Prof. Berryhill-Williams Analysis of 5th Grade School Year

A little Alexander for the family and friends.
Sorry the vid skips around...haven't quite figured out how to get it off my iPhone properly...

Ring of Fire

Todays Annular Solar Eclipse. 'Annular' apparently comes from the Latin word Annulus which means ring or circular....We caught this view on our way home from the movies (The Avenger's) and the radio station was playing Stan Ridgway's version of Ring of Fire, very apropos. 


Our view was more of a crescent-shape however and looked like an exceptionally bright moon, the marine layer coming off the ocean acting like the perfect filter...


(this noir-ish photo was taken w/my iPhone and run through iPhoto, I didn't shoot in black and white, there just wasn't enough light for color)

Happy Birthday Daddy of Craw

Spending the afternoon with Paul. Gluten-free cupcakes and sunshine at the nursing home. 


I want to thank everybody that left comments here and on Facebook about how much Paul's writings have affected and/or influenced you. I read them all to him, every message,  and I could tell he was listening and their power was getting through to him. He still remembers who he is. Paul Williams the author, of over 30 books about; music, common-sense philosophy, Bob Dylan's performances, Philip K. Dick, Brian Wilson, and Crawdaddy Magazine...etc.. is still there, you can feel it, he's just gotten harder to access. 

Paul Williams Birthday May 19th 1948

Paul at the commune at Apple Bay, Victoria Canada, early 1970s

Paul's birthday is coming up in a few days. If you'd like to leave him a message, something brief, particularly about how Paul's writings/books have affected you, I will happily read them to him, (over some cake and ice cream). 

*   *   *

"But living in the woods is not where it's at. Where it's at is living on the planet. I came to the woods because I wanted to live on the planet. Not in a nation. Not in a state of mind. On the planet, in the biosphere, right here where everything's happening, where I can't cop out on my responsibilities as God by playing with my Erector Set. 

The planet is where we all live, not just some of us; and that's why it's so difficult to live here."

(excerpted from Apple Bay or Life on The Planet by Paul Williams, still in print and can be found at online bookstores I might add)

Southern California Shows

Saturday May 12th...House Concert   Vista, CA
contact: paulaluber@hotmail.com   7:30pm


Sunday May 13th....McCabes   Santa Monica, CA
w/Julie Christensen   7pm
http://www.McCabes.com/

(photo by John Hancock)

Lunchtime at the Nursing Home

Everyone's asleep at lunchtime. Seated next to Paul was a man also named Paul who says he got a degree from MIT and had been a computer programmer. He's in his 70s or 80s so he must have been in the early days of the computer industry. He actually couldn't remember his own age and his nurse was sort of guessing. I actually thought he was around Paul's age, in his early to mid 60s. But who knows in here. 

At a certain point it just becomes a sea of gray, no matter the generation one came out of, no matter the race, no matter the background story. It's all white hair and grey pallor to the skin. And at this destination all must listen to Frank Sinatra and Perry Como and Dean Martin. Some management or executive's idea of what these people should want to hear.

This is what I'd like to play them today: Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Goin' Down To The River", The Ramone's "I Wanna Be Sedated", Hall and Oats "Your Kiss is on My List", "Sally Go Round The Roses", Tim Hardin's "Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep", Modern English's "I'll Stop The World and Melt With You", Bill Wither's "Using Me", anything by Marvin Gaye (I'd just play the whole record), Stereolab's "Wow and Flutter"...

Donation Fund Finds Zero

Well I knew we were getting close but the time has come to report that the Paul Williams donation bank account has hit zero.

Once a year I pay an elder law attorney, a kind man who gives me a cut rate, about a thousand bucks to help us keep Paul on his special Medi-Cal program. Once a year Medi-Cal asks us to prove that Paul is worthy, eligible for their care. Proof that he truly does need to be cared for in a nursing home. And that he, and we, can't afford to foot that bill.

So I gather latest bank account statements, and work pay stubs, and title to our car and send them in to the attorney who fills out the endless paper work, questions that were answered exactly the same for the last 3 years.

So what do people do who don't hire an attorney? They must be hyper vigilant about getting it all done and in on time (if you're late the game is over and you lose). Last year Medi-Cal rejected Paul's request for continuing care and we had to start the process all over again. I was very thankful to have the attorney helping me on that.

It's worth it, getting the help. Like paying for a mechanic to fix your motor. Sure you could probably do it, but do you have the time, the patience, the knowledge and the tools to make it work.

I look at things as projects. You know how your teacher in seventh grade would say: "okay class you need to pick a project about ancient history and it is due in two weeks". I liked projects; when I knew I could be creative with them. I was never the kid that laid out all the facts with bullet points. I'd write a song or a play about it, and then other kids would copy me (on the play anyways; it was called Pompeiino: ABoy, and it had a song in it about the volcano erupting and destroying the Roman city of Pompeii).

Moving papers around, collecting evidence and organizing it, is not my strong suite. So I suppose it's okay to spend that last thousand bucks on making sure Paul can stay in his nursing home for another year.

At least that's what I tell myself, now, as I make out the check.

If you'd like to find out more about Paul Williams and/or donate to his continuing care here is a link ( a lovely site put together by a team of Paul's dear friends three years ago): 

http://www.paulwilliams.com/index.html

An Affair of the Heart

Rough-draft of a new song. 
(And something you will hear at McCabes on sunday May 13th, along with lots of other new songs) 

Sonoma to Saratoga

(photo Cece Hugo)

Here we are at the Sonoma show, which was hosted by Hwy 12 Properties and Sonoma Dog Camp. We had a great time, with great sound and played about an hour and a half. The sound was so good I wanted to keep playing but finally I did have to try the fine Sonoma wine. A guy in the audience turned out to be an old acquaintance of Paul's and it was weird thinking I'd have to break the bad news to him about Paul's health. As it turned out he'd pretty much heard it already through the grapevine. 

(photo Fayd Ogolon)

We had a few hours to kill before our show in Saratoga so we went to the fabulous Fleur de Coco in Los Gatos and had the most marvelous cup of cocoa imaginable, it was as Renata said "liquid candy bar". 

The show was on an unusual site, a property owned by Mr and Mrs. Peck, an elderly couple that watched the concert from the 'balcony', a raised room to our left. They were quite lovely. Mrs. Peck gave us a thank you and very stately bow. It was like we were performing for the old Duke and Duchess of Silicon Valley. Their property had a narrow gauge train track, a historic 'ampitheater', and housed several homes, all old wood and stone structures. This one had so much odd ball stuff in it, (a skeleton, a stuffed peacock, a live chinchilla for example) you could have had an amazing game of I Spy. 

(Photo Thomas Christopher Marshall)

San Francisco show

Photo by Paula Luber. 

This is sound check at 50 Mason Social House in S.F. If you're a guitar geek like me you'll want to know that the guitar is a Godin-5th Ave...It's an arch top that came out a couple of years ago and I bought it before it was named "Guitar-of-the-Year" by Guitar Player Magazine. 

Playing shows, doing these little tours like the one we're on now, really helps my sanity. We all need healthy diversions. 

We played a full set last night, including a slew of the songs I've written in the past year. Like American Cinematography, I Like Cats You Like Dogs, The Heavy, Somebody's Angel and so on. There was thunder lightening and rain, all very auspicious for the new songs....I want to thank the guy that came up to me after the show and told me that the music made him cry. 


And thanks to Alex Jimenez and 50 Mason Social House for hosting us last night.