lotus feet

Steve Vai, Real Illusions: Reflections

I'll let him do the talking about this one:

http://www.vai.com/realillusions/index.html

Excerpt, in the man's own words:

Real Illusions: Reflections is the first part of a multilayered menagerie of vignettes based on the amplified mental exaggerations of a truth-seeking madman who sees the world... Oh, never mind.

Of course, track 7 is the centerpiece, & I didn't know what the title meant either, so go here:

http://www.vai.com/realillusions/07lotusfeet_sublime.html
'
OK, excerpt, the words of Laurel Fishman:

The true meaning of the phrase "lotus feet" is transcendental, not readily grasped by intellect alone.

A student or follower in a tradition of higher truth, a disciple of a spiritual teacher, master, saint or guru, or the devotee of a particular deity or lord can express humility, surrender, devotion, deference, dedication and love by worshiping, contemplating or meditating upon the lotus feet of his chosen spiritual teacher, etc. In these ways, communion with the divine is established.

Yeah, that.

Steve Vai is a true artist--mayhaps a genius--& I am just a little happier & more thoughtful every day that I take the time to listen to his music.

Juniors:
Red Jacket was not simply talking about religion there, by the way.

We had a really cool theoretical day, applying thought to reading &, well, to thinking, also.

Quotation courtesy of Meshuggah's guitarist . . . you don't get that stuff anywhere else.

Anyway, think about your preconceptions whilst or after reading, listening, & viewing.

Sophomores:
NOUNS!!

Common & proper.

Concrete & abstract.

Collective.

People, places, & things.

Ideas.

(by the way, up there, "lotus" is the adj. & "feet" the n.)

FORWARD!!!

be cool

Vai, burgers, Beaker, octopodes

Steve Vai, Fire Garden

Another fantastic record, though a few more vocals than I really like. (Exception: "All About Eve," a tremendous song w/ great vocal performance.)

Album sectioned in 2 "phases" (kind of like the "sides" we used to have on these "vinyl record" things--ask your parents), & I like the 1st phase better (yep, fewer vocals).

Highlights: track 7, "Hand on Heart," & another masterpiece, "Fire Garden Suite." Pretty much, is a song has "suite" in the title, it will be great or terrible; this is the former.

SIDE (FAMILY) NOTE ALERT:
Got a few gift cards for Christmas, & spent 2 today.  At Rhino Records I picked up a Michael Hedges retrospective, Beyond Boundaries: Guitar Solos" . . .& since I can;t buy myself anything w/out giving some love to the family, I let the kids choose some toys.

The list:
Aodhan--a toy gun that shoots out a "BANG" flag; also, some plastic dog poop
Finbar--toy handcuffs (I have NO idea why, but he's been arresting his brothers all evening)
Cedric--rubber-band shooter

Don't know why they were all guns-&-arresting, but, we have fun.

Also, picked the lovely wife up some "zombie mints":



& a "Beeker" air freshener:


Finally, thanks from my family to the good folks of 1st period--we enjoyed some excellent Chili's burgers tonight.

Juniors:

Library for Ooper (aka Handbook--look at the cover).

You MUST read the poem "To His Coy Mistress" & the short story"Young Goodman Brown" by Monday 10 January.

You'll find 'em on pages 299-315, or full text online.

We will look at the Prologue tomorrow & discuss the "precritical response."

& remember, it's octopuses, though octopi & octopodes are lesser but acceptable.

Sophomores:
Grammar, here in the form of parts of speech, specifically nouns.

Nouns name persons, places, & things (I consider "ideas" to be "things").

More tomorrow.

be cool

more Vai, alive

Steve Vai, Alive in an  Ultra World

Recorded on his band's tour for The Ultra Zone, this album is quite cool because Vai wrote each song "for" a particular country & often incorporated imagery, sounds, & musicality from each.

Yep, 2 days of Vai, & we're going all week.

Dude is that awesome, he deserves it.

Absolute highlight here, as mentioned yesterday, is "Whispering a Prayer" (song for Ireland, by the way--how cool is that).

Having seen Vai live several times w/ various projects, I will maintain the absolute apex of my Vai experience has been sitting at The Greek w/ my lovely wife for the performance of "Whispering a Prayer."

My wife rules.

If you ain't checked this song out yet, well, geeeeez . . . .

From his dvd Live at the Astoria:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KUSkGeaUPU

Dude got crazy guitar-face & the fan gets a tad cheesy, but that's as far as I will go in negative criticism, cuz he's the absolute master.

2 more of my favorites: "The Black Forest" (song for Germany) & "Brandos Costumes (Gentle Ways)" (song for Portugal).

Check 'em out.

Juniors:
Jonathan Franzen, the man who fears no Oprah.

By the way, read his books--he's great.

Also, the idea of interpretation, the reader's responsibility.

& yes, you have a great responsibility when reading a text . . . which makes many of you quite happy.

& of, course . . . disturbs some of you.

Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, by Jonathan Culler.

Mulholland Dr, Donnie Darko, The Corrections, Family Guy, The Simpsons . . . just a few of today's allusions

ID tomorrow, to pick up copies of A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature.


Sophomores:
Finished the final.

Began a glance at grammar, a diagnostic look at your ability to note parts of speech in action.

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, get your adverbs here

Rufus Xavier Sarsparilla can really wear you down

Unpack your adjectives

Conjunction Junction, what;s your function?

Grammar Rock

be cool

for the love of god

Steve Vai, Passion & Warfare

When he got the gig w/ David Lee Roth after DLR left Van Halen, most of us were skeptical.

Then we heard him play.

Unbelievable, & he has, if anything, improved w/ age. Dude can do anything, including orchestration now.

Frank Zappa was his mentor, & the influence is readily heard on all his work.

This one contains 1 of my 5 favorite guitar instrumentals, "For the Love of God."

(Though, I must say that years later he almost trumped that 1 w/ "Whispering a Prayer"; & as a final note, I suggest to you his album called The 7th Song, because Vai traditionally puts his centerpiece song as track 7, & all of them qualify as "fantastic," amazing," &/or "gorgeous."

& as a final final note--especially for those of you who are not as guitar-obsessed as some of us--Mike Kenneally  released a tremendous album titled Steve Vai Piano Reductions Vol. 1 in which he takes these intricate, huge  compositions & reinterprets them as 1 dude w/ 1 piano.

Beautiful.

Juniors:
Theory.

I absolutely love this stuff.

In short: why?

Then some more why?

(Ad infinitum).

(Or, maybe, "ad nauseum")

Religion.

Time.

You were introduced to the idea of the cultural/literary research, & you know that January is your month for choosing, reading, & researching, & February is your month for putting it all together & writing.

This will be tough & fun (well, "English-student" fun, not real fun . . . )

Remember: it's up to you, & I am here to guide, help to focus & then edit & sometimes proofread.

YES!!!


Sophomores:
We got the "Do Now" in, resolution-style.

We went over the 1st 1/2 of the ALHS English sophomore final.

Some of you all are in different periods, & I can barely recognize you.

Let's do this thing properly this semester. OK?

be cool