Thunderbolt

I wrote this script soon after we completed "King's Highway" and I sold it last year. It was originally entitled "The American Standard" (after the bar in the script). The film had nothing to do with the toilet company, although that was where the title came from and I had incorporated the AS plant into the original script. Anyway, after the film was shot and completed, it was sold to Lifetime television and the title changed to "Deceit". The film stars Matt Long (from a great, short-lived series on the defunct WB, "Jack & Bobby") and Emmanuelle Chriqui (most notably from HBO's "Entourage"). A couple of weeks ago, it premiered on Lifetime. Now, I would have written about the premiere, except that I didn't know about it until the day before its airing. Turns out the producer and/or his assistant forgot to tell me. This is a bummer. But, Ross (the producer) is a good guy, so I take him at his word that it slipped t...

Tomorrow is Jake's birthday part and I'm pretty jacked up about it. This should be a lot of fun. The theme is Teen Titans. When we couldn't find a Robin piñata for the party, I made one. That's right, I put my 3rd grade art class skills to work and constructed a piñata from scratch. It turned out very nice, if I do say so myself. We'll see how long it lasts once a bunch of little kids hopped up on candy start swinging at it. Speaking of candy, there is so much junk in that piñata, I'm afraid of how long the thing is going to last once the mad banging begins. Luckily, Jake is the first slugger who gets a whack at it. I plan to take some picture to show some of my co-workers who have been hearing about this monumental project for several weeks. Who knows, I could start my own specialty piñata business on the side. Wouldn't cost much. Hell, I already write off my newspaper subscription. Now we could claim flour and water on our taxes, too! Heh, th...

I am a creature of habit. I can't just start something in the middle and keep going. This blog, for instance. I should have started writing again months ago. Alas, I put it off until my birthday. That would be the beginning of a new year. That would be a good place to start over. That would be a good plan... if my birthday weren’t three days ago. Argh! So here I am. 37 years old. I am a father to two wonderful children and the lucky man to have Julie as my wife. And yet, do I have anything to say? Do I have any profundities to share with the world? I doubt it. But I want to get back into writing this thing. Even if it's just to air my thoughts. I know, I know. This is the digital age and every damn person under the sun has his or her own blog. And I know there are better written blogs out there. But what the hell. I've learned that I have a few readers. And damn it, I need to please them, even if it's just once or twice a week. So Jan, Phil, Cindy, S...

It was Jacob's first week of school and, as usual, I have been suppressing my fears about him attending school. My stomach is in knots and I can't focus at work. I'm not sure when this transformation occurred in me in which I could no longer express my fears and I became more like my father. Is it some kind of genetic coding in the Malchus make up that at age 30 or so you begin to clam up? There is already so much anxiety about leaving your kid at school to begin with that when you add in all of the CF issues, you're talking about some major shit to deal with. I went with him the first three days and it was pretty rough. He screamed, "Don't leave me!" as Julie and I left the building. Heartbreaking. I was fighting back tears the first day. I think it's been harder on Jules than me, though. Jacob has been home with here for almost four years straight. That's a big part of her day that will be missing. I know we're glad that he's g...

I've been away most of the summer, I know. I guess I've been questioning the whole point of me keeping this blog. There are much better writers out there and I'm not sure who even keeps track of Thunderbolt. But a few weeks ago I was cleaning the garage and I found the only consistent journal I've ever kept. Back when Sophie was in the womb I wrote every day in two Mead, college rule composition books as a record of her first 9 months of existence. Man, it was pretty confessional. So confessional that I'm unsure I want her ever to read it. Anyway, I was proud that I'd disciplined myself to make an entry each night. I felt like a writer. Not that I haven't been writing the past three or four months when I was making sporadic entries to Thunderbolt. I think this year has been the year I've work hardest on my craft. So far it seems to be paying off. Where am I going with all of this...? Oh yeah. I'm committing myself to this blog again. I ha...

