la guapa

workin it out in america. read on for tall tales from adventures in the east and west.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

finding a voice

last night, with one of my dearest friends in the world, i got to experience the force that is massive attack. i've spent a bit of time writing here about music -- going to shows and having some pretty incredible experiences. music is and always has been my life. i mean really. i collect it, i seek it out, i relish in the feeling of that song or that riff that transports me to some other place, some other memory. i've been listening to the new massive attack album pretty obsessively for the past however many months, starting with the Heliogland EP. the first time i heard 'pray for rain' i got that rush --a transporting, transforming, what-the-hell-am-i-hearing rush. now, i know this isn't their best song, or nearly their best album. i get a lot of 'they were better long ago' opinions. but for me, there's something deep that this album reaches. and, really, i cannot resist hope sandoval. i melt every time i hear her.

last night, the very talented songstress, martina topley-bird, performed with the band, and she was fantastic. they all were. i didn't have many expectations for the show. just an opportunity to get in front of huge sound and lose myself for a while. i got that...and quite a bit more. the stage set up was comprised of a huge backdrop of LED ticker display screens a few inches apart, creating a canvas for words and digital images that cascaded behind the band throughout the show. it was so simple. and so amazingly powerful. every word, every image, politically provocative, triggering, highly charged. snippets of descriptions of torture from gitmo, quotes about freedom followed at the end by a simple question: "What the fuck, Arizona?" In case you didn't know, Massive Attack has something to say.

other images included silhouettes of people migrating, perhaps across borders, perhaps to refugee camps followed by running headlines from the tabloids. stats and facts from around the world -- number of days someone can be detained without cause in a dozen countries (7 days in Ireland, 43 days in the UK, indefinitely in the US). the encore came off huge with a hard hitting version of 'Atlas Air' that began with the creation of a flight departure board listing domestic flights and then extradition flights, morphing into simple red, white and black graphic representations of flags that slowly transformed into a barrage of corporate logos rotating faster and faster until they all just blurred together. there was no question of the message: our priorities are fucked. our world is too. do something about it, for fuck sake.

say what you will about art and politics. last night inspired me, got me fired up, reminded me of why i live my life the way i do. i believe in art. i believe in its power to transform the way we think and feel and see and hear. music has been doing this for me my whole life. so has art. i've been working with the flaming lotus girls for about a year now, building huge, interactive, metal fire art. right now, i'm spending nearly 30 hours a week building a huge piece of art with a community of people who have vision and passion and brilliant ideas and who also believe that we can change something with what we do (http://www.temple2010.org). it may not be everything, but it is always something.

we've all got the opportunity to make something in the world. and despite how definitely dismal it all is, we are not the first to experience a moment in time that feels desolate and depressing and devoid of any hope for change. we are also not the first to find our voice and say something about how and what needs to change. and we are certainly not the first to try to inspire change in whatever way it's possible. i'll keep making art and teaching people how amazingly capable they are of doing the same, just as people have taught me. i hope you will, too.

(Image above via Flick user Umbar)

(Video below from YouTube User Fourad)

Saturday, March 27, 2010

riding the uke wave

ok, so here's the deal. the uke. it makes me smile unlike anything else i've ever really experienced. i was turned on to the uke by two fantastic people. and last month, i went to see the The Mighty Uke with them, a documentary about the ukulele and all its glory. now, i'm aware that i'm a wee bit behind the uke revolution of late. people all over the world heart this little endearing instrument. it's what keeps the amazing ms. amanda palmer up late writing songs about madonna and lady gaga. even the Canadians love it and use it as a gateway to musical education for kids. and in our fair city, in this bay we know and love, there are so very many hilariously wonderful people strumming along together just for the love of the uke.

on pi (pie) day this year (you know, 3/14), i was privy to one of those fabulous groups at a great party in west oakland. replete with literally scores of pies--sweet and savory, of course--the lovely and talented ukaladies performed a variety of pie-inspired tunes, many of their own creation. my favorite by far, aside from the rockin' rendition of warrant's 'cherry pie' they did while sexy pie ladies in red fishnets danced through the crowd offering teeny individual cherry pies--was '3.14159' sung to the tune of '867-5309.' who knew the uke could be so fun?

well, i'll tell ya. it is. i dare you to not smile when you hear someone sweetly strummin on this lil thing. it's pure joy. life hasn't been so easy this winter, and watching 'the mighty uke' may have been the first time in months that i had smiled and laughed quite that much.

tomorrow i've got my first strumming date. today, on a gorgeous, sunny spring san francisco day, i bought my first uke at Noe Valley Music. it's a makala concert uke. i spent the afternoon on pineapple pete's uke school site. i mean, really? it's just awesomely silly and fun. got myself 3 chords and some strummin done. looking forward to tomorrow. yay to making music.

"That's a damn fine cup of coffee."

at 13, twin peaks blew my mind. and i am certain it made me who i am without a doubt. this article from the guardian about the show's 20th anniversary shares the thoughts of 6 veterans of the show and points out that, really, this show broke the mold. http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/mar/21/twin-peaks-twenty-years-on

this show set in stone the kind of weird freak i was soon to become. my love for film -- strange, confusing, arresting, beautiful films -- came directly from my obsession with Twin Peaks (and, to be fair, my obsession with 'Rear Window' which definitely predates Twin Peaks for me. I first saw it at age 8, i think...). I can remember being on the phone with my best friend, Cotter, at a commercial break and having to cut that conversation off so I could go back to Agent Cooper and Donna. i remember my parent's friends having these parties every week where everyone would drink cocktails and swap theories about who killed Laura Palmer. and i remember feeling so cool that i knew and loved the show as much as they did. i *got* it. it made sense to me in all its complete nonsense and 'elliptical plot' ness.

takashi miike, almodovar, park chan wook, godard, truffaut, fellini, lynch, john waters, tood haynes, todd solondz, francois ozon. strange spanish films, strange french films, bizarro japanese and korean and chinese films. and of course, the strange and disturbing sensibilities of american film. these are what i love. worlds that make no sense, where nothing is as it seems, where every idea crushes what you thought was truth or reality. i have never truly loved movies with happy endings. never liked films where everything makes sense. they're entertaining. they're good for distraction but not for the kind of deep-down-in-your-soul transformation that comes from the likes of what david lynch created with Twin Peaks. that's what film, and tv for that matter, should be at their best.

it just may be time to watch the mystery of laura palmer unravel all over again.

Friday, August 21, 2009

harm reduction & burning man

i wrote this today for all us flaming lotus girls to help us take care of ourselves...wanted to put it somewhere it could live and be useful to others...

whether it's your first year or you 19th, you can never think too much about how to take care of yourself out in the desert! it's easy to end up in the med tent really fast. lemme put my harm reduction/public health hat on and give you some ways that you can stay happy and healthy out there.

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HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired)
the BEST advice anyone ever gave me was this acronym: HALT. Like, STOP. take stock. all the time. are you any of the above? Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired? These all apply at one time or another out there. Being really aware of what's going on with your body will help you deal with the challenges out there so much better. here's a way to approach this:

if you're irritable/angry/overhwlemed/burnt out: drink some water. Are you still feeling crappy? eat something. Are you still feeling crappy? drink some water. Are you still feeling crappy? stop and take a good look around you and remind yourself of the incredible. amazing place you are in, the tremendous art you have created to share and the spectacular privilege you have in being out there. Are you still feeling crappy? drink some water. Are you still feeling crappy? go talk to someone. talking it through and getting out whatever is happening is really helpful. son't feel silly about crying or needing to get out some serious emotions in some way. it happens to all of us.

so there you have it. HALT. seriously. tatoo this on your body. you will be glad you did.

GET HYDRATED & STAY HYDRATED
bring both water and electrolytes. as mentioned in the other email, liquid gatorade diluted with water (one part gatorade to two parts water) is a great way to do this. AND start hydrating right now before you leave for playa. The better shape your body is in before you land, the better you will be at adjusting.

ACCLIMATE!
take some time to acclimate to the playa. DON'T feel like you have to dive right in and start going full force. give yourself a little time to acclimate to the environment. We've all been working really hard for many months. Give yourself permission to take a little break when you arrive. Don't slam yourself to set up camp and work the MINUTE you get to playa. and drink some water.

EAT HEALTHY!
again, get your body ready to go out there with good food. build your immune system (i got really sick with a head cold last year after four solid days of working). eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies before you go and take as much of that fresh food as you can with you. this is also a realy important part of staying healthy out there. eating only crap processed food, sugary and salty snacks without getting good fresh food will run you down really fast. and drink some water.

TAKE BREAKS!
be good to your body. TAKE BREAKS all the time--no one will begrudge you the rest time. and DEFINITELY do not hesitate to tell other people to take breaks when you think they may need it. even if they're pissed and don't want to hear it, they (and everyone else) will thank you later. and drink some water.

