HEALTH OF THE DALAI LAMA

I recently received an email from the Tibetan Association of Colorado informing me of the following statement issued by the Office of Tibet in Washington, D.C., on September 25, 2015:

“His Holiness arrived in the United States earlier this week for a medical
evaluation. Upon completion of the evaluation, the doctors have advised
that His Holiness take complete rest. As a result, His Holiness will be
returning to Dharamsala, India, next week and will not be able to visit the
United States next month. We deeply regret cancellation of the visit.”

As I am writing this, I believe that the Dalai Lama is being “evaluated” at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; though it has not been said that he is ill.  Rather, it seems that he went to the Clinic for a routine annual physical.

The email from the Tibetan Association of Colorado says that it was sent to me “with the hope that you will join us in prayers for His Holiness’ health and quick recovery.”

Last week, Congressman John Boehner told a news conference that he was alone with Pope Francis I after the Pope addressed Congress, and that the Pope asked Boehner to pray for him1.  Boehner humbly asked the news conference, “Who am I to pray for the Pope?”

And who am I to pray for the Dalai Lama?  But I will.  Your prayers, I’m sure, will be welcome, also.

________________________________________

1.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJIEguHjAGg

SONG OF THE WEEK – RAINMAKER

We all know the story of Noah’s Ark, and how it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.  That happened a long time ago, and over in the Middle East.  It is different here in North Central Colorado.  Here, it has been 40 days and 40 nights since we have had any rain.1 It is about time for some sympathetic magic.

According to Merriam-Webster.com, sympathetic magic is defined as ” magic based on the assumption that a person or thing can be supernaturally affected through its name or an object representing it.”  The term was introduced to most Muggles2 by Sir George James Frazer in the Golden Bough (1889), where he summarized the concept as “like produces like.”

An example of sympathetic magic is the Voodoo doll, or poppet.  That is a sort of effigy used to represent a particular person.  Voodoo practitioners believe that manipulating the effigy can physically affect the person it represents.

Some archaeologists believe that Paleolithic cave paintings, which date from more than 35,000 years ago, are other examples of sympathetic magic.  Those scholars postulate that shamans (assuming those early hominids had shamans) would withdraw into the darkness of a cave, visualize a successful hunt, and then draw a representation of that vision on the cave wall.

Right now, we are going to participate in some sympathetic magic.  I say “we” because I would ask that as you listen to this week’s Song of the Week, you visualize falling rain.

The Song of the Week is, of course, “Rainmaker.”  There are quite a few songs with that title, and I considered using the song by Traffic because the “Rainmaker, rainmaker/Rainmaker, rainmaker” chorus has sort of a shamanic flair to it.  I decided, though, to choose the “Rainmaker” written by Harry Nilsson and William “Bill” Martin.

Nilsson was a talented musician and songwriter.  His best known songs include a cover of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin'” that he performed in the movie Midnight Cowboy; “One,” which was a huge hit for Three Dog Night; and “Coconut (“put de lime in de coconut and drink ’em both up” – sort of sympathetic magic because the [witch]doctor prescribes the same concoction to cure a stomach ache as that which caused it).  In 1968, the Beatles (at least John and Paul) told the press that Nilsson was their favorite American performer.

1968 was also the year that he wrote the song “Rainmaker” with William “Bill” Martin.  Martin was best known as an actor and writer. He was one of the screenwriters for the movie Harry and the Hendersons, and for awhile he did the voice of Shredder on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.  Martin was a friend of the Monkees’ Michael Nesmith, and he wrote a song or two for that group.

“Rainmaker” has been recorded by a wide variety of musicians, ranging from Nilsson (of course) to Bobbie Gentry (of “Ode to Billy Joe” fame) to The 5th Dimension.  The version here is by Bill Martin’s old buddy, Michael Nesmith, and his later group, The First National Band.  The repetition of “rain” at the end of the song serves as enough of a shamanic hook that I don’t feel too bad for not using the song by Traffic.

Well, thank you in advance for your help in bringing us some needed moisture.  Visualize it.  I am also getting out my Native American flute to play some rain on it.

