Domingoes CD from Fred Turnbull of Palmer Cnyn, Cal Poly Anthropology prof. when he had his studio archives, which he lost months ago in tragic fire.

So with this CD, I've arranged to dub CD, on the recorder which I bought for $100 from Robby Russell (Michael Rubin) to return El Dominoes music (issued & unissued) to Fred, music he lost completely. Spoke with Fred and with Don, and it'll happen. Don also sent me Schirmer Music mailing envelope to help with Long Beach music history items. More to come, I hopes. Worked on Smoggy, few Beachcomber stories and just messed around today.

Cable Comm. mtg. tomorrow, in P.M. (bad), will have to find out why. More stuff soon.

Talon Marked

Here's the Talon Marks article that pissed me off...

The Chancellor's Office of California Community Colleges, Linda Michalowski, Interim Vice Chancellor, Student Services reports that all 108 community colleges Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the SB-1108 on Aug. 11, the education trailer bill of the 2004-05 state budget and setting with community college enrollment fees to $26 per unit, effective Fall 2004. Having all those students who are affected feel no heat due to the help those students with financial aid.Two students, Amanda Aguilar, Criminal Justice and Aurora Oviedo, Undecided, said, "We feel its wrong. It's just too expensive for us and we pay for our own schooling."Dr. Erlinda Martinez, Vice President of Student Services/Assistant Superintendent, said that many students receive other types of services to help them through college such as Financial Aid and other support services. The Department of Rehabilitation for disabled students also work to help them with issues of financial needs.Martinez explained that the way the Peoplesoft program works is to help the needs of students who need financial payment plans. The plan can be affective as early as the fall of 2005. " Let me explain. The new system that will be in effect will help create an account for the person, who wishes to help the student, whether it is the parent, employer or the student, where they can deposit money as the time progress, said Martinez. "Cerritos College has financial hardship plans for those students who need help paying for college and we will not drop students from their classes if they cannot pay. We will be flexible with those students and help them the best we can", said Dr. Martinez.She wants to encourage all students that if they want to make changes or help stop any more increases from the state, "you must be involved in our political system," write a letter to your legislature, get involved with our student government. Student Body President, Josh Franco, is aware of this issue and is willing to help the students.Evelyn Santillana, Dental Hygiene, said, "I feel that the increase isn't good. It's bad enough being an international student because I pay too much money now as it increases every year."Lastly, the fees that the students pay do not stay at Cerritos College but is used to help with California's budget problem. Even though $26 a unit seems high from the $11 a unit many students were used to, California's Community Colleges still pay the least amount of tuition fees compared to the rest of the United States.

As I told Sylvia, here's the letter that might well end my WPMD career...

Few things please me more than solid adversarial journalism. Talon-Marks columnists taking on their displeasure with items ranging from predatory marketing of DVDs to how the consumer suffers with conflicts between mainstream vs. underground rappers is great.

But with the article subtitled “Fee Increase to $26 A Unit,” Talon-Marks suddenly becomes an apologist for the status quo, a status quo that places an enormous burden on those that the paper should be representing, the students. It’s all about $15 per unit fee increase, from $11 to a budget-popping $26.

If you frequented a restaurant that charged $11 for a delicious dinner, which without warning, upped the price to $26, maybe you’d seek out a competing steak house. But in the case of community college fee increases, there are no competitors. It’s matter of paying up or doing without. And examples of getting deferred fees and hardship exceptions amount to extra effort and time spent on a process that shouldn’t be the student’s problem.

The apologist part of the Talon-Marks article is: “the fees that students pay do not stay at Cerritos College but is (sic) used to help with California’s budget problem.” When did it become the responsibility of the community college student to solve financial problems caused by politicians, consultants and administrators?

Don’t forget, newly elected Gov. Arnold guaranteed reducing the state’s vehicle licensing fee as a key part of his successful campaign. I can’t understand why the connection between reducing rates for owners of new SUVs and expensive newer cars (generally the most economically successful demographic) and the fee spike for community college students (generally the least economically successful demographic) hasn’t been protested by members of that latter population.

The chart that accompanied the article and that demonstrated the difference between various states as to fees doesn’t really tell much, as it’s just a raw number. Who cares what it costs to attend a New Hampshire community college? Does that make Cerritos College any more affordable? And what are the other economic factors in the states listed – property taxes, vehicle fees, sales taxes and the like?

You’ve heard of “old school.” Let me tell you about old school. Community colleges were established in California to provide a two-year degree at NO COST. That’s right, just like public high school, these were schools that provided a solid foundation for a good education, gratis. And it worked until you, the student, was identified as a profit center that could provide an guaranteed income stream to government.

