Take a straight and stronger course to the corner of your life.

Happy New Yes.



Send an instant karma to me.

Give me light.

Peace on Earth today and every day.

Let's hope it's a good one.

I wrapped it up and sent it

Dream of the Eighties.

And I always wanted my hair to look like Andrew's girlfriend-who-took-George's-heart-last-Christmas' hair.



I love this song, which has become a refreshingly grim fixture in the Yuletide tune canon, but not this much.

Today's Shuffle: What is really what

A brief one, a head-clearing walk around the block (twice) to take in bare trees and holiday lights.

Yim Yames, All Things Must Pass Tribute To
Cocteau Twins, A Kissed Out Red Floatboat Blue Bell Knoll
David Bowie, Queen Bitch Hunky Dory
Digable Planets, Examination of What Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)

 

You gotta let it, gotta let it grow

"Make your own dream.

That's the Beatles' story, isn't it? That's Yoko's story, that's what I'm saying now. Produce your own dream. If you want to save Peru, go save Peru. It's quite possible to do anything, but not to put it on the leaders and the parking meters. Don't expect Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan or John Lennon or Yoko Ono or Bob Dylan or Jesus Christ to come and do it for you. You have to do it yourself.

That's what the great masters and mistresses have been saying ever since time began. They can point the way, leave signposts and little instructions in various books that are now called holy and worshipped for the cover of the book and not for what it says, but the instructions are all there for all to see, have always been and always will be.

There's nothing new under the sun. All the roads lead to Rome. And people cannot provide it for you. I can't wake you up. You can wake you up. I can't cure you. You can cure you."

John Lennon, 1980

This strange illusion takes over me

Oh, how often this Manhattan Transfer record spun on the turntable and pulsed out of those mod cone/barrel speakers in the living room! I loved it, of course, because I was a child. But even then I could tell that this track was something more sophisticated than a novelty disco platter. The spoken parts and piercing space-sounds are cheesy, sure, but, man! when that chorus kicks in and you hear the harmonies? Come on. It feels/sounds like what a city skyline looks like. At least it did to me.

And does now--or maybe that's because I'm looking out of a window at a skyline right now. Post-twilight, but under the city's amber sky.




No, this ain't no "Disco Duck."

By the way, I am some five hours into Quest's "Mai Love" playlist and it's still going strong.

I asked the faithful light

Bad news is everywhere. But at least the moon and Patti Labelle's whoop are constant, and good. Her improvisation about the loss of body parts starting around the 4:20 mark is riffing par fonky excellence.



Until today, I had no idea she/Labelle covered this song, nor of the album's existence. So this is a bright spot today. Thanks to the inimitable Questlove and his "Mai's Salon" playlist.

It would be cool to see the moon tonight. I doubt that will come to pass, but at least we know it's still up there.