September 30, 2005
LOVE MINUS ZERO/NO LIMIT
...meet my new channel strip...
just took delivery on one of these...have been reading about dave barber and his unique creations for the past few years, and the described features of this particular model sounded like they would address some issues I have been having on recent recordings.
problem: recording direct, and getting a very unexciting clean tone. overcompensating with various overdrive/distortion effects, which threw the signal level all over the map...sonically it was LOUDsoftLOUDsoft, and not in a musical way...so I needed something to give my quieter uneffected tones a bit more oomph and chirp, while keeping more of a rein on the level once I added some other signal-boosting effect. mitigating circumstance--I'd run out of mic stands, so I was truly going direct, using the DI out of two amps, blended together via one mono channel insert. I thought it sounded OK at the time, but the results were actually rather disappointing...the $15 mic stand has already been purchased and I'm now mic'ing an amp/cabinet, but meanwhile I was still curious about how a comp would help with signal fluctuations while providing more control on overall level when the other stuff was turned off.
one problem, though: I hate compressors.
actually, they're terrific for drums and bass, but they tend to kill the pick attack and turn the arc of a decaying guitar note into a long hummmmmmmmm...
enter mr. barber's invention--parallel compression. the box contains a class A boost circuit, with which one can blend in a variable level of compression. thus, instead of seeking to clone one of the "classic" guitar compressors of yore (ross, mxr, orange squeezer, etc.), the tone press provides the ability to mix in just the amount of compression you need, and also to give your "clean" signal a little giddy-up of its own. ever notice that when you use overdrives a lot, that when you turn them off, your clean amp sound seems less than thrilling? of course much of this is psycho-acoustic, but sometimes our undistorted tones need a little oomph too. and while some like to use booster pedals for this, my recording setup seemed to cry out for something that would also give me the ability to reduce some of the gain. enter the tone press. so, what's the verdict?
it's still new with a capital "N" but after an evening of noodling, plugging in various combinations of guitars, amps, and other pedals, I'm very pleased with the results. it isn't the bona fide brickwall I'd hoped for necessarily--the volume jumps are still there (of course, that's what God invented the volume knob for) to some degree, but holy boutique stompbox batman (!)--it's just wonderful by itself--of course compressors are the go-to appliance for chicken picking/tele styles, and I found it also works great with a fast slapback echo, doing that scotty moore rockabilly thing. mr. barber has described its function as "magic dust" for single coils, and I'll endorse that description.
another plus: unlike the boutique clones, the tone press is significantly cheaper...$140 vs. $200+...
the new issue of TapeOp contains yet more ads for the Universal Audio "channel strip"--a studio unit that combines a mic/preamp with an LA2A compressor clone--it's been very well received in the pro recording community. it occurred to me that the tone press works similarly, in miniature, with a class A boost circuit combined with a very quiet compressor circuit. for me, it's what I needed. of course, the proof will be in the pudding, at our next live session.
...
September 29, 2005
ROUGH JUSTICE
...so you see, the fact that this is my fourth indictment on ethics violations is simply more proof that I am innocent!...
...what? you don't like the freedom museum idea? oh. um, would you like me to read from the gettysburgh address again? no? well then, how about we just put up a statue of me?...
...rehab? brilliant! they serve food there, don't they? with lots and lots of sugar? brilliant! I am so sick of this routine, snorting and puking, snorting and puking...and that's just my boyfriend! ...
...well, just off the top of my head--"far from heaven" and...I just saw "brokeback mountain" and thought that was very good...why do you ask?...
...
September 28, 2005
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER
...the 2005 NFL season is now officially over...
...in the dimestores and bus stations, people watch public TV stations...
...three years? as if I haven't spent the past few years in a jail already...
...I'm going to sell the delivery room broadcast rights to the highest bidder...
...hey look--married! him with a funny, made-up name like I have (scout & rumer too), still with all his own hair, and--funny story--he played a high school student on 'that 70s show' while I actually was a high school student in the 70s!...
...excuse me? is that someone advising me to dump all the stock in my blind trust? I can't hear what you're saying from up here, as I have no idea what is happening with my multi-million dollar stock holdings. honestly. I haven't a clue. so if you're trying to inform me that I should sell everything in order to avoid a precipitous drop in stock price and hence a drastic decrease of my personal net worth, I'm just not able to hear you from up here under the shiny lights. it's mostly just clicking noises and polite applause. been this way for the past few years. no idea what you're saying, even though you're a friend of my daddy's and helped me defeat medical reform legislation that would have hurt the family business. can't hear you. sorry....
