2000 +18 minus 11

Though the fog hasn't lifted in Northampton, it has suddenly lifted in my post-new years eve brain. And my ears are regaining normality too. I woke up with dense brain fog and cymbals still ringing in my ears.
Some caffeine and frsh air cured all that.
Now I can tell the tale.

It's Jan 1, 2007! The closing days of '06 were all death, death, death in the news. Somewhat fitting. It wasn't the sunniest of years, world wide or personally. Yet, it wouldn't be life if it was ALL bad.
Though I began a new phase toward the end of '06, let's say it symbolically starts today. Because what else starts today? Democrats in charge of congress--that's a good thing.

Dont you think that the Beatles are oh so close to having a holiday named after them? Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa...or Beatlevus? Why? Well, to me they're close to God-like (as an entity--not as individual humans). And every December there's a new product to get which brings new fans, and reminds old fans why they love 'em.
I may not listen to this Beatles Love cd a ton of times, but I am digging it a lot these days. Most of it is really neat-o. And at least for the remastered, remixed sound. The Abbey Road-era stuff does sound as fresh as next week's new releases.
I'll gladly celebrate Beatlevus over the rest of the holidays once it's declared official. I think the songs are groovy and the parties will be really groovy, man.

In 2007 I'll no longer mention that fire thing that happened last year.
In passing I will mention that I got Amazon and Barned and Noble gift cards and thought, "replace all those rock bios that burned?" Hmm...there are only a couple that I miss. The Julian Cope autobiog is a very entertaining read. Some of the Beatle books are good. Neither XTC book is that great, so, nah. I did replace the Monkees day-by-day book because I'd hardly cracked it the first time around.
But instead I consulted a list I'd made of titles that piqued my interest at my library job and found cheaper used copies. So, now I have illustrated bios of Rasputin and Carl Jung. Plus the Tao Te Ching and I Ching, a replacement copy of Siddhartha, and a few other sort of philosophy/psychology-themed books. One called The Happiness Hypothesis seems really cool. It's new. Don't know why these are things that call to me, but I almost feel that all put together, they'd be a reading list for some university class. School of Life, man.

What else? Oh, got an acoustic guitar on ebay, and suddenly songwriting is coming back to me. I wrote one song in 2006. And that was in January. I re-edited a bunch for recording, but nothing totally new.
But now, all those lyrical scraps of paper and cell phone voice memo chord progressions and riffs are finding their ways home.
Plus, thank god one thing that I didn't lose in May is sort of my Fuzzy Warbles; a 90 minute cassette from 2004-2005 comprised of song ideas. Listening to it the other day, 1/3 of it has been used in new songs, 1/3 of it is absolute shite, and 1/3 of it makes me think that a third album will be conceived as soon as the second one is born.
I even have a tenative title for the thrird one--can I say it? "All the rest have 31"
Now I have a theme--my albums have long, wordy titles that begin with the letter A .

I had a reason for posting, but it got away from me. Now I'm tired of typing.
Oh yeah. Last night. Fawns at the First Church. Two cute toddlers keeping us entertained in the first set (one of them Miles Germer). One bearded guy in shades, tripping on acid (one would assume), doing the Dead dances to Fawns pop. That kept me entertained too.
The second set I got nervous at first because there was a drummer I admire in the audience and I made two unlikely drumming clams where my limbs ceased commuicating with my brain. Still, he complimented me afterwards. He's an old hipster with a lot of cats who used to play on Main Street in Noho.
Steamtrain show was fun....though we did compete for attention with a lot of other rock going on in town. Lonesomes, Unband...choose your poison. But we rocked...and though I feared it would be predictably nostalgic, it was as twisted and weird as any golden-era show. Though the place wasn't as full as I'd hoped, at least those who were there were all up front and dancing.
Oh, and the new electric lineup of the MUlcahy band was totally totally awesome. I loved every second. I think it's a perfect band with a blend of his old and new partners in crime, old and new material.
Ok, I go now. New Years day is one of my favorite days of the year because I feel I can do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty.
Have a lovely 2007.