A New Graduation Song

Following all the hub-bub about the Baz Luhrman song this was written by a few friends in LA, Daniel DeFabio and Chris Conroy. Video of the original song follows this version.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’99: eat mushrooms.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, mushrooms would be it. The long-term benefits of mushrooms have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own worthless experience. Never the less here it is.
Enjoy you the certainty and confidence of knowing you are the most educated and intelligent people in the world. For the next four years you will add brain cells everyday. For everyday after that you will lose brain cells.

Maybe you’ll drink, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll do whip its maybe you won’t. Either way the brain cells will die and you’ll realize you no longer know everything.

Ignore the compliments you receive. They are only preludes to asking for a favor. Never forget the insults you hear that way when it is your turn to insult someone you’ll have plenty of good material.

Whine. Whiners get more attention.

Eat at a restaurant in San Francisco once, but leave before it makes you soft. Visit an adult theater in New York once but leave before it makes you hard.

Have an orgy. Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Share your love and your lovers with the world.

Sign a prenuptial agreement. The pain it causes you now is nothing compared to the pain it will save you later.

Masturbate, even if you have nowhere to do it but your friend’s kitchen.

Read the directions only if you have left over parts.

Do not read kiddie porn you will only get arrested.

Don’t wait until your parents are dying to make up with them. They are less likely to leave you any of the good stuff.

Refuse to work for idiot bosses or unreasonable clients. If you succeed in doing this tell me how.

Accept certain inalienable truths: There will always be old people with poor memories who believe it was better in their day. It doesn’t matter if they’re right. Their day is over.

But trust me on the mushrooms.
—-
Now if you’d like to see/hear the original song – check it out below

Not Quite the Library of Congress – Its the Library of Venice, CA

Found myself doing some rearranging and started into my books shelves. I’ve got 4 books shelves not to mention book piles, books on my night stand, coffee table and the tables next to my sofa. Can you tell I didn’t have TV in my house? Truth is I love reading and always have.

After artfully balancing some new piles in the living room, I thought why not catalog what I’ve got and share it with a few friend (hey it’s my own lending library). Below is the list of what I’ve acquired from 93-99. Working on the pre-93 list but who know where to start with that one.

