Kick a Buck

            I was back in the studio yesterday. I recorded vocals on a new track called I’ve Come Upon Hard Times, it’s a song about a dense billionaire. Yes, billionaire’s can be unintelligent. I can’t think of anything more asinine then dying with a billion dollars in the bank, on the other hand, think of the work it would take to get rid of it. A billion dollars goes along way, and to think that there are people in the world with billions of dollars. Steve Jobs was a billionaire. Did he give any away, more then likely he did. Did he take any with him, that’s a for sure no. It’s tragic when you think about it. Think of the good that could be done. But no, people want to save it for a rainy day. I can understand saving some just in case. It makes perfect sense, but at what point does prudence turn into recklessness and irresponsibility. Somewhere along the line it does. I say, kick a buck.

The Heat

I’ve been asked to join another cover band. That makes two. Everybody needs a bass player. I can use the extra scratch to put into my original project. As long as I’m playing music or doing something artistic as a means to support myself, it’s all right with me.

The only problem is, I have to learn forty or fifty songs. Its time consuming and my original project is what's important to me. I’ve always had the dilemma of maintaining my focus.  I’m writing a book. I’m writing songs, and now I’m in three bands. All I need is a baby to really turn up the heat.

Moby Dick

            I’ve given up on reading Moby Dick. I’ve been trying to read it now off and on for over a year.  I know it’s a classic, and that there are many people who revere the book, but frankly, I found it structurally inferior, and much of it’s content unnecessary, in a nut shell, it was over written. The fact that it’s a classic is mystifying. We must’ve really needed a classic at that point in American history, either that or people are afraid of speaking poorly about it for fear of rebuking the accepted norm. I think somebody at Harvard, or one those leafy green schools said it was a classic and “presto” we had ourselves a classic. I found the first hundred pages or so very interesting, but after that I couldn’t take the meandering anymore. If Melville had just told the story and left out the poetics, I think it would’ve been a better book. And that’s coming from the mind of a poet.  

Hoot Owl

I’m going into the studio again today. The plan is to record and release three acoustic tracks while I finish them up with instrumentation. I posted three tracks to sound cloud and I’m surprised that people are listening to them. The fact that the songs are being discovered in the first place is amazing, especially now-a-days with all the internet stimuli.

            It’s another beautiful southern California day, the birds are chirping and the coyotes are at rest. The coyotes have been real active at night.  When the sun goes down Los Angeles turns into a place for the nocturnal. The skunks come out, the raccoons start moving, why there’s even a hoot owl somewhere in the trees. And of course there’s the mocking bird, they’re back from down south, they came back a little early this year. Sometimes when I’m playing my guitar they’ll come around and start to chirp. I always know I’m on the right path when they do that. 

Mega Millions

            I’ve taken to playing the lottery. I heard someplace that the probability of winning is the same as being struck by lightening and a tornado on the same day. With those odds, I’m bound to win. Buying a ticket is like buying a little piece of hope. There’s something to look forward to for a few days. I don’t have to win the big prize, I’d be happy with third place. I’m not greedy. I tossed a losing ticket into the trash the other day, but retrieved it a few days later on a hunch that I had checked the numbers against the wrong date, sure enough I did. The ticket turned out to be winner. It paid two dollars American. 

Intentions

I’m going back into the studio tomorrow to record two or three songs. I plan to upload acoustic versions onto Bandcamp. com and sell them there. I caught a cold so my voice will either sound super good, or super bad, there’s no telling.

Music is a funny thing. I enjoy writing songs and playing music, but the idea of marketing and selling myself seems unnatural to me. I use to show off when I was a kid. I’d see a girl I liked and I’d look for her attention. I really don’t need attention now in a big way. I don’t want it, but sometimes when I’m drunk, and when I see a pretty woman.  Maybe things haven’t changed all that much. Anonymity is a gift, and fame is a burden  in some way. It sounds foolish to talk about it. I guess either way I’m full of myself. I think it comes down to intentions, what are my intentions?

             

I've Sailed Many Ships

I got a text message from my friend Lou, “come on down we’re having Bloody Mary’s. It was a nice warm day. It sounded like a good idea. When I showed up Lou was with his daughter Danielle, her boyfriend Billy and Danielle’s girl friend Gemma. The girls were already toast by the time I showed up. Gemma  was standing on a chair making speeches about sailing many ships, it was amusing. Hours later Lou’s wife came in like a tornado and took him home. The plan was for me to go to Lou’s daughter Danielle’s house, which was walking distance, so not to drive home drunk. At certain point I looked around and I thought what I’m I doing here? I tried to gather everybody up so we could leave. I saw Billy talking to a group of lesbians. There must have been ten of them. Billy was holding court. He was charming the pants off of them. The women seemed mesmerized by him.

I said, “Hey Billy lets hit the road.”

            “I’m not leaving, I love these lesbians, they’re great!

            I walked to Danielle Lou’s daughter.

            “Lets go home now,” I said.

            “I don’t want to leave yet!” she said with attitude.

            I thought I‘d give Gemma a try.

            “Hey “G’ lets get a move on.”

            “I’m not leaving, you can't make me,” she said as she ran away from me.

            So much for the plan, I looked around and left anyway.