Occasionally, things occur to me which most people will dub coinsidence. I prefer to consider them a higher calling. Over the past week I suppose I’ve had several of them which guide me back to my unfinished novel on soul. Frustrated as I may be, because of several more important priorities on my plate, I notice them, jot them down, and set them in my memory for later use. I know I SHOULD really start to use them- but can’t, and know this. Every creative will agree, when you have “the itch” you can’t scratch, it’ll pester you endlessly, so you temporarily hide it beneath a distaction until you’re finally able to put your claws into and scratch the HELL out of it.
I purchased Monster in a Box this week, the monologue by the late Spaulding Gray. For those of you who have never seen this, it’s pure genius. He was a wonderfully creative man given constant distractions as he worked on his novel which he dubbed- “The Monster in the Box”- an eighteen hundred page book. As it goes, and I think most of you who do this sort of thing agree, he found the eternal frustration of trying to finish it with various important priorities which came before such as acting, travelling, enjoying life in its various forms, idea creation and such. All of these were good in ways because they worked themselves into his book- they were processed and developed which in turn led to character development and movement of the plot- all when he said he had “nothing” to write.
What’s incredible about the movie is it’s just him telling stories in front of a table with a glass of water, a manuscript, a microphone, his expressions and his hands. The movement of the camera, the music and the drama created with this simple method of story telling is unmatched anywhere and you’ll be rivited from the start (I believe it’s an hour and a half, which feels about 20 minutes).
I suppose I could put this on the list of things which made up my “calling” back to my own novel. Enter number 2- a trip to the bar Olives in Nyack which brought me a conversation with someone who was studying International relations. Ok, you ask, what could that mean? I don’t know… but I do know… the person had lived in Cannes, France for 2 years and was fluent in French. Cannes is important in my manuscript and I’m constantly driven back there for the reason of water. Not only did we speak of France, but we spoke of Bulgaria and a possible visit there for study. It’s true I have a friend in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and have done for over 20 years. She started as a penpal (back when writing came by letters and not internet) and we still stay in touch by ways of internet. I’ve never met her, and have told her year after year, I’m coming in the near future. She teases me constantly- don’t ask me where the time goes…..
Back to the person at the bar: the conversation touched on different aspects of international relations, which has always facinated me. I’ve been fortunate to have visited some very interesting places which I mentioned to her like the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria (incidently, the penpal I got sent me her first letter after I’d been in her town less than one year earlier!) and Istanbul. I come to find she’s studying Polish and what significance that has I have yet to learn. All the talk brought be back to earlier years and travels is the bottom line, and with that comes the memories and sources from which I write.
In comes the last “grabber” which pulls me straight into “I GOTTA WRITE” mode and makes an internal source say… YESSSSSSS…. this is the calling.
Last night, I went to a dinner at church. It was a mandatory thing for my kids and as most people who know me, know, I’m not particularly religious. I prefer to be more spiritually aware and although I’m a non practicing Methodist, I do believe we’re all here to serve our time in doing good stuff for others and doing so will bring you a source of wealth after death. It’s what I choose to believe.
I’ve been dubbed an ”old soul”, and I like to think that somewhere in time, my existance was served before. I enjoy history and could never make sense of those deja-vu moments of time and recognition, but I digress…
Parents were led to a gym where a woman told us of several instances from the bible. She’d spent some 30-40 minutes telling us of Bread and water, the basic necessity of life. In her teachings she covered ”Salt of the Earth” which I’d come to know as one of my favorite Rolling Stones tunes about the goodness of hard working people. Salt being so valuable in the days of Jesus that they’d pay wages with it. Wood was rare in desert regions so salt became a commodity of living. They’d mix it with dung to have fires which would burn complete for bakers of bread. She mentioned the story of Jesus coming into contact with a woman who was trying to save her daughter from death after he’d already saved thousands of Jews. Tired and reluctant to talk the woman, he was finally confronted by her. He insulted her with a remark about dogs which she returned with something like “Even dogs eat crumbs that hungry children drop from hungry mouths”. It was so striking to him, he agreed to see the woman’s child and in turn saved thousands of non-jews. Thus him being the savior to all.
