I hope this is not seen as a rant or gripe, but more like what Wendell Berry would call “another turn of the crank”.
Please take it on faith or prima facie that I have some cred re music, journalism and education.
I am responding to the article by GH of the Mercury about a Stanford course on Taylor Swift. My first thought was they should expel Ava Jeffs and fire you, until I read your cv or at least the page on the Stanford website.
I don’t think I read the book on “the program era” but I recall that it came out the year I signed as a management client Dao Strom. Dao’s story “Chickens” was anthologized in Larry McMurtry “Still Wild”. She wrote it as a student, later signed with the same literary agent as Patti Smith. She was a Michener Fellow at Iowa. I thought that I could help her songs get the same level of traction in the industry or with audiences as her books. I was wrong.
(Before that, I was the manager for Stew, Mark Stewart, aka Stew Stewart — at least at Harvard — the creator of the Broadway show “Passing Strange” — a semi-autobiographical work about a middle class Black man posing or passing as lower class. (Stew is currently working with Spike Lee for a musical movie about Viagra, working title Don ’t Call me The Dick Joke Marlon James” or maybe “Don’t Call me A Dick Joke, Marlon James”.
Also, if this is not a non sequitur, I commissioned Dan Bern to write a song about Wallace Stegner’s story about playing tennis at a snobby resort in Santa Barbara. Coinkydinky — and I coined the term “coinkydinky” — which is not a dick joke — I am taking my wife to Cambria this summer, which is near Santa Barbara. Then I am meeting Dan Bern in Santa Fe, at La Fonda, on “the Terrazza” next fall.
I think Taylor is over-rated and a product of market forces. Maybe Josh Thurston Milgrom or his father could break it down.
Ms. Jeffs et al should teach instead Dao Storm or Malcolm P Harris, the guy who says Stanford could or should give (back) 8,000 acres to Muwekma Ohlone.
I wrote this before “the jump” — meaning my gripe, rant or “another turn of the crank” might be mitigated if the Mercury (which is not a Hayes paper, not owned by Knight Ridder and maybe not even McClatchy – -it might be owned by the people who were on “60 Minutes” who were buying up papers to deliberately destroy journalism and democracy —- says this class is not for credit towards a degree, merely for “fun” or just something to do so that people don’t step in front of the train or get too drunk to give consent. (Then write memoirs about such).
Please rescind your support of “the Swifties”. What about Jonathan fuckin’ Swift, you bastards.
Mark Weiss
In Palo Alto
a.b. from Dartmouth (in English)
Dba Earthwise Productions of Palo Alto since 1994
Why not substitute a course about Marsh McCall (1964-2017) his humor writings, from Gunn Oracle, Stanford Chaparral, Peninsula Times Tribune (Palo Alto) and Hollywood – -just shoot me. He wrote a few songs — I would say he was as good a songwriter as Taylor Swift; and he looked almost as good in a skirt — when he was 16. Marsh McCall once walked into the journalism lab at Gunn after lunch and said “Today: ‘Women Who Dress As Men Who Dress As Women’”. This is all true — except the joke about Marlon James. Which I was just makin’ up. Why not teach a course about Lydia Pense and cold blood playing electric guitars as Lenny Siegel and David Harris thru rocks thru the window of the trustees’ meeting?
edit to add: the honorable Rebecca Eisenberg rightfully chided me for my unkind reference to Chanel Miller. So I wrote to the student mentioned in the mercury, as the creator of the course, and suggested that she might add know my name to the syllabus: how would knowledge of the brock turner case affect the way a group of Stanford students see celebrity in the form of Taylor Swift or feminism or beauty?
I do not know who Anohni is nor whether he is a he or she is a she or they is they. But it caught my eye that the mother was a photographer and the father was an engineer who took the family to Silicon Valley, according to Page 14 of today’s Sunday Times. My Jenn Pelly.
This is one of six pages I tore or clipped from today’s paper, which my neighbor left, on vacation. Oftentimes, I go by Mac’s on Emerson and buy three papers.
I never read them. Too busy. I usually just flip thru and then drag the tear sheets home. So I read headlines mostly or only. Then my wife, Terry Acebo Davis throws them away. Then I get angry, and sometimes kick a small object across the room or swear.
It’s weird that my wife has a printing press and makes monotypes but does not buy my argument that there is something unique about newsprint, or different than finding the same articles online. (But yes even a Luddite like me is being seduced by the net; I like the links.
On the other hand I like the way a sheet of newsprint sometimes has interesting juxtapositions, especially if the art of one side of a thin sheet bleeds into the art of the verso.
