The Spot Magazine

THE SPOT MAGAZINE - MAY 2012

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[FEATURE]


AUTHOR

[FEATURE]


INSIDE ISSUE 30

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REMEMBERING MCA - PAGE 24

BOLIVIAN BACKCOUNTRYPAGE 10

A SPOT FOR POETRYPAGE 13

SEXTROLOGY BY: JYOTIPAGE 18

MY NAME IS GRAYPAGE 30

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BOLIVIAN BACKCOUNTRY

Chuck Castelwood

By this time, I should have crossed the Brazilian rainforest, and might have arrived in Venezuela. After more than a week in San Borja, Bolivia, spent laid out in a bed that smelled how I felt, most of my inju-ries from the crash in the Amazona region seemed to have gone away. Bruises and swelling went down. Scratches were healing up nicely. Pride was even restored. But my lower back - there’s trouble down there. I figured it was just muscles. Severely pulled muscles. That stuff will heal. So I manned up and loaded the motorbike, gritted my teeth and headed 30 miles to the fork in the road which leads to the border with Brasil, another 300 miles of hell.

The roads are all torn up due to the rainy season. It’s all deep ruts and mud bogs. Arriving to the junc-tion for Brazil, the road was already knocking out my fillings, and my back had me wishing I’d kept my of-fice job. Shortly after the turnoff, a strap on my saddlebags came loose and sucked the bags into the wheel, tearing them to tatters. Cursing and kicking, I yanked out some rope and tied ‘em on to the top.

Now I’m riding along and the bags are shifting everywhere. Annoying. Ten jarring miles later, I came to a construction site, where a big Cat was grading down a long dirt pile left by dump trucks. Not wanting to get in the way, I took the side route, a narrow bit of ‘’road,’’ about two feet wide, wedged between the long dirt mound and the road’s edge, which, incidentally, drops abruptly into a swamp. Riding feet out, all was going well for the first 200 yards, then the dirt pile widened out a bit and now I had about two

inches of road between the dirt pile and the abyss. Back aching, fearing a fall into the swamp, I was ready to find a religion. Instead, I recruited one of the construction workers to shovel a route through while I held the bike upright. Finally arriv-ing on the other side, I asked him how long to the next town, Rur-renebaque, which I knew was only 60 miles away. ‘’Three hours,’’ he replied. At that rate, it would be days of torture to make Brazil.

It all sunk in. Right there, with no shame, I threw a mantrum. That construction guy must have thought I was one majorly de-ranged gringo, because I was screaming and cursing like one majorly deranged gringo. The Amazon dream was dead. My back hurts too much. I threw in the towel and turned around.

After returning to the junction, I spent the next five hours slowly rid-ing the atrocious road to Coroico, Bolivia, dodging big trucks, waiting for crews to clear a path through the latest landslide, and bobbing and weaving through mud bogs. Pulling into a hotel, nerves frayed, I stumbled into my room. Next day, after taking my morning dump standing up (since I couldn’t sit), without wiping my ass I crawled out and ordered a taxi to take me to a hospital. The x-rays, which were reviewed by a doctor smoking in the emergency room, revealed no broken bones. Better yet, the doc gave me a big butt injection of some sweet-ass dope. Every day, I went in for another hit. After a week of the juice, I got cocky and decided to take the final 60 miles of the Death Road to La Paz.

‘’Death Road’’ isn’t a name I invent-

ed. It’s actually known the world over as ‘’Carretera del Muerte’’ (Road of Death) because it’s taken more lives than any stretch of highway anywhere on earth. It’s characterized by one lane on dirt and rocks, though waterfalls, cliffs, and most ominously, sheer preci-pices dropping 1/3 of of a mile to a grisly end. Literally thousands of lives have been lost, often when the driver of a peasant bus made a little mistake and everybody went on one last ride to a loud crash on top of all the other crushed cans strewn below.

