Monday, July 17, 2017

About Playing or Dying and Can't Buy a Thrill #Music

Johnny "Guitar" Watson croaked on-stage while he was playing a set in Yokohama and Yevette told me about it as if she had just heard of a tragedy.

I told her, nooooo, that wasn't a tragedy; that was perfect.  There was never a time in his life when he couldn't play until the last moment.  The man couldn't possibly have played it better.

Hat tip to Johnny "Guitar" Watson.  (WIKI:  Johnny "Guitar" Watson)


There's a military expression which covers everything from feeling a little poorly in the guttywuts to being blasted into little tiny bits.  My shit is weak covers everything in that continuum.

People often react negatively to my use of various monosyllabic words but the same people also often react negatively to five-syllable words so I conclude it's really not the content of the words which is the problem but rather it's the fact they exist at all.

To no surprise, this poem didn't bloom like a Springtime love song.  (Ithaka:  "Play or Die, Motherfucker" #Poetry #Music)

Sick as it may sound, that's really how it came down since if you've got balls bigger than a fucking mosquito then you will play.


My shit is weak and that's all I'm really willing to give up on the matter but it's been sufficient that I couldn't get it together to play the Galaxy Guitar for at least a month.  That hurts since she needs to be properly-tuned at all times or I suck as her shepherd since she can be injured by that.

That's when it came and as with blaring trumpets, you goin' play or you goin' die.

Given those options, you goin' get yo' ass up and play.

I really didn't think I could do it and for a litany of reasons no-one needs to hear but the Nowness vibe was so strong it wasn't to be ignored.

Ed:  is this heading for Zen Yogi?

Nah, this is Zen Silas, mate.  It couldn't happen at any other time because, in the Nowness, no other time exists.

Ed:  but we must allow that other times can exist

That's all the more reason to play, young axeman.


I was surprised at how well she did and she really wasn't so far out-of-tune, only a little bit sharp.  She was quickly tuned and fell into a Dm simplicity which sounded surprisingly beefy.  That went straight to a looper and then the little finger brains took over since they know where to go.

It's twisted to relate it like this but it's like typing, in a way, since your fingers just know where to go. You can't let them do whatever they want or you'll just end up writing like a pundit but you guide them and they figure out the rest for themselves.


As to doctors, I dunno.  I don't have a better answer than that.  There is a strong sense of dodging the finality and also the sense playing is the strongest way to do that.  I can't predict when I'll play again as I've at least learned it's presumptuous to plan much of anything.

I have tried sometimes to plan whether it's necessary to acquire anything but there is nothing which even registers.  Buying a thrill ain't goin' happen since there's really nothin' I want.  Buying toys makes no sense since no toy was never made which can ever possibly mean more than a musical instrument.  If you will play with anything, do that.


There's an additional consideration since I make the wretch in "Amazing Grace" look like a choirboy and there's no waltzing past that.  However, it's my explicit promise I will never abandon anyone again.  That one goes into a loop every time and it's a peach for sleeping.  Maybe you have nothing in your past which gives cause for you to believe you will burn but, that's ok and I'm glad for you; I do.

Ed:  do you mean from the political crap?

Nah, in the Grand Scheme of Things, that's minor.  This American empire couldn't possibly have another century left in it.  The actual story is in promises.

Ed:  you're just falling into religion

Negatory on that since promises are one of the tribal commitments which came long before religion.

Ed:  why should America fail?

It believes in government by control rather than by leadership.  No government ever survived that.


When the original Mister Toad's Wild Ride started, it was 2009 in Rhode Island.  I laid in a supply of Godin strings I figured would last, well, forever.

I still have a few sets of them left.

Ed:  you really don't need anything?

Not as far as I can tell, mate.  I still have a good supply of the special purple thin picks as well.

Ed:  what about another synth?

See, that gets to lusting again since I love to play the synth but the Zen Master talked about that and said two instruments are beautiful but you cannot play both at the same time.

Ed:  did he really say that?

Well, actually it was Zen Yogi.

Ed:  so it comes down to the same thing as always ... shut up and play?

It will happen again.  It must.

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