Qaddafi the Swamp Thing!

What is it about isolation; too much power, time and money? What happens to the human brain? Think Howard Hughes, Kim Jong Il, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Phil Spector, Idi Amin...

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely...

So yes, it's nice to see the Dictators toppling like dominoes. These guys have kept too many people under too many thumbs. I hope the streak continues.

The latest episode of topple the dictator is quite bloody. Libya: The Swamp of Blood. And this Qaddafi dude is totally mad. Like freaking loony over the moon mad.

This is priceless...

"Qaddafi gave another speech this morning, reiterating his belief that the protesters are all youths driven out of their minds by “hallucinogenic drugs,” and sobbing over the “children of Libya” who litter the streets because he ordered his forces to murder them. In a new twist, he identified the Dr. Feelgood who has been supplying Libya’s children with hallucinogenic drugs as none other than the nefarious Obama bin Laden."

I think Qaddafi missed his calling. He should have been a Hollywood script-writer!

Oscar Buzz

Yeah, whatever. It's not really a contest is it? It would be one thing if everyone was making the same movie, and playing the same roles, I guess then you could have arguments about which performance/film was "the best" of the year. Still, even that's quite lame.

So I don't really care who wins. Lots of really, really great movies over the years were never even in the running right? You could compile an awesome list of films never considered for any damn award.

And everything but everything is a freaking contest now. So annoying...

So, no I didn't see all the nominated pictures, but I did see a few. Loved the Black Swan, and loved True Grit. Two very well-realized movies.

But I think the one that really catches the vibe of the times is The Social Network. An amazing piece of work. If it was fiction, you'd say totally implausible, unreal characters, couldn't happen. Of course, it's based on a non-fiction book and the characters and events actually freaking happened.

It's kind of the Citizen Kane of our time. It isn't a pretty story. It really shows the madness of our post-industrial, consumer-crazed, entertainment-all-the-time, socially networked paradise. It turns out it really does take a village to raise a Billionaire. And our billionaires are just needy nerds, pretty despicable, pathologically anti-social, and slightly teeth-grittingly, annoyingly, somewhat admirable too. That's if taking an idea and running with it to the back-stabbing, where are the bodies buried, bitter end is admirable. I mean, it worked for Zuckerberg, Mao Tse Tung, Osama Bin Laden and John Lennon, to name a few!

If there is a future, people of the future will watch this movie and be amazed, amused, and horrified that we lived in these times.

Days...

It's the "everydayness" of everydayness that can get kind of wearing. But you must remember that these are the days. The "everydayness" of the days is really an illusion. You don't get the days back.

So you must seize them and plunge into them, and experience each one as if they are new and unlike another. Even if they sort of blend or blur into each other. Maybe we try to make our lives a routine, but life isn't a routine.

You can't step into the same river twice. You can't step into the same day twice. It's always a one-shot deal...

Musical Lessons

And what lessons have I learned in my many musical excursions?

1. Every note counts.

2. Listen.

3. Small changes can have big effects.

4. Less is more. More is more. But less is more more.

5. Precision.

6. Rhythm.

7. Muscle Memory.

8. Work it until you can forget it. Then you can fly.

A Hard Day's Night

Working on music a lot lately. Along with working on our own music, (I write songs of my own, as well as write songs with two very strong song writing collaborators), I've been practicing singing and playing Beatles tunes. Which is it's own unique challenge and kick. Of course, these songs are some of the best pop tunes in the canon.

I've been working my way through this amazing book, The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook. It was originally published in 2000, it is a really great resource. My resident Beatles expert, Mr. Mo. confirms that it is very, very accurate. You will uncover all kinds of interesting musical insights. Just what was that ringing chord George Harrison played at the beginning of "A Hard Day's Night"?!

Anyway, working with this book is like going to music school. I think it's one of the best ways to learn how a good pop song works. You have three very distinct voices - McCartney, Lennon, Harrison. And it's great to watch how their musical know-how develops over the course of their Beatles careers.

And of course their singing voices, their melodies, their harmonies are just absolutely exquisite. Trying to do a decent version of "Yesterday," or "Let It Be," or "Don't Let Me Down," or "Strawberry Fields," or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is humbling and exciting too. It's also instructive to find out what your fingers and voice can and cannot do.

And then again, sometimes sitting on the floor of my kitchen working on one of these songs, my guitar and my voice brings one of them to life. And the energy of these amazing songs and song writers kind of courses through me. And that is amazing!

Chalk it up to a Full Moon!

It was a confusing, rocked out weekend. The energy was mixed up confusion. We will chalk it up to the full moon.

There were cat fights, hair-balls, weird chest pains, cold feet, runny noses. A pack of teenagers (young vampires) strolling down the avenue - somehow I was invisible to them. Maybe they just saw my moon-shadow!

We played music too. Old songs, new songs. There was feedback and sweet tones too. There was trouble and paradise all rolled into one.

The Clowns of the Right!

Donald Trump thinking of running in the Republican Presidential primaries? So funny. Ha ha. Ridiculous. I guess it would be good for David Letterman. He loves to make jokes about that stuff on Trump's head.

What's funny is it just shows how stupid and clueless and pointless the Republicans are now. They are the Clown Party! All their leading lights are Pernicious Clowns. Which makes for entertainment, I guess, but really not so entertaining.

It's probably bad for Democracy too. America has become the entertainment capital of the world. Good at show biz, but then the essential stuff of running a country kind of gets hustled off to the side.

Obama wants to have a dialogue with his friends and opponents, but his opponents can't see past the big rubber noses on their heads. Clowns. Clowns to the right. Stuck in the middle...

Workers Unite!

This thing in Wisconsin just seems to be a total war on the Union movement. Kevin Drum lays it out pretty clearly.

I was totally inspired by the protests in Egypt, the Wisconsin protests not so much, but really it is an important issue and closer to home.

The Union movement has faded here in U.S. but it's not for the good, we became a great country, a place where the middle class could thrive when the Unions were strong!

U.S. workers and the middle class, needs a strong Union movement. We need a renaissance of the Union movement. Workers of the world unite!

Strengths

And just how do you endure the slings and arrows? With smiles and kind words. And if are wounded, you repair your wounds silently, in private.

Humility and kindness. They really are strengths.

A Glimpse

We experienced a little thaw yesterday. The sun peeked out. We were able to shed a couple sweaters, the floppy hat, the gloves.

The ice and snow melted into little puddles.

It's been very wintry the last few months. This was a hint of Spring. Of course, it's only February, so it could all turn again.

But the milder temps just showed us a glimmer of warmth and renewal. The little birdies were chirping in the trees. The sun seemed to have a renewed presence. Everything seemed lighter.

What Would We Do Without Wishful Thinking?

I do love this band (Wilco). And this song. And the video is pretty good too...

The Academy of Change!

Yes, well, I was totally entranced by the Egyptian protests. And then totally enthralled by this story in the NY Times about the organizers.

Yes, they shook the history of the Arab world, but I'd say they rocked our world too. And it turns out there was a sophisticated and coordinated effort from people across the planet that contributed to the effort - Serbs, Tunisians and Eygyptians.

And they drew upon ideas from Gandhi, MLK, and a guy named Gene Sharp the "Machiavelli of nonviolence" and the "Clausewitz of nonviolent warfare."

And it is so exciting to hear that there is an organization in Qatar called The Academy of Change.

Personal Over-throw

And then you are back to your own life. There are dictators and bogeymen you'd like to over-throw too. And you want to seize the day by the throat and make it sing an inspiring tune. And you'd like to make yourself new. Shake out the old thoughts and replace them with the new. And create work that will fill you up and carry you to new places...

Egyptian Tea

Sipping Egyptian licorice tea this morning. Of course, I already had massive quantities of coffee. Still basking in the glow of the stunning event in Egypt.

I think it is like an earthquake of secret and massive proportions. With reverberations for all people on the planet.

There will be those who don't see it. Those who are in denial. And of course no one is sure what the lasting effects will be. But this is huge. No matter what.

We are seeing the world break. And it will not be the same. I am an optimist. So I think it will be a positive event. But of course there are unintended consequences. And major tumult is to be expected... I have my hopes, but I wonder how it all turns out?!

Egypt - What Next?!

No one knows. Hopefully the Military plays it cool. The amazing, peaceful, display of People Power was/is so inspiring. I hope for the best for the Egyptians. The protesters were hopeful, optimistic, peaceful, persistent and brave.

What a great lesson for the World. Even here in America where so many of our people are cynical, sarcastic, apathetic - we can take heart from the Egyptians. Who could imagine 17 days of protest could bring a Police State to it's knees, could actually succeed in getting the Strongman to step down?

And the message was yes, we are all the same, we all wish to live happy, fulfilling lives. And yes together we can make a better future! Don't we all deserve it?

Egypt

The story is still unfolding...

My heart and head are with the protesters in the streets. There is something so amazing and powerful about "passive resistance," and "peaceful demonstrations." It's remarkable this is happening in the streets of Egypt.

Can passive resistance topple a regime, can it carry the day? Can the voices of people be heard? You wonder and hope that peaceful change can occur in the face of entrenched power, and guns, and bullets, and tanks.

Social justice! If it works it would be an amazing lesson for the world...

UPDATE: Wow. The (U. S. backed) Dictator steps down (after 30 years of rule). Joy in the streets. One of the most stunning events I've experienced (vicariously) in my lifetime...

Honest Job

Yeah, well, I was thinking about work. Honest work. An honest buck. I've had a few jobs where I really earned an honest buck for honest labor. Turns out honest work is not all that well-paid. I mean, you do a job and make a buck and you really earn it.

There are lots of jobs like that, hard-earned dollars for a hard day's work.

Then I think about other jobs I've had in the "corporate" realm. Most of those jobs were well paid, nice benefits, lots of "free lunches" and expense accounts. Cushy. I made lots of money, and really sometimes it wasn't hard at all.

And the companies weren't really all they were cracked up to be. Software not quite ready for prime time, hardware not really up to spec. And management that was corrupt, small-minded, greedy and well, basically stupid. Good money, lousy job. Bad conscience.

I think lots of our economy is built on the second type of job. Whole industries are little more than scams: Insurance, Financial Services, Software companies (Bug in the code?! Wait for the next revision!). Folks just have to kind of bury the guilt. Deep down they must know that what they are doing is an abomination.

An honest job can be exhausting. But at the end of the day - clear mind, open heart!

Story Full of Holes

Sometimes you feel like you are part of a story with billions of authors. And they all have ideas of their own which they insert into the text. Some of these ideas seem complimentary, and some contradictory.

And then time goes by, and the story seems to take shape. And then other stuff happens that seems to come totally out of left field. This blows holes in the story, but then the authors scramble to fill the hole. And then we all pretend that there is a coherent story after all.

But the story is big, so big, that even coherence is transcended or maybe just besides the point. So there are big parts of our story that we all pretend don't exist. Kind of like the black holes or anti-matter particles out there.

And some of us can get our heads around black holes, but then there are some holes of unknowing we sink into without explanation. These holes in the narrative are vast and important, but we ignore them for the sake of the continuing saga we tell ourselves...

The Good Work

There's that transcendent moment of inspiration, (where does it come from?), and then there's the hard slog. Somehow the transcendent part must carry you through the slog part.

Put another way, there are those incredible moments of unexplained magic, which come unbidden, which overtake you, with no effort, no work; and then there's the wading through the mud part, where discipline and persistence carry you through.

Maybe you hope for the first part, without the second part, but it doesn't seem to work that way. Those transcendent moments usually do not come like a string of pearls.

And you can make the slog part less sloggy, maybe kind of make it a game. That's what some of us call the "good work."

Super Antidote

We decided to go all "counter-cultural" yesterday. First I barricaded myself in the house and played guitar and listened to music most of the day. Then we had a lovely pasta dinner. THEN, instead of tuning into the Super Bowl, we watched a Jean Luc Godard movie, "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her."

I mean, would Lombardi's ghost approve? Watching a French film instead of the super duper doings of all those steroidal freaks? Plus we decided to not do what everyone else was doing - and picked a film that really, really runs counter to the present culture.

