Bill Lenoir

I have a secret that's been tearing me apart: I own every album Enya has put out. Ahhhh, now that I've admitted it, I feel so much better. I hope that others, too, can come out and live true to themselves. You shouldn't have to justify your taste in music. And yet, most of society looks down on New Age as a freak of musical nature, that it's but the first step that leads eventually to crystals and weird health care choices, and will put them to sleep. I knew, though, since I was little that something was different about me.

I Blame My Parents

Simon & Garfunkel performed the soundtrack to my earliest memory, which is still a vivid one. I'm in the back of our blue Buick station wagon, cruising through west Texas. Scarborough Fair is playing on the radio. I see it clearly: desolate countryside, the road bending off to the left in a wide arc.

Are you going to Scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

The key here, I believe, is memory. This song was burned in early, it fires off pleasurable neurons whenever I hear it, kept me listening so that later in life, I grew to appreciate the story the lyrics tell. I have found that this song is frequently covered by both new age and folk artists, but it is just one of many great songs on the original album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, which includes Homeward Bound, The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) and a mix of other good folk and sixties pop tunes.

Rock-and-Roll is the Root of all Sin

There are a number of Rock songs that were gateway drugs for me. Without realizing it, these songs were preparing my mind to accept New Age music through a combination of mood and the story telling. Don't get me wrong; this is still Rock & Roll.

The first is Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues. I'm certain I didn't hear it when the album Days of Future Passed first came out in the late sixties, probably when it was re-leased in the seventies. I'm afraid to look up the lyrics for fear it might kill the spell. I fully understand that how I interpret songs frequently differs from the writer's intent or even how normal people understand them. Let's just accept the fact that the haunting tone fires many of the same neurons as Simon & Garfunkel. And, yes, I know there is no "k" in Nights, but I'd like to think there is. I was just a pre-teen at the time.

Then there is the greatest album in Rock history: Led Zeppelin IV. OK, greatest for teenaged boys of the 70s who played Dungeons & Dragons. The Battle of Evermore is a classic that was on the play list for most gaming sessions, but it was Stairway to Heaven that caught my imagination. Again with the haunting notes, this time an acoustic guitar, great drum into and an enthralling story. Who is this woman and why does she want to buy the stairway? (My imagination came forth only in gaming, I tended to be a literalist in everything else.)

But what sealed my fate was 2112 by Rush. Every song on this album is good, but it was side A with it's 20 minute opera that gives the album its name that is the kicker. The third movement — Discovery — with the acoustic guitar playing while a brook babbles in the background convinced me that music can be so much more than something to dance or sing to. Here I could put my headphones on, lay back and escape while I imagine what it would be like to lead a rebellion in a galactic empire. (Perhaps, also, this is where I get my fear of political priests.)

Everyone's Done It, and not Just in College

We're surrounded by New Age music without most people realizing it. It's frequently piped into public places and is background music for many commercials, but it's at its best on soundtracks. This is how most people discover it and become fans. When it's done well, it makes for an album worthy of everyone's collection. It's rare, though, for a soundtrack to qualify as New Age. Obviously, the pop track laden entries from movies like the Wedding Singer don't count, but a large number of others are no more than recycled classical music. Not that this makes for bad music, but familiarity with its context outside of the movie kills the mode for me.

The soundtrack from the Last of the Mohicans is a popular example of how well the New Age approach can work. This makes you feel like you're running through the woods with a rifled musket, chasing deer or evading enemies. The movie itself has an end-of-the-world feeling common to my favorite stories and the soundtrack helps establish that. I can understand, though, if some feel that there's a lack of depth to this album. There is a certain amount of sameness to the songs, but if you have seen the movie, the visuals that are evoked help make the listening experience a little richer.

Even better, though, is the soundtrack from the TV series Firefly. This album conveys a wider range of emotions in an equally wide range of styles. I think this is a particularly good example because it showcases this kind of music at its best: a little bit, um, New Age-y as well as just enough of something else (in this case, a wee hint of country music in line with the Western-ish genre of the TV show). OK, OK, I might be a bit biased here since this is also my all-time favorite TV show.

First Steps

So, what about Enya? How did I come about to own every one of her albums? I can tell you that it's NOT because they're all good. In fact, there's a steep curve of diminishing returns for each successive album you get, to the point where the last one sounds like all of the previous. I strongly recommend that you do not follow my path, which I chalk up to an OCD-driven desire for completeness in certain areas [cut to camera angle showing Bill toeing a box with a full set of Revenge of the Sith minis out of sight].

