BLUF: This is a pastiche of two letters I dredged from my email archive, both dealing with race, plus I am reacting to the passing of Bill Withers “use me” “sunshine”

We pledge allegiance all our life to red blue and white…this world was made for all men…1976

P.S Here is a partial list of some of the 300 artists
and groups I brought to Cubberley for public
performance, 1994-2001 (I will explain this list when
we speak):

Bloque: rock group from Bogota, Colombia;
Ozomatli: multi-ethnic pop/Latin group from Los
Angeles;
Pinetop Perkins: 86-year-old black blues artist from
Clarksdale, Mississippi; z’l
Pansy Division: gay activists/rock group from San
Francisco;
Kemuri: Asian rock group from Tokyo, Japan;
Mudwimin: all-woman rock band from San Francisco,
featuring Palo Alto native Mia Levin;
Oxbow: black-fronted rock band featuring Palo Altans
Dan Adams and Eugene Robinson;

Penelope Houston: female singer-songwriter; leader of
pioneering female-fronted rock band The Avengers;
Vukani Mawethu: multi-ethnic female-led vocal group
singing the music of South Africa, from Oakland
(canceled show);
Alvin Youngblood Hart: black blues singer from Oakland
and Memphis;
Bonfire Madigan: female fronted rock group from San
Francisco;
Danilo Perez: jazz musician, of mixed ethnic heritage,
from Panama; the “International Cultural Ambassador”
from the nation of Panama i.e his government
officially designated him as such.
Oliver Lake: black jazz artist from New York;
Steve Lacy: MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow, jazz
musician, first interpreter of the music of black
composer Thelonius Monk (other than Monk); z’l
Mingus Amungus: multi-ethnic jazz group from Oakland;
features female-led and integrated dance accompaniment
group; leading interpreters of black composer Charles
Mingus;
Kristin Hersh: female singer-songwriter from
Massachusetts; co-owner of ticket service
virtuous.com;
Barbara Manning: female singer-songwriter, band-leader
from San Francisco;
Femi Kuti: black bandleader in jazz/”afro-pop” from
Nigeria; son of a deceased political prisoner in
Nigeria, Fela Kuti, musician.
Stanley Jordan: black jazz artist from Palo Alto (Gunn
graduate) and Sedona, Arizona;
Wendy Waller: female jazz singer from Menlo Park,
married to a Palo Alto musician Hershel Yatovitz.
Orixa: Latin rock band from San Francisco;
Ragady Anne, aka The Electrocutes aka The Donnas:
all-female rock band from Palo Alto;
The Toasters: integrated rock/ska band from New York;
featured Jamaican (black)instrumentalist Lester “Ska”
Sperling, z’l;
Imogen Heap: mixed-ethncity (Asian) singer-songwriter
from London;
AFI: gay-fronted rock band from Oakland.
Austin Willacy: black singer-songwriter from San
Francisco;
Miriam Sullivan: black female jazz musician from New
York (sideperson); (aka Mimi Jones, leader)
Allison Miller: female jazz musician from Washington,
D.C. (side person); (later, leader)
Beth Custer: female jazz/pop instrumentalist,
composer, band-leader (of mixed-ethnicity band)from
San Francisco;
True Margret: female singer-songwriter from San
Francisco;
Cat Cody: female, mixed-heritage dancer and singer
from Los Angeles, with Eperanza De La Tierra “Espi”
Lopez, female Latina dancer from Los Angeles;
Billie Eyeball: female bandleader from Palo Alto;
Allette Brooks: female singer-songwriter from Palo
Alto

