Thursday, September 29, 2005

The Glory Road

As introduced by Warren: "This song is written by a dear friend of mine from North Carolina called Ray Sisk. He's a songwriter, that I grew up sneaking into clubs to hear. And he was a big influence on me and we became friends."

Personally, I like this song, because performed acoustically, with the velvety smooth Warren voice, you know what I am talking about, the lines, "won't you come along, I'll be riding on the glory road someday" are metaphorically, a song of hope, and "having dinner on the devil tonight", well, you can assign whatever significance you want, but present job is allowing me to eat better than I had been in the prior four years. So what I am getting at is that the literal reading of the lines overlaid on top of my personal experiences today -

At least I got my four hours of sleep in my own bed last night, instead of pulling an all-nighter at work.

Glory Road (by Ray Sisk, performed by Warren Haynes)

Tonight I'm gonna sleep in a good hotel
A nice warm bed, if all goes well
I've been out in the badlands, twenty one days
Tracking my bounty down

He was only a kid, maybe seventeen
But he traded love away for a streak of mean
Now he's tied to my saddle, with his head hung low
Out on the Glory Road

So all you downtown ladies, won't you
[Dress sense] down
Got some gold in my saddle bags
I'd trade it for a smile
Let have dinner on the devil tonight
Tomorrow there'll be hell to pay
Won't you come along
I'll be riding on
The Glory Road someday

Two men painted painted on a midnight sky
One slung low, the other riding high
I wonder if anybody knows just why
I had to shoot him down

And now I'd lay me down to rest
God bless the boy, my bullet in his chest
But you can't bless me, 'cause I lost my soul
Out on the Glory Road

So all you downtown ladies, won't you
[Dress sense] down
Got some gold in my saddle bags
I'd trade it for a smile
Let have dinner on the devil tonight
Tomorrow there'll be hell to pay
Won't you come along
I'll be riding on
The Glory Road someday

Won't you come along
I'll be riding on
The Glory Road someday

These next two are for Caryn

Beautifully Broken by Govt Mule

Mysterious, blown in with the night
All this beauty captured in a frame
Visibly shaken, but never stirred
Drives them insane
I see the way she plays her men
And I know I've got to know her name
She's so beautifully broken
Shaped by the wind
Dangerously twisted
Here I go again

I see the way she cast her spell
It's like drowning in moonlight
Discards them she's done
They're lost in her twilight
I watch her move from star to star
And I wonder why, why it feels so right

She's so beautifully broken
You can barely see the flaw
Especially from a distance
Which is always how I fall

And why do I lie to myself
And pretend that I could break her
When she's already been so

Beautifully broken
Shaped by the wind
Dangerously twisted
Here I go again, here I go again

No Need to Suffer

Woman - suspended in time
Heal yourself - no need to stay blind
Spiral dreams - too much to bear
Spiraling who knows where

Let me take you down
No need to suffer anymore
Wrap yourself in the warmth of my arms
And we'll lie awake till sleep overtakes us
Can't you see
There's no need to suffer anymore

Defenseless, trapped in a cage
Blissfulness devoured by the rage
Fate's been cruel, though the years have been kind
You've go to heal yourself - no need to stay blind

Let me take you down
No need to suffer anymore
Wrap yourself in the warmth of my arms
And we'll laugh out loud while the earth dies screaming
Can't you see
There's no need to suffer anymore

And we'll fly away
And look down at the earth below
Fly away and we'll never look back
No, we'll never look back

Woman suspended in time
Heal yourself - no need to stay blind
Let me take you down
No need to suffer anymore

Simple Yet Powerful

In the summer of 2003, I was privileged to see Broadway at the Beach.... well, maybe off-Broadway at Jones Beach, but it was a musical nonetheless. I am talking about Greendale, Neil Young's anthemic rock opera.

I like Neil Young and his music. And Greendale is both provocative and inspiring. So I hope you get to see the DVD and listen to the CD.

So as I think about the takeaway message from this post, I can comfortably reflect on the notion that Neil sings about through the character of Grandpa: A little love and affection in everything you do, makes the world a better place with or without you.

"falling from above" by neil young

grandpa said to cousin jed
sittin' on the porch,
"i won't retire
but i might retread

seems like that guy singin' this song
been doin' it for a long time
is there anything he knows
that he ain't said?

sing a song for freedom
sing a song for love
sing a song for depressed angels
falling from above"

grandpa held the paper
pretendin' he could see
but he couldn't read without his glasses on

"how can all these people
afford so many things?
when i was young
people wore what they had on...and mama said

'a little love and affection
in everything you do
will make the world a better place
with or without you'"

a little love and affection
in everything you do

slammin' down a late night shot
the hero and the artist compared
goals and visions and afterthoughts
for the 21st century

but mostly came up with nothin'
so the truth was never learned
and the human race just kept rollin' on

rollin' through the fighting
rollin' through the religious wars
rollin' down the temple walls
and the church's exposed sores

rollin' through the fighting
the religious wars
mostly came up with nothin'

"grandpa here's your glasses
you'll see much better now,"
said that young girl of edith and earl's
but grandpa just kept starin'
he was lost in some distant thought
then he turned and said
to that young girl

"a little love and affection
in everything you do
will make the world a better place
with or without you"

with or without you
a better place
with or without you
with or without you

hear that rooster crowin'
down on the double e
it's a new morning
dawning on the green

bouncing off the towers
and the sun's heading down for the streets
the business meeting
window shades are drawn

another morning edition
headed for the porch
because grandma puts down the paper
before grandpa raises his fork

a little love and affection
in everything you do
with or without you

hear the rooster crowing
down on the double e.

Happy Birthday Caryn

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Caryn,
Happy Birthday to you.






What a pleasure it is to wish you
and a privilege to share with you what I hope will be a very Happy Birthday and a better year to boot.

"A little love and affection in everything you do, makes the world a better place with or without you."

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Govt Mule 9/30/1999

So I was working late at EcoSmart on the 23rd Floor of the Trump Building. My tapedeck was packed and I was winding up the day. Then I looked at the ticket for the Govt Mule concert at the Roseland Ballroom.

Oh shit. It was a 6:30 doors. What time was it? 7:15 pm. Double shit.

I raced out of the office and made my way from Wall Street up to the Roseland.
Upon entering, I raced over to the soundboard area where the taping community had set up. It was late. The band was about to come on. I had no time to spare and got a boost on the mic stand from Lee Schusterman, long-running Dead taper.

It was a helluva great show. Here is the setlist.

Set: Hammer And Nails, Mule > Who Do You Love? > Mule, Lay Your Burden Down > Bad Little Doggie > How Many More Years > Smokestack Lightning, No Need To Suffer > Monkey Hill > She's So Heavy jam > Painted Silver Light, Creep, Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys *> Soulshine *, Fallen Down *, Sad And Deep As You *
Encore: Life Before Insanity *
Setlist Notes: * Danny Louis on keyboards

In My Life

I cant save you - but I can talk you down
I can hold you - but I wont watch you drown

In my life - things have a way of growing downward
And I dont know if I can watch myself be a coward
Again

I dont know you like I thought I did
But I will show you things that I kept hid

In my life - Ive always been the one that had to ruin things
So I dont know - is some dark angel pulling on my heart strings
Again

In my life - things have a kind of ragged beauty
And I dont seem to know right from wrong
Or so they say - unless its happening to me

People change - I dont know what for
Strangers walking in and out my door

Somethings got to change - the past just hangs here to remind me
That one of these mornings - Ill reach for you
And find me

I have told you - I wont watch you drown
I cant save you - but I will be around

I remember the day

. . . when I realized that I had to make a change in my life. At the time, I realized the imbalance between my work life (law school) and personal life which in turn led to the miserable existence that my relationship had become for which I am sorry.

