The Moon and Stars

Balance and Symmetry. Finding either in the Fall is like chasing and catching the Northern Lights-it cannot be done. The weather gets colder, the Sun takes a much-needed vacation, the Moon hangs high up in the air. Probably what affects me the most is the Light Deprivation-it's almost like walking around in a semi-haze; a fog that never quite dissipates. And Depression and Anxiety are always a threat during the winter months. I suspect that the rays from the Sun are essential for Spiritual Maintenance but I cannot base it on anything other than anecdotal evidence-pure conjecture for the time being.

I don't know how they deal with it up in Sweden and Norway-but I am intrigued since I've always been partial to colder climates. Being from Chicago will do that to you. Light Deprivation is referenced continually in many reality shows.  One of the topics that I found most disturbing and tragic was the high incidence of teen suicides in the Eskimo populations-the show attributes them to the lack of youth employment opportunities, alcoholism and Light Deprivation. Isolation and extremely cold climates: A deadly combination?

"Miss You" from the Rolling Stones-a happy little jem that was hiding out in one of my many play lists. The song reminds me why we all used to worship the Stones-the vibe, the catchy hooks, lyrics and swagger. Sure it came from the Disco Era, but, like, who cares? The breakdown in the middle where Jagger, supported by a fat bass line is half singing, half talking is a stroke of genius. "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd. I'm sure I've already mentioned this song as occupying a permanent place in my playlist. Big Brother, Minor Keys, Analog Synths and probably some illicit substances thrown in for good measure-these ingredients, and more are to be found in abundance in "Welcome to the Machine." A picture from the past into the future.

One last song is the Wild Card but an explanation is in order here-I will in all probability catch a lot of flak. At the gymnasium where I train the staff began playing this one annoying song like six times an hour. They did this for about a month straight-I wonder who's idea that was? It's a strange sensation executing bench presses while being extremely angry-I guess that's how it is in Prison. Eventually the song wore me down with its cheesy lyrics and equally cheesy little beat. So now I apparently like Teeny-bopper music-Sad. Blame the Gym.The song: See No More-Joe Jonas. Music and a lot of Reading are the antidotes for the Wintertime Blues. Also don't forget the Beatles "And I Love Her."

Somewhere in Time

Revisiting the Past. Reinventing the Future. These themes are the bread and butter that Hollywood lives on, Universal themes, if you will. The idea of going back in time to correct mishaps and to revisit and recapture old glories is an alluring one that reverberates perpetually. Who wouldn't want to go back in time to sow their wild oats while making a few minor correction along the way? This very theme is revisited in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris."

I should note here that I avoid at all costs anything and everything involving the Wilson brothers but I was compelled by Allen's latest handiwork. Anyways, the film features Wilson as a novelist, accompanied by his uptight fiance(Rachel McAdams), who is magically transported to Paris in the 1920s. He hangs out and parties with Cole Porter, F. Scott and Zelda  Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali, Luis Bunel, Pablo Picasso, and Gertrude Stein. Obviously, this is a dream come true for Wilson, the opportunity of a lifetime.

Social Dissonance is an underlying theme for the film-Wilson obviously feels ill at ease in his own time and no doubt feels that a simpler, happier time would alleviate many of his problems. The Golden Age. I must admit that I too have pondered  this idea at great length. If I were to be drawn back in time I would favor being transported somewhere within the Victorian Age. Musically, Romanticism was all the rage, anything Baroque deemed quaint and out of fashion. This was Francisco Tarrega's world. This era was the calm before the storm-who knew that World War I was right around the corner?

On the topic of revisiting old paths, I decided to go back and listen to "Loveless" from My Bloody Valentine. I wish that I could say that I read about them in Pitchfork or in Rolling Stone but the truth is that a long while back, when I still read guitar magazines, I read a mostly unflattering review of the band and its work. That did it-I was hooked. When I first listened to My Bloody Valentine I felt like I was in a very long, reverby tunnel where everything is constantly in motion, in a state of Vibrato. I initially found the music repugnant and yet I somehow was drawn to it-its fuzzy, punk, and out-of-tune vibe stuck out like a sore thumb. My old Audio Engineering teacher, Ray Dillard, gave me the greatest piece of advice ever: If at first you don't like a piece of music, listen to it another ten times. I have carried his words of wisdom with me ever since.

