Philosophy of Will Dockery

Philosophy

 * Karma:"'Shannon, Brian﻿ & Stacey, no offense intended but this 'History repeats itself until the lesson is learned' concept always reminds me so clearly of a reincarnation discussion with a hippe Buddhist type friend of a couple years back. I had noticed that one of the big deals of re-incarnation was that once a person lives a perfect life, he/she goes to Nirvana and never returns. So I said I'd have to keep making mistakes because I like it HERE! This old world may not be perfect, but there's a slight chance it may be all we have...'"

Skalds and Odin's Mead bag
Excerpts from alt.magick.tyagi

"Vard-word; Laukr-bind, lock. This is Old Norse. The Old English meaning is true, though. They kept vard the same while somehow laukr was changed. This is how it was explained to me and a great deal of reading and research has proven it true so far. Will, the Norse bards were known as skalds, also..." -Joshua

Yes! The Skalds! I did a series of columns back in 1999, I don't think any got onto the internet, where I explored the world of the Vikings, Skalds, their connections with the Moors, and Celts, and other cool folks of that era... around 999, I think it was. The Skalds were a great group of Warrior Poets. I may have to go out to the shed and dig up the old issues of Playgrounds, since I haven't looked at them in years. The Norse poetic tradition is one of my favorites... Odin created the first poets when his Mead Bag sprung a leak while flying through outer space, and the dropplets that landed on the heads of humans below, made them poets. Years ago, I was waiting for one of the many announced meteor showers, that for some reason almost always come with cloud covered skies (has anyone else noticed this? My best Shooting Star sightings are always a lucky unexpected trea... almost never expected) and this strange heavy rain... I suppose it was sleet, well, of course it was... but it was... oddly... oily... this was in the late 1960s and near Fort Benning so it could have been almost anything... but... not long after that I picked up Edgar Allen Poe's poetry, and combined with comix and The Beatles and other alchemical brain shifts, began doing what is known as my poetry. Was I hit by Odin's Meadbag Spillage? I kind of like the thought... (Dec 17 2002)

Warlock" from the Old Norse "var'lokkur," : Spirit Song! Well, after a few hours of checking a couple of dozen sites, it turns out that my hunch was right: Warlock is a very appropriate name for a Metaphysical Poet... In the Norse, it was the word for: Spirit Song! It's pretty well known my affection for the Norse Gods, Balduur in particular... so it goes against the grain (the word Warlock came to be "bad" because the Brits said so... you see, the Norse Vikings used to invade England every year or so, so a Warrior Poet would be considered not so great... kind of see the drift?) and I'll spend who knows, a lot of time defending it, but Warlock it is. Plus, Warlocks apparently worship both Goddess and God, so once again it fits me like a velvet glove on an iron fist. (Collected through the web): "Warlock (rarely used, for male Witches) is from the Old Norse varlokkur, spirit song (not oath-breaker). 03.10.00 / Sarah Elaine / rainbow_ga@w... Maybe you can help me with an answer, I hope. I have heard that Warlock did not always mean "oath breaker". Old Norse word was "vardlokkur", which means ,"Guard of the gates of knowledge." It would be very interesting if you or any of your members have any more information on this subject. 05.10.00 / Dietmar Nix / d.nix@g... Digging in names of the ancient world, one seldom meets postmodern phantasy like the "guard of the gates of knowledge". Such names better fit to Hollywood since the early eighties. I regard it as very unlikely to estimate that old folks could have had such sort of worms in their brain while giving a name for a place. At least, the word "Vardlokkur" does not include any slight hint to the given explanation. Having English as part of the Westgerman languages, finding it settled by Angeln and Sachsen coming from a region today north Germany, I just compare Warlock with the early states of middle- high German representing the medieval state of language after the first phonetic shift combining the Westgerman languages. So Warlock seems to be better explained with "vart / verte" what is the venture either for travel or for robbery. The "lokkur" could be regarded in connection with "loch", what meant a hidden place. Therefore Warlock could be understood as the hide-spot for robbing or war ventures. This also better reflects the state of mind, present in this region in early times of war with the old celts of Britannica. 06.10.00 / Sarah Elaine / rainbow_ga@w... Thank you for your information. Still I find that in my journey of the name Warlock is from the Old Norse vardlokkur, "spirit song" (not Oath-breaker"). The magik of the Warlock was/is to ward off evil spirits and to "lock" or "bind" them up, keeping wisdom safe. In the Scots dialect the word Warlock means a `cunning man` or `male white witch`, it is rarely used today. In most part due to the Anglo-saxon meaning, `oath breaker`. This "label" has caused Warlock to be seen as a derogatory title. History of `witches`, will always, to a great degree, be a mystery. I feel this leads to a goal that can never be fully attained, but that can be approached without limit. 05.10.00 / Dietmar Nix / d.nix@g... Good hints on the Norse context. We agree, that "oath-breaker" is obviously not the background of Warlock. Neither oath nor break is given inside this term, therefore is result of analogy to another term via meaning, like sketched in your hints on Scotland. I only can´t get a link between "vard" and "spirit song". In medieval time this is not tracable at the continent with a state of language still close to the Northern roots. Unfortunately not finding Warlock on a map of the British island I can´t tell whether it is situated in the North or South. Maybe the language of the Celts had been different from the Norse. For sure the language of the Saxons and Angels had been close to the Norse, but both tribes conquered the South of Britain replacing the Roman culture, that ended up at the Hadrian´s Wall South of Scotland, making the borderline to the old Celtic culture, also in later times. Observation: "lokkur" is close to the Roman "loquor" (speaking) and "vart" meant the adventurous travel, so that the "vardlokkur" would be a bard, singing stories of adventures. Bards sang their stories and did´nt tell them. Maybe this is the "spirit song"? "Spirituals" are not known in the Germanic ancient world, they came up first in the mystics of Middle Ages. That is much too late for this part of language history. History of language is a mystery as our cultures don´t trace back in written facts that far. But the mystery-zone starts before Middle Ages that is earlier than the 7th century. Those times don´t concern the magic-hunt, that took place about 1000 years later. 15.10.00 / Willem de Blécourt / willem@p... My UNIVERSAL DICTIONARRY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (from 1936) explains "Warlock" as: `traitor' or `sorcerer', derived from the Old English "waer" (truth) and "loga" (liar). In German these would be "Wahr" und "Luege", thus: someone who lies the truth, or presents lies as truth, or makes truth out of lies. I have an instinctive, post-modern liking for this kind of interpretation: it sounds completely magical. 17.10.00 / Bill Ellis / wce2@p... According to my old etymological source, the Middle English forms of the word were "warlawe" or "warloghe" with the Anglo-Saxon form being "waerloga," meaning "traitor" not "magician." There may be an Old Norse word "vardlokkur" that is superficially similar, but the "d" that would make the first part cognate with "ward" (= door, gate) does not appear in the early records. So the first root is "waer" (= an oath to be faithful or truthful; G: Wahr[heit]) Likewise, the consonant sound for the word "loc" or "lokke" (= something that guards a door or keeps it shut) was already a hard K sound in Anglo-Saxon, not the soft gutteral "w" "gh" or "g" sound attested in the manuscripts where the word is actually attested. So the second root is "leogan" ("[tell a ] lie"; G: luegen) not "loc" ("lock"). So as romantic as "ward-locker" and "robber's hole" sound, the traditional "oath-breaker" derivation is probably correct: "waer" = sworn allegiance to one's overlord, religious vows to one's God, + "leogan" (lie, violate trust, deceive, be unfaithful), thus one who has broken his vows to the Lord and secretly made a pact with His enemy, a traitor to God, a devil worshipper. Warlock Another definition of the word was most commonly used up the eastern side of England, and especially in the North East, taken from Old Norse rather than Old English, and comes from "varth-lokkr" meaning (essentially) "one who locks (something) in" or "one who encloses" and is used for an exorcist or a magician who traps and disposes of unwanted entities. As such, it is a term of honour. Still other definitions include the claim that the word refers to a scalplock of hair worn as a marker by one who could see the wyrd. The word is still used in it's common dictionary definition of a male witch. People on various sides of the debate argue vehmently that one or the other of these definitions is completely right, or completely wrong. Warlock The word warlock is derived from the Middle English word "warloghe," and Old English word "wrloga," which meant an oath breaker during the medieval times. The word is from two words: wr (meaning a pledge) and logan (meaning to lie). In modern fantasy, warlocks are often just another word for spell- caster, and are often assumed to be evil. In Dungeons and Dragons, warlock is a title given to experienced magicians. The television show "Bewitched" used the term "warlock" for male witches, and it's probably through the show's popularity that this misinterpretation flourished. Another story of how the word came to be associated with witchcraft is this: In the late 1500's a Scot went against the wishes of his clan a became a catholic priest. Well this did not sit well with his clan so he was cast out. This however did not cause him to be called a warlock ( WARLOCK : Gaelic/ Scottish for traitor. ). During an outbreak of so-called witchcraft, when people accused others of being witches to keep themselves from being burned, someone named this scottish priest as a witch. I could not find out if he was burned or escaped but the text did make note that more than 50 people did. The priest's clan banished him, branded him a warlock (traitor), and no longer spoke his name. Another definition of the word is said to have originated on the eastern side of England, and especially in the North East, taken from Old Norse rather than Old English, and comes from "varth-lokkr" meaning (essentially) "one who locks (something) in" or "one who encloses" and is used for an exorcist or a magician who traps and disposes of unwanted entities. As such, it is a term of honour. Further definitions include the claim that the word refers to a scalplock of hair worn as a marker by one who could see the wyrd. The word is still used in its common dictionary definition of a male witch or sorceror. People on various sides of the debate argue vehmently that one or the other of these definitions is completely right, or completely wrong. The word Warlock became associated with one who had made a pact with the devil.

