dots on a uke

I’ve been working on accreditation docs all day and night. Like chewing aspirin. Been blogging on the side to stave off my desire to blow my brains out.

There is something I’ve known deep inside of me for some time, but couldn’t admit. I think the time has come. Wait for it … wait for it … I have concluded that at 48 years of age, Mason Dots are my favorite candy. I’m comfortable with it. And sharing this with all the world is liberating. I feel free to be what I am: a Dot-aholic.

I buy the movie-theatre size boxes (8.5 ozs. of loving) for $1.00 at (where else) the Dollar Store. I get four boxes at a time. I horde them in my room. Each box lasts two gorging sessions.

Did you know that Dots come in five flavors? Strawberry (the pink ones), has a light floral and fruity taste, kind of like cotton candy; Cherry (red), with just a hint of FD&C Red #40; Orange (orange), that actually tastes like orange, with a slightly bitter zest that comes a little later; Lemon (yellow), a mellow presence with a very slight tartness that makes me think at once of puppies and roadkill; and Lime (green), which presents an unexpected Scrubbing Bubbles taste (yes, the bathroom cleaner).

I usually woof them by the handful, so I get the impression of flowers that have been pissed on by a puppy that then darts across the road, gets pancaked, and some fool is on his knees cleaning the stain in the macadam. With that said, how could you not love Mason Dots?

How is this cornucopia of mouth experiences achieved? Thusly: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Modified Food Starch, Malic Acid, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Sodium Citrate, and Artificial Colors (Including FD&C Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1). The best thing? There’s no gelatin, so they’re suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Dots have been in production since 1945, and ne’er a gram of fat or nutrition has passed through a box. Packed inside each 3.5 gram morsel of sin is 12 calories, 1 mg of sodium, 3 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of sugar.

Dots make me happy.

My thoughts wandered to music after the Dot-buzz wore off. I was listening to a radio broadcast from 1974. Seems John Lennon sat as DJ in some LA station. I was surprised that he played Jet by Macca, and afterward said it was one of Paul’s better ones, and he would have played Monkberry Moon Delight (from Ram) but ran out of time. Then he played My Sweet Lord and praised the song as well.

That took me to listening to All Things Must Pass.

One of my favorite songs of all time is Awaiting on You All. What amazes me is the incredible wall of sound that Phil Spector (before he started shooting B-grade actresses in the head) created.

I have two versions of it below. The first is Hari singing it at the Concert for Bangladesh. The presentation is great – I love the song, but it is not the full force he achieved in the studio.

The second video is the studio version. Someone posted on You Tube a collage of pics that are nice to watch.

For me, the studio version just stops me in my tracks. I always think, “a moment ago, the studio was silent. And now a dozen people are playing together, and the room is alive.”

Another thing I love about the song is the lyrics. I’ll put them in full later in this post. But I doubt a more insightful and biting two lines were ever written by a musician than the following:

And while the Pope owns 51% of General Motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us

Here’s the clip from the Concert for Bangladesh:



Here’s the studio version with some pics someone posted:



You don't need no love in
You don't need no bed pan
You don't need a horoscope or a microscope
The see the mess that you're in
If you open up your heart
You will know what I mean
We've been polluted so long
Now here's a way for you to get clean

By chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
Chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see

You don't need no passport
And you don't need no visas
You don't need to designate or to emigrate
Before you can see Jesus
If you open up your heart
You'll see he's right there
Always was and will be
He'll relieve you of your cares

By chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
Chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see

You don't need no church house
And you don't need no Temple
You don't need no rosary beads or them books to read
To see that you have fallen
If you open up your heart
You will know what I mean
We've been kept down so long
Someone's thinking that we're all green

And while the Pope owns 51% of General Motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see
By chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free

One of Hari’s childhood friends was Joe Brown. They apparently maintained their friendship throughout their lives. Hari’s favorite instrument was the ukulele. I’ve read that it always came out after dinner.

I bought the Concert for George DVD immediately upon its release. The last song is Joe Brown playing a uke and singing, “I’ll see you in my dreams.” I sat on the couch and cried. I haven’t been able to focus on that song since – I think it played two more times in my presence. I always distracted myself. When I was getting the above videos, this one came up. So I watched. And cried again.