Hotel Chelsea (03.01.22)

If it's the first Tuesday of the month, you'll find me onstage at Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

Life happens fast. It doesn't always seem that way, but then some event or series of events occurs that makes you very aware that today isn't like yesterday at all. Between my last blog post and this one, Russia invaded Ukraine, and that alone was enough to make me acutely focused on the speed at which change comes.

As I often say here, this blog isn't a news reporting site. There are plenty of places to get actual, up-to-date info on something as important as what's happening in Ukraine. I just want to document a few things as I tend to do. It's an important time in history... and I'd really prefer that it wasn't. As the Stewart Copeland-penned line in a song by The Police says, "Life was easy when it was boring."

Sunflower Seeds

On Thursday, February 24, as the invasion of Ukraine was just getting started, a Ukrainian woman confronted a heavily armed Russian soldier. This, to me, was the first indication of how tough the Ukrainian people are in the face of adversity. A transcription of their conversation, which was captured on video, is below. Note that sunflowers are a national symbol of Ukraine.

Woman: Who are you?

Soldier: We have exercises here. Please go this way.

Woman: What kind of exercises? Are you Russian?

Soldier: Yes.

Woman: So what the fuck are you doing here?

Soldier: Right now our discussion will lead to nothing.

Woman: You are occupants, you are fascists! What the fuck are you doing on our land with all these guns? Take these seeds and put them in your pockets, so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here.

Soldier: Right now our discussion will lead nowhere. Let’s not escalate this situation. Please.

Woman: What situation? Guys, guys. Put the sunflower seeds in your pockets please. You will lie down here with the seeds. You came to my land? Do you understand? You are occupiers. You are enemies.

Soldier: Yes.

Woman: And from this moment, you are cursed. I’m telling you.

Soldier: Now listen to me…

Woman: I’ve heard you.

Soldier: Let’s not escalate the situation. Please go this way.

Woman: How can it be further escalated? You fucking came here uninvited. Pieces of shit.

The Heroes of Snake Island

Also on February 24, news was reported from a tiny island in the Black Sea. Snake Island is a Ukrainian territory, used as a border patrol outpost. Two Russian warships chose to attack the island, which was purportedly occupied by only 13 Ukrainian border guards. The dialogue between the Russians and Ukrainians became a battle cry for the invaded country soon after it happened.

Russia: This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims. Otherwise you will be bombed. This is a Russian warship, I repeat. I suggest you surrender your weapons and capitulate otherwise I will open fire. Do you copy?

Ukraine Guard (to another): This is it. Should I tell him to go fuck himself?

Other Ukrainian Guard: Just in case.

Ukrainian Guard (on radio): Russian warship, go fuck yourself. 

The island was subsequently bombed. The first follow-up reports initially stated that all 13 guards had been killed in the barrage and were being posthumously named "Heroes of Ukraine" (the country's highest honor), but more recent updates say that they are alive and have been taken prisoner. In either case, the phrase "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" has become an iconic rallying point in this conflict.

The Ghost of Kyiv

This one is almost certainly war propaganda bullshit, but I don't care. A story came out after the first night of fighting between Russia and Ukraine about a single pilot who purportedly took his MiG-29 Fulcrum to the skies and in a single day took down six Russian fighters: two Su-35s, two Su-25s, a Su-27 and a МіG-29. This "ace in a day" tale is much more likely a morale booster to the Ukrainian people than anything based on fact, but the story has not been fully confirmed nor discredited. The unnamed pilot was nicknamed "The Ghost of Kyiv", and a legend was born overnight.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

What can I say about this guy that hasn't been said? He's a former actor and comedian who somehow was elected president of Ukraine in 2019 after (warning: irony trigger) portraying the president in a comedy TV series called "Servant of the People" a few years earlier. He's 44 years old, and has refused to be extradited from his country, opting instead to stay among his people at the front of the battle lines. No matter what happens next for Zelenskyy -- which could very well include his death as a main target of the Russian oppressors -- he will forever have the respect of the entire world for how he's rallying his people to defend their country. Hats off to him. 

Anything Else?

Logic would have said that Ukraine would have fallen nearly immediately to the military might of Russia. The experts had predicted that within a day or two, the Russians would have overtaken the entire country. And yet, here we are, a week or so into this conflict, and Ukraine is grimly holding their own. There have been all the international condemnations, and (much more importantly) there have been huge economic sanctions again Russia by a wide swath of the planet. Aspects of this conflict go way beyond the interaction of two hostile countries, and affect the entire global economy and even American politics in ways that are both profound and direct.

On a personal basis, I can't do much other than follow along as it happens, and wish the best for the people of Ukraine while also hoping this isn't the ignition point for another world war, or something even worse. Vladimir Putin is a terrible human being, and has many similar qualities to another terrible human being who was the head of another global superpower not so long ago. Ideally, Ukraine will make it through his with their sovereign autonomy intact, and perhaps the decision to invade his neighbor will weaken Putin in ways that allow him to lose the confidence of Russia's citizens.

Okay, How About That Show?

Ah yes. So in the midst of all this, as per my usual schedule, I performed on the first Tuesday of the month at Hotel Chelsea in Second Life. It's funny; in the paragraph above, I allude to not being able to offer any help to the people of Ukraine, but in my own way, I can, and that's by helping to spread information, sway popular opinion, and most of all, write and perform music that's meant to inspire people to stay positive and keep up the fight against evil. Many of the songs in my set, which I pointed out during the show, were chosen in direct reference to the invasion of Ukraine.

We had a nice-sized crowd there, mostly due to Max Kleene playing before me, but I'm always happy when a good chunk of his crowd stays around for my show. Photo by Kat.

A couple of insignificant notes. For various reasons, I hadn't performed "Got Guilt" by my band They Stole My Crayon since 2015, around the time the song was originally created. I'd only done Heart's "Straight On" once before, and had forgotten it's a really cool song. Also, my own as-yet unrecorded song "Something Else" was performed a few times when I wrote it back in 2019, but I sort of forgot about it after that, so I was glad to bring it back into the set.

My view from the stage. Photo by Kat.

Me, still in a mask. I'm becoming slightly more hopeful it will be off soon. Photo by Kat.

Final note. Right after the show ended at 6PM, the first State of the Union address by Joe Biden was starting. You have to take all SOTU addresses with a grain of salt; it's like deciding if a football team is good based on the enthusiasm of the cheerleaders. But overall, I thought Biden did very well and hit the right points with his messaging. 78% of the viewers polled, both Democrat and otherwise, approved of Biden's speech. That's a good thing. We have a long way to go, but the concept of a united United States is never far from possible. 

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Wildflowers (Tom Petty)

Wild World (Cat Stevens)

Straight On (Heart)

Something Else (Zak Claxton)

The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon)

Invisible Sun (The Police)

River Man (Nick Drake)

Antiphon (Midlake)

Got Guilt (They Stole My Crayon)

seaside_demo (SEB)

Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones)

What I Got (Sublime)

Thanks to everyone who hung out for the show, with super duper pooper scooper thanks to the following who helped support it!

AutumnFoxx Sutherland, Tpenta Vanalten, Rusty Seisenbacher, Trouble Streeter, noowun Wind, blonde Avon, Nina Brandenburg, Maximillion Kleene, Kat Claxton, my terrific manager Maali Beck, and Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko!