Some people worry about getting old but i don’t and i don’t know why. I like getting older. Things seem funnier and I’m less peeved about things in general. I leave the bulldozing to the kids. Even in this town, around here kids are starting bands, and, who cares what the music sounds like? Starting a band is a fun thing to do. nothing beats making music, except maybe making records. And speaking of records, barstool blues should be in stores very very shortly and if you pre-ordered, in your hands even faster. my week has been a bit ragged and now that Richard meehan and Mike “Ringo” harrisson are in from the UK, things are quite fun but still ragged! I picked our heroes up at LAX and their plane was delayed 4 hours. i’d had a rough weekend and was getting over a cold. they finally got in around 11:30 (as opposed to the original time of 6:40 ) and so we went to the Tavern and got a bit merry. This woman kept looking at me (she was drunk) and I totally recognized her. She finally came up to me (she’d been snogging some venice hoodlum all night) and said, “Where do i know you from?” and i said, “The Tavern?” and she said she never went there. i reminded her that that was precisly where she was standing. No, she meant it was her first time there. then it dawned on me. she used to shop for records at the old indie store rusty and me worked at! So we laughed and she hurried off to join her friends. We finished our drinks and Rusty went home and Ringo and Richard stayed at my house. the next day we went shopping at Amoeba records on sunset blvd. ran into our friend, Clyde Grimes, of the Untouchables and our pal, Ronnie Barnett, from the Muffs. we left the record store (oh, i picked up the latest CD by LE TIGRE and am so excited to hear it!) and went over to teh Cat & Fiddle for pints. Ran into an old friend i grew up with, Ty, who was now working for Delicious Vinyl, the label. Then we ran into Susan James, who was working next door to the Fiddle at some music soundtrack place being run by a friend of ours, Wendy Colter. So we told Susan to meet us up at Barney’s later. she couldn;t but her husband, Fully Dingley, did come out later (Fully produced the latest Stereolab), and we talked about his latest projects. he said when can he produce baby lemonade! then, once 7pm hit, Barney’s was happening with our pal, Jade (you southampton folks may remember her as JADE THE SLAPPA), Traci “Mrs, Daddyo” Green, Lisa Jenio, Deborah Stern (who wore Army fatigues…), our friend Linda Good (who plays keys with Lisa marie Preseley), our LA soundguy, Pete Magdeleno, Nick and Darian from Wondermints/ Brian Wilson, Jonathon from the Jigsaw Seen and i can’t remmeber who else. oh, Rusty me Ringo and Richard. got so drunk i left my credit card…Hannah called me later when i was home and i was blitzed and she was laughing and saying i should take these ‘little red pills’, as she was off to visit friends in Oxford. The next morning, i took a couple of my Joseph Arthur record (Redemption’s Son) to the Velocity Cafe, so Susie could tape it and play in teh shop. Said i’d pick it up this weekend, before we go to Vegas. Went to Joe’s diner and had breakfast with the UK blokes and Rusty. After that, we all went to Venice beach (sans Rusty, who was uploading some software that Darian sold him) and shopped and then we went to hollywood (melrose ave, to be specific), had vodka and grapefriut juice at the Snake Pit and then Richard went off on his own. and off on his own was what he did; comic book stuff. geeks unlimited, i say. After that, we picked up Jules from school, stopped by Barney’s for my credit card, then drove the 55 minute drive from hollywood to santa monica. basically, sunset west to beverly glenn, left…take that to wilshire, make a right. was gonna blow thr west wood but massive traffic jam caused me to cut left and roll next to the mormon temple, to ohio street and then west on that, just passed barrington, and then a left, adn then a quick right on SM blvd. too that to 20th street, made a left and then a right on Pico. took that to a left on Lincoln and that to ocean park and then a few more turns and we are at Rusty’s. After that all us guys (with Julian) went out for pizza and everyone had fun. went home and got Julian ready for bed. and i had a beer and contiplated an orbit beyond the sun….

Mike Randle