Doug Van Pelt

Satan's work is done...

...at least that's what Iron Maiden tells me ("The Number of the Beast").

Jehovah's Witnesses just left my door. They came all the way out to the HM Ranch to give me a copy of their Awake periodical, which had the headline "The End Of False Religions." That is interesting. I gave the two ladies a copy of the Nov/Dec issue of HM Magazine. I find that some false religious groups will actually take literature from you if it's something you published yourself (otherwise, they usually politely refuse anything). Being an editor/publisher has its perks...

I have regrets. I kinda wish I would have invited them in for a fresh cup of coffee or a glass of water. I had just brewed some coffee (2 cups) and saw them leaving through the window as I poured creamer into my mug. Perhaps we could have engaged in a "spiritual conversation." I would've liked that. I am busy, though. They seemed interested in the magazine, though I doubt our musical styles was their cup of tea.

I received some books by 33 1/3 | Continuum Books. They're new installments in their ongoing series. I got volumes 34-38, which include a look at Nirvana's In Utero album and Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. Books like this are usually real interesting, because they dissect an important, seminal album and usually interview the artists, producers, and other people that actually worked on the projects. Sometimes everything from how songs were written, recorded or even the album artwork has unique and fascinating stories behind it. I wonder if I'll learn anything about the enigmatic recorder (don't call him a "producer") Steve Albini when I read In Utero by Gillian G. Gaar.

I'm multi-tasking today. I'm reading emails, assigning stories, and previewing unsigned band CDs, all the while listening and ocassionally watching a DVD about Hunter S. Thompson. Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride is a documentary about the world-renowned "Gonzo" journalist. I hear that The Kern County Kid met him once. I hear rumors about this kid, which always circle the writer like a vulture overhead -- rumors that say he was mentored by Hunter back in the early 80s. I doubt it, just like I doubt the rumor that he ran with the Manson clan back in the day... I'm sure he models his writing style after the guy, though.

Somehow it seems fitting to learn more about Hunter S. Thompson as we're going through the Through Painted Deserts book by Donald Miller, who happens to be trekking across the Nevada Desert at this point in the tome.

It's kinda funny how some of these characters can live their lives in excess, but talk about profound truths, such as sin and redemption from time to time. I'm talking about Hunter S. Thompson now, not Don and Paul. Perhaps those that dive headfirst into sin can somehow understand their need for a savior. Thompson killed himself in 2005, which leads me to believe that his chances of embracing the Person of Jesus and walking with Him, learning and following His ways -- I doubt someone would kill themselves if they found that treasure. Who knows?

Maybe we'll be surprised in Heaven to see a lot of characters that we figured would never "make it." People like: Kineson, Dahmer, Presley, Kennedy. Wouldn't it be ironic if the Buddha had a revelation prior to his death that there actually was a god -- a personal Father that one could know -- and who in their right mind would reject such a Person if he/she had revelation knowledge like that? Most of us are rarely around people in their last moments. It's probably a sacred time. It's certainly mysterious and gives reason for sober thought and consideration.

How might we live our days?

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at November 29, 2006 04:43 PM