Author Archives: dust exchange
Cultural Violence
I. I’ve had a loaded firearm pointed in my direction just once. It was New Year’s Eve going into 1998. Roy and Jerome had shot the pistol into the air. The three of us worked at Video Rack. Jerome was … Continue reading
Respect
My Grandfather was a war hero. He fought at Iwo Jima in the Second World War. His recognized act of bravery wasn’t on the battlefield, though, it was in a factory. Some hotshot kid was working beside Grandpa, putting bolts … Continue reading
Conversations with JB
If you don’t enjoy vulgar humor and displays of virtuosity, Frank Zappa is not for you. For a decade, my mind was immersed in his music. It got to a point where I knew that every time I put a … Continue reading
Beauty in Solitude
It was known as Ultima Thule, which means in Latin, “beyond the known world.” It was changed because Ultima Thule had some significance regarding Nazi sympathizers. It became Arrokot, which comes from the Powhatan tribe of the Chesapeake Bay. It means … Continue reading
Punk in Context
The only punk rock music I really got into was the Dead Kennedys. A great guy I knew in high school, Jason, loaned me the records Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death … Continue reading
The Promise Keepers
A friend from Seattle visited me in Nashville in the fall of 1997. We were both editors of underground publications. We had met briefly at a restaurant in D.C., three years earlier. In that cruddy little apartment on Evelyn Avenue, … Continue reading
It’s Spring
The golden strandOf the ceremonial stringCalls out beyond intelligence: it’s spring. Spring is never happy,Spring is always dull.It’s a lie that flowers bloom and the yellow moon shines bright upon the earth. It’s a lie. Fools play in the fields.They … Continue reading
High School Biometrics
A long time ago, I graduated from Appomattox County High School. Things were simpler then. Not better, but simpler. Maybe different is the right word. This was before the horrors of Columbine, before the War on Terror, before internet bullying, … Continue reading
My Tandy
To quote Milhouse, “I’m not a nerd…nerds are smart.” I don’t even know the difference between nerds and geeks. Yet, I have no problem calling myself a vintage computer geek. In its day, the Tandy 1000SX was one of the … Continue reading
A Calm Place
My Dad liked to travel. He and I took two vacations down the East Coast several years ago. I was sleep deprived, so I didn’t drive much. I wish I had done more driving with all the trouble we had … Continue reading
The James River Greens
At one time, I fancied myself an expert on politics. I was an infomaniac, a news junkie. Every weekday, I would watch two local newscasts, Tom Brokaw, and the MacNeil / Lehrer News Hour. My favorite show was Washington Week … Continue reading
Strange Energy
Through high school and the college days, I heard whisperings of a New Age complex in the next county over, Buckingham. I would make deliveries to Buckingham for the family office supply business. There was one small sign on the … Continue reading
In the Shenandoah Valley
I went to visit friends in Williamsburg, Virginia. There was a lot of American Revolution history there. They had the neatest visitor center—they even had a movie in a theater. The woman at the help desk was perfect—she gave me … Continue reading
The Flower that Became a Boy
On a mild Wednesday evening in August of 1970, I was born. My first home was a ranch house with a full basement in Greely, Colorado. I was the youngest of six. My only sister had three older brothers and … Continue reading
dust exchange 