I'm Baaaacck.....
I absolutely cannot believe that it's been almost 3 years since my last blog!
That's how busy I've been. The time has escaped me.
There's way too much great stuff that's happened to possibly catch you up on everything I've been up to, but here are a few highlights....
I've had a couple of grandchildren born since I last posted. Both girls. One is actually in her terrible twos, she's probably terrorizing her Mom and older sister as we speak.
The younger one was born late last year and I have yet to meet her...I only have pictures. Hopefully, this summer I will get the chance to spoil her a little.
My children are doing well. My oldest just turned 25 and my youngest will be a senior in high school this fall. It makes me feel really old at times, but it is a constant joy to see how they acquit themselves on life's journey. They are all smart, thoughtful, loving children and I am proud of each of them.
As most of you probably know, my debut novel was released in the fall of 2013. It's been a slow climb and I'm still working hard to get it in front of a bigger audience...If you haven't read it, it's new to you, right?
If you have read it...I thank you! Please tell everyone you know....Hell, tell everyone you don't know, as well. I need all of the help I can get.
Since then, I have been working feverishly on new material. I have short stories sent out all over hell and gone to magazines so hopefully one or two of them will get out to you soon.
The first draft of my next novel is done and is resting peacefully in The Cloud for a bit to give me some time away before the rewrites begin. With a little luck and a lot of begging I hope to have it out and in your hot little hands by 2017.
In the meantime I am working at editing my first poetry book and hope to have it out some time next year. I have a few of the poems posted here and on my Facebook page...So, if you're interested you can check them out.
(I'll post links to all of it at the bottom of this page.)
Please forgive my shameless self promotion, BUT, if I don't do it your Mom sure as hell won't.
So, that's it for my first post...I just wanted to get back in the groove and catch up. My plan is to post new stuff every Thursday, or every other Thursday, so you'll have something new to complain about going into the weekend. So please, keep an eye on this space...It's about to get interesting......
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Saturday, June 6, 2015
Sunday, October 21, 2012
21st Century Hip and the Nuevo Beat
This weeks post comes from a conversation with a group of friends. It is an explanation of my fascination and an attempt to lay out what it is that moves me....Please feel free to share your thoughts...........
Nestled inside the turbulent history of the 20th century a new thing arose to challenge the status quo and cause the world to stop and wonder at its new direction-Hipness. Hipness was a form of detachment from societal norms, an exploration of thought and feeling independent of Old World values. It was an unforeseen reaction to the new found wealth and shifting populations of the Industrial Revolution. It's propagation, the result of the new medias of radio and film. For the first time in the history of the world communication moved at the speed of light. What Orson Welles said on New Jersey radio could completely freak out half of a nation...instantly...it was a new era...and the genie was barely out of the bottle.
From the Lost Generation of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway, who eschewed the morals of Post WWI
America, to The Beat Generation of Kerouac and Ginsberg who felt the same separation after WWII, hip was made concrete in the age of jazz, in the restless movement from city to city, from coast to coast, from New York to Paris to Tangier, from The Sun Also Rises to Mexico City Blues.
The Beat movement, in particular, became a world wide phenomena. As the writer, William S. Burroughs, put it, "It came from a world wide realization that modern society sucked."
This mental rebellion led to the birth of the counterculture movement in the 60's. When hip evolved into a total way of life for a generation...complete with its own set of values, self determined and set on a common cause, the end of the war in Vietnam.
Now, this is where my generation comes on the scene-Generation X. The generation born to live as a bridge between centuries. A generation who grew up at the dawn of the Information Age. A generation whose mental make-up evolved with evolution of the mass media, from 4 T.V. Channels to 400, from dial up internet to Wi-Fi, from rotary phones to the Android and I-phone.
For the most part, I'd say we've handled these changes well. Most of the people my age I know are tech savvy, though, to varying degrees. I, for one, don't have a cell phone. I have two e-mail accounts, a Facebook page, a Twitter page, and, of course, this raggedy blog, but, I truly don't feel the need to be at anyone's beckon call, anytime, any place.
I guess it's just one of my many quirks...........
So, what does all of this have to do with Hip, you ask?
Everything...............
See, my hip, my bliss, is pretty eccentric. The most obvious is music. I love Rock-n-Roll in all of its various guises over the past 50 odd years. I can dig on Elvis just like I dig on Judas Priest or The Stones, The Beach Boys or The Beatles. The Doors, Springsteen, Patti Smith or Prince...I'll crank up Sly and the Family Stone just like I will Black Sabbath. I'm as apt to put on Stevie Nicks as I am Slipknot. I like the Blues and Swing as well as Classical music. The only thing you won't find in my music collection is Country, not that I have anything against it, it's just not my cup of tea.
