Great God Pan

If you tuned in last week, you are already know the Ooze Out program's first attempt at visiting Polynesia was aborted due to a long layover in Gatlin, Nebraska (which we quite enjoyed, thanks Malachai!). But all things happen for a reason in God's universe. This week we've booked a direct flight to the Friendly Islands where Ooze Out correspondent Erik Bluhm just happens to be working as a Disc Jockey in a tiki bar on one of the islands, not sure which one but he says it's kind of like Lost! Join us tonight for surf, sounds and poi, plus digital dolphins, the whoosh of Father Yod's hangglider, the soft murmur of Sky "Sunlight" Saxon petting dogs, Merrell Fankhauser's tales of Mu, and much more! —Peter

Listen to the Ooze Out Program Tuesdays 10pm (that's 7pm for you West Coasters) on 103.5 WPVM FM Asheville or on line, streaming at http://wpvm.org

Hear last week's show here

Posted by Erik at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a country happily wrapped up like a Quizno's sammy in the sacred dyad of current events— American Idol and the upcoming. . . "election"—we know how hard it can be to know how we're supposed to feel about all this important stuff. While Hillary and Obama brashly plow through campaign budgets that would feed the third world for a decade, millions of Americans actually plan their post-week-behind/in front of a cash register-schedules around a manufactured reality show—a show so distressful that an otherwise tragic event like McCain winning and bringing back the draft might actually "save" the youth of America from a slow death from dopey purposelessness. Anyhow, we thought we'd pass on this observance from Prof. Peter Phillips of Sonoma State.

"Will November 2008 bring a meaningful change to America? Will getting rid of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney without impeachment or indictment really make a difference? Will a 600 billion dollar war/defense budget be cut in half and used for desperately needed domestic spending? Will the ninety-three billion dollars profits in the private health insurance companies —those parasitic intermediates between you and your doctor—be used instead for full health care coverage for all? Will Habeas Corpus and Posse Comitatus be restored to the people? Will torture stop and the US withdraw from Iraq immediately? Will all students in public universities be able to enroll for free? Will the US national security agencies stop mass spying on our personal communications? Will the neo-conservative agenda of total military domination of the world be reversed?

The answer to these questions in the context of the current billion dollar presidential campaign is an absolute no. Instead we have a campaign of personalities and platitudes. There is a race candidate, a gender candidate and a tortured veteran candidate, each talking about change in America, national security, freedom, and the American way. The candidates are running with support of political parties so deeply embedded with the military industrial complex, the health insurance companies, Wall Street, and corporate media that it is undeterminable where the board rooms separate from the state rooms.

The 2008 presidential race is a media entertainment spectacle with props, gossip, accusations, and public relations. It is impression management from a candidates’ perspective. How can we fool the most people into believing that we stand for something? It is billions of dollars of gravy for the media folks and continued profit maximunization for the war machine, Wall Street, and insurance companies no matter who is determined the winner in November."

Peter Phillips is a Professor of Sociology at Sonoma State University and director of Project Censored.

Posted by Erik at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last year Mammoth Lakes police officer Sergeant Paul Dostie took his human remains detection dog Buster up to the Barker Ranch above the Panamint Valley where Charles Manson and his cohorts were captured in 1969. The dog honed in on two sites where Dostie claims there's a possibility of human remains being buried. Whose remains? According to forty-year-old hearsay and other dubious sources, there were at least two individuals who visited Barker Ranch and disappeared. "One was a girl who wasn’t really fitting in at the Ranch, and was taken for a walk by Manson and Tex [Watson]. According to the stories, she allegedly never came back. The second story is of a boy who was backpacking the length of Death Valley and stopped at the Barker Ranch for a few nights. The boy disappeared, but left all his gear behind. When one family member asked Clem Grogan, another family member, where the boy was, Clem is reported to have said, 'He got homesick.'" Other than stank, so far no remains have turned up.

