Knowing when it is time to “unplug” -get off electronic devices is really a question of temperance and moderation. For one thing one has to make an effort (I certainly do) to be physically active. When I go for walks or swim I never carry music or the phone.
I unplug or leave my phone charging in the bedroom. I never use my phone or have it on when we are having dinner (breakfast is different) or have guests. When I go out to dinner with my wife I never have my phone out.
I have a smart phone and I use it a lot every day, however. I use it to listen to podcasts, to read the WSJ, to listen to audible books and to study languages via Duolingo. But I do all my correspondence and reading on my NOOK or on my PC not on my phone. I like a full size keyboard.
AndI turn my phone off in the evenings and at night. When I study on the porch I don’t answer the home phone or text messages. Some people may watch videos on their phone but I don’t. I sometimes listen to music on my phone but more often listen to books or podcasts. I think it is important that we be masters of our pleasures and not a slave of addictions. Moderation is a virtue.
To use things that give us pleasure is fine. But not to the point we are disgusted with them or screaming with a headache! I love to read and study languages and I can spend three or four hours on Duolingo studying or reviewing languages. I keep notebooks of my newest languages.
But I have three basic rules for Duolingo:
1) I don’t begin unless I have read the morning paper WSJ and listened to my favorite podcasts
2) I always go for a short walk and do some cleanup in the pool and garden before I start
3) once I finish my basic studies, I do not go back to my phone to begin again but only read and review my notebooks after that or read something else. I will not stay up all night. I feel that late night sessions are not effective anyway. If I am tired I stop.
I also love to listen to baseball games (usually on the radio via MLB at bat in English or Spanish) but I limit myself to ONE FULL GAME a day. I could easily listen to 9 hours a day, but I limit myself to checking the standings, line scores and box scores of most teams. I only listen to my favorite team and top teams (because I want to get to know them better before the championship series).
So, I enjoy languages and baseball MORE because I limit the time, I spend with each. And baseball also is a language review for me because I listen to some games in Spanish. I try to read or listen to Spanish at least one or two hours a day. I have ONE PLACE I write (at my desk) and two places to read and study: in my armchair or on my easy chair on the porch. I have no television in my library, only a radio and CD player plus the computer which has SPOTIFY.
We have only one TV, so this limits my TV time. I often watch YOUTUBE for World News of podcasts in the morning or late evening when my wife is not watching anything. We often watch baseball games together and World Cup soccer and sometimes Olympic sports but are not obsessed with watching every minute of every sport. If I don’t have time to watch a game, I am happy to read the scores in the paper or on the phone.
I don’t spend a lot of time on the phone limiting my talks to close friends and family. For example, if my wife is aways visiting family I call or text her at least once or twice a day. I prefer to communicate via FB or IM or text. I like to share articles and Audible books via text or X. I am not a big fan of ZOOM meetings, but I enjoy the occasional FACETIME with my grandchildren. I also decide to spend time with my wife just to keep her company. My wife and I almost always watch the news and Jeopardy together but I like to watch war movies and war news and she does not so we do those separately. The last time we went to the movies she chose the Barbie movie, which was fine with me. I enjoyed it. It was amusing at times and had a certain element of nostalgia. I go out of my way to share the TV with my wife and sometimes watch what she is watching. If I really am not interested, I sit with her and read quietly from my NOOK. I enjoy reading on my NOOK but i take pleasure in reading physical magazines and books as well especially those with maps and color illustrations (such as National Geographic, Ancient Warfare or San Diego Zoo Magazine). I am not on social media all day long (I don’t have FB on my phone) but I do check it at least once a day for at least thirty minutes or so via my PC. I think it is necessary to unplug some days and some hours. When I visit my grandchildren, I never use my phone in their presence but just do things they like to do , do art , play , read together, sing, go for walks or watch cartoons.
So, there is nothing wrong with electronics if one is not addicted and on them and answering messages all day long. When I was a teacher, I NEVER used my phone or answered email except during lunch, during my prep period or before and after school. I think phones and electronic devices should be severely limited, even prohibited in many school settings but that is a topic for another time!
Daily writing prompt
How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
I see an old photograph of a Scottish Highland soldier of the Great War and I cannot but thing of my grandfather and his many lost comrades. They were brave and loyal and good and he survived and they did not. Auld Pop as we called him suffered a great loneliness. In the distance of time I see that now. He filled that loneliness with incessant smoking and drinking. As a veteran and as an immigrant he suffered constant distress or discomfort from his smashed social connections. He was reasonably happy with his family and grandchildren but he suffered great sorrow when he remembered his loyal and true wife (who predeceased him) and his comrades in arms. I think today we would say he suffered from posttraumatic stress syndrome.
I often think of Yesterday’s Seven Thousand Years as I know the past is no more but we still have now and the future, however uncertain is still to come. Yet there is always memory. To think is to remember our lives and experiences and our friendships. And the sweetest friendships are the warm friendships of people you could rely on through thick and thin. When I was a small boy I had a deep and loving friendship with my grandfather who taught me the alphabet and how to read. From him I learned Scottish dialect and heard many stories of war and adventure and baseball heroes (he loved Zach Wheat, Pete Reiser, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers). He taught me how to keep score and told me stories of Babe Ruth the 1927 Yankees (Murder’s Row) whom he had seen in person. Baseball was one of his constant companions. He went to many games. He listened to games on the radio. He kept score. He read the statistics and box scores in the newspapers.
My Scottish grandfather had only a few life long friends. In early life in Scotland he had many close friends. Sadly most were killed 1914-1919. When he remembered old comrades he would speak of their virtues and the highest virtue was to be a ‘leal n’ true mon” (a mensch; a loyal and true man).
So there is no question fidelity and loyalty were things he valued. People who make you laugh and who are kind are people that get into your heart and you never forget them. So fidelity is very praiseworthy if one is faithful within reason to someone or something that is good and honorable. My grandfather and father can no longer help me in any way but I feel a responsibility to remember them out of gratitude for the time and love they invested in me.
One hopes for fidelity in friendship and if one finds friendship and fidelity as well as love in marriage then one is blessed. I can honestly say my wife is my very best friend. We have been friends for over 50 years and married for almost 42 years.
One of sad things of life is that people even people you love come and people go. They die. They move away. Some remember you but to others you are it seems an afterthought. Their email bounces back. Their phone number is disconnected. When that happens all you can do it be thankful for the good times and offer up a prayer. You cannot know what they are or have experienced. Sadly, of course, most of the time the silence is due to inconvenience and indifference.
You have to work hard at keeping a friendship especially if one lives far away. People today are not moored to one place and neither are you so they drift in and out of your life. Nicholas Sparks wrote: {They are} “almost like characters in a favorite book. When you finally close the cover, the characters have told their story and you start up again with another book, complete with new characters and adventures. Then you find yourself focusing on the new ones, not the ones from the past.” That is certainly what we have to do though when one is old and retired it is more difficult to make new friends. One is lucky if one has the love of one’s children and grandchildren.
The secret of true friendship I think is gratitude and fidelity. We feel indebted to our friends because really we owe them nothing and what we share are memories of common travails, common laughter, companionship, odd stories and experiences.
I say to my friends THANKS FOR BEING THERE WHEN I NEEDED YOU. THANKS FOR EXISTING. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES. Thanks for being that LEAL N’ TRUE MON (or LASSIE!).
Of course, my most intimate collections are the collections I have in books in several languages. I have over 500 books in Spanish, about 10 in Portuguese, about 50 in Scottish Gaelic, about 20 in Latin (which I read) and about 20 in Ancient Greek (which I am learning to read.) I have a few books in Italian, French and German (languages which my father knew but in which I am weaker), I have over 3000 books in English including some signed by the authors Such as William Styron, E.D. Hirsch jr, Diane Ravitch, Andrew Roberts. I had a book signed by Kenneth Roberts but I solid it years ago to pay a few bills. I had picked it up in a garage sale in Kirkland, Washington -they were just giving away some books- and I sold it years later for about $400. I was sorry to see it go but glad I had read it. I hope my books find a nice home when I am gone. Some are worthy of being preserved. I also have some museum replicas of classical art which I picked up over the years. The most special, I would say is a full sized museum replica of Athena Mourning (Greek: Σκεπτομένη Αθηνά).
It is said, that Athena is reading a list of fallen Athenian soldiers and sailors. I have always had an interest in public monuments and this is one of the great ones. It is made of white Parian marble and dates from the 5th century BC It is only 0.48 meters high . Today it is displayed at the Acropolis in Athens, with inventory no. 695. I picked it out in Athens and carried it in a box on my lap on the plane flight from Athens. My mother asked me if she could display it on the hall of her home “as long as she lived.” Of course, as a dutiful son I obeyed. In 2004 after almost forty years in her house -which is not longer in the family- my sister packed it up and mailed it to us in California. She looks over my right shoulder as write.
I also have a large collection of CD’s mostly classical music. I used to have hundreds of LP’s but have given most away as I now longer can pay them and they took up too much space but I still kept about 30 or so for Auld Lang Syne and for the liner notes. I also have a large collection of DVD (mostly of classic films). These have value only for me but I enjoy having them. Today, however, I mostly watch movies streamed on TV or listen to Spotify.
I have also a collection of fossils and minerals I collected in early youth. One of the most interesting to me is a piece of native copper. It struck me that this is why copper like gold is one of the most ancient metals known to man as it occurs unlike iron or silver in nature.
I have in a box with autographs of baseball players I collected with my son circa 1966-1992 including many Hall of Famer players such as Bob Feller, Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Yogi Berra. Some are on cards, some are on baseballs. The best part of that collection is the memories of how we collected them including meeting and talking to the players in person. The nicest players I ever met were FELIPE ALOU (then with the Braves -I saw him play in the 1962 World Series) and BOB FELLER. My son and I talked to Bob Feller for over an hour when he came to Bakersfield. We talked about his career but also WW2. He would sign anything for free and he signed a book I brought plus a photo for my son. I also have a few Hartland Baseball Statues. I had many more but sold quite a few to pay some bills. I had a Ted Williams from 1961 Yankee Stadium that my father bought for $1.95 and I sold it for $450. I made over $1000 when I sold my Hartlands but I could not bear to part with them all -and some were very common and only worth $50-100 each. So they remain.
Since early boyhood I was fascinated by toy soldiers and military miniatures. Some I painted myself during long hot summers on the porch while listening to baseball games on the radio. But the most colorful and impressive are my Elastolin Roman soldiers. These are German made circa 1963-1972. They were not easy to come by and getting extra weapons then pre Internet was very difficult They are very sturdy and colorful if somewhat romanticized and fanciful . To accompany then I have some “barbarians” (Huns, Goths, Normans). I have complete set of Elastolin Romans including a ballista and a four horse chariot. These I have displayed in a glass case as if they were in fierce battle (four levels) About thirty years ago my mother lovingly pack them in boxes and sent them to me from New Jersey. Naturally, she was instrumental in acquring them over the years. In 2000 she and I went to Germany and we visited a Roman history exhibit. They displayed some dioramas with Elastolins!
In the gift show they did not have Elastolins but they has Bully Romans which are quite nice.
Elastolin Romans in battle
My mother bought me a handful and one, the centurion is now in command of a sailboat I have in my pool. I call it the RHINE PATROL. When I see it go back and forth I think of my late mother who said, “LOOK RICKY, ROMANS!” She died January 4, 2001 but I have many memories of her and collections that she encouraged and helped make. After all the years the memories of her love and laughter are more precious than the objects themselves. I was a good son but I know I could have been a better son. But I do know one of the great delights in her life and that of my father was for them to know our three children -all of whom have memories of them.
