Big G's "finest" moments

There are many moments Big G, Puma, and myself look back upon fondly. I would like to say these are moments of greatness we reflect upon each time we get together, but that's not who we are. It's much more fun to remember all the mistakes, errors, and goofs we've made during the last 10 years we've all known each other.

This blog already has, and will continue, to feature some of my most embarrassing moments - but why should it be all about me? Let's give someone else a chance to shine. It's time for...

Big G's "Finest" Moments!!!

The Salad Incident

All three of us took Spanish in high school. Whenever we went out for Mexican food, Puma would show off his skill by always ordering in Spanish and sometimes striking up brief conversations with the servers. It's fair to say my Spanish was never as good as Puma's, and even more fair to say that I forgot 90% of the Spanish I learned the moment by the time I started college. But on one occasion, about five years ago, Big G decided to test his own fluency in a natural setting.

The waiter arrived, took my order, took Puma's order - now it was Big G's turn. "Yo quiero dos ensaladas de pollo, por favor," he said in perfect Spanish.

Our waiter gave him a curious look. "¿Dos ensaladas?," he asked.

"Sí," came the response.

Puma now also gave Big G a curious look as our waiter walked off. I tried to hide my smile as I realized Big G's mistake. One thing you need to know about Big G is he isn't the best about eating his vegetables. I don't know who is worse: him or my 12-year-old sister. (I have no idea how he maintains his physique given his lack of vegetables, but it makes me so jealous!)

Big G would never (ever!) order a salad - even a chicken salad. But, for you non-Spanish speakers out there, that is what he ordered. Two of them, in fact; when he had meant to order two chicken enchiladas.

The look on his face when the waiter arrived with our dishes was priceless. An extra large plate of salad with bits of chicken sprinkled in (I guess they just combined the order of "dos ensaladas" onto one plate) for Big G. I've never seen him look so downcast.

Watching him glumly pick through that salad remains one of the favorite things Puma and I like to bring up. But there are others.

Oops!

This story occurred just a couple weeks ago. Puma was back in "Seattle" for a weekend visit and Big G was already here in-between the end of classes and before starting work. We set-up plans to hangout together Friday late morning/early afternoon before I took off to attend a wedding.

Friday morning comes around, and I haven't heard from Big G in more than a week. Puma picks me up, as planned, and shows me a text from Big G that reads, "Oops! Forgot the plan. I'm in (real) Seattle for the day. Can we meet up later?"

Oops? Oops!

So Puma and I hungout for a few hours, constantly looking back at the text and shouting, "Oops! I'm in Seattle!" to each other, and the two of them caught up later that evening after I'd left. Luckily I did catch up with Big G again before his visit to "Seattle" also ended.

(Click here if you don't know the difference between "Seattle" and Seattle.)

What really happened to JFK

I'd like to tell this story, but then I'd have to kill you. All of you.

Maybe some other time...when the truth is ready to come out...

All I'll say for now is kudos to Big G for finally figuring out what happened on that fateful day.

Never again

This is one of my personal favorites. Our social group, besides the three of us, largely consisted of a group of girls in Big G's class (because we were legit playas!!! ... Yeah, you're not buying that, are you?).

In 2007, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street hit the big screens. The girls were hugely excited about this. While a musical about a killer barber (or any musicals for that matter) isn't really my style, or that of Big G, him and I agreed to go see it.

After reaffirming my deep distrust of meat pies, we walked out of the theater and into the daylight. At that moment, Big G uttered the best thing I've ever heard him say.

"That was a good movie," he said. "But I will NEVER see it again!"

For some reason that contradictory statement still stays with me. I think because it not only encapsulates my own feelings at that moment, but that of my whole high school experience. And college experience. Everything from my past. It was all good, overall. But that doesn't mean I'd want to do it again.

Thanks, Big G, for your infinite wisdom and friendship.

Big G

Frequent readers of this blog....HAHAHA!!! OK, not even I can say that with a straight face. Let's start again.

People who have accidentally stumbled upon this blog more than once may remember the introduction of Big G from The Red (Ant) Menace.