Godard is a hard case. Of course, he's a master of a universe no one else even inhabits. His film plays with all the elements of a standard movie, and kind of blows up and subverts them. I guess I'd say this one is really a film essay on Capitalism, American Imperialism, Consumer culture, the commodification of human beings, fashion, sex and the hollowness of the modern world.

Made in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam war. The movie looks beautiful. The actors are charismatic. The off-screen narration pummels you with questions. Everything is up for grabs. It's amazing how few movies really push the envelope, this movie tears it up.

Loved it. I laughed and laughed and laughed. A very smart, funny movie. The perfect antidote to Super Bowl Sunday!

Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jim Carroll

And then again, I find it is the private obsessions which drive me, occupy me, keep me engaged and entertained. Being snow-bound is a great test of your own powers of discipline, and of keeping the creative spark alive.

I've lately been obsessed reading Patti Smith's book "Just Kids." A great book about two young artists finding their way. Funny, one of our friends brought it over, saying that the book reminded them of the Lovely Carla and I. I mean, in so many ways Patti and Robert's story has little to do with us, but in at least one significant way there is a great affinity - the great creative conspiracy of two souls committed to art, and to supporting and inspiring each other.

Patti draws a great portrait of Robert Mapplethorpe and her own story - the tale of the tough little sparrow, making her way in the rough, debauched streets of N. Y. and emerging as the Rock and Roll Poet, is extraordinary.

The other book that totally captivated me recently was Jim Carroll's "Forced Entries." I picked it up at a used book store for $3.00. It sat on the table unread for awhile. I started reading it after the Patti book. It had me laughing so hard. What a great voice, what an indelible character. Carroll is a modern St. Augustine, experiencing all the glorious sins of a totally debauched N. Y. existence.

What's funny: the first entry in the Carroll book had portraits of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. Strange convergence. That's the kind of thing that totally stokes my private obsessions. I realize I'm on some great journey where I just don't know what might be around the next corner. There is some creative thread, a journey of discovery, coursing through my life. I like that!

Sentence I Never Thought I'd Utter...

"I know the world does not revolve around my private obsessions."

Graceful Exit?!

You think, well maybe in this case, the guy will do the right thing. Just make a graceful exit. Wish everyone the best, and move on with dignity.

Then you think, well, that's not how it usually goes. Usually the guy goes kicking and screaming. Clinging to their last tattered shred of dignity like a dog protecting a bone.

Or he brings down the Iron Fist and crushes those calling for peace and calm.

When it comes to power and status, people don't like to step down lightly. And instead of doing "the right thing," they end up doing what ever they can get away with.

It's not a pretty picture of the human kind.

Snowstorm!

Yeah, over in this part of the land, snow, lots of snow. The white stuff is just another obstacle to try to overcome, to get around. Another challenge.

Yesterday was the aftermath of a huge snowstorm blowing through; the first time I ever saw snow and thunder and lightening. The wind blowing through the trees with amazing force created this almost mechanical moaning sound. Pretty impressive.

People were digging out yesterday. Everything was shut down, except for my favorite coffee shop which did box office business. There was a festive atmosphere, adults and kids, shovels, sleds, skis.

We kept warm and toasty and watched movies - movies with lots of green and sunshine. Escape!

New Picture

Looking around the world, you realize that not everyone wants to be like us. Maybe not even us. Anymore.

Remember when we thought of America as that Shining Mansion on the Hill? Well there's a dark fog enveloping us, and the mansion is in foreclosure, and the hill is crumbling, and a mudslide is looming.

Maybe we need a new picture?

Status Quo

A hole is blown in the middle of the "status quo." And that nice little orderly status quo starts teetering. What some once called stability is really just a rickety old shack ready to crumble.

And it's instructive to see that sometimes "world powers" are powerless; reduced to watching events unfold, without any real influence. Or then again, their influence can actually work against them.

And all those years of supporting the status quo which was basically a dictatorship (and this story can be told over and over in countless countries), maybe doesn't sit all that well with those who were dictated to.

So people are in the streets. And no one knows what will emerge from the rumble of the old order. Might be good, might be bad, might be different, might be just a new status quo. No one knows, no one seems in charge. Change is hard and messy - that's change you can believe in.

Changes!

This Egyptian unraveling is fascinating. How does a society change? Really, fundamentally change? We all live in societies, it's the collective energy of the people, their thoughts, their dreams, their actions, their interactions that make society.

Suddenly there is a spontaneous eruption - people actually take to the streets. A revolution, or evolution, or just a slight disruption? And where does it lead? Does the Dictator, the Strongman, the Authoritarian Ruler step down? And who replaces him? How do the voices of the protesters get channeled into something new?

Or is it like that Who song, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." This leads to questions about our own society. It seems the politicians are always the last to know. And our society morphs sometimes so slowly and sometimes so quickly. And where exactly are we going?

There's the need for freedom and safety, and human rights, and the ability to live a happy life. And there's lots of contention and opposition to any premise that's floated in the ether. And we clunk along. And then years go by, and we think things are so different, and then we again we think things are just the same as always too.

We have our cell phone, our laptop, our Google, and still there are all those human foibles and follies to contend with. We create love and joy and mayhem too. That's our social network - our lovely aquarium. And really is change like the rain? Or fog? Or lightening?

Center Can't Hold

Sometimes it feels like you are the center of the universe, and in some sense you are, and so is everyone else. Which actually means there is no center. Not everyone can be the center of the universe. So your feeling of being and holding the center is an illusion. And maybe an ego stroke too.

The center can't hold, because it is a fiction, a figment of your imagination. Still, you are important. At least to you. And you play a part in the universe, but it's not exactly of universal, earth-shaking importance, except to you. It's kind of hard to tell what and who is really all that important with so much matter and anti-matter, and people and things. Maybe importance isn't so important.

So below, so above. The cosmologists know that there is no center in the universe, there is just a great expanding. And we are in it, of it, expanding too...

Hair - The Long and Short of It!

I'm at Kat Palace, contemplating a haircut. First there's the contemplation, then the action, although, maybe I don't actually pull the trigger, maybe I just end up wearing a hat.

