candy chang's sidewalk psychiatry stenciled in with temporary spray chalk, i.e. "Then why do you do it?"
Use this same idea with random lines of poetry.
Start with "In the middle of your cluttered touch a stork starts skimming thin green tents and he looks like a blown vase of snow." Frank O'hara
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Book Idea
I found the following passage in Henry Miller's "The Books In My Life", in the chapter about Blaise Cendrars.
"not least among, we shall probably discover one day, being the ten volumes of Notre Pain Quotidien which he composed intermittently over a period of ten years in a chateau outside Paris, to which manuscripts he never signed his name, confiding the chests containing this material to various safety vaults in different parts of South America and then throwing the keys away. ("Je voudrais rester l'Anonyme," he says.)"
The idea for the book would be to try to track down these volumes and write a literary detective story about the attempt. fail or find it would make a great story...
"not least among
The idea for the book would be to try to track down these volumes and write a literary detective story about the attempt. fail or find it would make a great story...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Public Access Show
Set up talk show with guest pulled randomly from phone book. Edit 3 hour conversation down to 30 minutes of best material. Try to capture essence of person, use good questions to untap potential. Maybe a little vino.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
national radio station
Pitch to XM radio or Sirius:
A radio stations with best college/ indie station volunteer djays in the world, with an emphasis on local music. DJs from each station would be screened and each dj who passed muster would get a two hour set in which to shine. There will be highly coveted prime time (paid) residencies for the djays who hold the highest national ratings.
The reason this station will succeed is two-fold.
There are far better volunteer djays on local stations than those paid by any xm or sirius station, and much more diversity. There is a landslide of incredible and largely undiscovered music out there and when discovered by a great dj, the results are remarkable. XM (or Sirius) would quickly gain a reputation as the best "music lover" station on the air.
But there's a second even more sound reason to embark on a nation to nation local music station. The local stations emphasize local music. If there is a constant supply of djays from around the nation, then there will be a constant supply of local bands who will now have representation and power. This is a win-win. Radio station plays local bands and local bands will talk up the radio station. This will result in a grassroots cross country advertising campaign that will be constantly expanding.
To take the idea of local representation further, a smart idea would be to feature local shows and have an FM/ digital simulcast, so that, say, the KGNU listener in Boulder would hear the same thing at the same time as the XM/Sirius listener. This way not just the band, but the local station itself will be in league with the national station.
A radio stations with best college/ indie station volunteer djays in the world, with an emphasis on local music. DJs from each station would be screened and each dj who passed muster would get a two hour set in which to shine. There will be highly coveted prime time (paid) residencies for the djays who hold the highest national ratings.
The reason this station will succeed is two-fold.
There are far better volunteer djays on local stations than those paid by any xm or sirius station, and much more diversity. There is a landslide of incredible and largely undiscovered music out there and when discovered by a great dj, the results are remarkable. XM (or Sirius) would quickly gain a reputation as the best "music lover" station on the air.
But there's a second even more sound reason to embark on a nation to nation local music station. The local stations emphasize local music. If there is a constant supply of djays from around the nation, then there will be a constant supply of local bands who will now have representation and power. This is a win-win. Radio station plays local bands and local bands will talk up the radio station. This will result in a grassroots cross country advertising campaign that will be constantly expanding.
To take the idea of local representation further, a smart idea would be to feature local shows and have an FM/ digital simulcast, so that, say, the KGNU listener in Boulder would hear the same thing at the same time as the XM/Sirius listener. This way not just the band, but the local station itself will be in league with the national station.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Chant Dome (sound healing center)
Hello Krishna Das
I've got an idea I want to tell you about.
First a little background on myself. I've been chanting along with your recordings for awhile now, since back when I was a grad student at Berkeley in the late 90's. For the last seven years I have helped run a music club with my brothers in Arvada, Colorado called D Note (dnote.us) which has fostered a wide community and brought joy to many. The business is not exactly viable (after seven years we are still fragile), but grace has been with us and the work has been good for the soul. It is a magical place.
Onto the idea. I want to help create a space in inner cities (starting with Denver in 2010) where there would be a continual live chanting of "Om". I would find or build a dome shaped space that could fit a 100 or so folks around a central flame. There would always be at least one person chanting "om". There would be some very basic rules, like "no talking, no sleeping, no eating" which would be lightly enforced by the keeper of the space. The building would be open 24/7. There would be a place for donations to help pay for rent and keeper, with excess moneys going to charities. The Om would never end in this space, maintaining a single voice from which many would come and go. I don't have a name for this space yet. Any ideas? I believe it would be best to keep all religious signifiers out of the equation, so that those weary of religions would not be deterred from coming. So no use of the word church, or kirtan, or any iconography inside the space that would suggest such. Keep it very simple that way.