(On a separate but related topics, when I buy a book my wife claims I have to discard one. Like there is an equilibrium of books in our home, and one displaces another. It is true that I buy a book and read one page and feel I got my $20 worth, or that I am banking $100 worth of knowledge by that construct for another day
(Maybe this follows from spending $50,000 on a liberal arts degree and saying you are a lifelong learner….)
The six clips are: Anohni, mainly because it mentions Silicon Valley and I am tracking the cultural history of this area independent of the tech sector — and I can research who or what this act is on Pollstar — who is the agent? who is the label? is this a $5,000 act, a $50,000 act or what?
Something about Boots Riley and “I’m A Virgo” — not sure how or when I can see this show. I am slow on the uptake of “television” these days if its not in my normal package.
Something about The Cure Live shows by Lindsay Zoladz — I am not that into the Cure other than Allette Brooks covered them as did Davey Havok of AFI. But it lists nine tracks I might as well test myself. (CF: Jim Compilongo set list from recent show at Lytton Plaza with Ben Davis, who is from UK as is the Cure. Although his wife is Nigerian: the Times had something I missed about Rwanda or Hotel Rwanda or the man who was in prison there; and Ghana, a photo essay about.
The World at My Back and I go italics not quotes for book titles someone taught me. By Thomas Melle, a German. Review by Rob Doyle. But only. because he claims he had sex with Madonna and it reminds me of a song by Dan Bern (who is appearing here in my Earthwise music series on October 8 and will debut new songs about baseball (The Reds new slugger; the Yankees German perfecto) and cars (re Santa Fe and my Cochiti plus Camero Chevy) and tennis or class and Stegner (“As Cool As Them”). The topic of Melle book and the review “Moments of Clarity: a writer recounts his ordeals with bipolar disorder in a memoir” is mental health. I have come out so to speak several times about my own experience with depression and bipolar. (Or bipolar II which I claim means some people only when they take pharmaceuticals might end up manic not depressed).
Terry was watching a doc about Rock Hudson and a man said he didn’t want hi smother his mother to know that he was gay and then Armistad Maupin said “he should tell his mother he was fucking Rock Hudson” which made me think I am not sure about those guys: was Rock a top or a bottom? Or why should I care?
I was thinking that they should re-make “McMillan and Wife” as “McMillan and Bob” about a hunky SF police commissioner who looks like Rock Hudson and his special friend Bob.
The current version of the NyTimes newsfeed which is usually a day or two ahead of the paper version has something about a 91 yo mandolin player who died. I am always trying to improve my ear and my crate-digging. I hope “crate-digging” does not sound homoerotic juxtaposed to questions of whether Rock Hudson stuck his 9-inch shlong into dudes or liked to take it.
Also, I will admit I am the guy who tore down about 10 of the 50 green flyers taped to poles in downtown Palo Alto — and that is not phallic either, right? — mainly because I want people to notice the two or three extant posters especially near Lytton Plaza about: Jim Campilongo, Adam Levy, Lydia Lunch, Chuck Prophet. The poll by “Friends of Palo Alto” seems Orwellian as fuck. I told them that. Then I wrote City Council to ask that the company that made the survey should be charged $10m to use our problems to attract users to their site. Not that the creators of the poll are equity holders in the software although they may be. I am sick of We the People taking it up the ass from corporate America and big tech with out the metaphorical reach-around.
dead bluegrass legend
edits:
by Jenn Pelly not my Jenn Pelly;
four clippings or tear sheets not six. Its actually: boot Riley, tear sheet gate fold meaning consecutive pages 8, 9; tear sheet re Anohni; clippings for Cure and Clarity — wait, its a half a tear sheet since book section is half tab — see there is more to it than what you see on the internet.
close parens graph four although I omitted a parens as a new graph still in parens or something
topics plural versus topic singular (cf: verses, versus and verso);
the use of “package” in graph IX apropos of Boots Riley tv show of course presages the thing about Rock Hudson and his 9-inch dick. Someone actually said that. I think they had tapes on this unless it is a deep fake audio. See also: Big Unit. Randy Johnson.
In graph X it misidentifies Jim Campilong0 — auto correct fucked me in the ass.