As that famous Irish singer with the funny name (Bono) once remarked, I don't have bad hair days, I have bad hair decades. Still I've been told by people (women) that my hair is "nice," and "super-fine."

I think maybe since I can't change my eyes, my ears, my nose, (although of course with the right plastic surgeon anything is possible - think King of Pop! Or then again, maybe bad example.); since I can't change the ravages of age, can't hide the scars, changing hair styles is a fallback. But when it comes down to it, my hair comes in two modes, messy, and not as messy.

As a wee lad I had a traumatic hair experience - a drastic crew-cut, which made me decidedly un-hip when the world was trying really hard to be hip. At the time, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. That was the last barber visit for nearly a decade and half.

I have gotten a lot more sanguine about hair. Now I can enter a barbershop or a hair salon, hop on a chair and declare, "Do what you like!" This is not as dangerous as it sounds. As they say, the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is about 2 weeks.

Sometimes I have been counseled to bring a photo to sort of guide the cutter. I find this mildly amusing. Does anyone ever bring in a photo of someone older, fatter, shorter, and less appealing than the person bringing the photo? Probably not.

The best instruction I have found: make me look younger, smarter, taller and more dashing. Works every time. Not.

Channeling Lombardi

It seems President Obama is now channeling the Ghost of Vince Lombardi, telling us it's all about winning!

Somehow in the flush of success 2 years ago, I was thinking he'd be a combo of Gandhi, MLK, JFK, and the Dali Lama.

Maybe it was kind of an elevated expectation level on my part. So I guess if he wants to be America's Coach, Lombardi is not a bad role model. Run to daylight Obama!

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Just don't make me run through those tires please!

January Limbo

We have entered a January Limbo. My muse, the Lovely Carla, remarked that there was no horizon yesterday; just one continuous smudge of gray. It's a Limbo where we know there is a Sun, but we can't see him, there is warmth in the world, but we can't feel it.

So we trudge through the grayness, kind of like trudging through a not quite light, and not quite dark, cloud. It's the "not quite-ness" that adds to the Limbo-ness of the moment. Makes one want to shake the day and demand some kind of statement, other than surrender, or no not surrender - gray ambivalence.

But the gray is overwhelming. And underwhelming too. And a statement of it's own kind.

The Feeling Universe

Feeling sad and down. You look around and find lots of reasons to be sad and down.

Feeling happy and up. You look around and find lots of reasons to be happy and up.

Same universe, same you.

It seems that feeling comes before reason. We feel it. And then we tell ourselves a story...

Sound of Silences

How to defeat the craziness? Silence my friend. Or maybe it's just human silence. Turn off the Babel Channel.

Listen to the trees. Listen to the waves crashing on the rocks. Listen to the wind whistling past your ear. Listen to the dogs barking and the cats purring.

Turn off the internal monologue for awhile. There's peace in the spaces between the words, between the thoughts.

It's a Life

There's a rush of energy and then the crash. It's kind of like a wave pattern. Except in this case, it's a life...

Good Hair Day!

Put on a show rock and roll show at a hair salon last night. Never thought I'd ever type that sentence. It all went well. Another long cavalcade of acts. Everything seemed to roll out fine.

I was the sound guy, which was not a promising idea, but it turns out the acoustics were good and my little tweaks at the sound board seemed to work pretty well.

Also got to play some music with the Telepaths and WhiteWolfSonicPrincess. I thought we did a good job on both fronts. First the Telepaths brought the mayhem, and then well, WhiteWolfSonicPrincess (with special guests) brought some mayhem too. Our special guest vocalist did a War Pigs/Helter Skelter/Suffragette City medley that brought the house down!

Someone said "best rock & roll medley ever." Not bad!

Which is it?!

Praying to save your soul, praying to sell your soul?!?

Human Dichotomy

No sense in going into all the details, let's just say, I've been running a parallel existence. Living in two worlds (at least) simultaneously. The trick is not to lose one's self, but it's not really hard, a "self" is made up of all kinds of masks, some complimentary, some contradictory...

There are lots of personalities one can wear...

So yesterday was a day of contrasts. Hours trudging through bone-chillingness. Skating on ice. Nearly killing myself numerous times doing drudge work.

And then... well the freaking lap of luxury. Exquisite food, lots of warmth and light, hours with a good book and a hot jacuzzi experience.

Healing Cloud of Energy

We're preparing for a show on Saturday. It's gonna be all cover songs. We are collaborating with some people we've never collaborated with before and we're doing some songs we've never done before.

Earlier rehearsals were kind of painful. Clunking along through the verses and choruses. Lots of false starts and missteps.

But last night, we got everyone in the room and after a few run-throughs we were pretty much on the same page.

We have quite the group - 5 singers, drums, percussion, bass, guitar. You get all that energy going in the same direction and it seems like we could blow a hole in the ozone layer. Although it would be much better if we could send a healing cloud of energy to fix that thing!

Sometimes this blog seems (even to me) like one long, very disconnected and rambling monolgue

So yeah, there's the "doing" the flurry of activity, the running from place to place, the crescendo, and then...

Well, then there's the thinking, the stewing, the wondering, the second guessing, the worrying, etc...

The Doing

Well there's the thinking, and the worrying, and the fretting, and the hoping and the planning, and the re-thinking, and the doubting, and the confusion, and the indecision, and the back-biting, and back-pedaling, and spinning, and the stewing, and the brewing and...

Then there's the doing. I don't recommend the doing without some of the thinking. But I'm so glad to get past the thinking cap part and getting to the doing part!

We have to learn to like challenges...

Yes, so in order to be a happy, healthy, human being we have to believe...

It's not so much what we believe, although, of course the "what" is important too, but we must make the concerted effort to believe.

Against the odds, sometimes against the evidence. Against the wishes or thoughts of others, or even ourselves.

This believing is a sort of vision. Whether it's a mirage or hallucination or illusion, doesn't really matter. This vision must drive us.

And what is this vision? It has something to do with meaning and purpose and the idea that the future is better. This act of "believing" provides no certainties, or guarantees, it's simply a friend, a guide, a challenge.

