Two things. . .

. . . First: who, in their right mind, ever thought that lip-synching was a good idea??? (See my entry of July 22) I'm sure Don Cornelius saved a WHOLE lotta money by having artists do that on Soul Train though.

Second: What did I mean by "(HA!)" in my entry of July 22? (See my entry of July 22)

". . .Sometimes, I'm not sure I know what I'm doing. Sometimes it all seems futile. These results were somewhat gratifying though. I think maybe I'll try it a little longer. (HA!). . . "

((as a matter of fact, please see ALL my entries. . . PLEASE!!!)) Well, what I meant was to mock the prior remark about continuing to do what it is that I am doing musically. The "HA!" simply means that it would be absolutely outrageous to even consider NOT doing what I am doing musically. It's no longer something that I choose to do. It now has a life of its own and I don't think I could stop it EVEN IF I WANTED TO.



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The blatant truth. . .

. . . Make no bones about it, I am here mainly to try to get you to listen to, and purchase, my music in some form, or fashion. Don't take that the wrong way. I like you. If you're reading this, as a matter of fact, I like you quite a bit. So I do try to be somewhat entertaining and/or informative. Although I write something here everyday, I still toil constantly at, first: creating music, and second: trying to place my name and music in front of as many people as I can, and in keeping with my generally lazy nature, as simply and easily as I can.

One of the tactics, for lack of a better word, of getting one's name in the public eye, is to be listed at the top of the list when searched for on Google. So I did some 'research'. Using various search words, I logged where my site appears on the Google list that is returned.

Searching Ray
My site appears at position #10

Gonzo
#12

Jozwiak
#1 (no surprise)

Creative
#12

Original
#11

Eclectic
#15

Sometimes, I'm not sure I know what I'm doing. Sometimes it all seems futile. These results were somewhat gratifying though. I think maybe I'll try it a little longer. (HA!) Why am I doing this anyway?



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Incongruous. . .

. . . In the midst of responding to a FaceBook posting, I had the occasion to research the spelling of the word 'incongruous'. And it got me to thinking about just how many things we must encounter, juggle, balance and reconcile during the course of a day; so many of which, although seemingly related, are quite INCONGRUOUS. Zappa always had a 'word of the day' at his concerts, generally related to something on his mind or a theme tying the songs in the setlist together, but always a word of the day. Kind of like Sesame Street. Zappa. . . Sesame Street. . . both educational to be sure.

Incongruous. . .



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Just wait until. . .

. . . I always hated when people said such things. I didn't hate the people who said them. They were mostly well-intentioned, though a little outspoken, friends, relatives or acquaintances who were only speaking from their experience for the 'proverbial' betterment of my life.

. . . your kids grow up. . .
. . . you're my age. . .
. . . you have a house. . .
. . . you realize. . .
. . . THAT happens. . .

. . . well, you get the picture. It always seemed, good intentions notwithstanding, a certain bias resulting from each of these well-wishers' individual experiences, was clearly evident. And in many of these cases, the result of which they spoke, which colored their entire perception of the incident, came about through some influence, or lack of influence on their very own part. Sometimes, though I was biting my tongue out of respect for the advice-giver of the moment, I thought to myself, that will never happen to me, because I will . . . (insert the thing that you do, did or will do differently from them).

Which reminds me also of how so many of us, hopefully YOU will not have many occasions to say this, wish that they 'knew then what they know now.' One of our 'shop' teachers in high school would stand in the hallway outside his classroom door between classes and mumble to whomever he was casually conversing, as some particularly attractive 16 or 17-year old coed strolled down the corridor, 'Ah, to be sixteen again and know what I know now!'

Well here's a situation where such reflections actually DID matter. . .

On the last day of Pompeii
Thought I heard some poor boy say
Oh wow man if I knew then what I know now
I would've done more been more than I been
Had fun more sinned more mortal sin
Oh wow
If I knew then what I know now
I would've sent back that steak that was so overdone
Grabbed that big break while there was time time time
Made my life into a fantasy
Hot stuff for me to remember remember
And now that I'm a goner
All that lava rushin' 'round the corner
Oh wow I ain't complainin' only thinkin out loud
You know that my life would be different my love would be different
If I knew then what I know now
My life would be different my love would be different
If I knew then what I know now