“What is it, namely, that connects the temporal and eternity, what else but love, which for that very reason is before everything and remains after everything is gone.” (Works of Love, Søren Kierkegaard)
In all its varied forms -C.S. Lewis wrote of the Four Loves- love is the raison d’etre of man’s life.
Love is, perhaps, the most powerful force we encounter in ourselves and in others. Collections are interesting especially as they often recall passions, travels and love. They may not have much material value but the have a strong educational and sentimental value. I read Caesar’s Commentaries in 1965 and Xenophon’s Anabasis in 1966 chiefly because of my interest in classical history sparked by my Elastolins.
Huns and Roman cavarly in desperate battle for empireRoman archers
“What is it, namely, that connects the temporal and eternity, what else but love, which for that very reason is before everything and remains after everything is gone.”
Works of Love, Søren Kierkegaard
In all its varied forms -C.S. Lewis wrote of the Four Loves- love is the raison d’etre of man’s life. Love is, perhaps, the most powerful force we encounter in ourselves and in others.
The Great Teacher said, “do not judge, and you will not be judged; do no condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37).
We are all quick to judge others; as a teacher it is my job to judge the progress and performance of a student. I have long noted that a student’s seriousness and behavior have a direct relationship to his or her learning or lack of it. Loud disturbances -and electronic devices-disrupt and distract us from the learning process.
But not all can be known.
All tests and all reports are merely superficial dipsticks.
Of the things that are tenuously known in this world what could be more unknown and uncertain that a man’s inner character?
We must, as adults, and as teachers, exercise forbearance. We must tolerate misbehavior -especially yesterday’s misbehavior- and we must forgive. For in the final analysis it is not about us (the teachers); it is about them (the students), the class and ultimately society.
These are the cohorts we send out and it is they to whom will pass the banner and the torch which will burn long after we are dust.
Lao Tzu said: The good man is the teacher of the bad and the bad man is the lesson of the good.”
I used to ask my father why there were such bad and cruel people in the world. He responded “to teach us never to be SOB’s like them. This is the only life you have this side of paradise. Don’t be an SOB.” (Thomas Munro, jr 1915-2003) ‘
Thomas Munro jr on his patio circa 1980s.
Although people may appear vile and repulsive who can know their hidden motives? As long as a person does not harm another(and respects the rights of others to learn) we can tolerate small failings.
Mr. Sullivan was my father’s 11th grade English teacher at Manual Training High School in Brooklyn, NY. My father had come to New York at age 12 from Scotland in 1927.
But on very hot days in June -there was no air conditioning- sometimes my father fell asleep.
Mr. Sullivan had angrily chastised my father for having dark stains on his homework until he was told that they were blood splatters from work. My father often completed his homework during his break in the middle of the night. After he learned my father was working nights in the slaughterhouse (where stands the UN today) Mr. Sullivan didn’t complain or awaken my father when he (occasionally) fell asleep 7th period. My father never missed a day of school and always turned in his homework and did well on exams.
Despite the odds my father persevered and graduated from high school (the first ever to do so in his family). Later he rose from the ranks to become an officer in the US Army and after the war obtained his MBA from NYU on the GI Bill. He was , by the way, forever thankful to America and FDR for his opportunities.
I only saw my father cry in public twice. Once was when we went to the Scottish War Memorial in Edinburg in 1967. There in big silver books were listed the names of the dead. Many of his schoolmates and teammates from Glasgow had been killed in action while serving with the 51st Division at Dunkirk or in North Africa. When he saw there names he could not help but break down weeping. “Rifles and some dynamite against tanks! If I hadn’t come to America I would have been with them. And maybe my name would be in the book! But no children of mine would ever come to see the name of their father! No just one life or a dozen or a hundred were lost but thousands.”
I remember the Scottish people there comforted my father and said many kind things. They talked about 1914-1919 and 1939-1945. Many had family members or friends who had been killed. It remains an indelible memory.
It’s been nearly forty years since pianist-singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby had the number 1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100, the title track of his debut album, The Way It Is:
For all the ways this song fit right into the radio soundscape of the time — smooth drum machine propulsion, synthesized bass licks and string pads — two novelty factors made it stand out musically: Hornsby’s strong yet laid-back baritone, earnestly surveying our society’s gap between legal equality and ongoing, prejudiced perception; and his extended piano solo steeped in jazz, channeling the supple lyricism of heroes like Keith Jarrett. The man could unquestionably sing and play; and supported by his rootsy backing band The Range, he had no hesitation about going for his own sound, both in the studio and live.
More hits followed, but by the second time I saw Hornsby in concert in 1990 (the first live show I caught in my new hometown), the pop trajectory of his career was already tapering off. Still, as the hot new piano player on the scene, he’d already had a series of collaborations that yielded hauntingly lyrical recordings with Don Henley (“The End of the Innocence”) and Bonnie Raitt (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”) and pulled in stellar guests from the jazz, folk and bluegrass worlds for his third album with The Range, A Night on the Town. The single from that album “Across the River” (Hornsby’s last Top 20 hit) featured a spirited guitar solo by Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead; after Dead keyboard player Brent Mydland passed away unexpectedly that year, Hornsby joined the hippie legends for roughly 100 gigs — and the freedom from audience expectations he found in that band has been the guiding star for his musical path ever since.
Dissolving The Range, Hornsby consistently expanded the reach of his music in the 1990s — building extended jazz and bluegrass interludes into his new songs, writing in the idiom of classic soul a la The Drifters and Sam Cooke, recording with a head-spinning variety of all-stars from pop marquee names Phil Collins and Chaka Khan to killer players Branford Marsalis and Pat Metheny. Then came 1998’s Spirit Trail: with Hornsby sharpening his keyboard skills to master an intricate two-handed style and cracking open his Tidewater Country heritage for deepened lyrical content, the result was a double album of quirky, compelling character sketches set off by a dizzying variety of sonic frames — driving boogie-woogie, greasy funk, proto-classical minimalism, pensive Appalachian balladry — with fuller piano and grittier vocals at the forefront. To cop from another American original: the album was large, it contained multitudes.