Continue reading

SONG OF THE WEEK – PRIDE OF MAN

I have a book called The Worst Rock n’ Roll Records of All Time (1991), in which the authors give their opinions of Rock’s worst singles and albums, as well as the worst rock and roll performers.  According to Jerry Guterman and Owen O’Donnell, the Number One all-time worst rock and roller is Billy Joel.  That is probably not true, but I can’t say for sure because my ears are still ringing.

Billy Joel was extremely popular from 1973 to 1983, but in the past 32 years he has released only three albums – and none since 2001.  Still, Joel is currently on tour, playing very large venues. Cathy and I saw him last Wednesday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.  We went because we got free tickets to watch the concert from a “suite.”  We could get up and walk around whenever we wanted, and the tickets included free beer, soft drinks, bottled water, chips and peanuts.

It was an interesting concert:  Just the Piano Man up there under a spotlight, tickling the ivories, accompanied by another keyboard player, some electric guitars and bass guitars, percussion, saxophones, a trumpet, dozens of amplifiers and huge speakers, 20,000 fans and a turntable that moved him and his piano in slow circles as he played, so that everyone could get a good look at him.

That instrumentation, combined with the fact that all of his well known songs are about 40 years old, gave Joel the opportunity to reinterpret his music.  And reinterpret he did.  Rather than trying to describe the subtleties of the new arrangements, let me simply say that one song by another artist that was covered during the concert was AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,”and it fit right in.  Every song (including the pop standard “New York State of Mind”) was played at very high volume and “enhanced” by the nearly perfect acoustics of the Pepsi Center – nearly perfect for ice hockey, that is.  My ears are still ringing; but it was fun.

I was reminded, as I listened, of a concert I attended probably 45 years ago:  Quicksilver Messenger Service at the University of Colorado.  Quicksilver was one of the original psychedelic rock bands from San Francisco.  Although the group did not have the commercial success of the Grateful Dead or the Jefferson Airplane, they were very talented and influential.

The Quicksilver concert at CU was held outdoors, by the field house and the stadium.  The stage was set up in front of a wall of speakers that dwarfed even what Billy Joel brought to the Pepsi Center.  When the performance began, the sound was so loud that it was almost impossible to recognize the songs.  Only a few words could be understood, from time to time.  After about the third song, the people I was with decided to leave the fenced area where the concert was being held and move back about two blocks, where we sat on a lawn to listen to the rest of the show.  From there, the music sounded great.  We had a good time.

Although it was not their most popular work, my favorite Quicksilver song is probably “Pride of Man”; and I would rather talk about that one for a few minutes than go on about Billy Joel or loud music.

“Pride of Man” was written in 1964 by Hamilton Camp, and it always had sort of an aura of prophecy hanging around its lyrics.  Camp’s version was included on a 1964 album.  The song became better known when it was covered by Gordon Lightfoot in 1966.  Both of those versions, though, tend to diminish the prophetic feel by almost rushing some of the lyrics, and sounding distinctly “folksy.”

Quicksilver Messenger Service released its version as the very first song on its 1968 debut album.  There, the combination of the electric instruments and a more distinctive delivery make the listener feel that something very important is being conveyed.

I have a feeling that Camp, himself, may have considered this song prophetic.  He started his career as Bob Camp and performed for years with Bob Gibson (not the baseball player), who was a key figure in the folk music revival of the late 1950s and 1960s.  Then, shortly before writing “Pride of Man,” he was initiated into Subud, an Indonesian spiritual movement.  The leader of that movement, Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, encouraged the members to adopt names that resonated with the Universe and their places in it.  Camp changed his first name from Bob to Hamilton.  A few years later, Jim McGuinn of the Byrds became involved in Subud and changed his name to Roger.

Camp did not write all that many songs.  He earned his living more as an actor – appearing in hundreds of movies and TV shows – and most of his recordings were either traditional folk tunes or covers of songs written by others.  The fact that “Pride of Man” was written shortly after undertaking a new spiritual course is at least some evidence that it was intended as prophesy.

I don’t think that fact was lost on Quicksilver Messenger Service, either.  Camp’s 1964 album that introduced “Pride of Man” also included one of the very first versions of the song “Get Together,” which was written by Dino Valenti (née Chester William “Chet” Powers, Jr.).  Valenti was one of the founding members of Quicksilver.  I don’t know what his relationship was with Hamilton Camp, but they seem to have known each other.  Choosing “Pride of Man” as first song on their first album, and doing such a good job with it, indicates that Quicksilver understood it to be important.