We have to learn to like challenges...

A World of Will

So yeah, I deeply immersed myself into another world. I went from dogs and birds, to cats. It's a much quieter land. It purrs.

I've looked into silent inscrutable eyes. And I've gotten lost.

I've spent many hours in the contemplative mode. Reading, listening. It's a world of clocks and clouds. A world of will and imagination. It's a world to believe in.

I put on new clothes. Looked into new mirrors. Everything has changed. The food I eat was purchased and stored by someone else. I have slipped into another reality.

I am unsettled. Off kilter. But of course it's on the margins, the place where chaos and order converge, where the new emerges...

Sounds of Hope

Shorter Dr. King -- from a Jangling Discord to a Symphony of Brotherhood...

The Land of D

Disruption
Disinformation
Distraction
Dysfunction
Dystopia

The Voice of Reason

I do think we are lucky to have a major Public Servant in our midst who is smart, articulate, pragmatic, reasonable, upbeat, cool-headed, adult, optimistic, and inspiring.

In so many ways he is so counter to the discourse; he is an antidote, to our toxic political culture. He is a shining beacon in the night of the dark onslaught of Hate Radio, and Hate TV and Hate Inter-Tubes.

So much of our national conversation is dominated by Pernicious Clowns! I actually think the Toxic Clowns get louder and more obnoxious as it becomes more and more apparent that they are losers. Their ideas, their ideology of selfishness and greed only leads to a militant dead end.

The Hollowness of the Militant Right is deafening... into the void, a voice of reason resonates.

The Humble Fool

So yeah, we live in a Universe of Reason and Unreason, of Order and Chaos, of Logic and Magic. We are outfitted with these things we call Brains, which somehow emerged from the soup of creation. And with these brains we try to navigate through this multitudinous Universe.

Somehow our brains must also encompass reason and unreason, order and chaos, logic and magic. And as one of our dimmer Presidents once said, "It's hard work!"

We sometimes want to simplify the Universe, to make it more understandable, more agreeable to our little brains. But it's a fool's task. The Universe has more in store, more up it's sleeve in which to bewilder us.

So yeah, we must expand our brains, or expand our conception of the Universe to encompass everything. It isn't an easy task. It isn't always understandable, or agreeable, and it's probably a good first step to say, I am just a Humble Fool. Here for a brief time. Trying not to be an asshole...

Reason & Emotion

So yeah, in these bodies of ours, we are stranded between the islands of reason and unreason. Logic and illogic. Reason and emotion.

We know there are limits to reason. And we know that the strongest emotions - love and hate, are unreasonable.

There are those who appeal to our reason, and there are those who appeal to our emotions.

Reason and emotion - they are both double-edged swords. We can reason ourselves down a blind alley. We can ride our emotions over a cliff.

There's a delicate balance required in each and every one of us. Then of course we all bump up against each other. And everyone of us is going through the same struggle of maintaining a balance!

The Crazy Mask

It's true rationality is just one of the masks we wear. If you ever get to know someone, one of the first things they usually will tell you, "I'm crazier than you think."

Rationality is just one mask. We have a whole closet full of masks. There's the happy one, the sad one, the mad one. And everything in between.

Just when you think you know what crazy is, someone will pop up and surprise you by doing some even crazier shit. You can't put a limiter on the craziness.

Add in a dose of hate, lots of stupidity, and serious weaponry, and well, the crazy can just get horrifying...

Exhilarating!

Our band WhiteWolfSonicPrincess lucked into a Saturday night show at the Elbo Room last night. It was totally exhilarating. One of our best shows ever! The sound was superb. The Elbo Room is one of the premier rock clubs in Chicago. Maybe the country?

Everything clicked. The club was buzzing. Full of folks ready for a full night of great music. We were the openers. We had the full band with us and I must say we totally rocked. Our sound filled the room. We had the light show, the smoke machine. And we were tight. We could all hear each other. What a joyful noise. What a joyous experience!

We opened for a band called August Son. They were really good. They brought in a big crowd and their crowd was very receptive to our sound. August Son does sort of an alt-country thing, shades of Wilco. A perfect compliment to our sound. We definitely won some new fans.

We got lots of great feedback. The four of us were riding on a cloud of joy!

I Guess...

I guess a long chain of accidents could actually look like a certain destiny...

Poster

Here is our poster for the January 22nd show. We've put a few up around the neighborhood. It has definitely gotten some attention!

Beats Between the Words

We're working on a show for later in January, it's billed as "Honey Gimmee the Covers!" It will be a bunch of solo artists and bands doing cover songs. We're running through the universal songbook trying to come up with some interesting cover songs to do.

I always fall back on some of my old standbys... I've been working on "Cortez the Killer" by Neil Young, "Knocking on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" the Rolling Stones, and maybe "One Step Closer" by U2.

These songs have a special resonance for me. You could probably print out the lyrics, string them together and tell some kind of story. I think my life is in the margins or in the beats between the words...

House of Cards

WikiLeaks has been demonized. But it's kind of funny, the last month or so, I have read many front page stories in the New York Times that were inspired/engendered by the WikiLeaks document dump.

Lots of really interesting news.

Most of the diplomatic stories show that really the only ones who are being lied to by American diplomats and American politicians is Americans. Obviously, WikiLeaks should be covered by "freedom of the press," even if they don't own a press. I think WikiLeaks is providing a valuable service.

Unfortunately the lesson is that yes, the powers that be, whether in business or government, lie all the time. They act as if it is their right to keep the truth secret. It's a sign of their power. Anything that exposes that mind-set is good. We still pretend we live in a free democracy. Lots of secrets, lots of lies, undermine our freedom and call into question our "democracy."

WikiLeaks vs. Bank of America?

This was the best little news item I read yesterday...

Julian Assange tells us that he is gonna "take down" a major American bank. Go Julian, go! I just hope he's able to get the information out soon. The bank doesn't want you to know what they do behind closed doors, what they think of their clients, what they do as a matter of day to day "business."

Let the truth see the light of day!

