Welcome to my latest tales from the road blog. This weekend I was in Tucson where it was hotter than hell and where as usual blog material was in abundance. Ok people are you ready?...here we go...read on...

SURPRISE!

On Friday night just before I started to play I was stunned and delighted to see my friend Cassie standing right there in front of me! Cassie and her boyfriend Erick had driven down from Phoenix (an hour drive) to be at the show. I was surprised because I haven’t seen Cassie in well over a year. First she was living in Italy and then when she came back stateside she moved to Phoenix.

Cassie was one of the first people I met in Tucson that used to come to ALL my shows. Every time I was in town she would bring different friends with her to see me. And over time I became friends with her friends too many of whom continued to come to my shows after Cassie left Tucson. I credit Cassie and my friend David McGuiggan for being the first two people in Tucson to truly spread the word about my shows.

Above that's Cassie on the right and Dee Dee on the left. (Pic: Meily Mendez) (See Facebook blog pics)

THE PSYCHIC, MUSICIAN, COMEDIAN, LOADED SIX STRING ON MY BACK DIPLOMAT, RACIST, ANIMAL LOVER...... MR ‘WHAT THE F**K’ (WTF) FOR SHORT.

Every so often I meet a really crazy person at my shows that not only demand to be blogged about but also demand to be named. I'm calling this guy wtf man. Literally because everything he did just made me think... what the f**k?

Wtf man was in his early twenties, very skinny, about 6 feet tall and he looked stoned. He was harmless but had a very irritating in your personal space manner. I was in the middle of a conversation with someone after just finishing my show when he rudely interupted and said...

“You’re a musician aren’t you?... I bet you play guitar right?....yeah...I’m psychic like that... I can just tell”.

I looked at him in disbelief. I was standing there in front of the stage area where my two guitars were there for all to see and I had my long hair out .....was he serious? Then he said...

“So dude can I get up and jam?”....Oh Lord....I should have know by his bullshit introduction where this was leading.

Then a few minutes later as he was going out the front door for a smoke he stopped and said to me....

“I’m gonna be like our president”

I looked at wtf man again as if to say ‘What the f**k?’ (ha ha) and he continued....

“I’ll be white black”. (oh dear)

A fake psychic, a pushy musician and now a bad comedian to boot...wtf man was getting worse by the minute.

A few minutes later wtf man arrived back inside the bar but now he had a guitar slung over his shoulder!! He was strutting around the venue now in a way that Jon Bon Jovi has described best...with a "loaded six string on my back".

(See Facebook blog pics)

The guitar over the shoulder routine led wtf man into an argument at the bar with a professional blues musician and his girlfriend. The blues musician getting somewhat tired of wtf man's bullshit said something to the effect of.....

“Dude with that attitude you’re going nowhere”. (Ouch!)

Wtf man didn't take too kindly to this cold home truth and  proceeded to get all handbags at ten paces. It was sad because he was all angry and puffing his chest out but the blues musician was literally sitting there at the bar laughing in wtf mans face.

The final act of wtf mans tragedy though came outside the venue as I was loading up my car. Wtf man and a buddy of his had been sent outside to cool off after their altercation with the blues musician and they were standing right beside my car smoking as I was loading.

Suddenly in the distance I heard...POP POP... POP POP POP POP....

It sounded like firecrackers but I knew firecrakers didn't explode in quick succession like that....was it gunfire??

“What was that?” I asked wtf man and his friend....

Without hesitation they simply replied in unison “Niggers”.

Good lord. So it appeared wtf man was a racist too.

Wtf man went on to say..."Yeah....every city got its own nigger town man".

They then proceeded to talk among themselves about eating whatever road kill they’d run over on the way home. I'm not joking! SERIOUSLY!! They were talking about which body they would and would not eat!!

This conversation somehow then went from bad to worse and onto the subject of beastiality (having ’relations’ with animals)!!!! and wtf's friend said...
 
"It don't matter what species it is man...its all the same".

I was hoping at this point that this was all a sick joke?? ....right?...but there was just something creepy about the way they were talking.

A few minutes later as I got into my car to drive away (with echoes of the music from the movie 'Deliverance' in my head!) I saw wtf man had gotten back into his handbags at ten paces argument with the blues musician and his girlfriend who were now leaving.

"What you said wasn't cool man" said wtf man....

"Dude I'm just being honest" I heard the blues musician say.

Honesty...yes indeed... exactly what wtf man needs.

WHATS GOING ON WITH THUMPER?

I noticed my friend Darragh (aka 'Thumper') was a little grumpy looking on Friday so I decided to give her a hard time over the microphone...to...you know...try to loosen her up...so to speak.

So as I was singing 'Alice? who the f**k is Alice?' I asked Thumper to turn around so I could see whether her level of enthusiasm was up to scratch.

As those around her laughed Thumper begrudgingly turned around to face me and straddling her chair backwards Madonna like defiantly! She still looked like she was in pain...constipated like? As the song went on i checked back to make sure she was giving it the proper enthusiam and she seemed to be a little more into it. In spite of the fact she was being coerced to do so.

But then when the song ended it appeared like Thumper suddenly dissappeared!
 
"Where's Thumper?" I asked the crowd.

"She's gone to the restroom" cried out Thumper's partner in crime (or is it partner in the CIA?), Melissa (aka Bambi).

"Ah... I said my work is complete...all that tension taken away...now being released!".

Thumper then re emerged from the restroom stood momentarily beside her table and for the benefit of everyone who was now looking at her....she took both her hands and squashed her boobs! as if to say 'How do you like me now?'.

The next night though I got the inside story from Thumper. The truth was she was dying to use the restroom but when I called her out over the mic she didn't want to just walk away. The pained look had been her trying to hold on why she sang along!

And you know people say that when a woman HAS to go...REALLY has to go...Jesus and all his angels couldn't stop her! And there was me thinking I'd helped her loosen up when all along I'd been putting her through hell!! Ouch. At least Darragh (Thumper) could see the funny side of it!

Below from left to right are my friends Darragh (Thumper), Saum and Melissa (Bambi) on St Patricks Day in Tucson 2009. (Pic: Erin Prater) (See Facebook blog pics)

DON'T ALL MEN TALK TO THEIR 'EQUIPMENT'?

I had a very interesting show on Saturday night. It was at a restaurant as a pose to an ‘Irish bar’ where I normally play in Tucson. The situation allowed me to both play more of my original songs and to chat more with the audience. I was happy to see that people seemed to enjoy these changes to my normal show. Playing outdoors under the moonlight helped too! Overall it just seemed to be a nice mix between a bar and a restaurant.

At one point I was talking to the crowd about how I sometimes talk to my guitars and how I originally wanted to name my acoustic guitar Harry after my grandfather. My grandfather had left me money with strict instructions that I buy myself a guitar. He had been a musician himself. In the end I decided on the name 'Harriet' because 1. my guitar needed to be female! and 2. it had to be close to my grandfathers name.

Then as I was then telling everyone how I still haven't officially named my electric guitar.... My phone suddenly buzzed. I had a text.... it made me laugh out loud..so I shared it with the audience...it read simply...

"Don't all men talk to their 'equipment' ?".

(I'm just asking the Gods, please, give me a sign? tell me...what should I call my candy apple red telecaster?) (See Facebook blog pics)

Another funny moment happened when my rendition of 'Free falling' was interupted by wailing police sirens on the street below. I just spontaneously proceeded to work the words from the theme song to the tv show 'COPS' into 'Free falling' and I sang...

"Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do? whatcha gonna do when they come for you...Free falling".

It was a funny moment and another good example of the energy that was created by the intimate atmostphere of the venue. I think I should definitely find more venues like this one to play at in the future.

THANK YOU

To all my friends who came out to the shows this weekend especially those of you who came out twice! There’s too many of you to name here individually. I really appreciate your ongoing support. Also special thanks again to David McGuiggan for putting me up.

Have a great week my friends.

Hugh

Welcome to my latest tales from the road blog. Today I'm talking hair donation, author Stephenie Meyer's book 'The Host', my nasty O.C. sunburn experience and the new real life competition I discovered for my favorite girls with guns in the shape of kick ass ice trucker Lisa Kelly. There's questions for you at the end people so jump in and lets roll! Read on.....

MORE HAIR PROBLEMS IN THE O.C.

Last week I wrote about an experience I had in a venue restroom where some guy came in and saw me fixing my hair and had some kind of panic attack because he thought there might be about to be a George Michael like restroom ambush? ha ha.

Well this weekend in the same venue and the same restroom! I had another bizarre ’experience’ but this time it was me that was weirded out!

So there I am taking my hair out and fixing it in the restroom mirror just before I start my show and in walks this odd looking guy. Let me describe him. He was in his early twenties really skinny and about 5 ft 4. He had red scraggly hair and he reminded me of a cross between comedian carrot top and snowboarder Shaun White (see pic below).

(See Facebook blog pics)

Man though did this guy look frazzled. He looked like he’d smoked enough weed for two lifetimes and it really showed.

"Hey dude can I ask you a question?" he said to me.

"Sure" I said "Whats up?".

"Dude how long did it take you to grow your hair?".

I looked at him as if to say wtf? and so he tried to explain himself...

"Oh the reason I'm asking dude is that I want to donate my hair and I want to know how long it'll take my hair to be as long as yours".

"Over a year" I told him. "Woah" he said.

The weirdest thing about this guy was not his question though because as I walked out of the restroom he followed me out and went back up to the bar without using the facilities so to speak! Had he actually followed me into the restroom specifically to ask me that question? Or did his frazzled brain forget once in the restroom that he actually was in there to use the restroom? I'll let you decide.

THE HOST

I mentioned briefly in last weeks blog that I was reading a book by Stephenie Meyer (pictured below) called ‘The Host’. Meyer, as most of you know, is also the author of the four books in the Twilight saga. Would you believe that so far Meyer has sold over 70 million books! An incredible achievement especially considering that Meyer's first book 'Twilight' was published only four years ago!

'The Host' introduces us to an alien race, called souls, who take over Earth and its inhabitants. The book describes a soul (called Wanderer) who finds herself in a predicament when the mind of her host body (a young woman called Melanie) refuses to cooperate with the takeover of her body and mind.

I really enjoyed the book and found it very thought provoking. For many of you sci fi or zombie freaks out there who have put serious thought into how you'd survive Z-day or an alien invasion I think you'll really dig how the human resistance in the book survive and how they adapt and overcome the adversity they face.

This book really stays with you after you've finished it...the characters... their individual predicaments, the whole scenario. In a insightful way Meyer steps back from humanity and gives us some perspective on what it is to be human. She uses her story cleverly to explore the best and the worst of what makes us 'human' and also takes a thoughtful look at how we as humans can take for granted being in control of our body and mind, being human.

Another reason I got a kick out of this book is the fact that most of it takes place in the desert outside Tucson and there are many specific references to places I am now very familiar with because of the many road trips I've made to Tucson. If you are interested check out more about this book via the link below:

www.thehostnovel.com

SUN BURN CITY!

I unfortunately got badly sunburned this past weekend while playing an outdoor show in Orange County. I am sure the folks in Tucson next weekend are going to have a lot of fun taking the piss out of me when they see my lobster face. This is how it happened...

I arrived at the venue on Sunday morning at 9:30am!! (It was a 11am-2pm show) to discover that the awning that usually covers the area where I play had been blown down in a rainstorm the previous day and was broken beyond repair. This meant I would have to play with me and my equipment exposed to the sunlight. I had no sunblock with me because I thought I was going to be in the shade. While the staff there were sympathetic there wasn’t really anything they could do about my situation.

There didn’t seem to be a manager on duty and so therefore there was no one to either cancel or move me to another location. Frankly I needed the money and because it was a little overcast as I was setting up I thought I would be alright, but I was wrong.

I set up my equipment and found ways to protect most of it from the sun initially it was ok but come about 12:30 the clouds were gone and I was I fely like a pop tart in a toaster. To add insult to injury (literally) it was very quiet, mainly because there was no shade for people to sit in either. The whole situation was a f**kup.

I went into the bar (I was outside on the patio) to get some water but the bargirl was busy changing a keg so I asked one of the waitresses (an older grumpy looking woman) could she please get me some water and I went back out to keep playing.

But ten minutes later I didn't have my water. Now I'm no pre madonna but ten minutes in that heat was a long time! Also keep in mind that the walk from the bar inside to the patio is about 20ft!

So I went back inside and the grumpy waitress says to me

"Oh I left your water over there, by the bar, I didn't have time to bring it out to you"
 
What? I was stunned...what a freaking bitch! I bit my tongue and walked out.

"Too busy" it was painfully quite in the bar too!...this waitress was literally going around cleaning tables to look busy!.... and she was too busy inside in the freakin' ice cold air conditioning to bring me (exposed in the 80 degree heat) a glass of water?

Why?? what a man hating ignorant selfish cow! there I said it...I feel better too ;)

Other staff members there were very nice and apologetic about the awning (my shade) being broken one staff member even said to me...
 
"Dude how did you keep going out there in that freaking heat...that was impressive!"....I should have told him.. 'That's why they call me 'the machine' son'.

So if the other staff got it what was this f**king battle axe's problem? Some people just defy sense and reason.

But swiftly back to the sunburn.. I didn't realize I'd been sun burned noticeably until I got in my car to drive home. I looked in the rearview and my jaw dropped....it was a f**king lobster man where my reflection should've been!! Ok so I didn't quiet look like hell boy (ha ha) but it was ugly...my arms were burnt too.

It was just one of those days where you have to just go with the situation. It wasn't ideal but I just adapted and overcame...and got paid. Was it worth it to get sunburnt and abused by a manhating waitress? ....probably... but either way I'll live and thanks to the wonders of Aloe Vera my face will heal too.

GIRLS WITH TRUCKS: MY CONFESSION PT 2

I recently started watching a show on the History channel called ‘Ice Road Truckers’.
This is one of the drivers on the show, Lisa Kelly.

(See Facebook blog pics)
 
Lisa (28) is a former school bus driver and state freestyle motocross champion! On the show Lisa is only starting her second year driving on the ice roads. This is the third season of 'Ice Road Truckers' and in it Lisa officially becomes the Carlile trucking companies first female heavy hauler!
 
