we gonna stay here till we soothe our souls, if it take all night long
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Hey friends.
Over the course of the past year and a half, I had multiple conversations with folks who were using the downtime and isolation of the pandemic to turn inward and consider what mattered in their worlds. I interact with a lot of creative people in my own projects and my work in the community, so the topic often turned to what was important when it came to making things and expressing ourselves.
So many times, the things that inspire us are turned into "the hustle", an attempt at having as much time and meaning thrust into our creative expressions as possible by making it our dayjobs (or attempting to do so). So often, though, there's a risk of our art becoming more work than fun, tainted somehow by the daily grind of trying to feed oneself through our creativity.
There's no right answer for everyone, no correct balance. I think it's up to each of us to figure that out. I know I've struggled with that over the years, when Red Chuck was more grind than fun. And that's what I heard in a lot of those conversations I mentioned above. We were all at a point where we were looking at how we did these things and were making adjustments to put the fun back in. To enjoy. To be silly. And to stop worrying about metrics and likes and hits.
I heard a song by a local band, Dad Jokes, at the Rebel Arts Festival over this past weekend about a similar idea...just playing music with your friends instead of trying to be a rock star.
I'm not a musician, but in my own way, that's what I've been working on...whatever silly, fun, creative project appeals to me, gets me together with my friends, and fills my cup. I've got a few in the works. But one of them is ready: Uncaged with Dylan & Justin
It's a podcast about the fascination shared by myself and my friend, Dylan Roberts (who you may remember from The Breakdown), with actor Nicolas Cage. One by one, we're working through his filmography, in order, and discussing the wonder that is Nic Cage. Check out episode 1 below or on your favorite podcast app.
As always, your mix tape links are below as well. Enjoy, take care of yourself, and listen to great music.
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Reads of the Week:
I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Levin when I was 18 years old and still quite the young fool, just learning how the world and government really worked. I wish I'd been a little more aware at the time to realize the lucky moment I was experiencing.
I didn't want this legislation and was glad to pay the higher insurance rates it was attempting to "fix", knowing the medical coverage was such a value. It seems now we're experience the fall out from this change.
This is such a cool experiment in democracy we're trying in Michigan, one born from a grassroots effort to overrule the political ugliness in Lansing.
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Links and More:
See my comments above.
Yes, this is a read, but this is more of a plug to go see this movie. Do yourself a favor and go in as dark as possible...don't read the reviews or recaps, just go into a dark, quiet theater and experience Pig.
An infuriating tale and further proof we need to rethink public safety.
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WQPM playlists are a collection of ten songs I've been listening to this week, crossing genre, era, and taste. No themes here, just the tunes I've been sticking in my ears lately. The newest Weekly Quick Pick Mix is available on Spotify and Apple Music.