Believe it or not, I had every intention of writing a post on the artistry of Paul Giamati today, but then I got the news that an old friend had passed away and Paul got placed on the backburner. I bring up Giamati because friend, Jeff Dillon, was very much like the characters Giamati has become famous for playing. A little sad. Funny. Sometimes trying to hard. But generally a good egg to be around and someone who will be missed. Jeff (or Dill as we called him) was a guy I met in Boy Scouts back when I was in 5th Grade. We got along fine back then, but it was in high school that we became friends. And then, after high school, while working on the NOHS summer paint crew, Jeff and I became compadres. The two of us could really get under the other's skin. Probably because we had similar sensibilities, but I remember many occasions when he or I would storm away from each other, ready to kill each other. It would only take 15-20 minutes before we realized how damn stupid we we...

Have to give a shout out to one of my favorite sites out there, Jefitoblog, a phenomenal music website that provides some excellent selections of music for readers. I was first introduced to the site some time last year when EW online mentioned Jeff’s “Idiot’s Guide to Hall and Oates”. I thought it was a joke at first. I mean, who would devote more than a couple of sentences to Daryl and John? As I read his breakdown of each of their albums, I realized that Jeff wasn’t making fun of Philly’s sons, but offering a real criticism of their catalog. This is something that would never happen at Rolling Stone or any of the other BIG music sources. As I came back to the site every day, I discovered that here was a guy who loves music. He GETS music. And that’s what he’s writing about. It’s not about who is the most appreciated and deserves the accolades. Sure, he covers Springsteen and the like, but it’s also about the gut and the heart. That’s why groups like Styx, Toto. Bruce Hor...

And so I return. Another great weekend. The pool has turned out to be a fantastic idea. Did I tell you we got a pool? I was so resistant to the idea. I love that lawn. But the joy that water brings to our kids is better than any patch of grass in the world. Seann came for dinner tonight. It was good to see him again. The kids will likely not see him for a month or so. I had Sophie pretty much guilt him into driving up for some hamburgers. God bless him, he’s a good uncle and can’t say “no” to his niece and nephew. Speaking of Jake, man, I felt like the lowest of low yesterday. While Sophie and Jules were at a party, I took Jake to see the new “Garfield” movie. We get about 500 yards from the theater (and 15 minutes from start time) and I realized I didn’t have the damn enzymes. We had to drive all the way home and back again. Wouldn’t you know it, the line to buy tickets was ridiculously long (it WAS 100 degrees… so everyone was at the movies) and we missed the first 10 mi...

I've been gone a month and this is the best I could come up with? Actaully, the man has been working on a scrennplay. I finished it last week and when all is said and done, the tone of the script owes a lot to my (now cancelled) favorite drama, "Everwood" Television still seems to get a bad rap among people I know. Probably because so much of it is disposable and forgotten soon after the set is switched off. But the emergence of “The Sopranos” as one of the most significant works of art in the last 10 years has really made a lot of folks reconsider the craftsmanship that goes into television. I’m a TV junkie. I grew up on it, rarely going to the movies. That I chose to become a screenwriter had more to do with watching movies on a VCR than actually getting into the theater. I would love to someday have my own series, primarily because I enjoy GOOD television. And since we started subscribing to TiVo, well, I ONLY watch good television. This past week "Everw...

My heart is breaking right now. I can't help thinking about Matt's final day and his struggle with his bulemia and whatever other disorders he was suffering from. After my converation with Elliott last night, it feels like he wanted it to end. I'll never know for certain, but Elliott mentioned this. And if he was in pain, so much pain, from starving, from depression, from his body breaking down, from needles, it is likely that he may have given in. And this is the saddest fact that I am having to accept. That a man who was so full of life had become complacent and ready to give up. But I will never know. I said once that I thought he was slowly discommunicating himself with all of the people he loved. but Elliott insists that he still talked about our friendship. Maybe it's guilt I'm feeling. The grayness the skies this morning and the dim lighting in the office have put me in a mood. And I've begun haning posters for the CF walk, seeking donations. I ...

I logged on tonight thinking I would just give a brief update of where the hell I've been all month. My three or four readers have been desperate to know my whereabouts (thanking you for writing Ken in Witchita). Before I could get online, though, I spoke with Matt's brother, Elliott (who will no longer be identified as Matt's brother and will simply be known as Elliott). Whenever Elliott calls, I know it's going to be emotional. That's fine with me, because Elliott slowly reveals more about my deceased friend that I didn't know, nor would I have ever known if Elliott didn't want to include me in his life. It started as a fun call, bullshitting about the Twilight Zone (still one of the most influential shows in my life) and evolved into an intense discussion about our relationships with Matt. Then Elliott did something truly heart warming and unexpected. He changed the course and asked me about Jacob and what he has to go through. He wanted to know ab...