Don't ignore her completely, though. I do recommend her album Watermark. I count this among my favorite of all albums. There are some seriously dark tones on a few of the tracks (from the title track Watermark on the sad end to Cursum Perficio on the slightly menacing) that you don't hear on her later stuff. Of course, this album also includes her insanely popular Oronoco Flow, which is a good song. I feel like you get a full journey with this album, something more than just background music.

But Enya doesn't have to be your entry into this world.

Loreena McKennitt, like Enya, is one of those rare artists who ply these waters to have achieved popular fame. Mummers' Dance did catch my ear in the late 90s and led me to her album The Book of Secrets. Unlike Enya, though, Loreena tells more of story with her music. You feel like you're on a Night Ride Across the Caucasus and wonder what truly will come of The Highwayman. She does this with an eclectic approach to style: She'll use Celtic, Spanish and a variety of other Mediterranean influences in varying decrees. She can make you feel like your relaxing in your tent with the cool night-time desert breeze ruffling the flaps or searching for the landlord's black-eyed daughter.

Branching Out

There are a fair number of artists that straddle the margins between New Age and other genres as Loreena does. Use this borderland as a staging ground for forays into uncharted musical territory. My personal journey followed many such paths. Through both Enya and Loreena, I discovered other music. I learned that Celtic music is not something you need hear only around St. Patrick's day while imbibing large quantities of beer. I was exposed to music from the Middle Ages, the chants and canticles deep. I made forays into South Asia and the Far East. I came back home and listened to former Rock-and-Rollers dive into these waters

Enya got her start in the band Clannad with several family members. They're not a bad mix of Celtic and Pop, but I prefer The Chieftains. While they are more folksy, their work with other artists provides for a greater variety. Tears of Stone has them pairing up with the likes of Sinéad O'Connor and Bonnie Raitt. Even better is their pairing with Ry Cooder on San Patricio, which is a collection of songs about the Irish solders who deserted the American army and fought for Mexico in 1846. If you want to go out on another Celtic limb, give the Afro Celt Soundsystem a try. Their fusion sounds works well and provides for lively music. Their first album, Volume 1: Sound Magic gives you a good feel for their music.

Oddly enough, Gregorian chants became popular in the early nineties. The band Enigma got some mainstream airtime with their hit Principles of Lust from their album MCMXC A.D., which fused the chant style with ambient tones and hip-hop beats. Even the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos got some airtime. They're all men with similar voices, so the album feels like one long, but enjoyable song. My personal favorite, though, is A Feather on the Breath of God, composed by Hildegard von Bingen in 12th Century. For both albums allow me to close my eyes and enter the comforting darkness of a Gothic cathedral, and that's all I'm really looking for here.

My love of Medieval religious music brought me to Chant: Spirit in Sound, a collection assembled by Robert Gass from around the world, literally circling the globe. I like all of the tracks, but Om Namah Shivaya by Krishna Das, an American who performs Yogic chants, caught my ear with this classical Indian mantra set to music. Further exploration led me to Sheila Chandra, who perfectly mixes a traditional South Asian sound into a modern tempo for the best of both worlds. Her Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, from the album Roots and Wings, transports me to another world.

Serendipity played a role in my musical journey. While playing a chant CD at work, my cube neighbor said I surely must be familiar with Dead Can Dance. I wondered how I could not have picked up on this Duo. They changed my musical world. Brendan Perry is a musical genius, able to play many instruments and is quite lively in concert. Lisa Gerrard is more reserved, but has an amazing voice. You may know her from the movie soundtracks she's done, like that for Gladiator. Their sound is a mix of Medieval and Celtic influences. As with all bands mentioned here, only more so, my imagination is fueled by their work. I suggest Toward the Within, a live performance that covers the range of their sound.

However you go about your personal journey, you must do so with an open mind. A willingness to listen to something that appears to not be something of interest may lead to discoveries that open your musical horizons.

Resources

Here's a variety of tools to help you on your journey, as well as follow along with mine.

Web Sites

AllMusic

This is a movie version of IMDB. Probably one of the worst website designs I've encountered, but the content is extremely valuable. Many other music related sites license their content, so you might as well go to the source.

iTunes

I'm not an audio-snob, so I have no problems with material downloaded from iTunes. I find their prices reasonable, but even better are the suggestions offered up for related music.

Amazon

When I can't find something on iTunes, it's usually here. This is another great site for providing suggestions.

Wikipedia

There are entries for artists, albums and even some songs. This is a great place for learning the background to the music.

