THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
“There are more riddles in a stone than in a philosopher's head”― Damon Knight
This weekend……fifty one years ago in 1970…the first Glastonbury Festival came together in Somerset, England. Sure….there were big concerts like Woodstock that came before it…but Glastonbury was a whole different animal…the birth of an annual (moved to Summertime) social justice driven arts and music festival that grew into one of the most beautiful things to experience. Besides the greatest music the world has to offer on a dozen or so big stages and dozens of smaller stages Glastonbury featured whole fields dedicated to carnival antics, circus tents, green future expos, gigantic art projects and brilliant flags everywhere, healing centers with every type of wellbeing practice from the four corners of the planet, all night-dance parties and even a wedding chapel; the Glastonbury Festival located in the land of King Arthur with ley line energy abound is an experience like no other.
I first went to Glastonbury in 2003 when Birdman Records recording artists the Warlocks were playing on the John Peel stage and the Flaming Lips had a killer spot on the main stage (the Pyramid Stage). I had no idea about the festival’s scope and offerings and was only going to be there for the afternoon. I soon ran into my dear friend David Chumbley and suddenly my plans changed and I was there ALOT LONGER. From them on I did long stretches there every year after with Team Chumbley missing just a few Glastonbury’s right until Covid times.
There is mystery in the crevices of Glastonbury…even in the mud that runs amok after the first rain of the festival. The whole places is beautifully drippy and a great opportunity to get wayyyy out there and leave the normal world behind. In one day you can see the Sun Ra Arkestra fight the rain back with an epic version of Angels and Demons, The Specials reunite, Lee “Scratch” Perry (RIP) kill it with his infamous UK band, Tame Impala psych-out the crowd with a monsterous noise, and members of Hawkwind, who really helped solidify the early Glastonbury vibe, space-jam near the stone circle. And everywhere you look there are signs of how to save the planet, and artisans selling incredible ornaments and opportunities to deviate to crazy other experience (like dancing with a dozen creatures dressed in pink with pink umbrellas as the New York Brass Band plays the hits from years ago).
The best music, the best art…and everyone playing along to the madness of the moment.
For me, the best Glastonbury moment of all was asking Barbara to marry me with an artisan moonstone ring in hand, on one knee underneath a giant wooden dragon. She accepted and we ecstatically glided down the hill just in time to hear Madness play It Must Be Love.
Michael Eavis, the founder of this one-of-a-kind experience, says there is a good chance that the festival will be back next year. It is hard to comprehend how it will ever be the same again…mainly without David Chumbley leading the way (miss him daily) and second: if it feels good to bring 200,000 people together for a weekend of chaos and freedom. But I would give it a try!!! Those Glastonbury weekends are some of my favorites of all time.
MICHAEL CHAPMAN REMEMBERED by Josh Rosenthal
Tompkins Square’s head honcho Josh Rosenthal was the person who first turned me onto Michael Chapman’s incredible legacy, when he released a compilation of his guitar compositions and brought him over to the US to play some shows. One night in the cellar of a beautiful old building on Valencia street called, Chapman sat in front of the gathered crowd and just produced beauty with his fingertips. It was only later that I discovered that beyond his guitar playing he was an incredible songwriter who had done some incredible “rock” albums in the 70s. Chapman passed last week and Josh wrote a pretty beautiful piece about him. One of the great aspects of working with music is when you form a relationship with this kind of legendary artist…being able to actually come closer to touching the core of musical Truth. It is life changing.
“A UNIVERSITY OF THE STREETS”: a conversation with JUDY GOLDHAFT of the San Francisco Diggers
My friend Jay Babcock has done something quite extraordinary. The Diggers do not give out their stories….they have been very protective about their history and all that it entails. But leave it to one of the best journalists/publishers/thinkers/humans I know to offer a sense of safety for them to unlock a view into their incredible world. This epic interview with Judy Goldhaft is a continuation of this work and very much worth a deeeeeep read.
Newly Discovered van Gogh Drawing to Go on Display in Amsterdam
“A drawing that has been newly attributed to Vincent van Gogh is set to go on display publicly for the first time ever. The van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam will put the work—a rarity, given that new van Gogh pieces infrequently come to light—on view this week.”
Nick Brandt's "The Day May Break" @ Fahey/Klein Gallery
This is an incredible new exhibit that I would love to check out in person. Talking about art telling the stories we need to get our heads wrapped around: “New works by Nick Brant, made in 2020, portraying people and animals that have been impacted by environmental degradation and destruction. The photographs…were taken at five sanctuaries & conservancies in Kenya and Zimbabwe. The animals featured in this series are almost all long-term rescues, victims of everything from the poaching of their parents to habitat destruction and poisoning. The human subjects have all been badly affected by climate change - some displaced by cyclones that destroyed their homes, others displaced and impoverished by years-long severe droughts.”
Weekend Listen: Window by Michael Chapman
So you are wanting a great Michael Chapman record to listen to? Window is one of my favorites. His playing…his songwriting and structure and voice…are both quintessentially him and supremely groovy. From the very first minute of Lady On The Rocks in September you know you are entering a music world like no other…a brand new portal of English Blues interpretation. And again…holy crap, the guy does it all. The guitar playing throughout is sublime…and then there are his Proust-like lyrics and driving country road rhythms…. I could mention all of what I like on this record (An Old Man Remembers: SO GOOD) but I will let you listen for yourself!
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus
By: William Carlos Williams
According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring
a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry
of the year was
awake tingling
near
the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself
sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings' wax
unsignificantly
off the coast
there was
a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning
