Transmission (Eloquence)

David Letterman on Robin Williams

 

Well Said

I "stumble(d)upon" a beautiful video the other day.  I've started exploring with video a little bit ... adding motion to the drama and emotion of my New York streets ... the questions for me, as always, being:

1) Is the artistic undertaking worth it?  If everybody is a "creator", and everyone CAN, then what's the point, why bother?  My work is decidedly, purposefully lo-fi.  Mainly because, the next question ...

2) Who has time?  I really don't ... to be tweaking, and editing, creating fantasies and adding filters. I'm not an artist ... although doing, being, seeing artistically comes naturally.  It's what I do ... when I'm not doing business or being with family, or hassling with people and work and life ... I do, and be and see, like me.  I'm unique in some ways (... I like to think) but I lack the deep talent, not to mention, the patience (or maybe, I just lack the balls) to full out call myself an "artist".

In sum, it's like this:  Ideas, check.  Creativity, check.  Vision, check.  sort of Style, Tone or Vibe, check, check, check.  Originality?  Guilty!  A body of Work and a name to go with it:  getting there ... check, check again.

But then, I check myself:  I'm a hobbyist.

The "art" enhances what I do, and am able to see, and lucky to be ... but I'm frankly more interested in experiencing life and regretting some dreams, than actually working to express them to you.

That said, there's a fine line between needing expression and needing attention anyway ... and too many in the cluttered online world of "creation" -- tragically, myself included at times -- take time, too much of it, chasing the latter!

Anyway, this is the video I started to mention.  "Unplug" is the message.  Really "share", not just virtually.

I couldn't have put it better, made my own WordSpeak louder ...

 words & video by Gary Turk

Death (of) Comedy

In the foolish, early days of April, the offensive, 'there is no there there' coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 became subsumed (at last!) ... though sadly, by yet another American gun massacre.

The latest Fort Hood shooter, apparently miffed because he was told "no" about something, and catapulted into infamy on April 2nd of this year, is not even the most recent entry on this terrible "list of rampage killers" (also check out the workplace edition!) ... admittedly -- tragically -- in the words of Wikipedia's editors, "an incomplete list, which may NEVER be able to satisfy (!) particular standards for completeness (WTF!?!)" (... emphases mine).

Oh, and David Letterman announced his retirement.

A few sad doorknobs unhinge and fall off of life's frame, and late night television shuffles again ... Ah, normalcy!  A relief!  Welcome respite!  from wild-eyed theories, internet queries, emotions and directionless everything regarding the lost airplane ... from search efforts to public statements to misplaced anger ...

Directionless.  No pride or shame (a flight simulator??) ...

No happy landing.

I was thinking this on a trip last week ... At the airport, an announcement in accented but unbroken English:

"Do not let your baggage out of your sight.  If a stranger approaches you, and asks you to watch or hold baggage, or you are asked to carry an item or gift, you should not comply.  You should report all suspicious activity to uniformed personnel or the airport police."

I was struck by the innocence of this entreaty.  Simple strangers bearing gifts ... One should tell the police ... How 20th century!

It's high time the world's airports scale up their public service announcements to reflect the potentials of this day and age:

"If your plane disappears or falls out of the sky, or you see a passenger punching a flight attendant (or vice versa!) -- or a group of histrionics annoying other passengers -- please use your cell phone camera to share."

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Cabin Fever