Before this class I didn't really pay attention to Nirvana, I knew that Kurt Cobain committed suicide and that Cortney Love was in some way associated with him.  Since I'm not a big fan of suicide or Cortney Love, I pretty much just assumed Nirvana wasn't for me.  I always heard the name a lot and I know that I had heard their music but I couldn't begin to name a song.  After we listened to them in class, I went to buy one of their CDs, this was one of the first CDs that I had bought in months! 

Rory Gallagher was an Irish blues rock guitar great who sold more than 30 million albums and is considered one of the greatest musicians Ireland has ever produced. Sadly he died at 47, partly due to years of substance abuse.

From allmusic.com: For a career that was cut short by illness and a premature death, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Rory Gallagher sure accomplished a lot in the blues music world. Although Gallagher didn't tour the U.S. nearly enough, spending most of his time in Europe, he was known for his no-holds-barred, marathon live shows at clubs and theaters around the United States. Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Irish Republic, on March 2, 1948. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Cork City in the south, and at age nine he became fascinated with American blues and folk singers he heard on the radio. An avid record collector, he had a wide range of influences, including Leadbelly, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. Gallagher would always try to mix some simple country blues songs into his recordings. Gallagher began his recording career after moving to London, when he formed a trio called Taste. The group's self-titled debut album was released in 1969 in England and later picked up for U.S. distribution by Atco/Atlantic. Between 1969 and 1971, with producer Tony Colton behind the board, Gallagher recorded three albums with Taste before they split up. Gallagher began performing under his own name in 1971, after recording his 1970 debut, Rory Gallagher for Polydor Records in the U.K. The album was picked up for U.S. distribution by Atlantic Records, and later that year he recorded Deuce, also released by Atlantic in the U.S. His prolific output continued, as he followed up Deuce with Live in Europe (1972) and Blueprint and Tattoo, both in 1973. Irish Tour 1974, like Live in Europe, did a good job of capturing the excitement of his live shows on tape, and he followed that with Calling Card for Chrysalis in 1976, and Photo Finish and Jinx for the same label in 1978 and 1982. By this point Gallagher had made several world tours, and he took a few years rest from the road. He got back into recording and performing live again with the 1987 release (in the U.K.) of Defender. His last album, Fresh Evidence, was released in 1991 on the Capo/I.R.S. label. Capo was his own record and publishing company that he set up in the hopes of eventually exposing other great blues talents. Some of Gallagher's best work on record wasn't under his own name; it's stuff he recorded with Muddy Waters on The London Sessions (Chess, 1972) and with Albert King on Live (RCA/Utopia). Gallagher made his last U.S. tours in 1985 and 1991, and admitted in interviews that he'd always been a guitarist who fed off the instant reaction and feedback a live audience can provide. In a 1991 interview, he told this writer: "I try to sit down and write a Rory Gallagher song, which generally happens to be quite bluesy. I try to find different issues, different themes and different topics that haven't been covered before...I've done songs in all the different styles...train blues, drinking blues, economic blues. But I try to find a slightly different angle on all these things. The music can be very traditional, but you can sort of creep into the future with the lyrics." Gallagher passed away from complications owing to liver transplant surgery on June 14, 1995, at age 47. For a good introduction to his unparalleled prowess as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, pick up Irish Tour 1974, Calling Card, or Fresh Evidence, all available on compact disc. - Richard Skelly

Sometimes I lives in the country.
Sometimes I lives in town.
Sometimes I has a great notion
to jump in the river and drown.
--Leadbelly

h/t RT

Black Betty actually has a pretty fascinating history. It was field recorded in 1933 by John and Alan Lomax at Central State Prison Farm in Sugar Land, Texas; it was sung by James Baker, also known as Iron Head, then a convict serving time there. It was first recorded commercially by Huddie Ledbetter - better known to you and me as Lead Belly - in 1939. The lyrics and an interesting interpretation of them are here.

Wikipedia lists no less than 19 covers since then, and that's probably an incomplete list. You're probably most familiar with the 1977 Ram Jam version, which hit No. 18 on the United States pop charts. But then, maybe not, because that's a hell of a lot of covers.

Incidentally, there's been some controversy about whether Black Betty is racist. The answer to that, of course, is: I have no idea. This is what Black Betty sounds like to me:

Whoa, Black Betty! Bam-a-lam!
Whoa, Black Betty! Bam-a-lam!
Something something something! Bam-a-lam!
Something something something! Bam-a-lam!
(guitars)
(repeat nine billion times)

Here's the original Leadbelly version, sung a capella (far as I can tell), with Ledbetter beating the off-beat on the back of his guitar. Interesting choice of video courtesy of AbsintheColour.

Here's the version that probably everyone knows best: the Ram Jam version, complete with a clumsy instrumental that trips up the whole song, off their 1977 self-titled album. Courtesy of toddski.

Ha Ha Tonka's cover is basically a leaner version of Ram Jam's... and a singer who simply owns the song.

Courtesy of jessicalyn84.

Spiderbait's cover, from 2004 (single avialable at Sanity), is bascially a lo-fi southern rock version of Ram Jam (which is a little odd, as they're Australian), but with a mid-course instrumental that avoids going "clunk". The video has an old black Ford cutting donuts, which is always a good thing. And the drummer beats the Ford in a dragrace with his mad skins skeelz! Courtesy of readerr0r.

And here's the funkalicious Tom Jones version, released on a 2002 single with I Who Have Nothing. It replaces the instrumental with some slower singing. You'll think I'm crazy, but I like this version. And he mentions Leadbelly, too. Courtesy of 10DaNa10.

Meatloaf decided to release his own cover in 2006 as a single. The result? Well, he's still got the pipes for Black Betty, but his backing band sounds like they're sleepwalking through it. And the video... well, let's just say I saw Richard Wagner sit straight up in his grave and say, "Oy vey, and ya thought I vas overblown!" (Methinks Tim Curry didn't give back the subtlety part of Meatloaf's brain once shooting on The Rocky Horror Picutre Show ended)

Courtesy of mimisch.

And from the folks that brought you Jesus Built My Hotrod, Ministry, comes this version of Black Betty on 2008's Cover Up. It's got it's thrash dials cranked all the way up to 11 and is good if you ever need music to smash your head into a brick wall to. But they've still got that damn midsong instrumental!

Courtesy of lolos80.

When I got home I went into my room and dropped the needle on "Bleach". I was blown away. The sound was so rich and full I felt like they were in my room. Sub Pop's use of the 180 Gram Vinyl was a stroke of genius because it provides the best sound possible. A regular vinyl already provides a better sound than CDs, but the thicker vinyl gets better grooves and the needle picks them up better. The only way the sound could have been better would to be on the needle picking up the vibrations myself.

Sound ranges I had never heard on "Bleach" before came in crystal clear. Tracy Marander's front cover photo is so detailed on the 12 inch cover. The inner circle art on Side A gives us the old school Nirvana logo they used before adopting their infamous logo for the "Bleach" release. Side B has the artwork for The Seven Layers of Hell from Dante's Inferno. The ONLY drawback to this vinyl is that it does not include "Big Cheese" or "Downer". I did not expect it to have "Downer" because it was not included on the original pressings of the vinyl, tape, or CD of "Bleach", but I would have liked "Big Cheese" especially since it was the B-Side to their first single. Oh well, still highly recommended.

Todd

Dans le désordre...

1. The White Stripes - Jolene (Dolly Parton)
2. The White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (Burt Bacharach)
3. The White Stripes - Conquest (Corky Robbins)
4. The White Stripes - Baby Brother (Vern Orr)
5. The White Stripes - One More Cup Of Coffee (Bob Dylan)
6. The White Stripes - Rated X (Loretta Lyn)
7. The White Stripes - Walking With a Ghost (Tegan & Sara)
8. The White Stripes - Party Of Special Things To Do (Captain Beefheart)
9. The White Stripes - Black Jack Davey (Bob Dylan)
10. The White Stripes - Shelter of Your Arms (Greenhornes)
11. The White Stripes - House of the Rising Sun (Bob Dylan)
12. The White Stripes - Get Rhythm (Johnny Cash)
13. The White Stripes - Moonage Daydream (David Bowie)
14. The White Stripes - My Little Red Book (Burt Bacharach)
15. The White Stripes - Who's To Say (Dan Miller, Blanche)
16. The White Stripes - Isis (Bob Dylan)
17. The White Stripes - Love Sick (Bob Dylan)
18. The White Stripes - Lord, Send Me An Angel (Blind Willie McTell)
19. The White Stripes - China Pig (Captain Bee fheart)
20. The White Stripes - Ashtray Heart (Captain Beefheart)
21. The White Stripes - Stop Breaking Down (Robert Johnson)
22. The White Stripes - Good To Me (Brendan Benson)
23. The White Stripes - Tennessee Border (Hank Williams)
24. The White Stripes - Folk Singer (Brendan Benson)
25. The White Stripes - Outlaw Blues (Bob Dylan) -Youtube
26. The White Stripes - Death Letter (Son House) -Youtube
27. The White Stripes - De Ballit Of De Boll Weevil (Leadbelly cover) -Youtube
28. The White Stripes - St. James Infirmary Blues (Traditional/Louis Armstrong)
29. The White Stripes - Your Southern Can Is Mine (Blind Willie McTell)

