hi. 

it’s been awhile.  i don’t know whether that’s good or bad, but i’ll assume that if you’re reading this, we’re old friends.  if not, let’s pretend.

i’m in minneapolis.  working.  writing.  living.  being.  whatever you wanna call it.  i went and saw “It Might Get Loud” last night, a documentary featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White.  They talk about their beginnings, their vision, their dreams, their guitars, etc.  It was pretty moving.  I’m not really one of those guitar freak musician guys that was foaming at the mouth to see this, but my hunch was that these characters would have more than guitar bravado to shred on film.  And I was right.  I was struck by Jimmy Page’s humble nature and his innocent demeanor and sense of gratitude towards being creative.  It was a marked shift in perception of his character, which usually edges more towards the “occult”—Aleister Crowley, swords and wizards, Stairway, etc…..  He was strumming along with his favorite records and you could feel the joy he had in listening to them.  He even did a perfect strum along to Link Wray’s “Rumble” and then let out a big smile.  Jack White and The Edge were also curious and intriguing figures….the Edge was a little nerdy but his honesty and commitment to exploration were inspiring.  And Jack White…..well, what do you say about Jack White.  He was cool.  He was old school and he definitely kept up his persona….however you wanna interpret that.  I like Jack White and his music a lot but I kinda felt like he was putting me on a little.  But whatever.  All three of the guys were inspiring on different levels and I could relate in a lot of ways to how they felt about music and the creative process.

So yeah.  That’s what I’ve been up to.  Doing a lot of thinking and daydreaming about my next steps, creatively.  Wondering about song-writing.  Daydreaming.  Getting lost in the thought shuffle.  It’s funny….when I was in my early twenties, I worked so hard to be mindful and calm and meditative and learned to cultivate equanimity, etc….you know, my own little personalized recovery program.  And here I am, in my early thirites, and it’s pretty much the same minus a few occupational hazards.  And the fact that I think about my mortality a little bit more.

But all in all, it’s not much different.  I’m still flying to some light of the imagination.  Still reaching for the next something.  Searching.  It used to be that I could define what I was looking for.  Peace.  Tranquility.  Illumination.  Now I don’t even know.  I can’t tell if that’s a step forward or not.  But I know I haven’t lost the desire to get up and be close to music and the creative process.  It seems like that’s what I’m here for regardless of what I do with it in the world of cars and trucks and buses.

So yeah, part 2.  I’m working on getting my innermost feelings and thoughts together for a new collection of songs.  Something concise.  Something up.  Something that says what I don’t think anyone else is saying in a certain way.  Something me.  To you. 

Oh yeah, and I wish I was on the road, touring.  That’ll be happening soon.

I hope you’re doing your thing out there along the long road—

js