by Lang Reid
Antonio
Graceffo is an interesting author. Italian-American from Brooklyn, a
former investment banker, martial arts expert and writer, The Monk from
Brooklyn (ISBN 1-932966-10-2, Gom Press, 2004) chronicles his life in the
Shaolin Temple in China, which is apparently the birthplace of Kung Fu.
In essence, the book is a diary that revolves around
Graceffo’s time spent at the famed Shaolin temple in China, to learn
their secrets in martial arts. These are the Shaolin monks that have
amazed the outside world with their super-athletic feats displayed by
their Kung Fu abilities, and to study there was Graceffo’s ambition.
Graceffo writes in a fairly laconic ‘hip’ style,
with twists at the tail. “The novice and I hit it off right away. He is
25 years old and a good guy. Also, in the couple of hours I have been
there, he hasn’t tried to steal from me.”
Author Graceffo is good at observing the Chinese
culture as seen in the Shaolin temple (and as exhibited by visiting
Chinese families) and examination of the reasons behind the apparent
differences between that culture and his own. For example, the Chinese
produced no trash, whilst Graceffo did. “”Everything they eat comes
out of the ground. There is no waste at all. I have a pile of trash next
to my bed and don’t know what to do with it. There is no mechanism for
disposal of trash here.”
Very early in his training, Graceffo looks at the
Chinese students with him and writes, “I keep wondering what is the
point of all this. For me it is a diversion. I am here to lose weight,
improve my health, and learn some kung fu. This program will add to who I
am. But for the regular students this program is who they are.”
During this time of self-exploration for Graceffo he
deduces one of the cornerstones of capitalism. “We Westerners derive
much of our personal power from material wealth. In fact, we confuse
purchasing power with personal power.” And a few pages later, “The
power of money is amazing. But in the end, it is just a talisman. It is
not real, though widely believed to be so.”
However, by half way through his three months training,
Graceffo begins to see the realities of living in this Chinese enclave,
the tawdriness, the dirt, the intrigue and the deliberate lies. The onset
of the SARS epidemic is the final blow, as truths and half truths are
manipulated to attempt to exonerate Beijing.
For me it was a very telling book, not so much explaining the
intricacies of Kung Fu, but one that showed the chasm that exists between
Eastern and Western philosophies. Whilst Antonio Graceffo did eat, sleep
and work with the Chinese in the Shaolin temple, in the end, he was just a
Chinese-speaking foreigner, as he points out in the epilogue. There are
many lessons to be learned from Graceffo’s immersion in Chinese culture
that can be applied to us here in Thailand, but not to the extremes, as
experienced by this author. This is certainly no Lonely Planet travelogue!
Swished by Mott the
Dog
Weaved by Ella Crew
5
Sonic Stars
Steve Hillman has recorded four albums for the
British based record label Cyclops. First we had ‘Matrix’ (1994),
followed by ‘Riding the Storm’ (1996), thirdly there was
‘Convergence’ (1999), and finally ‘Opener Of The Ways (2002).
The first two albums were collections of cleaned up
re-recordings from Steve Hillman’s early synthesizer and sequencer
past, and very nice collections they were, too.
‘Convergence’ was a leap into the realms of more
Progressive Rock influenced material, with Steve foregoing reliance on
the machine and bringing his sweeping guitar playing into the front of
the mix.
Then in 2002 ‘Opener Of The Ways’ arrived to be
placed in the CD player. For ‘Opener Of The Ways’ Steve Hillman went
back to the machines to give us another of his marvelous
‘soundscape’ albums. Now, if you want to hear Steve Hillman do
structured progressive rock, get ‘Convergence’; if you want to catch
up on Steve Hillman’s past, get the first two albums; and if you want
to know where Steve Hillman is today, get his latest album.
‘Opener Of The Ways’ takes you on a wonderful
journey through the musical mind of the artist. At times the music is
lifting you up into the echo peaks of the Nepalese mountains with the
wind lashing at your body, trying to fling you into the valleys below,
as with opening track ‘Continuum’; or leaving you stranded on the
moon, leaping from rock to rock in a weightless world. Both parts of the
title track take you up into the lunar skies.
The next minute you are deep in the basement of the
Egyptian pyramids, when Steve’s wife Linda steps forward to wave her
magic flute over proceedings. The very next moment whisks you down a
Swiss gorge with snow whirling around you and your skis gliding over the
icy terrain, barely touching the surface, as in the wonderful ‘Night
Tides’. ‘Trancer’ is almost hypnotic.
The music on display here is not an easy ride, but
well worth the effort. In one heartbeat the music can be taken from
nightmarishly disturbing to the feeling of a soothing balm. Listening to
Steve Hillman’s music is certainly nothing short of top grade
entertainment to be enjoyed time and time again.
There are no vocals on Steve Hillman albums; there is
no room for them. The music tells its own story, leaving it up to you to
take it as you hear it. All the instruments used are played by Steve
Hillman apart from the haunting improvised flute lines from his wife
Linda. Linda Hillman also painted the imposing ice castle on the front
cover, worth the price of the album on its own.
Steve Hillman’s music should be in your record
store racks along with Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, and Michael
Oldfield. If you have not heard any astonishing new music lately, I
strongly suggest you try the taste of Steve Hillman’s majestically
visions. A most satisfying journey.
Music played by
Linda Hillman - Improvised flute solos on ‘Golden Flame’ and ‘Sea
Child’
Steve Hillman - All Keyboards, Synthesizers, Electric Guitar, Glissando
Guitar, Drums
Music Titles
Continuum
Transitions - parts one, two, three
Nebula
Opener Of The Ways - parts one & two
Trancer
Golden Flame
Centre Of Forces - parts one & two
Night Tides
Sea Child
Island - parts one & two
Last Light - parts one & two
To contact Mott the
Dog email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mott-the-dog.com
Mott’s CD review: Steve Hillman -
Opener Of The Ways
