They are such tired little kits, all that playing plum wore them out. They’ll sleep well tonight. #ProudCatDad

These two are hilarious. They are so clumsy, that in the process of playing with their toys, they fall all over themselves, and exhaust themselves, and then need a nap. I can seriously relate to these two in a big way. #BeautifulKittens

We had a good birthday chat last night. I miss this guy. He’s not on Social Media, so I won’t tag him. But this was the best man at my wedding. While birthday greetings were the first priority, some of this call was about going camping soon…

Yaas! Finally.
https://kval.com/news/local/face-masks-required-indoors-in-public-statewide-starting-july-1-oregon-governor-says

So, it isn’t just that we are at a political crossroads. Police account more violent death in this country than any other cause. And the violence they bring upon Americans is nearly always disproportionate to the crimes being committed. (Not to mention: how is justice possible if the people involved are executed by police before anything can actually be sorted out?)

This isn’t a devisive political issue that is “misunderstood” depending on your political alignment. If this many people were killed by any organization in the world, Americans would call for us to step in and stop it. The actual crime in our country that is unchecked more than anything else is police violence. And it’s not a belief; here’s the data.

Above the Law: The Data Are In on Police, Killing, and Race

I wonder how long I would last on the Internet if I Tweeted out some White Power bullshit? Like, how long before I’m doxed and scary shit starts showing up on my door?
Asking for “A Friend.”

Somewhere In-Between: A Radio Zine is about to begin on KMUZ.org!

They are adorable.

You know. For everyone’s safety. Duh.
https://people.com/health/washington-governor-makes-face-masks-mandatory/?utm_source=facebook.com

It’s late and I’m bored. What unnecessary instrument should I buy and not play for no good reason?

“And my brain is like a ping pong ball
Too many choices is no choice at all…”

My most recent zine is seen, here, in Germany. I’m quite proud of this one. It has an international cast of writers, musicians and artists, contains a new story I wrote, and has a number of reviews of music by Instagon, Skull Vacuum, Dylan Houser, Che F. Kirk & carl kruger. (It also contains a full new album by Mini-Mutations.) Maybe you want to pick up a copy?
https://wtbc.bandcamp.com/merch/midnight-missives

Wow. I didn’t think this would actually happen.
https://nbcnews.to/2Ny6iGj

Is there a box into which I can type, “1950’s Science Fiction Radio Shows I Haven’t Heard,” and have the computer figure that out for me? Because, I would really spend a lot of time there. If, like, a web-app designer friend wanted to just scrape my bank account.

Thanks again Mick Hickman for for chatting with me for Somewhere In-Between: A Radio Zine. He told both Tales From The Space! and Tales From The Ranch!, a feature that will document the stories surrounding these Salem institutions.

Do you have a story about shopping (or working) at Ranch Records – Cds, Lps, Vintage Rock Art, Dvds, or a story about going to (or working or playing) The Space Concert Club? Let’s get in touch!

One of the first memes I made.

Nancy continues to be the best comic strip ever drawn.

D&D and NASCAR are now on the same team. We lost that series of books about magic, but let’s roll up some car-driving wizards and get a new Fast & Furious game going. Who’s in?

Tee hee.

It’s a start, anyway.

After several weeks off without any new live Mini-Mutations, I was quite excited to offer up this new episode of Mid-Valley Mutations. One hour of new live jams! Listen as I learn to play my new synthesizer, with several new Mini-Mutations experiments. (And an episode of Dimestore Radio Theater to close it out.) I like this one. Hopefully you do, too?
https://midvalleymutations.com/2020/06/24/present-in-this-moment-193/

Even in a crisis, Florida gotta be Florida.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-florida-coronavirus-deaths-cases-wednesday-june-24-20200624-oihwuwwjgfdyxiquakd3ag573u-story.html

Hooray that all public places in several Oregon counties require masks as of today!

I miss you and I love you and I want you to be happy.

