| MOST RECENT ARTICLE LATEST PRESS RELEASE Mark Wheeler ARTICLE TOUR PICTURES: NEW STUFF 11/16/08 16:17 Still nothing new to report on the piano project. i've been sick now for almost 2 weeks first with a cold and now a sore throat and mild ear infection. so keep the faith i'll be back in the saddle or on the piano bench in no time. 10/05/08 13:53 Somebody helped me come to the realization that lately the Piano Blog is becoming more of a BOB Blog. So i took out the more personal stuff and hid it somewhere else on the site and from now on I'm going to try and limit things here to the Piano Project. As things stand I'm really enjoying not having to worry about an outside public piano. There are still pianos in the Hospice, Roadside Attraction and The Palms out in Wonder Valley. I'm not sure when i'm going to start working on the Thumbing Piano again. I left off with attaching the axles to a frame i found at Elizabeth's junk yard that i had straightened and repaired. RIGHT NOW other priorities involving walls etc. are dictatorial, so it may be a while before i can get back to the Public Piano Project (give me at least a month). i'll at least note here how far away i am from starting up the project again. until then keep playin it forward. 9/12/08 1:38p. SURREAL is the only word to describe what it's like to be out from under the Code Guy pressure. time isn't what it was, i feel real drifty, and the opposite of focused as if my whole being is rebound compensating for the intense period of focus. i've caught myself asking out loud "is this only a dream" ?? i'm still not sure. maybe after the trama of all this passes i'll be better equipped to respond (?) 9/10/08 11:21a. HALLELUJIAH!! CODE ENFORCEMENT was just here and after much debate about what was art and was not they said they'd finally 'sign me off'! HORRAY!!! I still want to put a Code Enforcement Keyosk out in front for continued documentation and defense 'cause you know "they'll be back". So where was i 2 years ago when this shit hit the fan? What was I working on? Oh ya, A WORLD PIANO PEACE! what else (?) See ya back out there. 9/06/08 9:01a. WOW! what a couple of days. CODE GUYS came by while i was out getting a hair cut thursday sometime after 12 noon. i used wednesday's Hi-Desert Star article for the flyer rallying support at the court house for friday's appearance. i was so happy to see a hand full of supporters willing to wear a dress for me in court (one supporter was wearing shorts and when asked to leave the court he resourcefully came up with a yellow scarf which he wrapped around his shorts transgendering himself for the cause). the proceedings were pridictibly ineffectual prolonging the inevitable with the Code Guys dangaling the only bandaid but revealing in respect to the court's giant mechanical gear and it's limited camber of justice. NPO Foundation status is the only sure way to protect the farm, which requires money and harder yet, a board of trustees willing to meet 4 times a year (ha ha ha)!!! I don't think i could even keep up with that; I'm off on mind safari sometimes for 6 months to a year!!!! 9/03/08 8:31a. Becky Unger was here yesterday to write an article about the whole CODE ENFORCEMENT thing. Maybe it'll rally support for my WHITE FEATHER court date this Friday @ 8am. if not, then maybe there's another statement to be made here: maybe most people think it won't happen to them. well if it's happening to me out in the middle of no where, with neighbors a mile away, on a dead-end street (is anybody else seeing a scary red flag yet?) away from any traffic (last person who drove by my house was over a week ago and he followed me home from the dry lake bed; that was kinda creepy). nobody's safe!! and i hope when it happens to you that it's remedied by something as simple as unpeeling that peace sign sticker off your mailbox. we're living in an era of shrinking civil and human rights! imprisonment without trial, goverment trespass without warrant or reason beyond a neighbor's frustration at not being able to sell a house. COME ON PEOPLE!! WAKE UP!!!!! There's no Public Piano harmonizing the streets right now because of this. DOES THIS UPSET ANYBODY?? A friend just called and thinks that everybody is outraged but to afraid to speak out in fear of being next. is this true? are we in a state of fear generated paralysis that's affecting our ability to freely express our moral and social values? 8/15/08 12:41p. Another couple of weeks have wizzed by! The Mobile Home is now completely cut and the sections pulled at least 6 feet away from each other. Numerous new blinds ranging from 2 car garage doors to different odd pieces of plywood now slice up the landscape; compliant-safe refuge for art materials in flux. Today the skys are monsooning; barely bareable outside, and then the sun breaks through and bellows it's singeing rays of retaliation, sending me leaping into the closest chunk of shade. Is it just me or does it seem like the sun is getting hotter(???). Lately the new help has prefered working early mornings, though he has helped on a couple of nite shifts. I've been trying to indulge his preference and then working at night as well until the day work and the sun finally caught up with me. I'm hoping to get back at it tonight but right now, I'm feeling exhausted. I'm hoping to be entertaining my dear friends Mike and Dave and a signed-off complaint in 14 days. That would give me another week before my court date to do any last minute complianceseesesssesssss they see necesshairy. 7/29/08 11:24a. Fifteen days between entries. My absense should speak for itself: volumes of adrenalin driven chaos. An old friend in need of work came over for an over-nite weekend of work and psyche poisoning. It took almost 4 days to bounce back from the massive dose of negative toxicity. As far as all the other C.E. demands i'd say i'm ahead of schedule. one more cut remains on the mobile home and the new wind block posts and simpson tie-ins are curing. i'm going to give the concrete at least 3 days to cure before attaching the giant 2 car garage doors, then back to cutting the last mobile home section and puring the post poles for the glass wall which should hide everything from my neighbors telescope. I'll be back, hopefully before 15 days elapse.(C.E. inspection half way point is this Saturday!!). 7/14/08 1:44p. I'm back safe and sound from my family reunion in LA and everything seems ok around the farm and with the dogs and kitty. July is the hardest month to leave because of the heat. The dogs are older now and obviously affected by it. So that means leaving the fans on in the house for them. Thankfully it was partly cloudy during my absense so the trees didn't mind missing their 1:pm H20 cool down spray 2 days in a row. So now back to the GRIND! No more interuptions. Gotta get the mobile home 2nd cut done at least. Then maybe C.E. might just, go away? Ya sure, we kinda know they'll never go away huh? 7/05/08 5:01p. Haven't had a chance to fly the kite yet. CODE ENFORCEMENT showed up at 8:30 a.m. a week ago and sent my life into spasams with a 2 page citation and court date. so you know what i'm doing these days. i've got a game plan now, the hardest part is dealing with the adrenalin which takes away my hunger and throws me into a state of food unpreparedness. i was doing so good too! using the solar oven everyday and everything. having fun with it. BAD adrenalin, go away!!STOP IT!!!! 6/19/08 3:05p. Nothing like a little shopping spree to perk oneself up; yep, got my "stimulas payment" and off to San Pedro where an old friend set me up with a kite for surfing. now i just need an all terrain board. i'm going to practice flying the kite at the park sitting on one of those old gut busters; could be pretty fun on the grass. got'a be careful though these kites can generate a lot of horse power, my old friend says upwards of 200hp! they've been known to carry surfers hundreds of feet into the air and sometimes fatally collapsing in on themselves. so now i got something fun to do to work towards, it seems all i do any more is work!! so finally a break!! something undeniably exhileratingly FUN!!!! maybe even get Bella to try it (?) or not 6/16/08 10:14p. It's been a very blue monday. i feel so useless to my 14 year old daughter. i feel i should be there; she's hurting, i should be there to help with her pain. . . . i don't know. i need a hybrid RV. crash at walmart. come back to jt every 3 days to fill up the dog bowl. automate everything damn it! even the dog bowl come back on weekends! ya! AUTOMATION!! orchard's already on it, i just need to get the pond sprinkler, and the rambling desert willow on the system, oh ya and the solar distillers need an off switch and an anti-syphon refill system. i could get this all done by Fall and be closer than 2 hours away for her. i can't see us just hanging out somewhere though; she wouldn't like that. she probably wouldn't hang out at my RV either unless it was pretty fancy. one of them there rock star buses. she definately wouldn't hang out with me and the Thumb Piano. 