The aphorism “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom” is oft-quoted and much-loved —including by me, obviously — but almost always taken out of context. When William Blake wrote it he attributed it to Satan, and so it should be taken with a certain amount of irony. The road of excess can lead to the palace of wisdom, sure; but it can also lead to the morgue or prison. In practice it should always be paired with another aphorism: “Your mileage may vary.”
Continue reading “The Road of Excess, Side B”Year: 1993
Original Format: cassette
This mix was made to be listened to on your car stereo, and it still works fairly well for that purpose. I road-tested it on a recent trip to Wells, NV and definitely drove a little faster than I would have otherwise (though still close to the speed limit, which in Nevada is now 80, about as fast as I care to drive anyway). Under the title the tape cover says “Play Extremely Loud,” which is probably not a bad idea.
Continue reading “The Road of Excess, Side A”wings stuck on liquid bones
Year: 1992
Original Format: cassette
This blog is now 1 year old, having launched last Halloween with Fear of a Black Cat. Of all the goofy little projects I do this is probably the most pure fun, and also the least-viewed, with four regular readers that I know of. Hi, Bob. Hi, Christian. Hi, Jim. Hi, Sam. Happy Halloween!
Continue reading “Children of the Night, Side B”undead undead undead
Year: 1992
Original Format: cassette
28 years ago tonight, Halloween Eve 1992, I was driving around leaving copies of this tape on my friends’ doorsteps. Now all I have to do is click this here Publish button, and whoosh, out it goes to the world at large. Is that better? Well, it’s easier, anyway.
Continue reading “Children of the Night, Side A”Give the other side a try
Year: 1993
Original Format: cassette
There’s definitely a theme here, though I’m hard-pressed to say exactly what it is. Something about, like, the duality of man, sir.
Continue reading “The Euphoria Disciplines, Pt. 4”Causal virtue, actions neatly chained
Year: 1993
Original Format: cassette
I like this one.
Continue reading “The Euphoria Disciplines, Pt. 3”Ad astra per aspera
Year: 1993
Original Format: cassette
A midsummer night’s mystery train
Year: 1993
Original Format: cassette
Year: 1992
Original Format: cassette
Subtitle: “Non-Stop Happy Times and Space”
Most of these quotes I used for the liner notes were lifted from a Dave Barry column, which gives me an excuse to quote this tribute Steve Martin wrote when Barry left the Miami Herald in 2005:
Dave says he wants to spend more time with his family. But I hesitate to tell you that Dave’s family is a hash pipe and some old Playboy magazines. Yes, Dave has written many funny essays that have appeared in our nation’s newspapers. However, most of his material is plagiarized from his own mind. Often, a funny idea will come to Dave, and then he will use that idea in one of his columns. Also, he will sometimes have a perfectly legitimate sentence, and then twist that sentence all out of shape so it will read funny. Another device that he uses is the old trick of putting the punch line at the end of the sentence or paragraph. These tactics are abhorrent.
And, by the way, you know how he often says, “And I’m not making this up?” Well, he made that up. Dave Barry, and I am not making this up, loves Satan.
In truth, if Wikipedia is being truthful, Barry is an atheist of Presbyterian extraction. Nonetheless he is the co-author of a forthcoming book called A Field Guide to the Jewish People.
Where am I going with this? Nowhere really. It’s Sunday. Here’s some music.
Continue reading “Revolution #92, Side 2”Year: 1992
Original Format: cassette
Subtitle: “Non-Stop Happy Times and Space”
This one pretty well sticks to its theme — revolutionary songs from various decades, though where is the Clash, younger self? — for the first half-hour, and then it goes rogue. I know why, too: I was dying to show off my acquisition of the recent Robert Johnson box set, a very hip item at the time. Then it gets all strange and psychedelic at the end, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Continue reading “Revolution #92, Side 1”