by Tom Neal on November 17th, 2008
Back in June, I wrote a post here on CW regarding the future status of Woodchucks baseball in Wausau.
The gist of that article was:
The team’s contract with the city expires after next season (2009), and unless the city agrees to pay for significant updates at the ballpark, the team might face a need to relocate. Bill for proposed updates reported in the WDH: $240,000. Question: Is it worth the money?
In today’s (11/17/08) WDH, the issue reappears. This time, the $240,000 upgrade is not mentioned at all. Instead there’s a three-times-larger $798,000 improvement project for the existing park (that can easily grow to $1 million), along with five multi-million-dollar proposals for new stadiums or an expansion of Athletic Park:
West Side Industrial Park: $2.8 million. So much for a neighborhood park!
North East Wausau: $2.9 million. Site not identified.
Athletic Park Expansion: $5.6 million. Buying 23 residences, plus three commercial properties.
Wausau Concrete: $3.7 million. Wouldn’t mind replacing that eyesore on the river!
Frank / MCDEVCO: $5.7 million. Location not identified.
So, the big questions become: Is the city willing / able to do any of these? Do we watch the Woodchucks move away as did our previous team? Do we miss another boat as we did with the 4-year college going to Point (something we’ve never recovered from)? Is there an economic impact study / document available?
The Park Dept. (!) is talking with the Woodchucks about all this … but what is our city government (i.e. our leaders) doing about it? What is the priority? Is there a public opinion / input component? There’s one year left in the contract.
My article in June was responded to by three people … none of them “official.”
Wonder how long this will plod along without any sense of vision or commitment?
Who cares?
by Tom Neal on November 13th, 2008
So many cars, so few convenient parking spaces. We need solutions for the many who can’t find a handy spot for ol’ Sparky when they’re doing that downtown thing. How about:
1. To handle overflow, build several parking bridges spanning across the river. After all, it’s underused space. Nobody would miss it.
2. Heck, maybe re-route the river to send it around by the industrial park and use that whole darn old riverbed for free parking.
3. The Great Hall at the Grand Theater is often idle … why not put in garage doors?
4. Speaking of the Grand Theater itself, three words: removable folding chairs.
5. Actually pay motorists to use the various parking garages.
6. Or tear down those garages and create more street-level parking.
7. Hoists.
8. There must still be Prohibition-era escape tunnels down there.
9. The 400 Block, obviously.
10. Claim, by eminent domain, any and all private garages and yards in the immediate area, and gobble up Back When’s dining patio.
11. Eliminate at least one Asian restaurant … go from spring rolls to steamroller.
12. Drive-through lanes for every business.
13. If any storefront goes vacant, it’s outta here!
by Tom Neal on October 27th, 2008
This week Citizen Wausau explores the considered updates to Wausau’s City Square on the 400 Block. For your reference, have a look at these plans. They are not final, but they give a good idea of what is to come.
The city has announced plans for implementing “improvements” to the downtown 400 Block. They say they work will start in fall of 2009 and finish up in spring 2010. Right now, cost is estimated at about $500K (with the city ponying up $274K and planning to fundraise for the rest). The WDH came out in an editorial saying this was a bad time (i.e. recession) for such things. But, to me, it doesn’t seem like a huge expense, even in these troubled times. (more…)
by Tom Neal on October 21st, 2008
I want to write this right. I want to refrain from typical, prideful, parental gushing. After all, who really wants to hear the beaming, boasting Dad who goes on and on about watching his kid excel on the athletic field or making all As or bagging their first trophy deer? Not me. But Dino pretty much said I had to write this! (And no one says you have to read this.) So …
Parents witness all sorts of proud moments, times when their kids shine. But what I’m thinking and feeling is less about shining, and more about carrying on, embracing a tradition, making a connection with something intrinsic and personal.
Recently, I watched my son Ian play lead guitar as he and his friends in Freedown opened the show at the Fillmor for Scott Holt (a national act!). A long way from their one-song gig a year ago at the East High School variety show. Back then, the kids were nervous … and so was I. It can be unsettling to put it out there in front of people. I sat in that auditorium and dreaded the possibility that they would murder (and not in a good way) Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song. But they came off well and the crowd liked them. I was relieved, and pleased. But it’s just one tune.
In short order, Dino asked if they’d like to open for Scott Holt in Woodruff in March of this year. Yes! They had three months to prepare a set list and pull their chops together. Long story short — they put on a great show in the smoky bar and even jammed with the headliner. Thankfully, they’re not into screaming and rapping and being all negative and Goth. They play rock. Good rock. Maybe what you’d call progressive alternative rock.
From there, it’s been teen nights at the Fillmor and Rockwater, a gig at the Harley dealership for the Big Ride, a long night at a bar in Park Falls. The boys have been paying their dues. Timbuk 3: “Things are goin’ great, and they’re only gettin’ better!” Increasingly, their tunes are tightly arranged, polished, with shifty changes, breaks, bridges, interplay, melody, power, physicality, even humor.
For this Fillmor show, as usual, Ian expressed no apprehension beforehand, no nervousness about being watched by a large “barful” of people. Freedown practices a lot, honing their craft, creating new tunes and arrangements. They have achieved a level of confidence that comes across on stage. They’re almost blasé. Cool.
I, on the other hand, still get the pre-show jitters. Am I living vicariously? Or just being a dad? I rush over with a pocketful of picks because Ian forgot to bring any. Agonize that there won’t be a good-size crowd. Worry that the sound will be bad, that his guitar won’t be loud enough. Hope that he’ll have fun. Hope that people will enjoy and applaud. Fear that the band will be ignored. I don’t want the kids to be disappointed.
Finally, Dino does the introduction and they break into their first number. For me, it’s not like watching a raggedy garage band or typical high school or bar cover band; to me, it’s more like a performance, a concert. And I’m glued to my spot, everyone and everything else just seems to “go away.” I watch every move, listen to every note, anticipate how a guitar lick will finish out, or zero in on drummer Danny’s spot-on fills. After the first tune, I erupt in applause. I make loud noises, like, “Wooo!” and “Yeah!” as if to draw everyone’s attention to the enormity of what’s happening on stage. “Everyone! You must give this your attention! Don’t miss this!” I want everyone to know that my kid’s playing the guitar, but have to settle for knowing that only a handful in attendance are aware of the fact. Next tune: I’m literally feeling a tremble, heart flutter, whatever the heck it was. Adrenaline? Vodka? Pride? Best of all, I snap out of my trance, look around and see virtually everyone’s eyes glued to the stage. Heads bobbing. Smiles and nods of affirmation. I see a professional bass player standing near me in rapt attention with a big grin. I talk to Ian’s former guitar instructor, who obviously is impressed. They play like grownups, cool grownups (sort of a rare animal), and these kids are barely 17. I’m humbled by them. My high school band was never this cool! But that’s okay. I’m a fan.
At risk of sounding like a dumb lyric, I have to say that I was raised on rock. I never grew out of it, never let it go. I think it has a magic quality to it … when it’s done well. It can also be dumb. And in many cases, too many, it is dumb to the extreme. But here, I feel a sense of fulfillment — something is happening that constitutes a cultural continuity, another generation of kids who actually “get it” when it comes to rock. They’re not rejecting or trashing tradition; they’re embracing it, and building on it. And my kid is right in the thick of it.
So, here’s my son; I have a photo of him at about age two “playing” a guitar of mine on the couch, I gave him his first guitar and first lessons, his first listen to Led Zeppelin III, his first ticket to a Rolling Stones concert, his wah-wah pedal. He’s playing well … heck, he’s killing. Better than I ever was, by far. I think to myself, he’s a natural. But that implies some sort of freakish, unfair advantage. Truth is, he’s been exposed to music all his life, been encouraged without being pushed and been supported when he decided to pursue it. But, really, this is all his own doing. He’s worked hard at it. Researched it. Internalized it. And it is paying him back with interest.
He has told us that he’s never happier than when he’s playing. It’s right up there among my happier moments too, to see and hear him having so much fun. And I sense the band’s joy is infecting the people in the crowd. These older people. Watching the kids.
Afterward, after their encore, he walks up to me lugging his amp. I give him a hug, say the band was great. He says he screwed up in about six songs. He’s almost embarrassed. Mostly, he’s like a laborer that just got off his shift. Tired. Spent. Hungry. But it’s also evident that he is living a dream.
It will be similar for Jane and me next week when Ian’s younger sister Molly dances in Wausau Dance Theatre’s Thriller. Maybe I’ll cajole Jane into writing about how it feels to see her little girl on stage, being a dancer, enjoying performing for a packed Grand Theater, after weeks of rehearsals.
These are the moments. This is what it’s all about.
by Tom Neal on October 10th, 2008
“Live each day like it’s the last day of your life” … isn’t that one of those motivational poster messages? Like with a photo of a bungee jumper or kitten attacking a pit bull? Or is it, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”? I think the first one is more motivational. The second one lacks a sense of urgency. It’s more like a reprieve.
