Serenity Gardens (04.20.20)

Serenity Gardens, a lovely virtual place to spend some time with me and my music every other Monday night. Photo by Kat.

In typical years, I'd have written a lighthearted post about having performed on 4/20, and probably included some info on the supposed reasons that "420" has long been a code name for anything having to do with marijuana. For those of you who are wondering, the "420" reference goes back at least to my own high school days in the early/mid '80s. My own assumption at the time was that 4:20PM was the ideal time to get high. You were off school, you had time to get home or perhaps meet up with your stoner friends, the parents weren't back from work yet, and you could put on your Floyd album and chill instead of doing homework or whatever the fuck you were supposed to be doing on a Thursday afternoon. That was my thought at the time, anyway.

But, as we all know, it's anything but a typical year. I will tell you something that I mentioned to my audience last night at Serenity Gardens, and it's that I never do my live shows in Second Life impaired by drug or alcohol use. Never. Zero. Zilch. The reason is not that I'm some kind of saint who doesn't touch intoxicating substances. I don't do shows while impaired because I am incapable of doing them well in an altered state. I get too self-conscious, and that goes against the free-flowing vibe of my show. You would know if I was high while performing. I would relate to the audience less, be more self-conscious, and wouldn't play guitar or sing as well as I do (which isn't completely amazing to begin with and certainly doesn't need any help being worse). Plus, I'd be more prone to be anxious and less focused on playing music and making sure people were having fun. None of it adds up to a good experience for myself or my crowd. I stopped performing while intoxicated in my early 20s after a number of pretty awful gigs whee I should never have been up on a stage. Anyway, now you know. The fun and silly Zak you see and hear at SL shows is just me being my usual self (which is why I often refer to myself at show as "the musical fool of Second Life").

Grocery Store Day
It's Tuesday, which has become my grocery shopping day here in pandemic land. Let me explain something to you: I live a block and a half from my local Vons grocery store. I can walk there in under three minutes, door to door. Having lived in this neighborhood since 1995, I've been very familiar with treating the store like my personal pantry. Out of something like eggs or milk or whatever? No problem. Bip over to Vons, buy it, be back in 10 minutes total. No problem.

Obviously, COVID-19 changed all that in a huge way. First, like most smart people, we're trying to minimize our exposure to other human beings, meaning that instead of making a shopping trip whenever we feel like it, we make sure to go rarely and just get all that we'll need to last a week or more. Side note: many things, we do buy in advance, like canned goods and other non-perishables. But for things with limited expirations, or things you use a lot of on a regular basis, you have little choice other than to shop every now and then.

Anyway, Tuesday is my shopping day, and I'm indeed running low on a few essentials. I think the first couple of times, I was too distracted by the newness of everything... "Look, people are starting to wear masks! Oh no, there's still no toilet paper!" and the like. But now, as we grind through the weeks and weeks of quarantine, the thought of going to the store is just a big ball of anxiety. It's nothing terrible; not like panic attacks or anything like that. But it's definitely not something I look forward to, other than getting it over with. Frankly, I don't like being near people at all these days. I find myself slightly holding my breath when I have to pass by someone in an aisle, even if we're both wearing masks (as is the law right now). I don't like having to look behind me to make sure I'm not having my social distance violated while in line at check-out. And the last couple of times I went there, I had that psychologically-induced sensation of feeling like bugs were crawling on me when I got back. Some of it is pure paranoia, and some of it is prudent caution in the face of a pandemic. So despite all that, my family needs things, and I'm the designated person who handles that, so as always, I'll do what I need to do to make sure my family stays well (and well fed).

Me in my pandemic outfit inside Vons.

The one saving grace about going outside anywhere is seeing stuff like this.

The Show
I didn't think I had a specific theme going when I put together my set list for last night at Serenity Gardens, but as I played through the songs, it became apparent to me that thoughts of isolation and loneliness were common ground for many of the songs I chose. It's funny, because I'm not really burdened by those thoughts and feelings... it's more from the empathy in seeing it in other people. One note: I did my song "Broken Day" which for a variety of reasons I had put aside for a long time. A quick Google search tells my that my last performance of that song was on March 6, 2014 at the final show at Molaskey's Pub... over six years ago. I actually found I enjoyed doing the song last night regardless of its self-pitying vibe, and I'll probably whip it out more often.

All photos by Kat.

Serenity Gardens set list...
Is She Really Going Out With Him? (Joe Jackson)
Longing On (They Stole My Crayon)
Nobody Home (Pink Floyd)
*Invisible Sun (The Police)
Redemption Song (Bob Marley)
Mad World (Tears for Fears)
Broken Day (Zak Claxton)
Rocket Man (Elton John)
Pickles (Zak Claxton)
Sleeper in the Valley (Laura Veirs)
It's Easy Like Walking (The Sadies w/Kurt Vile)
My God Is the Sun (Queens of the Stone Age)
*Serenity Improv #4,903 (Zak Claxton)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.

Big thanks to all who hung out at the show, and super duper thanks to the following who helped support it!
AaronCabottJones Resident, Alaina Nightfire, Linaya Beck, Lauralynn Foxtrot, Turn Pike, Maurice Mistwallow, Asimia Heron, Kat Claxton, Trouble Streeter, Jaron Metaluna, Alex Zelin, go2smoky Resident, Bee Blackrain, Triana Caldera, my excellent manager Maali Beck, and the fabulous team at Serenity Gardens, Tilly Rose and Ilsa Wilde!

Serenity Gardens (04.06.20)

Another great night at Serenity Gardens. Photo by Kat.

I just did something that perhaps I should have done a long time ago: I thanked my garbageman.

It wasn't planned. Like many of you during this pandemic, I'd seen some videos and news stories in recent times that showed people applauding the work of the "essential" workers of the world who are still going into their workplace during the lockdown. These are often doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who obviously place themselves in peril via multiple exposures to people infected by coronavirus, but they are also people who work in areas like like law enforcement, grocery stores, mass transit, and so on.

But think for a moment what life would be like without someone coming around to pick up your garbage. In a time when keeping things as clean as possible is paramount to public health, the garbageman (properly called the "waste collector", though most of them in the USA seem to refer to themselves by the more common name) has one of the most crucial roles in society. Here's something you may not know: having nothing to do with COVID-19, the garbageman has a more dangerous job than just about any other profession. Statistically, the garbageman is more likely to be injured or killed on the job than a cop. There are only a couple of other professions, like commercial fisherman or ranch hand, whose jobs are more dangerous than that of the garbageman. Every single day, they are tasked with being near broken glass, medical waste, chemicals, heavy objects falling, and much more... and that's not to mention constantly being exposed to smells and other aspects that would turn most people's stomachs.

Anyway, I was up and about early this morning as usual, and I heard the unmistakable sound of the garbage truck rumbling down the alley behind my building. I then recalled some of the stories I'd seen lately of folks applauding hospital staff during shift changes and so on, and thought, "It'd be nice to do that for other essential folks as well." The timing was perfect; I walked to the back just as the garbageman in his reflective yellow vest was getting out to grab a dumpster. We made eye contact, and over the sound of his idling engine, I stood a safe distance away and raised two thumbs to the sky and yelled, "Thanks for everything you do!", and he waved and a huge grin crossed his face, and he yelled back, "Thanks bro!". I'm going to give you a recommendation... if you leave your home (for some presumably important purpose) and run into any of the essential workers out there, please let them know that the rest of us truly appreciate the risk they are taking to keep the world as we know it going strong.

“Helping Hand (We’re All In This Together)"
A couple of weeks back, I was wrapping up a show when my fellow Second Life performer Jed Luckless messaged me. He let me know he was putting together a collaborative song with other SL musicians to raise money for charities who were providing COVID-19 relief, and would I be interested in being part of it? I said yes immediately, and the following weekend, I was able to take a few minutes and record a vocal track for Jed's song “Helping Hand (We’re All In This Together)". Again, and I've said this over and over on so many occasions: if you ever have the opportunity to help people in any way and even to a small degree with the use of your artistic talents, do it! You will never, ever regret it.

Jed named this random group of SL performers "The Helping Band", and includes Jed Luckless, Lexie Luan (who co-wrote the song with Jed), Wes West, Donn Devore, Twostep Spiritweaver, Joe Paravane, Marqs De Sade, Lexus Melodie, Boney Mosley, Dandy Pianoman, Cailidgh Spires, Lluis Indigo, and myself. Those among you who are familiar with my voice should be able to easily pick up what parts I sang on the tune. The song debuted today, and you can listen to it and make donations at http://www.helpingband.org/.

Some members of the "Helping Band" recording their parts on the tune (clockwise from top left): Jed Luckless, Lexie Luan, Cailidgh Spires, Marqs DeSade, Joe Paravane, and me.

April Tunes at Serenity Gardens
And now, open to the topic of this post, which was my show last night at Serenity Gardens. I wanted to do a set there that was a little different than my recent series of shows, so to do that, I had what I think ended up being a really good idea. Using this very blog, I started looking through many years of set lists, focused only on shows I'd done in the month of April. Choosing from a variety of shows going all the way back to 2009 or so, I put together a list of songs that, for the most part, I haven't done in years. Based on the reaction of the crowd, it was a good plan. What I sometimes forget is that while a few folks out there have been checking out my shows for well over a decade, the way people come and go in SL, I have a number of regular fans who only got into my tunes in the past few years. I think it was cool for them to listen to a bunch of tunes that in many cases, they'd never heard me perform before.

