Monday 30 June 2014

Quote of the Week - Martel


"It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names."

Happy Monday! It's strawberry season! I found those in Edinburgh last June...yum!

As always, feel free to take these Monday quotes as writing prompts!

Monday 23 June 2014

Poem: Traveling the 405


Traveling the 405


There is this little bit of a rise
in the 405 as you go north
just before LAX

when the traffic is right
as in moving instead of
stopped still
the cars seem to space themselves out perfectly
align in their lanes
and move in sync
so as to appear to not be moving at all
if you, too, are traveling with them.

these lanes of straight even
rectangles in the glimmering sun
suddenly like so many rows
of tombstones over at the V.A.
in Westwood. The white chiclets
in row after perfect row
of dead
like a parking lot
for empty rectangles
white above ground
brown below
empty boxes
waiting to be filled again
again to move
the inhabitants
probably just shopping
at the Target
for cleaning supplies
new underwear
or Brita filters at the best price
soon they will return to their vehicles
put a key in the ignition
and start them up
again getting on that road
of long straight rows
of everybody in line
moving slightly uphill
no end to the ribbon of rectangles
anywhere in sight.

c. 2014
e. amato



Quote of the Week - Hunter

"Inspiration, move me brightly
Light the song with sense and colour
Hold away despair
More than this I will not ask
Faced with mysteries dark and vast
Statements just seem vain at last
Some rise, some fall, some climb
To get to Terrapin"
 
~ Robert Hunter 

It's Robert Hunter's birthday! This is one of my favorite lyrics - it mixes story with mystery and some of the tropes of ecstatic poetry.


Terrapin Station
Robert Hunter

Let my inspiration flow, 
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm
That will not forsake me, 

till my tale is told and done

While the fire light's aglow, 

strange shadows from the flames will grow
Till things we've never seen will seem familiar


Shadows of a sailor forming 

winds both foul and fair, all swarm
Down in Carlisle he loved a lady many years ago


Here beside him stands a man, 

a soldier by the looks of him
Who came through many fights, but lost at love


While the story teller speaks, 

a door within the fire creaks,
Suddenly flies open, 

and a girl is standing there

Eyes alight, with glowing hair, 

all that fancy paints as fair
She takes her fan and throws it in the lion's den


Which of you to gain me, tell, 

will risk uncertain pains of hell?
I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance


The sailor gave at least a try; 

the soldier, being much too wise,
Strategy was his strength, and not disaster


The sailor, coming out again, 

the lady fairly leapt at him
That's how it stands today. 

You decide if he was wise

The story teller makes no choice, 

soon you will not hear his voice
His job is to shed light, and not to master


Since the end is never told 

we paid the teller off in gold
In hopes he will come back, 

but he cannot be bought or sold

Inspiration, move me brightly
Light the song with sense and colour
Hold away despair
More than this I will not ask
Faced with mysteries dark and vast
Statements just seem vain at last
Some rise, some fall, some climb
To get to Terrapin


Counting stars by candlelight
All are dim but one is bright
The spiral light on Venus
Rising first and shining best
Oh, from the north-west corner
Of a brand new crescent moon
Where crickets and cicadas sing
A rare and different tune


Terrapin Station


In the shadow of the moon
Terrapin Station


And I know we'll be there soon
(Terrapin)


I can't figure out
(Terrapin)


If it's the end or beginning
(Terrapin)


But the train's put it brakes on
(Terrapin)


And the whistle is screaming
Terrapin



While you were gone
These faces filled with darkness
The obvious was hidden
With nothing to believe in
The compass always points to Terrapin
Sullen wings of fortune beat like rain
You're back in Terrapin for good or ill again
For good or ill again



Looking up Hunter's lyrics to choose a quote, I found many links to The Well - the precursor to every social network!

Researching Hunter, I learned that Reuben & Cerise is not only a retelling of the classical myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but that it was inspired by one of the most wonderful films ever made - Black Orpheus

Black Orpheus sets the myth Brazil. Maybe a good thing to check out during the World Cup if you might not be too much of a football fan (like me) you could still get into the spirit.



The Orpheus myth is rich and seems to always be culturally relevant. Monteverdi's opera is getting a new version and before Black Orpheus, French filmmaker and poet
Jean Cocteau filmed his beautiful lyrical version.