So there you have it: Midnight in Paris and "Loveless" from My Bloody Valentine. Go check them out and maybe that gray little cloud hanging above your life will slowly dissipate.

Brighton Park

You gotta hand it to the fine folks at the Golden Arches-they sure know their Marketing. They orchestrate all manner of excitement over a slab of pork ribs nestled comfortably between two hot dog buns and Voila! hordes of people find themselves mindlessly running  to their local restaurants in order to be the first to re-experience the return of the McRib. Has the American Public become too gullible, too simplistic and child-like? I hope not.

I must admit I was a bit of a naysayer about this McRib sandwhich too. That is until my pal and I took a  trip and picked up some quick eats at the Golden Arches. Protocol dictates that you gotta have some bona fide junk food before a football game-in our case we got to watch the mighty Texans crush their long-time rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Anyways I was watching the game and eating the McRib as well as the piping-hot fries when my friend informed me that the proper way to do it(like they do in Philly) is to insert a big handful of fries into your sandwich. Fair Enough. I must say, it was a devil of a good idea. The sauce on that McRib is what makes the sandwich in my opinion. Go out and try one for yourself-give the Diet a rest for a day or so...and definitely check this out:Reverse Diabetes We can certainly enjoy our snacks while avoiding diabetes.

As I was enjoying the sandwich a strange thought popped into my head: Why don't the fine chefs at McDonald's try a similar sandwich only with Tuna instead? Sure it would probably be gross...initially. But with enough tweaking and reworking and stealthily inserting some beef and pork, the sandwich could possibly even become edible? Nah, it would never work. It's just that Tuna seems to be a healthier meat; unfortunately all anyone ever does is slather  mayonnaise all over it as a condiment. Tuna has never really ever been a cool meat-it just doesn't elicit the same type of excitement as cooking up a batch of Jerk Wings for your boozy pals. It is the Ned Flanders of the Meat Family. Tuna definitely needs Salvation-that's for sure.

Winter Dreams

Well, Winter has FINALLY arrived  and it could not have occurred soon enough. There’s something very disconcerting about having to utilize an Air-Conditioning unit in October -the beginning of Winter. That’s what happens when you’ve faced down a Summer filled with weeks and weeks of relentless 120 degree weather. Life in Hell. Grumpiness is the result of excessive heat-the heat will be the main contributor to street fights and jousts. Iceland never experiences such warm climates. And the people seem so relaxed and even-tempered. It must be nice to be energy-independent. Lucky bastards.  An observation is in order here: Extreme temperatures elicit extreme behaviors. Except in Iceland.

The Church: Priest=Aura. A great album by a great band-worthy of repeated listenings. A few years ago many  were convinced that this was the Perfect Album of all time and  listened to it endlessly. Then they moved to Ireland and were never heard from again. Life is peculiar like that.

Many years ago before she became the media heavyweight that she is now and the proprietor of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington published an extremely insightful biography on Pablo Picasso. The book emphasized the tempestuous relationships that Pablo maintained with his many wives and mistresses. The revelation was at times sickening. In this regard a female author has many obvious advantages in powers of deduction, knowledge of complex relationships and most important of all, empathy.   An excerpt from biography.com on our favorite Artist:

Picasso's paintings and drawings of the late teens often seem unexpectedly naturalistic in contrast to the Cubist works that preceded or sometimes coincided with them (Passeig de Colom, 1917). After his travels to Italy and a return to Barcelona in 1917 (Parade was performed there in November), a new spirit of Mediterraneanism made itself felt in his work, especially in the use of classical forms and drawing techniques.

This was reinforced by a conscious looking back to Ingres (for example, in Picasso's portrait drawings of Jacob and Vollard, 1915) and to late Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Even the direction of Picasso's Cubist work was affected. By clarifying planes, forms, and colour, the artist imparted to his Cubist paintings a classical expression (Saint-Raphal still lifes, 1919; two versions of the Three Musicians, 1921).