1. Are you in a rut? If so, why? Do you like it there? If you’re not in a rut, how do you avoid it?
2. Are you a social animal or an introvert? Which would you like to be?
3. Do you disdain people who are eccentric and demonstrative or do you secretly envy them?
4. Did you grow up or did you just get older?
5. What’s your favorite TV commercial of all time?
6. What do you do (if anything) that hurts your conscience?
7. When was the last time (if ever) that you experienced the joy of wild abandon?
by Tom Neal on October 9th, 2008
Les Paul and Leo Fender … pioneers of the electric guitar. Thanks to them and their successors, we are able to enjoy what may be the ultimate musical instrument! A handheld device, that screams, sings, cries, growls, attacks, caresses, soars, thunders, grinds, warbles, echoes, sustains, wah-wahs (just to name a few of its properties).
With his Stratocaster, Jimi Hendrix …. well, what can I say about him! And B.B. King … who isn’t familiar with Lucille! Pete Townshend’s windmill-driven power chords. And Tom Morello, The Edge, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards. All different. All captivating.
Tomorrow night (Friday, October 10) at the Fillmor, three guitarists and their bands take the stage to show what they can do. For starters, a kid 10 weeks shy of his 17th birthday, Ian Neal, flashes his Gibson SG with surprising prowess doing his part for Wausau’s own Freedown. Then Madison’s Aaron Williams leads his band the Hoodoo, playing funky roadhouse blues and rockabilly style on his Telecaster. Then, to cap off the evening, a bona-fide guitar slinger, Scott Holt shows why Buddy Guy chose him to be the lead guitarist for his band. Holt is a master of the Stratocaster … he plays fast, hard, flashy, sweet, complex, and fun … always fun. And he doesn’t want to stop, ever.
So, “thanks” to Leo and Les. And thanks to Scott Holt for carrying the torch forward. And to Ian for adopting the instrument with such conviction. And to Aaron for coming up from Madison to join the party. This is going to be fun!
by Tom Neal on September 16th, 2008
Well, the heat is really turning up in the Presidential election. Intense debates, emotions running high, personal attacks, accusations, spurious claims, twisted facts, falsehoods — and all that is just between regular citizens on different sides of the fence!
I had a pretty involved debate recently with a friend who’s way at the other end of the political spectrum from me. In typical fashion, I was loud and overbearing, and I wagged my index finger often to make “points.” This is the sort of thing I’ve seen or been part of lots of times in my life, like a heated encounter you might see at a coffee house in Bulgaria or something. (Is there still a Bulgaria?)
My friend became frustrated by my demeanor and several interruptions. Rightfully so. I got overly excited about what I viewed as partisan statements that were baseless or just plain wrong. I’m thinking, after all, if you’re going to disagree, then it should be about real things, not falsehoods, eh? Let’s stick to the facts and all that.
At the end of it all, several points that we both made were left unsupported factually. I offered to follow up next day with e-mailed background facts. When I e-mailed the added info and a healthy portion of my pointed opinions, I received a pretty strong rebuke — a virtual cease-and-desist order. In retrospect, I know I was being very preachy. And now: a friendship is somewhat bruised, hopefully not fractured. We’ll see.
This leads me to the thing I’m wondering about. Civil discourse. Political discourse. Discussing the issues during a major national election. Certainly, nobody should ambush anybody on the street corner or in the grocery store and just start yelling partisan positions at them (maybe because the target is wearing a political button or t-shirt). But, when there is a comment made from one side and a response from the other side, and then opposing viewpoints start flying, is that a bad thing? Should we shy away from such things? Even the TV commentators get in each other’s faces pretty good. Should we just let our vote do our talking? Lately, I’ve heard the following statement several times: “The most patriotic thing you can do is vote on election day.” Nice sentiment, but is that where it begins and ends? The booth?
I grew up in an incendiary time of conflict, open dissent, protest, confrontation, politics that certainly affected friendships. People yelled, argued, sang, marched, published, paraded, and even got beaten up and shot. In the end, much of it was witnessed by the public at large. People saw both sides in stark contrast and made their own judgments and decisions accordingly.
Today, is it different? Do we sit and let the “leaders” do the talking? Do we accept their speeches and proclamations and then just “go vote.” Should the rich not hear what the poor have to say? Should gays go unheard by religious conservatives? Should a community not see its own people in the street expressing their hopes, anger or fears? Should libs and neocons just avoid each other, or at least keep their mouths shut, maybe talk about the weather? At the party conventions in Denver and St. Paul, the street was tightly controlled. Would-be protestors were corralled, controlled, cajoled and manhandled, far from the eyes of delegates and national media. I’m not a fan of anarchy or out-of-control mobs, and I don’t like seeing protestors get smacked, smoked, tasered or cuffed, but I sure would like to see more activity by Joe and Jane public. More signs. More buttons. More posters. More gatherings.
You know, as soon as you start talking about war, injustice, equality, taxes, poverty, life, global warming, patriotism or any of a host of potentially polar subjects, you will run into claims and counter-claims, emotions, beliefs, outrage and stubbornness. As long as it doesn’t devolve into violence, that’s probably the way it has to be for our own good. How can we remain cool and detached about these subjects? How can we really, truly “respect” and tolerate a moral or political opinion that runs counter to the very soul of our being? Sometimes, particularly in times like these, it’s more than okay to express a strong opinion and challenge someone about their own. It’s essential.
This is big stuff. It impacts our immediate lives. It impacts our children and theirs. I’ve mentioned before here on CW that I’m disappointed by low voter turnout. One contributor commented that I should be glad; this was democracy in action. I said it was democracy inaction! Twenty-some percent of the public should not be all we can muster to the polls.
Ultimately, it does come down to the vote. We’re 50-odd days away. I think everyone should dig deeper for facts, engage in discussion and, yes, heated debate. Everyone should get fired up, get off their asses, be heard, try to make an impact, try to change minds, try to enlist others, try to bring issues out into the clear light of day … and not just leave it to the speechwriters and media pundits to do it all for us.
In advance, I’m sorry if I come on too strong or offend you with my political views if we get into a talk. But, that’s what this country is supposed to be all about. America was born out of dissent. It was built upon dissent. It was tested by dissent. It grew and matured through dissent. Dissent may not be pretty, but it’s necessary. And it needs a loud, strong voice.
So, are you going to pussyfoot to the voting booth or are you going to march there? Or are you going there at all? What do you have to say for yourself?
by Tom Neal on September 12th, 2008
I remember recess at my grade school in Milwaukee. They’d barricade both ends of the street, which then became our playground. I remember candy pencils and pretzels and the smell of the breweries. Friction tape, my army surplus shoulder bag, the lumberyard, plums, pork chops, the dry cleaners. Sometimes, a whiff of something, a taste, a sound, a texture or a shape will send me hurtling back in time like Tooter Turtle to very real moments and places. Then, Mr. Wizard the lizard intones, “Trizzle, trazzle, truzzle, trome, time for this one to come home” and I’m back here, now.
1. When’s the last time you smelled something that took you way back? What was it? Where did it take you? Was it good or bad?
2. What do you love touching? What do you hate touching?
3. How visually oriented are you? Do you notice crooked pictures? Do you get transfixed by a freckle? Are you oblivious to a near-blind level or hyper observant?
4. What sounds send you ‘round the bend? You know, like you can’t be in the same room with a wind chime or canary. What sounds just make you melt with ecstasy?
5. Do you take care of your taste buds and treat them to exquisite experiences? Or do you kill them with tobacco, cheap beer and fast food? When’s the last time your taste buds said, “Wow, thanks, man!”
6. Nobody wants to be blind; I would expect that would be pretty major to deal with. So, I’m just going to exempt that sense from this question: What is the one sense (of the remaining four) you would never want to live without? Why?
7. Is there a sixth sense? Like ESP or seeing dead people?
by Tom Neal on September 5th, 2008
Lately, I find myself grasping for meaning. What does this or that word really mean now? I mean, in today’s parlance, what do we mean, deep down, when we use certain loaded or supercharged words — words that might have meant something different a century ago, decades ago, seven years ago? Words twist and spin and reverse direction, taking on new identities and powers. Like, at what precise point in our history was “cheap” dropped in favor of “inexpensive”? Cheap used to be a good thing. Words.
1. On the self-image front, in your opinion, what is a liberal and what is a conservative? Now, careful here. I don’t care about tax-and-spend versus small government … that’s politics. I’m talking about just plain old people and how they see themselves. You. Your friends. People you know. When someone says “I’m a conservative” or “I’m a liberal,” what are they saying? What comes with each package? Were the definitions the same in say, 1900?
2. On the civic involvement front, what is an activist and what is a supporter? Tell me if you think there’s a difference in the sense that the terms are used in news reports and speeches.
3. On the musical front, what is classic rock? When did it start? When did it end? Is it the same as “old school”?
4. In the same vein, what is classical music? Specifically. Says who? Does Frank Zappa qualify?
5. Do you carry a “cell” or a “mobile”? Which is better? Do they still make “cellular” phones?
6. I hear a lot about the “environment” these days, but nobody seems to say “ecology” anymore. What happened?
7. What or who is “emo”? A Muppet?
8. Do you invite someone over for “drinks” or “libations”?
9. I’ve heard there’s an “American culture” … what is it? I sure don’t know.
10. What words can you think of that are sort of weird when you think about them?
by Tom Neal on August 12th, 2008
This question has been nagging at me for some months now. I have my own opinions about it, and they’re not ones I feel good about. But, I’m intrigued to learn what others think.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m quite aurally fixated. I am a music fan. Actually, that’s putting it too mildly. I’m obsessed by music. Always have been. Going back to my pre-teen days in (gasp) late ‘50s, when Jerry Lee Lewis was my first rock shock witnessed on B&W TV. Then into the Beatles and Brit invasion during adolescence, then off to Woodstock and on to college and post-college where I got into radio as an announcer for an extended period, presenting alternative, sort-of-underground programs.
I’ve attended countless concerts all over the place. Big shows, little shows, weird shows, local shows, arenas, auditoriums, taverns, coffee houses, fields; top names, no-names, you name it. I have an insatiable hunger for music. I talk about it. I play a bit of guitar. I do a radio show on Thursday nights on WNRB-LP here in Wausau (93.3 FM).
In my rose-colored-glasses view of “the way it used to be,” I have the impression that people used to be more interested in music, new music, live music. Music was political, topical, interesting, provocative, magnetic and accessible if your mind was open. People showed up for jams in the park, battles of the bands, jazz or rock concerts, what-have-you. And they were there to LISTEN, to absorb the music, to pay attention to the musicians, to have an experience based on the music.
Fast-forward to today. A thousand people show up at the 400 Block for a Wednesday night show (this is good!), but it seems most everyone is there to visit each other; they eat, drink and converse endlessly, sometimes tossing in a polite round of applause at the end of a tune. The music is just so much aural wallpaper. I drop into Malarkey’s afterward and Tyler is performing; and the bar is a deafening buzz of everyone talking and essentially ignoring the performer. I drop into the Fillmor to catch a blues band, and there are about 25 people there. The Violent Femmes, Better Than Ezra and Carbon Leaf can’t sell out the venue at Marathon Park! Go to a Lollapalooza and see how hundreds of crazed moshers gleefully do each other harm instead of paying attention to the musicians on stage.
Has the power of music been subsumed to the focus on self? Is the concert now all about “me”? Are the musicians now just fixtures that provide the excuse for the party? Do people not care to leave their sofas and TVs to experience something real and immediate?
And, musicians are not exempt from my cynicism. How many acts now seem to be phoning it in? How much posturing and boredom and lunch-pail mentality is seeping into the mindsets of musicians to where their passion and creativity are no longer evident? I see so many bands and performers these days that play music with all the feeling that they might exhibit when hammering a nail or making a sandwich. Whatever happened to be-bop jazz? How can someone like Kenny G become a “jazz” icon? (I think it’s because he doesn’t challenge anyone or anything as he “plays” his vapid crap.)
Radio has devolved into a blur of high-profile, classic rock “hit” formats (”here’s one of the 3 tunes by the Kinks that you EVER have to hear”), political talk shows (blowhards), country & western (vanilla in hats), etc. One has to dig deep or travel far to find a station or program that actually explores the depths and breadth of music (new and vintage).
I feel, on the whole, that people just don’t care about music anymore. “Care,” as in: hunger for it, seek it out, be moved by it, be willing to stand in the rain for it. It has become a novelty, tinsel, trappings, white noise in the background of our lives. Sure, people still “like” music, but how many people “love” it anymore? Does music matter anymore? Does it have power?
I’d love for you all to tune in at 7-9 pm Thursday nights for my radio show (Roundtrip) on WNRB-LP. But I know very few of you will. Although it’s two hours of the best music you can hear on the radio at that time, and it really delivers deeper cuts and some of the most sublime moments in rock / blues / folk history, I know I’m one of few people (maybe the only one) listening who is truly transported by the experience.
Music … I’m immersed in it and am a product of it … but, at the same time, in a way, I miss it.
