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Dave Brandt
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Author Archives: dave brandt • author
That Tuesday in September
Whatever was happening dissolves. I find myself in an empty downtown area. There are two incredibly tall, white buildings in the middle of a large, vacant circle. Suddenly, people and plant life start appearing on the concrete. A tiny airplane … Continue reading
Posted in 9/11, Sleep
Tagged News, Television, Black Smoke Rising, Dreams, Twin Towers, Neighborhood, Dream, 9/11/2001
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Restaurants in Richmond
It was the first time I had to fill out an application for a full-time job. It was at Coppola’s Deli in Carytown. Manny, the manager, was impressed. I was hired right away as a short-order cook, with zero experience. … Continue reading
Who Can It Be Now?
l live in a cookie-cutter…in a small town…in the South. I’ve been here longer than anybody else on my floor. I don’t bother anyone, and nobody even cares that I’m here. It happened a few times in Nashville: Some Jehovah’s … Continue reading
Posted in Proselytize, Religion
Tagged Baptist Church, Catholic, Christmas Carol, Jehovah’s Witness, Knock On Door, Latter-Day Saints, Mormon, Salt Lake City
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Trifling with Peril
When I was living on Belmont Avenue, I worked forty hours a week, painting. Saturday mornings were a restful ritual. I would wake, bake, and listen to rap. It was usually Check your Head by the Beastie Boys and Public … Continue reading
Posted in Stupidity
Tagged Beastie Boys, Hanging, Hip-Hop, Manhattan, New York City, Public Enemy, Rap, Richmond Coliseum, Spanish Harlem, Subway
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The John Birch Society
When I turned twenty-one, I was living in a third-story apartment on Belmont Avenue in the Fan district of Richmond, Virginia. It was the second apartment I had all to myself. It was my home for about a year. For … Continue reading
Top 5: Albums
These are the greatest albums in the history of recording technology. I don’t care what Rolling Stone or their cohorts think. Abbey Road is just too obvious. There are several pieces not featured that exemplify quality music making. It was … Continue reading
Posted in Best Albums, Interactive, Music
Tagged Best Albums, Cocteau Twins, Elvis Costello, Greatest Albums, Interactive, Laurie Anderson, Music, Roger Waters, Suzanne Vega, Talking Heads
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The Media-Industrial Complex
What I have could be called basic basic cable: the major networks, C-Span, and a bunch of channels that show sitcoms from the seventies. I get YouTube on the wi-fi via my Blu-ray player. I watch the Democracy Now! podcast. The morning … Continue reading
Posted in News, News Media
Tagged American News, Banter, BBC News, C-Span, Democracy Now!, Fox News, Inside Edition, Liberal Media Bias, Network News, PBS Newshour, You Tube
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Pulling Teeth
It began with an injury, in sixth grade. I was bicycling to school, and there was a small piece of asphalt ahead of me. I thought I could jump it, but I hit it and was knocked off my bike. … Continue reading
Posted in Dentures, Pain, Teeth
Tagged Affordable Dentures, Broken Teeth, Dental Insurance, Dentures, Dietary Restrictions, Extreme Pain, Free Clinic, Pain, Pierced Septum, Smile, Teeth, Vanity
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Free Society
The first time I saw it, I was driving home from the mall. It was so out of character with the surrounding energy that it seemed a mirage. The LU in the logo stands for Liberty University, a private religious … Continue reading
Posted in Falwell, Religion
Tagged Candler’s Mountian, Falwell, Free Society, Liberty Mountain, Liberty University, LU, Lynchburg, Mad Magazine, Mountain, Protestants, Religion, Religious Freedom
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Government and Free Society
“Anyone who wears their religion on their sleeve is not to be trusted.” Jon GraysonRadio Personality Everybody knows that the words “Separation of Church and State” are not in the Constitution. But the concept clearly is. This beautiful 45-word sentence … Continue reading
Regarding Abortion
My belief is that life begins at conception. Half of Americans disagree. I am in no position to impose my system of values on anybody. I believe that abortion up to the point of viability should be safe, legal, and … Continue reading
Posted in Abortion, Politics, Religion
Tagged Abortion, Adoption, Choice, Contraception, Legal, Life of Child, Life of Mother, Politics, Religion
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My Time in Nashville
The late nineties were a bit of a boom in Nashville. Temporary workers were in demand. Some of my fellow temps were failed musicians who were “between gigs.” A theme running through their chatter was how difficult it is to … Continue reading
Posted in Nashville, Recording Studios
Tagged Clay Keith, Commercial, DIY, Harrisonburg, Ideals, Ludwigs, Music City, Punk Mentality, Recording, Songwriting, Stratocaster, Studio Magic, Tennessee
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A Calm Place
My Dad liked to travel. He and I took two vacations down the East Coast several years ago. I was sleep deprived, so I didn’t drive much. I wish I had done more driving with all the trouble we had … Continue reading
The Flower that Became a Boy
On a mild Wednesday evening in August of 1970, I was born. My first home was a ranch house with a full basement in Greely, Colorado. I was the youngest of six. My only sister had three older brothers and … Continue reading
Posted in Cartoons, Childhood
Tagged 1970's, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, Ballooning, Captian Kangaroo, Cartoons, Colorado, Ear Pain, Grasshoppers, Greeley, Jot, Lil Slugger, Monopoly Record, Oppisite of Hawaii, Television
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