Flickr Tour Pics

hi from the road. loads of info from the road is in development and on the way ! We're having a blast. Check out some pics on my Flickr page.

Spring Tour ! Spring Tour !

My band, The Harpeth Trace, is about to embark on an 8 day, 6 state, 3500 mile tour through the southwest in a VW Vanagon with no AC. I can't wait. This is something I've wanted to do for so long and now it's happening with a band I love and people I love being around. I am debating whether to bring my laptop. I want to keep a tour diary and post it from the road, but having my most important possession with me during this journey into sketchy bars and places I've never been is a dificult decision to make. ugh. I think I'm gonna do it.

So I will use my drumming blog, Rattle and Thud, as the base for my tour diary. Inspired by the road king Mr. Mike Watt, I will try and capture a sense of this trip with words and pictures.

And now, back to packing!

Big in Japan

We all know that all things feces is a very popular fetish within Japanese culture. We've seen the pics, from that huge tunnel to that poor girl in the tub, and we've all probably delighted friends by showing them said pics, and sometimes capturing their reactions for amusement. The truth is that some Japanese folks love poo. Love it. Want to make love to it. Want to draw graphic cartoons and make love to themselves while looking at them. Happy Happy Fun Kitty Poo.

Americans are different, we're repressed when it comes to poo. Mommy and Daddy call it B.M. and scold toddlers when their curiosity gets the best of them. Poo is BAD we're told. BAD BAD POO. Flush it or throw it away and keep it away from the dog, 'cause doggie loves poo too. Doggie LOVES poo. But not us, no sir. Or do we?

Let's take a look at some of our most popular exclamations:
Shit!
You're full of shit.
Bullshit!

Sometimes it's used to describe an amount:
Shitload / crapload
What a load of crap.

It's not just in our popular social nomenclature - the truth is some of the biggest corporations in this country love poo too. Take if you will one of the oldest technology companies in the country: IBM. C'mon, think about it. Convenient abbreviation, wouldn't you say? It personalizes what we all do -- it binds us together by saying that this corporation, like us, also BM's. We all BM. IBM, UBM.

Next up is perhaps the most ubiquitous - the new UPS slogan: What can Brown do for you? Does anything need to be said? Besides the color of their trucks, uniforms and logo, they want you to believe in brown. Brown branding. They want you to call it Brown. They want you to use Brown as a noun.

Imagine, if you will, a typical office setting where employees weigh their options for delivery service companies...

Office Manager: "This is a delicate situation, everyone, but I believe I'm going to have to fire Brown."

Employee 1: "Firing brown is never easy -- the whole situation stinks to high heaven. it's better to just gradually let brown go as opposed to firing brown."

Employee 2: "I don't know if you've noticed, but Janine sure has been pushing Brown lately."

Employee 3: "Marty has been trying to get a hold of Brown all morning."

Employee 1: "Yeah, there have been times I've waited days on end for Brown."

Employee 2: "Last week I got brown all over my package. It seemed like the thing to do at the time, but now i feel dirty."

maybe rolfing will help

That's it - I can't have kids. or pets. I tried to start with something simple to test my responsibility as a parent. a plant. Everything was fine - I pruned, watered and even talked sweetly to it. But last night I came home drunk and in a blind fit of rage I raped the plant. This morning there were leaves and stems everywhere. Jesus I hope it forgives me.