Vaness at Montrose Beach. The only woman, in my opinion, on earth that can rock skinny jeans
View from the rear of Casa Diablo facing east toward the lake: Roller Coaster Week afterthoughts Monday July 6-Monday July 13
RiverEdge Park in Aurora – Sunday August 16 2026 7:00 PM
It’s an epic line-up of 80s favorites including Thomas Dolby and The Lost Toy People, A Flock of Seagulls, Men Without Hats, The Producers, Animotion, The Escape Club and Tommy Tutone. Get ready to sing and dance along to all your favorite songs like “I Ran,” “Obsession,” “Wild Wild West” and “867-5309/Jenny”. Tease up your hair, roll up your blazer sleeves and put your Wayfarers on for this must-see show.
Hi Alex, Fantastic! I have you down for 2 review tickets and a photo pass. I’ll send a final confirmation closer to the show as a reminder.
I’ve been wanting to attend a show at this venue for years. Looks like I’m going 2X this season.
7/6/2026 Challenger Park under CTA on Irving Park Road, abutting Graceland Cemetery
Back in 2006 we shot a music video under these tracks and on this block for the “Fix” single by Subsonic it was 105 degrees
visiting the turtles in Lake Willowmere off of the famous Burnham Island, where the Daniel Burnham family is buried.
this was the first time I saw this big prehistoric looking beast
Montrose Beach Tuesday July 7 on the second most perfect day of 2026 not too hot or humid, a light breeze and a quiet weekday.
7/8/2026: The TV you see above was on loan from me by my very good friend and sometime right hand partner in crime for MK ULTRA related projects. My 50 inch flat screen went blank two weeks prior and it was only 3 years old. After troubleshooting multiple times I gave up. Its been a pain to attempt watching TV in my bedroom from my bed. So I went to Max’s and did some laundry and around 545 PM Greg Duncan showed up to help me get it transported to my home. So after taking it a few miles from Max’s pad to mine and up 3 flights of stairs we sat it on the stand and hung out for a bit enjoying some Kentucky straight bourbon/Sour Mash on the back porch. I waited till the next morning a to set it up and then after checking out the connections biked to Aldo for some groceries. (Max’s TV was older and incapable of accommodating all of my audio/visual appliances.; VHS, Roku, Blur Ray player and all region DVD player It also had a blue cross line through the picture but was fine for streaming TV and I was grateful)
When I returned home from biking I walked inside my building and saw a brand new 50″ Class F50 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV and assumed it was from my Melita. When I texted he a thank you she replied by asking it this was a prank email. I got it up 3 flights with the aid of my very cool next door gaybour Ricky and deducted it came from Linda Wines in Petoskey MI. Now that’s a damn thoughtful and kind gesture from someone who is turning out to be a very good friend and confidant. I was gifted my big fat loving black cat Niko from Linda last summer.
Nothing gets by Spooky
It took a couple of hours to assemble everything hooked up, back into place and set up to my Roku/Internet etc. My god I love this thing. The sound is excellent as well just like the one I owned that died.
I would like to note that the TV I purchased 3 years ago that croaked was the ever first new TV I have every bought for myself in my life.
Friday morning I received a text message from Greg Duncan. It sounded like he needed a friend for I wasted no time in biking directly up to his place a mere 1.2 miles from my home home. I knew his wife Gina was out of town and we chilled till his daughter June got out of daycare and we walked up to the daycare LEARING center. I fell in love with this kid and stayed the night.
Saturday woulkd have been Damon Zex’s
63rd birthday so I bike to Graceland Cemetery and recorded 2 video birthday testaments to his memory and our friendship as a couple of decadent bookeds.
The next day I was asked to removed all of the images I’ve posted on Social Media dedicated to his legacy. Its so very unfortunate the way some people tend to react and act after a persons death. Some you know are predictable ad know what’s going to happen. Then there are the others…..
Listen, I will say this once and only to you. Besides me, he saw you as his # 1 ally, a true friend who would never turn on him.
On my ride home from Graceland I saw them setting up something along the street leading to Buena Park Circle and a nun informed me that a food fest was staring in a few hours so I came home took a nap and ventured down the street on foot and later met Max at the fest.
Saint Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church International Food Festival
International Food Festival bringing together the incredible flavors of seven different countries, prepared fresh and homemade by the very diverse and talented parish community. Foods from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Philippines, Georgia and the USA!
Many international foods, beer, hard seltzer, live music, games, kids activities and a cash raffle featuring a $3,500 cash prize!
Of all the weekends for Melita to be in NYC I meet some people from her country Georgia who had food and got to strike up a conversation with them. They’ll be back for the Buena Park Block Party September 19th.
I discovered a stash inside of the church when I went to the men’s room.