Album List

• Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon and Garfunkel
• Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues
• Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
• 2112 by Rush
• Last of the Mohicans by Trevor Jones and Randy Edleman
• Firefly by Greg Edmonson
• Watermark by Enya
• The Book of Secrets by Loreena McKennitt
• Tears of Stone by The Chieftains
• San Patricio by The Chieftains and Ry Cooder
• Volume 1: Sound Magic by Afro Celt Sound System
• A Feather on the Breath of God composed by Hildegard von Bingen
• Chant: Spirit in Sound compiled by Robert Gass, performed by many.
• Roots and Wings by Sheila Chandra
• Gladiator by Lisa Gerrard (among others)
• Toward the Within by Dead Can Dance

Copyright © 2010, Yaegini Lenoir

The laser ranging back and forth across the landscape betrays its approach. The machine makes no noise as it picks its way through the former suburb on six insect legs, looking for evidence of intrusion. It scans, measuring everything it can, and submits the data to central control. Scan, send. Scan, send.

Receive!

"ALERT: 30 meters in a heading of 23.3°, investigate car. Current height 3.5 inches lower than last baseline. Threat Assessment: 21% likely; Pre-emptive Action Threshold: 35% certainty."

Backtracking, it carefully moves between the parked cars, trying not to move anything lest another round of detailed measurements are needed. Fully around the car. A probe enters through a missing rear window sniffing the air, scanning for infrared signatures.

"All four tires are now flat. All else appears normal."

"Likelihood that this was caused by intruders: 1.3%. Cease investigation and continue patrol."

Scan, send. Scan, send. No unauthorized personnel have been detected in this sector in over a year. No one's lived here in a decade.

"Implementing standing order 3.A.1!"

A well place grenade fired from its lower 40mm tube takes out the deer as it darts across the street. The windows rattle. You cannot allow potential food sources to fall into the hands of the enemy.

"White-tailed deer – female, approximately two years of age – destroyed."

"Confirmed, continue patrol."

Scan, send. A storm rolled through here a few days back, but anything that would have blown down probably did so quite some time ago. Didn't do much to alleviate the drought, though. Formerly well-manicured lawns are no longer in evidence. Scan, send.

"ALERT: House at 5310 Valley Court registers an anomalous temperature reading 2.8°C higher than accounted for by baseline measurements. Threat Assessment: 80% likely; Pre-emptive Action Threshold: 90% certainty. Execute external inspection."

Robots don't express frustration. This one pauses while it reconfigures to allow for quicker reaction time. Routines loaded into memory, weapons readied.

Scan, send. No explicit heat signatures detected at the front of the house. The right side registers slightly higher, most likely due to the sun. IDS-38-A-5 begins a counter-clockwise rotation around the house. Sending cameras to look in windows.

Scan, send. As it rounds the corner, the machine notes that the skyline behind the house is significantly altered from the baseline. It steps over the back fence and immediately spots a large tree that disintegrated nearly to sawdust upon impact with the ground.

"ALERT: Likelihood elevated temperature in the house is caused by greater exposure to the sun after collapse of the tree: 93.9%. Cease inspection and continue patrol."

There's a lot of ground to cover, no need to follow up low percentage cases.

Scan, send. Scan, send. Scan send.

…

"God dammit, I told you this was a bad idea!"

"No, no, we're set. Don't you get it? They've accounted for our heat in the new baseline. As long as we lay low, we should be fine for a couple of days."

"Fuck, those things creep me out. We could use the rest, though, and I certainly don't want to return to those hills anytime soon."

"You and me both, now lets go see if there's anything edible left of that deer."

Directed by

Stephen Frears

Staring

Glenn Close

John Malkovich

Release

December 21, 1988

This movie is on a short list of ones that I'll watch repeatedly, like a little kid with a Disney video. Set in pre-revolution, 18th Century France, the movie is based on a contemporaneous novel. The story of social intrigue and deceit could just as easily take place at any point in time since the beginning of history to today (Mean Girls, anyone?). I find it endlessly fascinating even though I am not the type to engage in such behavior. (I probably have more in common with Le Chevalier Danceny than I care to admit.)

What truly grabs my attention, though, is the period portrayed. This movie deserves the Oscars it won for Art Direction and Costume Design (in addition to the Screenplay, another well deserved award). The depiction of everyday life of the French nobility is captivating. From the opening scene with the main characters getting ready for their day to the faux good act of the Vicomte de Valmont in saving the peasant from the tax collector, you truly get a sense of the gap between rich and poor of that era. We seem to be heading in that direction today, hopefully we'll arrest it before we have our own 1789.

Author

Tony Horwitz

Publisher

Henry Holt and Company

Edition

First Edition - 2008 - hardcover - 455

I love the kind of book where the author does a deep dive on a subject as well as writes a travelogue of the relevant sites. Mr Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic was my first encounter with this hybrid genre. The best writers are able to weave the two threads into a single story that leads to both a better understanding of the subject and a deeper insight into the people still living it. Mr. Horwitz does this well.

