I played my Gibson Les Paul Studio electric for most of song practice until my high E string broke so I switched to my Martin acoustic to finish. I audio and video recorded the session as I have since September 1 and will continue for another 15 sessions. I made it through “Vomit of the Star Eater” in one take and it might be the best one so far. “Sixteen Tons of Dogma” went okay too although I think I hit a wrong chord but it wasn’t a dissonant one.
I weighed 87.5 kilos before breakfast.
I weighed 87.85 kilos before lunch.
In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back.
I weighed 87.9 kilos at 17:52, which is the most I’ve weighed in the evening since last Monday.
I was caught up on my journal at 18:30.
I changed the high E string on my Gibson.
In the Movie Maker project to create a video for the studio recording of my song “Me and Gravity” I needed some outside video to fill up the timeline occupied by the third chorus. In the old concert video the camera moves away from me and focuses on my then bass player Arjan. But since Arjan is not in the studio recording it doesn’t make sense to focus on him. The camera is on him for the entire chorus and so I needed some video to replace him that was more appropriate to the theme of the song. I started searching for more clips online but then I realized I probably already have enough from the Buster Keaton video that I downloaded. I recopied it to the end of the timeline and edited out everything that doesn’t show Buster being a victim of gravity. I ended up with about seventeen seconds of clips. I inserted the first one into the main video and tomorrow I’ll add some more.
I uploaded today’s song practice videos. I finished reviewing the September 11 videos and watched and listened to the first ten minutes of September 12.
I had a potato with gravy and two chicken wings while watching episode 22 of The Big Valley.
An old man named Handy Random is riding his mule named Jughead through an orange grove and singing, “You ain’t much of an animule. Your head is hard, you’re a plumb dern fool but I’ll admit one thing of course, you’re a dern sight better than a horse”. Suddenly two men start shooting at him, although deliberately high to miss him. Handy doubles around with his shotgun and shoots and wounds one of them. Handy hears another rider approaching and has his gun ready. Nick recognizes him as the man who killed the one who murdered his father, Tom Barkley. He invites Handy back to the house to be their guest for a few days. Audra and Jarrod are delighted to see him. Jarrod explains that it was the sons of Ezra Craddock who were shooting at him because they consider that orange grove theirs. The Barkley and Craddock property has always been divided by Green Creek but a flash flood moved the creek over so the Barkley orange grove is now on the other side. Craddock is a radical Christian who believes god gave him the orange grove. The dispute has been taken to court but won’t be determined for six weeks. Meanwhile the oranges are ready to be harvested now and would earn $5000. On top of that Craddock plans to cut down the orange trees to turn the land into pasture. Handy suggests taking the grove by force but Nick says they don’t need a range war. Then Jarrod and Nick learn to their dismay that Handy actually wounded one of the Craddocks. Heath comes in and is introduced to Handy. He recognizes him from somewhere and refuses to shake hands. Nick goes to see Craddock to smooth things over but Craddock is convinced that Handy works for the Barkleys. He says that up until now his boys have been aiming high but from now on they’ll shoot dead centre. Later Handy offers to take care of the problem with his shotgun for $500. Heath’s family asks him to explain his attitude towards Handy. Heath says Handy makes his living following feuds or starting them. A couple of years ago both Heath and Handy were involved in the Lincoln County Wars (This was a conflict made famous because of Billy the Kid’s participation). It didn’t matter which side you were on because if you brought someone’s saddle to the paymaster as proof of a man’s death you got $25. Handy made money by shooting people on his side in their backs. Heath got drygulched (ambushed) and shot in the back by Handy’s shotgun loaded with carpet tacks and horseshoe nailheads. Handy ran up with a knife to finish him off but got a rifle butt in the head. Later Handy turned in Heath’s saddle anyway. Jarrod and Nick confront Handy and ask him to move on. Heath is finally able to stir Handy’s memory about where they met before. Handy tells him he’d better kill him the next time he sees him because that’s what he’ll do to him. He also declares that he’s going to work for Craddock and apologizes in advance for killing Jarrod and Nick if they trespass. Handy goes to Craddock property, disarms his sons and makes them lead him to the house where Craddock agrees to hire him. Heath learns that Audra has gone to reason with Craddock and he heads over there. Craddock tells Audra that he’d be willing to compromise on this issue if she would marry his son, but she turns him down and leaves. She meets Heath on the trail. He hears Handy’s mule bray, grabs Audra and dives for cover just before Handy fires. Handy is stalking them just as Joe Craddock rides up. Handy swings and fires, killing Joe. Heath shoots Handy and as he’s dying he offers his regrets. He says he’s cold but as Heath is taking off his jacket to cover him, Handy grabs his shotgun to shoot him, but Audra kills Handy with a pistol. She’s in shock but Heath consoles her and says Handy’s been dead for a long time. Craddock is grateful for being avenged and offers to let the Barkleys harvest the oranges.
Handy was played by James Whitmore, who earned a BA from Yale in 1944. After WWII he studied at the American Theatre Wing under the GI Bill. He made his Broadway debut in Command Decision in 1947, for which he won a Tony Award. His film debut was a co-starring role in The Undercover Man in 1949. He was nominated for both Academy and Golden Globe Awards for his performance in Battleground. He starred in The Next Voice You Hear, Them, Black Like Me, Will Rogers USA, Give Em Hell Harry, Bully, and The Adventures of Mark Twain. He co-starred in Mrs. O’Malley and Mr. Malone, Above and Beyond, Crime in the Streets, and The Relic. He starred in the TV series The Law and Mr. Jones. He co-starred in the sitcom Temperatures Rising and in Mister Sterling. He starred in the Twilight Zone episode “On Thursday We Leave for Home”. He won an Emmy for his guest appearance on The Practice. He coached James Dean in an acting workshop in the 1950s.
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