March 28, 2009

deforestation blues
I have a concern that I can't seem to shake. It's about deforestation and development in northwest Indiana, where I grew up. This is NOT just about NW Indiana but the world at large, and it affects everyone on the planet. My friend Simon recently told me that while driving through the town of Portage he saw a coyote as road kill. A coyote! Another time, he saw a little baby coyote all alone, trotting along the highway. Humans are not supposed to see these critters! They are meant to be protected by the cover of forests, forests which are being cut down alarmingly fast, blindly, and for profit. At this moment, I hate greedy land developers. HATE. It is an unevolved and ignorant perspective, but unfortunately it's something I am feeling now. I am going to sound like an opinionated bitch here, but oh well. Like the Lorax, I speak for the trees and animals, and a peace loving, everything's just jim dandy persepective AIN'T gonna cut it - no pun intended.

When I see these housing developments go up, I get a nauseous feeling in my stomach. Those ugly, cookie cutter, imagination-less, creativity-killing developments make me want to scream, thrash my body on the floor, pound my fists and cry. Too harsh a reaction? I don't think so. If you think it too harsh, you are not getting enough forest in your life, and your life is worse for it. It is a completely natural and human reaction! Human beings are not supposed to live this disconnected from nature, and I'm afraid we are tipping the balance to a point of no return when we cut down this precious green land. This is happening everywhere in suburban America. People want the fancy house, and then they have to get the fancy stuff to go inside it. I am attaching a couple pics of the Atlanta burbs that I took last year on my flight to a conference in Atlanta:


These photos make me wonder where the animals went that once used to roam this developed land . Animals need a range to wander, and so now they probably wander across roads and backyards, possibly getting squished by SUVs.

But, you may ask, what about your friends and relations who want (or live in) one of these abominable places? Well...this is my blog. My place to spew my opinion. When (and now if) I am invited to someone's development home, I will make a valiant effort to keep my opinions to myself.

I am trying to tell myself that there is no point in being angry about this phenomenon. My brother told me yesterday that all I can really do is focus on my own environmental radius. This is true, I suppose, and I like to think that I do that. But these deforestation blues are sparking a sense of activism in me, and I hope it will spark something in more of my fellow humans as well. Spending time in wild expanses increases your sense of creativity, gives you a sense of peace and well being, infuses your lungs with fresh tree-filtered air, and so much more.

I have to figure out an action plan that won't require me tying myself to a tree. The pen may just be mightier than the sword, or in this case, the saw.

My purpose in writing this blog today is more to motivate people to do whatever they can to protect the forests that harbor and protect the human creative spirit than to offend someone living in a development that already exists. What's done is done. I am not a better person than you, just a person who loves the trees and the little critters that depend on them!

Peace.

March 26, 2009

dad
On April 1 it will be two years since my dad's body left the world. I think it's kind of funny that he died on April Fool's Day. Nice joke, Dad! It has taken me awhile to come back into the world of the living, but I'm coming back. I really feel for those who have or had to take care of a loved one with an illness such as Alzheimer's or any other long term illness that requires constant care. The (perceived) loss of human dignity alone is enough to make one cry a river of tears. I spent 10 years crying over the gradual, heart-wrenching loss of my dad. But at the exact moment he left the body, I didn't cry. Whatever, everyone's different and will respond differently to death. It's just that for me, I was done crying. There was no more. Like the Bible says, "To everything there is a season." So true. So true.

And in so saying, I am getting over my phone phobia, too, kind of. But I must admit, I still like it when it doesn't ring. It's almost as if my soul is stuck in some past technology-free age. But then, there's the Facebook phenomenon, an analysis of which I will save for another day. In the mean time, let me tell you about one particular exciting event in my life.
chris cornell live
On Friday, March 13, I had the privelige of seeing Chris Cornell at an intimate venue in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. But before I begin the telling, let me, if I may, impart what Chris Cornell, as an artist, means to me now and what he has meant to me in the past.

During my junior and senior years of high school, I began to be influenced by the culture of the late 1960s, like a lot of my peers. This made sense. The Grateful Dead were still touring, the former hippies were hitting their 40s and actively reminiscing about their good old days, and as a teenager, I got swept up in all that. Kind of like how people reminisce about the 80s today (but that's a whole other topic). Anyway, when I entered my freshman year at Loyola in 1990, I was already deeply interested in social justice issues, Kahlil Gibran, Joseph Campbell, and other hippie (read: human) stuff. But the problem was that the music of the late 80s did not speak to me on any deep level, to match the transformation happening inside of me. I hated the hair metal shit and the pop music was beyond dumb. It all seemed so comical to me. And I only enjoyed it superficially.

