Puzzles, Answers, Wonders...

Ha. Yesterday I was confronted with a knotty, gnarly technical puzzle. A bit "over my skis," not exactly in my bailiwick, I felt a bit like a fish out of water. I flopped around on the shore for many confused and stumped hours. I searched, researched, tried a few things, nothing worked. Late in the afternoon, I threw in the towel. I gave up. Frustrated. Done. Funny, sometimes surrender is the first step to enlightenment. I totally unplugged, I listened to music on the box, read a book, had a long, restful sleep. This morning I woke up with the perfect formulation of the question front and center in my cranium, and I typed it into my Chromebook and submitted it to the great Oracle (Google). Miraculously, the perfect answer was delivered directly to me. From the lips of the AI gods to my welcome, needy ears. Puzzle solved! The key was to construct the perfectly posed question; directly, succinctly and astutely. I have had great luck finding answers out there somewhere, hiding in the tall grass. Knowledge, it is tangible, a quality, and a facility. What an odd, weird reality & world we live in today. Puzzles, answers, wonders lurking around every corner, in every little nook and cranny.

Garden, Gardener...

Certainly. Think of your body, mind and spirit as an interwoven, many-splendored garden. You must dig in; nurture, prune, water, care for that garden with all your creativity, imagination, skill and attention. Lean into the sunlight. Soak in the starlight. You also must always be on guard. There are elements floating in the air, on the ground, that can be harmful, pure poison, to a thriving, healthy flowering. You are your own Secret Garden. You are both the Garden and the Gardener. Strange, that, but true. Aware, alive, awake at all times.

Simple & Complex, The Human Math...

There is a Joker in the deck. 

Saturday was a perfect day: music, movies, good food, good conversation, solitude & relaxation. In the afternoon, three of us met at our little rehearsal studio: violin, guitar, percussion, two voices. We  played music together for 2 1/2 hours. We ran thru songs we usually play with our big band. It was so elemental, essential. Enriching. 

Later, in the evening, watched the fabulously funny, beautiful, confounding, and soul-enriching, "The Banshees of Inisherin." Amid the wonrdous, astonishing, mysterious beauty of Nature, human beings enact rituals of absurdity, madness, hilarity, raw, uncontainble, unquenchenable, violence; part Beckett, part Marx Brothers, tragedy and comedy melded so perfectly you have to laugh, even as the tears well up in your eyes. Great art feeds the heart, the head, the soul. And touches us in the deepest depths of our beings.

Then, hit the pillow, and a long night of haunting visions & dreams. Strange phenomena flooded my head. Lost connections. Lies. Failures. Dark scenes of humiliation and disorientation. Familiar people in unfamiliar settings. My own life-events jumbled together in a mysterious, alchemical stew; an off the rails jaunt into a hellish dreamscape. So odd to be gripped in the slipstream of dark thoughts & emotions; deep, unbidden, unwanted dislocation. Do I need to thank Mr. Martin McDonagh?  Yes. Indeed, I believe I do. Plus of course, let's give a tip of the cap to decades of my scrambled life, trauma and drama, comedy and tragedy, written in my flesh, my bones, my organs, & my DNA.  I come from a long line of dead folks, don't you know?!

This morning, still unsettled, I click on the radio, and the BBC tells me: "Win the day."  Sure. Simple.  Except, win the day, lose the night. Living in contradiction and complexity. The math of being Human, from simple to complex and back again, day to day, night to night...

An Outlier...

Out of step with the culture? Sure. I mean, aware, alive, awake. Always. Doing my best to be present. But, it is true, I do march to a different drummer. Ever since I can remember, I have always been on the "outside looking in." I have always gotten that vibe from my fellow humans: "Not from around here?" 

Not sure what drummer I am marching to, maybe Keith Moon? John Bonham? Ringo? Charlie Watts? I do have a rich inner life. I am happy being alone, reading books and/or listening to, and playing music. I don't feel obligated to listen to, or to read what everyone else is listening to, or reading. I don't really want to be part of the madding crowd. I am happy to find myself at play in a lonely field. I seek out my fellow outliers, those on the margins, but, not so much to commune with them, but just to know that there are others out there on the thorny, lonely paths.

"In it, not of it." But, of course, I am of it too. Deeply embedded in the Universe. Close to the street, close to Nature. Tuned into my own inner symphony. The longer one is alive on the planet, the stronger the hold, and the presence, of one's past grows. Not so much living in the past, but bringing the past firmly into the present. It makes for a deeper being. Truth be told, we are the past alive in the present. And our "past," is uniquely ours, unlike anyone else's. Billions of us, each uniquely unique.

Burn the Cash at the 50 Yard Line...

