Geo’s Media Blog (Strat Me Up) 4/29/24

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A few days ago, I read an article about my old bandmate from Winnipeg, Randy Bachman, the co-founder of The Guess Who, and Bachman Turner Overdrive, who was about to auction off his guitar collection.
What made this interesting was that his collection included my “59 Fender Strato Caster.

In the ’50s, Elvis turned me on to guitars, but Buddy Holly, who first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, played the guitar I wanted.
When I asked the folks at Lowe’s Music if they knew what kind of guitar it was, they said it was a Fender Stratocaster and they could have one for me in two weeks.

This news excited me until they told me it would cost $473.00. Now, where the hell was a kid like me gonna come up with that kinda of dough?
Thankfully, Lowes came up with a plan. First, they took my trumpet in on trade and then put me on a $14-a-month payment plan.

A couple of weeks later, when they called to tell me that my guitar had arrived, I could hardly wait to pick it up.
So within the hour, there I was, standing in front of a mirror, strapping on my new Strat, and staring back at me was a “Rock Star.” (See my guitar on top)

Next, I bought a couple of guitar books and spent hours and hours in my bedroom trying to learn a few chords.
After a few days, it became evident that it took much more than dreaming about becoming a “Guitar “Man because, so far, all I had to show for my efforts were bleeding fingers.
.

A few weeks later, still struggling, I got a surprise phone call from a local singer named Shayne, who invited me to join his singing group, The Devines.
Surprisingly, shortly after I became a Divine, I was on stage in a talent show and I still couldn’t play my guitar, but I looked cool.

Not only did we finish third in the talent show, but we also got booked for a local car club’s dance the following weekend.
Now, what made the car club dance so special was that even though I was unplugged, I became a professional musician that night because they paid us.

Some thirty years later, when I returned to Winnipeg for a big reunion with Neil Young, The Guess Who, BTO, Burton Cummings, and my band, The Jury, I was unplugged again, but that’s another story.

A few years ago, I read an article that said you should discard anything you haven’t used in six months.
Hell, I thought, I hadn’t even seen my guitar in ten years, let alone played it. So, I sold it to Randy Bachman.

The value of a ’59 Strat is all over the place, so it took us a while to determine what we thought was a fair price.
At some point during the negotiations, Randy mentioned that when he opened for Neil Young during a tour, they used to talk about the Winnipeg days, and Neil said, “George had one of the first cool guitars in Winnipeg.” How cool is that?

Unfortunately, Randy is now pissed at me because he didn’t realize that I had my Strat refurbished back in’65, which he claims diminishes the value.
So, like a car, you shouldn’t sell a guitar to a friend either.

*COMMENTS

@IvanBraiker: Congrats, Reg! It is very well done. As one who attempted to promote exactly what you pointed out to the radio early on with text messaging with Hipcricket. Its ability to communicate with the listener and create communities was just lost on most of the operators. The opportunity was there and was too expensive, and it was very sad to have lost that advantage.(2/26/24
Geo: What I never understood, Ivan was as much money as radio used to make, it never wanted to pay for anything, and now nobody wants to pay radio for anything.

@JamesDuvall: George: In the very early 1930s, unemployment was in the 30s percentage of citizens, the country was much more agrarian (so those living on farms were hurting), and most people were at or below the poverty level of 1930. Things were so bad that World War One veterans marched on Washington and camped on The Mall. When they did not disperse and go home, President Hoover sent Generals MacArthur, Patton, and Eisenhower with Army soldiers to remove them by force. Until 1935 or 1936, most people were suffering, especially farmers. John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” documents what a significant portion of Americans were experiencing. (Geo’s Daily Life-Liners)
Geo: Sad, Jed, but what I find even sadder is the poor folks back then handled their circumstances much better than they do today.

Geo’s Life-Liners. 5/03/24

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I must admit that it’s extremely hard to be color-blind when you see who’s putting Caitlin Clark down.

