THE BIGSTUF DIARIES (Pt. V)

Thousands attended BigStuf 2012

I hadn't been to any type of summer camp in forty years. And I certainly never had attended a BigStuf conference, nor had I even heard of it until two days before it started. All I knew was that I was going to some kind of youth-oriented happening in Daytona where I'd be hanging out with some great kids from my church, East Coast Christian Center -- a few days of freedom, fun and fellowship. Simple!

Justin Bieber's mom and I own identical hats.
(Check out my YouTube clip and see.)

(Continued from Pt. I, Pt. II, Pt. III and Pt. IV)

In short, my personal experience  surpassed my expectations by a mile. I was blessed to spend five days on The World's Most Famous Beach, connecting -- playing and praying with some of the most important people in my life -- the teens and leaders from ECCC. Our luxury oceanside hotel was awesome, the staff was top-notch and none of us went hungry -- although to my chagrin, we did run out of Cap'n Crunch, but that's a very touchy subject, best left for another blog post.

As for the conference itself, BigStuf was a slam-dunk success. The weeklong production looked and sounded spectacular. I enjoyed the guest speakers -- Andy Stanley is truly inspirational and Justin Bieber's mom is a hottie. Phil Wickham proved to be a perfect frontman for the incredible Praise and Worship house band -- and when not playing Adele and Skynyrd covers, their performances were truly powerful. And everywhere I looked, I saw young people whose lives were being affected by hearing the Word of God.

ROMANS 10:17 (KJV) - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

Jesus Christ headlined BigStuf 2012.

BigStuf's headliner this year was to be über  super-human speaker  Judah Smith, lead pastor at Seattle's City Church. As I sat in the audience towards the end of Thursday night's finale,  I became mesmerized by Smith's entertaining yet compelling message. "Is Jesus enough?" was  Smith's repeated "power point."  Suddenly, things got "weird." I tried to stand up, but I couldn't. I felt paralyzed. I soon became overwhelmed -- physically powerless. All I could do was sit with my head in my hands, sobbing. But these weren't tears of sorrow or pain. These were tears of indescribable joy as I realized the true headliner -- Jesus Christ had arrived at BigStuf -- and he was seated  directly beside me with his hand on my shoulder.  I'm completely cognizant of the Holy Spirit -- the atmospheric presence of God -- the spirit that also dwells within believers. But this was different. I believe that this was a personal one-on-one encounter with The King of Kings.

After sitting together in the arena for a few more moments with the band now blasting, I felt Him lead me upstairs to the private ECCC meeting room where I spent the next few minutes simply talking to Him. He soon encouraged me to get myself together, go back downstairs, jump in "the pit" and finish the night with some hardcore Praise and Worship. This is precisely what I did.

Say what you will. Call me "crazy." Call me a fraud or a poser -- you won't be the first and you certainly won't be the last. But Jesus Christ is real. He's the true son of God. He was born only to die so that we ALL might have eternal life. Salvation is a gift that comes at no charge -- it's FREE. It's for us merely to accept. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and there will never be need for another. He paid it all. He's alive and he desires a personal relationship with me AND you...

Now that's "HUGESTUF!"

*This is the fifth and final installment of my weeklong BigStuf series. I hope that it offered you a blessing, or at least a good chuckle. And yes, I'm completely amped for BigStuf 2013 -- coming to Daytona, June 17-21!

-Christopher Long
(June 2012)

*Author Christopher Long's latest book

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon!

THE BIGSTUF DIARIES (Pt. IV)

Thousands traveled
recently from all over
the country to attend  Daytona's annual multi-media Christian youth event. But the 2012 summer BigStuf extravaganza ultimately
was not about culture.
It was about connection.
______________________________________________

 

(Continued from Pt. I, Pt. II and Pt. III)