12 Days on the Road (The Sex Pistols American Tour) – Noel Monk/ Jimmy Gutterman
2nd Helping of Chicken Soup-Jack Canfield
A Search for Self-Sarah Cirese
A Separate Reality-Carlos Casteneda
Acid Dreams-Martin Lee and Bruce Shalin
All I know about Animal Behavior
I learned in Loehman’s Dressing Room-Erma Bombeck
All I Really Needed to Know
I Learned in Kindergarten-Robert Fulghum
All or Nothing-Longstreet Stephen
American Psycho-Brett Easton Ellis
Among the Thugs- Bill Buford
An Incomplete Education-Judy Jines and William Wilson
Astronomy:The Cosmic Journey-Hartmann
Attack of the Deranges Mutual Killer Snow Goons-Bill Watterson
Best-Loved Folktales of the World-Joanne Cole
Beyond Mulder and Scully-Andy Mangels
Binky’s Guide to Love-Matt Groenig
Bloom County Babylon-Berke Breathed
Brain Power-Albrecht
Brave New World-Aldous Huxley
Bridge Across Forever-Richard Bach
Cat in the Hat-Dr. Suess
Catch 22-Joesph Heller
Chapterhouse: Dune-Frank Herbert
Children of Dune-Frank Herbert
Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe
Creative Dreaming-Patrica Garfield
Crime and Punishment-Fyodor Dostoevsky
Danse Macabre-Stephen King
Dark Love-Edward Kramer
Deep Thoughts-Jack Handey
Delta of Venus-Anais Nin
Diet for a New America-John Robbins
Dolores Claiborne-Stephen King
Dune Messiah-Frank Herbert
Dune-Frank Herbert
Dying:A Book of Comfort-Pat McNees
Eight Annual Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror
Ethan Frome-Edith Wharton
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas-Hunter S. Thompson
Four Past Midnite-Stephen King
Geek Love-Katherine Dunn
God Emperor of Dune-Frank Herbert
Great American Folklore-Kemp Battle
Green Eggs and Ham-Dr. Suess
Growing Your Nest Egg-The Beardstown Ladies
Guide to Guys-Dave Barry
Hell Angels into the Abyss-Yves Lavigne
Heretics of Dune-Frank Herbert
High Fidelity-Nick Hornsby
Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat-Bill Watterson
How Did it all Begin?-R.Brasch
I’m OK, You’re OK-Thomas Harris
Illusion-Richard Bach
Infinte Jest – David Wallace
Interview with a Vampire-Anne Rice
It’s a Magical World-Bill Watterson
It’s Greek to Me-Micheal Macrone
IT-Stephen King
Johnathan Livingston Seagull-Richard Bach
Journey to Ixtlan-Carlos Casteneda
Kafka-D.Mairowitz and Robert Crumb
Letter from a Nut- Ted Nancy
Life after Life-Raymond Moody
Literature-D. Yanni
Little Birds-Anais Nin
Mediations-Thomas Moore
Meditation-Shakti Gawain
Memnoch the Devil-Anne Rice
Midnight Cowboy-James Leo Herlihy
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil-John Berndt
Millenium-Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
More Letters from a Nut- Ted Nancy
Mythology-Edith Hamilton
Netchick-Carla Sinclair
Night Beat-Mikal Gilmore
Night Light-Amy Dean
Night Shift-Stephen King
Nightmares and Dreamscapes-Stephen King
Notes from the Underground-Fyodor Dostoevsky
Notes of a Dirty Old Man-Charles Bukowski
Oh, the Places You’ll Go-Dr. Suess
One-Richard Bach
Out of Sight-Elmore Leonard
Pentecost-Anne Perry
Poetry is-Ted Hughes
Promiscuities-Naomi Wolf
Religion and the Decline of Magic-Keith Thomas
Rivethead
Rose Madder-Stephen King
Running from Saftey-Richard Bach
Salem’s Lot-Stephen King
Savages-Shirley Conran
Scientific Progress goes “Boink”-Bill Watterson
Seafire-Gardner
Should You Leave?-Peter Kramer
Sight of Sound-Roger Walton
Sole Survivor-Dean Koontz
Tales of Power-Carlos Casteneda
Talk Dirty to Me- Sally Tisdale
Tarot Divination-Allister Crowley
The Alienist-Caleb Carr
The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes-Bill Watterson
The Autobiography of Alice B. Tolkas-Gertrude Stein
The Bachman Books-Stephen King
The Belljar-Sylvia Plath
The Book of Etiquette-Emily Post
The Book of Questions-Gregory Stock
The Carpetbaggers-Harold Robbins
The Celestine Prophecy-James Redfield
The Chickens are Restless-Gary Larson
The Childrens Living Bible The Curious Sofa-Ogdred Weary
The Curse of Madame C-Gary Larson
The Dark Half-Stephen King
The DarkTower:The Drawing of the Three-Stephen King
The DarkTower:The Gunslinger-Stephen King
The DarkTower:The Wastelands-Stephen King
The End of Alice-A.M. Homes
The Everyday English Book-Leonard Rosen
The Far Side Gallery 4-Gary Larson
The Fountainhead-Ayn Rand
The Gashlycrumb Tinies-Edward Gorey
The Giving Tree
The Hobbit-J.R.R. Tolkin
The Killers Amoung Us-Colin Wilson
The Last Chapter and Worse-Gary Larson
The Last Don-Mario Puzo
The Left Hander’s Handbook-James DeKay
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe-C.S. Lewis
The Natural Superiority of the Left Hander-James DeKay
The Old Man and the Sea-Ernest Hemingway
The Paperboy-Pete Dexter
The Path-Laurie Jones
The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life-Thomas Moore
The Regulators–Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
The Revenge of the Baby Sat-Bill Watterson
The Road Less Traveled-Scott Peck
The Sacred Heart-Max Aquilera-Hellweg
The Saskiad-Brian Hall
The Secrets of Superstitions-Owen Rachleff
The Talisman-Stephen King w/Peter Straub
The Tao of Pooh-Benjamin Hoff
The Te of Piglet-Benjamin Hoff
The Tenth Insight-James Redfield
The Tibetan Book of the Dead-Evans/Wentz
The Worthing Saga-Orson Scott Card
Thinner-Stephen King
Til’ We Meet Again-Judith Krantz
To think I saw it on Mulberry St.-Dr. Suess
Tommyknockers-Stephen King
Top 500 Poems-William Harmon
Transendental Meditation-Bloomfield and Jaffe
Treasury of American Superstitions-Claudia DeLys
Valley of the Dolls-Jaqueline Susann
Versed in Country Things-Frost Robert
Why People Belive Weird Things-Micheal Shermer
Why Things Bite Back-Edward Tenner
Wild Wheels-Harrod Blank
Wine-Hugh Johnson
Yoga-Howard Kent

