Don't you wonder who the hell is prowling the web reading
random peoples' essays on life and other such drivel anyhow? Praise Google. It was a really
slow winter. Hardly any gigs here in San Francisco, while all my
musician/artist friends wrote sad haiku poetry and generally nursed their
psychoeconomic wounds post 9/11.
Looking back, I thought I'd share a couple things I found which really
kept me going. It's all going to be in the movie (no, of course I'm not
actually making a movie).
- Listening to random people telling rambling long stories lacking any point whatsoever
(stories must be delivered with utmost conviction). For the listener, it's a form of
meditation.
- Long journeys on public transportation. I mean really long! This also
requires discipline and, done properly, brings on a state of sublime
tranquility. Other kinds of journeys are great too,
so long as the goal itself in no way justifies the length of the journey.
At a certain point, I came to realize that all my favorite movies build on
the "Odyssey" or "Heart of Darkness" paradigm. If you can find it, check
out The Saragossa Manuscript (Wojciech Has, Poland 1965) for a
particularly fine instance.
- Walks along deserted streets (best while everyone else is sleeping, or
else watching some major sporting event on TV). Feel the life energy.
- Developing implausible theories. Not just alleged conspiracies, but full-on
explanations for why certain things are the way they are. Even better if
the subject is so obscure you never noticed how things were in the first
place, at least not until you started developing the theory. One important
follow-on exercise involves finding the appropriate audience for airing
your conclusions.
- Spot (and learn to enjoy) unintentional performance art. Hard
to explain, but you just know it when you see it. Then you start to see it
everywhere. Now I live for it.
- Watch the things bartenders do on really slow nights. These people are
true patriots.
- Converse (at length) with the self-appointed neighborhood
historian. Not necessarily in ones own neighborhood.
"A true researcher proceeds amongst riddles." (Saragossa Manuscript)
- ben "jacobs" <randomatwelldotcom> |