08/08/08 Travelogue & Photo Essay!

People who are not familiar with Suck City, the old Metal zine from the 80's that I was co-editor of, probably are not familiar with the Importance of 8 Cents, and the Power of the Number 8! Well, let me tell you, 8 is the question, 8 is the answer, and if it ain't 8, it ain't great! So when the once in a lifetime day of 08/08/08 came upon us, we had to show the world how to truly live 8 Cents in word and deed. Yes, on 08/08/08 my son Anvilhead Rudosson and I went on a holy pilgrimage to pay homage to 8 Cents, out there in the big world. We didn't have to look too hard, and were blown away with what we found. We're now ready to share that with you!

First off, we went to down to Indiana University's Bloomington campus to show Anvilhead the campus, and for me to relive some of the most 8 cent moments in my life. Here is a pic of the dorm room that Astronomo and I used to share back in 1976-77. Isn't this exciting?!?!?!?!




Here is the bowling alley in the Student Union building. I wonder if The Dude, Walter, and Donny ever bowled here?????





Also in the Union Building was the offices of WQAX, the old free-form alternative "CABLE" FM radio station that Defect Removal, Umlatta, Cosmo, Carmelita, Silas B. Clark, Swa Sticka and I used to do crazy radio shows at. Like all good things, it eventually went under, and now the space is being used by the "Multi-Cultural Greek Council & National Pan-Hellenic Council." I wonder if Paul Fisher still comes by and annoys people working in there, asking for money, or if he could crash out on their couch? OUCH, scary memories there.... :-)


We then strolled to the Chemistry Building, a place that inflicted great pain on Astronomo and I. We hated this place with a passion! I spat on it, and it made me feel better!




In the Chemistry Building, we went into a classroom, and they had this painting of some great 8 Cent God, who looks a lot like Henry Kissinger! Give Me 8 Cents!







In downtown Bloomington there is this ridiculously artsy-fartsy cafe health food restaurant named the "Runcible Spoon" that all the Beards used to hang out at. Remember, this was the 70's and early 80's, before cafes and and health food became "fashionable." Well, it is still there. I used to eat the table scraps left in the garbage bin! I would climb into their dumpster and eat maggot infested tofu! Say Yeah! And yes, it is nice to see that the Beards still hang out here.....

My last Bloomington pic is of the house at 2222 E. 5th St. that Defect Removal, Swa Sticka, and I used to live at. Man, did we have some PARTIES at this house! It had a great big living room with a hard wood floor that made a great dance floor. Some of the theme dance parties we held were the "Soul Train Dance Party" and the "Groove-A-Thon." This was before my big Metal era (obviously)... I think Anvilhead was getting a bit bored of my stroll down memory lane, so it was time to move on..............

Next we hit the road for Cincinnati to take in a Reds-Astros baseball game. Anvilhead and I love going to baseball games, especially our hometown minor league team, the Indianapolis Indians. But this time we saw a big league game, ate some 8 cent ballpark food (that cost wayyy more than 8 cents), and had an 8 cent gr8 time! Ironically, Ken Griffey Jr. just got traded to my Chicago White Sox the week before this game, so their humongous mural to him was a TAD bit outdated...

The earthy looking fellow to your left is a statue of Ted Kluszewski, a great first baseman who played for the Reds between 1947 and 1957. This was also the 88th picture we took so far on our 08/08/08 journey, and certainly worthy of inclusion for that distinction alone!





Right inside the gate was a classic, classic old dude who was selling game programs. This guy epitomizes everything great about baseball, and I really hope I can be just like him when I retire and start working at Victory Field in Indianapolis!


I am very proud of Anvilhead who took this great action shot from our seats up in the upper deck. You can see the ball flying out just to the right of the pitcher. Way to go, Anvilhead!!! When the game was over, we were treated to a fabulous fireworks show that was probably the best I've ever seen. It was quite amazing!