I hereby nominate "The Sure Thing" as one of the best movies of the 80's and one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. I am one of the few who actually saw it in the theater (with my church group, no less) and I've loved it ever since. When I worked at American Video my last year of high school, I some how came to purchase the store's copy. We must have watched that movie a hundred times during the paint crew summers. Steve and I had so many lines memorized. Besides Boon and Otter from "Animal House," we wanted to be John Cusack's Walter "Gib" Gibson. While those "Animal house" guys were someone we aspired to be, but would never be cool enough to be, Gib was like us. He was one of us. He was a failure in love, but an optimist. And then my copy got lost. I believe it was Dillon, a guy we worked with, who borrowed it after one of the Malchus parties (one of the bigger one's). Though he claims to have never had ...

From:Scott Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2006 To: Steve Subject: WHMP 4-7-06 Got your message this week. Sorry I missed you. Your call actually lifted my spirits a lot that day. It's been a topsy turvey week emotionally, mostly work related and, of course, money stress. Everything seems cool now, though. Did I tell you I'm getting to write a second episode for the series I'm working on? I'm stoked. And a little nervous. They want it a lot sooner (and quicker) than the first one. But, what's that quote I keep repeating from the Springsteen boot in Cleveland? "Have faith in your abilities." That's what I'm trying to do. You'll be happy to know that I'm working on an new feature script as well. It has nothing to do with the horror genre. In fact, it's an attempt at a high school romantic comedy. Someone actually asked me to write this one, so I'm not flying solo. I didn't think of it until this morning, but I'm really enjoyin...

Can a hard rocking protest song make you cry? It can if it's done by Midnight Oil. Driving in through a pouring rain this morning, I dug out my old copy of "Blue Sky Mining" to give it a listen and possibly put some tracks on my MP3 player. I have always loved the title track, but today was the first time I seemed to listened to how well crafted the song is constructed. It opens with just a guitar and gradually builds as each band member joins along. Then, it erupts with so much passion and anger, I was close to tears. It's not just the relevant lyrics (written back in 1990), but the beautiful harmonies, and the fact that each instrument plays a different role in the song. Both guitars are playing variations on lead guitar which reminds me of the kind song structure Pearl Jam often uses. In fact, the song "Forgotten Years" off the same Midnight Oil album would be a great song for P Jam to cover. And Peter Garrett performs with such conviction that a...

It's that time of the year again. The sun is shining. The sweet smell of freshly cut grass. Birds chirp in the background. The crack of a bat and the "thunk" of a ball smacking the leather of a mitt. It's baseball season, my friends. I don't realize how much I miss the day to day activities of this sport until mid November, when the chill of winter settles in and my bones begin to ache. There is something about this game that fills me with excitement and joy. Despite the public problems the game is having at the moment with the whole steroid debate, I still feel this is the best family sporting event there is. I can't wait to take the kids to a Dodgers game this year. Or even a Jayhawks game out in Lancaster. And you can bet that when we visit Ohio sometime this summer, we'll be at Jacobs Field at least once. Let the game begin. Go Indians. Aloha

The following two commentaries ran in last Sunday's LA Times. They hit so close to home that I wanted to share them. WHAT I LEARNED AT THE RECORD SHOP By Lynell George Lynell George is a senior writer at The Times' West magazine. March 26, 2006 LONG BEFORE AMOEBA MUSIC opened its landscape-altering Hollywood flagship, and nearly a decade before "High Fidelity" immortalized that singular breed of retail animal — the completist record store clerk — there was a holy strip of scuffed-up, indie new-and-used record shops lining Melrose Avenue. Vinyl Fetish, Bleeker Bob's, 2nd Time Around and my two favorites: Rene's All Ears and Aron's Records. When vinyl still reigned (in various versions — 78, 45 and 33 1/3 ; import or domestic; picture discs and colored vinyl; sexy little EPs), these shops and a few others scattered across Los Angeles played host to all manner of yearnings, discovery and invention in my life. They felt as essential as the ampersand in R&...