UPDATE: What's kind of funny in a not funny way, the article makes it clear that if the world really knew what Bank of America was doing, how they conduct business, how they treat Customers, what they did in the mortgage fiasco, etc. they would be in real trouble. They are lawyering up now, expecting lawsuits and public condemnation. So they are acting guilty, like they are running a criminal enterprise, but all is cool, as long as they hide it behind closed doors. That's American banking in a nutshell.

Now What?!

All right. The decks are cleared. Now what?!

Clear

We did our year-end ritual at Invision yesterday. Glad to bury 2010. It was a year of "disruption." Lots of good stuff mixed in with lots of bad stuff. Did our best to clear it all away.

Walked in feeling clear and gnarly, walked out feeling clear and clear. That's probably an improvement.

Then we cashed in our gift certificate that we won at a raffle and enjoyed a free meal at IHOP. It wasn't fancy, but it was filling. The big thing? It was FREE!

Then watched one of our favorite movies, The Darjeerling Limited. Drop the baggage. Move forward feeling clear.

Lesson

What have we learned in 2010?

Win some, lose some...

Where We Live

You never get to the future. It's always out there just out of grasp. It used to be the future was 2000, or 2010. Living in the 70's or 80's or 90's, 2000 seemed like some kind of marker. And in a way it was, but it wasn't really the future, just another year.

If you're an optimist the future will be better. If you're a pessimist the future will be worse.

But really we just never get there. There's some kind of process. The process of experience.

It's never definitive, always incomplete. That's where we live...

Live with Soul!

Soul. Live with more soul. That's a resolution. We live in a world of material. And the material just seems to multiply and fill up our world. It gets so you think the only thing that exists is material.

And we think we are material too. And maybe we are, but that's not all we are. And not the most important part either. It's soul. That's the important part. You can't see it, can't put your finger on it. And lots of people will tell you it's a chimera, a ghost, a mirage, an illusion and it doesn't exist.

They lie. Live with Soul. More Soul!

Hazards

The Cold is a killer bitch. The Heat is a killer bitch too. And even a on Mild Day with no extremes in the forecast, you can find yourself on a slab in a morgue somewhere.

It seems Death isn't choosy about the weather.

The weather is just one of those hazards of a life. The elements conspire against you. Sometimes they caress you too. Either way, they are not really your friends. They are just the elements you must deal with sucker! So deal.

Winning Formula

Less Information, More Wonder.

Personal Resurrection

A good sleep is almost like a resurrection.

Maybe not quite as dramatic as rising from the dead, rolling the rock away, and ascending; still there's something about hitting the pillow feeling hollow, burned out, and beat; and waking up sunny, filled up, and refreshed. A personal resurrection promising a new day.

Live with Spirit!

I do think Religion tends to give Spirit a bad name. My kind of Spirit really has nothing to do with organized Religion. My kind of spirit life is full of questions and wonder. With very few certainties.

I think it's best to choose to live with Spirit. And I do think it's a choice. The jury is out. And really there are no certainties.

Still, for me, it's not really a question of belief, but one of experience.

There are those moments of light, of transcendence, of enlightenment, of oneness with the universe, and one can try to explain them, or explain them away. But still you are finally left with the experience.

One can choose to embrace those experiences or to discard them. I choose the embrace.

One can say it's all explained by neurons, and brain chemistry and DNA, or alternatively, one can talk of higher powers and angels and demons, and well both sides of that coin are just telling you a story, which you can choose to embrace or not.

Again for me, it's not so much the story I bank on, but the experience of my life. I have lived with spirit and it has carried me. Whether that's an illusionary experience or not, I guess I can't really decide. And finally it matters little. In some sense it's all illusionary.

Some illusions work better than others. Give me the Spiritual nature of life! Give me the amazing creativity of nature. I put my "faith" there. I think it beats the alternative. And ultimately that's more than enough!

Brothers

We weren't stoned or inebriated or foggy-headed in any way. We were both clear-eyed, clear-headed. We were talking. We both like to talk. We are loud and we like to hear our own voices booming away in a room. We are brothers.

We are alike in many ways. We are different in many ways. We are probably alike in ways we don't even know. We are probably different in ways we don't know either. We share DNA. We share lots of experiences. We know and grew up with lots of the same people.

We see things from very different perspectives. I have a few years on my younger brother. Which when we were young meant a lot. Which now seems to mean a lot less. My little brother is now bigger than me. He could probably hold me down and make me eat dirt. But we don't do that kind of thing any more.

We were alone together. Which doesn't happen often. So we talked. Probably did more talking than we have for a long, long time. And then we played music, me on guitar, my brother on harmonica. We played loud. We filled the room up with our sound. We sound good together. The acoustic guitar, the harmonica and our voices rang out into the room and it was good. Brothers.

One Step Closer...

I love this song. I know for some folks U2 is old news, but I think they are the real deal. They certainly know how to put on a big time rock & roll show.

I was once walking on the lakefront, a cold windy day, a dog on a leash, looking out at the frozen lake, and this song was playing on my iPod. It's hard to describe the feeling that came over me.

There was a shaft of light breaking across the horizon. My heart rose, my head spinning, the tears welling up. One of those amazing transcendental moments that are completely impossible to communicate.

Giving Season

So I guess it's the giving season...

Some days it's all smiles and words of endearment. And compliments. And people coming out of the woodwork to throw money at you.

And people who tell you how special you are, and how glad they are to know you. And all you can do is say, "Thanks." But inside what you are saying is: "Really?!?

Dead Man's Boots

I walked through more mush than Nanook of the North yesterday. I can say that with confidence, because that Dude is long gone. I wore these heavy old boots, I call them the Dead Man's Boots, because I think (it's a hunch) their previous owner is no longer with the living. And when I put those boots on I swear something of the Dead Man is transmitted to me.

I bought the boots years ago for a theatrical production. They change the way I walk, they give me more gravity, the weigh on me, they make me feel like I'm carrying more than just my own thoughts, fears and dreams. I have a heavier foot with those boots. But they make me more sure-footed, they grip in the ice and the snow. They support my ankles and keep my feet warm even in sub-zero conditions.

