Tuesday, October 13, 2009

zz top tres hombres



Been rediscovering lost classics lately and this one certainly qualifies. If only for the feast presented on the gatefold. That is a dinner.
How good is the opening three track juggernaut? "Waiting for the Bus" into "Jesus Just Left Chicago" into "Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers". It would be a classic if only for that but you've got "La Grange" and "Move Me on Down the Line" and "Precious and Grace" to keep the party rolling.
These guys were so far ahead of there time(why do you think Albini was always covering them?). Nevermind the fact that they single handedly kept the power trio format respectable in face of the onslaught of Canadian powerless trios like Triumph and Zebra(Rush almost went under the bus too, but are getting a pass for now)
They were pretty unstoppable from 71 to 75. The whole 77 to 81 era had some moments but hinted at the kind of cheese they were going to spray all over your tv screen in the 80s. This record is so good it makes up for that junk like "woke up with wood" and "sleeping bag".


Once again have to thank the Youtube gods for this.

Both VH and ZZ Top were blessed with high pitched bass players

Monday, October 12, 2009

RIP VDB



1999 La Redoute, the VDB legend is born. 10 years later he is dead. Have to wonder about the connection between doping and long term health. That is a big price to pay for a few minutes of fame.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Time Management

Time Management might be the hidden skill that you really need to succeed at cross. With races every weekend, the clock starts ticking on Sunday as far as what you need to get done-bike washing,clothes washing, bike repairs, more training, and, most importantly, recovery. 5 days. And that is for only doing local races. Never mind if you have to travel and you lose a day to that. Never mind when real life interferes-work, car repairs, lawn mowing, ahem, blogging....
To do all this you need to be pretty ruthless with your time management. Priorities need to be taken care of and the other stuff can wait until January. Make a mistake or pick the wrong priority and you will pay for it on Saturday or Sunday or both.
So that was what I was thinking about when I bailed on watching the Pro races today. Too much to do. Which sucks cause watching the races on a sunny day is a fun time, but it wasn't meant to be.

Day 2 at Providence had me experimenting with new techniques like the parachute assisted reverse hole shot, the pull you foot out of the pedal trick, and semi-pro dirt surfing. 42nd. Not one for the record books. My camera died so no Interbike pictures. The paint job on the new Fuji Cross bike is rad. The Fuji SST looks insane in real life (redefining massive bottom bracket cluster). Overall the tents were pretty underwhelming. Some cool bits, but I didn't have the eye of the tiger.