A Look At The Stats

The blogging software tracks statistics and here are the most viewed from Random Roving:
#1: "The Onion Peels In Argentina", Apr 14, 2009, 5,170 Pageviews
This one stood out from all others for some reason.  It might confirm that images speak louder than words.

#2: "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", Sep 23, 2010, 1,025 Pageviews
What can I say. Bruce is "the man".

#3: "The Slope of The Sand Pile", Apr 15, 2009, 652 Pageviews
Once again, images speak louder than words.

#4: "The Loss of A Legend", Jun 5, 2010, 414 Pageviews
One of the 5 people that I'd like to meet in Heaven.

#5: "The Dow Jones Industrial Average / Gold Ratio", Feb 28, 2009, 269 Pageviews
Glad to see that some of my technical analysis made the Top 5.  In my mind, this is the most accurate quantitative chart for defining the cycles.  Keep an eye on this one.  1-to-1 is in our future.

Darkness On The Edge Of Town

This coming November, Bruce Springsteen will release "The Promise: Darkness On The Edge Of Town".  It's six hours of film and more than two hours of audio across 3 CDs and 3 DVDs including a documentary on the making of the album "Darkness On The Edge Of Town".  As a 30 year Springsteen fan, I anxiously await its release.

Over the years, Robert Prechter of Elliott Wave International has made some great comparisons between mass social mood, financial markets, and the mood of music and movies.  He's presented exhaustive analysis on how music and movie themes align with the mass social mood of the people.  As I was reading articles about Springsteen's upcoming re-release of "The Darkness" record, I started to wonder how the timing of both releases would present itself in relation to the financial markets.

"Darkness was an angry record. I took the 10 toughest songs I had.I didn't want something with a broader, more compassionate overview. That didn't feel right to me."
Bruce Springsteen (Interview with Edward Norton at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sept. 2010)

The chart below presents the Dow Jones Industrial Average Gold Ratio with the two dates for the release of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town".  My hypothesis proves to be true.  Both releases align with a downward trending cycle.

Dow Jones Industrial Average Gold Ratio



DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN

They're still racing out at the Trestles,

But that blood it never burned in her veins,
Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview,
And a style she's trying to maintain.
Well, if she wants to see me,
You can tell her that I'm easily found,
Tell her there's a spot out 'neath Abram's Bridge,
And tell her, there's a darkness on the edge of town.
Everybody's got a secret, Sonny,
Something that they just can't face,
Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it,
They carry it with them every step that they take.
Till some day they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down,
Where no one asks any questions,
or looks too long in your face,
In the darkness on the edge of town.
Some folks are born into a good life,
Other folks get it anyway, anyhow,
I lost my money and I lost my wife,
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now.
Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop,
I'll be on that hill with everything I got,
Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost,
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost,
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town.

P.S. Happy Birthday Bruce!

Bruce and The Kennedy Center Honors

For all of the fellow Bruce fans out there!

You Go Girl

This is a story that keeps getting better. Ms. Boyle beat my two favorites out.
Source: irishcentral.com
Susan Boyle beats out U2, Springsteen to become Amazon’s biggest pre-sales seller of all time
By Niall O'Down
"I hate to say I told you so yet again – but Susan Boyle made me do it.
Take a bow one more time all the Susanites out there. You really deserve it. Amazingly, Susan Boyle just beat out Bruce Springsteen, U2, the Dixie Chicks and Coldplay over at Amazon.com. Amazon announced today that "I Dreamed a Dream" is the largest selling CD pre-order in the history of the Amazon.com music store."
Here is the list of the top 10 bestsellers:
Susan Boyle, "I Dreamed a Dream" (2009)
Norah Jones, "Not Too Late" (2007)
U2, "No Line on the Horizon" (2009)
Bruce Springsteen, "Magic" (2007)
Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way" (2006)
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida" (2008)
U2, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" (2004)
David Cook, "David Cook" (2008)
Diana Krall, "Quiet Nights" (2009)
Clay Aiken, "A Thousand Different Ways" (2006)

The Completion of the Quad-fecta

Last night I completed the "quad-fecta" of my year of rock n' roll. Springsteen twice, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, and now U2. My favorite Irish quartet was in town and they delivered as always. U2's megastadium show was laced with hits and some good political topics. While the acoustics were challenged, the performance was solid as always.

I loved this lead in video played on the screen before "The Streets Have No Name".

The alien spacecraft looking stage put on quite the show.

Happy 60th Bruce!!

My main man Bruce Springsteen turns 60 today...wow! After seeing him play for over three hours earlier this year, that is hard to believe. I hope that I can slide across a stage at 60. With his friend, Pete Seeger, still performing at 90, I'm guessing that there are a lot more great music and performances to come. Happy 60th Bruce.