Now things really took an 8 Cent turn, as we spent the night in a SUPER 8 MOTEL in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky! It was every bit as great a 2.5 star hotel can be! The 8 Cent vibe was beyond belief. We also watched the Puppy Olympics on the Animal Planet cable station when we got back from the game. If you are are ever in Fort Mitchell, you gotta stay there!


We then had an incredibly 8 cent experience at "Phil's Music Books & More" in Covington, KY. I had been here before with my other son, Meister1200 Rudosson, when we went to Cincy to see Opeth in 2006. They have a GR8 METAL selection, so I was ready to stock up on some very 8 Cent sh*t. So on a 08/08/08 Pilgrimage, what more appropriate to buy than Manowar?!?!??! I picked up their new CD "Gods Of War," a SUPER 8 MO-FO from last year, with a ridiculous amount of SUPER 8 story narration (ala Rhapsody) all about Odin and the old Nordic Gods, and in a really 8 Cent booming narrative voice with ghastly effects. What really made me laugh was the fact the CD has two covers. For retail purposes, the below cover was facing out of the jewel case...

And there is the real cover below, that is actually part of the CD booklet! GIVE ME 8 CENTS!!! BODACIOUS, NO DOUBT!


I also picked up Iced Earth's "Days Of Purgatory" for $8, a cool vinyl copy of Hawkwind's rare "The Chronicle Of The Black Sword" album from 1985, and the mighty Stonewall Jackson LP featured on the left for 50 cents! You gotta love Stonewall Jackson. His old traditional country is so EPIC, so masculine, so lonely, and so 8!


Anvilhead was really stoked about this comic book find. He loves Spiderman, and he loves Frogs even more. The combination was ridiculous! This really was one of the highlights of our whole trip. When we were ready to leave Covington, we chose White Castle as the place to make a bathroom stop. Man, it stunk in there!




Our last stop on the voyage was Big Bone Lick state park in Union, KY. But en route to the park , we saw a bunch of 8 cent yard sales and flea bag market type stuff outside along the highway. So we had to stop. We got two brand new Cincinnati Reds baseball hats for $5. But what was even BETTER, was I bought a WORKING 8-TRACK PLAYER!!! And what is even more amazing, it is an 8-TRACK recorder! It only cost 5 bucks!!! Hell, I would have paid $8 for it! Here's a pic of it at home, after I got it hooked up, playing my KISS "Destroyer" 8-Track that my lovely wife Angusette bought me. Yeah, it really works, and it sounds like SH*T! I love it! I almost got the pic taken at 8:08 pm, but I was a little too slow. However, since the date was actually 08/09/08 at this time, it was OK.

Now for Big Bone Lick. Here is a lovely pic of the lake at the park. Appropriately, Big Bone Lick is located very closely to the city of Beaver Lick, Kentucky. Geeeee.... I wonder what was up with that naming convention????


Well, maybe the names are for real because if you walk around in Big Bone Lick park, you see a zillion trees like the ones to the left that have been gnawed by beavers. Yep, there is a lot of beaver at Big Bone Lick! Anvilhead and I realized that we better not stumble and fall on our hike, because if we did, we would likely be impaled by all the sharp tree stumps protruding out of the ground! This would make a great Middle Ages battlefield!

And what is a "Celebration of 8" without playing Miniature Golf??? On 08/08/88, Umlatta and I celebrated the day by playing Putt-Putt. Anvilhead and I had the glorious opportunity to play miniature golf at Big Bone Lick State Park, one of the most boring but picturesque Putt-Putt courses I have ever played. What shocked us was they had a genuine real life Mespacte Indian standing on the course at the 18th hole! He was very still. It was a very inspiring way to end our day. Anvilhead had 5 holes in one, and I had 3, to total 8, so we knew it was time to go home.



We bid adieu to Big Bone Lick, drove through Beaver Lick, and went back home, blasting Manowar and Iced Earth the whole way. HAPPY 08/08/08 EVERYBODY!!!


Give Me 8 Cents,
Rudo