03/29/2022

It has been a long time, Gentle Reader(s)—longer than I care to reflect—since I last posted any ruminations regarding whatever the heck has gotten stuck in my thinky-thing. Perhaps the reason for this hiatus, or at least part of the reason, is that there’s just so much… stuff. Personally and otherwise. Another day, another challenge, another outrage to decency, common sense, humanity—whatever. Where does one begin?    Personally and otherwise, I have been stunned and horrified by Russia’s brutal and inhuman invasion of Ukraine. Of course it’s not extraordinary to see suffering, suppression, oppression and horror in this world—there’s more than enough to go around. But being who I am, with all of the innate socio-cultural baggage that being Me entails, I find my response to a land war in Europe to be particularly visceral. I’ll admit: When the horror is taking place in Africa or Asia or Latin America or wherever it’s easier for me to maintain some sort of intellectual and emotional distance from it all. It’s sort of a ‘Oh my God, that’s so awful, but…’ response. The ’but…’ being that my prejudice, to some degree, is that the people being murdered in Ukraine look more like me. I’m not proud of that. I know it’s not an excuse, but I’m just trying to be truthful here. I do what I can with the resources available to me to try and make the world a slightly better place. I could certainly do more. We could all do more.   Having said that, why in the world would I be moved to write something about the spectacle that unfolded at the 94th Academy Awards last night? The reason might be because of the immediacy of it. Because I saw it right there in my living room on the ol’ Sony idiot box—live, give or take nine seconds. Like a lot of folks—including people right there in the Dolby Theater—at first I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Was this a scripted ‘bit’? Will Smith—the smiling, perpetual good guy, mainstream feature film actor—smacking the shit out of Chris Rock?? That can’t be real, right? 
08/30/2021

Can you believe that it's been over a year since I started working on this series? Hard to believe on the one hand, but not so hard on the other, I guess. There's been a few... distractions, shall we say, Humble Reader(s), along the line but all good things come to those to wait. Or perhaps to those who have nothing better to do? I know that YOU, of all people, have better things to do, but as for myself... well, I'm not so sure. This might be the best thing I can do, so it's a damn good thing that I'm finally getting it done.   Now, I know this is at cross-purposes of a sort, but one of the distractions that I've been dealing with is the previously mentioned exhibition of my dad's work at the Historic New Orleans Collection in my benighted hometown (which is, at this very moment, having its collective ass kicked by hurricane Ida). As part of that exhibition I created a 22-minute film which I have to say I'm fairly proud of. If you've got 22 minutes that you've nothing better to do with (see above) I hope you might find that if you watch my cinematic offering you might not despair of having squandered those precious minutes too carelessly. One hopes. So here's the link to my dad's website and its News page where the film is embedded, via the good graces of YouTube. I hope that you enjoy: https://johnclemmer.com/news   In the meantime, the show must go on and so here it is: The final installment of The Shows that Mattered. Hopefully the future will offer more Shows That Matter and one day there will be a part The Quatre, but let us not get ahead of ourselves.
07/26/2021

This July finds Your Humble Narrator back in his steamy ancestral stomping grounds of New Orleans, attending to activities relative to the opening of a long-awaited exhibition of work by his late, great father, the highly regarded painter and sculptor, John Clemmer. Over five years in the planning and accompanied by a lovely exhibition catalogue, you can find all the relevant info by following the link over to the News page at johnclemmer.com.   But, monumental and earth shaking though this news is, that is not why I have gathered us all here together on this auspicious occasion. No, Gentle Reader(s), today we are convened for a different matter entirely: The announcement of a singular discovery of High Import in the worlds of Biology, Evolutionary Theory and Batture Studies. I am here today to announce to the world a newly identified species of critter: The Louisiana Batture Dingo. ‘What?’ you say? ‘How is this possible? How can this be??’ Well, I can assure you, Gentle Reader(s), that it be. I shite thee not.
10/11/2020

Here, as promised, Gentle Reader(s), is the long awaited, much anticipated, second installment of the compilation of performances that have withstood the test of time and stand out as watershed musical events in the estimation of Your Humble Narrator. It's quite the eclectic mix, ranging from the outer limits of avant grade jazz to the body slam of American hardcore in its bareknuckle heyday. And, praise be on high, it's not over yet. There is sufficient material for a Part the Troisiéme, lawd hep us all, so stay tuned for the final installment in the days/weeks/months to come. Wilco, Saccharine Trust, Gang of Four, Lucinda Williams, Yo La Tengo and more are yet to have their day.   But for now, I give to you the Shows that Mattered, Part the Deux:
07/21/2020

