Category Archives: Music

If I had been any closer to the stage at that Van Halen show the other night, I’d be carrying Eddie’s baby

By Daddy Scratches | Published: January 11, 2012

I knew going into last Thursday night’s Van Halen concert that, based solely on the size of the venue, I’d be fairly close to the stage … but I didn’t know I’d be THIS close: No, seriously: One of the most awesome things about sitting this close to the stage while seeing Van Halen perform in a tiny little basement club in New York City … is being able to say that you were sitting this close to the stage while seeing Van Halen perform in a tiny little basement club in New York City. In truth, the show was… [read the rest]

Also posted in Van Halen | 35 Comments

That blow job I offered 2012? Already paying off.

By Daddy Scratches | Published: January 3, 2012

So there’s that whole thing with me and Van Halen, right? Well, the band is about to release its first new album with original singer David Lee Roth in 28 years, and to drum up some excitement, the boys are playing a private show Thursday night in New York City at a little hole-in-the-wall place that holds only a couple hundred people. It’s about as big as my kitchen. (Background info: My kitchen = Not so big.) Here’s the outside: Here’s the inside: Now, the newly minted Year 2012, after hearing what I was willing to do in order to… [read the rest]

Also posted in Van Halen | 17 Comments

The one in which I reassess my life and contemplate my future … which should be about as entertaining for you to read as a stock prospectus for an embalming-fluid company, except less so

By Daddy Scratches | Published: May 18, 2011

My mother gave me that album when I was seven years old, and it changed my life … for the better, I used to think … but now I’m starting to wonder. To make a long story slightly less long than it’s probably going to end up being anyway — because we all know how much I love the sound of my own voice — that album, and the band that made it, basically carved into my young and impressionable DNA the lifelong belief that I should never give up on my dreams. (Spending one’s childhood worshipping four dudes who… [read the rest]

Also posted in Cubicle, Inspiration, Life, Writing | 46 Comments

Sorbet, anyone?

By Daddy Scratches | Published: October 19, 2009

When I was 10, my parents took my brother, sister and I on our first big vacation. We flew from Boston to California, where we rented a Mercury Zephyr and visited Disneyland. The Zephyr had power windows, which were relatively new to us; had my parents used the money they spent on the trip to instead buy a car with power windows, we’d have been equally entertained. In addition to visiting Disneyland, we also visited Universal Studios … where, sadly, the “Jaws” attraction was drained due to in-progress maintenance. (There are few things more pathetic than an enormous, fake, Great… [read the rest]

Also posted in General, Life | 13 Comments

Do the chickens have large talons?

By Daddy Scratches | Published: August 27, 2009

A few months ago, I was all “Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot!” And you loved it. (At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.) Now, if you’ll please indulge me once more, I’m going to go all “Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot!” on you again … but, after this entry, you probably won’t have to hear about them for a while, because Chad, their drummer, will soon head into the studio to record a new album with his main group, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and when that happens, I fear that Chickenfoot won’t ride again for quite some time. So. Chickenfoot came to… [read the rest]

Also posted in Marriage, Van Halen, Zan | 20 Comments

Totally Tweaked-Out Tuesday, Part 2

By Daddy Scratches | Published: May 30, 2009

OK, so where were we? Oh yeah: Wonder Woman and I had just reached what should have been the finish line of yet another marathon Tuesday, but instead of putting the kids to bed, collapsing in a heap on the couch and slipping into a low-grade coma, we had to shift it into high gear and morph into Rock-’n’-Roll Mommy and Daddy. Remember my friend Kevin Dugan who works with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony? Well, as mentioned in a recent Photo of the Day, Sammy and Michael have teamed up with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and… [read the rest]

Also posted in Life, Marriage | 10 Comments

There’s no place like home (Yes, I went with the cliché. Sue me.)

By Daddy Scratches | Published: March 23, 2009

Thanks in large part to my role as a husband and a father, there is, believe it or not, a rhythm and a flow and a structure to my day-to-day life—and I say “believe it or not” because it often seems that my day-to-day life is nothing if not rhythmless, flowless and structureless. The existence of that structure is most noticeable for its absence when I travel on business. With that structure removed, I often have difficulty doing things—things like eating meals during the normal hours at which those meals are supposed to be eaten, and going to bed at… [read the rest]

Also posted in Parenthood | 14 Comments

U2? Me too!

By Daddy Scratches | Published: March 13, 2009

The odds of me getting that ticket were so infinitesimal, I almost didn’t try. Seriously. Look, I’ve been in this game a long time now, and I’ve gotten hooked up for some pretty exclusive gigs, but U2 in a tiny Boston-area theater, playing for less than 1,000 people, most of whom were contest winners from around the country? I know rejection when I see it, and this was rejection on steroids with a tire-iron in its hand, just looking for an optimist it could clobber the hell out of. But I had to give it a try, right? First, I… [read the rest]

Posted in Music | 15 Comments

Berated by Bono

By Daddy Scratches | Published: March 12, 2009

Um, well, actually, Mr. Bono, now that you mention it … (Sorry, kids. You’ll get the story, but not tonight. Aiming for tomorrow.) (Also, FYI: This kind of unfortunate incident can be avoided in the future if one of you would like to make an enormous donation to the “Help Daddy Scratches Quit His Day Job” fund. I’m just sayin’ …)… [read the rest]

Also posted in Life, Parenthood | 5 Comments

Um, no, really: I’m with the band …

By Daddy Scratches | Published: November 13, 2008

There is a scene in the movie “Almost Famous” during which the star—a young and budding music journalist—approaches the backstage door of a concert venue, rings the buzzer, gives the surly security guard his name and says that he’s there to interview the band. The guard checks the guest list on his clipboard. “You’re not on the list,” he says dismissively and slams the door shut. Undeterred, our young hero rings the buzzer again, and the annoyed security guard opens the door again. “Sir, I’m a journalist,” the naive youngster says, holding up as a form of identification a copy… [read the rest]

Posted in Music | 3 Comments

Battered Van Halen-fan syndrome

By Daddy Scratches | Published: April 25, 2007

Look, I appreciate your concern, but, really, I’m OK. He’s not going to hurt me again. Yes, I know it’s not the first time he’s said he’d change … not the first time he’s said it won’t happen again … that he’ll stop drinking … that I can trust him … that he really loves me. I know. But, seriously, I think he really means it this time. I mean, look: he went and got help. Real help. Professional help. That month he just spent in rehab … I mean, c’mon, that’s a big step. He’s making a real effort.… [read the rest]

Also posted in Van Halen | 2 Comments

37

By Daddy Scratches | Published: January 18, 2007

OK, seriously: whose ass do I have to kick for speeding up time to the point that a year now passes in the span of what seems like a few weeks? Because I’m really not digging it. Last year, I wrote that I felt like 40 was coming over the horizon too quickly for my liking. It’s looming a lot larger now (though, I must say, turning 36 was more of a shock to my system; passing the halfway point of my 30s rattled my cage). I have found that reframing reality to my own specifications often makes me feel… [read the rest]

Also posted in Family, Life | 3 Comments

I like this Army better

By Daddy Scratches | Published: November 16, 2006

A few weeks back, my workweek began with an assignment that kicked much ass. I was invited to attend an exclusive, in-studio performance by Army of Anyone, a new rock group that features former Filter frontman Richard Patrick, former Stone Temple Pilots members/brothers Robert DeLeo (bass) and Dean DeLeo (guitar), and former David Lee Roth Band drummer Ray Luzier. The show took place at Boston radio station WBCN. Following the performance, I got to sit down with Richard and Robert, who I interviewed for about 40 minutes. Though I’ve done a number of interviews in the past, this was my… [read the rest]

Also posted in Geek, Writing | 2 Comments

And now, a musical interlude

By Daddy Scratches | Published: August 8, 2006

I’ve never been an “I have a crush on a celebrity” type of guy—just never seemed like a productive expenditure of energy, you know? Having said that, there is one celebrity on whom it could legitimately be said I have a crush: Björk. Actually, she’s more of an artist than a celebrity. Part of why I dig her, I suppose. Wonder Woman, her parents and I saw Björk perform at Radio City Music Hall just a few weeks after 9/11. She was phenomenal, and the beauty and impact of her talent and creativity were all the more amplified by the… [read the rest]

Also posted in Inspiration | Leave a comment

Gilford Cabo Wabo, NH

By Daddy Scratches | Published: July 5, 2006

As anyone who has spent more than 60 seconds in my presence can tell you, I have several yarns I like to spin about exciting moments I have had with the members of Van Halen. The man standing between Wonder Woman and me in the photo above is Kevin Dugan, a good friend to whom I owe a great deal of credit for quite a few of those experiences—the latest of which took place last week, and buried the needle deep into the red on the Holy-Shit-That-Was-Coolometer. Kevin is the bass-tech extraordinaire for Mr. Michael Anthony of the once-mighty Van… [read the rest]

Also posted in Van Halen | 2 Comments

Van Halen (or, The Band That Ate My Life)

By Daddy Scratches | Published: April 9, 2006

OK, so I’ve been off the radar for a while because I was building a website dedicated to the goings on in the dysfunctional world of Van Halen.

The sane among you are most likely wondering, “Why the hell would someone spend so much time and energy building a website about Van Halen?” Fair enough. Allow me to explain.… [read the rest]

Also posted in Van Halen | 17 Comments

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

By Daddy Scratches | Published: March 22, 2006

When last we spoke, I was about to depart for a supposed “secret” Beastie Boys concert. I’m making those little air-quote thingies with my fingers around the word “secret” because, when I showed up outside the venue about an hour and 15 minutes before the gate opened, the line already stretched around the block. (If you need the visual, and feel like clicking “Next” 21 times, check out photo 22 of 59 in this photo gallery.) Said the Austin American-Statesman newspaper: The biggest surprise acts, such as the Beastie Boys at Stubb’s on Thursday, were swarmed by badge-danglers and wristband-wearers.… [read the rest]

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A bit south of SXSW

By Daddy Scratches | Published: March 16, 2006

Every year, my co-workers and I mosey on down to Austin, Texas, for the annual South by Southwest music conference—or SXSW, as it is known to we the hip. Believe it or not, Austin is one of my all-time favorite cities. I say “Believe it or not” because, as mentioned previously, Austin is in Texas. I get twitchy when I’m too far outside of Boston, New York or Philly, but to take me out of dark blue Massachusetts—which, I am happy to report, is considered by some to be the most liberal state in the union—and drop me in bright… [read the rest]

Also posted in Life | Leave a comment

Nine Inch Wiggles

By Daddy Scratches | Published: February 22, 2006

See the guy in the middle up there with the big guns and the buzz cut? That’s Trent Reznor, the mastermind behind the industrial-rock juggernaut known as Nine Inch Nails. I am quite fond of Mr. Reznor and his music. (This is what we in the writing business refer to as “an understatement.”) His first two albums, “Pretty Hate Machine” and “Broken,” were the soundtrack to my early ’90s “Women were created by the Devil and he has instructed them to rip your still-beating heart from your chest, throw it to the floor and dance a little jig on it”… [read the rest]

Also posted in Parenthood | Leave a comment

C’mon, Dave, gimme a break

By Daddy Scratches | Published: January 3, 2006

Twenty minutes. That’s roughly how long I was able to listen to David Lee Roth’s first broadcast as the East Coast replacement for Howard Stern before I had to bail. I wanted to like it. Really, I did. There was a time, mind you, when I thought David Lee Roth was officially The Coolest Motherfucker Who Ever Walked the Earth. Unfortunately, that time was about 20 years ago. Prior to Dave’s radio debut, I predicted his show would last six months. After hearing him today, I’m halving that. I once called in to Howard’s show during a segment when Dave… [read the rest]