Today's Top Ten List of Hollywood True Identities

1. Mya Rudolph Post Michael Jackson- Charlene Tilton

2. Alicia Keys Post Michael Jackson- Charlize Theron

3. Gina Gershon Post Michael Jackson- Cher

4. O. J. Simpson Post Michael Jackson- Sigourney Weaver

5. Gwyneth Paltrow Post Michael Jackson- Lisa Kudrow

6. Scarlett Johansson Post Michael Jackson- Jennifer Connelly

7. Bob Newhart Post Michael Jackson- Suzanne Somers

8. Tori Spelling Post Michael Jackson- Cher

9. Frankenstein Post Michael Jackson- Jamie Lee Curtis

10. Tia Carrere Post Michael Jackson- George Takei

"Where is the peace, where is the solace?"

What controls that human synthesizer of the human mind? What controls what we remember and when? How is it that out of the blue memories from twenty years distant resurface with the potency of cyanide? How can it be that dreams can kill? All our putrid lives we spend trying to make sense of the charade, yet in the end some unseen force seems to have our lives in a vice. Vice. Vice versa. Versa major. Majora clitoris. Is it this force we are seeing in films, some inhuman empirical monster that watches with the hedonistic delight of making us squirm? Living life in the box, in a fish aquarium, squirming rats in and endless maze… “Where is the peace, where is the solace? Got to find it… got to find it….”

Business, the Death of America

Because Capitalism is defined as a “private” means of production of a product employing a public labor force, it is unique. What if Capitalism were defined as a public means of production employing a private labor force.? A labor force that is employed by a private company could be considered to be no longer public, because what about it would define it as public? This is the same scenario as living in a city. We naturally believe the streets upon which we drive and the sidewalks upon which we stroll are public. No one stops to think someone paid for these things and is responsible for their upkeep. Cities are more abstract than that. The only way it can be kept clear is to continue to reiterate local politicians and therefore public properties are entities of the people. They are not rulers and they are not fences. They are funded by our tax dollars and no other way. That civil servants become so out-of-touch with this system is because a proper system of checks and balances is not in place. This seems to be what is happening in America. The workforce of government somehow has gotten it in their head that the American people are either too ignorant or too complacent to understand corruption in government. More likely it is that the common man, all ready bogged down with menial tasks, chooses not to take on the foe of government. For this reason business in the United States needs to be redefined so that America’s priorities once again become valid. All of he superfluous tasks that have begun to take so much of our time need to be discarded, and the relevant tasks of an informed and enraged American people should be exercised. This core of existence and philosophy constantly is being undermined by mindless media. This media image is upon what foreign countries base their ill perceptions of America. Down deep most people still believe in America’s freedoms and all she has offered everyone. How could we forget that Statue of Liberty holding her torch high above the ocean welcoming, “Your tired and your poor?” Since 9/11 our perceptions about immigration were forced to change, because foreign immigrants strolled onto our native soil and turned against us. The immigrants that once made up the heart of America became the infidels, much like the American army became the infidels to Osama bin Laden. It must be a similar feeling, and seen with an earnest degree of self control could be considered a fitting punishment. Infidels came to the Middle East with seeming selfish motives and misplaced incumbent natives on their home soil. Was this not Imperialism? Are terrorist attacks against our country’s infrastructure nothing but underhanded acts of retaliatory attempted Imperialism? All Osama bin Laden has ever asked was for the United States to leave the Middle East. With our unwanted presence there, the soul of immigration in the United States has become tainted. While we began to focus our attention on possible terrorist threats through the airlines, Mexicans responded to a weakness in our southern most border. In two ways immigration that has been a core “value” of our country has become an enemy. We are afraid of Moslem looking men in our airports, and we stopped enforcing illegal immigration from Mexico. With these two issues the message of Ms. Liberty has become skewed. Do we no longer welcome the tired and the poor? Do we welcome them only if they do not look Moslem? The answer should be we welcome them only if they have the respect for our system of government (which includes immigration) and if they are able to be trusted with our lives. This is the definition of a country, and we must qualify our nation some way. If politicians were reluctant to make English the official language of America, what is it that will bind us together as a nation? All of these values have become blurry as people scurry in a haze of spin and propaganda. In addition to these two pressing problems, business in America has abandoned the common people. When did this begin? Was it with ENRON? Was this the first public display of private disgrace in America where loyal employees were manipulated and abused for the monetary gain of the few? With the definition of Capitalism I stated earlier, Big Business is the heart of responsibility for the American people. They provide the infrastructure in which Americans are supposed to thrive in a system of Capitalism. If Big Business fails then what is left to support the economy of the United States? Does the government step in and take up the slack? Certainly in our history the federal government has a record of stepping up for the American people. Is that not their responsibility? If we are defined as a Capitalist socio/economic system, then Big Business is THE core provider for the people of America. If the practices of Big Business are not aptly scrutinized and regulated according to our Constitution, then a failure of Capitalism will result. We all ready have been seeing this as the federal and state governments are expected to step in and take up the slack of complacent and irresponsible large businesses. Similarly small businesses have been bullied out of the market leaving a gaping hole in the infrastructure of jobs and philosophy. When corporate monopolies vie for power as they have in the last decade, then fail on a massive level both to produce their products and economic packages for their employees who is left? We have squashed the little guy so hard that nothing remains. When these egotistical bigots become extinct how long will it take for America to re-adjust? Big Business has all ready become extinct in America, because we no longer can rely upon it to serve our human needs. As a result we are floundering like lost fish in a record breaking deflated housing market, being adversely effected by a devalued dollar, and looking at a dry, hot, and barren desert of America. There are no easy answers to the chaos that has been created in America by selfish private motives fueled by images of “Get Rich Quick” schemes. Instead of investing in America’s infrastructure through her people, we have been used and discarded on a journey to the Forbes 400. The fate of our country rests in these people’s hands, and the misadministration of business is the cause. The delusion of grandeur of owning everything could only be fed by drugs, because there is no such rational behavior that exists than can qualify such a desire. Extremism is all ready ensconced in Big Business in America, and it is this which will be our downfall, not the Moslems.

Let's Abandon "Pop" Business

Why can’t I stop talking about “pop?” There is a simple example I can pose that directly relates to what has been happening in American media for the last few years. I am going to use an analogy. “To pop,” now is going to be considered “selling out.” I’m not sure if anyone in pop culture even knows what that is anymore. “Sell what?” Selling out means compromising your values for monetary gain. For the longest time American entertainers were at the forefront of real knowledge. That is upon what they based the credibility and integrity of their product. “Making it big” meant you were wise enough to be a comedic social conscience for the country. Being an entertainer had substance, because in the past America was steeped in cultural integrity. Maybe it was because of the Cold War. When communist enemies are on the verge of world dominance, then that frightening thought would compel government and society to “Keep it real.” The consequences of not “keeping it real” would mean drinking lots of Vodka in a police state with long lines for cheese and toilet paper. In the not so distant past that was a real image to the American people. Evidently with the fall of the Cold War the real threat of world domination by a fascist political regime has subsided to a point where the mainstream (no matter how concealed it is) is no longer afraid. How can it be that a monumental terrorist attack on downtown Manhattan could not fuel the same type of fears embodied in the Cold War for so long? Is it that nuclear disarmament has somehow lessened the consequences of a violent take over? Certainly Extreme Islam is every bit as violently potent as the Red Army. In certain ways in the last six years we have seen more violence and disregard for human life than in previous decades fighting the ensuing threat of the Soviet Union. How could it be a more marked threat to national security has merited such a timid reply in pop culture? How could “selling out” for quick, superficial, immediate monetary gratification have taken the place of what once used to be the most visible and viable platform in America? While Extreme Terror has made inroads into the United States, pop media has checked out. This once public forum of ethical and moral philosophy led by entertainers has now moved to the internet taken over by the common man. The rapid influx of “blogging” has made a sizeable dent in the tradition of journalism, and media is still reeling from it. What I don’t understand is how the tried and true history of broadcast journalism suddenly disappeared? Is it because the newest generation working in the communications industry have not been schooled in the “Old School” of communications? When Devry University came along and said dad’s skills were now outdated, did that apply to every viable vocation nurtured in the United States since her inception? Who would have the power to disassemble the very infrastructure of America and leave it in such mass disarray? “To sell out” must be qualified. “To sell out” means that a traditional set of values common to most people were actively abandoned in return for monetary gain. That means we first must acknowledge what those values are. Those values are what used to be embodied in a traditional liberal arts education in school. A mixture of science, English writing, foreign language, math, and the arts made up a core of what our country thought important in educating future citizens of the United States. These principles have endured the majority of the history of the United States, and they were carried over from the study of Western Civilization. European models of university surely became building blocks for America’s educational system. Then something happened. Suddenly someone began to say the traditional set of values and skills we prized and valued were no longer applicable to “modern” America. Dad had to do a quick double take and realized “someone” was now discrediting much of his working life. “You are no longer valuable to us, Mr. Smith. Your years of service to the company are no longer appreciated,” and Mr. Smith was tossed to the dogs without a care in the world by the company. “That’s the way it is. Take it or leave it. Win or lose. That’s the way of the world.” I don’t believe anyone who lives in America would think this was appropriate behavior. While you could justify such behavior by the definition of Capitalism (if it doesn’t sell, you are out of a job) it doesn’t represent moral behavior. How could a large company that has been served for many years by faithful employees suddenly say, “Screw you.”? That would mean religion was absent from the company’s policy, thus relieving them of the higher responsibility to their workers as people. Separating religion from business would allow private companies to abuse their workers in the names of their jobs, much like has been done in many other third world companies outsourced with American manufacturing jobs. It would be easy in Mexico, India, or China to abuse your workers making American products without scrutiny by the judicial branch of government. While the separation of religion and state has been a public issue for many years, no one has really talked about religion in business. How could this be possible seeing as we live in a Capitalist nation employing a public workforce for a privately owned means of production? Would not the rights of employees be governed by the tenants of religion? If there weren’t tried and true labor practices enforced by unions, what would govern employers treatment of their employees? I guess it would be government, yet systematically the federal government has continued to DE-regulate private businesses and provide tax breaks for the rich. It must be the traditional work ethic and value system of America that has served us so well since the beginning has now become defunct. With the out-sourcing of staple manufacturing jobs that were the meat and potatoes of so many middle class Americans, so out-sourced was our value system. No longer is there a need for the defining of vocations crucial to the inception, development, and creation of a product held in high esteem by the American people. Our mainstream has been out-sourced and with it its governance of acceptable rules of conduct for both media and pop culture. If there no longer was a set of rules in place meant to guide Americans in a worthwhile and fruitful existence, then anything would go. Boundaries would be broken and chaos would ensue. America’s new reliance upon personal entertainment technology and wireless communications has undermined the intellectual integrity of America. No longer is the technology sector seeking to raise its status by developing products that will help mankind endure. Technology like media has lost its heart. There is no human theme driving the market. Somehow the change of threat from Russian nuclear invasion to Extreme Islam has disguised the true nature of man. We must survive. We must survive on this small and fragile planet with lessening supplies of fresh water, air, and cold. Why would it be that Al Qaeda would seem less of a threat than a vastly armed Soviet Block? The Soviets were at the forefront of many disciplines including space exploration. For intellectual reasons we feared them because it appeared they had more wisdom than we did in certain areas. Al Qaeda has sent no capsule into space nor have they produced Olympic level athletes. It is for this reason we fear them less? It would seem we would fear them more, because unlike traditional intelligent human beings with a need for civility and enlightenment, they focus their attention only on destruction. Oddly enough media and pop culture as abandoned our fight against Extreme Islam. Instead they have disconnected, de-sensitized, and attempted to create a false reality of superficial propaganda that we really do not fear Al Qaeda at all. Is that the proper thing to do in the wake of such public displays of escalating violence, especially in our school systems? “Send Big and Rich out there to distract the folks from reality.” Has that been the philosophy of media for the last five years? My suggestion is we apply an old term. Media should be replaced with the term “Communications.” From now on if media has nothing to communicate, then they shouldn’t be on the air. There is no eye candy. Life is too short to forget why we are here, and that is what is happening. The campaign of business that has undermined our society, our work ethic, and our values should be abandoned for the core values we have always held. Put down that plastic. Stop using the ATM. Turn off the cell phone. Count your pennies. Keep a checkbook. Don’t watch primetime television. Ride your bike. Make your own clothes. Organize a neighborhood athletic team. Grow your own garden. Let’s put the shallow businesses that destroyed our mainstream back into perspective. We matter. The American people matter. Cell phones do not matter. In this way when someone does get up to sing a song, it will be about something for which they care.

