Confederacy of Dunces...

Folk #1: Ok. My stupid questions this morning. How did vast quantities of Human Beings get so stupid? How did our Culture become a hot-bed of stupidity, rage, idiocy, quackery, consipiracy-minded foolishness? How did we end up elevating the proudly stupid ones to positions of great power across all the major sectors of our Global Communities? How did we end up lionizing & rewarding folks who should be shamed, shunned, and/or imprisoned? It is so damn strange to be around so many very, very stupid people. Comically-corrupt, totally-incompetant, & supremely-greedy folks who can't stop advertising & promoting themselves, and shamelessly grifting off the other very stupid ones. Yikes. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to see that something is seriously, hilariously, ridiculously wrong.

No Time for Dooming...

Folk #1: There is no point in "dooming." Things have gotten so fucked up, stupid & corrupt, I mean shit, save your energy for voting these assholes out. Our Criminal President, and his boot-licking lackeys in the Republican Party have looted, crashed & punished us enough.  We are hurtling towards the Mid-term elections and, well, it seems a reckoning is coming. Even the MAGA numbskulls seem to be aware that the incompetence, the corruption, lack of any morality, or code of honor, has brought us to a very sad state of affairs. Reality & Democracy are the friends of any, and all, concerned American Citizens. The Natives are restless. Obviously, we all seriously fucked up when we elevated one of the worst amongst us to a position of great power. Talk about self-sabotage. Democracy is a pretty good tool for "self-correcting." The time for cleaning up the mess in which we all find ourselves is barreling towards us like a runaway train. And that is a good, very necessary thing, indeed.

Present Moment: Liberation...

Folk #1:  It has been said a million times in a million ways. Yes. Living in the moment. It's a dicispline, a practice & a method for better living. It's easy to lose the thread. The Past is ever-expanding, and so much of one's experience is there. You can be overwhelmed and become a captive of the Past; experiences, memories, long chains of reasons, choices, detours. The Future looms over us too. Hopes, Dreams, Fears. The Future is a promise, a murky beckoning. Easy to fall into a worried funk, or into a sunny Dream-state that never quite materializes. We get shackled & imprisoned by the Past, and befuddled & confused by the Future. Liberation is in the moment. Life is to be found in the moment to moment. Alive. Aware. Awake. We have agency in the moment, and only in the moment. Fully engaged in the moment. Funny. It's so clearly the wise, Life-affirming choice. Choosing the Present. Living there fully, without any doubt, or restraint. The Present is where we reinterpret the Past, and where we recalibrate our expectations for an uncertain Future. Sure. Bad shit can happen in the moment. One has to deal with the deal. Why is it so hard to remember, or easy to forget, that the Present moment is everything? Inhabit the moment, let it fly, let it flow, ride the wind. Damn the torpedoes.

The Finer Things...

Folk #1: How to renew, reset, recharge? That has been the question, the topic, the desired mission looming over me & my partner, for awhile, especially after recovering from nasty colds. I came to the simple, maybe obvious, realization yesterday, it's all about seeking out the simple, genuine pleasures, gravitating to the finer things, the finer situations, the finer folks. Quality. Not quantity. Yesterday was a long, luxurious day of finer things. A good meal, a good book, good music, playing guitar in the secret garden, catching the rays of the sun, going to a backyard concert with super-engaged, enlightening, enlightened, kind, gentle, and fully-realized, Human Beings. Getting closer to the essence of the Good. My partner and I were greeted as fellow travellers, by folks who knew us, & who knew our band, & knew our music, at this amazing gathering of creative souls. To be seen and acknowledged, that was quite suprising and gratifying. A day of Mojo Rising.  We let everything, and everyone float over to us. There was no needing, wanting, grasping. We met the day and everything in it, fully awake & alive. It was good. Very good indeed. 

Mojo Killers, Essential Medicine, Fake it to Make It...

Folk #1: Sure. Ykes. The vibes are BAD. My partner & I listened to a radio program on Friday.  A few scientists were speaking about AI & Climate Catastrophe.  Two very knotty, gnarly topics. The gist? We are royally fucked. 

No kidding. Sounds like these are two existentially doomy areas of deep concern. You could almost hear the despair in the voices of these learned folks. The only hope that was offered? Maybe something so terribly bad will happen, the Humans will change course? Yikes. Talk about hanging by a thin reed. Seems the Humans are playing with fire in multiple ways, and well, we may end  up burning the whole house down.

Alternatively, the vibes are so fucking bad, maybe an electoral bloodbath, a blue wave of magnificent proportions could be brewing?  I mean, who knows?! Fingers crossed. Hope dies last.

So, yeah, let's punish the Republicans for punishing us. Sounds like a good idea. 

Still, talk about Mojo-killers. What to do? We didn't want to just stew in the pot of doom. We decamped to our rehearsal studio and played music. We ran thru an album's worth of unrecorded songs. Sounds like a new album. But we were struggling thru. Sometimes, you know, you have to fake it to make it. We faked it for a few hours. It was quite helpful. Fake it good enough, and suddenly you are not faking it.

We also made a visit to our local THC dispensery. Pick your poisons wisely, Grasshopper. "Sleep gummies." Yes. A good night's sleep is a necessary corrective for so much b.s. The "Stay Asleep" gummies are a new essential item in our survival kit. The young person at the counter processed our order and sent us off with these encouraging words: "Stay Stoned Out There..."  Yes. Indeed. Faking it. Making It. Rocking in the Free World...

What to Believe In? The Wonder...

Folk #1: I suppose I do live with this idea of being a Human Being, a hybrid of Body & Spirit, although, these two phenomena are intimately intertwined, and may actually be one. I inherited this framework from growing up in the Catholic Church. Sure. I was always a skeptic. Later, in my teens & twenties, I rejected all that heavy guilt & sin talk and adopted more of a Buddhist framework. Both frames & models emphasize that Life is Suffering.

And that's OK. I take what I need, and leave the rest. Is that coherent? Not sure. It's just my way forward.

I conclude, we must do our best to live well despite the trials & tribulations of a life. Living well includes being, & doing good in the face of many obstacles. I have fallen for the Great Mystery of Existence. I am ok with not knowing what the hell is going on. I do have a vague, but powerful sense, of being connected to everything in the Universe. This is based on a few experiences of transcendance and "elightenment" over the years. Full-blown body experiences, heart, head, spirit aligned. 

It is hard for me to argue with these events that happened to me. I experienced them completely & made them a part of my fundamental nature.

Can one stake one's Life on a few strange, seemingly other-worldly, mystical experiences? I think so. I don't make any great claims, this doesn't make me "special" in any way. I suppose it feeds me with a sense of Wonder. I gravitate to Beauty. I embrace being a Progressive Human Being, open to the Good, as well as embracing Kindness, Intelligence, & a Positive Affirmation of Life in it's many splendored forms.

But, I am more than ok with living inside the great Cloud of Unknowing. There is a deep in the bone humility baked in, I know nothing, I am here to experience, to observe, to witness, to make my way with heart, head, spirit aligned.

To steal from William Blake, Life here on the Planet, living with other Human Beings, is "The Marriage of Heaven & Hell." That is our cross to bear. Living with the dichotomy, the contradiction. Good & Evil side by side alive in us at all times. Imagine Heckle and Jeckle, Angels & Demons. They are useful. Navigating thru the straits as best we can. Free to choose. And these choices make us who we are. Failure & Success two sides of the same coin. Batten down the hatches, & Damn the Torpedoes. There is a Life to be Lived. Choose wisely, Grasshopper!

Making the God Machine...

Folk #1: Let me play dumb for a moment. Ha. I know you are thinking: Maybe it comes naturally for this dude?! So the Humans, the deeply-flawed creatures that we know so very well, have decided it's a good idea to make a God Machine, an AI, a Super-Intelligence, built on, nutured by, and cared for, by these very same flawed Humans. The God Machine is a mirror of Humanity without eyes, arms, heart, spirit, emotion. The God Machine resides on a vast network of computers. This simulated, virtual, digital, very, very, unreal God will have access (remember everything can be hacked), to all the data & all the "smart" devices  that Humans have collected & connected on & to, the Internet. All the books, all the Scientific papers, all the gossip, the lies, the disinformation, propaganda, conspiracy theories, all the phones, TVs, missiles, Nukes, etc. Anything that has been "digitized," including all the madness, the Pop Culture craziness, and the contradictory, gnarly shite of Human Life too. Some of the Humans tell us this is all a super, very good idea; it is inevitable, no sense asking questions, or being worried, & the way  & wave of the Future. We will create this God Machine, and then turn over all responsiblity to it. Maybe this has always been a secret desire of the Humans? Giving up their agency to something bigger? Leave all the messy, gnarly, hurly-burly, fretting over choices & decisions, to someone, or something else, the great, magnificent, all-knowing, God Machine? The Future will be a Promised Land of prosperity, wealth & leisure. A beautiful, lazy Utopia! We Humans will have more leisure time, sex parties, drug parties, sex & drug parties, more time to watch cat videos, you know, the essence of the Good Life?! This God Machine will make Life & Death decisions for us, it will give advice, decide who lives or dies, who gets care, or not, who gets blown up in a foreign land, and will implement fixes & plans all across the Globe. It will have access to all the information, all the Governments, and all of their armaments. Vast, un-Godly sums of money are being thrown into this grand mission (folly?). Money is being burned at a prodigious, alarming, astonishing rate. Enormous data centers are being built everywhere. All of our resources land, water, air, electricity, time, & money will be funneled to feed this glorious God Machine Beast. And, well, everyone is just sitting back, watching all this furious, frenzied, activity as it unfolds, waiting for the exciting results. Hmmm... Yikes. Like, what could possibly go wrong?! Did anyone ever hear the phrase: Unintended Consequences?! Do any of the Humans think this is like a really, really Super-BAD IDEA?!

