When the going gets weird...

Time for a good book?

2008-11-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Thank heaven for small mercies, the election will soon be over. By the time you're reading this, it probably will be. So what to do now? Perhaps it's time to sit back and relax with a good read. Being a lifelong fan of fiction, and in the spirit that everyone could use a solid recommendation every now and then, I thought I'd post a very short list of recent personal favorites. Seven books that I found either immensely enjoyable or important in the way that great fiction is one of 'the great teachers'. (Sometimes the two are mutually exclusive.) Without further ado, here in no particular order are seven books I've read in the past few years that have stayed with me:

1) Popular Music from Vittula by Mikael Niemi

2) Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flannagan

3) A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

4) The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

5) American Pastoral by Philip Roth

6) Eating Stone by Ellen Meloy

7) What is the What by Dave Eggers

Honorable Mention: Here Comes the Sun by Joshua M. Greene

That's it. Hope you get a chance to pick up one or two of these. Please feel free to leave your own recommends as well.

The future won't be long now.

2008-06-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

There are too many of us. It doesn't take rocket science to figure it out. The only trouble is, everyone who is of child-rearing age thinks they have a free pass. A get out of jail free card. It's easy to think about population growth and its effect on the planet in a macro sense. But as far as each of us goes, as individuals, the idea that maybe it's not such a great idea to bring other beings into this world is downright heretical.

It's easy to understand. We are programmed to recreate. It's hard to point at a baby -- any particular baby -- and say 'there's the problem'. You'd be locked up. Spat upon. Worse. Everybody loves babies right? In my particular town of Mill Valley, California, babies are regarded in higher esteem than golden retrievers and 100 foot tall redwoods. They are a symbol of all that is supposed to be right. Love. Marriage. Responsibility. Parenthood. Lineage.

During an average weekday, you'd think you were living in a time warp. Women with babies are everywhere. In strollers. In their laps. In the cafes. In freshly washed SUV's. Babies looking at other babies. Women without jobs lovingly gazing at their babies looking at dogs looking at other babies. Sometime I wonder, where the heck are all the fathers? Did all these women have children without any men involved? (A good trick, that.) Are they all in the city, locked inside tall buildings until it's time for the ceremony of the daily release and the commute back home? Time to say hello again to the wife and babies? It boggles the mind.

As John McCain would say: my friends, it's true. But John wouldn't tell you that overpopulation -- that is to say too many babies -- is the cause of almost every global problem that we face. Because the thing that people tend to forget is that babies... turn into people. People who drive cars, eat food, drink bottled water, compete with other people for a decent job; people who want their own little patch of land carved out of whatever happens to be left, and of course create their own life-long carbon footprint. Not only that, but these babies quickly turn into adults who also create... more babies. And that my friends is why we're running out of oil, water, nutrients in the soil, fish in the ocean, honey bees, trees in the rainforest, parking spaces at the national park, and just about anything else you can think of.

There are too many of us. But you can't convince anyone who wants to have a baby of that. Try bringing up the idea of adoption -- by far the 'greenest' solution for someone who wants to start a family. See how far you get. Every couple believes in their 'god given right' to procreate. It's unstoppable. Even among the truly educated. Imagine how it must be elsewhere. Kids and more kids. Until finally, everything that keeps us alive will be so substantially diminished that something will have to give. What will give is what sustains us. And that's the world we will be leaving to all of these children. It's going to get scary in less time than we can imagine. Not enough to go around. But we don't think about that. It's diamonds. And engagements. And marriage. And children. Look how cute.

Freedom's not free, but maybe it should be.

2008-02-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

From today's NY Times: 'Nearly a quarter-century ago, the mantra 'information wants to be free' heralded an era in which news, entertainment and personal communications would flow at no charge over the Internet. Now comes a rallying cry: software wants to be free. "If Microsoft had to start over today, it wouldn't even think about charging money for it's software," said Yun Kim, an industry analyst with Pacific Growth Equities. "Nobody in their right mind is developing a business in the consumer market to charge for software."

I admit I had to read these words twice, just to be sure I had it right. But what this says, unequivocally, is that it won't be all that long before 'all your softwares belong to us', which is a bit of shift from what we're used to. I mean even if you've been pirating music, dubbing movies from dvd's and ripping your favorite porn to your hard drive six times a day, everyone is used to paying for at least a few of the most substantial applications. My understanding is that a few hardy souls even pay for everything. I tend not to go out for drinks with these individuals.

However, I'm glad to hear the pay-as-you-go scenario is about to come to an end. Right on! I never liked paying for any of that stuff anyway. And in the spirit of Mr. Kim's business plan advice, I'd like to mention a few other things I'd like to start getting for free. The sooner the better, too.

First -- I'd like all my wine to be free. Especially the really good stuff that my friends show up with just to humiliate me that costs upward of $100 a bottle. I'd like a dozen cases or so of 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape, as well as a cellar full of vintage Willimatte Valley Pinot Noir, Australian Shiraz, German Reisling, Italian Barolo, and a few dozen of the Sommelier grade Reidel glasses on the side. All free. Thank you very much.

Next, well let's see, there are a number of countries I need to visit to round out my understanding of the world as it is, so I'd like to visit Greece, Italy, France, the Patagonia region of Argentina and Chile, Bali, Maui, and Alaska. Just for starters. I'd like all my accommodations to be on the level, of say, the Ritz-Carlton, which seems fairly modest in this new era of free software, don't you think? Good.

Let's see, next, I'd like to be able to write film dialogue like this without having any understanding of the true nature of capitalism, or having read (or paid for) any substantial literature whatsoever:

"Are you an assassin?"
"No, I'm a soldier."
"You're neither. You're an errand boy sent by the grocer to collect the bill."

In addition, I'd like to be able to control the weather, at least where I live, for free. If it's astonishingly sunny outside, but I feel like the world needs to come to an end tomorrow, I want to be able to call up a class five hurricane, on demand, without seeing that appear on my Visa bill next month.

