Wurlitzer Sickness

Sean Coleman recently acquired a boat load of Wurlitzer Piano’s that were once employed as piano’s for a community college music class. He intends to re-build them one by one. Kelley Stoltz has one with his name on it already. I somehow resisted placing dibs on one.

Made in Mississippi, these are fussy sons of bitches… You know the sound, from Ray Charles’s “What’d I Say” to virtually every Supertramp intro, to the classic hop along Cassidy figure of “Do Right Man”... Stephie and I own a mess of these things… love to hate em, hate to love em. The Wurlitzer is a beast, we got to have em. That SOUND, like a hammer to molasses, is part of your DNA. Much like the musicians that rock them, they are difficult; the reeds break, they go out of tune, they exhale static… but they’re worth it. Sean knows what he’s in for. I’m on the top of the world looking down on creation and the only explanation I can find is that Sean is a sicko. God bless Sean Coleman.

I Crashed The Fixed Gear

Back in my day… oh, you wouldn’t understand. When I was a bike SF bike messenger, fixed gears were nothing more than a rumor. We messengers always took our lunch in Battery Park. In the life, there were messengers who worked bi-coastal. Rocking the higher paying NYC gigs. (Manhattan is flat BTW). Anyway, that was where I first heard of the mythical fixed gear bikes. That particular brand of modern primitivism was strictly for the the big apple, wasn’t it?

But like seriously, why dude? How’d the fixed gear craze ever catch on here in our fair city by the bay? Am I missing something?

Fixed gear: The sprocket is attached to the hub without a freewheel mechanism. You can’t stop, you can’t coast.

I crashed the fixed gear party out on Evans last Sunday to see what I could learn. I was on my way to Travis’s. Check it out.

Rockin In The Green World

Parked across the street from our apt. is the extremely conspicuous “Sustainable Living Van”. I couldn’t help but notice the evolution of this one time bread truck rock it’s way into the Green World. I’ve taken an interest in it, very soon I’ll soon be in the market for a new touring vehicle myself.

At first I witnessed the stripping of the WonderBread decals (see pic’s). Then I watched as it became prime real estate for Mission District taggers. Just yesterday, I noticed that it was getting another paint job. This one commissioned by Mr. Sustainable Living himself: Jonathan Youtt.

I mosied over and enjoyed a chat with the green gangsters.

According to the owner, my neighbor and puppet-master Jonathan, this vehicle is a 1983 Chevrolet “step van”. It was in service with the Continental Baking Co. (Hostess Cupcakes, Wonderbread etc.) Based in Portland Oregon for much of it’s life.

Somewhere along the way, (1994 to be exact) it got a new engine transplant. With a Cummins 4 B T. That’s a four cylinder 3.9 liter Cummins, which gives a good 22 to 25 MPG. Diesel of course.

It was converted to bio diesel. Yes, this puppy will run on oil from the McDonald’s frier. Any diesel engine will run bio-diesel apparently.

Pure biodiesel is available at many gas stations in Germany now as well.

Well, blow me down, I did not know that.

“Little bit of a dog up hills, can’t really tow a trailer…”

It is light as it can possibly be. All aluminum body with a couple steel I Beams underneath. It’s a boxy deal. Easy to build into. Think: lofts, beds etc.

Keep on rocking in the Green World. Keep an eye out for the Sustainable Living Roadshow. They’ll be hitting festivals and college town across the ‘tard nation teaching eco-conscious stuff like, “natural-building, solar, wind, bio fuel etc.”