There is a funny story that has circulated about the night Led Zeppelin went to see Elvis perform in concert.  By this time in Elvis' career,

• he was already legendary for his early days as a pioneer of rock music
• he returned from the army to a multi-movie contract that kept him in Hollywood much of the time making movies with soundtracks that did not match his early musical output
• he then returned to his rock roots with a new image and what is now called the '68 Comeback Special, then recorded a remarkable series of solid hits with Chips Moman at American Sound Studios in Memphis - releasing "Long Black Limousine," "Suspicious Minds," "Kentucky Rain," "In the Ghetto," "Don't Cry Daddy," and the incredible album, "From Elvis in Memphis."
• he then..... well...... after that amazing comeback..... he then started fading fast into a downward spiral of some, let's just say, rather unhealthy habits.  Habits which eventually led to his untimely death at 42.

It was during that downward spiral that Elvis really lost a lot of his spunk.  At the same time, a new movement in music had taken place.  Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Cheap Trick - these were the new faces and sounds of rock music.

Well, back to the story.....

David Stanley, Elvis' brother through Vernon's marriage to Dee Stanley, was a huge fan of Led Zeppelin.  David had joined Elvis on the road and was, by the mid 70s, among the second generation of the Memphis Mafia.  He loved Elvis - but he also thought that Elvis' music had become by that time the music of old folks.  It is also well documented that Elvis stopped listening to contemporary music sometime in the 60s.  So he was unaware of the new sounds on the radio.

Stanley was shocked one day in the mid 1970s to see that his idols, Led Zeppelin, had purchased tickets to an evening Elvis concert and were seated together right in front of the stage!  Stanley raced back to the dressing room, found Elvis, and exclaimed that one of the biggest bands in the world - and one of his favorite bands - was right there in the room.  Elvis sort of brushed off the news, seemed not to care, did some karate, then went on stage and performed the most rocking show he had put on since the '68 Comeback Special.  Leaving the stage (and keep in mind, this was Led Zeppelin that Elvis was referring to, and he hadn't heard their music), Elvis turned to David Stanley and smirked and said, "Well, I guess I showed those boys how to rock."

"Yeah, Elvis," David replied, "I guess you did."

Later that night, back in Elvis' hotel room, a knock came upon the door.  David Stanley answered the door.... Robert Plant and Jimmy Page had come up and begged to come see THEIR favorite rock star.  For about 2 hours, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and Elvis laughed, jammed, sang, and goofed around like kids while David Stanley watched, bewildered, thinking, "they should be hanging with me, not some old guy like Elvis."

I decided to write an Elvis post today in dedication to my wife!  My wonderful wife surprised me with an invitation to go check out the Tupelo Elvis Festival this weekend - a complete surprise to me!

It never ceases to amaze me how much Char and I make such a great couple.  We've got so many similar passions and interests.  We both listen to everything from easy listening to heavy metal, we are both musicians, we both like Elvis, we both love old black and white movies, both love the same '70s sitcoms, same cartoons, same books, share the same faith (most important!), etc.  I had just looked up info on the Tupelo Elvis Festival not long before when she surprised me with the trip!

We'll be sure to post lots of hilarious pictures of our trip!  Stay tuned.....

Have you ever been around people that throw a tantrum or a fit of rage when things don't go just as they expected?  When things aren't perfect the first time?  I'm really talking about the little things...  like when you take a wrong turn, or forget where you parked your car.  This reaction is bad for anyone - but when it raises it's ugly head within a marriage, it's devastating.  I'm so blessed to be in a marriage where my wife and I enjoy life even when the little things don't come off just as planned.  Instead of throwing tantrums, we often.... laugh.

This morning, I got up early to make a french toast breakfast for the family and a guest who was staying with us from out of town.  I went to the pantry and the fridge and got the necessary ingredients... bread, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar.

The past few times I've made my french toast, I've felt that there wasn't enough cinnamon.  I decided I'd double my usual amount of cinnamon this time.

I called the family in when breakfast was ready.  My eldest took a bite.  Next thing I know, she's running around the kitchen like a wild monkey (as opposed to tame monkeys who have such good manners) grabbing water and gargling it, spewing everywhere.  She was exclaining how her mouth was on fire.  From french toast???

