Albino Cybertrucks and Belvederes
Recharging My Batteries
Mark Rushton’s Perseverance in the Arts is a weekly email on Substack where I talk about my ongoing work as a recording artist and visual artist.
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This week’s topics:
Albino Cybertrucks and Belvederes
21 * 3 = 52
Pedal Off The Gas
Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus, and Max Roach - “Cherokee”
Albino Cybertrucks and Belvederes
Monday - I saw the Albino Cybertruck driving around after work, but it was only a couple blocks from where we live. It looked like a chipped tooth on wheels.
Thursday - Was driving home from work on Flagg Parkway when I saw a car a ways down the road. I knew instantly that it was either a '63 or '64 Plymouth Belvedere, although it could be a Fury. My dad had several of these, or all of them. He had a lot of cars.
It was a Belvedere, and the driver was chilling out, driving a bit slower, so I was able to pass him on Park Avenue. He was older, but kind of ageless. Bald head and white beard, with a cigarette dangling. It was restored, an extremely faint baby blue. The tires appeared to be a size larger than normal.
Was it a '63 or '64? It definitely had the '64 grille. You don't see these cars anymore. Most were in junk yards, rusting away by the late 1970s. But that Slant 6 engine would run forever.
21 * 3 = 52
Wednesday - At one point, I thought about buying a bicycle and storing it in the locked and gated parking ramp downtown. But I figured I'd just rent bicycles and see how often I did it. Since working downtown for 18 months, I think I've rented a pedal bike three times, and the stand is nearby, so I have no need for a bicycle.
Thursday - Today I was thinking, "Wasn't it about two years ago when I got laid off from Pearson after 21 years?" It'll be two years on Saturday.
I was initially told in writing I'd get 3 weeks of severance for every year of service. Wow, I thought, I'm getting 63 weeks of severance. Later on, HR indicated to me that 21 * 3 = 52. I can't tell any other funny stories because I signed a non-disparagement agreement.
Friday - I sometimes wonder if our history is completely false. We are told that the Old Capitol in Iowa City was built in two years. Cornerstone set in the summer of 1840. Done by 1842. Two years, including winter. There were barely 1000 people living in Iowa City by 1850. No railroads in Iowa until the late 1840s. That stone had to be cut somewhere and hauled. I'm not quite sure how all that was accomplished, given the technology and manpower available at the time.
Pedal Off The Gas
I’ve been taking a little break from any new music and art creation, but in this post I’ve added some recent photos that I might process and do something with in the near future.
The past few months, I’ve really been pedal to the floor with everything.
On some recent nights, I’ll show up in the studio after work and dinner and errands and do nothing. It’s OK to do nothing for a while. I’m just recharging my batteries. The bottom will fall out of the weather soon. That full moon has been driving me nuts, too.
Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus, and Max Roach - “Cherokee”
The Bud Powell Trio from Jazz At Massey Hall, Volume 2. I hadn’t heard “Cherokee” until recently. What a crazy track. How in the world did Bud Powell play that? And Max Roach’s drums are insanely great.
It’s not the highest quality recording, but it’s an experience.
“Cherokee” (link to Qobuz).
Wear good headphones. I like Grados.