Tao Qian Poem

I Stop Drinking

My home is where the town stops.
Carefree and alone, I stop then walk
then stop and sit in the shade of tall trees.
My path stops within my brushwood gate.
The best taste is to stopper my mouth with garden vegetables.
My greatest joy stops with my youngest son.
All my life I have not stopped drinking.
I'm never happy when I stop.
If I stop at night I cannot sleep well;
if I stop in the morning, I cannot get up.
Every day I tried to stop drinking,
but my energy flow stopped and became disordered.
I only knew that abstinence stops pleasure
without knowing that to stop has benefits.
Now I truly realize how good it is to stop drinking,
and am really going to stop this morning.
I will stop from now on,
till I reach the Isle of Immortals where the sun stops
till my old face stops and a clear face returns.
I won't be satisfied till I've stopped for ten thousand years.

- Tao Qian (c. 365-427 CE)

Mystic Math

Sleep = 1/60th Death

Dreams = 1/60th Prophecy

Shabbat = 1/60th Paradise

Bill Anderson Song

Performed by Kenny Chesney

Theodicy 101

A man who knew nothing about agriculture came to a farmer and asked to be taught about farming. The farmer took him out to the field and asked him what he saw. "I see a beautiful piece of land, lush with grass and pleasing to the eye," the visitor said. He then watched aghast as the farmer plowed the grass and turned the beautiful green field into a mass of brown shallow ditches.
"Why did you ruin the field?" he asked.
"Be patient. You will see," said the farmer.
Then the farmer showed his guest a sackful of plump kernels of wheat and said again, "Tell me what you see." The visitor described the good qualities of the grain, and then watched in shock as the farmer walked up and down the furrows he had just plowed, dropping the kernels into the open ground and covering them with clods of soil.
"Are you insane? First you destroyed the field, and then you ruined the grain!"
"Be patient. You will see."
Time went by and once more the farmer took his guest out to the field. Now they saw endless straight rows of green stalks sprouting up from all the furrows.
The visitor smiled. "I apologize. Now I understand what you were doing. You've made the field more beautiful than ever. The art of farming is truly marvelous."
"Actually," said the farmer, "we're not done. You must still be patient."

Brazenness Goes Before Insatiability

James Tate Poem

Man with Wooden Leg
Escapes Prison

Man with wooden leg escapes prison. He's caught.
They take his wooden leg away from him. Each day
he must cross a large hill and swim a wide river
to get to the field where he must work all day on
one leg. This goes on for a year. At the Christmas
Party they give him back his leg. Now he doesn't
want it. His escape is all planned. It requires
only one leg.

My Fairy Dogdaughter

If You Really Love Me, Why Don't You Know What Bothers Me?

"It was from two drunken Ukrainian peasants that I learned the true meaning of friendship," taught Rabbi Mendel of Rimanov. "I heard one say to another, "Ivan do you really love me?" "Yes," answered his friend. "But do you really love me?" Again came the positive response. Said the first one, "If you really love me, Ivan, why don't know what bothers me?" From then on, R' Mendel insisted that he was obligated to try and find out what troubled another, even if they insisted, as most people do,
that everything is fine.

-"True Love" from "The Pirkei Avos Treasury"