...
September 27, 2005
TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT
...that's right, that's right...I'm much better rested now, I've had a haircut, and I'm still on the payroll with this thing...so I WILL point some fingers and I WILL wear these lens-less frames to convey an image of competence and intelligence...and let me take this opportunity to thank the chairman for removing any democrats from the committee before bringing this session to order...I mean, who wants to listen to THEM? you heard the president, he said "good job brownie"....I rest my case...
...that's what they told me too: "good job lynndie." I'd KILL for a cigarette right about now...
...
SEND IN THE CLOWNS
...Don Adams 1923-2005...
The recent deaths of Bob Denver and Don Adams hit home with me, since these two gentlemen probably account for about 95% of my childhood belly laughs prior to age 12....
95%? doesn't that seem a little high? what about the munsters? abbott & costello? bugs bunny? ernie & bert?
Yes, well...sorry about that chief....would you believe.....???
...
September 25, 2005
TURN! TURN! TURN!
...before...
...after...
this 5 months project, nearly to the day, bookended this very evening, with the sowing of a big bag of kentucky bluegrass seed upon my previously untamed chaos of backyard frondescence...
the details will emerge. I photo-documented (naturally) most of the process of conversion from wild ivy labyrinth to manicured suburban alcove...so stay tuned for the fascinating agricultura to come...
...
September 24, 2005
GET HAPPY
...a few individuals noticed that I was a bit grumpy yesterday...of course, readers of yesterday's post might have already sussed that...
much better now. time for planting.
...
September 23, 2005
BECAUSE I DO
i am a black and white ghost in a black and invisible dress oh what a mess i'm in what kind of fool am i i am the married kind the kind that said i do forever searching for someone new at night i get drunk and fly around in the day i dream and lay around i drink and smoke your brand and drink i am drunk over you i am the married kind the kind that said i do forever searching for someone new i am the ghost of all my dreams to me it's all pretend i pretend i'm alive or just not dead i will die for you i am the married kind the kind that said i do forever searching for someone new my nights are numbered they don't count for nothing i'm not a fool, i'm just a bride and i'm just no good inside i am the married kind the kind that said i do forever searching for someone new
--John Doe/Exene Cervenka
Most marriages recognize this paradox: Passion destroys passion;
we want what puts an end to wanting what we want.
--John Fowles
Marriage: a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and
The remaining chapters written in prose.
--Beverly Nichols
It (marriage) may be compared to a cage, the birds without try
desperately to get in, and those within try desperately to get out.
--Michel de Montaigne
...dedicated to all the young lovers out there, and to my blushing bride of five years, with whom I hope to look back one day, and laugh...
...
September 22, 2005
THE MAN I LOVE
Some day he'll come along,
The man I love
And he'll be big and strong,
The man I love
And when he comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay.
He'll look at me and smile
I'll understand ;
And in a little while,
He'll take my hand ;
And though it seems absurd,
I know we both won't say a word
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday, maybe not ;
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
He'll build a little home
Just meant for two,
From which I'll never roam,
Who would - would you ?
And so all else above
I'm waiting for the man I love.
[...apologies to George Gershwin...]
...
September 21, 2005
YESTERDAY
Leading pundits everywhere are proclaiming the end of the Bush era. Due to the negative impact of Katrina and the lack of confidence in the administration's competence, any hopes for achieving its remaining domestic goals seem remote. So, in that spirit, let's begin having a look back at some of our favorite moments from the Bush presidency. first installment of a new series....
...the teleprompter, move it more to where I can see it...just slide it over...that's it...good job Brownie...
...my God, his head...it's got to be twice the size of mine...fat, too...I should send him one of those bikes I got from Tony Little...
...he looks sneaky...I can't trust a man with a moustache like that...and I think he's wearing a toupee...that's creepy...better tell condi to keep him off my schedule from now on...
...son, we're doing all we can to help those affected by the tsunami...I can't wait to call you and say: "mission accomplished"....
...these european fellas sure are touchy with their hands...better warn Laura...