The current interest in uncovering a secret high desert sepulcher actually started in 1998 when self-proclaimed Family hanger-on Larry "White Rabbit" Melton led Inyo County Sherriffs on a treasure hunt for a victim he saw murdered and buried just outside the kitchen window of the dilapidated ranch house back in the Family's glory days. No body was ever found and Melton later claimed he "purposefully misled" the searchers.

Last year however, the fuzz was better prepared. Aiding Buster in his search were four other Historic Grave Detection dogs. Even the media got involved. TV crews from the Discovery Channel with nothing better to discover, drove up from Hollywood to film the hunt. They plan to air it as an episode of their "Most Evil" series. Presumably the other episodes will deal with such other notorious bad guys as the Hillside Strangler, Donald Trump, and Dick Cheney.

Dostie's pretty sure there’s something down there. Buster’s a pro. He’s been cramming for years on the specifics of human remains detection, using human placentas as well as human bones as learning aids. "The surgeons at Mammoth Hospital have been very helpful, and patients sign release forms so that he can receive the femur heads from total hip replacements to train Buster," explained Dostie to the Mammoth Times. Buster's sense of smell is so refined that he can pick up on the remains of a carcass several hundred years old, which unfortunately for this investigation means that what Buster's so fired up about could just as likely be a dead Indian as a dead hippy.

Posted by Erik at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry to do this here, but this whole business sucks. My brother and I spent a lot of years exploring in this area of the country and trust me, it's too good to let a bunch of corporations get rich on digging it up.

The BLM's Oil Shale and Tar Sands Draft PEIS is a plan for environmental devastation on a huge scale. Alternative B, the BLM's "Preferred Alternative" in the PEIS, would amend 12 existing BLM land use plans to open almost 2 million acres of public lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming for commercial leasing, exploration, and development of fossil fuels. This includes pristine wildlands and watersheds adjacent to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, other national parks, and wilderness areas, and vast, unspoiled expanses of the Colorado River watershed.

Oil shale and tar sands development is being marketed by the Bush administration as a way to help provide energy security for the U.S. In reality, there has not been adequate research to show the full environmental, economic, and social impacts of this technology. There is no doubt that the proposed development would cause massive, irreversible environmental damage - scarring the landscape with mines, roads, pipelines, and power lines; releasing toxic pollution; consuming enormous amounts of scarce water; requiring ten new coal-fired power plants to provide needed power; endangering the health of local communities; and spewing out greenhouse gases that add to climate change impacts.

This BLM plan will set the baseline against which all future oil shale and tar sands development will be assessed. Unfortunately, the plan completely fails to provide a thorough and scientifically credible basis for action. As a result, the BLM's "Preferred Alternative" B is fatally flawed and must be rejected.

"NO ACTION": THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE

Glen Canyon Institute believes that our government should be promoting energy conservation and sustainable energy production - such as solar and wind - to increase energy independence and fight global climate change. We believe that before any development can be approved, all impacts to watersheds that flow into the Colorado River system must be thoroughly analyzed and mitigated. The BLM's plan falls far short of meeting the minimum level of assessment required for adequate decision-making. Alternative B, the BLM's "Preferred" Alternative," would sacrifice our public lands to develop dirty fossil fuel that will worsen climate change. This is totally unacceptable. The only responsible choice is Alternative A, the "No Action" alternative.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Glen Canyon Institute urges you to send your comments on the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Draft PEIS. They do not need to be detailed. The most important thing is to tell the BLM that you oppose the "Preferred Alternative" B and support the "No Action" alternative A. You can use the sample letter below or write your own letter. If possible, use personal examples from your experiences visiting the areas proposed for development in eastern Utah, western Colorado, and southwestern Wyoming.

Act now - all comments must be received by March 20, 2008!

