Interlude: Rampant Reality from Hilo, Hawai’i

I’m extremely fond of my friend Rudy. He lives firmly grounded in reality with both of his big feet flat on the tiled floor when he sits in a rocking chair on the balcony of his palatial home along the shores of Hilo Bay. From there his gaze joy-hops from the rustling fronds of coconut trees high up in the sky to gentle volcanic slopes on his left and on to the lava lapping ripples on the salty water right below his feet. Taking a break from staring at glaring computer screens he conjures up exotic dancing beauties before his inner eye. Those fragile beings live in rose-colored gardens where milk and honey flows in eternal abundance. Wearing dark and pinkish cheeks their movements sing of a love so sweet and untouchable that our twisted self recoils in shame. Rudy lets those fairies wander willingly in ethereal places foreign to our understanding. There they chance upon unique moments in time and live beyond the reach of normal mortals who have long lost their desperate battles with the rules and regulations of their packs and tribes. They weave braided ties to hang suspended bridges out into the infinite space beyond the proud walls of our fortified retreats. They hum hymns of absolute bliss and utter content, and while Rudy finishes wrapping this gift of joy he has just given, they sail away and leave us longing and gingerly staring at the very spot over the horizon where they have parted our limited field of vision.

His lofty visioneering is married to a keen sense for the practical things in life. The invisible Island Maiden’s aerial trails are held on even temper by laid-back guitar strumming in a refined Copa Cabana Jazz. My memory of all this is blurry, suffers from low resolution and is extremely pixelated, while the acoustic aspect has distractive distortions and a catastrophically narrow tonal range. Maybe it proves the point that the good things don’t need presentation in the latest high definition, the physical fidelity of their memory being of secondary importance. I do hope you are able to enjoy this relic of pre-preposterous recording technology for what it’s worth.

As I already mentioned: Rudy’s firm grip on reality keeps my ever-frenetic thinking from drifting into the lofty emptiness of the stratosphere. His happy commenting provides a sturdy backdrop that frames my surreal exploration of the human spirit and its outrageous manifestations. I wish him well and am deeply grateful for his very eccentric peculiarity, and even more so for his quasi-transcendental calmness with which he lives at the edge of reason.

Here’s to you, Rudy, you have worked yourself into the limelight of the world, my friend!

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Tags: Hawaii, Hilo, island songs, Rudy, songwriter