I’ve always been fascinated by Old Hollywood, and my love for Marilyn Monroe began when I first moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s. One of the very first things I did was visit her final resting place, along with the gravesites of many other Hollywood legends. That visit sparked a deeper interest in… Read More Happy 100th Marilyn
Picture it, Spring 2012: I had the opportunity to observe our trip through Castor’s eyes, as this was his first time visiting my hometown. I have crossed the Bay Bridge for years, but on this trip, I was able to slow down and capture the moments. Although we had just a few days to see… Read More San Fransico Bay Bridge
As a little kid, I was lucky enough to have a black-and-white television in my room. I remember that my father had always loved the comedies of his childhood, which he passed on to me. The Three Stooges, Amos and Andy, the Little Rascals, and Laurel & Hardy were shows I would watch over and… Read More I Love Lucy
During the winter of 1994, I was working at Marine World Africa USA, and the park was much slower than during the rest of the year, so I decided to pick up a second job. Across the freeway was a Target, where my friend Mark’s brother worked, so I applied and got hired in the… Read More All I Want For Christmas Is You
The first musical I remember watching was when my sister Debi was in a show in Elementary School called The Electric Sunshine Man. The music still lives in my head all these years later, as I still know the first song’s chorus. In 1982, GB took Deb and me to see the movie version of… Read More Let’s go to the theater
When Grandma Bobi (GB) returned to Concord, I spent more time with her and Grandpa and learned about their music. They had albums of swing music. This was the first time I learned about this high-energy music from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman. I remember the song Yes! We Have No Bananas, In… Read More Bobi’s Music
It’s funny the things you can remember as you get older. For example, I can remember three albums that my parents had. They were Elton John’s Captain Fantastic, Barry Manilow’s Tryin’ To Get The Feeling, and the Carpenters. At the age of eight, these artists imprinted themselves on my brain, and to this day, I… Read More Albums of my childhood
In 1985, While in High School, our band director was contacted to see if he wanted to bring Maynard Ferguson to the school as a fundraiser, and when he asked the students, it was an instant yes! I had discovered Maynard’s music earlier in the year when the guys in the trumpet section introduced me… Read More Soundtracks of my past: Maynard Ferguson
On April 29, 1992, the riots erupted in Los Angeles, and I was working at the Disneyland Hotel in the Monorail Cafe. I remember hearing about what was happening and watching it in the cast member lunch room. Like everyone around me, I was glued to the TV all day and all night. As the… Read More Rick and the LA Riots
In the early 90s, while living in Santa Ana, I traveled by train twice, once to see Mom and another time to visit Grandma Bob’s brother in New York. The trip to visit Uncle Joe in New York was exciting. It would take three days to get there, and I could relax, listen to music,… Read More All aboard
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