Writer's Beat
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07-26-2007 04:35 AM

Michael and I flew to Las Vegas June 7, and returned June 13, 2007. We spent the first two nights at the Sahara at the north end of the Strip. The third and fourth nights we were in the Red Feather Lodge at the Grand Canyon. We stayed at New York-New York the last two nights. We flew Southwest Airlines. I bought tickets at the airport using my check card. We concentrated on the new side of Vegas. We rode the monorail which links the Strip from the Sahara to the MGM Grand. Themed hotels are the stars in today's Vegas.

We landed at McCarran Airport at and took the shuttle to the Sahara. We travelled light, taking things which were necessary. The city of lights came to life on our first night. We relished the view from the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. The Tower is a 1/2 replica of the real thing. Vegas sprawled across the desert. Its population has grown to 1.8 million.

Las Vegas has changed since I was there in 1993. There are mega-hotels: New York-New York, Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and Luxor. They exist for the purpose of making money for the people who own and operate them. We spent conservatively and aimed for an experience consistent with our needs.

We knew why we were here and what we were going to do. We bought a digital camera, and Michael got 140 pictures. We walked through the hotels. The Bellagio fountains put on a spectacular show while Elvis sang Viva Las Vegas. The Bellagio was Michael's favorite. He called it a "5 star high roller." It was built by Steve Wynn. We saw Bob Dole in the casino.

Our second day began with Michael getting his picture with a showgirl at Harrah's. He glowed! We visited the antique car collection at the Imperial Palace. I posed behind a 1955 Cadillac Elmerado.

People were everywhere. We kept moving and doing things. We played video poker. I helped Michael with the hands, having played poker in my younger days. We ate well while keeping the cost down. When we were tired, we rested. We walked to Mandalay Bay at the south end of the Strip. We watched the Yankees play the Diamondbacks. The Bay is home to Mamma Mia! I told Michael we would see the movie.

They had started the Luxor the last time I was there. I kept thinking, "That looks like a pyramid." Then someone told me it was. The beam from the top can be seen 250 miles away. The Sphinx and the obelisk are out front. An obelisk is a four-sided needle of stone with a pyramid top. The idea of a curse always surrounds Egyptian stuff. It is not true, of course, but it plays with your head.

Phase 2
We rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon. We stopped at Hoover Dam on the way. A bypass is being built. The dam provides electricity for California, Arizona and Nevada.

Michael drove. We took 93 south to Kingman, Arizona, and went east on Interstate 40 to Williams. We headed north on 64. It is a 4 or 5 hour drive. We had reservations at the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan, near the park entrance.

I spotted it, the most awesome spectacle on the planet! The Grand Canyon! We pulled over for a picture. We stopped at a number of overlooks along the south rim.

We attended the star party at Yavapai Point. We saw Jupiter and Saturn through telescopes. I pointed out the Big Dipper and North Star to Michael. The Grand Canyon Star Party (GCSP) takes place each June. I want to be in the Valley of Fire for the Perseid meteor shower in 2010. There will be no moon.

We drove to Desert View Watchtower at the eastern end of the south rim. The tower was built by architect Mary Jane Colter. We climbed it. At Desert View, Michael and I saw the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon.

We saw hikers rehearsing at Bright Angel Trail for their descent the next morning. Michael said the next time he comes, he will go to the bottom. The length of the Canyon is 277 miles. The Colorado River cut it over 7 million years. The rocks at the bottom are two billion years old.

The Colorado River flows from the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains through the Canyon. It dumps into the Gulf of California. The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919.

We were at the Canyon two nights. Michael thought one night would have been enough. I insisted it is not every day that two guys from Nashville see the Grand Canyon.

Valleys are in the east. Canyons are in the west. There is a sameness about the red buttes and mesas which makes it hard to concentrate on them.

Phase 3
Back in Vegas, we checked into New York-New York. Our room was on the 25th floor.

New York New York is a replica of the New York skyline. There are the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and the Bar at Times Square.

I soaked in the tub each morning and wore my straw hat to keep the sun off the top of my head. I had the bag Charlotte bought me when I went to Sweden. Michael took a suitcase. We watched TV in our room before going to sleep.