Like Bob Dylan and countless others, I wasn't capable of being wise and in love at the time. The two notions were as mutually exclusive as a fish who needs a bicycle. It didn't help matters that the rigorous first year of law school (2001-2002) was punctuated by 9/11 and that emotions were raw and unsettled.

I found my journal and began writing again. I had not taken that emotional pulse of myself since prior to law school beginning. I don't know how or when I had lost my way. But I got myself back on track.

Warren Haynes, Govt Mule, and special guests on 2/27/98 in Atlanta, Georgia:

They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.

I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.

Standing at the crossroads,
wondering where I am going,
I do believe I am sinking down.

Just like my poor mama told me,
Got to get lost before you can be found.

I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.

--- and so it went ---

Today, I continue to work on being present and living in the moment, whilst I remember the experience and lessons of the past. I would like to think and friends will agree that I am more balanced and integrated than I was during law school. Work-life balance has taken a greater priority in my life, where it may not have been in my first year of school.

Happy Birthday La Belle Dame

La Belle Dame Sans Merci




Miranda - The Tempest




Forever Young by Bob Dylan

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

About Last Night: It's about time, too

Orioles 17 - Yankees 9

Mussina does not inspire run support. Didn't get it with the Orioles. Doesn't get it with the Yankees. Seven pitchers by the Yankees last night - no one really effective. Hope the O's continue to play spoilers.

Let's Go O's

Ben's Coffee at Work -

Okay, so we know already that I make a strong pot: 15 - 16 measures compared to 12 cups of water.

The key for me lies in the sweetener, Stevia . I use about 1/2 a packet per cup of coffee. I generally do not consume more than a packet per day. It's uplifting without the crash of the sugar rush.

I used to get it with my coffee at Whole Foods Market, but they stopped offering it over the counter. It is available for purchase by the box for individual packet consumption.

It's About Time

House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, was indicted today.

A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, an indictment that could force him to step down as House majority leader. DeLay attorney Steve Brittain said DeLay was accused of a criminal conspiracy along with two associates, John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay's national political committee.


He does not look too happy to be where he stands today.


Fortification for the Day

After two nights of conviviality with Marcy and Bryan while sharing in the Dylan groove and the O's - Yankees series, I squared up my hours only to find that . . . I have lost a full day of work. Okay. Stay calm and just do what you would do when you want to play on the weekends. Pull an all-nighter.

That would work well except I have already exhausted my free time for the week. Well, not exactly, but I think you know what I mean.

What fortifies me during and after an all - nighter?
Well, it won't be a jamba juice - that will just lead me to the inevitable sugar crash at a time when I can ill afford to be down for the count.

Well, it began with some good music.
Government Mule from 2/27/98.

Such powerful music for the wee hours of the morning.

Birth of The Mule : the mule comes amblin' along and then Allen Woody's nasty, heavy bass lines, then the mule comes amblin' along into a nice jazz number.


Towering Fool"
Yeah, somebody somewhere must have hurt you
You must have been really abused
A victim of your raising
Isn't that your excuse
Towering Fool

In a dream I watched you inflict yourself
On everyone within reach
Now frozen in time I see it still
Like a movie
How long has it been since you shook the hand
Of those who fell under your feet
And how long has it been since you washed yours clean
From the blood and the dirt of the street
Did you really think you could just fly away
Fly right out of those blues
Did you towering fool

Don't you know greatness comes to those who can hold it
Did it slip right through your hands
Did it brush your sleeve as it passed you by
Do you compare yourself now to then

All this pent up anger
Don't you feel alone ranger
Don't you towering fool

So you use every ounce of your energy
To keep those around you down
But there is a tear in the eye of the ring master
And a smile on the face of the clown
Yeah, you couldn't see through your own arrogance
To what the whole world already knew
You had to keep pushing it past the point
'Til it all crumbled down on you
Didn't you towering fool

Raven Black Night:
Sleep-awake make up your mind
Help me find a stranger, a stranger with the answer
Who'll enlighten me and just disappear
Into the raven black night

--- and so it goes musically ---

I completed my box - the 3000 sheet extravaganza - freshened up, and went for breakfast. Now breakfast is really key on the morning after an all-nighter. It can make or break your day. First, its all about the protein and a lower glycemic index.
So breakfast for me this morning was the egg/tomato/spinach omlette with cheese and turkey bacon on a panini roll. No potatoes. Courtesy of Doerty Cafe at 37 West 43rd. They have all kinds of breakfast specials. A definite departure from Metro/Bravo/Europa breakfasts which are basically craptastic and overpriced.

Gonna add some Kagome tomato juice to the mix: also low-carb, reduced sodium, and high-potassium.

I am waiting a few more minutes on the coffee and will sweeten it with the natural sweetener, Stevia.

--- and so it goes nutritionally ---

Wow, it's 8 am - time to wind up the post for the day.

Good morning to you.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Dylan 2nd night: Part 2

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?


BD in response to Joan Baez:

"You can't be wise and in love at the same time.
Love is just a four letter word."

In some ways, I see where Bob was coming from. Maybe a little bit of integration problems that leave him unable to open up. Or so said Joan.

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And ask him do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?



The organ solo, played 1/8 note behind the rest of the band, came from Al Kooper, whose guitar playing could not withstand the onslaught of Mike Bloomfield's guitar. So Kooper attempted to sit in at the organ (first time ever) and that is where he distinguished himself on the song.

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?


After being booed at Newport for playing electric in 1964 - Pete Seeger threatened to chop the microphone cables with an axe! and the hour-long set became a three-song 15 minute set.

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Dylan Night 2: Part 1

Dylan out of control riffing on three words - dog, collective/collection, ???? He was on fire.

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
I started out on burgundy
But soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they'd stand behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was nobody even there to call my bluff
I'm going back to New York City
I do believe I've had enough

BD to the media: "All of my songs are protest songs."

Playin Civil Rights events with Joan Baez.

Gem of a masterpiece: tying the lyrics of A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall to JFK in Dallas. Haunting footage of a tumultuous time that words cannot describe - I wasn't even born yet.

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways,
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin',
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin',
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin',
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin',
Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin',
Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin',
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony,
I met a white man who walked a black dog,
I met a young woman whose body was burning,
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,
I met one man who was wounded in love,
I met another man who was wounded with hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it,
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin',
But I'll know my song well before I start singin',
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Chimes of Freedom

Interview w/Steve Allen and a modest, almost uncomfortable young Bob Dylan.

BD: I am constantly in a state of becoming

young Bob: It's Alright Ma Im Only Bleeding

Allen Ginsburg

Subterranean Homesick Blues and the video footage from Don't Look Back. So perfectly well timed in the context of the story.

Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D. A.
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't try "No Doz"
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows

Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles

Dylan turning electric - first with Bloomfield and Kooper - later with the Band.

More in part 2

A Simple C to G

C to G: You may wish to check this out.
G to C: What do you think he means by that?
B to C and G: Only two days left until . . .