Side note, as I'll be continuing to mention: I'll be wearing a mask on my SL avatar until the world gets to a point that the COVID-19 pandemic is under control. The day that I and my friends around the world feel comfortable going to the grocery store without a mask here in real life, I'll happily remove my Second Life mask as well.

April songs on an April evening. Photo by Kat.

Me, well protected in a mask as a reminder to remain so in the real world. Photo by Kat.

Kat and I chilling after my show. Photo by Kat.

Serenity Gardens set list...
Jane (Barenaked Ladies)
Things Under Trees (They Stole My Crayon)
Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
The Worst (Rolling Stones)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Beatles)
She's Always a Woman (Billy Joel)
A Case of You (Joni Mitchell)
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)
Big Empty (Stone Temple Pilots)
Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
Man of Constant Sorrow (Traditional)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)
†Serenity Pickles (Zak Claxton)

†So, I didn't have enough time left to do a full tune without eating into the next artist's set, but had a request for my song "Pickles", and did a trimmed down silly (sillier?) version with improvised lyrics.

Huge thanks to all who came to the show. Extra big thanks to the following who helped support it!
Jed Luckless, Rusty Seisenbacher, Jaron Metaluna, Trouble Streeter, Alex Zelin, Kat Claxton, Nina Brandenburg, Triana Caldera, GilShalos Resident, my excellent manager Maali Beck, and the fabulous team at Serenity Gardens, Tilly Rose and Ilsa Wilde!

The Spirit Gallery for Relay for Life (04.04.20)

Why do I wear a mask in the safe pixel-based world of SL? Because protecting against COVID-19 is serious shit and I don't mind being a walking reminder for everyone, even during an RFL benefit at the lovely Spirit Gallery. Photo by Kat.

I've written many times about how giving back to the world at large via my music has long been an important component of my overall life as a musician. It's also hopefully something that happens in every person's growth as a human being, ideally. Your youth is about getting yourself figured out, and then you likely go through a selfish phase where your biggest concern is only about yourself and the people closest to you. There's a next level of human development that you reach when you start to devote yourself to the world at large, and that's the feeling I get when I do things like perform fundraising shows like the one I did yesterday in Second Life at The Spirit Garden for Relay for Life.

What Is Relay for Life?
Relay for Life is the community-based fundraising arm of the American Cancer Society. As the name implies, the event started as an actual sponsored walking/running event, but it's also expanded into many forms of fundraising over the years. The virtual environment of Second Life is perfect for RFL in that events can be run for people to easily attend from around the world. Even though Second Life is a microeconomy, those little donations all add up; it's said that millions of dollars have been raised since RFL events started in Second Life in 2005.

My Show at The Spirit Gallery
I've done a bunch of RFL shows in SL over the years, and it's always difficult to predict what attendance will be like. I was a little concerned when I was about to start my first song at yesterday's show and could count the people there on one hand. Obviously, playing a fundraising event is only really worthwhile when you draw enough people to actually... raise funds. But after a little while, we had some more people coming in an congregating, and presumably donating to the many kiosks located around the sim.

I should note that The Spirit Gallery was a nice-looking place, and I plan on going back sometime to explore the space some more. As usual, it was my manager Maali Beck who booked me for the show, but I know it was done via the team of Kammie2 and Darkstone Aeon, and I've done a number of RFL shows for them in the past. It's always a good feeling to devote some time and energy to do a show where you know there will be a direct benefit to people who desperately need it.

I think people were having fun despite the nature of the show. Photo by Kat.

People enjoying the Zak tunes and helping to cure cancer... that's a good thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. Photo by Kat.

One note in that regard, which I mentioned at the show... we're in the middle of a pandemic that's affecting the whole planet, so why bother focusing on cancer right now? It's very simple. Not only are cancer patients more likely to have severe results if they get infected with COVID-19, but those medical resources that they rely on are being used to help fight coronavirus. In other words, there's never been a more important time for RFL and the funds it raises. I marked the occasion by throwing in a couple of songs I hadn't done before. A funny side note: there are some songs I've literally only done once, and whoever was around to hear it that time become the only ones who ever do.

Spirit Gallery/RFL set list...
Wildflowers (Tom Petty)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Comes a Time (Neil Young)
Driven to Tears (The Police)
Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel)
*Got a Letter From My Kid Today (Bob Wills)
High and Dry (Radiohead)
Blew the Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)
Voices Carry (’Til Tuesday)
Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)
*Nobody Told Me (John Lennon)
Northern Sky (Nick Drake)
Pretty Pimpin (Kurt Vile)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in Second Life.

