Guns in the Closet

In this new version of the classic Vladimir song I used elements from various early recordings, but gave it a reggae twist. The spoken back-up features long-time collaborator Joe C. Schweinbagel which I snagged from the first demo version of the song recorded on July 15, 1989. I was never fully satisfied with the lyrics, so I revised them for this latest version.

His oracles are much too cryptic
he's in a bathrobe on the stairway drinking soda pop
hot water drips from the shower
he's waiting for the revolution riding the bus every day
there are bugs in his apartment
there are guns in his closet
and he's waiting for the landlord to fix the faucet
marshmallow maple syrup Marx & Engels
sardines and socialism
caffeine and nihilism
his eyes are full of wonder
his heart full of hope
his mind is a sponge
it's 100 degrees
he has a nightmare:
this hand smells like mercy
this hand tastes like pain
razor wire and goose-stepping
and a bullet to the brain

 

Squirrelier Than Earlier

Maybe it was a midlife crisis? I don't know, but I decided to write and record some new songs. When I composed this song, I knew it was the title track. Many of you may remember "The Squirrel Babies Wave Goodbye" and the many other sciuridae references throughout my songs.

I've been out of my tree
a couple of times
I lost a few nuts while trying to climb
I'll admit my tail is getting gray
but I'm squirrelier than earlier
and I won't go away
I ran across the road without injury
I've been chased by dogs
but they couldn't catch me
I've got a dozen babies
in a hollow log
I'm squirrelier than earlier
so read it on my blog
summer's almost gone I can tell
by the weather
some things mellow with age
while others get (better/bitter)
I feel at peace in my
heart and my brain
I'm squirrelier than earlier
(now back to the refrain...)
I'm squirrelier than earlier!
I'm squirrelier than earlier!

She was a Monster

Confession: I enjoyed being deliberately provocative. If you were a fan of Vladimir's Universe you probably knew that already. If something was subversive, kinky, twisted, or controversial it probably made it into a song. That's pretty cliche in 2013, but back in the 80s it was avant garde. At the same time I was romantic and sentimental, a puppy dog more than a wolf.

If this song was about a real woman, years of therapy have erased her from my mind. I was listening to blues at the time so I played with the theme "I got a woman..." and this is what happened.

Recorded in my bedroom with guitar and drum machine the version appearing on "This Machine Eats Bacon" originally showed up on my tape "Make Lunch, Not War".

I knew a girl who was possessed
and she wore a yellow dress
I knew a girl with glowing eyes
she gave me pain
she told me lies
I don't think that I will forget her
she looked real good in leather
she gave me love
and she gave me pain
she had a monster living in her brain
she had long nails
she'd scratch my back
'til she drew blood
and I would scream
blood on the sheets
blood on the bed
the road to pleasure is stained with red
I don't think that I will forget her
she looked real good in leather
she gave me love
and she gave me pain
she had a monster living in her brain

 

Not resolutions, Context

I don't make New Year's resolutions. They make things worse. 

For instance, you resolve on January 1 that you will lose 10 lbs.  Then you only make it to 9 and feel like a failure. Therefore you give up altogether and put the weight back on.

So what do I do instead? I make a context for the year. That means I find something to be my north star. If I keep my context in mind I can reorient my life when I get off track. That means that when I lose my way I make a course correction rather than beat myself up as a failure.

You can use a quote, a passage from the holy book of your choice, or even just a word. For instance you could use the word "JOY". If something doesn't bring you joy, get rid of it. If someone tries to steal your joy, keep them at a distance or shun them altogether--or better yet, share your joy with them. Write it in big letters on your mirror, your dash board, your desk at work. Repeat it often.

At the end of the year recount all the joyful things from the year. Think about how much joy you found.

Much better than being 10 lbs lighter.

Christmas Novena, Day Nine

It's Christmas Eve and I'm headed to Midnight Mass. In our hustling to get ready for Christmas Day it is easy to forget that we should welcome the stranger, visit the prisoner, shelter the homeless, and feed the poor. The  last month was a blur of shopping, decorating, and parties for many. This melancholy song by the Everly Brothers should help us remember those who are lonely and forgotten in the cold tonight.

Oh, God forgive the man that drives right by the other man
Take pity on the stranger in the cold
Cause Christmas eve can kill you
When you're tryin' to hitch a ride to anywhere

Christmas Novena, Day Eight

Today is the Sunday before Nativity, so I give you the "Kontakion of the Forefeast", which is sung in Eastern Christian Churches today. In 2001 I was tonsured a Reader in the Antiochian Orthodox Church, so today is a special celebration for me.

This version by Glockenbass is a bit weirder than what you'll hear in your local Byzantine Church.



Here's a normal version sung by Fr. Apostolos Hill:

Christmas Novena, Day Seven

Sufjan Stevens makes a Christmas album every year. Some songs are traditional carols and some are original. This one is about the Christmas Unicorn who embodies everything that Christmas was, is, and could be.

But I’ve seen others in the uniform
Of a unicorn just like me
We are legions wide and we chose no sides
We are masters of mystique