ANDY RODDICK…married now and the RODDICK SERVE ready to fire at Wimbledon.

Andy Roddick is playing at Wimbledon for the ninth time , but for the first time now as a married man and also the first time under the coaching of Larry Stefanki. No one would argue that he is now quite a changed man.

Andy Roddick has been a runner-up twice at Wimbledon,but last year went out in the second round, his earliest exit point. “I was going into Wimbledon a little under-prepared,” he admits. “I hadn’t really played a whole lot and to be honest I haven’t played my best tennis there for the last couple of years. But this year I’m really excited , I’m playing a little bit better and moving a little bit better.”

At 26 now,Roddick has clearly not given up the chase for a second Grand Slam title — he won the US Open.back in 2003 ,or to build his challenge again at Wimbeldon where he was runner-up to Roger Federer back in 2004 and also again the following year.

Larry Stefanki is a Californian who ranked as high as 35th in the world when he was on the tour for nine years. Since then his skills as a motivator and tactician have taken him into a coaching role with, among others, John McEnroe, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Tim Henman and now Andy.

“When I hired him I just said that I’m not looking to run the show, that’s your job, I’m here to follow orders,” Roddick says, “and he said ‘ok, well, lose 15 pounds’. So the process started , I don’t think it was anything magic or revolutionary,I was just eating right, and the biggest thing was having six weeks of an off season to be totally disciplined about it.

“It gives you a little bit of underlying confidence knowing that you have put in the work. I can play different ways now, scramble a little bit better, or I can play aggressive and everything just feels a little tiny bit quicker.”

Results have proven that Roddick was on target. He was a semi-finalist in the Australian Open, where he would always hope to do well, and the last 16 at the French Open, where he has been less successful. Results from other tournaments also reflected progress. The results came despite the distraction of his marriage this year to model Brooklyn Decker.

“The wedding took one day, but the whole time I was training. I trained the day afterwards. I feel physically I’m extremely well prepared,” Roddick says.

Stefanki worked and watched, amending the programme as necessary. He says: “I think he’s as capable as anyone to win on the grass and I’m talking Wimbledon. If he can serve with the variety that he’s serving right now, I’m not just talking hitting fast balls all day long, putting himself in a position to move into the courts more, play on the baseline on the return of serve, attack a lot more, I think the window of opportunity is very big for Andy at Wimbledon.

“He lost second round at Wimbledon last year and that was horrible for him. He knows that window is there, he knows he’s playing well and it’s exciting for him and exciting for me to see if he maintains this aggressiveness and this approach.

“When we got together I tried to look on what he did not do well and what his deficiencies were compared to the other five guys ahead of him. I felt like his movement and footwork were a little bit on the lesser side than the guys ahead of him so I said ‘Listen, if you want to get into that realm you’re going to have to lose weight, become faster on your feet, do a lot of running, do a lot of two-on-ones, hit-move, hit-move, not just hit, watch and then try to run after the ball and get a breather’.

“I am a big believer that the game at this level is played from the waist down. It’s all about footwork, balance, getting yourself in the right position and then basically cock the racket back and go…

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…RAFAEL NADAL TOP SEED AT WIMBLEDON IF FIT…

Rafael Nadal, who has been down at Wimbledon’s practice courts testing the state of his knee problems ahead of Monday’s opening of The 2009 Championships, has been awarded top seeding for the men’s singles, as would befit the defending champion and world number one.

The top spot will act as a confidence boost to Nadal, who went out of the French Open early and withdrew from last week’s Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club. He is due to announce his availability for Wimbledon by Friday, when the draw will be made.

Second seed Roger Federer, five times champion between 2003-07 and runner-up to Nadal last summer after that epic five-set encounter which ended in the gloaming, while third place goes to Andy Murray, whose ranking and reputation have soared since he went out to Nadal in the quarter-finals 12 months ago.

Following Andy Murray’s victory at Queen’s last Sunday, the first British player to win there for 71 years, expectation has mounted that he could also become the first British player to triumph since Fred Perry in 1936.

The leading six seeds are in line with the ATP World Tour rankings, with the likes of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina and the American Andy Roddick, twice runner-up to Federer, awarded fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively.

Though the 32 seeds correspond with the top players on the ATP system, apart from 2002 runner-up David Nalbandian who is injured and Richard Gasquet, who at the moment is facing drug allegations, the All England Club have rearranged the placings “to reflect more accurately an individual player’s grass court achievements”.

The biggest beneficiary of this reshuffle is the Russian Marat Safin, the former world number one, winner of two Grand Slams (US Open 2000, Australian Open 2005) and a semi-finalist here last summer, to his admitted surprise. Ranked 23 in the world, Safin is now elevated to 15th seed in his farewell season in the sport.

2 Germans, Rainer Schuettler and Philipp Kohlschreiber, have also done well as a result of grass court achievements. Schuettler, a semi-finalist at the 2008 Championships, will be elevated from a ranking of 30 to 19th seed, while Kohlschreiber, ranked 33, is awarded the 27th position for Wimbledon.

With other adjustments between ranking and seeding are relatively minor. Croatia’s number one Marin Cilic is ranked 13th but seeded 11th, Spain’s David Ferrer rises from 19th rank to 17th seed and his compatriot, the left-handed Feliciano Lopez sees a 28th rank improved to 22nd seed on the strength of two previous quarter-finals at The Championships.

The giant Croatian Ivo Karlovic, who has served more aces than anyone else on the world tour, has parlayed that skill into a seeding of 23 compared to a ranking of 31, but Lleyton Hewitt, the Australian who won Wimbledon in 2002 and then went out to Karlovic on the opening day in 2003, is too low-ranked at the moment (56) to have been rewarded for being a previous champion.

Also entitled to consider himself a bit unfortunate is Tommy Haas, champion on grass in Halle last weekend, will miss out on a seeding by one place in the rankings.
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Toto,africa.

Perpetuum Jazzile – Africa (live, HQ)

have a look at this video,it is an amazing rendition of Africa (toto)

for more stuff on TOTO, click here and you will go to “LESTER’S MUSIC LOUNGE” where you can purchase anything from a plectrum to a set of drums.Your one stop shop to everything musical…

Tribute Gran Torino Music Written by Clint Eastwood, Jamie cullum, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens

Wayne Goodwin…strength and more strength to you,my cousin/brother.

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words just can’t express my amazement and sheer ore of Wayne and his incredible courage and fight that he is experiencing against this bloody cancer that is trying to take control of him.This great human being and a tremendous family man that he is,and his unbelievable determination to beat this bastard of a disease is becoming quite extraordinary.The day to day highs and lows that he is going through can only be understood if you are him,no one can say that they know what he is going through,and if they do they are lying,for it is a personal battle that even hercules would be hard to handle with all his strength and might.I,myself as a cousin,but more like a brother to Wayne am seeing his battle getting extremely hard for him of late,although not being able to see him all the time,I feel for Wayne every day and night as he get’s through another day of his steep uphill climb that he must get through to the top of his own personal mountain every single day…what strength he has is a true sign of his character and unreal personality that makes the man,WAYNE GOODWIN…I salute you my brother and your awesome ability to keep on keeping on…I have had my idols in my life,but you Wayne are the most amazing person that I have known,I truly love you and I know you will get through this battle buddy,for you are a true champion in my eyes pal,and always will be…and by the way,(don’t go changin.)…PLEASE MAKE SURE TO WATCH HIS VIDEO’S BELOW AND TURN THE SOUND UP,BECAUSE IT IS BEST LISTENED TO  THAT WAY,THANKS…

…AND YES I AM A MALLETHEAD…

how do you Frank Eifield……….how do you think I feel.

you Marcus Welby………..you might as well be.

 

Born of an Australian mother,Audry Dixon,(her maiden name), Wayne first came to Australia on tour from Hollywood, California with Emmylou Harris twenty-three years ago and returned the following year to stay, performing with the newly reformed band Crossfire and to break into the film industry as a composer. His credits as a violinist list the who’s who of music including Midnight Oil, INXS, Jenny Morris, Sting, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Tony Bennett, ELO, Renee Geyer, Ross Wilson, The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, The Bolshoi Ballet, Gene Pitney, Dolly Parton, Dragon, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Little, Michelle Shocked, Anne Kirkpatrick, Bread, Crosby, Stills and Nash (Wayne was awarded a Gold Record for his violin solo on their hit single Wasted On The Way) and more…Wayne also achieved his Music Masters from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2006.

this is from Hey,Hey,it’s Saturday…

The Tubes,

dEUS – The Architect (from Vantage Point)

Sam Sparro – Black and Gold (Radio 1 Live Lounge)

Sam Sparro

THE MUSIC OF DAVE MASON/ex TRAFFIC…the genius that E major forgot about…for what it’s worth.

Dave Mason,

his pedigree within music is amazing,such a brilliant songwriter, man he has written some great songs in his time…

Have you ever seen this man’s live DVD…please note:I am just giving my opinion,this is not an advertisement for Dave Mason…he is not my 2nd cousin,once removed…ok so we have that CLEAR”

DAVE MASON (Live at Perkin’s Palace) when you see this DVD you willl understand what I am talking about,his unrehearsed brilliance is amazing.With his compatriot of 18 years, JIM KRUEGER who has since passed away,kicking the shit out of it right next to him on guitar…Just try and play guitar like JIM KRUEGER,and if you succeed,then give yourself a pat on the back because you are playing better than the best there is,and that is an understatement…the dvd is fantastic,and if you want you can here Dave Mason talk over the concert,he explains to you,the song and why he wrote it etc,etc.At times it is pretty funny.He gives JIM KRUEGER the ultimate salute as a vocalist/guitarist/songwiter and close friend. 