I wrote a blog before about how girls with guns gets me every time. I talked about Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider, Annabeth Gish (Agent Monica Reyes) in the x-files and my favorite Kate Beckingsale armed with glocks and a never ending supply of clips in Underworld. After seeing Lisa though I think my girls with guns have some real life competition. What can I say... I love kick ass women!

This below is 'literally' just one of the pitfalls that these ice road truckers face doing their job. If you've ever watched the show you'll know Lisa and all the other truckers are really putting their life on the line every time they sit behind the wheel.

(See Facebook blog pics)

Have a great week my friends.

Hugh

Welcome to my latest tales from the road blog. This week I return to my usual humorous blog format watch out I have questions for you at the end. This week I’m talking about a long weekend of very 'unique' Orange County experiences. So make sure you‘ve got your tinfoil hats on?...OK...ready?.... read on...

HUGGY BEAR'S SCARING THE NATIVES?

You’ve all probably seen the shows The O.C., Laguna Beach or the Housewives of Orange County right? so you know how rich folks in Orange County roll. As most of you know I live in Orange county too... but not in the part you see on those shows!
I live in the city of Buena Park which is in north orange county on the border of Los Angeles county. Buena Park is best known as the home to Knott’s Berry Farm which was America’s first ever amusement park.

The venues I’ve been playing in recently in Orange County are mostly in the very ‘posh’ parts of southern Orange county and just this past weekend I noticed that for some unknown reason , at least to me, I seem to be genuinely scaring some of the rich folks at my shows! I’m serious!....Let me give you some examples.

1. Hair raising!

When I am setting up for my shows I normally tend to have my hair tied up in a ponytail and then just before I start to play I go to my dressing room (ha ha) I mean the rest room and I change shirt and let my hair down....so to speak.

(Pic: Dustin Hempel) (See Facebook blog pics)

So before a show last week (which was on the patio of a golf club restaurant) I casually walked up to the bar, with my hair out, to get some water and I noticed that this old dude (in his seventies) was staring at me... and he looked totally horrified!! He was looking at me like I had just got off a Harley.. like he was honestly shocked that they let ‘my kind’ into 'his' Golf club restaurant.

I just smiled at him and then I noticed his wife holding tightly onto her purse.. What? so now I’m a rock n roll biker bar robber dude??.... but this was only the beginning....

2. How much for your daughter?

The next example I have was when I arrived to start setting up for another show and near the stage area this family was already sitting down eating. There was two grandparents (in their 60’s) with their daughter (30 something) and her daughter (about 15). As I walked past their table I smiled as if to say hello and BOOM again there was that look of terror!

I was taken aback and confused especially after what happened in the Golf club restaurant two nights before and I thought to myself ‘Oh stop Hugh you’re only imagining it, you’re getting paranoid’.

But when I looked back at that table again they were looking at me like I was a freakin’ psycho killer! Now I knew I wasn’t imagining things.

They ate real fast and were history long before I even got to soundcheck! Jesus you’d swear it had been like that scene in the Blues Brothers movie where the Blues Brothers scare a family eating at a fancy restaurant by asking them in a Mexican accent “How much for your daughter?”....but this wasn't to be the last OC resident I'd scare....

(Pic: David McGuiggan) (See Facebook blog pics)

3. Restroom rendezvous!

Then just a few minutes later I apparently scared another Orange county native this time in the restroom where I was letting my hair down.

So there I am taking my hair out of a ponytail and fixing it in front of the bathroom mirror when in walks this 30 something dude. He seemed taken aback to walk in and see a guy with long hair in the bathroom so I just smiled and tried to ease the tension by joking...

“Its not much of a dressing room...but what can I do?”.

He looked confused, like I’d spoken in Chinese or something so I tried to explain...

"I'm the musician playing here tonight...this is my dressing room" I said looking at him as if to say this is not a f**king George Michael bathroom moment you f**king moron.

He mumbled something about looking forward to hearing me and bolted out the door leaving me looking at myself in the mirror...Out loud I said to myself "You have got to be f**king kidding me".

What was it about me that was feaking these people out? I didn't look any different that how I did the last time I played in Orange County?...weirdness.

In Conclusion:

I just started reading a book called ‘The Host’ by Stephanie Meyer (Author of the Twilight saga). This Meyer book is not about vampires though, this one is set in a post ‘Invasion of the body snatchers’ type scenario where most of humanity has been taken over by an Alien species. Reading this book has the whole body snatcher thing going through my head and it got me thinking...

What if the invasion of the body snatchers has already started!! and in Orange County! and what if all these people were afraid of me because they're not Aliens (yet) and they're afraid that I am?

Ok...so before you go calling the men in white coats did you know that I actually have a weird scar on the back of my left ear...doh! .... Maybe It's just my Irish 'Alien' vibes!

Wait is that a green glow coming off me in the picture below? but more on that subject in a minute....

(Pic: Deborah Kountz) (See Facebook blog pics)

.666 MILES TO THE TRAIL

I went Mountain bike riding today 'off road' for the first time on a bike trail in Orange County with my friend Danny. It was very interesting experience to say the least! I should have known when Danny’s google earth map said the trail began .666 (the number of the beast) miles from the 5 freeway that we were going to get a taste of hell!  Man that trail kicked our asses.

It took me a while to get used to handling the bike on the rough surface, quickly switching gears and using the brakes correctly. Its a world away from how you control a bike on paved cycle paths. I loved it though and was suprised by some of the scenery we encountered. At one point it was literally like we were cycling through a freakin’ jungle....in Orange county! Next time I'll have to take pictures.

At one point on our trip we entered a clearing and I was taken aback to hear the sound (immediately to our right) of a large animal violently crashing through some trees! My first thought was... ‘Oh f**k... Mountain Lion!’.

(See Facebook blog pics)

But Danny who was ahead of me said he caught a glimpse of it... and he said it wasn't a mountain lion... just a deer. Man...an encounter with a mountain lion that would have been something!

I witnessed the same violent tree shaking and animal noise later again as we made our way back down the trail. This was definitely not an experience to come upon suddenly for the faint hearted!

The cool thing about this trail to me though was that while on the one hand its not too far from civilization on the other hand you’re really right out there on the borderland with nature. I loved it! It was great to 'get away from it all' so to speak.

So we didn't meet Satan on the .666 miles from the 5 freeway bike riding trail or meet 'the beast' (mountain lion) in fact the experience was far from evil and as Danny put it to me in a text afterwards the experience was and I quote “f**kin righteous”.

The possibility of a Mountain Lion attack in Orange County while very rare is actually not that far fetched. (No I am not talking about 'Cougar' attacks....ha ha they're widespread in the O.C.) Check this collection of articles out via the link below...including the first article about the 2004 Mountain Lion attacks in O.C.

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-43496.html

APPARENTLY ALIENS PREFER IRISH PEOPLE!!!

Apparently Alien visitors to earth seem to think Irish people are special...seriously!

Its ok though you won't need your tinfoil hats (yet)...let me explain.

In a recent newsletter from ‘Unknown Country’ which is the online newsletter from the website of my favorite author Whitley Strieber I read something very interesting about Irish people and alien abductees but before I tell you more let me first give you some background on Whitley Strieber.

Strieber has been a writer since the early 80's his book 'Communion' was a number 1 New York Times Non-Fiction Bestseller and was also turned into a film of the same name. 'Communion' is an autobiographical account of his experiences with alien visitors who came to his cabin in the New York countryside. Another of Strieber's books 'The Coming Global Superstorm' served as an inspiration for the recent motion picture 'The Day After Tommorow'. One of Strieber's more recent books, 'The Grays' is also soon to be made into a movie.

Ok so now you know about Strieber lets get back to the Irish / Alien connection.. well one of the Unknown Country newsletter contributors Anne Streiber (Whitley's wife) was the one who mentioned something about the Irish in her recent blog. She said and I quote...

“When we looked through the last names of the hundreds of thousands of letters we received from contactees and abductees, after Whitley wrote "Communion," we found that they were predominantly Irish! From reading all those letters, I learned that UFO contact runs in family, but maybe it also runs in our DNA”.

Ha ha... be afraid my friends...BE VERY AFRAID!!!

As I mentioned earlier I have a very strange unexplainable scar on the back of my left ear?.... Seriously! Ask me about it and I’ll show you...if the implant doesn’t erase my memory by then ;)

Here's a link to Whitley Streiber's website: www.unknowncountry.com

Have a great week my friends.

Hugh

Welcome to my latest tales from the road blog. This weeks blog is a first for me. I don’t normally talk about my family in my blog but with my eldest son Matthew finishing at his school last week I thought now would be a good time for me to properly address the most common question people in America ask me. Which is....

“WHY DID YOU COME TO AMERICA?”

I have a short answer that I regularly give to this question because it is a long story.
 
For whatever reason details seem to just confuse the matter and because details aren’t what everyone wants to hear (I do talk a lot) when someone askes me this question I sometimes try to just simplify ‘the why’ and condense it down into a easily digestible sound bite, some of you might have heard it. It goes something like...

“I came to America for my son who was having speech problems, but he’s doing great now. In fact now I can’t get him to shut up!”.

Honestly I hate having to condense something so important to me into a sentence and a corny joke but circumstances where I am playing a show (in a bar!) sometimes dictate such condensation.

Last week after almost 8 years my son Matthew finished at his school, SLDC (the Speech and Language Development Center) here in North Orange County, California. Bringing Matthew to SLDC was the reason my family moved to California and now as he has finished his time at SLDC it feels like the right time for me to not just share with you the soundbite answer to this question but also the rest of the story too.

This is Matthew outside SLDC in 2002 with his pal Bob The Builder! (Pic: Rupert Thorpe) (See Facebook blog pics)

Matthew peers around the same tree in 2009! (Pic: Maureen Elstran) (See Facebook blog pics)

THE BEGINNING

Matthew was our first child and his arrival changed my wife Edel and I completely. Somehow it seemed to us like our lives had only truly begun when he was born. The first 18 months everything was wonderful he was hitting all his developmental milestones on time he was a very happy baby, loved breastfeeding and slept well.

At around 18 months something suddenly changed. Matthew essentially started going into his own world and while physically he continued to hit all his developmental milestones on time his speech was just not developing as it should have.

Over the next two years we took Matthew to every child specialist we could find in Ireland but no one seemed to able to fully explain what Matthews speech problem was or what we could do to help him. We had every conceivable test done on Matthew including MRI and EEG brain scans. Everything came back 'normal'. It was an incredibly frustrating mystery. Every test result we got and specialist we saw left us without answers and with more and more questions just piling up.

As first time parents this was a very difficult time. People in Ireland in the late nineties were in some ways still somewhat old fashioned and would somtimes say the cruelest things thinking they were being helpful.  For example someone told me "Oh that's just the way Matthew is Hugh, just move on and have another child". Wow am I glad I had more sense than to listen to that bullshit.

WHY SLDC?

Once we realized there was no answers or help to be found in Ireland (keep in mind Ireland is a small island of only 5 million people) we began a worldwide search for the answers and the help Matthew needed. Online and on the phone I investigated and called speech specialists and speech schools all over Europe and as far off as Australia. There was one location though that kept coming up in all the searching I did and that was California. For whatever reason there just seemed to be a lot of speech specialists and speech schools in California. So I made some calls worked it like only an Irishman can ;) and managed to organize a tour of schools in the Los Angeles, Orange County area of Southern California.

So in November 2001, just weeks after 9/11 (I remember the plane we flew over on was practically empty) we set off to seek out the answers and the help that our son (now 4 years old) so desperately needed.

On our trip we visited many schools but as soon as I arrived at the SLDC campus I knew that it was ‘the’ place. I remember telling my wife when we first arrived in California that I had a feeling that when I found the right school that I’d just know it... and as crazy as that may sound that was exactly the way it happened with SLDC.

The experienced and talented staff at SLDC did an assessment on Matthew and quickly identified the cause of his speech problem. They also suggested a very definite course of action to deal with his problem.

The staff at SLDC were inspired by our trek halfway across the world to help our son and to our astonishment SLDC then offered Matthew a scholarship!

To have found answers and solutions for Matthew was such a relief but then for him to recieve the scholarship on top of all that! Wow. There aren't any words to describe how my wife and I felt.

And so we took another leap and using the proceeds of our recently sold home in Ireland we moved to California. Matthew officially began as a student at SLDC in January 2002. www.sldc.net

Edel, me and Matthew in the old primary playground, SLDC 2002. (Pic: Maureen Elstran) (See Facebook blog pics)

THE IRISH NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

Six months after Matthew started at SLDC he was making incredible progress and I felt an obligation to do something to help the many other parents in a similar situation to ours that we'd met back in Ireland. I wanted to share the success we'd had in thinking outside of the box (Ireland) so to speak. To accomplish this goal I wrote a newspaper article with the help of SLDC's director of public relations Maureen Elstran. The article ended up being published in Ireland’s largest Sunday paper ‘The Sunday Independent’ (see article below).

(See Facebook blog pics)

The decison to write this article was not taken lightly. We knew that in exchange for passing this information on we were giving up our privacy and faced the unknown quantity that publicity for this story might generate. In the end though remembering how heartbroken and desperate some parents we'd met back home in Ireland were to find help for their kids we decided that doing the article was worth it. We had made our own luck for Matthew in America and I wanted to share our good fortune with the parents back home.

THE IRISH INVASION!

Since the article was printed eight other Irish families followed us directly or indirectly over to SLDC . Some had read the article and contacted us or SLDC directly and later others had heard about SLDC through the families that had visited SLDC.

Some of the families who came to SLDC had newspaper articles of their own printed in Ireland. One family appeared on national radio and had a mini documentary on Irish TV about their trip to SLDC. Below is a picture taken outside SLDC with us Lehanes and two of the first Irish familes to follow us to SLDC. The Mullarkeys from Sligo (center) and The Lynchs (on right) from Bettystown. Its not hard to spot the Paddys in this picture ;)

(See Facebook blog pics)

Just last week the eighth Irish family to come to SLDC after us, the Maguires from Co. Clare just left after being here for 5 months.

My intention was to spread the word about SLDC to other parents in need back home in Ireland but I never expected that this articles domino effect would still continue in 2009!
 
MATTHEW EIGHT YEARS LATER

Its been an amazing journey for Matthew over the past eight years he has personally worked very hard, overcome so much and in the process become an inspiration to his class mates, his teachers, his mom, me, his brother Daniel and to all the Irish families that followed his story to SLDC.

Matthew successfully overcame his speech difficulties and as I say in my original sound bite short answer now I can't get him to shut up! Academically he is now at his grade level and above average in most subjects. When you consider Matthew arrived at SLDC in late 2001 at four and a half years of age hardly speaking at all I think its safe to say he has truly made an astounding recovery.

I tell people that SLDC is the best school in the world for helping kids with speech problems and I’m not blowing smoke when I say that! After looking at schools all over the world I believe that SLDC is simply just in a different league. But now regardless of what I say, after eight years of Matthews incredible progress, SLDC's results are speaking for themselves.
 
Below Matthew gets to meet his American citizen brother Daniel for the first time, November 2004.

(See Facebook blog pics)

Here's a more recent pic of the Lehane brothers... (See Facebook blog pics)

A FINAL WORD OF THANKS

To all the teachers and staff @ SLDC. Your hard work and tireless dedication with my son has been truly remarkable, I am forever in your debt. There are simply too many of you to mention here by name. Someone I have to mention though is SLDC Principal extroardinaire Dawn O Connor. Dawn... you are legend. They will sing songs about you around campfires. www.sldc.net

To all the staff at 'Lindamood Bell Learning Processes' in Newport Beach. Thank you also for your hard work helping Matthew with his comprehension. Special thanks to Jackie, Shannon and Kim. www.lindamoodbell.com

To Dr. John Bergman who after hearing our story has generously chiropractically adjusted Matthew and all of us Lehanes now for over 6 years... for free! Thank you for keeping us healthy and in the game! Your expertise and service was critical in Matthews ongoing progress. www.bergmanchriopractic.com

Also to all the friends I have made over the past few years through playing shows, sharing my weekly blog and playing my music all over the Southwest. One of the reasons I wanted to write this weeks blog was so that you could truly know just how much your support and friendship means to me (and indirectly to my family). I truly appreciate the 'Hugh Nation', all of you in it and its ever growing ranks. Respect.

The Lehane family leaving SLDC on Matthew's last day. (Pic: Maureen Elstran) (See Facebook blog pics)

Have a great week my friends.

Hugh

Welcome to my latest tales from the road blog. Its a fun one with plenty of show pictures! but pay attention I've got questions for you at the end. Ok...lock and load, lets rock n roll people and read on......

PORTABLE LAPDANCE

For this week's first blog story I am going to tell you how a man at my show last Friday night didn't let anything.. including his wheelchair get in the way of him having a good time (see the picture below).

(See Facebook blog pics) (Pic: C. Campbell)

As people danced at my show on Friday night this gentelman spun up and down and round and round the dancefloor... with his lady friend on his lap! There were having great fun and bringing great energy to the crowd. Everyone had their cameras and phones out taking pictures it was like they were celebrities or something! The girl was really working it on his lap and when I finished my set I commented over the mic "Wow..that was like a portable lapdance!".

HOLLYWOOD ENDING: LYRICAL UPDATE

Ok so those of you who go to my shows you are familiar with my song 'Hollywood Ending'. Its by far, hands down, my audiences favorite original Hugh song. Well last week I made some changes with the lyrics in the song and for those of you are interested I am going to briefly explain why.

Simply, I felt the lyrics were not articulating directly enough what I wanted to say in the song. I just like I was being too nice with the message and ever time I sang the song it was bugging me. Also, comments I have got about the song from a number of people led me to believe that some were somewhat...ahem.. 'misunderstanding' what the song was all about. You see this song is not about resignation or failure. It is a song I wrote as an answer to a very common question I get. The question being..."Hugh, why do you (or still) do what you do? (play music)".

As an example of some of the new lyrical changes I've made here below is the old, followed by the new, chorus lyrics. The first line is the only one that is unchanged.

Old chorus lyrics:

I'm not waiting for a Hollywood ending.
I'm living my dream day by day.
I'm not just looking for the end of the rainbow.
With a smile on my face I'm on my way.

New chorus lyrics:

I'm not waiting for a Hollywood ending.
I'm chasing my dream day by day.
No I'm not waiting for my ship to come sailing in.
I'm making my own luck, I'm going my own way.

ONE BIKER, HIS HARLEY, THREE DOGS AND A SKATEBOARD?

This biker guy pulls up to the kerb outside the venue on Friday night. We can all see him because behind me (where I am set up playing) at this venue there's two giant windows out onto the street. What stuck out about this biker dude though was not his bike or him...but what he was carrying on his bike!

There perched on the back of his Harley this biker had a homemade pet carrier with three little dogs in it! and they were those little tiny 'girlie' dogs! There was more though because also strapped precariously to this bikers odd looking pet carrier contraption was a skateboard....what?...why?

Why would a Harley biker carry three dogs and a skateboard on his ride?... It doesn't make any sense to me.  But the answers came later.
 
You see I saw one of my friends (Winnie) talking to this biker dude outside while she was having a smoke and she has since told me that she knew this biker character and that in fact she has know him for many years. He used to be a railroad conductor (now retired) and he now collects classic bikes, cars and random toys. She says he's a cool guy and a real character.

His three dogs are called "Total", "Chick" and "Magnet"! (get it?).  He said the dogs really love being on the bike and that the skateboard is for when the dogs want to pull him around!!!....I don't know what to say....except...WOW!...only in Fresno.

RESPECT TO MIKE MOYNIHAN: THE FATHER OF A NATION!

It's just over a year now since Moynihan's Irish Pub in Fresno closed. I started playing there about once a month back in 2005. Things started slow there for me but the owner Mike Moynihan stuck with me and slowly but surely I started to win the crowd over. Then on the night that I recorded my first live CD at Moynihan's everything went up to a whole other level. The energy in the pub that night was nothing short of magic

Touching that energy @ Moynihan's (Pic: D. Kountz) (See Facebook blog pics)

Moynihan's to me was a real piece of Ireland in America. I always looked forward to playing there and I made many, many great friends there. The bar maybe gone but the spirit of Moynihan's lives on in all of us who experienced it.

(Pic: D. Kountz) (See Facebook blog pics)

The owner of Moynihan's, Mike Moynihan, is a real Irish character. His grandparents on both sides originally came from Ireland to San Francisco and his Father moved to Fresno where he lived for fifty years. Mike may have not been physically born in Ireland but I can personally testify that he's Irish through and through. I love listening to his stories about finding his old relatives back in Ireland.

Not only is Moynihan's and Mike Moynihan part of the inspiration for my song 'Finding Ireland In America' (the title track of my next CD) but more than that Mike Moynihan is to me the Father of what we now call the 'Hugh Nation'. Long before the cheering crowds at what were called 'Hugh nights' at the pub Mike had faith in me and kept having me back to play at Moynihan's and he always paid me even on nights he couldn't really afford to. Thank you Mike I will never forget that.

Finally I say God bless you Mike and thank you for the Moynihan's experience, the piece of Ireland that you shared with so many people in Fresno. Respect to you Mr Mike Moynihan, now the father of a nation. SLAINTE!

