“Dear God, whose name I do not know.
Thank you for my life.
I forgot how BIG…
Thank you.
Thank you for my life.”
LINK
“Joe Versus The Volcano”
Kabul, Afghanistan (2004)
Selfie from the fortified compound from which the Karzai Protective Detail was based, funded by the U.S. Government and contracted through DynCorp.
This is where I lived for 42 days from August to September 2004.
Why 42 days? Because that was the minimum cut off date in order to receive overseas danger pay.
I’m wearing my VT baseball cap and ubiquitous fisherman’s tan vest that had lots of pockets and could easily conceal my pistol. Behind me are some of the uparmored HUMVEEs the KPD utilized.
The guy walking towards me was a DynCorp IT guy who learned I had tons of music on my laptop and asked to borrow it so he could mirror the entire library.
Behind him is a fortified wall comprised of HESCO barriers and cargo containers upon which armed Nepalese guards patrolled with shotguns.
If there was a car bomb outside they’d be the first to be incinerated.
That white building in the background was the HQ and also had an amazing library from which I borrowed many a book, including “Into The Wild.”
I had a lot of time to read in those 42 days and was averaging a book every 2-3 days.
This was the beginning stages of the hideous monstrosity that would one day become my gargantuan goatee.
I began growing some facial hair as all the cool Special Operations types hired by DynCorp had fantastically awful stylings on their grim faces and I thought I’d join the club, too.
While working out in the base gym one day I noticed for the first time I was getting gray hair in my beard.
At first I plucked the hairs from my chinny chin chin, but soon they outnumbered the black ones.
A few short years later, my entire lower beard was gray. And I was only 35.
That’s what having kids did to me.
“Perfecting Loneliness”
In late 2002 I went into Plan 9 Records in RVA and checked out the CDs they were recommending on their wall of new releases.
Back in the day you could request one of the CDs, take it to a CD player with an attached pair of headphones, and listen to it to decide whether you wanted to buy it.
Having recently been hired by DS, for the first time in my life I had a bit of extra scratch in my pocket. So, after listening to a few minutes of this CD from a band I’d never heard of, I decided it was good enough to purchase.
I was like that.
I’d listen for a few minutes and make an immediate decision, hoping I would be discovering a band I’d love.
A lot of times they turned out to be duds, but this one was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Per Wikipedia:
“Perfecting Loneliness is the third and final studio album by American rock band Jets to Brazil. Vocalist/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach spent six weeks at his mother’s farm in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he worked on new material. By the fall of 2003, less than a year after the release of Perfecting Loneliness, the band broke up for unspecified reasons.”
For some reason I just absolutely LOVE this album.
A lot of it probably has to do with the fact that I had finally achieved my goal of obtaining the career I wanted and was feeling much less stress and depression. It also helps that the music and lyrics are fantastic.
Having a wild hair up my ass, one day I decided to try and find the guy who designed the album’s amazing artwork, Glenn Maryansky. I discovered his LinkedIn profile and reached out to him.
Below is a sampling of our conversation:
Me:
“Glenn, Weird question: Been a big fan of Jets To Brazil ever since I gave “Perfecting Loneliness” a spin on the old CD player at Plan 9 Records in Richmond in 2002. Been a huge fan since. (My kids grew up on “Wish List.”) Apparently, you designed the cover. I would love to learn more. Thanks!”
Glenn:
“Hey Jay Bobb, yes I did design the cover. My brother was the second guitar player on all but the first LP. That cover came about when he found an old book on the sidewalk with that as the back cover art. If you look at their Instagram, he recently posted a photo of the actual book which still resides in my basement. Do you still live in Richmond? My cousin lives there and her husband played in Worn in Red, maybe you know them?”
Me:
“Great cover. I had a t-shirt made with it on it. Discovered the band and Blake when that album came out. I have it on LP and consider it a classic. I will look on Instagram. Can you tell me the name of the book? My parents and my in-laws still live in Richmond. We visit very often. Thanks for designing what I consider one of the coolest rock album covers of all time.”
Glenn:
“Hi Jay Bobb! That means a lot to me. It’s one of my favorite covers iced designed as well, but always nice to hear what it means to others. I will have to get the book out to remember the name. I’ll look for it today. Also, does your LP have a poster in it. If not I will see if I have any extras. Jade Tree made a limited full size poster for one pressing on nice uncoated paper stock. I’ll hit you up later with book name and let you know if I have an extra posted.”
Me:
“That would be amazing. Thank you. If you’re able to find one I vow to have it framed and set in a place of honor in my office!
That JTB album and cover are one of my favorites of all time. It came out of nowhere for me.
Rare for a CD (at that era) to be that good from beginning to end, and deep as well. I remember once out running on the Washington & Old Dominion trail (rails to trail) outside of my then hometown of Vienna, Virginia and the song “Perfecting Loneliness” came on and I was absolutely entranced by the close out with the radio chatter from the astronauts overplaying the guitar led outro.
“The moon is essentially gray.”
That line absolutely haunts me.
And I played “Wish List” so many times on road trips with my family that to this day my kids know all the lyrics.