This universal concept gets me. I believe in wholality (not sure if this is a legitamate word or how it’s spelled- I think you get the point). One good thing spins the wheels of other good things, and so on. I’m big into symbolisms and soul. My research for the unfinished book has led me down religious roads and as always I keep my mind open (without judgement). I believe in unguided reasons for doing this book and allow things like this to make their impressions and create ideas. It’s like the woman said last night- WE are all bound by time and space; traditions continue to exist as we memorialize historical references- which serve as “cyclical movements- like the face of a watch” (that’s mine).
My son had come back from his little workshop (while the adults listened to our stories from the bible) with gifts he’d made for the family. Each one was a symbolic fish (HOLY CRAP… it’s just occuring to me now about something I already wrote concerning a fish and it’s symbolism in the book… WOW) made from metal on a piece of yarn. Sandscrit of some symbols were on one side and a saying for Lent was on the other. I’m wearing it now, so I quote to you what’s written on the other side- “Lent- One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matt. 4:4
Thus a return to the novel must be inevidable until it’s complete. Like this blog, it comes back to a calling: One drive is satisfied, another drive continues. A temporary fix, distracts one to cover that itch, until the claws of life are able to find it and move forward. I’ve come to believe this book is why I’ve been granted my time here, been saved from death and continue to live. Every now and then, I just need something to remind me and last night was a fantastic reminder.
Thanks for listening all. Trust your gut and it’ll guide you without sight.
Last week was a whirlwind. Between my work in preparation for a Pitch Seminar and ArtExpo at the Jacob Javits in Manhattan- it was creatively good. I’m still processing it, and probably will be for weeks. I get a little obsessive, which I don’t consider to be a bad thing, but it keeps me hounding myself to dig deeper into my psyche and pull out the visual necessities and experiences to move forward. Without things like the ArtExpo, I might be at a creative standstill. One result of the show was a fantastic poem which came to me at 4am, the result of a woman’s stare I titled “Nameless”. It’s something I think everyone can relate to, and something I may post in the near future. Either way, these things are a ride on the streamline of motion.
There are so many things to say about the ArtExpo. I’ve been to it in years past, and this year was the first I’d actually seen it not entirely filled. It’s a sign of the poor economy, and I felt for the people there. I’d like to hear some positive things about it, but the crowds I’d seen in the past weren’t there this time around. Of course, there were still incredibly talented artists, and to me- that’s inspiration in itself. They come from all over and converge on the city for this one time a year.
There were 5 artists I particularly liked and by far the one whose work attracted me the most was Christopher Amend a WI artist. It’s hard for me to describe the work so I’ll just direct you to his site at www.chrisamend.com . I purchased a small print which I absolutely adore called “The Doubter”. It’s an artist thing really- faced with all the self doubts in which you question whether what you’re doing is actually getting you anywhere. The visual is sometimes how I feel, and as I could tell by his artwork- I’m not alone. As artists we often go through the great ups and downs of life, questioning our abilities and trusting our art to guide us out. “The Doubter” to me is the downside to an otherwise optimistic outlook. Next time I’m hitting the skids, I’ll find my peace looking at it, knowing it’s just a phase and realizing so many others out there get it. Thanks Chris!
A few years ago I’d met a hustler outside the Guggenheim named Michael Albert. A slick salesman who turned me on to his collage artwork through an interesting conversation and a poster he’d given me of a Beatles song- “I am the Walrus”. Essentially, I’d forgotten about the meeting until I found him in a self-titled booth at ArtExpo. A pop art view of the world through words of cut fonts, colors and sizes. Only through a careful study and conversation did I recall our contact years earlier. Just as I’d seen him then, he’d offered me a poster. Turns out he’d done a book, and being a writer and supporter of the arts I had to get one. I think he has an immense amount of potential and I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Mr. Albert! I hope he had a fantastic show- this being his first. Let me tell you once again- he could HUSTLE!