Char and I took some bites.  Yes, the french toast was spicy - but Char and I can pretty much eat fire and it doesn't bother us.  We LOVE hot and spicy foods.  So we we didn't become monkeys but we did acknowledge a little kick in the french toast.

I brought out the ingredients I used and laid them on the table.  "See," I told the family, "this is what I used.  Where's the heat coming from?"

That's when Char's eyes got very wide... "Whoops," she said, "I didn't tell you - we ran out of cinnamon.  I put cayenne pepper in the old cinnamon jar."

So I put a double dose of cayenne pepper in the french toast.  Char could have become angry - after all, I ruined the breakfast.  Instead, she laughed.  We all laughed.  We made up names for our new culinary creation:  Fiery French Toast.

Rather than becoming a "ruined morning," we found that we had just lived through what will be a humorous memory for years to come.

It's little responses like that - laughing rather than becoming upset - which can make marriage fun and relaxing, the way it was intended.

I don't know if it's true or an urban legend (and I'm just not motivated enough to even look it up right now - sorry, Snopes.com, I'll visit you later) but I've heard that when the founder of the Salvation Army was passing away, he was asked what final words he would like to leave for future generations to sum up his thoughts on life.  He supposedly looked at the inquisitor and said simply, "others."

I've met a lot of people over my lifetime - some rich, some poor, some young, some old, some famous, some as unknown as Wordsworth's Lucy (if you don't know the poem, please go read some William Wordsworth - it will be well worth your time).   But I can pretty much put everyone I've met in two categories:  the self-centered and the "others-oriented".  The longer I live, the more I realize that I really want to be around the "others-oriented" crowd and want to share those traits.  Not because I want others to be oriented toward me (that would be self-centered) but because (and this will sound elementary at first) the world just works with an others-centered orientation.  I believe that's the way God designed the world to work.  Even Christ Himself, when asked about the greatest commandments, replied that all God's law was summed up in loving God and loving others.

Other-oriented.  The world was designed to work that way by our Creator.

My wife, Char,  is a great example of an others-oriented person.  She has been involved in ministry work and service work to the homeless, battered women, deaf, blind, mentally handicapped, physically handicapped, children from abused homes, etc. etc.  And when she's not doing those structured acts of service and ministry, she's doing it in a less structured way on a one-on-one basis.  I've watched her sit down with friends who have cancer, friends who are facing life-changing circumstances, friends whose spouses left them, friends who are making really bad choices in life, friends who are at the end of their rope and are seeking a complete life change.  I've watched her spend hours talking to one woman who will probably be reading this (and you'll know who you are) who had a lot of questions about God.  While I watched her spend those hours that day, I knew that she had been speaking to this woman about God for 10 years - never giving up on her.  Just last year, after those hours of conversation that I watched, that woman finally gave her life to Christ.

Even toward my own life I have witnessed Char's others orientation.  Toward the end of my previous marriage, I shared with Char (who was at the time a great friend and bandmate) some of what I was going through.  Rather than just simply saying, "well, I'll be thinking of you - sorry to hear all that," she decided to step in and try to reach out to my at-the-time wife.  She drove in from 45 minutes away several times to try to talk to my ex-wife and save that marriage.  In the end, that was not God's plan obviously.  But I know that God blessed her faithfulness and the two of us.

I got to see first hand what an others-oriented person she is.  And since falling in love with her and marrying her, I've seen her continual "others-centered" behavior in our family.  When she married me, she also received two more children (I likewise was blessed with one more from her previous marriage).  Her love for them is immeasurable (as is my love for my new daughter).  She cares for them and sacrifices daily for them.

And God continues to bless her daily for it.

Marriage is no different.  If both partners are focused on the other, both will feel the full blessings of the marriage relationship.  This has been key in our marriage being so beautiful.  If only one party is others oriented and the other is self-centered, the chain does not hold.

Others.  It's what makes the world work the way God intended. And it's an obvious first step for anyone who sincerely desires to live Christlike.

Our band, Vintage, will be performing live at Kudzu's in Downtown Memphis - just down the street from Sun Studios at 603 Monroe.  We've got a lot of new material for this gig so come check out what's new!  We'll go on at 8:30pm so come out for dinner and stay for great music from rock's finest eras.  Also, be sure to check out our merchandise table where you can pick up your very own stylish Vintage band tank top or tee shirt.

