This trip to New York was originally meant for 2 reasons:
1. To see Cream.....thus fullfilling a 35 year old dream and...
2. Seeing as much of New York as I can in three or four days

Both of those goals have been met. Brilliantly too I might add. But what developed, and what I hadn't counted on originally was how wonderful it would be and was.....to meet so many fellow Cream fans and fantastic folks. That and the shows and are the most precious gifts received in all of this. New York I can go see anytime.........These people....well....that could be a tad more difficult......but in a few cases I am sure gonna try!!!!!

But the unselfish, caring and beautiful people associated with this great adventure aren't the subject of this particular spew session. I have already posted on the CREAM boards about that and will continue as fit and call and email with the folks in question as time goes by.....

With personal angst and tension abounding Sunday morning I began the cross country flight to JFK international airport. Having never travelled alone so far and never having been to NY it was a bit overwhelming as I disembarked the plane and went to seek out my bags and the super shuttle trip to Port Authority in Manhattan. The super shuttle trip had veins popping in my forehead, blood pressure through the perverbial roof and a large anuerism brewing in my brain. "Well"...I thought to myself, "The eagerly awaited and expected exploding head I had predicted earlier was going to happen a wee bit early and I truly was.......NEVER going to see Cream live. But even though the driver didn't speak a word of english and drove like some crazed denizen of the darkest regions of HELL, we finally pulled up in front of the Port Authority building, where I spluttered something unrecognizable and on shaky legs departed this mad foreigners sight hopefully for ever and ever.

This complex is like nothing I have seen before.......its a madhouse and a wonder all at the same time. Anyway.. enough of my yackin........I will now cut to the chase...

MSG MONDAY 24TH OF OCTOBER
After a fine dinner and a whole lotta fun with many board members at Blarney Rock Pub it was off to the venue......I was absolutely positively jacked to the max for this........as some of you already know......I as well as others have been awaiting this event for most of our lives and here it was upon us all. The energy in the air as I entered the venue was huge. The souvenier stands were booming and the low thunder of vocal anticipation was a powerful undercurrent.....and NO....it wasn't a train going through under the Garden in Penn Station below.......but the rumble of human hormones and chemicals at work. And in a crowd of so many jacked up fans, that is a power to be reckoned with. I made a point of making eye contact with as many people as I could to read the energy being thrown off. Some people wont interact like that but others will and you can see a lot of truth and raw imagery in the eyes and faces of folks in this state. This pumped me up even higher.....it felt a bit like the old days when you eat a bunch of mushrooms and you start to get that rush as they hit and begin their chemistry on you. But I was straight except for a social drink or 2 at dinner. Which I could no longer feel at this stage. The juices were hammering away and I loved every fucking second of it. Once or twice I thought......."Please brain....don't hemhorage now whatever you do........just get me through the show and I can croak a happy man".

I made my way to my seat and got a good look at the Garden. If not for the history of this place. it would have looked just like the Tacoma Dome where I am from or any other large sports venue. But as I looked around I thought of all the Ali fights, and championship basketball games, and saw all the Knicks banners circling the upper decks of the venue. And all of the other momentous events that have take place here. This building was a treasure trove in American history.......and it was about to be invaded again by three brilliant musicians.......a Scottsman, the great Jack Bruce, and from England the mighty Cockney Ginger Baker and and God himself, Eric Clpaton. I took in everything as I visited with my pal from the U.K. and we awaited the first chord. As had been advertised by many Garden regulars the starting time of the show and the publicised starting time were not gellin like Magellan. 8:00 rolled around and the minutes slowed to a crawl...............the house gradually filled up.........and at precisely 8:30 p.m.the house lights went out and at the same time the stage lights came on and the crowd, all on their feet thundered a phenominal welcome as the three central figures in this dream come true sauntered onto the stage. They were all smiling and waving to the crowd and glancing at each other as well. Obviously well pleased with the welcome. Eric then turned to Ginger who nodded all was well and The familiar "Im So Glad" riff began to thunderous approval. I was bouncing back and forth on my feet and my head was bobbing to and fro like a rear window dog as I hollered out my joy at seeing this all come down. I cannot adequately describe the depth of emotion which goes straight to the very core...the heart if you will.....it is deeply satisfying and terribly emotional at the same time....sort of like finding out the girl or boy you have had a crush on for a long time feels the same way.....and recirprocates.........like love accepted........a huge emotional release bigger than any one individual orgasm........it hurts but is a beautiful hurt.........I was overwhelmed............

Right from the very beginning of the set I was taken by how much more animated Jack Bruce was and how brilliantly all three were playing. I don't know whether it was the returning strength and health of Jack and Ginger or the amazing energy in the venue. Or a little of both. Really, who give a rats ass? They were pushing each other and responding in kind and of course in a hall this size you need to push the volume to cover the acreage.....which I am pleased to say, they did admirably. It was a very loud concert......seemingly getting louder about every three numbers until it was just beginning to hurt by the end of the show. But.....OOHHHHH.....ladies and germs of the reading audience......it hurt sooooooo gooooddddd!!!!

