On The Road With Al and Ivy: A Homeless Literary Chronicle

Saturday, December 3, 2022

The Delta Snake Review - A Music And Arts Blog - Dec. 3, 2022

THREE REVIEWS FROM THE DELTA SNAKE ARCHIVES: VOL. ONE

NOTE: VOL. 2 COMING SOON. THIS ISSUE WILL HAVE THAT LINK WHEN ITS LIVE.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014 (Revised Dec. 3, 2022)

(Model: Klaudia)

No. 1: Are American-made guitars really better?

As a general rule, American-made guitars, particularly electrics, are better made and of higher quality (There are important exceptions, but for the purposes of this essay, we'll stick to the generality).

The reason isn't that Americans are better at making guitars. It's about cost.

It's because America uses foreign factories to make the lower-priced economy models. When making first-line guitars for their own market, countries like Japan generally make guitars that are as good as American ones.

One example is Stevie Ray Vaughn. He played some Japanese Stratocasters before signing an endorsement deal with Fender. The main reason was that Fender wasn't producing guitars in the United States for about a decade or so. It was after the infamous "CBS era" when that company bought Fender in the early 70s.

The CBS-era guitars were criticized for various quality issues. For example, players and critics characterized the sound of the Telecaster back pickups as an "ice pick" tone. In lay terms, a sound that's like a flat-sounding, high-pitched tone similar to, perhaps, a buzzer or trumpet blast. That's the best way I can describe it.

In 2023, those complaints about the CBS era have faded away, and those 70s models have become vintage classics with a sound no modern version can duplicate (and priced accordingly).

During the 80s, Gibson was owned by a Norlin company, and that era was also considered a low point.

During that era, Japanese companies like Tokai, Burney, and Ibanez flooded the market with lower-cost, high-quality (and low-quality) copies of Gibsons and Fenders, the best examples of which have become collector's items today.

That was known as the "lawsuit era," where overseas companies had to stop copying the Gibson headstock. It's since become an era that's developed a whole set of myths, where every Japanese guitar made then was superior and of legendary quality.

I won't go into it here, as it's a subject that really should be discussed in a separate blog as it's a long story in itself.

…quality costs…

The fact is that a guitar made overseas will be as good as the contractor/customer wants it to be. This is because the guitars are manufactured to a particular specification and budget, not because somebody wants to make an inferior guitar.

All things being equal in terms of materials and craftsmanship, one of the primary reasons an American guitar is more expensive is labor cost.

One good example was a particular limited-edition budget guitar line Gibson came out with several years ago at $500 each. The guitars were crude, the paint job cheaply applied, the fretboard was baked maple instead of Rosewood, and the only sign that it was a real Gibson was that each had a single stock pickup and the distinctive headstock shape Gibson has patented.

You could've removed that stock pickup and put it in a Korean-made Epiphone of the same body shape, and you would have had a better guitar for $200 less (or more).

It was funny reading the various reviews for that line of Gibson guitars. The reviewers stressed the simplicity, that it was for players, not collectors, and that it was a Gibson. In other words, they walked a fine line between telling the truth and not saying something that would cause Gibson to pull ads from their pubs.

The guitar forums were more entertaining. The opinions varied between those who were happy to have a Gibson at a low price, those who saw that if it could be had cheaper (like when Gibson reduced the price to 300) that it wasn't a bad "fun" guitar and those who brutally pointed out that the production shortcuts produced a guitar that was a worse value than their cheaper Epiphone line.

I should add that I briefly owned one at the 300.00 price but gratefully took advantage of the store's 30-day return policy. Nowadays, you can get a decent guitar with tone controls, two pickups for that amount, and an excellent one at 500.00.

… Fender's big gamble…

Fender was one of the first major American companies, at least the main one that most American guitar players cared about, which was willing to put out a foreign-made guitar with its logo.

Their cheaper Squier line was already manufactured overseas, but around the 90s, the first Mexican-made fenders appeared. Those guitars were cheaply made and didn't sound particularly good. However, the price was certainly right, particularly for those who knew how to upgrade a guitar.

There was some of the usual contempt from some in the guitar community, but Fender continually improved the process and created several lower-line Fenders and Squires that all but the most hardline have accepted as exceptional values in each price range. They helped make the mid-range price market competitive with models that cost more.

Fender could do this because its customers have a different culture than Gibson owners. Fenders are intended to be affordable quality made assembly-line guitars, screwed and bolted together, allowing users to mix-and-match parts.

…on the Gibson side…

The Gibson culture values a guitar that is a top-quality American guitar with no equals. Of course, companies like PRS and Fender would dispute that, but there's no denying that Gibsons are like Harleys. It doesn't have to be better; the name has that much cachet in the United States.

Gibson kept their economy lines separate, with Epiphone being the leading brand, which is ironic, as that company was a major competitor with Gibson, particularly in the hollow body guitar lines. Gibson is American-made (though not always 100% US parts), and the Epiphone line varies from high-end products made by Japanese and Korean manufacturers to lower-end models made in China and Indonesia.

…in the 60s…

In the 60s, you could say that a Japanese-made guitar (for export) was inferior to an American one. However, most of those companies didn't try to be better, as the idea was to capture the low-end market (though many of those models are now worth over a grand in the vintage market).

As Japanese guitar makers got better, they got more expensive. So the next generation came from Korea, and the usual denigration began again.

…now to China…

The ironic thing is when production shifted to China and Indonesia, guitar players began to value Japanese and Korean guitars as if those were the good old days, and the perception of Japanese craftsmanship rose even higher.

But like I said, when these countries decide to build a good guitar, they're certainly capable of it. One good example is jazz great George Benson's Ibanez, who also makes guitars that are favored by the metal crowd.

…the American Way…

America is a more affluent country than most, so we have strange ideas about guitars and guitar-making. Most American guitar players seem to assume a certain superiority in American craftsmanship, and our attitude that a $400 guitar is only adequate for beginners would probably make many musicians worldwide roll their eyes.

We're one of the few cultures that think if you buy a guitar at a certain price, it will make you that level of good, even if some of the most legendary music England and America ever produced was recorded using cheap or catalog quality instruments.

The fact is the world can make instruments just fine, thank you.

Any good flamenco guitarist will want one made in Spain. There are probably plenty of good luthiers in the United States that can make a decent flamenco guitar, but if they opened up shop in Spain, they'd find that there are centuries of subtleties in the craftsmanship that they don't know.

Guitarists who look down on Chinese guitar makers forget that the Japanese had the same learning curve in the 60s, and they are making excellent guitars now.

The Chinese now make nice guitars, which shouldn't be surprising, given that their culture made vases centuries ago that are now worth millions. A markup that would turn any red-blooded American capitalist green with envy and make computer software makers nod their heads in approval.

