The Balloon in China...

Folks #1: How did Trump's visit to China go? Did he impress the Chinese leadership & the people with his charm, grace & intelligence? Was he persasive in advancing America's global interests? Well... hmmm... I think... that... is not the story...

The Secret Sauce...

Folk #1: Ok. In my book, the secret sauce: Being Onto Something. You know, finding the things you Love to do, and then, throwing yourself into doing them as often as you can. Hurl yourself into the things you do with heart, head, spirit aligned. Fully woke and fully engaged, eyes wide open. Sure, you know, listening to music, reading books, playing guitar, writing songs, hanging with the folks you love to hang with. But also just doing simple tasks, menial tasks, even mundane chores. Getting along in the world. Getting out of yourself. Finding freedom in discipline, work, and gladly tackling even gnarly, difficult things. Discovering a sense of accomplishment; a new song, a sparkling-clean, freshly-mopped kitchen floor. Losing yourself, dropping your ego, and meeting the day boldly & gladly. Of course, none of this is rocket science, it's just all experiential, learning a day at a time, trying one's best to live a well-rounded life. Anyway, being onto to something; that would be my great insight, my practical advice, you know, if anyone was silly enough to ask me for advice, a humble pilgrim struggling to be the best human I can be, knowing that I'm just as lost, fucked up & flawed as the next human being.

Things Get Pretty Dicey...

Folk #1: Swimming in the Sea of Madness, big & little forms of madness, near & far. Can't be good for one's own mental well-being. It takes a sturdy, disciplined mind not to indulge in the madness. Some forms of madness might actually be caused by a virus, passed on from one human to another? Is that possible? Maybe. The madness of crowds, the madness of social media, the madness of isolation, the madness of lonliness, the madness of going down too many rabbit holes, too often. Seems madness is contagious. Maybe madness is just bad chemistry? Bad genetics? Bad luck? Don't get too close, you too can get swamped. Maybe so. Best to stay on the shore, keep a healthy distance from the madness. What happens when a civilization, writ large, revels in madness? Hmmm. Things get pretty dicey. Easy to lose one's bearings. Good luck with that.

Less...

Folk #1: Yesterday's burning question: How to increase one's enjoyment of Life? There are probably a million, or more, answers out there. The quite pithy one that tumbled out of my head: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. You know, simplify in all ways. Less clutter. Less options. Less alternatives. Less churn & hurly-burly. Less words. More silence. Make a few key choices, and stick with them, until they no longer work for you. "Take what you need, and you leave the rest." Long-form improv. Always be open to dropping things from your Life, and picking & choosing the next thing with a sense of discipline & frugality. You are shooting for a stark Clarity & Clear-headedness. Meet the day, the Universe, with a basic kit-bag; just the essentials. Live lightly. We are always in survival-mode. Let the baggage go.

Empathy Slam...

Folk #1: Confronted with the knottiest, thorniest problem you can imagine? It happens often, for some of us, those of us woke to the max, it can happen every day. If you are a super-empathetic person, you know, an Empath, you find you can easily be overwhelmed "...feeling and absorbing other people’s emotions and/or physical symptoms because of their high sensitivities." Yes. That's what I just, this moment, coined an "empathy slam." I have often, in the past, described it as a "people hangover," intoxicated by someone else's feelings & vibes. Turns out the folks closest to me are all Empaths. Get a roomful of Empaths together, toss them a knotty, passionate, human drama & trauma problem/situation, and well, you easily unleash a freaking horricane of emotion & a torrent of thoughts that swamps everyone in it's path. Often, the only solution to this problem with no real good solution? A good night's sleep. If you can possibly get one. You emerge in the darkest of mornings, and realize, "it's not really my problem." It feels like surrender, an abdication, sort of irresponsible, & callous, but really it's just reality. Not everything one sees, hears, and feels, not everything one cares about is one's business. One has to separate oneself, step back, reassess, and take care of one's own business. Self-care means sometimes walking away. Learning & knowing when to not take action, not impose oneself. As Sir Paul once wrote and sang: "Let it Be.'  Yes. This turning away from is humilty in action. Being humble. Letting go. This is me, this is mine, this is not me, this is not mine...

Knottiest of Knots...

Folks #1: Are there some problems that are totally unsolvable? Seems the answer is yes. Or maybe, that is just a perception in the eye of the probllem solver? Maybe there are no good answers or solutions to be had to some problems? Or maybe it is just that all the answers or solutions are so very unsatisfactory to the very shaky Humans trying to deal with the deal? Turns out reality really is reality, and often reality is complicated & murky. Maybe what we perceive as a problem is really just a series of sticky, ugly, gnarly, facts that we need get our heads around? Accepting limits to our understanding & to our own agency, that seems to be a very human thing. It requires clear-seeing & humility. What to do with the knottiest of knots? Maybe all we can do is experiment, and solve for Love, Kindness, Grace & Hope for the Best...

A Casual & Cool Customer...

Folk #1: Dealing with turmoil, drama, trauma, & the highly-stoked, over-amped hurly-burly of an uncertain existence. Oh yeah, that's life. If you aren't careful, you may come down with a bad case of the existential blues. You can quickly dissolve into a murky puddle of indecision & despair. It is important to step back, take a breath, situate yourself a healthy distance from your own seething human snake-pit. Think of your self as a disinterested, casual & cool customer. An observer, a watcher on the scene. Notice your own emotional minefield. Survey, and deactivate, your own hot-buttons. Tame & chain your own personal demons, at least for little awhile, or certainly, long enough to let a certain clarity light up your head & heart space. Remember, although you actually are quite capable of being happy, when even & especially, when alone, you need people, you need healthy human interaction every day. We humans are truly social animals. Sure, sometimes too much interaction with fellow humans can lead to a "people hang-over," that's just baked into the human carnival. And, oh, yeah, when in the thick of it, deep in the throes of a heavy conversation, remind yourself that you don't need to have all the answers, or solutions. You don't need to float your ideas or opinions at the drop of a hat, you don't need to wield your ideas & opinions like swinging a heavy axe. It is not your job to fix everything. In fact, sometimes the absolute best answer is no answer. As they say: "First, do no harm." A good rule to live by. Silence can useful. And then, maybe, upon a studied reflection, a heartfelt, and absolutely truthful declaration: "I don't know, I mean, I have no fucking clue..."  That is clarity. No doubt.

A Turn to Orwell...

“There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always— do not forget this, Winston— always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless.

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever. ”

― George Orwell, 1984

I remember coming across this cold-blooded passage in Orwell's amazing, masterpiece of a book when I was a fairly innocent lad in High School. Blew my mind. Never been the same since. It reflected the times, then, and for sure, it reflects the times now. I do think it perfectly sums up the meaning & uses of power, and the law, as it manifests & is wielded by the rich, entitled, monied classes in our midst, & across the planet. The powerful ones perpetually beating up on the less powerful ones, forever. Yes. Sure, it's a bit bleak, but sometimes, it is helpful to hit bottom. One can find clarity there, and really, the only sensible way forward after hitting bottom is to rise up.

Time for a New Solidarity...

Folk #1: Class Solidarity. Workers Unite. We are in deep dire straits. We need a full-blown flowering of Solidarity, now, desperately. White, Black, Brown, Red, any shade of Human, it's time to recognize, and actualize the reality that we are joined at the hip & at cross-purposes, at war, really with the Billionaires, & the various Elites in all sectors of society. They do not give a shit about us. We are just in their way. It doesn't matter what tint your flesh happens to be, if you are honest with yourself, if you can cleanse yourself of your base prejudices & biases, it is easy to come to the stark realization that we common ones have a world in common with each other. I call on my fellow "White" brethren to drop the fucking stupid white supremacist B.S. and embrace your brothers & sisters of all races, creeds & colors. Now. It is well past time for a great re-think. We need to re-imagine a real American Dream. A true melting-pot, a glorious & true Rainbow Coalition. A cornucopia of multiculturalism & diversity; radical, fucking woke, and engaged. We need to stand up and renew our Democracy. Boot those elite bastards out. We need a total house-cleaning. A restart. We can do it. Organize, Educate, Stand Up, Speak Up, Protest, Resist, VOTE. Sure. VOTE DEMOCRAT up and down the ticket. The Mid-terms are coming sooner than you think. Fuck it. Damn the torpedoes. It is past time to Reclaim the Dream.

The End is Near...

"...he not busy being born is busy dying..." 