For more information on our band, be sure to check out our band website, www.thevintagepeople.com

Speaking of the band... we're booking now for 2009 holiday parties.  If you, your company, or your organization want a great time with live music then check us out today at www.thevintagepeople.com.

But first things first.... Kudzu's... May 29.  8:30pm

We look forward to seeing you at the show!

Now available in the Online Store on this website... My band, Vintage, is selling shirts and tank tops with our logo.  We've got men's T-Shirts, women's T-Shirts, and women's tank tops available in medium, large, and XL.  Of course, the store still sells my original music in DRM free MP3 format as well.  Be the envy of all your friends with new, stylish Vintage band T-Shirts and Tank Tops.  (I've always wanted to say a sentence like that.)

It's the little things in life that can bring such joy.  Just the other day, I was getting out of my morning shower.  Remember that scene from As Good As It Gets where Jack Nicholson was getting ready for his date with Helen Hunt and he took a hot shower while Helen Hunt fell asleep in a chair and when he opened the door, steam poured out into the room like a sauna...?  It was like that, only I wasn't getting ready for a date nor was my wife asleep in a chair awaiting me... but the steam was like that.  Anyway... so I get out and the mirror is all fogged up with shower steam.  I glance at the mirror anyway and see some markings.  The steam didn't settle on certain parts of the mirror... and it made a design... but no, this wasn't a design... it was words.  "I love you, Louis" it read.

Sometime before, after one of her showers, Char had written those words with her finger on the fog.  A hidden  message of sorts just waiting for me to come across it.  She does things like that a lot.  Sure, she tells me she loves me, yes, we have an amazing time together (I'll leave it at that, ok?), yes we are best friends... but it's the little things like that which can leave such an impression.

God is like that, as well.  He gives us a lot of obvious blessings to show us His love.  Can we start with, say, eternal life and forgiveness!  Not to mention our spouse (and if your marriage is anything like mine - wow, what a blessing that is!!!!!!!) and kids (yes, kids are a blessing, friends!)  But He also tells us He loves us in more subtle ways at times.  Sometimes, we have to look for it - sort of like a hidden message (remember the mirror?  this is a post about the mirror)  But they aren't really hidden, are they? Just subtle.  He tells us through his creation itself, through nature, through times of rest.

After I saw the message on the mirror, I wasn't as subtle in telling my wife of my love for her.  I was more obvious.  It's a natural reaction to being surprised by a hidden message - a secret love note.  Likewise, let's remember to outwardly express to God our appreciation and love for Him whenever we come across one of His "hidden messages" to us.

Oh, and Char... if you are reading this.... I know this isn't a bathroom mirror... but I want you to know I LOVE YOU!

It's fitting that I have a dog now.  Me.  The cat guy.  I used to walk around the block as a 15 year old and before I'd return home, six kittens would be following behind.  Cats have followed me as long as I can remember.  But even being a cat guy I've got to be honest about the All American Dream.  The house with the white picket fence, three kids, wonderfully happy husband and wife, and... dog running around the family, wagging its little dog tail.  You don't see many Norman-Rockwell-kind-of-paintings of 12 year old boys sitting by the fishing hole with their pet Siamese.  It's typically a Golden Retriever, a Black Lab, even a mutt.

Yeah, even for a cat guy... I recognize the dog's place in the All American Family.

So I recently found out what God meant by a help-meet.  I discovered what God really had in mind when he created the institution of marriage.   I even wrote a song about it.  <---- Shameless promotion for a song available soon as an MP3 download on this site.  Speaking of songs.... ever notice how sometimes the best songs are written regarding suffering?  I think songwriters get the raw deal sometimes.  Hmmmmm  -  let's see if I get this straight... songwriter X goes through years upon years of suffering, listener Y gets the benefit of a killer tune, record label Z makes the money.  Something doesn't seem right about this.  But I'm off on a tangent (where I find myself often).  Back on subject....

So after my own years of suffering, the light at the end of the tunnel wasn't a train after all.  My whole life suddenly feels like a fairy tale.   I find the love of my life in my best friend, we get married, she's still my best friend (and always will be) but she's so much more now as well.  She's such an amazing wife that I recall telling her once, "I think I've died and gone to Stepford."  I meant it as a compliment, I assure you.  We have a beautiful family, a happy home... and so yes, isn't it fitting, we get a dog.

Norman Rockwell complete.  I think I might go check the price of white wooden pickets next weekend.