Clarie Lee Barnes 1922-2008

Clarie Lee Barnes (“Barney” to his fellow workers at the steel mill) passed away at 11:05am on May 28, 2008. He was in his home with family surrounding him. Clarie had late-stage Alzheimer’s Disease with complications and died of Congestive Heart Failure. He was 86 years old. Pastors Steve Cole, of Faith Church of Christ, and Greg Reed, of Morning Star Church, came to the house to pray with the family.

Clarie was born in Hawkins County, TN February 27, 1922. When he was four years old, his family took the train to Indiana, where they settled in Burlington. They lived there for 10 years before moving back to Hawkins County, TN in 1932. He attended the Grisby school in Persia,TN where he met Bea (Mabel Beatrice) Carpenter. They were married August 7th, 1940 in Morristown, TN. He was 18. She was 15. Clarie’s sister Lola was a witness at the ceremony. The young couple then moved to Indiana with his parents.

The Grisby Schoolhouse in Persia

Clarie worked on a dairy farm in the Burlington, IN area until 1949 when he got employment with the steel mill in Kokomo, IN. They lived in the Burlington area until 1959 when they bought their first home on South Darby St. in Kokomo. Clarie worked at Penn-Dixie/Continental Steel until he had to retire due to a heart attack and eventual open heart surgery, where he was given a pacemaker. Around 1972, the couple moved back to the Burlington area when Bea retired as a seamstress

House in Burlington

Clarie and all his family became members of the Burlington Christian Church during the 1950’s. The family later moved membership to the 618 South Main Street Christian Church in Kokomo. In 1972 when the Faith Church of Christ began in Burlington, he and Bea joined that fellowship and Clarie served as an Elder for several years until his declining health caused him to step down. Faith Church now lists him as an “Elder Emeritus” (founding Elder).

From 1980 through 1984 they wintered in Thonotossasa, Florida where they owned a mobile home.

In 1982 they moved back into the city, buying a home on W. Jefferson street in Kokomo. In 1986 they moved to Phillips St. in Kokomo.

Clarie is survived by his wife, Bea, of Kokomo; four children, Barbara Wagoner of Nashville Tennessee, Tom and Dan Barnes both of Kokomo, and Peggy Carter of Greentown; 10 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and 17 great-great grandchildren.

Memories of Burlington

When I was a kid in the 1970’s, I remember visiting my grandparents, Clarie and Bea Barnes, at their home northwest of Burlington. The house was set very far back off the road, and there was a long gravel driveway leading up to the house. The front lawn seemed absolutely huge to my eyes at the time. It was more than big enough to contain the pickup football games that my older cousins would always play. There was a large Willow tree in the yard – the only one I had ever seen in my young life. Nearby, there was a rhubarb plant that was always good for laughs – watching other family members make sour faces at the raw taste of the stalk!

To the right of the driveway sat a very nice unattached garage. It was there that I watched my Grandpa Clarie demonstrate his new found hobby – an electric spinning wood lathe. At first he would make the typical things – spindles, table legs, etc. But then he got good enough to make bowls, spheres – almost any shape you could imagine.

One day, one of the pickup trucks on the property needed a battery jumpstart and my dad, Garnett Carter, used our vehicle to help get it going. But somehow a spark burned my dad’s finger or hand. Grandma Bea went into the house and got her Aole Vera plant. She broke open a leaf and rubbed the liquid on the burn. My dad said he felt better. To my young eyes, it was Magic! My grandmother had magic plants!

I also remember a large LP tank in the backyard, with the big “T” on the side (for Tenbrook Sales.) And there was a woods behind their property where we would go mushroom hunting. Then, my grandmother would batter those babies up and fry em in a pan. Yum!

I also remember her baking cookies there and my being astonished at how soft they were!

In their basement, you could always have a good time playing with the billiard table.

At the kitchen table, I remember my cousins and I singing a silly version of “Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” one christmas and recording it on a small portable cassette tape recorder. What fun!

In the “den”, there was a wood burning fireplace, and we held our annual Christmas exchange there many times. I also remember having it in the “front room” a time or two. But I remember my Uncle Danny taking 8mm FILM home videos in the Den during christmas. The light that sat on top of it was SO BRIGHT it nearly blinded you.

