I’ve never been man enough to ask this question — where the hell is Silver Lake? Sgt. Stryker is, and Cathy Seipp is up to the task.

My love for rockabilly never wavers. But rockabilly as a popular trend peaks from time to time. For good and ill, lots of young musicians discover rockabilly and they form bands. A few of these bands get to make records. Most of them are simply rockabilly by numbers. Fit the formula. Do your “mystery train” shuffle, your Travis picking, and slap the bass.

In the final days of Napster, I signed up for the service and download all of the rockabilly I could find. Old and new.

Tonight I started trolling through the archives … and came across a band that certainly deserves more fame than it ever archived — the Road Kings. As far as I can tell, the Road Kings released one CD in 1999 (though some of the tracks I grabbed off of Napster are not from that album), but they managed to take the genre places neither Brian Setzer nor Rev. Horton Heat could ever manage. It’s still rockabilly, but it’s also rock and funk and soul. There’s also enough musicianship going on to keep even the most exacting aficionado revved up.

As I threatened previously, I’ve written and recorded a song. It’s a political song. Those of you who think I spend too much time on this theme already are going to figure I’ve completely lost my marbles. That’s OK. This stuff is supposed to be fun, isn’t? Here’s the song … Bush Lied.

Ken Layne is peddling some of his old crap. I’m a sucker. I bought a copy.

I never heard the Outriders before. The band was history by the time I met Layne, but not by much. But I should have known these guys. Rick Wilkens and I have crossed paths several times over the years, with many friends in common. Paul Denton played in the Road Hogs, which as I’ve said before, Ken Layne used as a backing band, which is how I met Layne, because the bass player for the Road Hogs was my best friend from high school (and roommate at the time), Todd Hilton. Todd and I were once bandmates. If you remember how Cream used to do band geologies, you can notate all of this some where for future reference.

And how are the Outriders? Not bad. If I had been in San Diego during their salad days (while these longhaired shitkickers were smoking weed and doodling around with six-stringed instruments, I was off protecting my country from the Rooskies), I would have liked these guys. There’s plenty to admire here — good (though not as good as Layne and Denton would later get) musicianship, tight arrangements, good recording quality and songwriting that at least holds your interest. If all that sounds like a left-handed compliment, it’s only because I don’t want to oversell these guys. They were young, and it shows, but there is also a lot of promise, promise that Layne’s later work helps validate. Ditto Denton.

Speaking of music, I’ve dug my old Dell NT Workstation out of mothballs and am turning it into a dedicated digital audio machine. It’s going to server one purpose — recording music. Mostly, it will help me turn some of my LPs into CDs. I’ve found some cheap-o software that is supposed to help make this process easier. We’ll see. I’m trying it out now by recording some Julie London for Billie (she love’s London’s version of “Summer Place”). I’m also hoping it will make it easier to digitize some of my own compositions, such and as few as they are (I can hear the stampede away from my site now with the threat of me putting my own music up).

Here’s your chance to get a preview of what Ken Layne’s been promising for oh these many weeks — a track off his new CD, “Mama, Take Another Stand.” It’s not the final mix, but Ken was kind enough to IM me the link last night and I already burned it on CD. Listened to it in the Toy on the way to work and on the way home. It makes that big old beast rock like it was on a mountain trail. Just like Layne promised, the song is filthy, nasty, funky and freaky — big drums (presumably to be made bigger in the final mix), heavy bass and devilish guitars. Imagine Gram Parsons backed by Uncle Tupelo, produced by George Clinton, with Stevie Vai from “Cross Roads” on guitar. The sound is already stingray sharp and clear. I look forward to hearing the final mix.

I spent most of the evening recording my own new composition. A little political ditty I hope to subject you to within the next several days. I’ve got an OK take, but I want to do it a few more times and refine my performance — it will still suck, cause I have very limited musical talent, unlike Layne, but I’ve never been afraid to embarrass myself.

Speaking of embarrassing — the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have for more seasons than not, been a better team than the Padres, but try as they might, they have a hard time beating the Padres. Tonight, they played their last game against the Padres in San Diego Stadium. Their overall record there, 152-154, including tonight’s loss, which officially eliminated the Dodgers from playoff contention. Words can’t express how good that makes me feel.

