Great post, thank you. Love hearing that the Finns are lovely. I’d have expected so, but you never know. Thinking about people and things coming and going, maybe forever, is hard - especially for one prone to anxiety. You seem well on the way too accepting it; took me 50+ years, but it becomes kind of beautiful. Roads being rebuilt seem like a good analogy - a period of inconvenience followed by reward. David Letterman once said, offhand, “Paul, life is problems.” It stuck with me. Absorbing and accepting them leaves one open to beauty. I guess. Debt is on a different plane and harder.
Anyway, thanks from another Kennedy driver. Good stuff to ponder. Good luck easing into summer.
Your post had me thinking about so many things. But when you wrote about influencers and fans, my mind wandered to a snorkeling experience I had in a natural lagoon in Hawaii. We weren’t guaranteed what we’d see on any given day, because fish were in constant flux, coming and going at will. I image that’s what it might be like for bands trying to attract and keep fans. P.S. Cool song!
Great post, I always enjoy reading your musings and getting an insight into what has been happening in your world. I felt compelled to share some thoughts on your town morale idea is this is something which I have been thinking of myself, and on scale, as there is example happening right now where I live in South Africa (and, don't get me wrong, I am quite sure others across the world could also give examples but this is just my personal experience). Here, we are grappling with, essentially, the culmination of more than a decade of extreme corruption which has driven much of our public services to collapse and the most topical of which, right now, is the destruction of our electricity infrastructure, that has resulted in daily power outages of between 8 and 12 hours throughout the country. This is effecting everything but, equally, is compounding a litany of other issues - unemployment is amongst the highest in the world (and particularly extreme amongst the youth), water services are collapsing (there has recently been a cholera outbreak with 24 deaths so far), local government is bankrupt and unable to provide basic services, police services are buckling and inequality remains extreme. The list goes on and it makes for grim reading.
As you can imagine, the mood is very depressed and it is a pervasive weight, which everyone is carrying (albeit in different ways). And, yet, I find it fascinating to see how people are dealing with it as, although many of the wealthier are emigrating (or moving down to the Cape Town area which is the most functional part of the country), I think those that remain appear to be becoming more engaged and I have seen many instances which, I believe, can give us some hope that things will improve. This is a complicated place, given our history and the ongoing legacy that has left (I dare not touch that can of worms here) but I often think that most people seem to have this dual outlook which combines a pervasive negativity, and helpless depression, together with an optimistic, "can-do", attitude. It is difficult to reconcile, much less explain.
It may sound trite but I think it has a lot to do with people focusing on the small victories, trying to do the best that they can, and instill a little good to the world around them in their own little ways. Perhaps I am too optimistic (I have been told as such or, worse, that I focus only on the one side of the story and, I have to concede, I dare not engage too much in social media as retaining any form of positivity in that space is difficult) but I remain hopeful that the majority of people actually do care and want to see things improve for everyone.
Anyway, I am sorry for the long post, but I felt compelled to add my two cents to your town morale idea (incidentally, I have long espoused the view that streaming has been hugely destructive for music as, although it has opened the door to this vast, and wonderful, world, I've found that it has also destroyed a very necessary human experience of communal experience - but, again, a topic for another time!) and all the best for your shift into summer. And a personal thank you to you and your dad as the world is a better place for everything that you both continue to put out there.
Beautiful, thoughtful post. Sorry to hear about the traffic. I will keep my thoughts about freeway expansion to myself :). Oh the missed drum beat- it sounded planned and like it builds up suspense. That’s a fun, catchy track. Love the words your dad said about your drumming in his first book- something to the effect of other, more elder musicians and engineers watching you track your dads rhythm and adjust so naturally and imperceptibly and saying how incredibly hard that is and yet so completely natural for you. I think you and your dad deserve higher stamp values!
Anxiety is a bitch! I think Jeff Bezo’s sleeps in is a gently lilting bassinet. Trust me you will experience many joys and sadness throughout life….it’s how you handle the good and the bad, cuz both are inevitable. You seem very aware of yourself, which is excellent! Cheers! And to anyone reading please say “thank you” to anyone who fought for us in one of the armed services.