Ha. More thoughts (see previous post),  on that gobsmackingly weird Christmas extravaganza. Are we reaching the Limits of Bling? The limits of irrational exuberance and audaciously ostentatious wealth? There were all the colliding forces on that Netflix Football bachannal. Football>Gambling> Pop. What drives it all? Boatloads of cash. Spectacle built upon Spectacle. Dazzling. Wild. Strange. Watching the money feed into the joyous, gleeful adventure of the ritual burning of money without shame or consequence.

Sure, Beyonce is an amazing singer & performer. No doubt. But, of course, singing and dancing well,  really is not enough, not the game she is in. It's all about the over-amped Spectacle. How much money can one multi-million $ performer burn to grab and hold our attention for a few minutes? And what's the next hustle or product she is selling and leading us to? 

Beyonce was sandwiched between two halves of our most brutal and successful sport: over-amped, hyped-up, insanely-compensated atheletes, risking their the bodies and brains on a field of green for their teams and billion $ owners. And then there are those of us at home, all across America, on their couches, stuffing themselves with food & beverage, swiping their phones like mad-monkeys, betting their hard-earned dollars on each and every last play.

Maybe it would have been more direct, honest, and in our faces, to have Beyonce stand on the 50 yard line, singing and dancing next to stack upon stack of $100's? Many, many stacks, how about $10 million dollars worth of stacks of cash.? And then, she turns to the cash, sets those stacks on fire, and burns those dollar bills right before our greedy, needy, astonished eyes?

Yes. That's basically the essence of thing. We are in the era where the rich folk display their utter contempt for the folks who just don't have the cash to burn. These folks are so filthy rich, they can spend prodigious amounts of cash, for the mindless, Spectacle upon Spectacle, promising bigger Spectacles down the line. A celebration, and a ritual sacrifice of Bling. The millionaires and billionaires are up front & center now, showing us how just how insanely rich they are, and how they play by a totally different set of rules than the rest of us. 

Yikes. We have truly lost our shit. I mean, as a country & a culture. We live in the New Hall of Mirrors of Bling, Bling for Bling's Sake. Capitalism Run Amok, no guard-rails, no conscience, nothing but the Law of Spectacle, and $. I mean, shite, it is oddly impressive. The full-blown, hollow, soullessness of it all. But, you know, while it looks good; so shiny and dazzling, kicky, and strange, the heart of it is  total B.S. so far from the reality of things. You wonder when does it all break down, collapse into a heap of brokeness?

I still believe in gravity, in humility, good government, love & generosity, art & creativity. These things have nothing to do with the unholy, ungodly, totally off the rails ascension of the Spectacle. Yikes. We can be so much more, spiritual beings in a material world. We have totally diminished ourselves, enslaved ourselves to the Spectacle, the Bling, the Hustle. 

For those Hypnotized by $!

We watched Beyonce's halftime show in Texas last night. Our reaction?! $$$$$$$$$$$! This was a display of $ performing for big $, for the folks swimming in $, and for folks with dreams of swimming in endless rivers of $. It was an impressive spectacle. The Land of the Holy Bling. It was a Christmas (!?!) show, an overstuffed extravaganza, a homecoming for Beyonce on a football field in Texas. One couldn't help shouting out at the TV screen: "What The Holy Fuck is This?"  We grappled with trying to parse the signs, wonders and ultimate meanings of this grand spectacle. Hundreds of nubile and very flexible humans jumped around all dressed in white. Mainly Black people dressed in dazzling, sort of silly, improbably pure-white costumes; white cowboys and cowgirls, singing and dancing and playing instruments, frolicking around in Bling Heaven. Seems they were mainly singing about how they were all joyously jumping around, singing and dancing in Bling Heaven. A very self-referential Festival of Bling. "Why can't we all be billionaires?" My friend and I concluded this impressive display was not really intended for us, this was a show for those hypnotized by $. You know for the folks whose only One True God is the Almighty Buck. American Oligarchy Lives. Funny, and blindingly appropriate, that it was a beautiful, multi-talented, supremely-wealthy, fully-empowered, self-possessed, black woman who was the center of attention, and the ultimate messenger. It was like a surreal, big-budget Minstrel-show in Reverse. Black Woman and her friends playing at being white cowboys & cowgirls. Wild. Of course, my friend and I are seriously out of step with the present times, we still value humility, love, grace, generosity, heart & soul. You know, we are just the little people, the common ones, the working stiffs, those interested in other things besides $, those left gaping in awe at the grand, exuberant, audaciously-unholy soulessness of it all. Bling, Baby, Bling! Xmas 2024, the Apotheosis of the Holy, Holy Buck...

Random Xmas Morning Thoughts...

Random thoughts this Xmas morning.

You know little thought-trains. Nothing is written in stone. Random, flittering thoughts. All are subject to revision...

1. Family. No getting around it. Essential. Your roots. Your genetic heritage. Your people. You can embrace, or resist, acknowlege or deflect. No matter. Your reaction helps define you, but family is embedded in your every breath. Is that a good or bad thing? Yes. 

2. Simplicity is a virtue. Simplicity in motion, thought, emotion. Sure the Universe is complex & contradictory, and so are we. Leaning into simplicity is a tiny good thing.

3. Judgement & Non-judgement. Best to experience Life without judging too harshly. This is it. Same with people. Don't judge too harshly. A better mind, a better world: less judging, more experiencing, less harshness, more forgiveness and acceptance. Share forgiveness & acceptance with other folks, which means you are sharing those qualities with yourself too.

4. Intellect without emotional intelligence is a sterile, barren field. We are a stew of ideas, thoughts, emotions. It is a heady stew. Something to navigate and explore. We need to understand and try to get the mix right. The inner journey is just as important as the outer journey. "Know thyself," in all the airy realms, and the gnarly depths of our being too. Yes. Life is a life-long study.

5. Food is medicine. I'm thinking all the food we take in: physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional. Our bodies are elaborate chemistry labs. Everything we put into our bodies, our minds, make us who we are. We can nurture ourselves or poison ourselves with healthy or deadly choices, every choice counts. There are damaging substances, foodstuffs, ideas & experiences out there. Some we seek out willingly, some are imposed or forced upon us. There is luck and pluck in everything we do and experience. You hope not be crushed or poisoned in the process of living a full life, but really it is a crap-shoot out there, and you must live a full life. Damn the torpedoes.

Science in Action...

We talk about the "scientific method," around here. We believe in it. And use it. Sometimes it's not the most efficient way to live, but it seems to keep us grounded, closer to the real; open-ended & open-minded.  We start with an attitude of humility, possibility, and wonder. If I were to distill our own personal version of the scientific method in action it would be like so: "Who knows?! I mean, fuck, why don't we try it, and see what happens?" Sure. There are some dead-ends, some chasing rabbits down rabbit-holes, lots of knocking our heads against barriers, and hard, unblinking, realities. We don't know what we don't know. Then sometimes, with a bit of  improv & experimentation, and pure, dumb, luck, we come to a sort of tentative understanding. Some hard-earned, hard-won, knowledge knocks on our foreheads. Seems that sometimes we even actually learn something, and we get shit done. Funny, but true. Real-world, amateur-scientists, fumbling around, out in the wild.

The Wealthy are Skating...

This is THE STORY of our time: "How the Wealthist Avoid Income Tax." Why do we pamper our Billionaires?

"In 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world’s richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income taxes. He achieved the feat again in 2011. In 2018, Tesla founder Elon Musk, the second-richest person in the world, also paid no federal income taxes.

Michael Bloomberg managed to do the same in recent years. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn did it twice. George Soros paid no federal income tax three years in a row."

Scandalous. Unacceptable. As they say, "every Billionaire is a policy failure."  It is well past time for this  to be addressed. Massive income disparity and inequality is going to destroy us. Remember: It takes a Village to Create and to Baby a Billionaire.

BTW - Pro Publica is a public treasure, doing the hard, necessary work of investigative journalism. 

Under the Thumbs & Boots of the Billionaire Class...

I think Josh Marshall of TPM gets it right... "To wrap it all together you also have the gobs of public time and attention and resources lit on fire by the tantrums, egomania and sundry character disorders of people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk because that’s a central feature of billionairedom: the rules don’t apply to you. Things most of us had to get straight with when we were in our 20s, because we live in the real world, guys like Elon Musk have magnified 100-fold by their 50s because the rules don’t apply to them.

Needless to say, it’s not great. But it really is tailor made for a politics focused on being the defense of ordinary Americans living on a budget."

So glaringly obvious. We need folks to stand up for the ordinary Americans just trying to make it, those who work for living, those struggling, doing their best to live with joy & dignity. Folks shouldn't have to live under the thumbs and the boots of the billionaire class. This is the new coming era of clarity, you know a renewed era of politics of, for and by the People. Every billionaire is a policy failure.

The Greedy Heart is a Prodigious Thing, Indeed...

"Enshittification, also known as crapification and platform decay, is a pattern in which online products and services decline in quality. Initially, vendors create high-quality offerings to attract users, then they degrade those offerings to better serve business customers, and finally degrade their services to users and business customers to maximize profits for shareholders."

Who could have guessed? Turns out Spotify is a prime example of enshittification, just an elaborate rigged game. A money-making machine built to line the pockets of it's executives, board members & shareholders. It's a dominating, wildly-successful, obnoxiously-ubiquitous app that resides on everyone's smartphone. It's also a scam and a total hustle. I mean, fuck, knock me down with a feather, of course.