Huge thanks to everyone who attended the show and gave so generously! You all made a difference in someone's life, and on their behalf, I thank you.

Serenity Gardens (03.23.20)

When the world gets serious, an escape to Second Life and some good live music at a place like Serenity Gardens might be just what you need. Photo by Kat.

Days in the land of quarantine are starting to kind of blend together, so I thought it would be a good idea to start this blog by doing some actual... blogging.

As a person who keeps on top of the news, the novel coronavirus had already been on my mind going back to mid-February, with reports coming out of China and then other areas like Iran and Italy about the severity of the COVID-19 disease. But, like most things in life that affect people far away from you, it wasn't really dominating my day-to-day life until early March, when COVID-19 began affecting Americans. We started hearing about people in the USA being infected by the virus, and then the stock market began its slide. That was very telling because the big money people will do just about anything to avoid the loss of their wealth. To me, it was a very telling indication that something serious was going on that would affect the entire planet.

The next thing that start happening was the rapid closures of... pretty much everything. NBA. NCAA. NHL. SXSW. E3. NAB. Disneyland. Almost all international borders. On Wednesday March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to officially be a pandemic, and the same day, the state of California issued recommendations to postpone or cancel all non-essential gatherings of more than 250 people. The following day (Thursday March 12), my local city of Redondo Beach made a proclamation of local emergency. It was from that moment on that the people in my household began voluntarily staying in a quarantine situation. It meant that unless absolutely necessary, we would stay at home.

Lots of things happened quickly in the ensuing ten days. Specific cities and regions across the US that had been particularly affected by COVID-19 began issuing their own more strict "stay at home" orders. Those orders began expanding to entire states. California's statewide lockdown began on Friday March 20. In the most recent local developments here in my hometown of Redondo Beach, CA, they're now taking every measure to keep groups of people apart, expanding the enforcement of the "stay at home" orders and going to the length of having just closed all beaches and parks.

Properly protected with Christina at the grocery store.

How do I feel about it? I think every one of these steps is 100% necessary. This is exactly the type of situation where a functioning modern government can be of paramount importance to the populace... coordinating laws and providing support in a time of real crisis. It would be nice if the entire country could have the kind of leadership we do in California (and in states like New York, Illinois, and a few others). What we are starting to see is that states that didn't issue similar orders early enough are beginning to get a huge wave of new COVID-19 cases, and the capacity of their medical support systems is already reaching their limits. This whole thing is definitely going to get way worse before it gets better.

Any Good News?
Yeah, plenty of it. A large percentage of people do seem to understand the severity of COVID-19 and are participating in stay-at-home and social distancing guidelines. I see people around town wearing protective equipment when they need to go out amongst other people... not everyone, but enough that it's definitely noticeable at the grocery store or at pickup counters at restaurants. Is it weird? of course. I feel like I'm in the midst of a dystopian future novel. But it's also comforting in a weird way, now that we're used to being in this unexpected here-and-now.

On the "good news/bad news" front, my work as an online content producer has been incredibly busy for the past two weeks. As you can imagine, companies that were used to doing a lot of face-to-face business have had to immediately figure out new ways to reach their customers, and a good chunk of that task falls in my domain. So, amongst my many marketing clients, I've been in near constant demand, sometimes working 10-12 hours per day. Remember, unlike a lot of folks, I've spent the last 17 years working from home, so it just feels a whole lot busier for me than usual. It's nice being needed, of course. As a business owner, I certainly appreciate that, especially with so many people I know finding themselves furloughed from companies suffering the economic impact of the pandemic.

The Show
And that, actually, is the reason why I played this fun show at Serenity Gardens on Monday evening and am just now getting to blogging about it four days later. I'd already done a show that had some thematic references to COVID-19, but the situation got so much more serious over the ensuing two weeks that there was no way I was going to make light of it by the time my show on March 23 rolled around. Still, my SL experience tends to reflect my real life most of the time, and so I did wear a protective mask while doing my show, paralleling the look when I (rarely) go grocery shopping here in the reality of March 2020.

Good crowd, happy me. Photo by Kat.

Yes... I'm wearing my mask in-world, and while I love the feeling of escaping the dismal parts of real life when they happen, it's too important to continue to remind people in the midst of the pandemic to stay focused on their own protection and that of their friends and loved ones. Photo by Kat.

Ahhh... Serenity Gardens. Good times. Photo by Kat.

Instead, at this show, my theme was more personal. It was "songs that don't require a lot of effort to perform". Was I just being a lazy bastard? No... the previous week, I'd injured my lower back pretty badly, and for awhile wasn't sure if I'd even be able to stand up and play guitar and sing for a solid hour. But it improved and I knew I could do the show, but I also knew I'd have to be careful not to exacerbate my back problems. So I chose songs that I could do while remaining rather mellow, and it all worked out fine. We had a nice crowd there and it felt really great to have my focus be honed on my music performance to the point that I wasn't obsessed on the situation going on outside my door.

