The second verse same as the first, plus 40 minutes of all new footage. I had it all planned out, the sequel, the franchise builder, my second chapter for the trilogy. After a morning presentation I saddled up the Infiniti and pointed her south. My recent 60,000 service and four new beefy sneakers made this ride even more enjoyable and quicker than the one over Christmas. I achieved speeds that I wish not to record in this public forum, let’s just say triple digits were tickled more than a few times. Driving is part of the California collective conscious. Where else is there a choice of traffic schools that include comedy and pizza making as alternatives to the old Saturday morning in a community center classroom. In fact my first time to traffic school was so much fun I almost went out looking for another ticket, then I learned that the free pass from DMV was only good once every 18 months. Anywho I managed only one wrong turn on my journey to Newport Beach. I pulled a fat NY u-turn on Sunset Blvd and 45 minutes later I glided into the familiar tight alley behind Jim’s bungalow. Six hours behind the wheel and I was finally able to relax and enjoy the fact that work was 2 days in the future.
Zeppelin came to me late. I somehow felt they were in competition with my band, The Who. Zeppelin seemed to be just loud and it wasn’t till I was well into my 20’s that Jim took matters into hand. A Zeppelin intervention if you will. Friends and family ambushed me in a motel room. The lights were dimmed and a bong was duck taped to my mouth (we don’t advocate drug use here at Leftcoastlove, but it was the late 80’s and we all young). Purples sticky and Jimmy Page took hold and then I finally began to understand that yes there was something quite amazing and unique in those raw tracks. Ramble on indeed. Tonight Jim and I are watching Train on dvd. They do a cover a Ramble On that is f’in tight, plus the dvd was shot at the Warfield in San Francisco. I usher at the Warfield and I was also present the night Train shot this concert. When I was young the t-shirt was king. Proof of a concert experience and a memento to help me remember the show, the concert shirt was a wardrobe staple of my youth. Time isn’t kind to the concert shirt though, after a few washes it loses it character and given the nature of popular music care must be given when wearing one years after the show (Cinderella shirts don’t play too cool these days). I still love concert mementos but I like items that last and since modern technology has blessed me with so many options I often go for the latest. The net allows me to download recordings of actual shows I’ve attended (Galactic, Trey, and Phil Lesh) and dvd concerts are cool with choices of camera angles and lyrics for private karaoke. All day long I used Jim’s cd collection like a cheap prom date. He found his Jazz a few years back and today I plowed through his collection burning at will and reveling in the smell of permanent marker.
Living at the beach provides the best environment for doing nothing and making it seem like something. I was able to burn through a few boxes of blank cds and bring my tan factor up two degrees all in the same day. Jim tackled the cactus that has taken over his front planter box and cleaned up a new bike all the while we shared our music battle with neighbors and passer bys. Jim seems particularly concerned that my music collection lacked the Peppers; Blood Sugar Sex Magik. He spent a good part of our extended mix sessions blasting me with selected cuts. I too came prepared. Although I was gaining a very respectable jazz collection for pennies on the dollar I knew I would have to surprise Jim with a few nuggets from my collection. Jim went dvd at Christmas, so much so that he has forsaken cable for netflix as his primary source of entertainment. I had brought him over to Train by showing him the dvd of their Warfield concert, I figured my new Travis dvd would do the same. I had tried to turn him on to Travis a few times before without success. Too whiny, too poppy, too brit, too etc. Couldn’t get him past more than 2 songs even played on the car stereo. The dvd was the right call, Travis has another new home, my work is done. Almost….
Do we really need to know everything about everybody?
Especially people who
share themselves with us already through their art, Hemingway’s work tell us
so much in way far richer than his personal letters. Our National Inquirer
mentality won’t accept that so we must see all the details. Then there is
the flip side to this, what if nobody cares. History has a short shelf life
and do the kids of today even know about Hemingway other than being forced
to read The Sun Also Rises in high school. Is this new (old) information going
to change his legacy? Doubtful, he made sure that his legend will overshadow
anything time uncovers in the future. In life and at death he made bold
strokes, left a wide path, and made art. He tied to love and although his
success in that area has not been of note the fact remains he tried. In his
own self-absorbed/destructive way he attempted to connect with others. I
think all writers are seeking approval so much that they are willing to
expose themselves to strangers for the possibility of validation or maybe
even praise. I think of my own reasons for writing and I also think of
everything I’ve written. I surely don’t want everything culled, time stamped
then assembled for consumption. Even I don’t want to know what shape it
might take.
Life is like history in that hindsight and perspective are great tools we
don’t have access to until after events have passed or when try to apply
lessons of the past we often do it incorrectly. World War I was the war to
end all wars, hmmmm, seems we can see where our efforts at the time only
drove us down the road to the sequel.
It’s hard to remove yourself from your
life and make decisions based on the all the facts, we seldom have access to
half of the information required to make the right call. I think we do
pretty well considering the odds are stacked against us. At the very least
humans are very adept at course corrections, we can maneuver quite well once
in the shark infested waters, might not last long but it makes for great
history and life. Most of my time in this world has been a series of
experiences each of which has left me with the substance that is now me. I
can’t say I’ve enjoyed all of them but without each segment I wouldn’t be
here and now. Plus often the true meaning or “equal and opposite reaction”
of a tragedy isn’t apparent until much later. In a previous essay I wrote
about how I couldn’t hate my ex-wife or my time with her. Our time was
important and it is the primary reason for my initial foray into the
leftcoast. Be careful with this thinking though, we can sometimes
romanticize the “what if” as if we actually can see the alternative to the
path we’ve chosen. I doubt that I would still be a Produce Manager, sorting
radicchio and Belgian endive at 5 am in Manchester Vermont, if I had(n’t)….
I have the way to tie all this together now. How nice, that just as I
thought this piece had no direction or theme (pay attention, heavy analogy
coming your way),
it smacks me in the face. Life works that way too. When I
started this piece I had a loose plan and an idea of the tone I wanted, but
once I started typing the ideas and direction changed. I appreciate you all
staying in the water long enough to allow me to figure out what I’m trying
to say. What is that? Okay here’s the nugget (it’s not new but it does tie
all this together nicely), have a plan but be flexible and above all take
time to enjoy the journey. There are little moments of time and connection
that are precious and short tucked away in our lives. Having a goal can
sometimes prevent us from seeing the present, when we focus ahead and loose
the beauty of the now. The beauty is indeed in the details.
It's all the here and nows that become our past and it's the here and nows
that make you feel for real. The past and future are only memory and
hope, these aren't real feelings only the present makes your skin tingle and
heart sing. Thanks for your time and appreciate the offerings of life
as they come.
Peace
sean