take the bangwell challenge!

- probably 500 or more adoring, loving people came out in support of max bangwell sunday in long beach, ca. the music kicked butt all day & night; fervent blues fan pat delaney exclaimed, in her long island cadence, "thez so much great music, i'm olmos atta breath! i mean, my goahd!" so, so many faces filled & spilled out of the gaslamp, the good, the bad, & the ugly, but all there for max & so all ultimately good. max looked wan but happy & played a really cool set w/his band, scott lambert on upright. they really swung & rocked!

james knocked 'em dead, as usual. when he started his set, the cameras popped like fireworks & folks flooded that dance floor & he shook his hips like elvis & leered like jack nicholson & sang like the saint & sinner he is, w/that sonorous horn of a voice... yes, james was a really bright star throughout the event, & he nearly had not a moment of peace, so busy was he w/friends, fans, followers,  etc! we hung out side stage during the blasters' set & he danced his butt off & bugged his eyes & hammed it up in highly amusing fashion. then phil alvin dedicated "trouble bound" to james, causing my husband's heart to swell. next phil dedicated "one bad stud" to max & the blasters just pounded the crap out of that place, phil's voice ringing like a bell, the band slamming-steady-beautiful.
- max attributes his lung cancer to having smoked for decades & has launched "the  bangwell challenge," urging all to stop smoking. after the event, i decided what the hell am i doing playing around w/such a deadly, not to mention expensive, habit? so today i'm on day two w/o smokes. here's the scary part: tho i've been just a dabbler at the coffin nails, the last few days i've been having cravings that make my teeth crawl; i can't imagine what heavy smokers must   go through, tho i saw a glimpse once years back when someone i knew well ran into the backyard one afternoon, yelling that he was covered w/ants, & in the throes of nicotine withdrawal, ripped off his own pants. do i need to say it? there were no ants! it was the gd cigarettes!! what a hideous & insidious addiction -- not that there are any that are cool, really truly.

- that's the last thing i'll say: all my addictions need to be gone. i can't entertain a one. i can't dance w/any gorilla, no matter what costume it's wearing: boozehound, dope fiend, control addict, chain smoker, glutton, starver, purger, gambler, addictions creepier/more pathetic... i must be rid of them all to continue on this straighter, clearer path. must keep trudging... even when i screw up, am petty, am an a**hole, clam up, get scared, justify myself, run, make mistakes. to reiterate the mantra lately: "there are no mistakes, only lessons."

- all are praying & sending good wishes to max that, whatever happens, it be for his best. the blues community came out in full force to support max, excellent musician & cracklingly sharp, wily, funny, terrific friend to so many. scores of photos of the blues royalty & community in attendance are available online. meanwhile, here are some pix from various nice people on facebook.
love to max bangwell, & thanks to him for issuing his challenge, which no doubt will save many lives.