Serenity Gardens set list...
All I Want (Joni Mitchell)
Perfect Day (Lou Reed)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Fire & Rain (James Taylor)
Pecan Pie (Golden Smog)
Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
Everything Is Scary (German Error Message)
Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)
Help Me (Joni Mitchell)
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie)
Black Peter (Grateful Dead)
Doubt It (Zak Claxton)
Runnin' Down a Dream (Tom Petty)

Thanks to everyone who came out for the show, with special super thanks to the following who helped support it!
ColdAsh Resident, AaronCabottJones Resident, Maurice Mistwallow, Jaron Metaluna, Tyche Szondi, Rusty Seisenbacher, Triana Caldera, Daphne Kalchek, Alex Zelin, Trouble Streeter, Diana Renoir, Kat Chauveau, Turn Pike, go2smoky Resident, Asimia Heron, Kat Claxton, Triana Caldera, Jed Luckless, my excellent manager Maali Beck, and the fabulous team at Serenity Gardens, Tilly Rose and Ilsa Wilde!

Zak Claxton Happy Fun Show on Facebook (03.14.20)

You can watch the entire show above, at least as long as Facebook keeps it available.

Truth: I'd been planning on doing a Zak Claxton Happy Fun Show (the silly name for my live video shows that I do on random occasions for over 10 years) since the start of 2020. It had been a pretty long time since my last one, which was in May of last year. But suddenly, I had a very specific reason to do it; much of the nation -- and indeed the world -- has gone into a period of voluntary self-quarantine due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This brings up a topic that I've mentioned before. Do we, as performing artists, have any responsibility to the world at large? Logically, the answer is no. We put on whatever kind of show we do, people choose to experience it or not, and the world keeps turning. But ethically, I think the answer is different. I think that much like Spider-Man said, when you have a skill/power and you choose not to use it to help people, you are complicit in their misery. It was with that in mind that, thinking of many people who would be stuck at home without a lot of their usual entertainment being available, I'd put on a free video show that anyone on Facebook could watch. The thing I like about Facebook as a live video platform is that there's a decent degree of two-way interaction with the viewers. From time to time, I can look at people's comments while I'm doing the show, and respond in various ways.

So, yesterday at noon, I did a ZCHFS on Facebook. I spread the word about it pretty wide in case anyone was looking for things to replace what they'd usually be doing in the middle of a Saturday. We'd all seen the massive list of things being canceled, from sports to music festivals to conferences of all kinds. While some people continue to ignore the government's strong suggestion for social distancing, a good number of smart people are paying attention and acting accordingly. So, they're stuck at home, they feel like they have nothing to do, and perhaps they're already reaching a point of being somewhat annoyed by being cooped up. Why not do what I am completely capable of doing, and give them a free show to kill an hour?

A happy Zak plays live for the smart people who stayed home on a Saturday. Screen capture by Kat.

What's the Big Deal? Why Stay Home?
I'll say this as simply as possible.

• COVID-19 has a high rate of transmission
• It is highly dangerous to elderly people and those with compromised immune systems
• Even if you don't feel sick right now, you could be contagious with the virus
• While you probably won't die, you can pass it along to those who can

While it's not a likely outcome, the worst-case scenario for COVID-19 is very, very grim.

• 210 million Americans might contract it
• As many as 21 million might require hospitalization in the USA
• 1.7 million American people might die
• Worldwide... "If the virus only kills 1 percent of those who contract it, somewhere between 14 million and 42 million people are at risk."

The takeaway is that you need to take this seriously. Limiting exposure by simply staying away from large groups of people can have a huge effect on limiting the effects of the disease. I don't know what it will take, with the federal government declaring a national emergency and emergencies being in place at most state and local levels as well, for people to take this seriously. I'm not advocating panic; I'm suggesting that people simply follow the recommendations of officials and treat your friends and neighbors with compassion. If nothing else... stay at home whenever you possibly can. Yes, a lot people will have to go into work. Yes, you aren't able to live without human contact. Please just try and minimize any contact with other people to whatever degreee you can. Thank you.

Thanks for watching form the safety of your own home. Screen capture by Kat.

Live Zak, Fleshy Style
The show itself went just fine. Unlike my Second Life shows, where I am just depicted as a cartoon avatar of myself, for video shows people get to see the actual me as I sing and perform live on my guitar and occasional harmonica. I decided, as I have at other ZCHFS shows, to not use headphones. It's risky because I can't hear the mix between my voice and my guitar, and indeed, the guitar was a little too loud in the mix. But that's a small price to pay for having the freedom to move around and rock.