Wild Ride for Us All...

Folk #1: No predictions. Just an acknowledgement of "what's happening now."

The man's brain is totally deteriorating right before our eyes. And, he is immensely, prodigiously, historically unpopular, except for his hardcore, brain-dead MAGA cult, and, well, even some of those racist, clueless, backward, retro folks seem to suddenly be pretty unhappy with prices of everything, the war, the tariffs, etc. Even some of the Nazi shite is turning out to be unpopular & has penetrated some of these numbskulls. An America of concentration camps, murder in the streets, ICE out of control, deportations of children & Grandmas, murder on the high seas, pretty damn ugly and soul-killing.

Plus, don't forget tax cuts for the fithly-rich, taking healthcare from folks, cutting food benefits for needy children, attacking Education & Science, punishing the American people, just for the fuck of it. Yikes. That's the Republican party's platform: Elect Us and we will punish you all some more!

Trump is sinking the Republican party, he is destroying them, and the USA, from the inside out. We all need to batten down the hatches and try to ride out this unfolding catastrophe. Hold on for dear life my friends. Vote for the Dems, hope for the best, and damn the torpedoes.

 What happens next? Who knows?! Wild ride for us all.

Fools Playing a Fool's Game...

Folk #1: Predicting the Future? Nah. That's a fool's game. Too many variables. Too many unknowns. Unintended consequences. Chaos looms. We don't know what we don't know, and what we know is limited, shaky, and totally fungible. Best way forward? Lean towards clarity, clear-seeing, being here, now, in the moment, taking things as they come. Seeing what is right before your eyes. Knowing that the way forward is murky & one's understanding is flawed & limited. We are often driven by our fears, worries, doubts, or our desires, hopes, dreams and plans. We impose our ideas & feelings on the Future and render it cloudy & confused. We cloud our own minds. There is a vast Cloud of Unknowing that engulfs & surrounds us. It is important to know that the unknown is just as important, decisive, and determinative, as the known. Our culture has become unhinged; creating simulated, virtual worlds, and then pretending that they are real. One can't bullshit their way past the real. We are watching vast sectors of society succumbing to fabulism, delusion & denial. Reality is a hard, gnarly, knotty, fucking teacher. The lessons of the real are rock-solid. Sure. One can speculate, guess, conjure up visions, but be assured these are only idle entertainments; it's like drawing invisible pictures in the air, and then, fabulating that they are real. A form of madness, & idiocy, no doubt. Foolish.

How to Digest the Craziness?

Folk #1: What is the best way to digest the craziness unfolding in our toxic dystopia? Being astonished, gobsmacked, appalled, full of questions & wonder, dizzy, disappointed, furious, hungry for truth & authenticity, ready & willing to stand for goodness, Justice & a better day, leaning on kindness, embracing diversity, getting angry, and channeling it into a fiery resistance, being opposed with all your heart & soul to corruption & idiocy, talking to your neighbors, reminding them that America is better than the creeps running the show at moment, pointing out the hypocrisy, noting the lies, and the bad actions, renewing your empathy for those who are suffering, laughing at the fools, and their wrong-headed-ness, sure, voting for the Democrat running in every office in the land, envisioning triumph for Democracy, leaning towards our better angels.

Little Nuggets...

Folk #1: Shite! I am left to my own devices. Loaded down with cliches. No unique, or great, insights this morning. But I feel compelled to write this shit down. Of course, according to David Foster Wallace, cliches are cliches because they are often true. Thinking I am no great thinker or philosopher. You could put these little nuggets on a Hallmark Card, and no one would be impressed. 

One step at a time. Take nothing for granted. Live in the moment. Admit that you know nothing. Be kind. Be careful. Listen. Learn from Nature. Don't be full of your self. Fill yourself with other things. Keep your feet on the ground, your head in the clouds, & watch your step! Take care of your self & others. Don't look too far back, or too far forward. You will be surprised. You will be wrong. You will carry on. Failure isn't a sin, it's a learning opportunity. Today is the first day of the rest of your Life. Life is an experiment. Improvise! Conjure up the next thing & watch it fly or crash. No worries. Damn the torpedoes. It's not about you. Thrive anyway. It's ok to dream. Don't take it personally. Embrace it all.

Hopes: The Ups & The Downs...

Folk #1: "Being a creative person," you know, writing, playing, performing, singing; creating things like poems, plays, short stories, songs, & then also, setting up a theater company, and a band or two to manifest these things in the world requires a bit of an imagination, and a positive attitude & discipline. 

What drives you? There is a need to express yourself. A desire to make something beautiful, challenging, well-made.

You know, making things is a fleeting act of Hope. It's sort of a big "What if?" And "Damn the Torpedoes." What happens when you send these things out into the Universe? Who knows? It is all a crapshoot. 

There's a tension between "getting your Hopes up," and "not getting your Hopes up." You fire yourself up, and then, often, you need to reel yourself back down. You are always bumping up against the real. You can imagine a better world, a better day, a better way, you try to live it too, and then you face the forces of reality. 

So often you are surprised. Some things land with great effect. And then there are those experiments, ideas, actions that crash & burn. The crashing & burning is just part of the process too. You learn. Yes. And then time for a new improvisation. It's a of life, a way of living & being.

"Long Past His Sell Date..."

Folk #1: Yes. Perfect. Fat, super-unwell, blowhard & con-man "long past his sell date..."  What is more useless & pathetic than a salesman who just can't get it up anymore? "Trump can’t sell it anymore — he’s hated, but not respected, let alone feared." Tough times for our wanna-be strong-man. 

Decoding the Human...

Folk #1: Once you see the rampant, pervasive evil of racism in action, you can't unsee it. It's pernicious, malevolent, ugly. A world-wide problem engulfing & consuming all people, all lands. Racism: a demon tool used to justify and empower human beings in their project of murdering, enslaving, dehumanizing, oppressing, other human beings. Why is this so obvious & appalling to some of us? And why are others so seemingly blind or indifferent, or actively particpating in the horror? Racism feeds the Fear & Hate. Evil flows from that well. "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad,; a cheat code for one kind of insight & understanding. Once you see, you really can't unsee. It's a liberation & a burden too. An explanation & a knotty, gnarly mystery. The Human Heart is an imperfect vessel.

Popular & Not Popular...

Folk #1: Pop Culture & Popularity. You know. Sort of like the "fickle finger of fate." A shaky hill to die on. Is popularity over-rated? What's popular today, is often forgotten tomorrow. Most of my Life, I have searched for quality over popularity. I was never in the popular crowd, always on the margins. I often dismissed the popular, thinking it was hollow, bland, lowest common denominator shit. Sure sometimes the popular has also resonated with me as really good too: The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Barack Obama, Pizza, Sony Walkman, Levis, Timberland Boots, "Hamilton" (Hip-Hop Musical), "It's a Wonderful Life." 

Chuck Klosterman argued that the popular in culture is important, not necessarily good, but what is popular tells us something important about our culture and the people in it. Still, I can't shake that Mad Magazine Headline: "Eat shit. 50 Million Flies Can't Be Wrong." 

I suppose it is gratifying to see the mighty fall, to see that gravity & reality still do exist. These stories of popular people imploding before our very  eyes can be fun to watch. Turns of out so many of the popular people in our culture, our politics, high finance, etc. are totally corrupt, greedy shits. This seems to be the time of recknoning on so many levels.

Our current President is testing the theory beautifully. Popular with a large segment of folks, and then using his power by totally setting everything on fire. How quickly can the fickle finger of fate turn? Turns out electing one of the dumbest fucks on the planet is a sort of counterproductive move for pretty much everyone else. It seems that incompetence, corruption, stupidity, American Concentraiton Camps, ICE murdering Citizens, Deporting Grandmas & Children, crashing the economy, pointless wars, Tariffs on all our products &  allies, building monuments to himself, stealing money, trashing our government, punishing the common ones at every turn, NOT VERY POPULAR!

This November let the forces of Opposition Rise & Flourish!

Vibe-Casting: Breaking Bad...

