Emotions (Honestly)

Emotions are complex in perception and expression.

Some people bury them; pretend they don't exist. And pay the price.

Others are ruled by them. And pay the price.

Some mock them as weak. Others revere them as the purest source of life.

Public displays? Ridiculed. Because emotions are brutally honest.

Honesty itself is complex. In its purest form it is noble. Unless it concerns painful emotions;

then it is a joke (to some).

Emotions reflect the highest of highs and lowest of lows. They can range from inconsequential to momentous.

Emotions monitor a life. Happiness results from remaining true to one's nature. Sadness is a warning to change the approach.

Emotions are the essence of humanity.

They need to be considered as such.

The Question Is

 "No one opened doors for me. I pushed through. The question is will they remain open?"

Courtesy of Michael Kevin Kealey. Born May 30,1958. Died August 23, 1990.

Do Some Good

 "Seek always to do some good even if it is a small thing. Do something for those who have need of help - not for pay, but for the mere priviledge of doing it. You don't live in a world alone. Your brothers and sisters are here too."

Courtesy of Leo M. - Born May 6, 1929 - Died December 23, 1986.

and his wife

Dorothy M. - Born July 17, 1933 - Died March 4, 2009.

How Is Your Neuro-Chemical State?

 During a drunken, drug fueled night, Moby said: "But why doesn't God let us feel like this all the time?" His companion asked "What do you mean?"

He said: "I mean that an omnipotent God could give us any resting neuro-chemical state, so why doesn't he let us feel like this from the time we're born until the moment we die?"

I believe that is a valid question.

God?

Charlie Watts

I have been trying to write this fucking eulogy for 3 days and I just can't get it right.

So today I am going to shoot from the hip.

Charlie Watt's death is devastating.

There was a ton of great music created between 1963 and 1969. It is stunning what happened to the music world in just those 6 years.

Two groups reigned above it all - The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Right there, right at the very beginning they proved how diverse the music could be. The Beatles split up in 1969; The Stones are still playing today.

But it will never be the same.

Since 1975, the heart and soul of this group has been Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. I could explain the changes in the band between 1962 and 1975, and 1992 to now, but you don't really care, do you?

You shouldn't. The only thing you should care about is that Charlie Watts will no longer be staring at Mick Jagger's bum, as Charlie once described it.

By the way, Charlie agreed to join the group in 1963 (he had to be asked twice), but only if they guaranteed to pay him 5 pounds a week. He was already making money with jazz bands.

Charlie and his wife Shirley bred Arabian horses. They lived on a farm in the village of Dolton, England. They have a daughter named Seraphina and a grand-daughter named Charlotte. Charlie had an impressive collection of classic cars but never got a driver's license. 

You will hear him decribed as elegant. And refined. Repeatedly. That is the perfect description of the man. Both in style and in his drumming. Supremely elegant.

He was also a tough cookie. Famous story - Amsterdam 1984. Earlier in the day, the band had a meeting to discuss whether they still wanted to go on as a band because Jagger was embarking on a solo career. Jagger said to Charlie: "None of this should matter to you because you're only my drummer."

Later on, after a drunken night out with Keith, Jagger called Charlie in his hotel room and said "Where's my drummer?" Charlie proceeded to go up to Keith's room, shoved him aside to get to Mick and then punched Jagger in the face, saying "Don't ever call me your drummer again. You're my fucking singer!"

Charlie understood perfectly his role in the band.

He never indulged in the typical excesses of a rock star except for one brief period between 1983 and 1986. He was drinking heavily and using heroin. He pulled out of it and that was that.

Most people consider Mick and Keith the heart and soul of The Stones. But those in the know, musicians and people in the music industry, considered Charlie Watts to be the heart and soul.

Keith Richards is one of them. He has been quoted as saying "Without Charlie there would be no Stones."

Ronnie Wood: "Charlie's the engine. We don't go anywhere without the engine."

That is why his death is such a monumental loss. The absolute core of this group -  one of the most revered and influential bands in all of rock 'n roll - is gone.

After a 58 year run.

Many people question whether The Stones will still be The Stones without Charlie. Many people believe they will not.

I don't get into distinctions like that. I need The Rolling Stones to go on for a while longer. I need it.

But it will never be the same.

No Better Words (Charlie Watts)

Elton John on Charlie Watts: "A very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer. The most stylish of men, and such brilliant company. My deepest condolences to Shirley, Seraphina and Charlotte. And of course, The Rolling Stones."

 I have always said that Chuck Leavell had the best job in rock 'n roll for many years. He plays keyboards, and for a while he toured with The Allman Brothers Band. When they were not on the road he toured with The Rolling Stones. Does it get any better than that?

Chuck's words on Charlie Watts: "We are all shocked and devastated to lose Charlie. I feel broken. There has been no man finer, more elegant, and more beautiful to walk the Earth than Charlie Watts. All class. As a musician, his timing and beat were impeccable, his touch delicate yet so powerful. His sense of what and what not to play was unsurpassed. It has been the honor of my life to have played with him over the last 40 years, and to have called him a friend. My heart goes out to his beautiful family."

I am sure there are hundreds more sentiments expressing the same thoughts about Charlie Watts.

Ultimate, stylish, brilliant company, fine, elegant, beautiful, class.

These are not typical compliments for a rock 'n roll drummer.

The man had his own unique presence.

Hearts are broken all over the world.

They Called Him Doctor, After All

 "I'd rather have the whole world against me than my own soul."

Dr. John