"THIS IS SCARY MUSIC, THIS ISN'T BRASIL 66"

I’ve just returned from a brief visit back to the land of ten thousand lakes (Minnesota). After constantly lamenting how record stores are so picked over and prices hyper inflated, I can’t believe it but I actually found some great records. Jah bless Cheapo Records Saint Paul.

I have never even seen this Bridget Bardot release before and it has some of my favorite songs of hers. I was unaware that there was an English version of “Comic Strip.” Magnifique!

On several occasions here I’ve written about how much I adore Laurence Vanay so I was thrilled to find a copy of her album “Les Soleils de la Vie.” I had been looking for a copy on vinyl for years but didn’t want to track one down over the internet. Don’t deprive yourself of Laurence Vanay friends. Her music is in a class all of it’s own.

How nice to stumble across a little sensual summer magic in the Minnesota winter. When I was growing up I used to run across these Sergio Mendes records in every thrift and record store in the Twin Cities . Now that I want to actually listen to them, not so much.

Atmospheric piano impressions on Windham Hill. Nice cover of Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece” on side two.

Been on the hunt for a copy of this David Essex album for awhile.

While I was checking out the albums on my parents’ stereo, my mother sat at the dining room table working on her Amsterdam bicycles jigsaw puzzle. As I played this Legendary Pink Dots album….. Mom: “this is scary music, this isn’t Brasil 66.”

This may sound silly to some but after years of going without one I recently got a library card again. Because of the pressure of having to read and return books in a timely manner I am now reading more than ever. I feel like a little kid getting to go into the library and take home whatever I want off the shelves like when my mother would take us to the Washburn library. After reading a bit about Monet and his garden in Sue Stuart-Smith’s “The Well Gardened Mind” I was inspired to pick up this book from my local library.

I thought I had burned out on art history after years of falling asleep during slide presentations in stygian high school classrooms but this book has reignited my interest. There’s a lot of neat information about the socio-political and geo-political climate pertaining to Europe, USA and the art market that I’ve learned from this book. I also never knew that Rodin was such a narcissistic dickhead. Now looking back on it I would postulate that the majority of these mojambos probably were that way. They were likely just equally skilled at getting people to buy into their self-aggrandizing. I am looking forward to the days when the supposed masters and visionaries who treat people like garbage but skirt accountability for their abusive behavior, come to an end. Once you’ve seen or experienced something like that firsthand you can’t unsee it so afterwards you’re eternally viewing the world through that lens. My default point of view now tends to be that anyone pedestaled in anyway throughout history is probably someone I would set out to avoid today. Monet ends up coming across as a somewhat decent guy though, albeit maybe a bit cranky and high maintenance haha.

A few random thoughts…

-I wish The Cramps would’ve made one album with a drum machine. That could’ve been really neat.

-There are so many records that I love, that highly influenced who I am today, that I’m not sure I ever need to listen to again.

-Hoarding is often a trauma response.

-So many of my favorite artists were reviled or unknown in their day.

-In the 1990’s and early 2000’s there was a big garage rock revival scene that aimed to emulate a lot of the rawer sounds of 1960’s music. This is only my opinion but much of that stuff did not age very well. I think a lot of the 1980’s synthwave revival music of the past 5-10 years repeats that pattern. But that’s ok, some moments in culture are more ephemeral and others hold a longer shelf life. It’s all out of our hands.

-As artists we have little to no control of whatever we make taking hold of the zeitgeist. That is always based on a convergence of factors completely out of our control. It is foolish to seek to control it.

-Smartphones are great tools but they also can turn you into a tool if you’re not careful.

-I usually stop taking an interest in a movement or scene of music when it becomes a genre. After genre comes dogma.

-Are there still long haired junior high stoners who wear tie-dyed Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix shirts?

-The friends who consistently expose me to great music are some of my closest friends and have been throughout my life.

-Television usually bores me. I’d much rather listen to music or read.

-I don’t think I could live a life without dogs.

-Never thought I would ever say this but now I much prefer being in nature to the buzz of the city.

-People who are dishonest with others are that way because they cannot be honest with themselves.

-Two of the greatest luxuries in life are getting enough sleep and having enough time to explore your creativity.

-I enjoy cooking, I sometimes forget how much I enjoy cooking for others.

-Being around people for too long, even those I love and enjoy the presence of wears me down. I need a lot of time to myself to recharge.

-I love drum machines. I like programming them and pressing the buttons. Especially on my 808.

-I miss just sitting around listening to records with my friends and having the music be the kickoff for great conversations.

Thanks again for reading this. Au revoir pour l’instant - Adam