Evening Redress in the West

Spellbroken

June 9, 1954

Gordon Lish Story

The merry chase 

Don’t tell me. Do me a favor and let me guess. Be honest with me, tell the truth, don’t make me laugh. Tell me, don’t make me have to tell you, do I have to tell you that when you’re hot, you’re hot, that when you’re dead, you’re dead? Because you know what I know? I know you like I know myself, I know you like the back of my hand, I know you like a book, I know you inside out. I know you like you’ll never know. You know what this is? You want to know what this is? Because this is some deal, this is some set-up, this is some joke — you could vomit from what a joke this is. I want you to hear something, I want you to hear the unvarnished truth. I want you to hear it from me, right from the horse’s mouth, from the one person who really cares. You know what you are? That’s what you are! Ages ago, years ago, so long ago I couldn’t begin to remember, past history, ancient history — you don’t want to know, another age, another life, another theory altogether. I am telling you, I am pleading with you, I am down to you on bended knee — just don’t get cute with me, just don’t make any excuses to me — because in broad daylight, in the dead of night, at the crack of dawn. You think the whole world is going to do a dance around you? No one is going to do a dance around you. No one even knows you are alive, they don’t know you from Adam. Don’t ask. Don’t even begin to ask. Don’t make me any promises. Don’t tell me one thing and do another. Don’t look at me cross-eyed. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t hand me that crap. Look around you, for pity’s sake. Don’t you know that one hand washes the other? Talk sense. Take stock. You think this is a picnic? This is no picnic. Don’t stand on ceremony with me. The whole world is not going to step to your tune. I warn you — wake up before it’s too late. You know what? A little birdie just told me. You know what? You have got a lot to learn — that’s what. I can’t hear myself talk. I can’t hear myself think. I cannot remember from one minute to the next. Why do I always have to tell you again and again? Give me a minute to think. Just let me catch my breath. Don’t you ever stop to ask? I’m going to tell you something. I’m going to tell you what no one else would have the heart to tell you. I’m going to give you the benefit of my advice. Do you want some advice? You think the sun rises and sets on you, don’t you? You should get down on your hands and knees and thank God. You think death is a picnic? Death is no picnic. Face facts, don’t kid yourself, people are trying to talk some sense into you, it’s not all just fun and fancy free, it’s not all just high, wide, and handsome, it’s not just a bed of roses and peaches and cream. You know what I’ve got to do? I’ve got to talk to you like a baby. I’ve got to talk to you like a Dutch uncle. I’ve got to handle you with kid gloves, just in case you didn’t know. Let me tell you something no one else would have the heart to tell you. Go ahead, look! Look far and wide — because they are few and far between. Go ahead, go to the ends of the earth, go to the highest mountain, go to any lengths, because they won’t lift a finger for you — or didn’t you know that some things are not for man to know, that some things are better left unsaid, that some things you shouldn’t wish on a dog, not on a bet, not on your life, not in a month of Sundays? What do you want? You want the whole world to revolve around you, you want the whole world at your beck and call? That’s what you want, isn’t it? Be honest with me and let’s be done with it, be finished with it, over and done with it, enough, for crying out loud, enough.

What do I say to you, where do I start with you, how do I make myself heard? I don’t know where to begin with you, I don’t know where to start with you, I don’t know how to impress on you the importance of every single solitary word. Thank God I am alive to tell you, thank God I am here to tell you, thank God you’ve got someone to tell you, I only wish I could begin to tell you, if there were only some way someone could tell you, if only there were someone here to tell you, but you don’t want to listen, you don’t want to learn, you don’t want to know, you don’t want to help yourself you just want to have it your own sweet way. Who can talk to you? Can anyone talk to you? You don’t want anyone to talk to you. So far as you are concerned, the whole world could drop dead. You think death is a picnic? Death is no picnic. Face facts, don’t kid yourself, people are trying to talk some sense into you, it’s not all just fun and fancy free, it’s not all just high, wide, and handsome, it’s not just a bed of roses and peaches and cream. You know what I’ve got to do? I’ve got to talk to you like a baby. I’ve got to talk to you like a Dutch uncle. I’ve got to handle you with kid gloves, just in case you didn’t know. Let me tell you something no one else would have the heart to tell you. Go ahead, look! Look far and wide — because they are few and far between! Pardon my French — but put up or shut up! Oh, we could just laugh in your face. Oh, you — you dirty dickens, you! Can’t you just leave us in peace?

—from Gordon Lish’s Mourner At The Door: Stories (1989)

North Nothingness

Before a thing can be transformed into something else,
it must pass through the state of Nothingness.

