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Chapter 19/Page 144:
"Living in Hawaii, with the horizon of the ocean meeting the sky, is soothing. There is a magical healing to the Big Island, and I love this life. How many places are there on earth that really are healing places?"

...That's what I'm talking 'bout!

The Damage Done

Today marks 13 years since our pal Tim died. He's gotten plenty of press here-with good reason. Here is a picture of his name, engraved in the Circle Of Friends in Golden Gate Park.

The Needle and the Damage Done [Live] - Neil Young

No One Wins

War Of Man - Neil Young

A Crowd of People Stood and Stared

Here's a fresh You Tube of Neil Young performing at Farm Aid last weekend.

I think Neil's treatment of 'A Day In The Life' would make John Lennon smile. Keep an eye and an ear out when the song gets to about 4:38.

Dig that melodic rage!

Plant That Bell & Let It Ring

One of countless redwood trunks that wash up onto the beach during the winter months. The shot of the kids on top reveals it's massiveness. Now imagine it floating downriver, to the sea. One of the local ragamuffins personalized it this summer.

Whew

Here's Tatiana resting on her perch. She picked it out immediately, back in May. She's tuckered out and we are too. Older daughter was here for about a week. I took the week off to hang out with both daughters. I didn't do much domestically, but I sure enjoyed the days. We even had some people over on Saturday evening, for drinks and appetizers. The new place is nice for such things.

I realized the other day that when my mother was the age I am now, she was a year or so away from dying. She would now be seventy-nine, had she not slipped away far too soon. This realization has messed with my mind in various ways. I feel an odd sense of guilt, since I don't have cancer. Also, a powerful feeling of gratitude, for being alive and here and healthy. And afraid to my core that I'll be suddenly stricken without warning and taken from all I cherish. Such is life when your mother dies at fifty-two. Weird.

I looked out my bedroom window a few days ago and watched nineteen geese fly and land in perfect formation. Crazy beautiful.

Welcome To The Big Room

This is what I was up to, twenty years ago tonight. Shit! Another twenty-year old memory. And those are starting to seem like recent memories. At that time, I was employed at the Civic Auditorium in lovely Santa Cruz, working in the Parks and Recreation Office and selling tickets. Tickets to everything. My friends sure did like me when I had that job. One day in late November, I got a call from a pal who had some prime information. Neil Young would "test drive" his latest metamorphosis at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom. A classic venue, from the glory days at the Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Long before it was Beach Flats junkie-land. He was to play three nights in a row, and do an early show and late show every night. This sounded insanely good. It had to be a vicious rumor. Had to.

I was informed that it was being billed as "The Blue Notes" - with no mention of Neil's name. See, he never advertised his shows in Santa Cruz. He'd just show up and play. And the Neil underground always knew, and the shows always sold out. He began a few of his tours there, and has always had a soft spot for the local fans. Lucky us. My friend's prediction proved true. Once tickets were secured, we just had to wait for the second of November.



I've seen the man many times through the years, and every time he gets through to the core a little bit more. For me, there was something about these Blue Note shows that defined them as some of Neil's best live work ever. That's why his "This Note's For You" release was disappointing. It didn't come close to capturing the power of that amazing sound-live. Neil with a full horn section! Unheard of! Even stranger than the Trans tour. Another of his strange excursions to unfamiliar and surprising musical places. His specialty. He played the same songs in the same order-both sets. He called it "The Blue Note Way." Nobody complained. They sucked it up, in wide-eyed amazement. In keeping with my tendency to post videos that mean something to nobody-but-me, here's Neil and his band performing a song from that same tour, about 6 months later. When we saw him, they opened with this song every night, every set. Sure, he was basically practicing his new tunes on us Santa Cruz fans. Ask me if we cared in the least.

The Band:

Neil Young (vocal, guitar, harmonica),Ben Keith(alto saxophone),
Larry Cragg (baritone saxophone), Steve Lawrence(tenor saxophone),
Claude Cailliet(trombone), Tom Bray (trumpet),John Fumo (trumpet),
Frank Sampedro (organ), Billy Talbot(bass),Ralph Molina (drums).

"Welcome To The Big Room"  August 1988 

be the rain

finally watched greendale tonight. we've had the cd and listened plenty, since it came out last year. g-man and i never saw the accompanying movie. so glad that we did.

neil's another of my musical touchstones, to put it in goofy, sentimental terms. i could go on at length about the incredible shows i have seen over the last few decades. but i won't. perhaps another time. just wanted to say that it's an odd little film with some fine messages and real cool-sounding songs. well worth seeing, if you like such things. to learn more about greendale than just my fairly-slanted opinion, you can click on the title to read-up on it. there you will find a trailer of the film for your listening and viewing pleasure.

greendale is about a family in a small coastal town, and layers of tragedy. more-than-that, it's about saving the mother. (mother earth) sounds like a plan...if only.