We Don't Walk Slow

Hot Hot Hot

I’m sure everyone in Pennsylvania has noticed that the temperature has been in the 90’s the last few days and everyone loves pointing out how hot it is. I sweat more then any other human being and this weather is my absolute favorite. I’ll do my fair share of complaining how hot it is out but I secretly enjoy it. Insta-sweating is one of my favorite past times. I feel like it’s a cleansing process of removing all the toxins from my toxic body. I told my mom how I would love this weather all year round and she commented I wouldn’t appreciate weather like this. I don’t really care for that response as I dislike the cold much more than any varying level of appreciation for the heat. I really enjoy running outside too when your body overheats to the point of basically shutting down. It feels good to push your body and then start seeing stars and getting wobbly. I played tennis yesterday and I had to wring my shirt out after an hour plus of playing. I don’t especially enjoy tennis but I do enjoy the work out. I feel like running for part of the day and also playing tennis are two good cardio exercises that should get me back into shape quickly. I’m still way off my times from last year at this point which is beginning to bother me.

The other issue is that tennis starts to bother my recovering ankle. I wore a brace when I was playing and didn’t have any difficultly moving but today I’ve noticed some on and off again shooting pain. Off topic, Steve brought these weights which are a set of curls that can be adjusted to various weights which is pretty sweet. I’d recommend them to anyone who is considering buying many different weights because this is really an all in one. Plus with weights around I tend to just do random sets throughout the day. I really feel that with this heat and beach time coming up that I find the motivation to work towards my best physical shape of the year. The sweating makes me feel like I’m working hard and the motivator to look good to show off is there. I’ll be in OCMD all of next week so I’m not really sure what is going to happen to my blog. I probably won’t be bringing a laptop so I can’t promise any posts. I know this disappoints everyone but generally this should be a good time to produce some epic stories. The bike race is also this Sunday, so we are considering leaving that Monday instead of this Saturday. Also, this is a call for any females who would be interested in playing softball this Saturday at 11:30. We are in need of one girl and we’d be more than happy to have you then to look for some random at the bar. Enjoy the weather.

By Tom Stortz|2013-03-15T03:41:25-04:00May 31st, 2011|My Life|0 Comments

Goodbye Ice Cream Man

When you are a little kid there is nothing that makes you happier then the ice cream man. The pop goes the weasel song is playing and neighborhood kids line up for an Ice Cream Sandwich, a Chipwich, or Scooby Doo Popsicle. I remember they had these long sticks of colored sugar that used to be my favorite. This tradition has to be a staple of the United States but I can’t understand how it survives. This is a business and I must pose the question, where is the money coming from? First of all, gas is 4 bucks a gallon so the driver wants to do as little driving as possible. The upstart costs have to be $20,000 for a truck that big and a refrigeration unit. What’s the profit margin on a ice cream bar? They sell for 2 bucks and cost a quarter? That’s a pretty good margin but how many of these are selling an hour? Say 20 people per hour and you are making 35 dollars. The driver is probably the owner, I really don’t know, so you make 35 bucks minus the cost of the driving which in a truck like that is a real gas guzzler. Maybe 20 people is on the low side of customers but what if you get an hour where you find 2 customers? I just don’t see where the money comes from to offset any upstart costs. My prediction is the ice cream man business will be finished in a few years.

By Tom Stortz|2016-10-28T16:01:53-04:00May 29th, 2011|My Brain|1 Comment

Rave Raven’s Claw Review

Raven’s Claw – Pottstown, Pa
9.5/10

I felt it was necessary to give Raven’s Claw an honest review because people don’t seem to understand its value. We paid 49 dollars to tee off at 1:50 (their twilight is 2) and we actually started at 1:40. Tell me how many other courses actually tee you off before your tee time (and give you the twilight rate). They also give you a players card which allows the a 10th round for free after you pay for 9 rounds. Just another amenity that makes you want to play this course. The staff was also extremely friendly and the club house is kept clean, neat, and organized. We even ate at their restaurant after our round and the food was good and beer was priced right. Back to the golf.