At the end of Sweet Wine I noticed a funny thing.........My Brit friend didn't see it but I sure as hell did! Ginger was shaking his head and put a hand to his ear and was grimacing big time and saying something. He gave a final shake of the head as they launched into the next number. My first thought was the volume thing again. Ginger always hated the massive volumes of old and although they werent playing through double or triple stacks of Marshalls {They did have Miniature Marshall stacks sitting on top of their regular rigs as a joke I presume} it was very loud and maybe the Ginger bread man was getting pissed about it????? Who knows?????

The set list was the same as the set list as RAH and in the same order with one exception.......about 5 songs in we were met with a thunderous chord.......which all true Cream fans in attendance recognized immediately as "Tales of Brave Ullysses". This was a tune we all hoped they would include in the set and it was magnificent. The show had been great up to that point but really took off then. They gave it the old high power treatment. The sound was excellent and the power huge. It was incredibly tight and brought chills to this old fucks very marrow. And brought a few tears to the eyes as well. It was love again. That painful wonderful longing....finally satiated.

DISCLAIMER
I only wish I had good enough command of the English language to do justice to my descriptions. As I type I close my eyes and try to envision then leave my mind and look in my heart for the proper words. Its a difficult process and I am not a novelist.....obviously......

The show picked up at this point with the original RAH setlist and finished in that order. The energy and power remained. There were some timing flubs and vocal flubs from time to time but really..........Who gives a rosy fart in a closed elevator?????? I am sick to death of these reviewers and supposed musical EXPERTS nit picking the Hell out of these gigs. What we have here is three brilliant musicians who with the exception of the Hall of Fame induction 12 years ago and the 4 gigs in May at RAH, have a broken link of 37 years in the chain. And particularily with music that only has starts and ends and a few cues but mostly is improvisation, you are going to have flubs and timing errors. And so it was. They played the Hell out of any bands of today in my exceedingly humble opinion.

The next curious note came during "Were going Wrong" Once again my compatriot for the evening didn't see it, but a few others have confirmed it for me. Just arent sure why it happened. But during the above mentioned tune, Jack turns to either Ginger or Eric, not sure which.....he seemed to aiming at both of them. He bellowed something.....then bellowed a few more words and spit was actually flying out of his mouth. Both Eric and Ginger took notice and looked and leaned Jacks way as they played.........Jack ejaculated another phrase and really looked agitated to me.....big time......Both Eric and Ginger looked a bit confused and a little taken back. Then Jack went back to the mic and the number went on. I was highly interested in this and started thinking......what was happening right before this out burst and I realized that Ginger was really pounding the drums with the mallots and it was hard to hear Jack sing......and on the chorus after the outburst the mallots were hitting with a lot less power and you then could hear the vocals. Maybe that was it....I just don't know.???? But my thought at the time and now is......Hmmmm some of the old problems maybe. After all the energy was very high and the volume was blazing and lets face it. These three guys playing together always sounded like 6 or 8 musicians instead of just three. And they still sound like that. Rah seemed to have less volume and maybe a bit less energy in the hall...MSG is a big venue.......and with the added juices flowing and louder volumes.........who knows...........

No curious events the rest of the evening unless you factor in the audience!! As forecasted there were a ton of bozo's in attendance. Lots of yakkin, drinkin and pissing like a team of mules......lots of cell phones and people not listening at all to the music.....but trying to listen intently to the inane idiocy of their friends. Saw a few beers hit the floor....got the backspray of one of those myself..........But aside from that the most pleasant distraction for me was the wafting stench of Marijuana the permeated the hall most of the evening. Even though I havent smoked dope for many many years, everytime I got that familiar spliff whiff, I had to smile. It really took me back to my youth and the fond memories of the concerts of old. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised but was anyway.......in a happy sort of way. So that particular distraction was ok by me.

Stormy Monday was sublime, Deserted Cities of the Heart was powerful and Jack was again brilliant, White room a gig stopper and the marvel man of the evening, Ginger man, blew everyone away with Toad. What a superb musician. At 67, with a bad back and obviously in pain at the end of the gigs, he is a marvel. As he said on the RAH dvd, he "loves a big crowd.....the bigger the better.....makes you play better" and play he did. Toad got better every night and longer every night as well. By Wednesday he was unstoppable.

And then the traditional 5-7 minute droning applause for more as always brought the boys back for a finale and they followed with their biggest hit and the same finale number from RAH....."Sunshine". And as on a few of the earlier numbers that evening the improv flashed. Eric was searing and Jack thundered with abandon....both being driven along by Ginger who by now should be laying on a stretcher in the green room, but who took command one final time for the evening.

And it was over...........It was gorgeous. The dream has been recognized and satiated....finally. and my head is still intact.....well just barely..........

Volume V - October 4, 2005
THE DVD REVIEW

"OH......MY.......GODDDDDDDD!!!!!"

Was it worth the wait??? Hell yes it was. Of course I am biased, but this is the finest concert DVD I have ever seen and I have a library full of concert DVD's. All of my worst fears have been mercifully put to rest!!! The main fears were #1...that it would be presented as "The Eric Clapton Show" with two sidemen......Ginger Baker and.....what was his name....you know....that other guy!! #2, hideous filming and sound, and #3 vomitous drum solo footage with shirt changes, gyrating camera work and beats that don't exist at all/beats the should exist but dont!! The only Palmerism I saw was a couple up the nose shots of Jack playing harp on Rollin and Tumblin.......so skin texture and nosehairs aside.....I was more than pleasantly joy-a-fied by the overall look and sound of the DVD.

As soon as I returned from the post office I cranked up my Home theatre and plugged her in. From the opening moments outside the Royal Albert Hall to the closing credits, alternate takes and interviews, I was riveted to the spot........in a way "I'm so glad" my wife was at work. Because even though she knows me probably even better than I know myself.....God Bless her.....she can't totally relate to my obsessive love for Cream and its three members. There were times when I was practically rolling around on the floor like a beached whale moaning out with pleasure at the various changes and licks issuing forth from the surround system. It could well have been mistaken for some kind of bizarre sexual ritual complete with animal oooOOHHH'sss and aaAAAHHHHssss'sss and uttered phrases like "ooOOhhhh Jack Fucking Hell" or "OOHHHJesus H Christ, Eric youre killin me man" or "AAHHH Ginger you old Bastard COOK BABY COOK". There were at times tears blurring my vision......and joyful laughs belching forth at some of the many fabulous moments.

Lets risk boring you all to tears now FOLKS by breaking it down!! What'da say??

5-6-05- I'M SO GLAD- I agree with most of the naysayers here........It should have been 5-2-05....or at least the walk on should have been. As far as the number goes...that is debatable. In my view this was a great version of the Skip James classic. Beautifully filmed and played with energy and spirit and wonderful vocal harmonies. Right away you get the sense these guys are inspired and into the moment. And you are hit right away with how WELL made this DVD was going to be. The separation and power of the instruments as well as the "all angles covered" filming let you know you are in for a real treat. You can see right away that these boys {old boys granted} are in control. Impeccably tight and wonderfully inventive from the onset!!

5-6-05- SPOONFUL- Here you get the first look at the old chestnut Tri-screen-framing ala Woodstock. Three side by side frames of the boys performing. Good for the crew, they don't overdo it. But it is certainly nostalgic. As for the tune......it is ELECTRIC!!. Tight is a term I will be boring you all to death with and this track in no exception to that rule. The tune really cooks with a blistering Eric leading the way closely followed by Jack and Ginger. A joy to behold from the first note to the finish.

5-6-05- OUTSIDE WOMAN BLUES- While the first two numbers were pretty much a fair split of Jack and Eric's talents.....this is the first showcase for Eric. Jack's basslines are amazing throughout but Eric really shines on vocals and his soloing is inspirational. A wonderful sidenote here though is Jack who seems to be completely wrapped up in joy throughout this song. Leaning against his chair, cranking out those superb answering lines he is grinning from ear to ear........some roses appear on the foot of the stage which seems to make him extremely happy, as if the joy of listening to Eric solo wasn't enough {which I am sure it was}. The 62 year old bassist looks as pleased as punch.

Then we have an utterly flawless transition to 5-2-05 for Eric's welcoming of the audience and the amusing exchange with Jack that goes along the lines of
Eric: "we were cut off in our prime" and Jacks reply
Jack: "we are in our prime.....what'dya mean??"

5-6-05- PRESSED RAT AND WARTHOG- EC accompanies the rhythm section on this one. A very pleasant surprise tune that they never played in the old days featuring Ginger's cockney recitation along with his driving percussion style with a ton of innovative fills to boot. Eric sticks to chords while GB drives the tempo and in the final moments Jack drives the melody with his wonderful bass lines to finish out the tune. All three seem very happy to be there on this rare treat as they smile at each other incessantly.

5-3-05- SLEEPY TIME, TIME- And now we have that classic Jack electric blues tune Sleepy time. For me the standout here is the wonderful vocal harmonies by JB and EC. Musically it is a fine example of classic three piece electric blues but the vocals really highlight this one. Eric blisters out a fine solo in the middle with superb accompaniement by Jack and Ginger......once again......amazingly tight throughout......with swing!!!! Another treat to behold.

5-6-05- NSU- This puppy really cooks. This has definite shades of Cream past. It is high strung and infectious right from the git-go, with Ginger hammering out the beat in his inimacable style. My God is that man really in his mid 60's??? Good God y'alll. When they enter the jam it is very evident they are jumping up a notch in gear and are enjoying it immensely. The grins are evidence. Jack features a nice mix of strumming chords and well placed fingering and he sizzles. As does Eric.....playing with a fire and energy I havent seen him play with for a great while. The jam lasts sevral minutes and during the applause there is a wonderful shot outside of RAH with cars going by and the sound of muted applause from within. Then the camera is again inside the hall with the thunderous reaction to the band.

5-3-05- BADGE- Another showcase for Eric and Jack gets a well deserved sit-down which he seems to be enjoying immensely. His playing is fabulous, from his classic opening bassline to the asking and answering lines throughout his work is a joy to behold. But EC really shines on this, one of his signature tunes. Another extremely tightly played tune.......and EC milks the space before his solo expertly. The solo itself is a gem and the others seem to be enjoying it as much as the audience.