Today's Top Ten List of the All Time Top Ten List

1. The One- "You’re Still the One I Love" (sung by Shania Twain)

2. The Two Jakes- Jack Nickolson, Harvey Keitel

3. The Three Musketeers- Aramis, Athos, D'Artagnan

4. The Fab Four- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr

5. The Russian Five- Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin.

6. The French Six- Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honneger, Louis Durey, Francis Poulenc, Jean Cocteau, Georges Auric

7. The Magnificent Seven- Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, Horst Buchholz.

8. The Eight- Robert Henri, George Luks, William Glackens, John Sloan, and Everett Shinn, along with Maurice Prendergast, Ernest Lawson, and Arthur Bowen Davies.

9. The Little Rock Nine- Melba Patillo Beals, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Minnijean Brown Trickey and Thelma Mothershed Wair.

10. The Ten- Jessica Alba, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, Oliver Platt,
Winona Ryder, Adam Brody, Kerri Kennedy, Ken Marino, A.D. Miles, Paul Rudd

The Lydian Chromatic Concept

George Russell wrote a scholarly academic treatise on a harmonic system that many jazz improvisers chose to use. While it was rather cumbersome in structure, the premise can be broken down into the "modes" of the ascending lydian-augmented scale. (These can also be inharmonic equivolents to the ascending melodic minor scale) If you use a major scale with a sharped fourth AND fifth degree (while the Lydian scale suffices to provide two equal tetrachords unlike the major scale) all of the necessary "altered" scales for use in jazz improvisation are generated. (There is no longer any guesswork in which notes to use) Peace Out!

Today's Top Ten List of Best "Classical" Pieces

1. Schubert, "Quintet in C Major" (This has double bass with the string quaret)

2. Bela Bartok, "The Miraculous Mandarin" (A man in love with his prostitute learns about love the hard way)

3. Elliot Carter, "String Quartets" (He won the Pulitzer Prize for these)

4. Edward Grieg, "Peer Gynt Suite"

5. Maurice Ravel, "Mother Goose Suite" (Impressionism was not just Faure, and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra does it best.)

6. Claude Debussy, "Nocturnes" (Hearing the "Sirens" sing would put any man "In the Mood.")

7. Alban Berg, "Violin Concerto" (Itzhak Perlman is the man)

8. Gustav Mahler, "Tenth Symphony" (If you wondered where the "Theme from Star Trek" came from...?)

9. Alexander Borodin, "Polovtsian Dances" (The Russians were influential to American music Rachmaninov bridged the gap between European orchestral music and American movie music. Erich Korngold carried this torch and made the loot)

10. Igor Stravinsky, "Persephone" (Who knew a monodram could be so inticing?)

A Tip o' the Hat To......

1. Salba and Malba (Steve and Mickey Alba/ Legends of Skateboarding)

2. T.A./Maddog (Tony Alva/ the Best Skater of all time)

3. Jason Jesse (He smokes a lot of ((Mike Weed)) but he is still a great skater!)

4. Jeff Kendall ("It must be nice to be able to party until l999")

5. Natas Kaupas (Only Santa Monica Airlines could give this man the wings to ollie over fire hydrants and dumpsters)

6. Tommy Guerrero (That fiery sword deck is fab 'cept for those plastic Gullwing Sidewinders!)

7. Tom Sims (Only an old fart would have the balls to ride a longboard, "Back in the day."

8. Kenny Means ("Skateboard Madness" is a schizophrenic romp, but this dude can ride eight wheels like no other)

9. Santa (Steve Caballero had good "form" way back when riding those ditches in L.A.)

10. Rob Roscopp (I guess Ohio can't be all that bad)

Today's Top Ten List of Hollywood's Best Actors and Actresses

1. Gene Hackman

2. Robert DuVall

3. Brad Pitt

4. Tom Cruise

5. Jennifer Connelly

6. Halle Berry

7. Chevy Chase

8. William Hurt

9. Jennifer Anniston

10. Sally Field

A Poem for the General

El General como se llama?

My name is Barak Obama.

El Presidente I hope to be,

Before American troops will flee.


Patreus said, “In due time.”

Bush agreed, “Things will be fine.”

“F-I-N-E” Brad Pitt does tell,

“Freaked out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional,” all is not well.


We want our army back at home,

Our economy is picked to the bone.

Henchmen, cronies and private security,

All make for an incongruity.


Make it all end, El General,

So we receive a boost in morale.

Gracias.

Fear and Intimidation

We often hear of a “Campaign of Fear and Intimidation”. One college professor was bold enough to say President Bush’s White House resembled a Nazi organization. The President didn’t like Dan Rather’s reporting on his war record, and it seems the same was true for Ward Churchill. Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales, and Tony Snow all have resigned. Evidently these men didn’t worry too much about finding jobs in the private sector, or were they all ready considered to be working in the private sector? Al Gore didn’t have any trouble landing a job as a college professor at Georgetown University. It seems unless you are indicted by federal prosecutors fear and intimidation doesn’t apply. A slew of federal prosecutors were fired, many after receiving favorable appraisals of job performance. Does a “Campaign of Fear and Intimidation” apply to us? If so whence does it come? A few years back a marked difference in television and motion picture production and direction began. The aesthetic of this media changed. Once television and film were filled with warm and bubbly content that enticed audiences to want to participate. Even when suspense, action, and horror were the selected medium, there was an underlying sentiment that allowed viewers the confidence to lose themselves in the picture without fear. That changed. Violent video games produced by the Japanese began to infiltrate film. The martial arts, war, and mythological characters all began to dominate what once was very American and humane content. Films such as American Graffiti and The Lords of Flatbush were replaced with graphics-based edgy post modern depictions of violence. Instead of drawing the viewer into deeper and more rewarding dramatic and emotional content, filmmakers became content with comic book-type diversion. Evidently the ADHD that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States began to dictate rather than succumb to film directing. If viewers were unable to hold a thought or feeling for more than a few seconds how could a director and his or her actors? “Shoot the shot and we will fix it in the mix,” as a visit to George Lucas’s facility on the web shows. Digitization created with the Renderman software created by Steve Jobs has proven to have all but replaced traditional celluloid film making. No more worry about lighting design, art direction, or costuming. “We can create it all on the computer.” The trouble is most people outgrow puberty. There comes a time when adults choose to put down the joystick and hot pockets and grow up. We become more interested in what other human beings are thinking and feelings. A game programmers concept of a stunted and truncated reality no longer will suffice for pleasant diversion. Let’s hear it for the humanities! If one were to pinpoint a source of Extremism in America other than patriotic militias, it would have to be the mediums of television and film. If one did choose to not turn on the television after rising from bed, it might be the “Campaign of Fear and Intimidation” would not exist at all.

