Sunday, May 4, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
The learning tree, and the end of this blog
I am home . . .
Last evening I slept in my bed, as I lay there dreaming I had a dream about a show with Louis the XIV. It was the worst gig ever. Everything that could go wrong went wrong, but like all dreams, this one came to an end. In the same vain that the last month and a half of my life has now closed and come to an end as well.
It was strange to walk around Portland this morning. It felt so calm. It was odd though as I am used to walking around with Chris until we stumble upon a Starbucks for our morning ritual of coffee cake and coffee. I also missed walking around with him a 3:00 am in some random city in the middle of the night after a gig looking for food. He is in Toronto doing a television show with the British Sea Power, I am fortunate enough to be at home. I am grateful to be here.
I just went through a dark period again, only to emerge with a wisdom that I did not have before, with an appreciation for life that I had let fall to the wayside, and a desire to grow more as a person and understand this thing I call the human condition.
Well, this is my story and I'm sticking to it, this is the end of this blog. My period of complaint is over. This is the end, my only friend, the end, and he walked on down the hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Last evening I slept in my bed, as I lay there dreaming I had a dream about a show with Louis the XIV. It was the worst gig ever. Everything that could go wrong went wrong, but like all dreams, this one came to an end. In the same vain that the last month and a half of my life has now closed and come to an end as well.
It was strange to walk around Portland this morning. It felt so calm. It was odd though as I am used to walking around with Chris until we stumble upon a Starbucks for our morning ritual of coffee cake and coffee. I also missed walking around with him a 3:00 am in some random city in the middle of the night after a gig looking for food. He is in Toronto doing a television show with the British Sea Power, I am fortunate enough to be at home. I am grateful to be here.
I just went through a dark period again, only to emerge with a wisdom that I did not have before, with an appreciation for life that I had let fall to the wayside, and a desire to grow more as a person and understand this thing I call the human condition.
Well, this is my story and I'm sticking to it, this is the end of this blog. My period of complaint is over. This is the end, my only friend, the end, and he walked on down the hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Ding Dong the Witch is Dead. . . . . . . .
Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch.
I awoke in the mountains outside of San Diego this morning. An hour later we were at the studio to unload all of the band gear off of the bus. Shortly afterwards the bus driver gave us a ride near the airport. As I collected my bags from the trunk of the car I was hit with a divine realization. " I don't have to see these guys ever again! " I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders. It was quite a liberating feeling. It's strange though, as much as I want off of this tour, I love touring. I love working all day to make a few hours of the evening enjoyable for people.
I cannot wait to be back with the Flaming Lips. I will be able to do creative fun work in a positive environment by people who appreciate the work that I do and treat me well and compensate me well for it. The band did thank Chris and I over the PA system last evening which was nice but really, I hate it when bands go on about the end of their tour over the PA. The crowd really doesn't care and usually seems confused by all of the babble, they want to hear your songs, say the name of the city and how much you love it and leave it at that.
I am going to write a book on cliche things not to ever do again when on the road.
I have an enormous amount of respect for the simple things in life at the completion of this tour. You know, water, showers, uninterrupted sleep, healthy food, normal eating times, household facilities, peace and quiet.
I also have an enormous amount of gratitude to the people I call my friends, and my family. To all who call me, drop emails, send text messages, etc, it really means a lot to me when out on the road. It's good to feel the love because well, like all of those terrible songs from the 80's suggest, the road can be a lonely place. (especially when you aren't chasing women and addictions.)
I am going home for three days and then flying down to San Francisco for a week. I am going to spend my time hanging out with Val and visiting the Sivananda Yoga Center. I feel like I need a vacation and why not try and take a bit of a Yoga vacation?
I am happy to be able to spend some time with Val. She has definitely been the best friend that I have ever had throughout my adult life and we have a lot of catching up to do. It's funny, of all of the people who have come and gone in my life, I have thought of her at least once a day for the last 10 years. She is going to show me around San Francisco. Hopefully a side much different then my recent experience. The Tenderloin area, full of wingnuts, crackheads, gangsters, aliens, life forms definitely not of this planet that I call earth. Did I mention that she lives in the Haight Ashbury area?
As crazy as things were, I kept my calm inside, I never once gave into some idea's that my mind dared to entertain and I feel as is I have emerged from this experience s stronger, although beaten, wiser, happier person. I appreciate so many things that I once took for granted. (like being around good music, ha ha ha ha ha, no really, I mean it.)
I now am going to take some time to ponder a new direction in my life.
I'll keep you posted, until then stay tuned and stand by for the next series of amazing adventures of my life with the Fabulous Freaky Flaming Lips. . . . . I promise to keep you gripped to the edge of your seats, anticipating my next journal entry each day, full of colorful, wonderful, death defying, enlightening, mind blowing, ear piercing,face melting, skull splitting, love building, ever evolving, happiness inducing, tear jerking, love filled, stories of hope, determination, soul searching, self realizing, stories of life, the universe, and everything. . . . . . . . . . love, love, love. . . . . . . .