Over ten years ago I began searching for a JTB t-shirt. But they were no longer in stock as the band had broken up. So after trying and trying, I finally went to one of those custom t-shirt Internet places and made my very first custom t-shirt (this was before they really started checking against licensing and copyrights – sorry!).
My kids know what the shirt means but no one else has ever asked me or recognized it. Regardless, I love it. I think it’s pretty damn cool.
Thanks again! Pleasure speaking with you.
P.S.
As I typed this, “I Typed For Miles” from JTB’s “Orange Rhyming Dictionary” came on. Perfect.”
Glenn:
“Amazing, I will share your story and the tee pic with my brother. He will love it.”
LINK
Black & Tan
Since I missed St. Patrick’s Day celebrations yesterday and Thursday has become my new Friday, I’m having this tonight:
Black & Tan
- Blend = Guinness Draught & Bass Ale
Often confused with Half & Half, this blend consists of half Bass Ale and half Guinness Draught. First, you fill the glass with Bass Ale, then rest a spoon on top and slowly pour in Guinness. This will help keep the Guinness on top, giving it the iconic Black & Tan appearance. Here’s what you can expect from this blend:
Appearance:
Dark mahogany when held to light. Clarity is good and can make out shapes through the ruby interior. Nice display of off white head. Fair bit of carbonation streaming up the sides.
Aroma:
Lighter fruit flit with the darker Guinness standard. Light herbal qualities. Hints of biscuit and sweeter malt elements; caramel especially.
Mouthfeel:
Higher carbonation floats the body a bit and dries the mouthfeel.
Taste:
Malty caramel at the front with light hints of roast and minor bittering. Any hints of coffee from the Guinness seem to be lost in this one and the Bass looses a lot of its brassy bright notes. herbal and floral hop whispers. Lightly bitter at the back with a quick dropping finish. Mineral in the aftertaste.
Overall:
This combination brings a little more hop presence along with added fruitiness. Not bad, especially if looking for something slightly more hop bitter.
History:
The Black and Tans were constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as reinforcements during the Irish War of Independence. Recruitment began in Great Britain in January 1920 and about 10,000 men enlisted during the conflict. Most Black and Tans were unemployed former British soldiers who had fought in the First World War.
They were to help the overstretched RIC maintain control and suppress the Irish Republican Army (IRA), although they were less well trained in ordinary policing. The nickname “Black and Tans” arose from the colors of the improvised uniforms they initially wore, a mixture of dark green RIC (which appeared black) and khaki British Army.
The Black and Tans gained a reputation for police brutality and became notorious for reprisal attacks on civilians and civilian property, including extrajudicial killings, arson and looting.”
9/64ths
Great Grandfather was full-blooded Cherokee on my Dad’s patrilineal line. Extra 1/64th on his matrilineal line.
“Ragged Old Flag”
From FB:
“Dear Mr. Jay Bobb:
Thank you for your recent message regarding the [torn and soiled] U.S. flag flying over the Patrick Henry Library. I directed a member of my staff to call the Branch Manager of this library and I understand that she submitted a work order yesterday morning to replace the flag in question. Further, she will be sure to have the current flag properly and respectfully disposed of.Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.
Sincerely,
Sharon Bulova
Chairman
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors”
LINK
Saint Edward The Martyr
From FB:
“March 18th is the feast day of Saint Edward the Martyr, described by some as England’s “least important king.” The feast day marks the day of his assassination in 978 CE after only three years on the throne. Edward was described as, “…a young man of great devotion and excellent conduct. He was completely Orthodox, good and of holy life. Moreover, he loved God and the Church above all things. He was generous to the poor, a haven to the good, a champion of the Faith of Christ, a vessel full of every virtuous grace.”
While hunting with dogs, his stepmother, Queen Elfrida, offered Edward a glass of mead. While he was drinking it, he was stabbed in the back by one of the queen’s party.
As the murder was attributed to “irreligious” opponents (whereas Edward himself was considered a good Christian) he was glorified as Saint Edward the Martyr in 1001 by both the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican Churches. These religions considered him to be a “passion-bearer,” or one who faces his death in a Christ-like manner. Others saw him as part of the continuing Pagan tradition of the sacrificial king who must die for his people, in the manner of the Sun God who is sacrificed to darkness with the changing of the seasons, only to be reborn and rise again.
In Western myth and literature, such a figure represented a solar deity in a periodically re-enacted fertility rite. In such rites, the sacred king represented the spirit of vegetation – a divine John Barleycorn, who came into being in the Spring, reigned during the Summer, and ritually died at harvest time, only to be reborn at the Winter solstice to wax and rule again.
This spirit of vegetation was therefore a “dying and reviving god”. Osiris, Dionysus, Attis and many other familiar figures from Greek mythology and classical antiquity were re-interpreted in this mold.
The sacred king, such as the Corn King from the novel “Harvest Home” (1973) or virgin Police Sergeant Neil Howie from “The Wicker Man” film (1973) represent the human embodiment of the dying and reviving vegetation god. This “king” was supposed to have originally been an individual chosen to rule for a time, but whose fate was to suffer as a sacrifice, to be offered back to the earth so that a new king could rule for a time in his stead.”
Song Of Ajax 