It just never spoke to me....
I'm just as eccentric in my tastes in literature. These days, I lean toward more modern works, but I have whittled many hours away engrossed in the works of Mark Twain and Alexandre Dumas. I prefer H.G. Wells to Jules Verne. Of course, I grew up learning which one had better hit the future's mark, but, in pure literary terms, Wells wrote in a more modern style, consciously attempting to distance himself from Victorian models...once again, kids,....hip.
More writers on my literary hip list would include all of the Lost Generation (Scott Fitz over Hemingway) and all of the Beats (Burroughs' manic surrealism over Kerouac's self conscious confessions) The new cool centers around Douglas Adams (R.I.P) (Thanks for all the fish!!) Chuck Palahniuk, Greg K. Bear, the venerable Stephan King, Brett Eliot Easton, Scott Card and the newest kid on the block Don Peteroy!
In the realm of film, hip was there from the very beginning! In the 1910's and 20's, understanding the implications and opportunities inherent in the new medium was completely hip. The visionaries were there from the very beginning; Max Seneca, Chaplin, Fritz Lang, Buster Keaton, Cecil B. DeMille, onward to Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Billy Wilder and Stanley Kubrick, onward to Mel Brooks, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Blake Edwards, The Wachowski Brothers, Wes Andersen, and Quentin Tarantino. The films made by these greats would be way too long to go into, but, the most unique, fantastic, heartfelt, funny, visually and emotionally stirring films I've ever seen all derive from the men on this list. Time with any of their works is time well spent.
And, to end this rather lengthy offering, I will leave you with a short list of my favorite comedians, the ones who live up to Mel Brooks' well coined, stand up philosophers: Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, and my new favorite....Ralphie May.
As you can see, the new hip encompasses the whole of the history of hip. All of the outsider beauty of all the generations of soul geniuses spill down through the years, all of their permutations relevant in all varied forms.
It's like Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. It is a form that encompasses everything, while in and of itself contains nothing.
I like that....the Zen of it.
I think The Great Beat Granddaddies would approve.
Nestled inside the turbulent history of the 20th century a new thing arose to challenge the status quo and cause the world to stop and wonder at its new direction-Hipness. Hipness was a form of detachment from societal norms, an exploration of thought and feeling independent of Old World values. It was an unforeseen reaction to the new found wealth and shifting populations of the Industrial Revolution. It's propagation, the result of the new medias of radio and film. For the first time in the history of the world communication moved at the speed of light. What Orson Welles said on New Jersey radio could completely freak out half of a nation...instantly...it was a new era...and the genie was barely out of the bottle.
From the Lost Generation of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway, who eschewed the morals of Post WWI
America, to The Beat Generation of Kerouac and Ginsberg who felt the same separation after WWII, hip was made concrete in the age of jazz, in the restless movement from city to city, from coast to coast, from New York to Paris to Tangier, from The Sun Also Rises to Mexico City Blues.
The Beat movement, in particular, became a world wide phenomena. As the writer, William S. Burroughs, put it, "It came from a world wide realization that modern society sucked."
This mental rebellion led to the birth of the counterculture movement in the 60's. When hip evolved into a total way of life for a generation...complete with its own set of values, self determined and set on a common cause, the end of the war in Vietnam.
Now, this is where my generation comes on the scene-Generation X. The generation born to live as a bridge between centuries. A generation who grew up at the dawn of the Information Age. A generation whose mental make-up evolved with evolution of the mass media, from 4 T.V. Channels to 400, from dial up internet to Wi-Fi, from rotary phones to the Android and I-phone.
For the most part, I'd say we've handled these changes well. Most of the people my age I know are tech savvy, though, to varying degrees. I, for one, don't have a cell phone. I have two e-mail accounts, a Facebook page, a Twitter page, and, of course, this raggedy blog, but, I truly don't feel the need to be at anyone's beckon call, anytime, any place.
I guess it's just one of my many quirks...........
So, what does all of this have to do with Hip, you ask?
Everything...............
See, my hip, my bliss, is pretty eccentric. The most obvious is music. I love Rock-n-Roll in all of its various guises over the past 50 odd years. I can dig on Elvis just like I dig on Judas Priest or The Stones, The Beach Boys or The Beatles. The Doors, Springsteen, Patti Smith or Prince...I'll crank up Sly and the Family Stone just like I will Black Sabbath. I'm as apt to put on Stevie Nicks as I am Slipknot. I like the Blues and Swing as well as Classical music. The only thing you won't find in my music collection is Country, not that I have anything against it, it's just not my cup of tea.
It just never spoke to me....
I'm just as eccentric in my tastes in literature. These days, I lean toward more modern works, but I have whittled many hours away engrossed in the works of Mark Twain and Alexandre Dumas. I prefer H.G. Wells to Jules Verne. Of course, I grew up learning which one had better hit the future's mark, but, in pure literary terms, Wells wrote in a more modern style, consciously attempting to distance himself from Victorian models...once again, kids,....hip.
More writers on my literary hip list would include all of the Lost Generation (Scott Fitz over Hemingway) and all of the Beats (Burroughs' manic surrealism over Kerouac's self conscious confessions) The new cool centers around Douglas Adams (R.I.P) (Thanks for all the fish!!) Chuck Palahniuk, Greg K. Bear, the venerable Stephan King, Brett Eliot Easton, Scott Card and the newest kid on the block Don Peteroy!
In the realm of film, hip was there from the very beginning! In the 1910's and 20's, understanding the implications and opportunities inherent in the new medium was completely hip. The visionaries were there from the very beginning; Max Seneca, Chaplin, Fritz Lang, Buster Keaton, Cecil B. DeMille, onward to Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Billy Wilder and Stanley Kubrick, onward to Mel Brooks, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Blake Edwards, The Wachowski Brothers, Wes Andersen, and Quentin Tarantino. The films made by these greats would be way too long to go into, but, the most unique, fantastic, heartfelt, funny, visually and emotionally stirring films I've ever seen all derive from the men on this list. Time with any of their works is time well spent.
And, to end this rather lengthy offering, I will leave you with a short list of my favorite comedians, the ones who live up to Mel Brooks' well coined, stand up philosophers: Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, and my new favorite....Ralphie May.
As you can see, the new hip encompasses the whole of the history of hip. All of the outsider beauty of all the generations of soul geniuses spill down through the years, all of their permutations relevant in all varied forms.
It's like Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. It is a form that encompasses everything, while in and of itself contains nothing.
I like that....the Zen of it.
I think The Great Beat Granddaddies would approve.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Untitled Dirge
Harpsichord melodies fall flat against
the heavy metal drone of fearless
mourning
of tortured skin
The horrible array of meat wheel masters
failing to soothe the flat faced beast
of time
Wild sweat leaf realizations ring
true in the blackened grime
of gutters
Fascist epiphanies rising
on rainy rooftops
Crazed rebuttals of hope
boil on bloody tongues
Shattered acquiessances screamed
over meager cannibal feasts
But, through it all, your face endures
Your smile alluring on frozen mornings
My china fragile composure blown
among tangled sheets
cigarette butts
keyless chimes on cans of liquid brave
waking nightmares erupting
in these lonely spotlight blues
You were not a game
You were not a ride
You were part of me
So, now, I'm lost
Sitting sardonic in sonic temples
Watching aluminum faces spout
bullshit out into the aether
Pondering they're own fate
Pandering to their own distorted view
As I melt away inside chemical regressions
Hollow in the empty current of my own
electric voice
the heavy metal drone of fearless
mourning
of tortured skin
The horrible array of meat wheel masters
failing to soothe the flat faced beast
of time
Wild sweat leaf realizations ring
true in the blackened grime
of gutters
Fascist epiphanies rising
on rainy rooftops
Crazed rebuttals of hope
boil on bloody tongues
Shattered acquiessances screamed
over meager cannibal feasts
But, through it all, your face endures
Your smile alluring on frozen mornings
My china fragile composure blown
among tangled sheets
cigarette butts
keyless chimes on cans of liquid brave
waking nightmares erupting
in these lonely spotlight blues
You were not a game
You were not a ride
You were part of me
So, now, I'm lost
Sitting sardonic in sonic temples
Watching aluminum faces spout
bullshit out into the aether
Pondering they're own fate
Pandering to their own distorted view
As I melt away inside chemical regressions
Hollow in the empty current of my own
electric voice
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Now
Now
Exists unhindered
inside the pulsing wild wonders
Of space and time
A nirvana revealed
in kinetic fits of endless hope
Now
Is the part of you
aching awake through the rolling depths
Of mental rebellion
Spiraling across
maelstroms of self-conscious silence
To dare cut through the maul of the endless background
chatter
And speak
Now the moment the truth bears whole and dares call bold
To speak
Now
Breaks reality down
into perfect sub-seconds of pure release
A magick waiting to surprise our wit with a brave new focus
Now
Is a precision born
of awareness
Genetically sequenced-Locked inside
Intrinsic through
endless eons of chaotic matter
Twisting raw in the primordial logic of every stellar core
Passing patiently along
in its priceless, peerless, perfection
Daring us all to see….