Source ultime ICI et ICI

1. Jack Johnson - We're Going To Be Friends
2. Jack Johnson - My Doorbell
3. Vyvienne Long - Seven Nation Army
4. Long Goners - Ball & Biscuit
5. Bree Sharp - We Are Gonna Be Friends
6. KT Tunstall - My Doorbell
7. Nikka Costa - The Denial Twist
8. The Sleepwalkers - Seven nation army
9. The Dead 60s - Seven Nation Army
10. Dynamics - Seven Nation Army
11. Audioslave - Seven Nation Army -Youtube
12. Kate Nash - Seven Nation Army
13. Hard-Fi - Seven Nation Army
14. Cat Power- I Want to Be the Boy
15. Bushwalla - Hotel Yorba
16. Flaming Lips - Seven Nation Army
17. Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army -Youtube
18. Damien Rice - Seven Nation Army
19. Charlotte Church & The Brand New Heavies - Seven Nation Army -Youtube
20. Drap En Hund - Seven Nation Army
21. Vivek Shraya - Seven Nation Army
22. Jamie Cullum - Seven Nation Army -Youtube
23. Bob Dylan - Ball and Biscuit (Ft. Jack White)
24. Punk Division - Seven Nation Army -Youtube
25. BB Brunes - Seven Nation Army -Youtube
26. Living Colour - Seven nation army -Youtube
27. Mary Shelley Overdrive - The Hardest Button to Button
28. Joss Stone - Fell in Love With A Boy
29. Long Goners - My doorbell
30. Glambeats Corp. - Seven Nation Army
31. Chris Thile - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

Voir aussi LA

Ps: La plupart de ces liens sont des lienS Youtube, et sincèrement, vu la qualité de certains, je ne m'amuserai pas à les riper...

Nel 1969, il gruppo californiano capitanato da Jim Morrison, pubblica il suo quarto album: "The Soft Parade". La traccia numero 7 è "Runnin' Blue", è stata scritta dal suddetto Krieger, e comincia così:

Poor Otis dead and gone,
Left me here to sing his song,
Pretty little girl with the red dress on,
Poor Otis dead and gone.

e nella seconda strofa è chiaro il riferimento a (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay:

Well, I've got the Runnin' Blues,
Runnin' away, back to L.A.
Got to find the dock of the bay,
Maybe find it back in L.A.

[audio=http://ansard.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/07-runninblue.mp3]

Attraverso uno stile diverso dai precedenti, i Doors fanno di "The Soft Parade" uno dei loro migliori album: "Runnin' Blue" è un pregevole mix di Rock, Rhythm&Blues e Country, reso unico dall'inconfondibile voce di Jim Morrison.

Una curiosità: Robby Krieger quando ha messo giù questo pezzo aveva ben in mente "Poor Howard", qui interpretata dal grande Leadbelly, che comincia così:

Ol' Howard, po' boy
Ol' Howard he is dead an' gone
left me here to sing this song
left me here to sob and mourn

Pretty little girl with a red dress on
God knows, pretty little girl with a red dress on

[Ricordo che per ascoltare i brani linkati (quelli in verde) è sufficiente passarci sopra il mouse e cliccare play nel pop-up che appare]

Last week I showed different versions of the same song: for example, Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"...

...and Nirvana's cover during their MTV Unplugged performance.

Your assignment is to make a post doing something similar: compare and contrast two versions of the same song. I want you to practice describing the sound of a song -- what sonic similarities and differences can you note? How do those differences change the meaning of the song? Finally, which version strikes you as more authentic? It's ok if you are still unsure about what qualifies as authentic; authenticity has many different definitions, so your job is to explain your own take on authenticity through the examples you use. This post should contain lots of original writing by you -- this is about your thoughts and opinions!

I strongly recommend incorporating examples of the music in your post. Youtube and Google Video are your best bets. You might also find a streaming version on a website that you can link to. Many streaming songs can be found on imeem.com as well.

Don't forget to tag and categorize your posts! You can always find my assignments under the "Class Content" category.

boomp3.com

Per altra banda, els espirituals del segle XIX ja juguen amb els ritmes i sons del tren com a ornamentació musical; un recurs que no deixarà mai d’emprar-se en el folk americà. La tornada de Freight train blues, un tema popular enregistrat entre molts per Bob Dylan en el seu primer àlbum homònim, així ho demostra:boomp3.com

Només uns exemples d’una utilització que apareix amb una insistència formidable en el cançoner de molts altres grans songsters i bluesmen. Així el cas del Too too train blues de Big Bill Broonzy:boomp3.com, 
o d’altres que ara em venen a la memòria.
Els rastres notabilíssims d’una presència sense la qual seria impossible entendre la cultura tradicional dels Estats Units i que els grans i ràpids trens d’alta velocitat i la vida moderna potser hagin apaivagat, però de cap manera esborrat del seu imaginari.

My interest in the Dolceola was piqued this past weekend when I discovered an 1870 Zither while rummaging through a flea market. Opening the worn hand painted box I had no idea what was under the torn frays of hand written music sheets with dates ranging from 1870 to 1911. After uncovering the oblong shaped Zither, I decided I had to have it and assumed that I could always pick up how to play it later on. While researching it online I came across the controversy and mystery of Washington Phillips Dolceola blues playing from the 1930's. The Dolceola is the piano sibling of the Zither and only 25 are known to exist. Unlike the Zither which is either plucked or played with a bow, the Dolceola is played like a piano. Its sound is somewhat like a harpsichord although with more of a bluesy string resonation. For years the sole historical example (and source of much controversy) of the Dolceola was the mysterious and intriguing blues songs played by Washington Phillips from 1927 to 1939. In 2004 a photo surfaced with Phillips holding 2 Celestaphones, only fueling the fire of whether or not he played any Dolceola on his groundbreaking yet relatively unknown recordings. Regardless of whether or not one side of the argument is right- Washington Phillips incredible music is what should be the focus. When listening to his music you can't help but be drawn into where the sound came from. The Dolceola perfectly captures the sound of the celestial sky being gazed upon by a minor leaving the mine after a grueling day. It was uncovered that Leadbelly was also known to use the Dolceola in several of his songs, these have all been collected into a single MP3 linked below:

[full album]Washington Phillips - I Am Born To Preach the Gospel

Lead Belly - Complete Dolceola recordings sample (Also has more information about the Dolceola)

Washington Phillips with his Celestaphones 

"Things weren't that organized in those days, everything was very spontaneous. When it came time to record this stuff, we went in the studio, relatively sober (at least Pete was), sang the songs, and then hit the road for California." - Millard Lampell

Forget Dylan's postmodern Woodie Guthrie charlatanism. The Almanacs were the real thing. In 1940, the folk revival began with the plunk of a banjo and a soaring three-part harmony. Pete Seeger, Millard Lampell, and Lee Hays were close friends who shared leftist political views and had a bone to pick with the American government whose corporate leanings were shortchanging the working man (some things never change). They played at rallies, union halls, streetcorners, and anywhere where folks would stop and listen to three young songsters. Despite their urbane upbringing, the trio instantly struck a chord with contemporary rural audiences of the day. Seeger's poignantly topical lyrics, grafted onto traditional folk melodies, validated the earth shaking potential of folk music and introduced the form to an entire generation of new listeners. The role of folk music in society would never be the same.

It wasn't until 1941 that the great hobo troubadour Woody Guthrie rolled into New York city with a beat six-string on his shoulder, a knapsack on his back, and a wealth of music in his heart. Guthrie immediately recognized both the musical prowess of the Almanacs as well as their politics. If anything, Guthrie was more leftist than even Seeger. Over the course of the next few years the Almanacs lived fast, played countless shows, and just as quickly disbanded - but not before the likes of Leadbelly and Burl Ives joined their ranks for impromptu Greenwich Village hootenannies.

Their output was certainly limited, but their impact is impossible to ignore. They ignited the fuse...folk would never be the same.

[download] The Dodger Song + The State of Arkansas

=tyler=

And what does this have to do with black? I'll tell you. Its a tenuous link but Joan Osborne's Relish she sang Long Black Coat. Now its a fine song but the one above is the one that takes me to my knees. Its an example of a singer at the top of her game subsuming herself to the song but bringing her whole being to it. There is no ego here. And it also gives credence to the idea that they just don't write them like this anymore. This was taken from a Motown special about the Funk Brothers. But just watch this beautiful woman take this song all the way, right to the near end where she throws in the sandpaper.

Years ago I went to a New Year's party where you were supposed to bring one song and one song only to play for everyone. The range was remarkable and the reasons for the songs ranged from memories of someone dead to flat out partying tunes. Bringing just one song seemed impossible and after almost bringing some Pixies I eventually settled on Samba Pa Ti by Santana. Off the same album as Black Magic Woman, not only did I think this was one of the great and understated guitar solos of all time, it used to be the song that the university radio station signed off on, and there's something about hearing this very late at night.