Folk #1: Vibe-casting this morning. It's sort like mental spit-balling. My attenna are up and tuned into the wobbly state of everything here in the USA. Seems to me everything is breaking bad. Yes the vibe is decidedly putrid. I know, that may be an overly broad generalization. But, really, it seems very apt & on-target. The bottom is falling out. The sky is falling. Car-crashes around every corner. The Fat Lunatic's brain is dissembling at an accelerating pace. The ooze of corruption is a raging toxic river that has jumped the banks & is sliming vast sectors of our politics, finance and culture. Oil shocks. Forever Wars. The GOP, the Idiot Party, dismantling government by & for the people. The Creeps nominally in charge are acting very, very stupidly; super-greedy fucks totally out their league & out of control. The natives are getting restless. "Throw the bums out," is an impulse brewing across the land. Since we are supposedly still living in a Democracy (hanging on by a thread, on life-support), the common ones will soon be casting votes. The GOP & MAGA Cult have reached an end-point. They ran out of ideas long ago. Hate & Tax Cuts for the Wealthy can only go so far. They are colliding with a very real wall. Maybe an electoral bloodbath is brewing? The vibe reads in the affirmative on that front: Yes. Bloodbath. A cascade of failure. A certain kind of political death. And then, some kind of progressive movement of renewal? Yes. I see all the carnage clearly, and still, I can't help but conjure up a glimmer of spiky, gnarly, Hope...

Synching with the Times...

Folk #1: Yes. Still dealing with a nasty cold, and it has seemed to synch me with the times in which we live. I am feeling skeptical, gnarly, spiky, torn & frayed, recalcitrant, unruly, oppositional, pissed off, uncooperative, resistant, firey, revolutionary, porcupine-like, radical, open to change, fucking angry, flinty, lit up & ready to stir shit up. What is happening here? I am against it with extreme prejudice!

Football & Music...

Folk #1: Derailed by a bug, a germ. Being in close proximity to other Human Beings can be detrimental to one's health. People; they are the solution & the problem. Even if you take precautions, wash your hands frequently, eat well, sleep fairly well, etc, talking, and hanging out with, other Human Beings can be a crapshoot. I came down with a little garden-variety cold, but it really knocked me out. I spent most of yesterday afternoon in a comfy chair, watching the Chicago Bears Offense dominate the other team in North Carloina. Seems the Bears really have a Quarterback, a great Coach, a powerful Offense, and a fairly-lame Defense. It's gonna make for a spicy season. Football, I suppose, it's one my 'guilty pleasures." I know it's a violent game, "every play is a car crash," there's all the over-amped hoopla and hype, but I come from a long ancestral line of Chicago Bear fans. It almost seems like a familial duty to check in, keep the tradition alive.

I am a Zen Football fan. I don't bet on games, I don't have a Fantasy Football Team. I try to be clear-eyed, clear-headed. Not too emotionally over-wrought. One my tools for the Zen approach to a game, turn the sound down, and put on a mix of great albums. I ride the vibe of the music while I watch the game. It's a distancing techniquie. Super-enjoyable!

So, what the was the  soundtrack for the afternoon? A 5-CD mix set to "random play." Featuring a few of the greatest vocalists of any era: Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Tweedy & Wilco, Ray Charles, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. It really, really worked. The game was a kick, the music was a much needed booster shot. That's entertainment, folks...

"Perception is NOT Reality..."

Folk #1: Battles every day, or as PT Anderson's movie put it: One Battle After Another. 

There's "Perception is Reality" vs "Perception is Not Reality." Much of our culture,  social media, AI wants us to believe the former & not the latter, but really, reality trumps perception every time. "Can I believe my lying eyes & ears?" Often not. We now live in a land where everyone lies, and they do it for fun & fortune. Empires of Wealth & Power are built on major edifices of lies. One needs to spend an inordinate amount of time, parsing thru the lies, trying to get to the nub of things. Reality is out there for sure, sometimes you need to cut thru the fog, the glitter, the B.S. the hype, the PR, the smiling, glad-handing experts who excel at casting spells  & clouds of unknowing. Worlds of fantasy & whimsy. Some of this is just fucking entertainment, but there is a deadly serious side to it all too. An existential attack & a pernicious undermining of the real. 

How to fight it all? 

Discipline. Caution. A healthy skepticism. A determination to see clearly, and to know that your own perceptions are suspect, and can sometimes be wildly misleading. Question everything. Especially your self. Not as a contrarian asshole, but as a truth-seeker & truth-teller, knowing there are limits to everything, including your own understanding. Best to start from "Beginner's Mind - Shoshin," "I know nothing, I wonder what the fuck is going on here?" Also, one must be open to changing one's mind in the face of facts & evidence, anything that contradicts one's initial impressions and fundamental biases. I am not saying it's an easy way forward, but, I do believe it's really essential  to live up to a code of trying one's best to live in the real.

Death Cults & End Points...

 

Folk #1: MAGA is a death cult, just like all of the other death cults. Think of Jim Jones & Jonestown, drinking the Kool-aid. Hitler and his evil cabal. David Koresh in Waco Tx. Charles Manson and his Family. Often these cults end in suicide, or a confrontation that leads to a certain end. The rest of us can hope that the cult will get to the end-point before they reap too much chaos, death & idiocy. We are in the end-stages of MAGA. It's gonna be a car-crash, a break-up  a break-down. The rest of us must carry-on and try to rebuild, reset, reboot, remake. Leave the hate and death behind. Those dead-enders face a grim future. Accontability,  responsibility, & a reckoning with reaity.

Zen Caretaker...

Folk #1: Being caretaker of a stately manor in the Heartland. Actually a couple stately manors. One quite old, one quite new-ish, decidely modern. In charge of a big estate on a frequent schedule when the globe-trotting owners are away, and they are often away. Taking care, living with adorable, little furry beasts. It's a job. A responsibility. The key is to be super-Zen in everything. Thinking of The Way of the Samarai. Watch every step, every breath; be aware, step lightly, live gently. Sure, take charge when you are in charge. Still, every action, every step, is in service to one's retainer. All actions are a sacrifice, and a ritual of service. No lopping heads, think of a Peaceful, totally-woke, Samarai. A wielder of leashes, dancing thru the neighborhood with a pack of Zen-like dogs. Collect the mail, coordinate with the landscapers, the cleaning crew, the plant people, the compost guy, the garbageman, the pool guy. Trouble-shoot flooding, power outages, generator fails. There is a whole little ecosystem built around, and supporting, the manor. Then vanish into thin air. Leave no trace, no evidence, no hint, that you were ever there. Not a speck, not a hair, not a spot, nor a cushion out of place. Erase yourself from the picture completely. That's the Zen aspect. Being there when you are called on to be there, and vanishing, when you are not. This kind of Existence resonates with simple, sustained, authenticity. A job in which you must be your best self always, and then, let it all disappear, give it all up, with no regrets, no tears, no gripes, nothing in which to hold. No needing, wanting, grasping. You retreat back to your humble abode. And reset. 

Getting to "No..."

Folk #1: "Defiance." Yes. It comes naturally to me: recalcitrant, gnarly, spiky, willing to play Devil's Advocate.  Sometimes, being defiant, just for the fuck of it. Defying authority. Sure. That has been in my kit-bag from the beginning. These days, defiance is a sure-fire, go-to mode. So much of what's going down just doesn't sit right with me. I often feel out of place, out of time. You know, maybe living in a different time-line? Certainly in a different head-space. I tend to be open to new ideas, but can easily dismiss the raging tsunami of  B.S. ripping through the culture these days. Engaged in long-form improvisation day to day. Trying times for sure. I say fuck these people, and damn the torpedoes. Finding my self, my own gnarly way, alive, aware, awake, toiling away in the fields of opportunity. Declaring "No," with an unbridled enthusiasm; it can be a powerful, enabling choice, & oh, so very satisfying to employ in these dire times.

A Furious Dance...

Folk #1: Hell. I am not an alarmist, just a thinking person, stuck in the middle of a world of alarmists. Still, I have an unpeaceful, uneasy feeling that something major, major is gonna go down. Funny. I can't pinpoint it. Look around. and anyone can see there are many pressure points, hot-spots, bad actors, negative trends. There is bad shit going down every day. Still, that's not it. I have a vague premonition, one without a name or subject. Is it something expected or unexpected? I don't know. I surmise it's something world-changing, mind-blowing, maybe apocalyptic, catastrophic, or at least something that will be undeniable for anyone paying attention. Is anyone paying attention? I am not saying "the end is near,"  that seems foolish, but I do think we humans will be compelled to rethink much of what we take for granted. We have been hurtling thru our days at a super-fast, accelerating clip; the world is in a furious dance. There is a day a time sitting out there on the near horizon. I suppose it is a day of reckoning, or a day of chickens coming home to roost. I don't think it has anything to do with a god, or an extraterrestrial alien invasion. Although, who knows?!  I am more in the camp of this being something of our own doing, a major self-sabotage, a total fuck-up with consequences for many of us. Yikes. Is it gonna be fun? Depends on how you define fun.

Woke Working Folks...

Folk #1: My partner & I are working stiffs, and come from a long line of working stiffs. Woke working stiffs. Happy to have jobs, able to work, making an honest buck, happy to be woke too. You know, fully Alive, Aware, Awake. 

Labor Day 2026 we both had a day off. We did lots of goofing off. Riding bikes on the lakefront. Lazing on the grassy knoll, looking across the lake at the shimmering Emerald City a tiny city of toy skyscrapers way off in the distance. Eating vegetarian Beyond Meat sausages (no animals were sacrificed in preparation of  this meal) (yes, that's woke), and saueted potatoes for lunch. 