To submit comments, you can:

· Use the BL M Oil Shale and Tar Sands PEIS public comment form or

· Mail your comments to:

Sherry Thompson, Project Manager
BLM Oil Shale and Tar Sands Draft Programmatic EIS
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne IL 60439

SAMPLE COMMENT LETTER

Sherry Thompson, Project Manager
BLM Oil Shale and Tar Sands Draft Programmatic EIS
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne IL 60439

Dear Ms. Thompson,

I am writing to comment on the Bureau of Land Management's Oil Shale and Tar Sands Draft Programmatic EIS. I strongly oppose Alternative B, the "Preferred Alternative" and support Alternative A, the "No Action" alternative in the PEIS.

It is clear that the "Preferred Alternative" B is almost certain to cause massive, irreversible damage to large areas of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. This includes devastating the land and water, endangering wildlife and their habitats, harming the people in local communities, and generating massive greenhouse gas pollution that would add to global climate change. Moreover, the BLM admits that more research is needed before we know the true impacts of the technology or if it is even commercially feasible.

At a time when we need to be moving away from fossil fuels and the damage they cause, this proposal would continue our dependence on them. The PEIS fails to adequately address any of these issues, or to consider a reasonable range of alternatives, including the potential for increased energy conservation and efficiency. This is contrary to agency regulations and the law.

[OPTIONAL: IF YOU HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE AFFECTED REGION, YOU CAN STRENGTHEN YOUR LETTER BY TALKING ABOUT PLACES YOU HAVE VISITED, HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE TO YOU, AND HOW THIS DEVELOPMENT WOULD HARM THEM.]

I urge the BLM to choose the "No Action" alternative A, and to halt efforts to develop oil shale and tar sands on public lands. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Draft Programmatic EIS.

Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]

***************************

Thank you for taking action to protect Glen Canyon, the Colorado River, and southern Utah wildlands!

Best regards,
Amy Collins
Glen Canyon Institute
1520 Sunnydale Lane
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Phone: 801 363-4450
Fax: 801 363-4451

email: info@glencanyon.org
phone: 801.363.4450
web: http://www.glencanyon.org

Posted by Erik at 04:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Come on down to somewhere near USC for a rare intimate performance by Sarode master Aashish Khan. Khan as you might remember, did the music for George Harrison's Wonderwall album, formed the psychedelic fusion group Shanti with tablaist Zakir Hussain in the late '60s, and happens to be the son of the legendary Ali Akbar Khan. Also they'll be screening Satyajit Ray's film The World of Apu, which Khan played the soundtrack to when he was a mere 16. Saturday, February 16, 2008 at 7pm. Senshin Buddhist Temple. 1311 West 37th St. Los Angeles, CA 90007. Donation suggested to help the temple.

Posted by Erik at 03:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Transplanted Californian David Biasotti somehow managed to tie up most of the loose ends of the Trees story from his secret headquarters in Yokohama. Check the new issue of Ugly Things for his expansive overview with interviews, photos, and whatnot. The British folk rock quintet—long a favorite of us GGPers—has seen recent attention due to Sony's reissue of the group's '72 On The Shore album on CD with added tracks. Plus they're just rad.

Posted by Erik at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"All people. Earth people. Water people. I breathe and I speak. I breathe and I speak to you, to everyone and everything around me. To you who listen to the music. To you who do not listen to the music. To the roar of the outside. To the roar of the inside. To the air speeding through the passes, from the desert to the sea. To the air drifting slowly back to the mountains, high and patient. To the moisture rising straight up, in a cloud, tower-like and white. To the moisture returning, isolated in the drips and drops that bounce and roll down nylon and gutters. To evaporation. To the way out. To the way back."

West Coast New Energy Encounter Group
In live activity, this Sunday January 27 at 8 PM
at David Patton Los Angeles

featuring Paul Gellman, Erik Bluhm, Relatively Clean Larry Rengert, Ruby Neri, Bonnie Perkinson, Fellow Candle, Tom Watson, Danny Leyson, and Ashley Gallagher.

Bring a pillow to sit on, maybe.