For the longest time I thought Carlos was playing on Time waits for no one but it really was Keith Richards using that same progression.

Ever since Santana, I kept wondering where the next great Latin rock band would come from. I never could understand why with such a cultural interplay and such large populations on both sides of the border,not to mention all of South America, not much worth keeping seemed to come out. And then came Calexico. Here is The Black Light.

And you just have to have one more from these guys.

A lot of people know this old Leadbelly tune as Where Did You Sleep Last Night but other places it is known as Black Girl. I first heard this on a Long John Baldry record and it chilled me to the bone but not as much when Cobain performed it not long before his death. I thought that they had gone politically correct because he kept singing "my girl, my girl" when I was sure the words were "black girl, black girl" but since then I've found that for quite some time the lyrics varied.

I ran across Eric Burdon and War doing Paint it Black. And remembered the Black Man's Burdon album. Burdon was good with The Animals, always a great vocalist but he put out a lot of bad records but for a short time he got together with War and something really good happened. Tight jazzy party beatnik hippy music and vocals. Here is the wonderfully loopy perennial summer song Spill the Wine (And Take That Pearl).

Burdon was bluesy but taking it up a notch here are the Black Keys. Their cd last year was called by some to be both the best blues and the best rock cd of the year. I don't know about that but these two guys make some mighty fine noise. If you listen to the cds, you might think there is a whole band working but its just the two.

In the tradition of ending on an upbeat, I bring back Joan. (Excuse the first few seconds of this video; its worth the perseverence). And of course, though St Theresa almost ended up here, I just had to throw one more from this special that shows her lightened up and just riding the song like a convertible in summer with the top down. Once again you can see how she channels the music, becoming the song unlike let's say Bjork who sings like a creature discovering the song, and that she can sing, for the first time. Both amazing artists.

Destaques: Victoria Spivey, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Leadbelly e outros emblemáticos cantores dessa geração dão um pouco do gostinho do proibido para vocês.

Tracklist

1. Dope Head Blues - Victoria Spivey
2. Reefer Man - Don Redman
3. Wacky Dust - Ella Fitzgerald
4. Kickin' The Gong Around - Cab Calloway
5. Knocking Myself Out - Lil Green
6. Sweet Marijuana Brown - Barney Bigard
7. Texas Tea Party - Jack Teagarden
8. Onyx Hop - Frankie Newton
9. Reefer Song (If You're A Viper) - Fats Waller
10. Take A Whiff - Leadbelly
11. Gimme A Pigfoot (Gimme A Reefer) - Bessie Smith
12. Ol' Man River (Smoke A Little Tea) - Jerry Kruger
13. When I Get Low, I Get High - Ella Fitzgerald
14. Lotus Blossom (Sweet Marijuana) - Julie Lee
15. Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway
16. I'm Feeling High And Happy - Ward, Helen & Gene Krupa
17. Here Comes The Man With The Jive - Stuff Smith
18. Jack, I'm Mellow - Trixie Smith

Baixe o álbum aqui. (via Divshare - senha: baixemusica.wordpress.com)

by

R.E. Prindle

Part II-2

     You take your life in your hands when out there in the great beyond on the highway.  It's a place beyond the reach of the law.  Lawless people drive the highways looking for excitement and adventure.  Lawless people put their thumbs out for the same reason.  The driver never knows who's getting in the car; the hitchhiker never knows who's driving.

     Al, who had introduced himself, looked all right but that could change pretty quickly.  Hitchhikers disappear all the time.  Donn, hesitated, reluctant to put his fate in the old man's hands.

     'It's all right, son.  You've got nothing to worry about.  I'm not queer.'

     'Sure.' D0nn said with an ironic smile, accepting both out of trust and weariness.  'I'd be grateful.'

     They wheeled into Richland crossing the great Columbia River then down to Pasco and across the snake at the confluence of the two rivers, then east toward Eureka in the orchards and farmlands.

     'You know, son, religion can be a cover for real moral anarchy.  A lot of people forget that morality is the whole reason for religion not politics.  If you can't do a kindness for your fellow man then your religion don't mean a thing.  Love is the law and I don't mean mere sex.  It's a simple answer, it's a trite answer, it's an ignored and overlooked answer.  The answer runs at cross purposes to most men's inclination.  It's an answer that has to be told over and over from generation to generation.  It's an answer that should be in every book ever written.  If you ever write a book promise me you'll put it in yours, Donn.'

page 51.

     'Sure.  If I ever write a book, I will.'  Donn glibly answered.  What else could he do.  What an odd request.

     'Love,' the old boy went on, somewhat tediously, 'By love I mean charity.  Not alms giving, but goodwill toward your neighbor.  Charity in the old fashioned sense of the word.  It is true what Jesus said:  A man must have faith, hope and charity.  The greatest of these is charity.  For if a man hath not charity his voice will be as the sounding brass.  It's true.  Without kindness your words merely rasp and buzz.  No one will listen to you.  So, love your neighbor, son.'

     'I've done that before.'  Donn said with a smirk, turning to look out the window.

     By now Donn was hoping the lecture was over.  He saw the validity of the lecture but he could find no application in his past, present or future.  He smiled at the old geezer and shook his head.  At least this guy was better than Zadok and Amirah.

     Al pulled off the highway a couple miles past Eureka to drive about five miles toward the Snake.  There was the neatest, prettiest little farmstead Donn had ever seen.  The square, frame house stood on a little rise surrounded by small trees and bushes.  The house reflected the kind gentility of Al Martin.  As within, so without.

     Within the hour Donn had washed, shaved and was between clean sheets drifting off into oblivion.

page 52.

     Donn was too exhausted to sleep soundly,  He woke two or three times during the night, his mind too numbed to rouse himself from bed, his thoughts too crowded to separate into strands he could analyze.  Morning found him seated at the breakfast table dazed, listless and despondent.

     Al Martin studied him intently from across the kichen.  He said:  'You know Donn, keeping this place up isn't easy for a man my age.  I got a whole bunch of chores needs doin'.  If you help me out you can stay for a week or so till everything gets done.  Can't offer you more than room and board, but...'

     Donn shook his head yes:  'Yeah, Al, that would be great.  I can do that.  What needs to be done?'

     Donn pitched in with good will.  Over the week he worked on his problems while he worked, rather than whistled, for Al.  As he had his last breakfast with Al the worst of the numbness was gone.  He had toughened a little but the future still dismayed him casting a dark pall over his mind.  He had identified Maggie as the culprit.  A growing powerless hatred began to envelope him.

     Al drove him back to the highway, thanked him and dropped him off as the morning heat began to build.

     Al Martin had been a solitary ray of sunshine piercing through the great black storm clouds over Donn.  The respite Al had given Donn served him well; his nerves were strengthened and he had time to make some necessary adjustments to his psyche from his fall from grace.  Grimmer events were now to occur.  The hammer blows of his destiny would not allow him to rise but his descent to beyond the depths of despair would be slower.

page 53.

     Donn had been out there for a couple hours.  The morning sun had turned to an afternoon bake, god almighty hot.  Blistering.  The blacktop wasn't bubbling but it looked like it was about to boil any minute.  The stuff actually moved beneath Donn's heel.  Donn still wearing his Disco clothes was drenched.

     'Hey, Cowboy, need a ride?'

     It wasn't a beautiful woman in a Cadillac, it was four Mexican braceros in a beatup old '61 Chevy.  The question had a sinister tone to it.

     'I'm looking for a ride to St. Louis.' Donn said ludicrously, declining the ride.

    His response was met by raucous laughter.

    'Hey, there aint' no St. Louis around here, man.'

     One of the men, they were all eighteen to twenty-three, got out of the back and motioned Donn to sit in the middle.  In the middle surrounded on both sides and vulnerable from the front.  Not a good hitchhiking situation.

     'No, man, no.  Thanks, but I mean St. Louis, Missouri.'  In hitchhiking terms this was a virtual insult.

     'Hey, you muchachos hear of this place, St. Louis, Missouri?'

     The query was answered by a chorus of noes and 'there ain't no such place as St. Louis, Missouri, man.  There ain't no such place as Missouri.'  More raucus laughter.

page 54.

     'Get in, man.  We give you ride.'  The guy holding the door open smiled, the other three doors cracked open as if the occupants were going to get out.

     Donn got in.  This was not the worst thing he could have done.  Had he not they might have made short work of him with tire irons, knives and whatnot, conversely he might have outsprinted them across the burning desert.  When you're way out there without hope or friends in alien territory you just naturally have to make difficult decisions.  Donn's hope was not unjustified.  Nor did he behave abjectly to deal with this difficulty.

     Once in the car the Mexicans became verbally abusive of him.  They called him blondie, ridiculed his mustache and insulted his sexual prowess.

     Then the passenger in the front seat, Juan Perez, who was somewhat vain of his pysique flexed his biceps saying: 'Hey, man.  See that arm?  I can knock you out with one punch, man.'

     As Juan said so, the driver, Pedro Martinez, swang onto a dirt road leading into the hills.  Donn felt a chill in the un-air-conditioned car but didn't flinch.  He'd gotten his opening.