6/16/08 8:39a. It's monday (day after fathers's day) i drove down to the ocean to see my daughter; she was moody and distant. i cried my way home. 5/28/08 10:27a. The TOUR PIANO is back at the farm. and with the Beatnik closed for the summer i'm going to move that piano to Charley's house for her summer party scene. The lodgers are gone! i made it 3 months enduring constant intrusion. NO MORE LODGERS until there's a kitchen out and away from my private space. OH YA! i just learned that i'm an Asperger and not Bi-Polar. WHAT A HUGE RELIEF!! my friend Sharon told me 3 years ago that she thought i was an ASP; i didn't know anthing about it and sorta scuffed it off, but recently a close psychologist friend went to a convention in Vegas on Aspergers and was convinced quickly that i'm an Asperger. she's known me over 10 years so i really trust her opinion. basically, Aspergers is a highly functional form of Autisim and is considered a Wide Spectrum Condition with as many unique symptoms as there are human idiosyncracies. the one common thread is that they lack a Theory of Acceptible Mainstream Mind. many asps are easily overstimulated into a coping personna (the quirky character on Boston Legal is a Hollywood over-dramatization of an ASP). Asps can be the life of a party (like my mother, also an asp) by slipping into a demonstrative personna or they could be off hiding or fumbling around by themselves trying to cope and take control of their over-stimulated state. i personally just leave social events as soon as i feel over-stimulated and uncomfortable, but i have hidden under banquet tables with long table clothes while parties unexpectanly ensued above me. More on ASPS to come. 5/14/08 12:59p. It looks like the Public Piano is on it's way to the Music Festival this weekend out at Joshua Tree Lake. Thanks Barnett. See ya all out there. 5/03/08 10:46a.m.It's been a week since the final push; i'm still a little sore. i noticed this morning that the piano's new locaton is right across from a pink organ; they're sort of facing each other in a kinda of keyboard stand-off, a peace stand-off! 4/29/08 10:27a. HALLLELUJAH!!! The piano is back in JT!! me and my team of Piano Press experts documented the final trek last Saturday from the Desert Star to the JT Tortoise. it's now hiding again awaiting your discovery for a free lunch and piano lesson. so NO MORE PUSHING! except maybe to art openings and such. So now the focus is on to finish the "THUMB DOWN THE ROAD PIANO" and then off to New Orleans baby!! 4/18/08 12:09p. I know, it seems like the abandoned Public Piano Tour, but you should see the recycled wood floor in the potential outside kitchen, which means a dedicated music studio in the main cabin. oh ya, and i can't forget to mention the 100 feet of new water main wh're working on. On a piano note: the grand piano donation is coming along; i just finished going through the action, and i plan to start tuning today. alright, i'm ok, hang in there the piano's doing fine in it's same hidden place, i guess nobody wants a free lesson and lunch, (?), oh well. 4/16/08 8:56a. I forgot to mention a couple of weeks ago that a nice lady named Carol Ketchum donated a grand piano to the project. while loading the piano up at one of those self storage places with all the angular driveways the piano and i took a spill. don't worry, the piano's fine and i'm ok too. Any day now i'm going to bring the touring piano back to JT. today though, one of my house guest's daughter and grand daughter are coming for a visit so it's tidy up a little time. maybe this weekend (?) 4/05/08 10:51a. I know I know, i've been lost in a swirl of complexities around the farm. having help around here for a change has sent me flying off to projects with certain priority. i'll be back on track soon. i'm planning a trip to the piano maybe today. thanks for your patience. oh ya, still no winner:>( 3/28/08 9:47a. And still no winner!! Xcept the piano's wonderful donners Julia and Carle who emailed me with the right location; you guys are exempt though, and besides i'll always give you free piano lessons when ever you want. So time's running out on the present location, i might even move it today!! 3/24/08 9:26a. Still no winner!!! it's almost time for it to start moving again. last hint it's next door to a business that makes something that's black and white and read all over. 3/18/08 11:06a. No winner yet. maybe a clue is in order, let me see . . . it's within a 1/2 mile of where it was, and it's barely visible from 62 and the shopping plaza has a store that is actually one of the oldest store branchs in the US. if no one gets it now then there's noone really out there is there?? i knew it! i am virtually alone out here huh!(?) 3/14/08 3:58p. GAME ON ! first one to email me the location of the piano gets a free piano lesson lunch! no hints yet. 3/08/08 7:26p. Hey piano fans, i know the piano hasn't moved since 2/20 but a huge hunk of the time it was rapped up rain-tight. besides when i went to tune it yesterday some guy and his little kid were playing it, so it's in a good place right now, i checked with the bar to make sure. I need a break from the piano thing right now anywazzz. my visitors have actually turned out to be very helpful (even watched Bump for me yesterday!), i'm still in the adjustment phase being a 10 year hermit and all. so keep your eye on the piano and when you least expect it, poof, find it, email me I FOUND THE PIANO! get a free piano lesson and lunch!! 3/05/08 7:40p. Sorry i didn't move the piano yet! it's been real hectic lately; Code Enforcement even showed up today. so i'm shooting for tomorrow. 3/03/08 10:31p. Things are much better i'm hoping with the helpers/lodgers. commuication is such a crap shoot. and i'm the epitomy of over sensitivity, it makes for good cohabitation, an art form. Nothing new to report on the piano, finished an assemblage today and showed it at Artaculture to night. i may go down and check on the piano tomorrow and Bump's thing is back (darn it!) but that's really all for now. OH YA! the piano moves in 2 days to a new location; first one to email me the location wins a free piano lesson or other secret marvelous prize. be sure and put I FOUND THE PIANO in the subject. GOOD LUCK!! 3/01/08 11:47P. What a drift a days it's been! i've had a couple here at the farm for the last 3 days. i was hoping they might work out to tend the place while i toured with the piano. We'll see. 2/27/08 3:35p. Thanks to Ginette at Murphy's Bar the piano has an extended visa. it's probably good there until the first 5 year old wonders over from the jelly donut. Now i'm in the throngs of preparing for lodgers who are just a few hours away. they're friends of a friend and with any luck they may be really helpful to have around during this grand piano verticle wench period. not to mention the hundreds of things that need to be done around here, namely the bathroom sink, which i'm trying to get done next. so i gotta go. 2/25/08 10:24p. Hey how about a game of Find the Piano. first one to email me the location gets a free lesson or 25 bucks. at the present the piano is still at the JD. and it might stay there anoher day or two. but i'll start giving hints when i move it. i'll keep it in plain sight. I tuned the piano today and it's sounding great; the extreme registers are pretty whacked though. i brought the cover home to do some repair work on one of the fastening points to the 2x4 (ripped around the hex-head screw and washer). i think it'll be ok uncovered for a couple of days; although it's varnish coat is wearing off in places on the top lid and the keyboard cover is dotted with small water stains. a little sanding a little varnish she'll be fine. 2/25/08 2:29p. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood and it's also my sis's Birthday. Happy Birthday sis! i'll be out at the piano (behind the Jelly Donut) sometime after 4 today. see ya out there. 2/24/08 7:15p. Another windy day in paradise. things will have to wait 'til tomorrow. spent most of the day indoors hiding from the wind. i might drive out to pie town and check things out - combating depression any and every way possible!! 2/22/08 7:59p. Finished the hitch attachment for the piano today and it rained on and off all day. i had my first migrane in nearly 20 years; it started with the zig-zaggy light show and at first i thought it was from a welding flash in the eye the night before but after it went away the pounding pain started, luckily my friend Antje had some aleve which worked really good. tomorrow i'll test out the hitch on the piano and maybe try thumbing to pie town on sunday(next 88 day). better go preview it first to make sure there's an eve or awning some place cool. 2/21/08 12:56p. The piano survived the rain. it's still outside Murphy's Bar. i'm going to try and get a tow-hitch welded today and try out the hitch-hiking with the piano concept from the Water Canyon to Pie Town tomorrow or Saturday. so if you got a ball on your vehicle and feel like driving real slow with the piano hitched up i'll be playin' and thumbin' and awaitin'. 2/20/08 5:29p. It's raining right now and the winds really kicked up earlier. so i had to move the piano to an awning next to Murphys Bar kinda behind the Jelly Donut. at least the wind can't gail over it there and lift up the tarp and let the rain in. I'm feeling pretty down right now so i'm going to have to sign off 'til tomorrow. 2/19/08 11:31p. Moved the piano a little more eastward today. it's now across the street from the jelly donut under a nice eve next to a barber shop and church. they'r forcasting rain for the next few days so it should be safe. nothing new on the undergrand project, been dealing with bipolar stuff, i think it's time to make some major changes in my personal life!! no more complicated rejection scenerios!!! 2/16/08 6:12p. The piano's at the tax place with the amazing Mother Liberty Dancers. some kid started playing it right off the bat. i'll go back tomorrow and check in on it. it's a bit exposed where it is and the cover has to be kept down when not being played. There's another sign dancer promoing pizza; he's really scary! he shakes his fist at people and flys off the curb into a busy right turn lane. i have a feeling he'snot going to last long unless he brings it down about 10 notches. I'm going to try and get down there 9ish tomorrow. 2/15/08 8:26p. To Cold and Windy Today. I stayed in and started a new piece - rain watered budding fruit trees and thought some more about a piano operatic poem. I'd like to get an early start tomorrow if it's nice and get a little push in before breakfast, then maybe the swap meet for a little piano good bye to Howard (swap meet is closing and Howard is the piano in the snack bar). 2/14/08 9:54p. IT SNOWED TODAY!!! nothing stuck though. i ran out first thing this morning and moved and covered the piano. it's in front of the reptile/dance studio. tomorrow i might go play piano with the statue of liberty dancers down at the tax place. if it's cold i'm not going anyplace. it was freezing today!! i better go cover the tomatoe plant. bye. 2/13/08 1:10p. The wind is kicking up today from the west; still pretty warm though. Moved some trailers around to help oraganize stuff alittle. the trailer the grands coming out of is going to be the piano parts trailer and i was thinking about mounting all the drums in another trailer and making a drum trailer instrument out of it. i love my procrastinative nature; it supplies me with all kinds of new ideas in an effort to detour me from tasks i need to be doing. Two days left on the present Tour location; not sure where it's going next, that's one of the things i like most about this project, the k sura sura serindipity factor. see ya out there Friday morning sometime. 2/12/08 1:52p. Another beautiful day in the 70s and that warm breeze is still santering over the farm and through the inner walls of the compound! my daughters taking the week off in SF. she was somewhere near Golden Gate Park this morning when i called. i haven't been able to get motivated to do any piano trailer stuff today. i've watered all the trees with some of the 200 gallons of rain water i collected last storm. i'm expecting them to start budding any second; usually the mullberry tree breaks wood first. even had a fly in the house this morning, all the signs of spring, but it feels to soon to me. 2/11/08 4:18p. It's a perfect day today. first warm breeze of the new year; just the right amount of clouds too. I'd like to get the little Whitney Grand out of the trailer it's in and suspended in the car port so i could just drop it down onto it's new trailer and have the option to lift it back up to make adjustments. i need to go through the bearings before i attach the axle to the trailer frame; one is really tight and the other spins a bit to freely with a shake. still haven't gotten to my sink. so much to do - it amazes me that i have anytime to be depressed (?) just got to keep on task and i'm downer free. it's keeping on task when some part of your body gets a flat that's hard. then it's the slippery slope chain reactive cauch freeze that becomes my evil bossom buddy.more undergrand thoughts 2/08/08 8:52p. It's another 88 day and so the piano made it's way to La Casita, mucho gracious Arturo. Played an out going concert at the WC; i really love the acoustics in that place i'll have to stop there again late some evening when there's no traffic noise and play. Welded alittle today on the frame for the grandpiano trailer; threw it around a bit to see if i could get it to break or crack anywhere else but itseems to be strong now. next thing to do is the axle spring leaf mounts, maybe tomorrow (?). gotta lotta stuff i should be doing around here ie the bathroom sink drain to toilet tank! sinks been down for about 3 weeks now awaiting it's graywater redirect. 2/07/08 6:19p. I almost forgot to tell you all about my bipolar moment, i felt it necessary yesterday to lash out at my self so i went and put these fictitious responses on the piano with a message board to the "town fool" cut off my nose to spite my face of course somebody left the message "get smart!" if i only knew how. 2/07/08 4:49p. I took off all the promotional material i.e. articles etc. concerning the tour today, mainly because all i saw people doing was reading "that" instead of playing the piano. i keep catching my ego trying to weasel it's way into infamy. now there's nothing on the piano except a tour update blurb. i also wrote "Public Piano On Tour" in large letters on both sides of the instruments pink veneer. it seems like the more infamous i become the more caniving my ego becomes. The author of Hard Candy came up to me today and praised the project; i can't deny that it feels good when strangers respond positively, but i'm not sure if the source of this good feeling is my ego or my heart and soul(?) any thoughts out there?? 2/06/08 10:37a. The Piano is still at the WC. Found a bent up little trailer frame which i was able to straighten by driving on to the biggest part of the bend with the front left wheel of my vehicle, and then using a metal bar i tweeked it up at a few prime spots. there are stress cracks in a few places in the frame but i can weld in some reinforcement. so things are looking good for a spring launch date for the "Live Undergrand". 2/01/08 9:49a. The piano is at the Water Canyon. i left a note on it to Mr. Tanner. haven't heard anything yet today; so far so good. i'm going to put together a little Tour Update and tape it on the piano as well with maybe a map of where it's been so far. It looks like a little trailer i've had here for years may work as the axle for the next phase of the project. ran into somebody yesterday whose horse had the same problem as my dog Bumper and the outcome was not good. so now i'm really worried about him. i've been taking him everywhere with me, and he really doesn't like it. he'd rather be home, or a wennie roast, sorry, bad pun/sadpun (pun in the sun). 1/29/08 5:40p. WOW there went 5 days!! Definately been raining and super-windy!! i moved the piano a few doors down today to a flower shop where it'll stay for a couple of days. When i tell people and friends that i trucked the piano to Yucca Valley they get this "you cheated"attitude. and that's OK. again this is a piece about PEACE not me and how veril and stupendous I AM. i'm striving to eliminate my need for an ego massage. what about the need out there for judgemental superiority?! nothin' i can do about that. OH WELL. some will get the higher purpose here, most wont. 1/24/08 6:27p. There went 3 days! it's been raining off and on. the piano is safely tucked away under an eve at the furniture store. maybe tomorrow, just don't know. 1/21/08 5:20p. Heck of a wind today! checkd out the piano this morning and it was fine. i'll try again tomorrow. they're saying rain again though. have to keep that in mind at the next stop. 1/20/08 2:31p. Yesterday i moved the piano down a door or 2 and jammed with Trumpet Mark. i was going to push a few more doors down today to the Harley Dealer when i remembered the ORVers have it out for me. it was to windy to push any real distance so i put the piano back by the furniture store so that it might blend in easier and not be so visible from the Harley shop. i'm going to go down tomorrow and push it out of harms way probably in the morning. 1/18/08 8:32p. The piano spent it's first night in Yucca Valley, thanks Jerry. it's presently in front of a furniture store a couple doors down and thanks to Larry for that. it was way to cold out there today. if it's warmer tomorrow i'll head towards the Water Canyon. that's a great front patio. so maybe i'll see ya out there, noonishish (it's another 88 piano day). 1/17/08 5:47p. SUCCESS! the transport went without a snag. at first i didn't have enough lift on the top of the ramp but i found some old plywood pieces near by and placed them underneath the ramp which raised it just enough for me to push the piano on to the flatbed trailer. it was even easier unloading. so the piano's at Jerry's Restaurant and their cool about it. i'm really looking forward to the push tomorrow; there's so many places in Yucca Valley that need a Public Piano! not sure what time yet probably around 10ish. 1/16/08 5:29p. After considering all the options i've decided to transport the piano to the furthest USEFUL POINT in Yucca Valley. i've reevaluated the intention of the piece and i feel the most important aspect is supplying a Public Piano for magical serendiptious public moments. that's what this tour is about. not some macho ego driven push a piano across a desert through treacherous road conditions causing potential protractive calateral inconsequential unintended misguided provacateering. no need to call the police here! HONEST! this is not some kind of protest piece. it's simply a peace piece. that's it. so tomorrow morning at 6am the tour will move from the furthest point in 29 Palms to the furthest useful point (a place where people might actually play it) in Yucca and make it's way back to JT. maybe by the time it gets home i'll have the trailerable public piano ready for "thumbing" down the road to uncharted public piano lands unknow. 1/14/08 5:00P. Played "I DID IT MY WAY" for the store owner today; he didn't seem to impressed. maybe he was hoping i'd sing it too. not ready to go that far yet. maybe tomorrow (?) he did say it was ok to leave the piano there for a couple more days. i may have to find my dog a babysiter so i can get back to pushing. i'm to nervous with him out there with me. and he does really well, it's just hard to unhook his leash and get out of the way when a questionable motorist is heading towards you. so if you know of any dog sitters out there please let me know. 1/12/08 5:50p. Piano's doin fine on the side corridor to the DMV Zone. i haven't ventured out into the ballistic sectors since my near mis. kinda just want to get going either to the gate or back towards JT. unfortunately my dogs condition has taken another turn towards top priority. unless, i do the base gate at night (?) with nite vision glasses. ya right! and get swatted right out of existance. better to go during the day with my freak flag held high. and a big thanks to Mark for the pdf, i just about got the Sinatra song down. 1/10/08 1:19p. Got the piano to the Sky Ranch Drive-in yesterday and to the Dmv Zone today. My dog with the sunburn problem accompanied me. i started playing about 50 feet from the DMV and was asked to move in about 10 minutes, so i moved another 30 feet down and checked with the guy in the alteration shop it was now in front of if it would be ok there and i started playing again. after about 5 minutes this guy comes out of this Dominoes Pizza yelling at me, i apologized perfusely and pushed the piano away. the owner of the market gave me permission to leave the piano over on his patio, so i set up there and took off down Indian Ave, and there was a cop coming toward me and sure enough he went into the plaza. i went back and Yelling Mean Dominoe Pizza guy had called and complained. so i don't think the piano is going to last long at this location. and if anybody out there has a pdf file of I DID IT MY WAY, the old Frank Sinatra tune, please send it to me, the owner of the store where the piano is so graciously being hosted has requested it. 1/09/08 10:04a. I got my first call to remove the piano or we'll tow it away; this was at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. by the time i got down to the piano it was dark and cloudy and as i was getting ready to push it away, a number of patrons at the ajoining bar were ready to intercede and help sanction the piano at least for another night. so i ended up just moving it to the front of the bar. i think today i better just get on down the road with it. 1/07/08 11:07p. Checked on the piano yesterday and picked up my friend Robyn in Wonder Valley for some fun and games. It rained again last night but i decided to chance it anywayz today so i uncovered the piano. it's pretty protected under an awning. tomorrows the first 88 of the new year; definately a piano year!!gotta go somewhere special with the piano tomorrow!!! 1/05/08 5:36p. The rain hit early this moring! I went down yesterday and tied the tarp down on the piano. 2 more storms to go. i'm going down tomorrow to check on things probably in the morning. see ya out there. 1/02/08 11:30p. Three storms are on their way! i'll probably be off to 29 tomorrow to bundle up the piano. first storm is suppose to hit at 6pm. see ya down there around 1pm. 1/01/08 12:07p. Happy New Year! i'm not sure yet if i'm going down to the piano today. they're predicting a huge storm starting Thursday through next Tuesday and it's in a real protected spot right now so i may just leave it for a few days where it is which is Adobe Road and Amboy Road. 12/30/07 5:31p. I put my crocks on and went down to the piano. other then a coat of sand and dust it was fine and being treated well. my foot thing hasn't come back either; go figure(?) i tuned it a bit and played for some people who seemed amused. the market attendent was by far the most jubuilant about my playing, she had an impossible to remember Korean name, i think, it started with a "T" and then maybe a "ch" sound and then i don't know where it went. i think she'd be happy if the piano lived there permanently (she mentioned she had a son in need of piano lessons). so i'm so relieved (!) and remember, keep all those cards and letters comin' in. 12/30/07 2:25p. I was on my way out to the piano just now and had a series of shooting pain attacks starting at my right foot up through my the whole right side of my body. i think i'm going to carefully walk around the farm here a bit and try and figure out what's going on with my foot. even if i don't push today i think i'll still go down at some point to check on it though. 