EL CERRITO - Strummy Guitar Version

The shape-note score will be up here shortly, but in the meantime, there's a strummy guitar version of this tune, a demo recording of which can be heard right here below! The tune is snitched from an old Spanish Civil War song - (that's right, purple flags, comrades.). More shape-note scores & demo recordings from the Western Harmony all over this website, & there's more coming, so check back as often as palatable.

EL CERRITO

And did he live among us?
And did he live among us?
Came from above, his palace humongous,
Jesus' merciful descent,
Return & repent.

He is beguiled by goodness,
He is beguiled by goodness,
Tempted by love to abide in this mess,
Jesus' superabundance,
Sin at his expense.

And did he preach forgiveness,
And did he preach forgiveness,
Offered the dove to peasants & princes,
Jesus' gifts of compassion,
Limitless ration.

What did he give unto us?
What did he give unto us?
Letting out love like blood thru a sluice,
Jesus' substantiation,
Renunciation.

What did he give up for us?
What did he give up for us?
Extinction of the tyrannosaurus,
Jesus' assassinated,
Flowers have faded.

And has the man arisen?
And has the man arisen?
Hand without glove, he broke out of prison,
Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln,
Peace-beaming beacon..

Throw Me Back, Don Philipps! or, A Letter of Recommendation

Dear Liam -

It was nice to hear from you and I greatly admire the work you have done in Brazil and Morocco. Really, very commendable.

As for graduate schools, it is probably best to contact your contemporaries such as Lisa, Brian, etc. I can't think of any explicitly dealing with mixed media. And, while I wish you well, I don't feel qualified to write letters for you. Perhaps you could get in touch with John Lees. I hope you understand. I write many letters (enthusiastically) every year but it is for students I know well.

The following is a short video of election night at SLC. I'm told there were more than 600 students under the tent on Westland's Lawn. It was a glorious, memorable evening for the students, for us, and for the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEJjc6Gf54

Good luck and my very best wishes to you - Kris

The Photo is of another Kris Philipps, illustrating the actions/email response of the Kris in question.

I feel a little bit better now.

FOUNDERS ROCK - New Shape-note tune with Demo Solo-Quartet Recording

Hello, & here is another shape-note tune from The Western Harmony! The shape-note score, unfortunately, is not quite up, but will follow shortly. The text is from the Bishop George Berkeley's 1726 poem "On the Prospect of Planting Arts & Learning in America". Apparently, this poem is the reason Berkeley, California, is named for the Irish philosopher - - According to the Centennial Record of the University of California, "In 1866…at Founders' Rock, a group of College of California men were watching two ships standing out to sea through the Golden Gate. One of them, Frederick Billings, was reminded of the lines of the (Irish Anglican) Bishop Berkeley, 'westward the course of empire takes its way,' and suggested that the town and college site be named for the eighteenth-century Irish philosopher and poet." As the Sacred Harp has several grand patriotic songs, with sometimes antiquated notions ("...to crown the young & rising states", &c), I attempted to keep the music for this song appropriately conservative. Once again, I warn & apologize that the "solo-quartet" recording is merely a demo, to sort of test the harmonies, & it will sound cooler with real singers, when I make some friends.

The Muse, disgusted at an age & clime
Barren of every glorious theme,
In distant lands now waits a better time
Producing subjects worthy fame;

In happy climes, where from the genial sun
And virgin earth such scenes ensue,
The force of art by nature seems outdone,
And fancied beauties by the true:

In happy climes, the feat of innocence,
Where nature guides, & virtue rules;
Where men shall not impose for truth & sense
The pedantry of courts & schools.

There shall be sung another golden age,
The rise of empire & the arts,
The good & great inspiring epic rage,
The wisest heads & noblest hearts.

Not such as Europe breeds in her decay;
Such as she bred when fresh & young,
When heavenly flame did animate her clay,
By future poets shall be sung.

Westward the course of empire takes its way:
The four first acts already past,
A fifth shall close the drama with the day:
Time's noblest offspring is the last.

A few more photos from October 30th at the CalNeva Lodge

another thanksgiving prayer

my thanksgiving recitation is this prayer (see left) that my parents wrote the first thanksgiving after they were married- 1972. I am thankful to have been born to people who have the same general sentiments I do on this day.

(my mom composed in script- my dad's edits are in print)

Happy Thanks

The image above is made entirely of vegetables. (There's more here.)
I've read the poem below for several years at the Welsch Family thanksgivings, as a sort of secular blessing, & I will read it today. Happy Thanks!

The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are.

-Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road (1892)

Quotes & In Conversation

Suggesting that we stop recognizing married people:

Yesterday I called a woman’s spouse her boyfriend.

She says, correcting me, “He’s my husband,”
“Oh,” I say, “I no longer recognize marriage.”

The impact is obvious. I tried it on a man who has been in a relationship for years,

“How’s your longtime companion, Jill?”
“She’s my wife!”
“Yeah, well, my beliefs don’t recognize marriage.”

President-elect-elect Obama on the manly dog he will be bringing to the White House:

Barack Obama [asking about Barbara Walters' dog]: "Cha Cha?"

Barbara Walters: "It's short for Cha Cha Cha."

Obama: "What is a Havanese?"

Walters: "It's like a little terrier and they're non-allergenic and they're the sweetest dogs.."

Obama: [Face suddenly changes.] "It's like a little yappy dog?"

Michelle Obama: "Don't criticize."

Obama: "It, like, sits in your lap and things?"

Michelle: "It's a cute dog."

Obama: "It sounds kinda like a girly dog."

Michelle: "We're girls. We have a houseful of girls."

Obama [with hand gestures]: "We're going to have a big rambunctious dog, of some sort."

I do also believe that this is the finest & wittiest Obama impersonator:

Go read Dave Eggers' funny Thanksgiving play in the New York Times,
& Sarah Palin Poetry:

And the relevance to me
With that issue,
As we spoke
About Africa and some
Of the countries
There that were
Kind of the people succumbing
To the dictators
And the corruption
Of some collapsed governments
On the Continent,
The relevance
Was Alaska’s.

What the philistine media take for incoherence is, in fact, the fruitful ambiguity of verse.

Here she is, in a work I have taken to calling “The Relevance of Africa.” (Not a single word or comma has been changed, but the line breaks are placed where they naturally fall.) In it, Palin blends the energy of free verse with the austerity of a classic 14-line sonnet... A great poet needs to leave open the door between the conscious and unconscious; Sarah Palin has removed her door from its hinges. A great poet does not self-censor; Sarah Palin seems authentically innocent of what she is saying. She could be the most natural, visionary poet since William Blake.

-Julian Gaugh

TONIGHT at the Castro Theatre

I cried my brains out at the documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk," & watching the Hollywood version, the night before it opens, in the legendary neighborhood which Milk was supervisor of, surrounded by the people who lived it, at such a heated time for gay rights, I can only imagine, will be an emotional experience.

O-bituaries for ever: It Happens Every Day

Rudy Ray Moore
(March 17, 1927 – October 19, 2008)
American Comedian, Film Producer, Singer, Actor

Walter "Killer" Kawolski
(October 13, 1926 - August 3o, 2008)
Canadian Professional Wrestler

Jacques Piccard
(July 28, 1922 - November 1, 2008)
Swiss Oceanographer, Adventurer

Photos: "Teenagers have parties; adults have dinner parties"

from R. Eley _____@yahoo.co.uk to James Welsch _@itwaslost.org date Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 6:47 PM subject RSVP signed-by yahoo.co.uk

The Doctor and Mrs. Nelson
accept with pleasure
Mr. Welsch and Ms. Crawford's
kind invitation for
Friday the Fourteenth of November

a word or two on politics...Obama post-election, etcetera

I got a text from my friend James today and had a brief exchange about the current hullabaloo around Obama's (mostly unconfirmed) cabinet picks. The talking heads, I see, are babbling away about the fact that Holder, Craig, Emanuel are quote old Clinton White House hands, and therefore "not changey" enough. As if there is some sort of betrayal going on here and Obama was going to stack the deck with...well...me and james and liam and quill, and oh hell, a couple of you guys reading this- why not? or perhaps draw from the hidden well of extremely experienced tried and tested political talent in the Democratic party that NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD OF BEFORE.
reality check. It has come from others and I will simply reiterate. The majority of Dem talent that does not actually serve in the Congress or currently govern a state, and who are not senile, are career people who served (mostly successfully) in Bill Clinton's administration. The pool of top-notch people in any given political party at any given point in time is not anywhere near the infinite depth and breadth that the need-2-talk 24 hrs a day folks seem to be implying with their faux outrage here. Nobody should be surprised at these appointments, and they certainly should not be equated with the tragic early death of the promise of change.
The other options Obama has (and he has shown a willingness to exercise them as well), are basically to siphon Dem talent from the Congress (Biden and quite possibly Hillary in the near future), and from the Dem governors. I'm sure NOW and their like would like to see Janet Napolitano and Claire Mccaskill get a spot in the cabinet, but Obama has to be careful when he pinches this talent, to ensure that Repubs won't jump into the breach and make governing more difficult by fucking up key majorities or near-majorities and replacing deputies in key spots.
With all this said, as I told James, I look for Obama to do his real moving and shaking mainly outside of these traditional core cabinet positions. It is clear from the talent-recruiting initiative going on through the transition team's web presence, that they are throwing the net far and wide. They are bound to get thousands of resumes from young, tech-savvy, innovative talent. My brother, who is a systems engineer, is applying to work in the Office of Urban planning...He is offering the incoming administration his talent to work on issues of technology, web infrastructure and urban development and sustainability. He is just one example of the cornicopia of talent (particularly young talent) that Obama will have to pick from in staffing the offices that he will spearhead to address urgent issues that were ignored under the current Administration. Don't look for the fresh blood in the cabinet folks- look for decentralization of power and important activity to outlying offices- and not evil Bush-Cheney secret prison shit-. JFK authorized some of the most groundbreaking initiatives of his presidency through relatively obscure offices like the presidents initiative on juvenile delinquency which was overseen by RFK and an old friend of his from high school who had previously been only peripherally involved in politics but was interested in addressing the inequity blocking youth in ghettoes from advancement. The peace corps and Americorps both originated outside of the core Cabinet. Obama has already made "spreading power and ownership around"- decentralizing command, re-constituting the traditional hierarchy and allowing the grassroots to initiate when it is most effective- the hallmark of his leadership style. I expect he will continue to do so as President. Filling the cabinet with the people who essentially exist to fill the cabinet is only a prelude. Don't get caught up in this bullshit-hype. Instead, why not go over to Change.gov and apply to work in the administration yourself?