- Bob Dylan (It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding) - 1965

Folks #1: The End Times are Here. Yes. That has been a sentiment that has been forcefully expressed ever since the Beginning Times. There are Small Endings, & Grand Endings. Creation & Destruction happens every day. We Humans have a short "shelf-life," and the passing of Generations from Young to Old, to Dead & Gone  is always slowly, or sometimes blindingly-quickly passing before our Eyes. One starts to notice the Grand Theme as one navigates through the world. When Young, everything is New & Fresh, just experienceing it all is a full time Adventure. Later in Life, you start to notice much of your Life & Experience is Now the Past. You are Watching & Experiencing the Slow Obsolecence of your very own Cultured Ways of Living. One starts to feel Out of Sync with the Present. It's all probably Natural. Just the Way of the World. The New World you are experiencing seems to be pulling apart at the seams. Shit is breaking down, worlds are crashing, dreams are vanishing. What you thought you knew, doesn't seem to be working any more. A re-think may be in order. Re-think fast, or give it up. The End Times are Here Now. You either get with it, or turn away. Both are survival tactics. You do your best to Survive, until that is no longer tenable or possible...

My Beloved Failed State...

Folk #1: My first question that I posed to myself upon rising this morning: "What is a failed state?" 

You know, thinking about the present administration, and the tenor & tone of today's USA. Every day another outrage, another story of failure, incompetence & corruption. Our government & business leaders seem to be totally uninterested in a well-functioning country. There isn't a hint of any semblence of professionalism, honor or integrity to be found with these crooks & scoundrels. Instead, it's all just a fucking scam-fest.

These folks are using the government coffers, our hard-earned tax dollars, as a damn feeding trough. Yikes. What happens when you elect a convicted felon, one who never owned up to their crimes, one who never asked for forgiveness, or accepted any responsiblity? Think: "widespread corruption and criminality." Yes. Trending towards a full-on failed state. My Beloved USA. Bingo. Fuck. 

Lessons...

Folk #1: Some things we've learned recently. The Serious People aren't very Serious, the Smart People aren't very Smart, & the Dumb People are really, really Dumb. All this desperate & idiotic flailing & failing is totally predictable & understandable. Humans really do seem to have a deep, in the bone, dogged capacity to hold onto a loud, stubborn, furiously-blind Stupidity in the face of any Truth or Reality. It is quite impressive. What's a poor, Humble Pilgrim to do in the face of this mega-idiocy on steroids? Step lightly, keep your head, hold onto the stair-rail, keep your eyes forward, be careful out there...

The Best is Free...

"The best things in life are free

But you can give them to the birds and bees"

-Money (That’s What I Want)

Barrett Strong

Folk #1: Yes. But, of course, the best things in Life are free. Yesterday, we experienced a little glimpse of Paradise. Easy to tune out the swirling madness of the unraveling shit-show. It helps that we live in a progressive, blue-bubble town. If there are any MAGA fascists here, they are laying low. Not visible. 

Sunny, blue sky, perfect temps in the 70's, a slight breeze off the lake; the day embraced & carressed my friend and I, as we found ourselves basking in the tall grass in front of a historic residence bounded by big trees, with newly sprouted green leaves softly swaying all around us.

Yes. The best things in the Life are free: a casual, aimless conversation with a good friend, a friendly smile from a stranger on the path, dragon flies buzzing the air above us, a child's laughter, tracking the birds flying  dipping and swirling, our own silly, uncommon, laughter emerging from our own mouths, an overwhelming joy surging through our bodies. We were both surprised to discover that we were happy & content just to revel in the moment, to moment. The day seemed to stand still for a bit, just to let us luxuriate in being alive.

You can't put a price on moments, events, beautiful experiences, like that. The best, for sure. Free, of course.

An Instructive Time...

Folk #1: It's ugly out there. Beautiful too. It depends on where you put your attention. The times are demanding that those of us who are committed with all of our hearts, heads & spirits aligned, to be fully "Woke," and to get even more fully "Woke," in the face of the racist, whiny, entitled, Rat Bastards amongst us. It is very instructive time in which to live. I do love tracking with intelligent, empathetic, optimistic & hopeful folks. Yes. They are out there. Diamonds in the rough. These are the times that test one's fortitude & discipline. Keeping our heads, keeping our feet on the ground, valuing truth, honesty, reality, and good cheer. Damn the Rat Bastards. It will not end well for them. Damn the Torpedoes too. Lean to the Light. Cultivate kindness and a radical empathy. Commit to the Good Work. Fuck yeah.

The Antidote to the Shite...

Folk #1: Lucky for us, we can turn to other things. We write songs & play our own original music with an incredible band of musicians. We gathered a few of them together late yesterday for a rehearsal. We ran through songs for two hours. We unveiled two new songs. We organized ourselves in a tight-knit little circle, and locked in with each other. It's what we think of as "the good work."  It's always thrilling & fun, even when it's clunky. Usually the "clunky-ness" is just a working thru some tricky parts. It's part of the process. We can all get a little wild & unruly in the rehearsal room, it's one of the kicks of playing with accomplished musicians. We can let loose, ride the storm, and make it sound pretty damn good. We live for it. No doubt. We feel like we are doing what we are meant to be doing. We do love to play for an audience, but there is something unique and even more "personal," about gathering in a room with no audience, and connecting with a group of dedicated musicians, creative souls all. It's a just completely pure experience. It's the antidote to the shite unfolding all around us. Nothing better. Together we create an energy, a vibe that transcends the mundane. It is sort of a mystery, not sure how it all works, & we really don't want to overthink it. The main thing is to totally commit to the doing. To play really is the thing. For two hours we just completely lost ourselves in the most exquisite way. It's a beautiful, inspiring, thrilling way to spend one's time.

The Road of Excess...

Folk #1: Ok. How to talk about the madness? That question has been swimming around in my consciousness for awhile now. How to explain the shit-show to myself? How to understand our present trainwreck reality?

I flash on one of William Blake's maxims from The Marriage of Heaven & Hell: The road of Excess leads to the Palace of Wisdom. Yes. But what about the casualties along the way?

Yikes. There was a time when that line was appealing to me. I think of it now as one of  the go-to mottos of my "sex, drugs & r&r" years.  As they say, "youth is wasted on the young."  Now, of course, many of my past adventures seem silly to me; off the mark, dead-ends & cul de sacs, lots of flailing & failing. 

Luckily, I made it thru mostly unscathed, without too much damage, trauma or drama. Ok. Some damage, some drama, some trauma. Sure, I burned quantities of time & brain-cells. Maybe there were valuable lessons along the way? Maybe. It turns out that fun isn't what it's cracked up to be. 

You learn what you really want to do with your life, and what you really don't want to do with your life. Our time on the planet is limited. If we are lucky, we have the chance to learn about proportion, limits, guardrails, picking & choosing wisely. Living lightly & with clarity.

What happens when a whole culture seems to revel & wallow in the excess? All levels of government, business, pop culture consumed with over-amped bravado & cheap thrills; gambling, drugs (illicit & licit), sex, money, lies, stupidities, violence, and racism? What happens when everyone goes off the deep end at the same time? "I want what I want & I want it now!" Like little grown-up babies. Denying reality & gravity at our own peril. Is there Wisdom at the end of this gaudy, cultural debauch? How many lives will be ruined in the process? How many carcasses left on the road? Is that any way to conduct one's life? If we make it thru, maybe, hopefully, we somehow come to a certain hard-won Wisdom? Hmmm... I think the jury is still out...

Frenzy of Irrationality...

Folk #1: Ok. Maybe I'm seeing everything in the wrong way? Trying times. Difficult times. Extraordinary times. The current situation of our collective situation, sort of challenges everything I think & believe. Every day, I seem to notice that I am deeply out of sync with they ways of the world. I am disappointed in my Country, in the Government, in the broader Culture. I am not really down with the drift of my fellow Human Beings. There seems to be a frenzy of irrationality alive in the world. Is it crazy to think that most of us have lost of our fucking minds? And still, we go on, furiously consuming everything in our paths. I get up early the morning, peruse the passing scene, sip my coffee, and I wonder to myself: "What to Believe?" So, yeah, maybe being confronted with trying, difficult, extraordinary times is useful? Maybe the trick is to use the challenge as a tool? I believe in believing in something. I have concluded it is important for me, personally, to find meaning & purpose in my day to day. I am making it up as I go along. The basics: I believe in a Better Day. I believe in Humilty, The Good. I believe in Reality & Truth. I believe our lives are long-form improvisations. I believe that we Human Beings are fallible, arbitrary, complicated, contradictory & temporary. I believe in Work. I believe in applying myself to the tasks at hand, and doing the best I can, with what I have. Lately, I find myself being pushed into a Radical Empathy. All the madness, cruelty, & suffering that Humans are inflicting upon each other seems intolerable. I am aligned with Nature, with Love, with Responsibility. It looks like my conception of the world is melting before my eyes. I suppose it's an opportunity to sculpt out, to conjure up, my own very personal vision of Clarity. I am not down with this shite. Still, I carry on.

The Always Unraveling Shit-Show, Right Now...

"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state on innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.” - James Baldwin

Folk #1: Yes. Indeed. Are you watching the relentless, always unraveling Shit-Show perpetrated by the Trump Adminstration? Sure. You want to fucking tune it all out. But it is your duty to watch, observe, note; to take in all the idiocy, corruption, & banditry of this grotesque collection of fucks, thugs, & creeps.  It is astonishing. The level of incompetence & depravity flowing from this crew is absolutely breath-taking. It is happening in all departments, all levels. You want to turn away. You don't really want to take in the carnage. But you must take it in. It is your responsibility as a thinking Human Being.