The West Coast New Energy Encounter Group has had these recent performances: Garden Grove Creative Community at The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, Circular Performance Demonstration With French Percussionists and Actors at The Purple Night of the California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art, and Timed Duration of Organ, Flute and Slow Movement (as the New Energy Dark Consort of Musicke) at Fritz Haeg's Sundown Salon.

This activity is being held in conjunction with the gallery's current show, Erik Bluhm-Cooperate With The Energy And Anything That Happens. Bluhm's exhibition of collage works has been cited over at Emma Gray's January Top 10 at Saatchi Online as well as Caryn Coleman's ArtReview blog.

David Patton
Los Angeles
5006 1/2 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
90042 USA

Telephone:(323) 478-1966
Fax:(323) 478-1166
info (at) davidpattonlosangeles (dot) com
Thur— Sat, 12-6pm, and by appointment

Posted by Erik at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Governor Schwarzenegger's latest fix for California's budget crisis is to shut down 48 state parks to save money on upkeep and staffing. The possible closures include Tomales Bay, San Simeon, Topanga, and Will Rogers. At the same time he plans to hire guards to keep the pesky public out. Though many are saying 'ol Arnie's proposal is just a bluff, the mere thought of such actions should make even the most level-headed resident feel like chucking this clown right out of the state. This is public land, bro, not some sort of leverage dealie. And IF it does come down to this, I'd like to see a lot of you brothers and sisters out there in those closed parks, picnicking, hiking, whatever, just USING your rightful public land and thumbing your nose at any government stooges who try to stop you. Meanwhile some jokers think that CHARGING people to use this land is the answer. Are you serious? For one thing, most of them already do, for parking or camping fees. Where's that money going? As for the rest, after selling off and plowing over just about every inch of natural landscape, you're going to make us pay to walk around on the few acres that don't have crappy subdivisions or shopping mall parking lots spread over them? You’ve got to be kidding me.

If that weren't enough to inspire a new batch of Terminate the Terminator bumper stickers than here's the latest news from Sacto. Yesterday Schwarzenegger announced his support of the OC tollway that'll cut right through San Onofre State Park—against the recommendation of the State Park and Recreation Commission and just about every Californian who thinks things like clean beaches and open public areas are more important than fastlanes for SUVs and lining the pockets of freeway building entrepreneurs. "I have concluded that this project is essential to protect our environment and the quality of life for everyone in California," Schwarzenegger said in a letter to the Coastal Commission. So accepting the misleadingly-named Transportation Corridor Agency's kickback to put new trashcans in the park is going to make up for the fact that one of the region's last unobstructed deltas and a major animal right-of-way are soon going to be bisected by a deafening river of smog and concrete?

I say send the fool an email and tell him that closing our public parks is not an option. And remind him that in the old days, if you hired someone to keep tabs on your budget and he fucked it up this bad he'd be out on his ass, not jocking around Malibu on a poser Harley. And while you're at the computer, let him know that you’d like his developer buddies to keep their money-grubbing mits off San O, and that he ought to know (being the Conservative he claims to be) that putting less cars on the roads we have (through public transportation, carpooling, etc.) is the solution not only to gridlock, but for keeping California golden the way it ought to be.

Posted by Erik at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The last couple month have been filled up with a bunch of little guys, and we're not talking about elves. These 'lil guys were made by some big guys who happen to be friends of ours. First, buried way deep down in the middle of the December issue of Artforum, there's a blurb about Tall Paul Gellman's mini figurine show at Tiny Creatures here in L.A. a few months back. Alas, a photo of his work got bumped for someone's with more seniority, so here's an example to your left, and there's more where that came from here.

Secondly, truth seeker and driftwood sojourner Kyle Field returns to Gay Paree this winter with his show that might be called "Free Old Spirits" at Atelier Cardenas Bellanger gallery. Here's one of the denizens of Cottonball Hill. But shhh, don't tell anyone because it's not official yet.