Michael Moynihan, St Patrick's weekend 2009 (Pic: D. Kountz) (See Facebook blog pics)

T-SHIRTS FOR SALE!

Woo hoo! The 'Hugh Nation' shirts went on sale this weekend at my shows for the first time (see picture below).
 
(See Facebook blog pics) (Pic: T. Herman)

The logo design is a little bigger than the shirt you can order online and I have to say I think it looks cool! I'm excited! It was great to look out and see so many Hugh Nation shirts in the crowd on Saturday night and it gives me an idea of what the crowd is gonna look like when we shoot the 'live' DVD in the fall. There are exciting times ahead for the 'Hugh Nation'. Below is a picture of just some of the Fresno chapter of the 'Hugh Nation' in their new T-Shirt's after the show on Saturday night.

(See Facebook blog pics) (Pic: D. Kountz)

THANK YOU

To everyone who came out to the shows in Fresno I continue to appreciate your enthusiatic support and promise you all that the best is yet to come. Thank you also to everyone who bought the new Hugh Nation shirts and wore them with such pride.

To the blog photographers! Tami Herman, Crissy Campbell and Deborah Kountz.

To George Grim for recommending the local T-shirt printer and Rob Herman for picking the shirts up and for helping me set up for both shows.

Finally a special thanks to Marty & Anne for letting me stay at their house while they were away and to Tami Herman for her tireless efforts helping me sell shirts collect shirt orders and collect e-mail addresses.

Have a great week my friends.

Hugh

Welcome to my latest tales from the road blog. This week its all humorous as I take you on a whirlwind tour of senior moments, erased moon tapes, a frustrating air force test, a vixen manual! oh and all the things that fall out of rock stars purses. Yes indeed this weeks an odd one. I have questions for you at the end so pay attention. Are you ready?...ok...read on.....

SENIOR MOMENTS

In past blogs when I‘ve written about seniors I always begin by stating that I don’t have anything against seniors because after all someday I’ll be one. So now that any possibly politically correct readers waiting with their accusations of ageism are off their high horse let me get on with it. You see I think we could talk about the youth of the early 21st century being a unique bunch and I know you’d all agree but I think you could equally say the same thing about seniors of today.

Recently I was at an Irish community event where there was a lot of seniors of Irish decent. I’m not sure if it was their Irish or their American heritage... or maybe a bit of both that explains what I’m about to share with you...I’ll just leave that up for you to decide. At this event there was about 40 people and there was only one waitress! To make things worse she was an incredibly grumpy and a rude bitch. To say her temperament was unsuited to this gathering of mostly seniors would be the understatement of the year.

(See Facebook blog pics)

After everyone had eaten the host of the event stood up to speak....into the microphone which was plugged into a karaoke machine....oh yeah.... this is when the fun started.
So now with the waitress in the room the host made an attempt at waitress senior diplomacy (doh) and said ...

“Ok everybody I think we should thank our waitress”....

You could have heard a pin drop in the room. It was.. AWKWARD...I swear the only time you’d normally hear this kind of silence would be in the dead of night!

Sensing the discontent and his wasted attempt at diplomacy the host then quipped...

”Well at least the coffee was hot”.

As you can imagine the waitress was not impressed!

Next the host handed the mike over to another man who had news of a fellow senior who had recently been hospitalized.

He started off by saying that things were not looking good for...lets call the patient John and that prayers were needed. That was fair enough but then he went to say that John was on a ventilator and that even if he gets off it he'll most likely be a vegetable....... My jaw dropped...but it got worse.

“I don’t think we should send John a card, after all I think if we were in that state we’d probably say ‘Just let me go’ anyway”.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I mean especially after the tension in the room with the bitchy waitress... this was now the ultimate party pooper.

The party wasn’t over though there was to be one final act in this senior with a microphone (out of a karaoke machine) tragedy...

The host returning to the mic attempted to lighten the mood by starting to talk about t-shirts that he was struggling to sell.....I know, I know....mind blowing.

The host started talking specifically about large t-shirts that he couldn’t sell. He looked at one particular small Irish woman in the crowd and said...
 
“I can’t sell those bloody large T-shirts cause Irish women are all midgets”.

At this point my head was in my hands. You’d want to have seen the look on the petit Irish women in attendance ...they were NOT impressed.

Perhaps though if I look at these outbursts as simply ‘senior moments’ they wouldn’t seem so bad. To be fair I’m sure that when I’m a senior I’ll most likely be just as obnoxious as these guys above. Maybe its not obnoxiousness though maybe its just that tact is something that means less and less as you get older!

MOON LANDING 40TH ANNIVERSARY

So this past week its been 40 years since man first traveled to the moon. To celebrate this anniversary NASA has been restoring some of the original footage of the astronauts on the moon. NASA also released some pictures of the Apollo landers on the moon (taken from earth‘s orbit) in an attempt to put to rest all the conspiracy theories about the moon landings being fake. Unfortunately though NASA also picked this time to announce that the footage they had restored was not taken from the original tapes!! In fact they had admitted to apparently ‘accidentally’ “taping over” the original moon footage!!! They had to search across the world for copies of the original in order to do the restoration.

Earth rise! Taken in 1968 from a unmanned NASA lander. Pic: Wikipedia.
(See Facebook blog pics)

So much for putting all the conspiracy theories to rest!

Seriously, how the f**k does someone tape over the original footage of the moon landing? Now they’ve opened up a whole new can of worms. Read more about this via this link below to an AOL news article:

http://news.aol.com/article/nasa-lost-original-moon-video/575034?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl1|link3|http://news.aol.com/article/nasa-lost-original-moon-video/575034

AIR FORCE TEST GAME

Check this out. A friend of mine sent me this cool Air Force test game. The object of the game is simple. You move a red block around a square without getting hit by the flying blue blocks or touching the black walls. This game is more challenging than you think. Apparently if you can go longer than 18 seconds you are doing phenomenal. The US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes.

I should warn you this game is both highly addictive and highly frustrating!! My best time so far is 28 seconds can you beat it? The game is called ‘Escapa’. Click on the link below to play it:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~pontipak/redsquare.html

“THE VIXEN MANUAL”

While in Borders last Sunday afternoon I came across a book whose cover and title made me laugh out loud. Its called ‘The Vixen manual’. See below.....

(See Facebook blog pics)

The book is written by Karrine Steffans. Who is Karrine Steffans? you might ask. Well according to Amazon Steffans is a “New York Times best selling author” who “Since the success of her books, speaks at universities and celebrity panels” Her debut tell-all book in 2005 was entitled ‘Confessions of a Video Vixen’ . I’m not making this up.

This book I saw in Borders, with its full title ‘The Vixen manual. How to find, seduce & keep the man you want’ apparently came about because according to Amazon “Readers have wanted to know even more about what makes Karrine Steffans tick. How was she able to meet all the high profile politicians, movie stars, and other celebrities that are her close acquaintances? What skills does she possess to keep men wanting more? Finally, Karrine lays it all out and explains exactly what a woman must do to win over the man of her dreams. With chapters like "Never Let Him See You Sweat," "Flirting," "Encouraging His Manhood," and "Give Him What He Wants," this hot and sexy manual is a must-have for every woman's bookshelf".