Big G is not a fictional ant-fighting companion, but a real life person who I've given an pseudonym to disguise his real identity. He's also not a superhero or supervillain whose identity I'm masking. I just figure that while I will share lots of personal stuff here, people around me may wish to retain some anonymity.

I met Big G my sophomore year of high school. He was a year behind me, but you wouldn't know that by looking at him. Big G towered over the other students, standing in at 8 feet tall. Although he only weighs somewhere around 100 lbs. To borrow a phrase from Bill Cosby, you could use him to get a ball from out of a sewer grate.

Big G is a fan of philosophical debate, something I usually am not. I can't remember how many frustrated lunch periods I spent arguing with Big G over things like the existence of good and evil and the relevancy of time. Lately he's switched from existential thoughts to subjects like "Why women are attracted only to assholes." I guess college has changed him.

Big G is also a fan of bad movies. And not in the ironic, "let's make fun of this" kind of way. Despite having a profound dislike of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and its catalog of atrocious films, Big G is responsible for dragging me along to some truly awful films. Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Battleship come to mind. I still haven't forgiven him for that latter one.

Naturally, Big G used his distinct height advantage in sports. He played baseball and ran track and field plus cross country in high school (What? We're you thinking of a different sport? That's heightist of you!). He gave up on baseball, however, after a hand injury he sustained while running head-on into a wall (Which might also explain a few other things about Big G, but let's leave that alone).

By serving as a runner, however, he naturally met Puma and by extension eventually met me. And despite having the unfortunate experience of actually meeting me in person, Big G, much like Puma before him, decided to befriend me. I would attribute that poor decision-making to some brain injury sustained in the aforementioned wall accident, but that came after.

This turned out to be a fortuitous event for Puma and I. As high school progressed, we found ourselves falling out of favor with the group of friends we had going into high school and had to find a new social group. Big G became a close companion.

We were an inseparable trio. We were The Three Musketeers of our town. Except we weren't French, lacked swords, and didn't have matching blue ponchos. So when I say we were like The Three Musketeers, I actually mean we were nothing like The Three Musketeers. Maybe it's The Three Stooges I'm thinking of? Anyway...point being we all saw each other a lot. Movies, meals, and long hangout sessions continue to this day, although their frequency dwindles as post-high school life pushes on. But I still count Big G as one of my closest friends.

Tune in next week when I share with you some of Big G's "finest" moments that keep us laughing hysterically to this day (They keep Puma and I laughing at any rate).

Tougher than the rest

Last week I wrote about the importance of Bruce Springsteen to me. One of my major points was the connection between my father and I via Bruce's music. With Father's Day rapidly approaching, I've decided to stay on the topic of Bruce by unveiling my list of my Top 10 Bruce Springsteen songs (as of right now...this list is subject to change on a weekly, if not daily, basis). 

I'm sure my own father will not agree with every pick of mine, but what better Father's Day present to get dear old dad than an opportunity to prove himself over his own child - in this case, in regards to taste in music.

10: Highway Patrolman - Nebraska; 1982

I warned you guys about this album last week. It's not a happy album, and this is not a happy song, but it is a great representation of Bruce's storytelling ability. He carves out a wonderfully detailed story of a man torn between his duty to his job and his family. I consider this to be the most underrated song in Bruce's entire catalog.

9: Wrecking Ball - Wrecking Ball; 2012

The title track from his latest album is also my favorite off that surprising album. It's message of persevering through hard times, which are going to consistently come and come again, is one I find particularly poignant for me these days. And one I'm sure Bruce and the band are well aware of as they try to move on despite the deaths of two original band members. But through all the trials and tribulations, through all the changes they've gone through, the band keeps rocking!

8: Loose Ends - Tracks; 1998

This little known track sat on the shelf for about 20 years before Bruce included it when he released a ton of previously unreleased material. It tells the story of two lovers who thought they had everything together, only to find their relationship crumbling apart. But our protagonist is done with the fighting, and he's ready to make amends and start over again, if his sweetheart is willing to meet him on the loose end.