The primary value of an American guitar is that it's made better with finer materials. If you gave the same budget and materials to a Japanese maker, I'm sure most guitar players these days would admit that they would come out with an instrument that is just as good and cheaper to boot.

One of the reasons the Asian guitar companies haven't tried to take on Gibson is that, as a rule, they don't want to. The idea that the average American wants to pay over $2000 for a first-line guitar is a philosophy that would put most guitar makers out of business fast. The meat of the industry is in the 300 to 1000 range.

…purity…

Plus, not all Gibsons are 100% American anymore. Some of their acoustic line was made in Canada, where good quality wood is still cheap. I'm sure the reasons why a Canadian-made guitar seems perfectly fine with the Gibson crowd run the garment from the apparent quality to stereotypes about Asian factories (compared to ones in the Western Hemisphere).

…the Les Paul…

For example, aspiring Gibson Les Paul owners can check out opinions about the guitar in the various guitar forums about that type, not just the ones dealing with or hosted by Gibson.

A Gibson Les Paul isn't a complicated guitar to make. In fact, except for the fact that the neck is glued on and the top layer requires some shaping, it's as simple as any Fender, which is why it's one of the most imitated and counterfeited guitars in the world.

Many players say that if you find a Les Paul copy made with the same craftsmanship and materials and stick Gibson pickups in it, you probably will have a guitar that's as good as Gibson makes. Plus, more than a few Gibson owners don't like the stock pickups either and replace those as soon as possible.

That's my opinion; I'm only as right or wrong as the next guy. I have owned Les Pauls and liked some, hated others.

…craftsmanship…

Craftsmanship does count. A lower-line Epiphone copy that is well made can play better than a Gibson made by a worker who might've been at less than top efficiency that day or passed and approved by a careless QA inspector. That goes for guitars as much as tables or anything made of wood. Even with a lot of the CNC-made guitars, care in the assembly and manufacturer is a factor.

My point of view in guitar reviews is that whether it was American-made is only one of the factors. However, it's undoubtedly important, as there's no denying that an American guitar has an aura about it that can't always be quantified.

As a matter of disclosure, I own some American-made instruments at this writing. To be exact, two electric guitars, a 12-string, and a banjo. The banjo was made in the 30s, but the other two are modern American electric guitars (Note: my instrument lineup is different in 2023).

…in conclusion…

One recent development is the proliferation of super cheap guitars, mainly from China, that can start as low as one hundred dollars (or even below). For that sum, you can get a replica of any classic model like a Les Paul, Telecaster, or Strat.

That's not surprising. When mainstream guitars get too expensive, that leaves a big opening for those who make economy guitars. As US manufacturers moved from country to country to find cheap labor, they left behind subcontractors with equipment and guitar-making expertise who needed a new market.

Those cheap Chinese guitars being reviewed and hawked on YouTube were probably made by the same people who made lower-line Epiphones, Gretsch, or Squiers before the manufacturing moved to Indonesia. This is a win-win situation as there will always be players who want a reasonably priced guitar, to own more than one, or to have a cheap platform for upgrades to create a dream guitar.

My opinion on buying an American guitar is that if it gives you what you want, it's worth it. Paying more because it was American-made certainly is a valid reason, but I wouldn't pay more simply because it's an American guitar.

Paying 200 or 300 more because a guitar is American-made is patriotic; paying a thousand or more is just a crass exercise in capitalism.

Guitar Review: 2016 Fender MIM Standard Telecaster (review and essay - Revised in 2022)

I remember my first Telecaster, purchased from a friend for its new price, 250.00. It was a 1971 CBS-era Standard with fretwork done and a rewound front pickup. The back pickup produced a typical CBS-era ice pick sound, but that wasn't a concern as I preferred to use the front pickup with the treble cranked up (which has been my preference since then).

It wasn't my first guitar, which was an old Gold top Les Paul that I hated, but it was the one that created a connection that lasted 20 years, and to this day, my primary guitar is always a telecaster. Of course, that could change if Gibson ever creates an affordable SG with a shorter scale that won't neck dive. But even then, a tele would always be kept on hand.

One of the things guitar shop salesmen said back then (and was described in reviews) was that the Fender Telecaster was the cheapest "pro-level guitar" you could buy. For 250.00, a musician had a "serious" gig-quality instrument.

That wasn't entirely true. With many underpowered PA systems, a big professional amp was also necessary back then, but the psychological effect was real. If you played a Fender, you had graduated from playing with toys.

Whether a Fender was American made wasn't as big an issue as it is now. The main controversy was whether CBS buying the company was good, and there was plenty of criticism of the stock pickups, neck quality, and various QA issues. All of which have been subject to revisionism in today's vintage-loving age.

There was a short period when the only new Fenders available were made in Japan, and those are esteemed today as excellent values even at collector prices. That's because Fender was never viewed as a premium product by most of its customers, and where it was made was a secondary issue for a small minority.

Leo Fender designed the Telecaster to be a cheap appliance guitar that would make it possible for the masses to own a decent instrument. The parts were standardized, designed to be easily replaced to keep the guitar operational for a lifetime, and, just as importantly, could be easily repaired or modified by its owner.

I'm sure even the first Ford Model T cars were constantly tinkered with due to the ingrained restlessness of the American character. However, with the electric guitar, that urge to modify it didn't truly become possible until a third-party parts market emerged.

Fender moved the guitar away from the concept of a crafted piece that reflected a central artistic philosophy (or price range, of course) and into the realm of industrial design and mass production, customizable to even the smallest whim of the customer.

The Telecaster is perceived differently after a few decades. One remarkable thing is that the Fender guitars that were designed to be more expensive models, like the Jazzmaster and Jaguar, are now considered esoteric. Those two were also promoted as equal to the later Stratocaster model, which was to be the next big thing.

It's been said that the true test in the marketplace is survival, and the Tele has certainly met that test. It's no longer seen as an entry-level guitar for the pro market, which is reflected in the current price of the American-made version. Even if it still costs less than a Gibson or a PRS, it's not a cheap guitar anymore.

That is unless you buy one of the Mexican or Asian-made models. Then a telecaster can be had for a couple of hundred bucks, and even cheaper if you buy an off-brand.

There was a lot of debate when the first Mexican Fenders came out. Part of it was a concern (and criticism) about quality, but a lot of it was the perception that it diluted the brand. But, in retrospect, it was a great move. It kept the price of a Fender down and helped boost the third-party parts industry, keeping it an affordable guitar that could be played as-is or modified into the perfect vision, however long that took.

Which brings up the question, what is a genuine telecaster?

That was an easy question back in the early days, and now, after over 60 years, it's still clear that if it looks like a tele, it is one. People can argue what it takes or costs to create a "good" one, but there's no doubt what one is. In my case, if it has an alder body and a maple neck, then it's a real tele.

The Internet and the vintage market (or the nostalgia market, to be exact) have created a sense that cost is a factor, which is certainly true to an extent. There is a difference between a good wine and a cheap bottle of Night Train, which holds true for guitars. There is undoubtedly a qualitative difference in materials and construction in the various price ranges.

Whether that truly makes one guitar sound better than another is open to debate, and if the discussion boards on the Internet are any indication, it always will be. We're talking about sound, and that's as individual a thing as wine tasting.

The pleasure will always be a mix of cost, packaging, and mojo. If a person perceives that a thousand-dollar guitar is better than a six-hundred-dollar version, it will sound better. That's a scientific fact, at least how it applies to that person.

If you ask a bunch of telecaster lovers what the perfect one is, there'll be an endless variety of answers.

The one thing that's hard to change is the human notion that money denotes quality. Many Fender guitar owners will say that the headstock means nothing and that the guitar itself and how it sounds and plays are what counts.

Like most concepts, it's true when it is true and not when it isn't. There'll always be a perception that American-made Fenders are superior to Mexican or Asian versions.

I've owned American-made teles, the best being a '66 Esquire and a 2013 Standard. There was a 2010 American Special and a 1976 Standard modified with a B Bender that I never could connect with, and being American-made didn't make any difference.

The 2016 Fender MIM Standard Telecaster reviewed here is better than another tele I own, a Squier affinity, but not because it has better components or a better finish.

The fact is, both are good players that are a pleasure to play. However, I like the front pickup of the MIM Standard a lot more, and that's important because, as I've said earlier, that's the one that's used (by me) the most.

I went into the Guitar Center to try out the slightly cheaper Modern Player Nashville style tele with the Strat pickup in the middle position, but I didn't like the feel. There happened to be a used 2016 MIM Standard in the rack, and after playing it, I couldn't put it down. That it was cheaper sealed the deal.

A bargain price has a lot of mojo in the Fender world.

I once said in an earlier review that decades of existence had made the notion that there is a definitive or "traditional" telecaster sound almost meaningless, and it's true here.

I bought this Standard because it had a great sound with various levels of gain, and a great front pickup, so it's an excellent complement to my Affinity, which has a great middle (both pickups) sound (but a so so neck pup).

I did due diligence and checked the back pickup, which with the stock ceramic, had a nice chimey tone, which is the most usable sound in my case. There's some twang and spank there, but whether it's sufficient for country or chicken picking is a question for a different kind of player.

It has a nice clean tone and sounds loud and musically clear unamplified, which I like in a tele. It's a bit heavy, but that's not an issue for a sit-down player who'll mainly use it to record.

I was able to test it on the same amp model it would be played on at home, so that was a real help in determining how it'd sound. It's fun to try out a new guitar on a high-end Marshall or Fender twin, but always try to play on an amp similar to the home unit.

What will make this Tele good for you depends on what will music will be played on it. The prevailing wisdom is that the stock ceramic pickups here are best for higher gain sounds in blues and rock and should be replaced with alnico-type pickups for a more traditional sound (whatever that means).

The main thing was that I could get the front pickup sound that seems to come out of any telecaster I've owned when playing blues. There are other sounds, of course, but that one has to be there. If a ceramic pup does the job, then there's no need to replace it with alnico.

I'll be using this Tele to play blues, alternative rock, and electric fingerpicking pieces, and so far, so good.

Another question is if a MIM Standard is worth six hundred dollars new when a used American version can be had for around the same price.

Again, that's a yes or no...if that American Tele sounds better, yes, but one can't know that until one comes along at that price range. On the other hand, if having an American Tele is important from an emotional point of view, then it's better to wait for one.

Owning a guitar is all about fun and pleasure, what dreams it gives you, and so yes, what's on the headstock can be important. It's your money.

I got this one for 370.00, in new-like condition and fully returnable. Since I was in the market for a mid-priced tele, it was perfect. However, I'd have passed on it at even 200.00 if I didn't like it. Any dollar spent on something you don't like is a wasted dollar on a guitar that won't be played.

That's empirical wisdom from a guy who suffered from severe GAS when younger.

The most important piece of advice from most Fender owners is that your ears are the essential way to judge a guitar. It's also an excellent idea to like the stock guitar being played and not what you think it'll sound like after modifying it.

The often vocal minority of players who think all stock parts are crap that this or that guitar will need this or that change to be good, are sometimes right, but not often enough to bet a few hundred dollars on.

This 2016 MIM Fender Standard Telecaster isn't the same as my first; in many ways, it's better. I like the slimmer modern necks with better frets, and the slightly hotter pickups give me the same sound that rewinding produced back then. The fit and finish are better, though I think that's more of an aesthetic judgment. My '71 got pretty beat up, and I didn't notice any sound quality drop-off.

The beauty of a telecaster is that the right one gives you the sound in your head. I've owned some nice ones in the past, including that great '66 Esquire, and while there's wistful regret at their loss, thanks to Fender consistency, I've never lost the sound. You'll find that after all is said and done, telecasters are more similar than different.

Given how this one has sounded so far, I'd have passed on the Modern Player and spent the extra hundred on this one. That I got it cheaper just confirmed it was destiny.

Note: I did make some practice recordings with that original '71 Tele back in the 80s that were digitized and put on my Boogie Underground Media channel on YouTube. The transfer from analog is a little primitive, but check those out if you'd like to hear how that Tele sounded. It was mainly the front pickup, treble cranked, with high gain on a nice little Peavey amp.

The cuts are Internationals Rock The Blues (you should be able to tell which parts are done by Tele), VJ Hook, Rocking Juke Joint Shuffle, Night Train, and Texas Jook Blues.

Specs (as stated on Internet:

Body:

Body Type: Not Specified

Cutaway: Single Cutaway

Top Wood: Not Specified

Body Wood Back and Sides: Alder

Body Bracing Pattern: Not Specified

Body Finish: Gloss

Orientation: Right Handed

Neck:

Neck Shape: C modern

Nut Width: 1.65 in. (42 mm)

Fretboard: Maple

Neck Wood: Maple

Scale Length: 25.5"

Number of Frets: 21

Neck Finish: Satin

Other:

Headstock Overlay: Not Specified

Tuning Machines: Die-cast sealed

Bridge: Not Specified

Saddle and Nut: Not Specified

Number of Strings: 6 String

Case: Not Specified

Accessories Included: Not Specified

Origin: Mexico

(Model: Klaudia)

A MUSIC LOVERS CONFESSION: I LOVE “BAD” MUSIC

Friends who know me well know that a significant part of my collection is made up of what music others call bad, stupid, in bad taste, crass attempts by an artist to cash in on the latest trend, or a deliberate attempt to offend or shock.