Oh, and then there's dating. Dating costs even more than software from Microsoft. So from now on, I'd like all my exploratory dinner dates to be arranged free of charge. The waiter doesn't even have to mention this. At the end of a rather lengthy meal, he could just present the bill to my table, and I could scribble a signature on something to indicate my tacit agreement not to pay a nickle for what might turn out to be a complete waste of time, or an evening that may proceed to go down in the pantheon of astral-plane carnal experiences. Either way, I think it would be best if the entire meal, including the tip, is free. I mean it's a roll of the dice, so free makes a lot of sense here.

Next. I'd like all my weed to be free. Humboldt county, outdoor grown, pesticide free, thank you very much. I remember when I used to get high (but not too frequently, just like Barrack) and listen to that Jefferson Starship album where Grace sings about 'free dope, free music' and that was certainly before the era of free software. So, please, I think the free dope part is wayyyy overdue. I mean seriously, does anyone have a problem with this? I thought not.

In addition, I have a question. Can I get out of this possession and status-obsessed nation which also happens to have one of the worst governments in the history of mankind and go live in some saner place like Costa Rica or maybe New Zealand -- for free? I realize this is a lot to ask for - maybe even more than some lame word processing software at no charge. So therefore, I might be willing to come up with a few bucks myself to make this happen. But since people are getting their software for free, I expect a bit of a discount. Regardless, I'm beginning to enjoy this new 'stuff for free' idea. Maybe the revolution is going to be phased in slowly, so none of the bastards at the top will even notice. After all, if we're not paying for anything, the robber-barons can't be any better off than the rest of us.

Save The Sweetwater

2007-08-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

Letter sent to Maria Aversa -- owner of the building that is home to Marin's historic music club.

Hi Maria:

I’ve lived in Mill Valley for about eight years now. I can easily say that the most important business there – from my perspective – is the Sweetwater.

In order to be a healthy, vibrant place, a community needs culture. One of the most accessible forms of that culture is live music. As you know, Sweetwater is the ONLY venue Mill Valley has that offers live music on a regular basis.

As important as they are, it’s not just the shows themselves, and the wonderful experiences that people have at your club. It’s also all the people that come to our town as a result of the music – including the musicians themselves. They add a spark that, when extinguished, only leaves commerce. And unfortunately, commerce has no soul.

To truly be a community, there has to be art. And music is the art form that people are most passionate about. Sweetwater has been the lifeblood of the music scene in Mill Valley (and probably Marin, too) for as long as it has been around.

I would be forever grateful if you could do anything to help the Sweetwater to stay in existence. I need it. The musicians need it. the people who live in Mill Valley and love music need it. Perhaps, on a larger scale, the world needs it, too.

Thanks very much for your time.

Namaste,

James

Making it with music.

2007-05-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, popularity.

Remember when you were in high school, and you used to wonder why the people who were elected to student office were never the smartest or the most adventurous or imaginative? They were simply the best at making friends; because a friend equaled a vote. And in the mind of the candidate that was one more small step on the way to a successful life.

Perhaps not all that surprisingly, real politics turns out to closely mirror the paradigm we all discovered in high school. The people who get elected are never, or at least rarely, the most intelligent or well read or astute. They are merely best at making friends. A certain president immediately springs to mind. So it goes.

And now, let us turn to music. Last night I went out to see (and also to record, but that’s a much more involved and longer story) a band that has been around for a number of years. Every single member of this band is a virtuoso. I kid you not. They play with such finesse and dexterity that it leaves you wondering why other people even consider picking up an instrument. It is a very high expression of the art form we call ‘music’.

The name of this band is Garaj Mahal, and the venue was Sweetwater in Mill Valley. Perhaps fifty people came out for this Wednesday night show, in a venue that can easily hold more than double that amount. The band played ferociously. Superbly. Mercilessly. They have a grasp on music theory that rock ‘n roll bands can only fantasize about. (With the possible exception of band, say, like Frank Zappa’s). They play complex time signatures sideways, backwards and inside out at the drop of a hat. They have a deep understanding of melody, harmony, rhythm and counterpoint. They love to take something that’s very difficult to play, and then speed it up almost to the point of absurdity and play it like that. They are marvelous and inspiring. A bit challenging, too. Hardly anyone comes out to see them.

Now, in the bay area, there are lots of bands to check out on any given weekend. Bands like Tea Leaf Green and New Monsoon and Yonder Mountain. These groups manage to play the Fillmore and typically sell out the venue. None of them are very good. They play mediocre shows with young, stoned, swirling jamband fans spinning around the room and talking with their friends. Their fans know the words to the songs. They have a good time. They smoke some pot and drink some beers and do a lot of chatting and then they go home. God only knows what they listen to there. It ain’t Theolonius Monk. Probably more of the same.

Even though it probably shouldn’t, this situation puzzles me. Perhaps if I spent more time watching ‘American Idol”, I’d have a better understanding. For me, it has always been about talent. The ability to take that talent, and combine it with heart and inspiration to create something meaningful. I don’t find this at a Moe or a New Monsoon or a Sound Tribe Sector Nine show. What I hear there are band members who are adequate (but rarely inspiring) musicians playing essentially the very same thing they have played dozens of times before. There’s something missing. Something vital.

The very best music requires not only exceptional talent, but an ability to channel the particular set and setting of every live event. The music should play the band – and this is influenced by a broad array of factors as simple as the mood of the crowd and as complex as the phase of the moon. When the band is intuitive enough to ‘pick up’ on everything that’s going on around them – that’s when the music truly succeeds. Anything is possible then. Because what is happening causes the music to be the way it is, and then the music changes what’s happening, and it becomes an endless, inexplicable loop that everyone gets to create.

But this is rare these days. And I don’t mean to suggest that this is the sole domain of a band as astonishing as Garaj Mahal. But I do mean to offer that it’s what we should all be looking for. Perhaps even demanding. Live music should not just be popular radio. Or even worse, popular TV. Live music offers the unique opportunity to have a shared, communal, heightened experience. Or sometimes not. The fact is (as the Grateful Dead showed us) there has to be some risk involved. If it’s all just by rote, just the hits, it’s not going to take anyone anywhere. Might as well crank up the cd in the comfort of your own living room. Turn down the lights, fire up the vapo and zone out dude.