Michael sat by the pool while I visited the Atomic Testing Museum. We checked out the Palms because it had a Playboy club. We ate at the Outback, my first time. I had "shrimp on the barbie."

The Beatles' Love was at the Mirage.

We went to Fremont Street downtown and got pictures of Vegas Vic and Sassy Sally.

We saw Jubilee! our last night in town. I saved it for the finale. Jubilee! was started by Donn Arden. He exploited the showgirl persona.

We went to Red Rock Canyon the morning before we left. Red Rock is a National Conservation Area protected by the Bureau of Land Management. It is a 13-mile loop out Charleston Boulevard. The red sandstone formations make an interesting drive. The Las Vegas Astronomical Society meets there. I may join them. Michael saw Joshua trees for the first time.

We made our way to McCarran Airport and flew to Nashville. It was a direct flight. Karen met us.

My goal was to introduce Michael to one of the country's most exciting cities and to give him an experience in the west. I try to bolster his confidence and his ability to get around. Chances are, he will attend a convention in Vegas in the future. I told him the city is a magnet and he will return.

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08-09-2006 02:42 AM

This is the story of Chris McCandless, a young man from an affuent family who graduated with honors from Emory University in Atlanta. In April, 1992, Chris set off into the Alaska wilderness with a rifle and meager supplies to "live off the land." He headed north of Denali National Park. He was idealistic and strongly influenced by the writings of Thoreau and Tolstoy. Four months later, he was found dead by a party of moose hunters in an abandoned Fairbanks city bus. He had starved to death.

Jon Krakauer traces Chris' odyssey across the west. Chris' parents had assumed their son would go to law school with majors in history and anthropology. Instead, he secretly donated his college fund to charity and left with no word. He changed his name to Alex Supertramp. He abandoned his car and took to hitchhiking. He lived off rice. He traipsed through Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. He was liked by the people he met. He spent time in South Dakota and worked for a man named Wayne Westerberg. He befriended an 80-year-old veteran whom he tried to convert to the nomadic life.

Chris kept a journal in which he wrote about himself in the third person. He saw himself as a modern Thoreau. He camped in the Grand Canyon. He worked in a restaurant in Las Vegas. He revelled in his own spirit.

Meanwhile, Chris' parents were worried sick. Krakauer documents their grief.

Krakauer is sympathetic toward Chris and sees him as different from other wierdos who wander off in the wilderness. Chris' story and Krakauer's merge. Krakaeur grew up in Oregon and was taught mountain climbing by his father. He spent time in Alaska as a young man and climbed a peak known as Devils Thumb. He writes about it in detail, relating his mistakes and the unforgiving nature of mountains, ice and freezing temperatures. He questions why he survived his Alaska adventure while Chris perished in his.

It got out of hand with Chris. At least, it would seem so. His disregard for his parents and contempt for the rules of society are hard to defend. His asceticism and high-mindedness are extreme. He became an aimless drifter, a selfish nonconformist.

We are shown the source of Chris' resentment toward his father. His father had a second family by a first marriage. Apparently, it was a factor in this prodigal son's celibacy.

Krakauer admits the gap between himself and his own father, finding it impossible to live the life his father had in mind.

As his wanderlust grew, Chris thought more and more of Alaska. He hitched a ride from Dawson Creek in Canada up the Alaska Highway to Fairbanks. He bought a rifle and hitched again on the George Parks Highway toward the wilderness. He wanted to escape all signs of civilization. He saw Mt. Kinley in the distance. He found the bus and made it his home. For awhile, he was able to live off birds, squirrels and other small game. Krakauer's theory that Chris was poisoned by eating wild potato seeds proved to be false. Krakauer did not want to believe Chris was suicidal or had a death wish as critics have proposed. Still, Chris was not that far into the bush and might have saved himself had he the will to do so. A year later, Krakauer escorted his parents to the bus.

Krakauer went on to climb Mt. Everest, an expedition during which several of his party perished. He turned the disaster into another bestseller, "Into Thin Air."

"Into the Wild" is being made into a movie starring Emile Hirsch and Vince Vaughn. Sean Penn will direct. It is due in 2007. Jon Krakauer's original story first appeared in Outside magazine.