I think a more accurate term would be "music you either love or hate."

For example, my latest acquisition, "Bombay Disco: Disco Hits From Hindi Films 1979-1985," is a bizarre mix of Indian percussion pounding out disco rhythms, high-pitched Indian singing, and a riot of sitars, cheap electric guitars, exotic string arrangements, and from what I could tell, any sound a person could identify as being from India.

Keep in mind; I don't buy these kinds of CDs indiscriminately. However, I first listened to the samples in the store (yes, I still go to record stores) and found it to my liking. Then, as I purchased the disc, the young guy at the counter nodded and said, "oh yeah, I got to check that one out too."

It's that empathetic understanding by two jaded music fans who heard it all and who have abandoned ordinary norms of taste and now wallow in the clearance bins stocked with abandoned, discredited, or passé music to feel the thrill of discovery again.

The best way to describe it is that it was an attempt by the Indian film industry to duplicate the success of Saturday Night Fever, a disco classic in its R-rated version, and a sappy love story with a good soundtrack in its cleaned-up version.

Of course, India being India, they chose the latter. This is understandable, considering that they equate an on-screen kiss as tantamount to butt-pounding jokes on South Park.

The disc is full of everything I like about hard-charging Hindi music. Exotic rhythms, punchy bass, great Indian-style vocals, and music with an atmosphere that hints at the sleaziness of a dive strip bar in San Francisco's North Beach area.

It's probably more like a merchant Marine sailor's view of India since the general atmosphere of a Hindi film is more like an old Abba video on MTV.

Does the music have a cool trashy aura, or am I just putting it there?

I don't get hung up on such questions; it's good enough that my friends roll their eyes when the CD is played. But don't get me wrong, I didn't buy it purely for shock effect; it's ultra-cool music for anyone wanting to hear something out of the mainstream.

These types of records aren't unusual. In the 60s, when psychedelic music was at its peak in the Western world, it didn't exist in a vacuum. Musicians from countries as far away as Nigeria did psychedelic music too, often adding it to the funk they had already picked up from James Brown.

Even Brazil in the 60s had a psychedelic pop movement, which was critically acclaimed, and thus out of the scope of this blog entry.

I wasn't always like that as a music collector. But, it was after playing in a punk band that forever changed my ear for music. Suddenly, harshly dissonant sounds started to seem sweet sounding or more "real."

Before Punk, I didn't understand the free jazz movement of the 60s and thought John Coltrane had made a horrible mistake recording the infamous Ascension album. Now the music makes perfect sense, and I see it as one of his greatest works.

Also, my view of audience acceptance changed. Before our first gig, the leader of our band informed us that the club owner had advised him that since Punk was still very new and they didn't know what was good or bad, we would be asked to come back if we either got loud cheers or provoked extreme hatred and boos from the crowd.

In other words, don't be boring. I won't go into all the details of what we did in our 20-minute debut to be booked again; suffice it to say, I would never do any of it again at any polite dinner party.

For one thing, most of it was staged and assisted by shills in the audience, which shocked me initially, but I later learned it was common practice by the other bands at the club. In addition, I later became a pretty good shill myself for bands that we were friends with and could put on a convincing show of wanting to assault the lead singer for his insults and shoving me off my chair before the bouncers dragged me out (and let me back in through the side door).

It was the entertainment business and all in good fun.

But that ended my usual habit of buying the latest James Taylor record or even the Stones or Led Zeppelin. In fact, I became reluctant to buy any critically acclaimed or popular record.

Instead, I began to seek it all out: avant-garde, electronic, Punk, and especially ethnic music.

Like most such impulses, that settled down to a specific taste, bad music.

The technical term is "so bad that it's good" or "good-bad" music, and there's always some element of humor, however dark or esoteric.

One of the pioneers in bad taste (in music) was Dr. Demento, whose radio show is probably most remembered for launching the career of Wierd Al Yankovic. It introduced the listener to a host of classic cuts like Fish Heads, Kinko The Clown, and other cuts with a spark of genius and humor to the right set of ears.

There is such a thing as bad music; I mean awful music. Probably the classic of that genre was the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton's version of the Beatle's Sgt. Pepper movie soundtrack. It's probably the only movie I ever went to where people started booing.

Most "good-bad" music can't be created by design. Instead, the singer or artist has to have the enthusiasm of someone attempting a piece of music that's either thoroughly out of their depth or coming from incredibly bad taste, energized by the conviction that it's an actual piece of art.

One of my favorites is the Butthole Surfers' "Lady Sniff, a nearly atonal mix of pre-grunge guitar, a lousy attempt at sounding like a cowboy singer, and an assortment of realistic sounds like farts, vomiting, sounds and strange exclamations that have distant roots in redneck vocabulary.

It was as ingeniously as an old Spike Jones number, and it's become the best song that the group ever did that very few people hear.

My other favorite subgenre of bad is what seems like lousy cover numbers on paper but actually is good. But, again, it just can't be as bad as a karaoke backing track. It has to have the passion of an artist or group who thinks they're doing a very cool version of the song or are at least doing their best to shut the producer up by doing it as quickly as possible but have too much talent to do it truly bad.

The jazz great Ella Fitzgerald probably did one of the stone classics of bad when she did a big band version of Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love. Her piano version was merely bad, just another typical attempt by many artists of the time to tap into the 60s youth market.

But the single version was something else. With a full band blasting out the guitar riff, Ella became transcendent.

Many people would bring up Frank Zappa in a discussion like this, but he's in a different category. His music was pure genius and satire, disguised by obnoxious song titles.

One of the classics is Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music," which to most ears was nearly an hour of what sounded like scraping metal. Most understand that he did that to get out of this RCA contract, and it was a record that turned off even many of his fans.

Ironically only a few years later, copies of that record were fetching $50 apiece, which is the ultimate tribute that a record buyer can bestow on a piece of music that wasn't intended to be liked.

I've only covered a few examples. Avant-garde classical would require a blog entry of its own, and most performance art tries to be crummy and shocking, which violates the essential rule of good-bad music: it can't be your intent to be bad.

Good-Bad music is an aesthetic, a specific taste, and it must manifest a genius and humor that wasn't the piece's intent.

It's like any other form of music. You combine the elements, and what comes out of the mix is unpredictable. It could turn into a hit song, bore people, or be misunderstood until the right people hear it.

Sometimes it takes time, but genius persists until eager bottom-feeders like me discover it.

