Sunday, June 5, 2011

25 Random Thoughts

January, 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 2:01pm
1. I managed a music store for several years in the late 1960's - early 70's
2. I lived in Apache Junction, AZ
3. I love the desert SW
4. SW England is one of my favorite places.
5. Eldridge Cleaver was the first presidential candidate that I voted for (what choice did I have since it was between Nixon and McGovern!?!).
6. I broke bread and shared soup with my wife and two friendly Jamaicans in a local pub in Mo' Bay in 1983.
7. I was fortunate to have met and spent time with an artist in France who was a contemporary of Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp.
8. My two children have grown into remarkable young adults, mostly because of my selfless, beautiful wife.
9. The internet has allowed me to share my love of music with long time music aficionados as well as many music fans around the world.
10. The corn and soy bean fields of Illinois, where I grew up, are still a strong attraction, and bring good feelings whenever I return to them.
11. The Unitarian Church of Jacksonville, Florida is like my second home.
12. My best man at my wedding helped me form a tolerance and understanding for the real African-American experience.
13. My daughter has grown into a strong, thoughtful, beautiful woman and I love her dearly.
14. My son, who has type 1 diabetes, has taught me what courage and perseverance truly is and I love him dearly.
15. I have been fortunate to experience live some of the best musical artists during my lifetime, including the Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, Cecil Taylor, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Wilco, Yo La Tengo, Cheap Trick, Squeeze, Phillip Glass, Roseanne Cash, Leo Kottke, Califone, Hawkwind, Steely Dan, The Kinks, The Clash, Elvis Costello and the one and only Slickem'.
16. My yoga instructor has been an inspiration, showing me how to be more patient and spiritual, without preconceptions.
17. My two brothers and three sisters, although all younger than me, are typically far wiser.
18. My new son-in-law is an awesome young man.
19. The five years that I spent living in the Los Angeles area were like Jesus' the 'lost years'.
20. The two years that I lived in Arizona were two of the happiest of my life.
21. I think that it would be extremely difficult for me to live anywhere but in a warm climate. Cold sucks.
22. I contributed music reviews for a local central Illinois rag in the early 1970's.
23. The transcriptions that I did of Ranger Rick Johnson's writing for a posthumous anthology published last year was one of the more rewarding things I have done.
24. The Ducks Deluxe gig that I witnessed in London in 1975 is probably the most memorable musical event I experienced so far.
25. I like Camembert.