I've been arguing on behalf of jazz for years now, and I know I will continue to argue for it. There are two groups of people I argue with over jazz. Those who hate jazz and just don't like it at all. Those who are jazz snobs and so-called "purists." They think jazz shouldn't have evolved past swing, but gladly it did.
I found a real gem of a video on youtube. It's my favorite jazz band the Mahavishnu Orchestra playing at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 1984. What's great is the band's use of improv. The gem in the video starts at the 4 and 1/2 minute mark. While in an improvised jam John Mclaughlin comes across the melody to Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely on guitar and the jam then changes to the song Isn't She Lovely with everything figuring it while they're playing it. It's pure brilliance and just great jazz playing. Watching it makes me want to play live right now.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Fat Of The Land (A Short Short Story)
You wake up to sweat beading on your brow and sun beating on your face. You are laying in a ditch and your body ached and felt numb. You just look up at the sky, contemplating the real questions of life. Why didn't I fuck a teacher in college? Why did I ever bother voting? Why didn't anyone ever give me better advice? Why should I have to pay for my parents funeral?
You stand up and try to think more deeply about the situation you're in, but you can't because your head is throbbing now. You walk to the road and see not a soul in sight. You walk across the road into a field, your color is green. You have an elegance about you as you walk through the field. You feel more alive than you have in a very long time. It almost feels like a gift, but you know it's not and you wonder who else is there.
You get near to the edge of the field where it meets the woods. You look down at your feet and they are covered in mud, now your color is brown. At the end of the field there is a river that cuts into the woods. You look into the murky waters, and feel scared. You should be. You start following the river north, you don't care where north leads to, you just want to get north of where you are.
You make your way through the foliage of the woods following the river moving very slowly like a giant sloth through the Brazilian jungle. You feel sensitive to your surroundings, and you feeling like damning the world for doing this to you. You are a human being now forced to wander through a decidous forest looking for something you can't find and you don't know what it is anyway. There's a clearing in the woods like a sanctuary elephants migrate to in the fierce African jungle of the Congo. The clearing looks so familiar, you've been here before.
Now it's starting to get dark and you don't have much time to get yourself out of this city of forestry. That's when it happens. Thrak! Thwck! You go down to the muddy ground next to the river. Your head is just absorbed with instant pain. You've been struck in the head. You can taste blood and dirt in your mouth. Now red is your color.
Your eyes instantly become very heavy and you become very tired. Your eyes hurt too much to open. You don't see your surroundings, but you hear voices. There are people next to you, they sound distorted to your ringing ears. You can make out the pitches of the voices, but the words you can't. Are they Angels or Demons you think to yourself. You know what they are. They are the ones who did this to you.
They are the consumers of life. They are the fat of the land. They can't understand beauty in the world, so they rape and pilage their way through life. They are the consumers, they are the financers, they are the fanatics, they are the controlled. You think to yourself, Why can't people leave me alone? What did I ever do to deserve this? It is no matter now, you feel the presence of doom as you lay there bleeding. You're just another victim in a world of institutions and madmen. Christianity through all its proclamations, can't and won't stop your suffering. Everything gets silent, and your body becomes tense. Your conscious fades. Now black is your color.
You wake up to sweat beading on your brow and sun beating on your face. You are laying in a ditch and your body ached and felt numb. You just look up at the sky, contemplating the real questions of life...
You stand up and try to think more deeply about the situation you're in, but you can't because your head is throbbing now. You walk to the road and see not a soul in sight. You walk across the road into a field, your color is green. You have an elegance about you as you walk through the field. You feel more alive than you have in a very long time. It almost feels like a gift, but you know it's not and you wonder who else is there.
You get near to the edge of the field where it meets the woods. You look down at your feet and they are covered in mud, now your color is brown. At the end of the field there is a river that cuts into the woods. You look into the murky waters, and feel scared. You should be. You start following the river north, you don't care where north leads to, you just want to get north of where you are.
You make your way through the foliage of the woods following the river moving very slowly like a giant sloth through the Brazilian jungle. You feel sensitive to your surroundings, and you feeling like damning the world for doing this to you. You are a human being now forced to wander through a decidous forest looking for something you can't find and you don't know what it is anyway. There's a clearing in the woods like a sanctuary elephants migrate to in the fierce African jungle of the Congo. The clearing looks so familiar, you've been here before.
Now it's starting to get dark and you don't have much time to get yourself out of this city of forestry. That's when it happens. Thrak! Thwck! You go down to the muddy ground next to the river. Your head is just absorbed with instant pain. You've been struck in the head. You can taste blood and dirt in your mouth. Now red is your color.
Your eyes instantly become very heavy and you become very tired. Your eyes hurt too much to open. You don't see your surroundings, but you hear voices. There are people next to you, they sound distorted to your ringing ears. You can make out the pitches of the voices, but the words you can't. Are they Angels or Demons you think to yourself. You know what they are. They are the ones who did this to you.
