New songs. Old songs that are new to me. Forgotten songs. So the other day I became reacquainted with Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits record, which I remember listening to a lot when I was teenager, along with his Infidels record. I had forgotten how many good songs are on there. “Positively 4th Street” has no chorus or bridge, just one verse progression that repeats a gajillion times. And yet it’s awesome. It just has that Dylan vibe. I would do well to learn every song on that record. And then there’s The Pretender, by Jackson Browne. How have I never come across this song before?!?! It could have been my fucking personal theme song, had I paid attention to it earlier. The YouTube algorithm sometimes does non-evil things, this time leading me to a very recent live solo performance of the now 72-year-old Browne delivering this incredible tune. It’s one of those songs that hits home even harder when delivered by an old man. The lyrics are heart breaking, and I’ll be damned if the guy doesn’t sing as good as he did in his prime. So fucking good. Definitely have to learn this one.
HTG Podcast #53: Sleepwalker
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I push sound toward a microphone with my mouth after walking around town with my legs.
The Chamber Door #02: Scrutinizing Identity
In this episode of The Chamber Door, I riff and rant about the concept of “identity” until the caffeine intoxication wears off and I’m left wondering who’s doing what now.
HTG Podcast #52: Algorithm, Shmalgorithm
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I say “What up, Gong Headers!”, reflect on being pandemically immuno-compromizationalized, and forewarn of the upcoming algorithmic apocalypse.
HTG Podcast #51: Most Awesome Computer
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I quickly go off the rails, start talking to puppets, and then make a weak attempt to articulate profound spiritual truths.
Media referenced:
Sam Harris’s Waking Up meditation app
Cold as it gets
Music & Lyrics: P. Griffin
Performance: Isaac Robert Dust, a.k.a. Bob D.
Into the dark
Music & Lyrics: Mr. Gibbard
Images & Sound: Isaac Robert Dust, a.k.a. Bob D.
Alan Watts on the nature of truth (1959)
Sometimes when I listen to the old recordings Alan Watts left behind, I imagine them as a present-day podcast, and I think, “This is better, more interesting, and more relevant than 99.9% of anything I’m listening to in 2021.” Here he reflects on the nature of truth, in 1959.
HTG Podcast #50: Where I am
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I, for the 50th time, talk to myself for a few minutes about the joy and mystery of the creative process. I also force myself, despite not really being in the mood, to record my practice session, a few snippets of which I share.
The Chamber Door #01: Sticks and Stones
In this inaugural episode of The Chamber Door, I take an elementary school lesson on childhood name-calling and apply it to all of society, because, you know, that’s how I roll.