Human Drama & Trauma. Oh, Well...

"He tried to do his best, but he could not..." - Neil Young (Tired Eyes).

Folk #1: Aye. There's the rub. Here we are. Born into Paradise. Taking it totally for granted. Still, doing our best to make it day to day. Sometimes hitting the target, often falling short. That's the Human drama & trauma. There is something noble in trying to be a good person, despite the odds & circumstances. Keeping perspective. Being philosophical. Aware, alive, awake. Classic dichotomy we traverse: Failure vs. Success. Ultimately we are all graded on a curve. No perfection here. Every win is a loss too. Strange how that works. Knowing when to jump into the fray, knowing when to refrain. Noise & Silence vying with each other. There is "Yes," and there is "No."  Picking & choosing. Being careful, and boldly passionate too. Cool, calm, collected. Totally engaged & committed. WTF. Embracing Life, no matter what. Yes.

Ridiculous...

Folk #1: Question of the morning: How did it all get so ridiculous? The news, the humans, the freaking world? It's a head-scratcher, The Theatre of the Absurd writ large. One can't help feeling like a Samuel Beckett character trapped in a Shakespearean tragedy. It's an odd life, in an odd world. There are people in positions of great power who are supposed be smarter than me, who are definitely not smarter than me,  doing really stupid, corrupt, silly shite. Still, one must carry on, one must pretend that it's all going to work out fine. Why? Well, just because. "I can't go on... I must go on..."

A Long-Form Collaboration with the Universe...

Yes. This book by the "legendary music producer," Rick Rubin: "The Creative Act: A Way of Being," is a good read. Anyone "being creative," which includes all of us, will get something from it. It is a bit of a philosophical/spiritual tract, a manifesto, a long-form essay, a unargumentative argument for being a Creative Being & Being Creative & living a Creative Life. Rick makes the case that we are here to manifest ourselves in collaboration with the Universe. When we create anything, a conversation, a building, a novel, a song, whatever, we are dipping into, and bringing forward, ideas from the Source, and manifesting that inspiration forward into the world. I like to say,  doing the creative work is "the good work;" a discipline, a process, a mission, that gives our lives meaning & purpose. And by doing the work, we transform our selves, and our lives. Powerful shite. Rubin delves deep into the subject, and shines a light on all its various, angles & contradictions. It's a pretty definitive discussion of the subject and shows the way that creativity can emerge, be channeled, & ebbs & flows. It's a bit of a "how-to," manual, but it's put forward as a long-form suggestion, "take what you need, and leave the rest." I took most of it in. Most of the book totally resonates with my own lived experience. For me there were no great surprises, I feel like I have "lived this book," throughout my very own long-form, creative journey; writing stories, poems, plays, putting on plays, performing, directing, and then, writing songs, organizing bands, rehearsing, performing & recording. It's a way of Life a way of Being. The best kind. So, yes, for me, this is quite the validating book. Rubin also brings a Zen-like quality to his Life & his writing, he embodies a kind of spiritual practice that shines through every sentence. Yes. And his dedication to meditation, to observing & learning from Nature, hits home too. I too use this two-pronged approach in my creative practice. Anyway, I do recommend the book, I think it will appeal to pretty much anyone. My only little quibble, this kind of all encompassing, grand vision seems a little too neat. I tend to retreat to the shadows. I don't like to over-think my creative process. My creative process is sort of a mystery to me, and I want to keep it that way. Some how, some way it works for me. Every time a riff, a lyric, comes, it's a surprise. It's an organic method, inspiration just emerges. Usually my best work comes from my subconcious pool of being. I am always trying to get out of my head & into another realm, the realm of pure creativity. Rick acknowledges that approach too. The book is quite magnificent in it's very own unique way.

The Ever-Unfolding Train-wreck America...

Folk #1: Their total incompetence & blatant corruption is going to catch up to them.Welcome to Trump-land. It's an ugly, cruel, violent, stupid place. Remember it is the Republicans who insist everyone should be armed with weapons of every kind. It is Republicans who support ICE terrorizing folks, shooting folks in the street, and hustling kids, grandmas, and hard-working folks off to concentration camps, or deporting them to distant lands. The rest of us can see the deep immoral flaws and inhumanity in those ideas. It's getting crazier by the day. We are definitely living in a Banana Republic. One can only gaze in wonder at the relentless, on-going unraveling of America. A violent train-wreck every day & night. 24/7 madness. Yikes.

How to Be Decent?

Folk #1: You know, I don't think it's that hard. What does it take to be a decent Human Being? Kindness, gentleness, awareness, a sense of responsibility, doing what you said you were gonna do, basically, being reliable, truthful, feet on the ground, open to learning, being curious about the world and other people, being creative, improvisational, willing to admit you are wrong when you are wrong, willing to change your mind in the face of evidence & reality, being humble, willing to help others, trying your best to do a good job, staying busy & engaged, being vigiliant about your biases, your prejudices, your blind-spots, keeping your shit together, guarding against your own bloated sense of importance, learning from Nature, spending time mediating, or contemplating the passing scene, taking care of yourself and others. Leaning to the Light, finding meaning in your Life & the Universe. Sure, it's a day to day proposition. Never take anything for granted. Watch your step, always hold the rail going down the stairs, be careful to nuture yourself with good food, drink, being super-vigilant about the drugs you put into your body. Hone a reliable sense of humor, don't take it all too seriously. It's Life. A Life. Do your best.

Clear the Noise, Take Care...

Folk #1: Supposedly, we humans are born with two innate fears: fear of falling and fear of loud noises. All of the other fears that we carry around with us are learned behaviors. Can we do a reboot? Can we clear our internal space of all these other learned fears? How do it? Who knows?! Maybe just knowing that those are the two go-to fears, the primal, essential ones, the basics that we need for pure survival, we can evaporate all the other noisy fears out of our personal space? Living with less fear, more clarity. Most days I have a go-to mantra that I repeat to myself: "Don't hurt yourself." Most of my wounds & scars have come from self-sabotage; poor choices, bad luck, wrong-place, wrong-time, you know, accidents & incidents. Taking care of ourselves should be priority #1; trying our best to eat well, sleep well, being fully-engaged in the Universe, aware & progressively-woke, avoiding the toxic people, toxic ideas and toxic scenes all around us. Living well seems essential to a well-rounded existence. It's a process, a long-form improv, a day to day experiment. We must do our best to take care of ourselves and the others close to us as we navigate this tricky, complicared world. It seems that it is easy to lose ourselves; to fall off the path, to get stuck, to take stupid, self-defeating detours. Often we are our own worst enemies. It is easy to become fractured, disengaged, clumsy, unthinking, lonely, isolated, on automatic-pilot, just going thru the motions. That is not the way to do it.

Best to Turn Away...

Folk #1: My partner and I listened to the radio yesterday. Folks were dicussing the latest lying idiocies of our President and his administration. We both concluded that just by listening to the stories, trying to understand, or make sense of, to decode all the lies & the idiocies coming from the mouths of these corrupt imbeciles, actually makes one very, very stupid indeed. You know, swimming in the pool of lies & idiocies is a fruitless, debilitating, disheartening exercise. Trying to make sense, trying to discern some intelligence, or truth, is just a silly, pointless, brain-numbing game that burns brain cells. Much of our media is consumed with this madness. Yikes. Best to turn that shite off. There are signs of intelligent life on the planet, but they are few and far between. Somewhere else. Better to head to the lakefront bench and take in the blue horizon and lapping waves.

Masters of War...

Folk #1: Hmmm... I wonder why these lyrics from Bob Dylan's great song, "Masters of War," are ringing thru my head this morning?

"And I hope that you die

And your death’ll come soon

I will follow your casket

In the pale afternoon

And I’ll watch while you’re lowered

Down to your deathbed

And I’ll stand o’er your grave

Til I’m sure that you’re dead"

Bad Karma?!

When?

Folk #1: Oh my. We are in the "monkey flinging shite around his cage" phase of this Presidency. A frantic, desperate Fat man careening around, shouting, cursing out his aides, realizing he has totally fucked up. And his boot-licking minions are scurrying around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to clean up his mess. But, of course, it's a mess not easily cleaned up. Their go-to solution, lying about it all, doesn't really work. Yikes. Starting a war in the stupidest way possible, and now the stupidity, the idiocy just continues to multiply. It's like watching a really stupid car crash over & over & over again. One wonders: "When will this craven, corrupt, immoral, idiocy end?"

What to Value?

