I recently received an email telling me that someone “liked” a comment/post I made to a Substack last June. One wonderful thing about writing when you’re in your last quarter is that you often forget about some of the stuff you wrote–both on the fly and even stories and passages in novels you’ve been working (for far too long). The forgetting allows at times happy surprise and even pride.
Indeed, I’m quite happy, surprised, and even cant’ help feeling a little pride in what I wrote below. If you go back in my website here, you’ll find numerous references to this issue over the past decade and a half.
Weirdly, I found a Joy Harjo interview in a recent edition of AARP Bulletin. What a great discovery! Near the end of the piece, she says, “My sense is that when a child is born, mother’s milk emerges to feed the baby, but grandparents feed babies with stories.”
I got two things out of that statement. One is that, Yes! Indeed! I have been a grandparent now for almost 20 months. I plan to live another 20 years at least so that I can download all the stories I know about our grandson’s (and, hopefully his siblings and cousins) family. That role is particularly poignant for me because I am adopted and I am (as is he) a mixture of a half dozen family connections and a blend of
Rebecca Solnit writes comfortably in multiple veins as geographer, historian, environmentalist, memoirist, feminist, humanist, journalist, activist, even novelist. It’s pretty clear to me that she is one of our finest writers. In particular, her consistent artistic and poetic approach to essays and long-form narrarative is always surprisingly insightful and enlightening. And the way she writes, melding deeply personal perspective with a constant drive to pull back the curtain on the special ironies and contortions of American life, is the rarist form of reporting and commentary I know of – especially here in the 21st century (which, may I remind you, is now 25% in the can and still foaming).
Lately, Solnit’s been up on the battlements pushing hard to turn the tide in this current attempted
One of my favorite scenes in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 movie, Apocalypse Now, is when Martin Sheen’s character, Captain Willard, has landed on a river bank in the dead of night during a major fire fight between US troops and their hidden North Vietnamese opponents. With young Lance (who is tripping on acid) in tow, he is trying to locate a commanding officer in the midst of all the chaos and violence and fear. Willard asks two guys hunkered down in a trench who their commanding officer is. One turns and says, “Ain’t you?”
Back in March, TW Magazine published commentary by me called “Which Way We Going Now?” What I wondered in that piece was how artists of all types were going to respond to changes forced on us by this new administration.
The last time we had to deal with those same folks, the only significant artistic attempts to consistently address problems they were creating for the country seemed to come from comedians (and cable news talking heads having fun with various eye-rolling group exercise sessions). Now, however, we are living with a 2nd Term version of what some call the most incompetent, venal, and hostile administration in history. I promise not to go into detail about their shenanigans. Anything I attempt to describe explicitly from yesterday will be overshadowed by new bizarre travesties tomorrow.
June 12 is a special day. I’d guess most of my Facebook Friends are aware of Loving Day. Doesn’t take much to understand why. J.D. Vance might understand better than many of you. Same with Clarence Thomas. Also Barack Obama and yours truly (along with my enormous extended family). Actually, the list is virtually endless the world over even though most people don’t realize it.
But, a question: Have you found information on what this date is about in your local paper or any of your regular news sources? And how much detail did you get?
I have learned as a reader who happens to be a writer that you never know when you’re going to bump into something new and interesting to influence your work. As examples, in the past week or so I’ve read three different types of document that inspired new thoughts and ideas for the novel I’m working on. One was a Substack memoir series; another a book review; the third a hybrid history-mystery-biography about a blackface minstrel star in the first half of the 20th century.
Many Men Watching
Martha Nichols’ Substack is called “Inside Reader” where she often writes about personal essay journalism, artificial intelligence, and all sorts of new shenanigans in the media world. I’ve known Martha for many years now and have immense respect for her knowledge about writing and her skill in particular as an astute essayist. (She also happens to have been my editor at Talking Writing magazine as well as The Harvard Business Review, among other things).
I’ve been wondering about two things ever since the spring of 2016 when Donald Trump began winning primaries and getting all sorts of weird media attention. First off, were the Republican Party and its voters really willing to accept responsibility for the direction that guy wanted to push them? And, secondly, how much would the art world step up as a reaction to what Trump and his ilk seemed to want to do to our country?
Special Note from the Future: My new novel, Sound Effect Infinity, should have been available as an E-book everywhere that digital books are sold, but it wasn't until now, here in 2026. Here's the landing page at Amazon now and for the rest of the spring of 2026.
Below is text from 2025. I have moved quite far since then. This is left here at my website for archival purposes only. My old publisher never really got things rolling for me, so this year (2026) we moved forward with Flat Branch Press. Below, you’ll find where I was in 2025 if you want some background on where I was in 2025. Where were you, by the way?
As to the spoken word version, I continue to slowly edit and correct the audio files. What an interesting and important process for all writers. I pointed that out in my last post. It continues to be a fascinating experience to hear someone else read my narrator’s words. Instead of revising and editing, the point is to ensure that they are replicated into voice as close to how they were written as possible. I’m hoping we’ll all see the audio version for sale by the end of March.
I wish the bound and printed version of this novel was already available, but the E-Book will have to do for now. I can breathe better with at least one version of this funky story out there. For those of you who “only read on paper,” may I suggest getting started on the E-book then converting over when it comes out in premium hardcover? Just a thought. Your support now will help immensely with internet algorithms when the printed version becomes available.
No matter what, I had been waiting far too long for any version release of Sound Effect Infinity. Yes, in part it’s a near-future science fiction dealing with the power of loud guitars and the magic of music all connected to secrets about CIA paranormal experimentation and remote viewing. But it’s also now kind of close to home in how it describes the way America’s political life seems to be floating off into strange new sections of our national cosmic river.
