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The Chris Chandler Show

  • THE MUSE AND WHIRLED RETORT

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    T.H.E. .M.U.S.E. .A.N.D. .W.H.I.R.L.E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.
    December 18, 2023
    Austin TX

    Hey Everybody.
    So Sorry it has been a minute. Happy Holidays to you and Yours. A couple of days ago we filmed this little holiday special for you and yours. I hope you enjoy it. Also, I would like to share with you an older piece that Paul benoit and I made celebrating the winter solstice. Click on the image to play the Winter Song Video.

    I have a big birthday coming up in January and i am going out to the west coast to celebrate it with a string of shows in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Oakland, Nevada City and Merin. Most of them are house concerts, so you can contact me here and I will get you the information you need.


    *************
    If you would like to support me or this newsetter you can do so through

    Paypal Venmo or Patreon.

    Also, I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

    ENOUGH of the crass comercial announcments here it is!
    ***************


    The Tree Kings of Memphis
    By Chris Chandler


    O Holy night!
    The stars are brightly shining
    It is the night of our dear Savior's birth

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    And so it came to pass
    that the three wise-men
    came westward
    from the four corners across the painted desert
    and saw the bright neon star
    illuminating the sky.
    high above the Tropicana Hotel and Casino
    in Laughlin, NV
    I am not making this up.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Wise men say
    Only fools rush in
    But I can't help falling in love with you
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The three wise-men had been locked in a self storage bin
    in a suburban town east of where the king was born.
    No one had visited them in nearly a year
    and cobwebs and dust were already taking over the storage bin.
    None the less they had been released and their first destination
    was to the city
    where the King was born of humble origins:
    I am talking of course about... Tupelo Mississippi.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Shall I stay?
    Would it be a sin
    If I can't help falling in love with you?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    My mother loved Christmas.
    She made new Christmas ornaments every year for as long as I can recall.
    when I was a kid I first remember best was the three wise-men.
    They were made of strips of old rags
    wheat pasted round quart sized 7-Up®, Dr Pepper® and Cheerwine® bottles
    and then painted with Byzantine robes with kite string for beards
    The shinny yellow lid to a Prell® shampoo bottle
    was used as a jewel in one of the crowns.
    The chest containing the gifts
    of gold, frankincense and myrrh
    was made from the red plastic hotel
    from a Monopoly® set.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    We three kings of orient are
    Bearing gifts we traverse afar
    Field and fountain
    Moor and mountain
    Following yonder star

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    In the time of king Herod,
    the Magi came to Jerusalem
    to ask where the king had been born,
    for they had seen the star rise which foretold of his coming.
    Herod called his scribes and astrologers
    into council
    and it was concluded that he was born
    in Bethlehem of Judea.
    The three wise men were sent,
    by Herod with gifts
    of gold, frankincense and myrrh
    and most importantly… most importantly
    instructions to return
    and tell Herod the exact location of his birth.
    In short,
    the three wisemen
    were spies.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    O star of wonder, star of night
    Star with royal beauty bright
    Westward leading, still proceeding
    Guide us to thy perfect light
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    My mother passed in February
    and at Thanksgiving
    I returned to my hometown of Stone Mountain, Georgia
    to plant a Dogwood tree in her honor.
    And while I was there
    I decided to look through more of the boxes stacked inside the storage bin
    in search of more treasures:
    the vestiges of a life now enshrined in zip-lock ® baggies
    and neatly folded and stuffed into Tupperware ® containers
    awaiting their fate to be decided by her heirs.
    Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
    Afterlife.
    I opened
    the red and green Tupperware
    and the profusion of creative child hood memories rose
    like the dough of my first Chef Boyardee ® pizza.
    The memory of my mother
    turning the red plastic Monopoly piece hotel into a treasure chest
    and then Elmer’s gluing it into the hands of a Dr Pepper ® bottle
    transforming the mundane into holy works of art,
    called to me.
    It was simple:
    The wise-men must join me on our journey.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    … Fall on your knees!
    Oh, hear the angel voices
    Oh, night divine
    Oh, night when Christ was born
    Oh, night Oh Holy night
    Oh Night Devine.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    When the wise-men
    found the Holy Family they did indeed present the gifts
    of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
    But more importantly,
    upon their arrival to Bethlehem
    on the 12th day of Christmas,
    Launching the very first Mardi Gras season,
    the Magi had an epiphany.
    Much like the former slave trader, John Newton
    writing "Amazing Grace"
    as he turned his slave ship around
    and set his captive cargo free,
    the kings had a change of heart.
    They warned the Holy Family
    of Herod’s intent to kill the potential threat to his power.
    It is known as: The Epiphany.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Amazing grace

    How sweet the sound
    that save a wretch like me.
    I once was lost but now am found
    was blind but now I see.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Not knowing the Holy Family had been warned,
    King Herod sent armed forces
    to kill all of the young children in Bethlehem:
    it is known as The Slaughter of the Innocents.
    However the Holy Family had in deed been warned
    and they escaped to Memphis, Egypt.
    And that’s how it came to pass
    that the three wise men made their way to Memphis
    in a 1996 Chevy Taho
    so they could witness the giant Chrome Pyramid
    known as the Memphis Convention Center
    in Memphis, Tennessee.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    We Shall Over Come
    We Shall Over Come
    We Shall Over Come Some day
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
    was assassinated at the Loraine Motel
    in Memphis, Tennessee.
    The Loraine Motel is now a civil Rights museum. Frankincense.

