~~~~~~

  • My Heart

    rainb2My heart goes out to the good people of Oklahoma. My heart goes out to refugees. My heart goes out to all children who aren’t having a terrific childhood. My heart goes out to everyone in Boston who was injured in the bombings. My heart goes out to the homeless, to the hungry, to the abused. My heart goes out to the victims of bullying and to rape victims. My heart goes out to those who can’t make the next mortgage payment or cover next month’s rent.

    My heart keeps breaking and my feelings are often in tatters. I shutter and wince when a ferry goes down in waters off Bangladesh. I moan for every entombed miner, I grieve when trains collide, and I curl up in a ball when headlines of violent crimes keep streaming across the internet, day after day; month after month.

    So my heart requires daily transfusions of trees and flowers and the breeze on my face. My heart gets energy from babies and dogs, from Sam & Dave, Paul Simon, and the Southern Rock of Little Feat and The Allman Brothers Band.

    I draw upon shows like “Call The Midwife,” and actors like Denzel Washington and John Goodman. That is why I need the Red Sox, the Patriots, and the Crimson Tide. Certainly, love from my own children fills my heart with happiness and pride. But like all parents, I worry for them. I worry about them. I try not to, but… I am their father and that is simply part of the job description.

    My heart is bolstered by every kindness and appreciation in all forms.

    My heart usually tells me that I am safe and things are all right. I know where my kids are. In my heart I know that fathers and mothers in Moore, Oklahoma felt just fine two days ago. It can all change in a heartbeat.

    So I am thankful. Meanwhile, tragedies keep happening. The News is one bad thing after another. Congress is crippled by partisan meanspiritedness. The floods, the earthquakes, the gas leaks, the rejections; the wishes that go ungranted, the prayers that go unanswered. I swallow it all in. I look for grace and for miracles.

    I live in a world that turns and burns. It is cruel and wondrous, bitter and sweet, impossible and entirely possible. It is probably the same for you as well. We write our own stories, to the extent that we can. But 2013 belongs to us all, and we catch the starfish with the seaweed. The bitter herb and the harosis. Poverty kills. Joblessness kills. Stupidity kills. We all want security and opportunity. We want a fair shake in life. My heart is full of hope and despairHarry Lipson III, 5-21-13


    _________________________________________________


  • ELEPHANT

    tufIt’s probably time for me to move on. The Boston Marathon is over. But as a Bostonian, I know that, at least for the moment, part of me is not going anywhere.

    Boston has picked itself up, dusted itself off.

    We are more than grateful for amazing outpouring of concern and support.

    To us, this is personal. And thank you for feeling exactly the same. We are all Bostonians.

    We are all Marathon runners.

    In the face of terrorism, it feels vulgar for me to devote my weekly scribble to the fine weather we’re enjoying. There is an elephant in the living room. There is a fucking elephant in here, and the weather is only the weather. – Harry Lipson – harryShots.com



    _________________________________________________


~~~~~~~~~~~~

  • My Heart

    rainb2My heart goes out to the good people of Oklahoma. My heart goes out to refugees. My heart goes out to all children who aren’t having a terrific childhood. My heart goes out to everyone in Boston who was injured in the bombings. My heart goes out to the homeless, to the hungry, to the abused. My heart goes out to the victims of bullying and to rape victims. My heart goes out to those who can’t make the next mortgage payment or cover next month’s rent.

    My heart keeps breaking and my feelings are often in tatters. I shutter and wince when a ferry goes down in waters off Bangladesh. I moan for every entombed miner, I grieve when trains collide, and I curl up in a ball when headlines of violent crimes keep streaming across the internet, day after day; month after month.

    So my heart requires daily transfusions of trees and flowers and the breeze on my face. My heart gets energy from babies and dogs, from Sam & Dave, Paul Simon, and the Southern Rock of Little Feat and The Allman Brothers Band.

    I draw upon shows like “Call The Midwife,” and actors like Denzel Washington and John Goodman. That is why I need the Red Sox, the Patriots, and the Crimson Tide. Certainly, love from my own children fills my heart with happiness and pride. But like all parents, I worry for them. I worry about them. I try not to, but… I am their father and that is simply part of the job description.

