Official Report: Joe Diffie’s John Deere Green is the Greatest Country Song Ever
It is, at the surface and for everything it’s worth, a magnificent and simple American love story for the ages.
I Believe...
Calling it evil does not educate or calm people down and thus is wholly ineffective as a means for change.
Is It Art or Is It Competitive Therapy? The Paradox of the Slam
I love poetry. My wife is a poet. I love listening to poets recite their poetry. I have amazing memories of Marc Smith thrilling me with his almost preacher-like facility with the spoken word.
I am frequently torn by the child he birthed: Slam Poetry.
It's Sunny Here in Chicago and No One Knows What To Do
I don't know what to do. I'm at a loss. It's nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It's Sunny. It's a Saturday in April. And I feel this immense pressure to be outside. And if I'm not outside I internally scold myself for not being outside. So, I go outside on my balcony to write. And I am immediately hit with strong winds and pollutant smells. And I'm uncomfortable. And unhappy.
Today’s Writer’s Life—Heroin Would be Better
I stared at the computer keyboard for a while. I reviewed some notes. I sharpened a few pencils. I drank half a pot of coffee. I chewed seven pieces of cinnamon Trident gum. I read half a chapter in one of the eight books I’m actively reading. I made some administrative phone calls. I went on a refreshing walk with the dog.
Scar Tissue is a Badge
"Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on." — Henry Rollins
Shaping the Artistic Voice
I once read an article that discussed director Frank Galati's early fascination with Greek tragedy and how that has affected much of his work and it got my noggin' to churning. What artistic experiences shape those of us in the artistic community and how does that help to illuminate the overall landscape we see today?
I can clearly see the tendencies behind the work of Kristiana Colón or Nestor Gomez. I can make assumptions about those moments of artistry that shaped the voices of Scott Whitehair and of Annalise Raziq. So I asked myself "what were the five thought-shaping artistic experiences that I see as being seminal in both the work I do and the work I like?" and asked my internal Freud to connect the dots.
The Now Manifesto
There is a spectrum. a number line. upon which all of us exist, in some shade or gradient of human consciousness. Goodness, badness, plus and minus, ebb and flow, all rolled into one unique individual, built by an infinite series of genetic blueprints. Drastically complex nautilus shells. A geometric sequence at the core of all things. A natural algorithm.
Either a Jack or a Jill
Too many guns with too many bullets.
A nearly permanent underclass of black and brown people struggling just to eat and educate their children on wages that make everyone uncomfortable on some level.
Women marginalized across the globe.
Rape culture being redefined.
The homeless.
The hopeless.
The War on...
Drugs
Terror
Women
Deficits
Taxes
Police
Notes from the Post-It Wall — Week of April 9, 2017
Greasing the Squeakiest Wheel is a Waste of Time
There is harm, however, in paying heed to the complaining wheels. Eventually, the machine gets bogged down trying to address even the most mindlessly stupid complaints that the legitimate ones are ignored.
Passover: The 11th Plague
This is an important week for those who celebrate and follow the traditions of the Judeo-Christian Way. This week marks what Christians call Holy Week and what Jews call the week they can’t “enjoy a goddam Jimmy Johns sandwich.”
Selling Cutout Buttholes on Expensive Rods
"I'm not saying that I don't think about business, but a good businessperson probably doesn't try to sell cutout buttholes hanging on expensive rods." - Artist/Sculptor Matthew Ronay
On the Venn Diagram of Masculinity, Misogyny, And Rape
Masculinity is not the same thing as misogyny. In fact, I don't think it's in the same camp at all. Masculinity, as a quality, has almost nothing to do with women.
I Believe...
Suicidal Tendencies and Hägar the Well-Timed Horrible
You can kill your pain and sadness that you had carried with you all those years. But you can’t kill the pain and sadness you’ve now created and left behind.
The Pepsi Challenge: Humanize Kendall Jenner?
The Internet, if we are to treat it as one entity, is a hyper-sensitive teenager that should be paying attention to its studies instead of getting pissed that mom's meatball spaghetti wasn't organically sourced.
Why the Kendall Jenner Pepsi Commercial is so good
People are going ape shit (see what I did there?) over Pepsi's new commercial featuring Kardashian heiress Kendall Jenner.
CHOOSE LIFE: The Moment T2 Trainspotting Had Me
Trainspotting is one of those books and films that just nailed me when the collection of stories was released back in 1993. Danny Boyle's filmed amalgam of the book was likewise revolutionary for me in the same way Fight Club was later.
Humans Normalize Everything: It's Called Adapting to the Pain
What is the consequence of this ever growing list of what constitutes pain and is there a value to learning to endure it?
The second voice arrived on Thursday morning while Monte was attempting to make toast.