Fantasy Dinner Party #2

Here’s the challenge — if you could invite 5 people to a dinner party (not counting best friends or relatives), who would they be? What would you eat? What music would be playing? What would you talk about? Who would you invite?

Considering all the options available, it took me a few minutes and I hereby deliver my list with a disclaimer — the names will probably change with time, environment and mood.

Buck Fuller (the most brilliant man ever)
Winston Churchill (the most intriguing chronicler of his time)
Jean Jacques Rosseau
Wil and Ariel Durant (come together wrote the history of civilization)
J.D. Salinger (he has to get out once in a while)
Picasso (an inspired freak like that has to be exciting to chat with)

For openers
Oysters Rockefeller
Crab Cakes
Cream of Brocolli Soup
Watercress Salad

For an Entree
Tenderloin of Beef crusted in rock salt and coarse black peppercorns
Cabernet Sauce
Fresh Spinach

For those prefering Fins
Coho Salmon crusted in sesame seeds and tricolored pepper corns
Cabernet Sauce
Fresh Spinach

For Drinks:
Full Sail Ale
982 Penfolds Grange Hermitage
Cosmopolitans and Lemon Drops
Sapphire Martinis
Belvedere Martinis

For Desert (I started here)
Fresh strawberries and blue berries dusted with powedered sugar and glazed with Grand Marnier
Flourless semi-sweet chocolate cake
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with just hints of ice still floating in the mix
Late Harvest Monticello Savignon Blanc
A nice selection of Ports
Oban 14 year old Single Malt

What music would be playing?
The entire “___ing with the Miles Davis Quintet” Series
The Stones (live recording)
Celia Cruz and La Dinamica
A Benny Goodman selection
Stephane Grappelli
Santana – That Double Album with Europa and Black Magic Woman on it
Not sure the old guys could hang with it, but what the heck?

What would you talk about?
“can’t talk, eating…”
life after death
scientific and spiritual conceptions of God and the Universe
Define “courage”
Define “creativity”
Define “love”
Is true love possible?
Is coexistence without war possible?
What drives man to murder his neighbors, sons, and friends in the name of
religion, nationalism,or a cause?

Fantasy Dinner Party #1

Here’s the challenge — if you could invite 5 people to a dinner party (not counting best friends or relatives), who would they be? What would you eat? What music would be playing? What would you talk about? Who would you invite?

Considering all the options available, it took me a few minutes and I hereby deliver my list with a disclaimer — the names will probably change with time, environment and mood.

Stephen Wright
Timothy Leary
Dr.Seuss
Aristotle
John Lennon

I like to mix it up a bit so I have changed the menu to be a bit different though I still love the Chianti Classico Riserva 1988 and Grand Marnier’s 150th anniversary edition part of my first one. But I think the dinner would be Greek, with grape leaves, falfel, salad, pita and lots of hummus!!

What music would be playing: I would put my 10 CD changer in it would include:

1 Elton John’s-Madman Across the Water
2 Grant Lee Buffalo-Mighty Joe Moon
3 Single Gun Theory-Flow, river of my soul
4 Traffic-Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
5 Cocteau Twins-Milk and Kisses
6 Us and Them-London Symphony does Pink Floyd
7 Natalie Merchant- Tigerlily
8 John Lennon-Greatest Hits
9 Pink Floyd-The Wall
10 Tribal Kingdom-Sounds of the Jungle

What would the conversation include:

Your first kiss, religious beliefs, revenge, humor, who are the 5 people they’d like to invite to dinner and why, the biggest crushs you’ve ever had and who was it? Sex, music and what’s their favorite kind of candy. What they are afraid of and what makes them happy. The conversation would probably cover a lot of subjects, and it would be great to speak with people whom I consider mentors. Mostly, I guess, it would be interesting to find out how they got to where they’re at and what they overcame to get there.