Alfred Reed Bishop and Doris William Butler

The picture above is the very tap root of Bishop's Homegrown/Face Of The Earth Seed. My grandparents shortly after moving to Pekin Indiana from Greensburg KY in 1947 where they purchased the farm that is now Bishop's Homegrown. This picture was taken in Pekin in front of the old co-op next to the old railroad depot, neither of which exist today.

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Musical Mayhem Blog Number One

As you may have noticed by reading through my list of available seed developed by Hip-Gnosis Seed Development there is an oft re occurring theme of musically inspired names. Everyone gets inspiration from somewhere, as a sometimes musician and a formerly full time musician I find that my inspiration is often taken from the world of music (though also history), as such I tend to name cultivars after songs which have inspired me in my work. I thought Musical Mayhem would be a nifty little interaction to have on my blog to post some videos via the uber addictive youtube in order to display what has inspired my previous work, what is inspiring now, and what will be inspiring in my upcoming work, as such, once a week, or more, possibly less (have I mentioned I am a lazy blogger?) I will post a Musical Mayhem blog where I shall exhibit the enthralling world of my eclectic musical taste with embedded youtube videos occasionally followed by cultivars I have named after said music or artist and or my thoughts on that particular song.

With that out of the way, shall we start:
Buddy Holly-Everyday: Though I have yet to name anything in honor of Buddy Holly, the day is coming, I find him to be an under appreciated musician who should be considered every bit on the scale of Elvis (have I mentioned I can't stand Elvis), Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison and so on. This song in particular is one of the stranger entries in 50's rock, though the song is sweet and gives off a "lovey dovey" feeling of happiness you must admit that there is something inherently creepy (in a horror movie sort of way) about the hart on sleeve delivery in the singing and accompanying instrumentation. Very Cool!



Nine Inch Nails: The Perfect Drug
As an impressionable and pissed at the world teenager I cannot describe the effect which Nine Inch Nails music had on me, what I can however say is that this video cued my curiosity in the terrific artwork of Mr. Edward Gorey it is base upon and also gave me my first glimpse of the oft vaunted "le fee Verte" or Absinthe, I later named one of my unique green when ripe tomatoes as well as a green cotton after this drink of artists. Nowadays Absinthe is available here in the United States but I must admit, it's just not quite the same as having a vintage and quality absinthe of European heritage, I prefer much the french varieties being lighter on the licorice-esque anise flavors. The very end of this song, the melancholy vocal, bass, and drum part, still strikes me as one of the most somber and yet beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard and looking back I would have much rather had a song based on this premise to ease my social anxiety at the time. I'm a dork, what can I say.



Continuing on with the musical links to my breeding work involving Nine Inch Nails, that lovely little tomato called La Mer (noire) is basically named after this:


A Perfect Circle - The Hollow
I suppose I should then show connection between La Mer and her sister line Mer De Nomes. Maynard James Keenan has always been one of my favorite singers, an intelligent, influential, and humorous man his work in Tool literally opened my third eye in my teenage years. When his new band A Perfect Circle came around, I instantly fell in love, as a guitarist I find band leader Billy Howerdales work at the axe particularly inspiring and his new project Ashes Divide will be the subject of a subsequent Musical Mayhem Blog. This is my favorite song off of their debut album Mer De Nomes.



Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine
Often times people are surprised by my taste for early Pink Floyd and the Syd Barrett solo albums that followed. I don't know how I found Syd, but I think his music was always there waiting for me, a kindred spirit of sorts. My father was always a big Pink Floyd fan, but not the Pink Floyd that I loved and later discovered, My fathers Pink Floyd experience started at Dark Side and Ended with The Wall. My experience started with Piper at the gates of dawn and ended with A saucer full of secrets and continued into the subsequent Barret albums The Madcap Laughs, Barrett, and the out takes album Opal. The two albums after Roger Waters departure do deserve merit, they just can't properly be called Pink Floyd, but then again my sentiments lay with David Bowie who once said "After Syd was gone there was no Pink Floyd to me."



The White Stripes - Death Letter (Son House Cover)
For those of you living in a cave for the past six years that don't know who Jack White/The White Stripes are, you need to check them out, now. I know, I know what every musician out there will say, "the white stripes are just a trend", but I think you miss the point by saying that really, Mr. White is continuing in a long tradition of terrific musicians expanding upon the work of great blues, rock, psychedelic, and yes even traditional country music. The only people I know of who will say otherwise, regardless of if they like the music or not, are those who in all reality are jealous of what integrity Jack has brought back to real music and his ability to re-introduce old music to young audiences. Here Jack breaks out the blues of Son House and dusts it off for the youth of today. Yes indeed this is where the Jack White Tomato got it's name:



three more for today shall suffice:

Robert Johnson-Hell hound on my Trail: there is nothing more I can say about this that hasn't been said before. You want real music, music with soul, music with experience, this is absolutely it. You may not enjoy Robert Johnson but you must respect and appreciate.



Hank Williams III-Cocaine Blues (Johnny Cash Cover)
In the world of Outlaw/Rockabilly/and traditional country it is hard to find anyone who has not pandered to the Pop Country sensibilities of everyone in America who thinks that they are country regardless of weather or not they know what it's like to fall on hard times or to list "shit shoveling" as part of their job description. Yes I fear that the Outlaws are no more, that is with the exception of Hank Williams III, the grandson of that patriarch of country music and the son of the sellout con man known as Hank II. Something about Hank III brings out my inner "Cracker" (did I mention I'm not very PC?)




Bill Hicks: What is the point to life
Last, but most certainly not least, the late great comedian Bill Hicks. A man responsible for the opening of third eyes all over the world. Bill was a loving sole despite his sometimes harsh comedy, I've always felt that Bill wasn't a comedian haunted by his own demons, but a man who was haunted more by the demons and dark and dank closets of the world at large. Bill sometimes used a lot of demeaning words and a lot of anger in his act but in a world more worried about American Gladiators than the declining state of the human condition around them sometimes there is only one way to reach the world which is through shock and awe. Bill died young of pancreatic cancer and many argue that Dennis Leary stole many of Hicks Ideas (I for one agree) an old inside joke with the comedians of the time was: Do you know why guys like Bill Hicks die and no talent hacks like Dennis Leary make it huge, because there is no cure for cancer. Learry later named an album after this joke that was very similar to material Bill had been performing in the years leading up to his untimely death. In another time Bill may have been considered a profit considering that 14 years after his death his comedy is still relevant to the issues at hand:





Well, I hope you all enjoy musical mayhem, there will be much more to come!


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