    My heart is bolstered by every kindness and appreciation in all forms.

    My heart usually tells me that I am safe and things are all right. I know where my kids are. In my heart I know that fathers and mothers in Moore, Oklahoma felt just fine two days ago. It can all change in a heartbeat.

    So I am thankful. Meanwhile, tragedies keep happening. The News is one bad thing after another. Congress is crippled by partisan meanspiritedness. The floods, the earthquakes, the gas leaks, the rejections; the wishes that go ungranted, the prayers that go unanswered. I swallow it all in. I look for grace and for miracles.

    I live in a world that turns and burns. It is cruel and wondrous, bitter and sweet, impossible and entirely possible. It is probably the same for you as well. We write our own stories, to the extent that we can. But 2013 belongs to us all, and we catch the starfish with the seaweed. The bitter herb and the harosis. Poverty kills. Joblessness kills. Stupidity kills. We all want security and opportunity. We want a fair shake in life. My heart is full of hope and despairHarry Lipson III, 5-21-13


    _________________________________________________


  • ppThe best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up” – Mark Twain

     

    from the harryShots.com Good Quotations


    _________________________________________________


  • tubaBe who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind” – Dr. Seuss

     

    …from the harryShots.com “GoodQuotations”


    _________________________________________________


  • swfThe Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself” - Benjamin Franklin

     

    from the harryShots.com Good Quotations


    _________________________________________________


  • rainbAn economist’s guess is liable to be as good as anybody else’s” – Will Rogers

     

     

    from the harryShots.com “Quotes of What”


    _________________________________________________


  • SHIPWe cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails

     

     

    …from the harryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • FUNDon’t cry because its over.

    Smile because it happened.

    - Dr. Seuss

     

    the harryShots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • convrecent bumper sticker:

    You should agree with me

    It will save SO much time

    …the harryShots.com “Quotes O’ Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • lumaAn eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind” - Mahatma Gandhi

     

     

    …from the harryShots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • MANThe shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time” – Richard Cech

     

    …from the harryShots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • ukeI knew when my career was over. In 1965 my baseball card came out with no picture” – Bob Uecker

     

    …from the harryshots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • hudI laugh so hard ’til the tears run down my leg - a rare Delta Blues joke, from the seminal blues tune, Silverado in My Pathway

     

    …from the harryshots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • east“Everywhere is within walking distance… if you have the time”

     

    from the HarryShots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • brightMay the blessings of each day be the blessings you need most

     

    from the harryshots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • pigProcrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday

     

     

    from the HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • canA candle loses nothing by lighting another candle

     

    …from the HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • ballsI can only please one person per day. Today isn’t your day…and tomorrow don’t look good either” – anonymous

     

    the HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • maskPeace begins with a smile - Mother Teresa

     

    The HarryShots.com “Quotes of Whatever”


    _________________________________________________


  • sonny

    shines2

    If you don’t know the blues… there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playing

    rock and roll or any other form of popular music” —-
    Keith Richards

    …from The HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever

    .


    _________________________________________________


  • edEvery day is Earth Day

     

    the HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • marshorI’ve chosen to treat my life more like a party than something to stress about” - Martin Short

     

    The HarryShots.com Quote of the Day


    _________________________________________________


  • halphFrisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck” -
    George Carlin

    The HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • James Hood Was Here

    FosterIt is reported that James Hood died today. from THE TUSCALOOSA NEWS 1-17-2013:-

    { “James Hood, who faced down George Wallace’s stand in the schoolhouse door to help integrate the University of Alabama 50 years ago, died Thursday afternoon at the age of 70, in his hometown of Gadsden. James did a great thing for the University of Alabama,” said E. Culpepper Clark, former dean of UA’s College of Communication & Information Sciences, and author of “The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation’s Last Stand at the University of Alabama.”

    “With Vivian Malone, he liberated the university to serve all the people of Alabama and thereby join the ranks of the nation’s flagship universities.”

