A couple of weeks ago, two things happened almost simultaneously that I knew I needed to write about. I got sick. I came down with a low grade fever, chills, and body ache. Earlier that same day, I was reading old newspapers and saw an advertisement circa 1888 about a belt that claimed to use voltaic electricity to heal a variety of illnesses and ailments, Electricity was a new revelation at the end of the nineteenth century and people explored the possibility that it could cure many of the diseases that inflicted many people. So later that night, as I crawled into bed and covered up in a super warm fleece blanket, Puma the cat followed me. This big blanket was covering part of my head and all my upper torso. The lights were out. Cheryl was sleeping in Ethan's room so I could have our bed to myself to try and get over this bug. I felt Puma take a stand in the middle of the blanket by my head and she started kneading her claws vigorously. She was also purring loudly. She leaned over me and her nose touched my nose. POW. A blast of static electricity cracked us. I opened my eyes. Puma kept kneading and I was treated to a laser light show of static "voltaic" electric all around this blanket. And....I kid you not....I started to feel better. This little cat somehow knew I didn't feel well. And she said, "just relax and let me take care of you old man." The sparks were green and yellow. They crackled. I fell asleep. and when I awoke, I felt better. A lot better. Coincidence? I think not. Puma's voltaic healing I say.
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My latest listening project was the 16 string quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich...1-16 in sequence. It took me four days...so four per day! It rewired my brain for sure. DS is a legit genius. Conflicted, tormented, razor focused, yet open to exploration. comical, and dark. I noticed that Puma the cat was on edge after the first day. DS's tonality, voicing, and phrasing is world class. But it's not always so easy on the ears. It stimulates a response in the brain that triggers edginess. Unforgettable and clever. A great musical journey...highly recommended. and it requires more than one pass, so I will do this again soon.
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I landed on the music of Max Ricther last year when I wrote about his soundtrack for the movie Hostiles. Last week I heard On the Nature of Daylight for the first time on Sirius XM Radio. This comes from his album The Blue Notebooks. I almost had to pull off to the side of the road to compose myself.
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