12/30/07 9:50a. I woke up yesterday morning with an intense pain in my side and heal of my right foot. i think i pulled something during my fall from the Wal*. the pains a little better today so i'll probably try and get out there around 2:30 and see if i can at least get it to the drive-in. i get nervous with it in one place to long, especially with school out and bored adoloesents near by. 12/28/07 7:33p. What A Day! i got kicked off the Wal! Wally's baby-siter personally escorted me out the back door. how embarassing. and he told me to never come back! the king of comodities has cut me off!! what am i to do with all the braking crap i got from there? and WOW what power; put everybody in town out of business and then selectively cut people off if they stand up to you! sorry, needless to say i didn't push today. i did get to take my beautiful daughter out for dinner though, and they made me my favorite soup even though they don't regularly because of the buffet. so the day wasn't all bad. Tomorrow after the swap meet ! 12/27/07 9:13p. Didn't push today. dealt with the missing spare ie picked up the wheel from Ford and dropped it off at The Great Walmart. i'm going to try and get back there early and get this whole tire thing resolved once and for all. does it seem like i have alot of tire and wheel karma? what does it mean? 12/27/07 11:05a. BRRRRRR! it's windy and freezing outside; some weird dusty fog blew in last night but it's looking pretty clear right now. so i'll probably be out there in a while. may just go as far as the drive in theatre. i keep forgetting to take pictures of the piano at all it's stops, so if you see the piano anywhere please send me a picture. my cell phone will recieve your picture phone pics and that number is 760 808 4286, or you can always email them be sure to put "HEY UJAM MAN" in the subject. 12/26/07 4:20p. Forgot about Amboy Road Market, so that's where i left the piano. tomorrow i'll shoot for the DMV zone. thought i might ask them about a tailer license option so the dolly could just hook up to the back of a car and drive away. it'd probably have to meet a minium wheel size. the jont down the hill today was a bit tricky at times dodging telephone poles. at one point i had to off load the bike and chair to weasel around one. the brake again worked fine except during the off load. at one point the strap came out of the winch so i had to hold the piano with my feet while i rethreaded it. i just locked the piano up and left it in front of the market; didn't say anything to anyone. asking permission from attendants is predictably negative, and a piano in front of a store, as we know, is a good thing. besides it'll be gone by noon tomorrow. 12/26/07 10:43a Gettin' ready to go out to the piano at Adobe and 2mile. i'm going to try and get it to at least the DMV today. i just hate leaving Bumper home alone to his over sun worshipping; his little sea monster is looking really good right now. no scabs on the eyes (OOOOOOOOh). i Played carols at the piano yesterday for about an hour then i turned on the phone and within seconds Bella called with her request. there was no way i could say no; it was a pretty painless rendevous at a Mickey-D in Ontario. still waiting on a spare tire for the truck, keep an air pump handy. see ya in an hour or so. 12/24/07 10:31p The push yesterday to Lucky Park made me realize i needed to shift the pianomore to the left on the dolly and add more support to the piano legs hanging over the edge of the dolly. it started creaking like an old boat; so that's what i did first thing before pushing off to Adobe and 2 mile Road. i wanted to put it in front of the little store there but the attendant couldn't get in touch with the owners for permission. luckily i ran into somebody coming out of a store front next door who was willing to lend some space for the nite. oh ya, came out this morning and my truck tire was flat, went to change it and discovered my spare had been stolen out of the under-cradle. life is challenging aint it (?) ooh yes, and my 14 year old duaghter wants a 300 dollar cell phone for xmas, yep yep, challengin'. i just heard Santana Claus. 12/22/07 7:46p The piano's at the Chemehuevi Barial Ground. i'm starting to get a little concerned about one of the middle wheels. it started making a teniewenie sound today. i better start looking for another 8inch wheel! i think it'll go a ways still though. Tomorrow i'm heading toward Lucky Park and i'm going to try and stop more and play some carols. i found a stool to start bringing with me; just got to paint it and get it ready. 12/21/07 4:23p Did the big hill today!! the brake system using the strap wench pulling a 2x4 block of wood into the middle wheels worked great. i was able to set a slow drag so the piano just rolled slowly down the hill with minimum guidance on my part. it was cold and windy today too!! BIG THANKS TO SHERRY AND JEFF THE TRADER for letting me park the piano there for a spell. i was going to put it over at the Rio Ranch Market but they had their parking area all taped off for painting so maybe on the way back through town. Next stop - Chemheuvi (sp) Burial Ground (please pardon my spelling, this is about the tenth way i tried spelling it????) Something else kinda out of the ordinary happened today; an old friend from college had seen the press stuff and called me. so maybe an unexpected aspect of this piece might be reconnecting with long lost friends. It was sure great hearing from you today Duane. (did i spell that right??) 12/20/07 1:15p Went down to the piano this morning to move it and the Salvation Army people asked if it could stay around for a while longer. so i think i'll go down later today and move it somewhere new. I've been dealing with amazon books for the last 2 hours trying to return a book they sent to me in RUSSIAN!! can you believe it ?! i dumb-founded that i could order a book and not know i was ordering it in Russian. i went to the original page on amazon and it's all in English nothing in the ad says it's in RUSSIAN! so here i am 2 hours later still trying to return it! 12/19/07 10:08a Went down to the piano last night and tucked it in. today i'm going to go tape a few xmas carols on the piano and put it out by the Staterbros. i think the rain has passed, the sky's pretty clear, so i'll be heading down to 29 with the Bumper dog in the next few minutes. 12/18/07 12:23p Santa Ana Claus is coming to town. it just started blowin. i'm tryin to figure out the best time to go down to the piano today and push it over to Staterbros. it really doesn't look like rain here but it's comin down in LA so i'll have to keep the piano close to shelter. The other complicator in my life these days is my dog Bumper who has had an on-going problem with a sunburn on his pink-private-part. because i've been home so much lately working on the dolly i've been able to keep him from spread-eagling the sun and his problem is getting much better. what he really needs is a doggy-cod-piece with a leg-lift activated gunlet. So everything i do these days takes his condition into consideration. i've been taking both dogs with me lately if i have to leave during extreme sun periods of the day. life is so complicated sometimes! 