SHADE & SUNSCREEN
For any of you who are sun worshippers like me (despite my irish, freckly skin), you may be tempted to stay in the sun just to remind yourself what it's like to *not* live in san francisco in the summer! DON'T! wear and reapply sunscreen all the time. get yourself in the shade as much as possible (SEE TAKE BREAKS...and drink some water. )

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
you know what i mean...those things you do when you AREN'T running fire safety on SOMA. There are lots of good ways to take care of your body *and* engage in these activities. first, if you're drinking, be sure to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day and night while you're drinking. dehydration from alcohol is compunded by the environment out there.a good formula: beer/water/beer/water/beer/water:) if choosing other activities, be sure to replenish your body's vitamins, minerals and, our favorites, neurotransmitters, regularly with some of the following: multivitamins, emergen-C or the like, juice, melatonin, 5-HTP (VERY IMPORTANT: this is a precursor to serotonin, and can help your body recoop after depleting it from your system. you can get it at any health food store or perhaps walgreen. i'm not sure.) and drink some water.

PACE YOURSELF
Again, see TAKE BREAKS. ANd generally don't burn the candle at both ends for the whole time you're out there. you wil be SPENT and really unhappy if you do. space out your extracurricular activities. binges and days on end of too much will take its toll on you and everyone around you. plan well and get some good rest at least some of the time. and drink some water.

HAVE FUN!
seriously. remember what an amazing place you're in, give yourself the freedom to be and do and experience new things and to really engage with people out there. and drink some water.
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Thursday, May 14, 2009

that night

We were told there’d be limited oxygen, so we shouldn’t breathe too much. We were told if we were claustrophobic, we should stay home. We were told to leave our phones and cameras at home or being blacklisted would be the least of our problems. We were asked to bring a bottle of water and $2.75 in quarters and good hiking shoes. 

Are you curious? Want to know more? Well, since we’re all friends here, I’ll let you in on the secret…
 
It’s called Covert. It’s a series of adventures put on by the creative duo of John Law, original San Francisco daring adventurer, and Mark Growden, an extraordinary Bay Area musician. It was the first in their series, an initiation of sorts into the world of wonder they aim to create for those who choose to throw caution to the wind, take a risk, leave their twitterbots at home and believe in possiblity. When I first learned about it, it sounded slightly dangerous, a little illegal and wildly exciting. So, I pounced on the idea, thrilled at the thought of taking an unknown journey to a special place in the city with a bunch of strangers. So, Zsuzsu and I went together. 

Friday evening, in a mad dash, we made it to Justin Herman Plaza right under the wire before our 7:01 pm departure. “We’re late! It’s 7:06!” John shouted. “Let’s go.” And off we went, all 50 of us clad in our hiking shoes and layered clothing, down into the MUNI station. Quarters in, transfers taken. “Follow the man in the top hat!” someone shouted. And so we did. We were herded onto the train. And then, I started looking around. What train are we on? Oh, the L-Taraval to the zoo. Soon enough the theories began to bubble. “Are we going to the zoo?” “But there are no hills there—they said there’d be hills!” “Maybe West Portal? Hmmm.” “The Forest Hill station? There are hills there.” “Yeah, there are…I bet we’re going there…” And with that, we were bonding. Strangers and lemmings, headed into the unknown. Giddy with excitement about what might come next. 

And, wouldn’t you know it, the man in the top hat signaled our departure and as the train pulled into the station and the doors opened, out into the Forest Hill station we went. Up the rickety elevator, out the turnstile and through the doors into the cool air. Ahhhh. The sweet smell of eucalyptus. The pile of us walk down the sidewalk and start to move with the herd. I’m walking and catching up with an old friend when I realize: the herd has stopped. And they’ve stopped right in from a 25 foot Ryder truck parked at the curb. Ladder leaning against the side, it became abundantly clear that this would be our mode of transporation. And if you’ve ever been inside one of those trucks—and I *know* you have—you know there are no windows. But, with no questions asked, we climbed the ladder into the truck, swiftly as to avoid unnecessary attention. And then, we found ourselves in the tight, dark, confined claustrophobic, oxygenless space  we’d been warned about. We all have a good laugh about because at least we’re not in a sewer. 

