The Intergalactic Cowboy

     No, I did not go into rehab yesterday; I went to see the band Rehab perform here in Thomaston. Rehab is a Warner Robbins, Georgia band that plays a hybrid of industrial rock with a rap and southern blues influence added to the dual guitar attack. As a general rule, I don’t like rap or blues, but this band has combined them in a rather unique way. Georgia does not produce a lot of unique bands and I support this group. Several months ago they played here with a quality of precision and tightness. They were having a bad night last night.

     At the very beginning of their set the drums were not in time with the rest of the band. I wondered if this was a brand new drummer or something but the club owner confirmed that it was indeed the old drummer. The singer’s voice was hoarse and weak and ragged. Also out of character for him, but hey… musicians can’t help getting sick, can they? Perhaps the drummer and the singer both had colds and were blitzed on cold medication. The music venue installed a drum riser a few days ago. Perhaps since the drummer’s ears were not at amplifier  level, he couldn’t here the other players. There was a new rhythm guitarist who was too low in the mix to really hear. The lead guitarist and bassist were in good form, seemingly holding the whole show together. Although I do like this band, I left after thirty minutes. I stopped by stage right to take a closer look at the band. The lead guitarist was a model of relaxation and attention. I wonder where he learned this skill ? He would occasionally give a slightly embarrassed smile while playing. I think that I heard somewhere that he was a guitar teacher in Macon.

    There is nothing wrong with supporting a good band that is having a bad night. This band has played well every other time that I have seen them and I hope to see them again. It’s just that the primary quality that was transmitting through them last night was the quality of exhaustion. Is  exhaustion really a quality ?  Oh yeah, I heard that they recently did a west coast tour. Perhaps they were just in from that.

With sympathy,

I.C. 

     This morning, as is often the case, I had to engage in a rushed sitting, due to the noisy, impending distractions of my household. This is far from the ideal situation that a proper sitting deserves. After moving my attention from head to toe, I unexpectedly tapped into an undercurrent of energy. It felt like Help. It felt like the kind of support that comes from all of the collective sittings that have occured in the Guitar Craft Community over the years. It felt like the kind of help that comes from the Unconditioned World that exists outside of time and space and is therefore eternal.

     How fortunate for me that such Grace and Benevolence can reach me despite conditions that are not usually conducive to such qualities.

With wonderment,

I.C.

    Well, it finally happened. This morning, after a distracted sitting, I was drinking my first cup of coffee and feeling glad that at least I had become aware of my bodily tension, even though the tension was still there. My mom came into the room, after having watered one of her outdoor plants. ” The old car is gone ” she said, with a suprising lack of panic. She was referring to her 20 year old Chevrolet Caprice. I jumped up, completely forgeting about my muscle tension and looked out of the breakfast room window to see an empty parking space in her driveway. What a sense of violation! You may remember that over the past year, several people have knocked on my mom’s door asking her to sell them her car. This car, I should remind you, is not for sale and does not have a for sale sign on it. I have been suspicious of this activity from the very begining. Upon hearing this news I immediately went to the driveway to see if my own car had been broken into. It was in an unmolested condition. I then checked the windows of the house to see if they had been tampered with. I saw no evidence of an attempted break in. The police was called. They took a report and remarked that other cars of this type had been stolen in Thomaston. This crime occured between 9pm last night at 8am this morning. The car was locked and there was no key to the car inside the vehicle. I hope that these people do not make a return visit to this property.

With suspicion,

I.C.

    I am saddened to hear of the passing of Boz Burrell. Boz was the bass player of Bad Company and the bassist / singer of King Crimson in 1971 and 1972.

    I would like to extend my condolances to his family and friends. The world has lost a musician, who brought a lot of music and happiness to thousands of people. May God rest his soul.

I.C.

    I’m in Calhoun, Georgia today with my Mom. This is the town of her birth and we are simply revisiting it. Yesterday, Mom visited her only living friend here. Today, I transported her to buy new carpeting and drapes for her guestroom. She even found a new pocketbook. Although it has been a maddeningly tedious day for me, I am glad to be able to give her a little of the kind of simple satisfaction that she enjoys…  Tomorrow, we will put flowers on her parents grave.

With contentment,

I.C.

Today I was running sound in the balcony of the church. I was given the unwelcome task of cuing up a cassette and pressing the play button at the exact moment, so that the children’s bell choir could play along with the cassette accompaniment. I, fortunately, pulled it off well. We had a visiting minister that we were trying to impress.

