I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

February 08, 2015 - 10:45 a.m.

Radar in Port Washington

Last night was the second annual John Platt's On Your Radar visit to the Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington. This year's guests were Spuyten Duyvil, Toby Walker, and Carsie Blanton.

Getting there was an adventure. When I lived in Queens and had a car the Landmark was one of the easier venues for me to get to. It' an adventure from Brooklyn without a car. Nancy who lives in Briarwood, right by where I used to live offered to drive me. I just needed to get to Briarwood. That shouldn't be hard by subway, the to the . But that didn't reckon with the weekend subway schedule. Neither did Google Maps.

First the ran local in Brooklyn. Then it ran slowly in Manhattan because the was also running express so there was congestion on the track. I made it to 59th Street already 20 minutes late. That is a weird transfer. You have to leave the Subway and walk three blocks on the street. I did, went down to the and found it wasn't running into Queens. It was rerouted over the . I had to take it downtown back to 47th Street. I of course just missed that train. Then I had to wait forever for a train at 47th. The fun wasn't over. The train was then skipping the Briarwood stop. I got off the station before that, Kew Gardens, and called Nancy. she picked me up there but we were already almost an hour later than we planned on leaving. we got to the show half an hour late and missed most of Carsie's set. We were with Nancy's mother who needs a wheelchair which slowed things down too. I didn't sit down till three hours after I left my house.

We got our tickets separately so I went in on my own to find my seat. Guess what, Nancy's seat was right next to mine and with John Platt. That worked out nice, It was where I often sit there, the front row on the left.

The show, what I saw of it, was great. I only caught a few songs by Carsie who was her usual bubbly self.

That was the first picture I took and I think the best of the night. What did they do to the light later?

Toby is someone that everyone should know. There are a lot of musicians that are incredibly talented but I know aren't for everyone. Hell Wagner wrote the greatest operas ever but I know many people hate him. Lots of people I love play in unpopular genres, or create their own. But Toby is great while still being totally accessible. He plays the blues, just about everybody gets the blues. He is a total wizard on the guitar. He makes it do things you didn't know a guitar could do. He has a classic blues voice. And hten to top it off, for those that aren't into those things, he is often as funny as all hell. There's something for everyone. He can always in over an audience. He won over he audience last night. Of course Long Island is his own stomping ground so many people already knew him.


Toby Walker

Spuyten Duyvil is the band that I saw the most last year. They are clearly the home team. When John interviewed them and they listed their most memorable shows I was all but one of them. What do they play? OK this one of the things that's hard to describe. They are clearly a string band playing roots inspired Americana in a raucous way. They'd have fit in well in the 60s when the folkies went electric. There's just so much energy.


John Introducing Spuyten Duyvil


Toby joins in with Sputyen Duyvil


Grand Finale Everyone Together

There were plenty of people I knew at the show. I spent some time talking to Jeff who was ther with his son Ben, and then with Fred and LInda. I knew Fred would be there, he wasn't going to miss Carsie and Spuyten Duyvil. It was his first time seeing Toby. He was suitably impressed.

I just stayed long enough after the show to say hello and goodbye to Mark and Beth from Spuyten Duyvil. I thought I'd have time to talk to them before the show but that didn't happen.

Nancy was so nice that she drove me all the way home! It isn't actually that far from her by car. The Jackie Robinson Parkway took us most of the way. That meant I got home at a reasonable hours. It took less than a hour for the return trip.

I never mentioned dinner. I left the house at 5:00 and ate half my dinner, bedder cheddar sausages before I left. I made frozen hash browns when I got home. Odd thing the box says it takes 10 minutes on the stove top. It actually takes only 6. I only eat them when I don't have time to cook from scratch.

I'm spending next week with LORi and Steve in Philly. I will try and update from the bus on the ride down there. That will be in the afternoon. If I get up early enough I'll write before I leave.


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Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



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Horvendile February 08, 2015
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