Wrapping up the White Poppies for Remembrance series with a narrative late-night wander through Westminster, London, DaveO meanders past military monuments, victory squares, cenotaphs, palaces, royal parks, war museum, war chambers, riot fences, war protesters, churches, parliament and finishing at St. James park for a sitdown under a weeping willow to consider monarchy, individual rights and responsibilities, and the role of class division in waging war as London’s sirens, trains, and Big Ben fill the night.
Jerry Garcia Band (with John Kahn), acoustic, Oregon State Penitentiary, Lonesome Prison Blues, Salem OR 050582 via archive.org New Riders of the Purple Sagew/ Robert Hunter, April 8, 2006, Venue: Mystic Theater, Petaluma, CA
Source: Schoeps MK4v > V3 > 744T @24/96 Lineage: 744T > Audobe Audition 16/44> CDwav > Flac16 Taped by: Pete Gilmore, Monkey Tunes Transferred by: Dawne Sacchetti
Pete Stone – Golden Frontier via KEXP Song of the Day
Bonus: (links coming soon perhaps)
The Yuigers – repressed Muslim Chinese in Guatanamo
Back home on the North Vancouver porch, Dave reads from Clay Mcleod’s essay Why I Don’t Wear a Poppy while sending peace and resistance towards the decent lieutenant Magnum in Iraq and the Philippines along with earnest comrades at arms and peaceful strangers in war torn lands. Plus he admonishes the Canadian Legion for blocking the sale of white poppies while banjo-ist Wm. Lenker sings from the woodshed and The Grateful Dead leave this Brokedown Palace … on my hands and my knees, I will roll roll roll …
Last year The Royal Canadian Legion through it legal representative demanded that Canadian groups stop distribution them and that the PPU stop making white poppies available in Canada, or else. That was the gist, though expressed in more formal language. According to the RCL’s legal representatives, the white poppy infringes the Legion’s poppy trademark. The PPU replied at length; our central point was that we disagreed with their argument. We have not heard from them since but the Canadian shop at the centre of this complaint regrettably had to acquiesce. You can read more about this at http://tinyurl.com/2mc7pq where you can also find out about the white poppy project and the PPU.
Following the legal threats both the promoters in Canada and Canadians who bought the poppy from us hoped that white poppies would again be available in Canada this year.
White poppies in any quantity are available from us for dispatch anywhere in the world including Canada.
A story about Iraqi resistance fighters and their personal motivations by a young writer called Waiting in Baghdad is the crux of the next White Poppies for Remembrance episode – read from the homeporch with a Welsh mining lantern and firetrucks rolling past. Written by Chris K, a player on a dave-coached in-line hockey team in Olympia Washington in 2002.
Taking a Remembrance Day respite to enjoy a conscious discussion with ‘Trigger’ at Vancouver’s New Amsterdam Cafe, Dave O listens to the consequences and conditions of space, in tangible and gestalt senses, and reviews the paradigm shifts of Vancouver’s downtown Eastside ‘four corners’ – once one of the grandest intersections in the British Empire.
Later, he wanders and reads Walt Whitman [When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd] and Gord Downie [from Coke Machine Glow] to bring it ’round home for this part #7 of the White Poppies for Remembrance series.
Part 6 of the White Poppies for Remembrance series considers the opportunity cost of the lost human potential while at the Victory cenotaph in downtown Vancouver – along the way, troubadours sing about Providence, Joyful(ness) along with spontaneous percussion-scapes and city bus brakes.
DaveO examines the value of life with Gord Downie’s swift deconstructions of existence from Coke Machine Glow, Henry David Thoreau’s visionary stories of perseverance and the value of the mindfulness from Walden and a personal declaration of sovereignty and dignity from original Letters from Russia read in hospital to ole gramps.
Chris Jacobsen, “Providence” from “Houseboat” 1995 Spilt Milk Records (cassette)
Note: Chris is a quick-laughing, semi-salty, ukulele-playing, sea captain in knew in Guam in the 90’s – last heard from in Long Beach, WA or somewhere in Rhode Island – i should have a photo around here somewhere … Message to Chris: I hope to have a brew with you soon! Send a postcard.
