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  1. Getting Boo’d singing the National Anthem.

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    I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with my rendition, but more to do with the fact I dared sing the National Anthem at a MoveOn peace vigil in Union Square in San Francisco last year. Code Pink is an activist organization trying to call attention to, well, something against George Bush.

    I’ve been boo’d by rednecks in pickup trucks for singing peace songs in Alabama, and now I’ve been boo’d by an Code:Pink lady for singing the National Anthem – “a war song”.

    Technically, she’s right. It’s a rememberence of the domestic battles we fought when our freedom and future literally WERE at stake. And yes, it has nationalistic overtones (duh) and in some nostalgic sense (old) glorifies war (or baseball). But it’s also our National Anthem, and as such represents to many people, including me, the promise and values that established our country. I believe, actually, that those founding principles and the vision of positive change both Code Pink and I are persuing are not only aligned, but synergistic, actually.

    Regardless, as a proponent of free speech, they can do whatever they want, whether it’s rude and offensive or not. Technically, they DO have the right to do that. As an activist/someone trying to generate good things in the world – supposedly on more or less the same side of the petro-industrial-defense complex – it sorta sucked.

    Medea Benjamin was very diplomatic afterwards, explaining her rude Pink friend’s behavior due to that “It was, y’know, a war song with ‘bombs in the air’… and…” No apology, though. Honestly, I’m not sure I deserve one as “a performer” – we run the risk of being categorically rejected by our audience every time we open our mouths. Honestly, it felt kinda backstabbing to me. Or extremely shortsighted and utterly disrespectful to say the least.

    And it’s not like I’m a huge nationalist, either! That’s the irony of it all. My singing the National Anthem is my way of connecting to the only shred of what’s left of the America I grew up believing in. And, I believe that in order to change the world, we have to change the hearts of the mainstream. Which you don’t do when you’re booing their frickin’ National Anthem.

    It’s still depressing to think about it, but here it is.
    Code Pink Boo’s the National Anthem.

  2. Setting Grace Free

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    I’m pleased to say that “What Kind of Amazing Grace” has been released and set free on the great Sea of Ether, known as The Interwebs.

    My intentions behind this are to speak to as many people as I can, and ask the question “What Kind Of Amazing Grace will it take?”. I’m supporting 4 organizations I feel particularly passionate about and hope that my efforts to inspire people to take action result in more people becoming engaged in some very important conversations.

    I’ll let you know how it goes.

  3. Wow.

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    Um… can’t believe it’s been 28 days since I last blogged. The month has flown, though. It seems like august was just yesterday. I’ve been racing to finish the “What Kind of Amazing Grace” project, which has been forming quickly. I hope to have something to show you soon.

    It’s been a frantic month with lots going on in both my own world and in the world around me. Lots of change, some of it not so easy. I keep remembering that I’m alive only in this moment, and that what’s really being called for from me is trust in God/Life/the Universe/Everything (aka Yahweh).

    I’ll say this – we are in a time of great transformation. I think inasmuch as there is a grave threat to our way of life, there is also an incredible opportunity to do things differently. Indeed, I believe the Internet makes this wholly possible.

    Anyway, got back late last night from a weekend trip with my Men’s Circle to Catalina Island, which was as physically draining as it was uplifting and inspiring. Got back to find that the ceiling over my bed had caved in, putting debris into every corner of my room and all over my bed, comforter and furniture. My housemate, a pro photographer, went to go get his camera to take pictures of the disaster when he discovered that $7200 of camera equipment had been stolen. They’ve been renovating the upstairs and have had day laborers working unattended, even over the weekend. A ladder had been lowered in the lightwell about a week or two ago, and we thought nothing of it, but now… not so much.

    Sorry it’s taken so long to blog… lots of stuff going on.

  4. Off to the races with Grace

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    So it’s quite possible that the “Things Have Got To Change” video is going to get pushed past the election. TieDye Kieth says it’ll take 1-2 months to complete the recording. Also, since it’s a lot faster in tempo than I’d intended (i guess I got a little excited going into the studio) I’m going to see how it unfolds over the coming weeks and months.

    In the meantime, Grace is a go. A friend in LA is an incredible mixer/engineer/audio wizard, and he’s going to fine-tune some of the EQ and mixing. The electric guitar track (WHICH I LOVE) is a bit too hot in this mix, so I’m going to tone it down a bit.

  5. Inspired and Impatient.

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    It’s labor day, and I’m watching the “I Have A Dream” speech, on PeaceTakesCourage.com. Ava, who runs the site invited me to Alabama to perform at her Sweet Sixteen birthday peace vigil on the Capitol steps in Birmingham Alabama. I sang the National Anthem at sunset and quoted his Riverside Church anti-war speech from the top of the steps looking at his church. An awe-filled moment for me. I’ve also been watching a lot of what’s happening on the political stage right now. One of my roommates is very active in getting Ralph Nader into the debates (he’s a third party candidate in 45-or-something states). Lots going on in the world! Times they are a-changing, right before our eyes!

