Archive for March 2006
Guilty As Charged
Judging by the weight of my heart, one would think I’d been found guilty. The charge was felony possession of marijuana. The Defendant was a Haitian man, about 40-years-old. He wore a short Afro, tattered khaki sport coat, matching alligator shoes, and a wedding band. There were six witnesses: three cops, two lab chemists, and…
Read MoreForever Youngish
Being on jury duty and all, I’ve had a lot of time to read. And to think. And I’ve been thinking a lot about my generation. In the Nineties, we were tagged with the now-unfortunate label, “Generation X.” Now, I liked Douglas Coupland’s book as much as the next guy. In fact, I recently picked…
Read MoreI The Jury
Apparently, I couldn’t postpone the inevitable any longer. I have deferred my civic duty six times in the last two years. I blew off the first three jury subpoenas figuring I could chock their loss up to a mail snafu (well, I had moved). I ignored a few more. Then came the excuses: bad time…
Read MoreShaking Through
Man, you just never know. I spent last weekend mixing “The Desert Star EP.” The last thing I would have expected to do this weekend is spend it in front of my laptop. But there I was, recording a new song, all weekend. And loving it. Check this out. It’s Saturday afternoon. I’m taking a…
Read MoreReality Bites
There’s a spot on the hill above campus where we used to go. Sometimes we’d take a forty, or a fatty. Other times we’d pack a picnic, and sit there in the car with some sandwiches, some songs, and the view. All of Syracuse sprawled out below us. It wasn’t much of a skyline, really…
Read MoreHomecoming King
I’m going back to school. I haven’t been back to Syracuse in something like ten years. It was circa “Out Of Your Head,” which should tell you something about how long ago it was. Eric Gilman, Paul Perreault, my brother, Chris, and I play were on a small tour through the Northeast. We had a…
Read MoreEverything I’m Cracked Up To Be
On paper, my weekend might look like a bust. But in person, it was everything I’m cracked up to be. Somewhere along the way, we’re taught to look for plumes, fireworks, earthquakes and thunder. But the angels in the atmosphere are distant. Their chorus is far off and faint. We hear it only when we…
Read MoreThe Count
I feel like Edmund Dantes: locked behind iron bars, stuck in a cell high above the city, wind-whipped and exhausted. After four hours of mixing “Angels In The Atmosphere” last night, my headphones were crushing my glasses into my temples like a medieval torture device. Still, vengeance will be mine when I unleash this EP…
Read MoreClouds
The wind was terrible and swift last night. The walls buckled and swayed. The rainspout slammed against the stucco. The window panes threatened to pop from their frames. It was another long, cold, sleepless night. My apartment felt haunted. I mixed “Carmelita.” I listened to it over and over for two hours straight before committing…
Read MoreCalling All Angels
It began with a celebration, and ended with a nightmare. I prepared my taxes today, and discovered that it was a banner year for Benjamin Wagner Deluxe, LLC. I nearly broke even. For that reason, and on account of the good fortune that I received a mysterious direct deposit of $117.67, I decided to celebrate.…
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