I'll Take A Melody
Lyrics and Music: Allen Toussaint
Multiple music performances by Jerry Garcia


I've seen the rain pouring down
The sky was grey with a speck of blue
Peek through a hole in the clouds
The sun was screaming, "hey you"

As you ramble through your sorrow
Seems like everything come out wrong
I'm living in yesterday's tomorrows
I know something's helping me along

Chorus
I'll take a melody and see
What I can do about it
I'll take a simple C to G
And feel brand new about it

I understand why the old fisherman
Sail alone, sail alone, sail alone
(Sail alone, sail alone)
Someday he'll be gone

I hear you talking 'bout your troubles
Everybody's got their troubles too
You can make them burst like bubbles
If you know just what to do

You know I've been called a dreamer
Dreams that never will come true
But I've been called so many things before
Tell you what I'm gonna do

[chorus]

I understand why the old fisherman
Sail alone, sail alone, sail alone
(Sail alone, sail alone)
Someday he'll be gone

[chorus]

Shine on, keep on shining
Shine on, keep on shining
Shine on, keep on shining

Only a Pawn in their Game

A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood.
A finger fired the trigger to his name.
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game.

A South politician preaches to the poor white man,
"You got more than the blacks, don't complain.
You're better than them, you been born with white skin," they explain.
And the Negro's name
Is used it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.

The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid,
And the marshals and cops get the same,
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool.
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.

From the poverty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks,
And the hoof beats pound in his brain.
And he's taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide 'neath the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.

Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught.
They lowered him down as a king.
But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun
He'll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to his name
His epitaph plain:
Only a pawn in their game.


Courtesy of BobDylan.com

Desolation Row

They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row

Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says," You're in the wrong place, my friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row

Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortunetelling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row

Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid

To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row

Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
Now you would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row

Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They're trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on penny whistles
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row

Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
A perfect image of a priest
They're spoonfeeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words

And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get Outa Here If You Don't Know
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row"

Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row

Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
And everybody's shouting
"Which Side Are You On?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row

Yes, I received your letter yesterday
(About the time the door knob broke)
When you asked how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row

courtesy of BobDylan.com

Song to Woody

I'm out here a thousand miles from my home,
Walkin' a road other men have gone down.
I'm seein' your world of people and things,
Your paupers and peasants and princes and kings.

Hey, hey Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song
'Bout a funny ol' world that's a-comin' along.
Seems sick an' it's hungry, it's tired an' it's torn,
It looks like it's a-dyin' an' it's hardly been born.

Hey, Woody Guthrie, but I know that you know
All the things that I'm a-sayin' an' a-many times more.
I'm a-singin' you the song, but I can't sing enough,
'Cause there's not many men that done the things that you've done.

Here's to Cisco an' Sonny an' Leadbelly too,
An' to all the good people that traveled with you.
Here's to the hearts and the hands of the men
That come with the dust and are gone with the wind.

I'm a-leaving' tomorrow, but I could leave today,
Somewhere down the road someday.
The very last thing that I'd want to do
Is to say I've been hittin' some hard travelin' too.

courtesy of BobDylan.com

Masters of War

Google: "Asshole" and toggle the I am Feeling Lucky button

Whether or not GWB and his crew are masters of war or masters of disaster remains to be seen and determined. We shall see how history judges him. One thing's for certain, GWB is an asshole.

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks

I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy

You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe

But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud


You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins


How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul


And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead

courtesy of BobDylan.com

Blowin' in the Wind

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

courtesy of BobDylan.com

Dylan last night on PBS



Wow, that was a gem last night. The footage and the editing and the music - Scorcese has painted a masterpiece.

Footage of Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, Johnnie Ray, and other early influences.

Interviews with the Mayor of Greenwich Village: the late Dave Van Ronk,
Pete Seeger,
Maria Muldaur,
Joan Baez,
Suze Rotolo (girlfriend on the cover of Freewheelin') and others.

Dylan was candid and seemed kind of open in what he said - his asides, and facial expressions and smirks were priceless. I was surprised at the Dave Van Ronk story about recording the version of House of the Rising Sun. I can scarcely await tonight.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Drinking for Energy

Okay. So admittedly, I enjoy my caffeine. My pots of coffee at work contain 15 heaping measures of ground Starbucks for 12 cups of water. And everyone loves it. But when you have to pull an all-nighter, as I did in the past week (on two occasions), the desperation that sets in by around 2 pm middle of the day when you have run out of gas and need to keep going, or else get sleep and lose the hours: I tried a Jamba Juice for the first time.

Yes, Jambaah Joooooce. I had the Acai Supercharger with the Energy Booster . It tasted berry-licious. And it gave me energy. Quite a bit in fact.

Then I read the nutritional information today while building the links for this posting. So much sugar and carbs in these jamba juice mixtures. So it may only be a one-time thing. 25% of your daily carbs in one jamba juice. Better go easy on these elixirs. But they are so good.

G.B.7: Boston Garden - Final Night of Fall Tour 9/26/91

Well, having caught the last five shows at Boston Garden and now on my 13th out of 18th in total for the entire Fall Tour, it was with bated breath that I wondered which Grateful Dead would show up for the finale of the tour. In 1987, it was Jerry with no voice. However, on this night, the 26th of September, a different story was told.

Yes, the Grateful Dead showed up and delivered the goods for sure. I was beaming and couldn't wipe the grin from my face at the end of the night.

09-26-91 Boston Garden, Boston, Ma. (Thu)
1: Jack Straw > Cold Rain, Wang Dang Doodle, Candyman, Mexicali Blues > Cumberland Blues, Picasso Moon > Box Of Rain
2: Dark Star > Saint of Circumstance > Eyes of the World > Drumz > Other One > Dark Star > Attics of My Life > Good Lovin E: Brokedown Palace > We Bid You Goodnight

The show was flowing, every song was a keeper. No doubt about it, one of the better shows (top 10 or 15) that I had seen.

And then like that the Fall Tour 1991 was over.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Support Your Local Art / Theater in NYC - Friday, September 30

5C Café A Quiet Café Environment.
68 Ave. C & 5th Street in NYC
Every Friday
9pm.
$5 suggested donation.

This coming Friday, September 30, 2005

Dean Loren: excerpts from his Speculative Fiction;
Marcy J. Gordon: holistic-healing performance as The Renegade Shaman;
Doc Martin: English Character Actor & Theatrical Impresario performing spoken word;
Don DeBar: Hudson Valley environmentalist/activist performing spoken text;
Armand A. Ruhlman: performing excerpts from his anti-war Vietnam memoir, The Info Shop

Directions:
5C Café
68 Ave. C at the corner of 5th Street in the East Village of NYC

F Train to 1st Avenue & Houston, then walk east to Avenue C and North to 5th Street;
L Train to 1st Avenue & 14th Street, then walk east to Avenue C and south to 5th Street;
R Train to Broadway and 8th Street, then walk east to Avenue C and south to 5th Street>

More information about Fridays in Action:
Armand A. Ruhlman: 212.420.0184
breathe@bway.net

Listing courtesy of Marcy Gordon
Check out her dynamic duo performing songs of love and protest: Bryan and Marcy

More photos from the Comes A Time Tribute: 9/24/05

The venerable Greek Theatre - check out Jerry's guitar pick. Kinda cheesey, no?




Members of String Cheese Incident performing at the tribute.





It wouldn't be a show at the Greek if Bill Walton was not in attendance! I remember seeing Bill at my first Greek show in August 1989. He stood in front of me and was the quintessential head in attendance.




Photographs courtesy of Larry Rosa. Thanks Larry.
I agree, it wouldn't be the proper tribute without Phil Lesh in attendance.

No Direction Home - Dylan (directed by Scorcese) on PBS this Monday and Tuesday!

This looks to be really good. I like the young photo of Bob on the homepage.

Here is a little background information about the program and the media.

I hope that all of my friends can tune in.

Ben

G.B.6 Boston Garden 9-25-91

This was a good show. Besides audio-taping, I videotaped from the last row of the taper's section so for a full-on screen shot, it was great and more stealth hidden among the microphone stands. The show opens with Help on the Way and the Boys delivered the Slipknot > Franklin's Tower that had been missing from the first night (9/20) of the run. The second set was well-jammed and tightly played. In fact the Grateful Dead liked it so much that it became Dick's Picks Volume 17 . So from the sum total of the experience, it was a good show and I have the home video to remind myself of the show.

09-25-91 Boston Garden, Boston, Ma. (Wed)
1: Help> Slipknot> Franklin's, Walking Blues, Must Have Been the Roses> Dire Wolf, Queen Jane, Tennessee Jed> Music
2: Victim> Crazy Fingers> Playin in the Band > Terrapin> Drumz> That Would Be Something (McCartney tune) > Playin> China Doll> Throwing Stones> NFA E: Mighty Quinn

Musical Tribute: Comes A Time 9-24-05

There was a benefit in Berkeley at the Greek: Comes A Time

If I had been living in Northern California, I am sure that I would have been there. It seems like an outstanding musical lineup as a musical tribute to Jerry Garcia. I am going to ask my tour buddy from years gone by, Bay Area resident Larry Rosa, to post his review of the show. Hopefully, he will have some photos too.

Here's Larry . . .



And the infamous Greek Theatre on the campus of U.C. Berkeley.



And finally, the beginning of a setlist.

G.B.5 Fall Tour '91 - Boston Garden 9-24-91

So, I received a brand new tapedeck and caught the puddle jumper, flying tuna-can shuttle flight back to Boston for the final three nights of the fall tour run.

On a day's rest, the Grateful Dead came back strong with an interesting song selection in the first set - give Jerry the edge for song selection (Althea, High Time, Big Railroad Blues, New Speedway Boogie) but Bobby ran a close second. The second set jammed out pretty hard too. They had been jamming into and out of Dark Star all tour, performing instrumental versions in Ohio, the classic Branford show at MSG in NYC, and now in Boston. I think that there was also a Jesus, Joy of Man instrumental jam out of space.

09-24-91 Boston Garden, Boston, Ma. (Tue)

1: Let The Good Times Roll, Stranger, Althea, All Over Now, High Time, Beat It On Down The Line, Big RxR Blues, Desolation Row, New Speedway
2: China Cat Sunflower> I Know You Rider, Woman Smarter> Ship Of Fools> Dark Star (first verse only) > Drumz> Foolish Heart> Miracle> Standing On The Moon> Around and Around E: The Weight

Two more nights of the East Coast Fall Tour 1991.

Paul Krassner in NYC in October: Check out the dates below

From Paul Krassner's schedule:

Thursday, October 6 Beating Around the Bush:
An Evening of Satire with Paul Krassner, Kurt Vonnegut, Art Buchwald, and Barry Crimmins
7-9 pm
New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th St. at Central Park West - NYC

Midnight October 6 Bob Fass Radio Unnameable. WBAI. 99.5 FM. NYC

Friday, October 7 6:30 p.m.
Reading and signing new book
"One Hand Jerking"
Coliseum Books 42nd St. (opposite the NY Public Library and Bryant Park). NYC

---

There are only a few of our original counterculture personalities out there still getting down with the message in the 21st century. Should be a real treat to see and hear Paul in NYC.

I think that this is where you can obtain Advance Tickets for the Evening of Satire on October 6, 2005.

100th Monkey Parable: Wikipedia Entry

So in the Wikipedia entry for the 100th Monkey, there is a discussion of how the parable has been discredited.

Geez, Ben, you mean I had to read that whole story and interview about when collective group conscious reaches a critical mass, then an idea or concept takes shape only to find that its not true about the monkey and the sweet potato? Well, not exactly. . .

I think that the moral of the story lies in "its true value and significance as a sort of "transformative myth" that encourages those who believe in it to have an optimistic view of the possibility of positive change, particularly in human society."

For almost 20 years I have believed in the parable of the 100th Monkey. While I may no longer tell the story with the Japanese monkey and the sweet potatoes, I remain firmly rooted in the optimistic belief that positive change can occur in human society.

JG and PK Interview: Discussion and Inclusion of the Parable of the Hundredth Monkey

So about this time of thinking globally and acting locally, and trading cassette tapes, I heard a tape of an interview between Paul Krassner and Jerry Garcia from 1985. Since it seemed intellectual at the time, the convergence of music and ideas and the philosophy that one person could make a difference, the interview resonated with me. A portion of the interview between Paul and Jerry is reprinted below and the parable is denoted in bold.

Paul Krassner 1985 Interview of Jerry Garcia
PAUL KRASSNER Home Page

PAUL KRASSNER is the editor of "THE REALIST" and a purveyor of Free Thought, Criticism and Satire. "The Realist" #131 (Autumn, 1995) reprinted the opening portion of an interview of JERRY GARCIA by Paul Krassner that first appeared in "The Realist" #99 (September-October 1985). #99 was called a Premiere Issue because #98 had been published in February 1974. The FINAL ISSUE of "THE REALIST" by Editor Paul Krassner has been published as #146 Spring 2001.

From "THE REALIST" #99 (September-October 1985)
JERRY GARCIA interviewed by PAUL KRASSNER

Q. Does the world seem to be getting weirder and weirder to you?

A. Yeah. The weirdest thing lately for me was that thing of the Ayatollah and the mine-sweeping children. In the war between Iran and Iraq, he used kids and had them line up like a human chain, holding hands, and walk across the mine fields because it was cheaper than mine detectors.

Q. That's just unfathomable.

A. It's amazingly inhuman. And people complained about the Shah - a few fingernails and stuff - but this is kids walking across mine fields. It's absolutely surreal. How could people go for that?

Q. But how do you remain optimistic? There's 48 wars going on now simultaneously - and yet the music is joyful - even "Please don't murder me" is a joyful song.

A. Well, when things are at that level, there's kind of a beauty to the simplicity of it. I wrote that song when the Zodiac Killer was out murdering in San Francisco. Every night I was coming home from the studio, and I'd stop at an intersection and look around, and if a car pulled up, it was like, this is it, I'm gonna die now. It became a game. Every night I was conscious of that thing, and the refrain got to be so real to me. "Please don't murder me, *please* don't murder me..."

Q. Oh, so it came out of a literal truth - it wasn't even metaphorical.

A. No, not really. It was a coincidence in a way, but it was also the truth at the moment.

Q. And, if you extend that logically, statistics show that more than half of young people today think there'll be a nuclear war in their lifetime - but they also are concerned about whether they want a career or marriage.

A. Well, you've got to do something in the meantime. Nuclear war - that's *easy* to see, because it's true that most of the energy is still going to the old arms buildup. It hasn't changed a bit, and it's more horrible than ever, and not only that, but we haven't done anything to get rid of all the *old* shit, so that thing has been growing and growing for the last 40 years. If you're a kid now, that's what you see, that's the immediate past, 40 years of this shit, and nobody's made any serious effort to turn it in any direction. I'm scared too, frankly.

Q. It used to be there was one weird old man with a sign saying, "The world is coming to an end," but now you've got it embossed on bumper stickers. Still, you know that new age parable of the 100th monkey - about these monkeys on an island that have subsisted on sweet potatoes and they've always eaten them with the sand on.

A. Oh, I know about those monkeys. They wash the sweet potatoes in the salt water now.

Q. But one young monkey started it.

A. A young female monkey.

Q. And then other monkeys started following suit, and when there was a certain critical mass - and that's the metaphor of the 100th monkey, it could've been the 97th or the 108th - when enough young monkeys were doing it, then the first adult monkey started. Reverse generational influence. Then other adult monkeys started doing it.

A. Yeah, there was a moment when all of a sudden it seemed as though all the monkeys knew how to do it.

Q. And then, even on adjoining islands - a psychic connection. And how that applies to human behavior, no matter what we're doing on an individual or a group basis, if we take ourselves as the 100th monkey, we could be the one to change the tide.

A. Absolutely. It always did seem like it was a matter of numbers, like you really only needed a percentage of people kind of pulling psychically in the right direction in order to just avoid the worst possible scenario, and it always seemed that the positive had some kind of natural inclination to get the weight. Destroying things lacks a certain element of organization, it's operating at a disadvantage essentially, because the idea of building things always requires some kind of agreement. Destroying things doesn't require that, it kind of works against itself in the long run.

Yeah, I *believe* that idea. I always believed that psychedelics meant that in a certain way. I always felt that if enough people got turned on, there would be sort of a consciousness jump, a paradigm shift in reality somehow. It's much slower than anybody imagined. That's the way I've chosen to deal with it philosophically, to avoid getting too discouraged in the meantime, just to think, well, it's gonna take a long time.


"THE HUNDREDTH MONKEY" by Ken Keyes, Jr.

The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys like the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.

An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.

This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.

Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.

Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were seen washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known.

Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash sweet potatoes.

Let's further suppose that when the sun rose one morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.

THEN IT HAPPENED:

By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them.

The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!

But notice.

A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea.

Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.

Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.

Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.

But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!

From the book "The Hundredth Monkey" by Ken Keyes, Jr.
The book is not copyrighted and the material may be reproduced in whole or in part.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

G.B.5 Turning Point: Rainforest Benefit 9-24-88

Tabula Rasa.

Having cleansed myself from the lackluster show on 9/23/88, I was ready for whatever the Grateful Dead could serve up at the long awaited Rainforest Benefit.

More than the music though which was good but lacked the flow of a traditional Dead show due to all the start - stops and special guests, was the message that I took away from the show. Yes, it was that life-changing. Think Globally, Act Locally.

Yes, the formerly apolitical Grateful Dead were taking a stand on Amazon Rainforest Preservation. Between appearances on the Today Show - nice blue sports jacket on Jerry, and Mickey Hart telling the story of his son's aversion for fast-food burgers because, "Daddy, I don't want to eat the burger if it came from the rainforest grazed beef," there was good publicity for the concert event.

I attended the show and pondered the improbable. What would happen if the energy of 23,000 concertgoers (+ thousands more listening on the radio simulcast) could be harnessed for the good of one issue: Protecting the Rainforest. How would one make a difference for the rainforest? Well, the Grateful Dead in conjunction with Greenpeace handed out fliers and printed matter. The Drums / Space segment was jungle-like drums with Discovery Channel style video footage on the "light screen" of all species great and small thriving in the rainforest. It was an excellent conveyance of the message.

I caught the train back home and my best friend, John Flaks, picked me up at the Penn Station - Baltimore. From there it was nose to the grindstone during my first semester at Towson State University - my return to college after taking a semester off following my father's untimely death in January 1988.

Carpe diem, I seized the day. Imbued with a renewed purpose and new-found discipline, I now had an outlet for my energies: environmental protection. Yes, there would still be shows and tours to follow. But, I realized in the coming years that my desire to make a difference for the environment, to leave the planet a better place than it was before I arrived, came out of the September 1988 run of Dead shows at Madison Square Garden.

09-24-88 Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. (Sat)
Rainforest Benefit Concert - A moving event

1: Iko Iko, Stranger, West L. A.*, Rooster*, Box Of Rain, Ramble On, Masterpiece> Don't Ease
2: Chinese Bones*, Neighborhood Girls*, Crazy Fingers> Woman Smarter, Every Time You Go Away*, What's Going On*> Drumz*> Wheel> Throwing Stones> NFA* E: Good Lovin*, Heaven's Door*

Benefit for the rainforests: Cultural Survival, Greenpeace & Rainforest Action Network - Bruce Hornsby & The Range opened - FM broadcast WNEW-New York, WMMR-Philadelphia - "West L. A." & "Rooster" with Mick Taylor - "Chinese Bones" & "Neighborhood Girls" with Suzanne Vega on acoustic guitar and vocals - "Every Time?" and "What's Going On" with Daryl Hall: guitar, lead vocals; John Oates: guitar; Tom "T-Bone" Wolk: acoustic guitar, then accordion, then bass; Mark Rivera: saxophone; without Phil - "River Drumz" with Baba Olatunji & Michael Hinton - Olatunji stayed for the rest of the set - "NFA" with Bruce Hornsby on accordion - Both encores with Hall: vocals & Oates: guitar & vocals; Jack Casady: bass; Bruce Hornsby: vocals & electric piano, then accordion; without Phil - "Heaven's Door" also with Suzanne Vega - only "Chinese Bones" - only "Every Time You Go Away" - only "Neighborhood Girls" - only "What's Going On"

Setlist and notes courtesy of Deadbase

G.B.5: 9-24-87 Philadelphia Spectrum

Well, this day in G.B. History, I was at the end of my fall tour and the Grateful Dead were at the end of their East Coast Leg of the Fall Tour.

To say that everyone was tired would be an understatement.

"takes dynamite to get me up" is an apt lyric from the night before as I did need a miracle. I left College Park without a ticket because I just had to get to one more show. I got to Philly, sold some photos that I had taken from earlier in the tour, and found a ticket to the show.

Jerry's voice was shot by the middle of Touch of Gray but playing-wise he was pretty sharp. Bobby the Rock Star carried vocal duties. The High Time was nice in the first set as was the surprise Big Boss Man - my personal first. Bird Song definitely had the X-Factor flowing. Second set was a well-timed and much appreciated Box opener. Thank you Phil Lesh for bringing it all back home. Rockin' Iko and the lights were in synch with the rolling jam. "Be sure to watch your MTV" and Bobby was enjoying the ride. Crazy yellow lights and the Weir curdling yelps at the end - such a ham, but we love you all the same Bobby.

09-24-87 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. (Thu)
1: Touch> Minglewood, High Time, Me & My Uncle> Big River, Big Boss Man, Esau, Bird Song> Promised
2: Box Of Rain> Iko Iko> Bucket> Fire> Drumz> Other One> Black Peter> Throwing Stones> Lovelight E: Heaven's Door

I returned to University of Maryland campus, realized that I had missed too many classes and dropped yet another class. Too much too fast . . . little did I know that I missed spending Jewish holidays with my Dad for the last time . . . because I was too tired from three Grateful Dead concerts that immediately preceded the Jewish holidays. It was time to grow up, straighten out, and fly right, but I wouldn't realize this until a few months later.

Austin City Limits Festival

Allman Brothers Band

live webcast

http://www.aclfestival.com/

---------------
On Friday night, I caught the webcast of the Allman Brothers while I was eating dinner at work. Here is a message memorializing the concert. In legal terms, this could be an excited utterance or a present sense impression.

Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 17:33:25 -0700
From: Ben Marks
Subject: Amazing. Just Amazing

The camerawork and the sound quality and the overall superbly designed
1 hour showcase of the Allman Brothers 2005 at Austin City Limits
Festival. Just what the good doctor ordered. Warren looks fit and trim, he
and Derek were just tearing it up beyond anything I have ever seen.
What a shred!!!! Derek went through two guitar changes during Whipping
Post.

Jessica was off da hook!!!!!

All photos courtesy of Ben's Motorola Camera Phone taking computer screen shots of the webcast.





Friday, September 23, 2005

Environmental Brains over Brawn for the 21st Century



courtesy of New York Times: September 22, 2005

Castle in Ruin, on a River That Nearly Was

By ANTHONY DePALMA


BEACON, N.Y. - As John Cronin sails toward the ruins of Bannerman's Island in the broad belly of the Hudson River, he sees a symbol of the challenges facing the waterway where he has spent much of his adult life.

He expertly pilots his 29-foot fishing boat, Trust, through the unmarked shallows to dock below the wrecked castle about 1,000 yards off the Beacon shore. Built a century ago by an eccentric arms dealer, it is a haunting relic of the past, and a metaphor for the Hudson's future.

"It's not just about fighting pollution anymore, it's about rebuilding the estuary," he said.

Mr. Cronin is 55, though he looks 20 years younger, with a full head of ginger hair and just an ice-cream drip of grey in his beard.

Few know the Hudson as he does. In the 1980's he spent two and a half years as a commercial fisherman on the river - which is actually an arm of the ocean, or salt-water estuary, for much of its length. He was better at talking than at netting sturgeon or American shad, so the Hudson River Fishermen's Association, an environmental watchdog group of sports and commercial fishermen, enlisted him as the Hudson's first river keeper. He held that position for 17 years, patrolling for polluters and fighting for the river.

When he turned 50 in 2000, he decided it was time for a change, and he left Riverkeeper, a private, nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1983 when the Hudson was a contaminated industrial pipeline of a river. With money from foundations and private contributors, Riverkeeper sued polluters and worked to convince the people of the Hudson Valley that they needed to roll up their sleeves and protect the river themselves.

Though he left Riverkeeper, Mr. Cronin did not leave the river. He become director of Pace University's Academy for the Environment. He is also managing director of the Rivers and Estuaries Center in Beacon, and is one of the few people with special permission from the state's parks department to visit Bannerman's Island.

Mr. Cronin said that he welcomed recent news that the Hudson was clean enough for several beaches to be opened for swimming, and that the major lawsuits brought by Riverkeeper's lawyer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and others over the years have turned the river around significantly.

But a bit of the fisherman is still with him: a pragmatism born of cold mornings on the river and big plans smashed by a bad catch. He says there might be just a little too much backslapping going on about how clean the river is, and not enough recognition that the old ways of doing things just don't work anymore.

In saying that the fight for the Hudson must take a new tack, Mr. Cronin is putting forward what might be considered a Hudson River version of "The Death of Environmentalism," the 2004 essay that roiled environmentalists with charges that outmoded concepts, confrontational methods and a lack of inspiring vision had sapped the movement's power.

Despite many early successes, fish species have dwindled or disappeared, PCB's still poison the river bottom, recreational access to the water is extremely limited, and pollutants continue to pour into what television commentator Bill Moyers called "America's first river."

Yet comparatively little money is spent on research, Mr. Cronin said, and public perception is skewed. Polls show that many people are reluctant to spend much time or money helping the river because they believe that it is already healthy.

In a recent survey conducted by Pace University, in cooperation with the Academy for the Environment, 55 percent of those responding rated the environment as excellent or very good. And 84 percent thought that polluting the Hudson was illegal.

But the major federal legislation on water pollution, the Clean Water Act of 1972, does not ban the discharge of all pollutants into the nation's waterways. The law only regulates what can be dumped into rivers, like the Hudson, where some industrial pollutants and wastewater from sewage treatment plants are still allowed with a state permit.

The environmental movement on the Hudson needs a new vision, Mr. Cronin said, one less focused on science and more in touch with the whole river system, including the communities along its banks. And just as a group of local people and businesses from the Beacon area are trying to stabilize what remains of the buildings on Bannerman's Island and open them to tourists, he says that the Hudson should be revitalized so it can again be a natural resource and economic engine for the region.

"I don't think that rebuilding Bannerman's Island or restoring all the fish species to the Hudson is any more difficult than any of the other things we've accomplished so far," Mr. Cronin said from the decayed brick balcony of what remains of the Bannerman complex, about 50 miles north of New York City.

A fire in the 1960's gutted the island's main residence and turned the improbable five-story brick arsenal where Francis Bannerman stored his huge stock of Army-surplus weapons into ghostly ramparts that could haunt a youngster's dreams.

When he was a boy growing up in Yonkers, Mr. Cronin said, the only thing he knew about the Hudson was that he should stay away from it because it was dirty. "The word polluted wasn't used back then," he said. He dreamed of becoming a baseball player before he fell in love with the river. Now his dream is to see the day when all discharges of pollutants are outlawed, a provision of the Clean Water Act that was abandoned in federal legislation. "Since zero discharge was a centerpiece of the Clean Water Act, it should be the centerpiece of the Hudson's future," he said. But even though he has been involved in more than 100 environmental lawsuits, he said, he does not believe that this goal can be achieved by going back to court. Rather, he said, a new era in the movement is beginning.

"The 20th century was the era of environmental brawn," he said. "The 21st century must be the era of environmental brains."

Mr. Cronin is not alone in taking this view. The Garrison Institute, a nonprofit organization based in a renovated monastery in the Hudson Highlands, has begun a series of meetings to bring together environmentalists and faith-based religious groups to find a common language in the stewardship of the river.

"We have to start by redefining what the river is," said Jonathan F. P. Rose, a founder of the institute. Earlier environmental battles were based on the science of stopping pollution, he said, but now the river must be seen as a part of a whole system that includes the communities alongside it and the effects of storm water runoff, sewage discharges and suburban sprawl.

Mr. Rose said the bitter confrontations that pitted environmentalists against industry will no longer work. Mr. Cronin agrees, and that is quite a conversion for a man who spent years painting industries like G.E. as willful polluters.

He sees things differently now. "We can't afford to have industry be permanent adversaries," he said. Rather, it is necessary to build partnerships that can bring together scientists, engineers, businesses, policy makers and environmentalists.

Mr. Cronin has started organizing the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities, 37 institutions that will make studying the Hudson River a priority.

And as he navigates Trust through the muddy shallows and back to the run-down landing in Beacon, Mr. Cronin is careful to keep an eye on the shifting current. Similarly, he says, it is important to keep on top of shifts in perceptions.

"We environmentalists fighting for the river and bragging about our successes are probably not as in touch with public perceptions as we think we are," he said. "Anybody of my daughter's generation, and she is 30, has every right to say to me when I'm talking about the past, 'That's an interesting story but I want to know what's going to happen in the next year, or the next five years.' "

Friday Lunch With Friends

How nice it is after the crazy week to be able to relax over lunch. Today at work was pizza from Little Italy, which is excellent pizza for midtown. However, I met friends from my old job for work and we had my perennial favorite, falafel or lamb on Zatar bread from Bread and Olive also in midtown.

It was great to see Marcia - good luck on the recruiting trip this week, and also to my friends at Bear: Charles, Joe, Adam, and Ellen. It was real to break out of the litigation box for a little while and enjoy lunch outdoors.

Back to the office to flip more pages for the document review.

How we got to this point

One Theory About Creation

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated
the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and
red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and
healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with
that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at
it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure
that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the
wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented
Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side
And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil
in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and
chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained
more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food
Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and
named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose
those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so
Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman
laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming
with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the
starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and
still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99
cent double cheeseburger, then said, "You want fries with that?"And Man
replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And
Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

courtesy: Scott Bartol on E-Mule

G.B.4: Philly Spectrum 9-24-87

9-23-87 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. (Wed)
1: Stranger> Franklin's, Walking Blues, FOTD, Tons Of Steel, Desolation Row, Big RxR Blues> Music
2: Bertha> Cumberland> Playin> Uncle John> Playin> Drumz> Miracle> Mr. Fantasy> Around> Good Lovin> La Bamba> Good Lovin E: U. S. Blues
final "La Bamba" - final "Tons Of Steel"

Great show in Philly. One of my top 10 or 15. Nice 75 minute first set. Great song selection. Great jams and flow in the second set. 2nd nite seeing the show with John Wynn. We were really exhausted after the second nite and met fellow UMDer,
Heidi Kelso, in the JFK lot after the show.

9-23-88 Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. (Fri)
1: LTGTR, Bucket, Cold Rain, Walking Blues, Loser, Memphis Blues, Dupree's, Promised
2: Samson, Ship Of Fools, Victim> Foolish Heart> Drumz> Take You Home> Other One> Stella Blue> Sugar Magnolia E: U. S. Blues

An okay show. Nothing special although Jerry had all the good first set tunes.
Cold Rain and Snow, Loser, and Dupree's easily outweigh anything that Bobby could throw into the mix. Second set didn't really wash on paper so it was certainly nothing to write home about. Sometimes you get shows like that.

The next night would pose some interesting possibilities and will probably get its own mention.

Friday Funny

Breaking News:
This just in . . .

Today, the government announced that it is changing its seal from the EAGLE to a CONDOM as a more accurate reflection of its changing role.

Like the government, a condom:
allows for inflation,
halts production,
destroys the next generation,
protects a bunch of pricks,
and provides you with a sense of security while being screwed.

-----

Thanks to Desiree for the joke.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Sweep

What one does with a broom?

What the Yankees did to my Orioles is embarassing.

Congrats Vlad. Happy Birthday O!

Grinning in Your Face

Don't you mind people grinning in your face
Don't you mind people grinning in your face
There's one thing to bear in mind
A true friend is hard to find

Don't you mind people grinning in your face
Your mother she may talk about you
Your brothers and your sisters they will talk about you, too
No matter how you're trying to live
They will talk about you still

Don't you mind people grinning in your face
Don't you mind people grinning in your face

They'll jump you up and they jump you down
They'll try to turn you 'round and 'round
As soon as you turn your back around
They'll try and crush you down

Don't you mind people grinning in your face
Don't you mind people grinning in your face

Lyrics by Son House

It was that kind of day at work. An employee created some trouble that everyone had to deal with and people's true colors were shown. Grinning in Your Face aptly describes the rhythm of the week. In Mule parlance, I'll take a Grinning > Mother Earth to open the show.

G.B.3: September 22nd in Grateful Ben History

09-22-87 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. (Tue)
1: Hey Pocky Way, Althea, Rooster, Push Comes to Shove, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Ramble On Rose, Cassidy > Deal
2: Gimme Some Lovin*, China Cat> I Know You Rider> Samson> Terrapin> Drumz> Two Soldiers Jam> Wheel> Truckin> Stella Blue> Sugar Magnolia E: Baby Blue
*with Spencer Davis

09-22-88 Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. (Thu)
1: Shakedown Street, Minglewood, Candyman, BIODTL> Greatest Story, To Lay Me Down, Cassidy> Deal
2: China Cat> I Know You Rider, Tom Thumb Blues, Estimated> Eyes> Drumz> Need A Miracle> Mr. Fantasy> Hey Jude Finale> Lovelight E: Brokedown
22 beat "BIODTL"

09-22-91 Boston Garden, Boston, Ma. (Sun)
1: Shakedown, C. C. Rider> It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry, Me & My Uncle> Maggie's Farm, B. E. Women, Let It Grow
2: Samson, Iko Iko, L. L. Rain> He's Gone> Nobody's Fault But Mine> Spoonful> Drumz> Last Time> Stella Blue> Sugar Magnolia E: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
last "Nobody's Fault": 09-03-85 [450]

Well, I couldn't let the day pass without posting this day in Grateful Ben history. Fall tours were always ripe for lots of shows, depending upon the proximity of the Jewish holidays.

In 1987, I was attending the University of Maryland at College Park. Home of the Maryland Terrapins, Terps for short. Attending is kind of a loose term but I was enrolled and made it to the classes that I didn't withdraw from for failure to attend due to lots of shows. Kind of circular reasoning. I remember riding to the Philly show with John Wynn, a fellow student at Maryland. It was a solid show with Spencer Davis to open the second set. After the show, we were tired and I think that we might have stopped at the Toddle House before returning home. There was another show on 9/23.

In 1988, I travelled to New York City to see the Grateful Dead play the legendary Madison Square Garden. That was my first time seeing the Boys in NYC and they did not disappoint for the last three nights of a nine night run. I went to the show with Herb Symons, my fraternity brother from College Park. Herb had dropped out the prior year. He turned me on to some incredible music including Yes. I took him to see the Dead and he had a blast. Herb was very perceptive. He liked the way Brent Mydland, keyboardist at the time moved his shoulders and really got into the music. We were blown away by the titanic Shakedown Street - "don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, when I can hear it beat it loud." Some interesting cover tunes in the second set made this an enjoyable and somewhat different show from others of the same ilk.

Finally, the 1991 show was a decent show at the Boston Garden and the setlist looks good on paper - at least the first set and parts of the second set. But it was a decidedly mellow night and my tape deck which had fried in Marblehead the night before put a damper on the evening. I'll have to dig out the tapes and revisit the show.

More posts later - I have to catch the train back to Westchester.

Happy Birthday Richard

To the best taper buddy one could ever have. We made some great tapes and saw some great music during the time when I was living in Maryland. Happy Birthday to you Rich. Hope all is well in Maryland. Now let's see if the O's can win tonight.....

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

I think you know what I mean



He was a movie star turned president, not like Eisenhower or DeNiro
But, I think you know what I mean
Tried to convince us he was heaven sent
With that carny smile and a missile in his sleeve

He says feed the poor, yeah, feed 'em to the lions
We're screaming even up the score!
He's screaming back, now, we're number one, and we ain't even trying
And, now, ain't you proud to be part of the American dream?
Well, not exactly - I think you know what I mean

Lyrics courtesy of Govt Mule.

