an open letter to mr. mandela

Dear Mr. Mandela. 

I hate the term Mister. I tend to call people by their first name. I hate hierarchy.

I’m more on that individuality tip.

….But, I’ll call you  Mister.

When I was 10 years old, Sundays were devoted to pretending to be in the WWE and watching my favourite Sunday morning TV Show, Switchback.  

There was this one day - February 11th. 1988.

Switchback was cancelled due to breaking news.

You got out of jail.

I starred at the television wondering why you were more important than  my constant. 

Why did you matter more than Switchback?

Slowly, I was loosing my innocence of what the world was like. I started to ask questions. I started to question race, and that word. 

Hierarchy. 

.Because of you, I got into learning about the life and times of Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X, and Maya Angelow.

And even JFK.

 I wanted to know more about the civil rights movement. Black History. Politics.

I wanted to know more about the World. 

My eyes opened. 

Meanwhile, my cousin was introducing me to Hip Hop.. Not the regular top 40 stuff that was being played on CFTR, but the conscience stuff.

Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions. NWA.

They were rapping about whatt I was reading and what I was feeling. And thinking. 

Martin, Malcolm, Maya, Kennedy, Chuck D, KRS. They taught me about race. And equality And freedom. Exactly what you were fighting for.

Today, I have a poster of Malcolm X that hangs on my wall. Every morning, I look at it, and funny enough, when I look at it, I don’t think about Malcolm. I think of you. Because it was you who made me know Malcolm. 

 To put it simply, You changed my life.

Martin, Mlalcolm are life time heroes who i pattern my life after. Hip Hop has helped shape me into the man I am today.

And it was all because of You.

This letter is to say Thank You, Mr. Mandela. 

I don’t use that word Mister very often, but in this case, I think it’s fitting.

You so deserve more than a Mister tittle. 

Hero?

Inspiration?

God?

Something else rather then just measly Mister..

 Be it as it may,

Thanks. 

You did good. Now, it’s time to sleep.

Rest well.

rest well, "iron" mike bensson

Sad news coming out of St. Catherines today with the news that legendary HTZ-FM rocker,  Mike Bensson has passed away from Cancer. HTZ is currently running an all day tribute to their friend.  Cancer sucks.

Iron Mike Bensson was 60.

kurt had scoliosis

Interesting interview from '93. Kurt reveals some stuff including the fact he had scoliosis. For those who don't know, I had it. Had the surgery back in '92.  If you're a Nirvana fan, this is worth the listen. 

come out and play..

Working on another computer takes some getting used to. My computer got ill last night. She's going into the hospital today. They say it should be a quick overnight stay. She'll be good to go by the weekend. Let's hope.Made eggs, having my coffee. Surfing the web. Making typos along the way as I'm still trying to get the knack of this keyboard.

Can't wait to wear my Macho Man shirt. The pink one. The one he used to rock back in the 80s. I got Macho merch yesterday as part of an early Birthday gift. Also in the pack was a Vintage Series Macho Man Savage dol ..umm -  action figure. He's standing by my favourite picture of my nephew, a few of my paintings and my two framed records.  Macho is still in his case. Don't want to take him out. I think I'll leave him in there. However, the 10 year old in me wants to rip open the package so Macho can once again fly in the air only to land an elbow drop onto my bed.

Growing is essential. Just don't ignore that kid inside of you  who wants to come out and play.

happy birthday, maurice sendak

If you noticed the Google Doodle today, you'd know it would've been Maurice Sendek's 83rd Birthday.
Originally, I was going to post an interview or a classic reading of Sendek's landmark creation, Where the Wild Things Are. However, I found this. Christopher Walken reading the popular children's book. This will be your best laugh of the day. Or maybe, even week.

"And now", cried Max, "Let he wild rumpus start!".

citynews fades to black

After only 20 months on-air, Rogers has axed CityNews Channel. They were granted the licence in December 2008 and three years after, CityNews Channel was finally launched.

 The station thanked all their viewers over the years and to urged them to continue to watch CITY-TV and to  listen to 680 News to keep informed with the latest news, weather and traffic. The channel  will carry a 680News feed till the end of June when it officially fades to black.

rest well, jeanne cooper

rest well, greg quill

Longtime Toronto Star writer. Never met him in person, but we did do the e-mail thing. We spoke about radio. Quick witted. Nice guy.  He'll be missed.

rest well, chris kelly.

rest well, roger ebert

Thanks for feeding my hunger for movies. 

rest well, peter kormos

Strong left-winger and proud socialist fighter. He'll be missed.

rest well, tom connors

rest well, william moody

Sad day in the world of wrestling. As most know, I'm a huge wrestling nerd. I like to dig up old footage and get captivated by the stories they told in the ring. Last week, I watched a couple shoot interviews featuring William Moody and his pal and legendary wrestling manager, Jim Cornette. Nice to know my last memory  of Paul Bearer would be of him laughing and talking about his passion - and not tied up getting thrown into a meat freezer.

RIP, Paul Bearer.

rest well, tim dog.

rest well, donald byrd

One of those jazz cats you wish everyone knew how special they were. Your music will live on forever, Mr. Byrd. You'll be missed.

rest well, penny.

 Still around. 2013 seems to be rushing by faster than previous years. It's February already? The days are going much faster it seems, which means trying to fit in more work with less hours. Be it as it may, I'm able to  sit down now and play catch up. On this site, on e-mails. On notes to friends. On eating. It's a wonderful feeling when you're able to enjoy a meal instead of gobbling it all down within minutes so you can cross off a few more items on the To Do list.

I woke up this morning learning about the passing of the Penny. I know it has saved me a bunch of times from breaking a bill. It's been a good, useful  friend. I hope you rest well, little buddy.  Trust you too were humming that Beatles tune, too today.

All together now,

"Penny Lane...."

rest well, koch

When I first heard the news about Ed Koch passing away, I wasn't going to post it. I didn't even know him. I later found out he was the colorful, outspoken New York Mayor for the later part of the 70s and most of the 80s. I then heard that filmmaker Neil Barsky released a new documentary about Koch today. "It's an insane, surreal day", Barsky told Time.

Checked the trailer. The Documentary looks good. Maybe I will watch it and learn about the late Mayor I didn't know anything about this morning.

Rest Well, Sir. Hope to get to know you better, soon.

rip conrad bain

rip capital steez

rip ravi shankar