Straight Life

The autobiography of Art Pepper. A tremendous read. This is the brutally honest story of the self-destructive life of one of jazz music's greatest players. Art holds nothing back as he tells his life story of obsessive sex, drug use, prison time and thievery, while pursuing the art of jazz and the alto saxophone. Art's career spanned over four decades, though his playing was interupted time and again for long harsh prison terms in hard-core facilities like San Quenton. Yet each time he gets released from prison, he returns to his life of getting wasted on drugs and alcohol. Finally, in a desperate moment, after being thrown out by his girlfreind and rejected by his mother, Pepper checks into Synanon, a rehab center with an unorthodox cult-like method of therapy. Finally he kicks his addictions (though continues using drugs), and enters the most productive and artistic stage of his career till an early death at age 56.

This gut wrenching story really gets you into the mind of Art Pepper. If you can't relate to his life at some level, you at least get an understanding of how the mind of a self-destructive artist thinks. Although you may despise his addictions, criminality and seemingly racist attitudes, on some level you admire his independent 'I don't give a fuck about anyone, i am going to do, say, feel, play whatever I want, and I will deal with the consequences'.

The book was written by wife Laurie Pepper, from transcripts of Art Pepper's telling his life story on tape. It is augmented by interviews from friends and musicians. Throughtout the book, you read the story as told by Art, and then read the same account from a different perspective by those who were there at the time. It is one of the most compelling and addictive (no pun) books I have read.

For the past week, I have been doing nothing but seeking out and listening to the music of Art Pepper (a great collection is at eMusic, a great music download service especially for jazz-heads). This cat consistantly created great recordings no matter what drugs he was using or how loaded he was at the time. My next radio show, Jan 31, will be an Art Pepper special.

Best of Jazz 2004

I created an iMix of Best Of Jazz 2004 (link requires iTunes). The iMix playlist goes with my radio show that airs Sunday afternoons. Click on the following link for more info on my show-In the Groove,Jazz and Beyond.

MacWorld Announcements and BIG Prediction

Another great MacWorld Expo San Fran. Very cool new products announced by Steve Jobs at the Keynote address. The iPod Shuffle, and the Mac-mini. I hope to hell that they are both successful. But for me, I don't have that drooling desire to own either one. These products are really aimed at the first time Mac User. I have never seen Apple release such low-end budget hardware. I prefer to see Apple in that high end BMW, Power, Elegence, Stylin' mode. But make no mistake about it...there is a huge market for budget Mac's and an opportunity to expand market share with these products.

My BIG Prediction for Apple in 2005
I predict that Apple will license Mac OS X to IBM to produce Business and Enterprise computer products, while Apple will concentrate on the Home Consumer market. Here is what leads me to such a conclusion.
1. Apple's success with home products like iPod, and iMac (and lack of success in the business market).
2. IBM's recently selling off its Windows/Intel based computer business to a Chinese company.
3. IBM is a major producer of the PowerPC G5 processor that is the heart of all Mac's.
4. IBM's long history and relationships with corporate America and Enterprise computing can make great strides getting Mac OS X servers and desktops into the business world. IBM may be able to expand the Mac Market beyond its current niche in graphics, music, and movie-making.
5. Apples announcements at the MacWorld of low-end consumer products. No mention of PowerMacs, Servers or even laptops in the Keynote address.

So mark my words... you heard it first here on Ken's Brain Drain. Apple and IBM will enter into an alliance to gain market share and compete seriously with the Micro$oft Hegemony.

A New Year

Can't help but think of the disasterous events that brought in 2005 with the Tsunami that hit the islands and coastal regions of the Indian Ocean. Don't mean to be a bummer on the New Year, but this event has put a grave shadow on what is usually a celebratory time. The pictures and stories from that part of the world have been mind-blowing. It is humbling to think, that all the weapons, wars and oppression that man bestows upon his fellow man; it doesn't hold a candle to the power and destruction that Mother Nature can inflict with one wave of water coming down on those poor souls.

Earlier this week, we spent a couple of days in NYC. Stayed in a cheap hotel room with shared bath for one night. Spent most of the time hanging in Greenwich Village, and caught a great jazz show with Mike Stern at Bar55 on St Christopher Street. Real small intimate setting, and the band ROCKED! For New Years eve, did a fill-in at the radio station with my buddies (gord, kirk, stephen) which was a blast. Then joined the rest of the crew for the Midnight thing.

Merry Christmas?