-Al Handa

- Al HANDA

deltasnake@yahoo.com

Here's an update on each of my Vella books:

The Quitters

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09PC3L6PC

It's the first book, and after ten months, it's finally developing an audience, and the stats are trending upward this month. I think it's due to the blog and the new book/music video short format I'm using for its promotion. I’ve moved the plot lines away from potentially over technical descriptions of playing live to more emphasis on the personalities and in particular, the main character Nym. Also, some of the romance elements are now coming into play.

It's at 31 episodes, though as an ebook, we're talking maybe 15 traditional-length chapters. I'm keeping the format episodic and short, kind of like a weekly TV show, which works for Vella but will need to be restructured for the ebook.

I, Ivy

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0B3RCBT4D

The story got off to a decent start, but I didn't notice that as it's obvious now that the daily totals on the Vella dashboard can differ or not jibe with the monthly or overall total, which have to be accurate as those numbers determine the royalty and bonus payouts. I'll be paying more attention to this one in November, as it’s being read more than I thought. The latest chapter, Ivy’s view of the efforts by a human to give her a pill should strike a familiar chord.

The Forbidden Lost Gospels Of Murgatroyde

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJ2TW4P1

This is a new one, though it'll be the most familiar to blog readers. I'll be changing the format of the blog in November, and putting the Lost Gospels here will allow me to fully expand that line of humor and satire in a way that simply being a blog feature doesn't permit.

The Boogie Underground Think Tank: How To Survive The End Of Civilization

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BG6LNXTG

This one is a revival of an old humor column I ran in my old "Delta Snake Blues News" publication in the 90s and 2000s. The slant is about survival in the upcoming hard times, but it really will be topical and cover subjects that are offbeat but relevant. The next one coming in a few days will be "How To Shop For The Perfect Expert," which obviously will be a humorous commentary on the use of experts in general.

The Adventures Of Queen Khleopahtra: Ruler Of Egypt, Time Traveler, and Literary Detective

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJC122G7

This is another new one and will be a fun fusion of the old "Peabody and Sherman" cartoon, which was about a time-traveling dog and boy, Robert Graves' often satirical take on history, and the old "Fractured Fairy Tales" cartoon that used to be featured on the "Rocky And Bullwinkle Show."

I chose Khleopahtra as the main character because it will offer the widest range of literary situations to explore, and I happened to have a cool drawing of her and liked the idea of expanding the character. After reading the first episode, you'll agree that the possibilities are endless.

In the latest episodes, we meet Achilles and the poet Homer, who will become recurring characters!

- Al Handa

October 2022

ontheroadwithalandiivy@yahoo.com

The ebook “On The Road With Al & Ivy: The Anthology Volume 1 2016-2018 is now on Kindle Unlimited!

I’ll run free promotions later this month, but members can read it for free now.

I Can Make It To Christmas by Mark McGraw (of Handa-McGraw International). F IPlease check out and listen to Mark McGraw’s Christmas single from his album on Bandcamp,Can

Make It To Christmas by Mark McGraw (of Handa-McGraw Intern

https://markmcgraw.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-southern-pacific-spur-46

Please check out and listen to my music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other music sites. Please add any cuts you like to your playlists!

Friday, December 2, 2022

On The Road With Al And Ivy: A Literary Homeless Blog - Special Announcement Dec. 2022

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW ADDITION TO THIS BLOG SITE (BOOGIE UNDERGROUND MEDIA)

I'll be moving my Delta Snake Review blog over to the Boogie Underground Blog site (the home of the On The Road With Al And Ivy Blog). The first new D.S. entry with new material will be in February of 2023, but I'll move material from the older blog page sooner.

You may have noticed that I've added the word "media" to the Boogie Underground name. This isn't the start of a new project, as The Delta Snake blog has never been taken down in its original location and still draws regular monthly traffic.

My reason is that having my blog projects under one name and site is more efficient. Also, the Delta Snake Review was originally a music/arts publication that started in the 80s, existed as an eZine in the early Usenet era and was one of the very early Blues web pages.

However, it was eclectic for most of its history and always included poetry, graphics, humor, and music reviews and articles. So I want to return to those genres in a discrete blog, like the Snake.

The Delta Snake Review will mainly present archival material as I move older material and links over. However, in the case of the punk rock essays, I'd have preferred to run those in The Snake and not in a formal combined issue.

The Delta Snake blog page was intended to be "a sequential magazine," that is to say, to have the features go live as completed and not on a traditional publishing schedule.

The On The Road With Al And Ivy Blog was supposed to be one of the features, not an all-encompassing publication. It was supposed to run along with other features. The reason it didn't is a long story and not relevant.

By retitling the blog page to Boogie Underground Media, I can run these blogs as features and take advantage of the format's flexibility and ability to publish on the fly. It's also easier for me, as I'm writing in one location.

Adding more features would typically be an ideal grouping for a web page, but this blog site already has an audience of around 25,000 to 55,000 per month, and there's no reason to try to get everyone to migrate to a new website when the blog format works just fine.

One crucial point is that this is very much a case of the change being transparent, as the physical transformation is just adding the word media to the existing blog title, and the site will be hosting a second blog.

For example, each On The Road With Al And Ivy Blog entry will be announced on social media the same way it's always been, as its location hasn't changed. It's just that readers who navigate to the blog might notice that other blogs are running on the site.

I'll have the announcement read something to the effect of the "latest Delta Snake Review on the On The Road With Al And Ivy site" (which is the address name anyway) at first to avoid confusion or have people think it's another site. It shouldn't be a problem as the Delta Snake has a different audience anyway.

I do want to take a moment to thank the readers of this blog; it's my most successful writing project and my greatest source of satisfaction.

My goal for these changes and additions is to make this blog a better reading experience and, as always, free. My monetization consists of advertising my Vella serials and EBooks, so it's in my interest to keep it that way.

When The Delta Snake Review with new material officially launches in 2023, I hope you'll check it out and enjoy its music and arts content.

- Al HANDA

Dec. 2, 2022

Friday, November 11, 2022

On The Road With Al And Ivy: A Literary Homeless Chronicle - Nov. 2022

"Please understand that a Homeric song is sung to the lyre, and therefore intended for entertainment, no more and no less."

- Robert Graves (Homer's Daughter)

Finding good music used to be a simple matter; you liked who or what the media told you to like (and buy).

The power to make or break an artist or record was jealously guarded by gatekeepers because with payola, the promotion business could be as profitable as a casino.

The internet gave a voice to millions of people whose opinions and tastes had been muted by gateways such as letters to the editor sections or radio request lines (which waited till somebody asked for a number on the playlist.

The social networks (and Google) have created a situation that's turned many media outlets into clickbait farms or Amazon partners working on commission. To be fair, the media still has some power.

These new networks aren't to blame. The labels and movie studios want to reach actual customers, and while getting the occasional wretched ranking on Rotten Tomatoes can be a death sentence, being able to know what millions of people are thinking trumps knowledgeable critics and reviews every time.