I’m thinking of having a segment on my radio show, where people share their stories and memories about going to, working at, or seeing shows at The Space Concert Club. It would probably feature people calling in, and telling short anecdotes about their experiences.

If I did this, would you like to call in?

I only notice how little I see people at night, before bed.
I have to admit: the rest of the time, I’ve been enjoying the solitude.
I feel at peace, mostly.

Zing.

This Wednesday, on Mid-Valley Mutations: are you ready to be Present, In This Moment?

3 PM, PST. On KLFM.org. A live, one-hour jam by Mini-Mutations.

NEW TUNES ONLY. So new, only I have heard them.

Be seeing you.

Did you miss the second issue of our radio zine this morning? Well you can catch it again, now, on the podcast. We chat with Obadiah Baird about his relationship to an old anti-fascist folk song, Ellen Klowden calls in with a poem, and I read an excellent poem by Sean Derrick Cooper Marquardt. All in under 30 minutes!
https://betweenradiozine.com/2020/06/22/issue-02-our-silence-has-been-deafening/

I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner, but I had to abandon one of the songs I was working on, and just wrote a new one. Here’s a little of the sausage making: I had a jam session a while back, where I recorded about an hour of me playing bass, trying different parts out that would make up these songs. The ninth “song” I’d worked out just wasn’t coming together, no matter how much I tried to make it work. So, I finally decided today to start over.

I’m sure this happens all the time to bands, and I was sort of waiting to hit a wall. But nine out of the 10 songs I did work out that day have come to fruition in a way I like. One didn’t. Those are INCREDIBLY great odds, for a project where I expected a couple of these to even be tolerable afterwards.

Maybe this is a real thing?

Foghorn Leghorn began as a parody of the character Senator Glaghorn, as made famous in this popular film from 1947.

Among my many habits that often get strange looks: usually, with few exceptions now, I’m a credit watcher. I want to stay until the end, to allow for time to process as I unwind from my experience. Most of the time, it is also rewarding. I can’t think of any credits I STAYED for that made me dislike a good film.

This also might come from my own movie credits being so small that you can’t see them unless you read closely. But I digress.

This is similar to how the letters pages are gone from comics. Most people’s don’t care, I’m fighting a loosing battle, the times they are a changin’. But really, just let the credits play. It’s not that hard.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jun/15/the-end-of-credits-why-doesnt-netflix-want-us-to-watch-them?fbclid=IwAR2a7oMZEdLxZcv0ubaMGZ0g9qLLxYQSfRnISsx_gnyRupIsN4vG7zzmpcc

Recorded a bunch of new stuff for the last bit of the songs I need to finish. All 10 should be done in the next few days.

Cut my own hair for the first time since 2006 or so (maybe longer). I used to cut it myself when I had to, until I could find someone to do it for me. A long string of friends have been helping me over the years, to the point where I sort of forgot I could even do it myself. But I finally went at it, and found all the old skills coming back. I don’t know why I ever stopped. I will certainly save a fair amount of money this way.

I also had my first “social distance gathering” with a very small group of friends in our back yard. We had a fire, stood at a distance and tried to pretend that we haven’t been horribly scarred by the world around us. It was okay, I guess. I guess this is what friendships are like, now…

I should just stop talking.

It’s rarely in my own interest to keep going.

I wish.

Transformation.

I just had all of “Baby Got Back” pop into my head.
Good morning.

I wish I could have this conversation with you instead.
But you won’t listen anymore.
So I have to yell it from the Inter-Web-A-Tron for all the world to hear.

FB is sorta broke today.

I wanna tell you everything, until I’m tired and falling asleep.

I love the sound of background noise
I wanna hear the crack in the singer’s voice
Fingers moving on the fret board
Every time he plays a new chord
I hear his friends hanging around
I hear him play an instrument he just found
I hear a low buzzing sound
I hear his parents hanging around
I hear his parents saying “turn it down”
I hear his parents saying “turn it down”
I hear his parents saying “turn it down!”