    So I’m hauling ass on some new music and videos. I’d been working on the Missing project for a loooong time, and deferred working on more social-change kinds of projects. But I’ve written a bunch of stuff and I’m so inspired by the conversation happening in the world and feel like I need to offer my contribution now.

    I’m working on three other projects right now: updating the Unamerican video, A video for “What Kind Of Amazing Grace”, and recording “Things Have Got To Change.”

    I’m working with Tie Die Keith who is kind of an “old salt” in the local music scene and has turned his peninsula garden home into a full-on multi-room recording studio. He’s producing, helping arrange, engineer and generally get this project done quickly. And I’m learning a ton along the way. The man is wise as he is colorful.

    I hired a couple of really awesome session players to lock in the rhythm section. It’s coming out a little faster than the demo, but I’m eager to hear how this process ends up. I’ve been really enjoying getting to work with different people over the last couple years on projects. “What Kind Of Amazing Grace” is a result of a recording project I did at the Black Cat studios in Santa Cruz.

    Anyway, I’ve been working all Labor Day Weekend and feeling good about it. AND I’m feeling impatient. Anxious. Gotta get goin.

  6. I got hate mail from Bono today.

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    Something totally bizarre is happening. I got bood by CodePink when I performed the National Anthem at a MoveOn Rally last year. Tonight I get hate male from Bono. Or so it said. Came in from my contact form from one “Bono Vox”, and it said:


    Ian: 
    Until you came along, I was the biggest fucking poser in the world, but now, I'm #2.
    If you'll retire from public life, I'll give you $10 million and all of my sunglasses.  
    Let me know.
    Bono

    Maybe “hate” mail is a bit strong for this one but I think it generally falls into the “someone’s being a jackass” category.

    The irony of being snidely accused of being a poser by someone posing to be someone s/he also accuses of being a poser is a little mind-bending, almost to the point of ridiculousness.

    Should I take this as a kind of doubled-then-halved-twice-negative complement? Is the obvious idiocy of it actually some kind of joke? Does this mean that I actually DO have a public life?

    I just deleted a couple paragraphs of angry blogging aimed at the anonymous author, figuring that it wouldn’t be a very “Generate Kindness” thing to post. The irony of ironies is that I really can’t say some of the things I’d really like to say to this person.

  7. www.missingproject.org

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    The MissingProject.org website is now live and more or less functional! Check it out: http://www.missingproject.org. Leave a comment on the blog (over there) so the place doesn’t look so empty!

  8. The miraculous interweb

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    Check it – I got played on KHEN, a community radio station in Salida, Colorado. Cuh-razy as I’ve never sent this out. Just got played. THANKS KHEN!
    http://khen.org/2008/07/30/chickenlips17/

  9. Back from NC

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    Spent the last week in balmy Eastern North Carolina visiting friends and family, although the line was pretty blurry between friends and family. I got to see my friend Will’s ad business Evolve Advertising continue to grow, and, evolve. He and his son dragged me down the Tar river, literally. Managed to stay on the kneeboard for more than a minute before yet another spectularly funny (apparently) Ian Rhett wipeout. Maybe I should look into auditioning for that show. Thing is, I could easily see myself breaking a finger or something on that show. Cal Ripkin said that the key to his success was minimizing risk. Something about being a piano player and guitarist make me think it’d be a drag to have my hands messed up from being on Television. F that.

    I also got to spend 4 days in a more-or-less constant state of love and appreciation for my sister and her daughter. I don’t get to see family enough, and I’m in love with both of them. She says I should’t be worried, but I still dread her getting deployed.

    San Francisco has changed since I left it a week ago. It’s definitely colder than the southeast. Seems a little clearer, but things definitely feel different.

    The Missing Project is taking great shape. Eager to share it soon.

    Heard these guys on the interwebs radio:

  10. Nomadic Performances

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    Just got back from playing a gig at the Nomad Cafe in Berkeley. It was great to see a bunch of friends turn out and to even have someone travel to see me (Thanks Gwen!)

    I thought it was pretty good. I’m watching the video right of it right now. I’m going to upload some of the song performances into the video section. I’d do the whole show, but there are a couple of songs where the soundguy has a conversation. And honestly, there were a couple moments I wasn’t too proud of. Let’s just say I definitely see room for improvement, and places to really focus my rehearsal. Some of my song starts were pretty weak right off the bat. Once I got into them, things seemed to get into a groove of one form or another. Also more than one “pitch” moment. There were no monitors tonight, and I was behind the speakers. It’s very hard to stay on pitch when you can’t hear yourself. You’d think with all that amplification, that it’d be easy, but the fact is, sound SOUNDS very different when you’re behind a speaker than it does when you’re in front of it.

    Anyway, there are only a couple of tunes I’m gonna excise from the record.

    I also have a video I’m getting ready to upload that shows CodePink booing me during a performance of the National Anthem at a MoveOn rally in San Francisco’s Union Square. I was psyched to start the rally with my rendition of the Anthem… well, I’ll say more in the blog post that contains the video