Love is lovely when there’s good PR. Got to Jacksonville and I get invited to tour the newest and one of the most progressive cancer treatment centers in the world-the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute. Although this institution still uses some radiation to treat some cancer, their main focus is to target a beam of proton particles to the specific location of the cancer without affecting any other area (the way radiation does). The machines used to generate a beam are about 3 stories tall! This is some magnificent high tech and 2 planets from where I orbit stuff, and yet, tI see fliers about the screening of When Fried Eggs Fly and my workshops all over the place! I knew it was on! And it was… On Television WJXT’s-Channel 4’s the Morning Show with news anchor Staci Spanos the next morning.
Got interviewed, pumped up my visit to MOCA Jacksonville, and took advantage of an opportunity to demo a workshop on-air live in 60 secs! I saw nothing but fun to be had… The shows producer corralled several of the Morning Show and News hosts and I got them singing…there was Staci, Bruce Hamilton, Richard Nunn, Casey Black, and Bryan Kelly. All were a little nervous not knowing what was going to happen…
But, no more on the spot were they than I during the first week of school, with a group of new kids who would’ve been fine continuing they’re vacation now that they know I want them to sing… anyway, it was fun and as soon as they send the copy… you’ll get it right here.. Oh, and also got to meet Tommy Chong - a very nice and chilled out cat…
Yeah, ol’ Jax was showing love. Seems like their trying to make some changes and create a bit of southern feel with cosmopolinality, if you can dig that. Hard to find bad food, and I wasn’t really looking for any, except there was this Thai spot… Otherwise They’ve got great eateries, Starbucks, the best sweet-toof-junkie stop dessert cafes, and you can trek 20 minutes south-east and have yourself some ‘gator, shrimp or fish! The Jaguars new stadium is downown and next to an arena where I saw 311 and Matisyahu. BTW, Matisyahu was great! In the band was Scooter Warner on drumset and Danny Sedownick on percussion - need I say anything about the rhythm other than… “oops, up side ya’ head…” That was a real nice surprise. Oh, and don’t sleep on the visual artists! I love the works of Marsha Hatcher and Overstreet Ducasse - don’t sleep on these 2 artists…
So, yeah its cool. But its still a little like “Doobie in your funk”. And I don’t wan this to come of like some tourist promo… I just want to share the time I had and offer a contemporary picture. Jacksonville and Florida in general still got history to shake… and a few knuckleheads that need some shakin’. But there’s just enough cool folk down there now to balance things out and set off a good party for all to attend.
Tell you one thing, living down in the bible belt will keep a voice in shape. Scattin’ “Scrapple To The Apple” wasn’t to scrappy… and everything else was butta’…