Politics
The Trouble With Bush

The George Bush fiasco one of my favorite topics, Stan, although I rarely find anyone who seems capable of discussing it intelligently and calmly... no offense, but intellect isn't exactly a Republican strong suit. I've been writing about this for a few yars now, so rather than immediately repeat myself once again, since most Bush defenders tend to go away without responding once the facts begin to be exposed to daylight and modern times, here's mostly where it began, a run-down of what George Bush himself was left with, and the fact that he trashed all the progress made in the Clinton era. Then we can take it from there:

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/alt.politics/DZqk6okjUD8

Exactly... that's how Obama came to be elected in the first place, since in comparison with how Bill Clinton left Bush and the way Bush wrecked practically every bit of progress in eight years, the voters decided they'd had enough of the Republican fiasco. Nobody, certainly not Obama, ever claimed undoing the mess would be easy. Not at all... Bush left a mess for the people who have to follow him to try to fix... in this case, Obama. As a President George Bush was simply inept, and he was too much of a stubborn dullard to think on his feet and make changes in strategy when they were needed. "Mess" may not be the proper word, maybe it is. I often notice these forgetful moments when supporters of folks like Bush come up. I suppose I need to run through a short reminder of how Bill Clinton left the situation (for the popularly elected Al Gore, btw) and where things went during the George Bush eight years...

1.) Economy: Good 2.) Wages: Up 3.) Poverty: Down 4.) Unemployment: Down 5:) Housing: Up 6:) Crime: Down 7.) Stock Market: Up 8.) World: At Peace At the end of the Bush term all the above eight points were pretty much at the opposite extreme... Bush's "mess" does seem about right, after all. A fouled-up situation like Bush left Obama will quite rightly take a number of years to set right... and no one was under the delusion it would be an easy thing to fix, the mess Bush made.

Reviews and Critique of Will Dockery
Several writeups, not in any chronological order as of yet.