One morning I was chatting up Pastor Bryan's wife Emily as we stood outside the Ocean Center, waiting for the daily BigStuf commencement. I was apprising her of how I'd been sleeping sitting up in a chair each night -- as all of my hotel room bed space was being occupied by my "guys." With great compassion and understanding, Emily began sharing with me personal experiences of her first missions trip to Africa. She recounted how her tent was built into the side of a mountain and she had to sleep on a rock. She also had to reinforce her tent's screen openings with duct tape in order to keep spiders and such from getting in. At that moment I realized what a complete poser I truly am. There I was, feeling as if I was making some kind of great sacrifice for Jesus by sitting in a slightly uncomfortable position for a few hours in my air conditioned, luxury high-rise hotel suite, while Emily barely had escaped having her face chewed off by an angry, rabid badger in the sweltering jungle. In short, Emily inadvertently had inspired me to step up my game, and in November 2012 I'll be traveling with an ECCC missions group to some far away jungle-like country with a name I can't spell or pronounce. There, I'll have an opportunity to really serve. Bring it, badgers!

When it comes to church service, we often can get busy. So busy in fact, that we miss out on connecting with the very people who serve with us. On any given Sunday, I arrive at ECCC around 6:45AM and begin setting up the stage in what's known as the church's Avenue Worship Center. Drums, microphones, stands, cables -- it's all gotta get set up -- and set up quickly, as soundcheck starts at 8AM. Throughout the hustle and bustle of my morning duties, I pass a myriad of supremely talented worship leaders, musicians, audio/visual techs and computer aces, along with a host of meeters, greeters and parking attendants. And frequently I offer them little more than a rushed half-smile and a simple, "Sup?" Hence, with numerous ECCC staff members and volunteers attending BigStuf as mentors and room leaders, I enjoyed spending extended quality time and finally getting (better) acquainted with my own teammates. Blessings for sure.

I clearly botched the shot, but this is still my BigStuf fave.
And it wasn't part of any staged cultural production.
Child-like love. Child-like connection. Child-like faith.
Truly "Big Stuff" indeed!

There also were  quite a few  (very) young people who were with our ECCC crew. And despite the BigStuf mega-ton sight and sound rock concert production, amazing world-renown guest speakers and  ass-kickin' Praise and Worship band, I was moved, encouraged  and inspired most by ONE particular seven-year-old -- a young man named Micah.

MARK 10:14 (NLT)

Let the children come to me. Don't stop them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.

Micah and his family also attend ECCC.  So when I noticed an available seat next to him and his father during dinner on Thursday, I obliged myself and joined them. Suddenly it began storming outside. This raised concerns as our ECCC crew soon would be walking from the restaurant, down the street to the Ocean Center for the BigStuf finale. This prompted Micah to share with me how it also had rained one day during his family's recent vacation. "What did you do about it?" his father asked. "I told the rain to stop in Jesus' name," Micah confidently proclaimed. "Then what happened?" his father further inquired. And with an odd, almost duh-like look on his face, Micah boldly replied, "It stopped raining, Dad."

MARK 11:24 (NLT)
I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.

I wasn't amazed that it had stopped raining. Micah was merely "speaking to the mountain" as Jesus taught in the Gospel of Mark. What blew my mind was that this display of confident, unshakable faith was being offered -- by a seven-year-old. Heck, I don't know of many adults who exercise that kind of faith -- child-like faith -- supernatural faith that hasn't been compromised or tainted by physical-world doubt and foolishness. In short, Micah's testimony was so powerful -- so honest, pure and life-changing that I felt as if I'd been thwacked in the back of the head with a 2"x4". And I further felt compelled to follow his perfectly awesome example. After all, I am almost as "together" as a second grader. 

The rain intensified as we prepared to leave the restaurant and my peeps were destined to become soaked to the bone after walking several blocks under these conditions. Hmm, what to do? Following Micah's example, I walked out into the parking lot, in the pouring rain. I pointed to the sky and in Jesus' name, I commanded the rain to stop. "Weird," right? Well, it gets weirder. Guess what happened? It immediately stopped raining. Wow, that's "crazy!"

The 2012 BigStuf "Main Stage!"

There were untold examples of personal testimonies, healings and young people receiving salvation throughout the weeklong 2012 BigStuf shindig. And by 8PM on Thursday night, my wildest expectations had been surpassed -- surf, sand, sun, fun, praise, worship, connection and more. But we weren't done -- yet. Although on paper, nationally known pastor, teacher, speaker Judah Smith was scheduled to close out the event, the true headliner was still standing by.

To be continued...

*Author Christopher Long's latest book

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.

THE BIGSTUF DIARIES (Pt. III)

Representin' his unique flava, my buddy Bryan Migala
rocked several BigStuf VIP after-show parties!

As an entertainment 

writer/critic-type,

I learned many years ago that
when reviewing cultural events,

the real story

NEVER 

plays out onstage.

___________________________________________________
 



As a devout Starbucks man, I was troubled to learn that
my ECCC BFF Leah attends "services" at Dunkin Donuts.
But as true coffee "believers," we choose to set aside our
"denominational" differences and focus on common "grounds."

(Continued from Pt. I and Pt. II)

While traveling years ago as an assistant on secular arena rock concert tours, I  earned a reputation  for (among other dubious distinctions) being rather sneaky -- stealth-like. In order to accomplish my daily covert objectives successfully, I'd tip-toe around while rock stars slept -- in the dark of night, when no one was looking. I also applied these survival tactics to my BigStuf experience.

To say the least, I'm something of a coffee aficionado (i.e., junkie). In fact, I'm a  devout  Starbucks man. Given the close proximity of the Starbucks location to our BigStuf hotel, each morning before sunrise I would (in a stealth-like manner) tip-toe out of my room and quietly sprint down the street precisely as the store opened. I'd get my fix and return before anyone was the wiser. At this point, a fair question would be, "Hey Chris, what about your 'guys' who you left unsupervised back at the hotel? Weren't you concerned for their well-being?" Uh, in my defense, let me say that my secret "missions" were at 6AM. Have you ever tried to revive a teenager at 6AM during summer vacation? On the first morning of BigStuf, upon returning from Starbucks I discovered that I had forgotten my room key. I stood in the hotel hallway, knocking on my room door for twenty-three minutes before even one of my guys (Mad Dog) finally awoke to let me in. Did I care about my guys? Absolutely! But was I concerned for them under these circumstances? Uh, not really?

At 6AM, I was the first daily Starbucks customer
during BigStuf -- in and out -- 1,2,3!
However, by 9AM the wait was over an hour. 

But I did start to feel bad for the responsible, yet equally "addicted" room leaders who followed the rules and only sought their daily fixes later in the morning, with their kids in sight and after the (hour-plus-long) line had spilled out onto the sidewalk. Hence, I covertly discovered many of their coffee preferences and began making complimentary deliveries directly to their rooms before the daily chaos ensued.

Although the other leaders all seemed to appreciate  my personalized delivery  efforts, my actions were inexcusable. And given my gross disregard for the rules, I doubt that I'll be allowed to attend BigStuf next year. Maybe someone will send me a postcard.

Night #2 of BigStuf was simply tremendous!

Anyway, Tuesday's BigStuf experience was epic! The house band was spot-on, Mr. BigStuf was only slightly abrasive and we were treated to an  amazing performance from an all-star Praise and Worship supergroup featuring  Mac Powell from the band Third Day and Mike Donehey from the band Tenth Avenue North, plus award-winning singer-songwriters Laura Story and Natalie Grant. The evening was capped off by an acoustic set from Switchfoot frontman, Jon Foreman.

But BigStuf's "BigStory" wasn't the top-name musicians, the big production or the overwhelming effort to lean into today's culture. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, the real story wasn't playing out on the BigStuf stage at all.

To be continued...

*Author Christopher Long's latest book
C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation
is available NOW on Amazon.

THE BIGSTUF DIARIES (Pt.II)

BigStuf is a summer Christian teen camp/conference held annually in Daytona Beach and Panama City Beach, Florida. This year's Daytona event ran from June 18-22.

__________________________________________________________

A few of my "East Coast" peeps.
(There IS hope for the future!)