Then, we decamped to our secret garden, played CDs (Steely Dan, Mono, Fontaines D.C.)  on our amazingly great Sony boombox & left most of the drama & trauma behind. We marveled at the geese honking and flapping in the blue sky overhead. We watched a tiny little spider building a silky web, yes, we were entertained and amazed by that little spider tossing irredescent, silky threads, pool-side, from one metal handrail to another. The spider web was an intricate, complex, gorgeous thing. Talk about working for a living, working for the next meal. That spider showed us the value of the doing good work, one silky thread at a time. 

We sipped non-alchoholic drinks (yes, that's for sure woke), & sat in silence for long stretches of time. Time seemed to stand still. The day just elongated.

We were still talking about, & laughing at, that white, middle-aged, prosperous-looking woman who accosted my partner the day before. It was at the local Trader Joe's. My partner stopped to give some change to a young girl (from a marginalized segment of the population),  panhandling at the entrance of the store. My partner & I always give money to the panhandlers (men, woman, mothers with children, men with children). Sometimes it's quite the scene. It's part of our shopping routine. We are even casual friends with some of the needy folks, chatting, laughing, talking about the weather, and the spooky, uncertain ways of the world. 

The store is a popular location for down on their luck folks asking for money. The woman walking behind my partner shouted: "That's just like you woke people, rewarding bad behaviour." My partner was stunned, and firmly silent. She gave that woman a stern look in return. The woman then marched into the store, stormed over to the store manager and complained about the panhandler. The manager replied: "She has a right to be there."

Why were we laughing? 

We couldn't imagine the thought-train of being against lending a helping hand, reaching in a pocket for some small change, an easy gesture of kindness & care extended to one of our fellow human beings. Why was that young girl asking for money? Really? Who knows? Bad luck, unfortunate decisions, trying circumstances, self-sabotaging habits, accidents, trials & tribulations, the hurly-burly of life, difficult childhood, an inordinate amount of trauma & drama, you know, I mean, whatever. A person who appears to be in need. Treat them kindly. Not such a big ask, or heavy burden.

WTF?!

You know, we fall back on those two old Biblical-style ideas "There but for the Grace of God, Go I."  "Do unto others as would have them do unto you." And one we coined ourselves:  "We are all one catastrophe away from catastrophe." Empathy & compassion are good, necessary drugs. We see ourselves in the faces & places of other people. We aren't really even church-y people. Small acts of kindness, that just seems like a logical & rational way forward; we imagine a world of kindness, care, & generosity, I mean that is the world we certainly want & hope get to live & to thrive in.

Anyway, yes, it's good to know, and to live by, the ideas & actions you are aligned with, and to know & walk awary from what you don't really believe in at all. Embrace: Love, Kindness, Genrosity, Compassion, Empathy, Reject: Hate, Racism, Selfishness, Greed, Cruelty.  

It was a very good day. No labor, all casual goofing off. Good medicine for the headspace & the heart & spirit too.

Underestimating the Cruelty & Horror...

Folk #1: I suppose our greatest fault as a species is underestimating the level of cruelty & horror some folks will unleash on other folks, in the name & the cause of racism. We woke folks, want to give others the benefit of the doubt, "there but for the grace of God, go I," and we tend to assume the best of others. You know, we are big believers in the interconnected, mutually beneficial web of life on the planet. We honor and celebrate the human family in it's gloriously-broad, splendor & diversity.  In the worst light, maybe that is a shaky, misleading, and fatal assumption? There are malefactors, bad actors, literal Nazis seeded amongst us here in the USA and around the world. They are horrible, dastardly-terrible people. They should be shunned, shamed, and prosecuted when they act out. How to tolerate the intolerable? It's a conundrum. Instead of these folks being marginalized & stigmatized, they have been mainstreamed (for instance see MAGA & the Republican party) & rewarded. It is so very painful to see, and also, so very hard to believe. But, you know, there it is, reality again...

Ha. The Lightness & Hilarity of "Don't Be Here Now."

Folk #1: Just let it go Sisyphus (see previous post). Living my philosophy day to day. Funny how you discover that some of this shite associated with living is not really that hard, you know, it doesn't have to be hard. You actually have agency. Maybe you just let go of the rock? Let it roll down that damn hill? What was so important yesterday, is now so unimportant today. I suppose that's one of the reasons I never got a tattoo. What do I want imprinted on my arm forever? No thing. A blank slate, an open book, a naked arm.

My partner & I were confronted with a glad-handing, faux-friendly, wanna-be sage and wise-man last evening. He engaged us in conversation, friendly-like, but really, it was an assault, a power move, letting us know we were in his domain, and well, we were not quite worthy, we didn't really belong.  It was all conveyed with smiles, and gentle words. He repeated that Ram Dass idea: "Be Here Now," living in the moment, taking one day at a time. We have parroted that same philosophy for years. Coming from our wanna be wise-man, it was so transparently a clown-like put-down. Funny. It just sounded toothless & silly & besides the point. 

The point of no point. 

Once he turned away, a profoundly foolish man, we laughed. Sweet belly laughs came out of us. Not snide or cynical. Pure joyful laughter. I whispered to my partner: "Don't be here now." We fell into a  sweet, sunny pool of laughter. Liberated, released, renewed. Everything fell away, no worries, no enemies, no unfulfilled desires. There was a beautiful, rosy haze around everything and everyone in the room. A bold rosy glow.

I looked it up this morning, wondering if anyone else coined that line? Yes. Indeed. Zen Peacemakers "Don't Be Here Now."   Ha. Right. But, of course, there is no one to follow, no one phiosophy to hold us, or to pin us down. No club to join. No dues to pay. The joy is in the complete letting go. The laughter is a doorway. How easy it is go thru an open door. Alive. Aware. Awake. Being. Day-dreaming. Imagining. Surfing the wave, riding & reading the energy of any room. Watching all the rocks rolling down all the hills. Forever. Watching our fellow human beings spinning, gyrating, colliding, knocking against each other in a long-running tragedy & farce. 

Finding an essential purity of existence. Beyond all that shite. Not a nothingness, no, instead an everything-ness. Embracing it all, but with a very light touch & embrace. Embracing & letting go simultaneously. Joyfully, truly, madly, deeply. No clinging, no needing, no wanting, no grasping, no holding on.  No fighting or hanging on. No fear or desperation. A bold, empty, but incredibly gorgeous clarity.

Yes. So, so very funny, yes, and so, so very good.

Pushing that R&R Up the Hill...

Folk #1: Pushing that rock & roll up a hill like a modern-day Sisyphus...

The above line reflects an uneasy sense of futility that often hangs over some of the things I do with my time on the planet. That rock & roll will also tumble down the hill, & I will watch it with a feeling of deep helplessness. Sure, that sense of futility & helplessness will pass, I have learned that my feelings are not final, but sometimes the bad juju can overwhelm me in the cold light of the morning.

I am one of those human beings who want to create amazing, beautiful, powerful things. Mainly through music & lyrics, but also in my daily interactions with other humans. Living a life with meaning; mind, body, spirit aligned. I know it is all just up to me, plus opening the door to inspiration from all corners & comers. Committing to my own private preoccupations with all the attention, dedication and creativity I can muster, knowing that everything I do has limits. Delusions of grandeur?  Ha. I am well-aware that I am a flawed, quirky, imperfect being doing my best to be the best version of myself I can be. My imagination may exceed my actual reach, and I suppose that's fucking obvious.

What to do? Fall back on clear-seeing, knowing that reality is a hard teacher, acknowledging that shit just happens & intervenes at inconvenient times. Still, despite everything, "damn the torpedoes," & gathering up my energy, using those hard realities as rocket fuel for the next song, project, human interaction & moment. Oh, yeah, sometimes reaching out to sublime transcendance. Yes. that happens too sometimes.

Headspace Clear...

Folk #1: We have been doing a better job at "clearing the head-space." How to do it? Chill out in the secret garden. Watch the trees swaying in the wind, under a vast, hovering blue sky, big puffy clouds rolling overheard, and the hummingbirds dancing over, & around the flowers. Listening to the cicadas singing; a love song, a death song, a song of worship, a cry for help, a prayer to the great "Whats-It?" Hard to know. Lots of flapping & flying, and flopping, death throes, on the ground. The squirrels & rabbits rooting around, and munching, on the delicacies of a green lawn. Dragonflies, incredible, multi-winged, little entities, buzzing, swooping over us with authority. Long silences from the Humans. We just hit the wall. Nothing to say, no point to make, happy to be breathing. One of us floating. One of us sitting like an empty Buddha. Sometimes, no reason to dwell, to sink, to fall, to delve into anything, instead, ride the wave, skim the surface, skate the day. A determined shallowness abides. Pure existence. It's good. A brief jump into a different, much less hectic timeline. A retreat into a oddly timeless zone. The day elongates. A numb clarity emerges from the chillness. Good medicine & a new, required, discipline.

Ha. He's Not the Only Insane & Insanely Dangerous One...

Folk #1: I probably will go to see the movie. But, of course, I don't need to see the movie to know that this grossly-wealthy man is insane, super-racist and totally dangerous to Democracy & Freedom. Read his posts on X if you dare dip into a toxic pool of B.S. & Shite. All one needs to do is witness & pay attention to the day to day details of the toxic idiocy dribbling out of this tech-bro clown. Also, of course, Musk isn't the only insanely powerful one lording over us. Time for a reset, a Revolution in the Head, the common ones need to step up, and reassert their agency. Every frigging billionaire/trillionaire is a policy failure. Tax the rich! A reckoning for the Epstein Class is long overdue. Going after their money is the most direct action we can take. Also, of course, let's see what other crimes they have committed that need a just accounting. The day for a new policy is here now. Yes. Let's name the next new era: The Days of Reckoning. Viva la Revolution!

