Ghost Train RadioThe Minds Eye
Posted on November 19, 2021
It's fantastic
What we humans see
When our eyes are open
Internally
The Internal
Affects the External
When our eyes are open
Autumnal or Vernal
The External
Influences our brain
Bringing pleasure
Or pain
Autumn's paradox
Such color in death
Vernal is green
A baby's first breath
Images beget moods
Color the minds eye
Accentuate the positive
Or scare us deep inside
Take the moon
You'll either sing
Clair de Lune
Or songs filled with doom
You get to choose
Decide what you see
Darkness and sadness or
Light and Beauty
Mysterious Thanksgiving Moon
Posted on November 19, 2021
Thanksgiving Moon
Appeared in my Dream
Softly shining
Mysterious scene
My camera didn't catch
The full glory of the night
So I push processed it
Until I got it right
It occurred to me
That humans can see
Human emotions
Better than technology
Two Sheriffs
Posted on November 17, 2021
Its taken me 6 years to get over the horror of the Political Stain on America. While it still wreaks of that subhuman filth ex President, I realize in many ways it just doesn’t matter – that we have been here before, it just has seemed worse than ever. Time has – and is – showing us that like all other real and wannabe dictators who rise on a platform of hate – that the platform is like a bullies – all mouth and very weak. Look at how it ended for ALL dictators – they ALL collapsed under their own “hate weight”. Love will conquer the hate and haters. Accentuate the positive!
This song is a fairy tale – a modern day Grimms?
This song has my first Cello parts. I’m a total Cello neophyte.
All my children
Gather around
I'm going to tell you
'Bout the new sheriff in town
One, a hard worker
Quiet and humble
Two, a spoiled brat
A fool and a bumbler
One, tall and thin
And quite debonaire
Two, a fat oaf
Donkey straw for hair
One, an honest man
Who tells us the truth
Two, a rotten crook
Only lies through his tooth
One, a good husband
Who loves his family
Two, a philanderer
Only cares about He
One, a kind leader
Vaccinated The People
Two, a virus spreader
A real Grim Reaper
One, a Catholic
Who is devout
Two, a charlatan
Jesus threw out
One, a kind giver
Who overcame grief
Two, constant taker
Grifter and thief
One, empathetic
Open and kind
Two, narcissist
Out of his mind
One, plays it careful
Saves everything
Two, spendthrift fool
Bankruptcy King
One, wouldn't be sheriff
If Two weren't so awful
Two, he is his own worst enemy
Crooked, unrepentent, unlawful
That is the story
Please tell your friends
Selfish people fail
Its a means to and end
Halloween 666 Series #4: Nevermore
Posted on September 26, 2021
This year I am celebrating Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” and quite a few other poems and stories that were inspired by both his Mother and Wife (both) dying at age 24 from Tuberculosis. He might have had some existing mental health issues – but his substance abuse and unending grieving seemed to drive him mad and over the top. He was a very smart guy – but had a rough life and died a really sad death. I suppose he would be sort of like “The 27 Club” – where famous artists died early. However, Poe made it to the ripe old age of 40. But in a weird way, he reminds me of Kurt Cobain.
I think with this episode – I’ve exhausted (exhumed) my Poe energy. Next week I will have a really diabolically funny (and yeah – somewhat cliche) Halloween Perennial Favorite theme – but I promise – it will be twisted in my own way and style. I’m quite excited.
Stay tuned, in Tune, etc
R.I.P. Radio
Posted on September 17, 2021
The movie “Contact” was both good – and bad, but most of it was good. I especially liked the opening scene where Radio and TV signals were travelling out into outer space – to be heard by aliens I suppose. They were from every decade since radio was invented – but more so commercial radio.
When I was a kid there still was music even on AM radio, but FM was where the cool kids hung out. AM had local news and I remember listening to WHO from Des Moines and “The Farm Report” and WSM and The Grande Ol’ Opry. FM had “album rock” which was great.
I know FM was still good through the 80’s, but with syndication, talk radio and then even MTV switching to “reality shows”, that was it. Radio, and even TV as we knew it was strangled and left for dead. I think in the 90’s.
Luckily, College and some PBS stations kept a very thin candle burning.
From 2001 – 2016 I relived what was the absolute last gasp of my personal radio romance. It was fun and I’m so thankful I squeezed every last drop out of my Ham Radio hobby.
YouTube and Satellite Radio is excellent for finding new music and internet “radio” has way more selection than AM or FM, but there was that indescribable “charm”.
