Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Lights Out - I have been working with the same LD (lighting designer) since 1994. We call Kevin Smith, who hails from Toronto, the Painter of Light. Many, many of you have complimented us on the beautiful light shows he creates for every tour. Well, as we checked on his work permit this year, a mere formality for almost a decade, we were informed that it would cost over $3,000 to renew his work-visa and we would only have a 50% chance of getting the permit. Of course we were horrified by that news and asked why is it suddenly so hard to employ a Canadian, when he has worked worked regularly in he USA for the last decade - and Kevin hasn't just worked for us, he has done a lot of major tours with other American acts....The answer is....wait for it......wait for it......wait for it.....it's the Patriot Act. I honestly don't know what we should do. Kevin is my friend, we all love working with him and he has come to know my music so well in the past 9 years. When we improvise he can improvise with us and then he can recognize a subtle cue to go back into a chorus for example.......Well, I will of course gamble the 3 grand and hope that whoever is in charge will allow Kevin to work for us. But what is happening to this great country? How great and all-consuming can this fear and paranoia become? First we turn against foreigners, even Canadians, then we turn against our own neighbors? 4:35:03 PM    comment []; Candles 1. While I was at the Santa Fe Candle store today, to buy more beeswax candles of course, I asked the owner whether they are doing mail-order business. He told me that yes, they sell mail-order and that he is working on their web site to enable web orders. Their new web site should be up soon and I will make note here as well.... 2. We will bring our candle cars this year. We haven't toured with them since the opium tour in 1996 and I think it's time....the candles create such a wonderful atmosphere! 12:58:15 PM    comment []; Ken Wilber Those of you familiar with my diary will know that I am a big fan of Ken Wilber's books. I have read most of them and feel that he is the most important philosopher alive today. The title of this entry links to his thoughts regarding the present world situation. I find it easier to read a print-out - the optional PDF prints out 6 double-sided pages. It has occurred to me several times in the recent years that I would like to sleep for a hundred years, because everything is going sooooo slow......but this is the time we all have been given and we must make the most of it.... 10:06:21 AM    comment [];

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