"...In my opinion Will Dockery is easily one of the most authentic American poets around. A real coffeehouse poet who is not scared of mingling some real American elements such as country music into his poetry. While you just try to appear as European as possible with all your sucking up to 80 year old European surrealists." -M. H. Benders

Rick Howe's Critique
Throughout his life, Rick Howe wrote hundreds of reviews, essays, short stories, columns, opinion pieces, virtually ever type of writing imaginable. Most of these are not available online as of yet, but we hope to someday find, collect, and present as many of these as we can for the future generations to enjoy. Here's one that does exist, one of the many critiques and reviews How wrote about his friend, the poet William Dockery:


 * To The Magic Store, just released by Will Dockery, is a publication of modest proportions, consisting of a cover illustration followed by seven pages of poetry. At that, there is something aesthetically effective about this simple minibook design. Having issued a series of similar books over the last several years, the author undoubtedly has acquired a certain proficiency with them. It is probably a question, since one is not sure how else to explain it, of /fitting/ or /filling/ - yet not overfilling - a book of this size with an appropriate amount of material, such that one might experience in it a satisfying ampleness, notwithstanding the smallness of its format; at the same time expression must reach completion in the allotted number of pages, and not leave the impression of having been aborted, or that necessary articulations were left out. Judicious resort to ellipsis may indeed be helpful in this regard only providing it does not signify impoverishment. (Which is not the same thing, really.) It is indicative that the book proceeds at what seems, at once, a comfortable, unhurried pace; at the same time it is more than the negligible sort of labor which one might expect in the everyday course of things to have done in fifteen minutes or so....

Andrew Roller's Reviews
Comic Update, May 11, 1995

Green Ringlets, 50c. Minicomic, eight pages. William Dockery, P.O. Box XXXX, Phenix City, AL 36868.



A chapbook, from whence the first poem provides the title. Each book apparently comes with a free coffee stain. (Mine did, anyway.)

Care for some disjointed images, rendered with varying degrees of proficiency, complete with a bizarre, Egyptian pharaoh cover? This is the book for you. There's a poem about the south and several about females. I could write this thing up really good, but I'm full. I had to feed the hamburger Dockery threw over the bridge to me to a cat. It was lukewarm, anyway. If I'm to work for food, Dockery, it has to be hot. Anyway, the onion rings were good. For those I'll quoth several of his better lines:

"Answers like seeds being dispersed into "the breeze... "...We stood in the marsh of reeds... "...The Science Ladies "wandering inside my soul (pg. 5)."

There ya go. Thank God Wilson quit publishing. -Andrew Roller

felt, 50c postpaid. Minicomic, eight pages. William Dockery, P.O. Box XXXX, Phenix City, AL 36868.

On the back cover of this tome is written the words, "Second Printing." I was going to joke that with Dockery, this means my copy is not only the second printing but the second copy. However, this damn thing is actually very well written. Maybe he did actually print more than one copy in the first printing, and sold out!

felt begins poorly, but picks up at the top of page four. Then things really get going at the bottom of page four, and the lines roll on through thunderous poetic crescendoes right to the end. There are amazing images here; Tatumville park, the memory of Tracy, the father who's "a grey cat," even a lake of disappearing paths.

I highly recommend this chapbook on two counts, as a stunning book of poems and as a sample of the best the comics small press has to offer. -Andrew Roller

Comic Update 140, 141, 55c each. Minicomic, 8 pages. Frank G. Lloyd Jr., P.O. Box xxx, Richwood, W.V. 26261-0486.

Comic Update is the oldest living small press reviewzine. Begun in August 1986 by the immortal Andrew Roller, Update has struggled through various publishers over the years and, amazingly, has been published on a rigorously consistent basis. These are statements that can be made of no other zine in the comics small press. Yet, for all its fortitude, Update has continually been subscribed to by less people than almost any other reviewzine. It's probably had more publishers in its lifetime than subscribers.

This is not to say that Update has passed unnoticed through the comics world. Nearly everyone in small press has written at least one nasty letter to Update (all published, with spelling errors pointed out by Roller's remorseless sic). Both the mighty and the unknown have been excoriated in Update's pages. Update was even investigated in a face-to-face confrontation by the F.B.I.

The Update tradition of potent, even toxic commentary on the small press continues in this latest pair of issues. Lynn Hansen takes Andrew Roller's Naughty Naked Dreamgirls #11 to task for "not set[ting] a good example for younger readers...who may practice sex indiscriminately...and so get AIDS." Lloyd delivers a short but devastatingly humorous editorial against Comics F/X, and even manages to liken Ian Shires to Jeffrey Dahlmer.

Dockery provides insight to the life and recent death of Freddy Mercury as a part of his regular "Like a Monkey on My Back" column in Update. Whether you knew or cared about this singer, Dockery's writing (particularly in this installment of his column) struck me as absolutely fascinating. Mike Taylor is present with his prickly review column in Update #140. Taylor is an excellent addition to the Update team, still a relative newcomer, having been with this zine for only about 35 issues. The mainstay of Update, of course, is Lynn Hansen, with his educated, well-rounded reviews of both small press and independent comics. I would suggest to Brooks, Dockery, Roller, and whoever else is involved in Fugitive Factsheet that they get Hansen on their team. His prescient reviews of independent comics are just what Fugitive Factsheet needs to get into mainstream comics stores. But then, I'm just a newcomer. For a cup of coffee I'll review anything, even a comic by William Dockery. -Andrew Roller

Larry Caddell's Performance Review
Here's a good description of the Shadowville scene, from the new issue of Columbus Community News by Larry Caddell:

It was a hot and balmy Saturday night. The intermittent rain only pushed the humidity level off the charts. I had heard good things about Backyard Blues. Something was happening at a grassroots level. After all, I received my invite courtesy of Will Dockery, Columbus' poet laureate and Ralph Frank, our own drummer/sign painter/folk artist extraordinaire.

Thomas Gottshall purchased the old "coin op" laundry and accompanying garage-style building on Sixth Street and First Avenue. He has been renovating and restoring the old building in hopes of turning it into a music and arts complex. Floor plans have been created featuring performance space, meeting rooms and a recording studio. The building is made of brick and features a wooden-arched roof.

The large main room has a small stage on one end and has surprisingly good acoustics, thanks to the arched ceiling. The crowd was sparse but very enthusiastic and consisted mostly of musicians, artists and residents of the historic district. Most occupied the church pews inside, brought their own lawn chairs (and favorite beverages) or stood in the open air. The music, much like the weather, was steaming hot.

After several acoustic performers, the Shadowville All-Stars took the stage. This band of rock n' roll renegades are fronted by Will Dockery who has long needed a launch pad for his eclectic, imagery-laden, neo-beatific poems. Chain-smoking, spontaneously gesturing towards make-believe objects and addressing imaginary characters, Dockery sang with a gravel-throated limp to a rolling, bluesy romp in the swamp. Sounding like a cross between Tom Waits, Lou Reed and the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction, Dockery and crew chugged through their myriad of originals about pool halls, bridges, tragedies, lost love and relationships.



The music of the All-stars was gritty and down-to-earth: a solid backbeat encircled by the meandering bass lines of Sam Singer and two blues-infused electric guitars (one tremolo-heavy surf-induced). The band was joined on stage by Henry Parker for a long, bombastic version of Sweet Jane by the Velvet Underground.

I was glad to hear this crew of upstarts carving out musical sketches of Smith-station, the Dillingham Street Bridge and other Columbus-inspired landmarks. I hope to see a lot more of the Shadowville All-stars. They kicked out the jams. Check out their space at http://www.myspace.com/shadowvilleallstars.



Next up were the vocal harmonies of Kat and Renee, both of whom have wonderful voices. Their blues and country-inspired tunes paved the way for Columbus' best kept secret - The Muff-tones.

The Muff-tones are made up of three very talented brothers, Jim, Jack and John. Their aural soundscapes drift across the plain of bluegrass, folk and sweeping instrumental originals. The Muff-tones play both acoustic and electric instruments naturally or through various effects, sounding at once intensely original and vaguely familiar.

The band started their set in a traditional formation - guitar, banjo and electric bass. The sound was also traditional, very much like standard bluegrass. Jim then switched his banjo for a dobro and then replaced that with a mandolin. The trio swooped and sweltered through some speedy newgrass, ragtime and instrumental folk ballads. Titles included "Road to Recovery," "Running from Nothing," "Bleach" and "Square Dance." "Searching" was described by Jim as something "Barry White would play if he grew up in Kentucky." Each piece told a story.

