Tag Archives: lincoln

Big things.


I’m still a little lost here, so bear with me. Jesus. What the hell happened to the sun? Where is that flaming ball of gaseous energy? No one knows.

Yeah, big things are happening here at the Hammer Mill. Really big things. Like the giant garage sale Marvin (my personal robot assistant) has talked us all into participating in (and contributing to). That’s bigger than we really want it to be, frankly. For one thing, we don’t HAVE a garage. And if we DID have one, we wouldn’t sell it (we just got it in my imaginary world, for chrissake – what’s the matter with you, man?) Seriously, though, I think Marvin is selling everything we own, including all of our instruments. That’s like being up shit creek and selling your paddle in a garage sale. (In fact, it IS being up shit creek and selling the paddle… assuming some fool wants to buy it.)

I understand someone has offered $12 for my Roland A-90EX. That would be a fair piece of change…. if I set it on fire first. What the hell, Marvin…. how could you even THINK I would settle for that? A measly 12 bucks… what am I going to do with that? Rent a Wurlitzer for five minutes? You are living in a dream world, man…. and robots don’t dream. I’ve asked your inventor. He did not endow you with that capacity, so don’t say that you do. And another thing….!

Oh, damn. Didn’t mean to give you an inside look at our dissention in the ranks. Yeah, things are pretty rough around the edges in Big Green ville these days. Tempers are wearing thin… thin as the knees of our jeans. Ragged as the cuffs of our shirts. Threadbare as the ascot Lincoln still wears to dinner (even though we don’t do the ascot thing at dinner anymore – I’ve told him a dozen times!) Why, we may even resort to WORKING for a living. That may seem drastic to you, but it’s a real possibility. Don’t think we don’t have offers. (We don’t, but that’s another matter entirely.) There’s a little thing called opportunity … and a little thing called luck. One or the other of those little things may just get close enough to be considered a big thing here in the Cheney Hammer Mill.

Until that time, let’s just count our blessings, eh bandmates? And count our spoons, too, I hasten to add. EVERYTHING MUST GO? Marvin, for crying out loud…

Under the gun.

Good god, is that the time? Must have fallen asleep. Hey… I didn’t have this Jacobean beard when I fell asleep! Mitch! What the hell….!

Yeah, I’m losing track of day, time, even planet, solar system. I may even be working in base-12. (That would not be a good development, particularly with my bank balance.) Big Green and friends have been a little busy just lately – too busy, frankly, for the niceties of neighborly chats, friendly asides, opening mail, cooking dinner, and writing blog posts.

Cop out? Yeah, you COULD call it that. But what the hell, we’re recording new songs, we’re writing new material, we’re taking pictures of our breakfast cereals… we’ve got recordings to finish, planets to tame, and zucchini to take to market. Well, Marvin (my personal robot assistant) has zucchini to take to market – yet another one of his hare-brained business ventures. I haven’t seen the man-sized tuber in a couple of days, come to think of it – perhaps he was mistaken for a great bull zucchini. (Marvin is a little unsubtle. A zucchini would have to tell him it wasn’t a zucchini if it wanted to avoid the market stall.)

I’m almost certain my new yokel beard was pasted on while I was dozing here in the Cheney Hammer Mill. My prime suspect would be anti-Lincoln. He really loves jokes like that, being as he is from the 19th Century (when jokes like that were considered high entertainment). I suppose next he’ll stitch a top hat to my forehead and consider that high performance art. You never know around this place. Oh, the humanity! (I almost said, “Oh, the Hannity”, but I hate giving free plugs.)

Well, back to slumber land. Wonder what I’ll wake up with NEXT time. (First guess: lumberjack getup. What do you think, man?)

The bag, boss.


Hmmm. What’s the capital of Missouri again? Was it Kansas City? Can’t remember. I’ll just enter “undecided,” that will suffice. Okay, next question… how much does the moon weigh? Full moon or half?

Oh, yes… the blog. As you can see, I’m at loose ends here. Just killing a little time between sessions. Matt put down a vocal the other day. (I wish he’d stop putting me down, man. I’m trying my BEST!) Next it’s my turn, but first Marvin (my personal robot assistant) needs to go in there and clean up the tracks a bit, do a little of his magic. (What kind of magic? Can’t say. It’s magic, damnit!) So while I’m just sitting here, I’m filling out crosswords, completing puzzlers, and… well… opening our overinflated mailbag. Some of these things have been sitting in there for six months or better. (I think I spy a christmas present…. from 1970…)

 Here’s one from Osmond of Reno, NV:

Dear Big Green:

I understand one of you lived out here at one time. Why did you do that? Are you trying to ruin our lives? Stop oppressing us!!

– Osmond

Hey, Osmond – I’m awful sorry about that, but it was a long time ago and sometimes it’s just best to forget these things. Let’s mark it down to youthful inexperience, okay? And if I ever come back, I promise not to wash dishes at the Country Kitchen buffet.

Here’s another one, from Madagascar:

Hey Big Green…

Who is this “George” and why does he want to bring Pangea back? We like being a large island nation off the eastern seaboard of Africa, and we wouldn’t mind having a word with this “George”

cheers,

Lord ‘Elpus

Okay, m’Lord, you see… “George” is a fictional character – a mad scientist, like Mitch Macaphee (who is, sadly, real). Not everyone in our songs is for real, okay? Sometimes we make up unlikely personages, like “Jane” or “Abraham Lincoln”, and sometimes we borrow them from other authors, like “Tarzan” and “Edward Teller”.  And regarding the reclamation of Pangea, no worries… that will take some time, he-he-he…. sometime indeed…

Time for one more; this from D.C.:

Dear Big Green,

Hell no, you can’t!

John Boehner
House Minority Leader

Thanks, John. I was wondering about that. Great hearing from you, as always. Well, time to get back into the studio. Sounds like Marvin’s finished erasing everything we’ve done so far. Nice work, boy!