As for this post — I take it all back. It was a stupid idea. I’m not entirely comfortable with Arnold’s performance — it tried to interrupt AH too much (regardless of how rude she was, it wasn’t gentlemanly) — but McClintock would still have a hard time winning. Also if AS dropped out to help TM, you’d be more likely to see AH and Camejo drop out to help Cruz. And if TM drops out, you might see at least AH drop out. So the best thing, maybe, is for both GOPers to stay, but for the party to still find a way to fall in line behind AS, as seems to be happening.

I am very much in the “anybody but Cruz” camp. After Davis, we can ill afford a socialist like Cruz in the office, not while the left wing of the Dems control the state Legislature.

Glenn Reynolds writes about the death penalty, but that’s not what interests me about this post. What interests me is the picture he includes. Take a look. See the table with a couple of young women sitting at it? Just a few short months ago, Bob Benz, Glenn Franxman and myself were at that same table eating nachos, sipping gin and smoking fat cigars.

It was a good day.

I’d like to get back to that same table someday.

Many years ago and for several years, I subscribed to Columbia Journalism Review. Like most everybody I know, I read the funny mangled headlines in the back of the book first, then, like everybody I know, I read Darts and Laurels next.

The D&Rs were little vignettes about the good and bad things newspapers around the country were doing. You would read about publishers who killed stories about a car dealer paying off a city councilman because the car dealer was an advertiser and also belonged to the same country club, or the education reporter whose investigative work led to a school superintendent getting fired for spending the kid’s lunch money on a stripper.

It was all that industry insider stuff that navel-gazing journalists like to gossip about.

Darts and Laurels are now on the web and I like to stop in once in a great while. Here’s what I found today … a Dart to the San Diego Union-Tribune:

Months before the advent of Billy Graham and his evangelical Christian crusade in San Diego this spring, the Union-Tribune began spreading the news of his coming, and on Sunday, May 4, it let out all the stops. An adoring, eight-page, special section (heralded on page one) was devoted entirely to Graham - “Eternal words from a man for eternity,” ran the section’s front-page blurb - his followers, his mission, and its music, not to mention such mundane matters as the availability of parking and food. Meanwhile, a story in the news section seemed to imply that the absence of rain from the stadium during a preview student gathering had been the result of an organizer’s prayer. In all, from its first report about the newsworthy revival (December 28) to the final wrap-up on its great success (May 15), the Union-Tribune blessed Billy Graham’s mission with an awesome sixty-one photos and at least 24,500 words. As one believer put it in a letter to the editor, “Your coverage . . . served to magnify the message that Graham continues to bring to the world.”

Let’s see, the biggest evangelist in history at the end of his career is making his final appearance in town. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people will attend, and even more care. The only events that are comparable in magnitude are the Super Bowl and the World Series — on a purely local basis. Shouldn’t it get the same kind of coverage such mega events get (and having seen the coverage of a Super Bowl, I’m sure an SB gets more, and just as gushing)?

Here’s my complaint with this dart: It is being issued purely because the U-T did a lot of coverage. There is no mention of how the coverage might have been different or better, just that there is a lot of it. And gosh-gee, it’s positive coverage. And gosh-darn-it, it emphasizes the religious beliefs of the people involved.

If I didn’t know better — and I’m not sure that I don’t — I might be concerned that there is some anti-Christian bias going on here.

And the media wonders why many Christians don’t trust it.

Of course, there may be fair ground for criticizing the U-T coverage. Did the U-T delve into what happens to the millions of dollars BGC raise in a fair and objective manner? Did it question how many and what resources might be better spent within the city? Did it discuss the economic impact, for good or potentially ill? Did any story examine whether the Crusade is paying market value to rent the Stadium? Did any story examine whether workers at the Stadium were being fairly compensated for working the event? What about the cost of having police work overtime? Are people who are “saved” at a Crusade like to “backslide”? Are lives really changed, or is it all a facade? What studies have been done that can answer these questions beyond the merely anecdotal?

I don’t know the answer to any of these questions, but the point is, presumably, neither does Gloria Cooper, author of the column, because she doesn’t raise any of those issues herself. She doesn’t suggest how the U-T coverage might have been better, only that there was too much of it. And given the magnitude of the event, it’s a hard charge to sustain, which is why I raise this question for Ms. Cooper — is there anti-Christian bias going on here?