Part 5 of the White Poppies for Remembrance series continues with Dave at Victory Park, this time reading the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted by General Assembly Dec. 10th 1948) with riffs on tolerance, human relations, common understanding and mutual respect, including a healthy sampling of articles on brotherhood, privacy, special treatment for mothers plus a commentary about refugee status and the illegal nature of torture and humiliating treatment.
Then brings it ’round home with a snippet from H.D. Thoreau’s Walden about sovereign man being the origin of the political state while accompanied by lively jazz (via bootleg cassette) featuring Joe Williamson and cohorts in Banff from way back playing about Peace to the Children of our Universe and Common Market offering up replinishing Refresh (ment) live on KEXP.
Finding Victory Park cenotaph in post-ceremony calm, Dave settles onto a bench for lost sailors with some bagpipers to chat about John Macrae’s Flander’s Field poem and mull the tension between remembering noble effort and embracing jingoistic behavior. This conundrum is evident in snippets of an essay by Stephen Osborne – The Poem and the Poppy – which relates the amazing grace of drinking gin with Gramps who was there – ‘in the void.’
Part Three of the White Poppies for Remembrance series (recorded Nov. 2006) features reading from the Dhammapada by Siddhartha Gautama while waiting for the Seabus heading towards Victory Park. Along the way, Dave talks about conscientious objection and military service evaders in Canada, mercy and the state of the downtown eastside.
Page France sings Chariot, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sings about Mercy, (both found on KEXP S.o.t.D. podcast) and Bill Janovitz from Here Comes a Regular score lays down some background groove – plus some Andean flute, soulful saxriffs and American Pie wisdom from Clayton the seabus busker along the way.
Part Two of the White Poppies for Remembrance series finds Dave O eating oatmeal in North Van before heading downtown Vancouver to check in on Remembrance Day remembering activities. While having a bite to eat, he explains the mission of the White Poppies for Peace (a Peace Pledge Union project) folks based in the UK – to abolish war and violence of all kinds and spread peaceful vibes while Rocky Votolato “White Daisy Passing” and Black Tories provide tunes.
‘War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war.’ PPU pledge White Poppies for Peace
Embarking on a White Poppies for Remembrance Day series, Dave reads the role of King Agamemnon from the Oresteia by Aeschylus written in the 6th century BC. The King returns to Argos by chariot with a captured royal concubine in tow and tales of plunder and pillage after defeating Troy and is met by his conniving wife.
Postcards from Gravelly Beach is a spoken word literature podcast featuring me (Dave O) reading literary stalwarts - from Russians to the beats - along with smatterings from original works - fiction, freeverse and expository.
Each episode is carefully homegrown - recorded spontaneously at some splendid locale and backed by an eclectic assortment of music.
Wise book enthusiasts are advised to visit Last Word Books in OlyWa. Check the tasty stash including the thick stack from the legendary counter-culture publisher Loompanics plus Evergreen College library books - cheap out the backdoor.
Last weekend, i was pleased to present at WordCamp Whistler organized by my good pals Duane & Dale (of Brave New Code) and John and Rebecca (of sixty4media). My spiel was called “Are you Worthy?” or ‘history of publishing from Greeks to geeks’. I also previewed my upcoming Moose Camp and Northern Voice presentations a [...]
With the Canucks mired in a futility streak, BC Almanac invited me down for a chat on the popular CBC Radio 1 afternoon radio show “B.C. Almanac”. I’ve appeared on a the show before along with On the Coast, and really enjoy going to the Ceeb and sharing my punditry with my fellow Canadians. During this [...]
