Monkey & The Engineer

Once upon a time there was an engineer.
Drove a locomotive both far and near.
Accompanied by a monkey that would sit on a stool
Watching everything the engineer would do
One day the engineer wanted a bite to eat,
He left the monkey sitting on the driver's seat,
The monkey pulled the throttle, the locomotive jumped the gun
And did 80 miles an hour down the mainline run.




Big locomotive right on time, big locomotive coming down the line.
Big locomotive No. 99, left the engineer with a worried mind.




The engineer called up the dispatcher on the phone,
To tell him all about his locomotive was gone.
Dispatcher got on the wire, switch operator to the right,
Cause the monkey's got the main line sewed up tight.
The switch operator got the message on time,
Said there's a Northbound livin' on the same main line,
Open up the switch I'm gonna let him through the hole,
Cause the monkey's got the locomotive under control.




Big locomotive right on time, big locomotive coming down the line.
Big locomotive No. 99, left the engineer with a worried mind.

Another One Bites The DUST

who'd a thunk it? bojon's very own agent_30 took the plunge recently as he said "i do" to the dashing ms. megan in an energetic ceremony held at the Flying Cloud Farm in petaluma, ca.

yep, that's the same agent_30 who was hired to keep us aging hipsters in touch with the younger social set. our boy was supposed to run the scene like we used to, hitting the clubs nightly and gathering digits often. and now he's married?

two words for you, compadre: YOU'RE FIRED!

well, actually, this agent's too valuable to fire. we'll have to find some posh front office position for him.

and fortunately, our boy chose wisely, and he went down in a blaze of glory like all hall of famers should.

a couple shots from the festivities:

the usual suspects...

join the club...

agent_60...

mazel tov...

costello signals his approval...

off to maui...

Play It Cold

jammed down to shoreline this past weekend to scope out coldplay and take the pulse on this band's rise to mega stardom.

without question, coldplay has been causing a stir of late, selling out big stadiums, headlining major music festivals, unleashing surprise appearances in hallowed venues... all the trappings of world class stud rockers. i mean, who's kidding whom: lead signer chris martin scored gwyneth paltrow and named his kid Apple. if that's not going down the path of legendary status, what is?

and, for the most part, the evening's performance backed up the hype. chris martin has a charismatic stage presence, adopting the role of the reluctant superstar so well that you can't not like him.

here's a clip of the action:

- Yellow [VIDEO]

at its best, the band cranks out BIG, melodic anthems reminiscent of U2.

at its worst, the band slips into monotony causing one to question whether they just played the same tune.

the bottom line is that this band is young, and its legacy is still in the making. at 28, chris martin has a world of talent and and just might be capable of taking this band to the upper echelons. really depends on just how deep the bag of tricks is. more of the same and they just fade away. if just the beginning, then they're in for a fantastic voyage.

anyway, the ladies liked them.

and it was great to get back down to shoreline and take in a sold out show under a full moon.

for those scoring at home, here was the setlist:

Square One
Politik
Yellow
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Speed Of Sound
Low
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Everything's Not Lost
White Shadows
The Scientist
'Til Kingdom Come (acoustic)
Ring Of Fire (Johnny Cash cover - acoustic)
Don't Panic (acoustic)
Clocks
Talk
------------
Swallowed In The Sea
In My Place
Fix You

EuroBojon: Czech It Out

and then off to prague we went!

we were pretty darn styled as we connected with a few extended czech relatives who put us up for a few days and showed us around. their hospitality was boundless, and we had a blast mixing it up with all of them.

and let it be know that the bojon is now big in the czech republic.

prague is a great city to explore: tons of character, lots of sights to see, easy to navigate, and plenty of history to absorb. we criscossed the city checking out the castle, the charles bridge, and the numerous churches, gardens, and open air markets.

and the pubs. many, many solid drinking establishments. pilsner urquell dominates the scene, and we sampled our fair share.

we spent one glorious afternoon just kicking it at Old Town Square, mixing it with other travelers and enjoying various performers who populated the plaza.

the square itself is a grand collection of gothic buildings that have been restored over the years with various architectural styles from the Renaissance and Barogue periods. the crown jewell is the Town Hall tower that draws a huge crowd on the hour to watch the chiming of its intricate astronomical clock.

lady bojon was duly impressed, and she began plotting a triumphant return with a posse of her own before we had even left the city walls...

EuroBojon: Tack Så Mycket

onward by train across the the kattegat strait and into sweden to catch the end of an era as the legendary 29er (aka Mookie Dulles) tied the knot with his swedish-born gal, ulrica.

a day at ulrica's parent's farm near osby was a grand way to get into the swedish flow and connect with the 29er's brother and sister. the farm itself was a quaint collection of farmhouses on a couple of acres that ulrica's family operates as a bed & breakfast.

we then settlled in at a groovy little harbor town nearby called Karlshamn to chill with the rest of the wedding guests as they rolled in. cool to explore Karlshamn and soak in some of the swedish culture.

the wedding ceremony itself was held in an idyllic outdoor setting along a lake on the outskirts of karlshamn. the place had a majestic feel to it, and fortunately some threatening skies turned friendly just in time for the service to take place.

always entertaining to see one of your friends take the fall, but especially moving when it's one of your best bros and closest running mates for over 20 years. man, i remember the time...

the festivities moved inside for the reception, and it was great to throw back a few luftas with a bunch of the 29er's college buddies. was also great to break out a rousing (if not tonal) rendition of Take Me Out To The Ball Game in a classically american response to the traditional folk tunes that the swedish contingent offered up in perfect harmony.

also good times hanging with the 29er's brother, brett, who is rocking moscow these days as an accomlished scribe and all-around hipster. the bojon beats strong in that cat.

and so, there you have it: if you gotta go down, best to go down in style.

next stop: prague...

EuroBojon: København!

nothing like a mid-summer's bojourn to europe to spice things up and provide lady bojon with her first taste of life outside the u.s.

our first stop: copenhagen, a glorious spot that has a convivial and approachable atmosphere despite being the capital and the largest city in denmark.

we quickly acclamated ourselves to the cobblestone streets and did a bunch of stroll(er)ing along the "Strøget," a hugh pedestrian-only street that is lined with shops, cafes, and steet performers.

great people-watching in copenhagen, with a plethora of blond-haired, blue-eyed bombshells who would rock indiana but are a dime a dozen in scandinavia.

we even ran across chris kringle. old saint nick was milling around the train station getting some coffee one day as we were exchanging some money. always wondered what the jolly one was up to in the off-season.

and lots of watering holes with big beers that locals embrace at all times, including breakfast. carlsberg rules the taps in denmark and is widely known as "probably the best beer in town."

tivoli gardens kept us well-entertained for a day, as we caught a few rides and checked out a few shows.

the place is especially spectacular when it is lit up at night.

next stop: sweden...