Dave Brigham's Blog, page 17

They Say It's Your Birthday!

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer turns 65 on Saturday, October 15th. Funny guy Norm MacDonald will be 47 on Monday.

But more importantly, my niece, Grace, turns 8 on Tuesday the 18th, and my brother, Steve, will be the big 5-0 on Thursday the 20th.

This past weekend, Beth and I flew to D.C. for a surprise birthday party my sister-in-law, Tonya, threw for my brother. Held at the massive and well-appointed Gaylord National Harbor Hotel, the bash featured loads of dance music, a fun quiz game, free...

(C)rocktoberfest!

Welcome to the first-ever promotional quiz for my book, "(C)ROCK STORIES: MILLION-DOLLAR TALES OF MUSIC, MAYHEM AND IMMATURITY."

Below are 10 questions that relate to stories in the book. The first five people to answer all 10 correctly will receive their choice of (1) copy of the book OR (1) promotional t-shirt from Zazzle.

To see your t-shirt choices, visit my Zazzle store. There are 15 shirts (in both guys' and gals' styles), one for each story in the book. Select one, email me your...

We've Been Blair Witched

I know it doesn't look like much, but that thin, rusty pole in my backyard has me a little on edge. I noticed it this morning as I was getting into the car to drive Amelia to preschool. I got out of the car, walked into the backyard, took a quick look at the pole, shrugged my shoulders and scratched my head, then got back in and took her to school.

When I returned about 20 minutes later, I promptly got out my camera and snapped a few pictures, before removing the pole and resting it against my...

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

I found myself thinking about the John Candy/Steve Martin comedy vehicle "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" this past weekend during a quick trip to D.C. to see a Nationals game with my brother, Steve, and sister, Beth. No, I didn't have to share a room with a sweaty shower curtain ring salesman who had his hands between my "pillows."

But the trip didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped.

The plan: leave Boston at 3:40, meet my sister at BWI Airport, hop in a rental car, drive to the Greenbelt Me...

Hit or Miss: Man Sized Action

Because it's been a long time, I don't recall whether I picked up Man Sized Action's Claustrophobia at random, or whether I'd heard about them because Husker Du's Bob Mould produced the album (side note: I definitely bought Soul Asylum's Made to Be Broken after reading, probably in SPIN, that Mould produced it).

Either way, I had no idea what Man Sized Action would sound like. It ain't like today, kids, when the Internet tells you everything you need to know, and way, way more.

And frankly, be...

Hit or Miss, Part II

Because it's been a long time, I don't recall whether I picked up Man Sized Action's Claustrophobia at random, or whether I'd heard about them because Husker Du's Bob Mould produced the album (side note: I definitely bought Soul Asylum's Made to Be Broken after reading, probably in SPIN, that Mould produced it).

Either way, I had no idea what Man Sized Action would sound like. It ain't like today, kids, when the Internet tells you everything you need to know, and way, way more.

And frankly, be...

Hurricanes, Birthdays and Tobacco

We went to my parents' house this weekend as a make-up for a busted plan during Hurricane Irene two weeks prior. My brother and sister-in-law and their two kids, Grace and Isaiah, flew up Friday. We arrived Saturday at lunchtime, not long after my sister. We'd been scheduled to gather the last weekend of August in Old Saybrook, CT, but my brother and his family had to cancel, because they figured their flight home on Sunday -- the day the hurricane hit New England -- would be canceled. We wen...

Hit or Miss, Part I

I discovered punk rock (and, by association, post-punk and lesser-known New Wave) via college radio, when I was a junior in high school. Eventually, I shifted from buying Rick Derringer 45's and Charlie Daniels LP's at Caldor to seeking out Dead Kennedys, Joy Division and Phantom Tollbooth albums at independently owned Capitol Records (R.I.P.) in Hartford.

At Capitol, there were so many albums to go through, that often, after I'd picked a few records I'd heard of, I'd select something purely o...

Sell! Sell! Sell!

I had big dreams when I published my first book: I wanted to sell 500 copies over the course of the first year. After eight months, I've sold less than 1/5th that amount. Sure, I knew the first 50 or so copies would be the easiest ones to unload. I promoted the book via Facebook and word of mouth and during the first few months sales were relatively brisk, mainly to friends and family. My book was in the top 10 sellers for a short time on Booklocker, the print on-demand company I used to p...

My Nascent Archeology Career

I've long been interested in archeology: I'm fascinated by the stories of discovery in Egypt's Valley of the Kings; Jordan's ancient city of Petra; the trove of material uncovered during Boston's Big Dig project; really, any place where scientists locate and delicately reveal pieces of the distant (and not-so-distant) past.



I subscribe to American Archeology magazine.



Here's some quick background on the above photo. When I was 14 or 15, two older kids in my neighborhood told my friends an...