Years later, I still remember the exact layout of the house and can navigate through it in my mind. It was a wondrous part of my childhood. I have thought about the times we shared there many times since.

Handwriting Experts on the Presidential Candidates

by Virginie Montet Sun May 18, 3:30 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Hillary Clinton is smart and forceful, John McCain is proud but has a volatile temper, and Barack Obama is a diplomat who deals well with different people and situations. At least, that’s what graphologists say their handwriting reveals about them.

Is there any new information here? Couldn’t you come up with those adjectives to describe them WITHOUT seeing their handwriting? What a dopey article.

Junior Brown at the Music Mill

Last night I had the priviledge to go see Junior Brown at the Music Mill with my Dad. It was a great show! I have a few pix (click for larger versions):

Before the show, we had dinner at The Whammy Bar (part of The Music Mill):

If you’ve never heard of Junior Brown, well, you’re really missing something. He is the Jimi Hendrix of country music. Strange combo? You bet. Being proficient at both the electric 6-string and the steel guitar, he had a dream to combine the two and hired a luthier to make him one. And history was made. Junior plays straight-up country twang, smooth and jazzy western swing, straight-up hardcore blues, 60’s rock-n-roll, and a little acid rock thrown in to boot. It’s really quite something to see. I’ll post a couple of YouTube links below to introduce you to his various styles.

Political Theory Chart

this is still a work in progress…as people like Natalie have pointed out – It’s pretty obvious which one I am because of the slant the descriptions are written with…I’m still working on that…BUT ANYWAY…

I have seen a lot of attempts to classify people’s beliefs into a political theory chart. One of the most popular ways to do it is the “diamond” style, as show below. (Click the image for bigger version.)

The problem with the diamond is actually pretty obvious by looking at it. This image is supposed to be the placement (the red dot) for Sen. John McCain. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Sen. John McCain’s placement is not correct (unless you’re an academic liberal who sees everyone who doesn’t agree with you as “far right”.) Sen McCain is not a true conservative. He is a moderate, centrist, populist – the self-proclaimed “maverick” of the Republican party. McCain’s own words and voting record prove that this chart placement is flawed.

But over the years, I’ve struggled to find a chart that accurately framed the way I see the different political theories – because I think such a thing would actually be helpful to people. So I made up one of my own. I originally posted this on FaceBook some time ago, but this one is slightly modified and is posted here with better grahics resolution. Here ya go. (Click the image for a bigger version.)

More on the Weighting of Issues

No one wanted to addres the weighting of issues. So here’s something to stir the pot:

Number of U.S. Confirmed Military Deaths since the start of the Iraq war:
4076

And there is a backlash of hatred toward Bush and Cheney because of it. In the minds of many people, these deaths are senseless because they do not believe in the reasons we are over there.

But wait.

Number of U.S. Confirmed Abortions since the start of the Iraq war:
6,587,650

and the response to that is….nothing. Not a peep.

Why are some deaths more meaningful than others? How can we decry the one and ignore the other? Where is the consistency of moral ethic in that?

Stuck in Baby Step 3

As most of you know, I am a big Dave Ramsey fan. If you’ve ever been through The Total Money Makeover book or a Financial Peace University course, then you know the Baby Steps that Dave teaches:

1. $1000 in a savings account as a “starter” emergency fund
2. Become Debt-Free (except the mortgage). Pay off all debts from smallest to largest using the Debt Snowball.
3. Build up the emergency to a fully-funded 3-6 months of expenses.
4. Invest 15% of your income for retirement (beginning with Roth IRA’s)
5. College Savings
6. Pay off the house early
7. Build Wealth & Give!

Currently, our family is on Baby Step 3: saving a fully funded emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses. And while we are very happy to be where we are (debt free except the house), it just seems like this step 3 is taking FOREVER.

One of the reasons it is taking so long is that last fall we refinanced the house, and paid all of our closing costs (and a little bit more principal) in CASH. This needed to be done because we were previously in a stupid sub-prime ARM loan that was getting ready to adjust. So we refinanced to a 15-year fixed. This completely drained us – causing us to backtrack and restart us at Baby Step 1. So a few months later, here we sit – roughly at the mark of 1 month of expenses in the bank.

