A Limbo, A Way Station

Momentum has been in such sort supply that even acknowledging the scarcity takes a draining amount of effort. I’m relating hard to what Chris D. succinctly posted to Instagram in October:

Feeling an emotional exhaustion I cannot recall ever feeling before. But maybe that’s just being overdramatic. Even though I have had anywhere from 1 to 4 days of fairly continuous work each week since the beginning of the month (here at home), the rest of my days and nights are filled with equivocation with myself, poised between inertia and still feeling constrained by covid. It feels as if I’m in a limbo, a way station (I guess we all are, though, to some degree.) But one feeling that really bothers me is my reticence to follow through on phone calls and messages. Nothing to do with the people at all so much as my feeling of no longer being able to communicate about even the most mundane of matters, unless mandated by outside work. I feel somehow relieved if I return even one phone call or text or email in what most people would consider a timely manner. I’m posting this not out of the need to make excuses, but to explain to people I may not be getting back to as quickly as I should. It’s really beyond procrastination or depression or despair, but more like my psyche is purposely blanking the slate. Although my psyche is not doing a particularly good job of it.

Chris D. on Instagram

If I had to pick one word that delineates the past year it would be this one: “exhaustion.” Nervous apologies to everyone I’ve ghosted on.

2018 in shows

Some (but not all) of the shows I saw in 2018:

Steve Kilbey

Steve Kilbey – April 28, private home, Sierra Madre, CA

Le Butcherettes

Le Butcherettes – May 12, The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

The Brian Jonestown Massacre – May 27, Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles

Hedgehog Shenzhen

Hedgehog – June 15, B10, Shenzhen, China

Wanda Jackson

Wanda Jackson – July 7, Marty’s On Newport, Tustin, CA

The Bangles

The Bangles – July 14, Pershing Square, Los Angeles

My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine – July 22, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles

Charalambides

Charalambides – October 7, Blank Forms, New York City

Spiritualized  Kings Theater Brooklyn

Spiritualized – October 11, Kings Theater, Brooklyn

Shearwater

Shearwater + friends play David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy – October 19, Brookfield Place, New York City

Lady Gaga  2018 12 28 Las Vegas

Lady Gaga – December 28, Park Theatre at Park MGM, Las Vegas

Checking in with Philip K. Dick

He’s buried with his twin sister at Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan, CO. The story is that Phil & Jane were born prematurely as their parents were on their way west from Chicago to California. Jane never made it. The loss underpins much of his creative work and the subsequent anger, blame, and self-analysis hangs over his background like an oily fog.

The town has a PKD festival now.

Philip K. Dick's grave

Someone left a robot button on top.

Robot Button

Owning the means of production

I just assassinated all of my social media accounts. All of them. The corpses of my Twitter and Facebook profiles remain out on the field until I sort things out here.

I’m keeping Flickr around because I like using it as a photo host but can anyone convince me that it’ll be there this time next year? How about in three years?

I’ve long advocated that everyone should own the means of production and it’s time to put this into practice.

The Grand Prix of 1973

73pontiacGP

Spotted on the Hemmings blog: 1973 Grand Prix: The first Pontiac I ever drove.

The first Pontiac I ever drove was my brother’s ’67 G.T.O., but a ’73 Grand Prix was the first car I ever owned. Here it is in action:

1973 Pontiac Grand Prix

Outside of Belmont, Nevada. June 1984.

West Side Highway, Death Valley

And me at the wheel – hauling down the West Side Highway in Death Valley. December 1983.

Would love to drive one again for a hour or so, but I’m happy to mostly leave it in the past.