Come On Up For The Rising

Well I survived my second Springsteen concert in four days. When I told my buddy Jeff that I was going to a 2nd show, he looked at me funny. I said,"what's wrong, do you have a problem with a 45 year old man chasing a 58 year old rock star around the state of Texas?". He quickly said "yes". Well, Jeff it sure was a blast....both shows. Last night it was my wife, my 19 year E Street buddy Dave, my 29 year E Street buddy "Big E", Claybee, Mark, and Chris from Jersey....a great mix. Big E and I attended our first Springsteen concert together in 1980. $8.50 for a ticket then...now that's inflation!

The show had the same framework as Austin's, but there were some great tradeouts: No Surrender (his farewell to Miami Steve), Ghost of Tom Joad (knew he had to appear sometime), It's Hard To Be A Saint In the City (oldie but goodie), Cadillac Ranch (a Texas favorite), and Rosalita (36 years old and still giving).

The Rising had some great appeal last night. This was Bruce's response to 9/11. In an article he stated that his vision of The Twin Towers was the fireman climbing the stairs as if they were ascending into Heaven. He equated it to the Ascension of Christ. Now that's an Easter song my friends.

THE RISING
Cant see nothin in front of me
Cant see nothin coming up behind
I make my way through this darkness
I cant feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far Ive gone
How far Ive gone, how high Ive climbed
On my backs a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile of line
Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight
Left the house this morning
Bells ringing filled the air
Wearin the cross of my calling
On wheels of fire I come rollin down here
Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight
Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,li
Theres spirits above and behind me
Faces gone black, eyes burnin bright
May their precious blood bind me Lord, as I stand before your fiery light
Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,liI
see you mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
Theres holy pictures of our children
Dancin in a sky filled with light
May I feel your arms around me
May I feel your blood mix with mine
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancin on the end of my line
Sky of blackness and sorrow ( a dream of life)
Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life)
Sky of glory and sadness ( a dream of life)
Sky of mercy, sky of fear ( a dream of life)
Sky of memory and shadow ( a dream of life)
Your burnin wind fills my arms tonight
Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life)
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life
Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Is Anyone Alive Out There???

Every once in a while you have one of those great days that you wish that you could wrap up and relive again some time in the future. Sunday was one of those great days. I started the day at an early Palm Sunday Mass. It's one of my favorites because it always calls for crowd participation. We, the parishioners, got to play the voice of the angry mob. The great story weaves very diverse themes of love, deceit, prophecy, disapointment, loyalty, cowardness, bravery, weakness, and sadness. Once again, the women in the story, Mary and Mary, stay strong while the eleven men flee and wander aimlessly. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

After mass, it was off to Austin, one of my favorite cities. A beautiful drive with the convertible top down and Texas bluebonnets in full bloom across the pastures. Lunch on Lake Travis, a brisk hike along Town Lake, and then off to the hotel to prepare for the finale'. An attempt at a nap was terminated by my discovery of Braveheart on TV.....can't nap through that one! It was as good the 20th time as the first.

Some ritas and Tex Mex for dinner and then off to stop #1 on Springteen In Texas Week. Bruce and the E Street Band played 3 hours in the Texas Longhorn Drum. No breaks, no halftime. Three hours of great tunes interweaving the two themes of "tough times" and "hope". He opened up with Badlands that laid down the foundation for these times: "Lights out tonight, trouble in the heartland. Got a head-on collision, smashin in my guts man. Im caught in a crossfire that I don't understand." Then on to the new song, Outlaw Pete....could have been Outlaw Madoff! Back on top with Lucky Day and Working On A Dream. His one sermon came during Working On A Dream where he proclaimed that "we're going to build a house of hope, joy and faith".

The show included many classics and some I hadn't seen in some time. The band continues to deliver after all of these years. When the crowd was slowing down, Bruce yelled "is anyone alive out there?".

So back to my earlier story. It's Holy Week. Is anyone alive out there??

Land of Hopes & Dreams

Grab your ticket and your suitcase

Thunder's rolling down the tracks

You don't know where you're goin'

But you know you won't be back

Darlin' if you're weary

Lay your head upon my chest

We'll take what we can carry

And we'll leave the rest

Big Wheels rolling through fields

Where sunlight streams

Meet me in a land of hope and dreams

I will provide for you

And I'll stand by your side

You'll need a good companion for

This part of the ride

Leave behind your sorrows

Let this day be the last

Tomorrow there'll be sunshine

And all this darkness past

Big wheels roll through fields

Where sunlight streams

Meet me in a land of hope and dreams

This train

Carries saints and sinners

This train

Carries losers and winners

This Train

Carries whores and gamblers

This Train

Carries lost souls

This Train

Dreams will not be thwarted

This Train

Faith will be rewarded

This Train

Hear the steel wheels singin'

