G. Michael Vasey's Blog: The Wacky World of Dr. Vasey, page 22

Exploring Islands and Castles – and Ourselves

This time, the Ryanair flight from Brno to Stansted was on time. This time, I arrived at the scheduled time and skipped through immigration without issues. I found my hotel and had an early night after all, it would be a long drive the next morning. After a British breakfast (a treat!), I went for my rental car – now this was a slight issue and I will only say this – do NOT rent from Easirent (difficult and expensive rent is more apt I think). Finally, I left the Stansted area around 10 am – an hour behind schedule but no matter – I was in good spirits.

 

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Now, the drive from Stansted to Seahouses looked doable. Google maps told me 5 hours and if I factored in a couple of breaks, I should arrive on time around 4pm. I forgot about British traffic and more importantly – roadworks – but, I duly arrived at the meeting place just 30 minutes late. Before I even got the hotel door, Sue and Stu emerged to greet me – they had been watching out for me.

This was the third time I had met Sue – a very good friend of the last umpteen years. She and I have been through a few things and used email, telephone and thought messages to help each other. She had even put up with a call during which I managed somehow to consume quite a lot of gin to the point that when I awoke the next morning I did feel quite worse for wear and somewhat embarrassed…. Stu I had met one time before and we had got on like a house on fire. As importantly, it was Sue’s birthday! One important reason why I had made the trip frankly.

 

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After a cup of tea – I skipped the scone and immediately regretted that – we headed for the beach where the leader gave us some thoughts while pointing out the magnificent Bamburgh Castle. There was some discussion of how on a previous Silent Eye weekend, it had rained and everyone got wet. Sure enough, it rained and we all got wet – I suspected this was a part of the induction process after all. As I told Sue, I didn’t mind except that was my only pair of Jeans ….. Sue plainly couldn’t care less as walking back, she waded through the thrashing post-squall waves while we all admired the light and took photographs. The Sun after the squall. It seemed an apt start somehow.

 

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A bit later, the party re-assembled in a fish and chip shop, still wet but in good spirits and I polished off a rather large haddock, mushy peas and chips. Surely, I had died and gone to heaven? Especially, since Steve suggested we wash this down with a pint at the nearby pub.

 

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The content of the weekend has been well covered by the other participants so I won’t cover the same ground. What I will say is that I had a great time. The location was marvelous. The weather perfect. The company magical. It was a weekend spent meditating on myself as a castle – thinking about the walls I have built over my life and I guess my thought was just how intimidating a castle can seem to one who has never had the pleasure of sitting before its warm hearth (heart?).

 

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Some special, moments for me would include the visit to Lindisfarne (a first), having birds feed from our hands there as well as the windy, song-ridden (seals apparently) farewells, discovering that I and another party member were born on the same date, but a different year (now isn’t that a strange coincidence?), Meeting Steve and the others for the first time proper, spending time talking mysteries, myths and stone circles with Sue and Stuart – as well as sinking a glass or two, and realizing that I’m not so strange – there are at least 5 other people like me.

 

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Chilling Tales – New Audio Book Version

My compilation book – The Chilling, True Terror of the Black-Eyed Kids: A Monster Compilation – is out now in audio book format narrated by Darren Marler who is rapidly becoming the voice of my supernatural books. Of course, Darren also is the narrator and host of the successful Weird Darkness podcast and has a strong following and reputation for his creepy story telling plucking many of those tales right from the pages of My Haunted Life Too.

The audio book is now available at audible and Amazon. Grab your copy now and be prepared to be chilled.

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New Single Out Now – Supergirl

I have a new single out – my take on Supergirl. It’s getting a lot of listens too!

You can find it on any digital music site from Amazon to iTunes, Deezer to Spotify.

Give it a listen – it’s a rocker!

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How To Look At The World

I met Walter several years ago in Brno. He seemed a character and had good stories to tell. Unfortunately, he moved to Prague and from there back to the US. We kept in touch though via Facebook. Then, a few weeks ago I noticed him posting about returning to Brno so I reached out and we agreed to meet. Since then, we have shared a few evenings telling stories and laughing a lot.

