MONK RULES
WELCOME to the Thelonious Sphere Monk Memorial WebLogWanna listen to Just A Gigolo by Monk. My page on Saatchi Gallery: Go HERE. | |
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September Y2K6 | |
9/30/06 Click HERE for the latest totals.There is now reason to believe that this tally is not accurate by about a third. Go HERE. More Americans now dead in Iraq & Afghanistan than killed on 9-11. JT & Dixie ChicksDo Sweet Baby James. Go HERE. Believe It - Or NotNeil Young does After The Garden. Go HERE. And Stephen Colbert. Go HERE. And Al Gore. Go HERE. And The Shrub. Go HERE. And And Inconvenient Truth. Go HERE. Quote Of Yesteryear"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." - Sinclair Lewis More Foley FolliesIt just keeps getting better and worse. But watch the slimy Republicans squirm away and FOX will find some way to spin it. Those IMs were really pathetic. Go HERE. Odd thing is, I have 1st cousins named Foley and he looks rather "familiar". Happy 36th BirthdayI ♥♥ Aaron & Gretchen. And Kate & Emma, too but it's not their birthdays. | |
9/29/06 Foley BustedHow stupid can you be? Putting it down on paper, or even IM. Go HERE. And he's a Republican. One more House seat for the Dems, unless they blow it. Norah Jones Sings CashHome Of The Blues. Go HERE. Norah Jones & BobI Shall Be Released. Go HERE. Norah Jones & DollyThe Grass Is Blue. Go HERE. Merle & DollyMama Tried & Okie. Go HERE. WaylonHonky Tonk Heroes. Go HERE. And Good Hearted Woman. Go HERE. And Trouble Man. Go HERE. And The Highwaymen do The Highwayman. Go HERE. Willie & Sheryl CrowJackson. Go HERE. George & DollyBlues Man. Go HERE. R-E-S-P-E-C=TAretha. Go HERE. And Chain Of Fools. Go HERE. | |
9/28/06 Greater Than The Printing PressThe internet has proved to be the greatest tool for spreading information since Guttenberg tossed off the bible. Politicians are quickly catching on. John Dean was the first and everyone has followed closely behind. Whereas before, if I bought a great book, read a great article, heard a good joke, I might tell a few close friends to check it out. Now, if I read something I can send out a shotgun email to a hundred friends, or post it on my blog and some of those people will also read it and send it on. Unlike chain letters, the internet really works. Ideas are ideal, opinions are dime a dozen. That's my opinion. On TortureEdwidge Danticat, a wonderful Haitian/American writer know a lot of first hand stuff about torture having grown up under the regime of Duvalier. You should read this. You may have to log on to Washington Post but... Go HERE. You should also read her harrowing first novel, The Framing Of Bones. No, It's Not SurfingYou've heard about "waterboarding", no? Here is what it is about. Go HERE. Extinct Is Forever![]() At least until cloning is worked out. Go HERE. Purty Pictures?Or Abstract Art? You decide. Go HERE. NY Times Keeping Condi's Secrets![]() Condi shows how big The Shrub's Johnson is. Go HERE. And more. They do it all the time. Go HERE.