5-6-05- POLITICIAN- A Jack classic through and through, this is a lot of fun......and the boys counterpoint each other beautifully in the jam out. Jack plays like he did with WB&L in the latter portions of the number but with more restraint and timing. Tastier too in this reviewer's modest opinion. No doubt though that he takes the lead once again.

5-6-05- SWEET WINE- This tune goes along the lines of NSU in its intensity and interplay. It has a real feel for the days of old. Ginger hammering the tempo and tasty fills, and Jack and Eric pushing each other to new heights. This one hits the edge of control and teases the viewer with a little slip or two over into the land of unrestrained bedlam. JUST A TASTE........but oh boy......don't it taste fine?????????? As a side note, there is a great moving shot near the end of the number as the camera walks out from backstage and down the rear toward and onto the stage just as the tune ends. This selection is a hot one and the beginning of a jump up in intensity for the rest of the show.

5-6-05- ROLLIN' AND TUMBLIN'- This baby actually sizzles. Ginger and Eric set up the rhythm with a super tight hot melding of slide guitar and jazz snare work unparallelled, and Jack goes to work on vocals and Harmonica. This one gets every muscle in you body jumping. As evidenced by the gyrating guy in the front section of the audience who cannot sit still, and the handfull of ladies in the pit doing likewise. If my wife had entered the room at this point she might have thought I was having a seizure or something worse. Being an old drummer this one gets me juiced to the max. Jacks harp work is energetic and wonderful as are his vocals, and it leaves you wondering.......this guy couldn't be 62 years old and had just undergone death, reviving and a new liver.............absolutlely.....freaking amazing.

5-5-05- STORMY MONDAY- And now for the killer of all time. This one blew my fuckin heart and brains right outta my body. This tune is the FINEST piece of three man electric blues I have ever seen. I have seen Eric live three times.....but never with the likes of Jack and Ginger........I cant even put this one into words.........I cried and I hollered.......and bellowed.......there are enough moments in this cut to last a lifetime. Here I was sitting in my living room......alone fortunately......except for my 2 frightened cats.......as I melted down right before their eyes. Erics power was at its most brilliant and as the solo progressed.......it was plainly evident that Jack and Ginger were getting more and more blown away and sucked into the moment by Erics Godlike brilliance. Jack is rocking back and forth and throwing out his foot in emphasis, and as you would expect his bass work reflected this oh so well. It was extrordinary accompaniement. I am weeping as I type this.......My god what power these three still posess. I have never seen such superb blues bass in my life and never expect to again unless of course MSG has the same kind of power to offer. I can only hope!!!! But Eric absolutely blew my arteries right out of my heart as he obviously did the audience, Jack and Ginger. I have never witnessed such amazing respect as the respect awarded to Eric by Jack and Ginger. The footage is priceless. You Have GOTTA SEE THIS if nothing else on the DVD.

5-3-05- DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART- What a terribly hard act to follow.........The Stormy Monday number......but this Jack Bruce classic does an admirable job. A very tightly woven and well performed piece......but has to take a back seat to the previous cut...............I love the bass and drums here though.....a minor classic all by itself.

5-6-05- BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN- This Albert King classic has never been better. Once again three master musicians, individually brilliant, and tightly cohesive at the same time. Beautiful control. Impeccable.

5-6-05- WE'RE GOING WRONG- Two words. Masterfully Haunting. This wonderful Jack Bruce ballad commands a tremendous power.....from the strong vocals. to the tympani driven drumming, to the hauntingly beautiful axe-work.....this is a timeless classic with a sound all its own. Its a very simple tune, in the Cream tradition........but extremely complex in its execution. When you have three such talented and diverse musicians as these guys........what more can you say. Another one ya gotta see. Amazingly powerful little diddy this one is.

Rounding off Disc #1 are two (2) alternate takes

SLEEPY TIME, TIME from 5-6-05 and
WE'RE GOING WRONG from 5-3-05
Both tracks in my opinion are even better than the two used in the DVD line up. Both "Killer Diller's" in the venacular of the 30's

DISC #2 5-6-05- CROSSROADS- Another amazingly tight cut. Did I mention you would all get tired of the term "TIGHT"??? Well sorry bout that....... NOT. This cut as you would expect showcases Eric in another signature tune and the band is marvelous. It may not have quite the intensity on the version from "Wheels Of Fire" but is comes pretty close. More controlled but none-the-less spectacular. EC pops and blisters and here you get the extroridinary backing power of the finest rhythm section of all time.

5-6-05- SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD- Even though this is a pure blues number, for me this is a showcase for Jack Bruce the great. Written by Jack this tune features Jack on bass, vocals and Harp. And a very strong performance on all three. Eric's solo rips and Ginger brings up the rear admirably, but Jack is the man here. Wonderful counterpoint between Jack's harp work and Eric's tasty fills. This is a ballad power blues classic. I love this one.

5-3-05- WHITE ROOM- Here we go with an extremely potent version of one of rocks alltime classics.....White Room. It is one of the anthems of the 60's for sure and Jack and Ginger positively gallop through this one. Wonderful vocal sharing by Jack and Eric, and the innovative and luscious percussion by the greatest drummer of all time. Even though the wah-wah is missing, Eric sounds energetic and envigorated here. I would like to have seen the camera more on Jack on this number as he plays hard, lickety split straight through.......I recommend taking a good listen to his magic while watching this one. Most of the shots here are on Eric, but humor me LADIES AND GERMS and take a good listen to Jack. A really great version of a classic.

