Yep that's right, I'm in heavy music mode over here, yesterday I helped a guy buy his first guitar, then taught him his first lesson. He wants to do two a week for a couple of months, yeah man, I'm in. Then I headed over to the CU for a little 'guitar summit' with a couple of regulars who can play a few chords, but don't really get how it all works. And I invited my new student along to observe because it's the same stuff, no matter what level you're at. The same circle of fifths, 11 V 1 progressions etc. One of the guys I taught yesterday is coming over today to take some promo pictures of the lean mean Glauber, might as well document the weight loss and nice haircut, eh? And I'd like him to take some shots of where I stay, my friends etc, so I can share some photos on Facebook... (by the way, I'm still delighted to NOT be taking pictures... horribly retro of me, I know, but hey, I like it this way...) Makes me have to write more descriptively and it's one less thing to keep track of.
Before the New Year fades into memory, just a few words about that night. (too bad I don't have a camera to capture some of what I saw... (he said ironically). The town was mobbed, no rooms available, at least in this part of town, many folks arrived from Bangkok and other parts of the country. Down at Thae Pae Gate (5 minutes walk from my guest house), there was a big stage set up and a 40 foot high sculpture made of large metallic spheres, with CDs used to add texture and sheen. Pretty cool public artwork, and I think they did some kind of ball drop from there. The plaza was packed with food vendors, revelers, street blocked much action afoot. In the sky were hundreds and hundreds of hot air lanterns that people would buy for 65cents, then light the coil which sent hot air upwards and inflated the 4 foot high paper lantern. These were sent aloft over the city and they overall effect was quite magical, a smiling moon, hundreds of flames aloft, balmy weather, much merriment. It was dizzying and transcendant somehow.
Something about looking up and seeing a different sky, it felt like it was tapping into something very ancient and other worldly. (and of course, everyone is taking pictures and posting to their facebook,,, which is still kinda weird as a 'lifestyle'... as if the experience itself isn't enough... I Facebook therefore I am)
At around 11, I headed over to CU because my main man Apple, (Pern) was gonna play his set, and I wanted to back him on bass. Big crowd of course, he showed up from his other earlier gig, was very glad to see me, as at this point, I know his material, and yeah, it's good to have a bass player. Lead guitarist Scott was down at the gate with his bride, so it was more important to give Pern the support, and we were just locked in, totally digging it. A lot of times, due to the space constraints, I end up with my back to the audience, which kinda sucks as I like to see what's going on, and on this night I got a perfect perch. Huge fun. Just before midnight, Pern asked if I knew the new year's song, (I assume he meant 'Auld Lang Syne', and sure, yeah, I could do it, but isn't there a Thai new year song?) I really felt that that moment should be in Thai, and he agreed. It was a great call because as the clock wound down, he launched into the song and every Thai in the place had a huge grin and was clapping and singing along. There were a lot of chords, so I just started clapping too, rather than scuffling along with the music. The energy was really building, I could feel it in my heart, a big smile, and something about the ownership of the locals saying, 'this is our country, this is our music, we will share it with you'... there was joy in the room.. and it was building. I was seeing Pern as some kind of extra special human being, he's tuned in in a way that is quite special. Before the new year song, at around 11:53, he sang this beautiful lullaby almost, caught me by surprise, but it was his instinct to sing this thing at this particular time. And people were touched, and it was so unexpected... you'd think he'd be rocking out just before midnight, but he did the opposite. He's got some extra sensitive instinct about it, and I just follow and learn.
So now it's 12 midnight and the energy is starting to peak, when there is a series of explosions on the street, people setting off their fireworks, and the crowd is drawn into the street to see the lights and hear the explosions. Sad in a way, as what was happening before was so clean and spirited, and now it was as if the plug was pulled and the typical, noisy, 'celebration' began. I realize that I'm extra sensitive in these matters, but hey, it was a shame. The kind of energy that was happening doesn't come around every day, and it was too bad that it got swamped by the more mundane bang bang of normal life. Pern kept singing, didn't seem to mind, kept smiling, he's like the Dalai Lama of bar musicians. We ended up playing late into the night. I think I quit around 3 or so, and he hung in there for another hour with some other players.
I knew that M and I wouldn't be spending this night together, not when the bar is open until 5 am, and last week's Christmas debacle still pretty fresh in my mind. No thanks, I don't need the stress. Then midnight comes, people are shaking hands, hugging, kissing, wishing 'Sawadtii Pi Mai' to each other. And she comes up with a big smile, kisses me on the mouth, and then again, and I'm like, 'do you want to come over tonight?' And she did want to. And it made me happy. And then I go back to my place pretty buzzed at 4 am and then start to worry. What if she gets wasted? And somehow managed to quiet my mind, trust her, not be attached to any outcomes, just let it be. And she came over around 6am in good form, justifying my trust. All part of the dance, I guess... this is new territory for me.
At the bar that night, we played both of my reggae jams, Bhang Lassie, and the new one, 'Chillin' in Chiang Mai' and they were both very well received. What a blast that is to intro this groove into this venue and play it with my friends, make up the words, just jam into the night. Holy crap, is there anything more fun? Uh maybe, (but I don't digress)
And now that M and I have put each other through a lot of turmoil, we're in a groove of sweetness and affection and just plain love. Not that it lasts, not that it's forever, it just is, and it feels like we both recognize the value of whatever it is we've got going. I think it's that situation where there is only so much you can do on your own. In order to really grow, you need another person to put you through your stuff, and if you can come through it with some integrity and compassion, it's a good thing... (no guarantees, of course... it could turn on a dime... so I'll just be grateful, OK?)
Speaking of which, I got a flash of inspiration for the next tune which is called 'Coming Around to Gratitude'. It's a folk song/stream of consciousness flow about some death stories. I was thinking about the 'Garlic Girl' who died twenty years ago or so, and before leaving, she had an event at the Wow Hall in which she gave a speech that was so powerful. 'I love each and every one of you... even the bad ones' she said. 'I love every blade of grass...' And I was thinking about Judith Meltzoff, Nancy's mom who had liver cancer and was short for this plane. They threw a 'Bon Voyage' party at Nancy's, Judith propped on a futon, surrounded by love and singing (led by me) She gave a little talk about how she had rented 'Pride of the Yankees' (the Lou Gehrig story) as a way to help her 10 year old grandson Adam understand her imminent death. And she said, 'I consider myself the luckiest woman in the world' which was Gehrig's quote, different gender. I feel a strong desire to relate some of these stories and then tie them together with a simple singalong 'Coming around to gratitude' that we can harmonize.
The other verse or whatever is that episode in which my Grandfather Jack sat me in his office, I was maybe 17 and he wanted to teach me something. 'What's the most important thing in the world?' he asked, and in my know-it-all teenaged way I said, 'to be satisfied, to be really into what you're doing' and he said, 'no'. 'The most important thing is your integrity, your good name, they can never take it away from you. The way you treat other people'. It was a moment and I recognized quite clearly that my grandfather was saying something really important to me. We had a certain bond, and this kind of memory is such a blessing. To have someone love me that much and want to really give me his wisdom and his vision. I received it and understood it, and have kept that with me all these years. And my integrity, while certainly not perfect, is still pretty strong, and that is a blessing I received with great appreciation. And I'm coming around to gratitude....Coming around to gratitude. (maybe that's the most important thing now...)