Today's Top Ten List of Hollywood Drag Queens

1. Robert Downy Jr. in Drag- Mira Sorvino

2. Christina Aguilera in Drag- Naomi Watts

3. Rose McGowan in Drag- Linda Tripp

4. Kim Basinger in Drag- Fawn Hall

5. Jody Foster in Drag- Gillian Anderson

6. Gillian Anderson in Drag- Celine Dion

7. Old Tom Turkey in Drag- Julia Roberts

8. Tawnee Welch in Drag- Angie Harmon

9. Charlize Theron in Drag- Jenna Elfman

10. Shania Twain in Drag- Ali Landry

Conservative in Infrastructure, Liberal in Thinking

While I have railed upon conservative thinking as related to business practices, I have realized that I in certain ways am a conservative. It is humbling to realize this, because I do see certain ways of non-thinking conservativism as a death sentence. If one is trapped in a dark cave with no tools are you going to be able to rely upon conservative thinking to escape? Isn’t it going to demand a more direct and immediate solution like what is taught in the United States Army? “Just do it!” “Get ‘er done.” These catch phrases do have relevance, as I learned from my former Sergeant in the Air Force brother-in-law. He was the one who taught me thinking about a task too much prohibits its accomplishment. There are certain jobs that merit brute force. That means all the thoughtful retrospection in the world will not help solve the problem. Your animal instincts should take over and the survival of the fittest wins. It is pure adrenaline. In this way as an educator with a Teaching Certificate (although now expired) I do believe being actively engaged in the learning or solving process is important. Sitting around on one’s laurels with a gavel in hand will not help solve the social or political problems of today. Instead we need active engagement, and that is difficult because of the recent history of the White House. When the majority agenda of our leaders is covert and selfish, it becomes difficult for media to get their hands around the issues. It takes forceful authoritative journalism to expose truths. When Extreme Terrorism is stirred into the soup media could become shy about their jobs. We are all faced with the controversial decision of wanting to support our country’s politics while equally wanting them to be honest. That means an adult stance must be taken like parents in a family. The parents need and want love from their children, but at the same time the children must be disciplined by a neutral force. Tough love must take over the well-being of the future of the child becomes paramount. We must treat our government the same way. This administration is incapable of providing the leadership and legislation we need today, because they are conservative. Conservative in this context means there is no room for new things. Coming to a new understanding of an issue that didn’t exist in your history before is a precursor to enlightenment. If one is so stumped in their own pitiful and small world they will have no interest in understanding anything new. Instead they will cling to the past, because this allows them to exist in a harmless shell of instinctual behavior that does not require active thought and accommodation and assimilation of new knowledge. It is comfortable. The Kennedy family was “comfortable.” Jackie O. always said, “Things were nice.” While there is a certain model of “nice,” it can be seen to come from the aristocracy in Europe. America never has been known as a model of Europe. We instead are known as head-strong rebels standing up for the ideas of freedom. To fight for one’s freedom is not to sit and a castle and eat tea and crumpets. Fighting for freedom means being engaged in current issues and being willing to fight for your cause. Hillary said in a recent speech that the path of diplomacy was closed. That means that no one in the White House is even willing to entertain a dialog with our enemies, because we are too afraid and cemented in our own frail habits to be able to confront controversy. To confront change one must have a solid understanding and allegiance to one’s own principles, and they must be public. When this is not the case an administration will be unable to confront the enemy on a diplomatic level, because hypocrisy will prevent an honest solution. Liberal thinking is essential. Conversely one area where conservative thinking could be effective is concerning infrastructure. I realized within the last few years every street corner in the American South has been bought by drug companies. This easily could be attributed to urban sprawl. Then the notion presents itself that all of those Walgreens, CVS Pharmacies, and Eckerds Drugs were all competing for street corners. How ironically the local ghetto drug dealer’s corners were taken over by large pharmaceutical companies. This is representative of a larger scale movement in America where our land is being bought up by big business. This movement is not conservative, because conservative thinking would have kept in place the model of the village. Drug stores would not have taken on the model of large wholesale outlets such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Best Buy. Could this be considered liberal thinking, or is it better characterized by “extreme” thinking? It seems somewhat extreme for buildings to spout on the corners of our intersections that look like fortresses. Instead of keeping the enemy at bay with a moat and drawbridge they are supposed to offer comfort. I don’t think this has been a successful model of health care, offering drive through service for drugs. To suggest something as serious and important as a prescription can be obtained from a drive up window is to undermine the health care process. “Get your drugs! Get your drugs right here.” The position of the local drug dealer, like indy music labels have been exploited by big business. Do we want our health care administered on a massive scale, or do we want our medicine personal and confidential? The drug companies have eliminated that possibility. While once you could have a local neighborhood doctor come to your home with a little black bag, now a stream of middle men must approve your hemorrhoid treatments. Is this suitable for America and concurrent with conservative values? It seems to me Extremism has been at work in American business and politics for years hidden under the ruse of conservatism effectively decapitating real liberal thought.

Why We Ain't Got No Rhythm

“All God’s chillin got rhythm.” It is easy quickly to survey the medium of television and assess why they ain’t got no rhythm. The premise that a group of people can somehow become cool without God quickly will sink into the sand like a giant giraffe being sucked into the pits of hell. The reason this country has no soul is because we have no God. Rhythm is the instrument of God. Rhythm provides the soul of the human race, and television’s decision to use only pop music is a major deterrent to the acquisition of a human soul. Traditionally in American history TV attempted to provide soul rather than to destroy it. This was implemented by utilizing live playing musicians. If a composer was employed he had to experience the drama first hand, synthesize it through his own feelings, and then further allow it to breathe by being interpreted by others. This rendered life to the possible sterile process of television. Without it television is nothing more than a cheap video game with plastic characters and porno dialog. It is life “in the box” we are now living. Who decided television characters are no longer able to act extemporaneously akin to improvisers in the field of jazz? Who decided spontaneous creativity was passé? Who decided strictly scripted mono-syllabic propagandistic rants were appropriate as diversion for the human race? Just listen to the majority of news anchors on television today. None of them have rhythm, because rhythm is what breathes life into stale political dialog. To have this rhythm you still must be able to have human emotional responses to the issues. This understanding translates into enlightenment, because it is synthesized by the human soul. The complex system that is the cognitive brain and the affective emotions understand and interpret the issue into human form this giving it relevance to the human viewer. Without this understanding by the news anchor the broadcast is nothing more than an idiot android conveying the news via remote control. Media has been talking this way for the last few years, and it best can be seen in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. When there is truth to dialog it has rhythm, the rhythm of being listened to, interpreted, and commented upon. When this is not present the dialog like a majority of what’s on T.V. is nothing but an endless stream of unmeaningful syllables. The inflections in the lines of dialog are conspicuously missing. Like “pop” music sterilizes its expression, this interpretation of human speech renders the King’s English impotent to arouse its listeners. Instead a “global” pre-conceived thought-to-be-universal dynamic is applied destroying any possibility of really understanding the issue. To understand issues they must be synthesized by the human soul. They must move the emotions at a deeper level, and this is a process that far exceeds the “shock value” of most current pop media. Jolting the viewer into acknowledging a particular issues can not substitute for a broadcast of its in depth understanding. On a good episode Anderson Cooper has this understanding. It is unfortunate the need for 500 cable channels with immediate gratification has all but destroyed the human soul. It is taxing to be engaged in the issues at this level, and it is equally as detrimental to be emotionally involved with issues that are dishonest and being spun by the media. This force of evil does have the power to maim. In this perspective it is easy to see how media tunes out the complexity of reality opting for a shallow but less demanding platform of information.

Conservatives are for Satan

The idea of conservatism is in itself a death sentence. The state of the world today is living proof that sentencing the human race to a prison of conformist ideas devised by the wealthy is to mark the end of the world as we know it. Do we think for a moment that God suddenly stopped and said to Himself, “I think the human race should stop learning at a particular point in evolution.” Because the fiercely guarded doctrine of making money from the lower classes is effective for the rich, these principles do not apply to the survival needs of man as an mammal. How to arrange your portfolio as we are seeing on a daily basis has nothing to do with helping the world survive. Conversely its steadfast rules are at odds with ground zero. The Bush White House could be no better example of this blasphemous and deranged philosophy. To be so irresponsible as to think the children of your children will be around to clean up your mess is mockingly arrogant and selfish, but so is George Bush Jr. As Hillary is saying in her newly passionate campaign speeches, “The times of cowboy diplomacy are over.” We have long outlived the need for a cocky sheriff that takes credibility from his money belt. Conservatism if applied to a staid and sequestered community may be an effective dogma. Images of puritan religions come to mind such as the Amish. To call yourself conservative is an obvious declaration of your own inability to be able to think for yourself, because it allows you to hide in the former decisions of others. In a world that is changing as rapidly as ours, this will no longer suffice. Things are as they have never been in history and taking a conservative approach meaning, “Things will turn out okay if we just leave them alone,” is truly a death sentence. Our planet is creaking and groaning under the ill administered responsibilities Republicans have delegated to mother earth. The O-Zone is deteriorating. Trees are disappearing. Water is being contaminated, and we are roasting our own planet in an array of electricity. Republicans don’t care, because the selfishness of getting for yourself doesn’t translate to altruistic love. If this is what Capitalism means to the right, how does a democratic left even exist? They are at odds in values, where R represents monetary gain and D represents humanity. Can it be a faction of society is so sheltered that only money will suffice for happiness? That would mean their conservatism is so strong it will not allow the base hierarchal needs of Maslow to make themselves known. Their small minds never have had to contend with anything other than being spoiled. For this reason revolutions occur when a ruling class is so out of sync with the needs of reality. Hiding in a conservative shell can no longer be a viable option in the politics of the United States of America. We needed a bridge to the 21st century. Instead we reaped a gaping chasm of schizophrenia, a thistly running vine punctuated with the thorns of Satan. The way of God is one of enlightenment, and the way of Satan is death. Actively and loudly ascribing yourself to death is laughable and only reserved for those so spoiled they no longer know how to think for themselves. The common man has no such luxury. The misplaced people of New Orleans have no such luxury. Those with no health insurance have no such luxury. The mentally and physically handicapped have no such luxury. Conservatism is for the rich and the broken-hearted are for God. God offers the hope of prosperity and happiness and it is only He who will save this country.