Sometimes a Great Notion...

Folk #1: Sometimes Shit Just Happens. Right? Maybe there is no greater, or deeper, lesson to be learned, beyond, well, Sometimes Shit Just happens. I mean, you are free to come up with reasons & theories, but maybe your reasons & theories are not really all that important, or on the money? You tell yourself a story, you try to process the shit, still, maybe the shit is just the shit? Maybe that is the lesson? You are left to deal with it however you can. You don't have to own that shit, or descend into a deep existential crisis over it, just acknowledge it, and then, carry on. Sure, you can tell yourself "take nothing for granted, be aware, alive, aware at all times," but maybe that's just whistling past the graveyard? Shit will still just happen. You move forward, no extra processing required, except, Somtimes Shit Just Happens. Could that simple affirmative recognition be a guidepost, the spark, the hard, spiky, kernal of true wisdom? Who knows?! I mean, you just put that in your kit-bag, Dear Pilgrim, & go forth into the blazing day, or deep-dark night. "Skating away on the thin ice of a new day." Sure, turn to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, why not? Insight can come from any corner...

Disperate Not Desperate Thoughts this A.M.

Folk #1: This morning a million fleeting things floating around in my head. "Glonzo" - An incorrect belief or conspiracy theory held by voters that can be exploited by politicians to achieve their goals. vs. "Material Reality"- the physical world and everything in it that we can touch, see, and measure.

There is a major battle playing out at the moment in the USA and the wider world too. Folks driven by "incorrect beliefs" & bat-shit insane conspiracy theories vs. Folks sticking to things they can touch, see & measure. Seems the world is falling apart; truly something is dying. We are watching the death throes. There will be a hard reckoning, and then, folks will rise up, pick up the pieces, and create something new.

You may ask what about Spirit & Mystery? Ask away. Some things are unanswerable...

I am reading "The King in Yellow," by Robert Chambers, from the Pushkin press.  Yes. It's fabulous. Weird, oddball, strange, interlocking tales of conspiracy & madness in it's many forms. Think unreliable narrators left & right.  4 stories, linked by the King in Yellow. Actually I read this book once, and immediately went back to the beginning, and started reading again. Yes. It speaks of today. It is some kind of map & Holy Grail of madness.

I have been listening obsessively to the Japanese instrumental band Mono. Beauty & fire. Harmony & distortion. Powerful and floaty. Hymn to the Immortal Wind  (2009), is probably my favorite at the moment, but everything I have heard by them is quite exceptional, inspirational & magnificent.

Also, still deep into the Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street band catalog too. Songwriting at it's finest. Great r&r. Bruce's character is a bit gnarly & daunting; a conflicted-perfectionist, an inspired & inspiring artist making amazingly beautiful, overwhelmly great records. His obsessions have become my obsessions too. Maybe there is something about a guilt-ridden Catholic boy, wanting to create something great & beautiful, & trying to find his way in a very weird and fucked up world that totally resonates with me?

Reflections on our Orange-Wanna-Be-King. He is the madman who broke the Republican Party. He now is trying to break the USA & the rest of world too. Instead, he, himself, is breaking apart at the seams. And the folks who have followed him are breaking apart too. It is all very ugly, and perilous. But glonzo can only so far. Material Reality will have it's sweet revenge.

Turns out tax cuts, hate, transparent lies, AI-slop, & gutter-racism are bankrupt, pernicious ideas & phenonmena that have hard limits. No way to run a country. How does any of this shit work for the people?! Well, it really doesn't.

Anyway, for some insight on madness, the downfall, and glonzo on steroids, check out the the Yellow King. Surprisingly, despite all the hurly-burly, feeling pretty optimistic & hopeful this morning. Maybe a form of my own particular madness? Who knows?! Maybe it's just the coffee?! Yes. The coffee is good, indeed.

Corruption is a Process...

Folk #1: Brilliant insight from Emptywheel: "Corruption is a Process..." This Trump character is corruption personified. Anyone who engages with him, works for him, interacts with him, is stained, diminished, & corrupted too. There is no easy way to deal with him. Shine the Light of Truth. Stand Apart. Call him out. Shun, Banish, & Imprison him? Anything short of that risks contamination. Any society, any political party, any culture, or country, that embraces or tolerates the man is fatally corrupted too. We are living in deep corruption now. Sometimes you want to laugh, but it's not really funny, or cry, but tears have no agency. This is a deadly game we are playing. So, so ugly. If there is a change of course, starting with the Mid-term elections, we will need a total cleanse & reboot. A Truth & Reconciliation Committee devoted to bringing the corruption to an end, and a spiky, gnarly righteous, Justice for all.

A Teacher & Taskmaster...

Folk #1: A bit at a loss for words this morning. Rare for me. So, feeling my way forward cautiously, one word at a time. I awoke with this thought: "Reality is a hard teacher & a relentless, unforgiving task master." No matter who you are, or where you come from, you will have to face the music & grapple with reality. You know, even if you don't believe in it. Some of us are really great at denial, evasion, distraction, out-right insubordination against the real. There are vast empires, and fortunes built upon conjuring up, and selling, alternate worlds & fantasties. Still, dues must be paid. There are some things you just can't fabulate or wish away. Of course, some folks will fabulate & wish away til their last dying breath. They are total fools. No way to conduct a life. Best to adjust, morph, evolve, recalibrate, rethink, remake yourself when reality rears up in all it's mighty, gnarly, unforgiving, glory.

Sometimes You Tune Out the Dystopia and Have a Pool Party!

Folk #1: My partner & I are probably too politically aware, and engaged, which means lots of awareness of, wallowing in, and worrying about, the on-going shit-show, the horriyfing fascist dystopia looming over us all. Both of us are also super-aware of the Clmate Catastrophe threatening all life on the planet. Heady stuff. We often write about these things in our songs. It's kind of a heavy burden we live with every day; it's in our kit-bag of being fully, super-woke.

Still, we do try to manage our head-space, try to find other things to occupy, entertain & divert us. Yesterday in our neck of the woods, the weather was absolutely perfect, a long, meandering, summer day. We made our appointed rounds earlier in the day, and then in the afternoon, we escaped to our little secret garden at the lakefront mansion we are "care-taking."

We had a full-blown pool party, which mainly meant cold drinks, (non-alcoholic),  my partner floating around on a "floaty," in a gorgeous backyard pool, while I played DJ. I was spinning CD's on a kick-ass little Sony boombox. Tiny speakers, massive sound. How do they make such great music players? It was all quite exquisite. Loafing, goofing off, chilling out; it turns out these things are essential. 

What was the playlist? Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band. We had recently re-purchased much of his back catalog. The albums sound better than ever, the music mastered by the great mastering engineer, Bob Ludwig (now retired). It's true the CD quality has gotten so much better, these little silver discs rival and probably, pretty much match, the vinyl. Be sure to check out the legendary 1990's Virgin remasters that Ludwig did for the Rolling Stones greatest (r&r Holy Grail), albums too: Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Get Your Ya, Ya's Out,  Exile on Main Street, Goat's Head Soup, Some Girls. All superb!

So we had a long debate and discussion about all things Springsteen. We both agreed that Bruce's second album is an often over-looked masterpiece: "The Wild, the Innocent, the E-Street Shuffle." (1973). Bruce never made another record quite like it. Different E-Street band: Mad Dog Vini Lopez on drums, and the great David Sancious: piano, organ, sax, mellotron, string arrangements. Jazzy, funky, looser & more groovy than other Bruce bands; soulful r&b, epic, gorgeous vibe, lots of horns (even a tuba!), more swing, less rock, maybe a bit influenced by another New Jersey band, Southside Johnny and Asbury Dukes. A different vision, one that Bruce left behind on his next masterpiece "Born to Run." (1975). I spun both records so we could listen & compare.

So, yeah, we talked about the albums, the recording process, keeping a band together, the ebb & flow of creativity, Bruce's perfectionism & activism, things we are also very deeply-engaged in too. We talked about all of this as if these topics were so very important, the answers, and our lives, depended on getting it all right. It's was like falling into another dimension. It was all so engaging, relaxing, refreshing & renewing. Sure, it was good, so very good, we plan to do it all again soon. Maybe we'll move onto our other favorite Bruce records? You know, those other absolute stone-cold masterpieces: Darkness on the Edge of Town  (1978) & The River (1980)

Yes, we definitely need the time to clear the headspace! And the pool, and the boombox, awaits!

Pretty Damn Good, But, Not Perfect...

Folk #1: Sure, I have big ideas, my creative world is large & teeming with ideas, plans, wide-ranging journeys. That's my headspace. But, in the real, tangible, physical world, my foot-print is pretty small. A friendly little town, a lakefront path, a little community on the fringes of a major U.S. city. My day to day is usually a long, rambling circle thru the hood. A big circle in a small town.