    Hood and Vivian Malone Jones, who died in 2005, attempted to register and pay fees June 11, 1963, at UA’s Foster Auditorium, accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach. Gov. George Wallace, surrounded by a phalanx of state troopers, barred them, attempting to keep his infamous inaugural promise of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” Later that day, Wallace backed down after President John F. Kennedy federalized the National Guard. }

    JAMES HOOD WAS HERE. Thank you Sir. Lord, may he rest in peace.HL


    _________________________________________________


  • bayLife can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard

    The HarryShots.com Quotes o’ Whatevah


    _________________________________________________


  • How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.” – Benjamin Disraeli




    _________________________________________________


  • HAPHappiness depends more on how life strikes you than on what happens” – Andy Rooney

    The HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • goalposts-150x150I’m happy now!” - Nick Saban, 3-time National Champion Football Coach of The University of Alabama




    _________________________________________________


  • No coach has ever won a game by what he knows; it’s what his players know that counts” – Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant




    _________________________________________________


  • May 2013 bring good health and happiness to all my friends; I wish you the very best.
    hcts Let us renew our faith in ourselves, and in each other, and let safety and well-being be a given for everyone, everywhere. Happy New Year. – Harry


    _________________________________________________


  • TPMy religion is very simple. My religion is kindness“. – Dalai Lama

     

    the HarryShots.com Quotes of Wha




    _________________________________________________


  • My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.” – Mark Twain

    …from The HarryShots.com “Quotes”


    _________________________________________________


  • gggNo one has ever drowned themselves in sweat” – Coach Lou Holtz

     

    The HarryShots.com Quotes


    _________________________________________________


  • chGreat minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people” – Eleanor Roosevelt

    The HarryShots.com Quotes


    _________________________________________________


  • bbhMost American children suffer too much mother and too little father” – Gloria Steinem

     

    The HarryShots.com Quotes of Wha (whatever)


    _________________________________________________


  • Electricity is really just organized lightning” - George Carlin

     

    from the HarryShots.com Quotes of Wha


    _________________________________________________


  • Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage” – President Teddy Roosevelt

     

     

    The HarryShots.com Quotes of Wha (Whatever)


    _________________________________________________


  • Think off-center” – George Carlin

     

     

    The HarryShots.com Quotes of Wha


    _________________________________________________


  • Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss - Black Elk

     

    The HarryShots.com Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • Well done is better than well said” – Benjamin Franklin

     

     

    The HarryShots Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude” – Dale Carnegie

    The HarryShots Quotes of Whatever




    _________________________________________________


  • Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible” – The Dalai Lama

     

     

    The HarryShots Quotes of WhAtEvEr


    _________________________________________________


  • Imagination rules the world” – Napoleon Bonaparte

     

     

    The HarryShots QuOtEs oF wHaTeVeR


    _________________________________________________


  • Motivation is simple. You eliminate those who are not motivated” -  Coach Lou Holtz

     

     

    The HarryShots qUoTeS oF WhAtEvEr


    _________________________________________________


  • When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us” – Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone

     

     

     

    the HarryShots Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • I am easily satisfied with the very best” – Sir Winston Churchill

     

     

    the HarryShots Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere“. – Carl Sagan, astronomer

     

    The HarryShots Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter - Martin Luther King, Jr.

     

     

    The HarryShots Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong” – Mohandas Gandhi

     

     

    the HarryShots.com quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me” - Coach Jim Valvano

     

    The HarryShots Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


  • You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.” – Michael Pritchard

     

    The HarryShots Quotes of Whatever


    _________________________________________________


.

  • “PAGE ONE:

    INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES”

    a documentary (premiered at Sundance – 2011)

    A very interesting movie about a very interesting subject. The question posed was (paraphrased): “Do we need the Grey Lady in an age of internet news, instant information, tweeting, the blogisphere, round the clock cable news channels, among the myriad ways we find out about the news?”

    There are those who see the New York Times, always “the newspaper of record” as either anachronistic now or soon to be so. In this digital age where everybody is a reporter and we all have cellphones, cameras, and are “tapped in” to what is happening, how important and useful, relevant is the NYT and its worldwide bureaus, staff writers far flung around the globe, and the thousands more in New York City who shape and deliver a newspaper on a daily basis?

