Howard Owens

The guy who wrote "Streets of Bakersfield" ... turns out he lived here for all of two months, and he wrote the song in 10 minutes, in a fit of anger at how Buck Owens' publishing company was treating him. That's where the first line came from, "You don't know me, but you don't like me ..."

The complete story is in this blog entry.

Friends know I don't go to hair stylists. I go to barbers.  Those who used to read howardowens.com know I was particular fond of Phil the Barber in Ventura. I hated leaving him behind as my haircut man. Phil, at 90, was a helluva guy.  I made a point of stopping in to say bye to him before I left town.

I think I found a good barber shop in Bakersfield today. It's on Oak and has been there for some 40 years. It's a two barber shop and both have more gray hair than the Web has blogs.  I'll post a picture of the shop tomorrow after I get e-mail set up on my new Treo650.

Speaking of my Treo, I've switched service from SprintPCS to Verizon Wireless. I made the switch both because it's what the IT guy at the Californian recommended and because I know from previous experience Sprint service in Bakersfield is spotty.

I'm a little dissatisfied with Verizon after the first day, however.  Unlike Sprint, Verizon doesn't have a driving directions service, and they require a password to access voice mail. Both are hassles, but I figure I'll be buying a car with a navigation system, and I can probably adapt to the password inconvenience.

In other news, I stopped for a smoke at the 17th Street Cigar shop this evening.  It's not quite the neighborhood atmosphere of Smokers Castle in Ventura, but it's close to work and it does seem to have its regulars, so I'll probably make it a regular habit. There are, however, some other smoke shops around town and I might check those out, too. Hell, there's more smoke shops in Bakersfield than there are in all of Ventura County.

And that's your Bakersfield news for the day.

It topped out at a 102 degrees today. I must be getting acclimated to the heat already, because yesterday seemed hotter, but it was only in the 90s.

As I drive around town, see various sights, spy the local stores, see the things to see, meet more people -- I think I'm going to like it hear.

When I told people in Ventura I was moving to Bakersfield, I got two kinds of reactions -- what the hell and hey that's great.

The response was about 2-1 "what the hell," but the "that's great" group instantly got it -- housing prices, though the more informed also understood what a great company I was joining.

Among the "what the hell" crowd, they seem to know one thing about Bakersfield -- heat. Baking sun. Cloudless, endless skies. Sizzling sidewalks and steaming asphalt.

Sure, Bakersfield's got all that -- but there is a reason 300,000 people live here, and it's not just because of the Crystal Palace.

Bakersfield actually has everything anybody could want -- all the entertainment, beautiful neighborhoods, shopping, recreation, professional sports (granted, not major league), civic involvement, etc. And much of what Bakersfield has to offer is more conveniently located than in Ventura County. In VC, you would need drive clear across the county to get to some of the stores or entertainment venues that are just around the corner in Bakersfield. Bakersfield is also a bigger media town than Ventura County, which will make my work much more interesting.

For all the "what the hell" crowd, I have a song:

You don't know me but you don't like me
You say you care less how I feel
But how many of you that sit and judge me
Have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?

Sure, it's an obvious response, but it confronts a prejudice against Bakersfield I've known for many years. There are people throughout Southern California who will run down Bakersfield all while knowing nothing about Bakersfield. Unless you've spent some time here, which I did long before moving here, you don't know anything about Bakersfield. Don't judge what you don't know.

With the new job comes an opportunity to get a new car, so I've been on several test drives over the last couple of weeks. Here's what I've driven:

Chrysler Crossfire -- My first choice at first, but now not even under consideration. One of the best looking cars on the market. Looks great, sounds great, drives great, but I don't fit. Cut my feet off or raise the roof by an inch, and I'd buy it, but after a 10 minute test drive, I had a headache.

Chrysler 300 -- Great style, but it's a might big car. Still, you can get some nice luxury appointments at bargain prices. Smooth, responsive ride.

Infiniti FX35 -- Beautiful vehicle. I'm a little concerned about the gas milage, but I like the way it handles.

Infiniti M35 -- I keep insisting this is out of my price range, but the salesman and sales manager keep insisting they can get me in this car within my monthly-payment range. I remain skeptical. Nice ride, absolutely gorgeous interior, and it's got all of the luxury appointments, including air cooled bucket seats, which would be great in Bakersfield. But ... am I ready for a sedan?

Cadillac CTS -- An affordable luxury car. Handles well with plenty of oomph. A contender, but I worry about its probable rapid depreciation.

Nissan 350Z -- Now here's a sports car. I drove the 300 hp version. It's a freakin' rocket. Power, luxury, speed, handling. It's just small, that's all. There's room for my golf clubs, but if Billie and I take a driving vacation, will it hold our luggage?

Mustang GT -- I once owned a '67. I've loved and hated these vehicles. Ford has made some truly horrendously ugly Mustangs over the years, but the last couple of models have recalled the glory years. The new Mustang harkens to the early '70s and is truly an attractive machine. In the 'stang, I wouldn't get the luxury, but I could still get a helluva a sound system. The GT is a pure muscle car. It goes straight great, but doesn't corner well. The drive is stiff but you feel like you're bucking a few hundred horses. Like every muscle car I've ever driven, when you floor it there's a moments hesitation before it takes off. That has it's own charm.

BMW 325 -- Another nice luxury car with attractive styling. The interior is attractive, but no match for the M35. The engine is responsive and powerful, but I found the handling a little loose. I would have liked to test drive the coupe, but the new model isn't out yet.

Notice that all of these vehicles have something in common -- style. I want an attractive car, not a box or an egg. No Ford Taurus or Toyota Camry for me.

If you have any thoughts on these vehicles, that's what comments are for ... which one do you think I should buy? Which one do you think I will buy?

Had my last day at the Star today.

It's weird to leave a place that's been so good to you and so good for you, while knowing what you're going to is the right place at the right time for the right reasons. It's a mixture of anticipation and sadness. 

The Star recently made a movie about putting out a newspaper and the world premier screening was at the Majestic Ventura Theater this afternoon.  When I arrived, the "preview" was a slide show of all of my co-workers. I sat alone in the balcony for about 10 minutes watching it.  I worked with a lot of good people at the Star.

But I know there are a lot of good people in Bakersfield, too.  So, it's on to the next adventure.

I owe a special thanks to Steve Dana, Patrick Birmingham, Bob Benz and Tim Gallagher.

 

Went to the Greek last night with Bruce to see the White Stripes (thanks Bruce!).

Jack White is one of the most interesting musicians today. He's multi-talented and multi-influence. You hear specks of country and tons of blues along with the entire history of rock and roll in his music.  At times, the White Stripes remind me of Led Zeppelin, but as I told Bruce last night, I think Jack arrived at his sound the same way Page and Plant did -- through the blues, especially delta blues. He isn't borrowing from Zep, but he winds up in the same place at times.

The concert was sloppy and unfocussed. Meg White's timing was all over the place and her range as a drummer is limited, but her limitations create a blank canvass for Jack to paint on. A group of more talented musicians would only stifle his creativity.  It takes a great talent to be essentially a one-man band, but any guy who can make as many instrument changes as Jack did last night -- and play them all exceptionally well -- doesn't need a band.