(Continued from Pt.1)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll admit that I'd never  even  heard the term "BigStuf" until a couple of days prior  to our departure. In fact, as I previously mentioned, when I first signed on, I knew nothing of any top-name national speakers  or musicians appearing during the weeklong camp/conference. I had no idea that the daily events would be happening at the legendary Ocean Center arena. I had no idea that we'd be staying at one of the swankiest hotels on  Daytona Beach. And I certainly had no idea that there would be a Starbucks so conveniently nestled between our hotel and the venue. All I knew was that after working with ECCC's TNT youth program  for a year, this "weird" camp dealio likely would allow me the opportunity to further lean in, love on and connect with the very kids who I've become so "crazy" about.

Miguel and "Mad Dog"
(Two of my BigStuf roomies!)

Our caravan departed from the ECCC parking lot in Merritt Island (loaded trailer in tow) on Monday at approximately 2PM and we traveled ninety miles north to our Daytona destination. Upon our 4PM arrival, I gathered my guys -- Dylan, Miguel, Justin Radlein and Michael "Mad Dog" Wilson and we headed up to our fifth floor room. Quickly, they  discovered that the hotel beds also could  double as trampolines, while I became reminded in short order  that teenage boys have little (if any) control over their bodily functions. And for some reason they  take considerable  pride in these physical disabilities. Immediately, our room became filled with  the indescribable "music" and inescapable "fragrances" that reminded me of a  high school locker room. But  as a  responsible, mature  mentor, I ignored these distractions (for a while) and focused on loftier endeavors  for instance, teaching my guys the purpose of the little silver handle located near the top of the toilet. They never did grasp the concept of flushing.

After settling into our rooms, we grabbed a little dinner downstairs in the hotel's banquette hall and then made our way across the street to the venue for the official BigStuf kick-off.

Thousands of enthusiastic young people from around the country jammed into  the Ocean Center  arena for the first of the week's nightly "camp" sing-alongs, which included blasting rock music, performed live by  an amazing Praise and Worship band on a huge stage -- a production so monstrous that it would have made David Lee Roth envious.

Christian is one of my fave ECCC peeps.
(I just wish I still had enough hair to cop his swagger!)

Host Lanny "Mr. BigStuf" Donoho kicked things off on Monday night by welcoming the cheering throngs to the annual weeklong event. From there, much fun ensued, including game show-like competitions as well as a blistering live set from the 2012 house band led by acknowledged national Praise and Worship guru  Phil Wickham. The evening would later wrap up with an inspirational message from pastor Andy Stanley, founder of North Point Ministries.

By 10:30PM the ECCC crew was collectively devouring healthy fare at the nearby Burger King. (FYI, the BK Stacker  is a  delicious cheesy and beefy bacon-filled  gift from God!) By 11:30 my guys and I had made a late night journey along the beach and wound up hittin' the slots at a local arcade. By 1AM we were all safe and sound, back at the hotel, tucked away in our cozy beds, amped for day #2.

The good times had certainly gotten off to a fast and furious start. However, the true BigStuf blessings were yet to come.

To be continued...

Author Christopher Long's latest book

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.

THE BIGSTUF DIARIES (Pt. I)

Me and my buddy 
"Mad Dog"
preparing to embark
on an amazing
summer journey.

Two words continually have popped up

over and over throughout my recent

spiritual  walk — "weird" and "crazy."

In 2006 I was working on a national concert tour  — scoring drugs and chicks for legendary rock stars. By 2010 I had landed at my kitchen table, sitting  with a knife to my wrist — drowning hopelessly in a deep, dark  state of depression.  However, my life soon became transformed. Long story short, in 2012 I now enjoy an active role at East Coast Christian Center in Merritt Island, Florida. Hmm, that certainly is "weird." And at (almost) fifty, I found myself last week heading off  to serve

as a youth leader for some "crazy" sort of Christian teen summer camp deal.

This is installment #1 of a series chronicling my personal experiences —  the sights, the sounds and the (frequently disturbing) smells  from a "crazy" week — eating, sleeping, playing and worshiping with a busload of wacky teens...

____________________________________________________________

For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Loading the trailer and boarding
the bus at ECCC, headed
to BigStuf in Daytona Beach!

As a newbie in the field of ministry, I didn't  have the slightest clue what to expect when ECCC youth pastor Bryan Moore "encouraged" me recently to attend the 2012 BigStuf summer teen camp/conference in Daytona Beach. But I had faith that the experience would be life-changing.

During my childhood summers at Lake Whatchagottahava back in 1973, we slept in either cabins or tents -- neither option provided air conditioned comfort. We spent the week living in the wilderness. Spiders, snakes, mosquitoes and other outdoor pests were constant concerns as we fished and swam by day, and toasted marshmallows and sang campfire songs by night.

The daily sunrise view from our Daytona  hotel balcony.

I soon learned that BigStuf would be an altogether different experience. "Camp" lodging for the week would be at a luxury (air conditioned) high rise hotel located on Daytona Beach. Our days would be spent attending Christian-based pep rally-like conferences and frolicking in the surf, sand and sun. "Camp fire" sing-alongs would be replaced by high-energy rock concerts featuring the biggest names in contemporary Christian music -- held nightly across the street from our hotel at the air conditioned 8,000 seat Daytona Ocean Center arena. The last time I was in this venue I was worshiping at the feet of Paul Stanley during a Kiss concert in October 1992. In June 2012, I'd be praising Jesus Christ. Hmm, "weird" indeed. But despite my relatively newfound spiritual awakening, I'm still a rock and roll guy at heart -- one who has difficulty dressing myself. So imagine my surprise when Pastor Bryan informed me that in addition to being a youth counselor-type, hanging out mentoring the ECCC crew, I'd more specifically be serving as a room leader, responsible for the safety and well-being of four teenage boys. I found this proposition to be both hilarious and "crazy." And I had to ask myself, how on earth was this all going to play out?

To be continued...

*Author Christopher Long's latest book,

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.

MOVIE REVIEW: "Rock of Ages"

Directed by Adam Shankman, the film version of  the wildly popular '80s-theme Broadway musical,  Rock of Ages, finally has made it to the big screen.  And being something of an arena rock aficionado, I ventured out with my tweenage movie compadre to attend the opening day matinee. I was psyched to see this much-talked-about epic  and my expectations were further heightened as the theater's ticket taker encouraged me to enjoy the show and to have "nothing but a good time."

_________________________________

Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx,
a "fictitious" rock star who just
happens to wear a fur coat,
cowboy hat and bandanna.

Despite the hype, stellar all-star cast, mega budget and fist-pumping soundtrack, Rock of Ages is (at best) just plain silly. In fact, it's now official -- The Curly Shuffle no longer is the all-time most ridiculous '80s-related offering. And if haters, nay-sayers, pundits and poo-pooers ever needed  additional evidence to make a case against the music and style of our beloved decade, well, they've got plenty now.

Teetering somewhere between a Selena Gomez-type sitcom and a (really) bad soft core porno flick, this 'PG-13' rated saga of boy-meets-girl and  passion-filled teenage dreams set against  a backdrop of the '80s rock scene, should have been rated 'R.' The graphic one-liners,  double  entendre  references and gratuitous fetish scenes just aren't appropriate for little Johnnies and Sallies -- especially my young friend -- a rather astute  girl  who summed up the entire movie by announcing afterward that, "Most parts were a lot of music and fun. But other parts were a lot of gay." Hmm, insightful.

This is not a still from the lastest
chart-busting country music video.
It's Julianne Hough as Sherrie Christian.

Like straight out of Poison's 1988 "Fallen Angel" video, Rock of Ages opens with female lead, Sherrie Christian, played by Julianne Hough traveling from middle-America in pursuit of fame and fortune on LA's legendary Sunset Strip. As she sits on the bus thumbing through her  cherished  record collection contained in her carry-on bag, we get a glimpse at her goods -- vinyl LPs by Aerosmith, Poison and Def Leppard. But  then  the  vibe  quickly spirals downward as bus passengers of all ages join in for a Glee-style group sing-a-long of Night Ranger's "Sister Christian." A classic now has forever been tarnished.

Upon arriving in LA, Sherrie soon meets her love interest, Drew Boley played by Diego Boneta, whose '80s swagger is about as authentic as Justin Bieber's. Even less believable is Drew's band, Wolfgang Von Colt. Donned with fro-like mullets and wearing dirty, torn denim (onstage), WVC wouldn't have gotten an audition on The Strip in '87, let alone a major opening act break at a top-name venue like the film's fictitious Bourbon Room.  But Drew isn't the only character who looks out of place in Rock of Ages. In fact, with all of the bad wigs and non-era-specific wardrobe, I never felt as if I was watching a story based in the '80s.

No, this isn't a member of N'Sync.
This is Drew, the Rock of Ages
version of an aspiring '80s rock dude.

And of course like any modern-day Hollywood blockbuster that's worth it's weight in celluloid, Rock of Ages goes the distance to portray ALL conservative-types as bad guys -- mean-spirited religious wackos  with secret fetishes and chequered pasts (i.e. LA mayor Mike Whitmore, played by Bryan Cranston and his anti-rock crusading Tipper Gore-like wife Patricia, played by the steamy Catherine Zeta-Jones). And the open-mouthed onscreen kiss between  bar manager Lonny Barnett, played by Russell Brand and bar owner Dennis Dupree, played by Alec Baldwin  was just awkward and creepy -- regardless of one's sexual comfort zone. In fact, I believe that it was at that point when my young friend commented to me, "This isn't garbage, it's gay-bage." Out of the mouths of babes.

I had become slightly less enthusiastic about seeing Rock of Ages upon hearing that Tom Cruise had been cast in the primary role of Stacee Jaxx, a delusional, egomaniacal, lunatic frontman rock star. While I realize that Cruise is a true Hollywood icon and that his talent is immeasurable, I had my doubts regarding how effective he'd be in portraying  Bret Michaels, uh, I mean Stacee Jaxx. But surprisingly, he was quite convincing. Actually, I found Cruise's performance to be BRILLIANT -- certainly one of the film's three acting highlights.

Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx "explaining"
a few things to his unscrupulous manager
Paul Gill, played by Paul Giamatti.

I also must offer kudos to Paul Giamatti for his spot-on performance as Stacee's  seedy manager, Paul Gill. The toaster-size  cell phone and  Rubik's Cube truly brought his character into the era.  Oddly, I had a manager during my '80s rock days who looked and acted exactly like Gill. Hence, I totally could relate to the backstage dialogue between Gill and Drew regarding fame.

But the definitive award for "Best  Performance" goes to the baboon that played the role of Stacee's personal assistant, Hey Man. As someone who has worked as an assistant to rock stars, I must confess that frequently I've been referred to as a "baboon." However, this baboon is exactly the type required to pull off such a gig adequately.

R&B siren Mary J. Blige also does a fabulous job as "showgirl" club owner  Justice Charlier and Malin Åkerman is quite believable in the role of Rolling Stone magazine reporter Constance Sack. Props also to REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach for delivering passionate cameos as angry rockers on The Strip, defending their right to rock!

Even in the context of an '80s revival musical,
these two characters were simply ridiculous. 

Despite  some weak links and  its general dopiness,  Rock of Ages  does get it right in several areas and even offers a few profound messages. One of which is that no matter how washed up, self-absorbed and addicted the rock star,  or how vehemently the subjects (chicks)  deny  their interest, the guy onstage ALWAYS will prevail (i.e. He'll nail the chick every time). I've personally observed numerous real life scenarios depicted in Rock of Ages. Simply put, in the backstage world of rock and roll, ALL moral boundaries become erased. It's sad, even pathetic, but SO true. 

It was fun to see such mighty and iconic LA landmarks as the recreated Tower Records,  the revamped Whisky a Go Go (Bourbon Room) and the legendary rock star hangout, The Chateau Marmont projecting from the glorious silver screen throughout the film.

FYI -- This is what an authentically awesome
'80s rock band is supposed to look like!

Be sure that the true star of Rock of Ages is the timeless music. And although many of the arena anthems and power ballads featured in the movie are castrated, soulless, watered down American Idol-like recreations, it was still fun to hear David Lee Roth,  Guns N' Roses, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister and Scorpions classics pumping through a massive in-theater sound system.