We played from the blue tee boxes which measure a shade under 6400 yards which should explain the 400+ yard par 4’s and 600 yard par 5. This is not your beginners course. The first hole is a relatively straight par 5 which is probably one of the easier holes on the course but I haven’t had much success. The course really delivers challenging shot after challenging shot. The length wasn’t even the issue as I was driver, 9 iron a decent amount of the time on the par 4’s. Even on holes where I was hitting a 2 iron or 3 wood off the tee, I was getting there in 2. The par 5’s played fair and the par 3’s are really where you can score because they are not that difficult. The par 4’s are usually winding dog legs where long, straight drives make them doable. If you can’t get off the tee though, you are going to have some problems. The 230 yard par 3, 17th, is probably the hardest hole for the novice. It plays like a par 4 essentially and you ob is happening if you hit the ball right. You really want to play from the fairway because hitting out of the rough can prove cumbersome. On 16 I topped my drive right into some thick stuff and I my next shot literally went 15 yards as my club was just eaten up by the rough.

The biggest issue of the course was the pace of play as our round took us about 4 and half hours. This is of no fault of the course though as they have rangers who are making sure people are keeping pace. Problem was the two groups ahead of use, both twosomes, were plain bad and if you are bad on this course, you are going to be spending a lot of time searching for your ball. However, if you are the only person on the course, I think you can play a 3 hour round. I also didn’t feel like they over crowded the course as there was no wait on the tee-box. The bottom line is that this course is the premier course of this area. I’ve played most Montgomery County courses and this is in a league of it’s own. Also their pricing is completely fair for a golf course of this caliber. This is the best value in our area, no if, ands, or buts.

By Tom Stortz|2011-07-30T20:48:56-04:00May 29th, 2011|Golf Course Reviews|0 Comments

Mandatory Post

I feel that this is just post I have to make because I haven’t done anything since Thursday. Ck4 and I took off on Friday to go golfing. We played a course called Springfield Country club in the Delco area. The course was pretty decent but nothing phenomenal. I’m going to start posting some golf course reviews of courses in the area for nothing more then some content. I think I finished with a 96 but I had a 42 on the back which shows the potential is there but I’m just not putting it together. That same point works the next day too when we played Raven’s Claw in the Pottstown area. Shee, Ck4 and myself got a 2pm tee time at the finest course in the Philly area. I’m going to devote an entire post to this course when I have the time because I really love the experience even though I shot a 107. Inconsistency led to a 12 on hole #9 and I really have no explanation other then no damage control and losing my head. Two holes previously I couldn’t get off the tee as well and hit the ball into peoples houses. Then on the next hole I hit a drive 40 yards from the green and got a 6 and then the 12 hit. The whole course is awesome though.

I didn’t go out last night and was asleep by 12. My body needed a break from the two late nights before. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened though so I don’t have much to write about the Manayunk night life. The long weekend is going by pretty fast as it’s 9:30 on Sunday and tomorrow is the last free day. I’m probably going to do some physical exercise today and try to hang out by pool for a while. I don’t know what type of activities are lined up for tonight. Not much valuable info in this post but I figure it’s better then nothing. For what it’s worth.

By Tom Stortz|2016-11-01T23:43:36-04:00May 29th, 2011|My Brain|0 Comments

Types of Blog Readers

In a constant effort of trying to better this blog I took a moment to consider what types of readers I have. I broke it down into 3 categories.

The Daily Reader
I think this type are people who know who I am. They have an interest in what is going on in my life because it can effect their life. Mainly I think these are people I see on a regular basis (the majority) or people who just really like the blog (minority). They’ll read every post and check in either daily or every few hours to see if I have anything posted. These are my loyal followers and most likely friends. There might be a few lurker, regulars but I’d be surprised if that number is higher then 10. I don’t have to try to tailor a post to this group as they’ll read anything. Basically, I don’t have to change the blog at all to appease this group and they prefer frequent posts over long delays.