The Base Re-alignment Commission

Military base re-alignment has never been a pleasant thought for personnel in the armed services. These re-alignments which began in l988 never cease to upset. The bottom line is the Department of Defense is trying to save money. Can you repeat that please? While we are pouring billions of dollars into an unnecessary war in Iraq, our Department of Defense is attempting to squeeze extra dollars by closing certain military bases and re-positioning those troops in other areas. Ft. Bragg, North Carolina was been at the butt of this process since it began in l988 under President Ronald Reagan. His decision to relocate 30,000 troops to Ft. Bragg changed the city of Fayetteville forever. The small town feel of Fayetteville changed, and in response to the influx of personnel urban sprawl began. While Bragg Boulevard has always been the main thoroughfare from the post to downtown Fayetteville, the flow of automobile traffic consciously was diverted in another direction. Skibo Road or the 401 Bypass became the new “strip.” This simply was a right hand turn off Ft. Bragg diverting traffic to the Cross Creek Mall area. The mall and surrounding land had always been somewhat rural, and that was its appeal. J.P. Riddle owned much of the land around the mall, and he sat on it for a very long time until its value increased exponentially. There was corn growing for the longest time beside our Best Products store. When the decision was made to make 401 the “new” Bragg Boulevard, someone must have made a lot of money. I’m not sure what the thought process was. Someone decided the destination of downtown was not appropriate for G.I.’s, because downtown was not urban sprawl. It was the typical downtown of a small southern town. During that era Sears, Belks, the Capital, and J.C. Penny had department stores down there. There were several movie theaters. The Colony was one of them. The strip of Hay St. known as the 500 block was inhabited by clubs. The Korean Lounge, Rick’s, and the Pink Pussycat were all familiar names to young military men looking for recreational diversion. Neon lights and marquees dotted Hay street, and there was no lacking for a place to drink beer, watch strippers, and get rowdy. That changed because one particular social conscience decided it was not appropriate. This property was bought up and the bars were forced out. Downtown has never recovered. Over the decades several attempts have been made to revitalize the area, but to no avail. They laid “Old Country” styled brick on the streets and sidewalks. They put in expensive black wrought iron lampposts and urns. They made the block surrounding our Market House a walking only mall. None of these succeeded in bringing the necessary commerce. A value judgment was made that a G.I.’s dollars should be more wisely spent on “other” activities. I would like to question that decision. As time passed their philosophy slowly emerged. While once Fayetteville had a handful of recognizable restaurants (Chi Chi’s, Bennigans, Darryls, and Ruby Tuesdays) urban sprawl offered the opportunity of a cavalcade of new “theme” oriented restaurants. The seed was sown, and the Cross Creek Mall area went from relaxed and recreational to urban and frenetic. Over two decades urban planning seemed to be chucked into the wind and a potpourri of businesses opened helter skelter. It has never recovered its class. Instead masses of military people are “serviced” at the most basic level. Wal Mart is consistently sold out of its products, and Cross Creek Mall offers only the most basic items. Most middle-classed residents of Fayetteville began doing their shopping out-of-town. Merchants inevitable love this way of life. G.I.’s that are stuck in the field all day playing war, in a knee jerk reaction seeking happiness and recreation spend their dollars on over-priced vehicles and unnecessary products. In a more traditional America the basic activities of leisure would provide the necessary relief from war-time stress. America has been transforming our cultural heritage constantly for the last two decades. The down-to-earth models of relaxing and blowing off steam have not even been out sourced but eliminated, so that people have no choice but to spend their money. The best example of this can be seen on Woodrow St. where their park was selfishly taken over by two imposing cell phone towers. PWC or the Public Works Commission fenced off the park like a Soviet military base and proceeded to erect two tall antenna arrays. No Trespassing signs were placed on the fences, and the swing sets and teeter totters became the playthings of ghosts only. Eventually the city placed the microwave transmitters back atop the large water tower on the property, but the encompassing and exclusionary wall has yet to be removed. In California a law was passed prohibiting cell phone towers being place in close proximity to schools. Here they are in the middle of a park. In this way it can be see there is a mafia in the American South. It operates in tandem with government and the well-being of affluent citizens is what is protected. The possibility of democracy exists, but as in most Republican led contingencies the “little guy” is squashed like a bug. The way of Fayetteville has been premeditated, and that plan continues with the newest wave of base closures and re-alignment. Fayetteville’s infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle the amount of military personnel here now. It certainly will be a disservice to the 30,000 newly arriving military and civilian workers. As our troops continue to be abused and humiliated at the hands of the George W. Bush White House, they will continue to be disserviced living in the urban sprawl of Fayettenam. Considering Ft. Bragg is going to become home to the Base Re-Alignment Commission itself and more officers than any other area of the country, you could have hoped for a more metropolitan destination. Fayetteville has never been home to that, because one small group of elite businessmen have controlled it for the longest time. As I realize everyday real culture is an enemy to real money, because artistic enlightenment is not concerned with monetary gain. Allowing human beings to become actualized and happy through culture is counter to the business model of making people buy because they are starved of real life. Thus Fayetteville is the perfect mecca of Old Money and the perfect location for base re-alignment.

A Tip o' the Hat to Stacy Peralta and Larry Gordon

A tip o' the hat must be given to Stacy Peralta and Larry Gordon for producing the G&S Warptail skateboard. This machine devised in the late l970's, equipped with vintage Tracker Midtrack re-issue trucks and Turner 3DM Cambrias is as close as you can get to "Old School" skating. This is the ULTIMATE carving machine. Who would know a 7 ply laminate maple board could carve concrete as well as a Jeff Ho surfboard could "carve" waves in the Pacific Ocean? I grew up on a Nash Goofy Foot, a Roller Sport Proline, and a G&S Fibreflex with Bennett Pro trucks and Roadrider 6 wheels. (I still have it) This re-issue board with a set of Tracker Midtracks (the real kind that cost $60.00), and Roadrider copies carves the cement like a Banshee. I have never had so much fun on a grocery store sidewalk. I have several other custom made "shapes" that have served me well.... but this M.F. "Old School Rocks!" Who knew a stick could provide such pleasure? I thought I was Stacy Peralta himself dragging my toes while spinning on that back truck. Forget the "New School" and teach the younger riders how to balance on that slalom board tearing up the banks of Bellagio Elementary School. Balance is what it is all about. Finding the "bead" of the "blade." Slalom man! I like the Z-Flex Jay Adams re-issue too. It's nose is the sweetest pocket for nose wheelies. There is something about the balance of that short little board by G&S... Good work and quality transcends.

