Gale Mead: Home
December 12, 2009
From Flipper to the Mayor of Strawberry Fields
Love this: http://www.gotmercury.org/ All my seafood-loving friends now have something else to consider when they're trying to decide between the mahi mahi and the grouper. And you thought smoking was dangerous....
If you haven't seen The Cove, it's now out on DVD. You really have to watch this film. You can cover your eyes during the gory parts, or watch the redacted version on an airplane, as I just did on my way home from New York. But please see it.
While in New York, I spent a couple hours at Strawberry Fields to honor John Lennon, who was taken from us 29 years ago Tuesday. I was there early in the day, and the sun was shining on the Imagine mosaic, and little children and old hippies and all kinds of loving, idealistic dreamers were singing, or taking pictures, or quietly thinking their own thoughts, or talking to each other about the music, the murder, the loss, the what-might-have-been.
I sat on the ground at the edge of the mosaic, next to a woman who was addressed by photographers from the other side of the mosaic as, "Hey, Button Lady!" She wore a tie-dyed hoodie covered with peace and Lennon badges, so she made a great photographic subject, and it was clear she was feeling this day very deeply. She told me her name was Cathy, which I think is a much nicer name than "Button Lady."
When I arrived, a man was using red carnations and white daisies to make a peace symbol around the center of the mosaic. Another man was shaping a smaller peace symbol in acorns. They lit candles and incense, and the man with the flowers explained this is what he does, not just on anniversaries, but all the time.
Over the next two hours I watched him incorporate the slow trickle of bouquets, guitar picks and photos, notes, candles, apples, and more flowers, into this eclectic mandala, making sure paper-wrapped flowers didn't come into contact with votive candles, and seeking aesthetic placements for each item. He says his name is Gary, and it looks to me like a labor of love, and I'm reminded, "there's nothing you can do that can't be done."
I'd like to point out that I haven't in this post used the name of the person who shot John Lennon, and that's on purpose. Because this freak shot him in part because he wanted his own name to go down in infamy. Repeating his name only fulfills that wish. The 30th anniversary of the murder is a year from now, and I would like nothing more than to see all news media outlets leave the bastard's name out of every single one of their reports. Sadly, it's far more likely that he'll be interviewed on Larry King.
November 18, 2009
Writing again
Well it's about time something broke loose in my brain.... More songs are in the works, and I'm learning some new covers, too. Still in the market for a good gigging partner. I'll be in NYC December 8, paying tribute to JWL at Strawberry Fields. Not a gig, just happen to be in the city at the right time. Maybe I'll see you there!
Finally, I would like to thank Spider Robinson for once again including some of my music in his podcast (#73, "Music from the Heart") - once in the middle and again at the end. Spider's wife Jeanne continues her battle with cancer, but continues also to pursue her dream of bringing their book Stardance to the big screen, engaging David Gerrold ("Martian Child," "Trouble with Tribbles") to work on the adaptation. Check out the Stardance blog for the latest.
October 12, 2009
Holy moly! My mother's on Colbert?!
So I get home this afternoon from my "knitter's retreat" to find no fewer than seven voice mail messages from my mother. I call her back and we chat for a half-hour or so, and just as the conversation seems about to come to a close, she casually mentions that she's the guest on tomorrow night's Colbert Report. Seriously. How cool is that?
Update: Here's a link to the interview.
September 23, 2009
Dream of, for, with, and loving Jeanne
Who knows how many new humans went from conception to birth in the time it's taken me to update this page? I have no excuse. What's finally prompted me to post is new photos, from a benefit concert thrown for Jeanne Robinson to help pay her bills while she goes through chemotherapy.
Here's the story, from Spider's site:
"Earlier this year a brilliant surgeon, Dr. Andresz Busczowski, helped Jeanne Robinson beat back a rare and virulent form of biliary cancer. But it’s so rare even he can’t say how much time he‘s bought her, how soon it might recur—and her latest blood tests have been so discouraging they’ve now decided she needs to start chemotherapy as soon as possible. Besides the prescription drugs to counteract the chemotherapy, she needs special therapies and supplements, counseling, and extensive diet and lifestyle changes, to reduce her stress level and the strain on her liver to as close to zero as possible. All those things are expensive...and like many artists today the Robinsons were already running on fumes financially."