MacDries says, "Sure am glad The Old Grey Jewish Lady is looking out for what we need to know. It takes a big weight off of sorting through all that useless information." | |
9/27/06 New Poem By EmmaI'm sure this one is about her mother. Go HERE. Karl RoveBeck does Loser. Go HERE. The Shrub Offers Himself AmnestyTricky George. But he'll no doubt get away with it. Go HERE. Couric Rips Condi A New One!NOT! Go HERE. Da BluesDespite conventional wisdom, listening to the blues does not aleviate them. Just went to J&R to see Robert Cray live. He was late and I got antsy so I only stayed for 3-4 songs. He's a good straight forward blues singer with not very good songs but when he plays guitar he really cuts it. Go HERE. He did this one. I prefer Clapton, B.B, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker or Stevie Ray Vaughn. B.B. & Eric & Buddy do Let Me Love You, Baby Go HERE. And here is B.B. & Albert King & SRV & Paul Butterfield doing The Sky Is Crying. Go HERE. | |
9/26/06 Robert CrayCity Hall Park @ 1pm tomorrow Wednesday. Old ManNeil Young does it. Go HERE. Cuz I'm feeling pretty old today. And Only Love Can Break Your Heart. Go HERE but you have to put up with CSN as well. And The Needle & The Damage Done and No More. Go HERE. And Out On The Weekend. Go HERE. This was the first Neil Young song I loved. And Helpless. Go HERE. And Down By The River. Go HERE. Karate NutzGo HERE. Evel KnievelA whole page of YouTube videos. Go HERE. John HodgemanFunniest guy around The Daily Show and in those Mac commercials. Go HERE. Young Once![]() As a grad student. Photo by Linda Dauw CuisineBefore Ann left and Kate went off to college, I was the chief cook and bottle washer. When I was recuperating from my by-pass I watched a lot of cooking shows and honed my skills to become a fair cook. Now, with only Emma to cook for half the time, I've lost interest in cooking. Luckily Emma has a narrow selection of things she likes to eat so I just have to make sure she gets enough vegetables. She gets her carbs and proteins and fruits and lord knows her desserts. Myself, I don't have much of an appetite, so I settle for watching the occasional show on the Food Network and reading a few articles about cooking and restaurants while I snack on pickled herring or open a can of soup. Ain't life grand? | |
9/25/06 Clean SheetsI love clean sheets. The problem is, I hate to make the bed. That's the biggie for today. Going to bed. The CommitmentsRemember that film? Go HERE for Treat Her Right. Poll1 in 3 still tie Saddam to 9-11.
MacDries says, "Those must be the same 33% who still support The Shrub." | |
9/24/06 Incipient AlzheimersThere is a movie out now about Charles Bukowski with Matt Dillon & Lili Taylor. I have watched the trailer and thought about seeing it a few times. I have to keep looking up the name bcuz I keep thinking it is Roustabout . It is not and I can't even now remember. I've looked it up at least 6 times. I keep thinking it starts with an R. Nope, Factotum. Ex-Gov Jim McGreevey Is GayNow, will you please be quiet, please. Who cares if you ruined your life. But, do take the money and run. Joan Jett & The BossThe Light Of Day. Go HERE. And Bruce does The River. Go HERE. And Thunder Road. Go HERE. And Dancing In The Dark. Go HERE. And The Rising. Go HERE. And Because The Night. Go HERE. And Prove It All Night. Go HERE. Nuthin' Happening AgainSo might as well watch a bit of Fawlty Towers. Go HERE. | |
9/23/06 I Still... hate the fact that Kate will not be coming in the door everyday. Heads Up!Just bought two new CDs, one old one new. The Avant Garde is John Coltrane & Don Cherry with Charlie Haden & Ed Blackwell. Awesome. You ought to buy it. Cherry plays a pocket trumpet, Coltrane plays soprano & tenor, Blackwell plays the full drum kit, and Haden is everybody's choice on bass. I knew Blackwell, casually, when I taught at Wesleyan. This is an ingenious one-off produced by Nesuhi Ertigun and what an idea. All tracks are by Cherry (1), Ornette Coleman (2,3,4) and Bemisha Swing by Monk (5) where Percy Heath replaces Haden on bass. MacDries saw Cherry one night at The Village Vanguard when he was not in true form (stoned) and he played trumpet, wooden flutes, etc. Nuff said. He's cleaned up since.
From This Moment On is Diana Krall's latest CD of standards. If you don't have most of her stuff you should buy it. If you have a bunch of her earlier stuff, you could pass. I bought it cuz I just love her. And she's a babe and Kate loves her. And she married the best Elvis and has a bumble or two on the way. And she got a lot of crap from her last CD when she wrote some of her songs.
MacDries met Joan at a party back in the day and she gave him a kiss. That's as far as it went. Then she disappeared. And MacDries is hanging on.
Go HERE for a memoir I wrote about the early Janis on the streets of San Francisco. | |
9/22/06 I Got Nuthin'Need a nap. | |
9/21/06 I Still... hate the fact that Kate will not be coming in the door everyday. photo: © Susan Byrnes (detail) Have A Baby In 20 SecondsGo HERE. Gimme A Break!Chavez called Bush "The Devil" in a speech at the U.N. and Rangel and Pelosi came to The Shrub's defense. Claiming that criticism of him was not polite when he is in the U.S. of A. Go HERE.