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Walter behind his lens

But Walter is no ordinary person. He sees life in a different way to many and his way of looking at the world is through the lens of a camera. He is also an artist framing what he sees within his lens. His vision captures the humanity of his subjects and casts them mostly in a way that speaks of a sadness, a yearning for better. His pictures are exquisite and have rightly won him accolades and awards. In the USA, he is well known but here in Brno, where he is from – as is so often the case – he is not known. Not yet, anyhow.

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An image of Prague

Walter can tell some stories. Not just about life living in a communist country or a capitalist one. Not just about escaping one for the other but he can tell you about the people he photographed and met, the places that he looked at in his own way. Stories of David Bowie, Mick Jagger and many other household names. He told me recently that he had photographed over 150 bands and almost all of them globally known. Quite a feat.

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David Bowie

Walter is still taking photos. It’s in his blood and his soul. He sees things others do not and is apt to capture them through his lens. On photographing famous people, he confided in me that capturing their flaws – their wrinkles, expressions, their faces when exhibiting passion or angst – was what he felt set him apart.

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Rock fans

You can see more of Walter’s work at his own website and read his biography there too. He is available to take photos and is also of course, making a living selling his images. Many do. Many more see his images embedded into the Brno Sono Center as they attend a concert… but how many of them know the man behind those images?

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His work at the Sono Center, Brno

Recently, he shot me too. His idea was amazing. He wanted to capture me at dusk as a Brno tram passed by. I had to stand perfectly still with guitar in hand as it was a long exposure. The effect is amazing.

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Photo by Walter Novak

If you would like to purchase one of his images or even have him do your photo shoot – please contact me here or him at his website – tell him Gary sent you.

All images posted with permission and copyrighted by Walter Novak.

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Supergirl

On holiday this summer with my daughter in lovely Tolo in Greece, we kept hearing a song on the radio. Eventually, we could both sing it and we both liked the song. It was Supergirl by Reamon. After the holiday, I thought it might be a fun project to make my own version complete with Deni singing backing vocals. And so we began…. a few weeks later, I think the track is finished and quite honestly, I love it. I know it sounds big headed to say that but I really do. Let’s say, I am proud of it. So much so, I will release it in due course…

 

For now, it’s on soundcloud – take a listen and let me know if you like it too.

 

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Lonely Strangers

We are strangers coming from distant worlds,

lonely strangers with a past that nearly killed us.

We are strangers with demons behind,

that will follow us forever.

We are shy people with expectations that we hide,

We are humans with longing and imagination.

We are fragile poets drowning in dreaming.

We are superstars letting the world know only the best of us,

We are shining stars wanting to give ourselves completely.

We are angels caring for the others,

We are parents with commitments,

Neglecting our inner child.

We are ghosts with overwhelming pangs of anxiety

That forces us to run.

We are dreamers that got that carried away,

Liking the idea of themselves.

We are lost souls searching for the other half to merge.

We are sad heroes dreaming and fearing that it will never happen.

We are strangers that will meet and fall apart to their own reality.

We are simple souls trapped in the material world,

Trying to find our way out.

We are people with a destiny.

We are the hidden light.

We can shine so bright.

Yet chose to hide in the shadows.

We were destined to meet.

Crossing paths in unexpected ways.

Listening to the Fates cackling in the astral.

As their plan unfolds.

Lonely strangers,

Entwined,

As we unwind,

With one another.

Choosing uncertainty,

As we find our way,

Living day to day.

 

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Singing to Myself

For the last couple of years, I’ve been writing songs. It’s a lot of fun and occasionally, one of them gets played on a radio station – usually in the USA – which is quite a thrill if I’m honest about it. Like almost everything these days, anyone can now make a record and put it out on digital platforms like Spotify. It’s an era in which anyone can, if they desire, do pretty much anything creatively whether they find an audience or not. And most of us don’t. Most of us are singing to ourselves because there is simply so much choice – music, books, videos and so on. In fact, there is a scientific rule that the distribution of things is always unequal such that a country will only have one very large city or that a handful of authors will sell the majority of books bought and so on. I forget the name of the actual law or rule but it pretty much governs everything.