     Joining us in the balcony was the man who lost him 41 year old wife recently, leaving him with two twin boys to raise. He, as a result of the intense grief that he had been experiencing, looked a little bloated in the face, with the lines in his face being deeper than they used to be. I can say this without scorn because that is the way that I looked in 1998. At the end of the service, I introduced myself to him and told him that I understood how unreal this experience must be for him and that I had received help in the form of grief counseling. I told him that I was skilled in this area and that I would be glad to work with him if he needed it. I mentioned that I had worked with another member of the congregation who had had a similar experience. I sincerely hope that made myself available to him without being overly helpful. I do not really know this man and I don’t know if he wants to appear strong or if he secretly is in need of help or if something else is going on inside of him. There is no professional help of this type available in this area and I am the next best thing.

With availability,

I.C.

   Yes, it’s true. The Strange Hours now have a myspace site, complete with music and titilating information about our musical influences. I wonder which bandmate likes Shriekback? I have never heard any of my bandmates mention this band before. I have a fondness for the Shriekback album ‘ Oil and Gold.’ We bandmembers never seem to talk. We go into rehearsal; run the tunes; and then go home. Don’t get me wrong. That is an effecient way to rehearse.

   The first song on the site is the one with the difficult rhythm pattern during the intro. In a previous diary entry, I mentioned that I received help in learning it, from all of the thracking sessions in the Claymont Mansion in the 1980s. The second song is the one with the ‘ Eno/Bowie/Fripp’ influence to it. Quite cool ! So without further adieu (sp?) just go to the  following phonetically spelled site :

www dot myspace dot com slash thestrangehours

    The search engine at myspace cannot find the site, but the url that I just spelled out will take you there.

Enjoy,

I.C. 

    I was priviledged to have another better than average sitting today. I noticed my bodily tension before the sitting even began. For the most part this week, I have been remembering to notice my muscular tension throughout the day and then correcting it. This is so much better than walking around in a state of physical, mental and spritual stress all day long. And speaking of working on things like this …

     I read in R.F.’s diary that the Residential Bennett Course had started up in Massachusetts. I wish all of those people all the luck in the world at the work of  remembering themselves. I wonder who the two Crafties are that are attending ?

Goodwill to all involved,

I.C.

     Ah !!!  The luxury of getting up early and having an unrushed, thorough sitting at 6:45 am. My subsequent day has been characterized with more intention and focus than usual. The simple enjoyment of life is simply enjoyable.

I.C.

I am just in from the funeral of the 41 year old wife and mother of two 13 year old boys. As church soundman, I was notified at 11:30 am that an extra wireless, handheld mic would be needed for the additional vocalist who would be singing. The wireless mic and transmitter were located in the fellowship hall, where the bereaved family would be eating lunch. I told the director of ministries that I did not feel comfortable going in there and noisily unhooking equipment during this solemn meal. She benevolently went in there and unhooked the transmitter and mic and had it waiting for me in her office just before the family arrived. This poor family deserves extra consideration and I am glad that Pat helped me to give them this consideration.

     I am so worried about these two 13 year old bereaved children. I am good at counseling adults on the subject of grief, but I have never done it with a 13 year old. That age has it’s own mindset and needs. A skilled professional is what this family needs and this community does not have one single skilled therapist for anyone’s needs of any age.

      Our minister here preached one of the best eulogies that I have ever heard. He was a presence of strength, empathy and compassion. In the middle of the eulogy he delivered the best therapeutic move that anyone could have delivered in this fragile, tragic situation. He looked at the boys and said, ” I just want you to know that the Lord would like to hold you and comfort you right now.”  Absolutely brilliant !

    Regardless of whatever spiritual beliefs you may have, these boys need some serious help with their life right now. This statement is probably the most comforting thing that anyone could have said to them right now. We may all disagree as to what spiritual reality  we believe in, but at times like these, grief stricken people of all ages are in desperate need of comfort and help. Rev. John Barnes did this in a way today that was absolutely magnificent. This moment today reminds me of what one of my Muslim friends said to me after my brother died in 1998. He sent me a card saying that he was praying to Allah to rest my brother’s soul. I will never forget how meaningful that was to me at that moment. I should also mention that R.F. and others sent me letters with valuable and comforting insight about what I was going through.

With gratitude,

I.C.