MacDries says, "Well, first of all the U.N. is not the United States and second, it is exactly what more of the un-aligned nations should do. I now dread Pelosi becoming Speaker of The House. And Rangel called him "my President. Geez!" | |
9/20/06 God Is SickGo HERE. You will have to state you are 18 to view this and other "flagged" videos. All believers are nuts. Need proof? Go HERE. Thou shall not steal. Go HERE. Wonders CeaseThe woman who wanted to buy that painting (down below) didn't call back after I told her the price. $750. Also told her I had smaller works for sale if that was too much. Still didn't call back. I guess, like most people, she thinks art should be free or at least cheap. Anecdote: Someone once asked Picasso how long it took him to paint one of his more slap-dash works and he famously replied: "When I was a child I could draw like Raphael. It took a lifetime to be able to draw like a child." Mindless SurfingIn lieu of actually doing something, I stumbled onto this Presidential Doodles site. Go HERE. I Still... hate the fact that Kate will not be coming in the door everyday. photo: © Susan Byrnes (detail) Kate: Don't forget to register to vote. Tell It Like It IsIran talks the talk and walks the walk. For better or worse. Go HERE. Via WlfSngAs Kurt walked down the busy sidewalk, knowing he was late for an important interview, his eye fell upon one of those unfortunate, homeless vagabonds that are found in every city these days. Wearing what can only be describes as rags, carrying every worldly possession in two plastic bags, his heart was touched by this persons condition. Some people turned to stare. Others quickly looked away as if the sight would somehow contaminate them. Recalling some long ago Sunday School admonition to "care for the sick, feed the hungry and clothe the naked," He was moved by some powerful inner urge to reach out to this unfortunate person. Yes, where some people saw only rags, he saw a hidden beauty. A small voice inside his head called out, "Reach out, reach out!" So he did.......... He gets out of the hospital in about 3 months. It would be nice to get a card or maybe a visitor. See jpg below.
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9/19/06 Bad Choice Of WordsThis on CNN.com Go HERE. Headline: Prolific Molester Guilty Of Abusing Two Boys prolific adjective 1. Capable of reproducing: fecund, fertile, fruitful, productive. Biology proliferous.
MacDries says, "How about "rampant" You can look it up?
MacDries says, "Note, he didn't call him boy, but Crackers sure do crumble slowly. I'm thinking he just wants to die before we elect a "nigguh". Obama/Winfrey could win in a landslide. That's a recent "myth" developing. | |
9/18/06 Senate Millionaires Against The Minimum Wage IncreaseGo HERE. I Still... hate the fact that Kate will not be coming in the door everyday. photo: © Susan Byrnes (detail) Huh?Intel Develops Laser Silicon Chip. How many people understand what the hell this is about? We live in a Mystical age while fighting religious wars. We believe in technology. That's what makes it work. Go HERE. Busted!Willie and posse busted in Louisiana for misdemeanor pot and shrooms. Go HERE. Surprised he doesn't get busted more often; everyone knows Willie likes to toke. Wonders Never Cease![]() Just received an email from a woman interested in buying this painting. Asked how much it was. Nice surprise, even if she doesn't buy it. Bush PilotGo HERE. Thanks to Grupp for this. Go HERE to watch The Shrub sing Sunday, Bloody Sunday. | |
9/17/06 Essential Devices?![]() Cordless mouse, cell phone, blood sugar monitor. Similar in size, all sit next to me, all use mystical technology. Only one is essential. The Shrub On Global WarmingGo HERE. Penn & TellerGo HERE. Diebold Voting MachinesPrinceton Prof hack the vote. Go HERE. HallelulahJeff Buckley Live. Go HERE. Happy 71st Sister MaddieMadonna Dries Christensen of Sarasota, FL was born today in 1935. You can Google her. She writes books that you can buy. | |