I have had only one broken bone in my life (a left index finger). I was playing third base in Babe Ruth baseball and was about 15 or 16. A player had hit a double and was trying to stretch it to a triple. The outfielder made a quick and accurate throw right to me and I caught it. The runner was out by five feet. However, he did not slide but ran right into me at full speed. I still tagged him out and held on to the ball, but he hit me right on the glove. Despite being inside the leather glove my index finger was broken which meant the end of my baseball season for that year. I didn’t realize then that my hardball baseball days were soon over and after age 17 I rarely if ever played hardball.
Later while working in construction or serving in the military I had some cuts and bruises and injuries but the most serious health difficulties were from infections and disease. Generally speaking, though I have spent most of my life in reasonably good health. I don’t smoke and rarely drink any alcohol. I am very happy with tea, coffee and water! I enjoy swimming and walking and gardening but avoid sports like biking or skiing where I think now I would be in danger of serious injury.
One of Brad Birzer’s favorite musical artists is The Flower Kings, and one of his favorite albums of theirs is Space Revolver. In this dialog, he and Tad Wert discuss that album and its place in their discography.
Tad: Brad, it’s good to be interacting with you again on Spirit of Cecilia! I chose this classic album, because I know it’s a favorite of yours.
My first exposure to The Flower Kings was their album, Stardust We Are, which I bought because of a Mojo Magazine article on “the new wave of progressive rock”. I have to admit that I tried repeatedly to listen to the whole album, and it never held my interest enough for me to do so. I know that you love Roine Stolt and his Flower Kings, so every time a new album was released, I gave it a try, but there were always other artists’ music that took my attention.
Then, last week, I found an inexpensive copy of Space Revolver, and I don’t know exactly why, but I picked it up. Once I heard the opening chords of I Am The Sun Pt. 1, I was immediately taken with this album! I think Stolt (in my humble opinion), had hit upon a very good balance between power and grace in his music. As I continued to listen to the rest of the album, I was gratified to hear that that high quality of songwriting continued throughout.
Brad: Dear Tad, it’s been too long, my friend. What have I been doing? Too much teaching of the American founding period and too much grading! Ha. No, of course, I love my teaching and my students, but they are distractions from my love of reviewing albums with you and my love of progressive rock! So glad to be done with the semester (and, frankly, it was a great one!!!) and back to reviewing with you. Ahh. . . the good life.
Yes, I’ve been a fan of The Flower Kings for a long time, now, and I’ve been an evangelist of the band just as long. Way back in the year 2000, a former student (now the head of our philosophy department) leant me a copy of Flower Power. I was immediately taken with it, and I bought everything available at the time by the band. I fell in love with everything. Absolutely everything, including Roine Stolt’s solo album, The Flower King (which, I assume is just a hippy-ish name for Jesus).
Crazily enough, the band released Space Revolver on July 4th of that year. Coincidence? I have no idea, but it struck me as a perfect Fourth of July album. Especially with those queer lines in the first track–”I left my heart in San Francisco. I left my mind in San Francisco Bay.” Wow, did I laugh hard or what!!! 24 years later, the line still cracks me up.
I’ve had the chance to correspond a bit with Stolt, and I even sent him some books on economics (by Wilhelm Roepke) before a longish tour he took. As far as I know, he took the books with him! How great is that? Frankly, I’d be happy to be his book supplier. At the time I sent him the Roepke books, he was really interested in an anti-Marxist form of economics, that is, the creation of more private property (small family farms) rather than less. Again, how great is that? “Ride this bitch, that is power!”
Anyway, Tad, this is a long way of saying, I love the music, and I love the band. I think the world of both.
Tad: Okay, Brad, your off-hand remark about the Flower King being Jesus is something that I’ve wondered about for a while: is Roine a Christian? The 1994 album, Roine Stolt’s The Flower King, is steeped in religious imagery, specifically Christian, and, of course, he has collaborated with Neal Morse in Transatlantic. Anyway, if true, it helps make sense of a lot of his music!
Also, here’s something else that came to me while listening to Space Revolver – to my ears, it is a huge leap forward in songwriting from Stardust We Are, and I was wondering what might have caused it. Then it hit me: Space Revolver was written and recorded a few months after Stolt was involved in the first Transatlantic album SMPTE! I think Neal Morse must have had an influence on Stolt; that opening piano riff in I Am The Sun Pt. 1 is very Morsian (to coin a word!). Chicken Farmer Song, Underdog, A Slave To Money, and A King’s Prayer all feature outstanding melodies – they’re downright power poppish in their catchiness. Even the jam that closes out A King’s Prayer is focused and tight, with nary a wasted note.
The tootling mellotron that opens I Am The Sun Pt. 2 is one of my favorite moments of the entire album. I hear it, and I can’t help but smile and bob my head. Actually, the whole atmosphere of this album is one of joy. Stolt seems to be having the time of his life, and he wants the world to know it.
I also want to single out Ulf Wallander’s soprano saxophone work for praise. I love that instrument, but in the wrong hands it can be very annoying. Wallander does a great job zipping off very pleasant improvisations that add a lot to the overall feel.
The only misstep on this album, in my opinion, is Hans Froberg’s You Don’t Know What You’ve Got, which sticks out like a sore thumb. It just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the album. That said, it’s not a bad song, it just doesn’t work for me in the context of the other tracks.
Okay, I’ve raved enough; your turn!
Brad: Tad, what a fun writeup. Thank you–I think you clearly identify the joy and playfulness that is so prevalent in Space Revolver. Stolt was clearly having the time of his life. I love all the other albums – in fact, I made a meme a years ago expressing what I loved about each album (see below) – and I’m especially taken with Flower Power (the first of theirs I heard) and Paradox Hotel. I really like Stardust We Are, too–but each of these other albums lacks the extreme playfulness of Space Revolver.