James is in Finnegans Wake and James is in Finnegans Wake

I am reading a book wherein, on page 145, a copy of a letter written by Leonard Lyons to Julius Marx includes this excerpt of a Thornton Wilder letter to Leonard Lyons:

RE Groucho and "Finnegans Wake"- I have long thought he was in the book. Weren't the Marx Brothers once in a skit about Napoleon? I seem to remember them wearing tricornes, etc. Anyway, on pages 8 and 9

(pause for retrieval of your personal editions)

there is a visit to the Wellington Museum at Waterloo and I read ... "This is the three lipoleum Coyne Grouching down in the living detch."

On page 154, just a bit further on in the book I am reading, a letter from Tom S. Eliot, Missourian, to Julius Henry Marx, New Yorker, reads:

P.S. I like cigars too but there isn't any cigar in my portrait either.

But where is this portrait? (I know where it is, having read the letter - anyone familiar with portraits and their usual place may guess awkwardly, ashamed) The portrait is in this book and not in this book I am reading. The portrait is both somewhere outside of this book and inside this book. It was not entirely in any of your minds and it is now in your minds, though you might not yet have figured out where the physical nature of the portrait resides.

James, as we have known is not in "Finnegans Wake." James, also, as we(us) have known has not been in "Finnegans Wake." We have and continue to know, knowing that I like James Henry Welsch and James Eliot Quill and neither are in my portrait. Consequently, James Henry Welsch is James Joyce's thin goy mustache, I am Julius' thick greasepaint jew mustache, and James Eliot Quill is in Bulgaria, working on his being his very own mustache, and all of us three are in and are not in "Finnegans Wake."

Song of Supposition

How come I no longer carry a pen?
And where has the rum gone?
The internet is for politics & perverts,
So long as you come alone,
A song from the wino at lamplight again.

Watch me, purple princess flower, smoke only camels,
My corner pub's suzerainity,
Imagine a future without underpants,
Listen to the remaining accordion magic,
Can we continue with limited precepts to live in these cold dark shells?

How come I came to this ancient city?
It still has stretch-marks on its breasts,
Handsome young beasts & the kind starshine of ages
Will guide you outward, bounty increases
When charity is replaced by necessity & Charles has no need for pity.

I love a sporting life, & where better to have it?
I need affirmation, a lonesome eagle,
How quick you forget our adoration & our hot tub games,
Our connectivity, you living son of a seagull,
I love a sporting life - want it & grab it.

How come I sense desperation behind your prose?
And don't look for it in the rum cellar.
Keep repeating yourself on the internet,
& I will pay attention to you,
Credentials from the Institute of Pumpkin Yellow,
It's literary fraud, but the noblest kind I suppose.

HISTRIONICA

Here's a new Shape-Note tune from The Western Harmony. Download an mp3 here. Click on the podcast player above to hear it. Print out the score & sing it at your next camp meeting! Y'all come back for more, there's still plenty to come. Lyrics:

HISTRIONICA

We only live for sev'nty human years,
Quite too short for our task,
And if to eighty we take care, we'd rather groan than wear
This rotting mask.
You can live forever,
If you've got the time!

The crickets talking back & forth in rhyme,
Will be here, always there,
Harlequin cabbage bugs will munch this fecund earth for lunch,
This spinning sphere.
You can live forever,
If you've got the time!

Yes, I have felt depressed & lost in sin,
But Jesus took me in,
If I can rearrange my hours to pray & grow God's flowers,
Seasons begin.
You can live forever,
If you've got the time!

There will be time to plant and time to reap,
To murder & create,
There will be time to rend & sew & climb the stairway to
Th'eternal gate.
You can live forever,
If you've got the time!

When we have been here for ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
Then we will have no fewer days to sing God's praise then when
We first begun.
You can live forever,
If you've got the time!