5-5-05- TOAD- Pure magic. You must remind yourselves here of the man's age, health and tremendous courage. He may not possess the speed or kick drum agility of yore......but Ginger Baker is undeniably one of the greatest drummer's that has ever lived. IMHO thee greatest. He had'nt played the 2 years previous to these shows {and rehersals of course} and has a bad back and knees. This is a wonderful solo aside from that, but when you factor those things in, it becomes monumental what he has achieved. Another classic and what more fitting a way to end the concert by having the founder of the band showcase his talent. He was a driving force throughout the concerts and this finish only exemplifies that. Amazing.

Round after round of applause.......the bowing to the auduence......leaving the stage......the boys backstage for a smoke or a talking rain........back out for the encore number......and what else

5-3-05- SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE- A wonderful version of the anthem from the 60's. And the perfect closing for the shows. They really open it up on this one. From Gingers patented backwards driving beat and the Blue Moon intro to the guitar solo. And in the jam out, GB and JB drive Eric to the ceiling with a no holds barred finale. They arent in complete control now......which is a wonder to behold. What an emotional and powerful climax to an amazing event.

THE AUDIENCE AND THIS HUMBLE REVIEWER APPROVE MIGHTILY!!!!!!!!!!!

Disc 2 is rounded out by an alternate version of Sunshine from 5-6-05 complete with an Eric vocal gaff in which Jack laughingly recovers for him, and if anything a more innovative jam out at the end. Breathtaking. Aslo on Disc 2 are some wonderful interviews of the three individually. Loaded with incisive honest recollection about each other and the band then and now. It really sounds like MSG may not be IT to me. It is clear in the interviews that if their health holds up, the may do this sort of thing from time to time as the years go by.

As I am sure you can tell, I am very happy with this package. And I recommend it to all. And boy oh bow......am I looking forward to MSG

Volume IV - September 23, 2005

"AAAAAHHHHH....
NEAR AT LAST..............."

GODDAMMIT I am stoked..................................Bloked........................and Poked!!!!!!!!!!

After all these long years............the wait is almost over.....................

Although I am still in need of premium or near premium seats on wed........on Jacks side {picky I know} at least I am IN all three nights. Right behind the band Monday, with my Liverpudlian buddy, a great loge seat on the rail on Tuesday on Erics side, and a pair of nosebleeds on wed behind the band and way up yonder. Again with my Limey compatriot!!!! The Limey and the Yank....won't we make a bizarre pair?????

If anyone reading this thing the Manualist calls a column {very debatable I know} and you have extras for wed.......preferably on Jacks side of the stage, PLEASE PLEASE contact me!!!!!

And alas I have extra tix for sale at face as well. A couple on Monday....one on tues and either 1 or three on wed.......depending on whether I can upgrade wed or not???

What do these concerts mean to me you ask??

Well then I will tell you!!

Just about everything. I have fantasized about this for 35 years and really cant believe we are on the edge of it happening. I probably wont believe it until I am sitting there in MSG, with all its history and mystique, on Monday night October the 24th, and the boys walk on stage to the thunderous roar of some 20,000 odd fans. I hope they milk the applause and let it go on for awhile. I of course will be crying my stupid, baby ass eyes out I am sure.....but well......who gives a FUCK I say???? So this 50 year old, gray haired chubby dildo in the choir is balling his fool ass off!! SO WHAT I SAY!!!

I am sure I wont be Alone!! Come on and admit you all you tough guys and gals out there......These three icons of the musical world, English, Cockney and Scot, standing there on American soil getting the emotional outburst ovation of their lives. And I can see it plain as day, Erics twin Marshall stacks and Jacks triple double Marshall's, with Gingers Ludwig and Zildgian gear thrown decoratively in the middle {well maybe not.......but who gives a rats ass???? Am I right???}, and after the enormous welcome the first bars of, Dare I say, Tales of Brave Ullyses, fill the hall to the deafening roar of the sweaty vibrating crowd. {Well maybe not, but once again.....Who Gives....????}. And 2 plus hours of musical and emotional bliss follow................................

This is nearly all I think about these days................

I dream about it...................

Bore my wife to tears about it................God love her.

The Liverpudlain and I will be trading knowing and appreciative nods and glances all night.....with the occasional slap on the back or the wrist tug....."Did you hear that???" or "Bloody Hell Mate......Jacks nuts just grew to the size of cannon balls" or "Listen to those Kick Drums....Holy FUCK!!!"

The show will undoubtedly be followed with discussion.......a little booze....more jaw yammering........the Nightime New York skyline...some good eats.....a little more booze.....a lot more pontificating.....and on and on and on

Am I dreaming???? You bet your asses I am.

Will this be the event of a lifetime?? For me it sure as Hell will.

Am I counting the days, the hours, the minutes..........??? Well....What do you think????

I hope to see many of you there............You cant miss me...I will be the one yelling and applauding the longest and loudest...until my bleeding face falls off in a chunky heap....or my head explodes in a million fragments, spraying teeth, and blood and bone and hair in all directions. It will be a blissful explosion!!! One I have been waiting all my adult life for.

