GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS
GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS
By Corky Carroll
This week is going to be one of those good news and bad news kinda deals. I love good news, but I really hate giving bad news. I fully believe that the television networks should offer you the choice of watching the good or the bad stuff. I would only watch the good stuff myself. I really don’t dig seeing people getting blown up, babies getting shot in gang drive bys and horrible 387 car pile ups on the I-5. Well, ok, the 387 car pile ups might perk my curiosity a little bit. It’s that weird deal where a really bad wipe out seems funny, as long as it is NOT you getting the wipeout. I know, it’s sort of twisted and I wish that little brain cell that likes that sort of stuff was one of the zillions that have stopped working in my head. But, I would watch that. Anyway, that has nothing to do with this story, or maybe a little bit actually because I am going to give you the choice to read the good stuff and then stop when it comes to the bad stuff if you want too.
Starting with the good stuff. Our longtime pal Willy Brady, of Laguna Beach and most known as the bass player in the legendary band HONK (Five Summer Stories Soundtrack), has just released his second solo CD of acoustic guitar instrumentals. It is brilliant too. Willy and the fret board of his guitar have the same sort of relationship as the high school football star and the prom queen on prom night. There is a lot of elegant dancing around and romancing and it is questionable as to who is playing who, yet in the end it works out as something truly memorable and meaningful. Willy can play that thing and this collection is nothing less than mesmerizing. I have had it on top of the playlist in my car for the past two weeks and find it very soothing and yet motivating to listen too on my way surfing. I highly recommend you get it. You can buy it online at willbrady.com or at the Guitar Shoppe in Laguna Beach.
Also on the music front and still in the good news category is the alert that the amazing Orange County Hard Rock band DIRTY WATER playing tonight, Feb 27th, at Octane Alley in Huntington Beach. If you like hard rocking gut throbbing energy music you will love Dirty Water. Where Willy Brady is smooth and mellow these guys are cutting edge raw rockers and if you like that stuff you will adore this band. Octane Alley is a great spot to catch these guys.
O.K. now I have to get to the bad news. I really don’t like having to report when one or more of our great surfers from here in Orange County passes away but I guess I need to do it. We lost one of the really great surfboard shapers, surfers and all around great guys. Longtime Newport Beach local Mike Marshall. Mike was a regular in Orange County surfing circles for the past half a century and was loved by all of us. The big red-haired goofy foot was an artist in the shaping room and a real stylist in the surf. All of us are really sad and will miss Mike very much.
More bad news. We also lost Jack Flynn. Jack was the owner of Windansea Surfboards. He was based in Huntington Beach for many years and then had moved the business to San Diego. I worked for Jack for a few years managing his shop on Main Street in Huntington Beach and found him to be a real character. He was generous with prizes for local surf events and also was a supporter of the Blackies Longboard Club in Newport Beach.
I really hope nobody else dies for a long time, I don’t wanna have to tell you about it. I have always said that I will refuse to show up at my own funeral because I don’t like ‘em. Besides, I have promised my wonder wife Raquel that I will live to be 112 at least. That gives me another 50 years to rock. So hopefully next week it will only be good news.
CORKY CARROLL is a columnist for the Orange County Register newspaper in Southern California. He was five times United States Surfing Champion, three times International Professional Champion and Number 1 on the Surfer Magazine Poll. Currently he opperates a surf adventure program at his home on Mainland Mexico.
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