;
James Hurt: black jazz artist from New York and
Memphis;
Jacques Swartz-Bart: black jazz musician from New York
(sideperson);
World For Ransom: female-fronted rock group from Palo
Alto;
Jenny Scheinman: female jazz instrumentalist and
composer from New York (attended PAUSD in 1981);
Rachel Z: female jazz musician from New York; (although confusingly her last name stars with an “N’)
Van Gogh’s Daughter: all-female rock band from San
Francisco; spoke at PAUSD music classes;
Seven Day Diary: female-fronted rock band from San
Francisco; spoke at PAUSD music classes;
Virginia Dare: female-fronted rock band from San
Francisco; (Brad and Mary Johnson, a different Brad Johnson)
Sweet Virginia: female-fronted rock band from San
Francisco featuring Palo Alto instrumentalist Clint
Bennett; (named for a Rolling Stones song, and don’t get me started on “rolling” “rocking” “tumbling” )
Laura Kemp: female musician from Oregon;
Shelley Doty: black female lesbian rock musician and
bandleader from San Francisco;
The Toledo Show: black-fronted jazz band from Los
Angeles; (Toledo Diamond; Jewish?)
Dave Ellis: black jazz artist from Berkeley; (Jewish)
Henry Butler: black jazz artist from New Orleans;
blind since age 2; spoke at California School For The
Blind, Fremont; z’l
Venus Opal Reese: black female dancer/mime/monologist
from Palo Alto, Baltimore and Dallas, Texas; phd
candidate and instructor (at the time), Stanford; phD
from Stanford; professor of drama at University
Texas-Dallas; (and literally, a canvas and snake-charmer)
Cookie: female-fronted rock band from San Jose;
Bimbo Toolshed: female-fronted rock band from San
Francisco;
Ripple: female fronted rock band from San Francisco;
B-Side Players: Latin rock band from Los Angeles;
Morty and Connie Show: jazz band featuring female
vocalist Connie Champagne; (Kelly Johnson?)
Broun Fellinis: all-black jazz band from San
Francisco;
DJ Charlotte the Baroness: female dj from San
Francisco;
Pele Juju: all-female pop band from Santa Cruz;
Tin Hat Trio: female co-led jazz band from Oakland
featuring Carla Kihlsteadt;
Marika Hughes: black female jazz instrumentalist from
Oakland (sideperson); (but leads or co-leads many projects now)
Cheryl Wheeler: female singer-songwriter;
Dar Williams: female singer-songwriter;
Rebecca Riots: all-female rock group from Berkeley;
Marginal Prophets: black co-led rock group from San
Francisco; (Keith Knight)
IBOPA: rock band fronted by gay singer-songwriter
Jamie Stewart (pka Xiu-Xiu);
Idiot Flesh: Asian co-led rock group from Oakland; (I think i was thinking of the butoh dancer they sometimes worked with…poetic license)
Skankin’ Pickle: Asian and female co-led rock group
from San Jose; (the most Rev Mike Park)
Frightwig: pioneering all-female rock band from San
Francisco; featuring Palo Altan Mia Levin;
Molly Neumann: female rock band co-leader and co-owner
of influential Oakland record label Lookout; currently
manages The Donnas, major label all-female rock band
from Palo Alto who made their professional debut in
Earthwise concert series at Cubberley, as 15-year-old
Paly sophomores — their parents signed release forms
permitting their appearance;
Cindy “Cinder” Block: female rock musician and
business owner in Oakland; her female-owned business
printed 500 silk screen t-shirts given away at shows
saying “The Cubberley Sessions Palo Alto”;
Superchunk: female co-led rock band featuring Laura
Ballance co-owner of Merge Records of Chapel Hill,
North Carolina;
Stephanie Mechura: female singer-songwriter from San
Francisco;
Amanda Krugliak: female monologist from San Francisco;
John Nelson: black rock instrumentalist (side person)
Squirrel Nut Zippers: female co-led rock band from
North Carolina;
Soul Divine: female led rock band from San Francisco;
Umami: all-female rock band from Palo Alto;
Sally Ann: female led rock group from San Francisco;
David Walker: black rock instrumentalist from Palo
Alto (sideperson);
Garrett: black rock musician from Redwood City; (I think I meant Garrick Davis)
Whichicallit and Dem – black rap group from East Palo
Alto; part of a youth services outreach program led by
Heru Hall; (who may or may not be both the night time DJ at KCSM “Harry Hall” and the first black quarterback at Cubberley)
Urban Ministry of Palo Alto “Garden Project”: tabled
at a show;
Support Network for Battered Woman: Mountain View;
tabled at show; beneficiary of show proceeds; director
spoke at event;
Woman’s Recovery Center: Belmont; tabled at show;
beneficiary of show proceeds; director spoke at event;
Palo Alto “Teenline”/suicide prevention: beneficiary
of show proceeds; tabled at show;
Rape Crisis Center of Palo Alto/Palo Alto YWCA: tabled
at show; beneficiary of show proceeds; director spoke
at event; director led a woman’s self-defense clinic
as part of a benefit concert, at show;
East Palo Alto Historical Society: tabled at show;
beneficiary of show proceeds; director spoke at event
(Trevor Burrows; black-led n.g.o — he’s actually West Indian — which reminds me that I asked the current mayor of Palo Alto East what she meant when she said that she preferred the term “Black History Month” to “African-American History Month” because it was “more inclusive” I’ll post the video);
International Society for Ecology and Culture:
Berkeley; beneficiary of show proceeds;(female-founded
n.g.o. by author Helena Norberg-Hodge); (someone corrected me recently that “NGO” for non-governmental agency is not used for “non profit’ in the US — except in Vietnam)
Bimbetta: all female chamber music group from
Bloomington, Indiana and Berkeley; spoke at PAUSD
music classes;
Michelle Nelson: female graphic designer from Santa
Cruz (and PAUSD educated)who designed many of the 70
posters created for the concert series, most of which
were printed at female-owned or co-owned print shops); z’l
Spring Heeled Jack: black co-led rock group from
Virginia;
Noe Venable: female singer-songwriter;
Third Eye Blind: rock band fronted by Palo Alto native
Steve Jenkins. (although he stole his best song from a black man — I’m starting to feel very Stevie Wonder here
Dan Olmstead: Palo Alto-raised musician and Cubberley
High School graduate; (sideperson).
Sheila Schat: female rock instrumentalist (side
person);