All I can say is Bah-Humbug. Really, I am totally not in the mood this holiday. Not a christian, hate shopping, don't want to give nor receive anything. I am completely turned off by the glutony of upscale shoping malls and advertising and gift catalogs that we are bombarded with this time of year. I'm on edge because it seems that so many areas of my life are uncertain and unsettled. Prospects of Peace on Earth or Goodwill are dim. So, please allow me to opt out.

Rant: Automombile Hell

Yep! Been going through Automobile Hell lately. One little annoying noise results in taking my car in for repair no less than 6 freakin' times. Damn that Bolles Motors. You know the story. One little problem grows into another and another... and I am still not done.

To make matters worse, just as I am dropping off the car, and calling the wife on the cell, she gets a flat tire in some remote industrial area a few towns away in the dark of night. She has to wait in the car for a couple hours till daughter can pick me up and take me to her car to change the tire. Thank god for cell phones. I can't imagine how we could have communicated and made all the logistical arrangements without it. A bitch of a night to be sure.

Mandala Construction

Watched these Buddhist monks that came from a monastary in Ithaca NY, construct this Mandala, a sand painting, which they will deconstruct in a couple of weeks. The one I witnessed took place at UCONN's Benton museum. INCREDIBLE.

The Onion : Nation's Poor Win Election For Nation's Rich

Gotta love The Onion. They just always put everything into perspective.

"'The Republican party—the party of industrial mega-capitalists, corporate financiers, power brokers, and the moneyed elite—would like to thank the undereducated rural poor, the struggling blue-collar workers in Middle America, and the God-fearing underpriviledged minorities who voted George W. Bush back into office,' Karl Rove, senior advisor to Bush, told reporters at a press conference Monday. 'You have selflessly sacrificed your well-being and voted against your own economic interest. For this, we humbly thank you.'"
link to full article

Is this what we have become?

from Ken Layne blog with good commentary.
VERY insightful commentary on the election from kottke.org blog.

The Great Divide

The results are in, and IMHO they are NOT good for the future of our country. Looking at the electoral map it is clear that there is a great divide in the way we Americans believe we should be governed. The North East, the Great Lake States and West coast vote Kerry, and the Southern, Plain, and Midwest are Bush country. Bush wins by 51% of the popular vote. Some call that a mandate, I think it is pretty damn close to an even split.

Listnening to all the so-called experts, all we are hearing are how the Democrats lost on the Values issue. I think they are correct. However, the last thing the Democrats need to do is to give-in and become more like the Republicans. The Repubs will always out-trump the Dems on so-called Family Values as they are defined by Bush and the Religious Right. What the Dems need to do now, is to define Family Values in terms of livable wages, racial and ethnic tolerance, fair taxation, and affordable healthcare. Basically, the Dems have to recapture their traditional base of the common working man/woman and appeal to the Real Family Values that we all struggle with everyday.

BTW, after listening to all the talk shows, and all the right wing talking heads speaking of how Bush must translate this mandate into an agenda of the Religious Right... the Christian Evangalist movement is beginning to sound alot like Islamic Fundamentalist... just with a different leader.

What I haven't heard, and what the Democrats refuse to admit is that the demise of the Democratic party began with the Clinton scandal. The Dems pooh-poohed Clinton's relations with Monica Lewinski. That set the tone for what was percieved to be corrupt Democratic values. It cost Gore the election and the Dems never addressed the problem. Now, in 2004, the Dems even flaunted the issue by holding up Bill Clinton as a saint and savior of the Party. Big mistake.

A Day of Decision for the World

For the sake of this country and indeed the world, it is my sincere desire to see George Bush defeated today. Regardless of who prevails, I can only hope that the election has a decisive finish so we are not dragged through weeks of accusations and legal battles that diminish the democratic process. With emotions running at a fever pitch, I can only imagine what may happen post election. Will there be riots in the streets? What will be the World reaction? Will the terrorists strike at this crucial moment in history? My own anxiety, concern and stress are at levels higher than I can remember over political issues.

Why haven't we learned a lesson from the 2000 elections, and made some serious strides towards election reform? The "Winner take all" electoral college system is obscenly outdated and should be removed immediatly. The fact that a candidate can be elected without the majority of the popular vote is obviously counter to all Democratic principles. And that means run-off elections if no candidate gets a majority of votes. It is a travesty that the Supreme Court Justices decided who became president in 2000. Unfortunately, with the polls and predictions as they are we could very well see a repeat of 2000. I do not discount the possibility that this administration may use its power and influence to undermine and obstruct this election. I sincerely hope that does not occur.

