ARTIE Q REMEMBERS BILL

I knew Bill quite well. I liked him a lot. We hung a little bit in LA in the '90s. He lovingly edited my pop music video in '95. I know Bill had a hard time with the industry going digital, but with analogue, he was Ace! He lovingly helped me realize/visualize & edit what I think, in the end, became a truly wonderful video — all on a shoestring budget. It was especially difficult because it was not shot with a sync code. Amazing! If it were not for his trailer editing quick fire creative skills, my vid would have died a death. I still love it. Perhaps even more now, 2013, than I did then. All the best Billy Boy. Wherever you are, dude, a Big Hug to you. Here's your vid...

LOU REED DIES

Bill would have been greatly saddened if he had heard of the passing of Lou Reed. Many of you will remember the photo of Lou shooting up that was part of Bill's decor for decades. I had the fortune of seeing Lou in concert with Bill in 1984 at the Universal Amphitheater. New Sensations was out and Lou was probably as popular as he was ever going to be. I went on to see Lou a few times after that and each time reminded me of the first time. In the years since Bill died, whenever I heard any Lou Reed song it reminded me of Bill in the years when he was still healthy, living his life to its fullest. So, while I was sad to hear the news of Reed's passing, I will always have the music and the memories. It makes me smile to know that Bill has the company of one of his all-time favorites.

Rest in Peace, Lou Reed!

Here's a few articles on the passing of Lou Reed:

Rock Legend Lou Reed, As Remembered By Downtown Manhattan by Massoud Hayoun [Al Jazeera America]

Rock Legend Lou Reed Dies At 71 by Steve Almasy and Matt Smith [CNN]

Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader And Rock Pioneer, Dead At 71 by Jon Dolan [Rolling Stone]

Lou Reed Made Me A Believer—In Transvestism, Prostitution, And Lou Reed by Michael Musto [The Daily Beast]

Lou Reed Dead At 71: New York City Rock Pioneer, The Velvet Underground Musician Died Sunday by David Hinckley [New York Daily News]

Lou Reed, Beloved Contrarian, Dies by Neda Ulaby [NPR]

If you have Spotify (it's free) you can listen to the Lou Reed masterpiece about death, Magic and Loss:

SEVEN YEARS TODAY...

Just a reminder to any visitors. It was on this day in 2006 that Bill left us... To commemorate the occasion, here's a set of Stones music. You'll need Spotify to listen to the set, but you can get it for free at Spotify.com. Once you have it installed, you can listen to over 500,000 songs - including the entire Rolling Stones catalog and virtually all new releases...

HAPPY 61ST, BROTHER!!!

Many of you might remember that today would have been Bill's 61st Birthday. I apologize for not being very active in posting during the past year, but it was a year of challenges:

1. My wife got diagnosed with breast cancer (2nd time).

2. After months of waiting and enduring 2 biopsies and several mammograms, she scheduled her surgery (double-mastectomy) for November 16th.

3. Three weeks prior to surgery, she got laid off.

4. Nine days before my wife's surgery, my dad accidentally hit my mom with their car in their garage. She suffered a compound fracture and is still in rehab.

5. On December 20th, my 50 year old brother-in-law passed away.

Here's hoping you had a better 2012 than me and that we all have a much better 2013. In honor of Bill's Birthday, here a chance to listen to Bill's favorite Rolling Stones album. Enjoy and be well!!!