They are the consumers of life. They are the fat of the land. They can't understand beauty in the world, so they rape and pilage their way through life. They are the consumers, they are the financers, they are the fanatics, they are the controlled. You think to yourself, Why can't people leave me alone? What did I ever do to deserve this? It is no matter now, you feel the presence of doom as you lay there bleeding. You're just another victim in a world of institutions and madmen. Christianity through all its proclamations, can't and won't stop your suffering. Everything gets silent, and your body becomes tense. Your conscious fades. Now black is your color.
You wake up to sweat beading on your brow and sun beating on your face. You are laying in a ditch and your body ached and felt numb. You just look up at the sky, contemplating the real questions of life...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Green Fairy (Slight Return)
What do you do when it's snowing out in Michigan in the dead of winter? I solved that question for today at least.
I saw the movie The International today. I don't watch too many films in theaters anymore, but that film is absolutley brilliant. I was gitty halfway through the movie, it is so good and I recommend it to anyone who appreciates or even thinks they might appreciate good cinema. The story is awesome, Clive Owen is great in it, Naomi Watts is spectacular, and the villian is an international bank so yeah the movie has everything.
Then for the second day in a row I drank Absinthe today. I wanted to see if yesterday was a fluke with not hallucinating, but it was to no avail tonite either. I did get an alright buzz though, which prompted some friends and I to grace our most famous bar in town the stupidly titled Stray Dog, or as we call it the Gay Dog because of all the old queens who patron the lakefront establishment. As usual the music there was garbage and produced a large amount of sensory depraving noise pollution, which caused me to be a bit surly, but not as surly as my counterparts who seemed to be possessed by some drunken spell laced with confused anecdotes and analytical preaching. We got to the bar pretty late because it wasn't originally in our plans, but was a whim decision to go out because of my non-sensical encouragement to get weird, go act like savages, and get kicked out of a bar. My friends I was out with tonite are remains from a once great social society we called "The Too Much Fun Club" and tonite we tried to live up that name. Once there we ruled the bar, and ordered drink after drink not bothered or even phased by the amount of glasses in front of us. It was like the good ole days, when fun was cheap and excitement and energy was everything. My friends told me for some reason they always feel excited when they go out with me, perhaps it's my indulgence for being spontaneous and free. My friend Chris said I was most entertaining person he's ever gone out drinking with, and told me I had a wild spirit that many wish they could have, but most can never achieve. I hadn't received a compliment like that in a long time, it was nice.
But everything ends, and so did tonite. I think I finally found a place to live on the edge of Humboldt Park really close to Wicker Park. It's a pretty cool looking place, I think it's the proverbal one.
"Morality is temporary, wisdom is permanent."
- Hunter S. Thompson
I saw the movie The International today. I don't watch too many films in theaters anymore, but that film is absolutley brilliant. I was gitty halfway through the movie, it is so good and I recommend it to anyone who appreciates or even thinks they might appreciate good cinema. The story is awesome, Clive Owen is great in it, Naomi Watts is spectacular, and the villian is an international bank so yeah the movie has everything.
Then for the second day in a row I drank Absinthe today. I wanted to see if yesterday was a fluke with not hallucinating, but it was to no avail tonite either. I did get an alright buzz though, which prompted some friends and I to grace our most famous bar in town the stupidly titled Stray Dog, or as we call it the Gay Dog because of all the old queens who patron the lakefront establishment. As usual the music there was garbage and produced a large amount of sensory depraving noise pollution, which caused me to be a bit surly, but not as surly as my counterparts who seemed to be possessed by some drunken spell laced with confused anecdotes and analytical preaching. We got to the bar pretty late because it wasn't originally in our plans, but was a whim decision to go out because of my non-sensical encouragement to get weird, go act like savages, and get kicked out of a bar. My friends I was out with tonite are remains from a once great social society we called "The Too Much Fun Club" and tonite we tried to live up that name. Once there we ruled the bar, and ordered drink after drink not bothered or even phased by the amount of glasses in front of us. It was like the good ole days, when fun was cheap and excitement and energy was everything. My friends told me for some reason they always feel excited when they go out with me, perhaps it's my indulgence for being spontaneous and free. My friend Chris said I was most entertaining person he's ever gone out drinking with, and told me I had a wild spirit that many wish they could have, but most can never achieve. I hadn't received a compliment like that in a long time, it was nice.
But everything ends, and so did tonite. I think I finally found a place to live on the edge of Humboldt Park really close to Wicker Park. It's a pretty cool looking place, I think it's the proverbal one.
"Morality is temporary, wisdom is permanent."
- Hunter S. Thompson
Saturday, February 21, 2009
What Is A Boy To Do?
I'm really drunk right now, but I've had no hallucinations, ugh. I've been drinking Absinthe all day now and I didn't have any hallucinations that it is famous for. If I wanted to get drunk I just would have drank bourbon. I feel disappointed. Absinthe is bullshit. I thought it tasted really really bad. It reminded me of bacardi 151. I suggest not drinking absinthe, it's not the drink it's advertised to be. I did eat quite a bit of sugar cubes today, ate some delicious home-made gyros, and watched the movie Factory Girl which I give two thumbs up and really liked Guy Pearce's portrayal of Andy Warhol. So today was an alright day.
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Green Fairy
I've been drinking Absinthe now for a few hours, and I'm out of my mind. I've never had Absinthe before and a friend of mine wanted to do it because it's legal in the states now so you can buy it at liquor stores for a hefty price, so here I am. I haven't had any hallucinations yet, but I'm very drunk. The stuff is 138 proof alcohol, so yeah it's pretty wild, I'm channeling my inner wildman. Cheers!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
It Never Got Weird Enough For Me
I can't remember the last time I've been so exhausted from seemingly not doing that much! I've been in overdrive and have done nothing lately, but apply for jobs and get focused in on grad school. Applying to grad school is so unbelievably boring and requesting transcripts is a goddam pain in the ass. These colleges act like transcripts are classified government documents that must never see the light of day. Even though I've been at my computer today longer than any day in my recent memory, I feel pretty accomplished and content right now. Now comes the waiting game.
I watched a great documentary earlier about the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson. The older I get the more and more I like the fellow, I think Thompson was a real visionary as a writer and patriot. It's too bad he blew his brains out because of George Bush. I love the conspiracy theories around online that Thompson didn't actually shot himself over his distraught feelings with the Bush administration, but was killed by the Bush administration for claiming 9/11 was an inside job on national television to Tim Russert. I heard online an audio recording of Thompson on the phone the day before he died yelling at a friend how they're going to make it look like a suicide and he needs someone to help him, but of course with Thompson you never really know what he was saying.
I think I'm going to play some drums, listen to some jazz, and drink a cold one; in that order.
I hate myself sometimes. With everyday that passes more and more I want to be a writer, and I was offered a job as a journalist, but turned it down. Sure the pay was lousy at only $20 per article, and was for a magazine no one ever heard of, and was in New York, but would a real writer have turned it down. That's the dilemma I'm dealing with, I suddenly became a capitalist and let money keep me from doing something that I wanted to do. Of course I also didn't feel it was in my place to critique someone else's music and write about it.
Ugh, how many more chances will I get at redemption.
As Hunter Thompson would say "Football season is over."
I watched a great documentary earlier about the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson. The older I get the more and more I like the fellow, I think Thompson was a real visionary as a writer and patriot. It's too bad he blew his brains out because of George Bush. I love the conspiracy theories around online that Thompson didn't actually shot himself over his distraught feelings with the Bush administration, but was killed by the Bush administration for claiming 9/11 was an inside job on national television to Tim Russert. I heard online an audio recording of Thompson on the phone the day before he died yelling at a friend how they're going to make it look like a suicide and he needs someone to help him, but of course with Thompson you never really know what he was saying.
I think I'm going to play some drums, listen to some jazz, and drink a cold one; in that order.
I hate myself sometimes. With everyday that passes more and more I want to be a writer, and I was offered a job as a journalist, but turned it down. Sure the pay was lousy at only $20 per article, and was for a magazine no one ever heard of, and was in New York, but would a real writer have turned it down. That's the dilemma I'm dealing with, I suddenly became a capitalist and let money keep me from doing something that I wanted to do. Of course I also didn't feel it was in my place to critique someone else's music and write about it.
Ugh, how many more chances will I get at redemption.
As Hunter Thompson would say "Football season is over."
Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Mountain
Eric Holder the first African American Attorney General today stated that America is a country of cowards when it comes to race. I strongly disagree with Eric Holder, if America was a country of racial cowards, he wouldn't be attorney general because Barry Obama would not be president. I literally just saw that on CNN 10 seconds and say something about it.
Anyway...
I am not happy with what the government is doing in regards to almost everything.
Obama was elected to bring change and I still wish him the best, but Tim Geithner is a piece of Wall Street Shit. He is a liar and a wolf. Geithner was formally the head of the New York Fed, and is part of the business machine that caused this recession and I'm leaning towards calling it a depression. Geithner should be fired immediately, and I question Obama's commitment to change by appointing him. Geithner is the federal reserve and the banking powers bitch boy, and he'll come crawling to suck their slime anytime they tell him to. I can't wait for the sequels to the bailout that Geithner is already suggesting.
I think the Bailouts are a huge mistake. The stimulus package is costing almost $800 Billion, this money is getting created out of thin air. Who is really benefiting from all this? It is the Federal Reserve Bank. They are borrowing this stimulus to the U.S. gov't at 6% interest rate, that is absolutely ridiculous! It's going to cost $900 Million dollars a year in interest to pay off this Stimulus Package, and that interest money goes to the federal reserve. Where is that money going to come from. We are pretty much to a point where we have fucked ourselves. We need a total reformation of this economy and of this government. Lets not forget while Tim Geithner was the head of the New York Fed last fall it was him and Ben Bernacke who suggested to Henry Paulson to do the Bush Bailout. It didn't do shit, and it just made the Federal Reserve and the bankers who run that bank a lot of money at taxpayer expense.
It is suppose to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is gone in America today. It is now a government of the economic elite, by the lawyers, and for the bankers. We are nothing more than mince meat to feed to the dogs. I really don't think the people who make the important decisions give a shit about the majority of the American people and the problems we face. To define a little more, Obama is not making important decisions, it's his puppetmasters the Democratic Party, the democrats more menacing siblings the Republican Party, and the goddam bankers who make the important decisions.
For me the root cause of all of the current problems going on in the America today stem from two things:
1. The Federal Reseve System
2. Our retched public education system
I find myself in times like these when I'm full of rage I think about leaving this shark tank we call America and living elsewhere. My problem is, I become full of rage because I see my America being tainted and disfigured, and I want America to be prosperous, but what can one do? I'm tired of these fat aristocrats making my beautiful country ugly and disfigured.
I wish I had something good to say about the government and the current state of America, instead of always criticizing it, but I can only say how I feel and what I see going on in America today.
My mom and my aunt both got laid off today from their respective jobs. I remember as a kid when my mom didn't have to work and stayed home and life was good, and now it's a point where she has to work to just stay afloat and is now afraid of sinking.
I want my house in the mountains. I want my cabin in Oregon or Northern Colorado and just get drunk, throw massive parties, connect to nature without billboards, freeways, and wal-marts, and just go crazy and be human. I want to live in America and not be stressed out anymore. Can I have all my civil rights now.
Anyway...
I am not happy with what the government is doing in regards to almost everything.
Obama was elected to bring change and I still wish him the best, but Tim Geithner is a piece of Wall Street Shit. He is a liar and a wolf. Geithner was formally the head of the New York Fed, and is part of the business machine that caused this recession and I'm leaning towards calling it a depression. Geithner should be fired immediately, and I question Obama's commitment to change by appointing him. Geithner is the federal reserve and the banking powers bitch boy, and he'll come crawling to suck their slime anytime they tell him to. I can't wait for the sequels to the bailout that Geithner is already suggesting.
I think the Bailouts are a huge mistake. The stimulus package is costing almost $800 Billion, this money is getting created out of thin air. Who is really benefiting from all this? It is the Federal Reserve Bank. They are borrowing this stimulus to the U.S. gov't at 6% interest rate, that is absolutely ridiculous! It's going to cost $900 Million dollars a year in interest to pay off this Stimulus Package, and that interest money goes to the federal reserve. Where is that money going to come from. We are pretty much to a point where we have fucked ourselves. We need a total reformation of this economy and of this government. Lets not forget while Tim Geithner was the head of the New York Fed last fall it was him and Ben Bernacke who suggested to Henry Paulson to do the Bush Bailout. It didn't do shit, and it just made the Federal Reserve and the bankers who run that bank a lot of money at taxpayer expense.
It is suppose to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is gone in America today. It is now a government of the economic elite, by the lawyers, and for the bankers. We are nothing more than mince meat to feed to the dogs. I really don't think the people who make the important decisions give a shit about the majority of the American people and the problems we face. To define a little more, Obama is not making important decisions, it's his puppetmasters the Democratic Party, the democrats more menacing siblings the Republican Party, and the goddam bankers who make the important decisions.
For me the root cause of all of the current problems going on in the America today stem from two things:
1. The Federal Reseve System
2. Our retched public education system
I find myself in times like these when I'm full of rage I think about leaving this shark tank we call America and living elsewhere. My problem is, I become full of rage because I see my America being tainted and disfigured, and I want America to be prosperous, but what can one do? I'm tired of these fat aristocrats making my beautiful country ugly and disfigured.
I wish I had something good to say about the government and the current state of America, instead of always criticizing it, but I can only say how I feel and what I see going on in America today.
My mom and my aunt both got laid off today from their respective jobs. I remember as a kid when my mom didn't have to work and stayed home and life was good, and now it's a point where she has to work to just stay afloat and is now afraid of sinking.
I want my house in the mountains. I want my cabin in Oregon or Northern Colorado and just get drunk, throw massive parties, connect to nature without billboards, freeways, and wal-marts, and just go crazy and be human. I want to live in America and not be stressed out anymore. Can I have all my civil rights now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
