Autumnilia: Bye Bo

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Bye Bo

I saw him twice in concert. Saw his band's candyapple red 1950 Cadillac hearse (Bo Diddley and the B.O. Trio in gold script on the sides). Saw him at the Chess-Checker-Argo studios in Chicago when he barged in on a Chuck Berry recording session and jammed with him. Shonuf Bo Diddley's shave-and-a-hair-cut-two-bits beat influenced a lot of guitar players you will never hear or hear of, including me, as well as legends like Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, The Who... heck, even George Michael!
Rolling Stone magazine called his signature chugging on that custom Gretch cigar box ``The most plagiarized rhythm of the 20th century.''

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F1Mk6U5zVY
However much he was troubled by the ripoffs and lack of respect or royalties he got in his lifetime, Bo Diddley's musical influence is undeniable. Maybe it was not a surprise that he died yesterday at the age of 79. but I'm sorry he's gone.

Great Thoughts of the Moment

"Arguing with a zealot is only slightly easier than tunneling through a mountain with your forehead."
"You can live for many causes, but you can only die for one. Pick that one very carefully."
"Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now."
"Hyenas laugh becasue they know what's coming next."
"When I was 5 years old my mom told me the key to life is happiness. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wrote down "Happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment and I told them they didnt understand life."
"Gun control is being able to hit your target."
"Going to church, temple, mosque or synagogue doesn't make you religious any more than standing in a garage makes you a car."
"Some people are alive today only because it's illegal to shoot them."
"The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes."
"Never take yourself too seriously, and mock those who do."
"Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling. "
"When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl. "
``Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.''
"Sacred cows make the best hamburger. "
"I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers. "
"Procrastination gives you something to look forward to."
"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices"
"It takes 46 muscles to frown but only four to flip 'em the bird."
"Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully."
"Everyone needs to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer. "
''Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly."
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
''The eye sees a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination awake.''
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm."
"The fisherman knows that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.'' (Vincent Van Gogh)"
''People who keep stiff upper lips find that it's damn hard to smile.''
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. "

Autumnilia

Reader's Guide

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Bye Bo

The Road Not Taken