i am unlikely to visit my local flag store… but it’s not what you think. i am not some sort of subversive anti-nationalist… if such a thing exists. more like dwelling, or even floating between several planes. indeed, at times i feel as though my head is being gently drawn, by the limitlessness of all that is eternal and “above”. into hidden realms. a sort of upper, upper-stratosphere, perhaps. but it could just be that i haven’t slept right for several years.

i am happily married with a neat collection of small children. i love them very much. i also love music. especially writing, recording and mixing it. other people’s as well. i feel honored to own a mix room/recording studio in athens, georgia. i call this roomfiftythree. there is an atticus finch swinging seat on the porch of my home. but no boo radley in the cellar.

1. ATTEND SHOWS. actually attend the shows of the local bands you like. don’t just say you will, and never turn up… bands need moral support as well as financial!

2, BUY DIRECT. buy the records of the artists you like… from them direct, if possible. don’t forget – although convenient — buying an artist’s record online usually deprives them of up to 50% of what they would otherwise earn.

3. JUST BUY. buy the records of the artists you like. that’s right… BUY. never ever (however tempting) copy an artist’s CD without their permission or download it illegally.

4. TIP. bands earn next to nothing for playing shows… how about tipping them? seriously! we’re used to tipping in other service-related industries… why not? especially after a particularly awesome performance! or if you’re too shy to contemplate throwing money at your favorite band… offer to pay a few dollars more for their latest record… or entire back catalog (that’s been bundled with a t-shirt) for only $5!

5. DON’T BE TIGHT. that’s right,”tight” as in: mean, miserly, niggardly, close-fisted, parsimonious, penny-pinching, cheeseparing, Scroogelike, cheap and mingy etc!  just because you know someone in the band doesn’t mean you should expect (or ask) to be put on the free list… how about showing them some love by stopping your whinging, shutting up and agreeing to pay the measly $3 at the door?! only a suggestion mind you…

6. BE GENEROUS. if you’re in a band, offer to pay guest musicians on your next recording… don’t just ask (or assume) they can do it for free. even if you can’t afford industry rates (whatever they are!)… something is better than nothing!

7. THINK LOCAL. if you’re in a band, consider raising money on “Kickstarter” or “IndieGoGo” to pay a local, professional recording studio to operate the boards. not only will you end up with a much better sounding record… studios (as much as musicians) struggle to make a living doing what they love!

8. NO ROCKSTARS. if you’re in a band, treat your fans really, really well! take the time to get to know them, both online and in person after shows. buy them a beer every now and then! invite them to house parties. don’t just contact them when you want something. and please don’t be the guy that only ever tweets or updates his artist page with: “we’re gonna be rockin’ & kickin’ some at the [insert venue name] friday night! bring it people, bring it!!!”

it was then i first became aware that i was indeed a “foreigner” here. i was “other”. this guy seemed to think (quite seriously) that he spoke “normally”. that he had no accent whatsoever… i was the one pronouncing things strangely. he spoke, apparently, the way one was meant to speak. in hindsight, i wished i’d gently suggested to him that actually all of us have accents. and all of us are “foreigners”… somewhere.

a brief video blog then! for the edification of the body. and the cleansing of the soul:

America. For This I Am Truly Sorry.

- those buried in unmarked graves, on “asylum” grounds
- those whose stories were never told and are now lost forever
- those who were diagnosed “mad” for merely being different and not fitting in
- those who were institutionalized against their will
- those who were disowned by their families
- those that were lobotomized or given “shock therapy” — even for relatively minor conditions like depression or “rebellious behavior” (especially children)
- those that were brutalized and physically or sexually abused by staff, or fellow patients
- those that escaped and subsequently died on the streets, homeless
- those that overdosed on prescribed medications
- those that took their own lives
- and those who, against all odds, held fast… and somehow survived.

you can stream it here: http://www.marktulk.com/music.html

“I enjoyed this album, Mark, nice sounds and good music. I’d have this as a permanent resident on my mp3 player. Good job!” – Sean Magee, Mastering Engineer, Abbey Road (Beatles Remastered 2010, John Lennon Remastered 2010 etc)

now — quite honestly — that’s good enough for me! if someone of that caliber seriously likes my music (and thinks it was well recorded and mixed etc)… that’s about all the encouragement i’m ever likely to need, this side o’ the dark river… and i do need it, you know. ’cause a lot of the time i feel as if i’m getting nowhere.

but i must be doing something right!

right?

jimson weeds crowned his head. the boy lay, now still. dreaming? with a hand full of dark berries he left at dusk. for the river.

cleansing his hands. in dust and in sky. in blood and in thyme. with wild flowers blooming.

the nightman passes. he smells of saltbush. we is dreaming beneath the boab trees. this ditch is quiet. full of damp tubers.

seeking soft asylum. a house of clay. o to lie beneath wet leaves. inhaling. exhaling. the day.

a soft buzzing in the bones. red earth amongst the reeds.

all gone. save the eyes. and a brain full o’ nematodes. he holds hands with silence. and kneels before. this wall of days.

sleeping beneath a red balloon. he gone at dawn. taken. high above soft yellow roads.

from loamy light. to pools of gray. why the eyes. always last to leave.

so why did they lie to us back in school? and why have those voices continued to lie? covering me with years. and why have i wasted so much time trying to please those… now faceless, nameless… the ever-fading. wasn’t it enough to simply pursue that for which i was made? music. art. creativity…

this revelation now falls like a dark curtain all covered in whys. to the unlocked day. all white light. ever-expanding, hissing air. when all i needed was enough to survive. and time to dream. to build imaginary bridges across non-existent streams. o earth. some things reveal themselves too slowly. and take half a lifetime. to be half-imagined.