    Michael Kingsley of the New York Times panned the movie saying it was “all over the place” and “it does little to illuminate that struggle, preferring instead a constant parade of people telling the camera how dreadful it would be if The Times did not survive.”

    David Carr, the Times media and culture columnist, is the man who gets the lion’s share of the face time. Frankly, I don’t think the Times could find a better advocate, one who can relate to the question of “relevance.” David is a very interesting man, casually impressive in an offhand but on-point way. I found the movie engrossing and highly interesting.

    So, I’ll disagree, rather strongly, with Michael Kingsley and say that this is well worth a couple of hours, if only to see behind the veil and watch decisions being made and the paper put together. I give it “five highfives” “and it goes well with popcorn.” HL


    _________________________________________________


  • Ratatouille

    Ratatouille (rat-a-too-ee) is just plain fun to watch. For adults and kids alike. From Disney/Pixar studios and the creative people behind Cars and The Incredibles. Paris never looked so beautiful at night. Voicing by Patton Oswalt, Brian Dennehy, Janeane Garofolo, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, among a host of others. Light, friendly, and charming, although set in a Paris restaurant’s kitchen that is anything but. As improbable as a story can get, but it’s animation, so relax take off your critic’s hat, and let yourself be entertained.

    I give Ratatouille five highfives, and and it goes well with popcorn.” HL


    _________________________________________________


  • OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
    stars George Clooney, John Goodman, John Tunturro, Tim Blake, Holly Hunter, Chris Thomas King and Charles Durning

    From the creative minds of Joel and Ethan Coen. Which means its both funny and good.

    Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

    click to buy the mp3

     

    We start out with a chain gang prison break at Mississippi’s Parchman Farm Penitentiary in Sunflower County in the Mississippi Delta. The year is 1937. The film is said to be loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey, but you sure don’t need to be a Greek scholar to enjoy the hell out of this great movie. The soundtrack won the Grammy award and is good to the very last “Amen.”

    We’ve got buried treasure, wanted prisoners trying to stay wanted, a scene at the Mississippi “crossroads of musical fame”, the Ku Klux Klan, Mississippi state elections, and a great deal more to feast your tired eyes upon. John Goodman is extraordinary as always in his cream colored Southern business suit and suspenders. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? is a great movie and I give it five highfives, “and it goes well with popcorn. HL


    _________________________________________________


  • OUT OF AFRICA

    starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep (1985)

    About once every year when I am restless and looking for something good, really good, to watch, I reach for one of the all time great movies, Out of Africa with maybe the finest work ever done by both Meryl and Bob.

    This is an epic movie. It won the big awards as it should have: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Set Decoration, Best Musical Score, Best Sound, and Best Screenwriting.

    Further, Out of Africa was nominated for: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume, and Best Film Editing

    Suffice it to say that Out of Africa is a triumph of the human spirit. It is grand, it is large; a tour de force and very well worth your seeing, or seeing again. I love the scene where Meryl’s character, Baroness Von Blixen surprises a lion in the Kenyan brush. She implores Robert Redford to shoot the beast and the dialogue and tension are memorable. And that is just one of a great many rather extraordinary scenes we are part of, in this riveting and well told story. I give it five HighFives, “and it goes well with popcorn.” HL


    _________________________________________________


  • MASKED AND ANONYMOUS

    Want to see the coolest movie you never heard of? Want to see a movie with a cast that includes Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Val Kilmer, Ed Harris, Mickey Rourke, Luke Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Bruce Dern, Christian Slater, Fred Ward, Angela Bassett, Cheech Marin, and stars Bob Dylan?

    Then you want to seek out an amazing piece of cinema called “Masked and Anonymous” (2003). The soundtrack is sensational. John Goodman channels The Big Lebowski to a certain extent. The dialogue is incredible. Val Kilmer is at his peak in his brief but unforgettable cameo.

    The poster at left is a Spanish language promotional poster.