Looking for you to see…..
Now me.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
PFC. Jonathon Crawford
Today's blog is dedicated to the memory of Private First Class Jonathon Crawford.
Jon was a member of my wife's extended family and a friend of my son Thomas.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the honor of knowing him.
Jonathon drown less than 24 hrs. after graduating from Marine Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was a young man who knew what he wanted out of life and was diligently pursuing it. He chose to spend part of his young life in service to our country.
If I didn't know anything else about him, that would be enough.
I helped my son get ready for his funeral this morning noting the resignation present in his eyes. Thomas is not one to express his feelings but in the few words he did speak on the subject, I understood his confusion.
There are no words that can ever come close to explaining how something like this happens, how someone so young, someone who chose to dedicate his life to the defense of this country, could be taken before the whole of his aspirations could be fulfilled.
There are no words.
The only thing that can give any solace is that he lived, that he chose to serve, that he had the brains, fortitude and strength to take on the challenge of Marine recruitment training and persevere.
He was a United States Marine.
If only for a day.
My prayers go out to his parents and his family.
God Bless you all.
Jon was a member of my wife's extended family and a friend of my son Thomas.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the honor of knowing him.
Jonathon drown less than 24 hrs. after graduating from Marine Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was a young man who knew what he wanted out of life and was diligently pursuing it. He chose to spend part of his young life in service to our country.
If I didn't know anything else about him, that would be enough.
I helped my son get ready for his funeral this morning noting the resignation present in his eyes. Thomas is not one to express his feelings but in the few words he did speak on the subject, I understood his confusion.
There are no words that can ever come close to explaining how something like this happens, how someone so young, someone who chose to dedicate his life to the defense of this country, could be taken before the whole of his aspirations could be fulfilled.
There are no words.
The only thing that can give any solace is that he lived, that he chose to serve, that he had the brains, fortitude and strength to take on the challenge of Marine recruitment training and persevere.
He was a United States Marine.
If only for a day.
My prayers go out to his parents and his family.
God Bless you all.
Monday, August 27, 2012
I'm Just Out Here Sitting On the Fence
I don't know what to make of the gig our band played at the 133 Club this weekend. I guess I shouldn't be surprised with the mixed reviews. Some loved it/some hated it. I was great/I was too loud. I showed off too much/I looked like I was having fun and that helps sell the band....It's a lot to try and sort through.
I know for sure it wasn't the greatest show I'd ever performed, but I had good time. That should be all that matters....
But it's not.
Band dynamics are an unholy motherfucker to deal with. I hate the politics of trying to get 5 people in the same room at the same time and moving in the same direction. IT is not easy. It is my least favorite part of the ride.
And, it is getting old.
I have a terrible reputation for ditching bands. That's because I have a hell of a time getting along with people whose ego outweighs their talent. I know I'm not the best guitar player, but, I also don't go running around professing to be The One, either.
I just want to play, man. If I could get around all of the other bullshit that would be just dandy.
I've put a lot of hard work into this band and after a year and a half I still don't think it's jelled.
I am right on the edge of throwing in the towel and moving on.
As my faithful followers know, I am working on getting my first book ready for publication. I am thoroughly enjoying the process even though it is a lot of hard work. The best thing for me is....I am the only one I have to deal with. The only external decisions I have to make is which mug I want to pour my coffee in and whether I have enough cigarettes to get me through my schedule.
That's it.
The mixed reviews for the book are still in the future, and, hopefully, they'll be mixed?!? No creation of art is ever without it's detractors. I understand that. But, whatever happens, I know it will rise or fall from my shoulders. There will be no variables that are out of my control. No mixed vision. No clash of egos or wills.
Whatever fate awaits my book, I know it will be because of me and only me.
I sure hope I know what I am doing................
I know for sure it wasn't the greatest show I'd ever performed, but I had good time. That should be all that matters....
But it's not.
Band dynamics are an unholy motherfucker to deal with. I hate the politics of trying to get 5 people in the same room at the same time and moving in the same direction. IT is not easy. It is my least favorite part of the ride.
And, it is getting old.
I have a terrible reputation for ditching bands. That's because I have a hell of a time getting along with people whose ego outweighs their talent. I know I'm not the best guitar player, but, I also don't go running around professing to be The One, either.
I just want to play, man. If I could get around all of the other bullshit that would be just dandy.
I've put a lot of hard work into this band and after a year and a half I still don't think it's jelled.
I am right on the edge of throwing in the towel and moving on.
As my faithful followers know, I am working on getting my first book ready for publication. I am thoroughly enjoying the process even though it is a lot of hard work. The best thing for me is....I am the only one I have to deal with. The only external decisions I have to make is which mug I want to pour my coffee in and whether I have enough cigarettes to get me through my schedule.
That's it.
The mixed reviews for the book are still in the future, and, hopefully, they'll be mixed?!? No creation of art is ever without it's detractors. I understand that. But, whatever happens, I know it will rise or fall from my shoulders. There will be no variables that are out of my control. No mixed vision. No clash of egos or wills.
Whatever fate awaits my book, I know it will be because of me and only me.
I sure hope I know what I am doing................
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saturday Night-A Go-Go
Last night I took a much needed break from all of my various projects and spent Saturday night making the scene and partying!!
My cohorts and I started out at a cool retro birthday party for my bands lead singer. It was 1962 all over as he celebrated his 50th birthday. The company was great.The retro clothes were horrible and the food and open bar were awesome!
I had a wonderful conversation with one Don Peteroy. Like me, he is a poet/writer/musician, who, (along with his lovely wife Phoebe) are members of my singers other band No Consolation. He is this year's winner of Playboy's prestigious short fiction award. His first book Wally comes out in October. We discussed literature and music, discovering we were both big fans of the Beat writers. It was nice to compare notes with a kindred spirit at the beginning of his own literary adventure. (And when he reads this, I am SO jealous of the residency at the Kerouac house-lol!!)
Not wanting to leave our singer bereft of food and alcohol (especially alcohol) my cohorts and I moved on after a few hours to Ripley's Boat Club to see a band that are friends of my partying cohorts (nameless to protect the guilty!) I can't remember the name of the band but they were great and their guitarist put on a hell of a show!!
We had a few beers and split a pizza to quell the mad munchies as we jammed to the bands last set. We were a little put off to discover that our bands did a lot of the same songs. But, hell, good material is good material and they did a wonderful job!
We finished out the evening at Snappers. I had never been there and really like the stage and out door set up. The band there played a good mix of country and classic rock and the crowd never got a good chance to leave the dance floor! Part of the entertainment for me is watching the wild gyrations of the inebriated dancers. I always get a kick out of it when my band is playing and it is even more fun as part of the crowd where I can pay more attention. It is also valuable research for my band, seeing which songs bring the best responses and what brings the feet to the floor.
So, after a few more shots and more than a few laughs, as the band went into their last song, I relinquished my keys to our designated driver and we headed for the shed.
It was a great night with some great people and I can't wait to do it again!!!
And just a heads up, My band-The Cosmic Atomic Zombies-will be appearing at the 133 Club this Friday-8/24 starting at 9pm-come thirsty and ready to jam!!!
My cohorts and I started out at a cool retro birthday party for my bands lead singer. It was 1962 all over as he celebrated his 50th birthday. The company was great.The retro clothes were horrible and the food and open bar were awesome!
I had a wonderful conversation with one Don Peteroy. Like me, he is a poet/writer/musician, who, (along with his lovely wife Phoebe) are members of my singers other band No Consolation. He is this year's winner of Playboy's prestigious short fiction award. His first book Wally comes out in October. We discussed literature and music, discovering we were both big fans of the Beat writers. It was nice to compare notes with a kindred spirit at the beginning of his own literary adventure. (And when he reads this, I am SO jealous of the residency at the Kerouac house-lol!!)
Not wanting to leave our singer bereft of food and alcohol (especially alcohol) my cohorts and I moved on after a few hours to Ripley's Boat Club to see a band that are friends of my partying cohorts (nameless to protect the guilty!) I can't remember the name of the band but they were great and their guitarist put on a hell of a show!!
We had a few beers and split a pizza to quell the mad munchies as we jammed to the bands last set. We were a little put off to discover that our bands did a lot of the same songs. But, hell, good material is good material and they did a wonderful job!
We finished out the evening at Snappers. I had never been there and really like the stage and out door set up. The band there played a good mix of country and classic rock and the crowd never got a good chance to leave the dance floor! Part of the entertainment for me is watching the wild gyrations of the inebriated dancers. I always get a kick out of it when my band is playing and it is even more fun as part of the crowd where I can pay more attention. It is also valuable research for my band, seeing which songs bring the best responses and what brings the feet to the floor.
So, after a few more shots and more than a few laughs, as the band went into their last song, I relinquished my keys to our designated driver and we headed for the shed.
It was a great night with some great people and I can't wait to do it again!!!
And just a heads up, My band-The Cosmic Atomic Zombies-will be appearing at the 133 Club this Friday-8/24 starting at 9pm-come thirsty and ready to jam!!!
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