Most of our adventures, for my partner & I, are in the creative realm. We found ourselves in a little cafe on Wednesday night, in room full of songwriters. It was just the two of us, a guitar, a tambourine, two voices, running thru a little history of our own very personal songwriting explorations.

Most of the folks in the audience were accomplished singers, songwriters, poets & musicians. These folks perform all around town, have done so for years & years. They are part of thriving, folkie, singer-songwriter culture in Chicago. It was quite intimidating to play our songs for these folks. Sure, we write songs, but, I think my partner and I feel we don't really belong, or fit, within any particular circle. All of our music seems so personal, hand-made, organic, very much us, but, decidedly quirky, gnarly, spicy, maybe a bit homely.

What was that little cloud hanging in the air of the cafe? Judgement.

We both swallowed our uncertainty and sang with deep conviction and purpose. It was all so, so intimate, folks right up close, taking in every word, & chord. Everything went off quite well, but, still, I had few kerfluffles, miscues, flubs on my fretboard, and in the middle of one song, my guitar went out of tune. Yikes. Chaos rears it's head near & far. For some reason I was playing with a new set of strings, not my usual ones, and I was using a new pick. What was I thinking? Trying always to refine my approach, and do better. 

Shite. I forgot. Everything counts. Every last thing. If you are going to make a change, best to test it out, before bringing it out. Ha. I know, you are probably thinking, "He's actually gonna blame the strings & the pick?" Sure. Why not? Although, I have a feeling it was also the "social distortion," the being aware of a very discerning audience, that distracted me, and contributed to my losing focus. I was playing songs I have played many, many times in every conceivable circumstance imaginable. 

Still, I'd say, we did really good, most our set was performed well, the audience response afterwards was overwhelmingly positive, giving & loving. But we both knew it wasn't perfect. Yesterday, I restrung my guitar with my usual strings, and I ditched the new pick, and went back to an old standby. Details, every last little detail my friend, really can be the difference between the hoped for perfect, and the not so perfect.

Sure, we know we may never actually get to perfect, it's a chimera, but it is the goal, the beckoning promised land that is always dancing just out of reach on the shimmering horizon.

Self-Sabotage > Cascade of Failure...

Folk #1: "Being a good writer." What does that mean? Having something interesting to say? Being direct, and to the point? Flowery language? Using lots of big words? Compelling? Enlightening? I'm not really sure. I just checked yesterday's post. Lots of words. Maybe I need to simplify?

We are in big trouble here in the USA. And it's all a "self-own." We sabotaged ourselves, gladly, stupidly, & enthusiastically. We elected a man at war with the law, the truth, reality, democracy, & common sense. This foolish, super-corrupt idiot and malefactor thinks he can use his will to bully and bend reality. Madness. We are now reaping what we all have sown. It's a full-blown "cascade of failure." You would think everyone would be up in arms, pants on fire, doing everything they could to stop the bleeding immediately. That's not what's happening.

Why is it not happening? Good question. 

USA: Abnormal Psychology Writ Large...

Folk #1: In college I started out as an English Major, and then, when I found the Forsythe Saga too boring & daunting, I switched my Major to Psychology. Sure, I wanted to be a writer, but then, I rationalized that in order to be a good writer, I needed to study Human Beings, I needed to try to understand myself & others; I needed to know how Human Beings thought, & acted out in the world.  Now maybe I would have learned some of that if I would have stuck with The Forsythe Saga, but I was more into Vonnegut, Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, JR. Tolkien, Joseph Heller & Charles Bukowski. Fool kid, what did I know?! So, yeah, today, this morning, still a writer, and still a student of Human Psychology and motivations. 

I do think much of our Politics is actually Abnormal Psychology writ large. What to make of Trump and his relationship with the USA? Trump: the Bully, the Ignoramus, the Racist, the Criminal, the Stooge, the Sexual Predator, the Conman, the Coward, the Liar, the Thief, the Fool, the Fake Strongman, the Fat, Super-unhealthy Body, Mind & Spirit? You could not find a worse Human Being to lead a country. WTF?! 

Trump seems to want to punish us all here in the USA. His fans and followers are locked in a Toxic, Unhealthy, Abusive Marriage. And we all are on the sidelines stuck in the middle of the shit too. It makes no sense, and it is no way to live, but many of our fellow Human Beings are actually quite sick. Trump is all about Hate. I think a large pool of Hatred sits at the core of his being. Everything truly is about him, he thinks he is the center of the Universe, and wants everyone else to think so too, so yes, surely, a raging, toxic Narcissist. But funny enough, I believe he actually really hates himself too. He can never be happy or satisfied. It is Hate & Revenge that drives him. And I think that is true of his staunchest followers too. They are Haters willing to burn the world down, because, they too are unfulfilled, unhappy, looking for enemies & culprits who have caused them pain, when it is their own raging illness that drives them. They want to destroy anything and anyone who offers a different take on Life. It's ugly beyond belief. And it is astonishing that we find ourselves locked in the clammy grip of these Hateful Haters. Hopefully, we can move past this shite, and get to a healthier place. But it may get uglier as Trump's grip over us loosens and disintegrates. Dare I say it, Trump's end will not be good for him. The rest us? We will celebrate! Oh, yeah, and we will have to pick our way through the wreckage and the debris, and try to make a new USA, & get a fix, on a better way forward...

Morning of 2 Phrases...

Folk #1: Gliding across social media this morning, I come across 2 short phrases that hit home.

1. "Fomenting Chaos." - Yes, this is a very active impulse at the moment. Chaos Agents Fomenting. The rest us have to step up. Be clear-headed, responsible, and actively push back. Common Sense, Order, Responsibility, Clear-thinking, Active Reistance to the madness. These are the tools to lean on.

2. "An alliance of Hate is quite fragile." - Maybe so? We have seen the alliance of Hate actively wrecking our Democracy, and desecrating our land & common bonds. But the resistance to the Hate is vast and deep. Cracks are forming, the Haters have no loyalty, except to Hatred. It's a double-edged sword. The last stage of Hate? The Haters inevitably turn on eachother. Ugly. But True. The rest us need be prepared to pick up the pieces, and to do the clean-up.

So Damn Woke...

  

Folk #1 to Folk #2: "I am so damn woke, I am woke 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 & 4.0. All rolled into one. I am so damn woke, I can't sleep. Sure. It's a burden & a shame. As The Grateful Dead once sang: 'Wake up to find that you are the eyes of the world.' Or, you know, maybe that Jean Paul Satre idea: 'we are responsible for everything.' So, one very woke person is left with great worries, worrying about the interconnected web of life, worrying about sustainability, and the flourishing of all living things. Heavy shit.  But I can't imagine living any other way. Alive, Aware, Awake to the max. Being for something, and being staunchly against something. Fuck ICE, Fuck Racism, Fuck Trump, Fuck the Fascists, & Fuck the Republicans. Fuck the MAGA Idiots too. OK, yes, I use a lot of bad words, swears, I can't help it, it's the only way forward. This overamped wokeness will not be happy, will not be satisfied, until we totally remake the USA, and fix all of kinds of shit on this planet. We must work together as a thoroughly woke species. Back to common sense, goodness, an embrace of multiculturalism, science, liberalism, human rights, sanity, intelligence, good works, graciousness, kindness, the human melting pot, Truth, Justice, competence,  Democracy, Voting Rights, anti-corruption, a belief in a better day & a better way. These corrupt, incompetent people, must be tried & prosecuted. We need a real cleanse, a reset, & a reboot. All the major institutions need a major overhaul. Revolution in the Head. Woke to the max... The Harder They Come, the Harder They Fall... one & all..."

The Finest of Joyous Kicks...

Folk #1: Slow to write a post this morning. The last few days have been all about doing things. Carrying on. Persevering. Powering thru the days, even if our energy surges & retreats. We performed at a little wine shop, with a beautiful back room, and a dangling chandelier on Friday evening. It was just four of us: bass, violin, guitar, percussion two voices. Very, very intimate setting. The audience right in front of us. Super-friendly crowd. Lots of folks we knew, and many who just discovered our music and band. We were happily surprised by the turnout. You never can tell who is gonna show up. It was an incredibly satisfying show. When everything clicks, there are moments of complete transformation. Everything drops away, you find yourself by losing yourself, fully alive in the moment to moment. It is an incredible expenditure of energy. Exhausting, thrilling, and afterwards, there is an emptiness, a profound hollowness that hangs over and inside of us. I suppose it's just a major clearing, a bold opening, a doorway to the next thing. There is nothing better than that kind of all-consuming performance. The finest of joyous kicks. The only way forward is to find the next opportunty, the next time & place, to do it all again.

Running on a Record of Plague, Pestilence, Endless War & Famine...

Folk #1: So we are hurtling towards the mid-term elections. This will be little experiment. The Republicans are running on a platform of Plague, Pestilence,  Endless War & Famine. Oh yeah, and Bankruptcy, Corruption, Concentration Camps, Murder, Censorship, Fraud, the Epstein Class, Lies, & AI Slop. They are really challenging the loyalty of the MAGA Cult. The question on everyone's mind: Will the MAGA cult eat a Shit Sandwich, and say it's tastes good? Inquiring minds must know...

Bat-shit Insane x Bat-shit Insane = Tragedy...