We drive for about 15 minutes, and suddenly we hear the screeching and scratching of tree branches on metal, the brakes start to hiss and we stop. We’re instructed to keep it quiet—nobody needs to call attention to the 25 foot moving truck with 50 people packed inside. They might call the INS. Climbing out of the truck, we’re up against a bramble of blackberry bushes which snag my left hand as I try to squeeze past them. Now, my hand is cut and bleeding, and it hurts. My eyes are adjusting to the light. I’m pretty disoriented. I turn the corner and discover a set of stairs. The sting of the thorns in my hand, I climb the stairs. It takes a bit for me to get my bearings, but when I do, when I get to the top, I see that I’m at the start of a trail and behind me is a deep orange sun barely above the horizon. I can see the ocean from where I stand. And it’s clear. There’s no fog. It’s crisp and gorgeous. And the smell. That sweet, delicious smell of eucalyptus and fresh earth. In quiet, with the exception of a few yahoos who kept right on yammering, we climbed the hill passing ivy and wild irises and tiny blue wildflowers along the way. 

As we neared the top, I suddenly recognize where we are. And then I hear it. The soft, dreamy melody drifting down the hill towards us. I turn to John, with an ear to ear smile and say, “Thank you.” The path leads us to a clearing where, atop a rock, sits two musicians. A woman with an accordion and a man standing above her. We gather around them on the ground, and they begin to serenade us with Argentinean flamenco songs. It’s a dream. It’s an unimaginable surprise. And, just as we’re settling in and reveling in the feeling, we’re up again. And we’re moving. We’re following the accordion to the next location. Here, we gather once again, huddled together against the cold wind that’s whipped up as the sun has dipped below the horizon. And what’s before us is now a small band of musicians – with an accordion, an upright bass and a trumpet. The music begins. As soon as Mark begins to sing with that haunting, passionate, powerful voice, I’m transported to another time, another place. The melodies, that voice, that accordion. So many fond memories held in those notes for me. We’re singing and huddled close and letting this experience wash right over us. And just as we’re getting comfortable and settling in…we’re up and moving again, this time into a circle to for a fantastic call-and-response experience called thread the needle. This finds us winding around in concentric circles, weaving in and out of each other and spinning and laughing and loving every minute. By the time we finish, the sun is no where in sight. It’s that deep blue of dusk now. And as I turn, I see it. The moon! My god will you look at that MOON! Pale but deep yellow, slung low in the sky, hovering just above the southeast part of the bay. I’d never seen the city from this perspective before. And rarely do you get to see it so clearly. 

It would have been enough right there. It would have been enough to be transported in a black box and magically delivered to this forest wonderland. It would have been enough to be serenaded by Argentinean flamenco songs. It would have been enough to experience this intimate musical experience with Mark and his friends. It would have been enough to bear witness to this gorgeous moon hanging over the city. It would all, certainly, have been enough. Lucky for us, there was more. 

We walked a little further across the hill and arrived at a small bluff. On the edge stood a leafless tree, blown westward by the ocean wind stretching its bare branches towards the lights below. Its silhouette against the midnight blue of dusk, and shadows of hills as its backdrop. Again, we discover the Argentinean duo and we drift back and forth, our bodies swaying to the soft pulse of the melodies. The wind at our faces, we choose to shift the stage behind us to shield us a bit from its bite. Mark moves in front of us now, picks up his accordion and sweeps us off into another world yet again. I look out over the city. I sing along. I find unexpected tears in my eyes and a smile spreading across my face. I am surrounded by people I do not know but with whom I now feel a kindred connection. We lean in closer to find warmth and protect each other from the cold. 

Just before Mark plays his last song, he turns to us and says, “We may be coming up to a time very soon when we’re all going to need each other now more than ever.” And we all titter nervously, unclear on the meaning. “But even if we’re not,” he goes on, “we still need each other now more than ever. So lean in close, and sing along. Don’t be afraid. There’s no wrong way to do this. Just sing.” With that, our voices carrying out beyond our hill, beyond the houses below, reaching out beyond the bluff where planes like fireflies in the night sky circle and drift downwards towards the earth, we sang from our hearts, from our souls. And I felt so full—of life, of love, of possibility. That night, we celebrated the possibility of it all. I could never have imagined this adventure would fill me with such gratitude for the life I am privileged to lead. And as we finished, I breathed that air in deep because now there was enough for everyone. From that small, dark confined space, we journeyed to a place of infinite depth and light. Together, we jumped down that rabbit hole. And I cannot wait to do it again.