More About People Who Annoy Me

At the cafe by the pharmacy I thought I would sit and try and find a rhyme for forgive. .Really I do that.  It is better for the world when I wear headphones and sit surrounded by silence.

They sat sunglasses staring into sunglasses and she’s proactive and talking about her life and her career and yes honestly loves the hustle of Tokyo and yes hates the laid back feel of LA and yes she finds SF to be just the right fit for her. She is loud and shameless as if she had never been out in public before and wants us all to know she is looking for a start up and has a business college degree - and her energy - unquenchable desperate energy - I spontaneously imagined her weeping uncontrollably; vomiting fountains of sadness in her lonely studio - and with the same loud KEEN of her words - and he sits and agrees and agrees -because I'm sure he wants to have carnal relations  - which was the whole reason for the ‘coffee’ - but - I'm certain not even that would shut her up.

Finally it seemed that when in Tokyo she had to stay out by Narita and her best friend was Netflix which is sad. But as that long uninteresting story began to unfold ladies and gents I was done. The endless endless monolog about her fascination with adding up zeros finally drove me to hate her - and though I use that word for everything I actually love - I HATED her. She is like the friend who only asks for ways you can help and never asks "how are you?"

PS the people in the picture are royalty from the house of royals and so so important to us - but I have to ask - what does it mean when people stare into each others eyes and they are wearing sunglasses. I'm not sure why but it seems very much within the 'necrophiliac embrace'.

TIMF

I went to the treasure island music festival on Sunday and you know - what a very sweet event it is - put on by some good people - and god its beautiful out there - in the shadow of the graffitied and broken army base.. And so i had a great time apparently - I mean for instance I don’t remember calling J outside the restaurant after -but - gleefully he remembers and gleefully he will do this imitation of me on the phone a few dozen more times which - honestly I never drink that much so I don’t think it is fair - (but what did fairness ever have to do with good solid satisfying mockery.) I truly hope I handled myself with my usual self respect - because my god - nothing is worse than being the sad old borracho surrounded by the youth - who after all are looking to me to represent the bright future to come - with golden letters floating over their heads backlit by angel's eyes and melancholic rainbows that say: “My god I hope this sad old boraccho shows me how good the future looks!” - and I’m sure all day I did inspire this - because I certainly try to. But the sun was so bright you know? It makes me crazy. Music? I was there for Imperial Teen and Ty Segal and loved them both. It was a fun day thank you.

Prometheus

I wrote this a few weeks ago and thought I would post it here - why? because I love Sci-Fi and was really looking forward to this movie. I love Ridley Scott and this was such a drag.

Last night I was taken to see Prometheus in 3D.  I was so excited to see it.  One of those movies that I HAD to see.  But nothing life changing here.  Just a fucking movie. Paying extra for the immersive experience and experiencing nothing. A void. Where capitalism overcomes what we really want: a story.

We always sit on the front row at the Arclight.  Behind us a married couple who were huge and busily digging into their huge popcorn cups.  They sum us all up.  There to spend and watch.  There to sit and experience.  Like the drug addicts we all are in this country.  Not that I am different.

I knew within 10 minutes this movie was bad.  The acting was lazy.  Charlize Theron was ridiculous.  The characters seemed to exist only there to die. Like slaves in an Egyptian tomb. And good riddance to them. Vain and decadent characters no better than place cards.  No one had a conscience, No one had anything to say, All selfish and blind and sucking whiskey and champagnes and living the high life on a ship furnished by high end furniture stores and pricey holo screens (that already look dated), pissed off under the cynical thumb of selfish corporate masters.  Of course it’s a metaphor for today.  But I want something new.  Something new.  Come one stop with the social commentary.  Gimme a story!

The CGI was beautiful of course but like everything about this experience so excessive.  So big.  Bloated.  Much like the human mountains behind me digging hungrily into their jumbo popcorn at every quiet moment.  Kicking the back of my chair at every loud moment. They just did not care.  I kept thinking about our sleeping giant of a nation and how it has been engineered for the last 30 years to be a terrifying corporate state with executive style detachment replacing our unwieldy and expensive constitution.  Bigger than life.  And no one seems to care.

To sum up: A fancy privileged corporate ship filled with spoiled fancy privileged people who there to be blood fountains. Vain rich actors in an important movie from the privileged vain important America faded ruler of the free world. The decay of lazy dialog, lazy religious references, lazy ideas.