    I give this film five highfives, “and it goes well with popcorn“. HL


    _________________________________________________


  • The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story (2009)
    Two brothers who hated one another and wrote the most wonderful songs. Songs you sing, songs you hum, songs your kids (grandkids) sing or will be singing a hundred years from now. The two brothers, Robert (Bob) and Richard (Dick) Sherman collaborated uneasily, but wrote songs such as:

    It’s A Small World * A Spoonful of Sugar * Chim Chim Cher-ee * Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious * Winnie The Pooh * Chitty Chitty Bang Bang * Tall Paul (a pop hit on the Billboard charts) * You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine) (another Billboard chart topper). Their list of songs is as long as your arm. Walt Disney recognized their talents early on and they were integral parts of the Walt Disney empire. They won Academy Awards, Grammies, Presidential Medals of Freedom, and more.

    The movie is a documentary about their careers and lives, as told by their adult children. This is a story of two families, fame, creative genius, rivalry, dysfunction on one level and acclaim on another. It is truly amazing, award-winning documentary and definitely worth seeing. The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story is a HarryShots.com Ramble recommendation, I give it five highfives, “and it goes well with popcorn“. HL


    _________________________________________________


  • Barney’s Version

    I am a fan of Paul Giamatti so it was a treat to stumble on Barney’s Version (2010) not long ago. If there was press and media hyping this movie, I totally missed it. You probably did as well, ’cause I think it was minimal at best. So if you are looking for a something not too taxing or heavy handed, may I recommend Barney’s Version, with a nice role for Dustin Hoffman as icing on the cake.

    Rosamund Pike is magnificent to watch. Bruce Greenwood, Minnie Driver are both in the cast. “Barney” time travels back and forth over a handful of decades, weaving a remarkable and quirky story but a cool one. I give it five highfives, “and it goes well with popcorn“. HL


    _________________________________________________


  • SOUTHERN BELLES

    Stars Anna Faris and Laura Breckenridge. Looking for a good movie to rent? I’m recommending Southern Belles (2005). Might be hard to find, but good stuff often is. It is a little Georgia small town slice of life picture. Numerous memorable scenes and dialogue. It’s a lot of fun. Rated H for happy. I rate it Five HighFives, “and it goes well with popcorn“. HL


    _________________________________________________




Monthly Archives: October 2011

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it“.  – Coach Lou Holtz

“Up Memphis Blues” by Tommy Womack

 

Click here to download the mp3 at Amazon.com

Once in a while I come across someone whose music is truly honest.  Tommy Womack please step forward.  I really like a lot of his stuff and you should check him out.  He has a sensitive side and he has a rocker’s mentality on other occasions.  This one ain’t exactly Tommy’s sensitive side.  He’s got an attitude for love and barbeque so “Up Memphis Blues” gets the nod as today’s HarryShots Song of the Day.  HL

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack.” -  Winston Churchill

“Sail Away Odyssey” by Erik Darling

 

Click here to download the mp3 at Amazon.com

One damn fine folk singer.  That’s who Erik Darling was.  Erik founded what became The Tarriers.  The Tarriers besides being a crackerjack folk trio, made famous the “Banana Boat Song” back when I was a spring chicken.  Erik was also a part time member of the Weavers back in the day.  Erik passed several years ago, but while he was here he made good music.  “Sail Away Odyssey” is a great song and it is today’s HarryShots song of the day.  Check it out.  HL

 

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket“. – Will Rogers

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out“. – Coach John Wooden

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

“Walking In Jerusalem” by Jason Eady

 

Click here to download mp3 via Amazon.com

 

How about a little harmony gospel on a Sunday.  Jason Eady and the Wayward Apostles flat get down on this track.  I like Jason’s music, there are four or five songs that make my “good stuff  list.”  Jason, I think now lives in Texas, but he grew up in Jackson, MS, the state where I was born (Clarksdale).  You can hear the Southern roots in his songs.

Have a seat in the pew, open your hymnals to “Walking In Jerusalem” by Jason Eady.  HL

There is a time for departure even if there is no certain place to go.” – Tennessee Williams, playright

“If a man does his best, what else is there?” -  General George S. Patton

“Con Te Partiro” by Andrea Bocelli

 

Click here to download the mp3 via Amazon.com

Maybe the greatest love song of all time. Andrea Bocelli’s extraordinary hit and quite possibly his best effort. This beautiful masterpiece is one that I never tire of hearing. One of the great vocal performances you are likely to hear. It comes with my highest recommendation.

