The seventies were owned by Led Zeppelin. So let's say the average age of the kids in those audiences at that time was 19. Let's say at any one show during that decade there was an average of 10,000 people with more than a few repeats. Let's pick one year, say 1975. So that means in 1975 there was a nineteen year old chick in the audience who would today be 62 and more than eligible for grandmother age. If you keep your eyes open, you can spot them in TRW, in your town. While a significant proportion of these chicks were taken in by the expectations and dress and ways of being and looking and talking and behaving being conscious about family, the future, retirement, socking away cash, investing, saving... the whole 9.... and hey, for them I have no doubts they played the roles they wanted to play, many of these chicks, now 62 on average, are living in much the same ways they did when they were attending shows like this. Many no doubt are no longer with us. But at the end of the day, once everybody's chips are being counted, tell me, somebody please tell me what does it matter? And therefore what does it really mean to be successful in this short and sweet life? I know what success isn't!

I don't think it's possible for me not to have negative thoughts. What can I do? I've had super negative and self harming thoughts my entire life. These thoughts led me to finding avenues on which I could travel while being incredibly intoxicated. I mean, it was every night for years and years. Not only did I feel less sore, but I felt stronger and more confident. But I started breaking down from the inside both mentally and physically. It's been a long time since I drank the usual case and a half of beer a day along with whatever else sailed my way. I may have improved physically, but the mental aspect can get a bit sketchy. Every now and again I think it's important to get certain things out. I write things down in these books here, and then from time to time I blog stuff. The thing with depression is that it gets to the point where all hope is completely and totally lost. It gets to the point where the only future you see is age and dying after everybody you have ever cared about has already died. You think of every puppy you ever had, every cat, bird, snake... and you place everything in a big book and then you close it up on yourself... forever. But with music and art, there is hope. It's the kind of hope not seeking recognition or fame, but days and nights linked together having a good time with good people.

You Can Do Magic

Music goes directly into the soul if it is accepted. What kind of soul do you possess?

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Midnight in Harlem (Live)

Supertramp - goodbye stranger

Steely Dan - Do It Again

I heard it through the grapevine - Creedence

Eric Burdon and War - Spill the Wine (1970 )

Sugarloaf - Green-Eyed Lady (Original Song HQ) 1970

If I had a couple million dollars, I would:

Lift people up and get em back going again until there was no more... except maybe for a few tacos and a six pack of Dr. Pepper.

The politics in this country is so very fuuuccckkkeeeddd. It's all acting. Does nobody get that? Don't lie, cheat, steal, or hurt anyone or any animal. I would love to see smaller police forces and about half the prisons. Don't be an asshole in life and support your local art community. Oh, and turn that fucking television, all 5 of them, OFF! Better yet, toss them and get a free library card. Do the same with your fone. Right there you have saved almost 400 bucks a month while freeing your mind at the same time. Believe it, television and the people on it, especially the news (just like banks), do not care about you or anybody you love. They all... mock you for money and recognition. Fuck them allllll!

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood (from Live at the El Mocambo)

Heart - "Barracuda" (1977)

Soundgarden - Fell On Black Days [Studio Version]

Know your place within the universe and realize you have approximately 75 years to deal with it. If you are spending your days doing things that have nothing to do with who you are, then you have got to realize at some point that your time is being wasted and it is being wasted by you. And then you have to know that one day you will be old, if you're lucky. You do not want to arrive at that place knowing you gave 40% of who and what you were in life. You see, if the city you are in now is the universe in which we live, the earth... is a germ on the carpet beneath you right foot.

If music grabs you and holds you, do that every single day. Be moved by the day. It could make tomorrows sun shine brighter.

A man can bust his ass working in a job he tolerates simply because he gets paid well. This is completely understandable. Financial freedom is a goal I think we all have at some point in our lives. It isn't until we get older that we realize just how awkward and often wrong that mentality truly is in life. The reason I understand it is because we were all taught what it means to be successful. The foundation of that learning was and is the acquisition of money to buy nice things, to separate oneself from the crowd, to be special and/or admired. But the thing is, money is just a tool. It really only brings debt. This is its design. Debt cannot be avoided and for the average man, debt is something to crawl out from under each and every month... hopefully with enough money left over for necessities like food and medication. And if a sudden illness or accident comes into play, this will of course affect work and hours at the job. For many folks, this is enough for termination with no regard for the employee or his family. It's just business. And yet through it all, through all the people that have and those who have not, everybody ages and everybody abandons their bodies at some point and moves on... without the money and things it bought. Because in reality, time is the real winner. And time should be spent doing the kinds of things that bring one joy. What does not factor into this equation is working strictly for the money. Basically, what this does is place a number on people. People with numbers have no life. Their life is only a number and their pockets are full of numbers with faces on the front. The funny thing is, a significant percentage of people with expendable income have it because they inherited it. And what do they do? They buy stuff which all just sits there. If they don't show it all off, it just sits there... and even then it all just sits there.

We all know that too much of anything is bad for you. This is also true for media. Too much media is bad for you. The amount of political propaganda within news media in particular is stunning and should be avoided altogether. If you watch too much politicized media, your thinking will no longer be your own. Right now, in the lives of every man, woman, and child there is an enemy. It comes in the form of a flat screen and it tells people what to think, what to buy, what is on top of the charts, what is number one at the box office, and the number one movie rental of the week... along with every major tragedy that is currently happening in the country and the world. And it is all being brought to us at a cost to us. Believe me, that cost is more than just financial. Freedom does not exist under such conditions. It just doesn't.