Speaking of sports, three Canadian teams—Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto — remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

So, would you rather be in a foxhole with an Arab, African, Asian, Israeli, or Russian?

If there was no slavery, would racism still exist?

How can you ever know what you’ve forgotten?

Is it just me, or do all the laws seem designed to mostly protect the one-percenters?

Does the CIA or FBI have a moral compass?

Knowing and teaching others how to use their strengths leads to a better life for both of you.

Are the police really understaffed and underpaid?

You don’t learn courage or patience from joy.

Geo’s Life-Liners is a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday politically incorrect look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio.
Sharing and commenting is appreciated.

Geo’s Life-Liners. 5/01/24

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Sometimes, putting things in order is just a stalling technique.

Being a Wasp, am I allowed to call out what appears to be racist behavior by those who are trying to tear down Caitlin Clark’s unbelievable accomplishments?

Is there anything more boring than being in a meeting where everyone agrees? Hell, I was already gone at the first, yes.​

Wouldn’t you like to hear​ someone say in a movie when asked, “Are you okay,” ​they reply, no?

Things are how they are, not how you wish them to be. However, if you’re not working on how you​ want them to be, you’re as successful as you’ll ever be.

So, who would you rather be stuck in a foxhole with an Arab, a Jew, a Latino, or an Asian?​

If you’ve ever wondered if you’re crazy, you ain’t. Crazy people don’t ask themselves silly questions like that.​

Most of the laws designed to protect women are archaic.

The rebellious youth didn’t begin until the early 1950s, which means that the young adults who came before must have bought into all the lies.

How far back can you go to seek out injustice? I think the Romans treated my ancestors badly, so do I need to see the Pope about a handout?

Geo’s Daily Life-Liners is a Monday through Saturday politically incorrect look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio.
Sharing and commenting is appreciated.

Geo’s Life-Liners 4/26/24

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Athletes usually retire when they’ve lost a step or two, but not our crafty old politicians. who have lost a step or five but still manage to hobble their way to the lobbyist’s payout window.

Visionaries open doors for the rest of us.​

When you live in a part of the country that is not only beautiful but also has great weather, you have to pay for it. Case in point: ​there are no earthquakes, forest fires, hurricanes, tornados, mudslides, droughts, etc., in Winnipeg, but winter is a bitch.

Don’t you wanna rip the throat out of the people who answer your questions with, “Well, that depends?”​

Even though I ​detested the word no for most of my life, I ​kinda like it now because it means I don’t have to do anything.​

Being a Democrat or Republican neither makes you right or wrong nor good or bad.​

With 1.5 million registered charities in America, how can people  be living on the streets?

I would love to see a televised debate between a person from the extreme left and one from the far right, even though they’re both insane. Hey, we could have a Centrist as the moderator whose job would be to blow one of those air horns every time either side tried to turn opinion into fact.​

Forms are the only known creations of lawyers.

The old days should only be talked about, not relived.

Geo’s Daily Life-Liners is a Monday through Saturday politically incorrect look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio.
Sharing and commenting is appreciated.

Geo’s Life-Liners. 4/24/24

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Has anyone considered “not fucking” as an alternative to abortion or at least using a contraceptive?

Explaining why you hurt someone doesn’t ease their pain.

As I’ve grown older, one of the things I’ve learned is never to give your daughters parenting or tattoo advice.

The only folks afraid of rich people are the government.

​When​ women get divorced, it’s disastrous because everything is split fifty-fifty, but they’re used to controlling ​81% of the income. Meanwhile, the husband is partying with some young tart because he just got a raise.

Why do singers talk so much? Anyone can talk; it’s the singing we pay to see.

​Are we almost done with pandering to black folks? 

The best way out is usually lies straight ahead.

There is no sense in waiting cuz time waits for no one.

What’s weird is I’m now frightened by the words, “He’s a man of God.”

Geo’s Life-Liners is a politically incorrect look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio.
Sharing and commenting is appreciated.