The Speedy 2: A.J. Green, Fred Biletnikoff

There is a fella playing for the mighty DAWGS now whose name is A.J. Green. The guy is almost unreal. His dynamite speed and uncanny "I'm gonna get open style" is so wily, and get-it-done EXPLOSIVE. This fine Wide Receiver gets all of us Real DAWGS fans going strong. When A.J. Green takes off like the proverbial rocket man he is, well it gets this Georgian remembering another exceedingly super player, the guy I saw many moons ago when he was the high-flying star at Florida State. Of course I am speaking of Fred Biletnikoff who finished up with the Seminoles and went on to gigantic stardom with the superb Oakland Raiders. It makes a man tingle with unrestrained glee when he sees the lightning speed of A.J. Green wowing 'em and zooming down the field. It is so wonderful for all Georgia DAWGS to experience A.J. Green and believe me just like the incredible Fred Biletnikoff he will soar to wonderful times of historic gridiron greatness. So let's all eat good trout, catfish, hush puppies and cheese grits and have ourselves a good think on the two fine speedsters, Mr. Green and Mr. Biletnikoff. The Culture of Southern football has been so enriched by Mr. G. and Mr. B.

Goddess Souls; Hello B. Holiday, D. Krall

Recent explosions of interest in fashions of a few decades ago and also the continuing love of vivid Art Deco designs have brought many of us to recall once again how delightful it is to tremendously enjoy the beautiful sounds of the female jazz singers. The day known as Tuesday has been so good for me because I got into listening to some fine tunes by the classic musical genius Billie Holiday. The brilliant style of the fantastic Billie Holiday can truly enchant people. When one has the max experience of hearing Holiday musical musings, it is such a marvelous feeling. One can hear in her dulcet tones all the intricate Art Deco lifestyles, the lovely imaginative fashions that capture all the merry mystery of those long ago eras. Oh, I also got into the sounds of another Fab singer, the grand Diana Krall. Yes, the woman named Diana Krall should make all strong music fans happy for her sleek and so introspective style is so burnished like wonderful gold. Great women of jazz can prove so exciting and give us a thrill of an esthetic experience.

Grits, a tomato sandwich and Miles Davis

Men who are Georgians (like me) enjoy eating some classic soulful food. When I was a young boy growing up in Cairo, a town in Southwest Georgia well, there was nothing better on a cool fall morning than getting up on a bright Saturday and having a huge helping of grits and some link sausage. My mother could make great breakfasts. But Lord, the grits made the day great. Then after a little while we'd have a whopping big lunch and the top item on the sparkling clean kitchen table happened to be two gigantic tomato sandwiches. One for Mama and one for me. Being a Southwest Georgia kid was a lot of fun. Soul living, that's what it was. Later, that night I would listen to some so fine jazz music from the one and only ace trumpet man, Mr. Miles Davis. The lively profound musical greatness of Miles Davis was so satisfying. Hello everyone! Realize Georgians like me know how to get down to it and dig the great things...grits, tomato sandwiches and Miles Davis. Those happy times, especially the tasty tomatoes, wonderful grits and big music of Miles Davis just made me a fella learning what being 'hip' truly meant.

Baldwin, Macy, Vegas; Electric Film Art

I've been thinking today about films that garner that special high-energy level of total hypnotizing emotional excitement. A real favorite in this category is the film called 'The Cooler.' This grand work from a few years back is an unusual story of the multi-level cultures that make up the shiny social infrastructure that is Las Vegas. Indeed the 'wowee' town that is Vegas is one of a kind. The vibrant atmosphere is so electric, yes Lord, Vegas is a truly magical city. Fine, creative souls are vital ingredients in 'The Cooler' and the bright colors capture the delicious palette of Vegas lifestyles. 'The Cooler" has masterful performances by two of my honest-to-goodness favorite actors, the so-cool, Alec Baldwin and William H. Macy. There is also delightful work from Maria Bello. Interesting is the bustling way the film moves right along with a pulse kind of a brash Nevada life rhythm that is so very compelling. Alec Baldwin is so vigorous and possessing of so much psychological depth that our friend, A. Baldwin kind of bowls us over, intellectually. It is so refreshing to experience intense, meaningful film artistry. Certainly William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin have lots and lots of this qualitative film ability. Vegas is a city where creative flow in a person can really come alive. Films like 'The Cooler' can help us to achieve some new dimensions and vivid depth and help us to get 'in sync' with the mysterious multi-structured world that is American culture.

Got carried away, my good people

On my last blog, oldtimer me got carried away and made an error on a label, not spelling Chicago right. I apologize to you good folks. Oh well, my point is Chicago Blues is truly fabulous. Chicago Blues is 'right on.'

Bold Chicago Blues powerhouse music

It's a great Sunday evening here in the historic state of Georgia. Sun's out and the flooding has gone for which we are thankful. Harmonicas with their bold blues music edge...well, that's what I needed today. Had to have some Chicago blues. Decided to listen to some fine, kickin' blues harmonica work from the magnificent, so exciting artist, Little Walter. The guy has the potent, Chicago blues sound wailing out so perfectly. His number called 'Juke' and another with the name 'Fast Boogie,' well Lord, the man can really rock out as the old-time scribes used to say. The man's music is so pulsating, so just right. Little Walter can enliven one's whole soul. That big sound of Chicago is so inspiring for us all.

Coltrane's rapture; Designers' joyfulness

Strong emotion sweeps madly over one when a person is confronted with the innovative jazz sounds of the one and only magnificent tenor saxophonist, Mr. John Coltrane. And when he has one of the profound men like Curtis Fuller on the trombone, then it is a heady libation of musical joy. That's what it is. Coltrane's work in the late 1950s had such vigor and yet such a poignant, poetic sweep. Coltrane knows how to really get a ballad going with just the right musical nuances. Great artists in jazz are just like the super artful people, the fine designers. Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg and of course Donna Karan all have that elegant sense of esthetic style and like the great Coltrane, Karan, von Furstenberg and Kors they have such a marvelous impact on the wonderful American arts scene. So many delicious aspects can electrify our inner beings. Indeed as the masterful French literary giant, Gustave Flaubert intimated, the furniture of the story is vital to the overall joyful pastiche. Good jazz ballads, grand fashion, literary wunderkins...all these exciting true personas of joy can bring enriched new dimension and meaning into the complex fabric of our lives.