Unbelieveable....Finally Karrine “lays it all out” it concludes. I don’t know whether I should be laughing or crying.

For more info on Karrine and her book’s visit her website at www.karrine.com

Obviously an avid Vixen manual reader! (See Facebook blog pics)

ON MY HANDS AND KNEES IN THE CONTENTS OF A ROCKSTARS PURSE!

Back in Ireland I first worked as a music teacher at the school where I was studying singing. I taught guitar. keyboards and beginners songwriting. Why I am telling you this? Well my singing teacher had some very famous students, one in particular was Internationally well known, and one day my singing teacher came to me and asked if I could help out this internationally known star with her songwriting. For the sake of this blog story I’m going to call her Jane.

While I did have some knowledge about songwriting this request had me puzzled. Why was I being asked to help her?? I suppose I should have seen it as a compliment.

So a few days later there I was sitting in my teaching room with this international superstar, I was a understandably a little nervous. Jane was dressed casually wearing jeans and a t-shirt and she carried a huge handbag with her. To my surprise she appeared to be very shy.

Anyway for this first lesson I decided to find out from her exactly what it was about her songwriting that she needed help with. Apparently she had done a lot of co writing and wanted to know more about song structure, the unwritten rules of songwriting.

I decided to play her some songs to show her song structure at work and it seemed to be making sense to be going well. One of the songs I played, towards the end of the lesson, was a song by American songwriter Dan Fogleberg. It was a song called 'Same Old Lang Syne'. Its a pretty amazing song that finishes very emotionally by going into the new years eve standard 'Old Lang Syne'.

As the song finished to my horror I suddenly noticed Jane was crying...not just a little...she was f**king sobbing!

"Are you alright?" I couldn't believe that I had unintentionally made her cry. What a first lesson freaking nightmare!!

"I'm ok" she said... "I just need a tissue" so Jane turned around and reached to her large handbag which was on top of my desk. But just as she reached for her bag she accidentally knocked it... and all its contents... all over the floor.

I immediately got down on my hands and knees to help Jane (who was obviously distressed) to put the contents of her handbag back when I suddenly realized that one of the contents of her handbag was a very... VERY.. large box of condom's! (The box said '200, assorted')

The condom box had opened and there were condom's all over the floor...seriously.... they were EVERYWHERE!!!!

(See Facebook blog pics)

At first I thought 'WOW! a box of 200 that's freaky!' and then I realized DOH! I was on my hands and knees in middle of a sea of condoms surrounded by the contents of a rock stars purse. Amazingly I just kept helping her pick everything up! I couldn't look at her though because if I had I would have burst out laughing.

As you can imagine once Jane had gathered her belongings into her purse she immediately got up said thank you, goodbye and left the room like a bat out of hell!!

I guess she wasn't so shy after all!

Have a great week my friends.

Hugh

Remember I have questions for you to answer at the end of the blog so pay attention to the details people. Ok then, are you ready? Right...lets blow the whistle and get this blog started! Read on....

DAVID BECKHAM VS THE 'BOO BOYS'

Before I begin I'm going to give you some background on David Beckham and his LA Galaxy saga so you can have some context for my tale. David Beckham is the big star on the Galaxy team and this was a big game not just because the opposition was AC Milan (one of the biggest soccer teams in the world) but also because this was Beckham’s first home game this season for LA Galaxy. The Galaxy are actually midway through their season. Beckham just got back from being on loan at AC Milan. Yeah...its complicated.

(See facebook blog pics)

Because of Beckham’s extended loan spell there was a small contingent of diehard Galaxy fans who were not happy about the way Beckham missed the first half of the Galaxy season. I’m going to call them the ‘boo boys’ because they spent parts of game loudly booing Beckham.

Personally I think these 'boo boys' are totally missing the point. This is why... You see David Beckham is not the most famous soccer player in the world just because he’s good looking or because he’s practically like a ‘Coca Cola’ brand (so to speak) in the world of soccer. Beckham truly has a very impressive record as a player.

With Manchester United he won two FA cups, six premiership titles and the UEFA champions league. Also with Real Madrid he won La Liga (Spanish league title) and on the international stage he has captained his national team (England) and played in three world cups. He was also twice runner up for world player of the year.

Because of David Beckham every time LA Galaxy plays a game it becomes media newsworthy. No other team in the MLS (Major League Soccer) gets that kind of media attention, not even close. Essentially Beckham has now made the LA Galaxy a team known worldwide. And I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Beckham dramatically increases ticket and merchandise sales too. In terms of drawing a crowd Beckham is to soccer what Tiger Woods is to golf.

My final point to the 'boo boys' would be quit your whining bitches it was Beckhams extended stay at AC Milan that actually brought AC Milan over to play at Galaxy‘s home ground! I believe these ‘boo boys’ just aren’t seeing the bigger picture here.

THE WARM UP

LA Galaxy’s home ground ‘The Home Depot center’ (pictured below) is a relatively new stadium (opened in 2003) and has a capacity of about 27, 000. In 2005 it also became home to the other Los Angeles based MLS team ‘Chivas USA’.

(See facebook blog pics)

My friend Juan bought me a ticket to the game (God bless you Juan!) and his brother Hugo came too. The three of us were sitting at the south end and had a great view of everything. The way the stadium is designed it really didn’t look like there was a bad seat in the whole stadium. I really feels like you are right on top of the action.

When the players for both teams came out to warm up David Beckham got the loudest reception but it wasn’t all love he was getting. It was about half cheers and half boo’s. The AC Milan player who got the loudest reception was 2004 & 2005 world player of the year and world cup winner Ronaldinho (pictured below).

(See facebook blog pics) 

As the players finished warming up and they were walking off the field Ronaldinho had the crowd on their feet cheering as he cheekily chipped the ball into the open goal right in front of us. He maybe getting older now but Ronaldinho is still a great player and a showman through and through.

Just before kickoff, a singer came out to perform the national anthem. My friend Juan had warned me in advance about the fireworks that were coming up during the anthem but that still didn’t prepare me for the huge BOOM when the fireworks went off inside the stadium. It was incredibly loud and caught me by surprise because the fireworks started while the anthem was still being sung rather than at the end of the song. They were so loud that I literally jumped when they went off!

I've gotta say, I love the way Americans never do things like this 100% they always do it 150%. Its one of the reasons I love this country.

POSH SPICE, ME & A PAIR OF BINOCULARS!

Juan's brother had some binoculars at the game which was a great idea because we were able to get a better view of the players and the celebrities!

One of the celebs we saw was Beckham's wife Victoria aka 'Posh Spice'. Looking at the poor woman through the binoculars (so much for privacy) we could see clearly she really loves those tanning beds. Its weird to me that 'Posh' always seems to have the same look on her face.... even through binoculars! Its like a permanent stuck up pout! She was my favorite Spice Girl though ;)

However, as if just to prove my permanent pout theory wrong, here's Posh and her husband below. No pout there (doh!) she's smiling....or is it wincing? I'll let you decide.

(See facebook blog pics)

GAMETIME: FIRST HALF

Every time Beckham touched the ball initially there were boos from some sections of the crowd but Beckham being the class act he is ignored the begrudgers and let his feet do the talking. His trademark long passes were causing havoc for the AC Milan defense. Milan looked threatening too and Ronaldinho was getting huge cheers every time he did a fancy move.