And now, Gentle Reader(s), for something perhaps not completely different, but somewhat different nonetheless. I have been ruminating upon the concerts that I have attended in the ebb and flow of my approximately 21,000 Days on Earth and have decided to give you a breakdown of the ones that had the most impact on me in terms of my enjoyment, enlightenment, and overall significance. My presence at some of these events was carefully planned in advance and in others instances the result of spontaneous decisions or pure happenstance. Some of these shows took place in arenas and vast halls and others were in tiny venues with a bare handful of people in attendance. One way or the other, these are the shows that made a significant impression at the time and have stuck with me over the many years. It’s a pretty wildly diverse collection of performances but that’s the way Your Humble Narrator rolls, yo.   I give you The Shows That Mattered, Part the First:
06/15/2020

What a couple of weeks it has been, Gentle Reader(s), since the last DJ Inky playlist. In Santa Fe and in cities and towns all over the world the people—and I mean EVERY kind of people we got—have taken to the streets and they continue to do so on a daily basis, keeping the momentum going and the outrage over the killing of George Floyd alive. There has been a lot of speculation in the press regarding the extraordinary energy of this movement, about what has made the response to this tragedy different from the many that have preceded it. It's hard to know with certainty, but my take is that we have arrived at a crossroads of a sort, precipitated by a unique combination of circumstances. The pressure built up from months of coronavirus quarantine (and the Orange Goblin's disastrously bungled response to the pandemic), the heightened political environment of a momentously significant election year, the cumulative rage from yet another brutal video of a black man dying senselessly on the street, and the Orange Goblin administration's relentless assault on democracy and decency have all come together at this moment. Maybe, just maybe, enough is finally enough.
06/03/2020

Gentle Reader(s), I greet you once again from Lockdown atop Chango Hill in La Ciudad Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis. Greetings & peace.   It's a bit hard to comprehend the degree to which an already fraught and anxious situation has become exponentially more so over the course of just one week. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis has once again pushed the inequities and violence of America against people of color to the forefront of the national conversation (if there actually is anything resembling a 'national conversation' these days) and protestors have once again taken to the streets to exercise their civic right—their civic duty—to stand up and speak out. In the unprecedented context of a global pandemic, months of quarantine, a starkly divided country, and an election year the murder of yet another unarmed black man in plain view of the world might just prove to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. The murder of George Floyd comes hard on the heels of the revelations regarding the vigilante murder of Ahmaud Arbrey in Brunswick, Georgia, back in February and it seems that across the country, and across the world, people in ever greater numbers are turning out to make it clear that enough is enough is enough. Again.
04/07/2020

Welcome back, Gentle Reader(s), to your fave rave online resource for... for whatever it is we offer to you here. Like arty stuff and such like. But let's forget about the arty farty stuff for a moment and get down to brass tacks: We remain in the throes of Lockdown and enforced solitude is quite likely beginning to weigh a bit heavily upon many of us. While I don't have any ready solutions to offer for our current state of Heavy Manners I can extend to you DJ Inky's Social Distance Dance Party, Part the Deux—tried and trusted toons from the expansive dancefloor of Ye Olde Matador Bar & Lounge. With any luck it might provide a bit of welcome distraction from the myriad woes and worries of the day. I find getting up and moving about to be an essential tonic—it can do nothing but good for you & yours as well, just don't trip over the pets or the furniture or your fellow inmates.
03/26/2020

Welcome, Gentle Reader(s), to DJ Inky's exclusive Shelter In Place playlist. Your Humble Narrator has been ruminating over this selection for several days now, adding and subtracting, refining the vibe as it were, for optimal effect. And what effect might that be, you might ask. Well you might. The effect that I'm aiming for is somewhat multifaceted, encompassing acknowledgement of the unprecedented parameters of the current situation, the sober realities of isolation, expressions of the desire for human connection, and hope for the future.
03/20/2020

This is it, Gentle Reader(s)—the last full DJ Inky set list to see the light of day (figuratively speaking) before the Lockdown took effect. There was an abbreviated set on the evening of March 12, but with scant attendance and concerns of pandemonia hovering ominously about the town, Your Humble Narrator decided to let discretion be the better part of valor and repair back home to the Inky Aerie shortly after the stroke of midnight. Amongst the sparse attendees on 3/12 were three short, boisterous women, one of whom was insistent in loudly proclaiming to all and sundry ‘We’re from Texas! We’re from TEXAS!!!’ My response was, ‘Do I come to you with my problems?’