Did you know that, as Liz Pelly writes there are "ghost artists", fake artists churning out tracks for Spotify, completely b.s. creations used to just to goose the company's profits? Cutting out legitimate musicians. Ha. Not surprising. It is always amazing how the Tricky Monkeys will hustle and scheme to squeeze every last drop of juice from every last buck. We are amazing and so fucking predictable.

So yeah, what might have started as a nice idea has turned into an elaborate hustle. Music and musicians be damned. What does the future portend? Probably, let's just cut to the chase, have AI create the tracks, and then maybe have the AI create fake listeners to listen to them endlessly 24/7?  Maybe they can just eliminate the Human element completely?

Turns out we are all just hustling each other with this internet thing. Fake shit gobbling up all of our time and attention. What's a Pilgrim to do? Dust off that turn-table and go back to analog. Or fire up that Sony Walkman and spin those silver discs. That is more real world. Wake up Bunky, there is a world beyond the veil, beyond the world wide web. Maybe put that fucking smartphone down? I know, a radical idea, right?! 

Open the window. Go outside. Smell the roses. Take it to the streets. We have created this alternate reality and it's just an enormous Hall of Mirrors, we use it to hustle and lie to ourselves, a load of mumbo-jumbo and madness. Fuck it.

BTW - I was alerted to this subject by a musician I know very well. We make music together, totally on the fringes of the "music biz."

Here is an excerpt from a conversation via email:  "We were recently talking to another record label (chasing rabbits down rabbit holes) and for them it's all about the Spotify algorithm, they talked about it like it's some unholy god. They wanted to analyze our tracks with some kind of app that somehow predicts how the algorithm would respond. Very creepy way to think about music. It makes sense that the insiders at Spotify would rig the game to benefit themselves. The greedy heart is a prodigious thing, indeed. Yikes. What a world."

The MAGA Creeps are Flailing...

One creepy billionaire donated $250 million dollars to help elect another creepy billionaire, and now, what do we get? Chaos, dysfunction, bad blood, bad governing, idiocy on steroids. Fuck. Who could have seen it coming? Oh, yeah, pretty much any slightly-conscious citizen, you know, anyone with a brain.

The other creepy billionaire hasn't even been sworn in yet, and already the MAGA creeps are flailing. Seems we are heading towards the disaster phase of USA, you know the "fuck around and find out" period of our history. 

Living in the USA. It promises to be a wild ride. Not necessarily a fun one. Although, I am beginning to think there will be a very entertaining side to this unfolding, unholy, spectacle: watching the MAGAs, & the amped up billionaires, make total hash of everything. Sure they are rich and powerful, but it seems they are also toxic, clueless, incompetant clowns. 

Sure, we will all suffer the consequences, but there might be some dead-bounce laughter amidst the tears. It will be obvious who owns this clusterfuck.

Sure, it's a meager silver lining. Being proven right, as the ship of state teeters over the edge is cold comfort. But, who knows, maybe this will all shake out, maybe it's a necessary cleanse? Pushed to the breaking point, and then cooler, smarter heads wake up, the worm turns and we get back to actually trying run a real goverment with folks who know what they are doing? Hope dies last.

The Billionaires are Getting Surly...

“You don’t know anybody as stupid as Donald Trump. You just don’t.” - Fran Lebowitz  Ha. Thank you, Fran...

Ok... another "know your history post,' (see previous post). 

The incredibly wealthy amongst us, the billionaires in our midst, seem to be seriously drunk on their money and power. They are now out in force, and they are at war with Goverment of, and by, the People. Suddenly the little people, the common ones, the working stiffs, you know, basically the rest of us, those who actually do the day to day work that keeps the economy humming along, are under attack. Seems those super-weatlhy folks aren't content unless they can Lord over the rest of us. Think: Hubris, Arrogance, Belligerance. These are not nice folks, they are not as smart as they think they are either.  Many of them are actually drug-infused and brain addled. Certainly, most of them seem to be saddled with egos of mammoth proportions. Not healthy people. They are part of the new shameless, empowered asshole class. Maybe we are in the "fuck around & find out"phase of the story. Even the super-wealthy & super-powerful can push things too far. They have conveniently forgotten that it actually takes a village to make a billionaire. When the villagers finally wake up, things could get very interesting. 

I Bet this Story Gets Worse...

"Legal sports betting revenue in the US has gone from $430 million in 2018 to $11.04 billion last year, i.e., more than a 25-fold increase in five years. Note that revenue means total bets minus total payouts, so that $11.04 billion is the net loss to legal sports gamblers in America last year."

This is subject dear to my heart. I used to love to bet on the ponies. I spent many an afternoon at horse-racing tracks around the city chasing after that big score. You do not want to be a gambling, risk-taking type human being, armed with a shiny little smartphone that connects your bank account directly to an online gamibling site. I mean, fuck, isn't that a fucking obviously super-bad idea? Yikes. This little monkey knows you do not want to feed that jittery big-score seeking monkey.

