A long, yet beautiful week

[No, I did not take this pic. They have a strict "no photo" policy for fans. This is Tony Levin, our bassist for the evening. Playing a Chapman Stick]

Haven’t posted since my evening “In the Court of the Crimson King”. Well, I’ll try to keep this brief…

They were great. [the number of musicians often changes, as does the number of similar & different instruments used] This time out it was 2 drummers, Fripp’s enigmatic guitar [that sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard in your life], Adrian on vocals & guitar, & Tony Levin on Bass & Chapman stick [I would love to get my hands on a Chapman Stick, just for fun. To see what kinds of sounds I could coax out of one]. You do not listen to King Crimson… You open a door & step inside of it. To borrow from a band influenced by Crimson [namely Spock’s Beard] it was an evening [to these ears anyway] of stepping into “The Healing Colors of Sound”. There is no way they could play all of my favorite pieces, but they played quite a few. Everything sounded slightly different with Gavin Harrison as an “added” drummer. He was no “after thought” –that’s for sure. The band seemed to be enjoying themselves, & so was I. Several songs/rhythms pieces by both drummers, playing together, & off each other. It was fun to watch founding member Robert Fripp, set to one side of the stage, watching as intently as the audience these 2 wonderful & amazing drummers perform together. Their hands moving with the grace, speed, & accuracy of a humming bird in flight. Performing both light, even tribal drum parts & monstrous thundering sections –sometimes mere moments apart. Since they often sell their shows afterward, & I am eagerly watching for this show to go on sale. It was “that good”. Also, I got to hang with my friend Mark. It was good to catch up [even if we were late to the show]. As always Mark also had a surprise in the form of music he gave to me. [I’m enjoying “The Apocalypse inside of an Orange” by Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta, & a sessions/ rehearsal disc from Crimson]

The funeral went well. Though being crammed into a basement with tons of people was very hard for me. I really hate not having an “easy exit”. And bumping into people or having people randomly touching me is very unsettling. This gives an idea why it isn’t often that I’ve gone to concerts or movies [at the theater] lately. Also, my dizzy spells have come back this week. My system is “out of whack”. So, light bothers me, & I spend some time crawling off by myself. Sometimes the dizziness is so bad that I have to lay on the floor, close my eyes, & “ride it out”.

This made for an interesting conversation with Mark. As I told him [& I haven’t told those close to me too much yet –except for my wife], my allergist was telling me that I have to see an ENT [that’s Ear, Nose & throat doc.] because I have “Thinning of the bone” in my sinuses. …didn’t know my sinuses had bones. She also said it’s “quite serious”… but I –as of yet- don’t know what that means. So I see this “ENT” Sept. 15^th [can’t be that serious, if I have to wait 6 weeks to see them. I joked with Mark “So …I have to wait 6 weeks to be told I’ve got 6 months to live?” Funny. –he didn’t really laugh.] Seriously, I have no idea what they mean by this. So don’t go thinking I’m terminal.

The last 2 days have felt like a month. Like our Blackwater falls trip was a calm before the storm. So was my Sat. “Photo field trip” & the Crimson show. It has stirred me to write quite a bit. I’m not sure if I’m ready to share just yet what I’ve written. I have also been enjoying my camera, & -at times- whishing I had brought it with me. Like today… going back to my In-law’s house to get things for my sister-in-law to stay with us. I rode in the car [it was one of my many dizzy spells]. Sat in the car. And, at times when I could bear to sit up, watching Monarch butterflies waltz across the air, from flower to flower. Almost like they were tracing the path of a rollercoaster. Sometimes on top sometimes precariously hanging under a flower their legs weaving across the flowers gathering for themselves. Their wings moving in slow motion as they hung there, almost in time with my breathing.

While my life has not been all “rosey”, neither has it been all dark –or even as dark as it could easily have been. That said, I haven’t felt this alive in… I honestly don’t know how long. Everything seems more alive, more “full of vibrant color”, than ever before. Even things that could [or should] be very dark, just don’t bring me …”as far down” as they used to.

Well, I must get some sleep, & I feel a bit of my dizziness creeping back on...