-------------------------------

G.B. 2

On September 21, 1991, I attended the second night of the six-night run of Grateful Dead shows at the Boston Garden. Having stayed at the Holiday Inn in Swampscott, I was becoming accustomed to parking my car outside of the city and taking the train in. My friend, Jason, an Art Institute student in Baltimore, was originally from Marblehead, a nice community on the shore outside of Boston as well, and I was invited along with about 20 others back to his parent's palatial estate.



I had two tickets for the Saturday night show because I had to make a detour to pick up the sixth row ticket that ostensibly seemed a better location to record from than way back in the taper section. By the time I got to the show, it was really late and I gave the extra ticket away as a "Miracle" to a sweet kid holding up her index finger pointing to heaven. It was totally worthwhile just to see the beatific smile -this was good karma in the community having been miracled at other shows during prior tours.

So I arrive to the show and my seat is in the sixth row right in front of Phil Lesh. If we liken the room to an airplane, Phil is the pilot and I am sitting first class in the Zone. The bass was phenomenal and I ended up recording the second set of the show as a "handheld" guerilla taper. What an experience and a tremendously tiresome process to stand almost trancelike - completely still - to make the good tape recording.

09-21-91 Boston Garden, Boston, MA (Sat)
1: Bucket, TLEO, Minglewood, Peggy-O, Tom Thumb Blues, Cassidy> Deal
2: Uncle John's Band> Saint of Circumstance> Eyes of the World> Jam>
Drumz> Other One> Wharf Rat> Saturday Night E: Baby Blue


Of note was the song selection of the first set and the playing of the second set. Phil dropped a mighty bomb before the Other One. Being upfront for the whole show was quite a rush of energy.

So the show was fun and we get back to Jason's house. I go to set up my tapedeck and sit it on top of the wooden cabinet of the 100" television so that playback will be enjoyable for the post-show party. Except one problem. The strong magnetic field of the TV overpowered the DAT recorder and I was SOL. The deck was fried.

DOH!!



I still had four shows left on the tour and the service center was in Maryland. What would I do now that I was in Boston with a broken tape deck and tickets for four shows in Boston. I did what any taper / tourhead would do. Went to the the third night show at the Boston Garden and bought a puddle jumper flight ticket from Boston to Maryland - rented a car at the airport - drove the deck in for service - swapped it out over the counter at Washington Professional Music Systems (thanks Greg Lukens) and caught the plane back up to Boston in time for the show on the 24th.

. . . tour stories to be continued . . .

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Work to Live

So where I work is an interesting little space occupying an entire floor of a midtown office building. I am presently performing a manual document review that requires on average a minimum of 12 hours per day for a total of 84 hours per week.

The workday could also be measured in boxes that contain 3,000 sheets of paper for review. These take roughly 1 - 2 days, although some are dense with written material and take a 3rd day. The work is privileged and confidential so that I cannot divulge that which I am reading. It is always important to remember that you are only as good as the last box you completed.

While my paycheck is a tangible reminder that my privileged and confidential workday is measured in hours, the culinary delights of Midtown Manhattan are far more interesting and affordable as a result of the paycheck.

Today's lunch was from Bread and Olive on West 45th. Usually, I have the falafel on their Zatar bread. Their Zatar bread rules (just like in Israel), but today, I had lamb which was equally delicious. A great filling lunch at a bargain price.

Dinner tonight was from Spanky's Bar-B-Q where I had their awesome jerk-flavored wings with pineapple sauce and a smoked brisket sandwich. Their food at Spanky's, located on West 43rd near 6th Avenue near Town Hall and Heartland Brewery, is no joke. They are "bringin' it" with the quality and flavor of their food.

And now I am back to work after the extended dinner break tonight. Probably work late tonight. Back to the paperwork in hopes that I may cobble together some social activity this weekend. Or else do my laundry. Because everyone knows that clean laundry is a virtue. :-)

Can I buy you a drink for your birthday?

To my dear friend Dolly,
Ever since I met you in the hotel gift shop in Orlando in 1997, I am privileged to have known you and to have learned from you. Wishing you a happy birthday and an even happier year.

Best,

Ben

Grateful Ben (G.B.1): Fall Tour 1991

Since I began the blog on September 20, 2005, rather than jump around, I will roll through Grateful Dead and other significant concert experiences as they have occurred in the course of a calendar year. While September may seem kind of heavy on Grateful Dead entries and music in general, this will become a bit more balanced as the tours end. In some ways, the balance of the blog content is a direct reflection of how I spent my time in the past. I always came away from the Grateful Dead concert experience (be it one show or an entire tour) a little bit more driven and determined to succeed. It's a good reminder of where I have come from and where I am going.

14 years ago today, I was travelling from Baltimore to Boston in my 1989 Honda Accord to continue my musical trek.

09-20-91 (Fri) Boston Garden, Boston, MA

1: Touch, Rooster, Jack A Roe, B. T. Wind, Stagger Lee, Masterpiece, Bird Song
2: Help on the Way> Slipknot> Fire on The Mountain, Estimated> Truckin> Drumz> Watchtower> Morning Dew E: Lovelight

Setlist courtesy of Deadbase
http://www.deadbase.com

This show was notable because of the unusual second set opener. Also the start of my Boston Garden Fall Tour run of shows - 6 in total.

For those of you who are oriented to bit torrents:
http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=13617

MuleNYC




















I am a big fan of Government Mule and so both their music and the music of Warren Haynes are consistently in my playlist.

Thus, my morning commute and first cup of coffee were ensconced by the following playlist.

Govt Mule (New School)
May 11, 2001
Roseland Ballroom - NYC

Almost Cut My Hair
Thorazine Shuffle
Rocking Horse
Gambler's Roll
Madman Across The Water
30 Days In The Hole
Fallen Down > The Other One jam > Fallen Down
Soulshine
Mule > Third Stone tease > What Is Hip? > jam > Mule
Encore: Jesus Just Left Chicago (w/ Page McConnell and Mike Gordon)

Govt Mule (Old School)
Filler: March 8, 2000
Irving Plaza - NYC

Lay Your Burden Down
Rock Bottom
Worried Down With The Blues
Wish You Were Here
Dreams

Mule At Irving Plaza Photos: Old School Power Trio and Allen Woody, the first bassist of Govt Mule.






http://www.mule.net

http://www.mulebase.com

. . . water . . .

Just received an update from my friend Stephanie. She is in a band that seems to be drawing a following of sorts. I trust her judgment and musical taste . . . hopefully you'll trust mine and check them out some time.



http://www.waterismusic.com/

…water… @

9/22 Nectars ~ Burlington, VT ****Opening for The Samples 9pm*** http://www.liveatnectars.com/

9/23 Radio Bean Coffeehouse ~ Burlington, VT 5pm http://www.radiobean.com/index.htm

9/24 Hurricane Katrina Benefit Show ~ Red Mill Museum ~ Clinton, NJ http://www.redmill.org Gates Open noon *** …water…performs 5pm***

9/24 Lakeside Tavern ~ Branchville, NJ 11pm (yes-2 shows on the same day!!!)

9/30 Krogh's ~ Sparta, NJ 10pm http://www.kroghs.com/

10/1 The Stone Pony ~ Asbury Park, NJ ***Opening for Splintered Sunlight 9pm*** http://www.stoneponyonline.com/

10/9 Havana's ~ New Hope, PA 7pm http://www.stoneponyonline.com/