Jun 18

My-Transits 2012-06-18

Its hot on the bus. I guess it should be though its only 745am, it is all but summer in southern california. Im sweating. It feels good to be going back to work, to be back into the mix of everyday city life. This contract was suspended for 3 weeks and im returning today. And im ready!

My 50th birthday was 2 weeks ago and i celebrated it the best way i knew how without even knowing it. Yeah i was thinking about doing something special like a big party, etc etc. But maybe subconsciously i put myself in a position to do what i always do on my birthday. And that is be alone in a deep solitude.  As i wallowed alone in sloth it struck me that if i could be doing anything i wanted for my birthday i would be probably be doing exactly what i was doing.

Sure my “excuse” was that i was broke and not capable financially of doing anything. This helped to relieve me of any pressure. Not having money is one thing, feeling or being broke is another. When i feel broke i dont feel like doing nothing. Ive travelled across the country before with no money, that was different cause i didnt feel broke. When i feel my safety and security are threatened cause i dont see a way to maintain due to a lack of income its hard to party and celebrate until i figure a way it can be done. Its about faith. Seeing a way and having a belief that everything will be ok. That may be the difference in being or feeling broke and just not having any money, optimism.

So i let go. Some people might call it leaving it in god’s hands. I told myself (whether it was true or not) that everything would be ok, the universe will take care of me as it always had.

(The universe as a system, not the physical aspect or actions of it. My universe is a system i have created around me that consists of my assets, energy, people, knowledge and the etc that i live within as i go thru life. I dont see the universe as something that does things but as a lifestyle that involves a karma like situation along with safety nets that i have built through my interactions with the universe)

Ok, my stop is coming up. Im going to

So after the deepest most divine solitude i have ever experienced in my life i really cant think of

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/my-transits-2012-06-18/

Jun 18

my-Transits: Commuter Blogging

This is a creative exercise designed to take advantage of my daily commute to work. I intend to utilize this time to produce something tangible (writings) that I can reflect on years from now.

I wrote “the dailys” for years and want to get back into that creative writing habit using this exercise as inspiration and motivation.

See my-Transits here!

 

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/my-transits-commuter-blogging/

Apr 24

My Discovery of Parliament / Funkadelic and a Funk Pure

mbird4Probably summer 1977. As I remember it was in the dining room of my babysitters house. I was sitting at the table when I heard a sound I had never heard before. It was the keyboards of Mothership Connection. I immediately asked “who is that?” The response was thats “Parliament, its been out, it’s old” (it had been out maybe months). Immediately I had the 8 track in my hand,  bootleg probably from George’s Party Shop. Plain blue label, black basic print and nothing but song titles. I asked if I could listen to this 8-track and rememebr taking it home. Sometime later I typed out the words to P-Funk on my mother’s electric typewriter until I created a copy without mistake. The sound of the music caught my ear, but it is the lyrics and concept that keep my attention to this day. It was positve, happy, celebatory music with a coolness. Music with a strong positive movement that I could feel.  It didnt contradict itself and it was consistent. It was a science fiction type of reality in music. It didnt dwell on love and it was all about fun. Friends began telling me Funkadelic and Parliament were the same people so I checked them out. I didn’t like Funkadelic, it was too dark.

I first saw “P-FUNK” live in Pittsburgh or Cleveland, a bus excursion to the concert and back. I forget who sponsored it, but we was dressed up and my little sister and her friends even went. My seat was so far back and the whole experience was so overwhelming I really didn’t see or understand much. I rememebr seeing enough to understand the underwater effect they were trying to achieve. Because word around the hood was that it was really underwater and I wanted to see just how they were gonna pull that off without damaging the philosophy or being cheesy cause that was important to me cause this was something i deeply believed in.

It’s been almost 40 years and the philosophy has never let me down. Never in any lyric is there something that I strongly disagree with, find non-sensical or even grammaticly incorrect. Never in two places does “P-FUNK” contradict itself with conflicting  concepts, it is truly consistent. 

The “Mothership” keyboards are an unnatural sound, not found in nature, human produced- mechanized technology electronic gadgetry.
P-Funk doesn’t dwell on dysfunctional personal love or God.