Volume III - September 15, 2005

"IM SO GLAD, IM SO GLAD,
IM GLAD, IM GLAD, IM GLAD"

Just sittin here at my keyboard and had a huge rush of the most sublime pleasure I have had in a long time. A big big rush like the kind I vaguely remember from a big mouthful of magic mushrooms about and hour in. But even more organic........a natural rush if you will. And although I don't have tix in hands as of yet................ they will be coming soon................

Amex consierge services aside (MF'ing ASSHOLES) I was stunned and elated to see people scarfing up tix all over the venue......... and continuing to scarf seats right up to the time I type this..... Thursday 9-15-05 8:00 a.m.PST.

Practically everyone with intentions of going on the CREAM2005 website have now scored, or are busily in the process of making deals with generous members who scored more than they needed. UNWONDERFUCKINBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!

I had huge concerns about the way this was all comin down but the AMEX presale went off far better than I and many others had expected. Personal goals number 1, 2 and 3 have been acomplished now. I can work on the rest Monday the 19th and see what we can see.!! The acomplished goals were

1. GET IN THE MOTHER HUMPIN DOOR..... Check that baby off.....DONE.

2. GET AT LEAST ONE PREMIUM SEAT.....check that humper off too.....DONE

3. GET A PAIR OF SEATS FOR MY ENGLISH BUDDY AND ME TO ATTEND A SHOW TOGETHER........... X marks the spot.........DONE.

And all that leaves is to score for a third night (wed) greedy I know.......... and to help a few specific needy friends...........and lastly to give general help to others on the board that need a way in. And I am so hopeful that even though much more frenetic the 19th is bound to be with every credit card in the known universe and phone line the world over in play, that all these goals will be reached.

ANYONE THAT GETS THROUGH......ONCE YOUR GOALS ARE MET......... BUY THE REST OF YOUR LIMIT TO HELP OTHERS AT FACE VALUE..........

If everyone does that.........everyone will be there to enjoy this event.

A very good example of this kind of ENORMOUS GENEROSITY is a particularily wonderful lady from the Florida Keys.....she goes by the handle PEACE, LOVE AND GUITARS (PL&G for short) wow......what an amazing chick!! I stupidly followed the advice of a board member and we signed up with AMEX consierge services........ and got a whopping NOTHING!!!!!! That was horrible and terribly depressing. If not for PL&G's access, and My wife and PL&G online (I was at work) I would right now be sweating bullets and crapping iron ore and my buddy in the U.K. would probably be barfing chunks of Stonehenge. And PL&G scoring a hit again Tuesday, made the three above goals come to pass......plus she was able to help a couple others as well. This gal has a heart the size of Mount Rushmore and I love her dearly. So does my wife who will undoubtedly be overjoyed by getting rid of me for a few days in october. (She isnt a Cream addict and her work schedule won't permit time off from sept through xmas).

So here we come people......Headed around the corner to another tix sale. Now that most of us have scored at least something.... its time to HELP OTHERS as the aforementioned lady has already done. And there a few board members that need to be coerced into changing their minds and going...... so all of you help me in this endeavor.....PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First and foremost......PL&G.................MUST BE THERE!!!!! If we have to throw you in a burlap sack (better yet...a HEMP sack) and kidnap you right off the Keys, and that is our only option....then so be it!! But make it easier on us old bastards and bitches and break under the constant strain of our pleas and MY ORDERS. DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!!

Next.....there are a couple that come to mind.......... The Ruler of this site MANUALIST.....where are you man???? Come forward now and declare to all once and for all that you will be going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET ON YOUR KNEES, SUBMISSIVELY, RIGHT NOW AND DO AS YOU ARE TOLD. I COMMAND IT!!!
To which THE MANUALIST replied:
"I'm right here Dillweed, updating your freakin' column, the one who shines your socks and darns your shoes! I have humbled myself in your presence, Oh Mighty Rick, and yada yada yada... see you @ MSG Tuesday night the 25th."

Mystic 7........Where the Hell have you got off to as well....................... Your generosity was such a huge factor early on for all of us........... please post what we all want to hear.....that you will be there as well.......

And I am sure some of you out there will have other names that truly need to be there. Post em up on the messageboards!!!! Post them now. I COMMAND YOU AS WELL!!!!!!!!!

TIME TO GET PUMPED UP AGAIN FOLKS!! HERE WE GO!!! ANOTHER GO-ROUND.....SCORE....AND SCORE TILL IT HURTS AND YOUR CREDIT CARDS ABULGING UNDER THE STRAIN AND MAXED OUT ................................................ OH OH................AAAAHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGG...... A VEIN JUST BURST IN MY HEAD..............................NO..... NO THAT WAS THE SOUND OF VICTORY............................... AAAOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM.....AAAOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Well here we go folks! Time for the attempt to buy tix to see our favorite band "CREAM" are upon us! As we all know the AMEX presale goes off Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. EST to be exact. As I write this it is Thursday, the 8th of october, and all the information flying around out there about the AMEX presale boils down to 1 thing. Total contradiction.

