Kevin Ayers RIP

Kevin Ayers Sad

Very sad news.

I liked a bit of Soft Machine

RIP Kevin.

Hi,
 
I made my film based on this part ... from "It Begins With A Blessing / Once I Awakened / But It Ends With A Curse" ... and is one of my favorite albums of all time ... The Confessions of Dr. Dream.
 
The visual part starts with "Once I awakened" ... and has a long haired girl coming out of the woods in a darkish/gloomy kind of gothic set, and as she walks to a clearing she then stops and sits ... the guy is kneeling there and looking at her ... and they exchange glances through the song, and when he screams get out of my dream ... she's not there ... and he does a 360 look around ...
 
At that point, he looks up and there is an airplane going away ... and I followed that with the rest of the music, including the drum break where I captured my roomate/drummer doing the drum break for the 4 beats, and continued the visual ...
 
The film got me an A in the class, but I could not release it ... the final part of it has Jim Morrison screaming ... from the "American Plrayer" album, and the bastard Manzarek would not aprove it. Kevin's management and him were thrilled that someone loved it.
 
Here is the whole poem and song from the album ... Mike Oldfield was the guitarist in this one by the way ... 16 year old kid ... making his mark!
 
The whole poem/song:
 
It begins with a blessing
But it ends with a curse
Making life easy
But making it worse
My mask is my master
The trumpeter weeps
But his voice is so weak
As he speaks from his sleep
Saying
Why why why are we sleeping?
 
Now people are watching
People who stare
Waiting for something
That's already there
Tomorrow I'll find it
The trumpeter screams
Then remembers that he's hungry
And he drowns in his dreams
Singing
Why why why are we sleeping?
 
My head is a night club
With glasses and wine
But the customers dancing
They're just marking time
You can turn to your partner and say
How does it seem?
And she will look at you and say
Get out of my dream ...
Oh why why why are we sleeping?
 
Once I awakened my eyes filled with tears
I had been sleeping for thousands of years
Dreaming a life full of problems and sadness
Endlessly turning in spirals of madness
Where the wind blows
That's where it all goes
It follows the song
Like its dream ... singing ...
 
So it begins with a blessing
But it ends with a curse
Making life easy
But making it worse
Just turn to your partner and say
How does it seem?
He'll look at you and say
Get out of my dream
Why why why are we sleeping?

Hi,

There are times when I am not very good with words.

This is one such time.

I have an appreciation for folks that disdain the "fame" thing, and the "rock" thing, and a whole lot more that has nothing to do with one's feelings, but how one takes advantage of those feelings.

Some folks want to make money off that, and some want to be famous and some hjope to make a living off them ... but how ironic, that a person that DIDN'T ... ends up getting that honor ... and in so many ways, I can understand that and still follow it.

There are a couple more people that will drive me to tears, and the words above from the song, is just like me ... sometimes you see things and sometimes you don't ... and you want them out of your dream ... because you want another dream ... and when I made my film, that was the point and the professor even asked me about it, since the only soundtrack to the whole visual exercise were these lyrics and Jim Morrison screaming ... has this dream stopped ... during the few credits and thank yous.

I did not see the point, THEN, of doing what everyone else was already doing ... so they could compare me to them and them to me ... I already knew I am not them, and they are not me ... so I decided, just like the piece of music and work ... that it had to be what I felt ... and what I felt changes in time, place, and sometimes, by the influences around me, be they work, Coffee House and me feeling bad that I dissed Bapu, and all that ... but in the end ... what you see is sacred ... and should never be judged.

But is it possible to make your vision come alive ... many have tried and many have failed ... and they turned to drink, or a song ... in another bar, hoping that the sleepwalking patrons can hear you ... crying inside ... for something that you don't have and you want! I leave, when I hear that. Because that is just as stupid as a search for anything else out there ... and the old line that is so true (check the tag line!) is the one most often ignored ... everything you ever wanted, and could achieve is right in front of you, if you only reach out for it ... but we ignore this, for ideas ... that lead us away from ourselves and each other ... the veritable "the father and I" are no longer one ... and we're so separated that the best we can do is copy another song format, or change the lyric a bit, so we can speak ours ... and no one will give a dang about it ... so, in my book, you might as well let it go and let it all hangout ... and finger everyone with your own bits and pieces. And if someone doesn';t like it ... too bad ... because others will ... !!!

A lot of this thinking, comes off like something that is right out of the ""Hippy Manual 101" ... and it is not ... that manual was not about the person, but an idea. But there was a freedom, inside and out, that was the desired spirit that did not come alive, and I love to blame ... if you come to san francisco, come with flowers in your hair ... kind of mentality ... because that is just the kind of public message that makes everyone look stupid and just another lemming in a society that is trying hard to control you to buy this and that and this and that ... and make sure that no individuality is possible!

So, with all that said ... Kevin ... to me ... you are ... going to be missed. I know that many of us are getting older and our time is close at hand ... but I long to take off my mask ... and stick out my tongue ... to that person in charge of it all!

RIP and will meet you in the other side ... without the masks ... they probably won't be necessary any more.

Pedro

PS: I can imagine that both Daevid Allen and Robert Wyatt are shedding some serious tears, and possibly even Mike Oldfield ... who will more than likely do a Kevin Ayers song in his next album! Bet me on it!