I don’t think I typed a period in the next graph I think the computer added that for me or to me.
the Reds’ new slugger is Elly De la Guerra and the Yankees’ is German something. Both Dominicans I am pretty sure. The guy from the Reds is the youngest since Cesar Cedeno in 1970 to hit for the cycle, whereas German is the fourth Yankee to throw a perfect game, which is only the 24th all time for anybody and in the three previous times New York has won the series.
hi smother his mother is a Jungian conceit that you need a good enough mother not a great mother nor one that will smother you. Not sure if me or the computer came up with that one but I stet it. There was a man named I think Sherwood who taught a lit course for UC Extension circa 1990 who was a Jungian. William Sherwood maybe?
if my reference to the man who wrote the gay chronicles of SF is incorrect here is where I would correct it.
when I say “yo” I mean “year old”, yo.
the company that made the formatting for the weird pro-commerce anti-government propaganda, flyers on poles leading to online data mining, is called Pullback or Pullout — something gay-sounding in this context. Its sort of like SurveyMonkey I would think.
without versus without (apropos of the neologism or trope “corporate reach-around” — my main thing is we should have raised $100m in taxes not $9m. And we should go after Palo Alto Neworks of Santa Clara — founder of such built the Monster House abutting my tiny abode.
pollster does not have much info about Anohni beyond a couple UK and EU shows, and that United Talent of Beverly Hills is the booking agent, same in UK. The link to her or his url uses “events” not “tour” and adds the helpful detail “anohni and the Johnsons” which to me means a dude who wants to be a girl and takes it up the ^%#.
Which reminds me that the ten-thousandth objection to Palo Alto Post (!) is that their summary of recent Supreme Court thing probably mis-states the case or puts their misanthropic spin: I think the website designer is now free to hate openly gay potential clients not that he or she was ever forced to service them. “hate openly” seems a weird phrasing here but I kind of like it.
shout out to Elizabeth Weiss of San Jose State no relation. Nanette of the Chron had it kind of bass-ackwards in that in graph 20 or so she says that Professor Weiss will be paid for one year to not teach. That sounds like a win, not a loss. Weiss posted a picture of herself and a skull and the cutline “great to see old friends again” or something; she was the target of a cancel campaign by Native American activists or something. Sometimes when I write something ballsy like this I feel I will get backlash. Like, should I eliminate “d&*^”, “a*&” and *&(**. My letter to council about “Friends of Palo Alto” used growlix for my actual wording.
17 this took me about an hour and 20 revisions and I changed the headline from “quick post” sans cap down style to capital Q and “Quickie” which has the sexual image. OK, Dr. Kinsey or Rodgers Elliot types, what does Freddie Mercury mean when he says “fat bottom girls you make the rockin’ world go round”? which reminds me somehow that I have a confirmed show with Flamin’ Groovies and Sonny Smith but I am not to actually come out of the closet of such until Sonny and them hit the GAMH with WITCH.
Gregg Rolie. His former high school, which closed in 1980, had a reunion today for about 50 members of the Gunn class of ‘81– those who spent two years at each school. “Gregg Rolie” was a clue in a game; he’s an historical figure here, in South Palo Alto. I crashed the party with my old coach and two former teammates. I said I was a concert promoter, bringing a handful of shows this summer to the small amphitheater 50 yards from our picnic area, Mitchell Park (e.g., Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express, Sam Reider Jorge Glemm duo, 7/30/23). One of our teammates remembers baseball with Marc Geiger (SaveLive, William Morris, Lollapalooza— Paly ‘80); Geiger texted me back that he “misses” the guy. They cranked Steve Miller “Fly Like An Eagle” from a boombox or mp3 port. You left out a “G” bossman. Gee. Mark Weiss Earthwise of Palo Alto
I’ve never met Marc Geiger but we’ve been texting since he and Greg Kurstin were at BottleRock talking about Tommy Jordan— Kurstin partner in Geggy Tah. My blog apparently is a source on post-Geggy Tah bandmembers.
Earthwise Productions of Palo Alto is hosting a jazz concert Wednesday at Lucie Stern Community Center Courtyard featuring the jazz combo known as ‘Western Edition’.
‘Western Edition’ combines originals – -written by its members – and covers by forebears such as Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter, plus songs by peers such as Julian Lage and Julian Shore.
Earthwise has produced several concerts this year at places like Mitchell Park Community Center El Palo Alto Room, Lytton Plaza and Palo Alto Art Center. On the schedule are shows — jazz, folk, rock and classical — at Oshman JCC Palo Alto, Johnson Park and Mitchell Park Bowl — all places Earthwise has showcased in recent years. In the 1990s, Earthwise produced 150 show, roughly twice per month, at the old Cubberley High campus – -chiefly in the theatre and the multi-purpose room / cafeteria / auditorium.
But this is Earthwise’s debut at Lucie Stern.
And although its been axiomatic that the Earthwise outdoor shows are free (and the indoors shows either a bargain or free), this show at the Stern courtyard is both outdoors and ticketed — Earthwise uses the ticket revenue to help pay for the outdoor shows.