Music is not the same as it was back in the old day’s, when these guy’s were recording,they were going into the studio with the whole band at once and as they say,would put it down,no overdubbing or anything like that,it was then and there and that was it,put it on plastic and let’s get it out there NOW,and most of the time,especially with these guy’s,it worked  well…

Music is such a beautiful thing,and it shouldn’t be dragged down by repititious crap rap…Quincy Jones was the soul man for Rap,he did rap with style,and with taste,none of this “show me your gun gangster rap crap.” 

I grew up with the music of the mother’s of invention,the tubes,the who,the rolling stones,jefferson starship,steely dan,traffic,the fugs,america,the doobie brothers,the b52 ’s,devo,etc,etc…and these band’s that I enjoyed and still do,are really enjoyable to listen too,because most of these bands have a story to their song’s,so it gives you a start and a finish,and to me that is great.It gave me solace….which is real hard to find in a song. 

 I am sorry,but I have to speak up on this,because it is driving me mad,music has so much more to offer than what we are hearing these day’s.We don’t need stuff to sing that make’s no sense other than he is a rapper that has been to jail,or once was in a gang,I mean come on,just because he/she has fucking tattoo’s and is a bad ass,come on,give me a break.let’s here some music that has feeling and even,let’s say a storyline to it,that might even have an ending to it…how MAD would that be..

chaka khan with rufus,this is real good,I wonder where joss stone got her feel on stage from.this babe rocks the funk out of this song.

CHAKA KHAN / RUFUS – Somethin’ Good -1974

Minnie Ripperton was an amazing singer,she could break crystal glass with her pitch….check this video out,absolutely brilliant.

minnie ripperton lovin you

Nikka Costa/frank sinatra’s god daughter,and that’s a fact…this chick kick’s the living daylight’s out of this song.

Nikka Costa – Get Off My Sunshine

NICKKA COSTA.get’s down….

Nikka Costa – Like A Feather

chaka khan…now that is what I call versatility.wow,fantastic stuff.

Chaka Khan playing the drums

DUFFY/mercy.check this out…groovy vibes.you have good taste rachel.

Rachel,my niece suggested I check out this song,it rips.It sounds like an old MOTOWN style of song…i like it..thanks Rachel.

Duffy – Mercy – Official Music Video

Tom Cruise on scientology…make your own assessments…me think,very strange.

check this video out and tell me what you think…this is very strange.

Tom Cruise Scientology Video – ( Original UNCUT )

Paul Rodgers/ex bad company, receives proclamation…from united states congress.

Monday, June 16, 2008

UNITED STATES CONGRESS PRESENTS PAUL RODGERS WITH A PROCLAMATION, FOR HIS WORK WITH “KIDS ROCK FREE” MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM IN CALIFORNIA

Singer/songwriter Paul Rodgers who blasted onto the music scene with the hit “All Right Now” celebrates his 40th year as a recording artist. Rodgers was recently recognized by US Congress for his musical achievements and his philanthropist work with The Fender Center’s “Kids Rock Free” Music Education Program in California. Through his efforts, Rodgers has helped raise over $200,000 for the program. The Proclamation was given by member of Congress Ken Calvet and presented to Rodgers, only the 8th person to receive such an honor, by Fender Center board member Jeff Bennett, Saturday, June 14th before a sold-out benefit concert in Corona to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the center. “Music is the great connector,” said Rodgers. “It connects us to our emotions and to each other. Thanks to the U.S. Congress for recognizing the value of music.”

Currently, Rodgers is in the UK with Queen readying to perform at the celebration of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday at London’s Hyde Park on June 27. Rodgers first met Mandela, performing at a South African 46664 concert in 2005 and is proud to continue to support the man and his organization, raising awareness about the impact of AIDS and promotes HIV prevention. “When you consider all of the indignities and injustices that have challenged Nelson Mandela, it’s a miracle and a real testament to his fortitude and courage that he can still shine the light of peace. It’s typical of the man’s humility that on his birthday he should make this huge effort on behalf of other people. This will be one of the highlights of my life.”

steve lukather with paul rodgers/bad company.

Paul Rodgers and Steve Lukather

this is classic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER WAYNE…

click this image to enlarge it…then again to get real close.

THIS IS MY BROTHER…wayne the wave.I love this photo of wayne,he has alway’s had an affinity with the south american vibe,he love’s their music,love’s their food,oh yeah and love’s the girl’s there too.

wayne has a beautiful daughter named rachel and she is an amazing person to whom he love’s dearly,she has a heart of gold and that is being conservative when I say that about her…our father,dave would have been so proud of her and how rachel has turned out to be,and our Mum doesn’t love her enough,they get on fantastic…

anyway back to my bro,I love you buddy,happy 53rd birthday mate,and may you have many more and as they say “life wasn’t meant to be easy” and in saying that,shit we could do with a bit of luck to go our way couldn’t we…we have our health though and that is good enough for me,well winning lotto wouldn’t be too bad though I suppose,If I won a couple of million,don’t worry because I would definitely buy you a beer…     

…HAVE A GREAT DAY BRO…your brother baz.