Besides, those whose products get panned on social networks still can pay the media to invigorate efforts to sell that flopped. There are still plenty of crumbs that fall off the table to be had.

...indie labels...

One alternative that gave music outsiders a shot was indie labels which the industry always welcomes. It brings in fresh blood, and the newbies take on the expense and hassle of A&R, which allows major labels to poach proven talent and allows uncompromising artists to grow and move on greener pastures, and I mean green.

I should add, as I do in every blog, that many of the points being made are oversimplified for brevity's sake, so the countless number of exceptions are not noted.

...primary task...

The primary goal of a music article or review has never changed; it's to create engagement. If the people don't love what you do, then you settle for hate, as the entire middle ground between the extremes is the Snooze Zone.

"Nice" is for school plays and child dance recitals. The major leaguers are those who inspire worship or drive people to organize book or record burnings (not so easy in the digital media sector, thus the revival of expensive vinyl box sets).

The Critic or reporter who can inspire an audience to love a new artist's work is a rare bird. The rest have to settle for writing quickie hack articles to tap into trending subjects, create clickbait, inspire trolls to flood a site with traffic, and lure readers into pages with pop-up ads and deceptive scroll buttons that effectively utilize the successful principles of fly paper and punji stick pits.

The best way to be mediocre is to write lists of the best or worse. A Top Ten list gives the writer ten chances instead of one to inspire love or hate and hopefully retain the readers' attention for longer than five seconds.

Long articles take time to write and, like a Tik Tok video, are unlikely to be read to the end. That's energy better spent on playing video games or trolling other critics.

Music writers often write historical pieces that use recordings as references or milestones, which can lead to inaccuracies or flat-out wrong observations or conclusions.

...the first...

Thus "the first" this or that is actually "the first recorded," which is a different thing, but the point is to sell records, not memories.

The music industry is, and always has been, a business, and stretching or hiding the truth to sell a record is well within the boundaries of acceptable practice. But, like with politicians, a flashy show of virtue suffices.

Record labels generally sign established live draw artists, which means they are actually late to the party on the latest trends. Again, catching the "latest thing" in its infancy is overrated; the industry wants an audience ready to buy.

Plus, you can always claim that the product is prescient and revolutionary in press releases. No one will fact-check that sort of claim, even if two hundred artists claim to be the Godfather of Punk.

In the spirit of innovation, here is the Top Ten List Of Musical Firsts!

Note: The items are not in any particular order. These milestones are presented in the order that occurred to me while riffing on the theme.

1. The First Jazz Improvisor

The first was some guy thousands of years ago trying to figure out how to play the melody of a folk tune that the audience requested, which they hummed out of tune to try and give him an idea of what to play.

The first recorded instance was Louis Armstrong playing with The King Oliver Band in the 20s or thereabouts. I'll have to look it up later.

In the interests of being relevant to Baby Boomers, I'll join the huge crowd of internet reviewers who credit the Beatles with the invention of jazz.

2. The Rise Of Albums As The Ultimate Form Of Music Expression.

The album format, or a related group of songs as one work, was actually common in the early classical era. The works of Bach, for example, were sets of music set to the various dances of the time and intended to be guides for musicians to improvise.

The first album in musical history was by Emile Berliner in 1889.

In the interest of being relevant to the Punk Rock demographic to promote my Vella book, The Quitters, I'll concur with the multitude of commentators who cite Ramones' debut disc as the first album in musical history.

3. The First Symphony

Joseph Haydn is the composer most often credited with creating the Symphony form. Unfortunately, the technical explanation involves a lot of arcane languages and musical mansplaining, so we'll skip it.

Britannica.com cites the first recorded symphony as Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies in 1913. Unfortunately, there's no mention of cover art.

In the interest of retaining the attention of millennials, I launch my sailboat into the mighty river of consensus that cites Blink-182's first album as the birthplace of the classical symphony form.

4. The First Female Rock Star

Women have always been famous in pop, classical, and other forms. However, the hip-rock crowd has always been resistant to female stars.

The first female rock Star, or as old farts know the term was probably Janis Joplin or Grace Slick.

In the interest of speaking only sooth, no matter the consequences, I stand with Gen-X historians that Pink or Olivia Newton-John was the first. However, in the interests of balance, I note that a vocal segment claims that AC/DC deserves the honor.

5. The First Rock Magazine

The New York Times cited "Crawdaddy" in 1966 as the first, though Billboard was first published in 1894. As the first rockers were African American, the history is probably incomplete.

However, this blogger wishes to give a voice to the neglected males who have become alienated by the confusing diversity of music and will list Playboy Magazine as the first rock publication, with Sports Illustrated as a close second.

6. The First Music Critic

I refer you to the earlier blog entry that definitively covers the history of critics.

However, to please those who prefer a shorter statement that gets right to the point, this blog cites that the first music critics were the Committee that ran the French Revolution and sent many people to the guillotine.

Though no specific names come up, one has to suppose that there must have been a few musical artists among the unfortunate beheaded that, like today, deserved the ultimate punishment for making disco or banjo music.

7. First Rock Opera

The idea of combining rock and opera is an old concept. One could cite Beethoven's Ninth or Wagner's operas as the first fusions of rock-level volume and power combined with really high-pitched singing.

The first rock Opera was "S.F. Sorrow" by the English rock group Pretty Things, and later on, the Who's Tommy, whose composer was good buddies with the rock press and thus was credited as the first.

Since opera is old people's music, it's fitting to once again credit the Beatles with creating the Rock Opera that made the most money.

Honorable mention is Richard Harris' 60s hit, "MacArthur Park," though its authenticity as a rock Opera needs to be confirmed by someone who's been able to listen to the song all the way to the end.

8. The First Lame Song

No one needs to be given examples. Everyone knows of one.

I do not shrink from the difficult questions of our troubled times and amplify the growing voices that shout from the rooftops that since the Beatles were the first at everything, they created the first lame song. "When I'm Sixty-Four" comes to mind as a good example.

9. The First Heavy Metal Artist

The Godfather of Metal was probably born in medieval times and, like today's leather and spandex crowd, didn't live long after singing about Satan in front of shocked crowds and members of the Inquisition.

The first recorded metal song is thought to be Link Wray's "Rumble," though others cite Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild," which sang of 'Heavy Metal Thunder."

The term has become meaningless as with other such words like "legendary" and "Godfather Of Punk" due to overuse, so it's time to invigorate the debate by stating that Taylor Swift is the singer who recorded the first metal song with her headbanging boogie, "Style."

10. The First Punk Song

Wearing torn clothes, bad hair, and chains probably go back to ancient Rome, as the description fits those who fed to the King of Beasts in the Colosseum.

