Tuesday, November 16, 2004

country roads

Happy Birthday Tam!

Went last night to hear a group of bluegrass musicians jam with a Chinese Erhu player in a French cafe in Beijing. A very excellent and surreal combination of circumstances. The musicians were headed by Abbey Washburn and her group of kick-ass musicians playing banjo, guitar and bass. They were joined by some local luminaries like Time Magazine's Matt Forney on the mandolin. String instrument wackiness into the wee hours of the night. It was a fantastic example of American folk fusion: great voices, beautiful and simple tunes. All I can say is that is was just some very honest music. The lack of pretension was refreshing in this town of mando-pop musical theater. Ahhhhh...


Speaking of music, can I just say that the muzak that is pumped out into the very corporate garden at my very corporate day job is some of the most insipid and evil muzak I have ever heard. I am not prone to hyperbole, and I have suffered through plenty of muzak. Makes me want to take a sledgehammer to the stupid little green metal mushrooms that house the offending speakers and beat each of them to a pulp. I think this is justifiable grounds for a performance art 'happening' which will occur on some auspicious day on the lunar calendar. I hope to dress like a tattered Easter bunny in a dirty tutu and go hopping across the fabricated grassy "knoll" with a sledgehammer slung over my shoulder, and take out each of the stupid mushrooms one by one. Yes, there is more than one. I will probably be wrestled to the ground by the Chinese security guards with the drones of corporate worker bees just standing around during their lunch hour wondering what happened. After I get dragged off to the management office the worker bees won't even mention the incident and will resume talking about the mindnumbing features of different credit cards or where they will take vacation this year. Makes me want to jump up and down while simultaneously shouting and spewing airborne vomit.

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