12/17/07 7:26p i keep forgetting to mention a couple of things: i had concerns about the new dolly configuration being able to go up and over a curb; with quick release clips on the rear wheels, they can be removed and then the dolly can tetter back enough for the front wheels to clear the curb, then shifting the weight forward, bringing the middle wheels over the curb. this is all still just theory. one thing that did work the other day: i was able to get the big Pink Piano off the flatbed trailer by my self by hanging the exact amount of the bottom of the piano over the edge of the trailer, equal to the distance to the ground. i then got up on the trailerand lifted really quick so that the pianos own weight pulled it upright onit's way to the ground. i think that's all i got. 12/17/07 6:15p Went down to the piano today and attached a 12"x1" sustain pedal extension. it's hindged on one end and it just floats on top of the sustain pedal. this was a simple fix for the pedal behind the wheel problem. i also put the cover on it; rain's expected tonite in LA. tomorrow i'm pushing it over to the staterbro and leaving it there. i hope i can get some good video footage of someone playinit. then i'll probably bring it back to it's safe covered area until the rain threat passes. i also wanted to thank whoever put the kesq news blurb on utube, and for pointing out their proprietorial controls and restrictions, so thanks whoever you are. 12/16/07 10:22a The push went smooth today! only went about a mile; found a nice dry place to park it just past the staterbros on the south side. i don't liketo park and dash but i'll be back first thing in the morning and head towards the BIG HILL! i'll definately need the brake! coming down the hill from the Harmony Motel was a bit scary. Thank you Ash for letting me park the piano there for the last 2 weeks. 12/15/07 8:23p SUCCESS!! the piano is on the new dolly! i had it half on and somebody drove up and lent a hand. i rolled it around the parking lot a little and it seemed to work fine. tomorrow i'll roll it on down the road somewhere probably early in the moring. see ya out there. 12/14/07 7:39p Just finished bolting on the last axle and screwing on the plywood bed. my biggest surprise today was when i went to put the cotter-pin in the end of the axle i couldn't getit in there because of the wheel hub pocketness, i could bend the pin funky and get it in there but i decided to go with spacers so that the pin was out further toward the end of the axle and more accessable. i only ended up drilling one wrong hole before discovering the problem. so i'm definately going to be out there tomorrow. don't believe me, idon't care. 12/13/07 1:58p Beefed-up the brake system this morning; haven't drilled the axles yet, needless to say i won't get out there today but most definately tomorrow!!(are you starting to not believe me?). 12/12/07 5:33p Everything went super smoothly today. i was even able to get the new axle supports welded. i also put a piece of plywood on the bed area which might make it easier for me to roll the piano on to it, maybe even by myself. all i have left is to drill 2 axles and put in the cotter pins. So tomorrow's looking pretty good as a new launch date, at leasta test ride to the shopping center :) 12/12/07 10:57a I just about have both axles clamped on and ready for a pre-test. if everything works smoothly i'll start welding. last minute i realized a quicker solution for the axle supports using 1/4" thick 3"x3" angle iron. this is some pretty thick stuff and may be a challenge to weld; but this should save a few steps and time. Now they're saying another storm this weekend. with any luck i'll be rolling into some overhang by tomorrow or friday. 12/10/07 12:08p It snowed yesterday. Nothing here at the farm; cold as hell though. i whimped out and got nothing drilled or mountd this weekend on th dolly. tunned the piano though! it seems to be having the normal response to the cold on the extreme registers. Overall it's doing fine outside. i'm on way out to drill the 3 axlesand then to town to get them greased. i don't have an air grease fitting which can really pack the grease deep into the wheel hub. 12/07/07 4:35pm Rain wasn't to bad but the winds were/are intense! i went down and checked the piano first thing this morning, while very dark clouds loomed overhead. i've had a hard time getting motivated to work on the other 2 axles with the wind blazin and glazin against the greenhouse. and it's really cold!!i really do wish i was out there though. Honest! 12/06/07 11:30pm wheels came today!! and of course they were the wrong shaft diameter. that's ok i'm going to do the other 2 axles like the middle axle with a solid piece of round stock u-bolted to an angle iron riser. versatility rules! BIG STORM COMING! needless to say i'll be spending a nervous day between the farm and the piano 12 miles away. Bundle Up! 12/04/07 9:25pm Wheels didn't come today. i was able to drill and mount the middle wheels on its axle. may just weld it back together tomorrow and get back out there with or without the new wheels. 12/03/07 9:44pm Still don't know what to do for the other 4 wheels. The castor place sent out the 4" wheels friday so they may be here any day. Unless i find some 6" wheel-barrel wheels soon i'll probably just use the 4". I hear there's more rain coming this friday: sure would like to roll down to some place water prooof down by the stater bros before it hits. 12/02/07 12:27pm WOW! what a rain! and with 2 pianos outside; needless to say i had my hands full. i covered the piano down at the Harmony Motel with plastic and tarped the original pink piano which is still here at the farm. i better get it up to Louise's with the other pianos. Then there was that wind yesterday; had a few 90 mph blasts. I'm looking into 12" wheel barrel wheels for the other 4 wheels. I'll have to call the american caster and wheel tomorrow. i'm going to at least finish the 8"wheel and axle today; it needs 4 holes drilled and cotter pins placed. Once the axles all assembled i'm going to use the zerk fitting to really fill it with grease. i'm also thinking 12" tires would make it easier to go over curbs. 11/29/07 9:09pm Spent most of the day rounding up parts and having a washer made for the 1" axle. Jim used his lathe to bore out a washer i brought him. i found some u-joint u-bolts that fit the 1#axle perfectly. the dolly's cut up and i need to finish the axle with the holes for the cotter-pins, then attach it tothe dolly. fun fun. 11/28/07 6:03pm Tunned the WeeGem for Open Mic and picked up the wheels; they're 8 inch rims and with the tire they're nearly 15 and half inches. 5 inches bigger then the other wheels. i got just the right amount of axle by accident and it cost $8.88 (that's a good sign:). i greased the wheels and put them on the axle and realized i was short a washer; so i'm going to wait to drill the 1 inch axle-rod for the cotter pins until i got everything. i think i'm also going to u-bolt this axle to the dolly frame instead of welding it, which'll make it easier to change the axle or wheels in the future. So if i can get my self motivated i'm gonna get out there with the torch and cut off all the axles. Then i'll tetertater the dolly frame on the new axle and wheels and then figure out where the other wheels need to go. 11/27/07 As it turns out i have some old wheels that may work. they came off a Lincoln welder trailer. they've got roller bearings, that's what matters. Ordered the tires today and they're say'n tomorrow so we'll see. I'll need to have them to figure out the mods to the dolly. i'm afraid to cut anything without them. 11/26/07 10:40 pm I made it 3 miles today before the bearing went out. So it's at the Harmony Motel. Tomorrow i'll off-load the piano, bring the dolly home and put a 10 or 12 inch trailer wheel in the center wheel position. 11/26/07 I got an email from my mom.MOM'S EMAIL It threw me for a bit of a loop. But then my mom thought i was crazy to cut up a grand piano and squat on the Red Line Track. I'm on way out there to push; it's a BEAUTIFUL DAY! sorry mom:( 11/24/07 Windy again; or was it(?) i think i'm starting to fear aspects of the project. GOOD! something to conquer. Try again tomorrow, and Happy Hendrixmas. 11/23/07 TOO WINDY TODAY TO PUSH! Freeze is coming tonite. I hope this wind dies down so the blankets won't blow off the fig tree tonite. Because of last January's freeze it died and came back and is just now fruiting. I'll try pushing again tomorrow. 11/22/07 HAPPY TRIPTOFEEN. My date for today came down with the flu. So i'm home here with a radical realization concerning the dolly. what i shoulda done was put 12 inch motor cycle wheels in the center. i think there's enough room between wheels and i had about 2 inches of riser on the axle heighth. a motor cycle wheel would also give me the option for a drum brake. Back to the drawing board maybe. 