Picasso's only legitimate child, Paulo, was born in 1921. As part of his new status as darling of the socialites (encouraged particularly by his wife and Jean Cocteau) Picasso continued his collaborations with the Ballets Russes and produced designs for Manuel de Falla's Three-Cornered Hat (1919); Igor Stravinsky's Pulcinella (1920); De Falla's Cuadro Flamenco (1921); and Satie's ballet Mercure (1924). André Breton called Picasso's designs for this ballet “tragic toys for adults” created in the spirit of Surrealism. 

That excerpt should be sufficient to encourage further exploration into all things Artistic.

Libyan Rebels Still Working Full-Time At Other Jobs

TRIPOLI—Rebel forces hoping to oust Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi confirmed Tuesday that they were having difficulties coordinating their rebellion while still working a full 40-hour week at their other jobs. "Obviously I'd love to combat Qaddafi's army and win our nation's freedom all day, but the reality is I've got to make a living here and my boss is pretty stingy about time off," said Libyan resistance fighter and day-shift cab driver Husni Deghayes, adding that while he occasionally lobs a few grenades at government forces on his lunch break, he rarely has time to do so before he has to rush back and clock in again.

"Plus, I'm a father. So really I have three full-time jobs." Deghayes went on to tell reporters that the situation is unlikely to get any easier, as he has to cover a number of upcoming shifts for his coworker who got killed in a skirmish outside Benghazi last night.

 

Pumping Irony

Arnold Schwarzenegger. For a demi-god he sure has been keeping a low profile lately. There was a time(the '80s and '90s) when Papa Arnold,as I call him, was on a perpetual marketing blitz. The guy was everywhere all at once-he was inescapable. Whatever he touched turned to gold: A beefed-up, slightly less successful version of Tom Hanks, if you will. The kid that Joe Weider brought over from some backwoods little town in Austria became.....the Governor of California?! Who would've thunk it?

Of course, Arnold being Arnold couldn't help himself and he flew too close to the sun and came crashing back down to earth with the rest of us. Yes he had an affair with the maid which resulted in a child and the demise of his marriage. I must admit that I had mixed feelings when the likeness of the maid was flashed around the globe millions of times. You picture your heroes jet-setting around the globe with four models on each arm, kinda like Mick Jagger used to do before he settled down, only to be confronted with a homely woman who performs domestic chores?! Pumping Irony indeed. That was a hard pill to swallow.

I propose that this setback that befell Papa Arnold will only serve to make him more human, more approachable and relatable. People generally mistrust individuals who appear too perfect . It was Ben Franklin, after all who said never to trust a man without vice. Prudent advice. Let us consider Marlon Brando-in his time he garnered a lion's share of bad press and engaged in otherwise career-ending behavior. Only now, with the passage of time does he seem like a passionate tragic hero not unlike the Greek prototypes. I predict that Arnold's career and popularity will affect a similar trajectory.

What other actor has a museum, among other things, dedicated to him in Austria? Arnold made it cool to take pride in being Germanic long before Dirk Nowitzki came home to Germany to a hero's welcome. So what has Arnold been up to? Let us take a short trip to the Arnold fansite, The Arnold Fans. I always go on there to see what sort of trouble Papa Arnold's getting himself into. Apparently his reintroduction into cinema will be The Last Stand. According to the Lionsgate press release:

Schwarzenegger stars as Sheriff Owens, a man who has resigned himself to a life of fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction after leaving his LAPD post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with failure and defeat after his partner was crippled. After a spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy, the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the hemisphere is hurtling toward the border at 200 mph in a specially outfitted car with a hostage and a fierce army of gang members.

He is headed, it turns out, straight for Summerton Junction, where the whole of the U.S. law enforcement will have their last opportunity to make a stand and intercept him before he slips across the border forever. At first reluctant to become involved, and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately accepts responsibility for one of the most daring face offs in cinema history.

Paradise Lost

Bad News are all around us-nonstop. Every tv channel one turns to, every website we surf,  we are immediately confronted by the bad news of the day. The news organizations lick their lips as they ponder which batch of bad news to inflict on the public and the people, meanwhile, are silently terrorized in the process. A sad turn of events, really. Of course we the people only have ourselves to blame. The simplest thing to do is to change the channel or ,even better, turn off the tv.