9/16/06 Pope Benny il Papa puts his Papal foot in his mouth. Guess he's not all that infallible. All we need now is a Religious War. I predict St. Peter's has moved up on the list of terrorist targets. Heads Up!CMT (Country Music TV on cable) has a few good shows you should TiVo or catch. One is Crossroads. Last night they featured Steve Earle & Rosanne Cash. Excellent. Previously they did Bonnie Raitt & Lyle Lovett. Y'oughta check it out. Austin City Limits is also on there. I Still... hate the fact that Kate will not be coming in the door everyday. I know, all (or most) parents go through this. I still hate it. photo: © Susan Byrnes (detail) Little Wing (Repeat)Can't get enough versions of this Hendrix gem. Clapton/Crow. And ya got some David Sanborn blowing his ass off. Watch Clapton, he can't quite believe what Sanborn is doing. And neither can Sanborn. Go HERE. And while you're there check out the rest of Clapton. Nuthin' bad. Cell Phone EtiquetteThis is precious. Go HERE. | |
9/15/06 Happy BirthdayMy good old boy, 70 something, bro-in-law Cy Fitterer (ret.) is a year older and hanging on. He's had a heart by-pass, prostate surgery, and a knee replaced and is back at work out there in Minnesota. Bill Evans Trio 1965My Foolish Heart. Nuff said. Go HERE. Find Of The Day15 minutes of Bird & Prez, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich, Bill Harris, & Ella. Good footage too. Check the Pork Pie Hat at the feet of Prez. Go HERE. Achtung!!!!Go HERE. Take 5Brubeck and Desmond back in the day. Not their best work but the big hit and pretty good for a bunch of white guys. Go HERE. ShaktiIf you're feeling spiritual, 68 minutes of John McLaughlin and his pals won't hurt. Go HERE. Mingus Sextet Live In Oslo '64Go HERE. And live at Montreux doing Good Bye Pork Pie Hat. An excellent requiem for Prez with Mulligan on baritone (totally stoned). Go HERE. B.B. & Clapton & Paul ButterfieldThe Thrill Is Gone. Go HERE. Our Main ManDoes Round About Midnight. Go HERE. Balloon Race Near RenoGo HERE. And the moonrise over Golden Gate Bridge. Go HERE. For KateJohn ♥♥♥♥♥ you too. Go HERE. And The Divine. Go HERE. Sad & Lonely Day Kate left for college today and Emma is on an overnight with her posse. I'm listening to Kate's fave, John Mayer to ease the transition. Man, life sure sucks and goes by way too fast. It's rainy and muggy too. | |
9/14/06 Ann Richards R.I.P. "Poor George, (41) he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." My fave politician has passed. Go HERE to hear her 1988 keynote speech. They should have nominated her instead of Dukakis. This just in from Mike Derry. Favorite line heard this AM on "The Stephanie Miller Show" (on Air America out here): "Poor George, (43) he can't help it. He was born with a silver spoon up his nose." "We need to realize that it took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage. We are not that smart." -- William McDonough, FAIA-2006 The Real Rudy Home OwnerMy eldest daughter, Gretchen just bought her own loft in downtown L.A. Congrats are in order and this 6x12 foot painting will be on the way soon to decorate her walls. Gretchen is working her way up doing camera work on films and TV; currently assistant camera on Medium. Go HERE for her Resume. MenuTonight is Kate's farewell dinner before she goes off to University of Chicago tomorrow. We'll have one of pal Paul's freerange chickens roasted with garlic and lemon and rubbed with rosemary, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy (K&E also have cottage cheese with theirs*), asparagus. Dessert to be determined. Going to hate tomorrow. * I taught them cottage cheese on potatoes but not combined with gravy. Kate invented that. | |
9/13/06 Greg Brown Brother Dennis passed this guy on to Carl and Carl passed him on to me. He's got dozens of albums under his belt and they're probably all good. He's that kind of blues singer. Go HERE. Quote Of Yesteryear "It reminds me of stale bean soup, of college yells, of dogs barking idiotically through endless nights. It is so bad that a sort of grandeur creeps into it . . . It is rumble and bumble. It is flap and doodle. It is balder and dash." H.L. Mencken on President Harding
MacDries says, "Sounds familiar to me. I think Harding has been surpassed in balder and dash." | |