     'Yeah, man?  Maybe, but you'd never get to land a punch.  I was scientific (he threw the word in for effect) boxing champion at SMU.'

     'SMU?  What's that?'  Juan said, overawed by something he didn't know.

page 55.

     'Scientific Mangling University.  You want to go a round or two with me, stop and car and I'll show you some real science.'

     Juan was frightened by unfamiliar terms like science and SMU and became apprehensive.  He didn't want to go a couple rounds but he wanted Donn to show him some of his moves.

     The driver pulled over; they all got out.  Donn and Juan squared away.  As Donn had predicted Juan couldn't come close to landing a punch.  The Mexicans were duly impressed.  After Donn had shown them a few moves Juan said:  'Hey man, for a gringo you're alright.  Then they piled back into the Chevy amidst more raucus laughter leaving Donn standing among the heatwaves in the field.

     In that heat it was an hour and a half walk back to the highway.  Donn caught a number of short rides.  As the sun was setting he was dropped off just past Tucannon a couple miles from Fort Kwakiutl.  He decided to walk into town.  Fort Kwakiutl was a small town, barely on the map, but it did host a Starlight Motel, a restaurant, a bar and a couple gas stations.  Spoiled by his stay at Al Martin's Donn decided to stay at the Starlight.

    He checked in, cleaned up and went to the restaurant to eat.  He was relatively relaxed and hungry.  He had a lot of money so he ate heartily.  Ed Quigley sat at the bar watching him.  'That hobo's got some money.'  Ed thought darkly.  'I bet nobody knows where he's at or why.'

     Quigly was a big beefy man.  Though much out of shape, big paunchy belly, he thought he could handle a little guy like Donn.  He moseyed over inviting himself to Donn's table.  He plunked his beer down on the table.

page 56.

     'Howdy, podna.'

     'Uh, howdy.'

     'Saw ya walkin' inta town.  You a 'knight of the road.'

     Donn laughed amiably.  'Let's just say I'm passing through.'

     'Oh yeah?  Must be hitchhiking?'

     'Yes, I am.'  Donn replied.

     'Say, listen, buddy, I gotta proposition for ya.  I'm goin' inta Boise tomorrow.  If you got twenty for gas I'll take ya along.'

     Donn thought a minute.  He was weary of the road.  He'd been at it for a couple weeks and he still wasn't out of the state of Washington.  By now he felt a little more confident.  He was anxious now to get to St. Louis.  He didn't dare say he was broke because Quigly could see the remains of his dinner.

     'I've blown just about everything I have here tonight.  Bummed it along the way.  It's a good chance though.  Could you take ten?  He didn't want to give the idea that he could afford more.  A few more miles down the road of life and Donn would understand how transparent he had been.

     Quigly looked at him, seemed doubtful, then said:  'Yeah, sure, OK.  Ten's better than nothin'.'

     'It's a deal.'  Donn smiled.

     'One thing,'  Quigly said.  'I'm leaving early, four in the morning.'

     'OK.'  From Donn.  'Where are you going to be?'

     'There's a big oak tree two miles outta town.  It's the only tree that size out there.  Can't miss it.  Meet me there.  In any case I'll drive slow so I won't miss you.'

page 57.

     Donn was up trudging through the night to his four o' clock rendezvous.  Quigly was waiting for him.

     Injuring our fellow man is quite akin to sexual intercourse.  You work yourself up in pretty much the same way.  As they sped up Hwy. 12 through Delancy Donn had intuited from Ed's rutting manner what was up.  There was no surprise when Quigly swung into a side road moving between two hills by an arroyo.

     Ed left the motor running.  'Alright, Cowboy, now I know ya got money.  Ya don't eat like that and stay at the Starlight if ya don't.  Ya can give it to me peacefully or I can beat it out of ya.  It's up to you; it's your choice, you call it, what's it gonna be?'

     Donn opened his door and jumped out.

     Still leaving the engine of his beater running Quigly got out huffily, 'Alright, son-of-a-bitch, if that's the way you want it.'

     Quigley's confidence caused him to over expend his energies too quickly.  Donn played him like a trout on a line util  Quigly, breathless, held up a hand for Donn to wait while he caught his breath.  Donn had a different role for himself than in Quigly's fantasy.  He moved in giving Quigly everything he had.  Quigly unprepared for the response, caught between gasps, rolled onto the ground.

    As he did something snapped in Donn.  He wanted vengeance for everything; his rape, football, boxing, Maggie's treatment, everything.  As Quigly fell Donn leaped on him picking up a big rock and bringing it down repeatedly on Quigly's head until the corpse was nearly headless.

page 58.

     As Donn came to himself there was no remorse.  He was both sickened and relieved.  He was no killer but the release had been very satisfying.  In any case he had no cause for self-recrimination as he had killed Quigly in self-defense.  His conscience was clear, but as a drifter, the preponderance of proof was his, he didn't have any.

     Acting quickly he dragged Quigly's nearly headless body over to the arroyo and threw it in.  Fate was on his side as the body rolled under a ledge and wedged in out of sight.  Quigley's precaution of leaving early lest he be seen with Donn worked to Donn's advantage.  No one had seen them.

     Quigly's old beater was still running.  Donn got in behind the wheel, turned the old buggy around and got out on the highway to Boise and beyond to Salt Lake City.

     Mentally Donn tried to sweep the killing of Quigly into the dust bin of his memory as he had his reprehensible sexual relations that he detested.

     He wanted to believe that he had only witnessed the killing but his conciousness rejected the falsehood.  Forced to deal with reality he came to the right conclusion- he had killed in self-defence.  Quigly's unlucky day.  But justly or not he knew that as a drifter and with the suit back in Portland and assigned to a public defender he was lost.

     It then dawned on him also that in the eyes of the law he was driving a stolen car.  And what a car!  The big beast was a favorite of urban desperadoes; a huge old carcass of a '63 Olds.  The immense rusty hood stretched out before him to eternity.  The vinyl top was ragged and torn.  The giant trunk lid was held down by a wire.  The worn tires made 100% constact with the road; the tread was gone.  Quigly was no mechanic.  The engine roared around faint rattles coming from diverse places.

page 59

     The interior was trashed, the glove compartment hanging open; seats and roof lining torn, butts all over the floor and even on the seats.  Quigly had customized it to reflect his inner malaise.  As within, so without.  Gradually Donn realized what he was driving.  These were no cosmic wheels; this was no astral vehicle.

     The realization drove all other thoughts from his mind.  His brow knitted; he put the first two fingers of his right hand to his lips and gazed about in dismay.  He sat back and tried to look cool.  Revulsion overcame him.  He realizied how low he had sunk.

     'There must be some way out of here.'  He thought.

     He made Boise the next morning.  Disgusted with himself and his situation; embarrassed now by the Disco Donn facet of his personality he bought a levi jacket, jeans and a couple sweaters to adapt to his new situation.  Tennis shoes for walking.  In fact Donn shed all the facets of his multi-faceted personality but one.  His multi-facets could only be supported by prosperity.  He reverted back to the Texas gold old boy personality he had when he entered Portland.

page 60.

     Don began to be really apprehensive about driving the big beast but he wanted to make Salt Lake before he aband0ned it.  To make matters worse a patch on the radiator gave way about Brigham City.  He began to make frequent stops at gas stations to fill up the radiator in hopes of cooling the engine well enough to make Salt Lake City.  He steamed through Odgen and into the suburbs of Salt Lake as a blistering heat wave through the fire wall roasted his feet and legs.

     He wheeled into a side street.

Guilty Of the Shame

We know there's a dark side

To the moon that we see;

But what's a little darkness

To the likes of you and me.

-Jesse Winchester

     Donn stepped out of the steaming heap looking at it in vengeful disgust to turn his steps back to the highway.  As he did a pair of blue eyes watched him approach.  The eyes, all the luster having departed, belonged to Sandy Tyler.  Sandy, now well into her thirties, was a refugee from the dolorous broken dreams of the sixties.  Trapped in a state of arrested adolescence, her mind inundated by drugs, she was arrayed in the symbols of the mock poverty of the late sixties. 

     She had once been a very beautiful young woman.  While she sought desperately to retain the vestiges of that beauty against the ravages of drugs and despair only mere glimmers of her former freshness remained.  Superb bone structure prevented her face from dissolving into sheer ugliness.  Beneath her T-shirt emblazoned with the logo of some indiotic post-1975 heavy metal band her once firm high breasts sagged braless down to her belt loops.  Her jeans had the obligatory tears across each knee.  There was a tear beneath each cheek of her derriere which exposed white skin no longer firm or translucent.  Her jeans were tucked into brown suede boots, calf high, turned down.  A certain pride of former glory still clung to her presence.

page 61.

     One might well blame Sandy for a wasted life but the shame was not hers; it belonged to American society.  She had been dragged down completely innocent and against her will with no menfolks to defend her degradation.  In circumstances which you in your comfort would dismiss with a comment like:  Oh well, life's not fair.

     Sandy had come from Cincinatti, Ohio.  She had come from well-to-do parents who had raised her to be the model of decorum.  She had breeding.  She had been blond and pert with a beautiful figure.  Psychologically she had been as well balanced as one of twenty can be.  Her expectations were those that one would associate with her background.

     She had married Bert Tyler who she had met and fallen in love with at the University Of Ohio.  Upon graduation Bert had taken a job with Standard of California and moved to San Francisco.  This was in 1964 when the subterranean rumbles of massive change could be heard and experienced if not understood.  The times were changing at incredible speed as they usually are when you're in the middle of them.  Intelligence and precaution were not enough to save you; you had to play dodgeball with the juggernaut and win.  Luck was of the greatest importance.  Luck was not with Sandy Tyler.

page 62.

     Sandy's husband was something of a rake.  Unresolved wildness lived in his soul.  He wasn't ready to settle down to middle class respectability.  He suggested that he and Sandy take up residence in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco,  that wicked, wicked city of transients.  Tourists ooh and aah over Baghdad By The Bay.  But beneath the charming exterior of the Bay and cable cars of the City all is sour and corrupt.  The spirit of Tom Mooney and Harry Bridges hovers over the City.  There is a seething hatred and class envy which negates the charms of the location.  All San Francisco is a suberb of Chinatown.  It is no accident that Beatniks and Hippies flourished there.

     The Sixties seethed and boiled with unremitting vigor.  Contrasted to the glitter of the scientific accomplishments of the times, cities decayed into ruin before your eyes.  The Maelstrom whirled all around you.  One had to learn to navigate its currents to survive.  It was wise to avoid the use of drugs in a city of drug proliferation.  Heroin was the least of your worries.  Only junkies used heroin and they are a class unto themselves.  One can look at a junkie and realize immediately that junkieism  is a trap to be avoided.  Cocaine, which has a long history of societal use beginning with its first pusher, Sigmund Freud, was nowhere prevalent at the time.  Cocaine didn't become common until the seventies.  Marijuana was not yet everywhere but was indispensable to the Underground.  Exotica such as peyote and mescaline and mushrooms were still of a semi-legendary character.

page 63.

     The man made drugs were prevalent.  Amphetamines, barbiturates and LSD were everywhere.  Stanford University advertised in the papers for 'psychological' subjects.  As it turned out the subjects were wanted for drug experimentation.  They were given massive doses of LSD.  This gave a certain legitimacy to their use.  After all, the high priest of acid was a defrocked professor from Harvard, Timothy Leary.

     The world of drug use was being popularized and glamorized by the evangel of the generation- the phonograph record.  The psyche of the era cannot be understood without a thorough knowledge of the recorded music and comedy of the era, comedy may have been as important as the music.  The phonograph record was the single most important factor in the lives of the generation except for, perhaps, the psychologically inert.  The generation was raised on records.

     To understand the music, which is to say songs, you have to start with the incoherent  shouting and strumming of a black blues shouter by the name of Huddie 'Leadbelly' Ledbettor and follow the chain through the various white blues singers until you end at the Kingston Trio.  From thence Ledbettor's songs and stylings entered the main stream.  Thus the mind of the sixities generation was conditioned by an outsider's slave and prison mentality.  Let that Midnight Special shine its ever loving light on me.

     At the same time a group of men were setting about to create the 'rucksack revolution.'

page 64.

     Here comes a no-no in American letters.  We're going to discuss imigration in a realistic rather than romantic fashion.  This group of men who sought to influence and undermine American civilization were, with one exception, the sons of immigrants who were reacting to the inconveniences of being foreign elements integrating into an existing social structure.  Jack Kerrouac was a Catholic French Canadian, Allen Ginsberg was a Jew from the Pale, William S. Burroughs was the descendent of the inventor of the calculator who apparently rejected logical thinking in favor of anarchy,  Gregory Corso and Lawrence Ferlinghetti were Italians.

     An Anglo view of the group can be found in John Clellon Holmes autobiographical novel 'Go.'  They all grew to maturity between the wars when the conflict between Anglo-American society and immigrant society was most intense.  The Anglo-American demand that the immigrants shed their ethnic beliefs and characters created an intense reaction.  Carl Witte epitomized the struggle in his early forties book:  We Built America.

     As the immigrant population equaled or exceeded that of the Anglo-Americans it was perhaps inevitable that they should triumph.  In any event they did.  By 1950 all the trappings of Anglo culture were being torn down to be replaced by symbols that either asserted other ethnic origins or pointedly and often violently rejected Anglo symbols.

     Where formerly immigrants had been rejected and reviled by the Anglos the immigrants now quickly turned the tables.  While the sons and daughters of the Anglos had been brought up to believe in the incredible homogeneity of American society the sons and daughters of the immigrants sought to bring the Anglos down.  The humiliation of Sandy Tyler was the result of those feelings.

page 65.

     The Beat writers, as these men have been called, represented the grossest materialism.  They were all drunks, perverts and drug addicts.  They sought to impose those values on America.  The onslaught was led by Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerrouac.  Both had done time in the bughouse or insane asylum.  Oddly enough the whole group was exposed for what they were long before they became effective by John Clellon Holmes.  Holmes' premonitory warning was not understood.  Why should anyone worry about a bunch of bums.

     Kerrouac glorified the subculture in 'On The Road', 'The Dharma Bums', 'The Subterraneans' and other novels.  Ginsberg contributed an insane chant called 'Howl.'  Through their success from 1956 to 1959 they were able to get Burroughs' scream of hatred 'Naked Lunch' published.  He followed this by the influential 'Soft Machine' and 'Nova Express.'

     The Beat writers were well received by the Underground.  Evidences of their cultural impact were obvious in San Francisco and the Bay Area in the early sixties.  They were not so obvious and understandable to the larger society which had heard little of the Beat writers.  As Bob Dylan expressed it: '...there's something happening here but you don't know what it is, do you...?'

     Dylan himself, who as a recording artist, was a major influence on the sixties, appears to have drawn so much inspiration for his middle period from Kerrouac and Burroughs that he can be described as a post-Beat writer.

page 66.

     The Beat writers originally tried to oerganize the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco but the Beatniks themselves, who came from an earlier period uninfluenced by Beat writers chose North Beach as their headquarters. 

     While the Beatniks dominated North Beach the Hippie culture was being formed in the Haight-Ashbury at the same time.  This culture found expression in the music of the San Francisco Sound.  Marty Balin, no one knows which two swords he carried, and the Jefferson Airplane musical group were establishing the Matrix nightclub while the rock clubs would supplant the jazz clubs of the Beatniks and transfer the focal point of the scene from North Beach back to the Haight-Ashbury.

     In addition to the Anglo-Immigrant conflict the old struggle between the Black Folk and the White Folk was assuming new dimensions.  The Blacks were demanding social equality- whatever that is.  One doesn't want to generalize excessively where the Blacks are concerned because theirs is also a society of many diverging opinions and attitudes, nevertheless in a sizable majority of Blacks 'social equality' involved what is known as 'the Payback.'  Blacks feel that they are owed something for the indignities placed on them by White Society.  This opinion is shared by a not unsizable group of Whites, so long as some other Whites pay the bill.

     Racial memories are not obliterated in a moment, a generation or even several generations.  Whites seem to have the inexplicable notion that the memory of unjust deeds can be removed by an apology, or checks drawn on someone else's account.  Whites seem to think that things are thereby cured and resentments will disappear.  Blacks who have suffered grievous injuries with marvelous equanimity don't believe so.

page 67.

     One of the most humiliating indignities Black women had to endure during the slave era was to be at the beck and call of any White man.  Literally, a White male could take any Black woman by the arm and lead her off to minister to his sexual needs at any time.  If she were the wife of a Black man there was absolutely nothing he could do about it but endure the shame.  So, the Payback involves White women.  Black men demand the same privilege with White women that White men had with Black women.  Everything in life gets down to a sexual offence.

     As there was no social apparatus to suport their hopes and ambitions as their had been for White men, Black men had to enforce their desires surreptitiously. 

     Thus, of a foggy overcast midday, nearly all days are foggy and overcast in San Francisco, Sandy Tyler was walking down Grant St. in North Beach on the way to the laundromat.  She was the epitome of a what a young White woman should be.  She was beautiful.  All eyes turned.  She was innocent.  She walked the streets of North Beach as though they were the streets of her upper class neighborhood in Cincinatti.

     Among the Beats and degenerates, the Blacks and Italians of this very Italian neighborhood her very Anglo dress and style stood out like Jane in Tarzan's Africa.  Deep racial instincts stirred at the sight of her.  She had been trained to believe that assimilation in America had been complete.  All people were kind.  It is still a myth that most adhere to.

page 68.

     Sheldon Washington, a drug dealer and a huge Black man stood talking on the corner before the The Gate Of Wine Coffee House.  The Gate was a quintessential Beatnik Coffee House of the era.  Despite its name, which came from the Gilgamesh, no liquor was served.  Each night local poets, writers, thinkers and simple complainers held forth from the podium to the assembled multitude.  Unlike the Hippies, the Beatniks were well educated and much intelligent discourse could be heard at the Gate.