But then I discovered Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger (1991). It was so powerful and raw and real. It spoke to me deeply, to my angst and frustration with the shallowness of 80s pop culture. There was still Apartheid in South Africa, HOW could I listen to and enjoy the popular hollow ass music of the day? So I dragged my roommate at the time, Christi, off to the Aragon (brawl room!) to see Soundgarden open for, of all bands, Skid Row. I almost lost my hearing that night, by the way. We were right in front by the speakers, Christi and I, wearing our birkenstocks and flowy shirts! Meanwhile, we were surrounded by hard core metal chicks in tight black leather and lots of make-up and hair spray. We were also stoned out of our gourds and giggling at the ridiculousness of how we looked in comparison to these tough chicks who could probably kick our asses. We stayed for both bands, but Soundgarden was clearly the winner of our hearts and minds. Their music was dark and demonic, yet it was also inclusive of the female energy somehow. I didn't feel alienated by it. I think I saw them one more time after that, but I can't remember now. Maybe not. I would have to check my old ticket stubs. Anyway, I didn't buy any Soundgarden albums after Badmotorfinger, for whatever reason. And then, in 1996, when I met the love of my life, Ashok, I began to learn about music in a new way, from a true musician's point of view. He played Superunknown (1994) and Down on the Upside (1996) for me, and I about lost my mind. I played the song "Like Suicide" over and over again. Both of those albums were such sophisticated evolutions from Badmotorfinger. I was moved by the music and the lyrics. The shit was intense. Soundgarden carried on the tradition of music listening, really sitting down and listening, not doing a hundred other things at the same time. But all good things end, and the group broke up in 1996. Oh well, their music lives on!

Then Ashok and I got hitched and moved to Brooklyn in 1998.

And in 1999 Chris Cornell released his solo debut, Euphoria Morning. I don't give a good fuck what the critics say. The critics can suck it! That album is really good. In fact, I am listening to it now. That album is New York for me. New York and Blueberry. Haha.

Then there was Audioslave, the merging of Cornell's vocal virtuosity backed by the power of Rage. I liked their first album a lot, and Ashok and I went to see them at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, and it was pretty awesome. But they broke up too, after three albums, of which I only bought the first.

Now we come to the present. Ashok recently played me a song from Chris's new solo album, Scream. And all I can say is, how far the noble have fallen. I am confused by his sudden foray into dance pop beats with Timbaland, which is a stupid name by the way. I am disappointed by the badness of it all. To be fair, I have only heard a few songs, and they are, unfortunately, not good.

Then a couple of weeks ago Ashok tells me we have the opportunity to see Chris Cornell at a private party in Chicago through his band's connections. I didn't care that his new album sucks balls, I wanted to see him! I am a long time fan, after all. So off we went. The venue was a large architectural store on Ravenswood Avenue. It was a really cool spot for a low key event such as this. Unfortunately, when we got there, there was a huge ass bus parked out in front with a giant red Verizon logo with Timbaland's face plastered all over it. I was like, ugh, way to slap art in the face, and we hadn't even walked in yet! So we walk in, and as I said, the place is off the hook. There are antique fixtures everywhere. Kitschy old stuff and classic art pieces. A great spot for an intimate evening of music. But there were also flat screen TVs strategically positioned that were playing Chris Cornell's new Verizon commercials. Oh my god. This commercial was so bad. In a nutshell, Chris is sitting on a stool singing and playing his acoustic, not so bad, but then these Coyote Ugly type dancers are in the background and...it is just too awful for words. On the flip side, there are only a few hundred people at this thing and the stage looks so welcoming and intimate, with candles everywhere. I saw three acoustic guitars and three stools. Despite the Verizon cheeziness everywhere (artist endorsements have become a complex issue nowadays, as opposed to days past, and I am not making a blanket statement against them-I am just referring to this particular artist and this particular endorsement), I was still stoked to see Chris.

Anyway, he came out with two members of his band, and the first song they played was so heartfelt that it made me cry. It must have been a new one. His voice is still so good, and the song was so honest that it cut me to the core. At that moment, he could have done whatever stupid endorsement he wanted. Sigh. He sang a total of 5 songs, three of which I enjoyed very much. He also played the title track to the new album, Scream. That one was horrible. The lyric that I (hate to) remember is "screaming at the top of my head". Ugh! Then Timbaland gets on stage, eating a cheeseburger. I am not kidding! They were passing out hors de vours at this thing, and he was eating a mini cheeseburger. He sat there next to Chris, who did not look comfortable, and said something about partying and how we didn't hear the "real" version of the song, we just heard the acoustic version. What the fuck? What an imbecile, I thought. Anyway, as Chris started to walk off the stage, I made a bee line for him. I got to put my hand on his shoulder and tell him what I thought about that first song. He was a bit too rock star for me, truth be told. He did not stay to mingle or anything else. He just left. His two band members stuck around, though, and I talked to one of them who's name is Yogi. He looked like a young George Harrison.

That's it. That's my story. Part 2 will be about why I think Chris Cornell has chosen to go down this new (horrible) corporate, dance pop path. I have a few reasons that I'd like to share, and I will try to do so with as much compassion as possible. But at the same time, I will hold strongly to my ideals.

Thanks for reading!