Of course, the online gambling industry is happier than pigs in shit. And the goverments, local and federal, are probably happy taking their cut too. This runaway money-train is gonna be hard to stop. But what of the poor schlubs gambling their fortunes, or hard-earned pennies away? 

Those hyped-up schlubs can now bet on every play of every game on every game day.  You know, just one click away.  Many of them will be just trying to get even, digging themselves in deeper and deeper with every crazy-ass bet.

Turns out online gambling, on pretty much everything, is draining the bank accounts of folks all acorss the land. Who could have seen this coming? Ha. Maybe just about everyone? And, don't forget, as the money pot grows larger and larger, we get closer to that inevitable sports-betting-scandal? You know someone throwing a game, dropping a ball, making a an obviously bad call to cover a bet, and score the big bucks. Does anyone remember the 1919 Black-Sox Scandal? Know your history people!

No Idea...

Well... yeah... there's the "hidey-hole" (see previous post), and then the rabbit hole. Lately, it seems, I find myself going down rabbit holes. I guess, I am just chasing after mythical, unseen rabbits. Maybe catching just a glimmer of a cotton tail? Why do I want to chase a rabbit down a rabbit hole? I really have no idea...

A Hidey-Hole...

Yes. Super-important to have a designated "hidey-hole." A safe space away from other people and the forever-on-rushing hurly-burly of events. As they say, history, is just "one damn thing after another."

A place of silence & retreat is required. A place of practiced stillness, and renewal.

In my secret hidey-hole I have a bookshelf stocked with great books and records. I have my little Sony Walkman, and a pair of excellent Grado headphones. My acoustic guitar is always at hand. I have a little digital recorder for new song ideas, stray riffs and chords.

No man is an island, but everyone needs an island to claim as their own; a place where one can nurture and fortify their mind and spirit. Absolutely essential...

Empowering...

Empowering the Asshole; that is the inevitable consequence to be derived from the results of the November 2024 Presidential election. I suppose it will be "interesting," to see how it all turns out? What is that famous Chinese curse? "May you live in interesting times."

Just how fucking interesting, will be an interesting experience. Think of it all as a long-form experiment in self-sabotage, a curse, a test, a willfully-conjured up clusterfuck, an idiotic, ritualistic, hurling of ourselves into the black void of fucked-up-ness. How much damage can one over-stuffed, over-amped, and devastatingly ignorant, classless, corrupt & destructive man do? I suppose we will all find out. Like they say: "Fuck around and find out." Yikes. We are now heading into the full-speed ahead finding out part.

Philosophy in Action...

 Yes... well... being philosophical: "If you are philosophical in your reaction to something that is not satisfactory, you accept it calmly and without anger, understanding that failure and disappointment are a part of life."

Yikes. 

I suppose it's all a matter of degrees. How to be be calm and clear, not angry about "something not satisfactory." Is it a good idea? A healthy way to live?

Seems like a test and a challenge and contrary to our audacious pop culture credo of having everything all the time. Accepting failure and disappointment; is it just being an intelligent person, or an abdication, a giving up, a giving in? 

There is a Universe of "not satisfactory," shite out there. It is the ocean we swim in, the air we breathe. We endure the slings & arrows of outrageous fortune, and keep on going. That's philosophy in action.

We Turn to Art...

Ah... well...

This is all so familiar to my partner and I. Disappointed in the Human Game, in the turn of events, in the long, ragged, jagged journey of our species. Humans are very tricky and complicated. And it gets weird & ugly at times.

What is our fall back? Our go-to mode? Art. 

We both sink into music, books, film, poetry. We create. We are always conjuring up new dreams, fantastical ideas, crazy-ass adventures in our heads. Always working on new songs. Writing new lyrics. Recording demos with our little digital recorder.  Sinking into, and living in, a swirling creative pool. 

We seem always be in the mind of discovery. Always on the search and lookout. Turning to other artists for inspiration. We surround ourselves, bury ourselves deeply other worlds & minds, in the creative soup of life. So, yes, I suppose dark times can lead to creative breakthroughs. We truly do need to create to live. No joke. Almost as essential as the air we breathe, the water and food we take into our bodies.

We truly live it. It is not some grand ego trip. It's a humble way forward. Leaning into the poetry and rythmn of life. Our feet on the ground, our heads in the clouds. The real work, the soul work, the spirit work. "All that glitters is not gold..." Yes. Indeed. Damn the torpedoes...

Humbled & Resigned...

Ah... we are a bit humbled and resigned around here. The news everyday lately is bad, the worst amongst us are being nominated  by the large toxic clown, and they are targeted to do important jobs in the new administration. And the wealthy amongst us reveal themselves to be corrupt, doofusses with no idea how government or even a civil society works.