From Diary of a Damned Man Sunday, June 01, 2003 at 18:20:09 (EDT)
Listening to Kristy Rose (an 11 year old musical prodigy I met thru Nina last night) – I am high on fucking life right now. Last night Lisa and I went to see Nina Hagen and after the shit we had to go thru at the door we were saved by Miss Hagen’s drummer who pissed a fit at the door people who would not recognize the difference between Alex Zander and his alter ego, or understand the diffo between a pen name and a legal name. By the way in my entire professional career this is the first time of such an incidence.
Nina’s manager Barbara who I felt like I’ve known forever after 3-4 months of phone calls held onto my arm for the first half hour of our first meeting. She had that hot German accent that drives my Yankee ass crazy. So we hung out and Lisa and I were whisked to the stage side since we had all access passes for a sold out show. I saw Pete and Holly and Pete was uncomfortable in the elbow to elbow neck to neck and cheek to cheek crowd and I took him stage side with us. And it was only us three and Nina’s crew.
The crowd was an eclectic clusterfuck merging of fags and lipstick lesbos and post punk nu-wavers and Nina fans who have either never seen Nina or haven’t since she last played Chicago since 10 years prior. The crowd was colorful and fun. And the lesbos wearer hot lesbos, real hot, and they were making out and groping.
Now I need to make one thing perfectly clear, I’ve never been one to wink wink, nudge nudeg over two chicks getting it on, unless I’m the cream filling, ya’ dig? But I looked and Lisa and she at me and we agreed that with the aura that filled the room that it was indeed erotic. I put in 5 years spinning tunes at a Lesbian nightclub in Ohio over a decade ago and I have to say, not once did I see anyone so freaking hot as these tight chicks loving each other. Nuff said.
Nina took the stage at 1115 and came on wagging her long pointy trademark tongue at the sold out audience. Pete, Lisa and I were safe in out own private nook to Nina’s right. And for 2 hours it was a unique mix of punk, jazz, lounge and techno nu-wave and spoken word jibber jabber. And Nina was smoking real smoking and 48 years old of make up and fashion and hair and sheer performance art. Nina was as beautiful as she was 20 years ago when I had my teenage crush on her. She looked good and her message and delivery of it were equally as beautiful.
So after the set Lisa and I went to her dressing room and took photos, chatted and got autographs and a long line of fans outside hoped, wished an desired a mere glimpse of the legendary princess of punk. Then it was confirmed I was invited to meet Nina at her hotel today before her flight to Los Angeles. And I came home, happy, content, buzzed and grinning. That innocence that I lost many years ago was reborn and I was once again for the first time in forever at peace, temporally, but nevertheless, peaceful.
5PM SUNDAY: Just got back from Nina Hagen’s hotel. I think I have a new friend for life right now. Brigette let me drive her car to get there and we arrived at the lobby and I immediately saw the guys from the band and we made some small talk. I went to the desk and called Ninas room and she said she was on her way down. I waited with a physically healing Brigette in the restaurant. And then in walked NINA, dressed to the nines, stripped stockings, mini skirt, make up skull and smiley face pigtail pom poms.
Only Tairrie B has ever given me such a respectful appearance. This woman cared about how she presented herself to a shumck like Alex Zander. And the first thing she said to Brigette was that she liked her eyebrows. Then it was talk about peace, love, UFO’s, close encounters, LSD, childbirth, and German rock n roll. I swear that I’ve never smiled so much during an interview in my entire career and a journalist, publisher and creator of a grass roots, poor mans publication. And there I was sitting with a legend, a goddess, a female that I lusted after during my post teen college youth. And she was cool, and her manager was cool, and we all hugged kissed, and shared promises of staying and touch and hanging out in the future. And when I went to the Men’s room to release the coffee from my human shell I came into the lobby and Nina had given a gift to Brigette, and presented a with a book and a video and we took amazing photos. One was Brigette and Nina and I and Nina had tied her crazy black hair to Brigettes long platinum blonde rock n roll hair. And I knew we were friends. And I learned later in or conversation that it was a token of a euro-Hindu symbolism. And at Barbara’s insistence I posed for a few photos of just Nina and I. And we hung out in the lobby and the bellhops brought down the bands luggage and waited for the limo. And as I drive back here I felt, remembered and loved the whole reason I got into this fucking crazy business I have, and I was thrilled, happy and content. I can say again, I have met and made pals with someone I never thought or dreamed ‘I’d ever get to see let alone meet.
I HAD A SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH NINA FUCKING HAGEN. Did you read that. I hung out with NINA HAGEN, and I am a happy boy. Wait till you fuckers see the photos from last night and today. -AZ
photos by Dan Locke for mk ultra magazine
Day after at the hotel
