The end of the Solomon Sparrow’s Electric Whale Revival has had me in a whirlwind of emotion this past week or so. I will write about the tour soon…it is too much for one sitting.
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I was in Las Vegas this weekend for a performance at the Vegas Valley Book Fair with Derrick Brown and Amber Tamblyn. It was pretty damn awesome. That was on Friday, then on Sunday I attended a friend’s wedding which was attended by Feff and his girl Adriana.
Feff, who was once very chubby, has lost 70+ pounds through exercise and diet. He looks great, as does his lady, who committed to the ritual in April. Feff, once a heavy smoker and heavy fellow eater, is now a healthy jogger who loves him some veggies. Totally inspiring!
My lovely Miss Knowles joined me on the trip to LV and got to meet all the peeps. We had a great time and we got through to a point in our relationship where missing each other is a lot easier, even with me back on the road. I thought this coming week would be hard, but we know we’ll see each other for Thanksgiving and that makes the coming time apart so much more bearable.
Of all the gambling and such that comes with Vegas, the biggest highlight for Knowles and I was a place neither of us would have ever considered visiting. Mr. Dayvid Figler, poet, writer, lawyer, judge and all-around fantastic host and Vegas pal, took us to the Pinball Hall of Fame, just a bit off of the Las Vegas Strip. Opened out of love by Tim Arnold, the PHoF is a small wonderland dedicated to an all-but-dying phenomenon. I remember playing the occasional Cyclone or FunHouse game from time to time as a kid, and on Monday, I got to re-live many of those good times, achieving higher scores I never could as a child. I discovered a new love for pinball that I never knew was in me.
I spent less than $20.00 between Knowles and I, and we had a blast for a couple of hours; more than any casino on the strip. Talking with Tim, who was rebuilding an old machine while we played, was awesome as he has a wealth of information and knowledge of game machines. Mr. Arnold is probably one of the world’s foremost pinball experts.
I would compel anyone who plans to hit up Las Vegas to visit the Pinball Hall of Fame, support Tim and his awesome collection, and have a great time. Do be sure to tell a friend about this place. They will not regret spending a few bucks in quarters. I recommend everyone see it at some point in there lives.
Visit the Pinball Hall of Fame website here.
If you end up there someday, be sure to check out The Pinball Circus machine. It’s quite literally one-of-a-kind and by far one of the most entertaining machines I’ve ever played.
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A SHOW YOU CANNOT MISS!!!
“Open Mike McGee: A 24-Hour Solo Solstice Reading”
Friday, December 21st through Saturday the 22nd, 2007
Beginning around 9PM on Friday…
Ending around 11PM on Saturday.
Mike McGee will perform his poetry, other’s poetry, and more
over twelve 2-hour increments, with 5-15 minute breaks in between.
MACLA
510 S. First St
San Jose, CA US
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
Non-Profit Arts Organization
$3.00 tickets for every two hours.
24-hour Come & Go tickets will be $20 at the door.
For more info, email Mike at mightymikemcgee at gmail
or call MACLA at
This entry was written by , posted on 7 November, 2007 at 12:28 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged california, las vegas, macla arte, performance, pinball hall of fame, San-Jose-California, spoken word. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
Love to you, MM!
“Miss Knowles”
Beyonce? you dog you!
Wow! The 24 hour show sounds amazing!
I would definitely stay the whole time if I could make it to that one lol
<3
Oh my god. Pinball hall of fame. And I thought Shorty’s had a lot of Pinball machines…. I’m drooling. Must….go…..to….Vegas
I am glad things are going well for you— UMPi had another Poet today I was unable to make it but I doubt it was as well attended as you were…
I need to tell you there is a gentleman who comes into Lowes who looks like you but MUCH older its odd and he is a cool guy too… must snap picture of him… spy camera time.
Peace from the North
Jenni
Dude, it was so awesome to see you!
Next time you’re here we must have extended hang outs.
With snakz.
Goes to show, you are in my town for a weekend and I find out about it after you leave. I wish I had known you were going to be around Vegas, Mr. McGee. The friendly face would have been welcome and so much more. I will definitely have to check out that Pinball Hall of Fame now, you know this.
Mike,
I am inspired not only by Jeff’s exercise and health regime, but also by your 24 hour performance. You always did do marathon work. Well, so do I. If I were in California, I would be there for sure.
15 November, I’m doing a pre-birthday gig with a couple of the English South West’s biggest poets. Must get my act together!
Bryce