Great literature, like anything truly great, is rare indeed. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a modern example of great literature. I know this is old news to most folks but having just finished it, I can't help but spread the gospel.
For me, having just returned from the Middle East, my appetite for reading material which might enrich my understanding of the Muslim world is far from quenched. Hosseini's remarkable description of life in Afghanistan contributes greatly to my limited grasp of all things Islam.
I would say that reading this book might even make you a better person. Really. Kite Runner is about to be released as a major motion picture. Mixed feelings there. So often the movie version of great literature not only dissappoints, it cheapens and deludes people into thinking they know something when the sole means of gaining real meaning is by reading the damn book.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
My First Music Video
Thanks to Todd Zeller at EdenZ films, I am now the excited owner of a music video. Anyone can watch it on youtube. Check it out---
I'm hoping that this promotional video, complete with concert footage, still photos and a voiceover by me blabbering about my musical life, will be the tool that enables me to get a bunch of gigs at music festivals far and wide. Time to crank up the marketing machine. Oh wait, I don't really have one of those. Fact is, if there's one aspect of the music scene for which I have little stomach or patience, it's the business side of things. Which is why my gigging schedule has been replaced lately by my other commitments---representing poor people in court, trying to develop sustainable, affordable housing, stuff like that. All of which takes time.
This is NOT a complaint because, damn, I'm a lucky guy with a pretty fine life. But if I could change one thing, it would be that the world of music was a more welcoming, accessible place. Maybe with this video, the tiny little crack in that door will get a touch wider.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Zombies of Broadway
Remember Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics? Now he's into Broadway and having a lot of success. Nick Haramis has a cool post about it on BlackBook.com"Dave Stewart, one-half of Brit duo Eurythmics, has been producing sweet sonic dreams for the past two decades. Now, with the release of his new comic book, Zombie Broadway, Stewart plans to try his hand at nightmares. Well, not really. In his “horror-comedy-musical graphic novel,” Stewart’s zombies are “Just Like Us!"—they eat candy, Broadway musicals put them to sleep—only deader. Says Stewart, “[The comic] has helped me focus my songwriting and set designs for the Broadway musical that this story is destined to become.” The book, 56 blood-red pages of gore and Gypsy, is accompanied by an animated trailer."
Friday, April 18, 2008
Accidental Bastard
Relationships are tough. Everyone knows that. Those few souls who claim to never argue or fight aren't fooling anybody. Generally speaking, when we disappoint or anger the person we love, we know in advance that this will happen. But not always. Have you ever encountered anger or disappointment from your loved for no good reason? I thought so. Well, I just wrote a song about this topic. It's called "Accidental Bastard". I've performed this song to enough folks by now to know that I've stumbled onto a pretty universal human experience.
"Things were going well enough,
The forecast was benign.
Probably shoulda let the cork stay put
On the second bottle of wine."
For some, the odds of a chance encounter with domestic strife increase when alcohol pays a visit. Sound familiar?
"But the cabernet was superb that night,
Color like purple ink.
As her synapses started to misfire, her words........
Made my heart sink."
I get excited when I write a new song. Usually the creation of a new song, for me, starts with the lyrics. Then I put together a chord sequence and rhythmic groove to match the emotional feel of the song. Sometimes it takes a while before I'm satisfied. Often the song ends up in the junk pile of discarded ideas. But with "Accidental Bastard", I was in Egypt beside the Red Sea when the inspiration for this song struck. I spent several enjoyable hours tunesmithing this one and I must say I'm pleased with the result. I hope to record it soon but will probably wait until I have a few more solid tunes in the hopper.
"She said I was shallow and narcissistic
With a hopelessly uncommited heart.
Said I'm shallow and self-absorbed
With an undersized body part".
Ouch. It pleases me to tell you that these particular insults are not based on personal experience.
"Don't trouble yourself with the memory
Of things she didn't mean to say.
For her, it's like it never happened.
For me, it doesn't easily fade."
These verses unfold in the soft, resigned voice of someone who sadly accepts this part of his life and chooses to accept it, hopefully because it happens rarely. The chorus of "Accidental Bastard" is much more forceful, delivered in the style of early Elvis Costello or Mark Knopfler with a touch of anger:
"I'm an accidental bastard,
Inadvertant s. o. b.
You know I've got nothin' but love for you
But you only place blame on me.
Yea accidental bastard,
With a conscience clear as gin.
Self-defense is pointless.
There's no......
Way to win."
So to all you accidental bastards, take comfort in the knowledge that you're in good company. And that your feelings are now validated in song.
"Things were going well enough,
The forecast was benign.
Probably shoulda let the cork stay put
On the second bottle of wine."
For some, the odds of a chance encounter with domestic strife increase when alcohol pays a visit. Sound familiar?
"But the cabernet was superb that night,
Color like purple ink.
As her synapses started to misfire, her words........
Made my heart sink."
I get excited when I write a new song. Usually the creation of a new song, for me, starts with the lyrics. Then I put together a chord sequence and rhythmic groove to match the emotional feel of the song. Sometimes it takes a while before I'm satisfied. Often the song ends up in the junk pile of discarded ideas. But with "Accidental Bastard", I was in Egypt beside the Red Sea when the inspiration for this song struck. I spent several enjoyable hours tunesmithing this one and I must say I'm pleased with the result. I hope to record it soon but will probably wait until I have a few more solid tunes in the hopper.
"She said I was shallow and narcissistic
With a hopelessly uncommited heart.
Said I'm shallow and self-absorbed
With an undersized body part".
Ouch. It pleases me to tell you that these particular insults are not based on personal experience.
"Don't trouble yourself with the memory
Of things she didn't mean to say.
For her, it's like it never happened.
For me, it doesn't easily fade."
These verses unfold in the soft, resigned voice of someone who sadly accepts this part of his life and chooses to accept it, hopefully because it happens rarely. The chorus of "Accidental Bastard" is much more forceful, delivered in the style of early Elvis Costello or Mark Knopfler with a touch of anger:
"I'm an accidental bastard,
Inadvertant s. o. b.
You know I've got nothin' but love for you
But you only place blame on me.
Yea accidental bastard,
With a conscience clear as gin.
Self-defense is pointless.
There's no......
Way to win."
So to all you accidental bastards, take comfort in the knowledge that you're in good company. And that your feelings are now validated in song.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Global Warming's Evil Stepbrother
Damn those crazy nut jobs who don't believe in global warming. Those irrational folks who think of "An Inconvenient Truth" as a hatchet job. The last thing they need is ammo to use in their effort to minimize the complicated and sinister realities of global warming. Yet here we are, awash in an undeniable shitstorm of unusually crappy, cold, unseasonably nasty weather. As Jon Stewart would say, "Why God, why?"
In the Pacific Northwest, the weather has been brutally, uncommonly, perversely cruel. Accustomed to a winter of rain and persistent cloudiness, this year's weather featured more snow, hail and subnormal temperatures than the Northwest has seen in a looooong time. For example, on the weekend just before April Fool's Day, Portland experienced its latest snow in 57 years.
Those who deny global warming delight in our misery. What's not to love about weather phenomena that runs contrary to the seemingly undeniable deluge of evidence that global warming is real and terrifying? For those who deny, these strange occurrences in our climatic band are touted as proof positive that global warming is bullshit.
Luckily, spring finally arrived in the Northwest today. April 11 seemed like the perfect time for that whimsical flighty bitch Mother Nature. I can't help but think she's either a dimwit or that she has a seriously messed up sense of humor.
For most normal folks, accepting that the planet is getting dangerously warmer while they, personally, experience absurdly cold and uncomfortable temperatures when things are supposed to be warming up is a contradiction not easily explained to the less lucid types that sometimes seem to dominate our population. So come on Mother Nature, get with the program. Surely even you have noticed that the ice caps are melting, greenhouse gases are accumulating at record levels and if we don't make some radical changes fast, we're in deep fecal doodoo.
The Beatles had a song, "Mother Nature's Son", a Paul McCartney number, that was all sweetness and light about the wonders of a simple, natural life. Lately, many artists have given voice to dangers of harsh environmental practices and the impact they have on the planet, so from a musical standpoint, it seems that we're making progress. I think I have a solution to the global warming fake-out we've been experiencing. Let's get Kenny Chesney or one of his Nashville colleagues (colleagues seems to too uppity of a term in this context, I gotta admit) to sing a song about global warming. "You gotta believe, you gotta believe, you gotta believe.......even though it's snowing outside, that the planet is getting warmer....and if we don't fix it...we're all gonna die". Some kinda country drivel like that just might set things right.
In the Pacific Northwest, the weather has been brutally, uncommonly, perversely cruel. Accustomed to a winter of rain and persistent cloudiness, this year's weather featured more snow, hail and subnormal temperatures than the Northwest has seen in a looooong time. For example, on the weekend just before April Fool's Day, Portland experienced its latest snow in 57 years.
Those who deny global warming delight in our misery. What's not to love about weather phenomena that runs contrary to the seemingly undeniable deluge of evidence that global warming is real and terrifying? For those who deny, these strange occurrences in our climatic band are touted as proof positive that global warming is bullshit.
Luckily, spring finally arrived in the Northwest today. April 11 seemed like the perfect time for that whimsical flighty bitch Mother Nature. I can't help but think she's either a dimwit or that she has a seriously messed up sense of humor.
For most normal folks, accepting that the planet is getting dangerously warmer while they, personally, experience absurdly cold and uncomfortable temperatures when things are supposed to be warming up is a contradiction not easily explained to the less lucid types that sometimes seem to dominate our population. So come on Mother Nature, get with the program. Surely even you have noticed that the ice caps are melting, greenhouse gases are accumulating at record levels and if we don't make some radical changes fast, we're in deep fecal doodoo.
The Beatles had a song, "Mother Nature's Son", a Paul McCartney number, that was all sweetness and light about the wonders of a simple, natural life. Lately, many artists have given voice to dangers of harsh environmental practices and the impact they have on the planet, so from a musical standpoint, it seems that we're making progress. I think I have a solution to the global warming fake-out we've been experiencing. Let's get Kenny Chesney or one of his Nashville colleagues (colleagues seems to too uppity of a term in this context, I gotta admit) to sing a song about global warming. "You gotta believe, you gotta believe, you gotta believe.......even though it's snowing outside, that the planet is getting warmer....and if we don't fix it...we're all gonna die". Some kinda country drivel like that just might set things right.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Rural Road Rage
Was he trying to kill me? Sure seemed that way to me. Normally I give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was just messin' with me. But if that's all he was doing, why did he come so close to killing me?
I was driving east on Highway 126, a beautiful stretch of road running alongside Fern Ridge Reservoir. Traffic was light. I pulled out to pass the slow moving sedan in front of me and as I drew alongside, he increased his speed to match mine. Hey, no problem dude, except that there's suddenly a car in the oncoming lane closing fast. Things were getting more dangerous by the millisecond. I started to hit the accelerator hard to move past the sedan but realized that of my two options, my prospects for a head-on collision accompanied by a swift death were much greater that way. So I began to brake in an effort to slip behind my chicken-playing friend in the white sedan. That game is a lot less scary if you're not the one in the oncoming lane.
Just then, Mr. White Sedan figured that he could add to the excitement of the moment by slowing down with me, pinning me in the oncoming lane. Thank goodness I just had my brakes relined. At the last possible moment, I hit them harder than my next-lane-neighbor expected and I managed to slip behind him just before the oncoming car had a tough decision of his own to make.
How do you react to something like that? One minute, you're cruising down the road listening to Jackson Browne, the next, you see your life flash before your eyes. I decided to call 911 and to follow the sedan from a safe distance. Mr. White Sedan had other ideas.
He took the next left, a backwoods road he seemed to know well. I pursued, cell phone in hand. Oddly, his license plate started with the three letters WMD. How fitting. Not wanting to make nice, Mr. White Sedan flew the coop, pulling away at speeds in excess of 100 mph. I lost him at the first intersection.
The police tried to find him but my description left a lot to be desired---a white car of unknown make with a driver I couldn't identify and no license plate other than WMD. And since I didn't actually die, or even have an accident, this incident wasn't aggravated enough to qualify Mr. White Sedan for America's Most Wanted. I understand that. But I'll never understand him, or people like him.
Over the last couple weeks, I've been working on a new song called "Accidental Bastard". I'll tell you more about this tune in a week or two. Mr. White Sedan is not that kind of bastard. Enjoy your weekend. Drive safely.
I was driving east on Highway 126, a beautiful stretch of road running alongside Fern Ridge Reservoir. Traffic was light. I pulled out to pass the slow moving sedan in front of me and as I drew alongside, he increased his speed to match mine. Hey, no problem dude, except that there's suddenly a car in the oncoming lane closing fast. Things were getting more dangerous by the millisecond. I started to hit the accelerator hard to move past the sedan but realized that of my two options, my prospects for a head-on collision accompanied by a swift death were much greater that way. So I began to brake in an effort to slip behind my chicken-playing friend in the white sedan. That game is a lot less scary if you're not the one in the oncoming lane.
Just then, Mr. White Sedan figured that he could add to the excitement of the moment by slowing down with me, pinning me in the oncoming lane. Thank goodness I just had my brakes relined. At the last possible moment, I hit them harder than my next-lane-neighbor expected and I managed to slip behind him just before the oncoming car had a tough decision of his own to make.
How do you react to something like that? One minute, you're cruising down the road listening to Jackson Browne, the next, you see your life flash before your eyes. I decided to call 911 and to follow the sedan from a safe distance. Mr. White Sedan had other ideas.
He took the next left, a backwoods road he seemed to know well. I pursued, cell phone in hand. Oddly, his license plate started with the three letters WMD. How fitting. Not wanting to make nice, Mr. White Sedan flew the coop, pulling away at speeds in excess of 100 mph. I lost him at the first intersection.
The police tried to find him but my description left a lot to be desired---a white car of unknown make with a driver I couldn't identify and no license plate other than WMD. And since I didn't actually die, or even have an accident, this incident wasn't aggravated enough to qualify Mr. White Sedan for America's Most Wanted. I understand that. But I'll never understand him, or people like him.
Over the last couple weeks, I've been working on a new song called "Accidental Bastard". I'll tell you more about this tune in a week or two. Mr. White Sedan is not that kind of bastard. Enjoy your weekend. Drive safely.
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