I believe this space would be healing to a whole demographic of people in deep need (all of us?). I imagine a person feeling depressed, even suicidal, at 3am. Where could such a person go at that hour? They can go here and listen to the sound of one or more people chanting and chant along, and begin to be healed. This is the vision driving this idea.
The reason I bring this idea up to you is that I'm hoping I can enlist your help. I would like to organize a kirtan at Red Rocks Ampitheater (ever been there? it's awesome) with you as the main attraction, maybe with Jai Uttal (since he has local Colorado connections) and a few others. This concert would be a fundraiser. I think if we could sell 5000 tickets at $20 on a Sunday afternoon we could raise $100,000. Assuming we'd need approx half of that for expenses we'd be left with 50k which would fund the space for a year, by which point I think it would be self-sustaining. And if it works well then I'd look to do a second one in L.A. 2011, NY 2012, etc.
Would you be available next summer/fall to help get the ball rolling?
If you agree, then I feel this dream will have taken its first step to becoming a reality.
Thanks for listening,
Adam DeGraff
I've got an idea I want to tell you about.
First a little background on myself. I've been chanting along with your recordings for awhile now, since back when I was a grad student at Berkeley in the late 90's. For the last seven years I have helped run a music club with my brothers in Arvada, Colorado called D Note (dnote.us) which has fostered a wide community and brought joy to many. The business is not exactly viable (after seven years we are still fragile), but grace has been with us and the work has been good for the soul. It is a magical place.
Onto the idea. I want to help create a space in inner cities (starting with Denver in 2010) where there would be a continual live chanting of "Om". I would find or build a dome shaped space that could fit a 100 or so folks around a central flame. There would always be at least one person chanting "om". There would be some very basic rules, like "no talking, no sleeping, no eating" which would be lightly enforced by the keeper of the space. The building would be open 24/7. There would be a place for donations to help pay for rent and keeper, with excess moneys going to charities. The Om would never end in this space, maintaining a single voice from which many would come and go. I don't have a name for this space yet. Any ideas? I believe it would be best to keep all religious signifiers out of the equation, so that those weary of religions would not be deterred from coming. So no use of the word church, or kirtan, or any iconography inside the space that would suggest such. Keep it very simple that way.
I believe this space would be healing to a whole demographic of people in deep need (all of us?). I imagine a person feeling depressed, even suicidal, at 3am. Where could such a person go at that hour? They can go here and listen to the sound of one or more people chanting and chant along, and begin to be healed. This is the vision driving this idea.
The reason I bring this idea up to you is that I'm hoping I can enlist your help. I would like to organize a kirtan at Red Rocks Ampitheater (ever been there? it's awesome) with you as the main attraction, maybe with Jai Uttal (since he has local Colorado connections) and a few others. This concert would be a fundraiser. I think if we could sell 5000 tickets at $20 on a Sunday afternoon we could raise $100,000. Assuming we'd need approx half of that for expenses we'd be left with 50k which would fund the space for a year, by which point I think it would be self-sustaining. And if it works well then I'd look to do a second one in L.A. 2011, NY 2012, etc.
Would you be available next summer/fall to help get the ball rolling?
If you agree, then I feel this dream will have taken its first step to becoming a reality.
Thanks for listening,
Adam DeGraff
Sunday, April 12, 2009
field poems
To be seen from aeroplane. On reflective sheets on the ground.
What is total dance?
We gotta do one that good!
What begins as the letter D might, upon inspection, morph into a bird... then two birds... and end up as a face.
Lights by the Holy See
Featuring you
Pay Attention
For no one
*Do you know who I am?
Look me in the eye
Je ne comprend pas
Fire!
Haiku
Nakedness and drugs
makes babies with weird surnames.
Come here, Moon Unit!
During day reflective "Day in"
&
During night in lights "Day out"
(at twilight you'd see both)
A ghost lies beneath these words
What is total dance?
We gotta do one that good!
What begins as the letter D might, upon inspection, morph into a bird... then two birds... and end up as a face.
Lights by the Holy See
Featuring you
Pay Attention
For no one
*Do you know who I am?
Look me in the eye
Je ne comprend pas
Fire!
Haiku
Nakedness and drugs
makes babies with weird surnames.
Come here, Moon Unit!
