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I did an interview for a piece their doing on Mike's murder on WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Miss. Reportedly it will air on June 8 at 4 P.M., CST. Probably can access the channel via internet. AND-- the interviewer told me that she interviewed the detective from the Ocean Springs PD during which she...

Just spoke with Steve Surber, Mike Surber's brother. There has been a new FBI agent working on the case, and he appears to be very determined. Due to the DNA of the murderer, they've got scores or hundreds of leads, which they are systematically investigating. Also the Ocean Springs PD is...

Hi fellas-- Mike was murdered in his home in Ocean Springs, Miss. in 2009. But the case is still very much open at both the OSPD and the FBI. My personal hunch is that his murderer is either dead or in penitentiary in some state that does not have DNA files on their inmates, or has a...

Nice comments, Jay. Mike had the talent, heart and demeanor that many of us would love to have. He worked full time, but took his vacation days every year for the DCC, where he was a threat to beat just about anyone. In fact he finished very high up in both 1P and banks several times...

You're very observant. There are two styles: "conventional grip", which grips the stick through the thumb and first & second fingers, with the thumb up; and "matched grip", in which both sticks are held the same, with the palm down. Conventional grip has been around for hundreds of years...

It's impossible to overstate the effect that Krupa had on jazz drumming. His best era was the '30s through the '40s. In the late 1930s his exciting and beautiful drum solos on Sing, Sing, Sing with the Benny Goodman orchestra were to introduce the extended drum solo into jazz and, later, rock...

Thanks for the link. I had noticed it was on Netflix, but haven't watched it yet. I don't know how they decided on which drummers to feature. Perhaps it was as simple as picking the producer's favorites. To feature any women drummers is strictly for PC/SJ purposes. First, it was saddening...

Right you are. But the guy I was referring to is David Matthews, keyboardist and arranger/composer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Matthews_(keyboardist) and: http://davidmatthewsjazz.com/ David now lives, composes and performs in Japan.

Yes, and it's an awful shame. If he could've gotten off drugs he'd have had a good life. Too many musicians end up that way. And more than a few pool players too.

Zappa never really was an R&B doo-wopper, except in tribute or as satire. We had done Cruisin' With Ruben & the Jets as an homage to '50s rock (which we'd all grown up on), but they'd already done Freak Out!, Absolutely Free, and We're Only in it For the Money before I joined them in NYC, all...

Thanks, bro. I recall several funny stories from your U.S. Bar Table Championships at the Reno Hilton in the late '90s ('96? '97?). I had a match scheduled with Chris MacDonald (a top Bay Area player just a hair under the pros). I had seen Chris play at some of the Bay Area tournaments, so I...

Yeah, I was with MOI from '68 to '70. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Tripp Dewey Martin was a damn good drummer, although I never met him. He played with a lot of big name country artists, as well as with B. Springfield. I had no use for Jim Morrison. He had some innate talent, and was...

Arnaldo-- No, Hollywood Jack's name was Jack Gabriele, an L.A. legend. You simply could not talk with Jack without liking him. He was one of a kind. Here's a picture of him in later years. Looks a little Like Tony Bennett, don't you think? Photo by Don Henderson. Article...

Harry "The Hook" Cohen was all business, all the time. He'd joke once in a great while, but was usually very serious; and a chain smoker. He rarely played unless he had the lock down nuts. And everyone knew that. He was very knowledgeable about most games, even 3C. I assume he was from NY...

You devil. Yeah, Frank had rented the old Tom Mix log cabin mansion on Laurel Cyn Blvd and Kirkwood. We rehearsed there in the basement for awhile until we rented a hall downtown on Wilshire. I eventually rented a house right on Laurel Cyn Blvd high up near Mulholland Dr. By then I was...

Small world: you, PJ and me. It was actually Ben Lomond where we lived and rehearsed. I think the year was 1971. It was a combine of a few apartments and studio behind a gift shop on the west side of Hwy 9. I later moved in with a gal up the road, so I'd go up to Boulder Creek to a tavern...

Oh yes, I definitely recognize you. You actually have a few years on me. I was born in '44. When I was going to Tiff's, there were two N. Hyd rooms. Tiff's North Hollywood Billiards was on Magnolia, just a couple of blocks east of the Hyd Fwy and the park. There was a coffee shop (still...

Ha! I never knew that, PJ. We lived in Felton, near Ben Lomand, 9 miles NE of Santa Cruz. Used to drive into town to play in a room, the owner of which liked to gamble. We usually played 3C, and I mostly prevailed for good pocket money. The band I was in lived there for less than a year...

Hey, Arnaldo-- Glad you chimed in. I feel certain we must have seen each other at Tiff's. As you say, Al Gilbert played there, along with up-and-comer Frank Torres, and some Japanese kid who was hitting them pretty sporty. Howard ___, and Bert Schrager played there. Bert had just started...

Hey, ole buddy! I'm just re-reading your fine book, Pool Wars (2009), and find myself enjoying it even more than I did on first reading. You have a good memory, which you share with Danny Diliberto and Grady Mathews-- I think because you, like they, weren't a druggie or drunk, which so many...