Random shot!

 

Tucumcari, New Mexico July 2015. A formerly mid-sized town that began to decline in the 1990's. Recent cannabis legalization in New Mexico has brought several dispensaries to Tucumcari, but its revitalization remains slow going. When this shot was taken I saw many buildings that were collapsing in on themselves. What must the United States do to turn that dynamic around?

The Last Days Of the Midnight Ramblers; Sarah Tomlinson, Flatiron Books 2024

 

When Disaster Amnesiac espied the copy of The Last Days Of the Midnight Ramblers at my local library branch, I figured it would be alright to take a chance on it, mostly due to my being a fan of the Rolling Stones. Its jacket cover makes it clear that this book is not about the Stones, but the Midnight Ramblers sure do seem to be a lot like Mick 'n Keith and the boys. 

The novel's central tension arises from the mysterious death of Ramblers founding member, Mal, in the Summer of 1969. Ghost Writer Mari has been brought in first by one of the inner circle ladies of the band in order to write this lady's account of her own fascinating life. Mari cannot resist circling over again and again to Mal's early demise, and goes so far as to act unethically in order to discover the truth of the matter, an act which gets her canned from the gig. Fortunately for her, she quickly winds up with a gig upgrade in the form of getting hired by the Midnight Ramblers suave lead guitarist, Dante. Deeply embedded within this new work dynamic for Mari is the unsettling presence of an East German manager named Sigrid, a fixer with the cold precision one would expect from a woman that had learned from and escaped the land of the Stasi. Many manner of intrigue ensues as Mari attempts to discover the genuine acts leading to Mal's passing, and this alone makes The Last Days Of the Midnight Ramblers a worthwhile read, especially for hardcore Stones fans. They'll surely enjoy this fleshing out of one of the important occurrences within that history, even as it's developed within a lateral, "fiction" style. 

Of even more import for Disaster Amnesiac however are the ways in which author Sarah Tomlinson treats the more deeply subjective issue for any and all humans as we navigate our mortal passage. Familial relationships and their potential and actual damages, feelings of alienation and loss, acts of tenderness between people that have loved each other, the reality of human passing; these Tomlinson has written about in ways that have brought me to tears, especially within the novel's denouement. The Last Days Of the Midnight Ramblers packs an emotional punch therein that will give sensitive readers much to ponder, and the emotional weight from that seems so much more significant than the show biz glitz which, for this reader anyway, enticed him to pick up the novel in the first place.

After their ends, and often during our actual lived lives, we can function as ghosts of one sort or another. Surely we also feel the presence of our own ghosts as we navigate our ways through time spent within this realm. The Last Days Of the Midnight Ramblers author Sarah Tomlinson does a brilliant job of imparting this insight. Find a copy and be moved by it.

Bong Watt-If It Works, It's Obsolete; eh? Records cassette 2024

 

An Open Letter To Disaster Amnesiac To Be Re-read In 2034:

Hey, dude, how've you been? OK, I hope, and I trust that you're still enjoying lots of different types of music. You always did, so it would not be surprising if that's still the case. This is just a friendly letter to you from the year 2024. Do you recall all of the craziness that's transpired in this year? Totally wild. Things you did not expect to occur have occurred, and, really, as I sit here on a July day in Tucson (by the way, where are you residing these days?), it seems as though many more crazy events will transpire before Western Civilization begins the year 2025. Anyway, to the meat of this letter (oh, and are you still practicing a plant-based diet? hope so): I just wanted to remind you to take a fresh listen to If It Works, It's Obsolete by Bong Watt Collab #3 on eh? Records. You still have your copy, right? Sure do hope so. As you listened to this work from three guys who've amassed, at this time, like 150 years' collectively within the creative music scene, you've found intriguing blends of Electro-Acoustic Music that has struck you as being of a quite hermetic nature. Yes, you have struggled a bit to find ways with which to describe the sounds that Walter Wright, Mike Watt, and Al Margolis have conjured up. Hell yeah, it's VERY abstract, the entire thing! It's music that a listener must listen to, and preferably without distractions such as cell phones, art magazines, or baseball games on the tube. Well, maybe an art magazine would be alright. You could contrast whichever article you're digging on with the sumptuous cover art which adorns this cassette. Wright, Watt, and Margolis draw from their respective lengthy individual experiences in order to cook up sounds that are deep and mysterious. At times you've felt almost as if you've been watching a group of people do yoga together or something. This can be a daunting process, but, you'll recall that there were long stretches of time during the Summer of 2024 when you didn't have much else to do. Hopefully you look back with ten years' distance and recall the sublimely abstract sounds that are documented within If It Works, It's Obsolete. Again, if you struggle to do so, I trust that you've still got your copy and it's easily accessible. After all, it's got the kind of sounds that remain interesting for weirdos such as yourself. You are still weird, right? I hope so. Guys such as the players within Bong Watt have retained their groovy weirdo status, and so can you, Disaster Amnesiac! It's absolutely a good thing, even for a dude in his sixties! OK, go and dig up that copy of that great tape from Bong Watt and rediscover its strange contours! Ciao homeslice.

Live shot(s) #134!

 Photos taken at Wooden Tooth Records on Congress St., Tucson 7/19/24

Above: Blunt Objects. The romance and jagged edges of a life lived. Roots back to Glitter era. Is it a simulacrum if the singer is live yet the band is virtual?

Below: Wanda Junes. Evocative of distinct vibes and places for this listener. Find their music and let it take you to your own such. 

 

During the wait for the music to start, Disaster Amnesiac perused the large, beautiful coffee table book about Estrus! Records. Please mail me your copy when you're done with it. 

Live shot #133!

 

Laptop musicians, Godwaffle show at Noisebridge Hackerspace, San Francisco circa 2017. I can't recall the name of this duo, but do remember that they were kind of "name" type dudes within the scene.

Live shot #132!

 

Nihilanon, with fans and digital anomalies. The Palms Restaurant, Twentynine Palms CA 4/6/2024. Night set at Wonder Valley Experimental Music Festival. Miser is a Los Angeles-based musician.

RIP Shelley Duvall

 

Shelley Duvall has passed away from complications brought on by diabetes. For me, it's kind of a Goodbye 20th Century moment, in the sense that the Shining is a quintessential 20th Century film. Her performance within the Shining was shamanic at best and completely insane at its most harrowing, if that makes any sense at all. Additionally, she broke the mold for established female beauty within Hollywood, and that makes her a kick ass person. As she aged, she let herself age. Again, kick ass. Farewell Shelley Duvall, you were a beautiful woman.