11/21/07 HUGE NEWS!! Sheryl kahn from KESQ CHANNEL 3 NEWS did a story today and it aired at 6pm and it can be seen at KESQ.COM (High Desert Man Plays His Pink Piano On Wheels). They completely went with the anti war aspect and ignored the public piano tour side of things 'that's foe business' hot topics sell. Anywaz, things are rolling again, i'm going to see how the mod works and hope the wheels get here soon. See ya Friday morning around 10AM. Oh ya and i think i got the brake working. won't know for sure 'till i get to that first hill. 11/20/07 I was woken this morning by a call from the caster company; now it seems the cylinder bearing wheels won't be here until Xmas or there after. i'm now about 90% sure that welding the washer on to the frame is going to help significantly in supporting the back of the bearing housing of each wheel. i'm going to try and get that done today and get back out there and give it a try. Next stop 29 Palms Staters. 11/17/07 Wow! what a great article thanks Jutta. Jutta Biggerstaff Article 11/16/07 i think i've figured out the problem with the wheels: the area the wheels sit against the frame where the axles comes out isn't flat. it's kinda rounded which does nothing to support the self contained bearing in the wheel. So that area will have to be flat and at 90 degrees to the axle. i'm not sure if it wouldn't be easier to weld a big washer in there(?). 11/15/07 12:30pm: i looked up to soon; i just checked delivery on the wheels and they're telling me 2 weeks. Eeks! so now what? Electra thinks it can stay at A Roadside Attraction. i don't know what else to do at this point accept put a tread-mill behind it and push-it-in-place (?) so i guess i'll stay home today and work on the piano propeller signs which i'm hoping will spin when big rigs drive by. 11/15/07 Just put in an order for some tapperd bearing pneumatic wheels for the center vulcrum point wheels. so things are looking up! i'm just about ready to head down to A Roadside Attraction to do some work on the axles, see ya out there. 11/14/07 Got the Tour Piano back on the dolly today; i noticed a strange angle on the washer between the wheel and the axle frame. so tomorrow i'm going to pull the wheel and do a little grinding before heading down to Stater Bs. And there may be an article coming out this Saturday. i'll link it here if there is. 11/12/07 Dolly's not ready. Kinda figured it wouldn't be. Drove the next performance stretch yesterday. There's about a'miles' worth of gradual grade and then it's all down hill to the Staters. i think i've decided to keep the tour on 4 lane Hwys like the section of 62 through JT and 29 Palms and then down Adobe until it goes single lane. This decision is based on how I've noticed people reacting to me and the piano on the Hwy. so i'll just keep lapping around the area, with an odometer and when it get's to 250 miles, i'll drive the piano to Vegas and Tour around there with it. wha'da'ya think (?) for safety's sake, and i wouldn't have to worry about the dogs, cat and fish cause it'd be an easy commute from home every day. is that cheating though ? i think it kinda trades safety and symbology for egology. 11/10/07 Checked with Gimini yesterday and the dolly wasn't ready; probably won't be ready untill sometime next week. i have to search for some more wheels as well since Home D is out. i'd like to find some made in the US or somewhere other then china. i also need to find some kind of exhaust mask. my lungs actually hurt after the last push; to much car exhaust out there on the hiway. 11/07/07 Piece of cake! made it right up the CMC grade. went through another wheel bearing though. i'm pretty sure one of the axles is a little skewed. so i off loaded the piano at A Roadside Attraction and took the dolly to Jim at Gimini. It may be a few days before I'm out at it again. Here's some pics so far. TOUR PICTURES: 11/06/07 Jim at Gemini engineering thinks he can add enough axle to accomodate another wheel; i'm going to give the rig one more chance the way it is before bring it in. . . another 2 wheels in the center sure would make it beafy! In case anybody noticed the Piano didn't Tour today. I needed a Sark day; more of a catch up with everything day. i still need to run out to Home D and return the broken wheel, get some heavy duty socks, and some reflective tape. i'll be out there pushing in the morning some time, up the cmc grade. i'm thinking maybe the Pink Piano could live between the Giant Tortoise and the lonly blue building between the Hospice and Super Clean. A number of you have expressed missing it in town, thanks for telling me that, i really appreciate it. Incase i hadn't mentioned why it had to move from Linda's, Linda wanted me to put it on the metal grade between her building and the Hospice where the roof gutter pipes come down and no over-hang protection. Did Pinky ware out his welcome? he'd been there in front of that Health Food Store for 19 months. why was he thrown to the cold cruel chasm between the buildings???? (sob sob sob, snif snif). 11/05/07 10:18pm I have to thank Ida for her brilliant answer to the wheel problem; she suggested duallys! So tomorrow i'm going to look into the modification. I did make it another 1.1 mile today without incident. It's now just past the Panarama Ranch Sign. I have to thank Deputy Smoot for his friendly advisement concerning obstructing traffic. i've also changed tactics a little i'm now pushing towards on coming cars. i actually make eye contact with people driving by and some wave. and i'm definately not pushing it at night!! Oh and i wanted to thank Electra again for all her PR ideas i'm sorry that i really edited them down. 11/05/07 I only made it 4.1 miles yesterday and had numerous problems with the wheel nuts locking up so the piano is stuck for the time being at Sunfair and 62. I even blew out a bearing in one of the wheels so i've got to find some heavier duty wheels for the center wheels at least. I'll be back at it soon. 11/02/07 Yesterday was my daughters's Birthday so i was pretty busy with stuff. The Tour was a bit hariy pushing up the hill towards Yucca. I decided to compromise and park at the Post Office corner. The spider wheels are starting to break apart from the asphalt. I'm going to try and get some replacement wheels but i can see this rigs miles are numbered! 10/30/07 The Tour went smooth today. Speed bumps were kind of a challenge. Had to shoot the piano through the valley between bumps. The spider works suprisingly well on the street asphalt. 10/29/07 1:32 pm - ? Just got back from putting up the press release on the Pink Piano along with a few ballons. It's actally 9.4 miles to the Roadside Attraction so make note of that painful mistake on the PR. I just had a funny realization which made me feel like i should maybe apologize incase the Pink Piano on Tour seems a bit like a 'tolerence tester'. So, sorry if the piano gets in your way. Go play something cathartic on it and get it outa ya!! 10/29/07 I got a call at 8:20 this morning to move the pink piano from it's first guerilla stop on it's tour through DTJT. First stop was almost 20 hours. Good Begining! it's been at the Tortoise for 3 hours now and no call yet. Thanks Electra with the Press Release Stuff. 10/27/07 The Yamaha isn't going to work for the Tour Piano. It has pins in the 'hammer butt flange' that like to migrate and fall out. My other Yamaha has a similar problem. So I'm going to swap it with the Public Piano at the Roadside Attraction. The spider, on the other hand, is perfect for the Pink Piano. i'm going into town after this blog to do a little recon before tomorrows liberation and Tour send-off. The Pink Piano will be parked someplace different daily, around JT, if everything goes as planned, and end up, who know's where(???) Then the Tour Piano will head east out across the Mojave . . . sounds so romantic . . . . (hahahaaaa, just you wait). 10/26/07 WOW!!!Mark just brought me the most BEAUTIFUL PIANO!!! It's a Yamaha Studio Upright, around 20 years or less old and it's sitting 0n a spider. The spider will be perfect for the pink piano so tomorrow some time we'll be getting that installed and the pink piano will be free to roam and graze around Joshua Tree. I'll start installing the all-terrain dolly to the Yamahahaha hot piano soooon. 10/24/07 The main body of the dolly is done (been done for about 5 days now), the braking system is finally figured out and will consist of an added on section which well telescope into the main dolly body tubing. With any luck the braking system and telescoping front support will be done today (as long as the Santa Ana winds subside). Clairvoyant Moment: somebody graffitied the pink piano with the Bobby Furst implication ("Bobby 2nd"), at first I thought a friend had put it there as a joke since the day before, after driving by 2 Open Studio billboards i jokingly said "it looks like it's official, i'm definately Bobby 2nd." In case you haven't noticed there's a hardly recognizeable picture of Bobby Furst on the Open Studio Billboards all around the hi-dez. After finding out it wasn't a friend's joke i was a little disappointed so i scrubbed it off. You can still see it a little (to the right of the words Heart and Soul). If you think about it, a piano sitting out in a public place, there's a socio-barometer aspect to it that i find interesting. From the keys ripped-off to the plastic jewels and eyeballs burned off, all these things kind of indicate a level of public health and frustration. Part of me is surprised that it hasn't been torched yet, since in some ways it is a 'western symbol of culture and hi-art'. I don't think the graffiti was directed negatively at me, it was more of a funny observation that was irresistibly kind'a true, at least materially speaking, as i have no concrete floored quonset-hut, no roll-around-tool-cabinets, and no inside welding facility. In some ways i'm a minimalist and i sort'a derive a toxic purging pleasure from my somewhat crude simplistic sandy floor existance. 10/13/07 I got the axles back and a new heat pump (thanks Ed); it was to windy today to do any welding though, maybe tomorrow. The braking system is still somewhat of a mystery. Boy are my lips chapped. 10/10/07 The all terrain dolly is about half done. I'm waiting on the axles. They're being welded by a professional in Yucca Valley (Gemini). The rest of it's being welded by youre's truly. It's not pretty but it's sturdy. I based my design on one from e-bay. The trick will be in rigging a braking system. I got plenty of time, first big hill isn't 'till 29 Palms. Good'ol Mark Soden came through with another piano donation and that'll be here in a couple of weeks./ So everything is moving along. 10/3/07 At least once a week I get calls for piano tunning and with 5 Public Pianos out there I barely have enough time to tune my own. So here's a number for a tunner, whom I've met and trust: his name is Herb and his number is 1-800-814-8863. 10/1/07 It looks like the Pink Piano is going to stay in Joshua Tree and another donated piano will be going out on the road. The theme of the Public Piano tour will be "Public Piano Peace Tour - Play it Forward". The route will be east on Hwy 62. If you are interested in helping either driving the pilot vehicle or helping out with my pets at home please send me an email with the words PIANO PEACE in the subject or call the phone number on the front page and leave me a message. 7/24/07 Boy time goes by in a wink of an eye. So many new things to write here: The yamaha has been replaced with a verical grand and there will not be a piano by the chamber of commerce (you might want to go ask Gail at the chamber why). And the Pink Piano is going on tour! That's right the Public Piano Project is going on Tour!! Starting in October you'll be able to find the Piano somewhere on Hwy 62 east of JT. I'll post more details as well as how you can participate a bit later. Also, there's a new Public Piano at the Roadside Attraction next door to Raven's Books thanks to Julia and Carle. 4/18/07 I just realized I've forgotten to mention the newest memeber to the public piano family: there's now a yamaha electric piano at the Palms in Wonder Valley, and i never heard back from the Water Canyon so soon i'll be installing a Public Piano by the JT Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to Gail, Al and Katie. 4/9/07 THE PIANO PARTY RESULTS ARE IN AND THE PINK PIANO NOW GLISTENS AS WELL AS GLOWS. THANKS TO GLORIA FOR THE WONDERFUL ORANGE CAKE AND SWIRLY GEM DESIGN AND TO CYNTHIA FOR THE GEMS AND HELP, ELECTRA FOR THE PINK FEATHERS AND FLOWERS AND OF COURSE RICHARD FOR HIS SUPBERB METAPHYSICAL SUPERVISION. 4/4/07 PUBLIC PIANO BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION THIS SUNDAY APRIL 8TH AT 2 PM. COME ON DOWN and help finish tar and feathering as well as adorning the piano with eyeballs and jewels. After some careful consideration I've decided not to swap out the instrument for something experimental and instead i prepared the highest octave. In compromise, i well be doing a free form noise night on the LAST FRIDAY of the month (4/27) at the BEATNIK from 9 to midnight. i promise to bring some great noise makers to help vent your madness. 4/2/07 THE PINK PIANO STAYS!! BY AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE!! THANKS EVERYBODY. 3/6/07 FLASH BULLETIN!! A couple of days ago a survey was installed at the Health Food Store in order to get public opinion concerning the Pink Piano. Go down and show your support or express your grievances. IT'S ALL GOOD. However, there has been some discussion about swapping out the instrument next month in celebration of it's ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY with something a little more experimental. ALSO. thanks to Mark Wheeler for the great article.ARTICLE · JANUARY 2007: 2 MORE PUBLIC PIANOS WERE INSTALLED IN JOSHUA TREE. THE ONE AT THE BEATNIK IS A RARE 68 KEY WEEGEM MADE BY JESSE FRENCH AND SONS IT ALSO HAS A PEZIO PICKUP FOR PA HELP. THE 3RD PUBLIC PIANO IS INSIDE THE HOSPICE NEXT DOOR TO THE PINK PIANO. A 4TH PIANO IS READY FOR INSTALLATION. I'M HOPING THE GOOD PEOPLE AT THE WATER CANYON WILL WELCOME IT TO THEIR FRONT PATIO AREA. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER LOCATION SUGGESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT ME AND KEEP DONATING THOSE OLD PIANOS. APRIL 2006: AFTER 2 YEARs AND 3 PIANOS, THE PUBLIC PIANO PROJECT WAS FINALLY INSTALLED ON APRIL 8, 2006 IN FRONT OF JOSHUA TREE HEALTH FOODS (next door to the Hospice). A HUGE THANKS TO: LINDA, LESLIE AND STEVE, MARK AND FRANCINE AND A FEW OTHERS WHO'S NAMES I'VE MISPLACED. SELF SERVE SERENADES ARE INCOURAGED AS WELL AS IMPROMPTU JAM SESSIONS. FRIDAY MORNINGS I'LL BE DOING BASIC MAINTENANCE AND PIANO TUNNING. THOSE INTERESTED IN THIS PROCESS ARE WELCOME. I'LL POST TIMES ON THE TABLE BELOW. I'D ALSO REALLY APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS OR FEED BACK. THERE'S A PINK NIGENE BOTTLE ON THE HEALTH FOOD COUNTER FOR YOUR DEPOSITORY PLEASURE OR JUST E-MAIL ME. PUT PUBLIC PIANO BIG AND BOLD IN THE SUBJECT. ABOUT THE TUNNING - BECAUSE THE PIANO IS 100 YEARS OLD THE TUNNING-PIN BLOCK WILL NO LONGER HOLD THE TENSION FOR STANDARD "A" 440 PITCH. RATHER THAN TUNE IT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN "A"440 AND "G#"415.305 I JUST TUNED "A" TO "G#" 415.305. YOU JUST HAVE TO REMEMBER TO PLAY WHATEVER KEY OR CHORD A HALF STEP HIGHER THEN WHO EVER YOUR JAMMING WITH. I'VE JAMMED WITH A COUPLE OF GUITARISTS AND COMPENSATED FOR THE PITCH VARIANT AND IT SOUNDED ACCEPTABLY IN TUNE. FOR EXAMPLE IF THEY PLAY "C" YOU PLAY "C#". AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE THE ACTION IS OLD AND BRITTLE AND IT BREAKS, BE GENTLE WITH HER. |
| DAY AND PLACE | TIME | EVENT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WEDNESDAYS/BEATNIK | 10-2 | TUNNIG FOR OPEN MIC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FRIDAY MORNINGS/PINK PIANO |
10-12 |
MAINTENANCE AND TUNNING |
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| SUNDAY/PP1AND2 |
ANYTIME?? |
SPONTANIOUS JAMS |
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