Thursday, May 21, 2015

for the river stour and all rivers rolling onwords

And the streams trickle down
toward the lower point
top down flows
surplus overflowing
the return home by way of
replenishing those dry
those brittle with thirst
the river forms and brings
water to the lands and to life
to the river banks and the
truth of a field or a forest

natural abundence 
the abundence of nature 
without tax of man's ways
no abstracted credit system
no banking chicanery
just the truth of what grows on
earth by sun, moon stars and
soil seed dung and fungus
yes, here are the fruits 
your natural inheritance as
a human being on planet earth
a human fucking being man!
you dig

before alphabetty language
casts the spell of beingness
in objects
before that
back back back when
way back
when the feel of a leaf
can indicate the date
time season and current
pulse of all things connected 
by DNA life forms
as standard
standard
hyperconnectivity in the field
a return to the primordial mind
just for a moment here,
hold tight

As a cat can hold no race card
or a dog claim no religious denomination
domesticated primates are joking 
with this abstracted word wild mild
way of lulling one into a dream
world of invisible forces and 
ideological stuff and things
of no significance to a dolphin
or a pig,
a crow or a bonobo

yet
these words cast their spell 
and we believe and we join in
with the totality of our body
mind interface
we eat the words and then
as if by magic
feel the effects of them
name address bloodline 
occupation
forever interchangable
forever fuckwitable

and the vortex turns
shuffle spin mix it up in a 
mind shake and we believe
and vote and engage with the
word games 
blind to the natural abundence
unable to understand freedom
freedom from ideological
materialism
the tabla rasa each morning
until we engage with the
language games
playing us through a 
sub-conscious tricky trick
playing those mind games
and on and on the river flows

next time it rains just watch
the route the water takes
the general principle of taking the
path of least resistence
the path of sharing resources
no concept of ownership
that game can wait
let the monkeys play that card

the sun shines bright with no charge
the waves crash and swell gratis
plants and animals grow and 
reproduce without claiming
anything at all at all
in alphabetic silence
yet still communicating 
in the chemical biological 
language lost to most 
urbanized primates
and outlawed by the 
power crazed law makers
enforcers and game rule
benders

Lo
The earth, 
water wind and organic lifeforms
are truth
words lies 
statements distractions
yet somehow
despite all the spells
story and the language of poetry
struggle onwords




Steve Fly 33.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Selfish and conceited ways of muddle-class

Home or not home
that is another question
how far back can you think?
eh...

How wide is your gaze
eh?
your sources and resources
how comprehensive
how varied
how pluralistic?

measure it motherfucker
your gaze is narrow
thoughts well
generally selfish
self centered
centralized
still stuck in a 17th century
conceit
two conceits in fact
the conceit of scholars and
the conceit of nations
the latter whats the matter

self-centered
non-sympathetic
lacking in compassion
these are the patriotic traits
of the new Britain
the Genghis Khan economy is back again

but know sense
no language of order and truth
no thought for the natural abundance
of nature
the cows milk
the fungus
the sun and water
all this for the benefit of 
all humanity,
all beings, animals insects and
sentient creatures
no your god-damned
profits 


Steve Fly 33.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Waywords and Meansigns: A Journey into Finnegans Wake

Waywords and Meansigns: A Journey into Finnegans Wake

mix himself so at home mid the musik--FW, pg.437

Shortly after discovering the Waywords and Meansigns project, linked from a blog called 
RAWillumination.net tailored by Tom Jackson, I sent an email expressing my interest in contributing to the musical ceremony.

I received a swift reply, informing me that the first edition of the unabridged Finnegans Wake has been delegated to the early contributors, but, due to such a positive and large interest in the project a second full edition is underway, and that I would be welcome to work on a chapter. 

I was given the choice of 3 chapters, and picked chapter 2 of book III (pages 429-473). My deadline was mid' June 2015, I made a slow start, recording perhaps 4 pages in 4 weeks, while making notes and working the musical ideas through my minds eye. The second word of the opening paragraph "Jaun" sent me on a brief trip around the inside of my mouth until I discovered "YAWN" not "JAYUN" and laughed out loud at the hidden, perfect fitting name of the dreamer, carried about this whole chapter like a sleeping baby in a Pelican's beak.

Right around the Spring Equinox I received a surprise email from the project Illuminati, informing me that a space had opened up in the first edition for the chapter I was working on, and if I would like to take the spot, and...could I get the chapter completed by April 15th (my 39th Birthday). I said yes, of course, yes yes, and quickly set about making a plan for getting the 40 pages recorded, and busy creating some new music. 

Thankfully, the reading itself was boosted immeasurably by support, encouragement and spirited performance by my friend, actor, comedian, scholar: William Sutton. In roughly 3 recording sessions held between William's kitchen, and my front room, here in Amsterdam, we managed to get a good half of our assigned chapter in the bag. These recordings feature various street traffic, the occasional siren, the pitter-patter of a small doggies footsteps on a linoleum floor, giggles from William's son Liam, and his partner Sassy, the crinkle of paper, the ping-ding and whoosh of street-trams passing.

The pages were coming in around the 3 minute 40 mark, so bearing that in mind I started working on some percussion tracks and guitar jams of equal length. As the chapter grows I generally move from single brushes on snare drum, and brushes on cymbal tracks, to a faster paced rhythm track, introducing the kick drum and some recordings made at full drum-kit. 

I recorded some samples of Gregorian Chanting, from vinyl, both backwards and forwards, plus some light scratching patterns using an early track by Sun Ra called 'dreaming' that I applied to the percussive template. Next I applied vinyl static to each page to give the impression of a phonograph recording "Lps. The keys too. Given!"--FW, pg. 628. Lastly I applied some other effects samples of ocean waves, water trickles, winds, fire and the sound of a typewriter, all strategically placed to echo associated parts of the text. 

On the 15th of April, my copilot and audio wingman in Amsterdam, Tim Egmond, managed to find time in the afternoon to re-stitch all the pages together into one long track (2h:38m) and apply some vital mastering. And that's what happened, and that's what you hear here.

healing music, ay, and heart in hand of Shamrogueshire!--FW, pg. 472