My own prediction and my fervent hope, is that John Kerry will win. I think the large number of new voters and cell phone users that have not been accurately polled, lean heavily toward Kerry. Inclement weather predictions in the key states of Ohio and PA may keep more non-committed people at home and I think that favors Kerry. In fact, I agree with the pundits that this election rides on getting the vote out, and I feel that the more committed citizens, those likely to vote despite long lines, bad weather, and voter intimidation (if it exists) are those that seek a change in this countries leadership.

You CAN vote for Ralph Nader in 2004 (maybe...)

I am tiring of Dems and some liberals trashing Ralph Nader's candidacy. Let's face it, Kerry and the Dems have forsaken their liberal roots. Kerry would rather get that photo-op stomping around the woods in camouflage with a 12 gauge shotgun, than take a strong stand against the War in Iraq, or advocate Universal Health Care, or propose a livable minimum wage. The Dems would rather slander this great American activist's name, and subvert Nader's right to appear on ballots in all 50 states, than win over his supporters by promoting a liberal agenda for the Kerry presidency.

However, I do NOT want 4 more disastrous years of a George Bush administration. Yet there is a very good chance that this may happen. Our outdated and corruptible election system allows for the election of a president without a majority of the popular vote. The mathematics of the Electoral College may favor Bush if he is not defeated in a few key states. It finally struck me that there is indeed an answer to this dilemma. I found it in a petition that advocates Nader supporters to vote for Kerry "IN ALL SWING STATES". Therefore if you live in one of the 40 or so NON-Swing states, whether it is a Red or a Blue state, you are free to vote your conscience. This petition was signed by many of the great progressive minds of our time. Here in Connecticut, the polls show a 9-15 percent edge in Kerry's favor. Here, we have the luxury of voting our conscience.

A presidential election comes along only once every 4 years. I view this not only as the selection of a president, but a referendum for the policies and agenda for the next term. If you vote for John Kerry OR George Bush, you are voting for the following agenda:

• Continuation of a military occupation of Iraq
• Increased troop strength and military spending
• A health care system run by Insurance companies focused more on executive salaries and profits for the shareholders than the patients.
• No change in our system of Corporate funded elections resulting in 'Government by the Corporations, For the Corporations and for the benefit of the shareholders'.

If you feel strongly that you do not agree with these positions, I would urge you to vote for Ralph Nader, UNLESS you live in one of the Swing-States like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and about 10 others (you know who you are). In that case, I would urge you to vote against another George Bush presidency by voting for John Kerry.

If you live in a non-swing state, and you believe in reforming the two party system, restoring Democracy and moving the Democratic party towards one that values labor, world peace, the oppressed, and a progressive liberal agenda, than let your voice be heard. Vote for Ralph Nader.

(BTW, if your convictions are so strong that you feel in your heart that you must vote for Nader despite living in a swing state... I promise not to harass you for it. Vote your conscience.)

The Curse... Reversed

Now, I am not a superstitious guy, but I gotta say, there WAS something to this Curse of the Bambino stuff. The Red Sox always lose in such dramatic fashion. I have watched in amazement, the Bucky Dent homer in the one game playoff against the Yankees, the ball dribbling through Bill Buckner's leg against the Mets in the 1986 World Series, and the Aaron Boone 11th inning HR in the 7th game of the American League championships just last year.

This year's post season was so strange. For the first time ever a team comes back from a 0-3 game deficit in MLB post season play (not to mention football and basketball); two overturned umpire decisions in one game (both favoring the Sox); police called onto field in full riot gear to prevent violence; first time a team has won a game in post season after committing 4 errors... and they did that in 2 consecutive games; rediculously bad base running error by the Cardinals stopped potential game tying rally.

To cap it all off, Red Sox win the World Championship for the first time since 1918 on the evening of a full moon with a total lunar eclipse... DAMN! TALK ABOUT HAVING THE PLANETS ALIGNED!

I wasn't going to vote for Nader...

... Until They Told Me I Couldn't

If Bush Wins, Blame Me

Excerpts from an article by DAVID VEST from Counterpunch. click on link to read entire article

I hate the Bush ads that make Kerry seem unpatriotic for even daring to oppose the incumbent. Bush and Cheney have consistently suggested that for Kerry to point out the obvious, that Iraq is a mess, somehow "hurts the troops." Even worse, he is "helping the terrorists," who are doing everything in their power to help Kerry win.

