Wanna Hear a Little Funky Avocado?

I love Michael Hedges - one of the best guitar players of all time.

"I'm not trying to play guitar. I'm trying to play music. That's the difference right there."

I miss Michael Hedges. I remember the day I heard of his untimely death in 1997. I was headed to a work dinner and stopped on the way to purchase every Michael Hedges album that I did not already own. I wanted to collect as much of him and his music as I could, as if I could somehow hold him close and erase the picture of his BMW driving off the Pacific Coast Highway.

I've been listening to a lot of him lately, and I began to wonder about the source of my love of the guitar. As a teen, my Saturdays were devoted to piano and composition lessons. Between lessons, we'd eat pizza and listen to a friend play guitar in the park. This was my first real exposure to the fullness and diversity of sound created by this compact, stringed instrument. My piano was far less entertaining, and undebatably less mobile.

Anyway, around the same time, I was introduced to Michael Hedges by a dear friend. I remember the first time he played Breakfast in the Field (Hedges' first album) for me. The music was surreal and I found it unbelievable that one man could create and perform these pieces. Check out Funky Avocado, which is THE song that made me a fan for life (not the best audio ever, sorry).

I first saw him play live in college. In the years that followed, I lost track of the number of times I saw him perform, but I never missed an opportunity. I witnessed the evolution of his look and his art. I watched his hair grow from a mess of long braids to gone altogether. I watched him add to his performance with a piano, his voice, and a bouncy ball. The last time I saw him, he even performed Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky.

In addition to his own compositions (which are fabulous), I've watched him cover Hendrix, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Madonna, the Fine Young Cannibals, and whoever it was that recorded Buffalo Stance. (If you're in the mood for just one cover, watch Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower. Two? I'm fond of Love Bizarre. Oh hell, they're all great to watch; that's why I posted them. And you're already here reading my blog, so what do you really need to do that's more imporant?)

He walked the line between yuppie and hippie, as he describes in the intro to this performance of Dirge. (OK, so we've already established you're not so busy that you can't catch a few tunes while you multitask. Start this one, watch his intro, and then go check Outlook while you listen to the song.)

So enough with the links. Sorry. Too much, I know; but for me, every one of these clips is stacked with memories, so it's difficult to choose. Imagine how much time I wasted picking them out!

Anyway, he got a little out there as his style progressed (did I mention Jabberwocky?), developing interests beyond the compositions that formed the base for this art. I suppose that's what artists do though, right? I remember the last concert I saw, thinking to myself that I hoped he would get back to his roots again in the next album or two. I would gladly pay to watch him hop around on stage or play the piano, if I could hear him again today.

I still love the guitar... and there are lots of amazing performers out there. But there was only one Michael Hedges. Youtube's great and all, and I'm happy to see so much of his music being shared there; but it's not like the real thing. I feel fortunate to have experienced his magic while I could actually feel the energy he generated in the room.

Hope you like him.

Hanging On and Letting Go

I've been climbing the last few weeks around Moab, Utah; and today I'm taking a well-deserved, long-overdue rest day.

For those of you unfamiliar with rest days, they are the non-climbing days of a climbing trip. Sometimes voluntary, often involuntary, they provide the time and space for reflection and a couple of fish tacos. Living in the desert, these side trips also provide the only link to the real world - and by that I mean showers, beer, laundry, and the internet.

So what am I learning out here? There's been some interesting duality to my spring - learning about both holding on and letting go.

By holding on... I mean hanging in there when the climbing gets tough. Trying harder. Falling on my on-sight attempt of Quarter of a Man was disappointing, but I believe it also opened a door. I tried hard. I failed. But trying hard and failing felt better than giving up or not trying at all. Somehow, ironically, that failure helped me unearth some confidence. Sounds crazy, sure; but in the 24 hours following that attempt, I red-pointed three new climbs. Just like that... go figure.

By letting go... I mean freeing your mind of all the noise in the past, the future, and the sideways (for more on sideways, see Lost, Final Season) and fully experiencing the present. My friend Mary Beth is about to begin a 10-day vipassana meditation; but I'd like to believe that through the potent energy of the desert, I have a window into similar lessons without the knee pain.

I'm also learning about happiness, by reading Dan Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness. He's sort of a cross between Malcolm Gladwell and David Sedaris. I had the pleasure of dining with him years ago in Paris, where he told me my life is all about rejecting the status quo. I'm not sure that was a compliment, but I liked hearing it at the time. Sort of a psychological explanation for my life's twists and turns. Anyway, his book is less self-help than why self-help doesn't work. Check him out.

A few other musings from my world out here:

1. To the guy trying to fix his Eurovan here in the bakery by calling every store in a six-hour radius with a potential radiator hose to sell, I have two words for you.... indoor voice.

2. When the topo says 'do not approach in a storm,' perhaps there is a reason. Ever fishtail on mud? I didn't even make it to the 'steep switchbacks,' and I have mud embedded in my tires that will likely outlast the remaining warranty on my car.

3. Next time I climb the North Face of Castleton, I will tape my forearms. The next time I climb Fine Jade, I will sack up for my lead.

4. Listen to your belayer when he says 'your gear's good... now climb.' Better yet, develop the inner voice to tell that to yourself.

5. Fish tacos. Yum. I may not forgive the Wake and Bake cafe for switching the bookstore and cafe to opposite sides of the store (makes me feel like I'm in a funny house with distorted mirrors); but the fish tacos go a long way to make up for it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Faffing with an Open Mind

faffing: 1) to aimlessly waste time doing useless tasks. 2) my new favorite word.