For the record, Sound Effect Infinity began as an attempt to write something intelligent but wild and crazy about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. So many whippersnappers out there still give my generation shit with their “Okay, Boomer…” assholery. But think about it: who invented sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll as a philosophy and a way of life? And who now is inventing this bizarre shift of intelligence in our collective life here in the mid-2020s?
Boomers Rock Better Than Ever
As to that sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll phenomenon, I turn 67 in a few days and have been asking myself over the past several years: “Would I go back and do things differently?” I want to believe I would. No question, you can never have enough sex when you’re below the age of 30, but the drug thing was rather debilitating after maybe that first 24 months or so in my teens. By my junior year of college, I had fully weaned myself off getting high every day by substituting whiskey highballs on Friday and Saturday nights only. But that’s still getting high, to be honest, and that habit rolled along first morphing into a regular, nightly unwinding (during the Reagan era) and lasting until I turned 50 when I finally understood the problem for what it was and began the long process of freeing myself from what really is a useless and emotionally poisonous addiction. It would take more than a decade to fully escape that prison.
So, yeah, booze can (and will) fuck you up. Not just as a drunk or functioning alcoholic, but in chronic emotional ways you aren’t even really making the right connection with. I may have written this in other places, but every counselor talking to couples in need of therapy should start by asking both parties to stop drinking and/or getting high in any way for a month before they come back for their second session. Sorry. But that’s totally true. Me? I’ve been 100% free of any kind of buzzy mindshift since November 2022.
As to the rock ‘n’ roll side of things, my generation gets an A+. No debate. Sorry. Music with a beat is now, in fact, one of the principle art forms worldwide, and by far and away the most personal and intimate sensual experience almost everyone has on a daily basis everywhere on the planet.
If you’ve learned the importance of the beat, you don’t even need to hear music in order to move in time to the Universe at large. One of the most touching video clips I saw on Instagram last year was three young boys, maybe 8 – 10, break dancing with joyous abandon in the middle of Gaza rubble. Bizarrely, the American press didn’t do a good job of covering this, but here’s an Australian outlet’s coverage of the phenomenon: This breakdance crew in Gaza is using dance to help children heal from trauma.
Rock music is in everything now, even what people call classical. And don’t get me wrong, Boomers didn’t invent rock. No one did. It probably came out of the ground first, but was in the air as well by 1948 or so, first, in places like New Orleans, Kansas City, and Chicago, but spreading fast everywhere – from London to Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro to Lagos to Dublin by 1962.
What Do You Think, Though?
Book promotion is going to be a major part of my 2025. The E-book edition of Sound Effect Infinity [was available but is available here in 2026, now, as a hardcover at Amazon…have I said that yet?]. Maybe it’s a new take on sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, maybe not. You’ll have to check it out.
Thus, here in the beginning of 2025 I’m partly sitting around waiting for people to read Sound Effect Infinity and tell the world what they think. Partially waiting as well for the hardcover release. Also hoping folks will just step up impatiently and buy the E-book while pre-ordering a copy of the printed version. You won’t be charged for that hard copy until it ships.
Next Book Up Is?
While I wait, I’m hard at work still on my next project, code named Notes on the Golden Country. I am up to the third and final section of that book which is part quest, part historical fiction, and part time travel science fiction. As with Sound Effect Infinity, this story is off the beaten path in all sorts of ways. I think it’s safe to say that as a kid who grew up in the ’60s and ’70s I’ve never found much value in canned or predictable attempts at storytelling. Notes on the Golden Country is all about America and somewhat rebellious in its plot and theme. (Is being rebellious an American trait?).
My writing has been kind of twisted into knots after last year’s election. I was surprised to see a majority of voters put the Republican Party in charge of this country. That still doesn’t compute. The choice was between love on one side and punishment on the other. Now it seems like it’s between dismay and destruction. Somehow, I’m finding ways to rise beyond all this shit. I have special secrets I’ve figured out and ways to avoid stepping in the piles of shit that are currently being dumped all over America by this group of foolish, incompetent wannabes.
Note that it was the majority of actual voters that put the Republicans in a position to shred government services and support, i.e., people who went to the polls. The reality is that the largest percentage of eligible voters did not vote. Once again, the winner of our national election was people who don’t understand or don’t think they should be required to give a shit. That wasn’t a surprise, but it was very sad since it was pretty obvious that a certain segment of political types have made it their business to suppress voting behavior and limit access to the polls. When people make things that obvious and are so openly cynical about what they’re doing and talk hatred, division, and punishment, it’s kind of a good idea to show them they’re being jerks at least by casting a vote on whether you agree or want a bit more common sense and humility leading the way for us all.
Looking People in the Eyes
I just finished writing an essay this afternoon that will be published soon. Near the end of it, I wrote: “I believe in peace, love, community, independence, laughing, looking people in the eyes, being honest, and working hard not to be angry or hateful towards anyone.” I try to get those perspectives into all of my work as best I can–my stories, social media posts, online commentary pieces, and the lyrics to music I’m working on. I have one song I’m almost happy with these days called “Discontented People,” and another called “Modern Crow Blues.” Also, I have the music fully composed but not the lyrics to a song I have decided to call “Dinner in the Air.” There are a lot of other ones in various stages of undress. I try to work on them carefully because I don’t want anger (rage?) guiding what I’m doing. Hopefully, those songs can actually be recorded and sent out into the world by this fall. Some of them are kind of good…or at least I’m happy with them. Happiness is important these days, right? Something to share? Buy the book and you’ll make me even happier…
I’ll leave off here now with a small quote from Sound Effect Infinity:
Even now, he gets inside each one of us. We feel it. We hear it. He moves us. But we don’t really think about what’s happening. It seems normal. Sound and feeling. Loud reverb music finds the actual human soul that each of us has whether we believe in that kind of thing or not.