It's been tiring, fighting this cold I've had for almost a week. There have been a couple of times I wanted to get on here. First of all, "In Her Shoes" is a wonderful movie. Better than "Crash", "Brokeback" and "Capote", in my book. I thought it was going to be a chick flick and had my reservations, despite the marketing attempts to sell it as a universal themed picture. For once, the marketing people were right , though, they still did a shitty job of getting people to notice this film. Every single actor in this movie was stellar. In a year when critics were lamenting the lack of outstanding performances by actresses, there were three (Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz and Shirley Maclaine) that were all worthy of awards and were all better than Reese Witherspoon. That none of them received any attention during award seasons was a shortcoming on the critics, the industry, and the studio for not promoting the movie properly. And it w...

It's been a long week. Trying to find time to write on the blog is something I'm going to have to schedule and not try to do when I feel "inspired". There are three writing projects I'm involved with right now. Just saying that tightens my chest a little. People are actually coming to me to write with me. What if I let them down? Just have to keep reminding myself of that Springsteen concert. Did I talk about this already? Springsteen told a tale about visiting the great Roy Orbison before he died. Roy was working on a song about a wind surfer girl. Bruce smiled and said "Cool." but in his head he was thinking, "Wind surfing? I don't think so." Well, the song came out posthumously on Roy's "Mystery Girl" album and it's a really great song. And Bruce admitted that he was wrong. Then he said, "Just goes to show you that you have to have faith in your abilities." Amen, brother. I have to keep reminding...

From: Scott Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 To: Steve Yes, I know I didn't complete my Rock Hall edition, but I just couldn't bring myself to pick a Skynyrd song. I mean, Skynyrd? Come on! They're right up there with Bob Seger and ZZ Top as far as I'm concerned. So, I skipped it. That's right, I just bypassed over old "Free Bird", hoping you wouldn't notice. And look, you didn't! This week we return to the 90's. That decade from so long ago. I can't believe that this song and it's awesome video are 10 years old. More than that. 12 freakin' years my friend! I've been married that long. 12 YEARS! My parents are in town again and I look at them and a) marvel at the longevity of their relationship b) hope that I am as good as a parent as they were and c) hope I don't turn out anything like them when I'm their age. We've been over this before. I love my folks. But what is it about our elders driving us crazy? And the...

Since my last post, I have had the chance to see both CRASH and CAPOTE, and having seen that first hour of GOOD NIGHT, GOOD LUCK, I feel I can offer my honest opinion that CRASH was not the best picture of the four I have seen (I have yet to see anything of MUNICH). There are some wonderful, dramatic moments in CRASH. The scene in which Matt Dillon's character must rescue Thadie Newton's character (after having previously sexually violated her earlier in the movie) was intense. Perhaps the most moving moment in the film comes when Michael Pena's character finds his daughter under her bed, afraid to sleep in the bed because a stray bullet had flown through the house one time. He has this very tender scene in which he convinces her that a fairy came into his room one night when he was five and the fairy gave him an invisible cloak that would protect him. The father then proceeds to remove this invisible cloak and place it around his daughter. That scene had more power t...

Growing up, these awards meant so much to me, especially in college. Winning one of those things is what I aspired to do. I believe most kids growing up in Ohio who wanted to become filmmakers dreamed of the same thing. Now, I'd be happy just to sell another script and to get the opportunity to direct again. Don't get me wrong, the accolades would be great. But I have been through the ringer with "King's Highway" and I understand the BUSINESS aspect a little better than when I was a kid. As for this year's winners, I couldn't tell you whether they were deserving or not. I loved "Brokeback Mountain" and was able to see the first hour of "Good Night, Good Luck" (which I liked even more). I was happy for George Clooney. He seems like a good guy and everyone knows about the dues he's paid. Same goes for Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I didn't see " Capote", but I've loved Hoffman ever since he played a slimeball in...