Folk #1: Yes. We turned away from the Black Cloud of Shite hovering over & around us, (see previous post), and had a good Sunday anyway. That's the trick. Even though I basically felt like crap I carried on. I played my guitar in late morning, maybe came up with new riff, a seed for a new song. I read a few chapters of a book by Rick Rubin "The Creative Act: A Way of Being."  My partner cooked a fabulous mid-day, vegetarian meal. Then we trekked to a neighborhood bar & community meeting place and enjoyed a late afternoon of music, laughter, love, friendship, joy, crazy fun. We didn't play, we were just a small part of the audience. The bar was stuffed with an incredible array of creative humanity in all it's forms: musicians, teachers, artists, poets, interesting characters all. There was no talk of the shite, the doom, the Idiot, the War. All of that fell away. We got a bit silly, a series of comical conversations; we just luxuriated in the good vibrations. It was all quite life-affirming. The current "leaders," of our country are not worthy. Let me just put down a marker: The Folk, The People, The Common Ones are so much better than those trying to remake the USA into a cruel Fascist Hellscape. A line out of the blue stuck with me: "It's all about values." Yes. What to value? Here's a pretty good list: https://jamesclear.com/core-values. We live in a world of darkness & light. Better to lean to the light, it's good for the heart, the head, the soul. There is goodness everywhere around us. Just need to be open, choose well.

A War on All Fronts...

Folk #1: What is America in this moment? Corruption & Lies. Wild. If you want to know what's happening in the latest chapter of President War Crimes war, you must tune into the statements coming from the Iranians. Crazy. I used to think that Trump's superpower was his ability to lie shamelessly. But I now think his inability to tell the truth ever, is his fatal flaw, and that fatal flaw is harmful to all of us. Trump is at war with the Iranians, the Europeans, the Press, the Pope, Democrats, Sanity, Rationality, & with Truth & Reality. It is an all encompassing war that he can't win, but his relentless raging & engaging in it means that we all lose. Fuck. We are trapped in a doom-loop with President War Crimes, and the Republican Party is sitting on their hands, enabling all of this disastrous dysfunction. We are well, & truly fucked...

Carry On My Wayward Son...

Folk #1: There is a certain peace that comes with the retreat to silence. Overloaded to the point of saturation. A turning away from the insanity & B.S. (see previous post). Processing through the noise. We are onto other things. Carrying on in the face of a decidedly grim reality, and pushing through to another, sunnier, perspective. Picking & choosing where to put one's attention. A survival tactic, a way of Life. Concentrating on the small, near to hand things. The way of Zen. Stripping things down to the essential. A clearing, a healing. 

The Breaking Point...

Folk #1: Yes. It was the week that broke our Lie Detector. Or maybe we should call it our Bullshit Detector? Let's say the terms are interchangable. We are living in the Era of Lies & Bullshit. We are swimming, & drowning in the face of a torrent, a raging river, of Lies & Bullshit. Of course, the tone is set by the over-amped example of our very own President War Crimes and his disgusting, corrupt administration of cowards & fools. Their Lies & Bullshit come fast & furious. Unrelenting. And if they are called out for their obvious idiocies & untruths, they double & triple down. It is quite astonishing & astounding. One cannot encompass the depths of bad faith, bad action, and damned Lies & B.S. of this bunch. Yikes. But, turns out, the Lies and the Bullshit come from every corner, every direction. All the major institutions are suspect. Everything seems unhinged from reality. One must be vigilant, willing to swim through the garbage to try to discern any semblance of truth or fact. It's exhausting. Debilitating. Finally your Detector is over-loaded. You just have to turn it off, & turn away.  "No more, I've had it up to here." Sure, it's a retreat, an abdication, but it seems necessary, just to survive, we must put our awareness somewhere else. So we trek to the waterfront, sit on a bench, bathe in the sunshine and watch the waves crash into the sand. We take a deep breath, and another. Oh, yes. Life.

Leaving Normal Behind...

Folk #1: We left "normal" behind. There is no normal. There is only the ever-present NOW. And it's wild, strange, weird. I have this sneaking suspicion that it has always been so, thinking, maybe, the Human Drama is always unhinged? But, I'm not really sure about that. It could be that at this time we truly have reached some kind of peak abnormality. The Universe is extraordinary, mysterious, unexplainable, no doubt. We Humans are just one little example of Life displaying itself in it's many-splendored forms. Nothing really all that special about the Human Species. We are full of ourselves, we tend think we are the Center of the Universe, we are  pretty much misguided, clueless, arrogant, ignorant. I suppose I am a bit skeptical of my Species. Skeptical of myself too. Can I get it straight? Can I find my way? Can I get through a day without fucking up? I am left with: Doing the best with what I have.  You know, Leaning to the Light & Damn the torpedoes.

A Houdini Act...

Folk #1: "Having it," and "Not Having it," Aye, there's the rub. The uncertainty, chaos, and unhinged nature of our present circumstances, plays havoc with our sunny disposition and general well-being. It's a balancing act, a psychic battle, where the forces of "unbalance," seem to be ascendant. It is important to "have" the moments of  one's Life. Each moment is precious. At the same time, the bad deeds, the insanities, the corruption, the stupidites, and total B.S. of our current very fallible Human drama, demands a bit of a retreat, a decided step back, an abdication to a place of silent stupefication and contemplation. "Not having it," is very important, totally essential to good mental hygene too. This Hurly-Burly nonsense is a confluence of confusion, noise, idiocy & deviancy. How to confront these forces of madness, and ungoodness, head-on, and let them go simultaneously? A bit of a Houdini Act.

From the Get-Go...

Folk #1: Yes. It's always been a rigged game, from the get-go. Still, you have to play, find your spots, that's Life. Not fair? Too bad. You take your chances. Damn the torpedoes. Roll the dice. Pull the card. Play. Yes. You Play as if your Life depended upon it. Because, of course, it does...

Undermining the Dolt, the Fool...

Folk #1: Two great stories this weekend. 

First: Democracy & People Power won in Hungary. So beautiful, and feeds Hope for a better day & better way all around the globe. The Authoritarian/Autocrat Orban was defeated in a landslide after 16 years of "illiberal rule." Endorsements from Trump & JD Vance seem to have worked in reverse, the Kiss of Death for the wanna-be strongman. The opposition won by promising to clean up the system, refortify Democracy & Inclusion,  to confront corruption. Not a bad example for the forces of Democracy here in USA. People Power. All it takes is organizing, educating & voting. 

Second: Our Idiot, Failing & Flailing President directly attacked Pope Leo in a post last night. So, so funny. Talk about someone punching out of their class & league. In a battle between Trump & the Pope, my money is on the Pope. As Donald Fagan might put it: Leo is a "Major Dude." Is the Pope "soft on crime?" Hmmm. Remember that other Dude, the one nailed to a cross, one of his last acts was to forgive a thief. Yes. Jesus too was "soft on crime," he was all about "Love & Forgivness." There are 1.422 billion Catholics in the world. Not all of them are politically aligned with the Pope, but I think it's safe to say that the majority of them have great respect for Pope Leo. If you were looking for an "anti-Trump," you couldn't do better than Pope Leo.

Yes. Two great developments that undermine Trump and his misguided adminstration here and around the globe. The sands are shifting under Trump & his delusional MAGA movement. There is no longer any sold ground under that man's feet. Collapse. Yes. One can see it out on the horizon. I say, "Let it come down!"

State of the Folk...

Folk #1: Take it from a well-situated Folk. The Folk are unhappy & restless. Sure, we all can still party; music, laughter, joy, enthusiastic displays of comaraderie, bounded by the bleakness; all that positive hubbub is bounded by a few deep & dark conversations about "What's going on?" There is a weird head-game we are all playing, two competing states of being, fighting it out in our head-space: "We're fine, everything is OK." Vs. "Holy Shit, how did it all go so wrong?!" Then, back to music, funny stories, giddy laugher. We are dangling over a cliff, thanking our lucky stars that we're at least still dangling... until... well... who knows what the future holds?

What Next?!

Folk #1: What happens next?! The Fat Man is going to try to bullshit his way through it. He is convinced that his relentless stream of gibberish can help him bend reality to his will. The Press will eat it up like happy little suberviant lap-dogs. Most of us, the senisible ones, will try to ignore him, and if we catch a stray word or two, we will step away, spit, make the sign of the cross, dance in a circle, curse a few times, laugh & shake our heads "No!" I mean, "Good Lord!"

How Did It Get So Freaking & Bleeding Weird?

Folk #1: Maybe it's because there are way too many people on the planet? Or maybe it's because Humans are burning fossil fuels at an alarming rate, filling Earth's atmosphere with carbon dioxide, causing temperatures to rise, altering our natural weather patterns, making much of the planet unlivably hot, cooking our brains? Or maybe it's the Smartphone, Social Media, exposure to way too many Humans across the planet, driving each other crazy with posting,  posing, taking part in a grand social experiment of soaking our brains in toxic, noxious gibberish, creating an enormous on-line Tower of Babel, amplifing all this pointless & frenzied needing, wanting, grasping? Maybe it's because we are the Crazy Monkeys really good at making each other Crazy with our greediness, selfishness, laziness, insatiable appetites for entertainment, diversion, and self-imposed madness? Maybe it's because we are good at murdering each other, and making each other miserable? Maybe it's because there have been too many wars, too much mayhem, too much inhumanity swirling around in the human realm?  Maybe because... well... just becuz...