     Unfortunately complainers like the said Seldon Washington also inflicted themselves on the audience.  Sheldon had bent the ears of the audience for fifty-three minutes twenty-two seconds the night previous complaining about how a Spade Cat couldn't walk down the street with a Honky chick without drawing stares.  His argot was so new that half the audience picked up Spade Cat as spayed cat and had no idea what a Honky Chick was.  Perhaps a spayed cat and an honky chick should be stared at.

     But at this moment that Sandy chose to walk by, the Man was being being waited on by his Honky heroin addict.  The addict, thin and unkempt, stood holding his money in his hand eagerly pressing it on Sheldon who was in no hurry to hand him his balloon.  In fact he didn't have one on him.  the junkie would have to wait a little longer.

      Sheldon stood drawing out the wasted junkie's agony when Sandy entered the intersection drawing his attention.  Now, Sheldon was one of those Black giants at six-four, two-eighty whose muscalature was concealed beneath the immense smooth expanse of his biceps and chest.  If he just raised his arm and let if fall on your back he could knock you down.  He was wearing a black Italian undershirt over his dark brown body.

page 69.

     Sheldon was so enchanted that he let out an involuntary long low whistle.  A girl of White breeding, Sandy ignored it as she properly should.  Breeding was unknown in North Beach where other standards applied.  Indignant at what he considered arrogance, Sheldon bellowed:  'Say mama, that was a compliment to your beautiful booty.'

     Well, Sandy seldom answered to 'mama', never acknowledged strange men on the street, let alone Black men, and had she known that 'booty' referred to her ass she would have been indignant.  But then, that was Cincinatti, this was North Beach.  Sandy responded by sticking her nose in the air pointedly ignoring Sheldon.

     Washington's attitude changed abruptly.  Washington belonged to the Black Brotherhood and associated with the Junkie Brotherhood.  In both the individual identity is submerged in the collective identity.  One is immediately on familiar terms with every other member of the Brotherhood.  There are no interfaces.  Thus had Sandy been a Black woman she would have smiled, perhaps shook her booty as a token of appreciation and returned some compliment as to the probable size of Sheldon's 'thing.'  That she didn't angered Sheldon.  He had a very big voice which he now raised to its loudest putting the threat of direct physical violence into it.

page 70.

     'Say Woman,' he bellowed,  'where you manners?  When a brown eyed handsome man compliments a pretty woman that woman better appreciate it or she gonna have big troubles in this man's neighborhood.  You dig?'

     Sandy stopped dead in her tracks, terrified, as she had every reason to be.  At the sound of Sheldon's voice the Junkie had nearly fallen to his knees groveling before the Big Black.  Other White boys along the street stared lasciviously at the beautiful girl hoping to get some of whatever Sheldon left.  Their eyes silently encouraged her to acquiesce.  Alone and small, never before confronted with such brutal customs, the White girl turned to face Sheldon's wrath with wide staring eyes.

     'I sayed you got a beautiful ass, mama.'  Sheldon bellowed louded than a bass drum.

     'T-thank-you.'  Sandy stuttered, terrified, embarrassed and not knowing how to respond to retain her dignity as a married woman.

     That's better, mama.'  Sheldon said attempting to console and command at the same time.  'Now you run along and don't ever pull that haughty shit again, hear?'

     The White boys on the street snickered confident that Sheldon, the Spade Cat, would take what he wanted and leave the rest of the Honky Chick to them.

     'That's tasty,' each thought, 'I'm really going to enjoy fucking that bitch.'

     The promise of America was no promise at all, it was a perverted curse.

      A week later Sandy was walking down Grant on the way to the laundry.  She didn't know how to preserve her own boogie in The Land Of The Thousand Dances.  She walked close to the buildings rather than curbside.  The Grant St. Grocery lay on her line of march.  The grocery was one of those shallow stores with no back room; rather a section running from front to rear was walled off as a storage room.  Some ten feet or so from the store entrance was an unobtrusive door through which deliveries were made.

page 71.

     As Sandy was passing this door a hand shot out grasping her by the throat and pulling her in.  Taken completely by surprise she was not consciously aware of anything till she lay gasping and sobbing against the shelves where Sheldon Washington had discarded her.

     The scene would haunt her dreams, transformed  into symbolism she could not understand, but which would shield her from some of the shame although the terror had hypnotized her into a different person.  Sheldon, who was a very big man, wanted to teach the Honky Chick a less in humility.  Blue eyes would not secure her immunity; on Grant Street brown eyes ruled.  His method was direct action, straight terror; his intellect was of the crudest but no less effective on that account.  He had merely grabbed Sandy off the street.  Picking her up, she was only 5'3", 110 pounds, he had shoved his pelvis forward and dropped Sandy on his penis, jiggling her up and down until he climaxed.  He had then just thrown her against the shelves where she fell in a heap. 

     The street which had been empty in anticipation of the deed silently filled as the White boys stepped from doorways, alleys and from behind telephone poles where they had been inconspicuous.  Faces came to windows, eyes staring fixedly on the side door of the grocery.

page 72.

     'Now let that be a lesson to you, bitch.  When some brown eyed handsome man give you compliments you give him his reward and don't give me none of that cheap assed marriage shit neither.  You learn to treat a man right and he'll treat you right.'

     After this lecture in ethics Seldon's mind turned to business, for after all a man has to eat, and Sheldon's other business was pimping.

     'Say, bitch, you know you got a tight little ass.  You should put that cute money maker to work for me.  I show you how to live right and tight.  You be wearing diamonds and minks; you dump that Honky cat and come with me.  I show you how to shake that money maker; you don't be walkin' so stiff assed down the street no mo', walk like a righteous woman.'

     Anyone looking for a good time of any kind could always get what they wanted from Sheldon.

     Sandy let out a few incoherent howls through clenched lips as she cautiously rose to her feet not sure of what was yet in store for her.  Her mute rejection was enough for Sheldon.  He turned to the clerk who had been watching through the beaded curtain and gave him a farewell acknowledgment with the shake of a finger.  Then proudly puffing out his chest for the street people he stepped out into the dim damp gloom of Grant St. and sauntered away humming 'White Port and Lemon Juice.'

     Sandy stumbled out on shaky legs turning back toward Telegraph Court leaning on the wall for support.  Although she could not see them, the White boys slipped unobtrusively back into their holes while the faces in the windows slid back into the shadows.

page 73.

     Sandy's life irrelevant of subsequent events was shattered.  Her sense of purity and personal integrity was gone to be replaced by a sense of defilement and consuming guilt as though she had been the perpetrator rather than the victim.  A knowledgeable psychiatrist might have been able to help her if she had gone immediately, but probably not for she would have been unable even to tell him the sequence of events.  She couldn't remember what happened even though she knew what had happened.

     Angelo Toretti spoke quietly to Bert Tyler from behind a cracked open door as Tyler walked from the bus stop on Columbus to his apartment.

     'You better watch that little filly of yours, man.  she's got eyes for that dark meat.'

     'What?'  Tyler said, turning in the direction of the voice.

     'Ask her who Sheldon Washington is.'  Toretti said with a low chuckle pushing the door shut.

     Tyler was possessed of honky cool.  He had no idea of what the threatening words of Toretti meant.  He was mildly apprehensive.  He gripped his brief case more tightly but he continued on at his normal pace.

     He fund Sandy lying on her back, skirt above her waist, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

     'What did you do?'  He began oblivious to the implied condemnation in his words.

page 74.

     Sandy's response was to  increase her sobs and sense of humiliation to the point where her slender body was so wracked by shaking and pain that it is a wonder she survived.

    Tyler was twenty-two, born in '42.  He had grown up in the bosom of a prosperous family.  He had been taught that the world was his oyster.  Raised in his upper class neighborhood, he had been advantaged from the cradle to the present.  At six feet, sandy haired and handsome he had received favored treatment through high school and the U.ofO.  While his manners were too fine for his present neighborhood they were much appreciated at the office. 

     His marriage to Sandy had seemed a perfect blending of family, looks and brilliant future.  But beneath the handsom exterior Tyler had a rotten core.  He was self-centered to the point that he was contemptuous of others.  This included Sandy.  She was desirable to him as a showpiece that demonstrated to the world his impeccable good taste and good fortune.  He was not prepared to drag damaged goods around with him.

     He should have known that North Beach was no place for a respectable woman.  But because of his favored youth he thought himself and his possessions beyond the reach of the arrows of fortune.  In college he had used marijuana, LSD and barbituates along with the ever present examination companion, amphetamines.  As he thought himself beyond, or rather, above the dangers that drugs posed, so many of his class did, he had been fearless in their use.

page 75.

     It is probable that Sandy would never have taken drugs on her own but as Tyler was the guardian of her virtue she had followed his lead trustingly.  She still considered the drugs naughty and dangerous but she was already familiar with pot, LSD and downers.  Living dangerously, out on the edge, had been the attraction of North Beach to Tyler.

     Now that he had reaped the fruit of his daring he stood staring down at Sandy.  He was unfeeling and obtuse.  He sensed that his position had been violated, he believed he had been humiliated.  He wasn't far wrong.

     Remembering Toretti's words his narrow vision could only conceive that he had almost walked in on Sandy and Sheldon and that whe was sobbing because she had almost been caught.

