Begun in 1987, Environmentalism into the Nineties: The Ents March On Washington was originally conceives as an electronic opera. It tells the story of a dark day when Tolkien’s army of giant trees launches an assault on our nation’s capital to protest our continuous assault on the environment. This was to take place at the end of the last century, but since it took me twenty-two years to complete the dammed thing I should probably change the title. Our fearless politicians are rescued in the nick of time by a young man named Charlie Brown.

He accidentally discovers a strange sonic frequency that allows him to travel to a dimension of lost things and find billions of missing bees. Their safe return to our plane of existence satisfies the fearsome trees’ hunger for vengeance. Since this is theater, a climactic battle must ensue anyway. Charlie takes on the evil trees armed only with the bees, several oil company executives, a disoriented gamelan orchestra whose tour bus has broken down on the beltway, and this intrepid black hound dog. Sadly, the dog is killed, although his ghost re-asserts itself in a final scene with a bi-plane and a Hammond organ.

General things turn out pretty well for everybody, especially the bees, since as it happens the dimension of lost things is not that great and they are happy to be rescued. Also, almost all of the trees are killed, ensuring the safety of our politicians for decades to come. Actually, it only tells that story to me, since I failed to write any words to the opera. As you listen to this music, think of anything you like, as long as it doesn’t hurt too much.