Live Forever*

It seems that the only inspiration I find anymore, be it music or otherwise, pretty much comes from my time with Mountain Stage. I know how fortunate I am to have these opportunities, so why not keep writing about them?

Tonight was a country-music lover's dream. Not often are the shows exclusively one genre, but tonights was the BEST of what's around in today's world of country (one of my favorite worlds). Jimmie Dale Gilmore (of the Flatlanders), Jamie Hartford, Buddy Miller, Billy Joe Shaver, and Emmylou Harris.

Around 1pm Andy, my boss, said "As soon as you're finished plugging in that microphone come with me, I have a job for you."
"Neato," I thought, "Must be important.
"Go find a grocery store," Andy said, "I need two lemons for Emmylou."

OK Folks, this is where the sickness factor comes into play. Sure, what do I care? I'll drop what I'm doing on stage and get in MY car and spend MY $1.06 to buy Emmylou F-N Harris some lemons. No questions asked! (I was reimbursed by buck-o-six).

Sure, Mountain Stage does everything they can to ensure the guest artists have a good experience so that they'll come back and tell their fellow popularity hounds to do the show too. But, is Mizz Harris going to lock her dressing room door and say "Emmylou doesn't go on without LEMON FOR HER TEA!"

She did an amazing job on the show but when she strums her guitar and looks at Buddy Miller (who joined her on guitar) and says "Does that sound in tune, Buddy?" I have to wonder what her ears have been doing the last 30 years.

Is Emmylou a bit of a diva? Yes. Does she deserve it? I'm sure she's worked hard. But she came out and sang during Buddy Miller's set, then CHANGED CLOTHES to come out 20 minutes later and sing her set with Buddy, who, believe it or not, wore the same ragged shirt and baseball cap. I wonder if anyone noticed?

I walked into the green room to find Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Larry Groce talking about the differences between Buddism and Hinduism. Brilliant! All I could really surmise was that JDG considers himself a Buddist, and claims he must've been one before he even knew what it was to be Buddist. It's the awakening that matters apparently. It seemed that buddism is more about mindset than beliefs. There was a lot of talk about "desires" and "ignorance" and the things that cause "worry" and "grief." Really makes me wish I'd read more, or that I'd had a better philosophy teacher.

So then, shortly after that, it was time for Billy Joe Shaver. Former ramblin' drunk, current friend-of-Jesus. Right before he sang "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal" he said "May the God of your choice bless you," which I think is brilliant (obviously someone else did too because he was selling bumper stickers of the phrase). Then he said "Jesus Christ was the one who made us all number two, but like I say, if you don't love Jesus, go to hell."

Some people don't know Billy Joe very well, as his character, the songwriting hillbilly outlaw. I believe in BJS the christian and the outlaw. I believe he wouldn't be spreadin' the word today if it weren't for the tribulations he went through to get to his subsequent awakening. Had he not wised up (spirtually & physically) then he would've drank/drugged himself to death and we'd be out one hell of a songwriter.

One of the stage hands was singing a hymn as we were tearing down. "You a church-going guy?" I inquired."No, I go to the church of nature" or something like that he replied, basically saying that the earth and birds are the only place of worship he needs. As he walked away he said "Dear lord, save me from your followers."

Now believe me, this guy was just kidding, but it's the quiet evangelism of someone like Billy Joe Shaver, or the shameless audacity of my independent Baptist minister of a brother, that makes people scared of God, Jesus, or whatever you want to call it. The shame is that it scares them from learning and exploring the aspects and complexities of religion, philosophy and psychology. But instead of welcoming someone into the fold, encouraging them to disinter their own beliefs from the many religious texts remaining, these nere-do-bads are only interested in lifting up their "beliefs" (read: opinions) and imposing them on you until you fess up. I have to clarify that I'm not stabbing at Billy Joe. He and I are are going to have dinner in the afterlife someday.

To take to learning all the various religious texts alone would be daunting, no doubt, but thats exactly what Jimmie Dale Gilmore did. He's read stacks and stacks of books and only after finding some sort of unbiased median ground, he had his awakening. Which is sort of like getting your "calling" from God, I guess.

You see, we can all interpret these things as we see fit. "Awakening," "Calling," "Religion," "God." They're all just words. Words that we made up and have been translated for centuries. Could they possibly shape our destiny for the alleged afterlife?

Personally, I hope Billy Joe and Jimmie Dale and Jesus are all in heaven. I hope everyone reading this is coming too. I'd sooner think that our souls are always growing and will continue to grow further once our earthly vehicles expire. And they may very well do so in the earthly vehicle of another human being. How do I know? I don't. That's my point.

No one knows what happens to us when we die. NO ONE KNOWS.

So the important question is "What have you done for your soul today?"

Now, time for some soul on disc. Go get Feist's "Let It Die." I'm gonna give Jesus a copy when I get to heaven to put in his collection beside Billy Joe Shaver and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

*Ye fathers and Ye Mothers/Be good to one another
Please try to raise your children right
Don't let the darkness take 'em/Don't let 'em be forsaken
Just lead them safely to the light.
-Billy Joe & Eddy Shaver.