My day with Andy Duvall

I hung out with my old pal Andy Duvall.

We went to Borders in search of a Delaware calendar. No luck.

Stopped in at Compusa to check out GPS systems. Then picked up some rubbermaid tubs at Lowe's.

Then we headed up to Jimmy John's on Rt. 202 for some pip'n hot sandwiches.

Andy had two cheese dogs and two birch beers. We split a big ol' tub of fries. I just had two plain dogs.

We heard Van Halen, Led Zeppelin and Greg Kihn on the radio in Jimmy John's.

Then we went to another Borders and a clerk made very rude comments about Delaware when we asked about a calendar.

It made Andy VERY mad and he couldn't believe a clerk could be so ignorant.

I'm used to people saying dumb things, so it didn't really phase me.

Finally we drove up to Philly airport and I dropped him off.

He got on a plane and went back to San Francisco.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit him in California soon.

MP3: McG discusses Michael Richards on The Big Talker 1210

Thanks to Dom Giordano of The Big Talker 1210 for having me on his show Monday night to discuss Michael Richards' racist rant.

As you may know, I wrote a piece called, "Defending Michael Richards, in which I kinda-sorta took up for the comedian.

In retrospect, it would have been better to title the article, "Witholding judgement on Michael Richards."

Anyway, here's the audio of me in my best "big talker" voice with Dom Giordano:

MP3: Dave McGurgan defends Michael Richards on The Big Talker 1210
(Right click, save as)

McG on Michael Richards racism controversy

In case you're looking for them, here are my thoughts on the Michael Richards (a.k.a. Kramer) racism deal:

• phillyBurbs.com: Defending Michael Richards
• phillyBurbs.com: Comedians who get abused by audiences

McG talks Michael Richards racism on The Big Talker 10 p.m. tonight

MEDIA ALERT: I'll be on The Big Talker 1210 AM tonight at 10:00 p.m., discussing the Michael Richards racism controversy with Dom Giordano.

Dom called me after reading my article, "Defending Michael Richards (a.k.a. Kramer)."

If you're not in the Philly market, you can listen online.

I hope Dom lets some callers get in on the segment and mix it up with me.

Here are the call-in phone numbers:

Philadelphia: (215) 839-1210
Suburbs: (610) 664-1210
New Jersey: (856) 541-1210
Cellular: #1210

Pre-wedding busy

The pace has been picking up lately, as my wedding date is near.

This Saturday is the big day.

I did manage to do some pet therapy this weekend and hit the Farmer's Market.

Pet therapy was OK - Augie went and he was a bit overwhelmed as we went to a new facility with lots of activity, sounds, smells and people walking around. Still, it was a positive visit.

On the Farmer's Market side of things, I picked up a Sonny Stitt LP, two Stan Kenton 10"s and a CD with Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Benny Carter on it.

Still listening to a lot of jazz. My latest purchase was Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage."

McG on books

I've bought quite a few books lately for my upcoming getaway. Plus I've been reading two books that have captured my fancy.

"An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories" edited by Ivan Brunetti is a well-assembled collection of the best off-the-beaten-path comic artists and illustrators. All the usual suspects such as Chris Ware, R. Crumb, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez and Daniel Clowes are here as well as several lesser-known folks such as John Porcellino, Mark Beyer and Richard McGuire.

I'm about 50 pages into "So What: The Life of Miles Davis" and think it's pretty right on. It seems well researched, the writing is more factual than presumptuous and it's a compelling story. I'm only up to the beginning of Miles' career, but it's already a captivating read. It's matching my recent delving into Miles' music with "Sketches of Spain," "Blue Note Vol. 3 10,"" "Blue Haze" and "In a Silent Way"

Also picked up a contradictory lot of the serene and the insane:

Tommy Chong - The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint

Allan MacDonell - Prisoner of X: 20 Years in the Hole at Hustler Magazine

Answer Me - The First Three

Paramahansa Yogananda - Inner Peace

Shannon Duncan - Present Moment Awareness

Thich Nhat Hanh - Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

It's tough for me to sit down, relax and really get into a book these days ... but I'm trying.