In this book, the author seeks to color in the period between Columbus's discover of the New World and the landing at Plymouth. His attempts to follow in the footsteps of, perhaps, lesser know explorers take us to the Dominican Republic, Arizona and the American south west, Florida and the south and on up the Atlantic Seaboard. The two themes I grooved most on where the dichotomy of history vs. myth and racial identity. I'll cover the former in greater detail over in my Open Salon blog when I get the time. As for the latter, I was struck most by the Charles Shepherd quote on page 316 of my copy:

I like to think these people are my ancestors.

He said this while looking through a volume of sketches of Indians in North Carolina published in 1590. When you go far enough back, does it really matter who you ancestors are? What does it mean to be European, Indian or African? I've always been leery of DNA tests to determine this, but blood has to matter some, doesn't it? Upbringing should mean more, and this is where ancestors do come into play, their influence diminishing with each successive generations, but still there, except what about the person removed from his culture and brought up among others? And it can't really be what ever you want it to be. I do not believe I can rightly claim to be Irish despite the fact that 50% of my genes come from the Emerald Isle and I still qualify for citizenship. I know nothing of the contemporary Irish context. This is a personal issue for me given my kids whose mother hails from Korea and I appreciate how Mr. Horwitz delved into it.

One issue I will strongly disagree with him on is when, at the end of the book, he wonders about folks whose myths are not founded in truth. He states:

But it was harmless fiction, why spoil the fun with facts?

Perpetuating lies is never harmless. It leads people to a position of just wanting something to be true makes it so. Where does it stop? Astrology is just harmless fun until, when you're sick, it leads to chase ineffectual cures. I could make the argument that the harmless fun of belief in Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving and the Fountain of Youth has lead us to the Texas State Board of Education's new textbook standards.

Ah, but this won't stop me from reading Mr. Horwitz's books. I'll next track down Blue Latitudes.

At the Shenandoah Golf Club on April 17th. Beautiful view, narrow fairways and pathological greens. No water hazards on the course, yet we still managed to lose quite a few balls. Had a great time, though.

Editor's Note: The Bill mention here in is Mr. Lake, not Mr. Lenoir.

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Congratulations to President Obama for his success in passing health care reform. I do not believe the plan goes far enough, but if he had failed, his presidency would have been dead in the water. I do not want to risk having the Republicans return to power. Now this plan is the status quo. It will be far easier to improve than to eliminate it.

This struggle was far more difficult than it needed to be because the Democrats lost the battle over defining success. They didn't effectively communicate their values. Allow me to layout mine should I find myself in Obama's shoes.

This I Believe

1. Healthcare is a right not a product available only to those who can afford it.
2. Health care should be about more than just the immediate medical concerns of an individual. It should look at the larger picture, including food production, the environment, education and, heck, even urban planning (why can we not live without cars?).
3. Healthy people are fundamental to a functioning society.
4. Science informs us as to what are the safe and effective options, but the patient should select from those.
5. Resources are limited, so we need to have our priorities clearly defined.
6. If someone has the money and wants to undergo a procedure that science indicates is a safe, but not effective one, the individual should retain the right to pay for it himself.

Success Criteria

The two sides' success criteria were the fundamental flaw in the healthcare debate: cost vs. availability. I think both are too shortsighted and a focus on only that will lead to unforeseen consequences. These are my goals:

1. Everyone^a gets a regular checkup^b and any issues discovered are dealt with^c in a timely manner^d.
   1. I mean everyone! Citizen, legal immigrant and illegal alien. I realize this is a tough sell and may not be achieved all at once, but if health care is a right, how can we deny it to someone based on their immigration status?
   2. I'll leave it to science to determine the frequency and realize it will vary. I'm sure it depends on age, sex, personal and family history.
   3. The science should tell us that, given what we know, these are the options that have proven to be safe and given the circumstances of the patient, should be effective.
   4. The health system will fail if we cannot deliver service in a timely manner.
2. Most people^a are found to be healthy.
   1. The percentage TBD, but I would expect it to start off lower than I would want, but grow over time.

It is that last criteria that is key and no one has addressed it any debate I heard. It's the whole point of health care, is it not? If our system doesn't make us healthier, then it has failed.

Policy

Shit, I don't know. I don't have any experience in the field of medicine beyond being a patient. I do agree that the 3-legged stool that is the Obama plan is a good start.

1. No denial for pre-existing conditions.
2. Everyone must be insured or else no one will buy until they are sick.
3. Subsidies for those at the lower end of the economic spectrum.

I am not sure where we go from here. I do know that we need some sort of public option. I see no role for health insurance companies. What value would they add to this system? A value, at least, that is commensurate to the profit they suck out of it.