A single released around the same time as TRADING BALLOONS. The single is credited to Greg Beemster and the titles are copyright (c) 1999 by Beemster and Scott Rutledge. The front cover etching is by Toben Windhal. The songs are all extremely short....

Tracks:

Side A: Execution, Afield, Spire, Signature, International, Leisure, The Bachelor
Side B: History, Sur, Curt, Texturology, Pop, Similarity, The Shit & The Cunt

This essay appears on the back of the single:

I first met Greg Beemster in the early summer of 1994. I guess I couldn't help noticing the bright yellow Estusa racquets flashing around the courts at the Tam Tennis & Fitness Center and thought, who would dare use these racquets besides Jimmy Connors, and even JC had stopped using them by that time. As a player Greg had a long way to go on many levels. He had great footwork, speed and endurance, but he did not possess a big serve (for someone 6'3") or volleys. As a baseliner his groundstrokes were okay but he still lacked a weapon, especially on the forehand side. At the suggestion of one of the other pros at the club I began hitting with Greg and developing his all around game. As with most things, the more you do it the better you get. You become more and more aware and comfortable. The shots become second nature and at some point it all becomes muscle memory. But no matter how accomplished the strokes are it doesn't mean a thing unless you know how to play the game. I'm talking of course about strategy. Knowning what to do and when to do it is everything in tennis. Little by little I imparted this specialty and Greg took to it all like a scholar. When I started coaching him he was losing a lot of matches that he should have won, but within one year he turned this around dramatically, beating the most troublesome opponents in the most imaginative way. I'm not sure exactly how much damaged equipment we're responsible for as the result of Greg's opponents' post-match temper tantrums but I snicker to think of it. I know Greg snickers too. It's the snicker of champions. Oh, by the way, that forehand was now officially considered a weapon by every player who felt its sting. If only I can somehow transform Greg into a serve and volleyer! Some hope! I think I can safely say that he'll not soon be a doubles specialist! But I realize that the collection of hardware on the mantle speaks for itself. Hard work and dedication does pay off and to Greg and all his titles I can only say, Game, Set, Match, Greg Beemster!

-- Lester Moy (Greg's Tennis Coach)

LYRICS:

Execution

goya's figures are
heavy with fate
but all of the struggle
is in the paint

Afield

blindly van gogh
takes to the local
out of color
though he neither
breathes the pollen
nor do crows peck
at his ear ache

Spire

it is the manner
and not the way
in which paul klee points
that gives him direction
for instance blossoms

Signature

when a necktie isn't drawn like
anything important
that's jim dine

International

when picasso first painted
from those african masks
who'd have thought
this would grow
into such an industry
of rhythm global consciousness
the likes of which would make
even raymond roussel quake

Leisure

a protracted ass in dots
by georges seurat

The Bachelor

there are numbers and then
there are equations and
it is the latter which
determines the former

History

how swiftly rivers painted
washington
crossing the delaware
is a lesson in itself

Sur

living above the cabaret voltaire
must have been a nuisance
trying to dream your way
through successive movements

Curt

schwitters went the language
jumbled on the page

Texturology

intentional as flesh
dubuffet applies himself
to whatever feels
exceptional

Pop

we have organized ourselves
into oblivion
though we were once not so sure
and this made us solid and
strong
but then along came andy
warhol
to show us just how chewy was
the center

Similarity

if de kooning rhymed with
desecration it would be too easy
for a relationship to be drawn
and this is why
her weakness postured

The Shit & The Cunt

they are two ways of being
together

they are similar in
both ways other