[I made the above meme back when Desolation Rose came out. I was rather blown away by the album when it was released, but mostly because it was so intense and lacked the characteristic mischievousness of the previous albums. Indeed, when we were really active at Progarchy, I even planned out a book on the Flower Kings (never realized, except for some snippets, here or there), following the meme’s albums’s themes. I was planning on arguing that The Flower Kings were to Europe what Big Big Train was to England and what Glass Hammer was to America.
The book would’ve come out before my Neil Peart biography and even before what you and I, Tad, wrote on Big Big Train. I was, at the time, emailing with Stolt, and I was rather taken with him (still am) as an artist and as a human being. He was extremely active on Facebook at the time, as was his wife, and they were always interesting. We disagreed radically on the meaning and legacy of President Obama, but, again, he was always a total and intelligent gentleman.
It’s about the time I sent him the Roepke book.
I did try to interview Stolt about Rush, but he very kindly responded that he didn’t know enough about the band to offer anything substantive. He was genuine, kind, and humane in his response.
One of many grand schemes never realized. . .]
Brad’s Flower Kings Collection
[Above photo, my fantasizing. In the middle of my then-Flower Kings collection, I’ve placed three of my own books, my biographies of (right to left) Christopher Dawson, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Yes, I desperately wanted my work to be tied to Roine Stolt and the Flower Kings. I thought–and still do–that if any of my biographies could reach the majesty of Stolt’s artistry, I would truly have made a mark on the world.]
A few responses to you directly, Tad. It’s funny, I had always assumed that Neal Morse was influenced by Roine Stolt, rather than the other way around. And, Stolt, to me, seems deeply influenced by King Crimson, Yes, and Genesis. This seems especially clear on his solo, The Flower King, and Retropolis, both of which came before Transatlantic. But, I assume this is like a chicken or the egg question. At this point (2024), the two must’ve influenced each other so completely that one can’t any longer disentangle which idea or person came first. Together, Stolt and Morse are the heart of rambunctious third-wave prog.
As to Stolt being Christian, I have no idea. In our brief correspondence, I obnoxiously asked him directly about his faith, and he never responded or hinted, one way or the other. Being Swedish, he was almost certainly raised nominally Lutheran, even if the Swedes only attend services on Easter and Christmas.
Regardless, Stolt employs Christian symbolism frequently, especially in the early The Flower King’s albums. Again, I think that “The Flower King” is a sort of hippie Cosmic Christ. Here are the lyrics from the first album:
Falling out of the sky, falling into a dream All I need is the heart where it all can begin It’s just a matter of time, it’s just a matter of trust It’s just a matter of faith when we all sleep in the dust
Don’t deny, just verify the genius of it all It’s the cycle of all living thing, hear the children Hear the children call !
“We believe in the light, we believe in love every precious little thing We believe you can still surrender you can serve the Flower King”
Going out into the grey, into purple and red See, all the beautiful shapes flowing out of my head It’s just a matter of time, it’s just a matter of trust It’s just a matter of faith when we all sleep in the dust
Don’t deny, just verify the genius of it all It’s the cycle of all living, hear the children Hear the children call !
“We believe in the light, we believe in love every precious little thing We believe you can still surrender you can serve the Flower King”
“We believe in the heart, we believe in healing in a house where angels sing We’ll unite the divided and the fallen one will serve the Flower King”
“We believe in the heart, we believe in healing in a house where angels sing We’ll unite the divided and fallen one will serve the Flower King”
Again, I don’t quite think this is the orthodox Jesus Christ of Christian faith, but a rather humanistic but still supernatural Flower King. When the band becomes “The Flower Kings,” they’re not divinizing themselves but rather becoming disciples.
What strikes me most, though, is that Stolt’s use of mythological symbols is not Lutheran, but deeply Roman Catholic.
On track four of Space Revolver, “Monster Within,” Stolt sings “Mother Mary, she’s left the building crying/silent tears rolling down her cheek.” Granted, this could just be a Beatles’ reference, but Mary, here, seems more supernatural than Paul McCartney’s mother. After all, Mary is the opposite of some kind of demagogue trying to seduce our children and who feeds on power and who controls the bats.
One of my favorite The Flower King’s albums, Unfold the Future, posits a war between the devil and Mary. On the final track:
Clueless
Living in a business cluster, predator to suit your needs Raven sitting on your shoulder, lurking the suburban weeds Think I saw you in the bank, think I saw you in a talkshow Swear I saw your mindless grin, justify the final blow
Swallowing the endless laughter, cultivate the deadly sins Getting even altogether, hiding from the Holy Mother This is how you raise the Cain, this is what you teach our children Back on duty dog eat dog, they’re clueless in the Devil’s playground
Then, of course, on Space Revolver, on track 6, “Underdog,” there’s that really weird line/sound byte: “John Paul’s pizza, the biggest pizza you’ve ever seen.” When this album came out, in the year 2000, the only John Paul that mattered was John Paul II.
So, is Stolt Christian? I have no idea, but he’s an awesome ally, a man of integrity, and a grand myth maker. Taken together, this is so much what I love about Stolt and the band. Never once I have listened to them without my imagination being stimulated, expanded, and made manifest!
Tad: Wow, Brad! I knew you were a fan of Stolt, but I wasn’t aware of all the thought you’ve put into his music. I now have a much greater appreciation for his overall oeuvre than before. I think you’re probably correct about who influenced whom – Morse had to be aware of Stolt while he was in Spock’s Beard, and Stolt had to be aware of Morse. They likely influenced and appreciated each other, which led to the formation of another outstanding prog group, Transatlantic.
I kind of like it that Stolt is mum about his faith; it allows different interpretations of his music. What’s important to me is that he seems to be a light-bearer, as opposed to a dark nihilist like so many Scandinavian death metal artists. Stolt is always positive and optimistic, even when he is singing about something he’s unhappy about. In that regard, Desolation Rose seems to be his “darkest” work, and it is still uplifting to my ears.
