If anyone's looking for me, I'll be in Texas at the Blixt-Leach nuptials.  

Today a priest theatened to kill me.  That's never happenned to me before.  Usually Juliana has the more interesting stories when she comes home from work.

Jim Jones of Pere Ubu died.

"The Muse laughs to scorn all those who believe that she will appear to them merely because they practice her art diligently and devotedly.  Now go practice your horn."

--Bertolino Bourboni, "Amusing the Fuse"

auld lang syne, baby

Here's a

happy new year's

picture of our Joanna

and her daughter Lili.



Dance Away...

Today's Verse: 11 February 2008

Draw around the hole
The Mystery Channel
Occultish devotee of
Transcendence
Transformation
Grub

The void's hungry
Makes the animal
Locomote
Makes the engine
Makes the vehicle
Move
Can't stop making
Swallowing

Quicksand
Can be slow
Torture

Polka Grammy

Yeah, Jimmy Sturr won again.  Why do they even bother having nominations.  The Klezmatics won Best Contemporary World Music, that's very slightly cool.

Stevie Wonder called me today to say he loved me and to ask me to vote for his good friend, Barack Obama. I'm really sorry I missed his call. Also, Robert Fripp will be giving a talk at school next week.

"But when the devil says to you again, 'You are damned'," St. Francis said, "You answer him confidently, 'Open you mouth--and I will [empty my bowels] in it!"

Note: In the Actus an Italian expression is used which corresponds to the English "four-letter word."

    --The Little Flowers of St. Francis

"There's even some evil mothers who will tell you that everything is made out of dirt."

     --Lou Reed

Tell it to the judge

Last week's 'Shut Down Guantanamo' event at the Supreme Court provided some pretty nice photo opportunities that did not get as much play as we would have liked. Here is one of the money-shots that I think more newspapers could have used if they were into that kind of thing.

Other Brothers Twain

and occasional visitors to the Spartan Bar

I'll tell you one thing, and ask you another.

The peace and justice movement has been largely ignored by the mainstream media and political leaders in the United States. Do they really understand who they are dealing with?

Papa just laughed

Greetings from Vandoeuvres, a stone's throw from the golf course in Cologny. Had the great pleasure yesterday of re-listening to some old Fast Fun tapes that Mary and John have kept. Remember the "Christmas tape" of 1984? Listened to it after lunch at the Auberge de la Ferme. The smell and feel of our mouldy, damp recording facility on the Rue des Alpes (?) by the gare in Lausanne was recalled in full force. Of course, it sounds better than we thought. Mira compared it favourably to demo tapes of some her current favourite bands. And of course, "it sounds like the Velvet Underground", especially Jim's singing and Jesus in general. Also played a pre-demo demo with 3 versions of Reagan on it. Jai was able to discern a preference for the first, "better but less musical" version. Myself, I still get a warm chuckle from that tune. And am still a sucker for "Big House" with full synth flourishes by J Blood, and the ecstatic fury of Waving and Maybe I Will. Ah well, les neiges d'antan or something like that. Gran'pa? Yes, Jimmy ....

Merry Christmas.  War is over.

Tina: Remember?
Ike: Remember what?

Tina: You used to call me Daffodil
Ike: Yes, those were the good old days.
Tina: A thriller...
Ike: That's me!
Tina: Every woman's loving man.

If the death of JB and the trial of Phil Spector have not sufficiently raised the question of the man vs. the artist, we now have yet another case to consider of a drug-adled, control-freak, wife-beating egomaniac who changed the face of popular music. If the man can be separated from the music, or indeed even if he can't, there remains the genius in the body of work and, especially, the funky down-home guitar playing of Ike Turner.

I've been coughing so much my diaphragm is sore and it hurts to roll over in bed.  The frog in my throat feels like a Scarlet Crapaud.  Yesterday I had the cold sweats which nonetheless did not make me feel any closer to James Brown.  I'm a little worried because the Maggies will be recording our new pirate-themed LP on Sunday.  But I'm trying to keep a cheery spirit in keeping with the season.  Better to be sick in Berkeley, I suppose.

Wow, both Brave Combo and Bubba Hernendez were nominated for Polka Grammys.  Too bad Jimmy Sturr will win it, same as always; the Academy has its head stuck in 1954.

I dreamed we were all together again, playing golf.  I wasn't very good at it. Happy birthday, Jim.

Today's Verse: 27 November 2007

I can't keep death away
From your little door
All I can do
Is stay by you
Face the silent roar
While you sleep

I found a bottle of Pikesville rye at a local liquor store. Slogan: "The Aristocrat of Straight Whiskeys". I was initially baffled to learn that it is not made in Pikesville MD but in Kentucky, but of course you can find anything on the web, so here's the story that not only tells what happened to Pikesville rye, but includes Old Setter whiskey and Natty Boh.