Patience will pay dividends later – but man I’m ready to feel like we’re moving forward. I know we really are moving forward – but it seems like we’re stuck in the mud.

Oh well, enough whining.

If you’ve never read the book or attended the class – just ask yourself this question, “What would it feel like to not have any payments?”

DEBT IS NORMAL. BE WEIRD!

28 Great Films for Musicians

Musicians are a special breed of people. They see the world differently than the mainstream of society. They have an artsy weird streak, a special brand of humor, and they have their own universe of inside jokes. So it’s a little odd when Hollywood caters to us. I can picture musician directors having to “beg” the suits to let them do so. Often times, these movies are “pet projects” that only get made when a star makes the studio a big pile of money on a different project, and these pet projects are made to appease the stars, For that, the entire musician world says, “THANK YOU.”

Here’s a list of 26 films I came up with that speak to the musician side of me. Though I didn’t have the courage or time to rank them in any meaningful way – I just wussed out and put them in alphabetical order. I know, I know – how conformist of me…so sue me – this site is free, you know.

ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson

This film really captures that magic feeling that music can give you. It can suck you in. This culminates in the question that young William is trying to ask his hero all throughout the movie…”What do you really love about music?”

AMADEUS (1984)
Directed by: Milos Forman
Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge

Near the end of the film when mozart is near death and Solieri is helping him with the death mass piece, it is such a picture of the difference of these two great minds. Mozart is too weak to write himself, so Solieri is transcribing – and you see that he just doesn’t understand the way the music works in Mozart’s mind.

THE BENNY GOODMAN STORY (1955)
Directed by: Valentine Davies
Starring: Steve Allen, Donna Reed

Now it was 1955, so there are plenty of cups of sugar in this early biopic, but there is some real music stuff in here, too. Like the way Benny was thought to be wasting his talent on “hot music” instead of the classics,the racism of the time, the story of how Lionel Hampton was discovered, the concert at Carnegie…all good stuff.

BIRD (1988)
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora

An oustanding picture of jazz from a great director and jazz officianado – Clint Eastwood. One of the things that sticks out to me about this film was the drive to be somebody – to be great – and the ghosts of not measuring up keep coming back again and again.

THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980)
Directed by: John Landis
Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and more

What can I say about one of the classics? You’ve all seen it. It’s pure inspiration. How about the scene where the band takes the place of the “Good Ole Boys” in the C&W bar? Classic. Rawhide and Stand By Your Man 72 times in a row. Priceless.

THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY ( 1978 )
Directed by: Steve Rash
Starring: Gary Busey, Jon Stroud, Charles Martin Smith

A classic story from a time when Gary Busey was sane. Great backstage moments, recording trivia, and show biz background can all be found here.

COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER (1980)
Directed by: Michael Apted
Starring: Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones

A fascinating look at one of the pioneers of country music.

THE COMMITMENTS (1991)
Directed by: Alan Parker
Starring: Robert Arkins, Johnny Murphy, Colm Meaney, Angeline Ball

Want to know what’s like to be in a band? Want to see a movie that’s truthful about all the behind-the-scenes discussions, fights, ploys, and triumphs of being in a band? This is it.

CROSSROADS (1986)
Directed by: Walter Hill
Starring:Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca, Jamie Gertz, Freakin’ Steve Vai

Great guitar sounds by Ry Cooder and – did I mention – freakin’ Steve Vai?

DE-LOVELY (2004)
Directed by: Irwin Winkler
Starring: Kevin Kline, Ashly Judd

Admittedly a little weird in its construct, and a little on the g-a-y side, but it still has wonderful music, great acting, and some nice moments.

THE DOORS (1991)
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Starring: Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan

Val Kilmer as The Lizard King himself – and directed by Oliver Stone. What more do you need? Yes, I know its hard to buy Meg Ryan and a cokehead, but hey – you can’t have everything. The filmmakers did an awesome job interleaving the classic tracks with newer overdubs…nearly flawless by 1991 standards.