“I had my 20th Gunn reunion at the Lucie Stern Courtyard, and made note of its features” said Mark Weiss, the Earthwise founder and a former Gunn High basketball player. (note: Mark Weiss is also the author of this post and the owner so to speak of “Plastic Alto” blog — though he is not a founder or equity holder in WordPress which probably technically owns “markweiss86.wordpress.com” and “Plastic Alto” and maybe its content, not that it matters and excuse the digression – -each post gets about 50 views*).
‘Western Edition’ according to the on-sale page at “earthwise'” plus “eventbrite” is a jazz group in the spirit of Snarky Puppy, High Pulp and Cien Mil Mangos (which played Lytton Plaza earlier this month).
It is an unknown band but Weiss said he figures that people will trust his imprimatur since he also has, for example, presented the NorCal debut of blink-182, a rock band that was worth 150 people at $6 each back in 1997 but recently sold out the hockey arena.
“I bought a ticket to the blink show at the Sharktank for $20 even though I was producing a jazz concert at the Mitch and would not attend. Well, twenty bucks plus twenty in fees. I am weird but I guess I can afford to blow that money just for the story, and the connection to blink 182.”
unused Blink 182 ticket I bought for yucks — didn’t notice ‘obstructed view’
Weiss also points out that all people who attend ‘Western Edition’ will be allowed to sit in a chair, provided by the venue and promote. This is not the case for recent jazz shows like Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter at a fancy pants new venue nearby where most of the people have to stand. (And are charged a lot more than $20 per show).
imprimatur means trust us this time like you did before
*fifty readers on average of “Plastic Alto: Earthwise to Host ‘Western Edition’ and as it was such a late add to the schedule, Weiss says he is counting on the blog readers to help fill the house and pay for gas money for the band, road warriors who allegedly are driving back to New York City or New Jersey after the show — I guess if we charged what the Guild charges the band could stay in a hotel room
Wobbly World, presented by Earthwise Productions, is the headliner at the second 3rd Thursdays event, which features a World 🎵 Music theme. Featuring Freddy Clarke of Menlo Park
The new 3rd Thursday music series holds its second event June 15 tomorrow along Palo Alto’s Cali Avenue with an evening of World Music, featuring artists Hobbyhorse, Jazz Before Midnight with Nathan Tokunaga, Top Shelf, Rick Sanders, World Harmony Chorus, Fete Musette, The Planka Band and Aprylle Dawn. Peninsula-based band Wobbly World, which boasts an international lineup of musicians playing an array of international music, is the headliner, presented by Earthwise Productions.
Visitors can stroll between performances, which will all be taking place at the same time along California Avenue and several side streets, “creating a community festival vibe as opposed to a concert,” event producer Carol Garsten said in a press release about the event.
Spearheaded by Garsten, a Barron Park resident with longtime ties to downtown Los Altos’ First Friday music event, the series aims to unite the local community and foster joy among Palo Alto residents.
A plethora of California Avenue businesses, including French bistro La Boheme, Calave wine bar, superfood standby Vitality Bowls and pizzeria Terún, will feature 3rd Thursday specials for listeners to enjoy while they absorb the evening’s melodies and rhythms.
People can also check out other local merchants, who may have extended hours or special offers. Gamelandia will open up its collection of over 500 board games for two hours of free open play. Gallery House holds a sale and gallery members will also be on hand to lead participants through a community art sharing project. The event offers an opportunity to take in the three new murals recently completed during the California Avenue Murals Festival
Weiss with mural artist Olivia Losee-Unger
and to make it all official, a 3rd Thursday ribbon cutting ceremony with Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce takes place at 5:45pm at El Camino Real and California Avenue.
Palo Altans, visitors and their children or pets, can emjoy the beautiful summer weather and support local creatives on California Avenue with an evening of fun for the whole family and our collective soul.
3rd Thursday takes place June 15, 6-9 p.m. in the California Avenue business district, along California Avenue between El Camino Real and Birch Street; on Ash Street between California and Sherman avenues; on Birch Street between California and Cambridge avenues; and from Birch Street down to Park Avenue, Palo Alto. Attendance is free. 3rdthursday.fun.(source: Palo Alto Weekly)
Note: on July 20, the third Third Thursday, Earthwise Productions of Palo Alto, is producing a stage at the festival that will feature Leon Timbo band at 7 pm preceded by Josh Thurston Milgrom Quartet at. 6.
Leon Timbo
Josh Thurston Milgrom
🎵 Palo Alto’s “World Music Day” is actually “fete de la musique” / “make music day” which means it takes advantage of the long summer twilight, features multiple stages of local musicians; its “world(wide)” more than that it features music in Spanish or Portuguese or is from below the equator. Wobbly World does, nonetheless, feature people and themes from Central America and the Middle East.
Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss 