—The Obscure Penguin— The band was funky. Funky country. A bit like Little Feat. In later years I thought maybe it was Delbert McClinton, but I never found evidence he was there that day. Rodney and I found a small depression of dirt not far from the stage and staked our claim. It was hot […]
—The Obscure Penguin— On July 3rd, 1976 about 8 in the morning Rodney and I were hoofing it in Austin, heading south on Lamar. The mechanic had told us the street would eventually branch and we were to take the Guadalupe side all the way to 29th and turn right. Oat Willie’s was there and […]
—The Obscure Penguin— This July 4th will be the 41st anniversary of my journey to see the Willie Nelson 4th of July picnic in Gonzales, Texas, 1976. I’ve always appreciated the fact I was “on the road,” like Jack Kerouac, on the nation’s bicentennial, the birthday of the Declaration of Independence, and the day began […]
—The Obscure Penguin— Some of you believe in ghosts. Some of you do not. The story I am about to tell you is absolutely true. I’ve discovered over the years once the mind is made up over the supernatural folks usually won’t be persuaded either way even when faced with evidence. I personally like to […]
—The Obscure Penguin— You know after you milk a cow and you let the milk sit, the cream rises to the top. You’ve probably heard that saying, referring to excellence. Producers have a way to modify that. They call it homogenization. The fat droplets are emulsified, meaning they mix with the rest of the milk. […]
—The Obscure Penguin— I haven’t seen him cruising around in his sporty car lately, but one of my favorite memories of Potter County Judge Arthur Ware is at Teel Bivins’ memorial service at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in 2009. I ran into him outside. It was autumn but the Bivins neighborhood was still green. I’ve […]
—The Obscure Penguin— I’m no longer working at ABC 7 but I’m moving toward a situation in which I hope I can make more of an impact on the industry I’ve worked in for a quarter of a century. That makes it sound longer than “more than twenty years,” right? That’s the business I’m in. […]
—The Obscure Penguin— June 1991. First major eruption of Mount Pinatubo, viewed from Clark Air Force Base. R.S. Culbreth, USAF…… I look at the photograph above and marvel at the destructive power of the earth. What strikes me is all the time I was stationed at Clark Air Base in the late seventies, Mt. Arayat […]
—The Obscure Penguin— I once got yelled at by a Major in the Air Force. In honor of Armed Forces Day this weekend I thought I’d relate a little adventure I had while going through boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. I have never mischaracterized the weeks I endured before […]
— The Obscure Penguin — I arrived in Cirencester, England in the eighties, The beautiful Cotswolds! I got a job at an electronics factory making capacitors. They store energy and blah blah blah. The point is they were made of something like old analog tape, rolled in a certain way and wrapped tight. Then they’re […]