Thanks to some clever engineers, a new, safer highway was completed in 2006, so the traffic which before went on the treacherous old road is now re-directed, making it some-thing of a ghost. Nonetheless, I was dialed up for the ride, ready for anything, but with so few oncoming cars, it wasn’t bad. It was, however, a hauntingly beautiful place. The thick fog, Christian crosses, silence, and sheer darkness made the whole place absolutely surreal.

In the end, the Death Road pas-sage didn’t kill me. Not long after, I crested La Cumbre (‘’The Sum-mit’’), which towers at 15,240 feet. From there I descended to La Paz, the world’s highest capital city, situ-ated at 11,975 feet. Wincing in pain, I went straight to a doctor. The MRI revealed two herniated discs in my lower back. After a good scolding, the doc said there’s a 50% chance I will need surgery, which bothered me a bit until I heard the really bad news: I’m not allowed to ride this bike for three months.

Listening to doctors is not my strength. I’m planning to be out of here, and on the road, soon.


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SUZANNE BRONSON

A SPOT FOR POETRY

Paper I feel your heart say, “Wait for me”-I feel it so often, I begin to doubtThat it is just another paper prom-iseEasily burned.

The Wasp My envy of flight and paper Hangs in midair;Buzzes around my head.Delicate wings not made for distanceAnd structure not made to last. The thing that I hate to needAnd need to hate.

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[MONTHLY]

SEXTROLOGY BY JYOTI

Aries-March 21-April19- Your love life is vibrating! Follow your

instincs, as you are in popular demand this month. This may be the year thast you connect with your special someone, if you’ve been single. Pay attention! Keep emotions balanced with regular

exercise. Hiking date?

Taurus-April20-May21- Self centered? Perfect timing! Do

what is required to keep your-self balanced. It may require

more effort than usual to include your partner in your

busy life at this time, but do not hesitate to do so. You will reap the benefit of ultimate support

in all your endeavors.

Gemini-May22-June20- This is a very active month for the

Twins. You may encounter chal-lenges in your love life at this

time. Remain strong and patient with yourself. Be neutral in your reasoning. You deserve the love of your life and nothing less will

do.

Cancer-June21-July22- New proj-ects! That “same ol” feeling has fi-

nally passed. This month will bring to light many fundamental changes in how you understand love relela-tionships. You will be able to show your partner what is required for improving connectivity. Financial

situation improves this month.

Leo-July23-August22- Handle yourself and others with care this

month, as you may meet challenges. A short-term break up may oc-

cur to regain balance and focus of intentions. Take a day trip, or two to relax. Focus on breathing more slowly, as well as taking a moment

to think before you verbally react to EVERYTHING this month.

Virgo-August23-September22- Practice patience now. Impatience

is a virgo keyword and can be seemingly difficult. It gets easier

with practice. Behold, as your love life blossoms into a fun, supportive

scenario! Take time to truly ap-preciate those close to you and just

how much they care for you. Be creative and do not worry as it may

lead to health issues.


Libra-September23-October22- Try to stay calm when trouble arises.

You will be able to spend more time with the one you love if you do.

Now is a learning period for Libra. Single Libra may consider mar-

riage sometime this year. Money is abundant at this time. Try to cut out a few luxuries however, as you may need more of it toward year’s end.

Scorpio-October 23-November 21- Avoid agreements or con-tracts at this time. Unexpected

news from last month may leave you suffering with an “energy

hangover”. Spend time with close friends at this time and have

some fun. Be creative and add your usual flair to group projects. Start planning a romantic, sexy

getaway.

Sagittarius-November22-De-cember21- Do you hear wedding bells in the distance? Make wise choices, preferrably not in the heat of the moment. You will

feel like the center of attention to many at this time. Practice more direct communication for the re-sults you desire in love relation-ships. Take advice from friends

and potential in-laws. Smile.

Capricorn-December22-Janu-ary19- Changes made at this time

will have a lasting effect on the rest of your year. A series of break-ups may be necessary for ground-

ing purposes. These are healthy for both parties. Love, luck and financial abundance are in your

forecast in a big way. A new family member may be on your mind. Relax. Stress may cause health

issues.

Aquarius-January20-February18- Love is exciting again! Many

romantic dinners and fun dates are in store for you! Be happy and

share! Be mindful of coming across to partners as being arrogant. De-spite what you understand, others may find this attribute off-putting. Relax, smile and listen, instead of

ALWAYS having the last word.

Pisces- Romantic possibilities are literally everywhere you are.

Positivity is your current vibration. Thoughts of marriage may come

into play if in a committed relation-ship. Continue to strive for your creative dreams and you will re-

cieve much support. Be joyful. Steal kisses. Support a local, community cause with someone close to you.

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[SUBMISSION]

There were two things that shaped the way my life would turn out, one was skateboarding and the other was the Beastie Boys and the level of hip hop and punk rock that my soul was attracted to. On Friday May 4, 2012, the music world lost one of the greatest MC’s and philan-thropists that ever was, from a long battle with cancer. MCA aka Adam Nathaniel Yauch was the founding member of the Beastie Boys. On his 17th birthday in 1979, Yauch wanted a band to play his party. So what did he do? He started his own punk band featuring Michael Diamond aka Mike D, John Berry, and Kate Schellenbach (who became the drummer for Luscious Jackson). A short time later Adam Horo-vitz aka AD-ROCK joined the group. What started off as a joke in the early 80’s the Beastie Boys started rapping in Brooklyn and from there they never stopped. Signed to Def Jam Records in 1985 by Rick Rubin cofounder of Def Jam and who produced their first hip hop album Licensed to Ill which was released November 15th, 1996 and went on to be the first hip-hop album to top the Billboard 200 chart. Over night the Beastie Boys became there own counter culture. The boys from Brooklyn went on to release multiple albums, winning countless MTV awards, and 3 Grammy’s. but we are not talking about the band this time. No this is MCA’s turn. MCA was much more than a

rapper; he was a film producer, director, and philanthropist. In the mid 90’s MCA was getting involved in the Tibetan Freedom Movement and started the Mi-larepa Fund, a non-profit dedi-cated to Tibetan Independence. While on the Lollapalooza Tour in 1994 MCA came up with the idea of the Tibetan Freedom Concert and in 1996 the first one was held in San Francisco California and featured bands such as The Red Hot Chili Pep-pers, Bjork, Smashing Pumpkins, Cibo Matto, Rage Against the Machine, and De La Soul. The concert had over 100,000 people attend and raised over $800,000 for the fund. The concert con-tinued through 2001 in cities all over the world. MCA was diagnosed with can-cer three years ago and lost the battle Friday Morning. In his life, from beastieboys.com “With fellow members Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band’s 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill–win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.”MCA, you will be missed and never forgotten.

Remembering MCA


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When people hear sound, such as traffic, lawn mowers, the chirping of birds or wind through the leaves, they think they just hear random noises. But when I hear these sounds I hear symphonies, el-egant pieces created with the power of chance and the instruments of the Earth. I hear music of the high-est purity. My name is Sterling Gray and music is the air that I breathe.

I was born on August 30th 1994, in Grand Junction, Colorado. I was raised in Clifton from the day I could walk to about the time I en-tered middle school. My mom was a shy fairly straight laced church girl raised in Denver, though she al-ways told me that inside she had an African American funky, wild soul. My dad was a sheltered kid who was obsessed with sports. He was more or less a wild kid at heart.

I was always a very interesting baby. My mom told me that I was very picky about who held me, and that I would only let about three people hold me ever, which didn’t even include my dad. I was always a very shy, reserved, quiet and thoughtful child. I was always curious from a young age, and I would frequently ask questions such as “Who created God?” or “What’s the sky made out of?” I’ve always looked at the world differently than others.

Ever since I was young I’ve had a simplistic, innocent and less com-plicated view of how life is meant to be. Freedom and individuality are the two most important things I’ve tried to live my life by. Ideas such as god, violence, school, work, reli-gion, government, countries, race, laws, money and war have never been in my eyes necessary. The point of life has been to me to just live it how you want and to experi-

ence it the best you can. Live life only for yourself. And unfortunately I think society has lost sight of the point of living.

I’ve loved music as long as I can remember; some of my earliest memories are of watching my mom and dad workout or clean to the music of bands such as The Beatles, The Bee Gees, and The Eagles. My mom would also listen to a lot of world music which always fascinat-ed me. She also is a beautiful singer and used to play the flute, which I always loved to watch and listen to, so that’s pretty much where my love for music began.

When I was about 5 years old my parents divorced and my life was forever altered. Although it was especially hard on me, it set me on my path to become the person I am now. From that day on I began to keep everything inside. I was already a quiet kid but after that I spent a majority of my time inside my head, which in turn flipped on my creative a light. From a young age I was always creative, and loved to draw and doodle. The first thing I ever wanted to be was an author, and I spent much of my childhood writing little books and comics of my creation. In first grade I even inspired my teacher to make a book assignment for the class when I showed her a book I had written and illustrated.

But music is my one true love, and it always has been. I remember clear as day the first time I heard the song “Eruption” by Van Halen and it completely blew my mind. I was in third grade and from that moment on I knew exactly what I wanted to do, which was make music and play guitar. Ozzy Osbourne was my first idol, and he made me fall in love

with the idea of the rock n’ roll life style. He was larger than life to me. I began to fall in love with bands such as Kiss, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Misfits. I fell in love with punk, mainly because of the attitude behind the music, not just the music itself. However my musical tastes have always been growing and shifting.

My path of playing music started off when I found an electric guitar in a trash can on my way home from school. That moment on I com-pletely submerged myself in music. I began to play every day, just laying on my bed trying to figure out songs I was hearing on the radio. Over the years my ability was improving, and my love and knowledge for music was exploding at a rapid pace.

By 6th grade I was in my first rock band, and I haven’t looked back since. Currently I’m recording my first studio album, and I’m falling in love with the art of sound. My favorite bands are The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Neil Young, David Bowie, The Pixies, and other bands of that nature. Music is my life, without it I might not be here right now.

In terms of my future I have no idea what will happen. My dream would be to successfully put my music out there somehow. I would like to be a successful musician and producer, and maybe a writer. If I were to go to college for anything it would probably in the sound production and engineering arts. But in the mean time I will only try to improve on my skills the best I can. As of late I have been infatuated with avant garde music, which is basically the idea that music can be and is every-thing, it’s just a matter of actually

My Name is Gray


AUTHOR: Sterling Gray

listening. However my ultimate dream is to somehow change the world for the better, in particular society.And that so far has been my life. It’s hard to believe I’ve been through so

much and have grown so much in only 17 years. Every part of my past has made me the man I am today. I’ve experienced so many things, the best of best, and the lowest of the low. I’ve loved and I’ve lost

but I don’t regret a thing. And I’m looking forward to the times yet to come.

[FEATURE]

Blue sparks jump all around me. Regeneration energy swirls about my body like a cosmic dance as I awaken in an environment that is totally unfamiliar. It’s a grey room. Barely a second passes to take in my surrounding before my bio-radar posts an ‘enemy life sign’ alert on the corner of my helmet’s scanner screen.Hostile approaching from the right. A quick turn and a few taps on the trigger sends a barrage of bul-lets splaying toward some kind of abomination, which until recently was running full-speed in my direction. After flying across the room, it snarls and snaps; writhing hideously in its death throes. Looking at the lifeless thing, I could almost believe that it was once human. But the blood stains on its long claws and fangs, tell me that it hasn’t been human for some time. The story I’ve heard is that these creatures supposedly occupy the next evolutionary rung, which means that after some intense genetic therapy they’ve stopped being homo-sapiens and prefer to eat them instead. That’s something for all of us to look forward to, but the next metamorphosis is what I’ve been waiting for. This next evolutionary metamor-phosis is what I’ve been waiting for and looking forward to.

Slowly, the thing begins to dissolve before my very eyes. As its corpse slowly fades from existence, a small amount of money suddenly appears where its body used to be. I run over to collect it. This creature was bigger than the ones in the last bunker. If there are more like this sucker, then gonna definitely need more


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