Some August

by Lee Barry

On August 11, 1956, Jackson Pollock died when he overturned his Oldsmobile 88 convertible while driving drunk, while on August 11, 2022, I wrote (about art): "Real art" is based on our universal sense of what art can be. This was greatly expanded in the 20th century and continues". On August 12, 1969, The Beatles were in the studio doing final overdubs on Not Guilty, and on August 12, 1997, I wrote, "We should play God because it might be fun to pretend" But the question would we really be pretending?", on August 12, 2017, I take a photograph and title it "inequality". On August 14, 2017, I was predicting that the future of music would be driven by AI, and in some ways singing its praises, but on August 14, 2021, I was rather singing the praises of the book The Myth of Artificial "Now my go-to book to support my cynicism about AI." On Friday, August 16, 1816, Anne Lister arrives in Buxton (Derbyshire) for a few days stay, while 152 years later, on Friday, August 16, 1968, a British popular music ensemble is in the previously unfathomable "recording studio" recording While My Guitar Gently Weeps. 9 years later, one of the Beatles' major influences, Elvis Presley, dies. On August 16, 1997, it was the 20th anniversary of his death and I got caught in a deluge where it rained for 2-1/2 hours, and diaried, "The second coming of Elvis". On August 16, 2010, I discovered two keys on the seat next to me on the El. "The supernaturalist in me wants to ascribe meaning to this, but someone may have simply lost their keys. But it is interesting in that they looked like they were placed there with intention. We all want everything to have some meaning, even if we conjure it." The Beatles release She Loves You on Friday, August 23, 1963, while on August 23, 1997, I write, "It's interesting that teenagers these days look at the music of 1988 as I look at the music of 1964 and the music of 1981 as the music of 1959."

399 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2023