Until next time, tell someone you love that you love them, let them know that they are important to you. Take time out for yourself, to just relax, enjoy doing nothing, stop thinking just sit and breathe, let it all go. Embrace the fact that you are able to do all of the things that you do, that you are able to support yourself in the way that you do, and in turn that you support others and help them in times when they need it most, as it will come back to you when you need it back.
I love all of you and wish you the absolute best of this life. I hope to see you all soon somewhere.
Peace, Peace, Peace, Peace. . . . . . . . . .and more Peace, cause after all thats what we all really want, just a little light.
I awoke in the mountains outside of San Diego this morning. An hour later we were at the studio to unload all of the band gear off of the bus. Shortly afterwards the bus driver gave us a ride near the airport. As I collected my bags from the trunk of the car I was hit with a divine realization. " I don't have to see these guys ever again! " I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders. It was quite a liberating feeling. It's strange though, as much as I want off of this tour, I love touring. I love working all day to make a few hours of the evening enjoyable for people.
I cannot wait to be back with the Flaming Lips. I will be able to do creative fun work in a positive environment by people who appreciate the work that I do and treat me well and compensate me well for it. The band did thank Chris and I over the PA system last evening which was nice but really, I hate it when bands go on about the end of their tour over the PA. The crowd really doesn't care and usually seems confused by all of the babble, they want to hear your songs, say the name of the city and how much you love it and leave it at that.
I am going to write a book on cliche things not to ever do again when on the road.
I have an enormous amount of respect for the simple things in life at the completion of this tour. You know, water, showers, uninterrupted sleep, healthy food, normal eating times, household facilities, peace and quiet.
I also have an enormous amount of gratitude to the people I call my friends, and my family. To all who call me, drop emails, send text messages, etc, it really means a lot to me when out on the road. It's good to feel the love because well, like all of those terrible songs from the 80's suggest, the road can be a lonely place. (especially when you aren't chasing women and addictions.)
I am going home for three days and then flying down to San Francisco for a week. I am going to spend my time hanging out with Val and visiting the Sivananda Yoga Center. I feel like I need a vacation and why not try and take a bit of a Yoga vacation?
I am happy to be able to spend some time with Val. She has definitely been the best friend that I have ever had throughout my adult life and we have a lot of catching up to do. It's funny, of all of the people who have come and gone in my life, I have thought of her at least once a day for the last 10 years. She is going to show me around San Francisco. Hopefully a side much different then my recent experience. The Tenderloin area, full of wingnuts, crackheads, gangsters, aliens, life forms definitely not of this planet that I call earth. Did I mention that she lives in the Haight Ashbury area?
As crazy as things were, I kept my calm inside, I never once gave into some idea's that my mind dared to entertain and I feel as is I have emerged from this experience s stronger, although beaten, wiser, happier person. I appreciate so many things that I once took for granted. (like being around good music, ha ha ha ha ha, no really, I mean it.)
I now am going to take some time to ponder a new direction in my life.
I'll keep you posted, until then stay tuned and stand by for the next series of amazing adventures of my life with the Fabulous Freaky Flaming Lips. . . . . I promise to keep you gripped to the edge of your seats, anticipating my next journal entry each day, full of colorful, wonderful, death defying, enlightening, mind blowing, ear piercing,face melting, skull splitting, love building, ever evolving, happiness inducing, tear jerking, love filled, stories of hope, determination, soul searching, self realizing, stories of life, the universe, and everything. . . . . . . . . . love, love, love. . . . . . . .
Until next time, tell someone you love that you love them, let them know that they are important to you. Take time out for yourself, to just relax, enjoy doing nothing, stop thinking just sit and breathe, let it all go. Embrace the fact that you are able to do all of the things that you do, that you are able to support yourself in the way that you do, and in turn that you support others and help them in times when they need it most, as it will come back to you when you need it back.
I love all of you and wish you the absolute best of this life. I hope to see you all soon somewhere.
Peace, Peace, Peace, Peace. . . . . . . . . .and more Peace, cause after all thats what we all really want, just a little light.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Public Service Announcement
10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
WE CANNOT WITHSTAND 4 MORE YEARS OF STUPIDITY PEOPLE.
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
WE CANNOT WITHSTAND 4 MORE YEARS OF STUPIDITY PEOPLE.
It was 40 years ago today.
40 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and this nation lost one of the greatest leaders for peace and justice that we have ever known.
Dr. King's legacy and his words are as important today as they were 40 years ago.
* * *
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."
* * *
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."
* * *
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Dr. King's legacy and his words are as important today as they were 40 years ago.
* * *
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."
* * *
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."
* * *
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Plastic Paradise.
I am at peace.
I have a strange inner calm.
I think that I have reached a space that has been a long time in the making.
Los Angeles, especially after San Francisco, was a great experience. I went from seeing crazy homeless people yesterday to seeing crazy people with homes and too much money today. Point is most people seem crazy in their own way.