I returned last night from a week's worth of climbing in the desert. While I take a brief hiatus from the newly-blooming flowers and warming temps, I will heal my bruised hands and feet, file my quarterly taxes, and check in on the non-progress of purchasing a short-sale property (you may be doing well on the stock market, Wells Fargo, but your ability to process my offer sucks big time).

Okay, truth be told, I will also log some Facebook time, catch up on Lost (enjoying it, but sort of over it, too), get in on the new season of Glee (when no one is around), watch video clips (SNL, thank you for bringing back Tina), and read all of my friends' recent blog entries.

Now that I'm somewhat of a blogger myself, I enjoy reading ruminations about life, climbing, medical conditions, house renovations. In particular, I enjoy my friend Pat's blog. His latest entry compares a newsworthy event depicted on both the NYT and Fox News web sites. As I faf away here in the land of electricity-that-doesn't-require-a-generator, I decided to check out Fox News' home page myself to check it out first-hand.

In the headlines, I was thankful to see Obama's name in the headlines. I noticed earlier this morning on Google News that every story under 'US News' was graced with a picture of Sarah Palin. I started to wonder if leadership of our country changed hands while I was unplugged in the desert.

Next, I noticed, in extra large print, Terror Plot Details Revealed. Again thinking I'd missed some important event of epic proportions, I opened the story with interest. The 'details' were pretty thin (lacking when this attempt at terror actually took place), so I looked for other stories. Turns out this mega-headline on FoxNews.com is a follow-up to a story from May, 2009. Important news? I suppose. Breaking news? Hardly. Maybe it's a slow news day, but it seemed like the story was there more to remind us to be afraid than to impart any real information.

Then I took the 'How can the govt expand revenue' quiz and found that start to finish, this was an excellent demonstration of how to skew data. For those of you who know me as a dirtbag climber with a mystery job, I do a lot of this in my work (i.e., create surveys, skew data). I'll spare you the details, but 'tax the rich' seems laden with sarcasm. To be fair (and balanced), FoxNews disclosed that this was not a 'scientific poll.' Um, yeah.

I found a section called Fox Nation, which seems to hold their opinion columns. Maureen Dowd may have a deserved reputation for antagonism in her musings, but she's got nothing on the anonymously-written articles here. Today there are two new columns: 1) why Obama is the most naive president ever, and 2) Obama might be insane. Thanks Fox, this now concludes my morning on your web site.

While it may not sound like it to my Fox-loving friends, I have put a lot of energy into approaching today's divisive political world with an open mind. In addition to reading some of the apocalyptic propaganda in my inbox and viewing Fair and Balanced news without Jon Stewart's interpretation, I had the most productive political debate I've ever had in the Creek yesterday.

The lasting lesson of my desert discussion was to have correct intentions before you open your mouth. With the intention to listen openly and to seek understanding, the entire conversation took on a different purpose. Yesterday was an experience in self discovery that also led to a deeper understanding of the topic at hand in a way that no red herring, circular debate about Obama's birth certificate could ever be.

Once everyone gets out of the dualistic us/them mindset, leaves the rhetoric behind, and gets genuinely interested in what others have to say, there is so much to learn. Not so much about the topic of healthcare or the topic du-jour, but understanding how our unique life experiences shape how we see the world.

• I want healthcare reform, but I can also relate to the person with a five-figure tax bill who doesn't want to subsidize it. Imagine freeloaders eating your food, drinking your beer, and sleeping on your couch. Forever. Legally mandated.
  That said, I think you can also argue that healthcare is already costing us a ton. That same taxpayer already subsidizes it. The freeloader is already on your couch - reform isn't letting him in, it's giving him a blanket.
  
  
• I see the cracks in a system that works for healthy people on group policies, but not folks in the fringes. (Ironically, it seems to work especially well for our citizens on Medicare.) We have a system built on assumptions of how people live their lives. I was one of those mainstreamers for over a decade, and back then I wouldn't have understood what it's like to play insurance defense like I do today. In a recently purchased insurance policy, I was required to complete three surveys to reveal anything that would allow them to deny me coverage later. (I was told this was standard policy.) Does this sound like good customer service to you? Does it sound ethical?
  
  
• I've also spent my consulting career trying to help people cope with change - realizing that change is not easy under the best of circumstances and real change develops over generations, not in days or weeks. We are a society with extremely high expectations and no patience.

Wow, that's a rant. Sorry. What's my point?

I guess it's that I am trying to find my voice and my own perspective in this national debate. I feel surrounded by dualistic, divisive stimuli (e.g., Tea Party... sorry if you're a tea partier, but 'we need to reload' is basically divisive by definition). Intimidation, fear-mongering feels like noise to me and it shuts me down. I find the irrelevant, sour-grapes debates about the legitimacy of Obama's presidency unworthy of my energy. (You didn't vote for him. You don't like him. I get it.)

However, yesterday opened my eyes to a new way to engage. Genuinely seeking greater understanding of yourself and others by exploring these huge challenges we face as a nation - now that is rich. It's less divisive - and ultimately it is far more useful. If we could replace some of the noise with some more of this, I have some hope for us all.

'And that's just about all I have to say about that.'

Pat, please don't write about Glenn Beck... I think he'd raise my blood pressure and I'm not sure when coverage for that kicks in with this new insurance.

Thanks for listening. Could someone please give me a hand off this soapbox?