Life Is Beautiful........

Friends, I must warn you. This video is not for the faint of heart, but then again neither are the horrors our species is capable of.
Do not watch this if you have a weak stomach. Or do....




Sooner,

Sj

Hope & Glory In Hong Kong

Last week it was my absolute pleasure and privilege to be part of an historic arts event in Hong Kong. Before I dig into my mischief there, a bit of necessary back story. In early 2009 I worked collaboratively with an incredibly talented producer named Gary Gunn. Mr. Gunn approached me after a Manhattan performance and asked me to work with him on a project that The Source magazine would later call a "beautiful monster of music akin to Frankenstein". The source is indeed a hip-hop magazine, but worry not readers...I do not 'rap' (thought others do beautifully). Have a listen to one of the songs I sang and co-wrote on Gary's album 'Destroying Beauty' here. It is a bit of a departure from what you might expect from me...but I gather those of you following my blog can guess how I feel about expectations.

It was my work on Mr. Gunn's diverse project that led me first to Miami in 2009, and last week, to Hong Kong for the opening of visionary artist Simon Birch's conceptual circus called Hope & Glory. This event is (through May 30, 2010), the first of it's scope and size in the history of Hong Kong's art community. The exhibit is a 20,000 square foot labyrinth of interlinked multi-media installations ranging from a 3-D film inside a foreboding black and red circus tent, to my favorite of the lot, Twilight Shadows Of The Bright Face, a reinvention of the circus freak show.

Now certainly, I am more of a whiskey and smoke sort of gentleman, but the electric air at the opening party was soaked in neon, vodka, and the gaze 4,000 curious eyes. It was delightful. I left my usual seat behind the black and whites to prowl and slither across the stage. I welcomed the change and I hope to be invited to perform similarly in the near future. Worry not though, I could never abandon my beast of 88 teeth.

The trip to and from Hong Kong was...well....I cannot sleep in transit, so the 16 hour flights gave me the opportunity to watch 14 films that I'd not yet seen. My favorites being Harry Brown and The Road. I suggest each of you see both. A good portion of my stay involved not sleeping and imbibing of that old familiar poison. We did see some sights, but quite honestly once you've lived in Manhattan, every other city seems like...a town.

I will post photos from the performance soon with a bit more about the mischief made there. But for now, be sure to click the links embedded in this post. You'll discover some truly wonderful art and music.

Sooner,

Sj

Propaganda in the jungle

I have no interest in politicians or their intentions. I have no illusions about the American government or the pigs who partake of it's vile slop. That's what pigs do. They stuff themselves for the slaughter. I am not progressive, conservative or any other -ive or -ist, but I don't mind if someone calls me one or the other. These categories and their definitions are irrelevant because they are imaginary, like most things we beautiful creatures indulge in to make us feel organized and powerful.

I've been reading all this health-care reform jargon, and frankly it strikes me as rather hysterical. The most entertaining aspect is that some of the citizens of this country are surprised and outraged. What did we expect would spawn from the blind leading the blind? Some sort of beautiful, peaceful utopia where all people are happy and the the government is self sustaining? One has only to briefly research the history of government over the ages to understand a society of that nature is unachievable. Our species is incapable of long term fundamental peace and/or happiness, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

We are hairless, delusional apes hanging upside down by our tails from the tree of knowledge. We give orders and argue about gods, constitutions, monsters, and morals. Silver backs replaced by old money, silly symbols, and ivy league degrees.

And now, in our spectacular nation, there is a stirring. Suddenly...wait a moment...this doesn't seem...fair. How could the government possibly mandate something? How could they tell us what to do with our bodies?

Oh dear, they've been doing it all along. There are just simply enough angry monkeys now to cause a riot in the jungle.

There is no party friends but the one we throw when it's all ash and chaos.

Dream. Well.

Sooner,

Sj

Man Meet Compass

Last evening, I had the pleasure of overhearing a ridiculous man say ridiculous things. Yes, this happens frequently, but this particular monologue warrants a nod from my fingertips.

It must first be said that the jabbering man was in fact doing his best to lure a member of the female species back to whatever place such a man inhabits. I imagine unread coffee table books and Ikea furniture.

The man was telling a story about his in-car navigation system. A few nights earlier he had been headed in one direction and the navigation device implied that he should make a U-turn. He followed instructions, drove a bit in the opposite direction, and was told by the device to make another U-turn. Retracing steps. Fair enough. I assumed the story would end there with a safe but slightly delayed arrival. It did not.

The man continued. He traveled in the direction he was originally headed and looked carefully for the elusive right turn. After a mile or so, the device once again told him he should turn around. He followed instructions. Another U-turn. He followed instructions. Another. He followed. At that point in telling the story the man said something like; "this damn thing had me driving in circles".

No sir. You allowed yourself to become so lazy and dependent on this flawed technology that your sense of reason became frustrated and abandoned you. You traded in your inner compass for a palm sized contraption made of metal and plastic. I must thank you for exponentially decreasing the market value of human instinct.

I imagine that this man will one day be surprised to learn that he's developed a brain tumor from constantly wearing one of those silly blue-tooth ear pieces. By constantly I don't mean while driving or doing something that requires a 'hands free' phone call. I mean he more than likely keeps it in his ear at the dinner table and at the movie theatre.

I take my hat off at the dinner table. Take that ridiculous thing out of your ear. There are no important calls coming. I promise you.

I digress.

In short, the man realized he had entered the wrong street name for his destination, the woman did not leave with him, and I've got first claim on his clothes when I find him wandering in a post-apocalyptic forest somewhere, praying for his battery dead navigation device to suddenly power up and guide him home. At least if he's on a call he'll have his hands free to undress.

Let's just hope I'm not hungry.