So here’s my takeaway on Space Revolver: it is the perfect introduction to The Flower Kings for someone who is new to them. In it, the group hits the perfect combination of melodicism, progginess, and improv jamming. Once you’ve absorbed this album, all the others make sense. They’ve had an amazingly productive run the past 30(!) years, and I hope they go for 30 more!
I call excessive reliance on technology in eduction THE SCANTRON GOD. Quick, easy but ultimately corrupt and superficial. In my schooling, professional life, and career as a full-time classroom teacher I have experienced a sea change in my work, schooling, and writing due to technology. I began with paper and pencils and chalkboards and NO PHONES NO SMART WATCHES NO COMPUTERS almost no electronics or audiovisual and ended my teaching career with Smartboards, YOUTUBE, Smartphones, Laptops, and ZOOM classes. Some of the changes have been very beneficial. Others much less so.
For example, access to the internet, X, FB, and my blog has made it very easy to read news highlights, get access to shared articles and book reviews, and write. I have edited several best-selling books (for well-known authors) completely online all via WORD and email. In high school, I studied languages with tapes, 45 records, and textbooks. Cassettes in particular were very inefficient and fragile; I much preferred 33 or 45 records. Now I can study multiple languages on Duolingo on my phone with my Bose Microlink almost anywhere. I can listen to my audible books on my phone wherever I go and at any time. I can do my taxes electronically. I can read on my Barnes and Noble Nook on my PC, on my phone, or on my NOOK e-reader (Like a Kindle). I still like real dictionaries and real books but I rarely if ever buy paperbacks today (because the print is too small for me and on my NOOK I can adjust it). But I would say 90% of the books I buy are e-books the others are hardbacks. Similarly, I still listen to my CD collection but mostly to ITUNES or SPOTIFY (often via my phone). I long ago donated my 33 record collection not because the sound was inferior but because it became too expensive and difficult to have the necessary tuners and needles.
I still subscribe to paper copies of two magazines and one local paper but read the WSJ online on my pc or on my phone. The main reason I gave up on my paper subscription of the WSJ is because I could not count on it arriving on time if at all. One month 16 times the paper did not arrive! The WSJ offered to mail me copies but what good is that? I wanted to read TODAY’S NEWS, so I switched to online only. I have the added benefit of LISTENING to articles and reading comments from others. I still print out book reviews and articles that are interesting to me or of enduring interest. I read articles in magazines but almost always send letters to the editor via GMAIL. I enjoy reading physical copies of colorful illustrated magazines like SAN DIEGO ZOO , ANCIENT WARFARE, OR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. But I have noticed the young people in my life do not subscribe to newspapers or magazines and rarely read anything serious. It seems to me that they are mesmerized by video games, TICTOK, and Instagram.
I learned to type on a manual Remington typewriter in high school in the early 70’s. There were no PCs then nor any internet. I typed all my college and graduate school papers myself. I did a lot of reading of periodicals and paperbacks. When I lived in Europe I had an entire suitcase with a private library of dictionaries, and some hardcovers but mostly paperbacks. I did a lot of writing and re-writing, but I was never late for an assignment and learned to type proficiently at 50, then 60 then 70 wpm in Spanish and English. Being an efficient typist makes correspondence and writing much easier even with a PC. I prefer a full sized keyboard for serious writing.
All of my tests in high school except for outside tests like AP tests or SATs were handwritten with number 2 pencils or pen. No multiple choice. In fact, in my entire career as a Spanish student 1970-1991 I never once had a computer test or a multiple-choice test. I remember my high school Spanish teacher used to say I want to know what you know, how you know it, and not what you can guess. I kept vocabulary notebooks with quotations and grammar notes. I made study cards from 3 by 5 index cards. We had to do dictations, long exams, essays, and oral reports.
One result was the AP Spanish test and Achievement Test in Spanish (SAT II) were, frankly easy for me. Later I was an AP Reader for ETS in Spanish and was one of the best-ranked scorers of essays and short answers. My knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, orthography, and accentuation was highly developed due to my highly qualified Spanish and Cuban teachers and their traditional instruction. I studied in Spain at the university and worked as a Tour Guide. My first class at NYU in 1974 was Don Quixote and all the other students were native Spanish speakers including a Spaniard (a soccer player) I got an A. In college and graduate school all my Spanish classes were civilization or literature classes. All my finals were in blue books done by pen or pencil.
I knew people who tried to cheat their way through Spanish but most of them dropped out after two years because the more advanced the work the more difficult it was to cheat and fake. With phones, cameras, and the internet it is easier to cheat and fake than ever. I never cheated in Spanish and tried to learn honestly because I enjoyed Spanish and wanted to learn. It took me a while to learn how to study and practice efficiently. I began to study verb paradigms and made color-coded study cards. I listened to Spanish-language commercials and sporting events. I learned the concept of the comparative study of cognates, partially false cognates, and false cognates. In my first two years, I averaged a B. But by my third, fourth, and fifth year, I was getting A’s on everything. Spanish became my favorite and my best subject even more than history, English, or biology.
Getting certified as a K-12 teacher in Spanish, Social Studies and English was easy for me because I had had many AP classes and was an avid reader. I always corresponded with my friends and family via letters. It is not an exaggeration that from 1966-1980 I wrote and received hundreds if not thousands of letters some of them twenty pages long. I had to study seriously to ensure my passing my CBEST (California basic tests for teachers) in the Math and English proficiency but I did it the first time.
I took the GRE in 1989 with paper and pencil and did well. Later, in 2004 I had to take it again online. I was working full time so didn’t have a lot of time to practice the computer format. Writing was easy because it was like email and word processing, which I did all the time. But Math was awkward because I was used to answering with paper and pencil skipping the ones that were harder and returning to finish the test and double-check my work. With the computer test, this was not possible, and I had trouble timing my test. I finished too fast, being afraid not to finish, and was sent down “pathways” and was unable to skip questions or go back. I was never a genius at math, but I got a 690 on my SAT in 1972. When I took the GRE in 2004 my math score fell over 200 points. It made me very aware that computer testing and ZOOM classes were an affective filter that threw curveballs at students not accustomed to electronic tests. Clearly the elite “laptop class” of the middle class and upper class have a considerable built-in advantage over poorer students.
I got my BA in 1978 and it was a disadvantage to miss out on the PC revolution. It took me a few years to catch up. But I couldn’t afford a PC or printer. I didn’t have a cellphone either (a flip phone ) until 2004. I carried dimes and quarters and a calling card for emergencies!
In the mid-1980s I got a job with a bank. At first, they had handwritten files but gradually they were transitioning to computers and computerized customer service. So that was my first introduction to the regular use of computers.
One change I saw right away with new technology was the ability of management to erase past histories and fake credit histories. I had a VIP in my portfolio, and he was a chronic collection problem. He would charge way beyond his limits and not pay for months at a time. I knew this because we still had files and paper advices. His file was as thick as an old Yellow Page phonebook (now also obsolete). But he never charged off and the bank NEVER reported any delinquencies for him on his lines of credit and credit card. The credit line was over $100,000 a lot of money to me today and in the 1980s even more. Mr. X who was a local celebrity who owned sports teams and billboards always paid off eventually but as far as I could see, he never had his interest rates increased or paid late penalties. The bank always corrected his delinquencies.
Yet little old ladies would find their VISA accounts closed if they were past due 30 days THREE TIMES. They could not have their credit reports revised very easily. When you included late charges they were charged 40% interest. Then our regional bank was bought out by a national bank and customer service went down to almost zero and interest and penalties skyrocketed. Technology made banking easier, but it also made it easier for people to engage in wire fraud, credit fraud and theft. This appears to be the case in the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal where, apparently his translator accessed his accounts to pay off gambling debts unbeknownst to the slugger.
I know someone who lost over $10,000 in one afternoon after losing her debit card in Las Vegas. Somehow someone had accessed her PIN. This can happen easily if someone uses a camera to record your finger movements or a telescope to spy on you. And of course, as a debit card does not have the protection of a credit card; she lost all that money. So technology gives us great convenience but it makes theft and fraud easier. Especially for older people not as familiar with the technology.
I myself have LIFELOCK and have frozen my credit just to be safe. Someone accessed (via an insurance hack?) my social security number which puts me at risk for fraud. Some years ago I bought a $16 breakfast at DULLES AIRPORT in Washington DC. I used my credit card as I wanted to save my cash for the trip. Somehow someone stole the front and back of my card. By the time I reached my destination, the crooks had charged me $49.99 every hour on the hour and I only became aware of the problem when my card was dead -frozen. (fortunately, I always have a backup card and backup cash). I didn’t have to pay of course but the bank had over $5000 in losses. Sometime afterward someone applied for an Autozone card in my name and began charging up to the limit. Fortunately, by this time I had LIFELOCK and was notified and nipped the problem in the bud. They did not use my home address but an address I had never heard of. Once again, I did not have to pay anything but spent hours on phone calls and business letters to Synchrony Bank (Autozone was a private label for Synchrony Bank). Shortly afterward someone applied for an American Express card with my name but due to LIFELOCK this application was blocked. So technology is convenient but also has its vulnerabilities I never use a DEBIT card and have my accounts isolated from each other. I do not activate PINs for most of my accounts. I also monitor all my bank accounts and credit cards closely. I only use ATMs at major banks and pay cash for many casual purchases especially at airports or when traveling.
In the early 90s, I got a used IBM 286 with floppy disks and this helped me edit letters to the editor and free-lance articles. However, due to the Internet, the market for free-lance articles has almost dried up. I used to make $800-$1000 a year prior to 2005. But not anymore. Perhaps with YOUTUBE and substacks there are new ways to make money but there is no question the market has changed irrevocably.
In 1997 I finally got a phone (landline), PC, and internet in my classroom. So I began my teaching career without any phones or whiteboards but just a mimeograph machine and chalkboards. One advantage was one of total tranquility, especially before school and after school. No emails, no phone calls, no interruptions no announcements. I used to have to call the parents of my students at home in the evening or write them notes to request a personal meeting. My grades were private and done by hand in a grade book. We kept attendance by turning in absent sheets. Students more than 20 minutes later were considered cuts, not tardies.
I think it is much more difficult for students to cheat when none of the tests or quizzes are multiple-choice. Students had to clear their desks of everything including hats and could not have any phones or electronic devices out. Students had to respond to dictation and make class presentations. Whenever possible I quizzed students individually. I also required that students keep notebooks and do assigned homework. This was for practice but also as a way to see who was cheating on exams and quizzes. Usually, cheaters were greedy for perfect scores and had no classwork to offset their grades.
Essentially, I was completely in control of my classroom and classroom discipline. Students without passes who were late had to knock on the door and ask permission to enter. I often would let them stand outside a minute or two and would then open my door and spend of moment or two interrogating the students as to why they were late. Students who were not in their seats at the bell were marked tardy. In the first half of my career, I had few discipline problems. I went seven years without filling in a single referral. With technology and distractions and delays and declining respect and civility in part due to problems associated with technology, the last five years of my teaching career were much more stressful and saw serious fights and discipline problems. But most importantly academic standards have, overall, in my humble opinion, collapsed especially for average and poor students. (I realize there is an AP and laptop elite -they are doing as well as ever).
In my opinion, k-12 students should not be allowed to have or use phones during the school day. The phones should be collected and locked up at the entrance of the school. There is no need for every class period to be via computer. Every classroom has a phone for communication and virtually every teacher and school employee has a phone for emergencies. With smartphones everywhere you meet new pathologies. Such as
Instrusions in class. Students find out Mr X or Ms. Y is absent so they cut their class and intrude on another class. Substitutes have a list and photos of class lists but don’t recognize these students who are , usually, disrupting the class for fun. Often the teachers have to call security to try to establish order and of course the perpetrators can easily slip out of class. Most never get caught or punished in any way.
Groups and gangs can communicate to organize a fight during lunch or after school or a theft via smartphones.