9/12/06 Awake NowManaged to stay awake for most of the day. The 9-11 anniversary orgy is almost over except for the final strutting and farting from politicians about it and the media pumping it as a real story. Kate is doing final packing for college and I'm trying not to think about her going away. She bought Coltrane's My Favorite Things as a gift for her buddy Jon. Says it's her favorite Coltrane. Didn't know that but it pleases me, none-the-less. My Sparkler is on the way home after swim team. What I don't need to know but do: Ann is doing her routine Girl's Night Out to dinner with her latest posse; 4 women her age. One sadly lost a husband pre-maturely, 2 have dumped one or more husbands or are in the process and one is left married to another previously divorced older man. We'll call him the last man leaning. Observers are forming a pool on how long before he falls. I'm sure one of the girls will propose Champagne. Such a break-up cliche but I'm weeding out reminders of Ann, taking down pictures etc. Trying to move on... to what? La Di Da. Back To BedGot up at 10, took my drugs, had coffee and cereal, checked my email, (none) and went back for a nap. Now, I recall it's primary day so I suppose I should go cast my vote against Hillary so she doesn't get too big a win and increase her chances for 2008. Spitzer will also win in a walk and he's supporting Mark Green against Andy Cuomo. Couldn't care less about those two who are always running for something and usually losing. Ho hum. | |
9/11/06 Happy 67th Birthday Grupp Sorry all this 9/11 shit is corrupting a truly wonderful birthday for my best, largest and greatest friend in the whole god damn world.Outside last night there was a huge traffic jam and lots of sirens and noise. Then I discovered The Fucking Shrub was at "Ground Zero" (ours, not Japan's) laying a wreath. He and Laura are hitting all three sites in 24 hours. Symbolism reigns. Too bad he couldn't have been on site 5 years ago. Go HERE for Carl's Blog. Q: What's Osama bin Laden's favorite football team? A: The New York Jets. Notice the speed limit, 10mph. Ann and my girls are going to a 9-11 anniversary dinner tonight at a former friends' house. I was not invited; Ann gets these friends in the break-up. I get my music collection. | |
9/10/06 Sports AssholesEvery year as I wait for the U.S.T.A. Open Mens Final to begin I have to wait for the thousands of football games to finish. Only in fooball can time be stopped, warped and extended eternally. The game today is 26-10 with 3 minutes left. That was 15 minutes ago. And now there is about a minute left. And then they have to do re-runs of plays that everyone just watched. And all these screaming aassholes are Budwieser drinkers. Evolved people understand that tennis (and perhaps Pool) is the only really interesting sport. Fast paced, 1 on 1 and the best at any time is always changing, non-violent, non-contact. Of course Federer won again. And that's another rant. | |
9/9/06 EpiphanyListening to Coltrane now for a few days, and at this moment, Live At Birdland and realized that I no longer believe in much. The things I end up caring about are few: my children, my long held friends, music and perhaps the idea of art. Some art. Some of my art and some of other artists' Art. Art with a capital A includes, music, painting, sculpture, film, architecture, a bit of dance but does not include the popular arts such as fashion design, graphic design, nor industrial design except when it incorporates the concept of ecological sustainability. Beyond that, F*** Y**. F*** politics and politicians. F*** business and business persons. F*** journalism and journalists. F*** 9/11, 9-11 Nine-Eleven, except it's also Carl's Birthday each and every year and everyone loves Carl.
I think this qualifies as a Rant. A Vent. I may do more. | |
9/8/06 ColtraneNaima live. Go HERE. | |
9/7/06 Sonny, PleasePreview Sonny's latest recording and other Rollins videos. Go HERE. Better To Light A CandleGo HERE. This is for Glenn Anderson (AKA WlfSng). The Shrub loves this sort of thing too. Go HERE. | |
9/4/06
I'm walking through streets that are dead
Did I hear someone tell a lie?
I'm sick of love but I'm in the thick of it
I see, I see lovers in the meadow
I'm sick of love; I hear the clock tick
Sometimes the silence can be like the thunder
I'm sick of love; I wish I'd never met you
Just don't know what to do | |
9/1/06
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Back at'cha Shrub. You little twerp!Go HERE to see the whole tape. For The Latest Dries Art GO HERE![]() For The Latest CyberToonz GO HERE ![]() I've never actually watched an episode of The Simpsons (I'm more of a Pixar kind of guy) butt... ![]() *Dislaimer
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