Several decades later – after September 11, 2001 – many people began to wonder about the prophesy.  The lyrics tell of a tower falling, made into a “pyre of flame.”  Was that the Tower of Babel or the World Trade Center?  The song begins with the admonition, “Turn around, go back down” and tells us that the “mighty men are beaten down.”  Could that refer to New York City firefighters losing their lives in the 9/11 rescue effort?  The lyrics also say that “Babylon is laid to waste,” and “terror is on every side.”  Babylon, of course, is an ancient city that is in modern Iraq; and the news media keep telling us that terror really is on every side.

I could go on, but any interpretation of a song like this is speculative.  Personally, I believe Camp was concerned about the potential for a nuclear holocaust in the context of humanity’s proclivity to cause God to want to destroy us, at least since Biblical times. You, the reader, can look at the lyrics and reach your own conclusions (or speculations)

Continue reading

SONG OF THE WEEK – THE MUSIC GOES ROUND AND ROUND

I want to start with a brief essay on music appreciation.  Skipping ahead to the conclusion, it seems that different people appreciate music for different reasons.

There are some who see musicians as celebrities.  They can tell you what Lady Gaga has been wearing or what Justin Bieber has been drinking; or who has been arrested for shoplifting or hit and run.

Of course, many musicians are also celebrated for the good they do.  Depending on their age, thousands of fans know about Michael Franti’s support for human rights or Neil Young’s efforts to bring attention to environmental issues or that Bob Geldof proved that music and musicians can save the world (although most folks cannot name a single song he has done since the Boomtown Rats broke up in 1986).

Others appreciate the poetry of lyrics and are interested in where the words come from and what they meant to the songwriter.

To still others, words are secondary to the music that is made.  Certainly that can be an important aspect of music appreciation.  An example of the importance of music to music came to me recently at a church service.  A few months ago, the liturgical music at our parish changed.  Until then, most of the songs seemed to either be written with no sharps or flats (which I am told is the C Major key) or with one flat (F major).  With the new music, all the staffs begin by showing two sharps (D Major).  There was probably some good reason for changing it.  It certainly gives the service a different – though not necessarily better – feel.

Then, there are people like my wife, Cathy.  Whenever I mention something about a song I have researched, she tells me that she doesn’t care who wrote it, who sings it, what instruments are played or what the words mean.  If she likes a song she will listen to it.  If she doesn’t, she won’t.  It is a very pragmatic form of musical solipsism that works quite well for her.

Others, of course appreciate great technique – like that of the “guitar gods” or the obligatory Grateful Dead drum solo or the great keyboard players.  Back when I was in high school I was hoping that one day fans would appreciate the artistry of the French horn gods.  I thought music was moving in that direction with the Who’s Tommy; but, no.  Horn players are pretty much left with the 1812 Overture.

Different people appreciate music for different reasons.

Having said that, let us move on to a song that will provide a good introduction to the French horn and help explain music, no matter the basis of one’s appreciation.  The song is “The Music Goes Round and Round,” written in 1935 by Edward Farley and Mike Riley (a trumpet player and trombonist, respectively), with lyrics by Red Hodgson (about whom I know nothing).

A version of the song was recorded in 1935 by Riley-Farley and the Onyx Club Boys (though some record labels show it as “Reilly-Farley”).  The most famous and popular rendition was done the following year by Tommy Dorsey, with Edythe Wright on vocals.  The version here was also recorded in 1936, but by the Boswell Sisters.

The Boswell Sisters were interesting.  They were three sisters who grew up in a middle class family in New Orleans.  As children they played classical piano, violin and cello, studying under a professor from Tulane University.  Their parents also often took them to shows by African-American performers, whom these Caucasian girls imitated as they began to participate in the New Orleans jazz scene.  They achieved local fame and began recording in 1925.  By the 1930s, they were nationally known, appearing in movies and releasing many popular recordings.

In 1935, they had a Number One national hit with “The Object of My Affection.”  In January of 1936, they released perhaps their best known song, “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” and their version of “The Music Goes Round and Round.”  A month later they quit recording as a group.  It seems they all had married and wanted to settle down to their personal lives and families.  That’s sort of how it was for women in those days.