In terms of recordings, the first Punk Song is said to be "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones if you live in NYC; otherwise, everybody's got an opinion.

However, Lester Bangs, the legendary rock critic, once said that a real punk song has to be offensive to even the hip, so he cited the music of the Carpenters as the ultimate Punk.

Though such pop music would certainly incite people to anarchy and violence, the obvious choices for the first Punk song are Jethro Tull's 'Aqualung," Elvis' "Love Me Tender," or Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," all of which have been documented as tunes that glorified violent tendencies, immoral behavior, and in the case of the last song, induced frigidity in women born after 1980.

Afterword: This blogger acknowledges that this top ten list won't be considered definitive but is pleased that this format only requires minimal creativity and effort.

He eagerly looks forward to enlightening readers and beefing up the word count in future blog entries with more top-ten lists.

"When I first tried to write, I had nothing to write about except a few paltry experiences which I neither understood nor appreciated. But I had no thoughts. I really didn't. I didn't even have the words with which to think. My experiences were so many meaningless pictures. But as I began to add to my knowledge and to my vocabulary, I saw something more in my experiences than mere pictures. I retained the pictures, and I found their interpretation. That was when I began to do good work..."

- Jack London (Martin Eden)

The 1942 biopic "Jack London" was a low-budget film that depicted important events in the life of one of the most popular and financially successful writers of his time.

The first hour of this 90-minute picture covers his early days as an Oyster Pirate, seaman, and gold prospector in the Yukon Gold Rush in a series of short vignettes.

One of his most exciting periods, his Yukon days, gets short shrift with a couple of short vignettes; the usual rowdy saloon scene and one where he talks to a dog about writing Call Of The Wild in a snowed-in cabin.

Yes, we all talk to dogs, but I was expecting something a little grander.

The last half hour is the most extended segment, which documents his days as a war correspondent covering the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, where London uncovers and exposes the "Yellow Peril" and Japan's ambition to conquer the White Race.

Though later reviewers (not all, but most) have labeled it as racist and wartime propaganda, the truth is that part of the film is probably a fairly accurate portrait of the famous author who was openly racist and anti-Asian (though he did express some regret about that aspect later in life). The film wasn't seen that way in 1942 but was part of a patriotic rallying around the flag in the early days of World War 2.

What's interesting is what Hollywood didn't show, which was that London was a Socialist. But, of course, in terms of wartime propaganda, there was no reason to leave that out, as Russia was technically an ally in W.W. 2.

It's not a surprise. Hollywood films about Socialists are rare, mainly because the industry is as committed to capitalism as the 18th Century Buccaneers sailing the Spanish Main. So London's idealism is dressed up as good old American populism.

There's no point in treating the movie as an outlier or a precautionary fable about racism or injustice. There were plenty of films from the era with the same variety of negative stereotypes, and many of today's movies will probably be judged similarly fifty or a hundred years from now.

The London film was seen at the time as a patriotic work, with the characters representing average Americans. Now it's a gallery of stereotypes and superior white males.

Times change, and so do attitudes, sort of. Many of the groundbreaking films of the 60s, for example, have undergone reevaluation by later generations and are seen as the same old themes dressed up in relevance or whatever would inspire an audience will buy a ticket.

The idea that movies have evolved and express more enlightened attitudes is sorta maybe kinda true, though the basic archetypes haven't changed much.

I won't go into all the details about the cast or film trivia because the movie wasn't that good and only recommended if you're studying sociological attitudes in Hollywood film history or are a Jack London completist. However, it's free on some movie sites if you're interested.

There were two things about the movie that did strike me as remarkable.

One that a writer was the hero. That's pretty rare.

Secondly, the film was set in an era when aspiring to be a writer had a mystique, that many of the rough and tumble anti-intellectual tough guys in the film saw it as a higher aim.

That aura isn't as strong now, like when you read the occasional snarky remarks about indie writers in the media, which is understandable. The press used to have the power to make or break stars, and thanks to social media, many news sites have been reduced to being amplifiers and Amazon Partners trying to get people to click on ads for a small commission.

Jack London was a man of action-type stud who, both in the movie and in real life, saw writing as a way to escape the limited options that an uneducated man had and the key to the kind of life he dreamed of having. Of course, his outlook was more complicated than that; of course, everyone's is, but that's a good way to describe it.

That's why London's works were in my reading rotation out there in the car in 2016. It wasn't that his tales of survival held the key to changing my situation; it was the idea that the intellect, in his case, developed through writing, was a path to a better place or position.

His rough-and-tumble adventure stories expressed a conviction that the primary life force was atavistic and that even the strongest end up giving way to some more potent force.

In other words, he believed that while life is a repeating cycle of birth, growth, decay, then death, being a writer gave him a way to rise above that or at least gain a little more control over destiny.

...tell it like it is...

I entered the homeless life as a former CAD Designer who believed in the Silicon Valley mythos and the power of music but exited as a committed writer.

The reason is that in terms of saving my sanity and self-esteem, writing wasn't just an identity. It's one of the few professions where a person can train themselves without having to go to school to be certified—very few literary legends I admire finished college.

Even the poorest person can write; thanks to the internet, there are no gatekeepers. So you can try and fail, get up and keep going and try to get better.

There are some early scenes in the movie where London is sitting in a bar full of rowdies, just writing away and observing all that's happening around him.

That's not some theatrical device like in a musical where the musician composes a hit song in one try. The sight of people observing, learning, and writing is common in coffee houses and libraries. It's a reality, a real thing, a part of the process.

...on the road...

One of the things you'll see when reading "On The Road With Al & Ivy: Volume One Anthology" is that many of the entries are about external things and events, not just my feelings and emotions. It wasn't a case of trying to ignore or distance myself from the often dire situations I found myself in.

It was about developing the power of observation, to see what was in front of me as opposed to always relating everything to how I was feeling. That balance (or juggling act) will differ for each person and can even shift according to the situation. I can't tell you how to see things and write about them. That's up to you.

A good example in the book in January is in the early chapters. I suddenly found myself in the middle of a chaotic police dragnet. My reaction was due to a combination of experience, fighting off panic, observing what was happening, and acting accordingly. It's not a stretch to say that good writing habits of observation and perception helped.

...the true situation...

By the time the blog became about my true situation (after a period of denial where I had pretended it was an adventure), I had looked over my options, and while continuing due diligence on job finding, etc., decided that while writing probably wouldn't lead to economic salvation, it certainly held the key to surviving the homeless life with my sanity and self-esteem intact.

I don't pretend in the novel that writing was a golden ticket out or that it produced a miracle in the classic sense of the word. It did save my life, self-esteem, and sanity.

When I wrote about my real life, the blog readership increased dramatically. I was used to having a total yearly audience of around 170,000 for my earlier ePinion.com instrument reviews. The blog hit that number in just a few months.