Every day my friend and I say to each other: "It's gonna be bad."

Still, we carry on. We do our thing, hope for the best. Someone said, "Expect the unexpected," Another replied, "Unexpect the expected." I say be prepared to improvise. Change is the ocean we swim in.

Remember there were probably fabulous parties during the Dark Ages. People lived and died, and the whole cycle kept repeating. Seems we have get philosophical in our thinking. Sure things are gonna be bad, I mean for some unfathomable reason lots of our fellow Americans turned to the dark side. Maybe as Paul Campos wrote a couple days ago: "Huge swaths of the populace are ignorant morons rather than literal Nazis. So that’s the good news . . . " 

Of course, on the other hand, lots of morons in our midst can also be fatal to a healthy and prosperous country. Either way, Democracy, our little experiment in representative governing here in America, is pointed full speed ahead to an fairly certain period of suffering and dark, moronic times. Yikes.

Still, we can choose to seek the goodness and the light in the moments of a day. Find the little gems in the MAGA pile of shite. Hope for a better day and a better way.  I mean, at least, that is what keeps us going. We need a reason to be positive. Sure, it's gonna be bad, but we will not lose our heads, we refuse to be defeated. We believe this will blow over in time. It's the only healthy way to forward. Damn the torpedoes...

"The Secret of the Prima Materia..."

This morning I ponder the Ouroborus. Maybe the thought was initiated by that little dog that I lived with for few days? Every morning she did a little circular dance, chasing her own tail in the living room,  the morning sunshine streaming thru the window. It was little act of self-awareness, futility, and absurdity too.

A snake eating it's own tail. Symbol of the eternal cycle of life, life, death, rebirth.

Let's check in with Carl Jung on the subject: "The Ouroboros is a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation of the opposite, i.e. of the shadow. This 'feedback' process is at the same time a symbol of immortality since it is said of the Ouroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life, fertilizes himself, and gives birth to himself. He symbolizes the One, who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and he, therefore, constitutes the secret of the prima materia which ... unquestionably stems from man's unconscious."

As Dylan put it: "He not busy being born, is busy dying."

Shame on the Humans...

OK. Forget the Blue/Red divide for a moment. It's real, but we've talked that shite to death. This morning I am thinking of something else: dark times are here, maybe for a long while. The Assholes amongst us are ascendent. The Billionaires are armed with $, and bad ideas, which they want to impose upon the rest of us. They have decided that Government of, and by, the People, you know Democracy, is a threat to their wealth (Every billionaire is a policy failure, don't you know?! & It takes a village to raise a billionaire!). Those rich fucks have decided that the problem with the USA can be traced to the Social Programs  we have that address the needs of the populace. You know juicy and life-giving programs like Social Security, Medicare, & Veterans' Benefits.Talk about the unmitigated arrogance of wealthy Assholes. Yikes. What's a Humble Pilgrim to do? First shake your head in shame. Shame on the Humans for elevating the Assholes amongst us. Those folks should be shunned, and of course, taxed at a suitable rate. Not a one of them accumulated their wealth alone. The villagers helped make every fortune, no doubt. And then, well maybe People need to wake up!? The rich folks, I mean, the filthy rich, don't give a fiddler's fuck for the rest of us. Ok, there may be a few good-hearted, benevolent ones, but, fuck, don't count on the goodness of a billionaire. For the majority, we are just in the way. You know we are the folks who flee and cower when they start wielding their power. For them it's about $, and how to keep it, and make more. It's a soulless, asshole-ish way to live. Death-dealing, ignorant, selfish, greedy and small-minded. We can do better Humans!

Speakers in the Room...

Staying at a place with one those fabulous old analog stereo systems.  Real wood, real steel, real cables, solidly built, built to last, substantial, powerful. A large amplifier with big & little speakers wired throughout the house. Speakers in the living room, TV room & kitchen. I am spinning those little silver discs, CDs that I brought with me for the stay-over. 

The last few days I have been listening to D'Angelo's "Black Messiah." One those great gems of a recording. I hear it as avant-garde soul. Slinky, sexy, slippery, big on groove. Fabulous bass & drums, gorgeous vocals. So invigorating. 

Also listened to saxophonist, Kamazi Washington's "Heaven & Earth." Epic. Overstuffed. Grand. Ambitious. The life of the mind, the mind of a life. Powerful, beautiful, trippy, sounds like a soundtrack to an epic fanstasy film. Full orchestra, full choir, and a fabulous band of jazz musicians. Everything can be found in this 2 disc set. It keeps morphing and changing. Anything seems possible. Makes you smile, and wonder too. 

