As I continued to read, I realized there was more to it. Toto, in Latin, means all-encompassing. Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro, who died in 1992, was one of the most recorded session drummers in the history of rock. He rose to recognition playing drums on the album Katy Lied by Steely Dan, one of my favorite bands. Allmusic has characterized him as “arguably the most highly regarded studio drummer in rock from the mid-’70s to the early ’90s”, further stating that “It is no exaggeration to say that the sound of mainstream pop/rock drumming in the 1980s was, to a large extent, the sound of Jeff Porcaro.” I got angry at Etta a few nights ago when she stated I like pop music. But here is the sound of seventies and eighties rock drumming hailing from my hometown. Its in my roots.
Besides Errol Morris, I read a story out of Kansas by A.G. Sulzberger- Amid Rural Decay, Trees Take Root in Silos. Farms on the Great Plains have evolved to new efficiencies- machination has reduced the levels of farm staffs. Buildings no longer needed are cheaper left standing than demolished. The human footprint on the praire paradoxically aids vegetation growth- in part by protecting plants from the stress of wind. Trees reach out of many abandoned grain silos- the flora phenomenon has found fans amongst photographers on Flickr. Amateur photog Ken Wolf said, “It just struck me as, I don’t know, a symbol of something- I see it as a kind of passing.”
Does the New York Times have you down? Downtown?