St. Vladimir's Day

Today is the feast of St. Vladimir of Kiev, so I guess it's my Namesday. But how did I get the name Vladimir? When did I start using it?

Some thought that it was my actual name and were surprised years later to find out otherwise. Others speculated that it came from Dracula, or "Vlad the Impaler". Another theory was Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot". 

When I was about ten years-old I read a book about Andrew van der Bijl (aka "Brother Andrew") who smuggled Bibles into Commuist countries  during the height of the Cold War. This began my interest in Russia and the Balkans. I imagined myself becoming a Bible smuggler with the code name "Vladimir".

How ironic that Vladimir's Universe was known for anti-Christian songs that glorified Communism. 

Many years later, while attending an Eastern Orthodox church I learned about St. Vladimir of Kiev. Originally a pagan, this Grand Prince of Kiev converted to Christianity in 988. He might have become Muslim but didn't like their ban on alcohol and pork. The baptism of Russia soon followed with Russian Christianity aligning itself with the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople.



Have a blessed feast day!

   

Is it really 25 years?

Vladimir's Universe actually began earlier than 1987, but that is when I first appeared on the stage at Cross Street Station with Jimigator on drums. I made earlier recordings that were mostly sound sculptures, musique concrete, poetry, and music composed on my Commodore 64.

The last time we played Cross Street Station was in 1990 when I took the train to the San Francisco Bay area and stayed for 2 years. The last stage performance was in 1992 in Oakland, CA with a group of musicians calling themselves "Jack's Dad" made up of Ron Wells' sidemen from The Rubbles.

A Cross Street Station reunion at Ypsilanti's Corner Brewery in 2010 found me singing a few of the old songs.