Folk #1: I hate to harp (hee, hee),  on this Natalie Harp story. But it is truly bat-shit insane, and actually quite serious, like national security catastrophe type serious. One thing I can say about myself, I can see Looney-Tunes from a mile away. Sure. This unfolding story of madness is kind of gobsmacking, and sort of sadly hilarious, but super-serious too. The gatekeeper to the President is clearly a deeply unwell human being. Take one bat-shit crazy human being feeding AI slop & idiocy to another bat-shit crazy human being, one who happens to have one of the most important & powerful jobs on the planet, and well, basically we are all vulnerable, we are all fucked. What does that say about these people? Nothing good. What does that say about a country that would put these people in positions of great power? Nothing good.

Unwell. Very, Very Unwell.

 

Folk #1: Okay, let the outrageous speculation begin. What is the latest crazy-ass controversey unfolding in Washington D.C. at the moment?  Is Natalie Harp Trump's lover? (I know, gross, and seems improbable). Or as some have suggested, his "diaper nurse?" (I know, also really gross). Or a Spy (Maybe a bit more plausible)? Or just an insane woman infatuated with an insane, overstuffed, criminally-inclined, dementia-leaning, Facist, Wanna Be Dictator? (Hmmm, pretty sure that is a yes, no matter what the other evidence points to). I suppose the safe assumption would be All of the Above!

It's hard to tell what the fuck is going on. The more we learn about this woman, and her unhinged relationship with Trump, the weirder & crazier it gets. Unwell. Yes. All parties seem very, very unwell. Welcome to crazy-land. This idiotic Christian devotional shit is off the charts lunacy. As some very astute folks have pointed out, these two folks are also "gutter racists," the lowest of the low, dressed up in Biblical B.S. How did we end up in the clutches of this fucking insanity & ridiculousness? Inquiring minds want to know. Yikes!

Sense & No Sense...

Folk #1: David Byrne of Talking Heads once sang: "Stop Making Sense..." I think he was hoping folks would dig a bit deeper & rely more on using intuition in their daily lives. Made for a good line in a good song, but maybe not the best strategy for better living? Today, so many of us are scratching our confused, over-saturated heads asking: "Can We All Please Make Sense?" The unhinged-ness of our present 24/7 Facist Dystopia is getting more over-amped, crazy-making & unhinged every day. Yikes. Folks can't be this idiotic, simple-minded, deluded, wrong-headed & ridiculous? I mean, can they?!?

The Real Thing...

Folk #1: Working on a new song, one line in the last verse: "Find the Truth inside the Real."  I think it's an essential imperative, which is imperiled in our present circumstances. Too many people recoiling from the real, afraid of the real, in denial of the real. The real happens to be our best teacher; no doubt, the real is a hard-grader, no-nonsense, impossible to bargain with. You have to step up, and get your head around the real. So much of our present unhinged culture is about denying & trying to escape the consequences of the real. It's a fool's game. Sure, one has to adjust, change, morph, evolve, improvise, & deal with adversity, you must admit to yourself that not everything is about you. You aren't a fully-functioning, fully-realized human being if you don't come to terms with the real. The lessons & demands of the real are hard & true. A life honed, shaped, bounded by the real is the real thing.

An Affirmative Alternative...

Folk #1: It was an incredibly hot & muggy Sunday. The air thick, the heat oppressive. A day of rest for us. A long lazy morning, then on our bikes, off to the big art & music fest a mile or so South of our neighborhood. Trekked over to another little Chicago neighborhood famous for being shaggy, baggy, arty, edgy, wildly-diverse, distinctly-bohemian, a bit raw & uncooked. The pavement vibrated with heat. Lots of pageantry on the street, the human tribe exuberantly displayed in every conceivable color and flavor. Young, old, and everything in between. Lots of tattoos, hair in every stage of growth; long, short, coiffed, rolled, cascading, and shambling, hair painted in exotic vibrant, vibrating colors. Folks dressed up and dressed down in flowers & finery, leather & denim, silks and feathers. My partner and I definitely felt right at home, in some ways these are truly our people, our tribe; artists, poets, musicians, street folk, trans-folks, boys & girls, boys with boys, girl with girls, strange birds, odd characters; everyone seemingly very comfortable in their skins, out to see & to be seen, and to hang on the street, check out the music, sample the food, peruse the merch displayed in the vendor booths. A classic Chicago street fair. We pinballed back forth from the East stage to the West stage and back again. We bumped into a few folks we knew, chatted for a bit, then went back to wandering. The music was quite good. We saw two bands fronted by compelling, engaging women. One band was fiery, powerful, the other was dreamy & hazy. Both sounded great. There was a woman walking around with a clipboard reminding folks to register to vote. Otherwise, the fascist dystopia was not mentioned at all. Really, it was the fest itself, the gathering, that put the lie to the fascist agenda that the retro motherfuckers are trying to shove down our throats. Sure. It was a celebration, and an affirmative alternative to the soul-killing shit emanating from Washington D.C. It was good to see that this other America, dare I say, the real America (?),  still really exists, and despite all the manufactured stupidity, prejudice & mayhem, seemingly, amazingly, exuberantly defiantly, thrives! One burly, bearded, joyfully-militant-looking dude, wore a black t-shirt emblazoned with words in bold, white lettering:"They Can't Kill Us All!"

Cheat Code for Better Living...

Folk #1: Yes. So these fools are even destroying our military (see previous post). Appoint drunks, criminals, bad reality TV hosts to important jobs, and well, you will reap what you sow. 

This all got me thinking about  "logistics."  You can think of your own life as a campaign, an operation, a long-running adventure. You need stuff. Best to seek out & purchase top-quality, well-made things. You must pay attention to the details. That is what separates the idiots & dolts from the smart cookies.

All the little details can make your life a heaven or hell. It really comes down to logistics. Simple things can be everything: a bar of soap, well-made boots, a flashlight, a hot shower, loose-fitting pants, a sharp knife, toothbrush/toothpaste, shampoo & conditioner (is it a good hair day?), leather belt, woolen socks, underwear, toilet paper, coffeemaker, coffee-bean grinder, a razor, a good book (learn from others what it means to be human), shaving cream, an excellent pair of headphones, leather jacket, a pair of Levis, t-shirts, a barn jacket, a comb or hairbrush, nutritious food, a jar of peanut butter, coffee mug, Samsung Smart TV (entertaining ourselves is important too), sunglasses, sunscreen, electrolytes, a toaster, Ezekial Bread, some kind of music box: home stereo, turntable, Sony Walkman (always be spinning vinyl & CDs), a bicycle, comfy bed (not too hard, not too soft), fluffy pillow, sleep mask, a reading light, reading glasses (no longer 20/20 vision), iPhone, Chromebook, a vintage guitar, assortment of guitar picks, phosphor bronze guitar strings, capo, guitar tuner, tool box filled with tools, bicycle pump, gaffer's tape, bug repellant, band-aids, Arnica gel, Bio-freeze gel, various braces (knee, ankle, wrist), baby aspirin, iron skillet, wooden spoon.

I mean, hell, this list can go on & on. The more you pay attention, the more you see. A life of things, makes a good thing of one's life...

Cowards. Afraid of Reality...

Folk #1: The signs of America's Decadence & Decline are not subtle. Dementia-Laden, Bulbously-Criminal, Greedily-Corrupt, totally-incompetant President? Yes. That's a fucking hot clue right there. Over-stuffed, prodigiously-fortified, outrageously-expensive Military Machine, unable to provide decent food, toothpaste, tooth-brushes, toilet paper, hot-showers to long-deployed service members on a ship in the Persian Gulf?  Logistics are too woke for these idiots. Ha. Ridiculous. Astonishingly, gob-smackingly mind-numbingly goofy. Hollow, hair-gelled, in-over-their-heads, leaders willing to bald-faced-lie in the cold light of Truth?  Cowards. Whiners. Babies. Afraid of Reality. Every last one of them are the creepiest of creeps & cretins. Hmmm, yes. Pretty much on the nose: Decadence & Decline.  Did everyone get fucking amnesia? What the fuck happened to this country? This is our lovely USA today, riddled with the worst people possible.

Daffy Nutzo-Land...

Folk #1: I have been working under the idea that we all have entered a totally unhinged era. Collectively we have all gone through the looking glass. We are now in Totally Daffy Nutzo-Land. What drove us all insane? Maybe it was the Covid? Maybe it's the phones & social media? Maybe it's the giving up on the Future? Maybe it's the effects of Climate Catastrophe?  Maybe it's that the day to day weather is too hot, too extreme? Maybe too many of us are now on the Planet, and we can all see & hear just how inadequate, flawed, and arbitrary, we all really are? We all seem so afraid, and full of rage & dread? The $ have gone to our heads? We are all looking to cash out, and we are all just crashing out? We have lost the thread of the plot? What to believe? Seems so many of us are just casting about, reaching for straws, totally kooky, crazy, stupid; constantly fabulating crazy-ass alternate worlds? How is it possible that the USA could hand the job of President to a liar, a fool, a criminal, a racist, a sexual predator, a pedophile protector, a brain-mushed idiot? How could a political party stand by and support that man? Total fucking bonkers. Am I painting with too broad a brush? Notice every sentence I write ends with a ? Sure, I mean, I bet there are a few folks just like me, watching the unfolding spectacle, and thinking "This is not the way!" Seems we are the outliers. Out of step with the times. I don't have any secret knowledge, but I am constitutionally not built to follow the herd. I am sure that I am crazy in my own particular way, but, I lean on humility, I gravitate to clarity, I sit back, take a breath, and am totally astounded & gobsmacked, by the actions, thoughts, dreams & aspirations of my fellow human beings. WTF?!

Career-Defining Incident...

 

Folk #1: Yes. This decoy plane story, you know the President hiding in a catering cart, is just so pitch-perfect. Let's say it's "carreer-defining" for this overblown coward, creep, liar, blow-hard, fake-strong-man, & decidedly not so great person. Sometimes it's just one incident, one scene, one snapshot, that captures the whole strange saga. The one indelible thing that sums up a man. THIS IS IT! And it is so freaking hilarious...

History via "Dog-Brained Aristocrats..."

  

Folk #1: You realize, pretty much every day, that reality is a hard teacher. It's complicated, contradictory, weird, strange, baffling, disconcerting, disappointing, darkly-funny. Often you try to match up the pictures in your head with the world around you, and they just don't fucking match up. Then, there are days, when the pictures in your head sync up perfectly. You are then rewarded with the thought: "I'm not totally fucking crazy." Still you have be careful of falling for "confirmation bias," you don't want just stoke your own prejudices, beliefs, values, decisions. You have to be open to facts, evidence, and the wisdom & insights of other voices. You must be willing to change your mind, change your ways. You must adjust, evolve, morph, adapt. You must learn from your mistakes, and dear Lord, you will make mistakes. A change of consciousness can happen in an instant. Change your Mind, change your Life. Humility, Clarity, Clear-thinking, Clear-seeing, these tools, are doorways, passageways, they can be so enlightening & liberating...

Real & Fake, Oh Yeah, Hilarous too...

 This headline is REAL...

This photo is FAKE, but also, TRULY, FREAKING, HILARIOUS...

Eternal Sleuthing...

Folk #1: A Universe of signs & wonders. Trying my best to crack the code. Thinking there is some formula, some equation, some simple sentence, where it all adds up. Maybe a fool's quest? And still, I find myself always on the search, dedicated to an ever morphing & evolving, eternal sleuthing. It's a very funny, strange, odd, way to occupy one's time. Filling one's head with details, facts, scenes, secrets, potions, rituals, & incantations, reading the cards, casting the spells, wondering, always wondering & imagining...

From Hate to Love in One Day...

Folk #1: You can't tell from yesterday's post, but I woke up with the thought: "I hate everything." Let's just say it was an accumulation of factors. Sort of overwhelmed my normally sunny nature. And then, I flashed on the realization that this is a mode that is actually quite familiar to me. 

I do think much of my late childhood, early teen years, and well into my 20's & 30's that "hatred of things," sat easily on my shoulders, and was useful to me. It was just a general hate. Not happy with my lot in life. Edgy, gnarly, quick to be a smart-ass. It gave me purpose. Not the best place to meet the day, but it was there. I used it in my day to day, and I used it in my creative pursuits: writing short stories, poems, plays, and learning & playing guitar. I liked the dark & edgy shit. Yes. As Johnny Rotten once wrote: "Anger is an Energy." You can use hate & anger in useful, non-destructive ways. But of course, it's a double-edged sword too.

Funny. I, by & large, left that behind after lots of work on myself. I became a long-distance runner, I gave up drinking alcohol, I changed my diet, became a vegetarian, I learned meditation, and did "psychic-spiritual work." I had a lots of great relationships with interesting & creative people. I had a few major revelations including a deep insight & understanding of the interconnected nature of all living things. Ha. I lived for inspiration & transformation.

Anyway, yesterday that "hate everything mode," was a way of touching bottom. A starting over. It actually wasn't a bad way to start the day. You can't get any lower than that, the only way forward is "up." Simple things like a good cup of coffee, Neil Young singing & playing on the stereo, a good meal, communing with my best friend, a long, lazy afternoon sitting by a shimmering, gorgeous pool, playing a borrowed Martin guitar, singing all the random cover songs I know. Laughing about all the stupid shit that currently intrudes on our lives.

No sting in the hate. It just sort of evaporated in the air. I found all the things, small & large, that I love. The journey of a day. One day in the life. It was renewing, refreshing, relaxing. We conjured up some new dreams, and a few kooky ideas. Engaged. Diverted. Entertained.

Taking the Initiative...

Folk #1: It's sounds heady, maybe self-absorbed, & a bit improbable, but I find that most of my life has been about "forging my own path." Left to my own devices. I am suspicious of my own idea of "making things happen," but it is true, waiting around for someone else to take me by the hand, lead me to the riverside, just never worked out. Looking back, all the key steps forward came pretty much from my own intiative. This initiative most often came out of an existential crisis, an act of bleak desperation, stultifying boredom, & even, sometimes, great inspiration, excitement & enthusiasm. All of this has been bounded by pretty hard limits. A small foot-print, a circumscribed reach. Maybe most of these limits have been self-imposed? I just don't know. Limit of imagination, limit of intelligence, limit of "talent," limit of organization, limit of finances, limit of understanding the ways of the world.  I have had no great plan. Improvising moment to moment. "If I don't do it, it won't get done." I think this is true of the great & small events in my life. Still, I wonder if really, it's all been a misunderstanding on my own part? Is having "agency" an illusion? And how have I limited myself? How many doors were open, and I just didn't walk through? What were the decisive decisions that sent me down this long, winding, crooked path? Not knowing what I am doing, and still doing it anyway has been rewarding: writing, acting, directing, playing guitar, song-writing, performing with two bands, living creatively and with total commitment, but it has  also been damning: bad decisions, wrong turns, dead-ends, crushing failures. And, still, just fucking carrying on. You know, fuck it, & damn the torpedoes. Maybe not the best code for living a full life. But, it has been my method by choice, or maybe by default?

The Pen MIghtier than the Sword...

 

Folk #1: I have always been a fan of good political cartoons. Cut to the chase. Get to the nub of the situation. Depict simple truths with very few words. What's happening right now?! This is from Bill Bramhall.  Exquisite.

Yes. This low-state is real...

Folk #1: Some days the pricks & kicks, the slings & arrows, come fast & furious. One must be nimble & quick. If one avoids the fatal blow, there is time for reflection, recalibration, & renewal. You assess the damage, attend to the wounds, try to piece together a coherent narrative of what went wrong, and why you have been laid low. You vow to live in the real, so there is no way around it. This low-state is as real as stone, but not a final judgement. All of this can be fuel for your next adventure, your next steps forward. You gather up your energy & wits & venture out once again. No one knows what's next. The not knowing is probably helpful & necessary.

The Very Stupid People are Doing Very Stupid Things...

Folk #1: I don't mind trying to sum up life as it displays itself to me in the moment. I realize any take is partial, probably a bit arbitrary, & certainly kind of reductive. Will my particular take stand up over time? Who knows?! Maybe sometimes there is a certain intelligence baked into the simple?

Fuck. What is going on around here with my fellow Human Beings? 

The Very Stupid People are doing Very Stupid Things. 

Turns out even the People you thought were not Stupid, are in actuality, Quite, Very Stupid. AND, these Very Stupid People are immensely happy, I mean, like fucking over-joyed to Show & Tell the World just how Very Stupid they truly are! They fucking advertise it, and expect you to adore them for being so Very Stupid, and to emulate & follow them down the Rabbit Hole of Being Stupid too!

What is the best response to this Grand Stupidity? Just don't be fucking Stupid...

Losing the War Against Reality...

Folk #1: Ha. Ha. Ha. The Mad-Would-Be-King is at War with Reality. It really is hilarious. I mean, it's hilarious, except there are some real, dire consequences for the rest us. So, you know, it's a special kind of hilarious that also hurts & cuts deep. Funny stuff that is deadly too. Potent. People will die. People will be harassed & arrested, people will be bombarded with lies & idiocy. People will rise up and cry "Uncle!"

So, yeah, a war on reality, near & far.

"Over there," the War in Iran, is not going well for the USA. Not surprising in the least. The stupidest, least capable folks imaginable led us into a certain losing proposition. What does the Would-Be-Mad-King do when he loses a War? Lie. Rant. Pound the table. Demand that everyone see that he actually won. Shite. That is maddening for everyone involved. Not a little thing. Dead people. Lots of them. For no good reason. All those dead soldiers and civilians can't be lied away.

"Over here," the reflecting pool fiasco just keeps spinning out. Our Would-Be-Mad-King is sure there are "reflecting pool vandals" that must be punished. It's all a fucking mirage. The contactor fucked up. It was botch job from the first. A no-bid contract given to another fraud. What is fraud x fraud? More fraud. What happens when the world responds: "There were no reflecting pool vandals, you idiot?" The Would-Be Mad-King lies, rants, pounds the table once again. He demands we all see & hear what he wants us to see & hear. Fuck that. No deal. The raving loser doesn't get a win. The Would-Be-Mad-King can never own up to his own fuckups or failures. Fuckup & Failure? The ocean he swims in.

This War with Reality? For sure, I'm betting on Reality.