Daniel Irwin Tucker

The main philosophy that has taken shape in my life in regards to life among humans, is that there is no real "answer" per se. It seems that much of Eastern and aboriginal thought has some integral pieces of the cosmic puzzle and our place in it; i.e. balance and moderation, direct correlations with nature in the balance and contrasts of light & darkness, warmth & cold, want & plenty, joy & sorrow, etcetera, etcetera. It seems that the human race needs to find or rediscover its place, not only in the cosmic puzzle, but in the food-chain.

It just could be that if we as individuals could find this lost chord of Yin-Yang (which resonates in all world religions) and practice it, we can, at the very least, achieve world peace, if only in our own little worlds of family, friends and others that go in and out of orbit around us in our everyday lives.

I've been the lead singer in various rock bands through the years. In the nineties I had a record deal (the cd was called "Soul Graffiti" by The Dan Tucker Band aka Dan Tucker and His Band of Hairy Men; was on a Toronto-based nationally broadcast TV program, was booked on others, and started on a Canada-wide tour which was laid-out to include a full North American tour. But due to prolonged debilitating health problems, I had to get off the road in 2000 and have been to this day. It was hard to quit, since I was the leader of the band and the primary songwriter, which meant the band couldn't go on. That dream died very hard.

I wrote poems and prose since I was a teenager and was published in various magazines and newspapers, etc. through the years, so I fell back on that. I got a book of my poems and tales w/ illustrations published in the fall of 2005. I recently put together another collection of poems & tales w/ illustrations that is scheduled to hit the markets in the fall of 2009. This at least fills the gap a little.

I still write songs and record demos of them when I can. This at least softens the blow and gives some sort of meaning to my life. I've been wanting to get back in the big city studios to re-record my first CD. You see, sometimes when the record biz gets a hold of your music, they are in control. This time around I want to do the album the way I played live--the way fans liked it ... not as commercial. I also have new songs written and ready to record a second album. I've been recording demos of my new material in my basement when I am physically able. But the only way I can do professional recordings, is when I'm [[[ FINANCIALLY ]]] able. HINT, HINT. I'll make an announcement when I get this done.


To sum up how I've dealt with the above mentioned health issues, here's an excerpt from a poem of mine, titled, Phantom Pain: " . . . Isolation, a shining steel blade, cutting deep into the heart of hearts. Nothing lives after amputation. Depending on emotional prosthetics -- phantom pain when nothing is there. Taking the hand of trust and grace. Hope building a fortress for dreams. Set boundaries better than no control at all."