    B. B. King
    defined the sound of Memphis' Blues Music and it is preserved on Beale Street
    also known as the B. B. King highway.
    We are talking Highway 61.
    He is from there.
    He is of there.
    He is known as the King of the blues.
    His music served as in inspiration
    and the roots for what would become Rock and Roll.
    Myrrh.

    Elvis Presley,
    born in Tupelo Mississippi,
    became the King of Rock and Roll,
    He came to Memphis for the music.
    He lived there.
    His house in Memphis is a museum to generations.
    He had more gold records than anyone else.
    He has arguably been heard
    by more people than anyone else
    born in this hemisphere.
    Gold.

    These three kings of Memphis
    have changed the world
    by bridging the cultures of black and white.
    Elvis Presley imbibed the black roots music of BB King
    which made it palatable for white audiences by turning it gold,
    while Martin Luther King used
    the power and organization of the church
    to knock down the Jericho walls of segregation.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Deep in my heart
    I do Believe
    We Shall Over Come
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    After warning the Holy Family,
    the Magi did not return to Jerusalem
    as instructed by Herod,
    and they chose to live in exile for the remainder of their days.
    There are many stories
    about what happened to the Magi
    after that December morning.
    I know for a fact
    that they went from Memphis
    to Okemah, Oklahoma
    to visit the home of Woody Guthrie,
    and to Madrid, New Mexico
    and up to the four corners,
    and across the Holy Hopi Land.
    As America passed in my rearview,
    news reports about the terrorist attacks and the subsequent bombing of the Holy Lands
    flashed by like mile markers amongst billboards advertising the holiday season,
    I think to The Slaughter of the Innocents.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    … Fall on your knees!
    Oh, hear the angel voices
    Oh, night divine
    Oh, night when Christ was born
    Oh, night divine, oh, night when Christ was born
    Oh, night
    Oh Holy Night!!!
    Oh, night divine
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    And so it came to pass
    that the three wise-men came westward
    from the four corners of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico
    across the painted desert
    and beheld
    the bright neon star
    illuminating the sky
    high above the Tropicana Hotel and Casino
    in Laughlin, NV .
    This time
    there was room at the inn.
    Wise men say
    Only fools rush in
    (Begin Overlap)
    But I can't help falling in love with you
    Shall I stay?
    Would it be a sin
    If I can't help falling in love with you?

    … Take my hand
    Take my whole life, too
    For I can't help falling in love with you

    … Take my hand
    Take my whole life, too
    For I can't help falling in love with you

    Hum

    When crossing the desert
    I recommend taking refuge in
    a Casino – not a manger.
    If you don’t gamble - it is a cheap way to rest.
    The room at the luxurious Tropicana Hotel and Casino
    was only $19.00,
    and it came with a free buffet.
    The Hotel even gave me a five dollar credit card
    in which to gamble –
    So I figured what the hell...

    …I went out to the car, and i retrieved the red and green tupperware container
    and I placed the quart-sized figurines on a barstool
    in front of the one armed bandit.
    I inserted the card and pulled the handle.
    Elvis Presley ® was singing, “Wise men say…”
    over the Muzak ® sound-system.
    Three Stars rolled round and stopped.
    A chorus of Casio ® keyboards
    rained from the heavens like a gift.
    I won Gold
    I won frankincense
    I won myrrh.
    I WON $19 !!!!

    The room was paid for.
    I put the wise men back in their Tupperware container.
    They continued their voyage westward
    into the setting sun
    from the land to the east
    across Route 66.
    Home.

    I had left Home on October 25
    and was on the road for 40 days and 40 nights.
    As I returned home
    on the 40th night
    I am grateful
    to all of those who helped the weary travelers
    along the way this holiday season.
    May there always be room at the inn.

    *************


    If you would like to support me or this newsetter you can do so through

    Paypal Venmo or Patreon.

    Also, I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

    *****

    H.E.R.E.'.S. .D.A. .D.A.T.E.S.

    Saturday, January 6th, 2024

    South Austin Storytellers Presents Six Storytellers with a theme

    VENUE TBAAustin, TX

    Sunday, January 14th, 2024 4:00 PM

    Chandler's 60th Birthday Party RSVP ME Baldchandler@yahoo.com

    Wendesday, January 17th, 2024

    Nevada City TBA

    Thursday, January 18th, 2024

    Laurie Greenfest Berger Presents Wu Wei Tea Temple

    1820 Sir Francis Drake BlvdFairfax, CA 94930

    Website: https://WuWeiTeaTemple.com

    Friday, January 19th, 2024 8:00 PM

    House Concert at the Home of Sabrina Parker

    RSVP ME baldchandler@yahoo.com for addressSanta Cruz, CA

    Saturday, January 20th, 2024 12:00 PM

    John Elliott Presents TBA

    Location TBASan Francisco, CA

    Saturday, January 20th, 2024 5:00 PM

    House Concert at The 'Rads

    RSVP ME for the address baldchandler@yahoo.comLos Gatos, CA

    Sunday, January 21st, 2024 7:00 PM

    The Return to Berkeley CA The Monkey House

    1638 University BvdBerkeley, CA

    Website: https://www.themonkeyhouse.com