Fool's Gold

Folks,

Let me start with a quote from Joanna Newsom, http://www.joanna-newsom.com/

"Nevada City is in California, actually; weirdly enough..... and it was lovely. a very small, old gold rush town—maybe three thousand people? Lots of trees, a beautiful river we swam in every summer, and not much for a kid to do except run around and play outdoors - and the whole town is swarming with artists and hippies and old prospectors... a very eccentric collection of people."  

I think she meant eclectic (re: eccentric) but you get the idea ... 

I went into the local IGA and sure enough the folks in there matched Newsom's description exactly - almost got the feeling everyone is here in Nevada City to escape something - which probably is closer to the truth than we really want to know.

It's gets better - Roger Hodgson, formerly of Supertramp lives here - in fact every morning he has 'Breakfast in America'.  

Gary Snyder, beat poet and former associate of one Jack Kerouac lives here also.  The 'beats' became hippies became corporate lawyers became the Wall Street crooks - soon to become 'dead beats'.

When I think of the beats I think of Charles Bukowski and that gets me quickly to Tom Russell and his CD, 'Hotwalker' - it's an homage to the beats and the spirit that drove them - a spirit that is sadly lacking and in much need today.  A spirit that you would never be comfortable with in control of anything but one you want nipping at the exposed parts of those who are - just to keep them honest and in line.  They lived on the outside - Hunter S. Thompson received the baton they passed and it looks like he may have taken it with him - let's hope not.

To quote Bukowski, "The problem was you had to keep choosing between one evil or another, and no matter what you chose, they sliced a little more off you, until there was nothing left. At the age of 25 most people were finished. A whole goddamned nation of assholes driving automobiles, eating, having babies, doing everything in the worst way possible, like voting for the presidential candidate who reminded them most of themselves".

You know if Charles was alive right now he might agree we broke the mold on that quote.

Tomorrow I am going to take a slow drive down Highway 49 - named after the year 1849 when this place was crammed with 'McCabe-like' individuals (if you have not seen the movie 'McCabe and Mrs. Miller', please do) and doing a lot of stopping and shooting (taking photos) - I'll be prospecting for the perfect shot.

The Canadian group Lighthouse wrote a beautiful song about 1849, and one line always remained with me,

'No one thought their greed for gold would change their lives someday'

But as recent events have proven once again, it always does .... except this time, they took us with them,

Phil