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.
2001-11-10 - 11:30 a.m.
Yesterday was Friday and I wasn't busy during the day, which means that I was supposed to go to the movies. That's what I decided a few weeks ago at any rate. I forgot of course. I spent the day online, watching TV and took a nap. I broke out of my lethargy in the evening. I took the railroad into the City to go to the Big Apple Bluegrass and Folk Festival at the Baggot Inn. I stopped on the way there to eat at Popeye's. The one bad thing about not working for Chez is that I don't get to eat there that much. Popeye's makes the best fried chicken in the world. The one on 14th street has the best deal, two pieces, fries, and a drink for $3.29. They used to know me so well there that I wouldn't have to order, they'd get it ready when I was walked in the door.
After eating I walked down to the Baggot Inn on 3rd Street. I had perfect timing. I got there at 7 minutes to eight and the show started at eight. It was a late arriving crowd and I sat right by the stage. I'm glad I was there for the beginning, the first act, Hugh Pool, rocked. I'm a sucker for the steel slide guitar and he is a virtuoso on it. It isn't easy for a guitarist to impress me the same week I saw Richard Thompson but he did. He played mainly covers of people like Blind Willie McTell and Muddy Waters. The only song that I knew was Creole Belle by Mississippi John Hurt. Despite the fact that I'm really short on money I bought one of his CDs. I have to see him again. His son was there and was adorable. He's about 2 and a half and was wearing black leather jacket and pants. He could have been Fonzi's kid. He was walking up to the stage and playing with things all the time. His mother had to keep bringing him back to the seat.
Next up was Paul Clements. He was a generic British folksinger. He was really good on the guitar but I wasn't thrilled with his material. He did one thing, which made me very happy. He did a song called Tadpole to a King . He called it the only audience participation new age songs. We were supposed to shout out, "She's kissing him now" when the princess kisses the tadpole. He didn't explain that this was a contest. I kept expecting him to start singing but he didn't'. It was an instrumental and you were supposed to figure it out from the music. After the first verse he explained this and people started shouting out at what they thought was the right time. In the second verse I thought I had it figured out. I shouted it out when he got the part in the third verse. I was right. He said I was the only one that ever got it right. I thought it was pretty simple actually, you can tell he changed keys and tempo. He said he'd buy me a drink but I didn't push it. I already hand drunk my limit on beer and soda. (one each)
The next act was the one I came to see Meg Griffin's Train Wreck. Meg is a DJ who has been a fixture on New York Radio since the mid seventies. She worked at FUV for a few years where I became friends with her. Pam Bertolli, a fill-in DJ at FUV is also in the band. They play alt country. They are really good too. They do mainly covers but they did one song by Pam and another by the lead guitarist. Both were good. I love seeing a band that makes sure to say hi to me. It really massages my ego.
This morning I've been talking to Carey and read her diary. She was talking about how awkward she felt last night when seeing Vance Gilbert. She was afraid to talk to people; she thinks she isn't cool enough which is of course ridiculous. It is really strange but if you combined two loonies like Carey and myself together you could get one well-adjusted person. I am not cool but I'm never afraid to talk to anyone. It is weird since I always have doubts about people liking me. Somehow I figure that the next stranger will be different and they will like me. That is why I'm on speaking terms with almost every band I see regularly. I will also join in the conversation of strangers if they are talking about something I am interested in. Carey could so use that self-confidence. On the other hand I could use her work ethic, her social skills, her ability to follow through on things. OK what it comes down to the well-adjusted person would be Carey with my brashness.
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 2001-11-10
