Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen
I’ve been sort of lying fallow here for the past couple of weeks. Time spares none of us the vicissitudes of life in indeed sometimes they are easier to ignore than others. Sometimes they are not. Age is relentless and as I’ve noted before some days I find myself saying goodbye more than hello. That’s just the way it has been so far, and it is a blessing for me to be here to make note of it. There’s lots of news but sad to say most of it is just not uplifting.
I take note of all these things every day. My young children require it. Nothing escapes their notice, and that is as it should be. Jack and I are getting ready to hit the road and of course we have been more than looking forward to it. To me the sound of music always offers hope on some level and It is my honor to be able to be part of the presentation. As an older artist, the preparation required to maintain the standards I require of myself is demanding for an eighty something year old. I have been given a gift and I try not to waste it on a daily basis. That I am still able to show up in aspect and attribute (as Jack Vance said in To Live Forever) is not much short of a miracle.
Once out on the road life’s requirements distill themselves into a simple routine. At home with a teenage daughter just short of her driving license Mr. Mom stays busy on a daily basis. Of course, the Real Mom is busy with such each and every day 24/7. I didn’t have these responsibilities as a younger man and I have to say, I relish them today.
That said, the bus will await in four or five days and we will be on our way to Jackson Hole. I have traversed this great country of ours many times over the years and it never gets old. Even I-70 through Kansas has its majesty. It’s like being Benny Profane, the human yo-yo in Thomas Pynchon’s V. Where’s Pig Bodine now that I need him. World events will move to the back pages as we follow the road where the blacktop meets the blue. Reality will reassert itself every time we spend over a thousand dollars to fill the tanks with diesel fuel. That’s a hard reality to ignore, but it is the cost of doing business today. As time goes in, the tour bus may become an unaffordable dinosaur. My motorcycle is becoming less of a toy and more a mode of transportation like it is in the rest of the world.
I think I’ll see when the kiddo wants to go to town.
More will be revealed.
I think a lot of people take for granted the work you put into your music. I’m soon to turn 69, and when I get out of bed in the morning, I take a moment to make sure the knee bones connected to the thigh bone, and so on down the line.
I had a hip replacement 3 years ago and was able to continue on in my volleyball endeavors. Now my knees are barking like a dawg. I’m pretty sure the good Lord is trying to tell me 69 year old legs were not meant to jump. Some days, the knees are better than others. I played pretty well Tuesday and Wednesday morning I told my son, “Greg, I played pretty well last night.”
He said, “Dad, this is you passing…” He bent his knees and had his hands close to the ground, in the perfect platform set up. Then he turned his head to the left and stared at a spot on the ground a foot away. I said “C’mon Greg, give me three feet at least!” Cracked me up.
Oddly, sometimes it a focus issue, more than the physical challenges. I’m guessing some of the kids we play with behind the scenes are asking Greg, “Does your dad have to play, can’t he just watch!” As John Prine wrote, “My old man’s another, child that’s grown old.”
No one os asking you if you can stll play. COme back baby, back to Chicago!
One last story…
I saw Tommy Dreesen last year, he was doing a Frank Sinatra tribute type gig. He mentioned in one of his last performances in Wisconsin, he forgot the words to a song. He finally said to the audience, I’m sorry, I’m sorry….” Someone in the peanut gallery hollered out, ” We love you Frank!” Of course, the place erupted. After a brief pause, they started the song again and Sinatra nailed it.
Today’s news from The Cosmic Times:
I put on the new LP reissue of The Land of Heroes yesterday (and if you have a turntable and don’t have the LP, get it!), which of course starts with Re-Enlistment Blues.
Today, “From Here to Eternity” is on Turner Classic Movies.
It all connects….
Actually, local weather is calling for snow, hail and rain on Tues. at the moment. Been 70s lately though so I doubt too much if any will stick on the roads. But just to be prepared. Wed. looks sunny though. Springtime in the Rockies..
Patiently awaiting in Jackson. Nice here this time of year. A thousand $$ to fill up? Hope you don’t have a head wind on 80.
If you charge an electric car off of roof top solar you pay like 30 cents a gallon…
Continental Divide: Revisited
Steady as she goes Captain
Safe Adventures to you
Don’t drive around with no fuel, whatever you do. It’s bad for the engine.
Safe Travels Jorma & Jack ! Have a beautiful summer tour .Catch you in Huntington later on this year ..Peace always
@AndyK
Try DAZZLE
Looking forward to seeing the bus in Port Chester New York in December. On that note, is there a presale code for the Capitol theatre concert tickets?
I’ve driven I-70 in Kansas from KCMO to Lawrence 5 days a week since April 2013. I’ve used a lot of adjectives to describe it, “majestic” has never been one of them. Most of them probably aren’t fit for this space. But I can always use an attitude adjustment, and I’ll look for the majesty. Having great music to listen to on the way makes a big difference, thank you for that! And I guess it’s the road that brings you to Knucklehead’s, so there’s some majesty for you!
Jorma,
Totally awesome that you cited “V.” I don’t even know anyone else who’s read it.
Have you read “Gravity’s Rainbow”? One of my all-time faves.
And those standards you require of yourself: Probably my biggest inspiration in 60-plus years of playing/studying music.
As I’ve aged, I think that’s what hits me most when I see you, or you and Jack: the incredible standards of musicianship to which you both continually aspire, and achieve.
Thank you.
Keep on truckin’Jorma!
Have a great tour!
Alls I know is ground has to lie fallow in order to regenerate and restore its fecundity. That your creative and performance powers still regenerate and exert themselves so forcefully at 80-some years is a grand blessing, one I certainly appreciate as a recipient of the hope, and I’d add joy, of watching you perform. That defined the Quarantine series to me. Thanks. Have fun on the road. I look forward to your mobile musings.
Macca probably doesn’t think about the cost of fuel and doesn’t tour nearly as much as Jorma and Jack. But it’s great that he and a lot of the other important musicians that came of age musically in the 60s are still out there spreading good vibes to new crowds.
paul mccarthy said his greatest joy is waking up at 430 in the morning and making his daughter beatrice breakfast and driving her to school. he also plays 36 song 3 hour concerts and he will be 80 next week and plays a killer purple haze.very similar