I was very excited when I came in contact with a “To be opened” gallery in Manhattan called the “Not Fade Away Gallery”. It’s inauguration is this Weds. Basically, it’s going to be a photographic gallery with unseen photographs from the 1964 tours of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The exhibition is titled “The British are Coming! The Beatles & Rolling Stones 1964-66- The Photography of Bob Bonis- A World Premier”- www.notfadeawaygallery.com
Bob Bonis was the tour manager of the Stones for this time period and when they returned to England they recommended Bob to the Beatles. He was a low key guy and brought into their lives like a good friend. He was allowed to see the intimate views of these guys as well as many future performers such as Joplin, Hendrix, and others from the Monterrey Pop Festival. Bonis passed in 1991 and his over 3000 photographs and slides were inherited by his son, who is the part owner of the gallery. Let me tell you- from what I saw, Bonis was a talented MoFo and some photographs I saw were PURE POETRY. The show runs from March 4th through April 14th. If you get the chance to visit the gallery it’s 901 Broadway, 2nd Floor- Manhattan. It’ll be worth your while.
Three other talented artists I must mention on account of their brilliance are Jonathan Levy- A Brooklyn Native, Emilie Fournier- from Quebec, and Sergey Cherep- originally from Russia and now residing in GA. Their art is gorgeous and they themselves are beautiful people both inside and out- take it from a poet. Their sites are here:
Jonathan Levy- www.styleofnature.com
Emilie Fournier- www.emiliefournier.com
Sergey Cherep- www.sergeycherep.com
On Saturday, Mighty Joe Vella and yours truly went to Radio City Music Hall for the sold out show of David Byrne performing the music of David Byrne and Brian Eno. If you read my blog, you’ve already discovered some clips from the show. Bryne is one brilliant musician in addition to his artistic talents in all arenas, but to compliment him with probably one of THE most talented producers and musicians of Brian Eno, can leave nothing but a smile on your face. Their new CD is so interesting in it’s use of samples with beats that were compiled as earlier as 20 years ago, it stands alone. The song “Strange Overtones” explains it all and making something old, new again is a cyclical thing whose potential is maximized in these guys hands.
Radio City is such a magnficient place to see anyone. The acoustics and the art which was founded in the earlier 1900’s bases itself on the art deco period. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid and as a kid, I had no appreciation of it’s walls. My third eye basked in the beauty and again, continues to process it. Byrne greeted us with his white hair and white outfit along with all his fellow performers in white. As I snapped a few photos, he came out looking like a silhoette, which I thought could be entirely on purpose because the guy thinks on another level. My favorite moments being the songs Crosseyed & Painless and The Great Curve.
Seeing Byrne with a tutu for Burning down the House at the encore wasn’t really surprizing but did get a laugh out of us. Being at the top level center and front, the dances rocked us (I mean the entire 4th level) vertically by probably a GOOD 6 inch margin. There was no way I could focus my camera still and since the edge was only up to my hips, it got a little scary cause the fall was a good 30-40 feet. I did some ”voodoo” dancing (I prefer to let in the music and have it jolt me around) and sat back down for fear of falling. Only one other time can I recall the feeling and that was seeing the Stones on the Steel Wheels tour at Shea stadium, when Midnight Rambler came on. Being at the height of Shea and watching the guard rail literally move 6 inches up and down based on the weight of people dancing… yea, collapse felt ENTIRELY possible!
So now we’re into a new week- a processing time- and hopefully, some of the words and visual perspectives I send out there will be soaked up and used to your own benefit. Never let the doors of creativity close- eat up, enjoy, and go to the bathroom (via your hands, or voices or doing what you do.. not the toilet all!) Have a productive day!