One of my neighborhood friends tells me I have a distinctive walk, he calls it the "darkness on the edge of town walk." I haven't told him it's the Dead Man's Walk, not mine...

Hands

On the one hand, we have this amazing ability to create. And on the other hand, we have this uncanny ability to destroy. Aye there's the rub...

Everything in it...

Yeah, well, I can go with the Animist idea, that everything (plants, rocks, animals) in the universe is alive and infused with spirit. And that the universe and everything in it is sacred, or as Blake would have it "holy."

And yes, well the plants and the trees can live without us, but we can't live without them. And maybe we should find some humility in that reality? We think of ourselves at the top of a long chain of being, but what if we are just another link in the chain?

And every link is important and has a job or a reason to exist. Even if we don't know the reason. And we should be living a little lighter on this little crust of earth. Humbleness, and thankfulness, and joy...

Too Full

The Lovely Carla: "Jimmy, your cup is always too full."

Joy and Anarchy

I get these cryptic messages when I'm sleeping.

Not sure if they are words of wisdom from a higher power, or just random static chatter from my zapping/napping neurons.

Anyway last night it was: "More Joy and Anarchy!"

We Deserve the Truth!

If you build secret prisons and house people there, if you order people to torture other people, or you order people to fight an unjust war, (a war of choice where many men, women and children die needlessly), if you lie to people and pretend you are promoting "freedom" and "democracy," when if fact you are imposing the Iron Fist, if you make up evidence of "weapons of mass destruction," (when in fact they do not exist), if you unleash lots of fear and pain and destruction on people all over the globe to burnish your own ego and petty concerns, if you deploy diplomats and ambassadors in every nook and cranny of the world who lie and pretend -- well, if you are that person or persons, you get to walk around free and easy, they give you medals, and name airports after you, and give you big book deals, and quote you in the newspapers, and let you go on tv to act like a big deal.

On the other hand, if you expose the lies, if you reveal the truth about the war, if you shed light on the darkness around the globe, if you reveal the lies of the politicians and the diplomats and ambassadors, if you show the world that the narrative the Powers that Be are pitching, is a load of shite, well now that person or persons are considered a threat, an enemy that must be tried and put in prison.

Something is very, very wrong!

P.S. A simpler formulation: if you commit crimes against humanity, they applaud you and call you King! If you tell the world that crimes have been committed in their name, they condemn you and call you Enemy!

Cards

The cards keep coming. The Dealer is a monster. He keeps shuffling that deck, blistering fast. And he shoots those cards over to you quicker than a blink of the eye.

You get these cards and try to put them in some kind of order. You want to tell yourself a story with these cards. And sometimes the story is pretty neat and simple, and sometimes the story is fractured and convoluted.

And sometimes you just want to lay those cards down and push away from the table and take a long nap. But it's not that kind of game. This game you have to sit there and play. Round after round. Sometimes it's boring as hell, and sometimes it's just the most fun you've ever had with clothes on.

And you can never tell what's coming next, even when you can, if you know what I mean...

Perverse Pleasure

Yesterday was cold. So cold. Hell, it's Chicago in December. Cold. It's no surprise. Still the absolute reality of the coldness was kind of overwhelming.

Two pairs of socks, three sweaters, a pair of long johns, big old boots, massive gloves, a bulky overcoat, a silly hat. Lots of hot beverages.

There is a perverse pleasure in somehow enduring it all: the ice, the snow, the bitter cold, the stark chillness, the arctic air. Is it a punishment, a challenge, a test?

Or just the weather? Yes, the weather in the Midwest. Made it. Oh yeah, it's cold today too.

Past and Present Lives

I start wondering how it is that all roads lead to this moment. Why am I here? And what the hell am I doing? Is it destiny? Was I born, did I go through all those years of tumult, just to arrive at this day, this moment?

I read this post from Kris Cahill, my great meditation teacher, about past lives and I wonder about where I've been and where the hell I'm going.

I have been baptized with dog's blood. I have been cut and scarred. I have grown hair and cut it too. I sing my songs. I put my boots on. I take them off. I inhabit this body like it's a foreign territory.

I think about string theory, and aliens and the big bang, and how many angels can balance on the head of a pin. I think of all the crazy shit of this world and I think my head is getting larger. Will it get large enough to encompass the universe? What kind of headaches can I expect?

My ears and nose are getting larger too. I pray for proportionality.

I remember and forget my dreams, I remember and forget the books I've read, the movies I've seen. I remember and forget myself. And I think there are important things that I've misplaced, that I've forgotten. That I don't even know about.

And I wonder if I've really done this in other lives in the past. And will I do it in other lives later. And I wonder why? What a funky, baffling existence. And I laugh too.

Kitchen Session

It all went sub-zero yesterday. We decided to play music in the kitchen. We set up our little p.a. with microphones, and our bass player came over and we ran through songs together. It was all so nice and cozy and warm.

It was an intimate session. A bass, an acoustic guitar, and three voices snaking around each other. Sounded pretty good. It was basically just for us. And that was enough.

"Honey, Gimmee the Covers!"

Working on a poster for a show we're gonna do in late January. I think we're gonna call the show "Honey, Gimmee the Covers!"

I had an idea for a photo for the poster. So we set up a tripod and put the camera on, and gave it a go. Snapped a ton of pictures. The idea in my head and what we actually came up with kind of diverged, but...

Here is my favorite one...

An Outlier...

Krugman, again:

"If you ask how it’s possible that a handful of bad actors can get their way so often, the answer has to be, wasn’t it ever thus? What we call civilization has usually been a form of kleptocracy, varying mainly in its efficiency (the Romans were no nicer than the barbarians, just more orderly). Yes, we’ve had a few generations of government somewhat of, by, for the people in some places — but that’s an outlier in the broader sweep of things. So never mind the hive-minds; good old greed still rules."

Mud Wrestling

Politics really is like mud wrestling...

And Obama is this amazing, graceful boxer, he could be the Champion of the World, but instead of entering a boxing ring where he can dazzle us with his uppercut, and his fancy footwork, and his champion smile, and his superior strategy, he has to enter the mud wrestling pit.

