I've been a professional musician since 1964. I've made the majority of my living from it since then. I recorded in a 2 track studio and put out vinyl in the mid 60s. The last CD I was on, recorded last December, was entirely digitally recorded and reproduced. It cost about as much as one day's studio time in the mid 60s to record all 18 tracks. We also had 32 tracks to play with.

We sell about two thousand CDs a year, predominantly from the bandstand at gigs. It's a perpetual motion machine; completely self financed.

We're no big deal... just another string band from Oregon, but we make out ok. There are thousands upon thousands of bands just like us, playing all kinds of music. Portland, Oregon probably has more guitar players than bicycles (although it would be close and overlapping, of course).

I don't buy for a minute that lowering the barriers to recording has affected the quality of the music, overall. You can't compare the qualitative hierarchy of various eras with anything approaching objectivity and still maintain any honesty. It will always be subjective. And that's great. If appreciating music was an entirely objective exercise, you may as well sing a balance sheet.

"Scrotum suckers" would imply a level of utilitarian usefulness that the tea baggers are undeserving of.

He's got a really pretty mouth on him.....

Just quit.

Walk away... life's too short.

Everybody thinks that simply walking away, while often cited as the truest wish, isn't "possible"... RUBBISH... There is ALWAYS another job. There is only ONE life. Don't live it suffering under assholes.

and a long retirement....preferably in a state mental institution.

The real question is do YOU know what the average life expectancy was in the United States in the 1950s?

A: NOT 40

Real answer: 68.20

This is the 21st century since the supposed Jesus fella supposedly got nailed to a board only to become a zombie. And people still BELIEVE this crap? Take the dress, the red designer shoes and all the stolen clap trap that he squalors amidst away from the "pope" and what do you have? A bitter, old man futilely attempting to make history run backwards.

But then, I'm an old hippy. I like "natural" women... the way they come out of the box, so to speak. I don't even care for make up, let alone bare vulvas. While you're at it, let your leg hair grow as well... no stubble that way.

And, unlike some other letter writer, I enjoy carpet munching as much as the next guy and I've never had a problem with the pubic hair "going up my nose" or anywhere else.

Don't pay any attention to these jerks that demand otherwise, ladies. Most of them are trying to sell you something you don't need, or intimidate you into "conforming"... to hell with 'em. There's still plenty of real men out there who fear no hair.

How many will march next time around, when so many loose (sic) their jobs (half a million jobs every month officially) and probably double that number unofficially. When they loose (sic) their homes at a rate higher then (sic) the rate during great depression.

this is too much fun... a nice chuckle for my Friday commute. Tnx

I think Biden was a good choice. He knows his shit, and yeah... he says what he thinks a little too bluntly sometimes. I view that as a strength, not a weakness.

He was my original pick, way back in the cold snows of Iowa.... (not that I had anything against 'Bama) so it suited me when he was the pick.

Don't know why there's so much animosity in some circles concerning him. Reich wingers ONLY toggle between fawning adoration for fascists and screaming hatred of anyone else, so the animus from that end of the stick isn't any surprise. But the scorn from the nominal "left" is tiresome.

That doctors don't want a patient to bring up sex no matter what the genders of the parties involved. I'm not so sure that the gender debate really belongs here. And, also to my experience, most men simply don't want to discuss sex vis-a-vis problems. Sure... guys will always toss around ribald sexual anecdotes, make jokes, and brag, but problems? Forget about it. This in spite of the wall to wall limp dick commercials on TV 24/7.

Not only does choice survive on the ballots, but if you look at the red state/blue state maps you'll find that the greatest clusters of divorce, abortion, teen pregnancy, domestic violence and a host of other measurements of how people actually LIVE their "values" are in these "bible belt" states, full of self righteous theocrats like can'treadcan'tread

Much of Michael's output was just that: product...as disposable and forgettable as much of the other supposed, self-styled "king" mentioned in the same breath - Elvis.

Then there's the stench of pedophilia.

A "whore", strictly speaking, has sex with anybody for free.

A more appropriate term would be prostitute. I'm sure the lobbyist isn't doing ANYTHING for ANYBODY for free.

A lobbyist is, by definition, a prostitute. Unless they truly ARE doing it entirely for free. Then there's yet another word for this activity: activist.

I wasn't referring strictly to opinions that pot should be illegal; just the far more common scoffing personal testimonials and recitation of anecdotes concerning supposed semi inevitable ill effects on one's life of smoking pot.

Perhaps you're right. Maybe I'm reading too much into some of these posts.

pot induced paranoia!?!?! YIKES... and I am stoned right now!!!!

But no, not quite stoned enough to claim that zorkna should be taken seriously (maybe I just need another joint??)