From:Scott Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2006 To: Steve Steve- Ahh, the Sex Pistols. What more can be said about them that hasn't already been written or spoken or regurgitated in a bathroom toilet. One album, Steve. That's all it took for the band to influence pop culture, piss off just about everyone, fire their old bassist, watch their new bassist spiral into heroin addiction and kill his girlfriend, and self implode 14 days into their first US tour. The band was in the news last week basically pissing on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Initially, guitarist Steve Jones expressed some excitement about the band playing the gig. But apparently, the $25K ticket price was too much (I agree). And, I believe there was some posturing going on too. After all, it wouldn't be very punk to accept an award from the mainstream, would it? On a personal level, I recall the first time listening to "Never Mind the Bullocks". I had borrowed a cassette copy from Sally in the Spring of...

So, my freshman year of high school, my dad went out and bought a 1978 Delta 88 to use as his "get around town" car. The thing was a tank. Had a vinyl roof, plush seats, and a trunk that could fit two bodies, at least. Problem was, the car leaked. When it rained, you had to place paper down on the seat to make sure your ass didn't get wet (especially on the way to school every day). It was even more difficult to stay dry in the winter because, growing up in Cleveland, it snowed 5-6 months out of the year. And, if you had a father like mine, clearing the snow off of the car was done using the windshield wipers...nothing else. So, the back window rarely got cleaned, and he drove the car around town with three to four inches of snow on the roof. Snow that melted and leaked into the car. When it came time to get my driver's license, do you think my dad went out of his way to help me with my exam by borrowing someone else's smaller, compact car (like he did with...

From: Scott Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 To: Steve Okay, I'm a couple days late, but cut me some slack, I have killer clones to write about, which, for some reason, ties in with this week's selection. If there is one band that has been denied entry to the Hall of Fame for too long and truly deserves to be there, it is Black Sabbath. Am I fan? Not really. Honestly, I know 2, maybe 3 of their songs. Some musicologist I am, huh? To me, Sabbath will always be one of those bands whose name was written in black marker on the jeans jackets of countless burn outs at our school You remember those kids, the ones who stood one foot off of school grounds to smoke their cigarettes in the dead of winter (wearing only those same jeans jackets, mind you). Now, I'm sure most of those kids are managing large companies and making decent livings while I toil away at being an "artist". Despite my limited knowledge about Sabbath, I do know that the original line up came to fame in t...

Back again. I've been overdoing it with this script I'm writing and haven't found the time to write on the blog. A drag, I know. Had a chance to watch "Brokeback Mountain" the other night and it was a wonderful movie. Heath Ledger is a revelation in his role. The rest of the cast is also outstanding, but is really Ledger that shows something I have never seen in any of his previous performances. I think this is my second favorite Ang Lee film, behind "Sense and Sensibility". As I watched the movie, I was unprepared to get sucked into it emotionally like I did. I had read the short story last year and that really stuck with me. But this film has really kept me thinking since I watched the credits. What I really came away from it thinking, though, is how I wish I could have been the first person to read the story, or to be the first person, unaware, to see the movie. What a marvelous experience that must have been for those unsuspecting people. W...

I haven't posted on this site in some time. My knee problems have prevented me from running any more and I have decided to give up the marathons. What will I do next? Not sure. Right now I'm waist deep in a couple of writing projects that seem to be sucking up any spare time I have. I have decided to keep a new blog for a year. It's a little experiment in trying to document my year. That web address is:www.augustone.blogspot.com Thanks for checking in. Aloha

One last thing. My buddy Geoff is featured in the new Jennifer Anniston/Vince Vaughn movie that opens this summer. Geoff starred in "King's Highway", and he's highlighted in the trailer. Here is a link to it: http://movies.aol.com/movie_exclusive_the_breakup_trailer

From: Scott Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 To: Steve Steve- So, I thought I'd take the next four weeks to highlight the four rock' roll artists being inducted to the Rock Hall this year. You know I am a big fan of the Hall of Fame, though I don't always agree with their selections (ZZ Top? Bob Seger? Really?) or with their omissions (The Stooges, Patti Smith, Gram Parsons, Chic... To name a few). This year's class should prove to be one of the most interesting, what with spacey NY punkers (Blondie); Bloated southern boys (Skynyrd); brain dead headbangers (Sabbath) and a group whose whole purpose was to be a spit in the mainstream (the Pistols). (Miles Davis is being inducted...HUH? And so are the Herb Albert and Jerry Moss, the guys who created A&M Records...thanks for Joe Jackson, guys-- but I'm not going to feature them). Anyway, with such an eclectic group. This is the first year in many in which VH1 must be seating. Who is really going to watch this year'...

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog. It's been a busy couple of weeks and I've had a lot of thinking to do about the blog and what it's supposed to represent. I also have been working on several projects at once and the blog kind of falls by the wayside. That said, I'm going to do my best to set aside some time at lunch every day to just post some thoughts and keep this updated. In the mean time, here is the next email I sent to my buddy Steve. S

To: Steve Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2006 From: Scott Steve- I waited all day for the user on my floor who had the John Legend album on his iTunes to get on the server just so I could send you this week's song. Dude, I hear this a couple of months ago and I really dug the entire album. But I saw John Legend perform last night on the Grammys and was not only impressed, but inspired. It's one of just two performances at that awards show that actually moved me (and caused me to rewind my TiVo to watch the performance again). What I find so wonderful about this song is its take on love... A mature love between a couple that they have grown into. It's not about infatuation, it's not about that "I just got married and I'm on top of the world" love. It's abou7t the "we've had our troubles and worked through them and you're still the love of my life and the one and ONLY person I want to spend the rest of my life with" love. Nothing more inspiring...

A quick post before I call it a night. Got through most of the day without any disruptions. But the weight of Matt's death was suddenly upon me as the day came to an end. Thought I was handling it. The worse part is that I projected some of this anxiety out to the family and every little thing I did that was wrong only grew in size. I forgot Jake's enzymes and didn't realize it until we were in the Target parking lot. Instead of trying to laugh it off, I got so damn pissed at myself. Why can't I remember? God bless Sophie who tries to make me feel better. And I know I was wearing the Budd, Sr. face the whole time. This isn't who I want my kids to think I am. This isn't the kind of man I want to be. Is there something more going on here? Is this whole anniversary just a reason for me to be sad? What am I missing? I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Aloha

As I was putting Jake down to bed tonight, I couldn’t close my eyes, which is unusual. I typically fall asleep with him and wake up an hour later, or when Julie gets home from work. But tonight, I just lay there, staring into the darkness, my eyes slowly adjusting. Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of Matt’s death and all I can think about is the last time we spoke and the gulf that formed between us in the two years between that phone call and his passing. The last time I saw Matt was Labor Day, 2001. We were home in Cleveland visiting because we weren’t going to be flying back for Christmas that year (as Jake was due in the winter). He came over to the Flynn’s and reeked of alcohol. This put almost everyone off, even though he was in very good spirits (and with Matt and alcohol, it was hit or miss). After that night, we spoke again about him coming out to visit and whether he would be moving out west again. Before we knew it, the night was over and he was gone. After we...

From: Steve Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 14:39:05 -0500 To: Scott Scott, As always, this is gem of a message. Matt was very fortunate in his friendships. I can't match the tone of this message, but the air guitar scene reminded me of something I saw not long ago. It's attached. Thanks again for the tune. I love it. Steve From: Scott Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 To: Steve This picture is freakin' awesome. Thanks. S From: Steve Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 To: Scott I thought you'd like it. Feel free to send to Budd and Dave Lamb. I bet they'd get a kick out of it, too. From:Scott Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 To: Steve Yeah, I bet they will. You know, I took your advice and Googled myself the other day... Then I Googled you. Nice picture on the company website, Steve. So professional looking. From: Steve Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 To: Scott OK, that's just mean. But: A buddy Googled me about a year ago and somehow found some cross country results from 1986. It took me two hours to g...

From: Scott Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 To: Steve Hey Steve, I've been reflecting on Matt all this week. I've found it to be very healthy, trying to remember who he was and what he was capable of as a good man, friend, and brother. Is it strange to be going through this type of looking back a year after he passed away? I don't think I'll do it again next year. In fact, I'll try to recall his birthday from now on and have a toast to him then. Like I said, I spoke with Elliott last Saturday and it was just a nice, good conversation. A lot of reminiscing and, surprisingly, a lot of laughter. I believe Matt would have liked us to remember him for being able to make us laugh. Despite his air of superiority and the way he could make you feel small, he was also full of a lot of warmth and humor. For this week's song. I wanted to pick something that reminded me of him. I could have been obvious and chosen Dylan or Tom Waits. I avoided his latter day loves like Nick...