Also three Tragically Hip records: "Road Apples," "Day for Night,  & "Trouble at the Henhouse." This band is one of my latest "discoveries." Amazing catalog of music. Great band, 5 guys, friends since childhood, from a small town in Canada. They became Canada's most beloved. Great story. Fabulous r&r band. There are no flaws here. Unique singer, fabulous lyrics, kick-ass band. Love the two guitars and their on-going interplay. So good.

And Shabaka Hutchings. His record "Perceive it's Beauty, Acknowledge it's Grace", is astonishing, beautiful. My favorite recording of the moment. Flute, clarinet, spoken word, grooves. It just hits home, but with a light, graceful touch. Inspiring. Enriching. Healing. This is music at it's absolute best.

The Birth of Pop Culture = Beatles '64...

We watched "The Beatles 64," yesterday. Amazing, exciting. Surprising. It features newly unearthed, never before seen footage of the Beatles when they visited the USA, played the Ed Sullivan Show, Carnegie Hall, and chilled out in Harlem with Ronnie Spector and the Ronnettes. Who knew!?

Gil-Scott Heron famously told us: "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," but he didn't mention that Albert and David Maysles were most likely filming it while it was happening. The brothers had cameras rolling for many significant events of that decade, including Monterey Pop and Gimmee Shelter.

A case can be made the 60's didn't really start until that fateful night on the Ed Sullivan Show. The Beatles played their music for 70 million Americans, many of them screaming and crying in joy and ecstasy. The nation was still reeling and mourning the murder of JFK. This little group of mop-tops captivated and electrified the youth of the world, and yes, changed the world as it changed them too.  

Turns out the 60's, and the optimism and good vibes of that decade, seemed to die right around the time (1970), the Beatles broke up. The Rolling Stones at Altamont, and the Manson family murder spree also kind of put the nail in the coffin of that hippie credo: What's so funny about Peace, Love & Understanding, indeed?!

Hindsight is revealing & deceiving, nothing is all that neat and simple. But it's clear that you can't understand the 1960's if you don't include the improbably brilliant journey of the Beatles. It is all still sort of astonishing even now. Right time, right place, magic happens. They were one of the few bands that just got better, more creative, and genre-busting with each recording.  Their explorations with fashion, drugs, mysticism, meditation, avant garde art, and world music, became our explorations too. The Beatles became the example, the myth, and the template for everyone else who ever tried to  follow or emulate them.

The craziness of Beatlemania is still pretty unfathomable, unexplainable. As John Lennon says, they experienced it as a sort of ride in the eye of a hurricane. We get an insider's glimpse of those four lads birthing Pop Culture into being; a magnificent, thrilling, tsunami & joy-ride of new energy.

To see it all now? Another world. Did all really happen? Was it just a dream? A blast of enthusiasm, innocence, good vibes, humor & fun. As Paul said: it was all "A bit of a laugh." Of course, it was much more than that, but that was close to the heart of the beginning.

Crisis this Morning...

Maybe not the most important story this morning, at least, I am guessing, not important to you, but to me, yes, indeed, a story of "crisis." I am on the road, staying at a plush, old world mansion-like abode. Drinking my morning coffee in the dark, listening to the BBC on the radio. Seems all hell is breaking loose in many parts of the globe. I suppose you might say, just a typical morning. I finish my morning pot of coffee, and turn to making tomorrow's brew. Grinding new beans, suddenly, or you know, in the moment, mid-grind, my little, trusty coffee-bean grinder "gave up the ghost." It just up and died. One last grind, French Roast, and then kaput. This morning's coffee is fine. But what about tomorrow?! Immediately, trouble in SunnyJimmy Land.  How long have I owned that grinder? Decades? It's all sort of misty & hazy. My life, I mean. The years fly by, the beans get ground up, the coffee gets brewed, and then I  imbibe it all with a theatrical flourish. My life. An essential ritual. Energy is Eternal Delight. So, well, of course, the crisis can be easily remedied. Just dig in my pocket and pull out some cold, hard cash. There are a few places in town where I can secure a new grinder. I make a mental note to trek out into the cold later today. Buying new shit. It's a thing, a necessity. Doing my part to keep our economy humming, and my energy flowing. Yes, indeed, "coffee is truly the will to live."

Pop Culture References...

Yikes. When we  heard the news that a United Healthcare President, an executive in a major health insurance conglomerate was gunned down on the streets in New York City, our first thoughts: "Mr. Robot."  & "V for Vendetta."

Then we heard that the bullet casings were inscribed with these words: "Delay, Deny, Defend."  Later we found out that there was book titled "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It"

When we hear about record profits, ($6.6 billion dollar profit for the 3rd quarter of 2024), for this particular insurance company, we are smart enough to know that they make their money by denying benefits to sick and often dying patients. Not a very admirable way to make a living. It's wild how sometimes pop culture informs the wider world.

