Meet Steve Goodman bio author in SoCal

Goodman bio comes to California in late July

Will you be in the vicinity of Los Angeles or the Bay Area in late July? You're invited to attend one or more of six reading/music events that will celebrate my biography, "Steve Goodman: Facing the Music."

As you know, the 800-page, 575-photo book, now in its second printing, has received rave reviews and a silver medal for biography in the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

During the California tour, I will be joined by special musical guests for events in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seal Beach, Covina, Yucca Valley and Berkeley. The tour begins July 25, which would have been Goodman's 60th birthday. Musicians will perform Goodman and Goodman-related songs, and all events are free of charge.

Here's the tour schedule:
FRIDAY, JULY 25
7 p.m.
Westwood Music, 1627 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles

SATURDAY, JULY 26
3 p.m.
Borders Books & Music, Los Altos Market Center, 2110 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach

6 p.m.
Eddie Montana's Seal Beach Music, 118 Main St, Seal Beach

SUNDAY, JULY 27
1 p.m.
The Fret House, 309 North Citrus Ave, Covina

7 p.m. Water Canyon Coffee Co, 55844 29 Palms Hwy, Yucca Valley

MONDAY, JULY 28
7:30 p.m.
Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley

If you would like to perform -- or know someone who would like to perform -- during one or more of these events, please e-mail Alyssa Archambault of Paniolo Productions, <alyssa@panioloproductions.com>, or visit <www.panioloproductions.com>.

For more information about the book itself and to order a copy, please visit <www.clayeals.com> or e-mail me at <clay@clayeals.com>.

And please forward this announcement to anyone you think may be interested. Thanks!

Will Cubs ride Goodman song to the World Series?

Can the Chicago Cubs go all the way to the World Series this year? If they do, it'll be the first time since 1945, and if they win the Series, it'll be the first time in exactly 100 years. For most of the 2008 season, the Cubbies have held the major leagues' winningest record, so the Series prospect is far from outlandish.

Steve Goodman's catchy 1984 anthem "Go, Cubs, Go" has served as potent fuel for the team and its fans. Last year, at the end of every home win, the song rocks Wrigley Field, and everyone joins in the singing. This led to Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn declaring last Oct. 5 to be Steve Goodman Day throughout the state. This year, the bellowing continues, both in and outside of Wrigley. It's a truly infectious phenomenon.The prospect of Cub success this fall begs some serious questions. Would the team lose its national mystique? More pertinent to Steve Goodman, if the Cubs go to the Series, who will rewrite Goodman's other classic baseball song, "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request"? And how?

Of course, the symbiotic origin and impact of both songs is a topic that is covered in great detail in "Steve Goodman: Facing the Music."'Facing the Music' available for the visually impaired

I'm delighted to pass along that the largest educational nonprofit library in the United States for people with print disabilities, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D), based in Princeton, New Jersey, has completed its recording of "Steve Goodman: Facing the Music."

RFB&D serves a member population of people who are unable to read standard print due to a documented disability. These disabilities include blindness, visual impairment, learning disabilities and physicaldisabilities such as cerebral palsy, in which individuals cannot physically manipulate a book to read it.

"Steve Goodman: Facing the Music" already has an RFB&D product number, DT-JC722, and it is available for ordering from the RFB&D library. Individuals with print disabilities must register and provide proof of their disability. There is a one-time $65 fee and an annual $35 membership, then members can order books for free, as with a library card. (RFB&D relies on private contributions from foundations and individuals, as well as member fees.) Books come on protected CDs, and members can order as many books per year as they like. For more info, visit <www.rfbd.org>.