From: Salonen@aol.com
Subject: The Crap in the Cracks of the Sidewalks - the new long awaited album! ; )
Date: 2/23/2002 8:29:30 PM
To: seance@lists.no-fi.com


In a message dated 2/23/02 4:30:10 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
nydrummergirl@yahoo.com writes:


> AINT NO WAY an organization like the NEA types gonna
> DONATE money for a profit making buziness even if we
> think it is culturally relevant.  Its commerce.  YOu
> don't see the NEA and NEH giving money to Sony Music,
> do you? 

Um yeah, my reference to the NEA/NEH was supposed to be facetious - I didn't 
think anyone would take it seriously. :D I worked in the music business for 
three years so I know it's a business -I'd venture everyone on this list is 
pretty hip to that. ; ) I teach art and make next to nothing because I am not 
involved in commerce and/or putting out a product that will make a profit. 
State-funded higher education ain't in the business of making a huge profit 
margin - maybe I should've stayed in the music busines? ; ) It's hard enough 
to get the NEA to give money to non-profit institutions too. I was stunned to 
read how much the NEA/NEH was getting this year, as I expected the new 
administration to cut the funding tremendously.

>I"m happy to hear the
music that distracts me from the horror of my day job.
But jeezus, people, get real!<

Your job is obviously a difficult one; I cannot imagine what that must be 
like. I hope you did not lose anyone close to you in the terrorist attacks 
and I also imagine that the daily task of writing up autopsy reports must be 
immensely draining and emotionally difficult. My hat is off to you on that 
one - makes my job seem like a picnic. 

 I'd just like to offer a gentle reminder that I am certain many of us are 
indeed more familiar than we'd like to be with the realities of life, whether 
it be financial troubles, illness, death, suicide, homicide, mental illness, 
addiction, etc. On the same note, I certainly won't be so ignorant and 
presumptious as to assume I know what anyone directly affected by the 
terrorist attacks is going through personally either.

Yes, The Church are probably fairly irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, 
as we all may be - who knows - can't get too philosophical here, and they 
certainly weren't my central focus as I waited for the cleaning crew to come 
to my dad's apartment and clean up the mess he left after he checked out via 
a .357... but the great thing about art and music and poetry and literature 
and books FOR ME  is that two and a half years later, I could stand in the 
House of Blues, listen to the Church and realise, wow,  I was happy again, 
that I could feel again, and that I could enjoy music again. I wasn't dead - 
I still had the ability to enjoy what I once loved. I thought I'd lost that 
forever. We need our 'crap in the cracks of the sidewalks' (love that one!) 
as much as we need our reality checks methinks. It's just keepin' the whole 
ball o' wax in perspective I guess and definitely keeping a sense of 
humour!!!

Kindly,

Denise : )