The Check in Every so Often Person
These are people who probably know me because they are friends with someone from the group above. They either found me through facebook or my name popped up in conversation and they remembered their visit to rnningfool.com. They are aware of my existence but it doesn’t really mean anything to them in their own lives. They won’t read any post that has a lot of text and they probably just scan through for anything that catches their eye, meaning pictures are good. The words Facebook, Jersey Shore and Lady Gaga are all meaningful posts that are likely to catch their attention. They come because they are bored and don’t plan to stay long. To entertain this group I have to keep posts short and sweet and write about current events or interesting stories. These are people who I would like to try to convert into group 1 above but it takes some time to develop them and I have to have quality posts to do so. Serious traffic is created by making these quickies into long term relationships.

Random Readers
They got here by mistake or through a search engine. I still get traffic for various searches for Ashley Banks or Larisa Oleynik but no longer Suri. These are the types of people who tend to “bounce” from the website. I’m not sure what intrigues them about the way my site is displayed by google but I know there is just a percentage of people who will randomly click, see its not for them, and insta click away. If your site has a bounce rate under 50%, it means people who find your site are generally finding it for the right reasons. Mine tends to be in the 65% area which means I get a lot of spew traffic. Unless I start finding original naked pictures of Katy Perry, these people aren’t going to stay on my sight for long. Content means nothing and I have to catch their eye in literally 1-2 seconds until they click away.

By Tom Stortz|2011-05-26T10:22:12-04:00May 26th, 2011|My Brain|4 Comments

Life Update

I really haven’t been posting much about my daily life and instead have been focusing on various topics, (best musician, klosterman questions, celebrity boobs) but I’ll take a moment for an update. After 3 years the living situation at Green Lane has changed and Evan moved out and Steve moved in. We had good times together but Evan decided it was time to move on from the post college, party atmosphere that is Manayunk. We’ve always gotten along well and didn’t have many complications as roommates. A new roommate will lead to a new social crowd and I’m sure I’ll be meeting new people who will be making the blog. It’s a fun time and change is good to keep everyone on their toes. Getting into a routine has it’s merits but stale behavior won’t lead to any progress. I’m excited to see where this leads.

Aside from that little tidbit, not much else has been happening. I’ve been running again and managed 3 miles at 5:51, 6:02, and 5:52 which isn’t bad considering this was 3 months post ankle breakage. I still have a long ways to go and will be incorporating some longer runs down Kelly near term. I’m starting to feel like I’m getting in shape again. I’ve been able to spend more time on this blog since I haven’t been playing online poker for the past month. I feel like it’s coming along from a quality perspective but my readership still isn’t where I’d like to see it. I bought a 12 pack of Cherry Cokes and have been drinking two a day. I feel like my stomach lining is being eaten. I’ve never been a huge soda guy and have pretty much eliminated it except for every so often, but now that I have these 12 and I have to drink them. I really like the taste but they just seem so bad for you. Ice Cream makes me feel the same way. With that being pretty much my biggest news story, you get the idea. I’ve set a record of posts for the month which is something to notice.