You know, if the Bee had said, “We’ve noticed that Weintraub’s blog is really popular, and we believe that it has a future as a viable part of our publication mix, and because we want to ensure its continued success, we’ve decided to include Weintraub’s postings as part of our regular editorial process. Weintraub’s blog entries will now be reviewed by an editor.” I don’t think very many bloggers would have complained. In fact, most of us would have applauded the move as a sign that blogs are coming of age in big media.

Sorry, no time to add links … but read Matt Welch today on this topic … Welch blog rolled on the right. (links TK this evening) Also, Instapundit links to a Tim Ruttan column that is worthwhile. (UPDATE: See, good to my word, I supplied the links.)

From Sunday morning, I Tivoed ABC’s This Week. The subject, Ronald Reagan’s letters just out in a new book. The point several people make in the show, including Nancy Reagan, the president was a compulsive writer. He wrote thousands and thousands of letters on every conceivable topic.

If he could, I’m sure Reagan would be a blogger. And he’d kick our collective ass.

Dan Weintraub is probably the smartest man in the state when it comes to analyzing California politics. His California Insider blog has rightfully become one of the most popular blogs in the state over the last couple of months. And rightfully so. Word for word, it is among the best blogs in the blogosphere. I want to read Weintraub unfiltered and uncensored. He’s better off the cuff than most pundits edited twice over. Unfortunately, his publisher doesn’t agree.

My first two drinks tonight were at a local dive bar I’ve wanted to check out for a long time, the Town and Country.

What a trip — people in a bar smoking. Illegally, of course, but very cool.

One of the dumbest, most Nazi-like laws in California is that you can’t smoke in bars. How stupid is that? You would think this is New York or something. Arnold should do something about that.  Daniel, if you still read this blog, next time you interview the True Lies guy, ask him if he’ll fix our dumb ass smoking rules. If he will, he’ll get my vote for sure (there’s two issues a candidate can get my vote on — support the war, support smoking in bars).

Now, I’m home, continuing the gin and tonic binge. Don’t expect any more blogging tonight.

I went to see Phil the Barber today.

When I walked up, he was sitting outside with a friend watching the traffic on Main Street. Friendly greetings all around.

Phil’s friend stood up. He was a big guy. Full white hair. He was at least as tall as me and at least as old as Phil.

After he left, Phil said, “That’s my friend Herb. We played ball together. He was our first baseman. He could hit the ball a mile.”

That would have been the dead ball era when Herb was hitting the ball a mile, and I can believe it.

Phil was in a chatty mood today. He wanted to reminisce a bit. With no other customers waiting, I was in his red leather chair for more than an hour. Phil would cut a bit of hair, stop and animate one of his stories with his hands.

Sample story: One time Phil’s team played a negro league team from Los Angeles. Phil was playing center field. He was fast back then, he said. The gloves back then, of course, where nothing more than blocks of leather you stuck your hand in. They served to help you stop a hard-hit ball without breaking your fingers off, but did little to aid in actually catching the ball. In the ninth inning of the game, with the game on the line, a ball was hit to deep center. Phil had to run a long way, but he ran it down — with his arm stretched out as far as it could go, and his fingers stretched out, he put glove on ball, but the ball just thudded off the brown leather and fell to the ground. There was no way to flex those old gloves quickly enough to catch a ball with just one hand.

“I think about that play almost every day,” Phil said. “I wish I could have caught that ball.”

Phil’s team lost that game.

When you’re byline is Gustavo Arellano, it must be easy to ego surf and find bloggers who have linked to your stories. Gustavo’s got a pretty cool blog, too.

I’ve received a number of nice compliments recently. In a fit of shameless self-promotion, I’ll share them.

Comments left on this site:

We don’t add any comments, because there’s nothing more we can say — just more words, but yoru ideas were succinct enough.
Posted By foo bar, inside the hell of san francisco

You are a voice of sanity in sea of the absurd on both the left and right.
Posted By What? Dhaln, Minnesocold

I stumbled upon your site … I don’t know how. Despite being on different sides of the atlantic (or pacific) and of different opinions, I read your blog because I think you articulate your opinions like I wish I could mine. You usually provoke me to think about my views and convictions and to sometimes add to the debate. awe? I wish I had the time, the patience, the determination and the conviction that you seem to exhibit in your blog.
Posted By Peter McClymont, UK

Great Post! Good to see someone express what I & I think a lot of folks, feel, but cannot articulate as well as you
Posted By Tom Comerford, Dallas

.