Musically, the show was similar to any of my shows, with a purposefully eclectic list of tunes that spanned about 50 years and multiple styles. I had intended on doing a larger percentage of original music by myself and They Stole My Crayon, but I tend to pull out songs as I feel like playing them, and I just ended up doing more covers, which was fine. We actually had a pretty large and lively audience, with some 200 views of the video (and quite a few more since then, with it being archived on my Facebook page and shared by a number of other folks).

Feeling good while enjoying some live music and the online company of friends. Screen capture by Kat.

Can one rock at home? Believe me, with the right mindset, you can rock no matter where you are or who you're with. Screen capture by Kat.

ZCHFS COVID-19 Edition set list...
Sugar Mountain (Neil Young)
Things Behind the Sun (Nick Drake)
Longing On (They Stole My Crayon)
Among the Leaves (Sun Kil Moon)
Save It for Later (English Beat)
So. Central Rain (R.E.M.)
Say Goodbye (Beck)
Airport Bar (Martin Courtney)
Pancho & Lefty (Townes Van Vandt)
Don’t Let It Pass (Junip)
Blew the Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)
Your Song (Elton John)
Shame Chamber (Kurt Vile)

Huge thanks to everyone who tuned in and hung out for the Zak Claxton Happy Fun Show! You are all greatly appreciated. Now, just tell everyone else to wash their hands and stay the fuck at home!

Serenity Gardens (03.09.20)

A night at Serenity Gardens in Second Life, doing music about time and death. Yay! Photo by Kat.

There's a saying that is attributed to the iconic writer Hunter S. Thompson which goes, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Honestly, times have been nothing if not weird lately. Frankly, they've been pretty damn weird going back to 2016, but I digress.

Coronavirus Blues
It's a scary-ass world out there, and disease has been one of the things -- along with war, famine, conquest, genocide, and environmental change -- that has wiped out huge swaths of humanity on multiple occasions over the course of our existence as a species. It's understandable that people get anxious when a new form of a disease with potential deadly effects becomes front-page news.

Beginning in December 2019 but hitting the US news in January/February, a newly-defined respiratory disease started taking its toll. There have been many instances of different types of coronavirus-based illnesses going back to the 1960s (though they've been around for millennia), and you're probably already familiar with earlier varieties including SARS and MERS. They can be super mild... many common colds are the result of coronaviruses. This particular illness is more accurately called COVID-19 (for coronavirus disease 2019), and it's caused by the strain of coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2.

This odd-looking illustration is based on the electron microscope view of a coronavirus, which gets its name from the corona-like club-shaped spikes that surround it.

People who specialize in widely contagious sicknesses are called epidemiologists, and I am not one of them. But I can tell you a couple of things. First, you don't want to get COVID-19. Second, if you do, it's likely that you won't die. However, it's a nasty virus and as of today (March 10, 2020), out of 110,000 diagnosed cases, about 4,200 people worldwide have died as a result of it, with the majority of them being in mainland China. The largest percentage of severe cases happen when the disease hits the elderly and people who already have compromised immune systems. That being said, we really have no idea how many total people have been exposed to or have contracted COVID-19, and upcoming days/weeks may paint a different picture of the severity of this epidemic.

Why Is This Affecting the Stock Market?
In addition to being bad for people themselves, epidemics are bad for the economy. With the uncertainty and fear from a contagious disease like COVID-19, people are far less likely to place themselves in proximity to other people. That affects businesses like air and sea travel, hotels, conferences, concerts and more. While that was happening, the price of crude oil went into a tailspin due to a glut of supply (and a perceived lack of upcoming demand due to the illness worries) among worldwide producers, namely Saudi Arabia and Russia. That, combined with existing fears about a coming recession, caused a historic drop in stock prices culminating (for now) with yesterday's massive drop. This is a situation in progress, so it remains to be seen what the long-term effects on world economies will be.

You can see the effects of COVID-19 on this chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the past month. This shouldn't cause you to panic unless you were intending on retiring this month. Ouch, my IRA/401(k)!

But... Why Can't I Find Toilet Paper Anywhere?
Ah. That is because people are frightened apes who revert to me-first actions when they get particularly scared. Toilet paper has nothing to do with COVID-19, a respiratory ailment, but the idea of being quarantined in a house with no toilet paper is unpleasant. What transpired was a two-step bit of irrationality. The first group of toilet paper hoarders were those who were particularly scared of being affected by COVID-19. The second (and probably larger) wave were people who heard about the first group getting toilet paper and other supplies, and didn't want to be the ones left behind when they started noting empty shelves at their local stores. Of note: the supplies of medical masks and hand sanitizers were also part of the round of panic buying.

