People,

Lots of things on my mind this morning.

-I never eulogized perhaps my favorite singer/songwriter of all time, Mr. Chris Whitley, who died two weeks ago at the age of 45. 45 is really young....unless you're Chris Whitley. The last few times I saw him he looked really bad and could barely play. He appeared pretty strung out and I was frankly embarrassed to have brought people to see him. It was undignified the way he declined, but that doesn't take away from his unbelievable talent. I've never listened to music so full of sex, drugs, loneliness, inventiveness, depression and honesty. As a musician he never stood still, he never stopped exploring. Of course, his chameleonic style meant that when he died he had me and two other guys as true fans, but regardless, his musical journey is a testament to always moving forward and pushing the envelope. He will be missed.

-Today also marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of John Lennon being assassinated. Of course, I never knew the man, but like millions of other people around the world I feel like the Beatles and I are friends. Using their experience as an allegory to life I feel like I've learned a tremendous amount from John and the boys and his death still deeply saddens me.

I think it also has to do with the fact that he seemed to be one world class asshole, but knew that he was an asshole and tried hard to change. To me, in my life, that's the closest I can get to living spiritually - being aware of my faults but really honestly trying to be a better person.

Fuck you Mark David Chapman.