I understand how someone would be inclined to stay busy all the time in order to avoid that dreaded alone-time. I understand how people get together for this reason and many other reasons. It seems there is nothing worse than having to exist in this world alone. But this ultimately comes down to perspective more so than how busy one can stay with their life. By that same token, it can be said that for at least one of those people who choose to stay busy to avoid that stinging loneliness and self hatred... it works. We humans can come up with all kinds of ways to make ourselves feel more comfortable with ourselves, especially if you are among those who struggle for reasons to not drive the truck off the cliff located about two miles from here. But there is always music and there will always be art of some kind. If the music and art is good and meaningful and true, then the world can be seen through the eyes of someone you may find interesting. The experience may even change your life.

There is one thing I know for sure and that is every hero I have ever had, every man and woman I have ever admired for their courage or action(s), every human being I have ever held in high regard have all been flawed individuals. There is no man who has ever walked this planet who didn't have some sort of shortcoming, so to speak. In some cases, these shortcomings involve or have involved unlawful activity... even perverse activity. Do such activities lessen the good in their deeds? Is it better not to find out that say one of your hero's was or is a child molester? In my book, a reality such as this example far outweighs any good they have done in my eyes and therefor the pages with their name on them are removed from my book of memories. But that is just the way I was raised and have come to understand as a human being. I totally understand however the effects of depression where harm is most often done to the self (and yes, it affects all those around as well). I know of more than one of my hero's who lived with depression and more than one who is currently living with his version of depression. For these guys to do the things they have done while battling forces unknown to them is truly amazing to me and both are sources of inspiration, when it comes. I suppose I should spend more time thinking along those lines, but very often those kind of lines have a way of not making it to the pavement... so straight or evenly curved.

Duane Allman & Eric Clapton 1970 - Studio Jams 1 thu 6

Age... is unimpressive!

Van Halen - 1984 - Drop Dead Legs

Atlanta Rhythm Section - So Into You (original)

Nobody is ever really more alone than when one is alone among those he never really cared all that much for.... sometimes having things in common can restrain one's particular potential.

You Can Do Magic

Pink Floyd - Learning To Fly (Official Music Video)

THE CARS ― MOVING IN STEREO & ALL MIXED UP

You think as a young lad that perfection is or can be a reality. It's kind of like a heightened desire to attain the best in oneself through time and work and sweat and every other fucking thing one has.... but as we age we realize the reality of this life and how temporary we all really are in this world. I know one fucking thing, there is no one set way of doing anything. You just follow the rules, know the fundamentals, hurt nobody, and always focus on the "can" as opposed to the cannot. Roadblocks are just excuses to make a nice road where one didn't exist before. Oh, and rock your way through the entire process of... you!

How Long

Southern Cross (Remastered Version)

Van Halen - And The Cradle Will Rock

Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle (Audio)

Robert Cray - Right Next Door (Because Of Me)

I really believe were it not for music I would have offed myself a long time ago. It may very well be the only thing that prevents that from happening.

Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes (Live Video Version)

We are all born into this world without any of us having anything at all to say about it. I mean, I didn't personally ask for this shit! The fact is with all the books and videos and articles (academic/otherwise), all our beliefs we've had since they were either given to us through rigorous repetition or through a slow often out of sync drip... and every other possible thing that has influenced us through our years to date, is nothing more than a theory. Nobody on planet Earth can rely on anything to explain why in fact, we are even here, except for a personal theory that may or may not agree with any one group or more than one group... or no group at all. If religion is your thing, I get it. I'm with that. But like in all things human, people find the extreme to be a better place from which to make sense of all our madness. The pull of media, people unable to leave their homes without their phones, mass propaganda and bullshit... all of these things and more are making it difficult for people to align themselves with nature. None of us are here long enough to be led into the darkness at our own free will... well, maybe some people are looking for that sort of thing. But I am not!

Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot

If people were paying attention to this man's words, they would know everything about him. Go out there and find that someplace... try it! Find that realness in another person. I am referring, as you know, to Chris Cornell and the example below.

Soundgarden - Fell On Black Days [Studio Version]

I remember watching Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot film when I was in school. It blew me away and changed everything for me... in a few ways. It was one of those times in life when you have to take a step back and take a better, longer look around at the world. Everything in that film is absolutely correct and probably the most brilliant piece ever seen on film... for me anyways. I can see how the film can be dismissed and/or forgotten about. I mean, who can think on those terms and walk down the street without having a nervous breakdown. The scope of what our little planet is a part of is far too large for any of us to actually conceive within our minds. The one thing I do know is that we are lucky (or not) if any of us reach a ripe old age. This does not mean to live each day as if it were your last... maybe it means we should live each day as if it were our longest and most relaxing.

Baker Street

You cannot tell, well you can but... somebody how to take their lives less seriously. If one has intensity burning inside, it's a good bet that intensity was there and developing from a very young age. That water spout is unable and is unwilling to be turned down by its very nature. Society and life itself can turn that spout into a spit over time, but that does nothing to relieve a still burning intensity in "some" area of ones life that never really goes away. If good intentions and creativity serve as the foundation of an intense spirit or desire or burning for the best most massive part of you, then I believe this world would like to see and hear it.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Blue on black (With lyrics)

Life is a series of stages mixed with unexpected things... unexpected things. From these "broken" spots can come a new pathway or design for ones life. As we all know, each of us is in charge of the ways in which we view the world and our place in it. I think the best way to find that personal rhythm is to act not on impulse, but more on a sort of chaos with a plan. It's a mixed bag loaded with experience, heartbreak, and utter happiness along with everything in-between. It may not be fame and fortune... or any fortune at all. You may want to live in total anonymity with absolute freedom to be who and what you are. This of course only applies to those looking to not do harm... to anyone... ever!

Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes (Live Video Version)