W.I.T.C.H.

W I T C H activities, 1968-9. from "Playpower" by Richard Neville:
W I T C H — Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, has conducted several (black) mass demonstrations outside New York business institutions. Witches, it is pointed out, have been the original guerrillas and resistance fighters against oppression down through the ages. Historically witches are seen as non-conformist, free, intelligent, joyous, aggressive, creative, scientific and actively rebellious (birth-controllers, abortionists, herbalists, heads and pushers). On Hallowe’en Eve (1968) W I T C H haunted the New York Stock Exchange. Nervous commissionaires barred the way while witches in black fairytale cloaks claimed they had an appointment with the Chief Executor of Wall Street himself — Satan. (’With closed eyes and lowered heads the women incanted the Berber Yeall — sacred to Algerian witches — and proclaimed the coming demise of various stocks. A few hours later the market closed 1.5 points down, and the following day it dropped five points.’ Rat, 6 Novem ber 1968.) On St. Valentine’s Day (1969) witches disrupted New York’s first Bridal Fair at Madison Square Garden (a sample slogan: Love starts at Chase Manhattan) and were roughed up by uniformed bouncers who screamed, ‘You’re sick, you’re sick, you’re sick.’

Edie Sedgwick - Pretty Doomed

Over the past few months I've learned a lot about the life and times of Edie Sedgwick. I read her biography and after I finished the book I rented Ciao Manhattan which is a totally weird, trainwreck of a movie and is only interesting if you're researching all things Edie. I guess others are thinking of Edie too, because there's a movie coming out called Factory Girl (which I have a feeling is going to suck as much as the recent Brian Jones biopic) and Urban Outfitters is selling this (which Gab discovered the day she finished reading the book). Synchronicity, huh?

In the extra on the Ciao Manhattan DVD there is an interview with George Plimpton, who edited the Edie biography. In the interview he notes that she really had no ideas or talent, yet she was appealing because she was so pretty, vulnerable and sparked.

I guess her story is interesting to me because she was one of a number of sixties characters (Nico, Jim Morrison, et al) who lived for the moment with a reckless intensity that is completely unimaginable in these modern, careful times when the biggest news is Britney Spears driving without her child in a car seat.

Friends in Finland (and all over)

Hannu Haahti runs a small CD-R label in Finland. He's been kind enough to put out two of my songs. The first was on a compilation that came out around Christmas last year. The second just came out. It is entitled Kanoja, Myös Hanoja . I have no idea what the title means but I like the cover a lot, and to be on a compilation whose lineup includes Ben Reynolds and Robert Horton is kickass.

Speaking of good musicians- my friend Mike Tamburo came through town this past Friday. He performed a long set that built to an amazing crescendo. He's really expanded his sound since I saw him last summer. Accompanying him on this tour was Nick Schillace. Nick is another solo steel-string guitar player. He has a very fluid, fast style, which you can hear on his album Box Canyon

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Happy Birthday Pete!

This Friday

flyer by stereogab

Notes from a Wise Old Rat

"Animals talk and convey information but they do not write. They cannot make information available to future generations or to animals outside the range of their communication system. This is the crucial distinction between men and other animals. WRITING. Korzybski, who
developed the concept of General Semantics, the meaning of meaning, has pointed out this human distinction and described man as ‘the time binding animal’. He can make information to other men over a length of time through writing. Animals talk. They don’t write. Now a wise old rat may know a lot about traps and poison but he cannot write a text book on DEATH TRAPS IN YOUR WAREHOUSE for the Reader’s Digest with tactics for ganging up on digs and ferrets and taking care of wise guys who stuff steel wool up our holes."
From The Electronic Revolution (pdf) by William S. Burroughs.

Mike Tamburo

My friend Mike Tamburo is on the road again, this time with Nick Schillace.

MIKE TAMBURO & NICK SCHILLACE TOUR DATES
May 12 2006 avant gentlemen's lodge philadelphia, PA
May 14 2006 Radio Bean burlington, VT
May 14 2006 WFMU (taping at 10am to be played on may 15)
May 15 2006 strange maine portland, ME
May 16 2006 PA's Lounge Somerville, MA
May 17 2006 TBA (probably once twice sound) Baltimore, MD
May 18 2006 Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar Charlottesville, VA
May 19 2006 611 florida washington d.c.
May 20 2006 garfield artworks (early show 6pm) pittsburgh, PA

We'll be opening for them on May 19th at 611 Florida.

Reading the Future

mrslaura
Originally uploaded by BarrettJ.

Which way to go? I can tell you one thing: the future is always ahead. There's no way to dodge it and stay alive.

Sometimes living day-by-day ceases to cut it and I have to stop and make a plan. Navigating the world is difficult but with some luck and lots of sweat it is possible to live our dreams.

Speaking of dreams coming true, see New York Doll to learn how it happened to Arthur "Killer" Kane.

Transmission from Planet GONG

at 9pm gmt

join your brothers and sisters on the telepathic airways.

what else do we contact?

this is the mystery of gong. nobody stops you from knowing but yourself.

Maya

Maya has come into this world, courtesy of Phong and Sabine.

Dead Head

When I was in high school I was a Dead Head. I saw them at the Hartford Civic Center and the New Haven Coliseum. Then I went to college and started listening to SST bands. I lapsed while living in Los Angeles, where I saw them at the Sports Arena in 1994. Then I went back into denial until about four years ago when I went to see Phil Lesh and Friends in Hersey, PA. Since then I have come to accept that I am a Dead Head. While my loved ones have come to accept my condition, they fear it will get worse. But while I have no intention of getting dancing bears tatooed around my bicep, or glued to my car, I still crave The Dead sometimes.

That's where the collection on archive.org comes in handy. Last year, in response to a request from The Dead Organization (or whatever their business arm is called), the sound board recordings were made available in streaming media format only, as opposed to files for downloading that had been available previously. But thanks to Audio Hijack, I can now listen to hours of Grateful Dead shows. Just as long as I keep my headphones on, that is ; )