DREAMGIRLS (2006)
Directed by: Bill Condon
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson

Yes – I know – it’s a musical. But it’s a darn good one, and there’s no Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes. instead, it’s got some great R&B/Motown flavors that are really infectious. And Jennifer Hudson absolutely steals the show.

THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS (1989)
Directed by: Steve Kloves
Starring, Jeff Bridges, Beau Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer

How good can a silly lounge act be? Pretty darn good, actually.

FOR THE BOYS (1991)
Directed by: Mark Rydell
Starring: James Caan, Bette Midler

Brings back the feel of Hope and Crosby. Picks up in the 40’s and goes all the way through the 80’s, showing the changing music genres, the changing war scene, growing up on television, etc. Some wonderful music arrangements in the score. The only down side is the 80’s era stuff. All the flashback scenes are terrific though.

GRACE OF MY HEART (1996)
Directed by: Allison Anders
Starring: Illeana Douglas, Matt Dillon, John Turturro, Eric Stolz, Bruce Davison

You didn’t know this was a major release? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. But what you missed is absolutely awesome. It’s loosely based on the life of Carol King and begins by showing her writing for the doo-wop groups, and morphing into the singer-songwriter era. Also includes her “beach boys-ish” boyfriend who gets lost in the drugs as well as the music. It’s a great story of redemption and making it through the crap of life. Great music, too.

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE (1989)
Directed by: Jim McBride
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Winona Rider, Alec Baldwin

I absolutely love this movie. Seeing inside the early days of Rock N Roll, the music business, the recording industry, touring, and a great home story to boot. Love it.

A MIGHTY WIND (2003)
Directed by: Christopher Guest
Starring: Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Michael McKeene, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Fred Willard, John Michael Higgins, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch, Don Lake, Ed Begley Jr.

All the old, great folk-era musicians are getting back together for a PBS-style reunion show. This is the background for another one of Christopher Guest’s thrilling improv-mocumentaries. All the actors actually played their own instruments in this. Great fun. Wha Hoppen?

MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS (1995)
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Starring: Richard Dreyfus, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Alicia Witt

OK – just try to muscle your way past the heavy-handed morality tale. There’s some other good stuff in here. Really. The whole discussion on Coltrane is worth the price. And the scene with Alicia Witt (the young clarinet player) is very touching.

RAY (2004)
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Jaime Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King

Surely you’ve seen it. If not, you’ve been living in a cave.

ROCK STAR (2001)
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston, Dominic West

There’s something about this movie that keeps drawing me back. I know its cheesy. I know it;s just not that good. But the musician part of me can’t let it go. And the 80’s part of me loves every minute of it. I absolutely loved the scene where Mats, the old dog Road Manager, relays the story to Chris about hin leaving the girl to go on the road is priceless. If you’re still not convinced, check out the supporting cast of this movie: Jason Bonham, Zakk Wylde, Blas Elias, Rick Catanese, Brian VanderArk – all real metal heads with real bands.

SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003)
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Jack Black, Joan Cusack

So many insider musician jokes! To truly get thsi movie, you’re going to have to use your head, your mind, and your brain, too.

SHINE (1996)
Directed by: Scott Hicks
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Alex Rafalowicz, Armin Mueller Stahl, Lynn Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud, Googie Withers

A wonderful, offbeat story adapted from a true story.

STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN (2002)
Directed by: Paul Justman
Starring: The Funk Brothers, Ben Harper, Chaka Kahn, Gerald Levert, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne, Tom Scott, Bootsy Collins

This is the real deal, cats. These are the real cats who played on all the legendary Motown hits.

SWEET DREAMS (1985)
Directed by: Karel Reisz
Starring: Jessica Lange, Ed Harris

The story of Patsy Cline. Includes some vintage Grand Ole Opry stuff, early country music stuff, and of course that golden voice.

THAT THING YOU DO! (1996)
Directed by: Tom Hanks
Starring: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathan Schaech, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, Charlize Theron

One of my personal favorites. It just has that optimistic early 60’s vibe NAILED. It’s such a fun movie to watch – and of course, again, lots of insider musician jokes.

THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Starring: Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Rob Reiner, Bruno Kirby, Ed Begley Jr.

