photolog: comanche

A few images from a wonderful, beautiful, and entirely necesary weekend in Comanche...

An axe-wielding maniac...



and he knows how to use it.



Getting The Beast stuck in the mud up to its frame sure was some fun.



Even a man-made lake offers up many treasures.



A message in a bottle without a message.



The Garfish's mummy.



My favourite brothers.



Much thanks to Tim, Dennis & Jared for a weekend that allowed me to release much and gain so much more.

rags of light

So much loveliness... I am quite overcome.



If it be your will
That I speak no more
And my voice be still
As it was before
I will speak no more
I shall abide until
I am spoken for
If it be your will
If it be your will
That a voice be true
From this broken hill
I will sing to you
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing

If it be your will
If there is a choice
Let the rivers fill
Let the hills rejoice
Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell
If it be your will
To make us well

And draw us near
And bind us tight
All your children here
In their rags of light
In our rags of light
All dressed to kill
And end this night
If it be your will

If it be your will.

new art: ~sparks~

Here is my latest drawing... I am rather pleased with it. It's done using a red Prismacolor pen (a true god-send to my drawings), a silver paint pen and bits cut out of a silly fashion magazine. I gotta say, that paint pen is an AWFUL lot of fun... and quite useful for penning improptu missives on the walls of bar restrooms. Anyway, this piece is called ~sparks~ and here's why. I've been bat-shit CRAZY over the band Sparks for the past few months and that obsession is only deepening. When I was working on this piece, I tore the piece that lines the bottom from one of the many trendy, glossy magazines about Austin "culture" that seem to be laying about everywhere. I noticed on the left side of the torn portion the word "sparks" showing thru from the other side! It was to glaring of an omen to be ignored, so I traced the word backwards and the drawing was christened.

And just for fun, here is a Sparks video:

the thrill of having nothing

I thought I might wile away a portion of my morning sharing some bits that have been of interest to me lately.

First, after many seeking years, I was FINALLY able to see Tony Gatlif's spectacular film Latcho Drom. The form of the film is very similar to another one of my favourite films, Baraka, in that there is no "plot" in the traditional sense... image and sound combine to tell the larger, greater story of the human experience as a whole. Latcho Drom tells the story of the Rom (Gypsy) diaspora and uses traditional gypsy musicians to trace its linage from its ancient roots in Rajasthan (northern India), through Turkey, Romania (where we encounter my beloved Taraf de Haidouks) and onward till we end with flamenco (a decidedly gypsy art form) in España. On a personal level, there is no music I adore (and devour) more on this planet than traditional gypsy music, therefore finally seeing Latcho Drom after years of pining for it was an incredibly emotional & fulfilling experience for me. So here I share a couple of clips with you. First, I have a special love of the music of the gypsies of Rajasthan. The music, like Sufi qawwali singing, has a tendency to put me in a trance. And the dancing, costumes, moustaches and showmanship are second to none. Here's a small taste:



But do have a look at this absolutely amazing clip. That is my idea of paradise.

One more from Latcho Drom. Here is one of my favorite pieces of film ever, the incomparable Taraf de Haidouks in their home village of Clejani, Romania:



While on the subject of gypsies, here are two more. First the fabulous Hungarian group Parno Graszt:



And the equally fabulous Peter Sellers:



Since I've moved to Texas, I have gained a real appreciation for traditional Mexican Mariachi & Ranchero music. Especially Ranchero... my favourite Ranchero song is this one, Cucurrucucú Paloma sung here by Pedro Infante:



On a more personal level, I have been going through a period of acute heartbreak. It is not necessary to share the details here, but it has been a most trying time. Whenever I find myself deep in the sweet melancholy of heartbreak, I am only able to listen to the Tindersticks. I have been leaning on them heavily in the past week and they continue to keep me upright. I was delighted to stumble upon this amazing video for No More Affairs:



As far as raw passion goes, I feel that the No More Affairs video surpasses even the great Nick Cave/Polly Jean Harvey epic Henry Lee. And you should know that I am hopelessly in love with the singer from Tindersticks, Stuart Staples (however he is not the cause of my current heartbreak). I have a fantasy of running into him in some dark, hidden bar in Prague, having a magickal night over cobblestone streets, one kiss at dawn, then never seeing him again.

Now for something completely different, here are the Brothers Mael aka Sparks:



I've been familiar with them for years, but since I had the distinct fortune of finding three Sparks records at the Totalfest Record Swap this year, I have been obsessed. Hell, here's another one:



I can't resist sharing this one... dear, beloved Beirut in Paris:



As someone who has actually spent some time contemplating the mechanics of morning glory vines, I found this video quite wonderful:



And, dear friends, I leave you with this gem, a clip from Werner Herzog's Auch Zwerge Haben Klein Angefangen:

quod superius est sicut quod inferius

Do you ever "remember" things from your childhood, but cannot be exactly sure if they actually existed? I had an active imagination as a child so this happens to me quite frequently. My prime example is this:



I remembered seeing it as a child (in Catholic School, no less) and it having a profound effect on the way I viewed the Universe (and later, spirituality). But I started to have my doubts on its actual existence when, years later I would describe it almost everyone I met and *no one* recalled ever seeing it. So imagine my joy when I stumbled across it on the internets yesterday! And it still absolutely thrills me. I am certain that this must be one of the major reasons that I am a dyed-in-the-wool, "As Above So Below" Pagan.

a wee bit of fun

1. Put your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must put down the song name no matter what.

What would best describe your personality?
Lonesome, On’ry & Mean (Waylon... how uncanny!)

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Unknown Blues (Pretty Things)

How do you feel today?
Champagne Like a Lady (Slim Cessna’s Auto Club)

What is your life's purpose?
Picture In A Frame (Tom Waits)

What is your motto?
When My Love Comes Down (Grinderman)

What do your friends think of you?
Bulgar Cigany Horo (Kalman Balogh.... opre!)

What do you think of your parents?
Over You (Echo & the Bunnymen... ha!)

What do you think about very often?
One Line (Polly Jean Harvey)

What do you think of your best friend?
Funny How Time Slips Away (Willie... :( :( :( )

What do you think of your crush?
Sheep (Tiger Lillies... this system is not infalliable)

What is your life story?
Casts A Great Light (Angelus... :) :) :) )

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Feast of Silence (Vas)

What do you think when you see your crush?
Goodbye Desolate Railyard (Thee Silver Mt Zion... wow, my poor “crush”)

What do your parents think of you?
An Introduction to Indian Music (Ravi Shankar.... that’s about right)

What do strangers think of you?
Single Girl (Kossoy Sisters)

How's your love life?
Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow (Joni Mitchell)

What will they play at your funeral?
You Can’t Mistreat Me (Leadbelly)

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Toujours Aimer (Edith Piaf.... surely you mean the wedding I don’t want)

What is your hobby/interest?
Oh You Devil, You (Oliver Brown.... 93 93/93!)

What's your biggest secret?
Rainy Day Woman (Waylon)

What do you think of your friends?
Sons of the Silent Age (Bowie)

What song do you listen to when you are sad?
She Cut Off Her Long Silken Hair (Richard Thompson... true enough)

In love?
C’mon, Let’s Spawn (Make-Up..... a HAHAHAHAHAHA!)

What song do you air guitar to?
Fire Dread Dub (King Tubby)

What should be your signature karaoke song?
Mutiny in Heaven (Birthday Party.... DEFINITELY!)

What is your greatest desire?
Waiting For The Moon (Tindersticks)

What does next year have in store for you?
Do Not Go Quietly Unto Your Grave (Morphine... geez, hope I don’t die of a heart attack on-stage)

What's your outlook on life?
The Farmer’s Curst Wife (Pete Seeger)

How will you die?
One For Hope (Akron/Family & Angels of Light)

Do people secretly lust after you?
Over You (Tiger Lillies)

The best advice you will ever get?
Will You Surrender (Mick Harvey)

Photolog: meanwhile, back at the ranch...

I hadn't seen my old pal Kinky Friedman since he left on his European tour in May, so he insisted that I come up to the ranch before I went to Montana. So yesterday I grabbed a bottle of Jameson & hit the road...

Johnson City... home of LBJ & the world's best chicken fried steak. The numbers don't lie!



Outside the Sawmill Tavern in Johnson City:





A beautiful old facade in Fredricksburg:



I finally arrive at Kink's place!



He lives outside of Kerrville, up the craziest, twisty-est road I've ever traveled (and that's including Montana). His house lies within Echo Hill, a beautiful valley where his parents established a summer camp 56 years ago. Here's a view of the camper cabins & the hills beyond:



On the other side of the valley lies Utopia, an animal rescue ranch established by Kinky and Cousin Nancy. It is a Utopia indeed for animals in danger... everyone has a large pen with plenty of runnin' room, food, fresh air & love. If you're thinking of adopting a dog (or the occasional cat, chicken, or gigantic, lazy pig), do consider one of Utopia's.

Kinky has his own pack of dogs... collectively known as the Friedmans, who rule the roost with big loving hearts...




There's little Perky, the matriarch of a venerable age and Chumley, her sweet, quiet son...



...Brownie, who puts on quite a show if you stop petting him, and the famous Mr Magoo.



And Kaw-liga rules them all (until the indian maid returns)



I love staying at Kinky's house...



...where there's copious wood paneling & Jameson, dogs & a pool table and lots of interesting stuff where ever you turn. A collection of masks stemming from Kink's tenure in the Peace Corps in Borneo...



... artifacts of by-gone mystery novels...



...reliable rack storage...



...and a beautiful painting of Kink's father.



I was fortunate enough to witness the blooming of this gorgeous flower...



Kink says that these flowers only bloom once and always at night. The scent of the flower was amazing.

It was another lovely trip up the ranch. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the Governor himself... stay tuned, Kink's got a lot of interesting things brewing in that feverish brain of his (including things of a political nature). And do check out his latest book, What Would Kinky Do?