G's Free Thoughts

Bipolar disorder is an illness that can be successfully treated if the sufferer "takes ownership" of his/her condition and reso...

I have had a great baseball week.  On Monday, my wonderful son-in-law took me to the Crosstown Classic, Cubs vs White Sox at U.S. Cellula...

I still can't believe the impact of technology on music. I am a non-techie; it all seems like musical magic to me.   I am reaching th...

Back when I was fronting the Mystery Band, I walked into Duke's Bar in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, hoping to get a gig. I m...

This showed up in my e-mail; perhaps it has already been blasted around the Web. I found it to be worth reading... "Reflections on Pea...

First of all, I am dedicating this post to my old Cal roommate. Tyler was my "trombone brother" in those carefree college days. ...

We have hit that warm stretch of early fall, popularly referred to as "Indian Summer." I am not sure that this description is st...

The old saw, "Comedy = Tragedy + time" is absoluetely true. I think of the old Monty Python routines regarding the Spanish Inquis...

We packed my third-eldest daughter off to college last week. The family decided that we would make a road trip of this necessity, so we pa...

The morning of July 4th is a great time for urban bicycling. There is very little traffic, and there is time to absorb your surroundings. ...

It is a great thing to have great friends. My old buddy, John Raitt, couldn't use his Ravinia tickets last Sunday (Father's Day eve...

Human relationships can be puzzling. Why do we love or hate each other? Is it right to expect others to help you? What is one’s obligatio...

I left the Blues Fest on Friday feeling a little bummed. I went back Saturday, in spite of that. It has taken me a while to get my thoughts ...

It was a misty afternoon in Chicago on June 10. The cloud cover slid down to about the 20th story of the Aon Building near Grant Park. The t...

A dozen years have passed since Lowell Fulson died and I am still digging into his work. I think that he ranks with the other major blues p...

Maybe it is just me, but it seems that the erosion of fidelity and decency in human relationships is accelerating. Hypocrisy is part of the ...

I got to hang out and listen to the mellow tones of Will Baker, bass trombonist extraordinaire, on Sunday afternoon. He is a wickedly talen...

Just heard that Cornell Dupree passed a couple of days ago. This man was one of my earliest guitar heroes. That lick he lays down in King Cu...

It is Mother's Day. I am fortunate - I get to spend time with my wife and partner, Connie, who is one of the most dedicated mothers on t...

I heard that L.V. Banks passed away over the weekend. Tom Holland, one of the young guitarists L.V. nurtured, shared the sad news. I knew M...