The Pathetic Lead Us Into Chaos

Apathy's Children: the Pathetic
I was just reviewing a recording session I did alone in a studio. I meant well. It started after I just was fooling around at the piano--I'm reading Gunther Schuller again--Musings, from the Oxford Press, 1986--so I'm getting into music elementals and technical shit again--so I was fooling around at the piano and moving chords around--and I came upon--B-flat seventh to G with flatted 3rd--from G to F ninth, then back to G, then to the G V (I-IV-V progression), to the IV, and back to the...AHA, not the G, but the B-flat! Then while looking over the r&b classic, "Good Rockin'," and going over the intro verse--"Have you heard the word/There's good rockin' tonight...."--I started putting words to the B-flat configurational tune I had doodled out on the piano. I took it into my studio and recorded it--it came out "Have you heard the word/Father Blues is sad tonight/Have you heard the word/Father Blues ain't rockin' tonight/Why? [at the V (the D)]..."'Cause tonight's the night Bob Guida died...." I went on and recorded 8 tunes, including this head-one that came out of my piano doodling. I did Muddy's "Streamline Woman" (I think Willie Dixon actually penned it), "Workin' on a high line/'Fore daylight." I just started following the parallel lines railing through the vast relationships to myself and Brother Bob the Apostle of the Way-Back Blues in the attic of my cerebellum (my cerebellum plantation) in the musical sense and in a matter of two days I had the eight offerings down what I thought was pretty pat. But on reviewing the recording today, after wading in its flowing-keys-and-cataracting-notes waters, I came out of the experience wondering if it had turned out too pathetic. That hit me. Pathetic? Is that the right word? Why did I feel the word "pathetic" after listening to my recording, my eight-tune tribute to my old blues traveler brother, Bob Guida (theryefarmerfromqueens)? It is pathetic. I picked the right word, but that doesn't mean it's not any good. It's morbid; maybe that better explains it; a tearjerker! And I'm not a tearjerker type of person; I'm usually good for a cackle and not a tear! I'm actually in quite good form both vocally and pianistically on the recording. The tunes are classic blues and a couple of my originals Bob knew well and appreciated like they were his own and he had played them with me many times. The pathetic part came out of nowhere. It's just the way the satchel of tunes leaves you feeling after it's emptied out it's tunes and sits lonely in the back of a forgotten closet. God-damn! I almost threw the recording in the trash. I am a perfectionist whether people think I am or not. I'm a wordy magician of sorts. I've always said I'm a soothsayer, too. Being pathetic's just not my style. Bob's death hit me hard. Death usually doesn't bother me at all--since I was a very young kid I heard of local kids getting their asses whacked every day in the evil World War II and as a bouncing baby boy and later a little dumbass kiddy kid I attended many a military funeral of so many fallen and now-forgotten heroes. Because I attended so many military funerals as a kid, I've had a feeling all my life just instinctually that WWII was "fixed"--a trick-bag job pulled off by old Brit Bowler-Hat-Snob-Snit-Wanker Neville Chamberlain's snobbery approach to with the street-hustler Hitler and Hitler trick bagging that old fool right back by, the minute his Brit high-ass left town, immediately going off to rape and plunder Poland and Czechoslovakia--the Germans have hated the Poles for centuries--same with the Russians--poor old crushed Poland! And the Germans hated the Scandinavians and so did the Russians. Then Pearl Harbor! Oh yeah, there were several questions about Pearl Harbor that were never answered!).

Keep us in fear and right now in this degenerating world, the Power Elite is wishing Swine flu on us all. Remember, I've, like a good soothsayer, warned my readers that Lord Chaos is a tough motherfucker to live under. To understand Lord Chaos's chaotic mind you must abandon all logic--logic doesn't work in the Chaotic World. I was hoping Barack Obama would pull out his ancient wisdom--his aboriginal wisdom--his special mixed-blood wisdom--and battle old Lord Chaos maybe back into some kind of semi-"natural" order, at the least, but, nope, it looks like Obama isn't even a Don Quixote when it comes to wisdom. Obama's like a kid finding himself suddenly in toy and candy heaven; Obama's thrilled-happy living like a king and getting the best for himself and his family, fuck the worries and woes of most of the citizens of the world. You see, when you're amongst the Power Elite, outside suffering and bungling and fucking up aren't seen and certainly not cared about--like when Bush flew over New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina in Air Force One (yep, same one Obama loves flying around in) saying, "Wow, it must really be bad down there if it looks as bad as it does from up here. Ah, pilot, dude, get me back to Crawford, quick!"--Obama is now flying over the World's mess in Air Force One, a mess left in the aftermath of two massive illegal invasions and occupations of two sovereign nations and justifying those invasions and occupations with a phony World War on Terror--a phony and unworkable warmonger phony coalition that was destined to wipe out terrorism with a burlap bag full of wonder "Mission Accomplished"-type tricks--in a matter of days. Instead, in Lord Chaos's world, we're stuck with two killing fields that are continually flooded with blood now for 8 years and whose cost is rising upwards of umpzilliongagglingbazilliongooseyganders of dollars--wrecking our economy--bringing down our corporations--8 years of illegally disrupting civilized life in Afghanistan and now 6 years of disrupting civilized life in Iraq. Just last night I heard Hillbilly Hill (our pathetic Sec'y of State) say, after she had made one of those famous "unexpected" drop-in visits to Iraq all our politicians seem to love to do and do multiple times a year it seems (Joe Biden, the Veep, made a surprise visit to Iraq recently)--as if dropping unexpectedly into Iraq is like taking a little drive in the country for these pampered princes and princesses as they fly madly around the four corners of our rolling-round earth ignoring the fact it's being flattened back to a mythological state by the global economy and global warming--global doom. So, due to the sudden increase in violence in Iraq, Madame Secretary Hillary RodHAM Clinton said, by golly, even though Obama promised to pull us totally out of Iraq if We the Voters of America (notice I didn't say We the People of the USA--because only 30% of We the People vote these fools into lordship/knighthood/royalty/the Power Elite)--so Obama promised if We the Voters of the USA would elect him Prez, he'd pull out of Iraq IMMEDIATELY--and that immediately soon became nine months--and then that nine months was stretched out to eleven months--and then maybe a couple of years--but now Hillbilly Hill (where's Bill while Hill's traveling all over the world in her Air Force One?--what a life we give these dumbasses!) is saying, this increase in violence in Iraq (Islam-mad bombers have killed hundreds in the last week in Baghdad and Mosul--they even lobbed a few rockets into the precious democratic Green Zone last week) means, Jesus X, we can't pull out of Iraq afterall--Hell, Hill said, we're staying in Iraq with no end in sight now. We'll show them who's boss. Bring 'em on. Yep. We ain't leaving Iraq afterall! And the Iraqi president said, "The hell you aren't leaving!"

And now we've suddenly got a Swine flu epidemic upon us. And it's being blamed on our gosh-awful neighbors to the south, those sleazy drug-dealing, sorry-ass, US-controlled (aren't they? Larry Summers saved the peso back when he was stooging for Slick Willie and his billionaire buddies) Mexicans--and now fearless Obama is giving his approval to order the Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California National Guards into doing Mexican border service --we are militarizing our border with Mexico--we are turning Mexico into a terrorist state!

Disorder on the border--and then out of nowhere sneaking (wetbacking/fence-climbing) over that border comes Swine flu. Is it an epidemic? Is it pandemic? At first announcement, the Mexican reports said 120 people in Mexico had died of this strange-new resistant strain of Swine flu--then that number was reduced to 86--then at one time today I heard that maybe only 26 had really died of Swine flu in Mexico. I also read in the same report that some Mexican healthcare experts were saying wearing masks doesn't really protect you from this strain of Swine flu. US reports are saying this epidemic was started at a Mexican pig farm owned and operated by the Smithfield Ham folks of Yahoo US Virginia--why, heckfire, you see, we do own Mexico. On the other hand, mad scientists are coming out of the woodwork up here with doomsday promises--a pandemic is developing!!!!! While the politicians, as usual, and Obama say, no sweat, no problem, Obama saying, hell, he himself just came back from Mexico and he's healthier than a horse--why Obama's even playing golf at the used-to-be EXCLUSIVE Congressional Country Club. Fuck basketball, he's so athletic now that he's President gamesmanshippy now--yep, he was out playing golf over the weekend--the commercial teevee heads saying he dared to take time off to play golf while the world was going to hell.