COOL YOUR WARM JETS, BRIAN ENO!

Like, I just want the whole band to sound like this. But all our songs are about time travel.

I just want to write goofy Sci-Fi themed songs that sound sort of like Stereolab. Is that too much to ask for?

I do love having video chats with friends (thanks Obadiah!) But there is some part of me that feels like I should be in 2001, or Total Recall, or some other movie with video phones. And then the world doesn’t have weird mutant strippers or a Star Baby and I have to wonder what all this science is for if we can’t get to the weird future tech.

Where’s my Johnny Cab?

This one’s been going around, but this iteration speaks to the world of Mini-Mutations.

I miss playing shows.

I approve.

For Marla’s birthday I bought her this owl painting, done by my friend Aimee Naworal. I bought it ages ago, but couldn’t say anything until today. Keeping secrets in a pandemic is hard. Happy birthday, babe!

So, you like to make odd noises, yes? And you like the boxes that make noises? What if you wanted one of your own? I can recommend my buddy Trevor’s gear. It always sounds super solid, super strange, and super easy to use. Check it out. Maybe help him make a buck?
http://mothhuntermods.com/

I wrote another song and this time it just made me ravenous.

For Thai food.

Are there any “good” statues? I’m trying to remember. I can’t think of many.

I did that thing where I recorded nine songs and a Daniel Johnston cover.

Like, not-all-that-experimental, either. (Well…)

Now I just have to transform them from garbage to something I can share with you.

So, we’ll talk again in December.

Always a good idea to catch up with The Weatherman, when you can. Thanks Buddy!

A little bird told me that the first batch of ‘zines have arrived, and people are starting to dig into Midnight Missives. I’m pretty excited! If you have got a copy, and you can, I would love to see photos of the various gumshoes out there who are now putting tacks up in a corkboard, and connecting bits with string.

Please: snap a photo of you with the new book. If you don’t have one yet: you can order it here: https://wtbc.bandcamp.com/merch/midnight-missives, and you can learn more about the book here: https://youtu.be/tN-OpCiKa94.

50 full-color pages of new writing and music reviews! Over three hours of bonus digital materials for you to enjoy! This includes my newest musical album, “Art-I-Con ’84!” Hand made, layered covers, beautifully duplicated and produced here in the Lava Lamp Lounge.

If you have been making financial donations to any #BLM causes, I will happily send you one, free of charge. And if you have a new album or ‘zine, let’s make a trade! I’m very excited to put this book in your hands.

Follow the clues. Sort through the evidence. And draw your own conclusions.

It’s Midnight Missives. It’s my new ‘zine, and I’m really proud of it.

This is why we can’t have nice things. This is one of our neighbors (not the still-sporting-a-“Hillary For Prison” sign guy, this is a different guy.) This guy attaches signs like these to his trucks. (He has two that he puts signs on.) He parks it so people passing by can see. He also has a don’t tread on me flag.

Given all that we know about the world: does this guy wear a mask? I’ve never seen him in person, just his trucks, but I think I know the answer…

About time.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cops-tv-show-canceled-amid-unrest-over-death-george-floyd-n1228906?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

Too Many Cops.
https://majorhex.bandcamp.com/track/too-many-cops-2

Cops don’t get irony. Maybe they could use some community college courses?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/06/police-violence-protests-us-george-floyd

The Vandals were, at best, a very uneven band. Bordering on being a novelty act in the world of punk, their first EP in 1982 is full of comedy, and they are one of those bands where the original line-up isn’t anything close to the current line up. Some blame them for the emergence of pop punk sort of “breaking” the record industry in the mid-to-late ’90’s, and even I have to admit: each subsequent album aligns them close to Pennywise than the Ramones.

But in spite of all of it, they managed to knock it out of the park with this song. Almost everything else on “Live Fast, Diarrhea,” has not aged that well. But this song might be the greatest punk song recorded in the ’90’s.