During day reflective "Day in"
&
During night in lights "Day out"
(at twilight you'd see both)
A ghost lies beneath these words
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
workout machine
How about a tread-mill in which the energy you expend runs your i-pod. So the psychological effect is that you are powering the engine of your music with your physical effort, empowering you by subconsciously reminding you that your energy has a a powerful effect.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Book Idea
How about a book called How To Have Fun.
This is for all the people too stressed, or mad, or sad, or scared to have fun anymore. So many!
Chapter one: Dance at least once a week. Take a lesson. Force yourself to start. In no time you'll be having fun.
Also dance is a great way to work out. working out isn't generally much fun, but it is when you dance!
Chapter two: Play music. If you are sad you can play a sad song. If you are stressed you can just play meandering patterns of notes. Playing music is great stress relief. G is good for some moods, B minor for others. Again, at first you may have to force yourself to start. But once you are playing, well, the world is in your hands, born aloft by the strains of your song.
Chapter three: Everything you don't like to do can made into a fun game that you do want to do. This is just a theory. I'm not certain it's always true. But I'm pretty sure.
For instance, signing bills is no fun. But if you work on a really fancy signature, then it is more fun.
Making money can be a real drag too. But if you turn it all into a game, not so hard. Let's play the "resume game". Now let's play the "interview" game. Once hired it's time play the "employee" game.
Or better yet, start your own business. Pretty soon you'll be laughing up a storm. It's hard, but it's fun.
Hard can be fun. Soft can be even funner. Love, funnest.
Chapter four: To play with language is fun too. That's why saying "funner" is funner than saying "more fun".
Digressing is also fun. More about that later.
This morning I accidentally said I felt "growzy". That was super fun. Somehow I confused "drowsy" with "grouchy" and came up with a new word.
The other day I came up with another good one, "craughing", for when you are laughing and crying all at once.
You really know you're having fun when you are craughing.
Chapter five: When something ceases to be fun, time to get serious.
This is for all the people too stressed, or mad, or sad, or scared to have fun anymore. So many!
Chapter one: Dance at least once a week. Take a lesson. Force yourself to start. In no time you'll be having fun.
Also dance is a great way to work out. working out isn't generally much fun, but it is when you dance!
Chapter two: Play music. If you are sad you can play a sad song. If you are stressed you can just play meandering patterns of notes. Playing music is great stress relief. G is good for some moods, B minor for others. Again, at first you may have to force yourself to start. But once you are playing, well, the world is in your hands, born aloft by the strains of your song.
Chapter three: Everything you don't like to do can made into a fun game that you do want to do. This is just a theory. I'm not certain it's always true. But I'm pretty sure.
For instance, signing bills is no fun. But if you work on a really fancy signature, then it is more fun.
Making money can be a real drag too. But if you turn it all into a game, not so hard. Let's play the "resume game". Now let's play the "interview" game. Once hired it's time play the "employee" game.
Or better yet, start your own business. Pretty soon you'll be laughing up a storm. It's hard, but it's fun.
Hard can be fun. Soft can be even funner. Love, funnest.
Chapter four: To play with language is fun too. That's why saying "funner" is funner than saying "more fun".
Digressing is also fun. More about that later.
This morning I accidentally said I felt "growzy". That was super fun. Somehow I confused "drowsy" with "grouchy" and came up with a new word.
The other day I came up with another good one, "craughing", for when you are laughing and crying all at once.
You really know you're having fun when you are craughing.
Chapter five: When something ceases to be fun, time to get serious.
Dance idea
How about choreographing a dance to a Bach Partita, something fast and difficult, but super fun to master and perform.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
dance
Free Dance aerobic cardio workout Monday mornings. Get into the flow of your week by getting into the flow of music Monday morning. Bliss out with the music and get a work out at the same time. Multi-task.
Get 50 folks to join you on Monday mornings at $7 a head and you've got a job.
Get 50 folks to join you on Monday mornings at $7 a head and you've got a job.
children's books
How about commisioning interesting artists to do books based off of hipster songs. Like Pat Loehr doing a Devendra Banhart song. Possibilities here endless.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Band Name
The artist Shitty Kitten has a character called Ghostache.
That is a great band name. Or name of anything really.
That is a great band name. Or name of anything really.
Band Names
At Russian poetry reading at D Note yesterday I heard two phrases that would make great titles for something...
Pope Star (a mispronunciation of pop star)
and
Electrocolumn
Pope Star (a mispronunciation of pop star)
and
Electrocolumn
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Grave Yard Poetry Fridge Magnets
Take pictures of gravestones with single words on them, such as "Waits", "Rover", "Ish", etc, weirder the better. Then turn pictures into a refrigerator magnet poetry series. Or maybe a cell phone application.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)