By Tom Stortz|2011-05-25T16:06:08-04:00May 25th, 2011|My Brain|2 Comments

Gusto’s Top 25 Musicians of All Time – 5-1

5. Led Zeppelin

I didn’t get Led Zeppelin when I was younger. I thought it was just a bunch of yelling and screaming and heavy metal BS. What a fool in the rain I was. Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 that consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham, and bassist John Paul Jones. The band played together for 12 years until Bonham died in 1980 (by choking on his on vomit after drinking too much) and this signified the end of Led Zeppelin. Bonham has been labeled as one of the greatest drummers of all time. John Paul Jones is currently playing with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme in Them Crooked Vultures. Jimmy Page is ranked as #9 in Rolling Stones top 100 guitarists. Robert Plant was the amazing vocalist and lyricist to this wonderful band and has had a successful solo career to boot. Led Zeppelin has sold over 200 million albums to date and some sources have the sales as high as 300. They are often cited as one of the key progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock. Their first 4 albums were titled Led Zeppelin I,II,III, and IV which makes for easy identifying. Classic songs like Black Dog, Kashmir, Stairway to Heaven, Immigrant Song, Going to California, Whole Lotta Love, What is and What Should Never Be (my personal fave), Ramble On, Moby Dick, Gallows Pole…. the list seriously doesn’t stop. This group has such an original, unreal sound that it’s hard to find anything like it. Bands today don’t compare with Led Zeppelin. A #5 ranking seems almost insulting but there really are only 4 spots better and there is no debate on one of them, which leaves 3 more open spots. Zeppelin is deserved of any of the remaining 4.

4. The Rolling Stones

We find another band who has caught my attention over the years. This isn’t like Ray Charles where I haven’t heard a song. I think the Stones are a great band and deserve a place in the top 10. Yes, I said 10 because even though they have countless amazing songs, I don’t find a ton that throw me over the edge.

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by guitarist and harmonica player Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart, with vocalist and harmonica player Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup. Jones initially led the band, but after teaming as songwriters, Jagger and Richards assumed leadership. Their worldwide estimated sales top 200 million albums. They have produced 22 studio albums which is a vast number. I think this is why I somewhat feel they have so many songs that I find them to be great, but not unbelievable. Their songs that top their list are Paint it Black, Sympathy for the Devil, You Can’t Always Get What you Want, Under my Thumb and Satisfaction. Others that I find very good songs are Midnight Rambler, Jumping Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, Shattered, Miss You, and Gimme Shelter. They even have “great” songs which I don’t particularly like like Angie, Beast of Burden, Ruby Tuesday, and Get off My Cloud. The amount of quality songs that this band has blows away competition. You just can’t argue that current bands are better then the Stones because no one has done it for as long, with as much consistency. A Bigger Bang was released in 2005! Plus they are known to party harder then anyone. Keith Richards fell out of tree at 60+ years old. I’ve probably listened to 30 of their popular songs and am still missing 100 of their other good songs. It’s hard to touch the Stones.

3. Bruce Springsteen

He is the Boss. Hailing from right across the bridge, Bruce is our local hero. Bruce sings for every blue collar guy and the emotion in his music is unmatched. After hanging with Gusto I’ve grown a real appreciation for Bruce. His band is known as the E Street Band but without Bruce, I can’t see them selling out arenas. Bruce is the man. He has sold more than 65 million albums domestically and 120 worldwide. I think I hold Bruce higher then I should because he hails from New Jersey which is just a stones throw away from Philly. I make the analogy that people from the Northeast love Bruce the way the South love anything Country. Born to Run and Born in the USA are some of the finest albums ever produced. He has 20 Grammy’s, has influenced dozens of the best artists and just owns in life. Gusto would be quick to say that Thunder Road or Rosalita are Bruce’s best songs. I’d quickly add Glory Days, Jungleland, Downbound Train, Cover Me, Dancing in the Dark, Born to Run, Racing in the Street, and Growin Up. Even the soundtrack songs Streets of Philadelphia and Secret Garden are great. I’m probably a bit biased to Bruce as well and he’s probably a bit high on the all-time list, but I don’t mind.

