57: Security

I still remember, like it was yesterday, one of the biggest disappointments of my life. It was in 1986 - May 19th, to be exact, and I had excitedly gone out to Free Being records on Second Ave to get my copy of the long awaited new Peter Gabriel record, which was called So on its day of release. (Don’t get squirrely - I don’t actually remember the date, I looked it up, but I did get the album on the first day it was out. I know that!) It was the first Peter Gabriel record to have a title (ok, so in the US, those in power had decided the 4th album needed to be called “Security”, but in the rest of the world it was just Peter Gabriel 4 and that’s the way I’ve always referred to it). Now, it’s cute, but So, of course, is the fifth note on the Do-Re-Me scale, so it was a tongue in cheek thing, but still it was a change. So… I picked up my shiny new vinyl record and hurried home to listen. And I was amazed. This was… pleasant. Where was the angst? The pounding drums? Sure, the silky yet gravelly voice was still commanding, but the tunes were, mostly, happy? I don’t think I had ever been so crushed by an album release before. This record had <gasp> commercial potential! Now, to be fair, this album has held up quite well, and in retrospect, it’s still a pretty good album (one of the better releases of the 80’s in general) with some great tunes on it. But in 1986, at 23 years old, I was devastated by the - what I considered at the time - utter banality of the record. It was nothing at all like its precursor, and that’s what I chose to listen to this morning - to begin again my sensory therapy, which had been ignored for too long.

If you ever convince me to actually name the most important records of my formative years, it is quite likely that I’ll mention the impact of the fourth Peter Gabriel album (and also the 3rd which I think I’ve written about before). 4 came out in 1982, when I was 19. I was not a happy 19, and 4 fit my mood quite well. To many casual listeners, Paul Simon’s Graceland from 1986 signified the creation of Afro-Pop (which is a horrible term). Notwithstanding all the amazing music actually created in Africa for years before I’d say the song Biko, from the amazing 3rd album by Gabriel - released in 1980 was one of my first forays into the westernization of African Music and preceded the Simon album by 6 years. (And let’s not forget Cream drummer Ginger Baker’s band African Force from the early 70’s or his work with Fela Anikulapo Kuti among other innovations.) And while Biko is a great song and has a really strong political message behind it (which should still be especially resonant today), 4 brings the tribal beats and worldly integration up another notch. Now, there are those that will cry about cultural appropriation. I don’t really subscribe to this train of thought. Most great art is an expansion or integration of other art. As I’ve written in the past, you can’t really have any great “American” music without Africa or the Caribbean. And unlike, say, Led Zeppelin, who blatantly stole their songs from blues artists, tweaked them a bit and sold them as their own creations, Gabriel honors the music and people of other cultures with his music. Perhaps we might, as a nation, get back into that mindset? Honoring other cultures? I dunno. It might help with all the toxic bullshit floating around the world these days…

Anyhoo… PG4 starts out with some synthesizer washes (much of the album was created on the then novel but now dated Fairlight CMI) before launching into the percussive power of The Rhythm Of The Heat. A super strong opening song, ending with the howling refrain “The Rhythm Has My Soul….” before ending with a percussive frenzy. When I saw this band live at the storied Palladium on 14th St. in NYC in 1982, they put on an engaging show that started from the back of the auditorium with the full band walking through the audience playing various African percussion instruments, and ..Rhythm…was the opening number. For me though, the song of the album is the second, San Jacinto, which, while relating the story of an indigenous boy’s rite of passage, explores the exploitation and commercialization of the Native American culture. It is also one of the most vocally expressive pieces of music I know and cements for me, upon each listen, that Gabriel has one of the great singing voices of all time. Lyrically, the album touches upon themes like the aforementioned native American exploitation, the treatment of political prisoners, psychologist Carl Jung’s experiences in Kenya and more. A deep album from all perspectives, and one that has stood the test of time for me quite well. It was a welcome journey back into my light/sound therapy, and I realized just how much I’ve missed that routine. I won’t let it slip again!

I just want to take a moment here to mention Playing For Change. They are a non-profit organization that (among other things) pairs musicians from all over the world up to recreate famous songs. Their mission is simple - and very close to my heart. Use music to bring people together. They are an organization well worth supporting - and many of their videos are available on their Songs Around The World YouTube playlist including their take on Gabriel’s Biko. If you love music, and you love culture, it’s well worth a few hours of your time to listen to some of these renditions. Who knows, if you’re fond of diving deep into musical rabbit holes like I am, you might find someone new to love. I just did - by listening to the PFC version of Led Zeppelin’s (appropriately credited) track When The Levee Breaks, I discovered Buffalo Nichols, and now I own both of his records! I’ve also become quite interested in Italian slide guitar player, Roberto Luti - but I’ve not seen anything of his outside the PFC content.

Despite the rather anxious tone of my last post, I really had a wonderful time in Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Italy over the past few weeks. I’m happy (as are my cats) to be home though, and ready to get really focused on writing the book - as long as speaking engagements don’t get in the way. (Good problem to have!) I had infusion number 28 yesterday. Again, “one stick” Catia to the rescue. She went in with no hesitation, and got me on the first try! She’s totally my favorite! And I told her that. Otherwise, no issues to speak of.

One of the other positives to come out of my recent trip was the opportunity to chat with Pickle’s parents (and uncles, aunts and grandparents). They have some illness issues of their own - but are both my equal in their desire to work both within and outside the system. We talked a lot about alternatives and other methods of care, and they highly recommended using coconut oil instead of other oils. This had never crossed my research path before, so I looked it up, and sure enough, there have been some small studies that have shown that there is potential that the medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) found within might have some energy benefit to brain cells. However, there is a higher level of saturated fat than in the oils that I currently use (olive or avocado), so again - one must weigh the risks. High cholesterol is bad for the brain - that’s proven, but some studies show potential benefit to the brain from the MCT. This sounds like another question for my (good) neurologist, who I’m in the process of putting a list together for! The new in-laws swear by it though. Our illnesses are focused on different parts of the body, but it is always nice (?) to meet others who are exploring options.

The speaking opportunities are still coming my way. I got offered a “gig” at a brain exercise conference in the big(ish) city, which I accepted immediately. I’ll, of course, speak to anyone who wants me to, but this seems like something that is really worthwhile, and I’m excited to see what comes of it. I’ll know more details soon.

I had a disappointing experience with a clinical trial, which I did all the prerequisite work for (quite a bit, I’ll add) and then was told that I was eligible, but the trial was full. That’s not a good way to do business, especially when you’re asking for volunteers to put an unknown substance in their bodies. Now it’s also possible that the fault lies with my Primary Care team, who, I was told, never sent any of the requested medical info over, despite my (and the trial team) asking multiple times. I’ve got an appointment with them in 2 weeks, and I intend to stress the importance of these trials and ensure that they comply immediately with any requests for records. If it is the case that the trials’ interest in me waned because of the lack of follow-through, I’ll be super pissed. I’ll probably never know though.

There’s some other stuff coming up - some of which I can’t speak on yet - but suffice to say that right now, life is full, and I’m living it well!

Thanks for reading,

Dy.