Dont be a stranger

So my new record is out today on (US) Merge / Decor (UK) - and that's a good thing. So happy with the people at the record companies who are helping promote it. Love the videos - and will post all of them here very soon. (after they are all released)

I asked that they put off releasing this to Spotify and other streaming services for about 6 months.. People think I'm crazy. Perhaps that is true - but after we spent all this money making the damn thing the idea of handing it over to them seems crazy. The only people getting rich off music on the Web are the owners of sites like this and the ISP's. They get rich beclause they dont have to pay the artists for the raw material they use. (calling $176.00 per million downloads a 'payment' is ludicrous) Do you remember the story of Sutter's Mill? That was where the first pieces of gold were found in the Gold Rush. Even though they filed a claim for their property - soon the place was destroyed - mill pulled down - people swarmed over the land and took what they could. This is what happened to the music industry. The ISP's (your friends at ATT and Time Warner) need to give a reason for people to pay the monthly service fee. Free music and film. One half of all Internet traffic worldwide is a BitTorrent. If the (silly) record companies would sue the ISP's for royalties (and not some poor kid) then things might change. Rant finished.

I'm racing to finish a newer CD / 12 new songs tentatively called "I Am Not A Serious Person" - trying to make it sound as good as Gomberg though that is impossible. Doing the impossible. That is my life. (I make a funny joke)

Skulls And Beer and Good Times

Oh my goodness I'm in a bar and I was writing but someone loaded the juke box at least 10 bucks with hip hop - and I don't hate it but the narrative sounds soooooo played out. Why do you got to yell at me - what did I do? And no room for anything else. Blah. Pop music - but its a drag. They are a drag. The anger is a drag. Oops actually this song is amazing - but I would rather hear Nick Drake or Smokey or something beautiful. I know the culture is dominated by powerlessness - but everyone nods their head so stupidly. Like they own something. AND BABY I WANNA ESCAPE thats why I ordered this stupid over priced fucking beer in this dead sad rock club and sat here for 20 minutes smelling the greas in the kitchen while the bitch bartender looked everywhere but at my thirsty eyes. Must be the beard. I mean I walked here on cold hard broken streets. I really don't wanna hear about cold hard broken streets. My little city specializes in immersive experiences. Heres the TRUTH fucker. Handle it! I've never lived in a place before that specializes in the chance everyday to see a living hell in someones eyes. 

Buy it here

Also the goth / crunchy touring band has loaded in ALL their stuff and god bless them  - van and trailer wow - I recognize their silence - they wanna get away from each other but also keep one eye on each other. None of them have the money or the inclination to drink. They are at work. Their discomfort is a fine thing to see. I enjoy it. Does that make sense? The general hate from the bar is like a sheet you tuck under your chin while you dream.

Some nervous guy on the floor next to me has laid out his collection of skull paintings. He sat there for a while. No one looked at them. Then he just split. Oh wait he came back to hang them in the door well next to the toilet and wow look he's back documenting the hanging of the skulls with his cell phone. Still no one looks. No one really looks at skulls. But he's right somehow.

This Is The Music Of Your Life

Last night listened to the radio. AM 1450 KEST Midnight to 6 am. Oldies. Presented by Lorri Hafer. She was in the song "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" - now you can catch her act at the Besta One and also at a nearby retirement community. Her schedule is full. The radio show has these High American pieces of art with 5 second bursts of static in between. The dead air is vital.. I really did feel at the edge of things. Never happier. Songs? Natalie Cole and Billy Strayhorn - Lushlife. Of course. By accident this was thrown in and its SO great. Then Since I fell For You by Lenny Welch and then come on Theres Such A Lot Of Livin To Do by Nancy Wilson followed by I'm Glad There Is You by Smokey Robinson and I'm a mess. Then a long long hiss then "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" by guess who. What can I say - It was a perfect night of music for me. Let us not forget Stardust by Mel Torme:



You could feel important things happening behind the scenes. Decisions being made. You could sense blood in the background hiss. Like the walls of Jericho were being dismantled in the background. Like spies were being called to the carpet and truth was being spilled. Like the great American emptiness waiting for a ghost.

Anyway I love this music.

Angels Amongst Us

All songs are songs of praise but they are mice scrabbling around the feet of the shouting angels. If you doubt that angels exist then click on this remarkable picture.