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wSpring Tide |
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The tandem pull of the sun and the moon
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wThursday, December 19, 2002 |
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Denied. Thwarted. Turned away.
I tried to see The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers tonight and it was sold out for the showtime I wanted. I got there 90 minutes early, even. There were still tickets available for the 10:15 show but sheesh... that would get me out of the theater at 1:20ish. Not on a school night. Sigh.
The rain had let up to a misty drizzle sort of thing, so I went and got a large soy decaf double latte and wandered around a bit. Found myself in BookShop Santa Cruz, an eclectic independant bookstore in our downtown. Its a delightful place to browse. I saw a book called The Lovely Bones and fondly considered a certain thoom. (He truly is famous, you know...)
Heh. I love clanlord crossovers.
And BRRR, its cold. Supposed to get down to 36 degrees tonight. I know that doesn't sound cold to the rest of the country, but its damp and bonechilling when you're just blocks from the ocean. Now before anyone regales me with their own tales of frostbitten butts, you should bear in mind that I'm from Minnesota. I know what cold means. I've gone night skiing in 40 below temps -- that didn't include the wind chill. So there. Now that I've established my credentials... I'M FUGGING COLD.
So ok! Enough of this blather. Parties happening over the next week. Two on Saturday, a small jam on sunday, a bigger jam on Monday. I'm looking forward.
In the words of the immortal Bill (or was it Ted?): Be excellent to each other.
posted by
Just Mary at 11:11 PM
18 comments
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wSaturday, December 14, 2002 |
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Yes it was amazing, wonderful and heartful. (that's a new word. I just made it up. Like it?) I speak of the recent Other Ones show at Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium in Oakland.
I left the lab at 6:15 for a 7:30 show, running late. I didn't anticipate the hellish east bay traffic. Ugh. But I found the place easily enough once I got up to Oakland. Its a little like going home and indeed HJK was home for the Grateful Dead in the 80s.
Parking sucked, per usual for this venue, but I remembered the secret stash of parking places a block away. I changed clothes quick by my car --there is a secret art to changing clothes without revealing skin, known mainly to surfers, and deadheads. Once in my twirlygirl dress and tevas, I headed in. As I approached the venue, I could hear the roar of the crowd and the familiar "Good Lovin" as I approached. My buddy Ellen left my ticket at will call, so I skipped the line and went up to the ticket counter. No searching, and no hassle about the contents of my softsided briefcase.
Having no idea where my friends were, I made my way through the hallway of whirling dervish dancers -- it works best to dance your way through -- grinning at the people. My heart rose in my throat and tears came to my eyes. Man. What a long time since I'd been in this hall. I felt overwhelmed. I never expected we'd see this again.
It was a little too crowded in back so I made my way around to the side and danced my way in a bit onto the floor. Folks were smiling at each other. I found some floor space to listen, dance and get a bit lost in the music. A man with a big bag of candy offered me licorice, while another offered a bowl. I declined the latter, and after assurances that the former was clean, (not dosed) took the licorice. I'd found my place for the first set. Meanwhile the band proceeded to rip my head off with a Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstances ( the > indicates that the songs segue one into the other, the first one starting and the second one ending). Woo hoo! Take my brain! Please!
Set list for anyone who cares:
Set 1:
Jam> Good Lovin'>
Jam> Tennessee Jed
Lost Sailor>
St. of Circumstance
Only The Strange Remain>
Cumberland Blues>
Estimated Prophet>
Casey Jones
********
wooo whee! Great stuff. Strange Remain is a Micky song (of all things -- he's the percussionist) -- its a very odd tune but odd in a good way. Cumberland smoked -- its a fast bluegrassy number with great vocal harmonies and good G jams. Estimated was its old growly snarly beast and the Casey Jones was just dandy. That's a song I've heard live maybe... three times now? After 300 or so shows? It was a seminal hit in the 70s but the band got bored of playing it and never brought it out much. The Sailor>Saint was a cool treat cuz they haven't really played that duo much since the 80s. It always goes interesting places.
After the set ended, I found my way to my meeting place with Ellen (Phil side of the front of the soundboard) and she brought me up to some of my old showbuddies -- they're mostly railrats (meaning they like to see the show from the front rail). Faluna, Kathy, Tracy, Scott, Brian, Pat, Jeff -- all good folks, all longtime deadheads I hung with during the 90s shows. Lots of hugs, stickers shared, talk of the previous night's show, catching up on lives -- webgeek, multimedia goddess, marketing maven, video dude, newspaper editor, IT grrl... and me - the Aquatic Surfactant Engineer/chemist in training.
Robert Hunter, the lyricist that used to work with Jerry, came out during the intermission and played a few songs on a gorgeous Gibson hollow body. I'm not a huge fan of his live performances, tho' I love his lyrics. It was ok. Its kind of cool to hear him interpret the lyrics he's written (which are set to the music Jerry (Garcia) wrote. But I wanted to chat up my friends in btwn sets... not listen to someone else.