He was showboating but no one cared we were getting our moneys worth. Milan scored first but in fairness it didn’t shake Galaxy. It wasn’t long before Beckham created the equalizing goal. He sent another pin point long pass forward to U.S. national team forward Landon Donovan who neatly passed onto the other Galaxy forward Alan Gordon who skillfully hit the ball first time and scored.

HALFTIME HANDBAGS

At half time the boos were much more subdued and Beckham was definitely starting to win the crowd over. I didn’t see Beckhams supposed altercation with a fan on his way into the dressing room but I read afterwards that he had tried to shake hands with an angry ’boo boy’ Galaxy fan but the 'boo boy' refused his hand. It was all 'handbags at ten paces'. That ‘boo boy’ fan got his comeuppance though because apparently he was then arrested and escorted from the ground!

GAMETIME: SECOND HALF

Being a friendly game there were many substitutions made during half time. One of the substitutions to come on for the second half for Milan was forward Filippo Inzaghi. Mr Inzaghi was part of the recent Italian world cup winning squad and is an extremely experienced player, it didn’t take long before he scored. Quickly again Galaxy rallied, their heads didn’t drop and from a Beckham corner kick they scored a great second goal.

Before Beckham took this corner kick there was a great moment though. Beckham deliberately walked slowly to the corner flag because this was the corner where most of the 'boo boys' were at. He was loudly booed and heckled but he didn't allow it to bother him. He took the corner Galaxy scored and he turned around to the 'boo boys' put his arms up as if to say 'What do you want?' and then put a finger to his lips as if to say 'Be quiet'. That's how to answer your critics.

After 75 minutes Beckham was substituted and he got a huge loud cheer and while there was still a few boos they were drowned out. In the end he had essentially won the crowd over. As the game continued Galaxy nearly won it with a great chance towards the end but it wasn't to be and so the game finished 2-2. But we couldn't complain. We had four goals and plenty of drama we definitely got our money's worth!

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was my first time to see an LA Galaxy game. I have watched their games on TV over the past two years (since Beckham arrived) and honestly with the exception of Beckham and Donovan I thought they were a very, very weak team. The current team I just saw though has greatly improved and kudos is deserved to Galaxy’s new coach this season, Bruce Arena.

 Arena (former U.S. national soccer team coach) has done a great job with Galaxy. They are a much more solid team defensively now and for passages of the game they really moved the ball around well. Based on what I saw and now that they have Beckham back I think this Galaxy team has a real chance of going on to win trophies this season.

Here’s a link to the article about the match from Goal.com:

 http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2009/07/20/1392455/galaxy-ac-milan-play-to-2-2-draw

 Have a great week my friends.

Hugh

CONVERSATION (COMMENTS) AFTER BLOG:

Brad: Beckham's doing what is necessary to continue playing for his national team. People seem to forget that when he signed for the Galaxy, he was not getting a sniff at international duty and was pretty much in forced retirement from the English team because Steve McCalaren couldn't pick a winning squad if he had all the world's best players at his disposal. So he came to the states with all intentions of playing for only the Galaxy and promoting soccer in the US. Then the English FA pulled their heads out, hired a proper manager and suddenly Beckham was back on the National Team's radar. And in order to stay on said radar, Capello flat out told him that he needed to prove that he could compete at a high level against real competition. And sorry to burst any bubbles of people that might think the MLS is a top league in the world of football, but the best teams in the MLS (Galaxy included) would consistently lose to most second, and some third division teams in England, Spain, and Italy. A 2-2 draw against AC Milan is respectable on the surface, but that draw also came against a team that hasn't played a competitive match in over a month, so take it for what it was, an entertaining exibition match. The fans paid their money, so of course they have the right to boo him. Was it right? That's not really for me to decide. All I can say is that if I paid for a season ticket, and my highest profile and most likely best player missed half of the season to play abroad (as opposed to missing matches due to injury), I might be a little pissed off, so I can see why they feel the need give Beckham the business. Don't necessarily agree with them, but can see their side of things. I think the reason "Posh" never smiles is because she had "Brit" teeth. Seriously, her teeth were f***ed up! I think I actually read somewhere that she actually said that was the reason she never really smiled in any of the photo shoots with the Spice Girls. I'm sure she's got them fixed with the billions her and the hubby have made in the past decade. The only things that will make soccer take off in America are..Crippling poverty and the collapse of baseball, basketball, and American football. It's unfortunate to say it, but look at why the rest of the world is soccer crazy. All you need is a ball and a place to play. Hell, you even see kids from the ghettos in South America that can't even afford a ball, tightly wrapping up plastic bags and trash to make balls to play soccer with. It is the only sport extremely poor kids can afford to play. Also, in most other countries in the wold, there are no other major sports that pay their athletes millions of dollars a year, so it's pretty much soccer, or nothing. So the best athletes in other countries play soccer, while the best athletes in the US play football, basketball, or baseball, because that's where the money is. That is why most of the players on the US National Team are so much smaller than the stars on other National teams. Don't believe me? Look up the size of our players and then compare them with sizes of the players on pretty much any European team. *That completes today's lesson so consider yourselves schooled. Study my notes because there will be a test later. And as always...You rock my friend!

Hugh: Brad. As always you call it how you see it...respect. I decided not to get into too much detail about the Beckham Galaxy saga for the benefit of my non soccer loving blog readers. It really is complicated. The idiot Mc Claren dismissing Beckham's international career leading to Beckham signing for Galaxy then Capello before he is Englands coach seeing firsthand Beckham's career revitalized as he reclaimed his place in his final few months at Real Madrid and helped them win La Liga this ultimately led to Capello (now England boss) giving Beckham a second chance and an ultimatum...play at the top level to get back in the national team. Beckham is a winner he wants the World Cup REAL BAD. He knows the England team now is strong and after the bitter memories of what might have been in his previous World Cups (especially the last one where he was captain) you and I Brad understand exactly why playing on the national team is so important for Beckham. All these club and country issues/scenarios are not ones that are easily related to in America. Then theres the issue of the comments Beckham made about Galaxy and the MLS during the AC Milan loan negotiations. Comments he personally apologized to the Galaxy players for making. While I do understand the truly passionate Galaxy season ticket holders not being able to forgive these comments and being mad about buying season tickets to discover that Beckham wouldn't be there for half the season I still think they need to look at the bigger picture here. They are taking it all too personally. What Beckham said wasn't tactful... but it was true. As for Beckham going to AC Milan on loan...what player on Galaxy wouldn't have taken the same opportunity? Would these same doehard Galaxy fans begrudge Donovan if he took the same opportunity? I doubt it. You are right about height too...I was surprised seeing Donovan in person...and most of the Galaxy team. Beckham seemed the tallest of the bunch at 6 foot. I know the game was AC Milans first of the pre season and Galaxy are mid season but Brad we'll have to go to another Galaxy game I think you'll see Galaxy really have started to get their act together. Their defense in particular was very solid compared to what I've seen the past two seasons. As for posh's brit teeth thats hilarious I never heard that before ha ha permanent pout mystery solved!