Slowly the effects were added. Jack played his acoustic guitar through a synth pedal, making the instrument sound like keyboard washes. Jim then pulled out an old Ibanez electric head-banger guitar and played it through an assortment of effects. This all added to an interstellar sound that brought the listener from the coalmines of Kentucky to a psychedelic galaxy far, far away.

The Muff-tones ended their set with a very dexterous groove full of rich, acoustic textures and synchronistic rhythms showcasing these front porch symphonies. The band seems to be tightening up its sound and line-up. This band is worth catching around town.

The final act at Backyard Blues was Eddie Jones. Jones sat on stage like a professional blues player and belted out "I Got a Woman" by Ray Charles and jammed with a young bass player and Jim from the Muff-tones on some blues in E.



He was then joined on stage by Eileen d'Esterno, a local sculptor and painter who began singing the blues in a sultry and sexy voice. Whether it was her verses or the swaying of her hips in front of the still seated Jones, the performance was cut short by Jones' significant other who ruches on stage only to yank the cable from the guitar, silencing the room and leaving d'Esterno to ask: "What happened? Did the cops come?"



The cops should have come. I haven't had more fun of recent, and best of all, the event was free. All performers gave of their time and talent, and some really good folks supported the event with sound, lights and spirit. Gotshall said he would host more of these events, so keep your ears open for good things to come from Backyard Blues.

-Larry CR Caddell

Known Associates



 * - Rick Howe
 * - Jim Pontius
 * - George Sulzbach
 * - Tito Wals
 * - pd wilson
 * - Gene Woolfolk, Jr.
 * - Henry F. Conley
 * - Wes Sprunger
 * - George Buck
 * - Brian Fowler
 * - Dan Barfield
 * - Rusty Wood

Hogbottom Music & BBQ Festival
Well, we have a great music & BBQ festival known as Hogbottom...



Hogbottom 2013 schedule / Fort Mitchell, AL / April 27th

Hogbottom bands and schedule



Here's an update on that event, on the weekend of April 27th, from Hogbottom founder Dave Patillo:

"The action wear has been ordered, the line-up has been cast, and the new grill is in the works. It's time to clean out your coolers, break out the lawn chairs, dust off your instruments, and fluff up your sleeping bags. Believe it or not the 8th Annual Hog Bottom is just five short weeks away! The schedule for the day is below and attached and now includes 21 bands! This year we will be starting a bit earlier (10:45 am) and going until 10:00 in the evening. I have also attached a revised flyer. I for one can't wait and I look forward to seeing you there..."


 * - Majestic Diner (Atlanta, Georgia)

"The Dockery Foundation is Autism Education One Person at a Time. Early intervention and programs like The Dockery Foundation strive to help educate everyone. — “The Dockery Foundation :: Autism Education...One Person at a Time”,"
 * - The Dockery Foundation


 * - Ken's Tavern (Atlanta, Georgia)

Closed.

Artists For Pasaquan Weekend
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/167311093469579/

Folk art and music festival by the Artists for Pasaquan, November 2nd and 3rd near Buena Vista, Georgia. Pasaquan was created by the late Eddie Owens Martin.

Featuring the music of Mammoth Clamp, Liquid Lightwave, Sean Rox Trio, Katy Clyde, Cult of Riggonia, Rick Edwards, Moonshine Junkies, The Shadowville All-Stars and others.

From Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasaquan

"Pasaquan is a 7-acre (28,000 m2) compound near Buena Vista, Georgia. It was created by an eccentric artist named Eddie Owens Martin (1908-1986), who called himself St. EOM. Martin inherited the land from his mother and, using proceeds earned from fortune telling, transformed the house and its surrounding land. In an article on the outsider artist, Tom Patterson describes Pasaquan as “one of the most remarkable folk art environments in America—a sort of mock pre-Columbian psychedelic wonderland of brightly painted totems, curved and angled walls and walkways, and wildly ornamented structures that [Martin] called “temples” and “pagodas.”. The site is maintained by the Pasaquan Preservation Society.

Pasaquan is an internationally renowned art site, and consists of six major structures, including a redesigned 1885 farmhouse, painted concrete sculptures, and 4 acres (16,000 m2) of painted masonry concrete walls.

In September 2008, Pasaquan was accepted for listing on the National Register of Historic Places..."