Douglas Vincent Martinez
born 10/29/70 in Omaha, NE
vocals, scratches

Posted July 2000

Wussup people? Really wanted to have a new story posted but have been seriously slackin' in that department. I've got a good start but ... ah well, no use tryin' to make an excuse. Anyway, something will be up sometime. In the meantime I guess I'll fill you in with what I've been up to. Musically, I've been going through a late seventies/early eighties kick as well. I've been bumpin' Disco, electro, as well as old-school hip-hop flavors. I just saw a Donna Summer concert on PBS that brought back a lot of memories. And honestly, I was never that into Donna Summer! But her voice really brought those times back to life. Obviously no matter what era you are into you will find junk. You will also find a lot of cutting edge music as well. I was amazed at some of the electro I was discovering. This shit was bangin'! I was equally amazed at some of the disco and started to look at a general timeline from '77 to '87 and saw the progression dance music was making. I've always heard people say hip-hop was a reaction against disco, however early hip-hop was basically an amalgamation of every form of dance music at that time which included rapping over disco beats. The Sugar Hill Gang didn't mind disco, nor did Grandmaster Flash. They embraced the qualities that appealed to them and made some amazing music. It's interesting how one form of music was taking on the textures of another and slowly beginning to warp into something entirely else. Hearing how music was becoming more electronic and so forth. Realizing that the 12 inch first came into being in '75 and how it radically changed dance music. Remembering that it went down not that long ago and to fathom where it's heading. IT'S RIVETING!!!!!!!!!

Come to think of it, the book I'm reading was first published in 1974 (what's wrong with me)? It's called "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." I've had it for some time and just started reading it. It's interesting to say the least. Here's a sample: "Schools teach you to imitate. If you don't imitate what the teacher wants you get a bad grade ... you were supposed to imitate the teacher in such a way as to convince the teacher you were not imitating, but taking the essence of the instruction and going ahead with it on your own. That got you A's. Originality on the other hand could get you anything-from A to F." As Cartman would say p'tay sthweet. Yeah, this book is cool. It's definitely dry. If you choose to check it out you'll know what I mean.

I've also been spending as much time as I can with those I love. Jenny and I have been boogie boardin' on the weekends. Pablo and Irie have been having the time of their lives they always have. My nephews Evan and Andrew came out for a four day weekend. We saw the X-Men and generally rough-housed liked we should. Was peeking in the delivery room for the birth of Jenny's nephew - Robert Isahia. An amazing magical moment. Have taken note that my mighty Husker thugs have been tapped a preseason number one and I've been working on lyrics which I really need to get back to. I want everyone to be safe, I hope your summer is goin' smooth, take care of yourselves and those around you and we'll see you in the fall. Adios muchachos!!! SA's Dogs, Pablo and Irie