On the last day of Pompeii
Thought I heard some poor girl say
Oh wow man if I knew then what I know now
I could've taken up the slide trombone
Had a garden and grew my own
Oh wow man
If I knew then what I know now
I knew I should've taken that Mediterranean cruise
Filled up on chocolate cigarettes and booze
Given some perfect stranger the blues
Hot stuff for me, all that stuff, speakin of hot stuff
And when Vesuvio came to call
Arrivaderci I'd've had a ball [I'd've had it all]
Oh wow man
I ain't complainin' only thinkin' out loud
You know that my life would be different my love would be different
If I knew then what I know now
My life would be different my love would be different
If I knew then what I know now

My life would be -- man, my wife would be --
If I knew then what I know now
Ciao

THE LAST DAY OF POMPEII
by Michael Peter Smith




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This is where. . .

. . . the Brewer's Alley Monday Night Songwriters Showcase takes place. . .

". . . It was in 1725 that Benjamin Tasker patented "Tasker's Chance" - the first of many land speculators in the area. Daniel Dulany laid out the new town hoping to develop a center of trade and a market for goods imported from England. It was not difficult to recruit families in Europe willing to try their luck in a new land.

John Thomas Schley arrived in Frederick Town in 1745 with a group of 100 settlers and built the first house here. Others quickly followed and the town prospered. From the beginning religion played a large part in the life of the town, and three churches, the Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed (founded by Schley) were firmly established. It was not long before temporary housing gave way to more permanent buildings, and businesses serving the citizens were established. The County of Frederick was founded in 1748."

". . . The building (at 124 North Market Street) was raised in 1769 to accommodate Frederick’s first Town Hall and Market House. It served its purpose for more than 100 years and was witness not only to the birth of the city of Frederick, but also the Civil War, including the ransoming of the city by Confederate General Jubal Early. As Frederick grew and prospered into the 20th century, the location functioned as government offices, then an opera house and theatre. Here, such diverse events as a memorial service for President McKinley in 1901, and the Frederick debut of D.W. Griffith’s film, "The Birth of a Nation," were hosted."

As a matter of fact, the very room where the showcase takes place is the mayor's office where the ransom money actually changed hands.


(Thanks to http://www.cityoffrederick.com and Wikipedia)


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The media and the message. . .

. . . do not always arrive in optimal fashion. The news media, in particular, have evolved over the past thirty years, but not necessarily for the better. And our 'leaders', well, they're even worse. (Fortunately, our current president is head and shoulders above his predecessor in this regard. We do, however, need a better class of 'leaders', in general.)

First, the media. . .
From "America- Our Next Chapter" by Chuck Hagel, Republican (yes, Republican) Senator from Nebraska. . .
"Right alongside them (legislators), kind of like backup singers in a rock group, we have the pundits. They are supposed to be sage fonts of political wisdom; just ask them. When they are not shouting at one another, they are little more than partisan mouthpieces who have learned their talking points by rote. Collectively these "chattering classes" create a hostile, venomous atmosphere, raising the temperature until any politician with a sense of moderation and balance risks appearing as a wimp next to these high-octane blowhards. But reasonableness doesn't push ratings and low ratings hurt the bottom line of the media corporations.

Then, the message. . .
Again, from "America- Our Next Chapter" by Chuck Hagel, Republican (yes, Republican) Senator from Nebraska. . .
"America has always gravitated toward leaders who talk straight, who refuse to constantly calibrate their responses based on the advice of political handlers, polling, and focus groups. Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan were leaders who simply and straightforwardly spoke the facts as they saw them. . . We need leaders who can articulate a vision of where we want to take this nation and then lead us there; honest, competent, accountable leadership is what has always mattered most."



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That much. . .

"Whenever you call me and I'm not on the phone; if you have a problem and you find me at home; you know you can count on me that much. If you say you need me; just a couple days, I'm there. I'll drop what I'm doing if it's something I don't care about. You can count on me that much.

Ours is just like one of those fairytales. Ours is just like one of those shows. One thing 'bout our love that's different, it's not the kind that grows.

I'll always be with you when there's nothing else to do. When everyone's busy, there'll be only me and you. It's clear you can count on me that much.

Would you say it's all you've been hoping for? Would you really prefer something new? Where else could you get this much attention devoted to you?

So don't think you're not special. You're kind of special to me. There's no one else like you. Well, maybe there's just two or three. But be sure you can count on me that much.


THAT MUCH (from CHROMATOSE)
©2003 Raymond M. Jozwiak



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