Who knows? And what is the question we are begging this morning? Why does it seem like every day things are getting weirder & weirder? You know, I mean, like, dramatically weirder at a faster & faster rate, every moment of every day? Why does it seems that the chaos, uncertainty, unsteadiness, unhinged-ness, the bat-shit craziness is unfolding, unraveling, unmaking our human domain? How, & why, did it get so freaking & bleeding weird?

Strong-Arming the Pope? Hilarious...

Folk #1: It isn't hard to find some humor in the madness. Turns out the Trump Adminstration tried to strong-arm the Catholic Church & the Pope into supporing their stupid, murderous actions in the Middle East. WTF?! It didn't work. The Pope didn't cave to the stupid people. Seems the Pope's vision for the Church, and the teachings of Jesus is quite different than that of the MAGA mouth-breathers. Sort of funny they thought their strong-arming would work on the Holy See. What fucking arrogant pricks &  total fools. The Pope says:  "Search always for peace and reject war." Amen, Brother...

Can't Unring that Bell...

Folk #1: President War Crimes last evening tried to unring that bell that tolled death, mayhem, & destruction in Iran. Thing is you can't unring that bell. Seems our homegrown Madman has backed down for now. But he has revealed the depths of his unfitness for his present job. "Delusions of Grandeur" don't quite catch the flavor of this man's insanity & instability. Even The Pope is calling him out. Fortunately most of the world has reacted with total revulsion to this deeply, immoral and unwise war & war President. President War Crimes cannot erase the depths of depravity embodied in this statement below. It will live in infamy.  

"A whole civilization will die tonight." That is a fucking insane thing to threaten. That is Genocide. Mind-boggling that this dude wasn't immediately impeached, relieved of his duties, marched out of the White House and taken to Emergent Care. An unwell mind devolving into mush. 

Sometimes Irrational Warmongering is Just Irrational Warmongering...

President War Crimes wants to claim victory for the USA. Reality on the ground, and Truth in air, seem to contradict him. Glad World War III has been delayed, but... WTF?!

Mentally Unfit...

 Folk #1: "That man is mentally unfit for the job."

Yes. It is as simple as that. It explains everything. What will President War Crimes decide to do next? No one really knows. Expect lots of huffing, puffing, thrashing, gnashing of teeth, spittle flying, claims of epic success, loud aimless poorly-constructed sentences, lot of flailing & failing with every utterance & action.  Nothing is off the table. There is no table. Violence & cruelty? Yes. We are dangling over an abyss. Yikes. These are the times that test us all. Collectively, we've fucked up big-time. How is it possible this man has this particular job at this particular time? It's like a curse, a plague, a bottomless stupidity, an epic failure, the ugly gift that keeps on giving...

A Journey in Simplicity...

Folk #1: As we waited to see if our homegrown madman is going to war-crime his way out of a mess he made up out of his own prodigious malice & stupidity, we chilled out yesterday. Sure, we were a bit spooked by the idea of "The Idiot," ordering up a nuclear bomb strike on a country of 90 million human beings, a seemingly unimaginable crime against humanity, that suddenly, in the swamp of stupidity seemed sort of plausible, but we tried to concentrate on ordinary things closer to home. What to do?

Luxuriate in simplicity. Things like breakfast & toast. We recently purchased a new Black & Decker toaster. A simple, well-made device, that does one thing extraordinarily well. There is something so good, nutritious, elemental about a perfectly toasted slice of bread. Then, getting out my beat-up, old guitar and unstringing and restringing it with a new set of strings. One of my favorite Zen activities. I have changed strings on guitars since I was a young boy. One of the simple things I am quite good at. It is a relaxing, rewarding, flow activity. I then sat and played guitar for a couple hours in the kitchen. Time just falls away. Alive in the moment to moment. Nothing better. 

Then I wandered over to the living room to hang with our little flock of birds, and spun vinyl records (Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats," Drive By Truckers "Live at Third Man Records," Van Morrison "Astral Weeks," U2's "Unforgettable Fire)." We recently purchased a new Audio Techinca turntable. Yes. We are excellent shoppers, doing our part the keep the economy going. The turntable is another very well-made thing, that does one thing absolutely perfectly. Although, I am a big fan of CDs, there is something unique about a vinyl record spinning on an excellent sound system with a powerful amplifier, and professional speakers. Mastering Engineers master vinyl records to different spec than CDs. There definitely is more "air," less compression, on vinyl. Analog vs Digital. No need for debate. I think they are both fine formats, but they are different. The physicality of a needle running thru the grooves, it's the experience, the real-ness that stands out. You can hear it, feel it, no doubt. Quality.

Then we watched Tom Hardy in elaborately constructed, beautifully filmed series, "Taboo." A dark, engaging, very well-made series. Hardy plays a character, that the other characters in the series call "the devil himself." A man who has done bad things. Really, really bad things. And somehow he is so compelling you can't help but go along for the ride to see how he is going to work it all out. He totally embodies this character. Hardy is so present, so real, armed with such weight, gravity and gravitas. He truly is one of my favorite actors. 

Anyway, that was our Easter. A turning away. A journey into simplicity. We never left the house. You know, it was a day to renew, recharge, refresh. At least that was the general idea. Now, what fresh fuckery must we confront, process & endure this week?

Jesus, God, Devil, The Future: Mirrors...

Folk #1: Easter 2026. Is it significant? What does it mean? Nothing? Just another Sunday? A day of renewal, rebirth, Resurrection? A day of rest & leisure? It's up to us. We all get to decide for ourselves. The world seems unsettled, on the verge of catastrophe. Maybe that has always been the case? Chaos, Uncertainty, Randomness are always floating around us. From the dawn of Human consciousness there are always those who claim "the end is near."  Maybe it's a natural Human desire? Freud's "death wish," wrapped around the "will to live." The End. In a way, it is true, it is always true, there is always an endless cycle of Endings & Beginnings.  Our lives happen in the "in-betweens." Reflecting on my two previous posts, Jesus, God, Devil, The Future, Hope, Hopelessness, Love, Hate, Life & Death. These are all Mirrors. We live in a grand Hall of Mirrors. Everything we see is a reflection of our own consciousness. That must be one of the most consequential, primal insights that a Human Being can embrace & digest. It inevitably should lead one to a certain Wonder & Humility. "We see the World not as it is, but as We Are."  We can try to do our best to see clearly, to cut thru the noise, the hurly-burly, to see thru the looking-glass, it is an inward & an outward process, simultaneously. It is complicated, there is mystery and the great Cloud of Unknowing; these phenomena surround & envelope us, they are the air we breathe, the clothes we wear, the mirror that we carry with us always.

Literary Critic Hat...

Folk #1: Last thought on the previous post. Putting my "literary critic" hat on, the Jesus Story is just a weak script. A sloppy effort. Too many authors. Pretty damn implausible. Too derivative. For a good overview check out Joseph Campbell's classic book about heroes & myths: "The Hero with A Thousand Faces."  (1949). 

There are so many better, well-conceived narratives out there, better through-lines, more cogent plots, & character development. If you are looking for a hero, or a role model, or just really interesting character, you'd do much better with Ulysses, Beowulf, Frodo, Grendel, Luke Skywalker, Holden Caulfied, Yossarian, Billy Pilgrim, Tom Joad, Dean Moriarty, Sal Paradise, Don Draper, King Arthur, Marcus Aurelius.

Want to read weighty tome that will change your life? Alter your own space, time & dimension? Try Crime & Punishment, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, The World According to Garp, Blood Meridian, Catch-22. Sink into the Human Realm in all it's glory.  

The Bible is pretty over-rated. It has some interesting verses, over-amped scenes, but that old book, is all over the map. Messy, contradictory, misleading. How much ignorance, intolerance, murder & mayhem has that book unleashed over the centuries? 

Pick & choose wisely Grasshopper. Be careful what you put into your head. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Don't Need a Messiah to Know Which Way the Wind Blows...