I attended Long Beach City College when it was free to attend. At first, they added on a $5 activities fee, whatever the hell that was. At El Camino college, there was a $2.50 activities fee that was voted out by student referendum. Those were students who paid attention. But after all that, the schools still sold them out, taking them down the path of per-unit fees, at first a buck or two, but that path never goes back, just forward.

But at least students who are on the ever-upward track of fee increases can content themselves that our super-popular governor doesn’t have to worry about being overcharged for his fleet of Hummers.

Can fees for attending high school or any level of public schools in California be far behind? You say that free high school is a tradition? Well, so was free community college, until that tradition went away. What’s to stop the new tradition of pay-as-you go education at all levels, from nursery school to graduate school? From what I’ve observed, certainly not the current crop of passive community college students if the Talon Marks is any indication.

Rockinsteve, CA

post 911 happs

So, the past week went like this. Jon Wilkman and his wife, Nancy Wilkman, wanted to meet with me, so Sylvia and I went to the every-fashionable Hof's Los Altos and we, well, we ate, talked, ate some mo' and onion rings for everyone! Found out that Wilkman worked with Walter Cronkite and is very much into the LTD (Land of 1000 Dances) doc about East L.A. music and wants me to interview Huggy Boy in Montebello on Sept. 18, which I agreed to do. Also wants me to provide a ride, not so sure about that one.

Earlier that same day, Sept. 10, picked up my new titanium glasses, sunglasses - no not glasses made out of sun, and Sylvia's pair. Then went to Hof's...a complete experience.

Sat. AM, without missing a beat, hosted my WPMD show, with Hector Gonzales who brought in some great Japanese & Spanish product of Rampart Records...great stuff. At WPMD, picked up a Talon Marks, which, hot day, remember? got my blood extra hot. Text from that on next blog.

Very hot weekend, so on Sept. 11, we were patient with each other, but abandoned plans for dinner that nite...Sept. 12, very hot day again, and Sylvia wasn't what I would call super patient about football!!! all day!!! But I watched it anyhow. During day, visited owner of some 78s in Los Altos, was loaned about 20 Louis Armstrong 78s, mainly Okeh ones, will figure out price later.

Sylvia is on a Netflix kix, saw Seabiscuit yesterday, Baadasss today. Both good to great

Oh, the Talon Marks piece? Read on.

Pre-911 haps

So what's been happening for the past half month? I visited a fairly crazy dude in his underwear - don't blame him - it's been hot... in Leisure World who answered my Beachcomber advert for buying records...wow! His name was Tony Orlando...well, sorta, kinda. Floor to ceiling, 78s, 45s and LPs, but it was so hot and bothersome in his record room that I just looked at the 45s and found advertising issues, some jazz and a rare Country Joe & the Fish ep...50 plus records for $12...pretty good deal...he wanted a quarter apiece. My kind of price.

That happened about 2 weeks ago.

Sept. 1, got eyes checked at Kaiser, might have a cataract, will be referred to specialist, don't need that. While picking out lenses and glasses at Kaiser, got the bad news that 3 pairs of glasses, two for me, and one for Sylvia might cost upwards of $750-hiway robbery!!! Then the tech began whispering "Garfield - do you know Garfield." We listened. What it amounted to was a QT referral to a Frame & Lens where we paid for the same amount of glasses for just over $300. Had we said something, end of employment for a tech who was just trying to help us.

Been making CDs like crazy on old Philips recorded I got from Robby Russell, great sounding custom CDS, really a big deal. That with downloading, I have over 70 CDs I've mfgd.

More recently, I've been breaking news stories on Vet's Stadium redos and changeovers based on a really good tip. Since then, I've gotten calls from operators of antique swap meet and hi performance meet that rent the parking lot - POed but don't want to get on the record.

Other exclusives are about kidnappings and car chases, along with ex-city mgr. Taboada ending up in Los Al. Other news sources now seem to refuse to carry my exclusives. No respect? I now own these stories, so too bad. They have their own.

Big Hawaiian Garden Casino story about to roll. Again, info. they don't and can't have.

What else? Stay tuned.

Labor Day weekend, time of L.B. Blues Festival's weekest lineup in years, went to Coronado Island to attend wedding of Ryan Morton and his really lovely Korean wife, E.J. (stands for what?), stayed at Courtyd at Marriot Old Town, had a great time, strolled the OT area, went to wedding, drank, danced and drove back to room, next AM had delic bkfst at OT Mexican Cafe, then drove home, got in stupid argument which spoiled who drive back.

Back to writing on Smoggy Weather, my new novel.

Got word my glasses are in. Friday, tomorrow, will meet with Jon Wilkinson, producer of new documentary on East L.A. Rock at Hof's Hut with Sylvia. Will report back on that.