Jessie Green: female rock violinist (side person);
Geraldine Fibbers: female fronted rock band featuring
vocalist Carla Bozulich, from Los Angeles;
Tarnation: female-fronted rock band featuring Paula
Frazer and Michelle Cernutto;
Carrie Bradley: female rock instrumentalist (side
person);
Zoe Keating: female rock cellist (side person);
(partial list –90)

I’m not sure if I list her here but a great guitarist Sunny Haire of Waycross, Bedlam Rovers Enorchestra and the Upsets was known formerly as Sunshine Haire. I have not spoken to her directly but mutual acquaintances told me that one of the victims who died in the Ghost Ship was her child.

bwbwbw

bw is my mom’s initials; her birthday was last month; bw means “backed with” my code for a second thread somewhat related to the first; bw means bill withers who died this week.

another letter wherein I want to argue for my woke ness — tho I am of the age where I am likely exsqueezed from having to be woke. woke can be a yoke, no joke.

That’s my Mom’s name, by the way. The one who died. For Whom I am mourning. Which is why I took the day off and went to the ball game. Then parked down town. And wandered the brave new old world. And I did in fact greet two or three total strangers between like 3:30 and 4 p.m. ambling up Telegraph (although I thought I was like George Benson and on B_) Barbara. My Mom I mean. I stopped total strangers and said “Isn’t this a beautiful day?” A couple people, or one at least, totally ignored me. Who talks to strangers on the streets? A guy named “Small” who I said “no, you’re a giant” sold me for $5 or $10 a cd of what is supposedly hip hop music or original music by he and his friends. He was wearing a pointed bamboo hat. Yes, I did turn and take his photo from across 17 or 18 or whatever, about 100 feet a way. A bike and a car rolled between us. I snapped or tapped two shots. Not thinking too hard about it. When we met again a block or two later — he was on a bike, had crossed to opposite side of me, I recognized him by the hat and yelled out to him, he waited — he said he noticed that I had taken his picture. I asked if instead he wanted to do a selfie. He said he had moved on. He said I might move on (from concern about the lady in the gallery who 86’d me).
I left a voice mail on the number on the website for Ono Gallery saying that my wife had gone to grad school with Rene DeGuzman. Rene who played soccer, I think, for Hayward or Tennyson and then Cal, who once sat in the window of Oaktown Museum as human and performance art. Doing his thing. In front of passersby. (Some of whom may have snapped his photo, who knows). Oakland Museum where I was last there having coffee and a bite maybe with a musician. Local. Not Ambrose Akinmusire but…what’s his name..Dayna Stephens. (Ambrose who has a song called “I am Oscar Grant”…and my review or notice about his work that work is called “I am Oscar Grant” because I am Oscar Grant. And my Mom is or was the mom of the character in Jesus the Pimp rolling in a 1979 Granada, although I have a 4-cylinder Chevy. Although acdtually I was parked yesterday at the Paramount by a guy named Ron, “although the tags aint right” in a Lexus. And I do dream of (waking type) Boots reading his story at my Moms Memorial service, nexgt month or later this month, at a Jewish Synogogue in Silicon Valley, although I told Boots or his publicist that he could wear a Palastinian t-shirt if he likes, with or without the “Oakland, can I hear you, do you want to RISE?” and the baking or backing vocals, the female voices, the angels, with or without now but maybe with, for sure, Purple Pam –not that I knew her as such, but I do now — because its on the internet — Pam the FunkMistress — Pam Warren — his movie was dedicated to her. And I did buy– ifyou excuse the digression — () the dig — ?? — a purple Buddha intended to shrine it at 30th and West or something — it was on the internet — but instead gave it to a total stranger moving into her apartment –as a house warming gift — she was from Shanghai or Hong Kong — Dayna who has very serious health issues, but still plays his ass off. On saxophone. I forget which days he takes