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/my-discovery-of-parliament-funkadelic-and-a-funk-pure/

Mar 17

P-Funk Roadtrip San Francisco 2004: The Fellas

 

 

To see the P-Funk Allstars,  Star Cullars Band and Zootzilla at Studio Z – San Francisco, Ca May 11, 2004

 

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/p-funk-roadtrip-san-francisco-2004-the-fellas/

Mar 16

Weapon Of Choice, Arik Marshall and ’em at The Little Temple – L.A., Ca -11/05/2004

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/weapon-of-choice-arik-marshall-and-em-at-the-little-temple-l-a-ca-11052004-2/

Dec 12

ASL, Weapon Of Choice, The Toledo Show – Mar 9, 2001 – The Templebar, Santa Monica

Found one of my photos from 2001 of  Temple Bar and I run into Mr Norwood Fisher of Fishbone!!! 

this was a good night. had never been to the temple bar before so all the abstarcted- impressionist paintings of blackmen all over this white club in the heart of santa monica intrigued me. the place has a cozy, spiritual darkness to it and lounge furniture like couches to kick back in. the smell of incense also triggers a spiritual mood…

the first band asl was lead by peter gabriel’s ex-bassist, armond…i think. at first i couldnt get the bands music. it was like it was anti-music, i couldn’t feel a rhythm anywhere. then about the 3 or 4th song the complicated movement of the music hit me and it was good.

from daily 03-10-01 “the first band is so good and funky that when i met the lead singer after their set
i instinctively gave him a two-handed handshake. i felt his music and enjoyed his vibe so deep that my appreciation for his music was sent to him without me even thinking thru my handshake. i gently but firmly grabbed his hand and without thinking covered his and my right hand with my left. it was an instinctive eye to eye, smile and two handed shake that just came out of me without thinking. afterwads i enjoyed how real my spontaneous expression was”

weapon of choice is very very p-funky and p-funk based. in fact, my favorite guitarist dewayne “blackbyrd” mcknight played with them!!! i was very very surprised to see him and when i heard he was in the house i immediately and instinctively ran to salute him. and i mean ran and salute. i did a semi bow and as i walked back across the empty dancefloor in did a tai-chi type squat with arms fully extended towards him for everybody to see. weapon was good and they were the reason i went to the club but the other two bands were something that was unexpected so they peaked my interested. but like i said, lonnie and them was goooooooooooooooood.

the toledo show was very very good. his theme is of a 20’s style gangsta complete with the stacey adams shows and cigarettes. very very cool vibe. very very good music. (bought his cd). funky, nasty, energized, girl focused music and lyrics that have very good movement. very funky. i would definitely go see them again and again. he had sexy girl dancers come on stage to give a kinda dark sexy girl “i feel your pain” and still love you type thing. his music was girl focused and i dug that.

i personally greeted all the bands leaders with handshake, eye-to-eye smile and appreciation.

the p-funk vegas concert road crew was there- lamar and kareem as was king c from p-funk new years eve. and ofcourse the ever so crazy my man cm talley helped turn it up pre-show…

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/asl-weapon-of-choice-the-toledo-show-mar-9-2001-the-templebar-santa-monica/

Dec 07

Cirque Du Soleil “Totem” – San Francisco, Ca

The last time I saw Cirque Du Soleil was probably in the 90’s, Las Vegas and Santa Monica if I recall correctly. I’ve always felt the experience to be tribal, cereberal and spiritual. The rhythms and acrobatic movements visually expressing what it is to be human with an energy and groove that resonates to my core. I have always loved Cirque Du Soleil.

Flash forward a decade to Cirque Du Soleil’s “Totem” at At&T Park in san Francisco, Ca and picture me blown the funk away. First of all every movement of the show was in ryhthm and every gesture was on a beat. Even the female Asian uniclyce team pedal balanced themselves on beat as they flipped bowls on each others heads. The rhythm itself took me to a higher place.

The music was performed by a live band amplified superbly with beautiful bass bottoms and the sweetest high delicate notes. The system was a surround sound so audio events stimulated me from everywhere.

The stage was multifunctionally ingenious. It moved, it raised, it opened. A projection system was used to transform the stage masterfully into a beach or an ocean or a whatever and with the surround sound you actually felt like you got wet.

