Well….
Happy Friday again! For some reason, the blog got scrambled today. If it sounds like I’m speaking more gibberish than usual - I’m throwing personal responsibility out the window, and blaming Substack!
I’ve included a repost below - hopefully that straightens out formatting.
And, in the meantime, I got a cool email from a buddy named Scott Duresky in response to the post about the meteors. He wrote this for a friend, inspired by the Leonid storm of ‘66. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:
All Night Long the Leonids
Somewhere, over the great lost city,
The stars begin to fall,
And a man looks out the window
Of his second-floor apartment
Just watching,
the sad and lonely faces
Of those who walk the streets
Just seeking,
the golden meteorites
Of devotion which glow in the
Transparent hands of lovers, just smiling
Scott Duresky
Thanks so much, Scott!
And now, here’s today’s original post, hopefully formatted right.
Happy Friday, folks!
I’m hitting the road to go DJ for some OG’s (my new term for senior buddies - Original Gangsters, that is), and see the fellas. Four Urban men in one room…now that’s an experience!
Although I don’t know for certain, I’d guess it’s an ancient family tradition, developed around the fireside during cold Lithuanian winters, honed in the factories as immigrants, and finally, as a modern American offering, proffered electronically and verbally. The commodity I speak of is, of course, Questionable Advice. Sometimes brilliant, other times just wrong, occasionally right by pure luck, often reasonable, it’s typically offered in good faith and with enthusiasm.
I’m starting the party early, and offering some encouragement to fellow creative I heard of recently. Their industry got slammed by COVID. I feel ya! (Same here.)
In times like these, we could all use a little boost, couldn’t we?
And, even if you’re not in the field, do stick around. I hope there’s something of use to everyone.
Here are a few thoughts, phrased as a fictional letter to a young impressionist painter….
Dear Vince,
Can you hear me now? (Sorry, too soon?) Man, I hear you’ve been down lately, but cheer up. The world is your oyster! I’ve got some clichés and encouragement for ya. There are so many new formats in which to express. Yes, yes, the classical way of painting is a noble tradition to partake of. As a musician, I hold the genre of Arena Oriented Rock in high esteem. But man there’s some cool outlets that are outside of the “usual”, especially nowadays. Hopefully this isn’t you, but I keep getting stuck in formats, and not what I’m trying to do. Sure, the critical acclaim of a roaring crowd is the stuff of legends - but what if we truly viewed the entire world as our stage? What might we accomplish? This is the tricky thing for me - to figure out what I’m really up to, and why. It delves into the Inner World - but of course!
For example, I started playing guitar as a teenager to be worshipped by the world, and get girls. In retrospect, for those goals, I should have been a banker. Bugger.
What’s your highest goal? How does your art serve it? Mine used to be Fun, but oh what a fickle god, shallow as fish tank in those cheap restaurants I used to play at. Now it’s Meaning. Ol’ Jordan Peterson talks about that, and how it’s to be found through the voluntary acceptance of responsibility. I fiddled around with that, and found it to be true. One important thing I stumbled on: there’s a way to do it that breaks your back, and a way where everyone wins. I’d like to illuminate the world with a light in my eyes, not hair afire (but in the case of the latter, please get it on video!) The day an old lady publicly humiliated me for calling bingo wrong was a low point.
It’s weird, as I concentrate more on what the world needs (and offered in a way that works for me) and less on me, the more folks respond. The girls just crowd around after the show. (The average age, given my line of work with my beloved OG’s, is 127, so perhaps the statement is a bit misleading, but still - it’s nice to see work matter to people.)
You’re probably pretty good at listening to yourself, Vince. You’ve come this far. Keep on doing that, but with as much clarity and honesty as possible. I swear I’m like a misbehaving toddler most of the time, and when I clearly see what I’m up to, I need to hide the cookie jar better. Isn’t it weird how we know when we’re wrong? (And right?) CS Lewis wrote something along the lines of a man doesn’t have to explain or make excuses when he’s done something admirable.
The world needs you, Vince - and me, and anyone else reading this. The clouds keep gathering and piling up darkly, muttering with thunder. The times are increasingly dark. For God’s sake, please don’t hide your light. I speak not as someone who’s “arrived”, but a colleague stumbling over a rocky road, shoulder to shoulder with you all. When you get there, offer me a helping hand, won’t you?
So paint! Create! Or Bank! Do it with fire. Use that talent, in a way that lifts you and the world…up to the light. Anything can be your art if done with heart.
To close with a prophet of our time…
I just want to tell you good luck…we’re all counting on you.