'Nuff Said.

Rev. Lowery in the inauguration Benediction:
"help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance."

Cheers.

Convalescence

"these wounds will heal and nothing can stop me now"

Listening to "Convalescence" by Darkest Hour from their mighty Undoing Ruin record and it's the last day of Bush 2nd term. 10:10 EST MLK Day. How fitting a date to see him out the door. The truly darkened skeptic in me wonders if it was all arranged but I can't let myself be that cynical.

Really tired today. Can't seem to get it going.

Man, the percussion and guitars in this song right before the solo pack such a wallop.

But yeah, last night my job was a clusterfuck. Owner inexplicably sent the busser home early and then we got mobbed and were stretched too thin. Had a crazy Italian family with 5 noisy (and I mean NOISY, as in, noisier than Darkest Hour,lol) come in without a reservation. They drove away tables and were super needy and left a big mess and whined a lot. How can you be such a gross/unaware person?

I can't imagine in a million years acting like that in a restaraunt, except for like, being wasted in shitty diners which doesn't count.

Anyway, gotta take the dog out. Trying to motivate and move my bones. Eating plain oatmeal with nothing.

Thinking of starting yet another project, was talking w Joe Maggio (ex Watch You Burn,ex-DIVEST, current Acid Arrow guitarist) about it. I want to do just a serious, straight forward hard-core band called The Walking Bombs.
I like how the name could be totally positive or negative, like a suicide bomber or someone going postal but I mean it in the positive sense of being a weapon of your ideals and intellect, not a cowardly way to not communicate and be a fanatic while hoping you'll be rewarded with virgins or getting to shake hands with Mitt Romney or something.

I want to do something really basic but awesome, just straight up hard core. Haven't done much in my "career" and have always been a fan. DIVEST did a tune "me casa su casa" about bad communication ruining friendships "tongue tied = true crime" (a lyric I revisited in a song "Moving Days" by Pontius Pilate Sales Pitch which needs to be released really bad!). Anyway///

Just another attempt to tackle every style I love and to create some, if possible.

Embracing today as a moment of change and hoping for the best.
Going to walk out into the cold, let the puppy relieve her little bladder and get on with my day.

Only have one or two days off from a week spent scrambling for money. Not scrambling for recognition anymore, just working hard and hoping for the best and keeping on doing what I do. People can sift my intentions and character from that and take it or leave it. I've done a lot for everybody.

Been watching Buddhist lectures about karma operating not as we mispercive it in the west like "destiny" but rather as the accumulated energy of our thoughts and deeds. If tragedy strikes, you have to try and not feel crushed, but learn how to survive it in yourself. Fair or not, whatever...it simply is and you shouldn't be happy about it or neutral to the point of not caring about yourself, i believe, but you do have to be able to adjust and accept life as full of different modalities and comings and goings to ever be released from Samsara even a tiny bit.

so don't blow yourself up to get pussy, kids, lol..."God' knows your real motivations, lol...Oh,man.

"Low" by DH is on the music player now and ripping through the room. Never listened to much Darkest Hour, one of those bands who've been around years but you can't follow everyone. Saw them at Warped once and thought they were great, playing a little tent and ripping it in half anyway to a small crowd while everyone else nearby was waiting for The Transplants. People could've watched these dudes while they waited.

Anyway, my Sepultura and Wino interviews both got delayed this week. Literally ten minutes before Sep interview my phone died inexplicably. Have internet obviously but need to get maintenance person over here to check wiring. I know Delish upstairs don't have a landline so can't ask him.

Andreas cancelled all interviews that day anyway, I found out a little later, lol...so I was relieved. I've never missed an interview.

Got Cattle Decapitation with Travis Ryan turned in though last night so am stoked for that.
Onward and upward.

