Oggy & Los Conquistadores

My vintage 1951 Lefty Frizzell songbook has some pictures that are making me think crazy thoughts. Why did he get to have all the fun? I want to tour with a band in a ridiculous station wagon and tear drop trailer with my name painted on the side.

How about decorating the exterior of the van as though I were a lost in time Western Swing musician on a Mexican performing tour?

I want the art to say "Oggy & Los Conquistadores - Western Swinger Tour - 1969" Or maybe the "If Not Now, Then When?" Tour. Like in a nostalgic font with a cowboy hat and dancers in dance hall bop dress. I might have to enlist an artist for this. Any volunteers? We could make fliers and post them to telephone poles, wall art, business cards, the concert tour T-shirts would be hilarious with a list of ridiculous concert locations on the back..."Battle Harbour, Labrador Sept 9; Soddy Daisy, Tenn Oct 20; La Paz, Mexico June 4. Now I'll have to make that t-shirt for myself.

I think it's a great performance art project although it could lead to a "Music Man" kind of climax.

The van needs a paint job and this would make it less creepy. People would introduce themselves instead of calling the police. A traveling musician gets a little more credit than a gypsy.

Of course, there are no Los Conquistadores to act as my band but maybe they would materialize. This act would really help explain my suede pants, cowboy hat and spurs.

Lefty & The Tune Toppers

Any 1950 car fans know what kind of vehicle this is?

Here's my attempt at designing a T-shirt. These cost $40 each. If anyone wants one I'll order them after I get enough requests.

Front

Back

Oggy's Disposable Theory Of The Day

Ignore me at your own peril but my latest theory is that the Steve Jobs...Henry Fords...of the world were not endowed with something special...but actually were deficient in a particular human trait that allowed them to pursue their goals under a delusional belief they were benefiting everyone when actually they were merely materializing their own selfish utopia. But they aren't all to blame because it takes the Messianic lap dog attitude of numb consumers to follow and worship these inventors although it complicates their life and brings to fruition technology for the sake of technology with a gigantic propaganda campaign designed to obscure the actual ramifications. I think everyone has flashes of inspiration about some invention or process and then their conscience kicks in and they think, "Oh, wait, that would fuck everything up for Mr. X living in Y country. I'd better not." Well, Steve Jobs wasn't afflicted by that voice of caution. He seemed to think people in China were simply waiting around to spend 14 hours a day snapping together iphone cases.

Of course, I sound like the Unabomber now so can be dismissed easily but I have been percolating all the trends of modern life and this is my latest conclusion: we are allowing ourselves to be led by autistic people. I'm no expert on autism so I use that word to describe someone who has a critical imbalance in social and philosophical and mechanical computations. That imbalance can lead to an abundance of sympathy like in the case of Temple Grandin or a deficiency like in Steve Jobs. Was Steve Jobs autistic? I think he was because he lacked a quality that makes someone consider the consequences of his actions. Modern technology development is irresponsibly destructive and criminally imbalanced toward developed nations. All the waste, impact, slavery, ecological damage is suffered by those who can not afford a publicity campaign on their behalf. They can't defend themselves. All the benefit is enjoyed by those too selfish to care, those who repeatedly bash the skulls in of the poor but believe ignorance is denial and denial is bliss. If you don't know the consequences of high tech devices then consider yourself one of the content billions of manipulated consumers who fell victim to Apple's brilliant propaganda campaign. The autistic people I've been around have a similar quality...they can not feel or express sympathy, let alone empathy. This is not to disparage autistic people. Temple Grandin's autism seems to filter out the ridiculous human/animal misconceptions that were traditional before she came along. It's a spectrum disorder with various unpredictable manifestations. Go check out Derek Paravacini for one result. Grandin's not necessarily smarter than other animal scientists but she is not immediately hampered by traditions that don't work...which in itself makes her work original. She's abundantly sympathetic to animals. Her goals cater to the conditions of livestock while humans are here only to bring those goals to life. Jobs saw people as irrelevant instruments slowly evolving into a computer chip. Maybe he's right and I'm a total asshole.