Today’s Top Ten List of Celebrity True Identities

Barry Manilow in Drag- Phil Spector

Adam Sandler in Drag- Cherry Petite

Gerry McCann in Drag- Sam Neill

Russell of the Fat Albert Gang in Drag- The Hamburglar

Dick Cheney in Drag- Willem Dafoe

Lee Marvin in Drag- Michael Mukasey

O.J. Simpson Post-Michael Jackson- George W. Bush

O.J. Simpson Post-Michael Jackson in Drag- Ellen Degeneres

Samuel L. Jackson in Whiteface- The Hamburglar

Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Drag- Steve Fossett

Downtown Fayetteville and the Little Locomotive That Could

Recently I was booked for a “society gig” in Pinehurst, North Carolina. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this southern icon, it is a golfing resort. Nestled in the rolling sand hills of the piedmont, it is flanked by long leaf pine trees. Pinehurst has a unique look due to these trees. It also suffers from the same ills as Fayetteville when brown pine needles fall from the branches of the tress. They leave a mess on the streets. Pinehurst is an anomaly. It is one point of a triangle shared with Southern Pines and Aberdeen. The Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad connects Aberdeen to Fayetteville, and everyday their fleet of GP classed locomotives chug into the yard in Fayetteville. When traveling to Pinehurst via Plank Rd. on the fringe of Ft. Bragg, one never knows where the train will be. It, like most railroad track, is hidden. Likewise Ft. Bragg has an ammunition dump that is serviced by their spur that runs to Aberdeen from the station in downtown Fayetteville. The Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad shares their yard with the Norfolk Southern, which is a Fortune 500 company. A trunk line from their shared yard transects downtown Fayetteville and connects to the CSX-T Milan yard. It seems synonymously with White House political “spin,” no one involved in the downtown revitalization project wants to acknowledge its true colors. The historical block of Old Fayetteville, the one that borders our Market House, is in close proximity to this railroad activity. Downtown Fayetteville, like most turn-of-the-century American towns, is built around its railroad station. The unfortunate thing is the double railroad tracks that run through downtown Fayetteville are the mainline of the CSX-T. CSX-T is an acronym coined by former Secretary of the Federal Treasury John Snow which represents the Chessie System and Seaboard Coastline. The two merged to form the new congomerate with X meaning “unknown” much like “Generation X.” T stands for transportation. The CSX-T mainline runs parallel to interstate I-95 and covers the entire length of the East Coast. Conservatively a train uses the line every fifteen minutes. That makes Fayetteville more unique than any other city in North Carolina, because its downtown station is not for a quaint short line railroad. Major railroad traffic passes through Fayetteville 24/7. The system I just described is the support system for mass transited rail freight. Goods that are shipped to and from Fayetteville such as vegetable oil from Cargill and fuel for Ft. Bragg must be sorted in these yards. This is a dirty, busy, and time consuming process. Unfortunately no matter how you spin that reality, it can’t change the reality that Historic Downtown Fayetteville is part of this geography. One reason why domestic activity has never flourished downtown is because trains are running all day. Quiet lunches, refreshing happy hours, and recreational shopping are not coincident with the sorting of freight by hulking, heat-producing, diesel prime movers. We no longer live in a nostalgic era of steam where the chug of the engine and the toot of the whistle remind us of happier times. We live in an era of massive transportation and logistical technology. The railroads are in direct competition with trucking companies, and they are continually trying to find ways to dominate. One such solution to this healthy competition was the foray into Alternating Current Traction. Traction for those of you who don’t know is a term for pulling weight efficiently on the rails. Traditionally locomotives have been equipped with Direct Current traction motors that are built into the axles of the trucks. The diesel “prime mover” is not responsible for turning the wheels of the locomotive with linkage and gearing from its drive shaft. Instead the diesel engine produces vast amount of electricity by turning either a generator or an alternator. A generator is need for the production of DC power. An alternator is needed for AC traction motors. AC motors have no brushes like the alternator in your car, so theoretically they will not wear out. This was the major incentive to begin using AC traction motors instead of the traditional DC counterpart. Maintenance costs were prohibitively high with DC traction, so the railroads were looking for a more cost effective method of moving heavy freight. The rolling foothills of Appalachia provided a sizeable obstacle for the transportation of coal from the mines to the coal-fired power plants. AC traction was devised by Siemens, General Electric, and General Motors as a solution to this problem. Jointly there were able to produce a new breed of alternating current traction motor locomotives. In the process of designing these mega machines the scope of the traditional railroad locomotive grew. They, like their DC counterpart the C40-9W, bulged at the seems. The diesel prime mover got larger and more powerful, hence its capability to haul more freight with fewer locomotives in a “consist.” Two AC locomotives now could replace a string of traditional DC powered locomotives saving the railroads money. So far the effects of this new breed of locomotive have not been studied. Instead a situation has occurred that is not dissimilar to the Iraq War. The true nature of AC Traction has been covertly disguised. Business has continued as normal while a festering and infected pocket of puss has continued to form. This puss has manifested itself in various ways in the human race. Drug companies have capitalized on its existence by offering pharmaceutical solutions to created symptoms, while no one has even attempted to isolate the cause. It is due time that its ills become known to the mainstream, so its long lasting effects finally can be pinpointed and corrected. It is not unusual for a business community to want to flourish. It is unusual for a group to market something as something it is not. While a burgeoning and humanistic Downtown Fayetteville may seem pleasant, it will never come to pass until the ill effects of AC traction are exposed and conquered.

Freedom in America: Old Money vs. Old Skaters

Everyday living in Fayetteville, North Carolina I am rudely reminded of that “society.” Anytime unabashedly I embark on a pleasure seeking adventure, I immediately am reminded I do not live on my own playground. In fact I live precariously in the middle of property that is overtly private, policed by the state, and taxed by the government. The only thing making it free is that idea in my own head. It used to be we felt free in America. I never thought that as soon as my feet touched the curb at the street I was on Uncle Sam’s property. I never thought riding my bike to the 7/11 in summer when my tires touched they sidewalk they were on “private property.” Of course they were. You could consider government property private, but is it? Of course not. It is paid for by citizens’ tax dollars. Only elected officials with dementia powerful enough could construe government property private. Again the traditions of the Old South prevail. Those with money seem to think because they possess money they are in power. Downtown Fayetteville is a prime example of a confused and mislead business philosophy. It is both inclusive and exclusive. To whom it is what is what is in question. The Downtown Fayetteville Organization has been passing out incentives to attract merchants to the historical block of Old Fayetteville. Over the last three decades multiple attempts have been made to revitalize downtown Fayetteville. The city succeeded in “cleaning up” the 500th Block of Hay St. I’m not sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Suddenly all of those G.I.’s stationed at Ft. Bragg had no where to go to buy beer, hang out, and scope the few available loose women in Fayetteville. Back then I didn’t mind people calling Fayetteville Fayettnam, because with that title came the by products. There were strip clubs. There were bars. There was action. Life was teeming. There didn’t seem to be ghetto, gang, drug dealers anywhere. Old Money succeeded in cleaning up Fayettenam just like Rudy cleaned up Times Square. In marches Disney in all their glory. Broadway shows became Disneyized. Are we living American life in a cartoon? It sure feels like it. The mayor decided to make it illegal in that historical block of Old Fayetteville to ride any type of vehicle that didn’t have a motor and a license. Are you getting this? In a town that hosts the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, someone is saying you can’t ride a bicycle downtown. They are discouraging tourism to the very place they are trying to revitalize. St. Maarten Island in the Caribbean is a huge tourist destination. Cruise ships dock here every day and tourists walk the miles of pavement scouring the hundreds of shops. Often when I walk the streets no one is buying. There is a lot of activity, but no one is buying or selling. Isn’t the whole idea of commerce to buy and sell? If this is not happening than the dynamic or the environment is prohibitive. Someone is not making the buyer feel comfortable and safe enough to put their trust in a merchant selling a product. That is the failed model in Fayetteville. While urban areas continue to make Old Money simply because the masses at Ft. Bragg must be fed, more exclusive areas are shooting themselves in the foot. Making a value judgment that merchants only want customers who drive cars is a civil rights violation. Not only does this contradict every possible rational philosophy (clean air, exercise, pollution, etc.) it is a bigoted idea. It can be seen only from the eyes of merchants that are being exclusive in their practices. Why would anyone see fit to restrict the use of recreational vehicles, whether they were in a business district or not? Is it not possible to ride a bicycle to the movies? There is a movie theatre downtown. Is it not possible to ride roller blades to a restaurant? Is it not possible to ride a skateboard to a store to buy a jacket? It is not the place of merchants or mayors to make these decisions. These are inalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, and for Fayetteville merchants to be partner to any such ordinances is a gross violation of Fayetteville civil rights. “Sorry massah. Do I have permission to come into your store to buy some fucking mint julip? I can’t afford a car, so I just drive this a little here cart with my three wheeled bicycle.” Sorry Leroy. Suddenly you are a sub par citizen and your presence is not wanted in the downtown block of Fayetteville. It is true Fayetteville has a homeless problem. Most cities do. We have indigent criminals everywhere, but a reckless, short-sighted, bandaid aimed at out-of-work loiterers is the wrong approach. If the town could fill its 30 vacant police spots and begin to enforce its existing laws like our Federal Government, then we would have a better starting place.

The Tongue...

I forgot to mention in my previous post that aside from creating pitch changes from the formation of vowel sounds in the oral cavity, the tongue is responsible for articulation. Articulation is a fancy word for starting and stopping the notes. If the air moves in a consistent stream from the lungs pushed by the diaphragm, then some mechanism must be created to start and stop the notes. There are several methods for stopping the air but using the tongue is the most preferable. Obviously because singers use these same methods, the addition of a mouthpiece and horn is just an extension of the singing process. In that regard is seems appropriate to teach vocal production first, but that rarely happens in public music education. When playing the trumpet the tip of the tongue should touch the base of the top teeth right at the roof of the mouth when articulating a note. This is the best place to articulate the stream of air coming from your lungs, because it doesn't STOP the air. It merely 'flicks' it. If you did as I did all the way through college, then you without knowing stopped the air completely by placing the tongue IN BETWEEN the upper and lower teeth. To someone that does not know any better, then is a functional method. The down side is it inhibits a pure sostenuto sound. Sostenuto is a fancy word for full and sustained. If you continually stop the air by placing the tongue between the teeth, then your phrases of music will not be continuous thus lyrical. They instead will be interrupted. As a result your intonation will be bad. Simply put without a full bodied air stream moving all the time, you are unlikely to play in tune. It is possible to stop the air stream by closing the throat, and this is bad. The throat should not act as a sphincter. It should be open with little to no tension. The trick is to maintain muscular tension in the chops and pressure in the diaphragm while keeping the throat relaxed. Meanwhile the tongue has to move quickly to start and stop notes and help with range by creating vowel sounds. I have found the easiest way to do get these mechanisms working quickly and efficiently is to buzz the mouthpiece. The Bill Adam trumpet method prefers buzzing the leadpipe. His argument is you will never play the trumpet like a kazoo so begin warming up by blowing air through a big tube. My problem with that is I would rather NOT pick up the horn at all when I warm up. I am trying to get my mental faculties in order to begin playing the trumpet. Instead of blindly physically trying to play the hardest instrument at once, I like to move slowly in that direction by isolating each one of these mentioned mental processes. Picking up the mouthpiece makes me think about it and what it has to accomplish to aid me in playing the trumpet. It has to buzz with an airtight seal, and I should be able to control the pitch (or literally play the mouthpiece) by just using my facial muscles, tongue, and air. If you can all ready do this, then it becomes much easier to play the daunting horn. You have all ready, like a vocalist, learned to control the mechanism that can produce quality sound without a horn. You are all ready one step ahead. When you warm up if you spend a few minutes thinking about each of these muscle groups and their function and spend the necessary time warming up those processes necessary to control them, then you will be ready to pick up the horn and play.

