TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

All the big boys are taking a hit. Some will not survive. Merrill Lynch, Shearson Lehman, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley---the REALLY big boys. The same ones that have created more millionaires and billionaires, especially for the investment bankers who run these places, than history has ever seen.

Even the rank and file at these companies were paid six and seven figure Christmas bonuses. Hey, who couldn't use a little extra cash at Christmas? Now they're in free fall, and some are down for the count. But wait. Who's coming in to help? The federal government, of course. In other words, you and me.

I have no problem with the government bailing out AIG---if the nation's biggest financial insurer went belly up, millions of ordinary folks and small businesses would be in a world of hurt. It's not the same, though, with the investment banking sector. So why the bail out?

At times like this, my cynical side wins out. Probably because it's dead right, again. Remember when W stepped in to bail out the subprime lenders and his answer to the real victims, the people whose houses were being foreclosed, was to give them a "stimulus package" of something like $600. Nice package, huh?

That was just one year ago. But it turns out that the nasty subprime mess has not run its course, and the very institutions that profited so handsomely when the going was good now get bailed out by the government when the going sucks. Sweet deal.

On an individual level, so many of those employed in investment banking are set for life, and for generations to come, and I mean really set, there's no reason to feel sympathy for them. They're the ones who took the money and now get to run. No consequences for them. A gentle landing into a sublime world of temporary unemployment perhaps, a perfect time to count the money. Maybe invest some of those earnings while things are tanking, watch the bailout lead to a speedy recovery in the market, and before you know it, they've pocketed another fortune.

Steve Miller's classic tune "Take the money and run" says it pretty well. But not as well as Dylan's great line "steal a little and they'll throw you in jail, steal a lot, they'll make you king".

Return Engagement

Two words of which I am especially fond: Return Engagement. Creates the impression that the first show was so well-received that the audience DEMANDED another. What am I talking about? I have been asked to perform at The Shedd. For a second time. Sweeeeeet!

In April of 2007, I was honored to be asked to perform at The Shedd for the first time. This coincided with the release of my last cd, "Party of One", and it was one of the most memorable performances of my life. Why? First, it's a top notch venue. It's sort of like a Eugene version of Austin City Limits. The performing arts hall in The Shedd seats 800 and many world-class artists have performed there.

Second, I was one of the first local artists to be invited to perform at The Shedd. And the show couldn't have gone any better. My old friend and record producer Gary White agreed to join me for the show, coming to Eugene from LA. Many close friends and family members attended, including my parents.

If you've ever checked out the video of me performing on this blog, that footage is taken from my show at The Shedd. Well, my Return Engagement (pardon the capital letters, like I said, I really like those two words) is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, just before I plan on leaving for Australia and a few shows Down Under. More about that later. More about all of this return to music later.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's mid-September, the sun is bright, the scenery is spectacular this time of year and I'm feeling happy as can be. Oh yes, this is enough of a diversion to temporarily keep my mind off those dark Sarah thoughts.

Sarah Inspires Me To Song

Inspiration can be hard to find. Songwriters agree on this. So it's important to start writing when inspiration strikes. Lose the moment and you've lost the song. Did you know that some of the greatest songs ever written came in a flash? Such inspiration truly is divine.

The inverse side of the songwriting conundrum is that often, great songwriters work for years on a song and never find satisfaction. Once Brian Wilson trashed an entire album many described as a masterpiece. Thirty years later, "Smile" was finally released.

Right now I'm grateful as hell to Sarah Palin. She has inspired me to write a song. A song about her. I haven't written it yet. I'm still gathering material. Seems like every day there's a new revelation.

Sometimes when I'm writing a song, I jot down a list of all the thoughts I have on a topic. Throw in a couplet or two, a few key rhyming words and before long, you're a chorus away from a good song. Other times, you have a strong idea for a chorus, build a few verses, maybe toss in a bridge and kazaam! You've got a song.

For my Sarah song, there's such an abundance of material, it's like shooting moose, I mean fish, in a barrel. She's got the AK-47, the husband who wants Alaska to secede, the 17 year-old pregnant daughter who was raised in a household preaching abstinence and family values. You've got Sarah so proud of her daughter's choice, a choice Sarah wants to deny to every pregnant woman, rape victims included. Because abortion is murder. Nothing wrong with gunning down a pregnant moose though. It's all in good sport.

Such a plethora of material for one song idea is truly rare. This song practically writes itself. In fact, I think I could write an entire Sarah album of songs. Sergeant Sarah's Lonely Heart's Club Band. Or something like that.

Sarah is asserting herself. She's plucky and pissed. She doesn't like being compared to people like Hillary. Thinks she's so much better than that and certainly more on the right track than misguided souls like Barack Obama and any Democrat who ever lived. Thinks they're all going to hell. I'm afraid that if she's elected vice-president, we all might be.