Ever since renting the DVD Disraeli Gears, which is interviews and highlights of the second Cream album, I have been getting back into Cream. Cream was the original jam band, and was the first of a string of jam bands, through Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam, that I loved.
Cream was a band comprising Eric Clapton on guitar, fresh from John Mayall's Blues Band, and Jack Bruce on bass, and Ginger Baker on drums, both innovative jazz musicians.
This combination proved to be very influential on rock music, even though they broke up after 3 years and 3 studio albums. While they were around from 1966 to 1968, I was but 12-14, so didn't get a chance to see them.
They reunited in 2005 to play at the Royal Albert Hall, and the DVD of this show is incredible. After 37 years, they sounded as fresh and their musicianship had improved, if that is possible. The songs were a bit shaky in places, but the magic was still there.
While they had some hit songs (I Feel Free, Sunshine Of Your Love, I'm So Glad), they were all about their live performances. They brought a freshness and emphasis on musicianship not seen before in rock music. They never played a song the same twice, with improv and jamming on every song. Ginger Baker is the only drummer whose drum solos I actually enjoyed (and they were long, but never less than fascinating). He would keep 4/4 time with one foot on the hi-hat, while his hands and other foot explored jazz, african and other beats, even in 12/8 time. He would switch easily from emphasizing the 1st and 3rd beats to 2nd and 4th, giving Cream a very unique sound. Jack Bruce played his bass like a lead instrument, and the synergy between he and Eric was fantastic. Jack's voice was strong and fit perfectly the trippy words of the songs. Eric also sang some, but it was the first time he sang, and over the years, his voice has become masterful, and it was amazing to see the difference in the 2005 reunion show.
Here's hoping they will reunite again; I would pay anything to be there this time.
Hillary appeared at over 70 campaign events on Obama's behalf, more than any primary loser in history. She worked hard to bring her followers (50% of all dems) to support Obama, and in the end, they did, not because Obama reached out to them, but because of her efforts.
This and her almost win in the primaries shows she deserves to be treated like a leader in the democratic party. She deserves any position she wants in the Obama administration.
I believed since she first endorsed Obama, that she wanted the Senate Majority Leadership. This position is traditionally given based on seniority in the Senate, but I think the president should have a say in whom he wants to work with.
Harry Reid has been an ineffective and disastrous Senate leader, caving in time after time to the republicans even though the dems had a majority. He is lousy at manipulating the press and lets the republicans spin things against the dems. He should go, whether Hillary gets the job or not.
Of course, Hillary has now been rumored to have the Secretary of State role. There are also rumors that she might turn it down. At the same time as these rumors, Reid supposedly is trying to make up a new position for Hillary in the Senate. Why would he do that if he were not trying to save his job?
I believe that Hillary's goal all along was Reid's position, and this is a last-ditch attempt for him to hang on to his seat by placating her. She would be a fool to take this compromise.
She should go ahead and take the SOS position even if Obama can convince Reid to yield his position to her. If that happens, there are lots of Senators who have more seniority than Hillary, and even though she nearly became president and is well liked, there would inevitably be whining and resentment.
Hillary would make an excellent SOS with her leadership skills, her celebrity and winning personality. Her goals in foreign policy were nearly identical to Obama's, so there wouldn't be any conflict there. And she would have the chance to really make a difference in this world, which she wouldn't have as SML. Here's hoping, for the world's sake, that she takes this position.
What lovely weather in Santa Barbara last weekend! It was in the 80s during the day, and not cold at all at night.
Refugio State Beach...
View of the Channel Islands...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Speaking of Himeji Castle, where Eric and I visited in the Catch Up post, it wasn't the first time I'd been to the castle grounds, although it was the first time I'd gone in.
A million years ago, when I looked like this (Tuko, Me, Grace):
And was living in Japan on the Study Abroad Program at UC Berkeley... when Eddie Vedder was still but a child.... actor...
...I fell in love with this Japanese pop singer, Noguchi Goro. Later, when I got married, and we went to live in Kobe for a year, I joined his fan club. They had a meeting at Himeji castle, so I went down there, and while my Japanese wasn't very good, I joined them...
While I was in Kobe, Goro did a tour, stopping in Kobe, so I had to go see him. Usually a Japanese pop singer has one single at a time, and they sing it over and over on the Japanese TV shows, until it is time to come out with a new one. So I was very excited to see a whole show with him singing. I was pregnant with Keith at the time, and the girls around me at the show (I don't recall seeing any boys there) thought I was more interesting than a space alien...