And from other bloggers:

Howard consistently puts out great stuff . . .
Justene Adamec

Thanks to Howard for the kind words (I think) over at his awe-some site. I think he was taken aback at my awe of his blog. I’ve mentioned Howard before. He is the web guru for a newspaper out in Southern California. Howard is a complulsive blogger, who speaks with strong conviction. We don’t see eye-to-eye on many things political. We both share a love for baseball.
Peter McClymont

Howard Owens … has a lileksian piece on record collecting that’s worth your time.
Steve Smith

UPDATE: Glenn Esmay is kind enough to add to the list:

Have you ever noticed what a good blogger Howard Owens is?

So, will Dodger fans take these as fighting words:

“It’s obvious: The Giants are a better club than the Dodgers or us,” Bochy said when asked about the disparity. “The Giants are the best team in the division. The Giants have more power than the Dodgers or us. The Dodgers and us are more similar teams. The Giants have a little more firepower.”

Of course, it’s true. But the truth hurts, doesn’t it?

My favorite search term this month — though I suspect it won’t please Matt Welch — “emmanuelle world of desire.”

And what the hell was this person looking for: “adultery or aaron or sumo or totalitarians or inkblots”?

BTW: If I get 700 visitors per day, why don’t I get more comments? It couldn’t possibly be because of my habit of insulting them, could it?

BTW II: If you’re linking to or bookmarking hbo3.com or globalnewswatch.com, I wish you would change to howardowens.com. Especially if you’re linking (check your blog roll). This would help me out a lot with all of those services that judge popularity by how many people link to you.

This site isn’t built on any standard blogging software — no MT, or GreyMatter, or Radio, or whatnot. It’s home rolled.

One of the things I’ve been meaning to do, and just haven’t gotten around it it, is create an RSS feed.

I should have an RSS feed, shouldn’t I?

Well, thanks now to the alpha geek, I have one. Amazing.

And check out his pipe collection. I’m jealous.

My step-son would wake me up at 6 a.m. only for big news. The big news — Johnny Cash died.

We knew he was sick. We knew June died a couple of months ago. We know he lived a full life. And we thank God for that life.

I will wear black today. It isn’t saddness. It is thank you. There were few musicians in the 20th Century who had his integrity or who made greater music.

Here is an appreciation of JC I wrote earlier this year.

The more shocking news, and therefore the bigger news, is John Ritter died. Ritter, besides being a television star who actually deserved his fame, was also the son of California country musician Tex Ritter. Ritter’s death is sad news. His death was unexpected, and it comes just after an unexpected comeback recently.

This should be sufficiently irritating to the lefties — one of their counter-culture heroes has joined the other team.

The group played benefits for Robert Kennedy three months before his assassination in 1968. “He was probably the best of the Kennedy family,” Hillman said. “He was a fighter. He went after Hoffa and organized crime, and he was a principled man.”

Hillman maintains that Vietnam was a tragic mistake. “It was a bad, bad move because we didn’t learn from the French,” he said. “We didn’t see what was going on. We had no business there, but it was the mindset at the time.”

Civil rights, too, was a just cause, Hillman said. But today, he feels that a liberal agenda mutated King’s message, punctuated by the famous “I have a dream” speech.

“Did it really accomplish what it started out to?” Hillman asked. “I’m not sure, because the race card is constantly played and at this point in time, we should be colorblind.”

As for his political shift, Hillman quoted Reagan: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. It left me.”

Hillman voted for Bill Clinton in 1992. But he became “disillusioned” after Clinton made gays in the military a priority shortly after taking office.

.   .   .

… “Gay marriage? Get out of here. It’s not meant to be. Two dads? Two moms? It’s a mortal sin. I defend their right to do that, but don’t politicize it.”

Hillman has little patience for the practice of throwing taxpayer dollars at public schools and government social programs, saying it will not cure society’s ills. “All of that comes out of this liberal bent of ‘Everybody gets a fair deal,’ ” he said. “It just borders on bad socialism to me.”

He’s still a damn slow-growth advocate, though.

As for his new music, I had a chance to listen to his (and Herb Pedersen) new CD today. It’s probably the best thing he’s done in a decade or more. All of you “Sweetheart of the Rodeo”/Flying Burrito Brothers fans will be real, real pleased with it. It’s a keeper.

As the recall draws near, if you’re not reading Daniel Weintraub’s California Insider blog every day, you should be. Lots of new goodness posted just today.