Folk #1: Non-practicing Catholic Boy here. Good Friday brings up weird memories. A wee child sitting in a wooden pew, watching an enactment of the Stations of the Cross. Dare I say it? Weird shite. Sure, it was strange theater, but never quite understood the point. Poor Jesus, he seemed to get a raw deal. He was an ambitious Jewish Boy who didn't know his place in the world. Smacked down and brutalized in some crazy-ass entertainment. An elaborate ritual of suffering & guilt. This ritual brutalization came across as oddly celebratory. What kind of story was this supposed to be? "Son of God," crucified by the Humans. Yikes. Crazy. This wee lad was totally confused. WTF?! Seems we should have retired this old story long ago. He lived, he suffered, he died, he rolled away the stone, and flew the coop. Rumor was he'd come back, sit on a throne and rule. What kind of drugs were those story-tellers huffing? Yikes. What do they call that kind of thing? A wild yarn? An Old Wives Tale? Retire Jesus, put him out to pasture. The embrace and the persistance of this old, contradictory, implausible narrative is amazing, weird, and probably a sign of our Human imbecility, fallibity and gullibility. We just want to believe what want to believe. Damn the torpedoes. Our ability to embrace B.S. is astonishing. Yes. As I grew up, I gravitated to Buddhism. Meditation. Zen. Seemed much cleaner, clearer, a better way forward. Not so much something to believe in, but a way to conduct yourself, and to act in the world. I left Jesus behind, he was a Gloomy Gus who was treated poorly by the powers that be. Sure he preached Love & Forgiveness, he lived with fisherman, hung out with thieves & whores. He did a few good works. Chased the money-changers from the temple, turned water into wine (party-time!), raised the dead? Hmmm. That seemed like a stretch. Still. Maybe this whole saga was just a cautionary tale? Don't claim to be something you are not? Step out of line, you will be crucified. Do the work, be humble, fly under the radar. Cultivate your garden. Humility. Grace. Love. Forgiveness. You can embrace those things on your own. You don't need a Messiah to know which way the wind blows. You can work on being an honest, giving, compassionate Human Being by doing your best to be a fully engaged Human Being. Yes.  Lean to the Light. Embrace the Good. Be Woke. To the max. Not for some reward later on. You will not be redeeming your soul for valuable prizes in a golden paradise. Fuck that. Be Here Now with all your heart, head, & spirit alive in the moment to moment.

Decidedly Grim...

Folk #1: I went to bed early, read a great novel, Hamnet, (2020), totally crashed out, then slept like a baby. I knew that the crazy guy was going to go on TV to say crazy things about the war in Iran but I just didn't give a fuck. Up early this morning, catching up now, I suppose we are now clearly in late-stages of rage, madness, dementia & delusions of granduer. What happens when a great nation is firmly in the grip of an aging, disintegrating, addled madman? Yikes. That is the burning question this a.m. And as a follow-up: How bad can all this get? Hmmm. Making hash and crashing the economy, sinking our reputation across the globe, destroying alliances, getting folks killed for no good reason. Sheesh. The prognosis is decidedly grim...

Cherish the Good...

If you dip your toe in the pool of ignorance & madness every day, what does that do to your mind? Does it  irreparably damage one's psyche? Does it permanentely cloud once's consciousness? Can one "break one's own brain?" 

Not idle questions. Actually quite important & of the moment. Absolutely on-target in our present circumstances. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." 

You think to yourself: "Surrounded by the stupid, the cruel, the insane can't be good for me." Yes, seems obvious that spending time with stunted, twisted and deeply unwell humans can be detrmental to one's well-being. Seems easy to sink into the black-mire of madness.

How to protect yourself? A cool detachment helps."In it, not of it."  Remind yourself of what is actually  important: truth, reality, gravity, kindess, intelligence, empathy, compassion, music, poetry, laughter, love, forgiveness, responsibility, humility, grace.

Be sure to plunge into doing the things you love to do, and do them as often as you can. Know that there are other humans, just like you, seeking a better way & better day.

A working thru. A certain discipline. A determined strength of mind. There is beauty & wonder to be found around every corner, but it's important to watch your every step, pay attention, and cherish the good.

The Weirdness is Penetrating Even the Most Indifferent, Pre-occupied Minds...

Folk #1: Okay. Over here in my own personal orbit, seems the bubble has been breached. We have reached some kind of tipping point. A guitar-tech I know, a late-thirty-something guy, that I have known for many years, one who has usually treated me with a casual indifference, who always seemed to look down on my beat-up guitars, who barely gave me the time of day, suddenly opened up. We chatted on the street, yesterday, in the doorway of the guitar shop where he works. I asked him, "How's it going?" Usually I would get a shrug, and a grunt, in return, but, this time, words gushed from his lips like a raging river. "What's happening? How did things get so weird? The government, the world, the markets? Weird." I could see this guy was totally reeling. His world, like mine, was in total free-fall. This is not someone who ever appeared to care about anything, never talked politics, never offered anything, a person seemingly lost, firmly situated in his own private concerns, in his own little box. A new consciousness has suddenly sprung up from his worried mind. I take this as a good sign. The weirdness has penetrated even the most unconcerned, over-preoccupied folks. Turns out he went to the NO KINGS protest over the weekend too. Surprising. And, yes. Most excellent. The first step in the healing process: Knowing you have a problem. It is not just us cultural canaries in a coalmine, even the seemingly least politically conscious folks amongst us, are now woke up. That is good. Yes, indeed.

Hard Truths, Hard Realities...

Folk #1: I suppose we are at the point where we derive some pleasure watching the lying liars come up against cold hard reality. Even those MAGA mouth-breathers must be starting to wonder if they are being lied to? Hmmm. Who knows? Maybe not. Those folks are lost souls.  They will be the last to know. They are desperate to believe and harbor all the obvious, malevolent lies. They will cling to their rage, fear, hatred, racism, & cruelty as if their lives are built upon, & are completely dependant upon, never giving up their brain-rotted beliefs. The rest us see the lies evaporating just as quickly as they are hurled into the atmosphere. Our Toxic Prez and his boot-licking minions just keep spewing malevolent nonsense. They are unleashed, unbound, untethered from any semblance of Truth, or the real. It's wild to watch the media & the Republican party pretend that these folks aren't deeply-flawed, unwell, sick & twisted; bad actors addicted to amplifying lies at a prodigious rate. There are some hard limits, hard realities that they are bumping up against. It might get uglier, probably will, but then, that is where Hope will float above the carnage. The lies are already being destroyed in the light of day, & that destruction will lead to a heavy-duty crash, pretty much everywhere, all at once. Am I predicting some kind of grand collapse? Yes. Slowly at first, then all at once. Luckily most of us are not having it, we are tuning out the lies, and the liars. Sure, we are all in for a bout of suffering, reality is a hard, unforgiving mother, and all of us are culpable, and implicated, but most of us are still standing on solid ground. We will be the ones ready & willing to pick up pieces, do the clean-up, move on with a greater focus & purpose. It won't be easy, but it will be necessary.

NO KINGS - Yes Obvious Shite!

Folk #1: It was a sunny, blue sky day over here yesterday for the NO KINGS rally & protest. Good turnout on a very, very cold day. Cold wind off the lake. Still, the people came out. They are not happy with what's going down right now in the USA and the World. The folks are restless. So many great signs, it's was a very kind & generous crowd & vibe. Smiles all around. Everyone just wanted to be there and show each other that lots of us know we all believe that our Country has taken a very wrong-turn, indeed. What were we  protesting?  Pretty much everything. The list goes on & on. I thought the sign above was perfect encapsulation. "The Quicker Fucker Upper..."  And Fuck that Guy & all his idiot MAGA followers and the Republican Party too. Terrible people all...

Not Having It! It's a Movement...

Folk #1: Another way of describing the vibe of the moment, here, and yes, around the globe: NOT HAVING IT! You know, those fucking people trying to shove their lies down everyone else's throat?  Guess what?! IT IS NOT WORKING!  Most of us are standing up and saying, "Nope." We are a recalcitrant, gnarly, ornery, lot.  We are a movement, and we don't even know it. We are too burly, spiky, and completely disagreeable to even realize that we are powerful & in the majority. We see, we hear, we count the torrent of lies floating over & around us, and we reject each & everyone of them, wholeheartedly. The lying liars flail away, expecting their lies to cloud our minds, to win the day, and to turn us into easily manipulated Clue-less Zombies. It was looking a bit dark & bleak there, for awhile, we all gulped and thought: "Maybe the liars will win?!"  But that moment of doubt has vanished. Surprisingly, we often look & act like the clueless Zombies the liars want us to be, but the flicker of Light, the bold arrow of Reality, a certain animal intelligence & survival instinct, crashes into our collective consciousness. We may not know what we want, but we certainly know what we don't want! The "powers that be," in America are so wrong-headed & broken. Trump and his MAGA zombies think that their lies will stick, as long as they keep pounding the table & repeating their lies loudly, forcefully, desperately. They seem to think that everyone is as deeply-corrupt, stupid, and emotionally-crippled as they are; you know,  a world of incompetent, corrupt, evil, idiots.  Turns out that is a grave miscalculation. Most of the us can see thru the transparent B.S. We aren't buying it.

The Human Project...

Folk #1:  Two statements, not backed up by proof or data, just my own very personal 'lived experience."

Everything is connected.

Everything counts.

You may not see the connections, but they are there. You may not think every tiny act accrues & accumulates, but, yes...

It may all seem a bit spooky, mysterious, unsupportable, unexplainable. Assume you know nothing, it's a good start, and from there, you inevitably find yourself going to "I wonder what's gonna happen next?"