Making music is also fun because when you record a song it is done so track by track. Usually, I keep adding the tracks until finished but recently I listened to each track in turn seeking to improve the sound quality of each individually. What I discovered surprised me. Each track, on its own, actually sounds… well awful. But, when you layer those tracks one on top of another, the effect can be magnificent. In the interplay between the different tracks there is a bigger whole – a more complete picture if you will. I also discovered that overlaying multiple imperfect vocal tracks can create something much better than the sum of its individual parts and so now I record vocals at least 3 times and overlay them.

These discoveries made me think. All of the little things I do as a person that may not have much obvious value, add up to a life that can be magnificent in intensity and scope. When you do something – anything small – it seems just a small thing but, when you put all of these small things together there can be a life that is larger than the sum of its parts.

It’s quite easy to dismiss ourselves as irrelevant. What we do in the quiet of our lives doesn’t usually make headlines or have necessarily any discernable impact but when you add all of what we do – all of our thoughts and actions – it adds up to something pretty special whether or not we happen to get lucky and make it to the bigtime or not. We are all important parts of a whole and our lives and actions meld together in surprising ways and can manifest many things.

The trick to it is what motivates us to do things? If we learn to go with the flow of life, surprising things will happen. If we trust in Divine Providence (or whatever you believe in) and keep on doing the little things that we do with a positive attitude, we can have a huge impact on the world – not as ourselves necessarily, but as a part of humanity. Each of us contributes a little to the whole. Each of us sings to ourselves but the effect can be a work of magnificence when those songs are put together.

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Hey Dad

Hey Dad

It’s been a while since we last spoke

Face to face

Thought I’d drop you a line

Tell you I treasure the memories

Of you

You know I have your photos

All over my place

You were always smiling

Always mischievous

Always fun

Always there when needed

I don’t know how you did it

Really, cos now I know

Being a father too

How difficult kids can be

And how hard is it to see

What is best to do

I remember waving bye

Deni and I

At the airport

The last time I ever saw you

You made your trip

Back home

Where one day I will find you

Waiting

Waiting for me

I miss you Dad

I always will

 

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The Other Me

Got this person in my head

I used to think he was me

Now I see him as my enemy

He tells me I’m no good

Tells me, I’m a failure

The voice is mine

But these are not my words

Sometimes, he changes tune

Tells me I’m the shit

The bees knees

But I don’t believe him

Not one bit

Then sometimes

He likes to make me doubt

Lose my trust

In the stream of life

Fills my head with angst

And bitter strife

But, I found him out!

The voice is a liar

The voice isn’t me

He’s a bloody whiner

Chattering incessantly

I’m not listening anymore

Not reacting to his

Endless narrative

It’s my life

Not his

I don’t know who it is

This voice that sounds like me

Where did he come from?

How was he born?

I’m watching him now

Carefully

I talk back

And tell him

Have faith

Trust in me

Trust in fate

Trust in the stream of life

Be still

Rest

Enjoy the ride

This other me

He’s no longer

Directing my life

I’m alive

I’m me

And I’m flowing

Downstream

As if in a dream

The dream of life

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Radio Memphis Got Some Mail…..

After my interview on Radio Memphis a few months ago, I stayed in touch with the DJ – Dianna – recently sending her my two latest songs – This Is Your Song (available on all digital outlets) and the soon to be released It’s My Life. Plainly, I touched her with what I wrote…. here is the story and the broadcast segment below….

Radio Memphis Around the World airs every Saturday afternoon from 1:00 PMCT – 5:00 PMCT. This is when Radio Memphis gets to step outside of Memphis and the Midsouth to listen to all kinds and styles of music from other cities and countries. And we’re here to tell you that our planet rocks.

Because of this, Dianna gets a lot of mail. She has decided that what better way to share even more information about the artists and the music that she gets to play on Saturdays then to share the actual messages that she receives from these artists with you.

Did you miss Dianna checking her mailbox this past Saturday, August 18th, 2018 live during the show? Catch the message she got from songwriter GARY VASEY of the Czech Republic right here.

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