In sum, Rock of Ages is a colorful and high-energy  romp in which  true love prevailed and all of the pretty people danced, sang, rocked -- and lived, happily ever after. And I guess it was an okay flick, if you possess the sense of humor necessary to watch as your cherished past is poked at for two (long) hours -- just leave the kids at home. But would I pay to see it again? Possibly, if for no other reason than I just LOVED that baboon!

-Christopher Long

(June 2012)

*Author Christopher Long's latest book,

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.

MARCO RUBIO: Romney's Best Bet

Ann and I enjoy an active social life.

My fiancé
Ann Coulter and
I don’t disagree
on much. However,
we are somewhat
at odds over
Mitt Romney’s
soon-to-be announced VP choice.

________________________________

In short, Ann is gaga over New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whereas I’m passionately pulling for Florida Senator Marco Rubio. I like Christie, I just don’t believe that he’s the best choice right now.

A great VP choice may not guarantee a nominee’s victory (Joe Lieberman 2000), however, a misguided choice effectively can derail a promising candidate’s campaign (Sarah Palin 2008).

Rubio has maintained his disinterest in the #2 slot, but that’s what they all say — it’s just part of the political game.

Vice President-elect Marco Rubio.

One of the greatest criticisms thrown at Rubio is that the forty-one-year old lacks the on-the-job experience necessary to handle the gig. Really? C’mon, clearly qualifications and experience no longer are significant factors in American politics. Can you say, “President Obama?” But Rubio IS qualified.

So, what do we know about the Miami law school graduate? Well, before this married father of four joined the U.S. Senate in 2011, Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2009 — he was Speaker of the House from 2007 to 2009. Simply put, Rubio is a rock-solid “God, Guns and Guts” Republican —  three words that scare the pants off the libs, but he’s my kinda guy! He’s a “Right to Lifer” who opposes same-sex marriage, supports mandatory life sentences for repeat sex offenders, opposes passage of Cap-and-Trade energy legislation and encourages options for student and parent choice in education.

Although his positions on the issues are pretty standard for us bigoted, right-wing, phobic wackos, Rubio stands out from the rest of the Republican pack. He’s young, wildly popular, gaining experience, impressive on the stump, and given his connection to the Cuban community, he likely will continue to endear Hispanic voters and help clinch Florida for Romney next November — which is the whole point here. The upcoming presidential election is one that my team simply MUST win.

President Romney's 2016 re-election bid will be a snap!

Recent opinion polls of various conservative groups found overwhelming growing support for Romney to tap Rubio for the VP slot. And not only will Rubio likely energize the right, he is also the “golden child” who can best inspire independents — a key faction needed to ensure victory in November.

Weary of the “Palin factor,” many longtime conservatives are urging Romney to choose a more seasoned candidate. However, I’m more concerned about the “pasty old white dude factor.” Barack Obama is an iconic rock star. And we Americans just love our rock stars! So, as I’ve mentioned in previous features, if the Republicans are to triumph in 2012, we’ve got to “out-rock star” our incumbent president.

Ann and I thoroughly enjoy our Saturday's in the park.

But there is a (very) long list of other qualified contenders from which Romney can choose, including Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Ohio senator Rob Portman, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Senator John Thune of South Dakota, Virginia governor Bob McDonnell and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty — to name just a few. In fact, just about the only qualified right-wingers who haven’t been mentioned on any recent potential candidate lists have been me and my fiancé, Ann Coulter.

Even political novices realize that this is a race that Romney can win if he doesn’t blow it. C’mon dude — DON’T BLOW IT!

-Christopher Long 

(June 2012)

Author Christopher Long's latest book,

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.

 

RECORD REVIEW: Adele "Live at The Royal Albert Hall"

ADELE

Live at The Royal
Albert Hall

(XL Recordings / Columbia Records)

Hey, what's that sound? Uh, wait a second — I know that sound. It seems vaguely familiar. Oh yeah, I remember now. That's  the sound of  human voices — singing. But what are those other odd sounds that I hear in the background? Oh, right — of course, those are the sounds of human musicians, playing (tuned) instruments. And together, they're playing songs live onstage.