And his opponent is a freaking pig. Muddy. Wallowing in mud. Oinking, smirking, burping and farting and daring anyone to take them on. And the pig is fat and sassy and supremely greedy. It only cares about it's own freaking piggishness. Shameless.

And our poor champion has to take on the pig. That's his job I guess. And well, he gets muddy. Really, really muddy. And he starts looking less graceful and less dazzling. Or maybe he's still graceful and dazzling, it's hard to tell, there's way too much mud!

And it all gets a little hairy and the mud is flying, and everyone gets dirty. And the mud is relentless. We are all drowning in the mud.

Wars

There are wars of attrition.

Wars of commission.

Wars of omission.

And then there are those Eureka moments! And the war is over...

Recording Session #3

It was back to the recording studio yesterday. We are the middle of tracking a bunch of songs. We trekked across the city, a caravan of two, the Lovely Carla and I, lugging 3 guitars, a little tube amp, and some percussion stuff on the train.

It was bone-chilling cold. We looked like a couple of arctic, nomadic, gypsies heading off to a sub-zero hootenanny. It was all quite mad. We are searching for "the sound," that we hear in our heads, trying to get it all down in little recorded tracks.

It was just me, in a little padded room, with my guitars. The Madness of Jimmy Jammer. I blasted through the tracks, adding guitar flourishes and embellishments. Plus I did one long ripping solo, a blast of total, in the moment passion.

Afterwards I was totally drained. We're getting closer, still lots of work to do.

The Dick-head Party

So when the Republicans, the Dick-head party, are in the majority they have everything their way.

And when the Republicans, the Dick-head party, are in the minority they have everything their way.

That's politics the American Dick-head Way!

Living Proof

Sprawled out on the couch, I listened to Son Volt's first record yesterday afternoon. It's a little classic, that I listened to often when it first came out. It was buried in a stack of cds. I put it on and it didn't disappoint.

"We're living proof that nothing lasts."

Son Volt is probably one of the great lost bands. Couldn't keep the original line-up together. Didn't sell enough records or find their audience. Still really good stuff.

Anyway, since I was feeling like a candle that someone had blown out, I thought: "Sometimes we have a body, sometimes we are a body, sometimes we feel like less than our bodies and sometimes we feel like more than our bodies."

Later I reviewed some pictures from our Saturday show. I definitely like the ones with the softer light. I'm just not a big fan of "the flash." Too bright. Too much detail. Too unforgiving. There's a harshness to all the edges. Give me soft edges. Give me a little blur. Give me a little distance.

Those hard edges seem to get harder and a little edgier as time goes by...

Gratifying!

Yes, we did a show last night with a couple of other bands. People donated toys for kids. Lots of good vibes all around.

I do love playing music, and hanging with other musicians. I love talking about gear and tone and checking out other guitars and amps.

I love when things go well, and the sound is good, and the audience really gets into it. During our set I looked out and people were dancing and smiling and toasting each other. It was all quite gratifying.

A Good Time!

I'm not that big on tradition or nostalgia. But sometimes I do fall into line. Tonight we have an event which we've hosted for a number of years, at least 3 or 4. It all starts to get hazy for me.

"What did I have for dinner yesterday?"

It's Toys for Tots. We throw a party, get a bunch of bands to play at a little bar, invite people to bring toys for needy kids. The Marines, yes, The Marines come and collect the toys and deliver them.

So tonight we have four bands: The Alltunators, WhiteWolfSonicPrincess, The Telepaths and Daddy Burger Swag doing their thing. It snowed last night so it's gonna be real Christmasy. Nice toasty neighborhood bar. Lots of alcohol. Perfect setting for a good time or some unfortunate mayhem.

I'm betting: good time!

The Last Liberal

The Last Man Standing. No not Obama (he may have been the Liberal's Hero, he is clearly not a liberal - maybe "pragmatic?" But in the face of the Republican Idiocies he seems gullible). Starting to wonder about him. I mean Paul Krugman. I often read his columns and his blog: The Conscience of a Liberal.

He seems to me to be the one man saying everything that needs to be said. Not sure if anyone besides me is listening. He was right about the folly and horror of the Iraq war. And he was right about our financial collapse and ridiculous bailout of the financial sector.

So yes, he got a Nobel Prize for Economics. But even other economists seem to do their best to ignore this guy. I guess for some, the guy who is always right and always wants to tell you about it, is kind of annoying.

He's right about our war against the poor. Despicable. And now he's wondering if we've finally seen what stuff Obama is made of.

"Whatever is going on inside the White House, from the outside it looks like moral collapse — a complete failure of purpose and loss of direction."

I hope he's wrong. But Krugman's track record has been extraordinary. Clairvoyant!

War of those with much, against those with much less.

The Banksters and Wall Street Kleptocrats continue their relentless crime spree. Now it's the people of Ireland who have to dig deep in their pockets to pay for the sins of the Financial Class.

And the Political class just nods and does their bidding. Accomplices to the crime.

And they call it "austerity." The wealthy commit the crimes, everyone else pays the price. It is a full-scale CLASS WAR. But if you point it out you are denounced as a "socialist." No one bothers to invoke Karl Marx anymore.

So when the wealthy wreak war on the poor and middle classes it's called "necessary financial measures." When the poor and middle classes squeak and march they are treated like spoiled children who just don't understand.

It's war by other means. War of those with much against those with much less.

We Smoked!

Well we followed what was pretty much a disaster show with a raucous and righteous show last night. A wintry Tuesday night in the Big City. The Telepaths played between an acoustic opener and a young kid band that filled the house and rocked the place.

The Telepaths were in fine form for this show. I had extra strings and an extra guitar just in case I broke something. Our drummer was hitting so hard he broke a stick, it went flying - shrapnel!

So we were on the big-time stage of the Elbo Room in Chicago. They got the monitors, the lights, a kick-ass back line; a vintage drum kit, vintage bass cabinets, great sound person. Even a fricking smoke machine.

And we smoked. We did. We did our Telepathic "psychedelic garage" thing and it flew!

*NOTE: Our friend Erika took this picture of the Telepaths at the Elbo Room on her iPhone!