Things aren't really as bad as the media would have us believe. Certainly there is more than enough poverty to go around, that much is indisputable. Never-ending hardship and people, through no fault of their own, have suffered economic difficulties. Yes, we've been here before. This is nothing new to a country that survived(barely) the Great Depression. The choice then is to move forward-a better day awaits around the corner. Is it really that unthinkable to scale back from a richer lifestyle?

The way to maintain  composure in the Great Depression version 2.0 is to develop an antidote to counteract the poisons from the propaganda news channels. Some Ideas:  Marathon watching sessions of programs containing positive , upbeat messages. A good example is the now-gone Psych. A feel-good buddy comedy is just what the doctor ordered for the dark  clouds that hang over our national consciousness. The mastery of a musical instrument is also highly advised. Life skills are quickly acquired in the course of learning the fundamentals of any instrument. Discipline, persistence, humility. These qualities will ensure success for the forward-looking optimist.

Cortez the Killer

Neil Young. Hmmmm. I must confess that I have a habit of affecting a bad imitation of his vocals in an attempt to make fun of him. Pretty sad, really. Neil’s musical genius however, is beyond reproach-he’s crafted more than a handful of songs that are absolutely bulletproof-these songs will still be floating around long after we’re all mere afterthoughts. I find that I have to be in a certain state of mind or predicament to really appreciate Neil’s music and the one song that I can ALWAYS get into and which I always turn up the stereo to is “Cortez the Killer.”

The Church’s cover of “Cortez the Killer” is far and away my favorite cover by far. Their version is trippy, moody, and ethereal. It helps that they use fat analog synths and they establish a jammy atmosphere early on which complements the musical interplay. I actually stumbled onto this song while I was poking around for a FLAC version of  Starfish, a tremendous improvement. The song reminds me of the moods captured by Pink Floyd’s songs-the minor key excursions and instrumental outros. David Gilmour would approve, I think. 

Apparently the song was banned in Spain for quite a while, which I guess is quite understandable. Hernan Cortez is a demi-god in those parts and any perceived slight to his stature was bound to ruffle some feathers. We have the music and that's really all that matters in these trying and otherwise difficult times.

Lost in America

It seems that all anyone ever talks about now are the protests. And the media's having a field day-they love this kind of stuff-the reporters get to drive all over the country on the company's dime, drinking cheap booze while staying at one star roach motels. I don't know about you but I call that a vacation!

These protests remind me an awful lot of what they had kicking around this country in the late '60s and early '70s-the Vietnam years(cue in Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower). There must be a cycle to these things: An extended period of prosperity followed by a brief interlude of restlessness and then capped off by the inevitable chaos-the protests!

I read an article a while back-a retrospective on a handful of New York artists-and the interviewer asked the artist his thoughts on city life. His answer was a revelation; he said  he felt "Lost in America." The constant hustle and bustle, the endless police sirens-the noise was a bit overbearing.

I can relate to that sentiment-it's easy to get lost in the crowd, especially if you live in a Megalopolis such as New York. Moving to the big city especially if you've lived in a small town all of your life can be a Culture Shock of sorts.

The Beat Generation poets had the right idea-Alan Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs. These guys looked both inward and outward-they revelled in their artistic abilities and they had no qualms about ruffling a few feathers along the way. And they travelled extensively-they must've seen the whole country at least half a dozen times.

 Road trips have always been cool. In times of chaos and confusion it's always a good idea to take an extended road trip just to see what's out there, if nothing else. After the Beat Generation this country was almost ready for Vietnam.

How does this all tie into music? The perpetual misery and rancor that hangs over this country like a dark cloud can be channeled into our music and thus infuse it with a certain timeless quality. Unfortunately, nothing creates great music like oppression and abject poverty. That's why we all love blues music-it has that magic ingredient that puts a little sting into those E7 chords. It's just like that.

Success is the kiss of death for musical inspiration-just look at what happened to Jimmy Page, for example. He attained demi-god status and then he created ...The Firm? Really? Why would you inflict that on the public? That's why it's good to have occasional failures-excessive hubris is never a good thing. That's why Willie Nelson's still going strong.

In other news, the frenzied pace continues and I am currently working my way through CCR's Proud Mary and The Church's Under the Milky Way.  I'll never forget my introduction to The Church-my old pal brought over  their just-released classic Starfish and I, quite frankly, didn't know what to make of it. At the time I was enjoying the typical dirthead metal bands like everyone else and I didn't know what to make of this band where the singer seemed to whisper and/or mumble the vocals. After  repeated listenings I gradually came to appreciate the sheer brilliance and uniqueness of The Church. They remain one of my all-time favorite bands.



P.S.: I guess things have continued to get worse in 2014. Yay!!!

From Here to Eternity

A birthday recently forced itself into my existence like an unwelcome guest. At these intervals I'm compelled to reduce my life to little more than a game of Darts: Some Hits many Misses.One of the few Hits to rise from the shambles is my rediscovery of the guitar.

I had completely abandoned all guitar-related activities when I ran off to pursue my degree-probably one the stupidest things that I've ever done. Guitar had been a constant in my Life since...forever and I gave it up on a whim with little afterthought. Lesson learned. Life is funny sometimes.


To brighten up our day I'm passing along  memorable quotes from Office Space(IMDB.com) :

           Nina: Now Milton, don't be greedy, let's pass it along and make sure everyone 

           gets a piece.

           Milton Waddams: Yeah, but last time I didn't receive a piece. And I was told...

           Nina: Just pass.

           [while the cake passes Milton mutters - eventually everybody but Milton gets a piece]

           Milton Waddams: [muttering] I could set the building on fire.

Bill Lumbergh: Milt, we're gonna need to go ahead and move you downstairs into storage B. We have some new people coming in, and we need all the space we can get. So if you could just go ahead and pack up your stuff and move it down there, that would be terrific, OK?
Milton Waddams: Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler...

Milton was probably my favorite character from Office Space-those glasses-Priceless! Any day now they'll make a sequel and then everyone will  be happy and all will be well in the world.This country sure could use a laugh right now.

Also I'm collaborating on a musical project with some good friends of mine. The songs so far are: Pancho and Lefty, All My Rowdy Friends, Margaritaville and Looking For Love.The songs lean heavily towards the Country and Western genre admittedly, but we're aiming to play upbeat tunes for regular Joes who are tired of the Recession.

That's Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt on the right. On a more personal note-I stumbled onto California Dreaming from the Mammas and the Pappas and have been having fun with it. The song normally requires a capo at the 4th position but my stubborn pride compels me to otherwise use barre chords throughout. I recommend this song to guitarists everywhere-definitely not a cowboy chord song.

Crazy Heart

What is it about the idea of the troubadour musician that we find so appealing? Is it the carefree, nomadic rock-n-roll lifestyle? I don’t  know but I suspect many of us would love to be able to come and go as we please, to live in the moment without concerning ourselves with the future. All these ideas(and more) are explored in Crazy Heart-another standout movie featuring Jeff Bridges.

The reason that I mention Crazy Heart is because I just recently sat down and learned "Fallin' and Flying” and "I Don't Know" from the movie’s wildly popular soundtrack. Normally one would expect that learning a song with basic open position cowboy chords would be easy to learn, right? Normally they would be, yes…but I decided to try something new: To sing and play simultaneously.

Singing and playing. Playing and singing. I hadn’t realized how challenging a task it would be. I am therefore compelled to recommend this exercise to all musicians. Sure, it’s great fun to impress your friends by executing two octave sweep arpeggios all across the neck of the guitar but if we are to really connect with people as musicians then we’ll have to bring it down a notch and sing a few verses here and there. I am happy to say that I can now sing and play simultaneously-and the neighbors haven't complained either. I won’t be making any appearances at the Country Music Awards ceremonies any time soon, however.

Here’s what I suggest to get started:  Initially sing and play songs that are both easy and familiar. There’s no point in attempting a song that features complicated jazz chords or vocal melodies that diverge from the underlying music. As the saying goes “Keep it simple, stupid.” You'll gradually build a catalog and before you know it, Presto! you’ll be able to to jam with just about anybody. And isn’t that the whole point of being a musician-to communicate with others?