Contact: jim@jimcolyer.com

 
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07-18-2006 01:17 AM















I met Veda Radanovich at Lonnie's Western Room in Printers Alley in Nashville in the summer of 2000. She was singing rock and country hits for admiring tourists. I was impressed with Veda's energy and stage presence. She bore a resemblance to Shania Twain. I was writing Shania-style songs and recording various female singers. I introduced myself to Veda and asked if she were interested in doing my songs. She answered in the affirmative. We went to Direct Image Recording Studio in Nashville, where I had been working with Kenny Royster.

I LOOKED TWICE http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/11/lofi.mp3 was our first effort. It is about a girl who walks into a bar, does a double-take and finds Mr. Right. It drives like Bob Seger. Kenny gets great musicians.

Veda performed HARD EARNED LOVE http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/1/lofi.mp3 at her BMI showcase at Nashville's Exit/In.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/3/lofi.mp3 is Veda's favorite. I used travel images to show lovers who always find each other.

COUNTRY http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/2/lofi.mp3 is a spoof of country music and patriotism. I could not resist putting Shania in.

Veda inspired LOVE ME JUST A LITTLE http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/7/lofi.mp3 She was on stage at Lonnie's one night. It was at the end of her show. She asked her audience, "Do you love me just a little?" It made a good title. I tried to convey Veda's emotion in the lyrics and melody.

A MAN IS A MAN http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/4/lofi.mp3 got play on 268 FM stations. Veda did the "bat dance" around the studio. She was ecstatic. There was always a chemistry between her and Kenny.

We recorded I PROMISE (WEDDING SONG) http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/13/lofi.mp3 and SWIM WITH DOLPHINS http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/12/lofi.mp3 with Veda's bass player, Brian Eckert. I get emails from brides-to-be who want to sing WEDDING SONG to their hubands at their weddings. I wrote SWIM WITH DOLPHINS around Veda. Randy Travis was a major influence on her career.

HEARTBREAKER http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/5/lofi.mp3 is an eerie showtune.

THE TRUTH http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/6/lofi.mp3 is a hurricane of emotion. I wrote it driving from Louisville to Nashville as tears streamed down my face.

A WOMAN WANTS IT ALL http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/8/lofi.mp3 is a co-write. The lyrics are Veda's. The melody is mine. Veda had a composition book when we met. It contained snippets of choruses and ideas. This lyric was intact. It slid easily into my melody.

The night we recorded JESUS PAID MY DEBT http://jimcolyer.com/@tracks/9/lofi.mp3 there was a homeless man outside Kenny's studio. Veda insisted on giving him money. She said he might be an angel sent to test us. I was skeptical. We got a fine track that night on a Gospel song I wrote in 1973 in the religious revival following Vietnam.


__________________
Jim Colyer wrote Save The Planet.




 


























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07-18-2006 01:14 AM

A brief biography:

Jim Colyer was born in Louisville, Kentucky on December 29, 1945. He has a degree in English from Union College in Barbourville. In October 1969, Jim was drafted into the U.S. Army. He took basic training at Fort Knox and received orders for Germany. In 1973, Jim recorded a song called "Long Live Rock & Roll." It was a tribute to what was then 20 years of rock & roll. In 1981, the people who had the publishing called to say that Elvis Presley recorded the song before he died and that RCA had released it on an 8-record set called "Elvis Aron Presley." Jim's son, Michael Brandon Colyer, was born on March 11, 1984. Jim has 200 songs on his website. Many of these songs can be downloaded free. Some of the best are: “Save the Planet”, “I Promise”, “All Roads Lead To You”, “I'm The One”, “Hard Earned Love”, “Half Crazy Half The Time”, “I Looked Twice!," “Name, Number & Message” and “Merry Christmas”.

