We got a cold front and rain after most of a week of unseasonably hot weather. There were two Bald Eagles buzzing the campus at Flathead Valley Community College, as well a a pair of Magpies chasing a Raven away from their territory.

Footbarn's Celebration of Theatre: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Make a resolution as Summer approaches to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: My friend, the late Joe Abbrescia's plein aire paintings of Glacier National Park are up at the Hockaday Museum of Art. The reception is next week, with a talk by ace local artist Mark Ogle. Son of a gun! Are we REALLY going to install all those pictures at the new Kalispell Hilton???

Media Watch: Here's a review from the road of George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars by DJ Bustin' Bob: Great gig last nite in Charlotte...what can I say, the crowd was off the chain and the band responded nicely. Alot of raw power out there. Everybody shone thru. GC, Belita, Boogie, the horns, both Frankie Kash & Rico pounded. That chit was loud and articulated.
Shauna got down on guitar and both Mike and Bryd really showed they arses.
Nary a dull spot, slow down or set back all nite. Show was just perfect. Even Sexy Side rocked and the crowd gave it up for it too. That band will flat wear a crowd out. Club was packed with unbeleivable energy.
No Poo Poo, and Trey did a bit during the usual Poo spot. Met Sidney Barnes* at the blackstage. Spot was right in the middle of the some white picket-fenced suburbia, an old movie theatre, it was a trip.
They funked 'em good.
*A collaborator with George Clinton in the old Motown days.
Further refinement: Here is the set list as far as I can recall. A couple of these could be out of order.
Funkentelechy
Bop Gun
Cosmic Slop
Alice in My Fantasies
Aqua Boogie
Give Up the Funk
Up For the Down Stroke
Sexy Side of You
Maggot Brain
Dog Star
One Nation
Flashlight
Knee Deep
Bounce To This
Atomic Dog
Thumpasaurus
Band got into some grooves interspersed throughout including this almost rocka billy guitar thang that featured Byrd. Show clocked out at just under 4 hrs. Man they jammed hard.


George the P-Funk All-Stars on tour -- digital reinterpretation of material found at www.georgeclinton.com

Hot child in the city, as Nick Gilder used to sing. It's too early in the year to start watering the damn lawn! (See wildlife photo below.)

Footbarn's Celebration of Theatre: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Make a resolution as Summer approaches to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: It's going to be regular Sundays at the Hockaday Museum of Art for the time being -- it's nice to be needed though. The new buildings at the Community College are almost ready for equipment installation and cable-pulling.

Media Watch: Verdi's La Traviata was on our local PBS station -- that's the opera with the Anvil Chorus punctuating the conversations sung by the principals up front. Odd and rare Psychedelic Music was playing on College Radio to let modern listeners know what was competing with Sgt. Pepper four decades ago. Yeah, just like today, there was some real dreck on the airwaves, but Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine and Interstellar Overdrive continue to be formidible pieces of music! May I mention they were both written by the late Syd Barrett? His life was very publically blighted by commerce, drugs, and hyper-expectations at a very vulnerable age. He lived to be sixty, but it was a hard struggle for him to maintain his physical and mental health.
I've also been reading the great German rocket pioneer Willy Ley, discussing people's fascination with Planet Mars in the days before Mariner IV and subsequent satellites. He mentioned Wells' War of the Worlds, and a couple of other novels, but somehow skipped Edgar Rice Burroughs completely.
There is still a lot of interest in Interplanetary Space today -- the new head of NASA made a bloody fool of himself (again) this week while replying to criticisms of some very expensive future manned exploration programs he's trying to push, to the detriment of practical here-and-now duties of the agency. I'm romantic enough to desire voyages to Mars and the Moon, but these projects need to be led by level-headed adults, not corrupt, thieving Bu$hCo cronies and hacks.


I am still visiting Middle Foy's Lake -- this Mama Mallard and her brood were there to greet me!