2.Elton John

I know that Gusto is partial to Elton. He’ll say that he has a place in his heart for Elton and grew up listening to him. In his four-decade career John has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. His single “Candle in the Wind 1997” has sold over 33 million copies worldwide, and is the best selling single in Billboard history. Hard to argue with those last facts that Elton doesn’t deserve a top 5 spot. Billboard magazine has him listed as #3 most successful artists of all time. The Rolling Stone has him at #49 of the top 100. He adds 30 albums to his amazing arsenal of talent. I think some people associate Elton with soft, lovey music but they are so far off. Elton has become one of my favorite artists as well. To run through some of his best songs Rocket Man, Your Song, I’m Still Standing, Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters, Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water, Levon, Daniel, Indian Sunset, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and the Jets. My faves are Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding (wonderful 2 part song) and Grey Seal (such a different sound). Elton has so much music that I haven’t possibly listened to most of it. His charisma, flamboyance, and magical singing talent should be landing him high up on all time lists.

1. The Beatles

This is no surprise. If you don’t agree, you haven’t listened to them enough. They are transcendent. I don’t know if I used that right but I know it means supreme or lying above the range of perception. In 8th grade I used to listen to Sgt Pepper while I did my homework. How on Earth does an 8th grader like a band from the 60’s? Because they are the greatest band ever created and there has been nothing like them since. A group of guys has never come together to surpass the Beatles. It’s not even close. Instead of just saying how good they are let me back this up with some facts and history.

From 1962, the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). They have sold somewhere between 600 million to 1 billion albums. Only Elvis comes close to those numbers. Former Rolling Stone associate editor Robert Greenfield said, “People are still looking at Picasso … at artists who broke through the constraints of their time period to come up with something that was unique and original. In the form that they worked in, in the form of popular music, no one will ever be more revolutionary, more creative and more distinctive.” In 7 years they produced 12 albums. Do you understand how short that time period is to produce 12 albums? You put these guys together and all they did was create outstanding pieces of work. I almost feel bad listing some of their great songs because I don’t have the time to list everyone – Something, Here Comes the Sun, Yesterday, Across the Universe, Let It Be, In My Life, Come Together, Golden Slumbers, Get Back, Eleanor Rigby, All You Need is Love… Their albums Revolver, Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper… and all the others for that matter are great. They didn’t make bad music. What the Beatles did as a group is something that none of us will ever see again in our lifetimes. I wasn’t even a part of it, yet I can tell it’s was a completely amazing, glorious and distinguished period of time. I have never heard anything else that sounds like the Beatles. Probably never will and for that, they will hold the #1 spot for the next century.

Thanks to everyone who reads this and thought it was a worthwhile effort from someone who is just an average Joe who listens to music. I got all my facts from Wikipedia and if there are any copyright issues, I’ll reference everything to them (who then reference it to someone else.) The pics obviously swiped too. I tried to put as much knowledge in the small space without getting too lengthy. I also think it’s important to add that Gusto created this list in 2 tries. He didn’t go back and start shifting spots for the most complete list and I know there are bands he missed. Some artists that come to mind – The Who, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder and the Doors are 5 that have to be ahead of Green Day, KOL and Alice in Chains, Jim Croce. However, I think it was a good idea to leave his list in tact without mangling it because this is what first came to his mind. My particular list wouldn’t have as many singers (Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Van Morrison) and I would be substituting some bands I like that I know don’t get recognition as being “great” by the critics. I think his top 5 though is a marquee round out. Thanks for reading.

By Tom Stortz|2011-05-24T23:09:24-04:00May 24th, 2011|Top 25 Best Bands|0 Comments

The LiLo Demise

Lindsay Lohan has the notion of being famous for being famous. She isn’t a tremendous actor and hasn’t really had a great career. Aside from cute, little Lindsay in the Parent trap at age 11, and then a relatively good role in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls, I haven’t seen her in anything. Important to note these roles were when she was most likely clean and had her head on straight pre 20 years old. In 2007, she racked up two DUI’s and numerous visits to rehab. She pretty much lost control and has been a Britney Spears train wreck ever since. Honestly, all Lindsay means to me is a double scoring word in Scattergories for things you throw away. HOWEVER, I do find one thing about her unbelievable. Her boobs are just so amazing. I just don’t really see where they come from. I know in Mean Girls she was full, figured near perfect 10, and then she turned to coke, got skinny in her anorexic days, but she still maintains these amazing boobs. Here are some pics of a transformation and I just assume implants but I have no idea.

