Balance... perspective...

Hey! Thanks for stopping by today.

Perspective. Hmmmmm.

What a world we live in, hah?

Wonderful, tragic, magnificent, silly, miraculous, confusing, harmonious... just plain stupid, sometimes. I guess, at every given moment, it's a choice we all hafta make... what kind of world we personally live in, every day.

Y'know, I end nearly every concert with one of two songs... either my own "City Song" (which I like to call a very special kinda love-song) or "What a Wonderful World", written by George Weiss & Bob Thiele and recorded by the great Louis Armstrong.

I do love this city... and, I really do feel it's a wonderful world.

I mean, look at what I do for a living. I look around and I pay attention to the wonderful, good people I call my family and friends. I look at the amazing artists I get to work with. I feel all the Goodness around me and I know it's a wonderful world. It's why I'm always telling people, "I'm such a lucky man." Man! When I strap a guitar on my shoulder every Saturday in Central Park, this is what I get to be a part of...

We always have a lot of laughs. Y'never know what's gonna happen out there when the music is crankin'. It's a great thing to be in the middle of.

But, I want it all. Y'know? I want to experience this life and this world... all of it. I love "paying attention". Unfortunately, about half the time that comes with a certain amount of discomfort and pain. It's kinda what I like to call the "ache of being really alive". But, it's so worth it. It's the mysterious place where the songs come from alot of the time. It's where the beautiful love songs come from. It's where the funny songs come from. It's where the songs about heartbreak come from.

And, so listen... this year, I'm gonna keep smiling more than I don't. And, at the same time I'm getting together with some good friends and colleagues and we're going to try to help some people on the other side of the planet who desperately need help... people who are our direct responsibility. We're gonna go a concert to raise as much money as we can to get direct help to the innocent civilians in Iraq who are taking the brunt of that nightmarish war.

Why?

Ha!

(Look, I know people are reading this all across the country and even some in different parts of the world. But, right now... I'm speaking to Americans, okay?)

OKAY! Here it is... the ONLY mention Michael Jackson is gonna get on my website.

America...

Where does your heart go?

Who among us is paying attention?

Who could you possibly care about?

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Me personally?

I don't give a rat's ass about Michael Jackson.

"(gasp!) You dont care!?"

Um, no... no, I really don't. Look closely at the face on the right, and tell me where your heart goes. So, no... I really don't care about Mr. Jackson's trial.

If you want me to, I can name 232 families who don't either. Since that media circus of a trial began on January 31 of this year... 232 American families have lost sons, daughters, fathers, brothers and friends in the fighting in Iraq. 1,705 Americans have been killed since the beginning. 1,640 have died since George W. Bush said that "major combat operations" had ended. (Well over half the number of people killed in the World Trade Center.)

Are you paying attention?

Because, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF IRAQI CIVILIANS HAVE ALSO BEEN KILLED AND HORRIBLY WOUNDED... just in the 4 months since our crack television news media started covering the Jackson trial.

(Decided to try my hand at a little cartooning today.)

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Okay?

So, I'll be letting you know more about this project as it progresses. Honestly, I'm going to be relying on the talents and enthusiasm of a lot of people around me... Mimi Evans, Dennis Riley, James Marino... and, so many more. Ordinary people like me who want to do something extraordinary. I'm relying on them to get this thing off the ground because.... well, I write songs and try to reach people with music. That's what I do. Putting together a project like this... Whoa! I'm in over my head. But, I know how to ask for help. We all do. So, we're gonna be asking for your help, too. Keep checking back at this website, okay?

Oh yeah, and if you've already emailed me or posted in the "Forum" (message board) that you'd like to help, I want you to know that I'm keeping track, okay? I will get back to you!

We might be putting this thing together with a wonderful group of people called CIVIC (I don't know. Mimi Evans is talking to them as you are reading this.) CIVIC was started by a young woman named Marla Ruzicka.

There's a whole lot more information about Marla in yesterday's update. Just click on the "Archives" button and read yesterday's post, okay?

Well, that's it for today. Whatever your doing... make it a worthwhile day, okay? Thanks for reading all of this. Thanks for the cartooning inspiration, Sheneman.

Weather permitting, I will see you guys Friday night in the Village or Saturday in Central Park. Maybe I'll even stop in the "Forum" (message board) later today.

Be cool to each other.

Thanks again.