...I mean, the fish was at least this long...then vlad said....vlad? vlad. stay with me here, this is a good story...
...this is ben, passed over, by a narrow margin, for the vice presidency, when it was discovered that he was actually a pit bull terrier....
..what are you, about 5'9"? 5'10"? you sure are muscular. what do you use? free weights or machines?...
...we are totally committed to building a strong team...
...if you watch carefully, you may notice the tiniest ripple of animation, as the intake of oxygen causes the flesh of my jowls to move ever so slightly. you wouldn't believe the amount of money I've been able to rake in by remaining completely immobile... this is the best job ever! woo hoo! and there sure are some terrific restaurants here. I'll have a J&B on the rocks when you get a chance, thanks...
...no, you see an armadillo is about THIS big...I'm talking about a bass...a LARGE-MOUTH-BASS...
...heh heh, these idiots will clap at anything I say...here's one: nu-cu-lar...heh heh...
...try to keep up, rummy...there's a shell station about a mile down that hill...
...and I promise you...carefully constructed sentences, deliberate cadences, simplified hand gestures, more necktie usage, and all the ketchup you will ever need!...god bless america...
...honestly, son...just let me know if there's anything else I can do to help...
...everything is fine...there was no hurricane...please return to your homes...we're doing everything we can, tim russert...
...FOUR MORE YEARS!!!...
...
September 20, 2005
PRETEND YOU DON'T SEE HER
...honestly, I couldn't possibly make this stuff up....
Artists erect giant pink bunny on mountain
An enormous pink bunny has been erected on an Italian mountainside where it will stay for the next 20 years.
The 200-foot-long toy rabbit lies on the side of the 5,000 foot high Colletto Fava mountain in northern Italy's Piedmont region.
Viennese art group Gelatin designed the giant soft toy and say it was "knitted by dozens of grannies out of pink wool".
Group member Wolfgang Gantner said: "It's supposed to make you feel small, like Gulliver. You walk around it and you can't help but smile."
And Gelatin members say the bunny is not just for walking around - they are expecting hikers to climb its 20 foot sides and relax on its belly.
The giant rabbit is expected to remain on the mountain side until 2025.
...
September 19, 2005
BIG SHOT
...the captain of the team...
...not well done...
OK, here's a perfect example of why I never watch the Emmy Awards...last night, as I was heading up to sleep, I clicked over to CBS and happened to catch the one award I was genuinely interested in, since I considered Francis Conroy to be the heart & soul of "Six Feet Under," playing the repressed yet soulful Ruth Fisher. I'm also a huge fan of "The Shield" so I was half-expecting Glenn Close to win for her amazingly layered performance as the police captain last season. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect any of the other three to stand a chance (though I've yet to watch a single episode of "Law & Order/SVU," "Alias" or, um, "Medium")...so who's it going to be? Frances or Glenn? Of course, silly, it's Patty!....the sane Arquette with the matching pillow set...disgusted, I rise to leave the room, but not before I hear her exhort everyone to keep giving to the hurricane victims...and then she began to address the soldiers in Iraq. Directly. *click*
Oh well. My wholesale disconnect from network TV culture seems ever more solid and genuine now. I've never seen "Lost" or "Desperate Housewives" and goddamn it feels good.
good work this weekend with the trio. got some excellent recorded takes. new/old material. strong playing, followed by some zesty BBQ and a tasty cheroot... it's starting to come together...and in outdoor news: it's almost grass-planting time...
we play today. we win today.
...
THIS JUST IN: it has been brought to my attention that today is national talk like a pirate day : talk like a pirate
so, as you might have noticed, this web site is doing its part! I hope you are all doing yours...
...
September 16, 2005
HELP!
Hi, I'm George W. Bush and I left my jacket back in the car.
How's it look from this angle? Better? You know they shipped in all these big lights and generators so I could give this speech. Sure wish I'd remembered that jacket. Laura calls it a "blay-zer"...it sure is sharp.
See that building? That's one of those "freedom" buildings. We cleaned off all the mold and smell for you. It's just one part of my comprehensive plan. See that clock? We're gonna get that old gal ticking again in no time. Don't you worry.
OK. Time to go. It sure was hot under those lights. Maybe my jacket's in here. Or another blue shirt. And some of those cookies I like...
...
September 15, 2005
THE JOKER
Q: What is President Bush's position on Roe Vs. Wade?
A: He actually doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.
...
September 14, 2005
TIME IS ON MY SIDE
...a '64 mustang. in this close-up you can see the yellowing effects of age...
...a '62 cadillac in olympic white...
...vintage early 60s...
....a '62....
...the backside of an old fender mustang...
...a '64...
...a white man in a white shirt playing a white guitar (white city?)...
...
September 13, 2005
A WHITER SHADE OF PALE
this week I'm ordering the neck from warmoth. maple w/rosewood slab, 1 11/16, clapton contour, 6105 frets...
and oh yes, watch me circle the fickle wagon back around to good old olympic white...offset by the subtle contrast implied by the mint green pickguard and vintaged pickup covers...
...you can't tell me this doesn't look cool as tits..
...custom shop relics...
...an original '62...
...also good for pointless shredding...
...and versatile: can be played upside-down...
...a new one, with matching pickguard...
...
September 12, 2005
CLOUDS TASTE METALLIC
Over the past day or two, I've begun to wonder why I've had such a hard time deciding what color paint to go with, when it dawned on me that it's actually quite simple: I don't like any of the choices very much. Sure, they're OK, but none of them have me palpitating with lust and longing, that my ultimate numero uno stratocaster tone slab MUST be adorned in this or that rich & sexy hue. in fact, it musn't. my status as neophyte guitar finisher has kept me in the mindset that I really couldn't handle the extra complication of "metallic" finishes, but then again, it's me who's going to be putting in the extra man-hours, out in the garage, in the chilly evenings of autumn, applying coats of primer, doing the extensive sanding and polishing between the 10-20 clear coats...if I screw up the application of the color coat, that's just one or two extra do-overs with sandpaper, right? so, here we go--metallic colors. I won't get into circumlocations, since my opinions tend to shift from day to day...if I'm fond of one or another, I'll just throw in some exclamation points....
Burgundy Mist: ! ! ! !
Emerald Green:
Firemist Gold: ! !
Firemist Silver:
Inca Silver:
(much better with the darker pickguard)
Sherwood Green:
Shoreline Gold: ! ! ! ! ! ! !
...
one of the greats....clarence "gatemouth" brown, dead at 81. one of the great ambassadors of texas blues, and jazz, and cajun, and R&B, and any of the other styles of which he was a master. a recent evacuee from his home in Slidell, La., he died at the home of his grand-niece in Orange, Texas, his hometown...
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September 11, 2005
IN MEMORIAM
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." --Abraham Lincoln
What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children--not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women--not merely peace in our time but peace for all time." --John F. Kennedy
...
September 09, 2005
MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOSTS
...of course, one way to rid myself of the headache of the color decision would be...
...to go with something more neutral, like this color, known variously as vintage white, or cream, or informally as "banana pudding"...
...white with a little yellow in it....white strats having been used famously by Messrs. Beck & Hendrix...by any standard a classic and classy look...
so, I might as well cut through the BS and show my cards....what I've always really wanted was one of these (this one's an original '54!):
...but I'm still too much of a neophyte at the finishing process to get all the color/lacquer layerings required, for a sunburst, perfected at this early stage...but since I already own a black strat with a light/maple fretboard (over there on the right), having a white one with a dark/rosewood fretboard might make for a nice little ying/yang duo...
But that's not really what's on my mind today. With all the news coming out of the Crescent City - and I do encourage everyone to give what they can to the ongoing relief efforts - I've noticed that there's been a little bit extr-y afoot this year in the number of PSA's to "commemorate" 9/11. TV ads from non-profit agencies trying to drum up cash, encouraging us to volunteer, even a Republican Party "march" from the Pentagon to the Mall to hear some gawd-awful Clint Black faux-country music and pretend that our executive branch, all of whom have consciously avoided military service, somehow share characteristics in common with our armed forces.
As someone who lived through those terrible days, right here in NYC, who saw the second plane hit the WTC, who lived and breathed in that acrid air, here's my suggestion for what you can do on 9/11: nothing. special. live. your. life. If you're inclined to do charitable works, then good for you--you don't need an anniversary of anything to do that. If you only give presents on Christmas, only give flowers on Valentine's Day, only call your mother on Mother's Day, then maybe you need a 9/11 to be some sort of call-to-charity, but that sort of logic should be saved only for those among us who think putting flag magnets on their SUVs is a patriotic act, and for whom a visit to the cineplex is the only bit of culture they inject into their normal schedule of reality TV and microwave cuisine.
So, keep it simple this weekend. Do whatever you want to do. If you really want to commemorate 9/11 or do something special, here's a thought: turn off your TV. Leave it off. Turn off the disaster coverage, the talking heads, the arguing politiciians, the blamers, the blamees, the noise and static of a nation turning on itself, the endless pointless laugh track, the blare of the 30-second spot. Who needs it? You don't. You already have everything you need. I hope. And if you still feel like there's something missing, go down to your local firehouse and buy the guys some lunch, a case of beer, tickets to a ballgame...
Me? I have a recording session on Sunday. The usual...
"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"
...
Born on this date in 1934, poet Sonia Sanchez. One of her poems, included below, seems (unfortunately) quite timely:
right on: white america
this country might have
been a pio
neer land
once.
but. there ain't
no mo
indians blowing
custer's mind
with a different
image of america.
this country
might have
needed shoot/
outs/daily/
once.
but. there ain't
no mo real/ white allamerican
bad/guys.
just
. u & me
blk/ and un/ armed….
...
another strat color? not exactly--it's doubtful that this is the true color, as this was obviously taken with the aid of stage lighting. but what a great shot! allegedly taken at a recent bob mould show...
...
September 08, 2005
SHE'S LIKE A RAINBOW
My new fall project will be to build a stratocaster from scratch, constructing everything from the nitrocellulose lacquer finish to the design of the headstock logo...and naturally, since I'm doing the finishing work myself, it's taking me a little time to decide what color I'm going to coat the damn thing with!
this isn't frivolous business--the color associations in our subconscious are powerful, and this is truly going to impact how the guitar eventually sounds, since I will, on some internal level, be reacting to its appearance (and hence my own appearance, as guitar players put on their instruments like a piece of clothing). the leading candidates thus far:
sonic blue. subdued, pastel, very retro-looking. perhaps a bit too tidy & nice? it was originally a color on the 1956 Cadillac, but it makes me think, just a little bit, of old-timey bathroom tile. sonic blue has a nice historical vibe, since john lennon & george harrison played matching sonic blue strats on 'rubber soul.'
fiesta red. not subtle. it's red with a strong element of orange, which I suppose means more yellow content than, say, candy apple or dakota red. a ford thunderbird color. I like this one a lot. unlike the blues, which tend to go green due to the yellowing of the clear coats, this will merely get duller and more tomato-y. strangely enough, this color says "blues" to me (as in blues music) more than either of the two blue colors shown here...
and I thought that was that, until....daphne blue seems to have more oomph than the sonic blue, less pastel (more green?), and the appearance of the lacquer certainly does get interesting over the course of time:
yeah, I could dig into that a little bit. shabby/psychedelic.
...here's another take on daphne blue--overspraying with a tinted clear coat. the yellow tint turns the blue greener, giving it a "relic'd" effect. I like this a lot--somewhere between blue & green...(like me?)...
the dark horse in this competition: surf green.
but wait! I can hear you saying to me....what about candy tangerine???
yeah? so what about it?
anyway, that's where it stands as of today. when the humidity finally drops off to a minimum, I'll be putting in my order. between now and then, as calvin klein would say: obsession.....
...
September 07, 2005
SOMETHING I LEARNED TODAY
...Rafe Esquith, Hero...
I am a son of teachers, and so I'm usually drawn to stories about teachers, particularly those who do it well, since I know firsthand how hard it is to do, and the personal costs involved. Enter Rafe Esquith, whose genius for teaching and expanding the horizons of fifth-grade students at Hobart Elementary (located in a tough Los Angeles neighborhood) is documented in the latest "POV" episode on PBS. I hope that they continue to broadcast this inspiring hour-long documentary for years to come.
Why? Mr. Holland's Opus it is not. It is about some kids who are learning to face the reality of what it takes to advance academically, the skills involved, and how to develop them despite a huge litany of factors working against them in their home environment--and the primary weapon for achieving this is the great literature of the English Language: Clemens, Steinbeck, Salinger, and in particular William Shakespeare. I don't know about you, but by 5th grade I hadn't read the Bard straight from the text just yet. This guy has little girls reciting entire soliloquies from Ophelia or Gertrude. One teacher had warned Mr. Esquith of a student he was inheriting--he was apparently rebellious, uncouth, ill-mannered, and disruptive. Mr. Esquith responded by casting him as the lead in "Hamlet."
When you see young kids reading aloud from "Huckleberry Finn" -- the famous passage where Huck has to decide whether to turn his friend Jim in to go back to being a slave -- and they are outwardly moved to tears, you know it's getting through to them. And why wait for them to grow into disgruntled, know-it-all teenagers, or worse--apathetic college students (if they get that far) to expose them to this great material?
Mr. Esquith has amassed a few impressive awards for his work (along with a few movie star friends of his program, including Michael York and Ian McKellen), and in my opinion he should get the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He figured out how to turn around the poverty of low-income public school economics by setting up a non-profit trust which receives charitable contributions that fund things like visits to important historical landmarks, and even insists on exposing his kids to good hotels and nice restaurants, so that they'll get a taste of the good life that awaits them if they work hard and do well in their studies.
Mr. Esquith looks like a teacher--bad haircut, chubby, with the standard-issue sweater vest. But he is a great teacher. He's paid the dues. He's clearly turning his attentions outward. I am reminded of two former teachers who manage the town beach club in my hometown. Every time I see them, I am struck anew by their great tans, their shiny white tennis shoes, indeed their overall glow of health and vitality. These were two of the lousiest teachers I've ever come into contact with.
If you see the "Hobart Shakespeareans" POV episode listed on your local PBS station, check it out. As for myself, I'm heading up to the attic tonight to dig up my old copy of Huck Finn...
...
And speaking of childhood heroes, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Denver, TV's Gilligan, who entertained me and made me laugh many times as a youngster. My brothers and sister and I were so glued to the show that one year we actually gave it up for Lent. Thanks for the fun, little buddy....
...
September 06, 2005
BRIAN'S SONG
...vote for me, I'm a top...
In confusing and dismaying times, it's refreshing to find a politician who knows who he is, and knows how to put his value proposition before the voters in a neat and succinct fashion. Meet Brian Ellner, who is running for Manhattan Borough President. I'd seen a teensy tiny clip of his campaign ad on the internets, but this morning they showed it on the "Today Show" so I got to see and hear it in all its glory. Starting with the Brian voice-over, the opening shot pans wide to show an uncomfortable George W. Bush with his shirt off, and then cross-cuts to strapping Brian Ellner, cruising down those tidy, freshly-swept new york city streets, talking tough and pausing at the togetherness stairway to hug his partner. So, here's the pitch: Hi, I'm Brian--George Bush sucks and I'm gay--vote for me.
Hey Brian, George Pataki is a lurching man-turd and I like tits! Vote for me too!
...
September 02, 2005
MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS
welcome. and welcome back. apologies for the detour. not well-advised to get into the why what who when which of this spontaneous transmigration, but here it is and there you have it.
new feature as of today:
the muttley strat, replete with example mp3 tones...I had to go in and do some housekeeping chores, so while I was there, I made a few tweaks...taken from a recent live session I did...it's a little distorted, so I might change it up, but it's the only stuff I have as of yet on the "new" guitar, which is pictured...
happy labor day................
...
HERE COMES THE FLOOD
The Hollow Men
T. S. Eliot (1925)
I
We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats' feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar
Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;
Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom
Remember us -- if at all -- not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men.
II
Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
In death's dream kingdom
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind's singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.
Let me be no nearer
In death's dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves
No nearer --
Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom
III
This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man's hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.
Is it like this
In death's other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.
IV
The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms
In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river
Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death's twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.
V
Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o'clock in the morning.
Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
Life is very long
Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom
For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
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...george bush, clowning around on tuesday, august 30, the day after hurricane katrina hit the coast...
September 01, 2005
WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break,
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break,
When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay.
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan,
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan,
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.
Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home,
You don't know which way to go?
If you're goin' down South
They go no work to do,
If you don't know about Chicago.
Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.
All last night sat on the levee and moaned,
All last night sat on the levee and moaned,
Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home.
Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... Sorry but I can't take you...
Going down... going down now... going down....
...
Today's Fun Fact:
In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war.
...
“Usually when people are sad, they don’t do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.”
Malcolm X, 1965
...