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APRIL 2014
Very busy here, but, APRIL IS POETRY MONTH, my favorite, and I had to squeeze in a post for you. More to come soon, including poetry (!) when I can take a breath.
TUNE IN MID-MONTH FOR MY NEW PODCAST FOR APRIL. PART II will feature a reading by, and conversation with, POET JOHN TOTTENHAM. MARS, EARTH AND SUN ALIGN ON MY BIRTHDAY AS I MEET PUSSY RIOT IN LOS ANGELES. Very happy to have met Masha, Nadya and Peter and to hear them speak about issues we should all be concerned with. Dear friend and prisoner rights activist WAYNE KRAMER (Jail Guitar Doors) participated in a panel along with Shephard Fairy, Anne Litt of KCRW and reps from the Voice Project at the Mack Sennet studios in Silverlake. SHOCK OF THE YEAR SO FAR: Video of Pussy Riot! (recently jailed Nadya and Masha) being whipped by Cossacks in Sochi, February 2014. No different then stoning women in the streets, yet the brave Nadya and Masha continue to return to Russia, to fight the good fight. It’s too bizarre to be believable… young women in day-glo balaclavas doing a punk performance, being horse-whipped by agents for Putin’s government? Nadya and Masha were also attacked in a MacDonald's by a gang of youths calling them whores and spraying their faces with acidic green paint. The young women suffered head injuries and chemical burns. This is really happening, as is the Putin-sanctioned bullying of Russia's gays and lesbians. Masha, Nadya and Wayne Kramer
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A quick word to those of you who may haved loved ones suffering with Alzheimers or dementia:
The fog that was once memory can be lifted with music. Maybe it won’t bring your name to their lips, or send the disease backtracking. But, it will often unlock memories of happier times, and definitely make your loved one's face light up with joy. I say this from experience, and it’s also backed by studies that have shown a reduction in symptoms of Alzheimer’s (depression, apathy, agitation and frustration). Nothing makes more sense to me; music equals pleasure. It improves mood. What you’ll play better depend on the loved one’s musical preferences; I’m sure if you slam on some strident jazz for a person who loves etudes, it may not trigger the reaction you’re hoping for. Whatever genre of music you know them to have loved (and to still love), play it for them. Play their favorite songs at a healthy volume. Think about the years when your loved one may have been their happiest, and check the pop charts of those specific years to learn what they were listening to on the radio. Play those songs and watch the joy bubble up. Hey, they might even want to dance with you.
What could be more joyous? Pop chart hits, listings by year, click here: JAMROCK
The fog that was once memory can be lifted with music. Maybe it won’t bring your name to their lips, or send the disease backtracking. But, it will often unlock memories of happier times, and definitely make your loved one's face light up with joy. I say this from experience, and it’s also backed by studies that have shown a reduction in symptoms of Alzheimer’s (depression, apathy, agitation and frustration). Nothing makes more sense to me; music equals pleasure. It improves mood. What you’ll play better depend on the loved one’s musical preferences; I’m sure if you slam on some strident jazz for a person who loves etudes, it may not trigger the reaction you’re hoping for. Whatever genre of music you know them to have loved (and to still love), play it for them. Play their favorite songs at a healthy volume. Think about the years when your loved one may have been their happiest, and check the pop charts of those specific years to learn what they were listening to on the radio. Play those songs and watch the joy bubble up. Hey, they might even want to dance with you.
What could be more joyous? Pop chart hits, listings by year, click here: JAMROCK
Two favorite songs of the moment:
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For those of you who'd love to hear how in the hell someone could talk about snorting a piece of the Berlin wall in a song, and make it sound sultry(!), here’s PRINCE JOHNNY by the inimitable St. Vincent. So glad she’s finally taking off.
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For all of you in need of a First Aid Kit, here’s EMMYLOU. Utterly gorgeous vocals, arrangement, musicianship and production. First Aid Kit is a Swedish folk duo of sisters Johanna and Klara, born in 1990 and '93. I can't stop listening. Pure happiness.
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