Fashion Whore

Not an easy ensemble to pull off in Mesquite country.

It only took 4 years to find the striped pants to go with my Ringo Starr Beatle boots...which are actually hardly vintage, being side-zip Laredo cowboy boots you can buy anywhere...

Operation Puppy

A typhoon (10'' in two hours) rolled through south Texas and Oggy's puppies were ill-prepared. The rain fell and fell and the small island of safety I'd built for the puppies was soon only big enough for one puppy so they all piled on top of him like Yertle the Turtle. Then the rain really started to fall and I had no choice but to act on their behalf, being a cowardly hippie and a hypocrite and a rat, notwithstanding.

The rain soaked through my pitiful surf pants and the wind tore the umbrella out of my hand so I was soon on my knees in the rain trying to unlock a tongue lock on one of the company trailers because there was no where else to put the puppies...I almost put them all in my trailer but there was an electrical fire that has me a little paranoid that the whole thing is going to burn up. So I attached my truck to a trailer and made the rescue. Mama dog was no where to be found. She's got no attachment issues, doing her nursing duties no longer or more often than necessary.

They opened their eyes for the first time and my mug was what they saw. (They are sleeping on my work uniform)

I don't think the video will capture that pathetic condition I found the puppies in, ass deep in water two of them having given up hope.

This reminds me of a few nights I spent in the forest (near guess what city?) wrapped in a mattress cover hiding in the stump of an old Bay Tree, mice eating crumbs off my chest. Everything was fine until a redwood branch crashed through my roof and led to ten-fifteen hours in a condition like the puppies. You either die or soldier through. These puppies are survivors but I'm not trying to make their lives more miserable than they have to be...nor am I trying to give them false hope that all will be ok on a road of steak and bacon. The trailer is empty, they need a place to stay, the solution only required some motivation on my part.

Eventually the mama dog arrived and lay down to nurse the pups while I dried her off with shop rags. Then I ran back to my trailer as smoke began to pour out of the fuse panel...would the fire extinguisher work or not...?

On a side note, the new butyl tape and layer of silicone finally fixed the window leak on my van...but this rain fell so hard that it still soaked the rug through the doors. But it's progress...5 years of war with the flawed windows and I'm victorious. Recently, I've replaced the voltage regulator, the ignition coil, the alternator, the fuel pump, added a voltage gauge, fixed the window, added a screen door to the escape hatch, replaced my sun-baked spare tire, painted a Zia pueblo sun symbol on the spare tire cover, fixed two leaking rear tires. But I bought this van to do the work myself, to know what it is I'm driving...I'm not complaining...merely clarifying that a 44 year old van doesn't roll down the road by accident. Molecular inertia is trying to destroy the van and I'm the only thing that can keep it running.

Why Not Work For Free?

I was disappointed to learn Texas hasn't offered to reopen national parks like Guadalupe or Big Bend. These remote locations basically weed out any casual visitors so that only a responsible person would bother driving 4-10 hours across the desert to walk around in mesquite brush. The Texan approach is usually intentionally independent. The Alamo, for example, is open because it's staffed mostly by volunteer "Daughters of The Republic of Texas". It's not a National Park and it would be hard to close something down that is in the middle of San Antonio. Speaking of character, the women who welcome you to the Alamo would laugh in the face of a national park ranger if he said it was closed due to a government food fight. They are already working for free so it doesn't concern them.

This fiscal crisis finally shines the light on those who act and the pundits. I feel that the national parks are too important to close...and if I ever fulfill my dream of being an interpretive park ranger it's not going to be on the condition I get paid for my time. The reason I could work through a government shut down is because of the other days when they paid me. This is that rainy day your mom warned you about. If I had to clean the toilets and empty trash bags you think I'm not going to do that because I won't get paid for my work? If it means keeping the parks open then I see it as a responsibility, like teachers who pay out of pocket for school supplies for their students. If you want easy days of long lunches then go work for Monsanto who never take a day off from getting paid. Otherwise, you take the job that you would do for free. Too much top down management in this pseudo democracy.