Posted by Erik at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

David Patton Los Angeles is pleased to present
Erik Bluhm - "Cooperate With The Energy And Anything That Happens"

12 January—9 February 2008

Reception for the artist on Saturday, 12 January from 7—10 pm

For this show at David Patton Los Angeles, Bluhm will present a number of medium and large-scale collages. The images form symbols and shapes or, as Bluhm describes them, "iconic images and shapes that are forms identifiable as significant, yet only inherently. They withhold too much to qualify as concretely vital, yet in their shapes and designs are embedded the often thorny markers of being, sometimes cryptically representative, sometimes transparent and spiritual."
Bluhm's work has been exhibited at Hiromi Yoshii Gallery in Tokyo, Atelier Cardenas Bellanger Gallery in Paris, and 2841 Harrison in San Francisco. As a founder of The West Coast New Energy Encounter Group—a subset of the greater New Energy movement—Bluhm and his colleagues have presented performances at The Hammer Museum, The Purple Night of the California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art, and at Fritz Haeg's Sundown Salon.

David Patton Los Angeles
5006 1/2 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
90042 Directions to/from Chinatown
Telephone:(323) 478-1966
Fax:(323) 478-1166
Thur— Sat, 12-6pm, and by appointment
info at davidpattonlosangeles.com
http://www.davidpattonlosangeles.com

photo by meta

Posted by Erik at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sure the enchanted hills of Asheville, North Carolina are a long ways away from soggy Southern California, but the freaky sounds emanating from the little radio station there must be pingponging off the ozone or something, cuz you can pick them up real easy on yer compooter machine. Join ex-TRW technician and Palos Verdes audiophile Peter Poffenberger each Tuesday night as he hosts Ooze Out, a program promising to "inject analog ooze into our digital culture, playing the very best of Rock/Experimental from around the world. In addition to a play list of heavy levels, come and enjoy special guests, long distance interviews and field trips with Ooze Out correspondents Steve Brown, Byron Browne and Carley Dergins." Rumour has it Poffenberger's been doing some sound aura recordings out in the woods near the former site of Black Gum College, not to mention some silence sessions with the elusive Space Folk in NYC. Stay tuned, it'll be worth it, I swear.

Listen to OOZE OUT!
Tusedays 10pm to 1am
WPVM 103.5 FM
Asheville NC
Outside of Asheville listen at wpvm.org (streaming)
shows are archived for one week at wpvm.org/nav/archives/

Posted by Erik at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Though I'm not sure exactly what this is all about, there are a couple reasons why we're probably going to be going to this presentation from Semites magazine. First our boy Lawrence Rengert will be banging away on something hollow and really feeling it in a New Energy kind of way. Then they're showing an Osho film: dunno which one, but if it's the one where seedy-looking Tom Robbins gets all touchy feely with his female interviewer when describing Osho's allure, then you're probably not gonna want to miss it. And finally, you get to see Wallace Berman's 16mm film, Aleph (1965-66).

Here's how Semites editor Daniel Feinberg describes it. "Semites despises progress, shares your absurd superstition of the new, and shrieks in infidelity, like an emergency brake, at a utopia marked by an expiration date. On January 2 we ask you to join us and celebrate this gamble that is Semites for a screening of our new film Bet at The Mountain Bar in downtown Los Angeles. Bet, seen as a crypto, albeit nominal, sequel to Wallace Berman's Aleph, is a messianic dérive: immediately, yet lyrically against political Zionism, the 7 minute 04 second film claims no salvation without revolutionary transformation of material life. Veiled in tight black and smoking, Semites say with Hegel: seek for food and clothing first, than shall the Kingdom of God be granted to you. Refreshments will be provided."

"Other performances in this evening of horror vacui will be a screening of Paul Yoshida's Bulimic Cinema-—a short religious video on Osho, doo-woptical art, and betrayal. We also will be screening Wallace Berman's 16mm film Aleph. With occult performances by Larry Rengert of Black Mass of the New Energy, Bushwick's DJ Pause and others." 8 o' clock sharp.