She’s probably 20 or so in this and has a tight stomach, pretty face, nice rack. Just an awesome picture. (What is that leg btw?) It’s sad to see her turn into present day Lindsay.

Her complexion is scary, the hair is ugly, she seems like a coke whore but look at how big that tit is. I was just in disbelief when I saw this. TMZ had it up and this picture wasn’t enough to make me post this but then lightning strikes twice?

Look at the direction her boobs are going? They are huge and two nip shots in a week is just making me think that this is was she’s resorted to. This is what she’s become famous for, on purpose nip shots. She lost her Lindsay allure and it’s just sad to see it go. She’s just a good example of becoming famous, choosing drugs to cope with the enormous pressure put on her by the paparazzi and other factors of being famous. It really is sad. Also if anyone reads this and can answer whether I’m allowed to post pics from TMZ w/o their permission (even when this site doesn’t make a dime), I’m curious. And I’m sure you people think I’m a perv for making this post like this, but cmon, the effect of this post is much better this way instead of me picking normal pictures of her.

By Tom Stortz|2016-10-28T15:21:31-04:00May 24th, 2011|Celeb|0 Comments

Gusto’s Top 25 Musicians – 10-6

10. Dave Matthews Band

Founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Some people are DMB fan boys, some are not. One of the first Cd’s I ever bought was Under the Table and Dreaming and I listened to every track and enjoyed everyone as a youngster. Growing up during DMB’s popular days of the 90’s, I was turned off by how much people liked them. I feel like people liked them because they were the thing to like. After Under The Table Dreaming I just dismissed Dave from my music arsenal. I have a working knowledge of his more popular songs like Crush, Crash into Me, Tripping Billies, and The Space Between but I really lived Ant’s Marching, Satellite, What Would You Say, and The Best of What’s Around. To date Dave has sold 30-40 million copies worldwide. I find Dave to be talented but he would probably not make my personal top 25 list. Even when I hear his new songs I just think he has this stigma that turns me off.

9. Bob Dylan

The magazine The Rolling Stone, which is a long running (formed 1967) critique of music and pop culture, is named after the Bob Dylan song “Like a Rolling Stone” to give you an idea of Bob Dylan’s influence. The song also takes the #1 song in their list of top 500 songs. He has sold an estimated 30-40 million albums. Dylan’s music relates to US Civil rights and Anti War movements. The song in Forrest Gump that Jenny sings is Blowin’ in the Wind by Dylan. Other major hits from Dylan are Mr. Tambourine Man, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Hurricane, and Highway 61 revisited. He is known for his song writing and unique voice. I have never taken the time to listen to the lyrics that closely and I’m sure they are great as he’s regarded as a fantastic song writer, I however have not listened to Dylan enough to form a real opinion. I find some of his music to be a slow ballad that I just can’t enjoy. I probably wouldn’t have Dylan in my top 25 but you can blame that on my lack of listening to his work.

8. Billy Joel

Out of everyone on Gusto’s list so far, Billy Joel would find his way at least this high on mine. It’s really pretty simple too, when I look at an artist like Joel to Dylan, he catches me in with the actual music. Some songs aren’t profound song writing, some definitely are, but they all have music and a hook which the average guy like me can enjoy. He has sold over 150 million copies and is the 6th best recording artist and the 3rd as a solo artist. I have listened to more Billy Joel songs then any other artist (besides 1) and his sound appeals to me. I’m going to run through a few of my personal favorites rather then his huge hits – Prelude / Angry Young Man , Miami 2017, The Ballad of Billy the Kid, Vienna, Summer Highland Falls, and Sleeping with the Television On. I know critics tear into some of his work from the 80’s but I don’t really ever find his songs to be bad. I’m going to listen to The Nylon Curtain and see if anything changes. I think the Stranger and 52nd Street are his more popular albums. I am a Billy Joel fan and you won’t find me saying anything bad from my limited taste for music. I didn’t see him on Rolling Stones top 100 artists for what it’s worth.