Goro was lovely, and talked quite a bit between songs, a natural comedian. I didn't understand all he said, but at one point, he was talking about his brother getting married, and asked if there was anyone in the audience who was married. A few, including me, raised our hands... and the girls next to me yelled out, "She's pregnant!" So Goro turned to me (I must have been in the 15th row or some such) and said a few words to me. All I remember is turning bright red, and that he said something about what a good mother I was making the baby listen to such good music so young!
Today, my roommate in Japan during the year at college there, Tuko, sent me a video of another Japanese pop singer we liked (especially her) and that set me off exploring YouTube for hours, and prompted this post. So here is what the fuss is about:
Goro singing my favorite, Kirameki
Goro singing my other favorite, Amai Seikatsu
If you can find a 35 year old video of a Japanese pop singer on YouTube, you can truly find anyting!
The whole world is excited (based on the number of Skype congratulations coming to me from all over the world) and it will be great to have a president where we don't have to cringe when he speaks or meets foreign leaders.
And the promise of our country is expressed in Obama's acceptance speech:
"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
"To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."
And in this series of pictures from the rally in Grant Park:
After returning from Japan, Val and I had a reservation at Yosemite in May, 2008. Believe it or not, after living most of my 54 years in California, I had never been to Yosemite, except for a few hours to pick up a friend.
May is a great time to visit, because it's not so crowded and the waterfalls are full.
Bridal Veil Falls
Bambi is to be enjoyed, not killed...
On the valley floor...
Views from the top...
JUNE 2008 - PEARL JAM TOUR!
Since these 13 dates were the first since 2006 in the US (I saw 3 shows in 2007), and the last until 2009, I decided to go to 10 of them. Of course, they have to warm up, so I skipped the first 3... :)
I started in Columbia, SC, and met Lindsay and Amy, who had 2 friends from Australia in tow, Tanya and Emily, who quickly became part of our traveling tour. We rented a SUV, coordinated tickets and hotels on a spreadsheet, and had a blast moving up highway I95 along the East Coast. Lindsay and her nephew went to Columbia and Virginia Beach and then went home. Randall and Darcy met us in Virginia Beach, flying over from Dublin. We then picked up Kathy for the 2 Camden shows, and Val and Melissa for the Washington, DC show, and by the time we got to New York, pretty much everyone we knew were on the tour for those 2 shows, Bruce and Deb re-joined the tour in NY, Shannon joined us and Lindsay re-joined us for Harford and the 2 Boston shows. Randall, Darcy and Lorcan (also from Dublin) went to the NY shows, and I took my niece, Emi, to one of the NY shows. After that show, we went out drinking and ran into all the Europe crowd. Also met Chaim and Jayms in NY. Randall made it to Boston shows as well, where I finally got to sit with him on my ticket... great craic!
A large part of the fun of going on a Pearl Jam tour is the fans... good people everywhere, and every show I go to, I meet new people.... can't remember all their names, of course, but it's always great to look around the audience before a show and see all the familiar faces.
Lindsay and her nephew, Brody.
Tanya
Randall, Lorcan, Val
Randall and Darcy
My niece, Emi, in the fourth row at Madison Square Garden.
Melissa, Heather, JR
Stian from Norway, Lorcan from Ireland, Emi, Val
Shannon, Kathy, Lindsay, Melissa, Kristine showing, Val and I were also sitting all together in Boston, thanks to Kathy trading a few seat pairs!
Melissa's sign, which she held up at the end of the last show, and Ed saw it, squinted to read it, then shook his head, with a look that showed disgust, amusement and embarassment all at the same time...
View from hotel window at the end of a long night of partying after the second NY PJ show.
Mike (guitar), Jeff (bass), Matt (drums), Eddie (vocals, guitar, yoga master), Stone (guitar and riff-meister), Boom (keyboards)
Eddie
Eddie
Eddie
Eddie
Eddie
Stone
Stone
Mikey
Jeff
Jeff and Matt
Eddie
Eddie
Eddie
Eddie mid-spit
Eddie
JULY 2008
In July, I had a business trip planned in the UK, and I saw that my friend and musician Myles O'Reilly, was playing in Dingle, a place I had always longed to go in Ireland, but had never made it to. So I went there a few days early, and invited my niece, Emi, to join me there.
I flew into Cork, and drove to Dingle from there. Had to drive back there (3 hours) to pick up Emi a few days later. After the gig, we drove to Dublin and stayed in Randall and Darcy's flat. We spent a few days there, and then Emi flew home, and I flew to the UK.