Set 2:
He's Gone>
Lazy Lightning>
Supplication>
Mtns. Of The Moon>
Uncle John's Band>
Terrapin Station>
Dark Star>
Drumz> Space>
Lady With A Fan>
Dark Star
(Encore:)
Happy Birthday Graham (Lesh)>
Touch of Grey
Wow wow wow. Lazy Lightening>Supplication? Early 80s for me. Fuggin Dark Star... I'd been hearing it for several songs before, teased by Phil and by Jimmy Herring. Whoosh. And speaking of Jimmy Herring, what a fine freakin guitarist he is. Its tough not to compare him to Jerry -- he doesn't have Garcia's vocabulary or emotional range. He was pretty restrained in his playing -- common when yer the new guy in the band. (the Dead have gone through a few keyboard players -- always took a year or so before they were really part of the band... some of them never really became part of the band). I did want to see more than his rapid fire attack of notes... I want more emotional expression out of a lead guitarist... that was part of the genius of Jerry (there I go, comparing again...). That fugger could wring such pathos out of his guitar. But Herring is one of the more interesting guitarists I've seen play with Phil since Jerry died. His background is Jazz is Dead (Billy Cobham's group) and Colonel Hampton's Aquarium Rescue Unit.
At the end of the show, once the lights came up and we were packing it in, we all agreed: we could do this again. And again. And again and again and again. We parted ways, making plans for New Years eve.
No after show festivities for me. I was working the next day and its a long drive from Oakland to Santa Cruz. So we parted ways. As I was walking out, I heard this screaming ... "Mary mary mary.." and I look up and see 6 bright eyed folk. Heh. We all blew kisses and I went up to the balcony to connect with them for a bit. They were all saucer pupil'd and glowing, begging me to come back for tubbing and music. Man.. tempting.. but I knew if I got in a hot tub, there was no way I'd finish the drive home. So, being the responsible girl, I declined. They walked me to my car -- well, I walked while they floated . After promising to come see their band (tonight), they let me go. I slammed a red bull and headed for home.
I didn't see as many people as I thought I would... no Bruce, or Scott or Tom and his crew. Not many out of towners either. Maybe they were all up in the balcony. Maybe new years. While its not the same band as it was, not the same monster, its still a fuggin larger than life beast. And there is still magic to be had and found. And that's a hopeful thought. And its good to be among people trying hard to be kind to each other. It reminds me to try and be a better person.
"Wo ho what I want to know
Is are you kind?"
-Uncle John's Band
posted by
Just Mary at 1:10 PM
10 comments
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wSunday, December 08, 2002 |
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Lately it seems like I speak and both feet end up shoved in my mouth. And I don't seem to have any control over it whatsoever. It kind of sucks.
posted by
Just Mary at 4:33 PM
4 comments
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wWednesday, December 04, 2002 |
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(This is a delayed post. Blogger was down.)
Tonight was the last discussion section with the biochemistry students. A three hour review for the final and they're on their own. I'm kind of sad. moo. I'm going to miss them. It was a privilege to be able to work with them and learn with them. And I did learn a lot, not only about the subject matter, but a little about teaching as well. There are a number of things I will do differently next quarter.
I got a really sweet card from one of the students, thanking me. I was quite touched. Also a few emails from other students. I thought that was kind of cool. It made me feel good to be complimented as a teacher.
So the text book goes back on the shelf, next to all my science textbooks. For the next month, I'm free. Well, free in the sense of I'm only working 40 hours a week. Plus a little overtime occasionally. The projected free time feels luxurious.
I'm totally jazzed about seeing The Other Ones on friday. I've been reading Mickey Hart's Trip Diary and it reminds me why I love this music so much. Its about improvisation, risk taking, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Everything I hold dear about music seems to be expressed in this band and their approach. I still get all earthy crunchy mystical about the magic in the moments when things are happening between these guys and between the guys and the audience.
After my dad died in 93, I stopped going to Dead shows because the music would make me cry. I'd spend most of the concert grieving and it was just too much emotion. I didn't want to feel it, I didn't want to go through it. I'd be fine until I heard Garcia's guitar -- then the emotion in his playing would just unravel me. After 13 years of my life intertwined with this band, I just couldn't be there anymore, because I couldn't bear to feel the pain of the loss of my father. We all love the happy side of the heart equation. The sorrow side isn't so fun. And at a show you just couldn't shut it out. It was a place where the heart and spirit held dominion.
So now, nearly 7.5 years since seeing all these guys together on the same stage, I'm get to see them again. It feels like a circle is closing, like The Wheel has completed a full turn.
I can't fuggin wait for Friday's heart drenching festival.
posted by
Just Mary at 1:38 AM
2 comments
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wSunday, December 01, 2002 |
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I'm often disappointed in the results when a book I love is made into the movie. Lord of the Rings was no exception. Today I watched it again, and I liked it a lot more the second time through. I wasn't lost in the special effects, caught up in evaluating the casting choices or distracted by the necessary narrative conventions (which in the first showing seemed stilted and forced). Good job Peter Jackson. I don't know that anyone could have done a better job.
Looking forward to the release of The Two Towers now.
Thanksgiving was good. I got together with friends at an annual feast held in the mountains. Good friends, lots of fun, lots of food and a successful quest to eat drink and be Mary.
Sometimes you can't ask for more.
Cholera has been on my mind of late. Turns out the toxin produced (Holotoxin, its called) is the result of a viral infection of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae by some kind of phage. Who'd a thunk it? Would you call it an infection, tho' or a symbiosis? It certainly benefits the bacterium, as the disease helps spread the critter and find it new hosts... So I think symbiosis is apt.
posted by
Just Mary at 1:39 PM
12 comments
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