There is an english version, sung as a duo, with Sarah Brightman, that was also a huge worldwide success. I prefer the solo version that Andrea does and here it is. Enjoy. HL

 

 

 

“Coal War” by Joshua James

 

Click here to download the mp3 via Amazon.com

A classy song by a young artist who seems at the top of his game with “Coal War.”  Joshua James sings “I ain’t cuttin’ my hair til the good Lord comes” in the chorus of this beautiful song.  Joshua is a 21st Century artist and I hope to hear a lot more from this talented young man.  From the 2009 album called “Build Me This.”  Check it out.  HL

“Choctaw Bingo” by James McMurtry

 

Click here to download mp3 via Amazon.com

Well here we are at Choctaw Bingo.  One complete hell of a song.  Lets pull out the old list of synonyms for unbelievable and amazing.  CB is the semi official anthem of the cross country/alternative country/independent singer/songwriter movement based in Austin or Nashville or maybe at Guy and Susannah’s house, whatever.

I do hereby declare Choctaw Bingo the gold standard by which all profound and profane barnburners are henceforth judged. I was not smart enough for a couple of years to know that McMurtry wrote this, thinking it was Ray Wylie’s.  He does a great version, a at a lesser if not more menacing decibel.  Well, after I heard Choctaw B. at the Cibolo Creek Country Club, which is where this song was recorded live, I changed my ever lovin’ mind.  This IS the one… first, last, and always.  McMurtry’s unique sounding rhythm guitar is excellent, but the sceaming lead electric guitar further accentuates it from more tame versions, and catapults this version to the mountaintop.

It is one of the greatest Americana songs ever written.  I hesitate to say it is the best ever, but it damn sure may be.  Fans of the song may not have heard this live take.  Many of you may never have even heard of the song.  That’s one of the things that HarryShots is for. So, strap yourselves in, give the kids a little benedryl and here goes.  The very best song going…  HL

“Juarez” by Brad Colerick

 

Click here to download the mp3 via Amazon.com

Brad Colerick is a bit under the radar.  But I ran across his song “Juarez” several years ago and started keeping tabs on him.  In this beautiful story,  Jesus as a homeless man “who speaks in any language but he favors Espanol”.  Great lyrics, great visualization and imagery. “Outside Camila’s Cantina is where you can save your soul.”  Brad Colerick is a gifted artist and writer and is backed by excellent musicians on this wonderful track.  Treat yourself.  HL

Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.  – Vince Lombardi

MY BET IS THAT THEO EPSTEIN IS LEAVING BOSTON FOR CHICAGO OR A CALIFORNIA BALLCLUB

Please note that HarryShots was correct about Theo leaving for the Chicago.  The following post was written two weeks prior to Theo leaving the Red Sox for the Cubs.

It has been 24 hours since Tito Francona was shown the door and based on what I saw last night at the press conference with Theo, Larry Lucchino, and Tom Werner, I think the body language and all of the awkwardness said all we need to know.  Theo is running for the door.  The whole press conference was about as disingenuous as anything heard in Boston sports in a long long time. I think that Theo felt embarrased having to go through the charade, just to please John Henry, Lucchino, and Werner.

Tito was fired plain and simple.  Theo has never been on anything more than speaking terms with Lucchino.  I think their frosty relationship has never warmed up. I get the feeling that Larry is jealous of Theo and dislikes him intensely.  John Henry and Werner probably have been peace makers for a while.  Epstein may be a bit smug but he is not a fool.  I have little doubt that Theo wants off the ship and I expect that to happen before the end of October.

Wouldn’t surprise me one iota if  Theo and Tito reunite in Chicago in the near future.  Maybe he’s off for sunny California, either National League or American League, he should have a choice.  I think it very well could happen.  At any rate, I think that Theo has his bags packed and is about to check out.  We will soon find out.  HL

 

Click These Songs to Go to the Post



Contact Harry

  1. (required)
  2. (valid email required)
 

All Song Archives