Monday, September 25, 2006
Stone Sour Story
A couple of weeks ago I climbed abroad the Stone Sour tour bus to interview Jim Root and Josh Rand. Josh was on the bus with the tour manager when I arrived. Jim was at an undisclosed location, and they asked me if I could just stay on the bus for 15 or 20 minutes while they tracked down Jim. I said no problem, you get used to waiting for artists if you do enough interviews, in-fact you just kind of plan a certain amount of waiting right into your schedule.
This was a pretty rainy day and part of me felt bad that I was on the big, fancy tour bus while everyone else was stuck outside in the rain, the other part of me (the Leo part) just loves the whole "Special Treatment" perk of my job.
Josh and I starting talking about some of our favorite guitar players and guitars. Josh is really into Paul Gilbert, I’m more of a Steve Vai fan. Josh asked what I wanted to drink, they had beer, and just about every kind of soda you can think of, so I said, "It doesn’t Matter"…..and thus a lesion was about to be learned.
Josh tossed me a Cherry Pepsi. I said "all the stuff you’ve got in there and you grab me a Cherry Pepsi?" he closed the door and said, "you said it didn’t matter, drink up." We joked about it a few times as we waited for Jim, but it was a good point, I said "All I wanted was a Pepsi, Just one Pepsi, and he wouldn’t give it to me" which is a line from a Suicidal Tendencies song and we laughed about it….while I drank the cherry Pepsi I was stuck with. Next time someone asks me what I want you can bet I’ll speak my mind.
Jim showed up after about a half-hour wait and it was a fun conversation. They were really cool guys to hang with. You can here the Stone Sour interview on this week’s Chop Shop, in Detroit it will be this Sunday morning at 9am on WRIF.
Black out.
¶ 11:23 AM
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
I’m not certain what to say, but today marks 6 months since my wife Sabrina died, and I know I feel the need to say something.
Quite a few people have said the 2nd 6 months can be harder than the 1st 6, so I’m just trying to get myself as healthy as can be and be as positive as I can.
Things have been very up and down for me. I have a treasure trove of amazing memories, but I’m also scared by some of the tragedy I had to face with Sabrina during that long, tuff 6-year battle with cancer. Most of the really deep stuff I’m keeping to myself for now, but if I can somehow, someway secure a book deal to tell her life story, I’ll go into great detail.
We have made the Sabrina Black Foundation a reality. Some things have moved pretty quickly with the foundation and some things did not go as planned, but we will be making some noise in the next 6 months. Sabrina and I often helped others and I need to know her name and memory will continue to help those in need.
If you have not seen it yet check out the website www.sabrinablackfoundation.org
I did stop by the Cancer Care Institute today at Beaumont in Royal Oak, just to say hello to some of Sabby’s nurses and doctors. I just wanted to let them know that we thought of them as family, and we appreciate how deeply they cared for us.
For the most part, I’m finding ways to move on with my life. I don’t get out as much as I should and sometimes when I’m out it’s difficult to keep a smile on my face, but I’m getting better as time goes by.
Sabrina, I miss you more than words can say, and I am super proud of what you and I accomplished in our 9 years together
Rest well,
Black
¶ 11:25 PM
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Catching up.
Let’s start with Roger Waters. It was so awesome to see that show at the Palace. The band sounded dead on and the song selection was outstanding. My personal hi-lights were the 2 songs he played from "The Final Cut" and "Sheep" complete with the flying pig of course.
I also want to thank the guys in Shinedown, Godsmack and the Rob Zombie band. Not only was there show on Friday a blast but they treated all the WRIF winners back-stage wonderfully. I, along with 3 of the WRIF winners were also filmed form the Rob Zombie DVD. The recorded the Friday night show for a DVD and they been filming a lot of "What happens back-stage" stuff along the way to include on the DVD.
As for the Lions? They SUCK!
Now on to fantasy football. I’m 2-0 in my friends and family league, that is good for 2nd place. In the Mafia league I’m 0-2 and the team could be in big trouble soon.
It’s almost Hockey season, and I’m SOOOO READY to head up to an orchard for some cider and donuts!
If you’re out this Friday, perhaps I’ll see you at the Frampton show?
Be well,
Black
¶ 4:47 PM
Monday, September 11, 2006
9/11 Five years ago
5 years ago today I got a call from my wife Sabrina who was in the Hospital down at Karmanos. She had just received a bone marrow transplant 4 days before and she was on some pretty nasty drugs, so when she told me to "turn on theTV, somebody blew up New York" I said "No baby, nobody blew up New York, your just having some dreams, or it’s the drugs". I told her I was finishing up some radio research at home and I’d be down to see her in an hour. She insisted she wasn’t hallucinating and asked me to turn on the TV.
By that time all 3 planes had already hit their targets. I got off the phone and got myself caught up on the situation as quickly as I could. About 15 minutes later I called my father in Arizona, he was watching along with the rest of the country. The channel I had on must have been 15 seconds ahead of what my father was watching. I saw the first tower crumble to the ground. I said "Oh my God the building just went down!" Dad said "what building? What channel?" followed by "Oh No, oh God". He said something to my mother, and I said "dad all those fireman, ambulances, all the rescue worker were there. We just watched them all die." We stayed on the phone for a while longer but I don’t remember anything else.
I got my stuff together and went to the hospital. Sabrina was doing fine. She was floating in and out of things and just needed to know I’d be o.k. if Detroit got "Blown up".
My program director at the time Jay Nachlis, called and said the radio station was carrying national coverage and to take the day off. I declined. One of the reasons I got into and love radio so much is that we get to be a voice of and to the community. We get to connect with people of all walks on all kinds of different levels.
Jay said I could come in if I insisted, but the building was being evacuated, I’d be the only one there. I said that’s fine and went to do my air-shift. I should have known that Jay would still be there. At this point in time no one knew that there were only 4 planes total and no more attacks were coming.
I don’t have too many other memories of 9/11, like the rest of the world I was pretty numb.
The photo is of Sabrina and I in 1998 in Battery Park, with the twin towers behind us. And here we are 5 years later, both towers and my lovely wife are no longer with us, but my spirit to serve the community and passion for freedom still remain.
God Bless America and R.I.P. also to my Grandfather, who died on 9/11 of 2000, one year before 9/11 changed it’s meaning.
Steve Black
¶ 10:03 AM
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Labor Day Weekend
Wow, what a fun weekend. I hope all of you guys enjoy the "On Demand" weekends as much as we do. It’s cool to talk to, or communicate with so many RIFF fans all over the place and you’ve picked out some great rock & roll from Hendrix to Disturbed and everything in-between!
I made it out to Arts, Beats and Eats in Pontiac on both Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The photo is from Sunday; it’s me and Eric from Overloaded who had a great set to get things kick off on the WRIF stage. AB&E was even bigger this year, but I’ve been fighting off some kind of ear/sinus infection and I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I ate very little, and we all know how much I love food so that’s saying something.
Thursday I’ll be out at the Styx, Foreigner show talking to Tommy Shaw and Mick Jones for Chop Shop Classic and this Friday I’m hosting the WRIF party at Bleachers in Pickney from 10pm until Midnight, please stop by and say hello.
Black out.
¶ 7:26 PM
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