or doesn’t take phone calls. A picture of his hand and some sheet music, or justthe heads, is on my website. Plasti cAlto. it’s an ornette reference. Or not. I lelft all this info on your or her voice mail. The woman at the gallery. Who may or may not be the woman in the photo in the frame on the desk. Bettina no Ankya Barber (or Ankhya?). I almost wrote “Berber”. Palo Alto has not Tuareg but one Waddabe-American family. Or one Waddabe-American woman. Her mom’s name is Marie. Her name is …ok I forget. (At a certain age it is not a bonus to remember the names of 13, 14, 17, 18 year olds, even from the neighborhood). Our former mayor here, Yiaway Yeh (people called him”Alex” in high school, my school, Gunn of Plao Alto – but years later — and he was also a City of Oakland mid-level bureaucrat at the time, like an accountant — Yiaway met his wife in Africa, like the peace corps or something. I was offering to get some Congolese or Waddabe music for his wedding. I’m in the music business. There are not that many black people (left) here in Palo Alto. We had a historicly black neighborhood, called Ventura, it’s near Fry’s. Fry’s which is leaving. Fry’s where a developer bought the land, bought the adjacent land — like 20 homes — and then got the city to upzone for density. And they picked a citizen’s advisory committee to oversee what we shall build –we the peolple –or certain people –there’s at least a peep-hole — to Democracy — but they did not pick the one lady who had been there the longest, and still owned her home — and the only black woman — Lakita Pittman* I think is her name — I went looking for her. We talked like an hour. I have her number somewhere. I have all these people’s numbers. I have your number, Mam. Or Ms. I don’t have Yoko’s number but I have a small piece of porcelin she gave me — and 100 others –at Stanford a couple years back. I stood in line and maybe was on her dime — with Aleta Hayes. The dancer and singer and actor and teacher and leader of a group called Chocolate Heads and creator of a dance called “The Gesture Chorus” and I didn’t notice it but she told me that it acdtually had “jewish” too, a gesture of the Jew, the observant Jew — more observant than me –although I see a lot — I read Emerson and hsi “transparent eyeball” I see all or am all — like Whitman, maybe. White men, I admit. The Gesture Chorus had about 14 people, mostly young (college age) woman, mostly of color, plus like this one kid, a boy, of about 12 or 10, doing something like the jews do when they wrap this special strap around their arms — it kinda looks like drug use — not that I would know — or so I’ve heard. In fact I think Venus Opal Reese, who kind of had Aleta’s spot before Aleta did — Venus, who I called “a wordless story teller’ — she’s like a mime — once opened a show I did with Henry Butler the blind piano player. Seh also did a little show in a little gallery — not unlike BettiOno gallery — and now its a real estate office — and the guy who sang before Venus I only booked because he had nice hair, Elvis hair, surfer boy blond hair – his name was Brad — and he’s in heaven too — with Pam, and my Mom, and Lisa Fay Beatty who worked at the Brower Center in Berkeley, and Henry and my grandfather Henry — and my Dad — and Mia Zapata of the Gits, and a copule others — Brad sang with a girl or woman namd Astrid and his band was called Wandering Stars (not Wandering Jews mind you, do you mind? and sorry to bother you) Venus had a piece about hair, black woman’s hair and about how a woman with cenrtain hair, be she from Palo Alto or Paris France or Asmara Africa could all talk together and have a conversation, about their hair. She’s on the internet, too. Anyhow, i left a voice mail to say that I had signed your (or her, or Ankya’s or Ankhya’s) book, with my name Mark Weiss (son of Paul and Barbara Weiss –we are all actually from Chicago, the South Side) and my email –above — earwopa at yahoo — it’s not an AFrican or Hebrew word it’s an acronym or contraction, in the way that Intel is “integrated electronics” earwopa is Earth Wise Of Palo Alto — my concert company– since 1993, a spinoff of Bay Area Action Earth Day — and now my number 650 305 &^(Ankh) (Distaff) because I’m not hiding. There is no hiding place. Which is acdtually Nina Simone I think. Or Billy Taylor. Or the Christian non-Torah. But I was thinking of Maya Angelou, who once said to me, and 300,000 others, “good morning” and then again, in Philly, at the Bar of the Four Seasons, I was with D_ the Dominican trauma surgeon — who sometimes was mean when she wanted to be nice, or have someone else, nearby, maybe too near, be nice back — who knows? we only human. Anyways I did meet Maya Angelou and won’t forget that. Although I do sometimes forget her exact words. And I’m not really namedropping. They are literally dropping in on me. At this MacBook. At this cafe. Like angels or ghosts or presences. Today. So maybe I should forget yesterday or Move On. And you’re website did say “unapologetic” but i am still wondering what’s up with that? I did apologize. It’s called capitulating. Tapping out. Why? (or “radical inclusivity” – her words)
anyhow, whoever you are. have a nice day. And sorry — although I’m sort of repeating yourself – -and acdtually one of my theories is that you really don’t like Boots Riley and are projecdting at me some grudge intended towards him. And truthfully I hardly know the guy and maybe don’t get his songs or movie. (But I did buy a magazine to learn more. I showed you. Or them.)
Also I know a guy who wrote a song that says black people (the speaker is black, the writer, the singer) get mistaken (by white people, or Chinese) for people they don’t resemble in the least. So good luck with your museum and your gallery and the young female photographer who also plays violin (but not likely like Marika Hughes, or Carla Kihlstedt, but close enough, I’m sure).
I was going to inquire about the photo or photos of the crowns (the woman’s hat. not to be a code-switcher, but I think I saw a play with that name or word. It  might even be in Passing Strange). How much? In college I read a book or was asked to, maybe by Howard Porter or William Cook (he too, now in heaven) that had a black character refer to a woman’s butt as her “turd-cutter”.
I’m wondering why you kicked me out of your gallery. Also, do you mind if I post the photo to my blog?
I took 88 photos that afternoon (yesterday) on Broadway and Telegraph, and might publish or post 10 or 12 or 40 of them. On Plastic Alto. 
Also I think I mentioned I’m running for City Council in Palo Alto — like I said, or for what its worth, I’m a known person and not some Cointelpro officer or whatever. 
Or are you saying you fear that I will make money and exploit BettiOno Gallery and Kierra Johnson and Ankya Barber? (Her actual name is Anyka but I was shaping it with an ankh). (Which is ironic if she does not have permission to use Yoko’s name or Miles Davis or his ex-wife or widow — she is basically saying that in her space she can bully me or push me around not for shooting her picture but for not looking like her; as compared to talking to me long enough to know what i think about art or media or Oakland or black culture; if anything, I assume black people are talented in art or music, I’m attracted to such)
I’m so confused (Jonathan Richman).
holler
mark weiss
ps this also reminds me of the situation regarding Dana Shultz and her painting of Emmett Till’s photo.And of the poet in the Nation just this week who later tweeted that his bad poem was due to “privilege”
not trying to trigger you just wonder what you think

and yeah i did write to spike lee once asking what he thought of Huck Finn and (Servant) Jim — but 10 years later rode the elevator down with him at NYU film department and pretended not to notice him

This is from being kicked out of a gallery in Oakland where three people were having a meeting and didn’t like that I snapped their picture and stole their soul.

*Years later, it was published in the local newspaper’s comment board that Lakita while in office or commission had protested including gays as people eligible for affirmitive actions, on religious grounds. So who knows.

it’s let she who is without sin cast the stone, not she with stones handy casts the next stone. Or sorry to bother you.