_________________________________________________
 

The meteoric rise and current mega success of Britain's Adele Adkins certainly comes as no surprise to me. She's merely reaping well-deserved rewards for doing what music artists are supposed to do — create quality music. (Build it and they will come.) But therein lies the very reason that so many others appear baffled by her success. Unlike most, if not all of today's acknowledged pop culture-types, Adele doesn't  produce inane  computer-enhanced tracks featuring yodels, "uh-huhs" and "awe yeahs" over top of mind-numbing electronic-generated beats merely as a means of providing a soundtrack to this week's teen-targeted YouTube viral porn clip. Adele is a bona fide artist — a shtick-free singer, songwriter and performer of the highest caliber  —with class and style to boot.

Hey Adele — nice package!
(CD/DVD combo)

Recorded live in concert on September 22, 2011 at London's Royal Albert Hall, this amazing double CD/DVD combo perfectly showcases  the Grammy-winning artist as she fronts a mighty band in a legendary venue before a huge and adoring crowd.

From her Debbie Gibson-like (circa '89)silhouette entrance, Adele immediately commands the stage and captivates  the audience with her personable  charm and  confidence. "I've seen The Spice Girls and Enrique Iglesias here (Albert Hall)," she confessed to her flock in  an (extremely) thick Cockney accent.

Seeming to follow the traditional wedding mantra of offering something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue(s), Adele serves up a musical smorgasbord through the record's seventeen-song, ninety-plus-minute running time.

After kicking off the show with "Hometown Glory" from her multi-platinum selling 2008 debut, 19, the twenty-four-year old phenom quickly focuses on her current record, leading her band through a string of numbers from her multi-platinum selling 2011 sophomore release, 21, including "I'll Be Waiting," "Don't You Remember," "Turning Tables," and "Set Fire to the Rain."

Adele

In the "something borrowed" category, Adele delivers compelling remakes of The SteelDriver's "If It Hadn't Been for Love" and Bonnie Raitt's (Reid and Shamblin penned) Top 20 hit "I Can't Make You Love Me."  And her  versions of The Cure classic "Love Song" and Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" sound so fresh and unique that you just might forget about the original recordings. The set also includes the must-play fan faves, "Chasing Pavements," "Rumour Has It," "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You."

The connection here between artist and audience is honest and pure. And although countless live records and videos  have failed over the years properly to capture the ambiance or recreate the magic of a personal concert experience, this one delivers in spades!

-Christopher Long
(June 2012)

*Author Christopher Long's latest book,

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.

THRIFT STORE ADVENTURES - Pt. VII (On the Road)

Michelle has a knack for spotting the
the coolest T-shirts in the joint every time!

Michelle and I traveled an hour south from our usual comfort zone of Brevard County today seeking the ultimate thrill — the discovery of a fabulous new thrifting destination. And we succeeded in grand fashion!
__________________
 

Finally, the holiday episodes
of The Beverly Hillbillies
on DVD.

Located in the Kmart plaza on Highway U.S. 1 in Vero, Florida, the Gulfstream Goodwill is simply one of the most impressive locations that Michelle and I have had the pleasure of visiting. With approximately 10,000 square feet of shopping space, it's clean (yes, even the  men's room), organized, well-stocked and well-staffed.

Although we had the place pretty much to ourselves upon arriving shortly after the 9AM opening, the joint was quickly jumpin' with wall-to-wall shoppers.
 

 



This pic wasn't taken at my buddy's
beachside condo. It's the furniture
dept. at the Vero Goodwill store. 



Often in the thrifting world, I find that it's the little things  — the fine details that make a store a stand-out location. This certainly holds true for the Gulfstream Goodwill. The in-house music was a wonderful quirky South Florida radio station that played a variety of fun, upbeat oldies. And the combination of the meticulously waxed floors married with properly greased wheels, made pushing one of the store's shopping carts as effortless and enjoyable as guiding an $80,000 Escalade along I-95 at 80mph.

 

 

All in all, this store was a tremendous find and offered a simply fantastic experience. And given that we also discovered a superb restaurant called Joey's Bistro on Indian River Boulevard, we certainly will be returning to Vero soon — and often! Road trip, anyone?

-Chris

 

Author Christopher Long's latest book,

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon!