Hamburger James Caughley, 1942-2016

Hamburger James Caughley, 1942-2016

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On October 15, 2016, this world said goodbye to one James K. Caughley, Jr. of Memphis, TN but his departure didn’t make headlines.  From his brief obituary, we learned that Caughley was a retired employee of the Coors Brewing Company.  He adored animals, especially Main Coon cats. He loved NASCAR and visiting the Smokey Mountains.  His memorial services were held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in the Memphis suburb of Germantown, TN.  His life appeared, by all measures, mundane.  But…

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On Being Crackheads: Social Media and the Eye

On Being Crackheads: Social Media and the Eye

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Much in the same way that some people talk before they think, some technological advancements are assimilated into our culture before we weigh the consequence of acceptance.  The problem with “going too far” is that it is a destination from which one can never return.  A rather obvious example of this which no one would argue is that of sexual intercourse.  There’s no question that sex is not just a boundary but the boundary which changes everything about a relationship.  To put it in…

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A Conversation

A Conversation

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My line of work is entertainment.  I am blessed with the job of making people happy.  Whether I’m on stage playing bass guitar in my band, writing songs, publishing books, or producing films, I make money by making people smile.  I’m a natural extrovert and I love what I do.  And even more, I love being able to do it all with my bride and best friend, Char. But the fact that my life’s output falls in the spectrum of entertainment does not mean that…

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The Bucket List

The Bucket List

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When it comes to movies I’m always behind the rest of the civilized world.  I’m “still catching up” with movies that came out in the 1990s. TV shows are no different for me.  By the way, did you hear?  Bobby’s not dead! It was all a dream!  Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one.  If you’re around my age or older, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.  A little younger than me and you likely haven’t a clue. It’s…

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The Lost Art of Living

The Lost Art of Living

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This post is the second installment in a three part series that began with my previous article entitled, “The Lost Art of Listening” and concludes with an upcoming article entitled “The Lost Art of Loving.” There’s a famous story by Ray Bradbury about a children’s playroom in the future.  Published in 1950, “The Veldt” is about a virtual reality room in modern homes in which children choose to live out their lives rather than joining the real world.  Relationships fall apart – in particular…

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Why Don’t Women Like the Band Rush?

Why Don’t Women Like the Band Rush?

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Recently, while setting up for a show that our band was about to play, the venue’s house music was cranking out Rush’s “The Temples of Syrinx” from 2112.  Our drummer and I started conversing about Rush’s early progressive rock albums and inevitably, the dialogue turned humorous with the question, “Why don’t women like Rush?”  To be fair, I’ll state up front that this is a stereotype.  Some women (my wife, Char, for example) enjoy Rush.  But for the most part, they…

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The Lost Art of Listening

The Lost Art of Listening

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This post is the first installment in a three part series that continues with an article entitled, “The Lost Art of Living” and concludes with an article entitled “The Lost Art of Loving.” As a young child, my favorite possession was a Fisher Price plastic portable record player.  I had a stack of 45’s from artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Alice Cooper and I would play them endlessly.  When I wasn’t in my room listening to my 45’s, I’d likely be in the den where…

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How I Got Char to Go Out With Me

How I Got Char to Go Out With Me

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In 2014 I published an eBook entitled How I Got Char to Go Out With Me.  It’s a self-described “collection of tall tales with some resemblance to the truth” concerning how Char Magnifico and I became a couple.  In all, there are 25 different versions of the story and then, the final chapter reveals The Truth…  sort of.  You see, all 25 tall tales actually have kernels of the truth in them and they are all based on real events.  I published it as…

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