But if you’re going to make the effort to go out, to spend your hard-earned dollars, you should at least give them to a band that is worthy. That sincerely wants to take you someplace YOU HAVEN”T BEEN BEFORE. And not just to play what will make you feel comfortable. Art shouldn’t be about comfort. At it’s best, it’s more likely to be the opposite of that. (Feedback anyone?) And music, in case we’ve all forgotten is a very high art form.

In 1890, William James said ‘The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.’ I wonder if there were a lot of boring bands playing back then, too?

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

2007-04-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

'April is the crulest month' - T.S. Eliot

As the Internet fills with information related to the killing rampage at Virginia Tech, one can also hear a quiet voice of reason in the background. But only if you listen closely.

In December of 2005 campus police attempted to have Cho Seung Hui involuntarily commited to a mental institution. Let's face it, if you're in college -- where students are given a substantial amount of leeway -- you have to be acting pretty damn strange to have authorities want to put you away. In separate incidents, two female students asked the police to take disciplinary action against Seung Hui. A campus psychologist determined that Mr. Cho was mentally ill, and ordered a regimen of outpatient treatment. But despite all of this, Cho Seung Hui was able to buy not one, but two guns in a period of about five weeks.

This is what you need to purchase a lethal weapon in Virginia: a diver's license, a checkbook with an address that matches your driver's license, and one more form of I.D. In Cho's case, he used his immigration card. The gun shops both performed an instant background check to be sure that he wasn't a felon, or a subject of a restraining order. He wasn't either of those, yet. So they took his money and handed him a Glock 19 and a Walther P22. Today, 32 people are dead as a result of those sales.

So now the voice of reason returns to the stage. It says "Why on earth do we make it so easy for anyone -- and obviously this incident demonstrates just what 'anyone' means -- to obtain a weapon capable of killing dozens of people?" Human beings are notoriously prone to unreasonable emotional acts. A gun can easily make the difference between an argument and a murder. Or in this case, a killing spree. Why do we continue to let people purchase guns as if they were a form of entertainment? How has the gun lobby become so powerful? Why do even reasonable politicians run from this issue as if it were plague?

And of course, the voices rise from the other side. Not the dead, mind you, they can't be heard now. By the other side, I mean the people who think that it's only natural to carry a gun around like a wallet or a purse. John McCain immediately rushed into the fray saying "I do believe in the constituional right that everyone has, in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, to carry a weapon." Mr. Cho was certainly exercising that right.

My favorite comments come from the people who believe that guns are sacred. As much a part of America as war and taxes. The Charlton Heston types. What they're saying now is if only some of the other students and faculty had been armed, Seung-Hui would have been cut down by 'return fire'. I'm not making this stuff up. I guess these folks think the only sure way to level the playing field is to ensure that EVERYONE is packing a piece. Even a bunch of students and faculty members on a big college campus. Kind of like cowboys and indians forever. Does this remind anyone other than me of Sterling Hayden's character in 'Dr. Strangelove'? Hey, this way if anyone steps out of line anywhere, a nearby law-abiding citizen can simply pop a few dozen caps into the hapless fool, then continue with the conversation on their cellphone.

While we're on the subject of guns and ammunition, and since we've all just paid our federal taxes, it might be appropriate to mention the plight of the V-22 Osprey. The V-22 is a hybrid aircraft that can fly straight up and down like a helicopter. Then in-flight the wings rotate, and it flies like a conventional airplane. At least that's what it does on a good day. On a bad day, it kills lots of people who are attempting to fly it. The Pentagon has spent $20 BILLION DOLLARS developing the V-22 to date. The total budget allocation is roughly $55 BILLION.

This intriguing aircraft has taken 30 lives so far -- in test flight crashes. How bad does a plane have to be that even Dick Cheney tries to kill it four times? (This is when he was defense secretary under King George the first.) But thus far congress has kept the V-22 program alive. Perhaps that's because work on this project is spread out across 40 states and 2,000 subcontractors. In other words, just like the firearm industry, there's a lot of money at stake. I found a figure for 'hunting related equipment' sales in 2004 -- it was $2.8 billion. A drop in the bucket compared to the V-22. Military sales are where the real money is I guess. But then again, tell that to the parents of the dead students at Virginia Tech.

Next Poem

2007-04-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

I’ve thought about it a lot
and here’s what I’ve come up with
unless you embrace everyone
all various facets of existence
all poverty
all disease and despair
as well as your own exalted state
of privilege
then you are nothing
merely a repetition of so many countless
before you
glass raised to the heavens
a tad confused
pure joy
elusive
no matter how much therapy
or searching
or trips to the wine bar
you are merely another
child
of the moneyed
the journey filled with dreams unfulfilled
wrinkled sheets in the morning
and the wrong face in the mirror

among all those you’ve known
your strongest fear
is that you may be
the least
unique

you admit it to no one
least of all yourself
but you smile nevertheless
then get on the train
with so many others
who feel just like you

then you realize
you’re thinking of that drink
at the end of the day.

Diversity is.

2007-03-31T20:01:00.001-07:00

Diversity is
the stuff you think the most holy
in the world
whether it’s Jesus
or Coltrane
or Keith Jarrett or
Naomi Watts
or Phil Spector
or silence
or towering redwoods
or the blanket of stars above
it doesn’t really matter
because
there are many people who will live their entire lives
and never have one moment of appreciation
much less revelation
regarding the particular aspect of creation
you find so meaningful

I tend to forget this
because I want everyone to share
in what I think makes the world beautiful
and bearable
and also because it moves me
so deeply
I want others to be moved, too
I want that moment where it all simply
is
to be recognized
if only right then
and there

but it doesn’t work that way
everyone
every one
has their very own concept of what is transcendent
and you won’t find a lot of overlap there

there are birdwatchers
and Deadheads
and surfers
and Sufis
and hula hoopers
who all get together
because they are like-minded
and like each other
but even there
I have a feeling that
everyone
is experiencing something
entirely different
same time and place
but
still unique
it’s one of the great mysteries
isn’t it?

and the truth is
when you read this
it will be nothing like what
I felt
when I sat down to write.

March 31st, 2007

May you live in interesting times...

2007-03-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

"The world is collapsing around our ears. I turn on the radio. I can't hear it." - Michael Stipe

The Chinese proverb says ‘May you live in interesting times.’ But what’s the aphorism when ‘interesting’ just doesn’t seem to cover it?

Did you read the recent story about bees vanishing? It appears that all over America (and perhaps around the world, too?) bee hives are substantially depleted. Millions of bees are missing. They’re not dying. They’re leaving the hive, and not coming back. No one knows why. But farmers are worried because without bees, you don’t get fruit. Are the bees just fed up? Have they found a sweeter existence someplace else? Maybe they’re migrating north where it’s a little cooler.

Speaking of north, in New England, there’s a battle going on between people who fish for a living and lobstermen. Evidently, the fish harvest has been in gradual but constant decline. So the guys who run the fishing boats want to be able to sell the lobsters they inadvertently haul in with their nets. But right now the law says they have to toss them back because they aren’t ‘lobstermen’. And naturally, the guys with the lobster traps (there are a few lobsterwomen, but not many) want to keep things the way they are.

Now the only reason this is happening is because there aren’t enough fish left in the ocean for people who used to make a living catching them. It seems pretty obvious that we’ve simply begun to eat more fish than mother nature can replenish. It’s the fish taco stand with no more tacos, except on a global scale. Want fries with that fish sandwich?

Also in the news, a number of travel sites have begun to suggest visiting the world’s big glaciers ‘while they’re still around’. Just in case anyone thought global warming was going to be something that only had an impact on our children, or their children, this really makes you think twice. Come see the big trees before they’re gone. In places like southern Alaska, where it’s getting warmer year after year, which lets beetles expand their territory, this is also something that’s happening right now.

As the earth begins a slow fade, movies are getting better. Strange, I know. Have you seen ‘Children of Men’ or ‘Babel’? Remarkable, beautiful, poignant stories that take on the destiny of the human race as a topic. As you may know, that’s not an easy task. Especially without getting up on a creaky soapbox and shouting out your frustration. But these films don’t do that. They look at the lives of individuals around the world in the here and now.

And it’s different now. It’s hard to put your finger on why that is – why after tens of thousands of years of human existence things should have suddenly accelerated into the current malaise. Kind of like one of those spin paintings at the carnival where you squirt out your paint on the clean white surface, flip the switch, and then watch all the colors explode before your eyes.

And still, amidst all the speeding up, all the acceleration in the world, all the text messaging and automatic weapons fire and suicide bombers, there is a rising female force that is urging us to all – simply --- slow -- down. It’s coming from women because men are too busy trying to get points up on the scoreboard. The points that come from having a beautiful wife and family. A luxurious home and maybe a second one in the mountains. A big, gleaming automobile to take out to four star restaurants and spas. The very latest cellphone to lay on the bar. Men are too busy keeping score to slow down.

So women are doing it for us. They’re trying to remind us that while we are busy, busy, busy with plans to make money and plans to travel and plans to get that new 72” widescreen television, that the beauty of life… is not in the planning. Simple as it may seem, it’s in the living. Most men have somehow forgotten how to live. And probably most women, too. But somehow, if anything is going to save us, or at least make the end more conscious (good birth, good death), it’s going to be the women who know that everything is better when you take the time to breathe. Altogether now. Slowly. And don't forget to be kind to the bees.

Ten things I absolutely like about Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.

2006-10-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

1) It’s free. Thank you Warren Hellman. This is a magnificent new chapter for free concerts in Golden Gate Park. In a few more years, it may be an entire novel.

2) The name. Kindly, oddly… perfect.

3) The weather this year. Sunshine all day Saturday and Sunday. While acoustic Hot Tuna was playing, Jack happened to mention that he had played in Golden Gate park 40 years ago, and it was ‘cold as hell’. Jorma replied that he couldn’t possibly remember something from 40 years back, and Jack agreed that he ‘must have read it somewhere’.

4) The crowd. I don’t think I saw one argument. Everyone was steeped in kindness. Perhaps that’s partly but not hardly because of…

5) The cops. No one was hassled for smoking pot. No one was searched. Everyone was allowed to bring in anything they could carry, including food, wine, or homemade bathtub gin. I didn’t see anyone stumbling drunk, and the medical tents were empty.

6) The music. Considering the cost of the invisible ticket that everyone had, the lineup was beyond stellar. My own high points: Elvis Costello with Emmylou Harris and T-Bone Burnett. Richard Thompson who played like a man on a mission. Steve Earl, who kept telling us that whenever the Blue Angels flew by overhead we should all give them the finger. Most of us did for the rest of the weekend. Hot Tuna acoustic. In the bright sunlight reflecting off the lovely old trees in the park you could let your mind wander and it almost felt like 1967. Except Jorma is sober now. Still playing like a master though. Todd Snider whom I had never seen before, but is a very funny guy who simply writes songs about the crazy shit that’s going on all around him. And us. Gillian Welch who also sat in with Bob Weir and the Waybacks at the end of Sunday’s show on the Arrow Stage. Her version of ‘China Doll’ during her own set on Saturday completely took me by surprise. You never know who’s going to turn out to be a Deadhead.

7) The five stages. It’s one thing to do a free show in the park. It’s quite another to have five stages going all weekend long. It keeps people spread out so one place is never too crowded. It enables you to catch more music. It makes the whole thing a bunch more fun.

8) No logos. No corporate banners hanging anywhere. Nobody selling much of anything except some pretty good food. How often do you see this combination anywhere?

9) I want to mention how well the whole drug thing was handled once again. The sheriff with a cattle prod up his ass in Quincy, California should take a lesson from the city of SF. He lines up all his local low- IQ cop buddies and makes as many pot arrests as he can during the High Sierra Music Festival. It makes everybody crazy. It brings down the whole vibe of the Fest. It makes no sense. It's only been happening a couple of years, and it should stop. Thank you San Francisco for setting the standard, once again. Damn, it's good to live here.

10) The quality of the songwriting. I must have heard at least five new tunes about the war in Iraq. Richard Thompson's 'Dad's gonna kill me'. (short for Baghdad) had to be the best of the bunch. Folk songs have a way of reminding you about right and wrong. Do we still need reminders about this war? Evidently, we do.

It may be inconvenient, but it's true.

2006-06-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

I just got back from seeing "An Inconvenient Truth". I have three words of advice for those concerned about the future of the planet and all the species on it including our own: See This Movie. I thought I had a fairly good understanding of the ramifications of global warming, but it turns out I was missing huge pieces of the puzzle. From the reactions of others in the nearly sold-out theater, I think I wasn't the only one.

This issue, in case you've been preoccupied with what we're constantly fed by the mass media regarding terrorism, avian flu and Mexicans wanting to move into exclusive gated communities is in fact THE ISSUE OF OUR TIME. Everything else simply pales in comparison to what happens when the temperature of the earth climbs.

The most important thing regarding this film now is that it is seen by people other than liberals. We already know how liberals are going to vote regarding climate change. They're sitting in the zippy little Prius next to you on the freeway. The car with the peace sign and the bumper sticker that reads "Somewhere in Texas there's a village missing an idiot." But I digress.

It's really important that we get our more conservative family members and friends out to see this movie because a) it will change their behavior regarding carbon emissions, b) they'll have to think very hard before voting for anyone who doesn't put the environment at the top of the list, and c) there are a hell of a lot more of them then us. This last point is something my friends in northern California have trouble remembering because just about everyone they know has a custom-made vaporizer and spends half the day downloading live music files.

Getting those on the right side of the political spectrum to go see this film won't be easy because the word is already out that this movie "stars" non other than Al Gore. And in the minds of conservatives everywhere Al Gore is a) a died-in-the-wool liberal and b) a loser. Corporative executives don't like to take advice from people they consider to be losers. It's simply bad form. This is why they'll watch something as inane as "The Apprentice". No matter how insipid and uninspiring Donald Trump may be, he's a "winner" because he's a gazillionaire. This may sound like exaggeration, but it's true. More people in this country vote for candidates on "American Idol" than they do for President, but that's a topic for another blog. This one is more important right now. The ice caps are melting. Species are dying. Much worse is on the way, unless we change.

You'll have to remind them that this particular issue, the one that pretty much determines whether there's a future for the human race or not, transcends party affiliation. If Ronald Reagan came back from the dead to host this film I would still go see it and support it. If Ann Coulter were making the case... well, ok maybe not. We all have our limitations. Anyway, the point is we have to get as many people as humanly possible to go see this movie. Why? Because it's desperately needed education disguised as entertainment. And people in America will sit down for entertainment. You may have seen this behavior yourself. It's called "watching tv."

So this is my plea. Go see the film, and get as many conservatives as you can to go see it, too. Meantime, keep doing all the low-carbon emission stuff. Recycle. Walk. Ride a bike. Buy biodeisel. Support green companies. Boycott those that aren't. Conserve energy in the home. Vote. Elect candidates who will support the Kyoto Accords as a starting point. Harass people who continue to drive those goddamn gas-guzzling SUV's to the grocery store for a quart of milk. Tell them to fill their land yachts with all of their wealthy, influential friends and take a ride over to the movie theater to see "An Inconvenient Truth". It might be the most important thing you do this year. For them, and you.

Will New Orleans rise again?

2006-05-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

If New Orleans were a bed -- a fairly apt metaphor to begin with -- it would be perpetually rumpled and unmade. Probably smoking a cigarette. And walking into a bar like the Chartres House Café in the French Quarter where vodka and tequila are served on tap. It certainly wouldn’t be in any kind of hurry. Although as of now, in early May of 2006, it might also be looking for a place to live.

“Experts agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and nothing says breakfast in New Orleans like a good drink.” -- Old Coffeepot Restaurant

The first post-Katrina JazzFest is happening in the Big Easy, and this time around it’s different. “There’s a drunk guy who’s really being a pain in the ass at table four, and I just can’t handle him anymore,” said the clearly shaken waiter to the manager at a restaurant in the Quarter. Susan, the manager, told him she’d find someone else to take care of table four. A number of people who have stuck it out here are living right on the edge, and it’s fairly apparent that right now it won’t take all that much to push them over.

“It is possible that Katrina was the largest hurricane of its strength to approach the United States in recorded history; it’s sheer size caused devastation over 100 miles from the center.”’ -- Wikipedia

Over 75% of the city was destroyed by a hurricane that swept into town eight months ago, but what the locals can’t get a fix on is why the recovery is taking so goddamn long. In the poorer black neighborhoods, it looks very much like recovery may never arrive at all. There is no way to understand what this place is like now without having a look for yourself. All of the images on TV simply don’t give you the real story. It may be too brutal for most Americans to want to know what is really going down here.

The real story is that the poorer neighborhoods are like ghost towns. At night, no light comes from the houses because nobody’s home. Restoration moves at a snail’s pace, and is happening only because of charitable efforts outside of those provided by any government agency. Every small service in these neighborhoods, everything we take for granted as part of life -- every bakery, auto repair shop, hair salon, tavern, dentist’s office, bar, take out food place, doughnut shop, corner convenience store and rib joint is simply… gone. So even if you had a place to move back into, there wouldn’t be anything around that would make it practical for you to stay. There’s simply no support system in place.

The real story is that our federal government knows that it’s much more profitable for a handful of prestigious American companies to wage a prolonged war. One in a distant, third world country with no defined enemy other than “terrorists” and “insurgents” that can go on as long as it remains profitable. There is no profit in helping impoverished United States citizens reclaim condemned structures so they can them turn them back into something that could possibly be called home.

The real story is that companies such as Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, United Technologies, Halliburton and GE collectively made billions of dollars destroying the infrastructure of Iraq. And now companies such as Halliburton, Bechtel, Aegis, KPMG and Lockheed Martin are collectively making billions attempting to put all the pieces back together again. Never mind that tens of thousands had to die along the way. We’re talking real money here, and from what I can see that’s left of New Orleans, that’s what matters today.

The irony for New Orleans is that if we had paid some of our very capable military-industrial giants to blow it up (or blow it down) we would have also had to pay the clean up crew to come in afterwards and bring things back to normal. Kind of like Berlin after WWII. But because New Orleans was taken out by the biggest storm surge in history – by mother nature – evidently no one in Washington has a clue what to do. For months and months, not a clue. Bush comes here to pay a visit, then gets on a plane and goes home. The destroyed, abandoned homes remain destroyed and abandoned.

So here we are in the middle of this, at JazzFest. Remarkably, the French Quarter is on relatively high ground, so the tourist center remains intact. It’s almost possible to go from the Quarter to the fairgrounds where the music happens without taking in the devastation. Almost, but not quite. You still have to pass by a hell of a lot of homes where nobody lives anymore.

Speaking of living, rents in this part of Louisiana have doubled and tripled in the past few months. That’s because there is so little housing left. Which has implications. Most people who want to return can’t afford to. And all the people who work in the hotels, restaurants, and Fest-related jobs can’t afford the new high-end rents either. So waitresses work double and triple shifts six days a week. People commute to minimum wage jobs from very far away. This is what happens in resort communities when rising housing prices force out the locals. Right now, this is what's happening in New Orleans, too.

Three weeks before the Festival, they still didn’t have electric power out at the fairgrounds. All the tickets were sold, all the hotel reservations made, but no juice for the music. And then, a week or two later, power was restored. People came. A hell of a lot of people came. Which says something for how a lot of us feel about New Orleans. If you truly love music, it’s very hard not to love this town. Where I come from – San Francisco – people carry massage tables out on the streets. In New Orleans, people carry cups of beer. It’s different here. There’s a spell that permeates everything. It’s less refined. Less pretentious. Less hectic. As much in the body as in the mind. More playful. Less judgmental. More how life should be. Of course, the real question is what will New Orleans be when it recovers?

“New Orleans is the most religious place I have ever been, even though much of the population is profoundly profane, pagan and steeped in the seven deadly sins and some others not even listed.” - Tom Piazza

Oh. And then there was the music. This was the first weekend of JazzFest after all. We were here to listen to the music and dance, right? We knew that the town had been almost obliterated, but we were here to get a buzz on and maybe get lucky and have fun… right? This question rambled through my mind like a streetcar running east and west under a crescent moon. Is it OK to let loose and have fun in a place where so many have been so monstrously tested? How would you feel if poisoned water surged down the street and then rose up to cover the roof of your home? And then no one came for a week or so? And then nothing was happening in your neighborhood eight months later?

So, in response to all this, the musicians played. And they played as though they understood that one of the most important powers that music has (among its many) is the power to heal. The power to lift people above what appear to be dire circumstances. Plague. Pestilence. Famine. Flood. Heartbreak. Lack of faith. Hurricanes. And there was one who came here and understood that his role was to be preacher to masses. And he decided, you know, it just might be time to rise to the occasion. Because it was certainly clear that no one else was honestly doing that. There were a number of brilliant performances, but something hard to pin down was missing. Something spiritual. Something having to do with salvation and redemption. So perhaps Bruce thought, OK, I’ll do it. And the mind-blowing performance that followed was a result of someone consciously making the decision to give what was so very badly needed.

Bruce Springsteen’s new band was, to put it mildly, astounding. All 20 members played as if this was their last time to make music on earth, even though it was in fact, the large ensemble’s first official performance. It was no small coincidence that the songs of Pete Seeger they played happen to be about faith, suffering, and overcoming insurmountable odds. It was the perfect set at precisely the right moment in time. There was one rather appropriate Springsteen song as well:

"There’s a blood red circle, on the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down, The church doors blown open.
I can hear the organ’s song. But the congregation’s gone.
My city of ruins. My city of ruins
Now the sweet veils of mercy. Drift through the evening trees.
Young men on the corner. Like scattered leaves.
The boarded up windows. The hustlers and thieves.
While my brother’s down on his knees.
My city of ruins. My city of ruins
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Now there’s tears on the pillow. Darling where we slept.
And you took my heart when you left. Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend. Now tell me how do I begin again?
My city’s in ruins. My city’s in ruins.
Now with these hands. I pray lord.
With these hands. For the strength lord.
With these hands. For the faith lord.
With these hands. I pray lord.
With these hands. For the strength lord.
With these hands. For the faith lord
With these hands. Come on rise up!
Come on rise up! Rise up."

- My City of Ruins, Springsteen

It was hundreds of years of black culture that made New Orleans what it was. The intermingling of African heritage with French and Cajun traditions that gave the city its musical heritage, its spirituality, its cuisine, its comprehension of mortality, and the soul that has all but vanished from every other American metropolis. But now that the nation’s leaders have turned their backs on the disenfranchised black citizens of New Orleans—the very purveyors of the culture who made the city unique – it’s hard to tell what the next incarnation of this magical place will resemble.

In five years, it could look a lot more like a theme park. It could be a hell of lot whiter. Recorded music might play from tinny speakers in sanitized bars filled with unknowing tourists, rather than out on the streets by living musicians. The descendants of the people who created it. Who knows where they will be?

Golden Movie

2006-02-25T19:21:00.000-08:00

This is a bit of a departure for me -- but what the hell. I've been trying to figure out what makes the new Neil Young movie "Heart of Gold" so powerful, and here's where I net out. I think Neil had it in his head -- no pun intended -- that this might have been his last performance. The fact that he was scheduled to have brain surgery about 10 days after the actual concert is made reference to, but certainly not dwelled upon. Nevertheless, to me this feels like it could have been a "farewell performance". Like something that Warren Zevon might have done, but didn't have the strength to pull off in the end (he devoted himself to putting out two great final albums instead).

As Neil has aged, he has become more zen. Calmer. More intuitive. Less upset with the world. More focused on his art. And now with the recent death of his father, and his own impending aneurysm surgery, mortality is in plain sight. The Buddhists say that death approaches like a speeding bullet, and sometimes I believe we have the feeling we can see it coming. So what does Neil do? He writes some great new songs, gets a bunch of old friends together -- emphasis on the word "old" -- and has Jim Jarmusch film the performance in Nashville. Why there? Well, it appears that the ghost of Hank Williams is also one of the motivating spirits behind the Prarie Wind story, so why not?

What has always made Neil Young great, and why he continues to be that way is there is absolutely no bullshit. None. This guy is a complete straight shooter. And whereas Dylan can take an emotion and turn it lyrically inside out so often you're never quite sure what the heck he's saying, Neil just tells you what he thinks: "I've seen you in my nightmares, and I've seen you in my dreams. And I could live a thousand years before I know what that means".

Neil has always found a way to get lost inside the performance of his songs. And that quality is captured simply and beautifully here by Jarmusch and his cinematographer Ellen Kuras. But this film is also a kind of soliloquy on the reality of getting older. Practically everyone on the stage started out playing music when both they and rock and roll were very young. Revolution was in the air. There was nothing to lose, and lots to shoot for. But Young, Emmylou Harris, Ben Keith and Neil's wife Pegi have seen a lot of water pass under the bridge. You can see the decades of experience in their faces. Jackson Browne called it "the quiet resignation that living brings", and I can't do much better than that.

There's some joy in this film, but not in abundance. Instead, for lack of something more descriptive what's most evident is a combination of pride and humility. An exploration of what life might mean. The recognition that this music may not be the most important thing on earth, but then again, it ain't nothing either. You might want to compare it with what you've been doing for the past thirty years or so. Or maybe that's pushing it a bit. Either way, as Neil says "Don't be denied". And if you get the chance, go see this movie.

Just say no to alpha males & change the world.

2006-01-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

Lately I keep returning to thinking about why things are as unacceptable as they are in regard to the evolution of human beings and more importantly, the state of the planet. The two are inexorably linked, so perhaps you've been wondering about this, too. It seemed like we were off to a really good start at making substantial changes for the better during the end of the 1960's through the mid-70's. It felt like there was a realization that greed and self-aggrandizement were causing a hell of a lot of problems. It felt like people were waking up. Nixon resigned. The war in Vietnam ended. Not everyone wanted to be a millionaire. The future looked reasonably bright. It was a good time to be alive.

Today I see a fair amount of younger people embracing change, finding more spirituality in their lives, seriously questioning the nine-to-five corporate lifestyle and willing to work to save the environment. But my concern is that they are still in the minority. I live just outside of San Francisco and it's easy to forget that for every person who is careful to recycle, use less resources and eat organic food there are hundreds who are oblivious. They read "People" magazine and watch reality TV shows. They shop at the mall whenever they get the chance. Their primary focus is on making more money, having a family and buying more stuff. It's the individual at the expense of the community.

So, I'm trying to figure out how we can break this cycle? How can we cause a substantial, irreversible paradigm shift not just in this country but throughout the world? The answer, I believe, is that women can make this happen. But perhaps not in a way that you might think of immediately. Allow me to explain.

My proposition is that the majority of the world's most substantial problems are caused by alpha males. This is nothing new. Alpha males are the ones who believe they are the rightful heirs to the lion's share of whatever the planet has to offer. They are kings and board members and senators and presidents and so on. They live in great big houses in exclusive neighborhoods. They fly off to vacation homes. They drive gas-guzzling vehicles like Hummers and BMW's and Porches. (Wanna-be alpha males drive Corvettes) "Have you seen the little piggies, leading piggy lives?" - George Harrison. Like it or not, they are in control. Think of men like Dick Cheney or Ken Lay or Ray Welch. They do a hell of a job for themselves and a few other alpha male associates (it's a network) and a horrible one for just about everyone else. When the salary of the CEO is 10,000 times that of someone who works in the factory, something is very very wrong.

So here's my proposition: Women of the world (and naturally, some men as well) need to stop having sex with alpha males. Refuse them something they believe comes by birthright. Take away one of the things that defines their power. Show them that we are determined as human beings to cause a sea change. That's it. Once the alpha males have been deprived of sexual congress they will no longer be held in high esteem by societies everywhere, paving the way for something entirely new. Leaders who by their very nature are not so obsessed with having the biggest yacht in the damn harbor. Imagine people working for the good of the many rather than the privileged few.

This won't be easy. Alpha males have traditionally been able to talk their way into having sexual relations with just about anyone. It's one of the primary reasons they became alpha males -- that, and because it gives them time to play golf. Think of the football captain in high school or that astonishingly good-looking lead actor in the most recent blockbuster. Alpha males are traditionally attractive, persuasive, confident and what's worse is they can buy you just about anything you want. Especially if they want to seduce you. Does the name Tiffany ring a bell? They have titles like doctor and lawyer and Mr. Ambassador. They run the banks and the oil cartels and weapons companies. They're the boisterous and well-to-do devil on your right shoulder while the more modest angel sits on your left and shakes her head.

But of course, the good news is this doesn't mean no sex. It just means no sex for the guys who have never had any trouble getting it. So instead of being interesting in what kind of hot car your date drives, ask to see his compost pile. Find out if he's ever participated in any kind of demonstration against the war. Tell him you get turned on by yoga, poetry, vegetarians and chanting. If you have any question at all whether or not a guy you'd like to go to bed with is an alpha-male, don't worry about it. Alpha-males constantly broadcast their "alpha-superiority", so just the fact that you aren't sure means he's ok.

Since alpha males almost inevitably require a trophy girlfriend or wife, it's critical that this movement take firm root with women that societies find "most attractive". In ours, that means anyone who has ever been or has even thought about being a model. If we can get the models to "just say no" to the guy with the Armani suit and diversified stock portfolio, we just might save the world. Because when beautiful women refuse to sleep with alpha males, it WILL cause them to change their behavior. Honestly, they won't last long. If I could think of something else that would work, like a slap in the face or a kick in the ass, I'd suggest that. But those things have been tried. It's time for something more drastic. It's up to the women of the world now.

Sorry, we didn't really mean to torture you.

2005-12-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

THESE ARE TRULY STRANGE AND DARK DAYS FOR THE LITTLE EXPERIMENT IN DEMOCRACY GONE BAD -- FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE GOOD ‘OL USA. We are of two minds. On one hand we want to fervently wave the flag that we sincerely hope you will associate with “freedom”, while on the other hand we’re applying high voltage to the genitalia of someone we suspect of being a “terrorist”. In a nutshell – you should pardon the expression – this is America today. It’s a bit of a schizoid mess.

The latest dazzling example of this paradox has come about as the result of a lawsuit by one Mr. Kaled el-Masri. You may have already read about Mr. Masri. “I don’t think I’m the human being I used to be”, he uttered at a news conference on December 6th. He imparted this information via live video link from Germany because we’d refused him entrance into the United States. He had arrived with the intent of filing a lawsuit against George Tenet, the former director of the C.I.A., as well as three U.S. companies involved with covert C.I.A. operations.

According to Masri -- a German citizen -- he was seized by the C.I.A. in 2003 on the Serbian-Macedonian border where he was kicked, hit, and then transported to secret prisons first in Macedonia and later in Afghanistan. In these jails he was frequently drugged and stripped naked. As it turns out, it was just a case of mistaken identity. However, Masri’s lawyers are alleging that Tenet knew of the mistake, but decided to leave him under lock and key in Afghanistan for two more months before finally acknowledging the egregious error. Masri was set free in Albania in May of 2004. Oops!

This all happens to be hitting the news as Condi Rice makes the rounds of her very own Europe tour ’05. The irony is that the intent of the trip was to try and shore up support for the beleaguered U.S. of A. As if the horrors of what continues to happen in Iraq aren’t enough for her to try and explain away, she’s now being confronted with questions about “secret U.S. terror prisons” in Europe and elsewhere.

It sounds like the recent press conference with Ms. Rice and the new German Chancellor Angela Merkel was something straight out of the Hunter S. Thompson playbook. Ms. Merkel had no problem bringing up the notion that the U.S. has been flagrantly disregarding international law when it comes to the treatment of prisoners – especially those regarded as “terrorists”. On the other side of the stage Ms. Rice did her utmost best to dodge the bullet: “We have the obligation to defend our people, and will use every lawful means to do so,” she stated, while adding that the public debate over the secret prisons ought to include a “healthy respect for the challenges we face” fighting terrorism.

Indeed. The message is clear: Don’t mind us while we act like savage barbarians in our misguided attempt to cleanse the world of savage barbarians. After all, which barbarian do you want in charge? The one with Cheney & Rove and lots of corporate backing or a ragtag bunch of unorganized enemies of imperialism? Well, for the time being the world seems to be saying maybe we don’t have to have either. It’s an interesting notion.

As the Bush administration continues it’s long and harrowing descent down the steep, dark side of the roller coaster ride, one can only wonder where all of this will net out in years to come. With Nixon, at least, we had the modest satisfaction of a humiliating resignation from office and a final helicopter ride from the White House lawn.

The trickle of dissent is finally turning into something of a waterfall – witness Harold Pinter’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech: "You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis." True enough. According to the New York Times, the view of Europeans is that they understand the terrorist threat perfectly well. But they feel that the Bush administration's flouting of democratic standards and international law incites MORE terroism, not less.

Even so, it’s hard to imagine Bush & Company being run out of town on a rail just yet. But then again, times are very strange. Maybe there is a bit of honest light at the end of the tunnel. One can only hope.

It's time to fire the cowboy.

2005-09-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

OK, so according to all major news sources -- how many is it that we need reporting the very same thing? -- GWB, that is to say the President of this formerly rather enjoyable country, has accepted responsibility for the "failures of the federal government in its response to Hurricane Katrina." Just for the record (judge Roberts), here's the entire quote: "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn't do it's job right, I take responsibility." OK, so it is kind of a hedge. But you know from the past how GWB hates to accept any kind of responsibility for anything that went wrong -- does no WMD's in Iraq ring a bell? -- so this is a significant change of behavior.

Well, I have one response. We the people accept that you, Mr. President, have finally accepted responsibility for just one of the catastrophes that have occured on your watch, so now we'd like you to step aside. Put bluntly, we'd like to fire your ass once and for all. And please while we're at it, can we get one of those hard-to-find buses that couldn't make it to New Orleans in time to save a lot of folks who couldn't afford an automobile? Let's get one to instead pull up at the White House so you, Mr. Cheney, Mr. Rumsfeld, Ms. Rice and especially Mr. Rove can all get on at the very same time. I'm sure that if you had a chat with them they might also be willing to accept some responsibility for the complete and utter failure of your "bomb first and ask questions later" policy in Iraq. Just today, rebels in Iraq killed about 150 people in a combined wave of gruesome attacks. Things are not getting better there, and like Vietnam, it's time we accept that reality and get the hell out.

Or, if you need a bit more convincing, let's look at energy policy. The most recent numbers show that the soaring price of gasoline is finally (FINALLY) causing Americans to climb into their automobiles a bit less. Well, what do you know? Now imagine if you had made developing alternative fuel vehicles a priority for the nation rather than dismantling environmental regulations, starting a war and providing huge tax cuts to your wealthiest friends. Thanks to relaxed federal standards, fule economy on cars and trucks in the U.S. is actually declining! It's beyond belief given what's happening with global warming and oil dependency. Are you ready to accept responsibility here, too?

What's most astonishing to me is that the last guy in your position was impeaced for not telling the truth about having sex with an intern. Surely history will record that your failures -- which have resulted in substantial loss of life now, and for some time to come -- are in an entirely different league. It's like a litterbug going to jail while the serial killer gets off with an apology.

It's time for you and your pals to go. Now, my guess is that just like Nixon, you won't be able to see this for yourself. It will take some convincing. Therefore, it must be up to us. It's gone beyond "Impeach Bush" bumperstickers. It's time to move on to the real thing. Just imagine how much better we'll all feel. And what a true service you'd be doing for your country. Finally, you'd get something right. No apologies needed.