Cross posted at Daily Vancouver as: High-Flying Canadian Snowboarder Crispin Lipscomb – Olympic Outsider podcast #9 Recorded at the post-Turin Olympic flag tour in May 2006, top-placing Canadian half-pipe snowboarder Crispin Lipscomb talks to host Dave O about his Olympic experience, pre-race rituals and 2010 plans – plus offers insight into the […]
In response to Dave Delaney (davemadethat.com)’s meme-like inquiry about favorite podcasts – What are you listening to? A podcasting meme – I sit on the rocky banks of Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet drinking a St. Ambroise beer and extol a list of faves podcasts with reasonings and anecdotes about each. Dopefiend.co.uk w/Dopecast, Psycho […]
At Vancouver’s personal expression conference, Northern Voice 2008, i presented my (semi-infamous) spiel “Fuck Stats, Make Art” to enthusiastic reviews [Sweet Nectar of Validation - NV08 wrap up, reviews and podcast] and then spent the afternoon with my dear colleagues from The Crazy Canucks podcast discussing our role as independent chroni […]
Really truly pleased to read all the kind words from folks who rolled by my Northern Voice presentation F*** Stats, Make Art – sorry for messing up your SEO mojo with the inappropriate title ;-). To all who showed up, thanks! Really a treat to see so many friends, heros, colleagues and new friends smiling [...]
Lansing Michigan, 1973 eating macaroni & cheese in a damp basement while adults whispered windows shivered radio crackled and i wondered why the tornado was coming and then my memory began
freshly skinny white leaping from the storm the 2AM moonlight fractures with the impact the rocks below clarified by the glacial melt jagged but deep enough for divers and explorers escaping ennui and malaise on the shore bobbing over rocks shook freed from constraints the absence reveals no barriers for the lubricious and clumsy emerging from the cold […]
Sailboats carving patterns darters into waves which don’t seem to mind Leaning over sideways to control both power and time Flocking into clusters brushing past the buoys like galaxies swirling spun by translucent kite-strings Leaving tracers to catch a gaze the stone mason experiment invites me and strangers to rest awhile only at lowtide when […]
Green hulled sleeper lulls along the darters and sunnyday foghorn Sailors waiting papers aren’t order sandwiches and waiting waiting, watching for the crackled word we’re moving out
On Lynn Valley’s Varley trail, Uncle Weed discourses on fascist sponsors and greedy PR hacks reacting to young Mr. Phelps’ situation, plus talk of value of art vs. artist and listener email about parenting advice, blind shopping cart incidents, and a situation with a Briton arrested and incarcerated in Japan plus a spiel on Group [...]
Rolling aboard buses, trolleys, Skytrain and Seabus, Uncle Weed discusses changing routes and riding transit for escape, exploration, creativity, inspiration and adds in tourist fun plus concerns about free expression, aggressive security and love for the Seabus in a special documentary dispatch from Upper Lynn Valley to Kitsilano in Vancouver, BC, Canada. S […]
From Wreck Beach on University of BC campus Uncle Weed offers international, festive greetings with tales of journies to come, the feeling of the edge of the world, reflections of NYEs in Japan, cougars on the Baden Powell trail, float planes, ferries and barges, and mostly asking the universe what to do next? Plus special holiday greetings from Herby, now a […]
From the vault comes the story of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s honorary Canadian citizenship ceremony at the Canucks rink in Vancouver. Along with a rousing Oh Canada!, and the official ceremony, comes a few words of humour and counsel from HHDL14 and his eloquent assistant and discussion of the Dalai Lama Centre for [...]
From a snowy Gulf island, Uncle Weed recounts an incident from a lost summer involving a hi-jacked VW bus and a surreal evening of trout, tribal chants, involuntary confinement, gun shots, and rabbit stew – plus a chance to win a HappyVappy Vaporizer Kit. Musical Interlude by Wm. Lenker of Steamboat Island via Pennsyl-tucky & [...]
On back porch, Uncle Weed shares a personal message to the chooglers international followed by a spiel about tactics to resist a golf course incident induced corporate drug test using vigilance, friendly lawyers, a trip to Belize w/ broken wrist, and Tolstoy’s War + Peace. Pack your bags for: Drug Test Resistance in Belize – Choogle [...]