This Train

Bells of freedom ringin'

This Train

Carries broken-hearted

This Train

Thieves and sweet souls departed

This Train

Carries fools and kings

This Train

All aboard

This Train

Dreams will not be thwarted

This Train

Faith will be rewarded

This Train

Hear the steel wheels singin'

This Train

Super Sunday

Well today is the biggest day in America, the ultimate capitalistic event, the Super Bowl. It's a great excuse to socialize. We're having 37 of our favorite neighbors over for wings, quesadillas, brisket, chips, and whatever else shows up. Yes, I was wrong again on one of my many predictions.....no Manning Bowl. I wasn't even close on that one. My New Orleans homies went "1 and out".

At least I still have Bruce and the E Street Band to look forward to at halftime. My buddy, E Street Guru D.M., was over yesterday and we brainstormed the possible set list. We agreed that "Born To Run" for the finale' is a no brainer. D.M. likes "Glory Days", a great upbeat tune with a sports connection. I'm betting on "Working On A Dream", the title track from the new album. Yes, I still call them albums for some reason. We'll see. I guarantee that it will be upbeat, energetic, and no wardrobe malfunctions.

That Kurt Warner story never gets old. I have to admit that I'm so out of touch with the details of the NFL, that I didn't realize till a few weeks ago that he was still playing. I better join that fantasy football league next year. Where have I been? It's just the ultimate Cinderella Story. From grocery bagger to Super Bowl MVP.....quite a leap. I heard a new story about him this week. In memory of the tough times his family had, when his family is eating out at a restaurant, one of his kids get to pick a family in the room and anonomously buy their dinner. Pretty cool. Keep "paying it forward" Kurt.

NBC is happy. They set a record with $260 million of revenue, $200 million of it for the commercials.

My favorite little Etrade dude didn't spend the money to participate this year. Check him out. "Can I hit you back, babe"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4GZfvXx9Js

Working On A Dream

It sometimes seems like yesterday when my sister invited me in 1980 to roadtrip to Baton Rouge on a school night to see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band play live. After four hours, Big E, Monkey, and I exited the Deaf Dome exhausted. Unfortunately, this was my first concert and I later found out that all rockers don't play for four hours.

At 58, Bruce seems like he's just gaining momentum. He made a strong endorsement for Barack Obama and played many benefits last year. He, along with just about every other star, performed for the inaugural celebration.

Today he released his 16th record, "Working On A Dream". The first listen sure sounds good, but then again, I'm very biased. He delivered "The Rising" right after 9/11. This upbeat record has been released at a good time. Enjoy! And don't forget to watch the Superbowl halftime show. I guarantee that there won't be any wardrobe malfunctions!!

Happy New Years!

Another year has flown by and a new year is upon us. 2009 should be another wild ride!

It's 2009 and we have a lot to be thankful for:
-We have our health.
-God has taken good care of us.
-Our family is happy, safe, and well taken care of.
-We are employed.
-Our country hasn't been invaded by a more powerful country seeking our resources.
-We're not about to become the next president of the United States.
-We're not about to become the next Secretary of State of the United States.
-Our football team is rebuilding and will be back on top next year.
-Our country isn't experiencing riots.
-Our stock portfolio hasn't fallen 100%.
-George W. Bush is retiring.
-Gasoline is cheap.
-You still can walk in your grocery and buy food imported from all over the country and the world.
-You still have internet access.
-Brittany Spears is back at #1.
-The aliens are still only observing us.
-It's still not too late to get in shape.
-And last but not least: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are not only about to release a new CD, but are performing at halftime at the Superbowl.

Since New Years is a good time to make predictions, I'll probably just review/revise mine from 10/1/08. I'm sticking with all of them, except my oil price prediction has already been proven wrong.

10/1/08 Predictions
http://randomroving.blogspot.com/2008/10/four-potential-outcomes.html
· Oil: $150/barrel before $50/barrel WRONG
· Gold: $1500/ou before $500/ou
· Dow Jones Ind. Avg.: 5000 before 15000
· Next ten years will be the toughest we’ve ever experienced in our lifetime
· Next twenty much tougher than last twenty
· Next fifty much tougher than last fifty
· Military draft: within ten years, probably 5
· Brett Favre won’t be playing for the Jets next season
· Paris Hilton’s career tanks
· Saints win the Superbowl in 2010!!!
My one new prediction: Superbowl 2009 - The Manning Bowl - Peyton vs Eli

I believe that 2009 will be a very challenging year. I don't agree with the gurus that forecast a recession end by the third quarter of next year. Remember that those gurus just informed you that we've been in a recession for the past year. So much for proactive forecasting and timely notification. I think that we're in for a very long haul. A 26 year party requires a long hangover.