I PROMISE (WEDDING SONG)

I Promise
To give you all my love
When things get tough
I'll never turn my back on you
I'll be there through the years
Through thick and thin
I'll be there until the end

I Promise
To live my life for you
Each and everyday
I'll always be by your side
I'll dry away those tears
Faithful and true
I'll be there for only you

They say there are no guarantees
But you've got one from me

solo

I Promise
To give you all my love
When times get hard
I'll give you that much more
I'll be there through the years
Through thick and thin
I'll be there until the end

I'll dry away those tears
Faithful and true
I'll be there for only you
I'll be there for only you
I Promise


Jim Colyer ASCAP

Ms. Veda Randovich as the vocalist. (http://www.vedafit.com)

JIM COLYER http://www.jimcolyer.com
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07-18-2006 01:12 AM

LOVE SONGS - SEXUAL FULFILLMENT

..1 ALL ABOUT YOU
..2 ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU
..3 ALWAYS THE FIRST TIME
..4 CHEMISTRY
..5 CONNECTED
..6 EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT
..7 EXTRA SMILE
..8 FEVER PITCH
..9 FULL-TIME THING
10 HE'S GOT SOMETHING THAT'S GOT ME
11 I LOVE YOU & YOU LOVE ME
12 I LOVE YOU MORE
13 I PROMISE (WEDDING SONG)
14 I'M SO IN LOVE
15 I'M THE ONE
16 LET ME LOVE YOU
17 STOCKHOLM LADY
18 THE ONLY THING I'M GOOD AT
19 TOTALLY AWESOME!
20 UNDENIABLE
21 WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE
22 YOU TAKE ME TO ANOTHER PLACE



BREAKING UP - PARTING WAYS

..1 HALF CRAZY HALF THE TIME
..2 HEARTBREAKER
..3 HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
..4 I REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE MINE
..5 IF IT WASN'T LOVE
..6 NAME, NUMBER & MESSAGE
..7 NO WIN, NO LOSE SITUATION
..8 OLD TIME COUNTRY SONG
..9 ROUGH NIGHT
10 SNOWFLAKES IN A BLIZZARD
11 20 YEARS AGO



RECONCILIATION

..1 A MAN IS A MAN
..2 BEGGING FOR LOVE
..3 LOVE ME JUST A LITTLE
..4 MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN
..5 MOSTLY I LOVE YOU
..6 THE TRUTH



COMEBACK SONGS - FREEDOM - CAUSES

..1 BACK IN THE 60S
..2 BIRDS OF A FEATHER
..3 FEED THE CHILDREN
..4 FREE
..5 GIMME SOME MONEY!
..6 HARD EARNED LOVE
..7 HAWAII
..8 I CAN MAKE IT
..9 JUDGEMENT DAY
10 MERRY CHRISTMAS
11 MICHAEL B
12 1979
13 PART OF ME
14 PART-TIME DAD
15 PHOENIX
16 SAILING OUT
17 SAVE THE PLANET
18 SHOWING SIGNS
19 SOMEBODY'S TAKEN YOUR PLACE
20 SOMEDAY MICHAEL
21 SPREAD MY WINGS & FLY
22 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN



PORTRAITS OF WOMEN

..1 AGNETHA
..2 BORN TO SING!
..3 COUNTRY
..4 GOD! YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!
..5 HIGH MAINTENANCE GIRL
..6 I CAN'T COMPLAIN
..7 I NEED LOVE
..8 I SAW A WOMAN
..9 KRISSY
10 LINE DANCER
11 LIVE MY DREAMS
12 MY HEART IS IN MONTANA
13 MAKINGS OF A STAR
14 SWEET MARIE
15 OBJECT OF MY DESIRE
16 SHANIA TWAIN EYES
17 SHOWGIRL
18 SOMETHING THAT I CAN SING
19 SONGS ABOUT ANGELS
20 THE COMMON MAN
21 TOMBOY
22 SUMMERTIME
23 SWIM WITH DOLPHINS
24 TAKE ME TO CANCUN
25 THE SOUTHERN STARS
26 TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY MAN
27 UP & RUNNING!
28 VOTE FOR JEB
29 WHEN I WAS A BOY
30 WILD TIGERS
31 WINTERTIME



MUSIC

..1 GOD GIVEN TALENT
..2 LONG LIVE ROCK & ROLL



GOSPEL SONGS

..1 JESUS DIED FOR YOU & ME
..2 JESUS PAID MY DEBT
..3 LIVING WITHIN OURSELVES
..4 PRAYER
..5 THANK YOU, LORD
..6 WHAT ABOUT THE CHANGES?



Contact: jim@jimcolyer.com
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