The Corona Chronicles

Earlier this week I posted the video for "November Rain" on my Facebook page and said there was a story to go with that song, well here is that story. Here is a little backstory -- a very short bit of backstory -- when I lived in Los Angeles, I was a photographer and writer for LA Rock Review, a free music newpaper that covered the music scene in Hollywood. So I was friends with a lot of bands, one of those bands, The Wild, all became good buddies. And their keyboard player, Dizzy Reed, is now a member of Guns'n'Roses, and he played on "Use Your Illusion".  They were recording at the infamous Record Plant (aka The Hotel California), which in reality is a very unassuming building in an industrial part of Hollywood.  One night Dizzy had asked me to give him a ride to the studio. Once there he said I could come in and hang out. So I did, and became friends with the guys who were the reception/security. I then had pretty much carte blanche to show up whene...

I have a long post brewing in me, but I have some school work to do first. It's about family, something that's been on my mind. Last weekend I organized a big Zoom call with all my cousins, we ended up with about 14 people at one point. They are all connected through my mom, but on different sides of her family, so they don't all know each other, funny introductions, and generally just cool to hang out. There is a special bond with cousins.  First cousins are usually your first friends. My mom was lucky enough to grow up next door to her cousin, Shirley, and they were lifelong friends, until Shirley's passing in 2019.  Shirley's family and mine were always close, her father, Julius, is who I am named after as I was the first child born after his death. Shirley's daughter, Janet, is also named after him with the "J" in his honor. While I spent plenty of time with Shirley (her husband Dan, who also passed in 2019 -- they DID everything together fr...

Dear readers, It's been years since I have blogged, but I need to exercise my writing muscles. I have kept journals since I was 13, but in the last couple of years, have slacked off.  So I am going to use this fallow time to be productive.  I am not setting any post schedule, but I will try to write at least once a week.  So join me on this crazy journey of 2020. Julie