I just returned from my favorite Irish pub where I had the cracked-pepper-glazed pork chops, stamped with a big Mexico guaranteed "meat" stamp irredescently shining through the varnishy glaze of my chops, cooked by a Mexican chef, and served by two young Mexican waiters. Why a Mexican looking woman came up to me as I gobbled down my Swine chops and sneezed in my face. "You swine," she hollered at me. "You've got the wrong male chavinist pig, lady--I'm the piano-playing pig who built a brick--ehhhhh--HOUSE--'She's mighty, mighty, lettin' it all hang out'--you know, lady, the 'three little pigs'? I'm the pig whose Brick--ehhhhh--HOUSE that god-damn Wolf Man couldn't blow down...you know, in the believable nursery rhyme?"

theswinishgrowlingwolf
for The Daily Growler

Gunther Schuller

marvelousmarvbackbiter
A Quicky, Disgruntled Look at New York City Baseball This Year
How embarrassing are the New York Yankees this year. Joe Gerardi's second year as manager of the most expensive and considered best ball team in baseball. Yet, they just got badly swept by the fucking Red Sox and last night the bumble-stumbling Detroit Tigers clawed the Yanks into the ground for their 4th straight loss and a dive into the under .500 class. And all the fol-de-rol about the new "house that George built"--this 2 billion dollar boonswaggle and pink elephant We the Citizens and Taxpayers of New York City Sales Taxes built for the pompous now Alzheimered Georgie Boy. George is letting his stupid son Hank ruin the team now--he along with Brian Cashman, the worst general manager in baseball--a waster of talent. They have a minor-league pitching staff coached by a minor-league pitching coach so don't expect much major league pitching out of the Yanks this year. C.C. Sabathia fucked the game away last night. Chin-up Winged Wong is on the injury list. Then their high-hope big timer A.J. Burnett gave up 8 hits in a couple of innings against the Boston bullies--they clobbered A.J. And this Swisher goof they've put in right field! Why--he was a .218 hitter last year. And Billy Gardner in center! Why that? And benching Melky Cabrera? What's that all about? OK, the Yankees can hit like Titans--though Posada's only hitting .235--and, of course, A-Fraud is still basking in the Florida moonlight as he parties his way heartily around the Tampa hot spots with a new babe on his arm every night. He's recuperating from his arm having to have been rebuilt down in the Yankees up-t0-the-minute operating room in the Yankees big hospital complex down in Tampa. I predict the Yanks will stay in contention all year but will end up under .500 and out of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Good pick, there, Hank and Brian. Getting rid of that awful Joe Torre was one of the big baseball goof moves of all time. In the meantime, Joe is basking in the glowing flaming fame he's currently enjoying managing the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers being led by a ferociously hitting Manny Ramirez and a hyped-up all-star-looking Orlando Hudson! Yes, Hank, you and Brian were so right. I honestly feel sorry for Joe Gerardi. Like I said, if Hank hadn't of fired Joe Torre, Joe Gerardi would be peddling Budweiser in some Northern New Jersey beer market.

And the second worst general manager in baseball is the Mets glorious, El Senor, Omar My-My-yam. Hey, Omar, what a stroke of luck getting Gary Sheffield! And keeping Jerry Manuel. Looks like Jerry will take the Mets lower than he did last year. Great move firing Willie Randolph!

Not a good baseball year for me so far. I just can't be a Dodger fan; though if I loved L.A., and I don't, I'm sure I'd be out at Chavez Ravine every night this year!

American League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
Boston	13	6	.684	-	10-2	3-4	8-2	3-0	2-4	10-0	W 11
Toronto	14	7	.667	-	7-3	7-4	0-0	10-5	4-2	6-4	L 1
N.Y. Yankees	9	10	.474	4	4-2	5-8	3-6	4-4	2-0	4-6	L 4
Baltimore	9	11	.450	4½	7-6	2-5	4-6	2-1	3-4	3-7	L 1
Tampa Bay	8	12	.400	5½	2-5	6-7	4-5	2-3	2-4	4-6	W

National League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
Florida	11	8	.579	-	5-4	6-4	11-5	0-3	0-0	3-7	L 7
Philadelphia	10	8	.556	½	4-6	6-2	6-3	1-2	3-3	6-4	W 4
Atlanta	9	10	.474	2	3-4	6-6	6-6	3-4	0-0	4-6	L 2
N.Y. Mets	9	10	.474	2	6-4	3-6	4-3	4-5	1-2	5-5	W 1
Washington	4	14	.222	6½	3-5	1-9	4-14	0-0	0-0	3-7	L

National League West
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
L.A. Dodgers	13	7	.650	-	6-0	7-7	0-0	1-2	12-5	6-4	L 2
San Diego	10	9	.526	2½	6-4	4-5	4-2	1-2	5-5	4-6	L 3
San Francisco	9	9	.500	3	7-2	2-7	0-0	2-1	7-8	7-3	W 1
Arizona	8	11	.421	4½	7-9	1-2	0-0	2-2	6-9	5-5	W 2
Colorado	7	11	.389	5	3-4	4-7	1-2	1-1	5-8	3-7	W 2

Standings thanks to CBSSports.com

marvelousmarvbackbiter
for The Daily Growler