:Where is my left foot?

Two nights ago now, I awoke having dreamt of being in a club where The Velvet Monkeys were playing (Don Fleming’s band before he was in BALL, et. al.). I am already wearing my electric guitar. I say to Don “how about letting me sit in on one?” and he says “Sure”. I go behind the stage into a room to get my amp, and the band kicks into “Feel A Whole Lot Better” by The Byrds. My amp is tangled in cords, and I struggle in vain to get it free while the band plays the song I’m supposed to be playing on. I wake up.

I told this dream to Kramer who advised me to “Put down the crack pipe, Barry. NO ONE should have dreams that feature don fleming.” I agreed, and chalked it up to the oatmeal I ate before bed the night before. Don was the guitarist for Half Japanese during their seminal “Charmed Life” period, and Kramer was the bassist for some of the seminal period, and recorded their best record, “Music To Strip By”. I was the guitarist who played on The Band Who Would Be King who is credited as “Fred Frith”. An unintentional compliment, yes, but I would have preferred my name on the record. Fred did play on Music To Strip By.

I have decided that the choice I have made is to be a more laid back person, and that what was sacrificed is what I was calling “self-awareness”. This gives me a bit of trepidation, but it does make me a better father, more kind, forgiving, and softer. It occurs to me that this may also be backlash for a six month period of an exercise which generated (in me) an hourly fear reaction. So be it. For now, I’m living a bit more easedly, and considering that we’re going broke and the phones aren’t ringing with clients desperate for my services, this is a bit of a miracle.

The persistent dream of trees persists, being in the place where they are growing, and awaking remembering where the place is, and then not being able to put it into this world. Today, I planted one, will plant more tomorrow.

I do have some beauts for sale on EBay:
Barry’s Plants