Show Tonight!

We play the Elbo Room in Chicago tonight. If you've got nothing going, come on down...

And You Carry On...

Often you think the sky is falling. And then it doesn't really fall. Or maybe you think the ground is getting closer to the sky, but it never really gets too close.

You have good times and bad times. Sometimes the good times are pretty good and sometimes the bad times are pretty bad, but you wake up to another day and carry on.

You hear all kinds of sad stories. And sometimes you hear happy stories too. The stories just keep coming. And still you carry on.

Beat

Forces beyond my control are forcing me to be a "beatnik!"

And I'm beat!

Mad Man!

Yesterday a little blue. Started working on a monologue from our next projected performance piece. What a great mind cleanser! I got totally absorbed in the process of working a monologue: learning the words in a particular order, in a particular rhythm. There's magic in the process. You do this simple, mechanical exercise and then suddenly the monologue comes alive. Works every time. Plus it totally changed my body chemistry. I ended up a new man: wandering the streets mumbling and gesturing. Probably looked like a total MAD MAN! But I was smiling!

Lose Your Mind

Of course, sometimes you need to lose your mind in order to find yourself...

A Seen Thing

The thing is...

You want to be seen when you want to be seen.

And you don't want to be seen when you don't want to be seen.

Crying

Evolution is smarter than we are...

We have the ability to cry for a reason...

The Gauntlet

Ok I throw down the gauntlet to myself... The Abbie Fest is less than a month away... My mission... create an amazing, bizarre, totally weird, mind-bending piece that will stir the emotions, open heads, blow the doors off the little theater space, and leave the audience begging for more...

Big City!

Living in the Big City means... you have lots of ways of getting into trouble!

Beans!

Walter Brennan that fake cowboy once said in a movie... "eat your beans." Pythagoras that old philosopher and mathematician told his followers to avoid beans.

I'm going with Walter. I've been on a bean kick lately. Nothing like a can of beans to keep you going. An excellent source of protein and fiber. Plus you just open a can, dump the contents in a pan, cook for a few minutes and it's all ready to go!

And no animals were harmed in the process. Got to love that!

IDIOT LAND vs. MYSTERY LAND

The Idiots speak louder than other people. They have stronger opinions. They love to hammer you with them. They love to speak of things they know very little about. Especially about politics and religion. They dominate the conversation in the hood and on our airwaves. They make us a look stupid. They make us stupid just by having to listen to them. As soon as you respond to the idiotic discourse you are slimed with stupidity too. It gets so you think most of the country is just Idiot-Land.

But then again, most of the people you spend time with are interesting, and thoughtful, with nuanced views of life. You end up in heavy and inspiring conversations in coffee shops and artist studios and out on the street. You realize that most of the people you know aren't Idiots. They just don't speak that often or that loudly and they aren't on TV or radio. You spend lots of time with folks in intimate conversations speaking about the important things and it's clear that there aren't easy answers, just a lot of really interesting, life-shaking questions. And you and the others know there's mystery in life. And that's OK.

Empty the Void

Then there's the post-event event. Scrubbing the floor, stacking the chairs, polishing the porcelain. The upside to having a really tiny storefront space: it's easy to clean!

Plus there's something cool about inhabiting the space when it's completely empty: not a soul but me. Burning incense, blasting Led Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti."

It's the necessary cleansing. Empty the void so it can be filled up again...

A Stream...

Wow. We unleashed a stream of good vibes and love. Sort of overwhelming. Sort of cool. Best not let it go to our heads.

Onwards to the next... something.

Blackforestpalooozzzaaa Post Mortem

It turns out Blackforestpalooozzzaaa worked out really well...

I was there for it all. From the first light bulb popping in my dark brain stem to the organizing, the promoting, the setting up, the programming the wrap-up and the clean up.

We ended up with an over-flow crowd - out the door, on the street. It was hot and as expected our little air-conditioner was badly over-matched. Lots of sweat. But as I think Flea once said (yes, Flea, he is a role model) it's not rock and roll unless some blood, sweat, or tears flow.

We even made some cash. Plus there's some beer and hot dogs left over. Time to plan another event!!

Monster Whim

Every once in awhile I get carried away by a whim. One of my features is to run with my whims until they drop, run my whims into the ground.

Today one of my whims is gonna fill our little storefront space. You create a monster you must live within the monster...

The Nay-sayers say...

Anytime you try something, the Nay-sayers will line up and tell you why it won't work, and how disaster is lurking just around the corner - the building will fall down, the place will be robbed, people will faint, the cops will bust everyone, everyone will spontaneously combust, time will stop, a meteor will strike, you will go insane, you will surely regret doing whatever you were thinking of doing... etc.

The Nay-sayers say lots of things...

Caught!

There's a delicate balance between "building expectations," and "down-playing expectations."

I'm caught between the two...

BLACKFORESTPALOOOZZZAAA!

What's a Palooozzzaaa?

Not exactly sure.

But we are hosting an event I'm calling...

BLACKFORESTPALOOOZZZAAA!

at our tiny storefront space on Saturday.

It's basically a party, a happening, a scene. It's free! DIY and BYOB! We invited a whole bunch of artists (musicians, comedians) to come and perform. There will also be a BBQ.

As always, you're never sure if it's a good idea, or if anyone will actually show up. It's supposed to be very hot, and our air conditioner basically sucks, it's a funky little unit way over-matched! It will for sure be a sweaty something!

Mahavishnu Orchestra!

Another blazing hot yoga session last night. It's a challenge, but one I enjoy. Our lovely and kooky yoga teacher surprised us with some music during our meditation. She put on the Mahavishnu Orchestra at maximum volume. It was so powerful, so thrilling, the music washed over us like a volcanic eruption. It's been a long time since I listened to this band. This morning I logged onto Pandora and set up a Mahavishnu Orchestra radio station. Sublimely thrilling stuff!

Writing!

Writing on demand!

It's demanding!

Tripping...

This space. This moment. This now...

It's everything. And not enough.

"Once upon a time..."

OR

"What if...?"

OR

"In a land far away, in a time long gone..."

Free Advice...

Close your mouth...

Open your mind...

I have entered the nebulous zone...

The Nebulous Zone - hazy, vague, indistinct, confused, cloudy, cloud-like...

Foot

Some days it's just as simple as putting one foot in front of another...

Question Authority!

Yes, that's right.

Question authority!

You are on your own.

Even though we are all in it together.

Rely on your own head to guide you.

You are the authority.

Question yourself!

Flying Fingers

Sometimes my fingers can just fly across the keyboard. Faster than I think. Not sure if this is a feature or a flaw!

Tattooed My Brain

Syd Barrett's "The Madcap Laughs" keeps finding it's way onto my cd player.

It has become the soundtrack of my summer.

It's starkly beautiful. Kind of sad and I guess just a little twisted.

The mad legend of that "Crazy Diamond," kind of hangs over it like a shadow.

Why does it speak to me so, this summer of my discontent?!

Tattooed my brain almost all the way...

Summer

And the summer days are expansive.

Long meandering days.

Lots of space between moments.

You can get lost in the spaces between moments.

Wordless, soundless.

Light and shadow.

Wind and water.

The Chatterers

I've spent an inordinate amount of time with the Canine Class. It's a marginal existence. It's very physical. Each step counts. Affords me lots of quiet time. Lots of time to think.

I think it's made me less verbal. I mean, I'm not growling or anything, or no more than usual, but hearing myself speak words doesn't bring me any great pleasure. Silence is golden.

My thoughts run free. My words sort of evaporate on my tongue. I've found a sort of distance from the Human Class. I notice their chattering more now. Chattering, speaking words with no weight.

I suppose it's a feature of that class of being.

I'll Take Both!

Cosmic Traveler swimming in a universe of connections?

Or...

Lonely Traveler lost in a Universe of Hard and Cold?

How about BOTH?!?

The Universe Made Me Do It!

Yeah... that's right...