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!!!

BILL AT 60 (IF...)

On the chance you forgot, Bill would have turned 60 today!

Think about that and let it sink in for a minute...

Bill Bukowski at 60?

What would that have been like?

How involved would he have been in the 3D industry?

There are literally hundreds of questions that I could come up with but I'll leave it at the few above and let you all come up with your own.

Sorry that I stopped the photo project that I began last year, but I started to think about the fact that it would lead to an end to new material being posted here and I didn't want that to happen.

I hope you all had a great year and hope you'll have a wonderful New Year!!!

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 23

From what appears to be the desert, in what I would guess was the early 2000s.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 22

I'm not sure what the occasion was but I would have to guess that this was taken sometime in the early 1970s passed on the hair and the eyeglasses.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 21

My guess on this photo is that it's from the early 1980s, but I have no idea of the location. Any ideas, anybody?

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 20

From an unknown location in what I guess would be the mid-1980s.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 19

This was taken at an unknown location in Los Angeles, sometime in the late 1990s.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 18

This seems to have been taken on the same day as the photo posted on March 31, 2011. That would make this Joshua Tree, early 1990s.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 17

Bill and I at my graduation from St. Mary's Prep, Orchard Lake, MI, 1980.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 16

Bill's St. Francis Prep High School prom photo from 1969.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 15

From an unknown location from what appears to be the late 1980s. As always, if anyone has more detail let me know.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 14

With mom in our parents basement in Floral Park, NY, early 1990s.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 13

I believe this photo was taken sometime in the late 1970s, perhaps in the apartment on West 58th Street where the New York Times said "the party never stops".

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 12

This appears to be a photo taken in Joshua Tree possibly in the early 1990s. If anyone has more detail, please comment.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 11

Bill swinging from a tree at our Long Island summer home on Elizabeth Way in Ridge, New York - July 1964

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 10

Bill on the 'Comin' At Ya!' set, early 1980s.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 9

I'm not sure when this photo was taken or where, but my guess is the late 1990s/early 2000s. This is one of the very few photos of Bill wearing eyeglasses beyond his teens.

PHOTO PROJECT: DAY 8

I believe this head-shot was used with Optimax III marketing packet from the early 1980s.