Anyway, tomorrow – or Sunday – I have another photo shoot lined up – the third in the 666 series. The theme is a Halloween inspired theme, where the spooky headstone is for Radio.
Death Whistle Express
Posted on September 16, 2021
I came across a video explaining and blowing an Aztec Death Whistle. If you want a Halloween Fright, there it is. It’s amazing. Search for it on YouTube.
Today’s song was written with the three trees I planted a few years back in my mind’s eye – and this year they have the best fall colors yet. Gorgeous.
I’m a sucker for fall colors – so much so, I subscribe to the Maine Foliage Report, which is sent via email starting September 15th and goes through part or all of October.
Fall colors are super in New England, but they only last 6 weeks max. Here we don’t have the overwhelming color, but what we do have lasts until Christmas. If you like pockets of awesome stretched out for months, Lamorinda is a great place.
The temperature was only 70 today. Just a perfect day. I see up in far Northern California and Oregon they expect an early Fall storm with (hopefully) a good soaking.
I can’t wait for the rain.
Halloween 666 Series #2: Lenore
Posted on September 13, 2021
Todays Imaginary Puppet Theatre’s (IPT) Show is an adaptation of Edgar Alan Poe’s “The Raven” – but it concentrates on his wife who died at age 24 of tuberculosis – (which is what his Mother also died of when he was only 2 years old). He references his wife using many different names throughout his work. It seems to have been a factor in driving him mad – leading to a very sad ending to his life. Its amazing he even lasted until he was 40. Many famous Rock stars seem to have made it only to age 27 . . . .
The song is a funeral dirge – since Poe wrote many stories and stories about the loss of his young wife.
You might now have figured out that my “Modus Operandi” is that the puppet theatre and everything in it is an Assemblage. And that then is a still life for my photography. Music just happens – sometimes they mesh, but to have a sound track seems to be a good thing, regardless of whether they mesh or not.
This is the Second in the 666 series – the second photo shoot and second song in 6 weeks . . .
Nevermore
Posted on September 11, 2021
I’ve been doing my usual annual reading of Edgar Allan Poe this (almost) Autumn, and I can see clearly that I identify much more with his poetry than his short stories. I love his poetry – its just so much easier to read and flows in a way where I can stay with it.
His short stories are awesome, but it requires that I double down and concentrate on / understand each sentence.
He did write using a device he called “Unity of Effect” – so that is what throws me – his “economy of words” almost ends up being encoded in a dialect of English I’m unfamiliar with. Of course, Reading Makes Perfect….. I think these short stories are so [eloquent, efficient, dense] that they end up cutting too close to the bone – where I feel I’m reading the ravings of a mad man. Therein lies the rub.
His poetry hits the mark for me because there is breathing room – you know the guy is mad (crazy?) but for some reason it never crosses that lunatic fringe line that I feel his stories do. I will re-read his short stories and see if I can better understand his approach.
He had a very sad life, but did create great works including (to my great surprise) scientific writing, including his take on The Big Bang Theory at a time when others were also just starting to write about it.
Anyway, Tomorrows (second) installment will be (loosely) based on Nevermore. I might even do two versions paying homage to The Raven.
Stay tuned.
Fire Throwing Clowns
Posted on September 10, 2021
I can’t help myself – the news just keeps getting more Dada and Surreal. And funny as all hell – in a creepy Halloween sort of way.
There was a story of a woman in Arizona who quit her job to work on the Fraudit. She asked if The National Guard could protect them from Black Lives Matter snipers and Fire Throwing Clowns.
Since MAGA is just a new Doomsday Cult (they literally are drinking the Ivermectin Kool Aid as they did in Jonestown), and so I thought what if they were like The Jahovas Witnesses, going door to door with their version of The Watchtower – no words, but a “Big Book of Donald” coloring book.
When MAGAT "Patriots" call
Be sure to lock your door
Their shirts are Kolored brown
They look for Kindred Klowns
They come to spread the news
Red Gospel to the Blues
Space lasers from the Jews
They seem to be confused
Their sycophantic lust
The vaccine they don't trust
Ivermectin or bust
Makes their bodies rust
Chorus
When they knock your door
They you must ignore
Keep it locked real tight
Until they're out of sight
Halloween 666 Series #1: Haunted House
Posted on September 7, 2021
I will have a series of 6 Halloween Scenes, with 6 songs, and Its just over 6 weeks until Halloween.
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