The Boswell Sisters were a major influence on the music of the Andrews Sisters and Ella Fitzgerald (who also did a fine version of “The Music Goes Round and Round” in 1961), among others.  I find it interesting that these ladies recorded a song called “Rock and Roll” 20-some years before Bill Halley was rocking around the clock, and one called “If I Had a Million Dollars” more than 50 years before Barenaked Ladies’ song of that name.  The old songs were much different from the newer ones, of course.  But that is how the music works.  It goes round and round.  Can you appreciate that?

Continue reading

SONG OF THE WEEK – THE REMEMBER SONG

I just finished reading a book called Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall.  It is about how a group of Cretan resistance fighters and British agents kidnapped a German general during World War II … and about nutrition … and Wing Chun … and Pankration … and the Natural Movement movement … and Parkour … and metabolism …  I found all the various parts to be fascinating, although they did not eventually come together in the pages as they must have in the author’s mind.

I know that my writing is often in that mode.  I tend to digress so that those with not enough time on their hands say, “Get to the point, already.”  Well, as a warning, this week’s look at the “Remember Song” is not a metaphoric straight line going directly to a defined and specific point.

In a comment to last week’s Song of the Week, I mentioned forgetting where I had put a hammer.  Then I sort of remembered a song called “The Remember Song,” but I couldn’t remember too much about it except that I had only ever heard it performed by Tom Rush a few years ago.

I did a bit of research and learned that a lot of other people know about the song because it has “gone viral” on YouTube with nearly 7 million viewings.  Tom Rush said that when he first heard about the popularity he was afraid that he had contracted Ebola, though his daughters finally convinced him that “going viral” is a good thing.

Various articles about the song say that it was written by Steve or Steven or Stephen Walters.  I did not know who that was, so I did a bit more research and found Mr. Walters’ website, where one can hear him sing the first verse of the song under the title “Remember?”.

More interesting than the song was the following information from his biography:

“For twenty years he enjoyed a career on the road as a professional guitarist and vocalist in blues and country music bands. In 1993, after being diagnosed with leukemia and told he had 24 hours to live, Steven began a period of intensive meditation. Miraculously, he became strong enough to receive a bone marrow transplant and make a full recovery. Inspired by this second chance, in 1995 Steven began to truly live his dream, giving up the smoky bars and club circuit to perform his original music”  [Emphasis added.]

The Ralston Creek Review website was begun in August of 2011 to record, for the benefit of whomever may have the opportunity to donate stem cells for another person, my experience in being a stem cell donor for my brother.  He had a condition known as myelofibrosis in which bone marrow cells are replaced with fibrous tissues.  This affects the body’s ability to make blood cells since that is one of the functions of the bone marrow.  For many years, the only possible cure was a bone marrow transplant.  More recently, a stem cell transplant has been the preferred procedure.  For someone over the age of 55 (as my brother was) there is about a 50-50 chance of living for more than a year after the transplant and somewhat less of a chance to surviving for two years.  If a patient can get through those first two years, the odds are quite good that he or she may have a normal lifespan.

The scariest thing about the transplant for the recipient is that before receiving the donor cells, he or she must undergo intense chemotherapy to kill essentially all bone marrow cells, whether normal or fibrous.  When that is completed the the donor cells are transplanted with the hope that they will soon engraft.

My brother went through all of that, achieved engraftment and began to recover quite well.  However, at the end of the first year, he learned that he had developed acute myeloid leukemia, probably as a result of the chemotherapy and continuing medications he had had to suffer.  The leukemia ultimately ended his life a few months later.

This is the first Song of the Week post for September 2015, so I would like you all to remember that September is National  DNA, Genomics and Stem Cell Education and Awareness Month.  There is a wealth of material available on the internet about stem cells and their use in treatment of various conditions.  You can learn a few things by going to the “Stem Cell Donor” category on this website.

And speaking of things remember, we return to this week’s “The Remember Song.”

What would you say is the theme song for Baby Boomer’s?  Is it “Born To Be Wild” or “Get Together?  Perhaps “My Generation” or “When I’m 64”?  Anymore, I am thinking that it might be “The Remember Song,” but I really can’t recall.

 

Continue reading