With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good.
Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.
I enjoy paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.
August 18, 2003 - 1:51 a.m.
It has been a day and a half since I updated but it looks like most of you haven’t read my last one. What hits I have been getting have been by people wanting to read about the blackout. Now I don’t want to put any pressure on you but if I don’t see multiple pages read by the people who have me listed as a friend I’m going to cry. Does that only work if I threaten that Carey will cry?
Lots of The Kennedys in this entry. No not John, Robert, or Ted; Pete and Maura. Last night I drove up to Piermont to see them at that Turning Point. It was a really easy drive till the last leg south from the Tappenzee Bridge. Piermont Ave is a one lane road with no place to pass and I found myself two cars behind a car going 10 – 15 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. A whole line of cars formed behind us. There was even a bicycle in the group that was having no trouble keeping up. I think she actually would have liked to pass. When we were finally in town a block from the venue the slow car turned off and I applauded. I saw people in the other cars doing their own celebrations. Not that I’m bitter or anything.
Even with the delay I was there before doors opened and was the first person in line. I didn’t have long to wait till they let us in. I got the closest unreserved seat, one seat from the stage. While I was waiting for the show to begin I got friendly with the couple next to me and the couple across from me. They seemed to know each other from shows. Neither ones had seen the Kennedys much so I gave some background and suggested which CDs to buy. One couple wereFRFF regulars so they and I were selling the other couples on the glory that is Falcon Ridge. I think we did a good job and they want to go next year.
There was a second show with another artist but the Kennedys didn’t have an opening act so they got to do a nice set. There did lots of songs off their forthcoming album, a few of which I hadn’t heard before. All good of course. They played two of my requests, Just Like Henry David and Pearl’s Eye View. I had gone through their albums a while back looking for songs I haven’t heard them do in a long time but of course I forgot what they were when I needed them. I’m going to have to write out a list.
After the show I went over to talk to them. One of the people I was sitting with asked me “What was the album you said to buy? I want the one with Pearl’s Eye View. I told them that was Get it Right and pointed out that I had requested that. He said that I should be their PR man. I am a bit of a proselytizer aren’t I? Good thing I only want to get people into believing the absolute truths that I believe in not things that are matters of opinion.
I finally got a Kennedys bumper sticker and put it on my car. When I did I checked out what the sticker I forgot the other day was. It was Stephen Kellogg. I put on a WFUV sticker today. I out of stickers so that will be it for a while.
When the crowd cleared out a bit I talked to Pete and Maura about FRFF and asked them if they were going to the 3 Farms festival on Sunday. They said they were which didn’t surprise me. They live within walking distance and Mary Lee’s Corvette and David Johansen were both going to be playing. They’ve worked with and are fans of both.
Which leads us into today. First I went to the Met game with Alan. Alan and I had a discussion on what percentage of the adult population of the US could name all the Beatles. What do you think? The Mets actually won, their season best 5th victory in a row. I’m not happy about this of course. On the sports talk radio they were already talking about the Mets not needing to rebuild. They do, there is only one player on the team now that I think will be there when they are good again, the 19-year-old Reyes.
I left the game in the 5th inning because I wanted to get to the festival. It was free and I figured the place would fill up with David Johansen fans. It was a bit of a struggle to find the place but I finally managed it. It was in Seward Park, a little gem on the East River on the Lower East Side. The festival was put on to promote the neighborhood. They have a great amphitheatre there. It is a really nice place for a concert. It should be used more. I never even knew it existed. Apparently most people still don’t know. The place was less than a fifth full.
When I got there Andrew Vladeck was playing. I never saw him before but had heard good things. He rocked. I was going to write about the last song he did. It was a blues version on the banjo of , ok here’s the problem, I totally forgot what the song was. I’m really hopeless sometimes. I wrote him and asked him. When he writes back I’ll let you know.
Next up was Christine Ohlman. I’ve seen her in Beat Goes On shows at the Bottom Line. She was good especially when she was joined by Joe Hurly of Rogue’s March. During her set it started to rain and there was lightning so they had to stop. I had noticed Pete and Maura during her set and I took shelter with them in the Red Bull tent. I got to talk to Mary Lee Cortes, of Mary Lee’s Corvette talk to the Kennedys some more. They told me that Bob Dylan has a movie out. Not a concert film but an honest go got film with a plot. I’m going to have to see it. They said it was sort of surrealistic Road Warrior with Dylan instead of Mel Gibson.
The rain finally let up and we went to sit down. They went straight to Mary Lee’s Corvette. While they were setting up the emcee was making incredibly lame jokes. It was so bad that Maura shouted out for him to shut up. You know you have to be bad to provoke the always kind Maura.
Mary Lee’s Corvette did a song by song cover of Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. It was meant as a live show but someone recorded it and it became something of a hit. They got through Tangled up in Blue today then halfway through Twist of Fate the rain returned.
Once again we ran for cover, this time in a smaller tent at the back of the amphitheatre. This one was sort of collapsing and there were huge collections of rain on the top. We were afraid that the weight would bring it down so we cut holes through it with our keys to let the water out.
When we were back there they announced that the show was going to move to Arlene’s grocery but wouldn’t be starting for a while. Both the Kennedys and myself decided to call it quits. I offered to drive them home since it was raining. We made it to my car, threw stuff on floor so they could sit. Pete rode shotgun. Carey thinks it is because he didn’t trust me with Maura. I was thinking the same thing.
After dropping them off I ate and Katz’s Deli and went home. I talked to two of my favorite people on the phone, Leah and Carey. Even with missing most of the concert I saw Alan, Pete and Maura, and talked to Leah and Carey. That makes it a really good day.
I’m on page three of this entry and I have a whole other topic I want to talk about. I’m going to have to leave it till tomorrow. I’m going to write myself a note so I don’t forget it. I hope I remember to write the note.
The International Jewish Banking Conspiracy - October 07, 2008
On the Road to Westchester County - October 06, 2008
Inside the Madison Square Studio - October 05, 2008
I'm a Bosniac and I'm debating like I've never debated before - October 03, 2008
Islands in the Stream of Consciousness - October 02, 2008
Email me: GordonLew at gmail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Horvendile August 18, 2003