Continuing from Jeanne's blog:
"...After all these months of being silent and private about my illness, I recently said yes to my close friend Michelle Meyrink when she asked if she could organize a benefit concert for me. Others have since jumped in, including my Vancouver Buddhist sangha, Mountain Rain Zen Community, and a dear friend in Florida, Jan Schroeder, who has been auctioning donated items (such as rare Babylon 5 scripts and other SF memorabilia) on eBay for me. Goods or services can be donated for the auction by contacting Jan at dreamforjeanne@aol.com. Several other methods of helping out, including a straightforward PayPal donation account, can be found at http://wedreamforjeanne.blogspot.com/.
"Another way to help would be to buy our books from Amazon by clicking-through from Spider's site, so we can get the affiliate commission. We’ve spent decades holding up visions of humankind’s highest evolutionary potential while entertaining you enough to keep you turning pages. Any help you can offer is gratefully appreciated by Spider and me."
(me again)
The benefit last weekend was something I struggle to describe. Friends from their community and beyond put together an amazing group of musicians and organized a successful live and silent auction. Friends from their community and beyond filled the hall to capacity. Love was in the air. Spider serenaded. Tears rolled. Jeanne danced.
Dance on, sister from another mother.
January 19, 2009
Antarctic Photos Posted
My photos are now up on galemead.shutterfly.com (password is belize). I broke it up into two albums, one for Antarctica, the other for South Georgia and the Falklands.
In other news, I will be interviewed by Sonoma icon Ken Brown on KSVY radio Jan 27 sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 am. You can listen at ksvy.org.
Tomorrow our new President will be sworn in, and not a moment too soon. I'm filled with relief that the era of Bush/Cheney is finally coming to a close, and anxious optimism for the future. We surely do have our work cut out for us....
January 13, 2009
Happy New Year!
I'm just now home from the most unbelievable three weeks in Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands. I can think of no words adequate to describe the places I've seen. Perhaps more than at any time in my life I'm reminded what a beautiful, amazing planet we are lucky enough to have as our home, and how vulnerable it is to the effects of our profligate ways.
I do not know how long it will take me to get my photos organized, but they will be posted sooner or later at galemead.shutterfly.com (password is belize all lower case) where I also have photo collections from some of my earlier travels. Unlike some photo sharing sites, you don't need to have a membership to view the photos.
December 16, 2008
CD Review
Once again, James Marshall Berry, radio host on KSVY and columnist for the Sonoma Valley Sun, has made me blush, this time with his review of the Common Good CD.Thanks, James!
November 30, 2008
Just in time for Christmas
I'm happy to report that my mom's new book is out. Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas, is an update to the National Geographic Atlas of the Ocean that she published in 2001. It's a distillation of nearly six decades of observation of the oceans, and the effects of human activity on the planet, by one of the world's most accomplished marine scientists. Two of my Arctic photos made it through the gauntlet of National Geographic editors and into the book, which is kinda neat.
November 14, 2008
New YouTube Video: Freedom's Song
My new video for "Freedom's Song" combines emotional images of election night and other moments in the Presidential campaign with reminders of the work we have yet to do to create a freer, more just world. If it's the video that led you to my site, thanks for coming! (crass commercial pitch starts now) My CDs are for sale on CD Baby, and my songs are downloadable at iTunes and a bunch of other digital download sites. (end of crass commercial pitch)
November 5, 2008
Hope Triumphs over Hate
I'm on my way home from Florida, where I spent the final week before the election canvassing for Barack Obama in the town where I lived when I was a little girl, helping to make sure that everyone who said they were going to vote for Obama actually cast their ballot. Words can't express how relieved I am that John McCain conceded promptly and graciously. We've still got an awful lot of work ahead of us to repair the damage that's been done to our country and the world, but at least now we'll have a chance.
October 20, 2008
Thanks, Spider!
Spider Robinson, a friend and spinner of some of the best tales in science fiction today, has featured two of my songs in his podcast, "Spider on the Web." My songs are featured about 30 minutes into 'cast #56, but I strongly encourage you to listen to the whole thing. This is an all-music edition featuring some amazing blues, jazz, folk, and stuff I don't even know how to characterize. All of it very much worth a listen. The 'cast is free, but if you can pitch a few bucks into the pot it'll help ensure he can keep doing what he does so well.