Author Archives: markweiss86

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About markweiss86

Mark Weiss, founder of Plastic Alto blog, is a concert promoter and artist manager in Palo Alto, as Earthwise Productions, with background as journalist, advertising copywriter, book store returns desk, college radio producer, city council and commissions candidate, high school basketball player, and blogger; he also sang in local choir, fronts an Allen Ginsberg tribute Beat Hotel Rm 32 Reads 'Howl' and owns a couple musical instruments he cannot play

Bumping into Doorframe, a music biz memoir by Mark Weiss

Posted on March 18, 2014 by markweiss86

To the extent that  “Plastic Alto” is a memoir of the concert series I produced in Palo Alto, 1994-2001, I am influenced by Danny Goldberg’s “Bumping into Geniuses”. He says he’s kinda smart but had a talent for surrounding himself … Continue reading →

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Run from Daylight by Jim Harbaugh

Posted on March 18, 2014 by markweiss86

During my stint last fall as a “junior historian” at Guy Miller Archives of Palo Alto Historical Association at Room H-5 at Cubberley Community Center the former high school (NFL’s Art Kuehn played for the Cougars there), I turned over … Continue reading →

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He am the walrus

Posted on March 18, 2014 by markweiss86

Tig Notaro and fact that she appeared at Stanford a few weeks ago but I saw the flyer too late and am losing a step. I had pretty much abandoned the Harbaugh tribute excepting fact that Ann Killion had a … Continue reading →

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Is it the Spit on My Chin That Makes Them Nervous, Or Rocking Out?

Posted on March 17, 2014 by markweiss86

The obvious flaw in her memoir is that it is not true that my posts both mention her by name and criticize Walls. There were two posts, one that described the class, flatteringly favorably and mentioned the teacher by name … Continue reading →

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Wild Cohenolas

Posted on March 17, 2014 by markweiss86

What do you call a tribe of wild Swedish, Jewish, Irish, black Indians? Wild Cohenolas? Wild Cohen-Olafs? Wild Cohen-NOLAS? Wild Cohen-NOKAS? Flogging Mohel-ies Poincare Vieux Carre conjectures? Seeking Prime (or corned beef) on the Zeta Landscape (Garden District)? Hey Poincare … Continue reading →

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To Foothill, Fondly

Posted on March 16, 2014 by markweiss86

A look back in anger at a 2013 memoir about 2012 and minding the gaps between words, thoughts and reality, at Foothill College and blogosphere, or Plastic Alto Continue reading →

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Zion I and I and I (and Steve…and Peggy)

Posted on March 13, 2014 by markweiss86

I’m cleaning out my storage space to create room, physically and psychically for more experience, and music, and indeed I and I and Zion I and Steve and Peggy get with it plastic alto style in the real (not media) worlds. Continue reading →

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To Blog or to Rant: Some Questions about Audience and Voice in Student Blog Posts

Posted on March 6, 2014 by markweiss86

Open letter to Jordana Finnegan, PhD and writing instructor at Foothill College: I’m sorry that I was such a burden to you. At the very least you should know that I respect you fifty times more that I respect Walls. … Continue reading →

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On corporate hardwire to the home

Posted on February 20, 2014 by markweiss86

I posted this on the Palo Alto Weekly comments board, the lone dissenter among a dozen or more zealot-regulars salivating for the corporate-pseudo-donation of fiber ring (faster internet to the homes): Posted by Mark Weiss , a resident of Another … Continue reading →

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Matt Haimovitz at CBGB [credit: Harry DiOrio]

Posted on January 21, 2014 by markweiss86

Hi. I wrote a long essay on the history of jazz in Palo Alto and included Matt Haimovitz as a footnote, sparked to do such because Ropeadope had included on its blog a link to an item on Matt in … Continue reading →

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