Posted by Erik at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stumbling around on the interweb looking for an old Robbie Basho interview on KPFA I found this instead, an unbelievable radio segment in which Other Minds host Charles Amirkhanian reports on The Expanded Ear music conference, held on April 27-29, 1973 at the Camp de Benneville Pines, in the San Bernardino National Forest. The highlight of the conference was the Six Acre Jam, performed over a hillside by about 60 musicians and no less than ten synthesizers. Join Charles as he takes a walk through the woods interviewing performers and composers, including Richard Bunger, Barry Gott, Jacques Bekaert, Nicolas Slonimsky & Dane Rudhyar, all while the sounds of music echo from the surrounding wilderness.

Posted by Erik at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our good friend Michael Rashkow will be strutting his stuff on the Westside this weekend. Before you hit the Sky Saxon/YaHoWa 13 show, swing over to Culver City to gaze at his Circle Pictures exhibition.
The opening reception is this Friday, November 16, from 7-9pm and then the show will be up through January 5, 2008

LAXART is located at 2640 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90034 Tuesday through Saturday 11am – 6pm.

Posted by Erik at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After thirty-plus years the moment has arrived--The return of Ya Ho Wa 13 and a semi-Source Family reunion. There will be over thirty original Source Family brothers and sisters in L.A. next week, playing music, signing books, showing films, etc. This my friends is a very rare occurence so don't be caught sleeping. The events are all sponsored by Process Books in celebration of their latest release, The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13, and the Source Family by Isis Aquarian. The fun begins this Friday, November 8 at Skylight books, and wrap up next Thursday and Friday at The Silent Movie Theater and The Echoplex with rare films, slides, Source Family members in the flesh, and the first performances in over 30 years by the Family's legendary rock band Ya Ho Wa 13!!!

Friday, November 9
SKYLIGHT BOOKS
Reading, signing, and discussion of The Source Family days at the "Mother House," living in the Chandler Mansion in Los Feliz, with Isis, Electricity, and Om-Ne Aquarian, Magus, and others.
7pm 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Sunday, November 11
FREAK BEAT RECORDS
Book signing and book CD listening party with Isis and E Aquarian, and Djin, guitarist from Ya Ho Wa 13! 2 pm 13616 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 •

Sunday, November 11
BHODI TREE
Reading and signing with Isis, E, Om-Ne Aquarian, and editor Jodi Wille.
7 pm 8585 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069-5199 •

Thursday, November 15
THE SILENT MOVIE THEATER
Process Media presents: An Evening with the Source Family
Ex-members of Los Angeles' legendary Source Family re-unite onstage and in the flesh!
Slides, home movies, 70s cable access video clips and the first musical performance in 30 years by the legendary Source Family band, Ya Ho Wa 13!!!
With Isis, Electricity, Magus, Om-Ne, Electra, Orbit, and others. Also, cult/commune scholar and author (America's Alternative Religions) Timothy Miler and Source editor Jodi Wille...and DJ New Energy's Arrak.
8 pm 611 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90036
order tickets here

Friday, November 16
THE ECHOPLEX
The Echoplex, Process books, Cold Sweat, Tee Pee Records, and Flaunt present:
The Return of Ya Ho Wa 13 with Sky Sunlight Saxon and The Seeds, Entrance, and Hecuba.
DJ explosions by SMALL TOWN TALK (dublab.com), Source Family slide show by Isis Aquarian, Film projections by DJ big TV(Fred Kiko), Special herbal concoctions, massages, and a designer simulation of Father Yod’s bedroom! Source family attire is encouraged. Get out those night gowns and caftans, and don't forget that wide leather belt! Enjoy my beautiful poster.
8pm 1820 Sunset Blvd. Order tickets here

And if you're in San Francisco...

Continue reading "Higher Key in L.A. and Frisco" »

Posted by Erik at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)