Public singing --that is, when large audiences sing together-- is when I most often have the Town Morale feeling you describe. No matter the context, it very often moves me to such emotion that I can't continue to sing along. I think the phenomenon exists in lots of contexts, but singing is when I feel it the most.
In 2009 we went to the Newport Folk Festival for the first time. It was the 50th anniversary of the festival. The US was still in Iraq, and the fighting had been escalating in recent days. Arlo Guthrie asked the audience to sing on several songs during his set. I can't quote exactly what he said, but he told us in no uncertain terms that raising our voices against the violence and atrocities mattered, and that our energy would travel all the way over there and it would make a difference to every person affected by the war, whether they be soldier or citizen. I believe he was (and still is) right about that.
🎵 ".... there ain't no cure for the summertime blues" 🎵
But a new piece from Spencer surely helps!
Such a pleasure to read, so well written. Always interesting, thought-provoking, observations.
A few thoughts I had:
1. That old mystical idea is still mystical, and maybe more 'real', (yet even more mysterious), since quantum physicists have shown in experiments: a particle can be in two places at the same time and can influence another particle although separated by great distances.
2. When a new discovery is made, multiple scientists across the world, working in obscure labs with no relation to one another, sometimes make an identical discovery, often on the same day, and even the same hour.
We're all connected, and need to remember how connected we are.
“I’m curious about the intuitive state of communities.” Me too. And it’s beyond bananas to me that anyone could ever dismiss Wilco (dads however…lol). You are putting such a beautiful frequency into the world. We are all better for it, communities near and far. I’m sorry it won’t cure the traffic though. And yes, let’s all take a look at these weights we’re carrying. 🏹
We’ll said Spencer. You are wise well above your years. See ya in a couple weeks!
Lucky kids! Hey Spencer sometime would you show how you mic your drums in studio and live and type of mic? Gear Talk?
Great post, thank you. Love hearing that the Finns are lovely. I’d have expected so, but you never know. Thinking about people and things coming and going, maybe forever, is hard - especially for one prone to anxiety. You seem well on the way too accepting it; took me 50+ years, but it becomes kind of beautiful. Roads being rebuilt seem like a good analogy - a period of inconvenience followed by reward. David Letterman once said, offhand, “Paul, life is problems.” It stuck with me. Absorbing and accepting them leaves one open to beauty. I guess. Debt is on a different plane and harder.
Anyway, thanks from another Kennedy driver. Good stuff to ponder. Good luck easing into summer.
Your post had me thinking about so many things. But when you wrote about influencers and fans, my mind wandered to a snorkeling experience I had in a natural lagoon in Hawaii. We weren’t guaranteed what we’d see on any given day, because fish were in constant flux, coming and going at will. I image that’s what it might be like for bands trying to attract and keep fans. P.S. Cool song!
Great post, I always enjoy reading your musings and getting an insight into what has been happening in your world. I felt compelled to share some thoughts on your town morale idea is this is something which I have been thinking of myself, and on scale, as there is example happening right now where I live in South Africa (and, don't get me wrong, I am quite sure others across the world could also give examples but this is just my personal experience). Here, we are grappling with, essentially, the culmination of more than a decade of extreme corruption which has driven much of our public services to collapse and the most topical of which, right now, is the destruction of our electricity infrastructure, that has resulted in daily power outages of between 8 and 12 hours throughout the country. This is effecting everything but, equally, is compounding a litany of other issues - unemployment is amongst the highest in the world (and particularly extreme amongst the youth), water services are collapsing (there has recently been a cholera outbreak with 24 deaths so far), local government is bankrupt and unable to provide basic services, police services are buckling and inequality remains extreme. The list goes on and it makes for grim reading.