It's actually a quite great way to navigate the Universe. You realize you don't always need to know, you can't know the unknowable, and that's okay, you just need to live,  truly, madly, deeply & fully; heart, head, spirit aligned. Plunge in. Open-hearted, open-minded. Not always easy, but that's the human project.

Reaching Our Limits...

Folk #1: Think of our present nasty predicament here in the USA as being in the "Bartelby the Scrivner" phase. The "I would prefer not to," era. Think of the awesome Power of saying "no..." You know I am advocating for a life-affirming, super-positive utilization of "no." A liberating "No, and, oh yeah, fuck you, & the horse you rode in on." Delivered with ultimate gusto, and the most empathy, & compassion one can muster up.

Another forever war? No. 

Fascism in America? No.

Idolize the bully? No. 

Bow down to the Stupid Ones? No.

Just go along, get a long? No. 

Beat up on the poor? No. 

Beat up on Immigrants? No. 

Brutalize our fellow humans in the streets, and the newly constructed conccentration camps? No.

Use AI? No. 

Eat a Shit Sandwich and Say it Tastes Good? No.

Turn a blind eye to the corruption? No.

Pretending to like what everyone else likes? No.

Giving up on Justice? No.

Giving up on Democracy? No.

Become totally cynical and callous? No.

Giving up on decency & compassion? No.

Stop giving a Fuck? No.

Giving up Hope? No.

Giving up anything without a fight? No.

We are free to say no. It is freeing, and liberating. There is a better way & a better day.  Can we will it to be so? Who knows? Worth trying. No doubt. Damn the Torpedoes...

Fanfare for the Common Folks...

 

Folk #1: If Democracy is to be saved, it will be saved by the common ones. Seems fascism is out of fashion. Cruelty is not really cool. Blaring, over-amped stupidity is not popular. Murder & mayhem in the streets, concentrations camps, and foreign wars are definitely on the "outs" with most of us Americans. We all focus on those crazy folks still clinging to the sinking MAGA boat, but what about the rest of us? We greatly out-number those dolts. 

At some point "Trump," & "MAGA," will be about as popular as "Covid," or "pestilence," or "sexually transmitted diseases," or "tooth decay." And, well, that kind of super-unpopularity has consequences. 

More special elections overnight. The district that contains Mar A Lago in Florida went to a Democratic Candidate. More flips to the Democrats. This year, so far, something like 30-0 flips (!) for the good guys. It is the voters, you and me, we are the ones who can take this country back, set it right. One vote at a time. Nothing fancy or easy about it. Standing up to be counted. That's how you do it.

A good thing about our little Democratic experiment, we can change direction. Maybe not on a dime, but slowly, slowly, and then, suddenly, very quickly. It doesn't happen instantly, but it can happen. One day you wake up and MAGA is a distant creepy memory. Trump is a life-less hulk, and a lame fucking duck. And we have all moved the fuck on. A new day is upon us. Yes. Indeed. I can see that vision & future, oh so clearly. 

A Zen Ju-Jitsu Maneuver

Folk #1: "Stiff upper lip." Maybe that British pose & idea is a little over-rated or out-dated, and of course, it can be "over-done," and detrimental, but as you watch your fellow humans freaking out at every little news story, you think, a bit of discipline, gumption, and counter-intuitive narrating is in order. "Woke," seems to point to sensitivity, empathy, compassion, intelligence, & gentleness, but we can also be gnarly, recalcitrant, burly,  spikey, often playing "devil's advocate." Trying on personas day to day. You know, Vince Lombardi's "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Being tough without being tough. A permeable hardness. Tough of Spirit, and, soft of touch. Sort of a Zen Ju-Jitsu maneuver.  Look all the star-crossed little sheep running like a crazy, doomy mob, watch them all gladly leap off the cliff together. You really feel for those mis-guided, hairy sheep. You aspire to be the Shepard, not the sheep. You stand still, take it all in, let it percolate inside. "In it, not of it." Sometimes, just like the cheese, you must stand alone.

Anything Can Happen...

 

Folk #1: Ha, ha, ha...

Is it funny to see that the President of the USA has no freaking clue about what he is doing or saying? Isn't it wild to realize, he, and we, have no idea what is percolating in his mushy sponge of a brain, and no idea what words will actually dribble out of his mouth next? Yes. It is funny & wild, & a bit scary too. Lives hang in the balance; with one poorly constructed sentence he can put folks around the world in grave danger, global financial meltdown could be around the corner, a certain Apocalypse Now could unfold at any moment. Or... maybe... not.  

I must say, being out and about over the weekend, meeting & talking with my fellow Americans, none of this madness, idiocy, and uncertainty is going over very well. This President is deeply unpopular around these parts. I suppose that is a good thing. Maybe just maybe he is destroying the Republican Party from the inside out? It is rotten to the core. Time to sweep that shit out, no doubt. Just hope he doesn't destroy everything else in his path too. Think: Godzilla with Early Stage Dementia. Anything can happen!

A Vibe in the Ocean of Vibes...

Folk #1: Yesterday, I spent late afternoon in packed little Chicago bar singing "my truth," It is quite the thing. Write songs, take them out into the world and sing them with all your heart & soul. I'm not saying I am a fabulous singer or anything, but "my voice," is truly mine, it's authentically mine, it took my a long time to truly find it, and there is something about letting it fly into the atmophere backed by a kick-ass band. It took a long time to get to this place without worry, doubts, or second thoughts. Also, there is the long process of finding out what "works," what doesn't; working thru all the elements, having the right gear, working thru bad sound, broken strings, tuning issues, not being being able to hear yourself in the center of the hurricane. The audience was appreciative, enthusiastic; I was just one element in an 8 piece ensemble. The "magic" comes from losing yourself in the moment. The vibe the band creates is bigger than any one of us. So yeah, my voice in the middle of the maelstrom of sound, just another vibe in the ocean of vibes. Whenever you do anything "creative," you are edging out on the high wire, not knowing if what you are doing is really good, bad, or indifferent. Really just trusting the creative impulse. Giving your all, losing your self in moments of complete trascendence. Those moments can't be ordered up, or commanded, they descend upon you, like a cloud, or like a gentle rain. There is nothing better in the world. You can bask in the glow of an uncommon, beautiful thing. Just another show, but it is a little glimpse of everything conjured up just right, everything truly in it's right place.

In it's Own Weird, Negative Way, it is Impressive...

Folk #1: Think of him as a "negative role model." You know whatever he is, represents, says & does, should be dismissed, rejected, belittled, ignored. Be glad you are not him! Use his example as a map for how not to live, how not to think, act, or believe. He is cruel, racist, unkind, selfish, boorish, ignorant, you are kind, compassionate, embrace diversity, empathic, humble and loving, always seeking intelligence in this vast Universe. Think of him as the human-black-hole, a field of negativity, nihilism, death; you must avoid him, his followers, and all his emanations at all costs. Your life depends on it. Your happiness, your fulfillment, your hope for a meaningful and satisfying life requires you to navigate away from anything associated with that very sick, twisted, corrupt idiot. Think of his life as The Idiot's Guide to How Not Live a Life. Ha. How is it that one human being can attract, embody & manifest all the worst qualities of humanity? All contained in one over-stuffed toxic package? I suppose in it's own very weird, negative way, it is sort of impressive...

Blind Stupidity...

Perfection. There are only so many ways & times you can say fool, idiot, creep, moron, knave, scoundrel, grifter, felon, con-man, cry-baby, narcissist, egotist, psycho/socio-path, liar, bully, coward, sexual predator, all-around terrible human being. Sometimes one image is all you need...

Beware the Shit-Stirrers...

Folk #1: My friend's Mother came to one of our theater productions back in the early 2000's. It was a festive get together. Our little theater group put on a funny, surreal, play, there was a good turnout, and then there was a rollicking celebration afterwards; drinking, chatting, laughing, and goofing around. One of our tangential friends, a shady, marginal character we called "Johnny Boy," stood out in a crowd of shady, marginal characters that always hung around the theater space. Free booze, pretty girls & music was like fly paper to these needy, on the hunt, flies. My friend's Mother sat observing it all. She took one look at Johnny Boy from across the gallery space; he was animated, fractured, even at a distance looked not quite right, and she remarked to no one in particular: "That Johny Boy is going to ruin it for everyone." Ha. Of course she was right. Wherever Johnny went there was always chaos, fights, and hard words left in his wake. Later in the decade, Johnny would send me photos from on the lam in Thailand; the theme was always half-dressed ladies, illicit drugs, wild nights, dark-doings.  It was best to keep one's distance from Johnny Boy. Always arm's length. Beware the shit-stirrers. Hmmm... I wonder why I am thinking about Johnny Boy this morning?!

The Good Work of Living Well...

Folk #1: Hitting bottom. What is to be found there? Nihilism. Pessimism. Doomerism. You know, death-cult, suicide-cult shite. I suppose it's good know, to be aware of the very dark things that you must avoid, and to recognize them as the intellectual poisons fatally-toxic to your head, heart & spirit. USA is in the grip of MAGA. MAGA = Death Cult/Suicide Cult. I suppose Hate suffuses & infuses everything in this dark, toxic place. It is self-hatred turned on the world. It is a mind-fuck, a spirit-suck, a black-hole that swallows everything. This Death/Suicide Cult looks powerful & inevitable, but it's a hollow, empty, dead-end, no doubt. It can't be reasoned with, it must be avoided, contained, and defeated. Most of us truly Love Life & Love Love. That is the alternative, the positive truth, the life-raft that will save us. So, yes, you touch down, then you must rise up from the bottom, land on solid ground, and begin doing the good work of Living Well.

Surrounded by Knaves & Fools...

Folk #1: St. Patrick's Day 2026. It doesn't have much meaning beyond an excuse to drink to excess, & then puke on your shoes. Beer & vomit. And for a certain class of Humans, that is just typical behavior. Some of us left all that behind in our mis-spent youth. Now it's about observing your fellow humans acting badly and thinking "glad it's not me." Unleash yourself from the drinking class, and, suddenly you are a bit of an outsider. Choose to be a vegetarian too, and, well, you find yourself on the far shore of existence. Oh yeah, admit you like to read poetry, and poetic novels?  Ok. You are an outlier, no doubt. Yes.  Being on the outside looking in gets to be quite comfortable & comforing. Dave Davies of the Kinks once put it well: "I'm not like everybody else." And that's ok. It kind of inverts the old idea of being a "rebel," no cigarettes, no booze, no BBQ, no junk food, early to bed, early to rise, leaning to the Light,  you know, just for kicks? "Straight Edge," vs."Broken Arrow." I was once told by a "psychic," that my mission in this life was to "heal my male ancestral line."  Seems a bit of a heady, mad, impossible quest & task, the kind of mission & theme you can take into the core of your being and guard with your life. I look back at my own line, a  long string of "working stiffs," folks just trying to get through, and, yes, well, there is continuity in the line. I find myself trying my best to do what I can with what I have, which isn't all that much, but just enough. I can choose to be happy, as an act of flinty discipline. Surely, I am arbitrary, temporary, making it all up as I go along. Often I have no clue what it's all about. I look around at the world and I see difficult dire, deadly, times, bounded by tragedy, and cruelty; surrounded by a world overstuffed with knaves & fools. I am in it, but not of it. That's my code. I tell myself: "It must be enough."

Clearing the Head-Space...

 

Folk #1: I write about the madness, often, here, in this little blog. Reading my posts you might think I am overly-occupied with the doings of terrible people doing terrible things. It is not so. Or, ok, it is so, but only to a certain extent. Sure, there is a battle going on in my head-space (one battle after another), sure, the hurly-burly of furious action is front & center in my head, but I am always trying to clear my head, my space, to open to a new clarity, to locate, & to retreat to, the calm center of consciousness. It can be done in short bursts, and, surprisingly, sometimes, I can do it all day long. I turn to meditation, music, laughter, love, joy. I try to fill up my days by doing those things that I love to do. Much of yesterday I spent my time in a recording studio working on new music. It was glorious. No one was shooting missiles at me. If I stick close to the ground, wander the streets of my little neighborhood, I can lose myself in a world of wonder. Really. It's true. I imagine myself as a little Golden Buddha. letting go the troubles, the worries, the doubts, of a crazy-ass existence, and focus on the Light,  Light in the Darkness, leaning into the "path of enlightenment." Yes. Be like the Golden Buddha. That is a noble path. No blood for oil. No war. Fuck the evil-doers. I let all the shite go. Damn the torpedoes.

The New World Disorder...

Folk #1: Intentionally lighting the Middle East on fire? Not smart. Gladly blundering into a War? Pretty damn stupid. And terribly immoral. Not realizing that other folks have "theory of mind;" not understanding & taking into account that  other Human Beings have their own thoughts, ideas, dreams, plans, motives? Infantile, stunted, a sign of a malfunctioning brain. Talk about "self-sabotage." No surprise this man is a multiple Felon, a serial sexual abuser, a bully & a clown with a long record of failures & bankruptcies. Did I mention the Lies? Never-ending. How could such a Human Being be elected, elevated to such a position of weight & power by a free populace? Unfathomable. This lawless President, and his boot-licking toadies are on a path of world-wide chaos & destruction. Welcome to the New World Disorder. It is true, and it is our small glimmer of Hope, there is still reality, gravity & hard consequences: "The harder they come, the harder they fall, one & all." Afterwards, the healing will commence, and the picking up the pieces and putting back together again will be a major enterprise of renewal. Other, vastly better equipped Humans will be required for the difficult tasks ahead.

The Psychopaths Amongst Us...

Folk #1: What is a Psychopath? Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, persistent antisocial behavior, along with bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits. These traits are often masked by superficial charm and immunity to stress, which create an outward appearance of normality.

The latest news seems to beg the question: What happens when society rewards & elevates these broken, stunted, malformed personality types to the highest ranks in Government, Business, Show-biz, Pop Culture?

The obvious result: blind cruelty, pointless violence, raw brutality. Amplify this across countries and you get bloody wars of attrition. Unhinged, delusional, diseased, poorly functioning minds at war with each other.  The rest of us are left to watch the gory spectacle unfold & to pray that the pieces don't fall on our own heads...

Stupid & Corrupt Meets the Day...

Folk #1: It's funny to watch the really Corrupt & Stupid People find out that not every one else is quite as Corrupt & Stupid as they are. You know, "the shock of the real." Another hard reality, and a hard-learned lesson in humility. Of course, these Corrupt & Stupid People are so Corrupt & Stupid, all lessons, roll off their backs, they fall by the wayside. Nothing will deter these Corrupt & Stupid People from their mission of corruption & stupidity. So, anyway, yes, the Gates of Hell have been pushed open-wide, it is quite disturbing, but there is still a tiny flicker of satisfaction as we watch the Corrupt & Stupid People flail about in total stupefied incomprehension. They find themselves up against something totally mysterious: other folks with minds of their own, some actually armed with a smidgen of Intelligence, Integrity, Agency, Will, Intention, Resistance.  Sure, all this madness & fury may spell "curtains," for a certain way of life for all of us, it is a constant battle, between the dense & the enlightened, but it is sort of gratifying to watch the Corrupt & Stupid Ones find out that "the world," & reality itself, refuses to bend or bow to their deeply stupid & corrupt idiocies...

Morning Words...

Folk #1: Words & phrases that tumble off the top of my head this morning...

Hubris
Arrogance
Idiocy

Blind Stupidity

Clusterfuck

Fatal Embrace

Catastrophic Failure

2 Billion Dollars a Day

Oil Crisis

Vietnam

Iraq

Afghanistan

Iran

Straits of Hormuz

Quagmire

Forever War

FUBAR

Civilian Casualties

Murder

Mayhem

Dogs of War

Gates of Hell

Unintended Consequences

No Exit Strategy

War Crimes

Dishonorable Men

Cowards

Fools

Lies

Lies

Damned Lies

Release the Epstein Files

Fuck

"Girl, we gotta get out of this place, if it's the last thing we ever do..."

Yes, of course, the Idiot Plot...

Folk #1: Yes. Of course. "The Idiot Plot!" - an idiot plot is one which is "kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot" and where the story would quickly end, or possibly not even happen, if this were not the case.

Sure, it can be mildly entertaining, if, & when, it's just entertainment; a movie, a series, or a show, in which you watch other folks, clearly, first-class, clueless Idiots, navigating thru the world, fucking up with total abandon and idiocy. Laughter and joy can ensue, watching folks clearly more fucked up than you, totally fucking up. There is a certain satisfaction in thinking: "At least I'm not that much of a fucking Idiot!"

In the real world? Not so funny. Every morning you wake up, worried, anxious, unsure, sipping your morning coffee asking yourself: "What fresh fuckery today? What have the Idiots done now?!" 

We are stuck in the Idiot Plot, with no clear escape hatch. Yikes.

Random Words from a Diseased Mind...

Actual Quote from Trump: "No other president can do some of this shit I'm doing."

Folk #1: Exactly! Yes. In my own mind, I have danced around with the idea that Will Stancil posted on Blue Sky (see above). Thinking about this lawless, rogue, President, a human being, who rarely seems to have a coherent, rational, logical thought in his head; attributing, any cogent motives or strategies to this poor example of a man, seems like pointless foolishness, & an obvious "category mistake."   

All the media coverage of this man's mutterings are truly off-target.  Yes. "... asking a poodle to change a flat tire." So perfect. He's just "doing shit." Shit no one else would do. 

There may be some raw "thoughts" swimming around in this President's head, probably up front & center in his head: "stay out of jail," but beyond that, think way more basic; reptilian, lower-function, all-reaction/all the time. Pure survival shit; rage, blind stupidity, gutter racism, incoherent ramblings & random poorly-formulated words from a truly diseased mind.

It's pathology, baby! We are stuck with this sickness, until, well, not sure how this ends. Yikes...