Marty’s photo of the day #4356: For the past sixteen years, Earth Day and the surrounding weeks have been the most popular time for presentations of my show, Around the World in 90 Minutes. Mostly I perform at colleges, but since colleges rarely book weekend shows, I try to fill weekends on the road with […]
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Meeting Jeff Strand
Greetings from Chattanooga, Tennessee! I’ve just returned to my hotel room after a delightful dinner with Jeff Strand and his wife, Lynne Hansen. For those who don’t know who Jeff Strand is, he is the master of a fairly obscure genre, called horror/comedy. I write in an equally obscure genre that I call science-fiction/political-comedy, so […]
Marty Essen signed book special!
Signed books make great holiday gifts! Beginning today, I am offering a signed book special. Here are the prices: Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: $19.95 Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico: $19.95 Time Is Irreverent: $14.95 Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not […]
What responsible people do for Christmas this year
Yesterday Deb and I met our son halfway between our houses (we live 40 miles apart), stood outside wearing masks, and exchanged boxes of Christmas presents. This year, for the first time ever, Deb and I will spend Christmas alone (just like we did on Thanksgiving). We are doing so because we are responsible people, […]
Signed Marty Essen Books!
Avoid the Black Friday Crowds. Signed books make special gifts! For a limited time, I’m offering free U.S. shipping on all signed books and will also include a free signed copy of Endangered Edens with every purchase of two or more books. All books are Amazon #1 best-sellers in their respective categories. Here are the […]
What if Biden is delaying his VP pick because . . .
Joe Biden won’t be announcing his vice presidential pick next week and instead will announce the week of August 9. I don’t ever remember so much anticipation for a VP pick. I think that’s because many of us are thinking long-term. The Republicans could be stuck sucking shit at the bottom of the outhouse for […]
Thank you Bernie! Now it’s time to go.
I thank Bernie Sanders for all he has done to bring awareness to so many important issues. I also thank him for successfully pushing the Democratic Party leftward to more liberal thinking. Now I look forward to thanking him for gracefully dropping out of the Democratic primary within the next few days (COVID-19 makes his […]
Just how loud is that?
Having been a radio station DJ and a manager for rock bands, my ears took a beating—especially in my teens through mid-thirties. Now that I am um . . . a little older, I can still hear fine, except for, apparently, the distant sound of crickets. Consequently, I now try to balance my love of […]
Joe Biden’s speech and the ugly theory
Did you see Joe Biden’s speech last night? If not, Google it. I’ve made no secret that Biden was far down my list of who I wanted to win the nomination, but I have to say his speech impressed me. First, I think his message of unifying America under a calm and steady president is […]
The logical Democratic presidential nominee is . . .
I took the New York Times Democratic candidate quiz, and for me it showed Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren tied at the top, followed by Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. In a normal election I would agree with those results, but this is not a normal election. What the quiz did not ask was, “How […]
Halestorm rocks!
Marty’s photo of the day #2869: Sometimes you just need to forget about politics and work and have some fun. Deb and I drove most of the day yesterday to get to Billings for the Halestorm concert. We had a wonderful dinner in a nice restaurant and then enjoyed an incredible concert from Halestorm. The […]
Dedicated to the Minnesota Lynx
Marty’s photo of the day #2327: This is Cub, a semi-wild lynx that I photographed in my backyard several years ago. I dedicate this photo to the Minnesota Lynx, who won the WNBA championship last night. Of the four major sports, I like watching basketball the least. But this year the Minnesota Lynx sucked me […]
Pat Benatar 36 years later
Marty’s photo of the day #2275: I saw Pat Benatar at the Saint Paul Civic Center in 1981. My opinion back then was that she was better on record than she was on stage. Not that she sucked or anything. She just wasn’t exciting live. I would have never gone to a Pat Benatar concert […]
The concert bucket list
Marty’s photo of the day #2274: During the past year, I have been working hard at checking off artists on my concert bucket list. Three of those acts included Joan Jett, Garbage, and Melissa Etheridge. One thing all three had in common was that they performed outdoors on equal bills with other acts. Despite the […]
Better together #1
Like pizza and beer, sometimes quotes are better together: “Get even with people. If they screw you, screw them back 10 times as hard. I really believe that.” —Donald Trump “I’ve seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are.” —Michelle Obama
Garbage in 104 degree heat
Marty’s photo of the day #2246: Good morning from Nampa, Idaho. Last night Deb and I saw a great outdoor concert with X, Blondie, and Garbage. Although we came primarily for Garbage, Blondie was great as well. After John Doe and Exene Cervenka of X did a short acoustic show, Garbage took the stage. At […]
Collide interview with author Marty Essen
Streaming services, such as Pandora and Spotify have made life difficult for all but the biggest acts in the music industry. The CD-buying public has become the song-streaming public, with artists making a quarter of a penny or less per streamed song. But streaming services do provide one advantage over the days when artists needed […]