In LA if you give tickets away people will not come. If you tell them that they cannot get in, they will line up and wait all night in the event that maybe, just maybe, you will let them in. Funny culture here.
Shirt guy is everywhere, girl with too high of heels, everywhere, all wanting the same thing, don't we all really just want the same thing?, or a variation there of?
I thought that I wanted to go home, which I do, but now I find myself traveling south to once again roll the dice and see what fate has in store for me. I have wondered if this day would come for quite some time. I wanted it to and now it's here. Hooray!
There is a knock on the door and a lot of people are coming onto the bus. It's LA and they are plastic, and that scares me.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
I retreat to my bunk. 12 people just entered the front lounge, meant for six.
I bid you Goodnight.
I have a strange inner calm.
I think that I have reached a space that has been a long time in the making.
Los Angeles, especially after San Francisco, was a great experience. I went from seeing crazy homeless people yesterday to seeing crazy people with homes and too much money today. Point is most people seem crazy in their own way.
In LA if you give tickets away people will not come. If you tell them that they cannot get in, they will line up and wait all night in the event that maybe, just maybe, you will let them in. Funny culture here.
Shirt guy is everywhere, girl with too high of heels, everywhere, all wanting the same thing, don't we all really just want the same thing?, or a variation there of?
I thought that I wanted to go home, which I do, but now I find myself traveling south to once again roll the dice and see what fate has in store for me. I have wondered if this day would come for quite some time. I wanted it to and now it's here. Hooray!
There is a knock on the door and a lot of people are coming onto the bus. It's LA and they are plastic, and that scares me.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
I retreat to my bunk. 12 people just entered the front lounge, meant for six.
I bid you Goodnight.
Friday, April 4, 2008
San Francisco
I had the best day of the tour yesterday. Valorie came down to visit me at soundcheck and we went out for dinner. It was so nice to see her, I haven't been that happy to see someone since, well,, the last time I saw her. We went to a really amazing Vegetarian place for dinner and made plans for me to come and hang out next weekend in SF and go to the Sivananda Yoga Center. I am going to check this out as well as the Sivananda Ashram in Grass Valley. I need to plan for school.
Hanging out with Val made me forget that I was on tour for a moment. It was only a moment but that moment was so special. It was like time had frozen. The feeling was great!
We walked around and went to get coffee afterwards. We chatted for a bit and then I had to get back to reality and the show that was the weirdest one of the tour.
The lead singer thinks that brandy will help his voice, Well, he didn't get brandy, he got Hennesey. That stuff is 80% proof. Strong stuff. I told Chris that if we put that out on stage he would be wasted before the end of the set. Score one point in my column. I was right. He became drunk, told the crowd several times that he was drunk, forgot the words, played out of tune, almost fell of the stage etc etc. He did the unthinkable which was to hand out the bottle in an all ages crowd. He sang about Mac N Cheese in an improvised disaster in one song. I felt bad for the other guys because a show in san Francisco is important. Now, that show was ruined, they have press all day today, with and extreme hangover, and the show in LA which is the biggest market, is most likely going to suck.
Poetic Justice.
I don't care though, I had a great day yesterday, worked with some really awesome folks at the Great American Music Hall, and well, I got to hang out with Val.
The tenderloin area in San Fran is scary. (during the day) It is like Night of the Living Crack Head at night. I do not care to be in that area for a while. It was rather interesting though. Thanks Ronald Reagan, jerk.
Well, I am going to try and go back to sleep for an hour or two.
I hope that you are all well and headed towards a wonderful positive weekend.
Om Shanti Peace.
Om,Om,Om.
Hanging out with Val made me forget that I was on tour for a moment. It was only a moment but that moment was so special. It was like time had frozen. The feeling was great!
We walked around and went to get coffee afterwards. We chatted for a bit and then I had to get back to reality and the show that was the weirdest one of the tour.
The lead singer thinks that brandy will help his voice, Well, he didn't get brandy, he got Hennesey. That stuff is 80% proof. Strong stuff. I told Chris that if we put that out on stage he would be wasted before the end of the set. Score one point in my column. I was right. He became drunk, told the crowd several times that he was drunk, forgot the words, played out of tune, almost fell of the stage etc etc. He did the unthinkable which was to hand out the bottle in an all ages crowd. He sang about Mac N Cheese in an improvised disaster in one song. I felt bad for the other guys because a show in san Francisco is important. Now, that show was ruined, they have press all day today, with and extreme hangover, and the show in LA which is the biggest market, is most likely going to suck.
Poetic Justice.
I don't care though, I had a great day yesterday, worked with some really awesome folks at the Great American Music Hall, and well, I got to hang out with Val.
The tenderloin area in San Fran is scary. (during the day) It is like Night of the Living Crack Head at night. I do not care to be in that area for a while. It was rather interesting though. Thanks Ronald Reagan, jerk.
Well, I am going to try and go back to sleep for an hour or two.
I hope that you are all well and headed towards a wonderful positive weekend.
Om Shanti Peace.
Om,Om,Om.
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