Playing Da Trumpet

Many people do not realize the instrument of the trumpet is the most difficult to master. I know this first hand because I began playing trumpet in the sixth grade band. Playing the trumpet, or any brass instrument, requires that you have an embrochure. An embrochure, although it sounds like a fancy word, is just a term to describe a hermetic seal between your lips and the mouthpiece. It is essential in playing a brass instrument to have an air tight seal between the lips and the metal mouthpiece. This is a bit of an anomaly because in order to produces a sound on the trumpet you must blow air and buzz the lips. The muscles that result from an airtight placement of the mouthpiece on the lips are what become the embrochure. Endurance or stamina in playing a brass instrument, or rather the ability to play for extended periods of time, is a product of musculature. These muscles directly around the lips (or chops) are what must grow strong to be able to hold that airtight seal. An airtight seal will not be produced without an “active” embrochure. That means an individual must “form” an embrochure in some way. In the art of playing trumpet they are a multitude of embrochure approaches, and that is what makes playing the trumpet difficult. Depending upon the make up of your facial muscles, the jaw, the alignment of teeth, and the shape of the inner oral cavity and tongue, each approach will be different. It is best not to get caught up in the red tape of which to use by figuring it out quickly what your approach will be. Examples such as the “smile” (pulling the corners of the mouth upward in a smile), and pulling the chin downward are two common techniques. I use neither. The easiest way to come to your correct embrochure is to find the easiest way to create a fairly flat and uniform “shelf” upon which to place the mouthpiece. This could take a few tries in the mirror. Doing this will help isolate the various muscles in the “chops” and allow you to gain control over them. In this way playing the trumpet is akin to being very expressive in acting, because many of the facial muscles could and should be used. First try making silly faces in the mirror. Smile, frown, wiggle your ears, and raise your eyebrows. The better you get at moving these muscles in various directions and how quickly will determine how good of a trumpet player you will become. I did not learn this in college. My embrochure basically relates to the “pucker,” because I have an overbite. That means the angle of the mouthpiece is tilted downward slightly, because the bottom jaw and teeth are further in than the upper teeth. There is nothing wrong with this. Few people have perfectly aligned upper and lower teeth. Depending on the relationship of the top to bottom teeth, your angle will result. If you have a lower bite, then the mouthpiece will angle up somewhat. When I form my embrochure I am doing two things. I am pushing both the top and bottom lips out in a pucker and pulling the muscles on top of the mouth up and the muscles on the bottom of the mouth down. This creates a flat muscular plane upon which the lips sit. Pushing the lips out creates substance or a thick body for which the mouthpiece to rest. Over time the mouthpiece will find its place on these chops, and it is possible that slight creases will form to accommodate the edges of the mouthpiece. Most professional trumpet players (like Miles Davis) have permanent calluses formed on their lips. This is normal. What is not normal is the method taught while I was in high school, which was the Doc Severinsen method of “no pressure.” How will you ever create an airtight seal without some degree of pressure? This confused me to no end in trying to learn how to play the horn. Stamina is the underlying strength of these muscles. The more quickly you isolate the appropriate muscles, begin to use them, and develop strength in them is how quickly you will gain endurance, or the ability to play for extended periods of time.
Before ending this entry I will name the other muscles groups that are used in playing the trumpet. The entire weight of the horn should be held in the LEFT hand. If that means having the pinky ring on the leadpipe removed, then do it. ( I did this when I discovered all through college I left my pinky in this ring giving me a sloppy third valve) Never again! Hold the horn in the left hand and bring it up to the chops and hold it there with force. That means the muscles in your left hand should be strong. Don’t let the horn “rest” in the cradle of your left hand. Hold it firmly. You be the boss of the horn. If you are going to be pushing on it, it needs to be held firmly. A relative amount of pressure should be pushed into the chops or lips. You should be able to feel the mouthpiece well. Act like you are kissing your best beau. Get in contact with the mouthpiece. Caress it. Move the muscles in your face and lips. The idea that the embrochure is some stationary concrete block is absurd. It should be malleable, flexible, and strong. To achieve certain styles in playing you must manipulate the embrochure. No one ever told me this either. You can not execute a lip trill unless… Well I will take that back. There are some trumpet players that can do this by only moving the position of the tongue to create vowel sounds within the oral cavity. The stream of air is constant, but they vary the pitch by going from an open vowel sound to a closed one. “Ah” is open, because the tongue is low and flat in the mouth. “Ee” is closed because the tongue is high and flat. The way you control the “amount” of air going into the horn is by creating the vowel sounds with your tongue. The speed or velocity of the air should be constant. I can’t do this, but with the aid of the chops am getting closer to creating a good lip trill. To finger the valves the pinky should never be in the ring on the lead pipe. You have three fingers for three valves. The right elbow should be held approximately 45 degrees below the height of the valves like a good military salute. It should be able to move freely up and down as the valves are pushed. To use only the fingers to move the valves with the hand held stationary is also ludicrioius. The finger muscles are freed if they are allowed to extend all the way down to the elbow. The wrist on the other hand should be held firmly straight and level with the arm and hand. A limp wrist will not provide the muscular power needed to slam the valves down quickly enough to produce precise note beginnings. The lungs and the diaphragm are the remaining set of muscles that must be used. Like the facial embrochure the diaphragm itself has an embrocure. They are the muscles in your abdomen you would tense to take a punch in the belly. The muscles surrounding the diaphragm must be strong to pressurize the air moving through the lungs to the mouthpiece. It is crucial this air is plentiful requiring strong lungs and moving quickly and evenly produced by pressurization with the diaphragm. Strengthening these muscles is just like going to the gym to do ab work. There are a variety of opinions on how to use these muscles, and I will approach that next time. Peace out and enjoy working on the craft of playing the trumpet.

Iraq...Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

That 70’s Show has been offering a realistic depiction of life in America in the l970’s. The question is, “Is this still a valid model of life for the mainstream?” Since it is well known the mainstream in America has become obscured, would it be problematic to view American life in a decade almost thirty years ago as valid and relevant to our own? Could it be that in certain ways that way of life could be more quintessential to American culture? The disappearance of the mainstream is important to the future of America. When asked the question, “What are the ties that bind a country together,” what will the answers be? If America has always been a “melting pot” of different immigrating nationalities, how did the country arrive at a mainstream to begin with? Could it be that television helped mold that image? Someone decided. Was it small businesses? Was it domestic life? Was it churches? Was it the public schools? Was it the government, or was it media? Could it be that media in the Golden Era of Film and Television was art, and its portrayals of American life were projections of the dreams of foreign immigrants? The good business model has always been, “Plan your work and work your plan.” America could be viewed as a product as such, because representing the vast array of virgin territory some model had to be used. As in the case of the movie “Dances with Wolves” or “Lord of the Flies,” would man sink to the lowest common denominator of civility if faced with a vacuum of cultural humanity? Do we as human beings have it within us to rise above the primitive existence of cave men and create culture? The obvious answer is yes, because the history of the world is dotted with cultures that serve as evidence. The ancient Greeks, the Mayan Indians, and the Egyptians all left artifacts that documented stellar intellectual achievement. This proves that the human mind is capable, as in Eastern religions, to continue to learn and grow despite primitive living conditions. That proves that the human being is the liaison of evolution. It is up to us to carry the torch of existence. What seems to be curtailing this evolution? The obvious answer again is war. When the human race is overwhelmed with the need for violence for self defense, it becomes an all encompassing existence. It becomes hard to justify greater artistic and intellectual achievement when we are operating at the base level of civilization. Although it may seem an unworthy analogy, skating died quite a few deaths in the history of America. If one looks at the chronology of political events in America, they seem to coincide with the “crash” of pop culture activities. It is hard to justify recreation and pleasure at a time when so many in the world are living in squalor, fear, violence, and political unrest. The arts by definition must have a stable infrastructure upon which to grow and thrive. Without that they can exist, but there is no vehicle to present them to the mainstream. Society becomes so disparate with basic human survival they are unable to absorb a common feeling representing the good of humanity. Media in this way can be advantageous to society if the responsibility is taken. That responsibility is to take a heightened social standing concerning life in America. That means leadership. While everyone may not view “Leave it to Beaver,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” and “I Love Lucy” as models of American life, at the time they were produced they were representative of a mainstream way of life. The country of America had not become so polarized so not to be able to depict some kind of domestic life. It could be said these shows and their depictions of American life lead the country. There was a time in television history when writing for TV was an art form. Artists used its medium as the most sophisticated and expedient way to reach mainstream America. Viewed in such perspective television became the media representing the pulse of the nation. At that time the social conscience of the nation never was compromised. Media was highly regulated and its content was edited for the good of the nation. How was that done? The standards of historical civilization simply were applied to the programming. Did these shows represent solid American values? At that time the ideals of the nations had not become both abandoned and extreme. The words in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution said it all. There was not a question about the roots of America. There was no debate. Everyone living in America believed in and attempted to abide by the laws of our land as delegated by these documents. It is unfortunate over time a conscious attempt has been made to undermine these principals of life and government. Lawmakers have continued to humiliate the Constitution instead legislating power for themselves over policy for the good of the people. This is corruption, and no nation is immune to it. We, like every other older nation, must deal with corruption. To keep the ideals of America in place justice by the people needs to be carried out swiftly and keenly. The problems must be located and the personnel eliminated from the formula of government. In the last week the ensuing presidential political campaign made fair strides in doing this. For the first time in six years a conscious effort was made actually to understand what is happening in Iraq without spin. General David Patraeus, commander of the Multi-National Force Iraq, gave testimony for both the House of Representatives and Congress. Here he was questioned without the intervention of the White House. With the presidential election looming in November of 2008, presidential hopefuls finally are becoming aware this is the “basket of eggs” they will inherit upon being elected president. It stands to reason trying to effect change now will make for a smoother and easier transition of power into the White House. It was good to see actual intellectual commentary on the state of affairs in Iraq. An understanding of the challenges related to sects, government, security, and infrastructure is becoming more streamlined. This is the only way an exit strategy can be formed. What is interesting is the question of fundamental premise of the War in Iraq. Why would the Bush White House think so highly of the Iraqi people? Could it be President Bush feels guilt for his blundering of a nation? Does he look at his post-Rumsfeld mine field and feel remorse for having destroyed a foreign country? If this were the case it seems fitting ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should be offered to the Iraqi people as the sacrificial lamb. It was his departure from traditional military strategy that childishly and selfishly pinpointed the Iraqi infrastructure and systematically destroyed it as a way of circumventing immediate loss of American life. Was he wise enough to know that an insurgency would develop and the lives of almost four thousand soldiers would be on the hands of someone else? Is this why he resigned? He, like Mike Nifong in an a politically motivated campaign tainted with delusions of grandeur, sat in a room in the dark and masterminded a plan to sneak into Iraq and cut their umbilicus. He had no plans to see the enemy eye to eye. He had to plans to be involved with the revolution that resulted. Selfishly and without regard for human decency and evolution this man created chaos for millions. It would be nice to think it was for this reason President Bush seeks to support the Iraqi people. This man was one of his deputies, and it is his responsibility. It is also true George Bush comes from an oil family. The next question presidential candidates must ask is, “How many American civilian contractors are there in Iraq, and who are they? What are their jobs, and what are they attempting to accomplish?” Again it would be nice to think similarly to post World War ll, America prospered by rebuilding the very nations we destroyed. Tooling which was used for warfare easily was modified and American contractors help rebuild Europe. Is this what is happening in Iraq? No one seems to be asking that question. Is spin at play again? Is there and has there been a covert mission in Iraq? Until these question are answered America will never be the same. Our culture will continue to dissolve and corruption in government will fester. It would be nice if an internal system of checks and balances would right this wrong, but revolutions do seem to purge huge pockets of political puss.

A “Pop” White House Legislates Power Over Policy

Let’s assume women don’t like to fake orgasm. Why would we be satisfied with the current administration? “Pop” music exists because musicians are incapable or unwilling to deal with the real thing. A “pop” White House exists because politicians are incapable or unwilling to deal with real American issues. Instead they choose to live in a fantasy world easily spun with party tricks, slight of hand, illusion, misdirection, and allusions to the supernatural. All of these tools of a hypocritical, belligerent, antagonistic, and condescending White House have made for a Hitleresque experience in America.

A Tip o' the Hat to Paul Schaffer...

A tip of the hat to bandleader Paul Schaffer and his CBS Orchestra for consistently being the best band on television. Kudos to this hip and highly motivated group of dedicated musicians for keeping the tradition of "Old School" alive in the field of music. (Pop sucks!)

A World of Pop. Pop Goes the Weasel. Pop Corn. Soda Pop. Pop Star. All Poppy Cock.

When I first began playing music for money, I was startled there was a protocol to which you had to adhere. Society, the people for which we were playing had a routine. To be accepted as a part of this group even as an employee, you had to become part of its status quo. Because we were in the Old South its model was that of Slavery Era plantation life. There were the wealthy elite land owners, and there were the workers. The only difference was post Civil War the workers actually earned money for their labor. The social fabric of the group still consisted of elite and servants. As was customary in the Slavery Era, you had a choice of survival. You could choose to serve that white man and be happy about your freedom from slavery, or you could revolt against the Old Money. Most black folks probably found it easier to maintain a semblance of slavery-like behavior, because that was to what Massah was accustomed. Makes waves or try to upset the status quo and the Klan could be alerted. You would only make it harder on yourself to rebel against the norm, the norm being Old Money. This is a social class system, and it has many short comings. For monetary reasons it could be worthwhile to overlook the humiliation of being treated as a subordinate, but at the spiritual level it becomes much more complex issue. Would God smile at the image of black men being treated as inferior to white men? Would the founding fathers of this nation, the United States of America, smile upon the same image? “All men are created equal,” as the Declaration of Independence states. Although it may be assumed all men are created equal, that does not predispose man to specific delegated sets of behaviors and emotions. Freedom by definition is the privilege to do as one pleases with no control by others. That means spiritual freedom is a major component of freedom, but that is not being exercised readily in America. There is a common dynamic in our country that is being blasted at us day and night that represents nothing. It is stealth and elusive, but it is strong. Some interpret this force as a government of “fear and intimidation.” Conversely it appears to me our government itself is fearful. Fear is universal and like a disease can be contagious. Might it finally be true humans are tired of living in fear? When the tables are turned, when the terrorism is pinpointed, and when the masses unite to form the pursuit of a common good could it be fear finally becomes an unnecessary burden? Do we not have enough to worry about in the world today without living in fear of our neighbor? What is fear? Fear could be described as an emotional feeling of detachment from our own psyches. Where do we gain self-confidence? How do we live in peace and serenity? It is because our emotions provide us with a template that determines our reactions. When our emotions are being intentionally “tweaked” by some unknown force, then we become fearful simply because we do not know what it is that is creating the stimulus to cause our reaction. If we work hard to know what is causing our emotional reaction, it becomes easier to live a peaceful life of self-understanding. When we are being stimulated by a barrage of extraneous stimuli, we become confused and therefore fearful. America at the moment is providing too much emotional stimulus. The stimulus she is providing is not healthy. Everyday our sensibilities are being challenged by unknown forces, and those are not just terrorists. To qualify as human we must be open to new experiences and therefore emotional responses. The challenge is how not to live life in the little black box while keeping away the myriad of negative stimulus that exists in modern day America. Conservative could be thought of as blind and diligent allegiance to the past. Liberal could be seen as the Progressive Movement in American government. A balance must be found that confronts the problems of the future of the United States, but retains an allegiance to practices that have been beneficial to our country. Extremism should not enter the picture at all. Extreme allegiance to the “right” or the “left” has proven to be a mockery in our governmental system. How could a country become so polarized if it were not an allegiance to the model of the plantation south during the Slavery Era? What could be more polarized than the relationship between master and slave? What could cause more disparity in the human race than a false understanding that one ethnicity is superior to another? These tangible and remaining sentiments of the Old South are an embarrassment to our country. Believing that one particular social group is elite because of the money they earn is ludicrous. Likewise the spirituality or emotional sentiments maintained in this class cannot be representative of the mainstream in America, because the majority of Americans are not wealthy. An increasing number are becoming wealthy, but the majority should rule. It is a disservice that the freedom of expression is being constantly pummeled into that little black box. Metrosexuality and its submissive nature should be blasted into orbit along with the idea that government is going to actually take care of the people. Americans need to be strong, and that means rejecting the submissive suggestions of an inclusive television community. To prosper in America boundaries must be continually reshaped and broken. Acknowledging some unseen force or a highly visible force at work in media is somehow superior to our own opinions is to undermine the future of America. Because of the lack of support and interest in our pubic schools, no one is being taught how to question the status quo. We on the other hand feel an unconscious need to fit in and therefore be supportive of the leadership in our country. When that leadership fails us, because of consciousness we are placed between a rock and a hard place. How do we provide moral support to our country and attempt to build a community when the very infrastructure upon which that is built is corrupt? That is why faith in our government is important. When the population loses faith in government, media cannot provide the substitute. The purpose of media is to watchdog real life and provide entertainment. They are not equipped with the intellect, philosophy, or spirituality to lead a nation. Only artists are capable of this task, and a free-thinking, freely expressing artistic community should be nurtured and revered for the tasks they are able to accomplish. Leadership must come from somewhere, and what better place than a group of seeing, feeling, and open artists with their eyes and ears on the pulse of America. It’s too bad this deservedly elite group is being challenged everyday by the onslaught of pop sentimentality. We as the human race are meant to question, and for this reason the traditional formulas of media production need to be replaced with probing inquisitiveness about a happy state of enlightenment that can still exist in American society. It can only start with renewed faith in a renewed federal government.

Today’s Top Ten List of Hollywood’s Best Lays (Male)

A historical perspective of the BEST heterosexual "acting" in Hollywood history.

1. Chad Everett (Give than man a gold star for his performance with Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive)

2. Jeremy Irons (Something lead Dominique Swain to give than man a blowjob early in the morning... "I guess I'll have to show you everything...." Lolita says.)

3. Tim Matheson (Who else gets to snake the wife of the Dean in the movie "Animal House?")

4. Cary Grant ("Pardon me but I think you are sitting on my penis...)

5. Jimmy Stewart (Any good father without a job at Christmas time deserves a good lay)

6. Robert Mitchum (Although he was the villain in the original "Cape Fear," his performances across from Marilyn Monroe merit a place on this list. Could you handle America's most favorite sexpot?)

7. Peter Coyote (Do you like to role play in the bedroom? Peter is familiar with this behavior. Do you want to dress up as Ms. Nursey?)

8. Robert Conrad (Who could be a better "Macho Man" than the original Jim West?)

9. Ross Martin (Although Jim was the "Macho Man," Artemus's disguises were smart enough to gain the hearts of women.)

10. Michael Dunn (Although his legs were short, his fervor and determination with women were big.)

Today’s Top Ten List of Things Overheard in Fayettenam, North Carolina

1. “It’s More than a Mac and Cheese….” (What a drug dealer says about his contraband for sale in the hood.)

2. “Got Hum…?” (AC Traction back in action.)

3. “The BRAC Pack…” (It’s too bad it’s not Dean, Frank, and Sammy.)

4. “The Base Realignment Commission…” (A consortium consisting of the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and the Little Rascals who want to exchange first base for third in the game of baseball.)

5. “ Fifty-five Thousand and Counting…” (The number of military personnel at Fort Bragg before the realignment begins in 2008.)

6. “Would You Like Fries with Your Shake…?” (No explanation needed)

7. “Why Would We Carry Birkenstock Milanos…?” (The United States Army wears combat boots.)

8. “What Do You Mean my Harley has to pass the OBDll Emissions Test…?” (Neither do the semis, the dump trucks, the back hoes, the Hummers, or the C-130’s.)

9. “Do You Like My Custom Rims…?” (You can buy them at the same store you buy tactical warfare gear.)

1o. “That Megaphone on my Exhaust Pipe Doesn’t Enhance Performance…” (It just sound cool.)