Happy Monday!

Hope this is enough stuff for you to procrastinate with as you start the week! (It certainly helped me procrastinate!)

p.s. The pic is Klimt's Lady with a Fan

Monday 16 June 2014

Quote of the Week - White

Kravitz - the nosy neighbor

"I guess nobody on earth is entitled
Not mothers, not children, not kings
Not a one single person on God's golden shore
Is entitled to one single thing
We don't deserve a single damn thing"
 
~ Jack White, Entitlement


There's that pesky word: entitlement.

When I heard this track from Jack White's new album Lazaretto on KCRW, the lyrics stopped me. I don't know how Jack White can feel unentitled - I mean, he's Jack White -  but he must at least a little bit, or he wouldn't have been able to write this. If Jack White can feel this - everyone can. 

We need to tread different. We need to acknowledge that we're all always behind some fence peering over without the benefit of seeing the whole picture. We certainly have access to the whole picture, but only when we're communicating fully and openly. And that takes work.

Do we want to undertake that work?



Entitlement
Jack White

Every time I'm doing what I want to
Somebody comes and tells me it's wrong
Whenever I'm doing just as I please
Somebody cuts me down to my knees
Yeah, somebody cuts me down to my knees

In a time when everybody feels entitled
Why can't I feel entitled too?
Somebody took away my god given right
I guess God must have gave it to you
Yeah, I guess God must have slipped it to you

Stop what you're doing and get back in line
I hear this from people all the time
If we can't be happy then you can't be too
I'm tired of being told what to do
Yeah, I'm sick of being told what to do

There are children today who were lied to
Told the world is rightfully theirs
They can have what they want, whenever they want
They take like Caesar and nobody cares
Live like Caesar and nobody cares

I can't bring myself to take without penance
Or atonements or sweat from my brow
Though the world may be spoiled and getting worse every day
Don't they feel like they're cheated somehow
I feel like I've been cheated somehow

Stop what you're doing and get back in line
I hear this from people all the time
If we can't be happy then you can't be too
I'm tired of being told what to do
Yeah, I'm sick of being told what to do

I guess nobody on earth is entitled
Not mothers, not children, not kings
Not a one single person on God's golden shore
Is entitled to one single thing
We don't deserve a single damn thing

Here's a whole concert on NPR from the Fonda.

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Happy Dance

The new short by Mitchell Rose just made me so happy, I have to share.



This is a collaboration with choreographer Bebe Miller and STRANGERS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD WHO WANTED TO PUT THEMSELVES ON VIDEO DANCING!

How amazing is that???

It took a long time to make, and it was worth it. The film is cheerful and shows that dance can be communicative and effective on any body, any age. The seamless editing is a lesson in the art of film.

I've been a fan of Mitchell's work forever. If you like this, he has lots more dance shorts - all charming and wonderful in their own ways.

Monday 9 June 2014

Quote of the Week - Fonda


"Ask questions, stay curious. It's much more important to be interested than to be interesting." 
~ Jane Fonda, AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards


This is great advice for any artist, well, for anyone.

When I was doing experimental theatre in college (oh yeah), my teacher gave us this one:

"When you're bored, you're boring. When you're interested, you're interesting."

Thank you, Peter B. Cucich.

Whether on stage, or making a film - whatever art form - this is the core, the way to open doors to creative solutions. In her book, Directing Actors, Judith Weston talks about listening, and how important it is in the process. The more I work with Judy, the more I realize that listening, in a non-judgmental way, isn't only the key to clear performances - it's a key to life.

And what is listening in a non-judgmental way, except being interested - truly interested. Asking questions is a way of engaging, of becoming interested; everyone and everything has a story.

Being interested, instead of interesting, as Fonda points out, is taking the focus off self. Whenever you can do this, life becomes richer. When life is rich, when inner and outer life is rich, creativity is fertile.


Sunday 1 June 2014

Quote of the Week - Cervantes



"Fair and softly goes far." 

It's true, isn't it? And always so welcome in comparison to unjust and clambering.

I'm an Aries, and we like to hit the push through button. Sometimes, that is just not the best option. You can miss a lot when you power through and it's easy to knock over fragile things, or people/

Go fair and softly into your week, and see how it goes.