As you can imagine, the mood is very depressed and it is a pervasive weight, which everyone is carrying (albeit in different ways). And, yet, I find it fascinating to see how people are dealing with it as, although many of the wealthier are emigrating (or moving down to the Cape Town area which is the most functional part of the country), I think those that remain appear to be becoming more engaged and I have seen many instances which, I believe, can give us some hope that things will improve. This is a complicated place, given our history and the ongoing legacy that has left (I dare not touch that can of worms here) but I often think that most people seem to have this dual outlook which combines a pervasive negativity, and helpless depression, together with an optimistic, "can-do", attitude. It is difficult to reconcile, much less explain.
It may sound trite but I think it has a lot to do with people focusing on the small victories, trying to do the best that they can, and instill a little good to the world around them in their own little ways. Perhaps I am too optimistic (I have been told as such or, worse, that I focus only on the one side of the story and, I have to concede, I dare not engage too much in social media as retaining any form of positivity in that space is difficult) but I remain hopeful that the majority of people actually do care and want to see things improve for everyone.
Anyway, I am sorry for the long post, but I felt compelled to add my two cents to your town morale idea (incidentally, I have long espoused the view that streaming has been hugely destructive for music as, although it has opened the door to this vast, and wonderful, world, I've found that it has also destroyed a very necessary human experience of communal experience - but, again, a topic for another time!) and all the best for your shift into summer. And a personal thank you to you and your dad as the world is a better place for everything that you both continue to put out there.
Beautiful, thoughtful post. Sorry to hear about the traffic. I will keep my thoughts about freeway expansion to myself :). Oh the missed drum beat- it sounded planned and like it builds up suspense. That’s a fun, catchy track. Love the words your dad said about your drumming in his first book- something to the effect of other, more elder musicians and engineers watching you track your dads rhythm and adjust so naturally and imperceptibly and saying how incredibly hard that is and yet so completely natural for you. I think you and your dad deserve higher stamp values!
Anxiety is a bitch! I think Jeff Bezo’s sleeps in is a gently lilting bassinet. Trust me you will experience many joys and sadness throughout life….it’s how you handle the good and the bad, cuz both are inevitable. You seem very aware of yourself, which is excellent! Cheers! And to anyone reading please say “thank you” to anyone who fought for us in one of the armed services.
Keep on keeping on, Spencer👍
Public singing --that is, when large audiences sing together-- is when I most often have the Town Morale feeling you describe. No matter the context, it very often moves me to such emotion that I can't continue to sing along. I think the phenomenon exists in lots of contexts, but singing is when I feel it the most.
In 2009 we went to the Newport Folk Festival for the first time. It was the 50th anniversary of the festival. The US was still in Iraq, and the fighting had been escalating in recent days. Arlo Guthrie asked the audience to sing on several songs during his set. I can't quote exactly what he said, but he told us in no uncertain terms that raising our voices against the violence and atrocities mattered, and that our energy would travel all the way over there and it would make a difference to every person affected by the war, whether they be soldier or citizen. I believe he was (and still is) right about that.
Astute. 👍🏼
Spencer you have a wonderful sense of humor!
🎵 ".... there ain't no cure for the summertime blues" 🎵
But a new piece from Spencer surely helps!
Such a pleasure to read, so well written. Always interesting, thought-provoking, observations.
A few thoughts I had:
1. That old mystical idea is still mystical, and maybe more 'real', (yet even more mysterious), since quantum physicists have shown in experiments: a particle can be in two places at the same time and can influence another particle although separated by great distances.
2. When a new discovery is made, multiple scientists across the world, working in obscure labs with no relation to one another, sometimes make an identical discovery, often on the same day, and even the same hour.
We're all connected, and need to remember how connected we are.
Okay love this post
Thank you Spencer - very enjoyable and reminds me to stay off the Kennedy
Wipe out all debt? How very Tyler Durden of you, Spencer.
Thanks for sharing your NZ memories. Hoping to get there one day.
“I’m curious about the intuitive state of communities.” Me too. And it’s beyond bananas to me that anyone could ever dismiss Wilco (dads however…lol). You are putting such a beautiful frequency into the world. We are all better for it, communities near and far. I’m sorry it won’t cure the traffic though. And yes, let’s all take a look at these weights we’re carrying. 🏹