The Four Brothers... (of saxophone)

The "New School"

Jay Beckenstein, Hans Teuber, Chris Potter, Tom Scott

The "Old School"

Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, Serge Chaloff, Stan Getz


P.S. It's kind of funny these guys look alike!

Today’s Top Ten List of American Fallacies

1. John F. Kennedy Jr., John Denver, and Steve Fossett are alive and well living comfortably in Rio de Janeiro

2. At the APEC Economic Summit in Sydney, Australia America’s “Prince of Darkness” was abducted by an Osama Bin Laden look alike and taken to a U.S. Detention Camp at Guantanamo Bay.

2. General David Patraeus used his hearing before Congress on the progress of the Iraq War to announce he was coming out of the closet. He professed his support for past President Bill Clinton’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the U.S. military.

4. A buff Britney Spears kicked her drug habit cold turkey, married Seth Green at a Chuck E. Cheese Chapel, and doned frilly bloomers prior to her performance at the MTV Music Video Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

5. Senator Larry Craig used his Iraqi hearing before Congress to announce his bisexuality, citing the need to frequent airport bathrooms due to the Senate Page Scandal.

6. A suicidal California gray whale exploded in a densely populated maritime region killing six United States Naval officers. The Shiite lead Makah Tribe immediately claimed responsibility for the terrorist act via a video posted on the You Tube website.

7. Mitt Romney’s campaign headquarters in Boston’s north end were burglarized over the weekend by his own political supporters. After a window was found ajar Romney feverishly announced the disappearance of his three-year-old autistic and permanently retarded step daughter.

7. David Beckham announced Sunday his was leaving Major League Soccor and the L.A. Galaxy and returning to England’s West End to act in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical “The Ozone over Allah.” When questioned about the career move, he replied, “Posh has always wanted to see me dance, and I have less chance of getting hurt.”

9. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff announced Monday he was off chemotherapy and his cancer was in remission. As a result he again will be changing jobs transferring to the district office of the Department of Jazz Preservation and Hurricane Reform in New Orleans, Louisiana.

10. Alberto Gonzales is alive and well and practicing law in Rio de Janiero.

Why Would Jesus Smile on Country/Pop Singers?

Television has been rendered a eunuch by its use of pop music. Pop music produced on the computer has rendered impotent the once vital human expression of music. Pop music is the quintessence of living in the little black box. It merrily gives up its masculinity for a cowardly and foolish good time. Why is this? It is obvious no one in the music industry has ever sat down an analyzed the rhythmic concept of pop music. Conversely “folks” just picked up the acoustic guitar and without ever thinking about what they were going to play, started to strum. If you were to take that strumming pattern, use it as MIDI data, and look at it graphically on a sequencer you would see it could not fit evenly over the quarter note pulse. The eighth notes are too close together. To get them to fit the time has to be both compressed and expanded each bar rather than falling into perfect time. You can make them fit over the quarter notes, but in doing so they hit both ahead of and behind the quarter note disguising it. If you don’t understand and innately know this “feel,” it can be incredibly difficult to articulate. That is because you must know the feel in your head and then make a cognitive decision how you are going to distort real time. (Like the gravity drive!) If you are a capable musician that has worked years to be able to play good time (the real definition of a good musician), then it is unlikely you are going to want to play a style that disguises it. Usually you want to show off your ability to play good time. Now pop musicians want to show off their bling, their threads, and their genitalia. Musicians that have become adept at playing pop music have to choose which place they are going to play. They can either play ahead with the first eighth note which creates excitement, or they can play behind which creates a laid back feel. It, like schizophrenia, doesn’t make sense. Most human beings want a singular emotional experience from their music, because if it is singular then that emotion can and should change. That is the job of the music and the musicians. Knowing how to do this effectively is the art of music. For anything to qualify AS MUSIC, this has to be recognized. As such pop music does not even qualify to be called music. It is masturbation in public. More successful pop music chooses as a majority to play on the front part of the beat. That could be considered “Dirty Pop.” The down side is once all the hoop la is over, it is inevitable the lazy part of the beat is still there. The current form of Jazz music that is being portrayed today is pop music. Musicians simply superimpose quarter notes triplets over this beat to match up rhythmically with this concept. Appropriately this pop concept offers these two choices of “superimposed” feeling, and jazz makes better use of them. It can take the laid back side and mislabel it Swing, or it can take the aggressive side and mislabel is Hot Jazz. It is all smoke and mirrors, because no matter how well they articulate the music, it is fake. It inherently does not posses the musical tools to be able to move the listeners emotions through the music. They must be moved by musicians creating a subversive emotion having nothing to do with the music itself. Musicians playing this game should be recognized as pop artists. They certainly do it well and it looks good. It is unfortunate it does not mean anything. Therefore it is jive. The traditional pulse of time that is used in every other style of legitimate music has been abandoned simply because someone decided strumming the guitar up and down with no training could translate into a bona fide musical style. Instinctually when the rest of the rhythm section began to play, they simply matched the rhythmic inflection of the strumming guitarist. In this case, and it is the case of pop music, no instrument in the rhythm section actually plays the time in a way a human being can feel it. The entire concept naively is like playing in a little black box. No one takes on the responsibility of playing the time. They just want to have a good time playing. Their time is defined by this black box, and the pop band plays comfortably inside it. Real music assumes the responsibility of playing the time. Although Igor Stravinsky said emotions could not be inherent in musical content, I disagree. Differing emotions are what define styles of music. Why is Hip/Hop Hip/Hop? Why is Rock Rock? Why is Smooth Jazz Smooth Jazz? It is because they are playing in different rhythmic concepts or beats that translate into feelings. Beats help create moods which really are diluted human emotions. Music at its best creates the feeling of itself by the music itself. That is why it is so powerful. Right now in America we are being short changed by our music. Television has chosen to use the MIDI programmer instead of live musicians. Even when they do use live musicians, like the cruise lines the music still is generated by a computer sequencer. Because the vocation of music performance has become less important to America because of Karioke and the Dee Jay, human ability to play live music has declined. Most of the small venues available for playing live music have evaporated. In the professional world there are only three remaining areas one can make a living in music. They are Broadway, the military, and the cruise ship industry. Why would have Disney have decided to cut something so vital as live music from its theme parks? Some unskilled and musically ignorant accountant decided there was no need to pay live musicians. In one fell swoop in America live music died, just like skateboarding did in the early l980’s. With the death of live music has come the obscuring of the mainstream, the emotional immaturity and dysfunction of our youth, and the loss of human evolution. Music’s ability to stir the emotions has always been its advantage. Why else would the American military use music to rally feelings of patriotism? It is because music is the most powerful method of changing the emotions, and that is necessary in human life. Without it we are nothing. We are sitting unmoving, unthinking, and unfeeling. Because television has adopted as its mascot pop music out of convenience, our traditional soapbox in America has been rendered sterile. Like a partial birth abortion the head of music is extracted, cracked open, and sucked dry before it even attempts to live. There will be no new children. There will be no new ideas. There will be no roused spirits. Life will remain in the little black box. It is appropriate David Lynch was wise enough to be able to describe this in 2001 by his film Mulholland Drive. He portrays the dream of Hollywood and the reality of Hollywood happening at the same time like pop music. An aspiring young actress goes to Hollywood to make it. Instead she ends up a lesbian prostitute living on the street. That is your life in the black box, because someone else is always in control. Whether it is the mob or the rich Jews, someone else is always in control. The only way to destroy this concept is with live music, and traditionally in America that is what has been done. Why are we different now? It is amazing to me how many Hollywood celebrities, “have been so blessed.” Why would Jesus smile on country pop singers?

Today's Top Ten List of Hollywood Drag Queens

1. Danny Bonaduce in Drag- John Holmes

2. Maria Shriver in Drag- Peter Coyote

3. Carson Daily in Drag- Tiger Woods (pre Michael Jackson)

4. J.T. Walsh in Drag- Michael Jackson

5. Cuba Gooding Jr. in Drag (post Michael Jackson)- Sinbad

6. Julia Roberts in Drag- Hillary Swank

7. Peter Fonda in Drag- Robert Redford

8. Forest Whitaker in Drag- The GEICO Caveman

9. Kurt Russell in Drag- Arnold Schwarzenegger

10. Demi Moore in Drag- David Hassellhoff

Today's Top Ten List of Hollywood's Best Lays (Women)

1. Linda Fiorentino

2. Phoebe Cates

3. Charlize Theron

4. Christina Applegate

5. Elisabeth Shue

6. Elizabeth Perkins

7. Jeanne Tripplehorn

8. Jennifer Love Hewitt

9. Betsy Russell

10. Halle Berry

Today’s Top Ten List of Hollywood’s Worst Lays

1. Jessica Alba

2. Scarlett Johansson

3. Jessica Biels

4. Pauly Shore

5. Adam Sandler

6. Courtney Love

7. John Stamos

8. Richard Simmons

9. Louis Ladehoff Jr.

10. Penelope Cruz

Today's Top Ten List of Hollywood Drag Queens

1, Michael Bolton- Mutt Lange in Drag Fifteen Years Ago

2. Tavis Smiley- John Coltrane in Drag Twenty Years Ago

3. Art Garfunkel- John McEnroe in Drag TwentyYears Ago

4. Larry David- Steve Jobs in Drag Ten Years Ago

5. Rick Springfield- Dana Carvey in Drag Ten Years Ago

6. Jennifer Jason Lee- Angie Dickinson in Drag Twenty Years Ago

7. Helen Reddy- Jamie Lee Curtis in Drag Fifteen Years from Now

8. Stevie Nicks- Phoebe Cates in Drag Fifteen Years from Now

9. Matthew Modine- Scott Bakula in Drag Fifteen Years Ago

10. Jerry Seinfeld- Kevin Neiland in Drag Fifteen Years Ago