There’s really not a lot to say about this site other than it’s a blog and it represents the views of Scrappy McGowan Private Eye.

There is a professional wrestling referee who is also named Scrappy McGowan. I am not him.

Anyone who is trying to figure out who Scrappy McGowan Private Eye is, it’s not that hard. Just dig a bit.

Those of you who are wondering what a Rinpoche is, it is a:

Tibetan Buddhist religious/theological honorific title. “Rinpoche” literally means “precious one”. The title is generally reserved for reincarnated lamas and those recognized by the proper authorities within a lineage as “choje lamas” (“superior dharma masters”).

I am not really a Rinpoche. A past version of this site referred to me as ‘Reverend’ Scrappy McGowan, but that became problematic because of the many people who approached me with questions on the teachings of Christ. I did not have the knowledge to help them so I decided to switch to ‘Rinpoche’ instead.

Now that I wear the title of ‘Rinpoche’, people no longer ask me about Christ. Instead they tend to ask open-ended questions like, “Scrappy, what is the meaning of life?” When asked this question now I merely reply, “It’s not why, why, why. It just is.” People seem satisfied with this answer. I don’t tell them it’s a lyric from a Van Morrison song.

Some of you are wondering how you can get your own Holy Title. It’s simple, just go to the Unitarian Jihad Name Generator and you can get your own title such as ‘Brother Nail Gun of Mild Reason’.

All Joking aside, here are some tidbits about me:

  • If you want to see what Scrappy looks like in real life you can see here.
  • I hate flying but love trains. Last year I took a cross country train trip on the California Zephyr. It was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done.
  • John Coltrane is my musical hero. I finally understood the nature of God while listening to Coltrane when I was 17.
  • Despite my joking about being a Rinpoche, I do spend a lot of time learning from the teachings of Pema Chödrön and Thich Nhat Hanh. They are the bomb diggity
  • I was raised in the town of Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Croton spills down to the shores of the Hudson River at the widest point of any river in America. If you don’t believe me you can look that fact up on scrappypedia.
  • My favorite poet is Mary Oliver. Her poem The Wild Geese just might be the most beautiful poem ever written.
  • I am passionate about politics. My political heroes are Lynn Rivers, and Shirley Chisolm. I have been fortunate enough to study Government with Lynn. If she ever runs for congress again I will drop everything so I can work on her campaign.
  • Okay, this one is embarrassing – my biggest musical guilty pleasure is listening to the Bee Gees. I don’t mean the disco era Bee Gees that everyone thinks of when they hear the name. I dig the late 60′s and early 70′s post-Beatle heavy on the harmony Bee Gees who could stick those harmonies like Nadia Comaneci could stick a dismount.
  • My ultimate musical dream is to own a Rickenbacker Electric 12-string. However, I recently bought a Dean Electric 12-string. Now I get to jangle to my hearts content.
  • My favorite color is purple.
  • I have two kids, a daughter who attends NYU and a son who is a Junior in High School.
  • I am married to a beautiful and brilliant sculptor who is currently on a Fulbright grant India