Can't help wondering: Is the gunman just a canary in a coalmine? You know, "every billionaire is a policy failure" & "it takes a village to make a billionaire." Maybe the downtrodden villagers, those denied, those deceased, those who are currently suffering, are getting restless? Vast & rampant income Inequality is a disease...

Yes... Coffee & Music...

A very dear friend, who knows me well, sent me this drawing, and well, yes, my life too revolves around coffee, music, sunglasses, dogs, and the desire to be cool. Of course, you can't aspire to be cool, and you don't get to decide if you are cool or not, that is left to the four winds. But, yes, how to manage a life? For me, the two key poles: coffee and music. The trajectory: morning coffee = everything is possible, late afternoon music session  (listening to it and/or playing it) = harmony, melody, rythmn, vibes. "There once was a note, pure & easy..." - P. Townsend. Joe Cool Snoopy...

Good News from South Korea...

Good news this morning. The people of South Korea successfully came out in the streets to peacefully resist an attempted coup initiated by their President. The brilliant Heather Cox Richardson writes about it here. Seems their President has backed down, Democracy wins.

Sure it is a long way from USA, but such a refreshing, exicing, heartwarming event. Maybe it is instuctive? The people who value Democracy standing up for their right to a free and fair society, for their constitutional order, good government, and human rights. It's a beautiful thing.

Sometimes the "good guys & girls" win. My partner and I are big fans of South Korea. We love their people, their know-how, their innovations, their products, some of our essential devices include Samsung Smart TV & a Google Chromebook. Also one of our favortie series on Netlfix was the astonishing and beautiful "Alchemy of Souls." Hat-tip to the shamaness, poet & rock & roller Patti Smith for alerting us to that amazing show; magical, graceful, funny, astonishing. Also we loved "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," smart, funny, quirky, fabulously entertaining. South Korea comes across as a beautiful jewel of a land.

Anyway, good news is good news. 

We have been on the alert for the good things in life. Picking and choosing from the best around us. Staying nourished and informed by informed sources. On the lookout for Quality in thought, in writing, in art, in technology, in all aspects of good living. You know, leaning to the Light. Seeking life-giving, soul-enriching people and things.. It's all part of taking care of ourselves, healing, staying connected to one another, and seeking out the best that culture has to offer. Aware, alive, awake. Always.

The Void of Madness...

A stray sentence that I came across this morning that rings true, and totally resonates with me...

"His religion kind of creeps me out..."

Yes. Is it fair to say that most (all?), religions are based on essential, fundamental misunderstandings, and willful falsehoods?  Think of swallowing and embodying the lies as the first deadly step into the void of madness. One digests the false creed, and goes forth into the darkness. Living the lie. A turn away from what is true. It opens up a can of worms, decaying worms of the mind; corrupting, misleading, dangerous, leading to all kinds of mayhem, mischief, tragedy, blood, revenge, oppression, chaos, ignorance & injustice. 

How Do I Sleep at Night?!

Ah well. How do I sleep at night?!

What helps me...

I still believe in Gravity. And Karma. I believe in Justice & the Rule of Law. I believe in a Better Day. I believe that those we think of as "Evil-doers," are imprisoned & tortured by being themselves. That is their worst punishment, they have be them.

I believe in hard work, good cheer. I believe in Good Government & Democracy. I believe the Universe is an amazing, wondrous, & mysterious place. I believe we are all here to observe, to witness, and to discover our very own meanings and purposes.

I believe in the Creative Journey. I believe that Life is a Long-Form Improvisation. I believe it's important to Grow, to Change, to Evolve, to always be Learning. I believe in Grace, Hope, and an Inner Light.

And of course in the face of the constant turmoil, toil & trouble, and chaotic hurly-burly, I believe one must be clear-headed, alive, aware & awake. And of course, always, Damn the Torpedoes...

Bleak, Stupid & Unnecessay...

All the news is bad. No doubt. Especially on the home front in USA. So, I parcel out my time indulging in the news in tiny doses. I dip my toe in the pool, stir it around a little bit, get a decent sample of the worst of the worst shite, and then gracefully exit,  dry my toe, & turn to other things. It's the only way to keep somewhat sane, and the only way to minimize the effects of the poisoning. Sure a body can handle a tiny dose of the poison, just to know what's out there, but then the rest of the day is pointed towards health & balance. There is only so much toxic doom & gloom one humble Pilgrim can tolerate. I am amazed how quickly & easily recent events have basically spun out into visions of total dystopia. It was not my scenario at all. All signs point to a deep decline in the prospects for our Democracy & Good Government. Those ideas now seem under assault from all corners. WTF? That is still my go-to mode: WTF? My fellow Americans are truly baffling to me. I wonder if they have just given up? This decided turn to the Toxic Clown and his disgusting minions seems like the worst self-sabotage imaginable. What happens next? Who knows? It all looks very bleak, very stupid, very unneccsary.