7. Van Morrison

I know very little about Van Morrison. I am aware of the songs Brown Eyed Girl, And It Stones Me, Moondance, and Domino. This is another artist who misses the mark for me. It’s that same type of slow singing, good songwriting, lack the hook which passes me by. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Van Morrison 42nd on their list of “Greatest Artists of All Time”. I have very little to say except that it seems like he has produced about 30 albums. I just listened to about 5 songs and I don’t hear it. Sorry Van Morrison for not giving you a banner write up, I’m too much of a dolt.

6. Ray Charles

I promise you the next 5 musicians are all recognizable and don’t have me researching why these guys are good. Gusto will be fast to tell you that there is hardly anyone who can compare to Ray Charles singing voice. I can’t argue, but I don’t really care. He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s. Plus I’m sure being blind didn’t hurt his allure. This is just one of those artists who I am unable to appreciate. When you have a quote like, in honoring Charles, Billy Joel noted: “This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley. I don’t know if Ray was the architect of rock & roll, but he was certainly the first guy to do a lot of things . . . Who the hell ever put so many styles together and made it work?” I just can’t give you a good opinion on why Ray Charles should be this high but I wouldn’t even have him on my list of the top musicians. Rolling Stone had him at #10 for what it’s worth.

By Tom Stortz|2011-05-24T16:29:19-04:00May 24th, 2011|Top 25 Best Bands|1 Comment

Forming your own opinion

I’ve been pretty pleased with the response to some posts lately. I know it sounds really stupid but I read every comment and helps me form future entry’s. Something as stupid as Sam telling me he wants me to finish the music list gives me the motivation to get it done. Jkash said I should include Jkash and he got a spot next to Jamaal Charles. When Bud tells me he likes variety, I know he’s happy with any crap I produce that keeps him a little less bored. Even when I rip on everyone of Laura’s comments I still feel some sort of satisfaction knowing she keeps commenting. I know from the readers point of view it’s like wtf is this guy’s deal demanding input from us but I can’t make this a better blog without it. Hafer, you can’t just dive into my pool and enjoy the water if I don’t know what temperature to keep it. I read everyone’s dumb comments and take them to heart. I don’t crave the attention as much as I value the input. Now I just need a few thousand readers so I don’t have to personalize this with these types of posts and then you can complain how I don’t relate to my readers.

After a long winded intro that I hope was mildly entertaining, I did have a point to this post. If you follow this blog, you’ll know I’ve been using Gusto’s list of artists as the backbone of my top 25 music artists. An obvious question would be, why don’t I use my own top 25 artists? I know it’s difficult to concede the fact that someone knows more then you, but if you always think you know everything, how can you learn? Now even though I don’t necessarily agree, or like, some of his top 25 artists, he has a more extensive music background and I’ve seen the work he’s put into his music collection to validate his opinions. I felt that his opinion of top artists held more credibility then mine would. I will at the end fit some of my artists so you can see what type of music I like, opposed to who he deems as the best.

I remember one class in college called American Literary Traditions and the main point of the class was to think for yourself. If everyone just thought like everyone else, there wouldn’t be any progress. Slavery was a subject in the class and how captivity hindered the African American race from thinking. Once we grew as a society and allowed this group of uniquely thinking individuals to think for themselves, they were able to provide us with thoughts, activities and ideas that previous cultures weren’t able to develop. I know this point coincides with my previous paragraph about using someone to learn from, but I really think the best way to succeed in life is to act as a sponge to someone who knows more then you, and then develop thoughts for yourself. I know I throw one of these, hopefully thoughtful, posts in every once in a while.

By Tom Stortz|2011-05-23T23:00:20-04:00May 23rd, 2011|My Brain|0 Comments