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 11, 2016 - 12:44 a.m.

To See The Sea The Sea and Their CD in the Key of C.

Welcome to another short late-night but published in the morning edition of Wise Madness. After that awkward start anything I write is going to seem well written. I know all the tricks.

My room is still freezing and my reward for finishing this is getting my arms and upper body under the covers. Motivation is very important.

I only volunteered 7 hours and 20 minutes at WFUV today. I'm becoming a slacker. I was out last night so I couldn’t get to sleep early enough to get up at 4 AM for the 6 AM shift. Instead my plan was to get up at 8 AM for the 10 AM shift. I actually awoke closer to seven and as I went to sleep closer to two did not get enough sleep. That did not catch up to me till I was almost home tonight. Of course I drank a ton of coffee. I'm being very good and using the stainless steel travel mug I got at NERFA for all my drinking needs. It's large, I think 16 oz. I filled it with coffee three times. I also filled it with cola twice. The rest of the time it was water. I made sure to tell Tom who always got to great length to be green. He uses the same cup all drive.

There were a lot of birthdays at WFUV. Yesterday it was Jim and Sarah. Today it was Jose and Jeremy. That means cake. I ate a lot of baked goods the last few days. Mike bakes and I love it. I have not proposed. Who was around today, I'm not going to do as good a job as yesterday in remembering; Jim, Tom, David, Thao, she's new and I remembered her name so I get extra points, Lori who hates me and took my seat, Brian, and Sylvia. I could take notes with the sign-in sheets but that's cheating.

I went from the station right to Rockwood Music Hall again. This time it was to see The Sea the Sea. That is pretty much my favorite sentence to say or write. OOO if someone asked who what I'm doing and if I'll like it I can say, "I'm going to see the Sea the Sea; Si." OOO, if Kirk asked me if I'm going out and what I'm going to do I could say, "Si, I'm going to see the Sea the Sea, Siee."

Do you like the way that I stick to the essentials when I have limited time?

I was of course doing the merch so I got there early. I went in, didn't see Chuck or Mira and went to the green room and knocked. Chuck and Mira had a band with them so the room was crowded. It's crowded with three people in it. Mira came out and told me that Chuck was setting up the merch in the back room. I joined him there and helped with the set up and counting things out. Rockwood is very dark; nobody can see the merch without a lamp. They gave us two, without bulbs. I was able to get one from management. That made me feel useful. When I merch there I try to hang out by the door so I can make a quick getaway and get to the merch before the crowd. I got my spot and waited around for people to arrive. I heard someone call my name. I looked around and didn't see anyone, I figured I misheard. I heard my name again. Once again I couldn't see anyone. The third time I heard "Up here?" It was Gene and Isabel in the Statler and Waldorf Seats in the mezzanine.

I had totally forgotten that the show was in Rockwood 2, the big room, till I checked right before I left WFUV. I totally forgot that there was an opening act and that it was going to be an hour and a half show. I had planned on seeing Kat Quinn at 9 but I knew that wasn't happening as I wouldn’t get out till after that. Have I mentioned that I'm an idiot? I also forgot that Devon Sproule was the opener. I was on her mailing list for ages but didn't know where I knew her from, I suspected the Sidewalk Café, where Kat was playing tonight. Talking to Gene I found out that she opened for We're About 9 in 2002. He doesn't keep a blog and he knew that. I think I knew her before that though. I asked and she never played the Sidewalk so I'll never know for sure.

As I said before The Sea the Sea had a new configuration, Chuck and Mira had a rhythm section, Eric on bass and James on drums. Please be impressed I remembered their names. That's because I talked to James before the show. When I was getting the light bulb he came up to me and asked if I were a friend of Chuck and Mira. I didn't realize he was one of the people in the green room and wondered how he knew that. Do I just look like I should be there friend? I'd like to think so, that would be flattering. He explained and told me his and Eric's name and I still remember them so give me a cookie.

The Sea the Sea are one of the special bands. It's more than being good, it's being good in a unique way. I told Chuck that they are easy to write about. I know why I like them. I came up with something good tonight. They remind me why I dislike so many other bands. Chuck knew that was a compliment. The do so many things to hold my interest and keep my mind working the entire show. This song demonstrates what I mean well. Unfortunately, it's not on the new album and I'll explain why I'm not posting someone from the new album later.

Chuck and Mira's voices blend as well as any two people I've ever heard. To put it simply they sound beautiful, literally divine. It's the sound the muses would have made. They could get way just making that beautiful sound and plenty of people would love them. You hear that sound most purely in the palindromic a Capella round the start the song with. Most musicians making that sound and with that clever song writing would make that the entire song … and go on so long that I'd be bored at the end. They take it to the exact right moment, 41 seconds, then bring instruments, rhythmic variation, and developing the lyrics. There's just layer upon layer of content. They are not content with sounding beautiful.

OK now it's way later than I wanted to go to sleep so I'll have to wrap this up. I had a bit of an adventure near the end of the show. I was standing there happily watching the show, standing by Mira's friends, one of whom introduced herself, as she could see how much I loved the band, taking pictures and moving in place to the music. The guy behind me said I was crowding him. I was not touching him at all and I was pretty much standing in place as I kept time to the music. I moved my body not my feet. Yet he felt he had to say something. A little while later he said it again this time angrily. Again I was not touching him and he had nobody behind him for three feet. I told him to just move a half a step back. Then he got angrier and said he shouldn't have to move. And then I did not do something I'd regret. As much as I wanted to I didn't say how ridiculous he was being and call him some variant of a jerk. I knew I would never convince he was being a joke. I just took a few stops to my right. That was easier as Mira's friends had backed away and then said, "Come here with us." Thank you Mira's friend. Thank you my self-control who too often goes AWOL in these situations. Instead I went back to enjoying fantastic music.

Right after the last song I lit out for the merch table in the other room. It took a while for people to follow. Was there an encore that I missed? I thought I heard the house music come on. Gene and Isabel came over to say hi and then Mark and Beth, I hadn't seen them before the show. I sold quite a few CDs but there were lulls and it was nice to have someone to talk to.

After I closed up shop, I said goodbye to Chuck. Oh I forgot it was Chuck's birthday. So I had three birthday celebrations today. Then I said goodbye to Mira and in the process met Chuck's mother That was great. I love meeting the family of friends. Then I tore myself away and came home. How rushed am I? I left out commuting stories! I am not going to list a single subway line!

OK now to get to sleep, I have two shifts to do at WFUV tomorrow. Oh d'oh, I'm an idiot, I forgot to tell my idiot story. Know why I couldn't talk about the new CD, the one whose release show this was? I forgot to take one for myself and I'm going to be on the radio with Brian next week. My plan was to play it. I asked Mira and Chuck, see I can reverse the order if I want, to send me a digital copy. That way I know I'll have it in time. But on the anti-idiot side I have a CD from another artist to bring to John tomorrow and I remembered to put it in my bag. Of course that was to make up for this morning's idiocy. I put it in my bag then took it out because, John and played the CD on Sunday. Yeah but that was the The Sea The Sea CD, another great sentence. That was why I didn't have to get him a copy of that, but not of the artist that I had one specially to give him. It's really hard not having a brain.


I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.





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 11, 2016
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