There are so many stories and nothing definitive as to the exact methods that will be used by TM, MSG or AMEX in regards to tix purchasing, shipping, what type card for what type seating, will call or direct ship of tix, etc etc etc. I think my head might just swell up to the size of a large beachball, and them explode, sending fragments of hair, teeth, blood, brain matter and bone chips hurtling in all directions!!!!!!!! My hope is that by tomorrow or Saturday at the latest, everything will be crystal clear so we can all get on with the job at hand!!!

I had a plan in place.......a very good one or so I thought. You see, I was of the impression that the presale would be only a small allotment of the overall tix pool and that there would be a general tix sale comprising the majority of the available seats. It would now seem that Amex will sell out the shows all by itself in the presale leaving no tix for the little guys, with the exception of scalps and ebay. In other words....if you don't own an AMEX.......you are CORNHOLED ladies and germs of the reading audience. I have friends who are willing to buy for me {or should I say.....Try for me} but that would only work if they don't do a will call.....if they just ship out the tix via mail. One of those unanswered questions as of today.

My original plan was to have about ten friends and family members {they were in place and ready to go} help me with the effort via computer and phone lines on the day of sales. That plus the valliant efforts of the members of CREAM2005 to sell any extras at face to board members should have seen to it that just about everyone that was committed to going.....would be able to do just that. The hopes for that action are still somewhat alive though even with this AMEX fiasco.

There is still hope that this spewing of voluminious quantities of whiney, crocidile tears may be for naught. When all these unanswered questions are answered {by sat. at latest} with luck it may not be as bad as it seems.

If they ship tix and don't use will call it will allow cardholders to buy for family and friends! That right there would be a big plus...or

If they do a partial allotment Amex presale and a larger allottment general sale on Monday the 19th.......that would also be a big plus.

I suppose all methods have their drawbacks but the thought of corporate America fully controlling who gets to go and who doesnt, to an event like this, that should most definitely be open to all with cash or a credit card, and for face value no less, strikes me as patently unfair and just downright SKULLDUGOROUS!!

This is not a normal installment of this column but I just had to vent and spew a pantload of happy horseshit in this time of extreme stress. And I know you true long time fans who have never seen your idols live will understand this angst and self indulgent tear spewing.

Best of luck to all of us in the hunt Monday a.m. and here's hoping that the rules will be more fair come zero hour than they appear right now!!!!

Volume I - August 26, 2005

"Jack Bruce Who?????"

Part I:

You know what really pisses me off?? Well I'll tell ya. When a great artist doesn't quite get the recognition he/she deserves!! And you know what? I have been one angry son-of-a-bitch for 35 years. Guess why........Oh...can't guess? Well then strap in folks...because Angry Raving Rick Miller is gonna tell ya why......I'm gonna vomit up the rage that's been building lo these 3 and one-half decades. So get out your splatter screens......cause the pukes gonna rise!!!

Many moons ago, approximately 12,775 moons ago to be exact, a strapping 15 year old, testosterone filled teenager{ME} was given a stack of vinyl from his big brother. This stack of vinyl was some classic rock that said big brother was going to enlighten his baby bro with!! Well baby bro, ME, 15 year old know it all smart ass, was dubious to say the least.

"Who the fuck does he think he is? I have my Tommy Roe, and my Association, and my 1910 Fruitgum Company records........What the Hell do I need with a bunch a his shit for?"

Boy was this smart-assy kid in for a surprise. While Rick was still a few months shy of smoking his first joint, and about a year shy of his first mescaline hit or square of window pane, and after sitting in a corner for a week or so, our hero went to the stack of vinyl and riffled through 'em. Lets see here, Vanilla Fudge "What The...", Jimi Hendrix Experience.."Jesus...what kind of a lens did they use to take that picture of those three guys in the wacked out clothes?", and Fresh Cream..."Boy those are some weird lookin dudes.....specially the tall one with the wild eyes".

So, Rick Miller, smart-ass, testosterone filled, 15 year old played them in that order. He thought Vanilla Fudge was really out there, especially the vocals which seemed to be have this funky delayed tremello thing going. At first he thought it was weird and kinda sucked, but as he listened more, sorta liked it in an odd way. He really liked the cover "You keep me hangin on". "Kinda creepy and haunting that one was", thought the sexually pent up smart-assy teen.

Next test was the Jimi album. That one grabbed him straight away {as the English would say}. Especially Fire......as Rick Miller smart ass extrordinaire loved drumming being a big fan of the Benny Goodman Band and Gene Krupa since he could remember as his pappy had a big collection of 78's. Didn't {and still doesnt} care for the vocals, but loved the wailing guitar and charged improv.

By now, our testosterone charged hero, was losing some of his dubiousness and went straight to Fresh Cream!!

WOW.......................................................That was nearly orgasmic......but then again what wasn't to our budding hero......but I digress!!

Of course what followed was as to be expected.......the kid went wild scraping up quarters in whatever way he could and made frequent trips to the local K-Mart for vinyl at $3.33 each. Collecting all the Creams he could find.....and with Live Cream he was hooked through the preverbial Bag!! Over the next five years he also went after the solo efforts........Airforce, Dominoes, West Bruce and Laing, Baker Gurvitz Army, Jacks Songs for a Tailor and Out of the Storm and on and on and on!!!

