It's been an unusually musical August for me. In Austin I saw Best Fwends. Cool, fun group that performs indie rock to an iPod, no instruments. They are really funny, almost like a stand-up act. Their ridiculous antics sort of reminided me of Tim and Eric Awesome Show.




Then two nights ago, in New York I saw Patrick Cleandenim and Boy Crisis. The first was a smoothe, polished singer-songwriter with a lot of class and loads of style. His music sounded like disco from the 50s... like Hall & Oates meets Kraftwerk. Super cool dude.


Boy Crisis followed, who felt like watching a budget version of MGMT. Their show was electric and had a groovy element to it, but with so many people in shiny, gold tights, Amazonian female dancers covered in mud, and instruments on stage, there was bound to be some awkward, non-cohesive moments. It was fun though, and I especially enjoyed their cover of Phil Collins "Coming in the Air Tonight."

Hey kids!

I have a new blog dedicated exclusively to my fiction! It's called PJ's in the Dark. I just posted a story that had been rumbling around for months. I can no longer hold on to it--IT MUST BE SET FREE!!!

Enjoy, and don't forget to make love on the high seas, should you ever get the chance.

Beastie Boys dropped out of All Points West last week, and Jay-Z filled in as the headliner at the last minute. I just saw he did a pretty cool tribute as his first song, though... haha. Classy guy. Sorry for the crap audio.

I can understand why John Squire won't make anymore music, and why he refuses to reunite with the Stone Roses. Yes, he was one of the most influential guitarists of his era, and left an indelible mark on the course of British pop. But after the band broke up, and he had little success of his own in solo efforts and side projects (The Seahorses, The Shining, etc.), I guess he saw the writing on the wall. No one wants to hear you beat a dead horse, and in a recent interview on his website he says quite plainly, "music is a young man's game." Hmm, don't tell Mick Jagger that.

It's kind of sad, though. The fact is, musicians don't make music in a vacuum. Well, maybe some of them do, but the very best shine brightest when collaborating with others. I guess at this point, it's kind of pointless to wish Squire would reunite with the Roses, but I think there are still years left for him. I really think he could put out solo compositions that might be excellent, even without lyrics. I may be alone in that sentiment, but I doubt it.

Anyway, his modern art is just not doing it for me. The Jackson Pollock pieces were pretty cool in the era the Roses were playing, but his current stuff is doing nothing for his rep. Yawn.

Well, until he decides to pick up that axe of his again, Roses obsessed freaks such as myself will just have to satisfy ourselves pouring over his past work. My favorite recent find is The Squire Files, a very comprehensive exploration of the guitarists effects set up and techniques. If only this existed 15 years ago!

I DON'T WANNA BE A SOLDIER MAMA, I DON'T WANNA DIE.

So this week I'm in SF. It's cool but I can't help being a bit sad. One of my really close friend's mother died on Tuesday. I got the news while I was on the plane waiting to take off for SF. they had the memorial service on Saturday, so I missed the whole thing. And for what? To make sure some TV network knows more about their target audience. In the grand scheme of things, who gives a crap? This will all mean absolutely nothing in less than 12 months. And yet, I will never see this woman ever again in this life.

Mrs. Shea was more than just my friend's mom though--she was also sort of like a family member of my own. I used to take vacations with my friend and his parents, so in many ways, they became a second family. It sucks. She wasn't even 60.

Mood = Zola Jesus, "Sea Talk"

---


On a lighter note, I saw "I Love You Man" last night. It was pretty funny, but not nearly as good as "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Probably because J. Apatow didn't produce and Jason Segel didn't write it. But as par usual, Paul Rudd is incredible. I'm amazed by that guy's range. He plays this sort of loser schlub in this movie--quite similar to Jason Segel's role in "Forgetting...", actually--but Rudd is so convincing in the role. He fumbles his words and tries to be cool so earnestly, you have to cringe watching him.

Modern Day Alchemists


“The challenge of our age is to become alchemists, transmuting the energy of insight and wisdom into practical living and thus to manifest the divine on earth.” --Jack Schwartz, Voluntary Controls

Gurus

Education is a creative act, not an act of imitation. When on the path of self-realization, sometimes it’s easy to look up to our teachers as people to ape. We admire their station in life, so that is a natural impulse. What we don’t realize is that teachers are our peers, not gods. We should think of them as handing us maps. Look at the map and see where you are on it. Are you where you thought you were? Do you want to be somewhere else? Do you want to be where your teacher is? What’s the best way to get there for you and your life?

Each of us makes his/her own pathway to the Truth. You are not the only one to envision the world in a certain way, but the world that you perceive is unique to you alone. There is only one Truth, but there are infinite ways to experience it.

The one and only true teacher resides within each of us. It is our decision whether or not to pay attention to what that teacher says.

No one has ever taught us anything. They have only revealed truths which we already knew.