7: Save My Love - The Promise; 2010

This simple yet elegant love song took  34 years to finish. Bruce rediscovered early recordings and lyrics while preparing the remastered re-release of Darkness on the Edge of Town. Bruce finished the lyrics and did a brand new recording, releasing it on a two disc set of songs that didn't make it onto the original 1978 album. My girlfriend would kill me if I didn't include it on this list since it has kind of become our song.

6: Born to Run - Born to Run; 1975

The quintessential Bruce Springsteen song. The song, and the album, that really launched his career. It's basically his version of Peter Pan - singing to a girl named Wendy, running away from their lives, the wild ambition of youth. While this Peter Pan can't offer the gift of flight, he does have a motorcycle he's willing to share if Wendy will just put her trust in him.

5: This Hard Land - Tracks; 1998

Another song that inexplicably wasn't released around the time it was written. Somehow this wonderful tune of a man trying to find a place for himself in the world didn't make it onto Born in the U.S.A., but it did make it onto Tracks. That four disc set has some seriously good stuff on it, and goes to show how good Bruce is at songwriting. So much unused material that just didn't fit with the message he wanted on a particular album and had to wait for years. Who knows how many gems like this one are still waiting to see the light of day?

4: Adam Raised a Cain - Darkness on the Edge of Town; 1978

Looking to craft a more mature album that dealt with serious topics and inspired by his ... let's just say complex relationship with his father, Bruce penned this electric song. You can hear a little influence from the then emerging punk rock scene in this song; lots of rage, angst, and guitar. Happy Father's Day!

3: Brilliant Disguise - Tunnel of Love; 1987

Coming off an album I've sort of rediscovered only recently (I forgot how good it is!), this song tells the troubled tale of a couple who just can't find trust in their relationship. Is it her, or is it just the narrator's paranoia? As someone who struggles a lot with trusting people, this song speaks to me, and reminds me how thankful I am to have found someone I do trust with everything.

2: Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle; 1973

You can't call yourself a Springsteen fan unless you like this song. Arguably the ultimate show-stopper. Have a look and just try not to enjoy yourself.

1: The Promised Land - Darkness on the Edge of Town; 1978

It's been called "the working man's anthem." No song, by Bruce or any other artist, connects to me like this song does. It perfectly encapsulates Bruce's entire career - you've got to work hard to find what you need. You've got to work hard to overcome life's pitfalls. And if you work hard, and if you persevere, you might find your promised land.

Honorable mentions: Hungry Heart, Racing in the Street, Thunder Road, The Fever, Atlantic City, The River, Kitty's Back, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Talk to Me, and at least a dozen more! I'm a fanatic, I can't help myself!


You can find a list of my favorite non-Springsteen songs here. Like this one, that list is also subject to change over time.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there who have something to share with their children!

The Boss

Early on in life, I had little interest in music. I never tried to learn any instruments and had little interest in even listening to music. I tuned into Radio Disney mostly to fit in with the other kids my age (I’ll never forgive myself for that).

That changed at the age of 12. I had moved from California to “Seattle,” with my father remaining in San Francisco. I was no longer able to visit my father on a weekly basis as I had before. It was also around that time that I started listening to the same music my father did.

Looking back on it now, I think it was a subconscious effort on my part to remain close to my father. The music I paid the most attention to was that of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of Springsteen songs. I grew up with “Hungry Heart,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Adam Raised a Cain,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Atlantic City,” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).” I heard it constantly, but never appreciated it.

I'm not sure a stronger bond now exists between my father and me than our mutual love and admiration for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

(For those of you who think I have a Springsteen problem, my dad once said of the album Darkness on the Edge of Town: “It’s my opus; even though I didn’t make it.”)

Born in the U.S.A. was the first album I truly listened to all the way through, and I did so repeatedly. I was too young to fully appreciate Springsteen's lyrics and the messages he delivered on the album – working class struggles, disillusionment over fame and success, struggling to maintain friendship and love – but what really caught my attention was the sound of the album. It was a sound I heard again and again on other Springsteen albums I subsequently picked up. The River; The Rising; The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle; Darkness on the Edge of Town; and Born to Run.