Well there you have some of the back story.............

As our dangerously pent up B-actor's love for all three, particularily Jack Bruce grew over the following decades, he became angrier and angrier when he would mention Jacks name in work or social circles, and people would say......"Who?....Jack Who you say?". Then our testosterone encrusted friend would do the now familiar slow burn and say "ever heard of the band Cream?", and invariably their response would be...."Oh yeah sure....Eric Claptons band".

Budding star B-actor, Ricks, first thought whenever hearing that was "FUCK ME".

And then he would go into his diatribe which went along the lines of......

"Well I wouldn't exactly call it Eric Claptons band, although he was IN the band. If anything it was Jacks and Gingers band as Ginger Baker, incredible drummer by the way......THE best in the known universe in my not so humble opinion, came up with the idea and approached Eric and his old nemesis Jack Bruce with the idea of a power trio, and Jack.....who composed and arranged practically all the tunes, plays the most amazing combination of wonderful melodic bass lines and most phenominal Testical Smashing riffs ever, and has this powerful singing voice doing the leads on the vast majority of their tunes."

He would wind up his diatribe by shaking his ego swolen head in utter disgust and pre 80's angst! Of course when the 80's hit, the angst was then in its proper place. But this situation arose over and over for this Cream loving, B-Acting, over sexed Jack Bruce officianado, Rick Miller, passive aggressive, teter-tottering, logs sucking bitch{as he was once accused} And the reply was always the same..........see above.



Part II:

,.......................So the diatribe was always the same and our Hero, became very adept at this as he was tested again and again over the three and one half decades since the break up of the legendary band "The Cream".

And over the course I, {dropping the second person now} have followed ever so closely, the careers of Jack and Ginger........after seeing Eric in the mid seventies and buying his recorded output from 70-75, I fell off a bit on him. Being a Benny Goodman fan, I have always preferred high energy music and as Eric fell into the lay down Eric mode as I call it, Jack and Ginger were really taking off. The Baker Gurvitz Army pounded out a super tight variety of jazz rock/bluesy material mostly, although they drifted into other forms like country rock on the Dreamer, and ballads like Tracks of my life and the Gambler, this band literally sizzled on three studio albums in the two years from 1974-1976. There is a small ammount of live material available in the form of boots {check ebay} and a couple live tracks on the BG compilation double cd. From the end of Cream in 1968 Ginger put out material with Airforce, an album of african rhythms called Stratavarious, and the Baker Gurvitz material. Very prolific in that period.

And my all time favorite songwriter, singer and musician, Jack Bruce in that time frame put out a variety of solo albums {Songs for a Tailor, Out of the Storm and Harmony Row} and of course gave us West, Bruce and Laing with 2 studio albums and a live album. What a great collection of material in such a short period. And for those of you who havent heard West Bruce and Laing.....well......what can I say....That band kicked serious rock n roll ass. Jack earned the trophy in my book as the all time testicle crunching bassist. Not that during his Cream years he wasnt. But by the time WB&L came along he was in a postion where he was Soooooooo dominant over the other members {Leslie West and corky Laing} that he absolutely blew them into oblivion at times and stomped out a whole new map for budding young bassists to attempt to follow. The man is the king of lead bass and has forged new territory in music with his compositions and musicality. Listen to any of his solo work or of course WB&L.

When I put all of Gingers and Jacks work from the demise of Cream up to the mid 70's, say 76 or so, on a turntable or into a cd player, I marvel at the variety, quality and strength of the material.

I am not ERIC BASHING, here goddammit!! And I think his work with Derek and the Dominoes and on 461 is exceptional. And he is and always has been one of my all time favorite axe-men. But more often than not since that time most of his albums leave me feeling like I have been sitting in a tub with luke warm water just a little bit too long. That's not being critical of Eric, its just as I have said....I prefer HOT MUSIC. Or in Jacks case.....even when it aint hot, I much prefer his compositions and musical choices. Its a personal taste thing. Erics choices have obviously been wonderful for a ton of folks.....just not me.

But once again folks......I digress!!!!!!

Now that I have covered what I wanted to say up to that point......I grow fatigued of spewing my ass-holy views of these three so now I will move onto something the REALLY CHAPS MY BLOODY ASS.................THE PRICE OF GASOLINE!!!!

What is this Horse-shit?? I deliver mail for the good old U.S Postal service in between shooting scenes of our new film project and I went to the pump just this morning and FUCKED if I didn't pay over three dollars a gallon. In fact it was there dollars and three and nine tenths of a cent per gallon. And that's another thing.......what is it with the TENTH"S of a cent??

WHAT KIND OF HAPPY CRAPPY BULL IS THAT ALL ABOUT???

HUH?? HUH??

Where are all those floating TENTH'S OF A CENT gone to......Billions of dollars in floating TENTH'S out there............but WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY??????????

I...............CAN'T..............BREATHE................VERY...................WELL............RIGHT
NOW....................FOLKS....................

one two three..............relax.................four five six seven...........peace....tranquility.....ooohhhhh......unhhhHHHHH.....eight nine ten........................................................................................................................

There, there...coming down now......better......yes...much better now......Aooooommmmmmm......AooooooMmmmmmm

End of part 2