-Maggid of Mezerich

Liq It Up

From: Crown Royal

To: Songwriter

"We are looking for some quality songwriters to create spec pieces for us. The fine points of the deal would be ironed out later, but it would be most likely a license for one year with renewal options. Ideally, it would be a singer songwriter writing and performing, but we are extremely open to having a songwriter take this on even who may not have exactly the preferred type voice himself and we could find the performer ourselves.

Essentially, we have been inspired by a certain type of introspective and moody singer/songwriter craft. Some of the godfathers of the genre include Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave. These are leathery "whiskey soaked" voices with timeless appeal that can't be pinned down by any one genre. Some of the current forebearers include The National, M Ward, Ryan Adams, Richard Buckner, and The Hold Steady. Please note that we are specifically in need of a male voice only.

We are especially taking great inspiration from the Rick Rubin produced Johnny Cash recordings, especially "Hurt," which feels hauntingly emotive, and sparse and simple in production.

Here's some info on the campaign, as expressed by our creatives directly to the artist: Crown Royal has traditionally been a drink that symbolizes success for working-class males. While the new campaign pays homage to that symbolism, the emphasis is on achievement rather than success, and the tone is more emotional than anything the brand has attempted before.

The main creative insight and driving idea for the campaign is: In every man there's a warrior; in every warrior there's a king.

We illustrate this insight by following the stories of a boxer and a football quarterback as they overcome their own doubts to rise victorious. Throughout the spots, shots of medieval kings are juxtaposed against shots of our modern protagonists to add narrative depth while touching upon the heritage of Crown Royal. (Please view the enclosed rips for a broad idea of the overall visual concept.) The tone and style we aim to capture visually will be stark with diffused light. The grandiosity of sport as spectacle will take a backseat to concentrated moments of an individual grace and perseverance.

The project needs a soundtrack that captures the essence of a man's personal battle within the context of a larger external struggle. At its core, this is an emotional campaign with sports as the backdrop - not the other way around - and the ability to craft a track as authentic and understated as it is rousing and compelling is key to giving the visuals emotive power. The ideal piece of music is sweeping and epic, intimate and introspective; the vocals are raw and weathered, distinctive and worldly. Using sparse arrangement, the songwriters are able to conjure more emotional power in a few seconds than most can create in an hour.

We look forward to talking with you about your ideas.

Also, our copywriters have written a few lines for lyrical inspiration - these may be used verbatim (they don't seek any kind of participation) or just viewed for inspiration: "I will bend but never break". "In each man a king". "Burning inside". "For every king a crown".

Please note that the above lines are highly indicative of the overall themes and that it's very important that the lyrics somehow convey these themes. It is also worth noting that it would be extremely cool to us if the one line "for every king a crown" could be incorporated, as that is the main theme of the campaign, but only if it feels organic to the songwriters to include it. It's not mandatory, but strongly suggested."

From: Songwriter

To: Crown Royal

Cunning Crown Royal,
For the little man with dreams.
We keep you clowns loyal
By convincing you you're kings.

Will on Wheels

41 Earth Years

God and Man at Opry Mills

Aeronautical Chainsaw
Mahogany Sunshield
Self-Healing Cutting Board
Cardio Jazz Harmonica
Remote Control Nightingale
Dogfood Glockenspiel

Vogue Today, Vomit Tomorrow

“Each generation experiences the fashions of the one immediately preceding it as the most radical anti-aphrodisiac imaginable. In this judgment it is not so far off the mark as might be supposed. Every fashion is to some extent a bitter satire on love: in every fashion perversities are suggested by the most ruthless means. Every fashion stands in opposition to the organic. Every fashion couples the living body to the inorganic world. To the living, fashion defends the rights of the corpse. The fetishism that succumbs to the sex appeal of the inorganic is its vital nerve.”
-Walter Benjamin