     'Who is Sheldon Washington?'  He asked.

     The question was greeted by additional shaking and sobbing.  Tyler had to make an effort to calm his wife.  It was not easy.  Several hours later, well into the morning Tyler had gleaned the notion that Sheldon Washington had had his wife.  His first thought as a red blooded American boy was to go looking for Sheldon Washington.  He did so the following day having called in to work sick.

     His queries after Sheldon alerted the Spade Cat that the Honky Cat was looking for him.  He arranged to be found.  He ensconced himself in an alley on Montague Street.  There with some white junkies for effect, a couple of Black hepcats around him, he sat on a garbage can waiting.

     Tyler was directed to Sheldon's throne room.  He marched resolutely into the alley.  As he entered Sheldon rose, hitched up his pants and flexed both arms as though he were stretching.  Both his Black confederates cleaned their nails with switchblades.  The White boys stood around snuffling and grinning.

page 76.

     'I hear you lookin' for me, boy.  Whachoo want?'   

     This was urban warfare for which Tyler was unprepared.  This was not a man to man confrontation which, given the size of Washington he would not have undertaken anyway, but was rather a confrontation of the big battalions against his puny one.  A quick vision of himself lying face-up beaten, cut and bleeding among the garbage cans flashed before his eyes.  He opted out.  He turned and walked away amidst chuckles, laughter and catcalls.

     Nor should he be blamed.  The rules had been changed.  Tyler had not been informed.  His only recourse would have been to stalk Washington and blow his brains out.  This was not feasible to Tyler in his present state of mind. While Washington's position in North Beach society protected him from identification, there would be no witness come forward to identify him in the event of a complaint, Tyler would be quickly identified.  A jail cell was waiting for him if he tried.

     Unable to endure the humiliation to his wife and his own subsequent humiliation Tyler transferred the blame to Sandy.  Then by shedding her he was able in his mind to shed the double humiliation.  At least he thought he had.

     'Did that nigger actually put his dick in you?'  He brutally asked Sandy.

page 78.

     While White boys profess a complete lack of prejudice toward Black Folk, this is only in the social sense.  In 1964 Tyler couldn't endure the idea that his wife had been penetrated by a Black man qua Black man.

     'I didn't do it, honey.'  Sandy protested weakly.

     'All I want to know is wether he put that black dick up you?'

     'I- I think so.'  Sandy replied, her mind reeling beneath the horror of the thought of her rape.

    'I think so!  I think so!  God, you must know that.  I think so!  Well, that's good enough for me.  He did.  Well, I can't stay with a woman who's been defiled by a nigger.  I'm leaving.  The rent's paid till the end of the month then you're on your own.  My lawyer will send the papers by.  I think so!'

     Thus life pitilessly took away Sandy Tyler's hopes and joys.  She became the victim of social forces of which she was  not even aware of in their true form.  She had been lied to by society.  The American Dream!  What a pack of lies.  Shamed beyond psychological recognition she didn't inform her parents.  A stranger in San Francisco she drifted into the drugs and demi-monde of North Beach.

     She avoided heroin and actual prostitution but she was heavy into barbiturates and marijuana.  The leering immigrant descendants gleefully passed the Anglo girl from man to man; gleefully taking out the frustrations of sixty years of humiliation at the hands of Anglos on Sandy's body.

      The Scene shifted from North Beach to the Haight-Ashbury; from the Beatniks to the Hippies; from Cal Tjader to the Grateful Dead; from junk to junk.

page 78.

     The Hippie Movement was the realization of the materialism that Kerrouac and Ginsberg had been pushing.  History may to a very accurate extent be characterized as the war between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness.  The ascendance to spiritual perfection being the direction of the Sons of Light while the Sons of Darkness seek a return to the pure materialism of the untutored savage, the feral nature of man.  Materialism is as much a religion as spirituality but over the course of time all visible churches became of the spiritual kind.

     Because of Jewish opposition to the presence of Christianity in public schools the doctrine of the separation of church and state has been interpreted to mean that no spiritual beliefs can be taught in public schools.  This means in practice that no positive ethics can be taught.

     Thus while all eyes are trained on Catholics and Protestants for violations of the doctrine the Jews under the guise of preaching tolerance push their program through the schools.  At the same time the materialists have a free hand preaching materialism as no one understands its nature as the religion of the Sons of Darkness.

     Under the guise of helping the young student understand his sexual nature, courses, which are religious in intent, on 'Human Sexuality', undermine spiritualist precepts.  Spiritualists reject the indiscriminate indulgence of the senses while materialists embrace it.

page 79.

     Thus one has the concept of 'the varieties of sexual experience.'  These include everything from homosexuality to child molestation.  All forms  of sexual expression are considered legitimate expressions of 'human needs.'

     So, while those who preach self-control in order to create a better world are silenced in the name of 'freedom', the classrooms are turned over to materialists who seek to make life hell on earth.  Women are prostituted and men perverted in the name of 'sexual freedom.'

     The media, movies and TV in particular  have been taken over by the materialists who exclude spiritualists from employment in those industries.  Black list.  On Big Screen and Small Screen they preach total self-indulgence at the expense of all other people.

     As a consequence crime and illiteracy increase geometrically.  The poor befuddled citizenry talk of 'wars on crime' which will never succeed as long as materialism is the dominant religion.  Take the religion of materialism  out of the schools and replace it with a spiritualist doctrine seeking the curbing of self-indulgence.  Then crime will diminish.  The war is not a war on crime but a war of moral attitudes.  The war between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness.

     Needless to say, crime will never disappear.  Crime and criminals have existed since the dawn of time.  Even then the war of the Sons of Light and Darkness commenced.  Anglo-Americans were governed by the Chivalric notion of Shame.  Not that they didn't commit crimes but the sense of shame forced them to repent or move out of society.  During the great period of European immigration Jews opposed the notion of Shame with that of Chutzpah.  Chutzpah can be defined as simply the shameless attempt to achieve one's desires against the will of others by surprising them with extravagant audacity.  If bold enough you may overwhelm their opposition, if not, oh well, you can always 'apologize.'

page 80

     Leaving Kerrouac aside for the moment, William S. Burroughs lived in New York City.  NYC has been described as 'that great factory of criminals.'  The description has been given with good reason.  For the city was invaded by the post-Great Revolution society of criminals organized around the philosophy of the Marquis de Sade.  Crime has a philosophical basis in the modern world.  'Ending poverty' would have no effect on crime.  It is not just a matter of illegal activity to satisfy one's needs.  Burroughs combined this criminal philosophy with the docrines of anarchy which were also prevalent in the Big Apple.  Burroughs' doctrine leads to complete oblivion.  In form he continues the Jewish Chutzpah by which he was definitely influenced, as NYC is, or was, a Jewish city, into the equation of:  Wouldn't you?

     I mean, he asks, wouldn't you kill a little old lady and take her purse if you needed money for a heroin habit.  Wouldn't you?  Who wouldn't?  Of course you would if you were a heroin addict, as Burroughs was, needing a fix.  Thus Burroughs in 'Naked Lunch' brought the definition of morality down to what the individual needs at any given moment.  If you felt the need the for sex wouldn't you rape an eight year old girl.  Who wouldn't?  It was inconceivable to Burroughs that anyone wouldn't.  If one said one wouldn't then the logic is that your need wasn't great enough or you would.  Who wouldn't?  Thus Burroughs propounded a very destructive version of the materialistic religion of the Sons of Darkness.

page 81.

     Like syphilis the first outburst of the disease was evident in the Hippie movement on Haight-Ashbury.  The sores have disappeared but Burroughs' philosophy has been spread throughout the social system.  The deteriorization of mankind was very noticeable by the late seventies to the artistic temperament.  At that time a rock band by the name of Devo made the point perfectly clear.  They asked the musical question:  Are we not men? and answered it:  No!  We are Devo.  The point being that mankind had stopped evolving and was retrogressing into devolution.  Devo hit the nail on the head.  Materialism was rapidly destroying the fabric of society.  We  were, in fact, returning to our savage origins.  J.G. Frazer's 'civilized veneer' was wearing off.  Or as W.B. Yeats put it:  And what rough beast, its hour come at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?  The hippies embraced Wouldn't You wholeheartedly.  They took to drugs like an alcoholic to drink.  Drugs are the antithesis of morality.  Lying and stealing become one's nature.  A druggie's word isn't worth a broken syringe.

     Sandy drifted into this environment as she moved over to the Haight-Ashbury.  Now, she came from a strong Episcopalian background.  She had an affluent past.  The Hippies bubbled up from the urban depths.  They had no strong anything except for the desire to get, to exploit.  As drug addicts they had no chance of succeeding at anything but total failure.  They succeeded at that.  The worst weren't even human.

page 82.

     Sandy moved from crash pad to crash pad as soon as the toilets filled up and wouldn't flush anymore.  Filthy rooms filled with filthy mattresses and filthy people.  Toilets stopped up  overflowing with excrement.  As there were no sexual barriers or restraints she was used by any derelict passing through.  She deadened her sensitivities by pretending to revel in the 'new freedom.'  Drugs and music were exhilarating accessories.  They could turn night to day, black to white.