I thought these were the vilest political arguments, until I looked at the thrust of Kerry's argument against Nader. Kerry has done to Nader precisely what Bush tried to do to Kerry, suggesting that it is somehow unpatriotic of Ralph that he would even consider running for president when Kerry is running. He is "helping the Republicans," who are doing everything in their power to help Ralph run. He is on an "ego trip," he is "damaging his legacy," and a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush.

The character attacks on Nader launched by the Kerry camp have been, if anything, even harsher than the Bush campaign's attacks on Kerry. Their anti-Nader "talking points" have successfully permeated political discourse, and not just on TV. I hear them coming out of the mouths of good people, folks who passionately love their country and who seem to have no idea they are helping to slander a good man who believes himself to be working on their behalf.

They have almost managed to convince me that it will be not only Ralph Nader's fault but mine as well if Bush wins. For all I know, they may be right.

Since it's all my fault, feel free to vote for Nader if you want to, the damage is already done.

It proves Ralph's point about how corrupt our two-party system is. (ed.- refering to Democrats efforts to deny Nader's name on state ballots)
(end of excerpt)

Ultimately, you should make your decision based on the issues. Ralph Nader's (RN) position versus John Kerry (JK):

IRAQ
RN: Set a six month timeline for the withdraw of troops from Iraq. Replace troops with International Peace-keepers from neutral countries to conduct free elections (not US sponsored elections to prop up a puppet regime).
JK: Increase troop strength, "Win the war"
------
MILITARY SPENDING
RN: Decrease military spending
JK: Increase military spending
-------
HEALTH CARE
RN: Single-payer government sponsored health insurance, available to every citizen.
JK: Continue with current Corporate owned and operated health plans, but subsidize health insurance with tax dollars to those who cannot afford it.
-------
ELECTION REFORM
RN: Promotes electoral reform, refuses Corporate and PAC money. Endorses Run-off Election voting.
JK: Has said little about election reform, accepts big contributions from Corporate and special interest groups (including money from the same sources that fund the Bush campaign).

I just heard a Nader interview. He closed by saying... (approx. quote), 'If you are not prepared to fight and lose, fight and lose, fight and lose... you will just lose, and your agenda will be lost forever.'

I guess I am back in the ranks of the undecided.

Update: Red Sox win American League Pennant. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

The best month of the year

October is the best part of the year. Crisp cool air, gorgeous fall foliage, fresh apples... and of course, Baseball Playoffs and the World Series. Once again, the Boston Red Sox are trying to shake the ghost of Babe Ruth with an incredible series against those arrogant, $$deep-pocket$$, Yankees. It just doesn't get any better than last nights Red Sox win. This game had everything. Two critical plays overturned by the Umpires (a double changed to a Sox HR, and A-Rod slapping the ball out of the 1st basemen's glove turns a run into an out), gutsy pitching by the crippled Curt Schilling and to top it off, dozens of police in riot gear to protect the players from angry mobs in the stands!!! Sox scratch and claw their way back from a 3-0 game deficit to force the final 7th game. Just the way it should be when the Sox meet the Yanks in post-season.

Oh yeah, and there is that other great contest going on. Bush versus Kerry. That one could go into extra innings... just like in 2000. We can only hope that the Massachusetts team wins that one too. ;-)

John Kerry is the right choice

Till now, I have been one of those undecided voters. Of course the choice has not been Bush v. Kerry. That choice is clear. In four short years, G. W. Bush has done an incredible amount of damage to this country, both in foreign and domestic affairs. He has gotten us into an unjustifiable, senseless and costly war in Iraq. The majority of nations all over the world have turned against us. The economy and jobs situation is in shambles, and he has sold out the middle class time and time again, to the benefit of corporate interests and the wealthy. This administration has been a disaster.

For me, the choice has been between Nader or Kerry. My disdain for what the American political system has become has, in the past few elections, dominated my decision to support 3rd party candidates. Democrats are only slightly less guilty than Republicans for what has transpired in recent decades with Corporate welfare, the healthcare crisis, and even this war. None of this administrations calamities could have been possible without consenting votes from the Democrats in congress. Furthermore, IMHO, the Dems have failed to nominate a candidate that really distinguished himself as a moral leader and champion of the middle class working men and women and the oppressed.

Initially I was not impressed with the choice of Kerry for president. But the more I learn about this man, the more respect I have gained for him. The essence of his character is rooted in his experience in Vietnam, and the actions that he took to protest the war when he returned. Oddly, it seems that the evil Republicans have seized upon this very thing as his greatest weakness! However, I feel that he demonstrated extreme courage and moral conviction in risking his future by condemning (rightly so) America's involvement in that war. By urging an end to the war in Vietnam, Kerry helped to save many lives that would have been lost had we continued.

Those actions have convinced me that John Kerry will bring a swift end to the war in Iraq. I also believe that John Kerry's post Vietnam actions demonstrate that he is a man with strong moral convictions that will guide his decision making in the White House. I am also convinced that John Kerry will steer this country in a direction that will benefit the lives of average working men and women in this country. George Bush makes decisions that promote a conservative agenda that we have seen will benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

So, sorry Ralph, I very much dig what you stand for, and I would love to see a viable 3rd party that is not beholden to corporate interests... But this time, I think the Dems have picked an honorable and competent leader in John Kerry (and John Edwards), that will get us out of this military occupation of Iraq, and fight for the working men and women here at home.

Oh yeah... John Kerry IS a Mac user. see photo below


credit: Time Magazine photo by Diane Walker

What happened to real journalism?

Attended a great presentation by Amy Goodman from Democracy Now!, a great independent news organization. She showed her documentary on the media in Iraq, and promoted her book "Exception to the Rulers". This administration's system of embeded journalism (or more accurately, government in-bed with the journalists) has re-defined the news media's role. Gone are the days of a media that raised questions of our governements actions, that dared to present a dissenting viewpoint as we saw during the Viet Nam years. Why have we not seen coverage of Iraqi civilian casualties, the destruction of homes, bodies of soldiers returning in coffins? During the Iraqi invasion, network news dutifully renamed their programs to coincide with the official US title, they hired retired US generals, they spoke of surgical strikes (a myth), and minimal civilian casualties (un-truths). Even the most conservative estimates by independent agencies show nearly 10,000 civilian casualties.

Amy's film showed the horrible images of war; children burned and dismembered. Mothers holding dead babies, villages destroyed. She showed CNN's sanitized coverage for US audiences, while CNN International showed the same event covered without deleting the scenes of carnage and destruction. She showed films of American tanks rolling up to the news bureaus of Abu Dabi News and Al-Jazerah and blasting thier headquarters killing several journalists (you may not like Al-Jazerah, but these were news reporters, not combatants). Why wasn't the protests during the Republican National Convention covered by the news media? These were the largest political protests ever in NYC, and the most arrests during a single event (2000 protesters), yet it failed to get any significant news coverage.

Amy Goodman's most significant point during the evening was; and I will quote to the best of my memory, "It is hard to imagine that if this was a government controlled news media, would the coverage of the Iraq war would be any different?". Maybe if the press had played the role of real journalists, and doggedly asked the probing questions that should have been asked about WMD's, the supposed threat that Iraq posed, the motivating factors that would bring us to war and occupation... maybe this war would have been avoided.

This presentation was sponsored by WHUS. Proud to say, its the station that airs my jazz radio program Sunday 2-4 PM (Ha... snuck a promo in there!)

Rather blather

What is all this crap about so-called RatherGate? The fact of the matter is, Rather's point was correct. Yeah, CBS F*ed up by using a document that likely had been forged (though not yet conclusively proven). But even the secretary that would have typed it admitted that such a document existed, and it accuratly reflects what occurred. Add this to missed National Guard meetings, physicals, flight training, etc., and it speaks volumes about this man's lack of character... especially in light of Kerry's honorable service during that time.

But, you know what? Its all bullshit. Just like the Swift-Boat crap. I am getting increasingly disgusted with the whole political scene. The central issue should be how this President has dragged us into the quagmire of Iraq. We are mistrusted around the world, have fomented terrorism where there was none before, and sacrificed many thousands of lives for a war justified by lies and misrepresentations.

Yet Kerry finds himself constantly on the defensive. What is wrong with this picture? Kerry should be attacking the President like a bull-dog, not backed in a corner trying to defend himself! God knows between Iraq, the economy, taxation policies, the environment, and social issues, there is plenty to attack on. Once again the Dems choose a candidate with no backbone. It sure makes Nader look like an alternative to consider. Maybe a decent showing by Nader could make the Dems wake up and take notice!

It's yer berfday!. Yeah, numero five one. Ouch... it's all good though. Feel like I'm on the top of my game.
• The Maiden Voyage of In The Groove went damn well, if I may say so. Still have lots of room for improvement, but I am pleased with the effort.
• Back into running. Doing pretty good. Need to keep it up and drop 'bout 10 pounds I've gained back.
• Great evening dinner out with whole Fam to celebrate bday.
• Great stylin' bday gifts... Leather.
• Encouraging signs that things are picking up at work.
• Even Fantasy Baseball is going my way. MetSox in 3rd place.