Author Archives: Tim Bryant

March 16, 2023 A friend and I were reminiscing about Murrell’s Inlet in South Carolina, where he had a job for two summers singing and playing guitar in the evening. He said, “I spent the summer of 1977 playing music under the live oak trees with Spanish moss hanging down and the sea at myContinue reading “Placebo Effect”

March 13, 2023 I got something at the Dollar Store yesterday, and the checkout gal allowed that her left hand was itching, which meant she was going to spend money. If it was her right hand that was itching, it meant that she would *receive* money. I allowed that when my right eye goes toContinue reading “Itchin’ and jumpin’”

Back in the early 70s I caught a sundown ride out of Albuquerque going, supposedly, all the way to St. Louis. It was a guy from ABQ who had talked with an old high school flame from STL and decided baby this is it, hang on ’cause I’m comin’. The deal was we would tradeContinue reading “American Hippie”

My brother Pat had a shitlist, or rather a reverse shitlist. He was a loner by choice, and a proud one at that. He liked to hitch-hike, same as me, but we never did it together so as to have our own special experiences and then to report back to each other and compare notes.Continue reading “Reverse Shitlist”

Today is a great time to pause and reflect on nonviolent protest and to look at the history of the idea of nonviolence. Years ago someone told me that Martin Luther King Jr. was influenced by Gandhi, and Gandhi was in turn influenced by Leo Tolstoy. Most likely that person was Jack McGuire, since heContinue reading “MLK Day, 2023:”

Some friends have been discussing how much they hated dance lessons in grade school or high school, but I liked some of the lessons – well, square dancing – and I used the same moves years later in contra dancing (New England Squares). Ballroom dancing was different – I couldn’t figure it out till yearsContinue reading “Joe Tex and Me”

I heard this piece of music last night, and it immediately flashed me to a really hip cat who had a radio talk show in New York City. The tune was his theme song. He was an older fellow with no apparent health issues. I discovered the gentleman’s name just now – Armand DiMele. HisContinue reading “A memory trick”

Tough question. Loneliness makes me feel incomplete – certainly drives me. Hey, that was a good question. What wards off evil? For one, cultivating deep friendships. Another is engaging in something in the void, or something right at hand. https://youtu.be/FdKeO3af364?list=OLAK5uy_kqARbIUPEfUycXlgtb0gQstYP7LWwHqOc