Even though the sound subtly changed from the soulful, R&B inspired Wild & Innocent to the straight ahead rock of Born to Run to the gospel infused The Rising, this was clearly a top notch band that knew how to play together and complement one another. That was the sound that came across so well. A team, a band of brothers, put together to share stories through the power of music.

My love of the albums led me to find video and audio bootlegs of concerts from the past. I watched and listened to the playful interactions of Bruce, Clarence, Stevie, and the rest of the band – telling and re-enacting stories together, hamming it up for the crowd, and generally causing a ruckus. You haven’t seen rock n roll until you’ve seen an E Street Band concert (8 and counting for myself).

You could tell how the band played off each other so well. How they were all separate individuals that combined to form a perfect whole. The camaraderie Bruce shares with the E Street Band is unsurpassable. It is especially apparent following the deaths of two founding band members in recent years. Despite the heartbreak of losing two of his closest friends, Bruce still commands the band with the same spirit as before. They still go out together and play for the crowd, for themselves, for their blood brothers that have passed on, and for the love of rock n roll.

The music was the band’s product as a whole, but the stories themselves were all Bruce. At first they were stories of his own experiences. His romanticized love of New York City and the Jersey Shore, those rebellious teenage years (that in his case became rebellious 20-something years, and rebellious 30-something years, and so on), the struggles of growing up poor in New Jersey, and the haunting figure of his own father – a man frequently out of work, out of money, out of patience, lacking love, and generally unsatisfied with life.

As the band formed and grew, and Springsteen started touring the country wide, he saw the similarities that stretched from sea to sea and border to border. Everywhere people yearn for more and make do with what they have. He saw all the glory, splendor, and decay of America. He self-educated himself on American and music history.

Through this learning, more stories formed. Stories that no longer were restricted to the familiar settings of the East Coast, but stories that could take place anywhere – from Youngstown, Ohio to San Diego, California. Springsteen himself has said his music is about, “bridging the gap between the American Dream and American Reality.”

I said music once meant very little to me. Today music is among the things I cherish most. The E Street Band taught me to appreciate music. Listening to music is by far my favorite method of killing time or relaxing – few things are more soothing than good music, and I happen to think Bruce Springsteen is the best.

I now appreciate Springsteen's songs just as much for the messages and stories within them as the sound of them. I easily identify with the characters he depicts as they struggle to enjoy the little things in life in an otherwise tough, even downright cruel, world. The human element to Bruce's music is now my primary factor in declaring him the best. He walks the fine line between sad poet and fun-loving rocker. But I know I might never have come to this realization without first becoming enamored with the sound of Clarence Clemons wailing saxophone, Roy Bittan's tinkling piano, Max Weinberg's pounding drums, Gary Tallent's heavy bass, or Danny Federici's mournful organ.

I know a great many could care less what I think on the matter. I'm sure plenty of people that read this will scoff and chuckle to themselves about Dylan's silly obsession with Bruce and his band. I'm OK with that. Friends have been playfully teasing me for years about my dogged devotion to Bruce and the E Streeters. Hell, I'm now one of the first to make jokes about my love of the band.  But nothing is going to change that.

Just like the people I consider to be my best and most cherished friends, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been with me through the good times and the bad times. No matter how low I’ve felt, Bruce and the gang could cheer me up with a fun song or remind me my life isn't THAT bad with a depressing tale or two (never listen to Nebraska if you are already in a bad mood. You'll wind up suicidal by the end of the album).

That is how I come to believe and trust in my true friends – not how good they treat me when things are well, but are they still around when I need them most? Bruce and the band have definitely been there for me (albeit indirectly) through every dark period of my life.

And so there you have it. The answer many friends of mine have wondered for years, “Why is Dylan so freaking obsessed with this Bruce guy?” It’s the stories. It’s the music. It’s the emotions poured out in both. It’s the brotherhood and commitment of the band. And above all else, it is the shared bond between a father and son – my father and myself.