     But the Hippie scene with no other ethic than sex and drugs and Rock and Roll continued to deteriorate.  Unbridled sex with anyone and anything was the norm.  There were no limits.  Homosexuality forced itself into the breach as legitimate.  Then as the Disco music of the homosexuals came to dominate in 1977-78, Rock music died on the vine.  Without the impetus of music Sandy looked around to find nothing but barrenness.

     Somehow, through the years of degradation she had clung to the ghost of the vision of her past.  No matter what clothes she wore she wore them with a certain stylishness that betokened a nearly forgotten pride.  She had never abandoned her bourgeois dreams.  Now looking over the wreck of Haight-Ashbury her thoughts turned to rehabilitating herself.  As this was impossible in San Francisco she thought to find a refuge in some other part of the country.  Her rape by Sheldon Washington was never out of her mind.  She had had other unpleasant experiences with Black men so she looked for a place where she thought there wouldn't be any.  For this reason she selected the Mormon capitol because of their alleged aversion to Blacks.  So she had moved to Salt Lake City in the late seventies.  The Mormons are an exclusive people, they don't take kindly to non-Mormons in their midst.  Sandy once again found herself an outsider.  Rather than kicking drugs as had been her intent she continued to find solace in them.

     During all this time Sheldon Washington prospered.  He had prospered with a clear conscience.  He even considered himself a benevolent figure in the community, which, compared to some others in his line, he was.  Sheldon considered that he as a Black man was only getting back the Black Folk's own.  'As ye sow so shall ye reap.'  he was fond of saying, referring to White Folks.  True.  You must be careful of the seeds you sow.  Whether Sheldon was merely reclaiming his own is left to subtler minds than mine.  Sheldon was strewing his own field with the seeds of hatred no matter how justified he felt.  His victims were not the White Folk that may have oppressed his ancestors they were living people.

     Shortly after Sandy left town a junky with sandy hair and very dark glasses began showing up in North Beach.  At least he had the appearance of a junkie.  He quickly made the connection with Sheldon Washington for his heroin.

     Over a few weeks Sheldon accepted him as just another junkie who had been around forever.  He abused him as he did all his junkies.  On this particular occasion Sheldon made appointments with this junkie failing to keep each.  Someone at each assignation point directed the junkie on to the next.  The junkie resignedly went from place to place.  He was finally directed to go the alley off Montague.  The junkie took longer to get there than he might have for he stopped off at his pad first.

page 84.

     As he turned into the alley Sheldon sat alone on a garbage can.  The Black confederates were gone.  The White junkies were out of sight.  As the junkie approached, Sheldon observed that his walk was rather stiff but as he was a junkie, what was new?  The reason the junkie's walk was stiff was because a crowbar was suspended from his belt down his left pants leg.  A revolver was stuck in his belt beneath his moth eaten sweater.  His eyes glowed hatred beneath his very dark glasses.  He was not really a junkie; he was an impostor.

     Like a junkie he had his money ready in his hand.  He thrust it at Sheldon holding out his other hand for the baloon. 

     'Not so fast, my man, not so fast.'  Sheldon said.  'I mean, man, like man, money ain't everything.  I mean, I am the most important man in your life.  I want you to acknowledge that.'

     The junkie shrugged indicating:  What?

     Sheldon unzipped his fly flopping his member out.  He looked at the junkie emitting only a low chuckle.  The junkie understood.  He began to go down on one knee.  His right hand moved beneath his sweater.  Sheldon had just time to focus on the hole in the blue-black barrel before his brains flew out to mingle with the rest of the garbage.

     The junkie unbuckled Sheldon's pants and pulled them down rolling the huge inert form unto its stomach as he did so.  Removing the crowbar from his pants he rammed it far up Sheldon's ass until the tip rested just below Sheldon's heart.  Throwing the shades aside and discarding the moth eaten sweater he walked out of the alley and was never seen in North Beach again.

page 85.

     The police were baffled but unconcerned.  After all Sheldon hadn't really been murdered.  He was dead but he was only a casualty in the urban warfare.  Only another soldier who had given his life for the cause.  A casualty in that urban warfare that raged beyond police jurisdiction and control.  A warfare that was beyond the law; one that operated on laws of its own.  All that can be said is that he who lives by the rod dies by the rod. 

     All across the universe the stars stayed the clacking dice of Magic Sam in his hand to look down on such insanity and say:  They ain't nothing but a heartache and you know they'll never get over it.  Then, with a shrug, they returned to their games.  Roll the dice with a sound like thunder.

     The junkie, his own heart broken beyond repair blew a kiss from San Francisco to Salt Lake City.  Just another boogie in The Land Of A Thousand Dances.

     Sandy watched Donn as he came up the street.  She recognized someone, who like her, had lost his place in the world.  A hope sprang up in her breast, she was beyond being able to think, that perhaps he and she might find comfort in each other reclaiming in some small degree their place in the world.

page 86.

     'Hi there.  What are you doing?'

     Donn paused to appraise her.  He recognized that about her that spoke of a declassee.  As he had no interest in women he attempted to dismiss her.

     'I'm going to get something to eat.'  He said brusquely.

     Undaunted Sandy said:  'Oh, I know all the good places.  I'll take you there.'  She said clasping his hand impusively, leading him away.

    Donn could no longer go to the type of restaurant he favored.  He thought that perhaps Sandy knew of some hippie hangouts where the food would be filling and maybe passable.  He allowed himself to be led away.

     They walked for several blocks.  Sandy babbled on along the way hoping to win Donn over.  A strip mall hove in sight.  There was an Albertson's grocery store at one end.  Donn spotted a restaurant in the middle of the mall.  When they reached the corner of the Albertson's Donn began to continue down the front but Sandy pulled him along the side and toward the back.  Donn was confused but thought Sandy was aware of another entrance. 

     When they reached the back Sandy pointed proudly at the dumpster and said:  See.

     Donn looked at the huge garbage can puzzled.

     'See what?'  He asked Sandy who was still holding his hand.

     'Well, see,'  She said giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.  'Nobody ever has to go hungry in America.  They throw away tons of good food just because it's a day or two old.  See.'  she said, grabbing at some limp brownish lettuce, 'This lettuce is perfectly good to eat.  It's just a little old.  And it's free, it doesn't cost anything.'

page 87.

     'All kinds of places are this stupid.  If you want I'll take to Cheesy Burgers later.  At midnight they throw out all the burgers they've prepared but haven't sold.  Wrapped and everything.  We'll have to get there early though because everyone wants those.'

     Donn listened incredulously, rudely pulling back his hand.  He wasn't familiar with underground 'survival' techniques.  He wasn't aware that Abbie Hoffmen had published a whole book full of ideas and scams, all as good as this one.  But he was not yet so low that he would search through garbage cans for food.

     'God, that's absolutely disgusting.'  He said.

     'No, it's not.  Everybody does it.'  Sandy replied speaking for her crowd.

     'Well, I don't eat out of garbage cans and I think anyone who does is absolutely disgusting.'  Donn replied angrily.  'You! Get away from me, you filthy slut.  No, don't touch me.'  He said brushing away Sandy's imporing hands which sought to hold his again.  'Get away.'  He said angrily, turning on his heel.

     Sandy's rejection by Donn was the last thing that it took to bury her poor heart completely out of sight.  As she stood in the moonlight she sank beneath the burden of accumulated woes of nearly twenty years.  All the crimes perpetrated against her rose up to engulf her sense of decency.  Her last shred of worthiness disappeared.  The world's guilt entered her soul as her own.  She considered herself evil.  She went through life as an empty shell.  But she was not Guilty of the Shame.  Oh no!  It was society's shame.  It was our shame.  Repeat aloud:  I (insert your name) am Guilty of the Shame.

page 88.

     Donn found his way to the highway East.  He found a spot to doze a few hours.  Daylight found him alongside US 40.  'Denver, here I come.'  He whistled, praying for the best.  This was not Donn's moment for the best.  He was over a day getting to Fruitland, an interminable number of short rides and long delays.  His spirits sank again.  He had his thumb out just outside of Fruitland when a fifty-eight Chevy pulled over.

     'Hi! I'm Kirk Douglas Strachan.'  The driver said extending a soft flabby hand.  He was wearing a black cowboy hat, had a soft pudgy face with black horn rimmed glasses, black cowboy shirt with white piping and black Can't Bust 'Ems over black cowboy boots.

     'Uh, yeah,'  Donn replied,  'I'm Phil Brown.'

    'Nice to meet you Phil.'  Strachan said eyeing him like a side of beef.

     This was about ten o' clock at night.  Strachan was a practiced hand.  He got right to the point.

     'Now, Phil, I'm going to tell you how it is,' he began with the authoritative tone of a movie tough guy,  'I like men.  I'm really a tough guy.  Did you get my name, Kirk Douglas Strachan?  Kirk Douglas was a movie tough guy.' he said, overlooking the fact that Kirk Douglas was still alive.  'My mother wanted me to be tough so she named me after him.  I am tough.  Now, it's your choice, you can either live or die.  Your second choice is obvious, we don't have to discuss