“These pants represent a symbol of my individuality
And my belief in personal freedom, yeah!”

Something wasn’t quite right. I decided to take a little time to myself, and opened up the laptop. But what I found was the following text, typing itself out on some old Science Fiction forum:

“In a special arrangement with some organization called Kill Pop Tarts, a brand new single by Dead Air Fresheners was included in this publication, delivered by some radio DJ named Ricardo Wang. ‘The Last Asteroid’ b/w ‘Mining Yr Space Rock’ are offering 45 RPMs sensibilities in an mp3 RPMs era, and I suspect these masked musicians are probably in on the whole deal. Only listening closely and scrutinizing every part of these songs will help us figure out their role in all of this.”

https://wtbc.bandcamp.com/merch/midnight-missives

Huh. This message was just slipped under my door. Maybe you can help me make sense of this?

“In print, it is something to behold. It appears to be a collection of letters and other material from a file called ‘Box 13,’ about 50 pages of full-color material. And the collection includes some very odd pieces indeed, including material written by Lisa Ann Midori Hight, Xeres of Xeron, Osteo Parliament, Thomas Morrill, Jeremy Hight and someone named Austin Rich (probably an alias). There’s also a mail interview with (and some with art by) Hobby Knife / Marilyn Kent, a color illustration by Dylan Houser and with covers by Thomas Park, Rafael González & Austin. But the bulk of these letters are from a PI named Detective Dexter Roland, answering a variety of queries made by a Mr. Holiday. This certainly warrants more investigation. Maybe you want to take a look?”

wtbc.bandcamp.com/merch/midnight-missives

Feb 29th: First US Case (Death)
March 13th: Entire Country Shuts Down.

We are only on Day 96.

Damn.

My new noise project is The Allergy Naps. Maybe we can open for Hal McGee’s BRUTAL NAP?

It’s a start.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/03/3-more-cops-charged-in-george-floyd-death-other-officers-murder-charge-upgraded.html?__source=iosappshare|com.apple.UIKit.activity.PostToFacebook

Dim the lights, grab a drink, and sit down to pour over the new publication from ACRONYM, Inc.

50 Full-Color Pages! Complete with a Digital Soundtrack!

This time, the pieces are falling into place…



An Epistolary DIY Noir, unlike any zine you’ve ready before! 1 Part Fiction. 1 Part Experimental Zine. Entirely Available: Now!

Prose, reviews, photography, sounds and art, all by an international roster of creators!

Special Cover with a Vellum Layered Design!

Hand printed, folded, stapled & numbered in The Lava Lamp Lounge!

Limited to 100 copies!

Your purchase of this print zine includes a range of digital clues for you to piece together when you have the time:



A PDF of the print zine to enjoy on your eReader of choice!
A compilation soundtrack of 11 original compositions to accompany the zine, many made specifically for this release!

A new single by Dead Air Fresheners!
A DJ Mix Set by Holiday Special!
And two complete albums, one each by Sean Derrick Cooper Marquardt and Mini-Mutations!

As you bounce between late night encounters and musical endeavors, a question arrives:

Who is Mr. Holiday, and why does he want to know so much?

There’s only one way to find out.

$10 includes shipping.
https://wtbc.bandcamp.com/merch/midnight-missives

Holy shit.

Tonight: can the rioters focus on Trump Towers and Amazon-held property? Each day we should focus on a different company. Together, we can do this! #Solidarity

You can stream / download the show from the link below. Two hours of experimental jams, as big city orchestra dances with Mini-Mutations! Join us as I read selections from Richard Meltzer’s, “The Night (Alone),” and we all contemplate those strange thoughts we have when we wake up suddenly in the middle of the night.

I loved doing this show, and it was a ton of fun. Tune in for something a little different, and kick off your week with a smile.

My QuaranHair is completely out of control. It’s like I’m 20 and it’s going wild. I’m afraid to snap a photo because then it’s soul will be trapped in my phone… forever!