Tooling around Kerry on my way from Cork to Dingle, I ran across these cows who had started to cross a river, but then the lead cow stopped, and they all stood there for at least 15 minutes... they were still standing there when I left...
Took a wrong turn, but it turned out to be a great detour, as I found this ruined castle....
And a stone circle...
Got more lost.... You know you're in trouble when the only signs have B&Bs on them and no towns...
But found this...
And this...
And this...
The gap of Dunloe...
More gap...
This wasn't in my tour book...
Finally, made it to Dingle...
Took a ferry to the Blasket Islands the next day. These islands were occupied until 1953 when they were abandoned. Boats can't land here, so you have to get in a dingy to get to the landing. While I was here, the sun came out and then it was beautiful.
The local beach.
The ruins of the old village.
View from Blasket Island
View from path down to ferry landing.
View of Blaskets
View from a little cafe at Slea Head. Bought some lunch, and they said they'd bring it to the outside balcony... Since there was no shade, I told her I'd eat inside, and she looked at me like I was crazy... the sun is such a rare thing here, everyone was outside enjoying it!
My favorite kind of road...
Emi slept during the 3 hour drive from Cork, and then we did some sight-seeing. This was a pre-historic village reconstructed.
Emi in one of the bee-hive huts.
Old fort....
Myles was arriving the day before the gig, so Emi and I hooked up with Myles, his brother, guitarist Steve and friends after dinner and partied until 2am... then we met them the next day, and Myles took us to this beach near Dingle Town. A gorgeous day...
Emi and Myles
Myles, his friend from Dingle, his brother Rossa, and his guitarist Steve.
Myles lived in Dingle Town for a year or so, and knows Dingle well... so he took us down what looked like a hiking path off the main road (in our cars) and there we found a beach which was a boat graveyard. Fascinating.
After our adventures, we went back to MacCarthy's Pub, where the gig was, to do soundcheck. It was a teeny place with this old furniture... but it is a beloved place to enjoy good Irish music.
Myles during soundcheck. He uses 2 loop pedals, one for his guitar and one for his voice, along with 2 mics, one regular and one with echo. It takes a while to get this gear all working.
Here are a couple of his performances... from another gig. My video from the performance that night was too dark. Watch how he uses the loop pedal to harmonize with himself. In the first song, he quickly layers 6 harmonies, then sings over it. Extraordinary singer and lovely human being.
This Song Is Your Own
Sit For The Show
The Boy Who's Skin Fell Off
After the show, we had a "lock-in" (where the pubs close, but let the band and their friends party on) at the pub, and partied until around 4am... Myles brought out his loop pedal and started a beat, and then people took turns adding layers. We did several of these and it was great fun.
Next day, Emi and I drove the long way back to Dublin, going by this archaelogical site Lough Gur, a stone circle, and had dinner in Cahir, where there is a castle in the middle of the river through town. We made it back to Dublin at 11pm, and met Dave Donovan, who had the keys to Randall and Darcy's gaff. (They were in Norway on vacation).
Ruins of old church and graveyard at Lough Gur
Cows crossing the road...
Cahir Castle
Another late night with Dave and his friend, Gareth, and the next day, I took Emi to see Newgrange and Knowlth, 2 important and fascinating archaeological sites north of Dublin.
Newgrange was built so that on the 3 days at the winter solstice, the light at dawn shines through a hole above the door and illuminates the inside of the tomb. Knowlth has similar large tomb surrounded by satellite tombs, with tunnels connecting them and important rock art around the large tomb.
Looking into the passage into the tomb at Knowlth.
Knowlth
Rock art at Knowlth
Emi at Newgrange
That evening, we went to Whelan's, the famous pub/venue... Not much going on there on a Sunday night, but we did get to witness 2 people hooking up...
No, that white stuff on the floor is a fire hydrant they knocked over in their passion...
Next day, we went on the Dublin double-decker bus tour, and then I left Emi on the bus to explore Dublin on her own, while I went shopping for our party that evening...
Dave Donovan came by with his cousin, Glen Hansard's Oscar won for the soundtrack of the movie Once.
Okay, so it was fun to hold an Oscar.... and it IS heavy...
Later, Myles' girlfriend, Aideen, came by to visit, along with Lorcan. I finally went to bed at 3am, (had to get up at 6am to catch our flight), and Emi never did get to sleep... Dave came back with another friend at around 4am and was still there when I got up... Ah, Dublin, the place where you never have to adjust to the time difference...
Off to the UK...
After my meetings in London, I had a couple of days free, so I went to Wales on my way up to the Leeds area. Got lost again trying to find a stone circle, but found 2 locals out and about and together, they figured out where I was going and pointed me in the right direction.... crazy american! "I don't know about a stone circle, but you know up on the bluff there, where there is a parking area, there are some stones up there." "Really? I've lived here all my life and didn't know."
Not much of a circle, but it looks to me like the ground has built up over the years and nearly buried some of the stones. The center stone is angled, like at Boscawen-un...
Anyway, the view from up there was gorgeous, and the sun followed me from Ireland... the owners of the B&B where I stayed were amazed that I manged to find sun...
This area is known for their "black & white" villages...
I don't know if it's me or the buildings, but they all look crooked to me...
and beautiful stone bridges...
Another stone circle...
And more beautiful scenery...
Made my way up to Leeds where I stayed with my friends, Mark and Lisa and their beautiful and old-soul daughter, Annabel.
We went for a walk around a reservoir...
Mark, Lisa, Annabel
Another couple of days of meetings in Manchester and Birmingham, and London, then home...
AUGUST 2008
Eddie solo tour, but this time, after all that's gone on, and the West Coast Eddie solo tour and the East Coast Pearl Jam tour, we decide to *only* go to the 2 Chicago shows. Kathy, Val, Lindsay, Amy and Heather join us at Lori's house after the first show for a giant slumber party... No cameras allowed at these shows, so no pics, but we had a great time.
The first show, coming after a raucous Milwaukee show where the audience managed to piss off Eddie to the point where he stormed off the stage, had a very well-behaved audience. Every time someone shouted out something, 50 people went "shhhhhhhhhh". So lots of stories, great performance. The second show was friends and family night and more of a party. Eddie didn't even try to tell stories the audience was so loud. The three rows in front of us were filled with the entire Cubs team, and they were going back and forth the whole show getting beers and pissing... very disrespectful, but Eddie had invited them, so how could he complain? But we all had fun.
SEPTEMBER 2008
This is birthday month, and my father was having his 80th birthday party! He didn't want any fuss, but wanted all his grandchildren there, so my sister Jen brought Emi from NY, and Mikey from Portland, and came up from LA with her youngest, Nick. My sister Sue's daughters, Corey and Alex were there, and of course, my boys, Keith and Eric. So all 7 grandchildren were there, and we had a relaxing time just enjoying everyone's company for 3 days.
Dad
The seven grandchildren:
Back: Nick, Mike, Eric, Keith Front: Corey, Alex, Emi
Grandchildren with Dad and his wife, Colette.
Dad and his girls, Jennifer, Laurie, Susan.
Emi, Mikey, Nick
Keith with ice on his head...
September also saw me going to camp at El Capitan with Val again (but staying in a hotel) and then going down to my mom's for a week.
Okay, not sure what that eye thing in the sky was, but my camera caught it....
Celebrated Keith's birthday belatedly when I came back from LA... he took me to a local pupusa restaurant which was very good.
OCTOBER 2008
Eric's birthday was next, and since he practically lives in his car, I thought a car fridge might be appropriate... he wasn't exactly thrilled... ;)
Stone Gossard is involved with a volunteer group planting trees in urban areas... He went to several cities and planted trees along with the rest of the volunteers, and then performed in the evening with friends.
Kathy, Shannon, Jayms and Joanna and I volunteered to plant the trees. But I couldn't go to the show because I had to be on a plane to the UK on business that night. It was a lot of fun and hard work, and I'm so glad to have been a part of this.
Shannon in hard hat.
Kathy with shovel.
The end result... 6 of the 11 trees we planted...
Kathy and Shannon back at the gathering spot where lunch was provided the volunteers.
As we were coming back here, I ran right into Stone, who stopped to chat for a couple minutes. I managed not to make an idiot of myself (I think)... I told him I couldn't make the performance that night, and he said he would be doing more of this kind of thing in the near future.
So, that night, on the plane to the UK for the second time this year. This time, I was going for a user conference for the software I work with, and I had a booth there this time. The screen was designed by Tuko. (I would include a picture, but I'm not allowed to blog the software company's name, which is included on the screen).
The conference went well, and I bonded with several people over a long night of drinking after the official dinner.
After the conference was over, I flew to Brussels to meet with Randall and Darcy. Originally, I was supposed to meet a couple of business partners, but their work schedule didn't allow them to make it.
We had booked cheap rooms in a 4 star hotel, and to our surprise, they had put us in a far wing in apartments! Randall and Darcy were in a 2 bedroom apartment and I had a 1 bedroom apartment, complete with living rooms and kitchens. Evidently, there was an EU conference at the hotel, to decide on whether the Ukraine should join the EU, and they needed every room in the main part of the hotel... we weren't complaining!
When I lived in Maastricht, Holland for 4 months, I had spent many weekends in Belgium and Luxembourg, but I had never visited Brussels or Luxembourg city. The first day, I had to catch up on work, so Randall and Darcy went to Bruges, and I stayed behind.
The main square in the historical city is breath-taking, with the ancient buildings with gold touches. I ate at this outdoor cafe.
The building the cafe was in.
More buildings in the square.
The famous pissing boy from Brussels....
My friend, Rik (from The Netherlands), came to Brussels that evening to meet with me. We had a great dinner and then chatted for hours back at my apartment. It was lovely to see him. He goes every Thursday to a town near Brussels to take a class where people learn to make traditional musical instruments... so he was working on a harpsichord.
Next day, we were off to Luxembourg.
We drove to Southern Belgium and got off the highway to follow the road along the Meuse river (Maas in Holland, same river Maastricht is on), with its scenic beauty and cliffs along the river. We stopped for coffee in a small town, which had this lovely church.
Then we cut over to La Roche en Ardenne, which is a beautiful town with a ruined castle above.
Next, to Bastogne, where I discovered that Darcy has a love of all things WWII... go figure!
Upon arriving in Luxembourg City, we checked in our hotel, then walked to the city centre to have dinner, then found this nice pub, which had the loudest music I've ever heard and smoking downstairs where it was crowded, but no smoking and no people upstairs. The decor was interesting with old receivers and turntables all around, and very weird LPs on the wall.
Snapped this picture of Darcy and Randall reflected.
Next day, we went around the city for a bit. Luxembourg is built on a cliff, with a river and valley below, and more of the city on the cliffs surrounding. Very dramatic. You actually take an elevator down to the Grund area below, sort of a hip area with galleries and restaurants.
View from the bridge
As it turned out, there was an outdoor art exhibit in the Grund, with ghostly figures made of chickenwire set around the bridge area. This one was sitting on a balcony overlooking the river.
Another.
Another on the lower right...
View from bridge, other side.
We ate lunch at a pub with an outdoor area overlooking the river. Randall is in form here...
One of the flying art objects reflected in the water.
Highway bridge across the valley from downtown to the other cliff.
After lunch, we headed for Diekirch, home of Diekirch beer, the Dievelselter (the Devil's Arch) and the WWII museum. Something for everyone!
We had a lovely hike through the turning woods to get to the arch, which is attributed to ancient Celts. Randall and Darcy went ahead, and took a wrong turn, which made us work a bit harder than we had to, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
The Devil's Arch. I don't find much evil about it; it's got a lovely energy, and makes me smile when I go in there.
View of Diekirch from the Arch...
Along the path...
Randall and Darcy in a leaf fight...
Darcy on a tank outside the WWII museum.
Next day, we went to the Valley of Seven Chateau.
A castle we found by accident after abandoning the trail of the 7 chateau to start north (Randall and Darcy were leaving that evening from Brussels).
A lovely forest on the way...
The bridge at Esch-sur-Sure, a lovely town in Luxembourg.
Esch-sur-Sure, with its ruined castle above the village.
After dropping off Randall and Darcy at Brussels airport, I went to Maastricht for 2 nights, and I'm more in love with that city than ever! It's such a lovely city with all the old buildings well maintained, and clean. It's gone through a few changes; no car traffic on the old Roman bridge, and a new promenade with parking underground on the waterfront. Also a new passenger bridge south of the roman bridge. I walked across it and it was a gorgeous view. Lots of new restaurants in the old quarter near the new bridge, and a new square with outdoor restaurants in that section (at least I didn't know about it before). I stayed in a lovely small hotel in an ancient building over in the old quarter, Gallerie Hotel Dis. I ate dinner the second night at Quatro Mori. The waiter who used to take such good care of me was still there (family-run) and he actually remembered me! They have expanded into the neighboring place and now have a front on the river. First night, I tried to go to the Indonesian place I used to like, but it was no longer there. So I ate at a different Indonesian place which wasn't as good. And of course, I went to buy 60 EUR worth of candy at Friandises for family and friends and me... Maastricht is so lovely and with the lights on the water, it will always be a romantic place.
I left my camera in the car when I parked it in the owner's locked garage, so no new pics, but here are a few from when I worked there in 2002.