Smartphones are a distraction as students are constantly sharing pictures, and answering messages. It goes without saying they use them to cheat. Students take pictures of exams and share them via the internet. A good classroom teacher has to stay one step ahead. I caught a lot of cheaters but I don’t fool myself to say I caught every one. I could tell when students were not engaged and not progressing in learning. This is when one individual quiz or a one on one interview were helpful.
4) Just like there is credit fraud there is also grade modification and fraud. This can come from students adult aides or even in some situations the administration. I always printed out my grades and kept them in a secure place in folders for three years. One has to be very security conscious. I never communicated with students EXCEPT on school email and or on the school phone. I never texted students though occasionally parents texted me when were were on a class trip or Saturday sports or events.
5) Zoom classes and zoom zombies. No question zoom classes are better than nothing but they are a very poor substitute for live classes. Zoom teaching favors laptop elites who respond well. In my experience, AP students behaved almost like college students or adults and concentrated during presentations and communicated with teachers. They completed all their assignments and tests. How ever the middle and bottom collapses. We have ZOOM ZOMBIES. Students are not required to turn on their camera. The only requirement is respond for daily attendance. Then many students just vanish from the face of the earth. They don’t participate or answer emails or complete any work. In my entire 34 year career SOME STUDENTS would REFUSE to take tests or show up to take tests but a very small minority. With ZOOM ZOMBIES 25% 33% 50% would not even attempt to answer one question. I had one student “with perfect attendance” who did not complete one sentence, one paragraph or one definition the entire academic year. Zoom classes are OK for highly motivated students but they are no substitute for face to face learning and teaching. Universities that switch to Zoom classes should be required at the very least to refund 50% of their tuition. 80% would be more like it. The worst thing about ZOOM classes is that unless I knew the student from before I had no relationship with those students. Tutoring (I used to tutor students at least 5 hours a week or more outside of class) dropped to almost zero.
6) AI computers and smartphones can be used for cheating. I feel personal phones should be restricted during school hours and prohibited absolutely during formal testing. I remember discovering GOOGLE TRANLATE. Students would turn in short essays that were merely pasted on translations from Google Translate. The problem was they could not read them aloud and did not know the vocabulary of their essays. I knew the students were cheating but I ignored this and thanked them for their work. I then said that was merely step one of the assignment. Step two was to create a glossary of the vocabulary in the essay. Step three was to use at least 15 new words in complete original sentences (in class). Students could use hard-cover dictionaries but no electronic devices. Step four was to make a presentation of examples of vocabulary to the teacher or to the class.
7) Teachers must have some oral questions and answering, oral presentations, dictations, and written exercises with paper and pencil in class. You cannot rely entirely on scantron tests or take-home assignments. When classes are 100% online as in some Canvas Zoom classes in my opinion one must schedule exams over a week and orally test each student. Otherwise the testing has no integrity and no validity.
Yes, in my life and career I have experienced great changes in the home, workplace and school. There is no going back to a world of ONLY pencils, chalk and pens. A world without phones, TVs, Internet, electronic statements and credit cards. But I don’t always want processed food and I sometimes want to use CASH and USE CHANGE. I enjoy podcasts but sometimes I want to listen to the radio alone or play the piano by myself or sing in the shower. I don’t want to go in my motorboat I might like to swim in a pool or at the beach.
In addition, I would argue that chalk, pencils, and pens are still valuable tools for learning and entertainment. Every day I read and study languages. I use colored pencils to fill in composition books. One page is for grammar notes or vocabulary. The other page is for sentences, paragraphs and translations. The target language is in BLUE PENCIL (red for important or spelling or pronunciation prompts. English notes are always in #2 pencil. If I make notes or comparison to other languages I will use other colors for example this word is similar to German or Spanish or Greek or is a false friend (false cognate). I also draw pictures of vocabulary -happy faces, sad faces, mountain peaks, sailboats, fruit, animals, furniture houses cars etc. I draw action words (verbs), colors, antonyms and synonyms. I know physically writing in COLORS and repeating words and keeping notebooks helps me learn and remember the Greek alphabet and new vocabulary words.
When I play with my grandchildren we use playdoh, magnetic letters and numbers, picture books. We look at maps. We still use colored chalk to write on the sidewalk and play games. I have sets of 8 by 10 color photo cards and I asked them questions. What color is it? What is it in Spanish? Do you know the English word? Usually they do. They have been introduced to Portuguese, French, German, Latin and Greek. For fun, orally I will quiz them on animals in different languages (and the sounds they make). I , explain that most scientific words and animal and plant words are the same in western languages because they are Greek or Latin in origin. PROBLEM or RICE , TIGER OR LION OR COCA COLA TEA or COFFEE or AUTO or COMPUTER are virtually universal vocabulary words. They have toy animals and toy dolls and toy kitchens. They enjoy the colors and physicality of this play and create their own stories and games.
As Mandel wrote “How many advances, liberations, revolutions, hailed as new epochs in human affairs, are really progressions from Scylla into Charybdis? “ Technological change is inevitable. We have cars and electric motorbikes. We have machine guns. Semi-automatic pistols. We have videogames. We have vaccines and antibiotics. We have birth control and abortion pills (RU486). We vote via computer. But we should be aware that every change is not necessarily for the better and when it comes to living healthy and happy lives. In learning and voting INTEGRITY and HONESTY are very important values perhaps the most important of all. If technology breeds theft and fraud and cheating and makes us less healthy and less safe we should be aware of it and limit it and control it for the good of the individual and society. Carl Sagan wrote “Many of the dangers we face indeed arise from science and technology—but, more fundamentally, because we have become powerful without becoming commensurately wise. The world-altering powers that technology has delivered into our hands now require a degree of consideration and foresight that has never before been asked of us.” One thing is certain technology is just a tool. It will not make us happy healthy or wise unless we lead balanced lives. A balanced life is not entirely dependent on drugs, chemicals, electronics and computers.
Spirit of Cecilia 
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