Column for December 30, 2004
I should be jumping up and down and yelling happy holidays. I should be promoting
our annual New Year's Eve party at the Metro Airport Best Western Hotel. I love
when the break out the Champaign and chocolate covered strawberries at midnight,
then drop 2005 balloons on everyone's heads. With Dick Clark sick this year it
might be the best party this side of Time Square.
I have been feeling
good. Lots of good things have been happening for the band with the recent release
of our Xmas CD. I have been told it reached #2 on the charts at "http://live365.com" the Internet
radio site that features local Detroit rock. At the same time my endorsement deal
with "http://reverendguitars.com" is hitting full swing. Not
only several radio and magazine promotions featuring yours truly, but they have
a photo of me and that now famous, custom made,
Hawaiian sunset, gold guitar,
on the front page of their web site. Reverend Guitars not only made in America,
but made in Detroit.
I received a lot of response from the column about
Arlen the former Salem Witchcraft singer, who I called the greatest undiscovered
singer in America. Several suggested Arlen should contact Joe Dumars of the Pistons
and ask to sing
the National Anthem at one of the games. Which sounds like
a good idea. Karen Numan made a name for herself singing at the Wings games. Why
not our own Arlen at the Pistons games?
We have developed a nice gang of
entertainers who have become regular readers. Everyone from Johnny Ginger and
Sunny Elliot to Jim Harper who works at WNIC studios in Farmington Hills and Joe
Podorsic former guitarist from Motown's
Funk Brothers, who now plays with
DR Dixie and runs Certified Vacuum shop on Grand River, four blocks west of Telegraph.
I have also heard Governor Granholm has a staff that clips out anything
in the newspaper that involves her. She must have a whole pile of Gazette Newspapers.
I being the only guy who regularly slams her "cool city" idea. Not that a cool
guy like me doesn't like her idea. Just that I understand that most of the people
living in these cities don't really want to be cool.
Ask our neighbors
in Wayne who recently got a new cool night club downtown. A club that regularly
draws hundreds of loud, crazy, young, cool, people. Or how about the want-a-be-cool
Garden City who is about to stick their 11,000 home owners with a 20 million dollar
bill for cool streetscapes.
You know them brick walls and old fashion
street lights. The same kind that pretty much put Plymouth Road out of business.
To many people in government got into government because they were unsuccessful
in the private sector and now they are too close to the forest to see the trees
or maybe in this case the cost of the street lights.
To contact Ben E.
or for information on his band call (313) 730-1627 via e mail benejets@aol.com and see the web sites bennyandthejets.com and
reverendguitars.com.