Moreover, the blog readers gave me enough donations to keep my car running, eat decent food and cover some critical bills. That was an indirect result of choosing the writer's path but as cherished and valued as any payment from a publisher.

...the path...

Choosing a writing path is also a discipline. Staying an observer kept my attention on the world around me. It became apparent that some of the romantic or mythical ways of surviving on the streets, like becoming a criminal or drug user, would complete the destruction of my life, just as Jack London decided as a young man not to continue being an Oyster Pirate.

For example, adhering to a discipline meant never trying meth, drinking booze, or accepting even a single toke from a joint offered by fellow homeless. There were times I was tempted, of course, but I saw to know where it'd get you.

That's not a moral statement. I understood the appeal of crime or drug use out there and rarely judged it (except for trafficking).

It was a realistic view; if you observed the surroundings, it was obvious that we were under constant scrutiny. Those guys offering me a hit of a joint were under parking lot cameras, and more than a few passersby would call the cops on any visible drug use by the homeless.

There was also visible and undercover surveillance from cops and citizen vigilantes.

... decisions...

I had to decide what to write about based on the situation at the time. Citizen crusaders called the cops on me a couple of times in one city. An arrest would have seriously hindered my goal of "getting out," but luckily, both times, the police took the trouble to question me and determined that the accusations were false.

I decided not to document those incidents out of respect for the police there, as they had a reputation as a reasonable and fair force with the homeless. They couldn't ignore a complaint.

Plus, it was a good idea to avoid confrontation with the "respectable" vigilantes, one of whom was obviously mentally ill and willing to engage in physical harassment.

The battles remained part of a private war that didn't make the papers or the blog but will be in my novel (as it's a work of fiction, and I can change the identity of the parties involved).

Who this or that person is or was isn't essential; deeper truths about behavior and society are best addressed in a novel (things that can't be literally described in a nonfiction book for legal reasons).

...bigger issues...

Being a writer helps you understand the bigger issues. For example, I could see that a rough and tumble life without a higher goal led nowhere. There's an old saying that nature punishes stupidity, and it's true. Acting impulsively or without thinking almost always leads to some problems or trouble.

Seeing how street toughs often reacted to being homeless was sad and instructive. They were among the quickest to strike out, become predatory, inflict shame on themselves, or if with a female, become parasitic or abusive.

That is unless that energy and strength were guided by intelligence. Hollywood movies are full of street toughs who become slick predators to survive. In real life, those guys are hounded by the police, spend a lot of time in jail, and are doomed to be street lifers.

There'll be both intelligent and dumb types in the novel. There's one who led a low-level crew that trafficked everything from drugs to EBT cards and another who started off trying to be a slick con artist but was able to reverse course and choose the smart way out.

...back to London...

I'm sure London saw the same things; Strong brawlers, adventurers, winners, and losers. But, after living with them (and admiring them), he also noticed that they were stuck in a cycle that could only spiral downwards.

I was homeless for 13 months, long enough to see some strong people devolve into addicts and petty criminals because they couldn't see past a life that only seemed manageable with drugs or predatory behavior.

The creation and writing process might not immediately lead to success, but most of us will be helped or run across an opportunity. The state you're in when that happens is essential. You have a good chance of missing the opening life offers if stoned off your ass or in jail.

I wrote about my life as best I could and am still learning how. However, writing did the same thing for me as Jack London, a choice that led to a better life.

...help and discipline...

My blog writing was good enough to move people to help, and the discipline kept me in a place so that when the hands reached out, I could see it and take advantage of the generosity and help. In other words, try to stay worthy of help.

I can't say that the Jack London pic was an inspiration or even a good movie, but it did remind me why London was one of the writers I admire; he was living proof that writing can save a life, and after surviving homelessness, I know he was right.

Details on the upcoming Vella version in January and the eBook in Summer 2033.

I'll be releasing a Vella version of "On The Road With Al & Ivy: The Novel" in early January 2023. The working title was "Hiding in Plain Sight," but I'm not sure if it'll be used for the Summer eBook. My reasoning is that I've written under the On The Road With Al & Ivy title for almost seven years now, it has the best name recognition, and the other tag has already been used in several other books and works.

The Vella and Kindle eBook will differ in some respects. The main difference is that the latter will be illustrated. Each chapter will begin with a photo, collage, or drawing, a prelude of prose or poetry, and the first paragraph.

The main reason is that the Vella environment doesn't handle graphic illustrations. Therefore, the openings will appear as highlighted text.

Those preludes serve an essential purpose in terms of story flow, which sometimes will be a complex blend of first and third-person narration.

I can't give out too many details; otherwise, it'll create too many spoilers. I have to be careful with the synopsis also for the same reason.

However, in brief, the book opens with the narrator's arrival in the City of Gilroy in the summer of 2016. He's been forced to go there after being driven south by a California highway Patrolman who decided to make him the scapegoat for an incident at a rest stop frequented by car homeless. Flashbacks and backstory vignettes will cover that part of the story.

The main character, who happens to be called Al (and his dog, Ivy), thinks he's now a wily veteran of the streets and has correctly sized up the area. His observations are accurate, and those opening passages serve as exposition to introduce the scene and many of the major characters.

Al doesn't know that he's only a couple of weeks from a string of disastrous events that nearly force him to become a "backpacker," forced to live out in the levee area in a camp.

The first few chapters detail those incidents, providing the reader with a detailed look at the people who lived in that homeless community.

My plan with the Vella version is to load around 8-10 episodes in the first week, followed by more in the second if all goes well. Then, I'll upload the subsequent chapters as each is completed. Many of the chapters can't be split up into the standard serial length of 600-1200 words, as this will be “a book” rather than a a string of episodes. The chapters will run more in the 1700-2500 range.

The December blog entry will have a more detailed "Reader Guide," as I'll have a clearer idea of how the Vella version will be presented. In addition, the serial format allows me to add more material and flesh out the other characters.

Most of the blog entries from 2017 have sections that I intended to serve as a Readers Guide and foreshadow a lot of what the novel will be about. But, of course, that was always part of the planning for the book.

I'll explain more about why I chose 2023 to be the year, but I will say that it's lived inside my head for almost seven years, and it's a relief to move it out.

I recommend reading the Volume One compilation, which is free for Kindle Unlimited readers. I'll run a free promotion in conjunction with the debut. The novel doesn't parallel the blogs, but there are a lot of backstories there that'll make it an even better reading experience.

I should also note that my current Vella books are for fun, both mine and the readers. This novel will be complex, reflect seven years of constant editing and revision, and be nothing like my other books.

However, my feeling is if you like my blog, you'll enjoy the book.

More details to come in December!