Ultimately, as I've mentioned several times... we're in the middle of this story. It could clear up quickly and most people will be fine, or it could get worse, and most people... won't. My advice, for whatever it's worth, is that minimizing your contact with other people, thoroughly washing your hands often, and taking other basic precautions can't hurt. If you are otherwise healthy, it's likely you will be fine. If you are often in contact with people who might be severely affected by COVID-19, take extra care to protect them and to minimize their exposure. There's not much more to say while this plays out. Should it become as serious in the USA as it has been in places like China, Italy, Iran, and South Korea, we need to hope that our government is really prepared for testing and treatment of people at all income levels. Viruses don't discriminate, and any person can pass it along to another. Hopefully this all works out.

Time Change Whine
I won't spend much time on this topic, pun unintended, but I hate all time changes, whether it's the start of Daylight Saving Time or the end of it, or actual jet-lag based time differences when traveling. I am definitely a creature of habit, and the fact that it's now pitch black dark when I get up at 6am is enough to annoy me. It will typically take the remainder of this week for me to feel normal in this new time frame. Is it a big huge deal? No. Is it irritating to me? Yeah, it is. I'll live.

That Show Though
So, the reason I mentioned COVID-19 and the start of DST is because I ended up having a dual-themed show with both topics dictating the songs I played, as you can see in the set list below. The theme was "Time and Death", and as should be self-evident, the songs had some basis in the title or lyrics or vibe relating to time and death. What was up with the theme from "The Love Boat"? Well, the passengers of the Grand Princess, who'd been under quarantine at sea after a large coronavirus outbreak, had just come ashore before the start of my show, and the scenes of them being hosed down and taken to military bases upon disembarking the ship were fresh in my mind.

Despite my being cranky about the time change, the show itself went just fine. We had a reasonably good crowd, and both my voice and guitar were behaving. Honestly, as I've told my crowd many times, it's invariably a mood-lifter when I put on my guitar and perform, no matter what kind of day I'd been having before I started my first tune.

It's a funny thing; some people who go to events at Serenity Gardens are up front and dancing near the stage, while others tend to hang back or use the venue's seating and relaxation areas. Either way, I tend to underestimate the size of my crowds there which are usually larger than I realize even on a "slow" night. Photo by Kat.

I noted this great-looking dog from the stage while I was playing. Then I saw a name tag on the dog, and thought it might have been someone's avatar, rather than something that someone rezzed and brought to the show. Whatever the case, it's perfectly fine with me. Maybe someday I'll switch to a non-human avvie and I'll be a musical tree or something. Why not? Could be cool. Photo by Kat.

Serenity Gardens set list...
Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones)
Long Time Gone (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
Perfectly Calm (They Stole My Crayon)
The Last Time I Saw Richard (Joni Mitchell)
*The Love Boat Theme (Charles Fox/Paul Williams)
Time in a Bottle (Jim Croce)
Time Never Waits for You (Zak Claxton)
Comes a Time (Neil Young)
Tomorrow Never Knows (Beatles)
Half Moon Bay (Sun Kil Moon)
Everybody Hurts (R.E.M.)
In My Time of Dying (Traditional)

*Indicates the first time I performed this song in SL.

Big ol' thanks to every single person who came to my show, and extra special thanks to the following who helped support it!
AaronCabottJones Resident, Trouble Streeter, Kat Claxton, Karmagrl Resident, patchworkpink Resident, Grace McDunnough, Kat Chauveau, BAT8997 Resident, and the fabulous team at Serenity Gardens, Tilly Rose and Ilsa Wilde!

Serenity Gardens (02.24.20)

A good crowd at Serenity Gardens in Second Life, enjoying some new tunes from me. Photo by Kat.

Just a few minutes after I wrapped up a really satisfying live music show at Serenity Gardens last night in Second Life, my mood turned from ebullient to despondent in about three seconds when my friend Lisa Kaser messaged me on Facebook, saying, "Zak, I just learned that Kaj passed this morning. I didn't want you to just scroll across a post to learn of it."

Kaj. Three little letters, but a world of meaning. Unlike many of the friends who I initially met in Second Life, Kaj Qinan didn't stick around that virtual world for very long. She'd come to my shows from time to time back in the earlier days, around 2007-2013, usually when I was performing at one of the more hippie-focused venues. My main interaction with her in times since then has been through our interaction on Facebook, and it was there that we primarily had conversations about our mutual commitment to progressive political ideas, and for making the world a better place in which to live for all people. But she was more than just a political friend; she was a person who exuded kindness and compassion, and always seemed so genuinely interested in what was going on in people's lives.

I'd heard she had some health problems, but she never dwelled on them to the point that I realized they were serious. And then, apparently, at age 59 she passed away due to a heart ailment, details unknown to me. Kaj was a big supporter of Bernie Sanders; her final Facebook profile pic is a little collection of Bernie memes. Quite often, when I'd post some news item relating to the travesty of the Trump presidency, Kaj would be the first to repost it. She'd also come to me privately with follow-up questions about the detailed implications of some piece of news. You could always tell that she was truly interested in learning, and getting to the core of an issue.

A pic of Kaj in Second Life from back in 2013. Photo by Rosi Vinson.

Is Everyone Dying?
As my regular readers are aware, I've had far too much death in my life in recent years. One thing I'd like to address is the aspect that in previous generations, the people to whom a person would become close was mostly limited to a relatively small group of family, local friends, and coworkers. In this era, where I can develop meaningful friendships with people around the world, many of whom I will never meet in person, one has a more broad scope of friends and acquaintances, and inevitably as time goes by, some of them are going to die. The upside of being able to be in contact with a wider range of like-minded people is tempered by the aspect of having more people you know also experience tragedy in various ways.

Also, I am 50 years old, and as time goes by, the percentages dictate that more people in and around your age range are going to pass away. It can lead to the false logic that more people are dying than usual. It's not true. Last night, Christina mentioned something about the "thinning of the herd", but that's a fallacy of perception. I can think of the many people who've come along after me... in other words, who joined the world at some point past the time when I was born. I mentioned a bunch of them, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kevin Hart, Pete Buttigieg, Greta Thunberg, and Billie Eilish. People who make an impact on the world but are young and far from the presumable point of death. The pool of life is much more like a river than a pond, with people constantly exiting and entering. It's easy to see why a person might feel like everyone is dying off, but what they really mean is that the people who are closer to their own age are starting to go, which is all part of the natural scheme of things.

In any case, Kaj will be missed by many. I had a long chat with Trista Morris last night; she felt horrible about the fact that Kaj had commissioned some artwork from her that she didn't have a chance to complete and send before Kaj's untimely passing. I told Trista that a person can't live their lives with the expectation that every single conversation one has with another person might be their last. All you can do -- and Trista certainly does -- is to try and treat people kindly at every opportunity. With Kaj, that kindness was always reflected tenfold. This morning, a good chunk of my Facebook timeline was filled with people writing wonderful memorial words about her, and frankly, that shows the kind of impact she had on people and is a beautiful legacy. It speaks to a life well lived, and through her feisty yet sweet nature, Kaj Qinan was a positive force in the lives of those around her. You can't ask for much more than that. Also, if Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic nomination for president, or (better yet) beats Donald Trump in the general election, I promise to hoist a glass specifically for Kaj... I know how happy that would have made her.

My Show
So, before that sad news hit, I was pretty happy about the show I'd just done at Serenity Gardens. I'm still happy about that. I find that the more I take risks in music performances, the more I enjoy the results. That means adding new material, or doing music that might be a step or two outside of the typical boundaries of my own style or my abilities as a musician. It's not always great, but it is always more interesting and fun for me as a performer.

People dancing and having fun at Serenity. Photo by Kat.

Of the dozens and dozens of places I've played live music in Second Life, Serenity Gardens is definitely one of the finest in all aspects. Photo by Kat.

Serenity Gardens from an angle I usually don't see. Photo by Kat.

Last night, I did two songs I'd never done before -- one original and one cover -- and nearly all of my other songs were those that I hadn't played in months and months. That meant I had to take a little extra time preparing to play, internalizing the new stuff and remembering the details of the older stuff. But it was well worth it; the crowd seemed to dig what I did and although I was a sweaty mess afterwards, that feeling of walking the tightrope (versus just taking the easy route) can be exhilarating.

Serenity Gardens set list...
Carey (Joni Mitchell)
Crosses (José González)
One of These Things First (Nick Drake)
Loading Zones (Kurt Vile)
Desire Lines (Deerhunter)
Eleanor Rigby (Beatles)
*High and Dry (Radiohead)
Vendetta (They Stole My Crayon)
*Your Promises Don’t Keep (Zak Claxton)
I’ve Been Waiting for You (Neil Young)
Everything Counts (Depeche Mode)
Texarkana (R.E.M.)
Moonage Daydream (David Bowie)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.

Big thanks to each and every person who attended last night's show, with special thanks to the following who helped support it!
AaronCabottJones Resident, ColdAsh Resident, Turn Pike, Tpenta Vanalten, Trouble Streeter, Jaron Metaluna, Grace McDunnough, Triana Caldera, Tyche Szondi, Kat Chauveau, Kat Claxton, Aurelie Chenaux, my excellent manager Maali Beck, and the fabulous team at Serenity Gardens, Tilly Rose and Ilsa Wilde!