My recommendations for the new year:
-Take care of what is important first
-Prepare for all scenarios
-Think for yourself
-Read a lot from diverse sources
-Be aware of who's Kool-Aid you're drinking
-Turn off the TV
-Enjoy life
-Pray a lot!

For a laugh and summary of 2008:
http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables/202809/2008_year_in_review

Happy New Year to all!!!

My Email to Billy Boy and The Factor

It's painful to watch, but I have to admit that, on occasion, I watch the O'Reilly Factor. I find the man to be angry and spiteful. In October, 2007 after he called my musical hero, Bruce Springsteen, unpatriotic, I had to send him an email. Here it is.....

Billy-Boy,
I’ve watched your show for years and felt compelled so many times to send you a note, but your assault on Bruce motivated me to finally write. I should state that I claim no political party. All media channels appear to have bias, so one must watch several to get a balanced perspective. So a mix of Fox news, the NY Times, CNN, and NPR make an interesting blend. Your totally arrogant stating that individuals have to appear on YOUR show. When did you become the TV-god? Stating that you will donate $25,000 to Habitat for Humanity is such a farce. Bruce appearing on your show would provide Fox the opportunity to sell commercials at Super Bowl rates. $25,000 donation……give me a break. Your ratings would skyrocket even more! No one reports to you. Bruce for forty years has consistently written and sung about what he feels in his heart and ponders in his mind. He’s always had the courage to release music that was not what the mainstream wanted to hear. Whether it was the darkness on Nebraska, the pain in Streets of Philadelphia, the reality of American Skin or Dead Man Walkin’, or his perception of our country on Magic. You state that he is misleading the younger voters.
He has the right to his opinion just as you do. If people don’t like it, they don’t buy his CD or attend his concert. His business is about direct feedback. Your problem is that people are buying his “spin”. His problem is that people are buying your “spin”. You see, that’s the beauty of a free country.
Billy-Boy, you continue to mislead the evangelical/Republican babyboomers. You spit venom and spread hatred.

In the “up” cycle (1982-2000), you media mongers sold “greed”. Remember the euphoric ending (aka DotCom). Now in the early stages of the “down” cycle, you sell “fear”. Fear of muslims. Fear of Mexicans. Fear that our house value will drop in half. Xenophobia is a powerful force in the down cycle and you are fueling it as much as anybody. Why didn’t you care about illegal Mexicans in 1995? If you believe that the U.S. is in the business of removing evil dictators than why aren’t we in Iran, N. Korea, and Venezuela. If we are good Samaritans, why aren’t we in Darfur/Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

The interesting point regarding mass social mood is that two years into the “up” cycle (1984) Bruce released the album, Born in the USA. The title song ironically was misconstrued to be a national anthem when it really was a song about how poorly our Vietnam veterans were treated. Wikipedia states the following “Yet more notably, the widely-read, bow-tied conservative columnist George Will, after attending a show, published on September 13, 1984 a piece entitled "A Yankee Doodle Springsteen" in which he praised Springsteen as an exemplar of classic American values. He wrote: ‘I have not got a clue about Springsteen's politics, if any, but flags get waved at his concerts while he sings songs about hard times. He is no whiner, and the recitation of closed factories and other problems always seems punctuated by a grand, cheerful affirmation: 'Born in the U.S.A.!'.”
You see, in the “up” cycle we see the bright side of things. Now in the “down” cycle MAGIC is construed to be anti-American and unpatriotic. A very interesting psychology experiment.

Billy-Boy, on another note, Iraq and global warming are about the same thing, overconsumption. No one wants to talk about that because then we all are guilty. Al Gore in his many houses is guilty. Bill O’Reilly is guilty. I am guilty. As you know, we’re in Iraq for strategic reasons…..to control the oil output from the Middle East. Afghanistan provided a great landing base. Iraq provides great oil reserves and proximity to Iran. Please be honest. Yes, it was about WMD’s, but those of another kind: weapons of mass depletion. As a country that represents 5% of the world’s population, we consume 25% of its resources. That’s just irresponsible. Why don’t you spend a week focusing on US consumption. Have Jared Diamond as a guest (author of Guns, Germs, and Steel; Collapse). Or maybe have Richard Heinberg (The Party’s Over; Peak Everything).
Historically, conflict between cultures is sourced in resources or religion. The current and coming years provide an alignment of both. Stay tuned. You’ll have a lot more interesting topics to talk about than assaulting iconic rock stars.

Mr. O’Neill, you are subject to external forces much greater than yourself. Your selling what the mobs currently seek and feel…….FEAR.

I’ve purposely made this response long so that you can selectively edit and combine to make your point seem valid.
Enjoy!