On this date in 1968, the New York Times quoted soviet critic A. Martinosa as saying the Beatles have become ‘the rich idols of the Philistines.’

Speaking for Philistines everywhere, rock on…

Wait…aren’t Philistines devotees of Phil Lesh?

“The preachers and moral guardians who in rock’s infancy warned us of the evils of the music weren’t that far off base. Rock, at least as practiced by The Who and a few others, is defiant, it is antisocial, it is revolutionary. Anarchy, that’s what The Who is all about.”~Robert W. Butler

Dude says it like that’s a bad thing.

Long Live Rock!

“Oh, I just don’t know where to begin…”-Elvis Costello

C’mon Elvis! I love you, but this is not rocket science. The place to begin is wherever you want to start. Begin at the end or in the middle or (gasp) even the beginning!

The important thing is to begin. It does not particularly matter where, but it can help to begin with the end in mind. Think about the results you desire and then take some action, any action to get the ball rolling and create momentum. There will be plenty of time to fine-tune a plan later.

I subscribe to the fire-fire-fire philosophy of action as opposed to ready-aim-fire. It’s much simpler to just fire away and then pay attention to the results. That way you can figure out a plan you go along. It is significantly more important to get started than to wait until you have a perfect and laboriously detailed plan of attack.

How many times have you heard a person say they will begin a project or start a business when the kids go back to school or when they retire or when they finish creating a plan? Have you ever said any of these things yourself? If so, beware of thoughts that linger. They are nothing more than lame excuses and the people who utter them rarely get around to taking action.

Begin right where you are at this moment. A year from now you will undoubtedly be glad that you did.

“Everybody’s got something to hide except for me and my monkee.”-The Beatles

Bullshit. I don’t care who you are, you and your freakin’ monkey have something to hide just like everybody else. OK, perhaps there are a couple of living saints in our midst who don’t have anything to hide, but I’m pretty sure you ain’t one of them. I’m certainly not.

And that’s perfectly acceptable. We are not saints. As the Boss said, “it’s hard to be a saint in the city.” Or in the country for that matter. Or on the water. Or in the air.

There is nothing wrong with keeping something private locked inside the vault, hidden from the rest of the world. However, there are a couple of situations where it is best to open the vault. First, if it is hurting another person. Second, if it is eating you up inside and diminishing the quality of your life. In this case it would be a good idea to get some qualified and competent help.

Otherwise, feel free to just keep it between you and your monkey.

“It’s just another day.”-Paul McCartney

Wrong, Sir Paul! It’s not just another day.

There are no ordinary moments and there are no ordinary days. Each day is a moment in time that can be lived only once, unless you are Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Your primary job in life is to make every day extraordinary by putting all the attention, energy and love you can muster into each twenty-four hour segment. This physical existence is way too brief to shortchange yourself by not playing full on each day of the journey.

It does not matter what is on your agenda for the day. If it is a day of rest, relax and soak up the beauty in nature or escape into a book or movie. Just make certain that is what you really want to do and enjoy the crap out of it. Revel in vegging out on the couch if that is what relaxes you. If today is a day of work, immerse yourself in the challenges from a spirit of service and joy. Whatever it takes.

It is your responsibility to make today extraordinary. No one else is going to do it for you. We never know which day might be our last, so it is imperative to rock on today! As Neil said, “it’s better to burn out than to fade away.” When you live by that philosophy, no day will ever be just another day.

I admit that I haven’t always lived exactly this way, but since I made the commitment to rock and roll in this manner my daily existence has taken on a magical quality.