The beginning of it all. The legend. The movie. The mother of all mocumentaries. And this one goes to 11.

WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY (2007)
Directed by: Jake Kasdan
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Raymond Barry, Kristin Wiig

Poking fun at the whole musician biopic genre, Walk Hard is chocked full of inside gags for musicians.

WALK THE LINE (2005)
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon

Great movie. A nice look at some behind the scenes music biz stuff, too.

Movies that Make You Think

This post is a continuation of a discussion a few of us were having over lunch this week. (Joel, Morgan, JLee, Monty, Sam, Avin). Ever see a movie that you thought about for days or weeks afterwards? Or have the unstoppable desire to discuss the movie you just saw for hours? These movies touch something in you that you just have to discuss and process what you just experienced.

Obviously, not every single person can see every single movie, so no hating on me for not including your favorites. Just comment about your own favorites that aren’t on my list. ONE RULE: No spoilers. Please don’t ruin these movies for others who may not have seen them yet.

OK – So what movies messed with your head?

My picks are in no particular order…

1. Hotel Rwanda
   Genocide. Yeah – turn that off and go eat some popcorn and talk about the weather. Riiiiiiiight.
2. Crash
   If this movie didn’t challenge you on racism, then you have no pulse.
3. The Kingdom
   A fascinating story and captivating characters.
4. Gone Baby Gone
   No spoilers…but the choice made at the end of this film will leave you talking and thinking for weeks.
5. Shawshank Redemption
   What is hope?
6. Sling Blade / Of Mice and Men / To Kill A Mockingbird
   I put these together because they are variations on a theme.
7. American Beauty
   Is there beauty in everyday life that we blow right by all the time?
8. Million Dollar Baby
   Gotta admit – you would consider it…I don’t care who you are.
9. The Devil’s Advocate
   Gotta watch your eyes on this one, but the themes are powerful and stay with you for a while.
10. The Butterfly Effect
    Say what you want about Ashton Kutcher…I still think about the concept of this film a lot.
11. Flatliners
    You gotta admit…penance is not a topic you see a lot of.
12. Se7en
    This one will keep you up at night. What would pure evil look like?
13. Quills
    Another one you got to watch your eyes with, but does the Marqis DeSade get a bum rap? Did God make him that way? Can you blame a person for being who they think they really are?
14. Amadaeus
    Woah. Heavy. Go beneath the surface of this one and find a very dark tale of jealousy, envy, revenge.
15. Gattaca
    This film is getting more and more relevant as the years go by.
16. Parenthood
    I reflect back on this movie all the time.
17. The Searchers
    Racism comes in lots of shades.
18. Giant
    Again with the racsm and power-hungry. But oh so good.

The Weighting of Issues

OK…so this is a continuation of the Obama and Christians thread from a couple weeks ago.

The general consensus from the comments to that post seems to be that you all think I am prioritizing moral issues too high in comparison to other issues when it comes to politics. Adam kind of summed up the feeling best with the whole “culture of life” or “issue consistency” line of thinking.

First, I’d like to point out that my numerically itemized list of problems with Obama’s stances on the issues were NOT prioritized in any way. They were just the way they came out of my brain as I typed. It was pure luck that abortion was the first item in my list. I am just as firm in my belief that a welfare state harms the people you’re trying to help and creates a permanent underclass as I am protective of life. I take offense to the implication that I am one of the “Moral Majority” single issue voters out there. That could not be further from the truth.

But my main topic in this post is this: How do you “weight” the importance of issues? Is the issue of fixing potholes on the same level as say, drug dealing? Is the issue of affirmative action more or less important than welfare reform? Should justice in the tax code be a higher priority than preventing as many murders as possible?

I believe in an integrated life. I believe that all issues have a moral component. For example, every city budget has a limit. You can’t have everything. If fixing potholes means we have to sacrifice salaries for our policemen or teachers or ambulance drivers, then the issue of potholes becomes very much a MORAL issue.

You guys who are saying we shouldn’t vote for morals are missing the point. They’re ALL moral issues. And it’s up to every person to use their best judgement and spiritual discernment to decide which candidate meets the most of your criteria.