Drama In The World Of Art
Nothing is better then a little controversy in the Chicago Art World. The often subdue and shy local scene can always use some rousing. And if you know anything about Chicago Poetry champion C.J. Laity you're aware that he a man who tells it straight forward. Read his take on a clash between local poets. I Called Them A Pile of Stuck Up Elitists and I Feel Fine. Who said poetry and art is for the meek and tame?
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Jeans Team made the Indie kids dance last night no doubt. Not sure how many kids were Indie and how many were artsy cats looking for a Euro buzz? No matter - dancing was going down. What a high energy show these 2 put on. And even though the lyrics were in German, there was no problem in getting a large portion of the crowd worked up. The band's first Empty Bottle appearance was a success and thankful for all of us - smoke free.(we're still getting used to it) Talked to artisitc virtuoso Charlie Deets whose solo album drops in a few weeks and also Deric from Aleks and the Drummer who also have a new album very soon. Ran across some other familiar faces. Didn't drink anything. Walked home in the cold dreaming up paintings in my mind. Saw abandoned biked, rotting on sidewalks, still locked to poles. And there was the moon, slicing through bitter clouds. And then Chicago closed its tired eyes.
You Know a Writer When You Marry One
Brent usually doesn't ask for credit, when credit is due. He works extremely hard on multiple projects while working a 50 hour week at a regular 9-5. When I met him in 1999 he had just returned from a trip across the US with his friend. He had been writing a book based on his travels and experiences. It was all put together page by page in a manilla folder by his deskside. Right next to a typewriter and some Miles Davis CD's. He played one for me one night, and we talked until 5 am. A short while later we were living in a small apt. above a Soda Shop in Goshen, IN. There we proofread Brent's book while booking readings at local coffee shops. Once the book got published Brent worked hard to spread the word. At the time, as usual, he worked a 40 hour work week for The Goshen News. He did appearances on some local news shows, even one in Park City, UT - home of The South Park writers.
Thoroughly Modern Cinderellie (a midly tipsy Jessica writes a story with morals)
Once upon a time in a far off land there lived a girl named Cinderella. Cinderella was a people pleaser and scrubbed floors really hard all day long. She had a stepmom who was outspoken and two sisters who were fat. Unfortunately society treated them all like outcasts and in turn they became bitter and mean, like most women who get in trouble for going against the norm. One day the mayor invited all the women in town to a town hall meeting. The stepmom and the two sisters wanted to go because it was their one chance to prove that they have equally good ideas about things as men. Cinderella wanted to go but she never considered herself smart enough and just figured that if she kept working really hard for everyone else, someone would hand her a piece of success. Anyway, when the mom and sisters went to the meeting they tried to get their ideas out there but all the mayor wanted was a piece of ass.
A Good Writer
After a recent bad taste of the tangy pepper, I did take something good from the experience-a friend. And below I share her beautiful writing. Please enjoy.
I meet some one new every day. Whether it is during work, or walking down the street or through a friend of a friend, I meet some one and I get to know them. I take with me what they give me. I listen to them and I look at them closely. I strip away all thoughts and just take it in. When I shake their hand, I can feel their warmth. I can feel how tight they hold my hand and how they shake it. If they hug me, I take a deep breath and close my eyes and fall into their hug. I hug back and squeeze tight, because in that instant, I am close with you. When I speak on the phone, I am interested in what you say. I want to know more. I want to contribute. I want to impress and keep you near. But with all of this, it is still just the surface. Waiting to be scratched. To meet some one, you decide if you want to continue to meet them again and again until you actually know them. And when you actually get to know them, you get to know yourself.
Jessica Writes A Damn Fine Thought About Friends
As I get older, I realize that those people that were in your life at one point will come back around if the friendship was ever any good. I just mean that sometimes when it seems we are in the middle of a situation that seems unfair or we can't just figure it out right then, usually the world opens itself up to us much later and we then understand why it happened. (read the whole thing with a click)
I was pretty successful in writing all weekend. I got on to Archive.org and listened to some shows of Lotus to keep me in the writing mood and on their wavelength. Their music is a funk/electronic/rock mix that has been lumped into the jamband genre due to their earlier self-promotion and fanbase, but the music is really something that club-kids and indie-rockers would cream over. They'll be in town soon and I encourage you all to check them out. Writing a history of a band is an interesting exercise. How detailed do you go? Do you recount the time you played beer pong in Virginia with the band after a less-than-impressive show or do you stick to the facts at large? Do you tell secrets, do you play your biases? Do I need another Red Bull/Vodka? As Will and Ariel Durant said, "most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice." So I tread on thin ice by choice. What the band has told me is true, what I remeber is prejudice, the rest...guessing.
My plan is to spend the whole weekend working on this Lotus book. No bars, no parties, no meals that don't involve a microwave or a drive-thru. Kick it back old skool, just me and the computer. Maybe a trip to the library or coffee shop to keep it fresh and keep my mind from wandering too far. Lots of coffee to keep the skull and fingers limber. And then get down the past 4 years of one of the hypest bands you just heard of.
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