Gaza Strip Tease

The endless violence continues...
Thinking about Gaza Strip, the recent escalation...so sad. It's back to the "eye for an eye". I get it in many respects. If someone hurt my family I'd want to fucking destroy them. Hard to be Buddhist about that. Same time, though I have had conflict with people in my life I always try and bridge it and be objective...still, in a huge political arena or between different factions or ethnic or religious groups it is much more complex. Look at Norwegian black metal and how some bands like Gorgoroth think Church Burning should continue. I don't think that helps. Some of the Norse Churches burned in the 90's were ancient landmarks and if Satanism is about "freedom of self" to some of these bands then they should understand others wanting a right to worship their own choice. In Norway though, as in many places and throughout history, I understand that the Christian religion was enforced upon people and is very hypocritical throughout time. I personally have a very progressive and non-orthodox view of all religions, even a scientific view, yet one that allows room for a creator.
So violence polarizes more people and begets itself. And as for hypocrisy...the various violent Inquisitions of history, for example, were certainly not preaching love to the tortured (usually women).
It's just a shame that it is almost a way to continue fighting...a guarantee that someone will want to retaliate. Gaza Strip Tease...provocation entices more provocation...and what bleeds leads in other parts of the world. It is always in someone's interest to spread fear. Throw religion into the mix and ...kablaaam! Dead innocents.
I am looking fwd to interviewing one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists ever Andreas from Sepultura on Thurs. The new Sep LP is called "A-Lex" and focuses on Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange" book as inspiration. I want to ask him about the themes of the book, of course, where the rape and violence committed by Alex in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE results in his own freedom of choice being raped by Brainwashing. The question is...where does the line get drawn?

Do we trust the government to dole out the death penalty if we can't trust the government? How can we properly process or "treat" criminals or interrogate them no matter how dire our need?


Anyhow...Explorer web browser is what doffed PC a day or so back but we switched to Firefox and problem solved. Viruses hadda get cleared out. Was a pain in the ass. More soon, broadcasting into the dark.
MYE.

Good Night, Good Morning, Wherever You Are.

Hello lovelies.
This is my first post at these digs and it is a crisp winter night in January o9. A few, well, a week and a few days left of Bush and it is near passe to complain about the bastard at this point but the real question is...what can he bugger up in the next few, final hours of his "Presidency"?
I have had a bad week and am worried he will make it worse somehow before the door hits him in the ass.
trying to go on a new diet, not for losing weight but because I took anti-biotics for two months 'cuz I couldn't afford a fucking root canal or two and just ended up taking them way longer than was a good idea. System is all fubar as a result. Trying to rebalance. But it is exciting. Will be eating lotsa spinach.
Other news. Pontius Pilate Sales Pitch, my band with Nate Kelley, is not gonna be playing any shows until March and hopefully will after that. Nate is touring with Ism nationally opening for Trust Company. He got a gig with those dudes as a percussionist and it is gonna be great for Nate. It's good to see one of my oldest friends touring and doing what he loves best.
Pontius needs some more momentum. We all work hard and have lives and aren't rich or even well known. We have been slept on by idiots, really. But whatever. I am always gonna be making music one way or the other but I love this band and it is sacred music to me and a vital part of my life. We have two records written that are both incomplete, a noir detective concept record SENSE AND JUDGEMENT and THE GREATER MYTH, about different lifestyles in America.
We are dedicated to this baby and all yet also like any band have a lot of challenges keeping it going in our lives without more support.
Whine, whine...sure...not trying to say you can't do it yourself but everyone knows it is a lot of work and times are tough these days. I would love for us to find a label for the band as we are also spread far apart these days. Hopefully we can generate some interest even while Nate is on tour with Ism.
Last PPSP show we played was Dec at Fontanas in NYC w SHE WOLVES, the awesomest band of bruisers you need to love. Got to meet Sean Yseult which was cool. She was hanging at show with her husband Chris from Supagroup, who I did not get to meet in the fray of the drunken night but whose brother I interviewed once. They are from New Orleans and related to Bruce Lee, seriously.
Anyway, other news is I just interviewed SUPERSUCKERS guitarist Rontrose Heathman this week who is one of the best there is. It's gonna be at CRUSHER in a couple days. Their new album GET IT TOGETHER is great and legit. Also Talkin' to Wino (guitar legend) and Sepultura later in the week. Very excited about both, especially Wino.
Otherwise, waitin' tables and keepin' able. You know.
My second sci-fi novel FERALYSIS is creeping along, hopefully I won't lose the whole thing though due to a pesky PC virus. Didn't notice security was down for a day and the bed bug bit.
11:00 p.m.
Searching for momentum, making it my own way, whatever I can do to keep inspired. I love my family. Holidays were good if tight in the purse but we all made it great. Cambria, my sister, has moved to Providence though, which is far from Upstate,NY but not too bad, really.
I wish I got to see her more. We drove around before she went with me and my girlfriend's dog Nooni and went for a walk in the snow. Cambria was obsessed with hot chocolate that day.
Tonight is just a hello, people. Just talking about my life more in this space. I do formal announcements of my writing at my Myspace page myspace.com/morgandivest

Think this blog is gonna say some of that as you can see above, but talk about my life even more also. Just wanna try and do it. We'll see. I might never post again here, haha!
-MYE-