Such a week. I got a lot of stuff done, around the house and creatively (knocked out the bones of pretty much a whole album), though between entering shutdown week three, experiencing a personal health setback, some minor drama elsewhere, fearing for a cat’s life, and the effing dishwasher dying…again, it’s not been entirely awesome. I am, for the most part, managing, though the anxiety’s certainly up, and mental health could be better. All I can do is stick to the bits I can control (plans upon plans), and try to keep brushing the rest of it that I can’t off, as they say:

But, I won’t deny that’s primarily been the focus. Been keeping up with my fellow feds in our corners of the net a bit -venting, sharing info, making predictions, though not too much, because while I’ve got to keep up (it’s relevant, and following public policy is kind of my nature), too much isn’t good for me. I’ve read two and a half books this week instead, all of which are escapist, otherworldly stuff.

Speaking of otherworldly, the music world got word yesterday that the first of the big four has passed; Ace Frehley, the original, and most iconic lead guitarist from KISS.

Like any kid in the late 70s/early 80s, KISS was a thing, even if I didn’t really become familiar with the music until later. The image the band presented, particularly Ace with the smoking and sparking pickups on his custom Les Paul, was irresistible. His blues-based solos on the band’s glam-rock anthems popped, in part due to the juxtaposition of it all, along with the tone, which is instantly recognizable to most guitar players.

He of course, had personal issues (as does the band, to this day), and he spent the 80s and beyond (apart from the occasional appearance) outside the band, but continuing to perform and put out some pretty good music of his own along the way; my favorite is 1989’s Trouble Walkin’, which includes what’s probably the superior version the song “Hide Your Heart, which appeared on no less than five(!) different albums in 1988/1989.

In any case, here’s the playlist the algorithm produced based on feeding it this tune, which includes a bunch of blues-infused glam rock, as expected, plus more than a few tunes from classic rock big names apart from their primary context:

1. “Hide Your Heart” – Ace Frehley
2. “Outlaw” – RIOT
3. “Break Down The Wall” – Stone Fury
4. “I Wish It Would Rain” – Little Caesar
5. “Rock Solders” – Ace Frehley
6. “Walks Like A Woman” – Baton Rouge
7. “That Time of Year” – Vinnie Vincent Invasion
8. “Shot At My Heart” – ICON
9. “Long Cool Woman” – Vince Neil
10. “Seventeen” – Winger
11. “Powerline” – Lee Aaron
12. “Missing You” – Hagar Schon Aaronson Shreive