This all took place in a big tent in the parking lot next to the baseball stadium. I can go on and on about the details of the performance, but the major is spiritual. It’s a modern tribalism and the shows are a celebration of humanity and life. The acrobatics is human beauty in motion and of the highest form of eye candy. Expressed in this movement is intended to be all of human emotions and experience. The energy and tone of the music feels religious and holy but in a modern celebratory secular way. Like spritaully ritualistic, before religion in a modern amplified way.

I’m very partial to groove and this show was one continous groove. There was always rhythm! A type of tribal trance music. A modern “pagan” celebration. The show is always entertaining, but for me it’s about being spiritually uplifted by celebrating the human spirit using modern tools, modern knowledges, modern art and modern technolgy to stimulate the senses and consciousness into higher and different understandings and perceptions of reality.

Another troupe that “tribal-trances” is Mutaytor (cause evolution takes too long). P-FUNK concerts are the ultimate spiritual exercise for me, and I “learned” how to experience spiritually like this growing up in the black church, but I understand the use of things that are more mainstream in nature.

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/cirque-du-soleil-totem-san-francisco-ca/

Dec 06

Pina Bausch: Tanztheater Wuppertal – Berkeley, Ca

I had never heard of Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal. I figured it was modern performance dance art ballet stuff. Meeting (dating) someone new you also meet their interests- interests that maybe should introduce you to things outside your experiences. (More later about opposites and attraction and E-Harmony).

 

The BART is the coolest thing so we jumped it to Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. Nice ride then we walked a few blocks through Berkeley to the hall. Crowd was a diverse mostly white eclectic bunch with a brother or two (in dreads) and some African-Americans and splashes of all cultures who appreciated dance. Beautifully lit- contemporary elegant hall with gorgeous staircases and chandeliers in wonderful carpeted acoustics. This is just the entrance and lobby.

First thing on stage was a black female with deep down in the bijou negro acoustic music. She said “I am here and you are there” with Carribean type accent. Then she moved to the side and then off the stage into the audience, retrieved a costumed dancer, took them back on the stage then returned to that person’s seat and said “Now I am here and you are there. Do something good.”

That set the tone and as a “distraction” got our attention to focus on her. Notice I did not say she “walked” off the stage. Looking back it was much more than just a walk. Her movement was subliminally seductive and put a mood on the room. And this crowd was sitting stiller and quieter than interstellar space. But just like a concert, the room had a collective vibe. A type of cereberal based caucasian spiritual connecting I call it, like in Catholic mass (which I’ve always loved, even though I know a room this full of black folks could not ever be this still). That with the acoustics, lighting, music, sensual movements and vocals all combined into one very stimulating sensory conscious altering mostly drug free experince.

When the dancers movements became my focus that is when I began to really enjoy. I stopped trying to figure out the plot and absorbed the emotion and the performances varying displays of emotional energies. Over time the performance and setting became more intimate, and with this the connection to the show and its effect on my senses also intensified.

There was sex in the show as sexual statements which was one thing, but there was nudity that was “not necessary” and obviously inserted for shock or appeal or both. There were “actions” that seemed out of place and I think to give the audience an emotional break.

Gender roles were completely bent, shit broken. One of the main characters was a male in drag with high heels who moved so gracefully as female gendering was easily unconsciously distorted. And not so much his panties or his long monologue about his exaggerated ruffled red panties she wore in his “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” makeover.

All this and everything is performed with smooth artistic beautiful movement. I got the feeling that what the dancers were “acting out” was deliberately not relevant and not meant to have deep meaning. HOW the dancers moved and how that made me feel was the point. Everything had a graceful coordination about it. The music and recorded songs on that magnificiant sound system also intensified the mood and stimulation. I took them as european ethnic folk songs expressing deep heavy emotion.

The key for me is to become involved and “buy in” to the performance, whatever it may be. If I agree with or even understand whats going on or not, I try to absorb and feel what is being expressed. I like to become a part of the experience which encompasses who I’m with, the BART ride, the walk, the venue, the audience, the stage, the performers and the performance…

Permanent link to this article: https://jefferytv.com/pina-bausch-berkeley-ca/