There was nothing special about seeing a beat-up old pickup driving down the Dixie Highway on my way to work. On the contrary, I might suspect something was wrong if there weren't dozens of these speeding down the road.

And the busted-out back window wasn't a rare sight. The plastic covering the space behind the driver's head fit right in with the surroundings. Some folks just can't afford to replace those things right away. Nothing strange about that, to be sure.

My first indication that something was awry was the large Fight Club poster taped to the plastic in the back window of the beat-up pickup. I thought to myself, "It was a popular movie, and had lots of violence. I guess maybe someone driving down The Dixie might have liked it so much that they were compelled to tape a poster to the heavy grade plastic separating them from the elements."

But it still seemed strange. Maybe this is some young guy who has taken this movie a little too seriously. Maybe he convinced some of his South End friends that instead of this pansy-ass backyard wrestling they've been doing, they should find a basement in which they could bare-knuckle box. It's not unthinkable.

As I moved to pass the truck and get my first good look at the driver, the real mind blower came. Driving this dented and rusted truck with a busted window and Fight Club poster, was a diminutive 70 year-old man.

Posted 10:34 AM by Jackson Cooper |

It's a long story, but the Bluegrass jam session moved a few weeks ago to the Bluegrass Brewing Company. The jam session at the Lighthouse is still happening, but the Lighthouse itself moved. It is now in the former Do Drop Inn. There was all sorts of trouble within the group that runs the jam when the Lighthouse moved. And now there are jams at both places, which is both good and bad. Many of the concerned parties got their feelings hurt, and many acted like little children.

I have grown tired of all of it. I want to play baseball.

Posted 12:16 PM by Jackson Cooper |

Magic Sam's "Give Me Time" is one of the most soulful, touching albums I own. It was recorded by Sam's friend Bill Lindemann in Sam's living room in 1968. You can even hear Sam's kids running around at one point. The first time I heard this album was on a visit to Chicago. Several friends and I were down on Maxwell Street, our favorite destination for great cheap Polish sausages and Blues history. Next door to the sausage stand was a little blues tape shop. And I do mean tape shop. It was run by an older fellow who had apparently been there a very long time. My Chicago friends had been down there before and jammed a little in the shops with the blues players who just hang out.

My buddy got this Magic Sam album on tape on that trip. We must have listened to it three or four times on the way home.

That whole block has since been bulldozed. It now contains an unsightly chunk of University of Chicago dorms. You can no longer see any of the old blues clubs or clothing stores. And you can't get Magic Same tapes. But you can still get the sausages. They relocated the stand a block or two over. It's a shame they couldn't have done the same for all the history they demolished.

Posted 11:18 AM by Jackson Cooper |

I love many of Louisville Native Hunter Thompson's books. And recently, I have enjoyed many of his ESPN.com columns. But I think he's really taken the step off the deep end. All those years of drugs, alcohol and frantic living have taken a toll on his ability to think rationally. As evidence, I present this interview with Australian ABC Radio (I found this via Tim Blair. Go read his excellent response).

He's got a long standing hatred of the Bush family, which for all I know is well founded. But he's clearly living in a whole new weird universe these days. I don't know of anybody who's been squashed by the big bad government for voicing discontent with the war. It's a shame, but not entirely surprising that Thompson would flip out like this.

Posted 11:53 AM by Jackson Cooper |

Jazz great and Louisville native Lionel Hampton died yesterday at the age of 94.

Posted 11:41 AM by Jackson Cooper |

There is something deeply satisfying about vomiting in the bushes of the car dealership that is about to charge you $247 for a problem that you're not entirely sure even exists. I don't know if it was the stomach bug I've had, or if I was making a preemptive strike against the bastards that were about to tell me that my car is 928 miles OUT of warranty. But either way, I unleashed a healthy purge right there in the mulch, feet from the entrance to the service bay. I don't think anyone was looking, but if they were, I'm sure they would understand.

Posted 11:07 AM by Jackson Cooper |

Dear Jackson, I'm the 85 year old woman you just saw sitting at the expressway exit. You know, the one sitting on an overturned shopping cart, holding the sign that said "Only Need Bus Fair"? Well, I noticed that you didn't flow me any cash. Are you some kind of heartless bastard? What can I do next time to make sure you give me something. Thanks, Disgruntled Beggar Lady

Dear Disgruntled Beggar Lady, Sure I know who you are. You had that fashionable hat and well written sign. Let me give you a simple answer to your question. If you want me to give you some money next time, make sure that you aren't counting a fat wad of cash when I drive up. I haven't ridden the bus in a while, but I'm pretty sure it's not that expensive. So, either change your sign to something a little less specific, or hide the day's profits until you get home. It tempers my sympathy. Best of luck, Jackson

Posted 6:57 PM by Jackson Cooper |