And the Band Played On

Today I feel like there is a creative revolution going on out there and in here and in me and in friends, in P, in society, in my town , in my family.  As much as there are deep rooted troubles, corruption, and lies in the world today, the dying of values and ethics, hell, maybe because of that, there is also a huge wave of master art.  In television, in music, in writing, photography, paintings.  And it makes sense being there is so much uncertainty.  We have extreme, sometimes scary new weather now as a normal, our political system pretty much collapsed entirely.  Our food is unsafe to eat and too expensive.  Companies are outright poisoning us deliberately and it seems everywhere you turn all the crooks are getting away with all their bullshit.  Hatred is considered being Christian and the least spiritually conscious people are being given the most amount of air time.

I was so lucky to be a young tween and teen ripping the shrink wrap off of a brand new album that would prove to become a classic rock, country, funk or soul recording.  How many times in the 60s or 70s did that become true, even the 80s but less often for me.  As a matter of fact when you realize it, it already was exceptional at that first listen, whether we knew it or not.  We witnessed so many brilliant musical offerings. The listener didn't make it historical, the magic happened in the writing and in the capturing. Sometimes you knew right away and others it took a week or so before it sunk in.  It's like those documentaries you see of would be iconic musicians sitting around together before it all became true.  They were there but how could they know how special the time was, at the time.  But I do feel there is specialness in this time.

Maybe during highly charged social change there opens up gates of prolific genius. There certainly is an abundance of material.  There is struggle and hardship, anger and the questioning of appointed authority. I feel like time has come today and we are here now.   Maybe for the music industry it's a chance to do it better, cleaner.  Less greedy assholes more integrity.  Money could come but in doses that don't kill everyone.

Here and there I feel my own cooking revival happening.  But it's not a rehash, it's fresh.  Like this baked chicken bone-in breast.  Simple things like adding baking soda and lots of garlic and onion powder, a little curry and much higher heat, really takes these bird hooters to the Penthouse suite.  The meat is super juicy and the soda gives a little crisp to the jazzed up skin akin to your good memory of KFC but without all the grease, guilt or breading.

And FINally, a rendition of my mom's Mexican rice but using a good grained brown version.  Super hard to get right but boy did I hit something this time.

At the very least if the world is ending, we'll have some great send off tunes.