SUPERGOOD CHRISTMAS 2007: And We Give

12.31.07
Out with the Old!

Today is another day, and after this there will be another, but it will happen to fall on the first day of the year 2008 in our calendar, and so 2007 is done and never to be lived again until mankind discovers another prophet to structure our years around. Although it is just one more day in our lives, it has the finality of closure and the promise of hope all wrapped into one, with an extra shot of booze and hangover to boot. It is fashionable to make New Year's resolutions and imagine a better existence for ourselves, but often these dreams end up forgotten or recycled the next year. While I think it is important to be content with whatever life we may be leading, I think it is a great exercise to envision a happier time and work towards a goal. I am so fortunate in every aspect of my life, it seems almost offensive that I would ask for it to be any better for myself; I won't do that. But I will resolve to make Supergood better for you, dear reader. Yes, that is my focus for the next 365 days: to expand, enliven and produce more supergoodness. For you, of course... Exactly what changes and developments the next 525600 minutes hold for Supergood is a top-secret mystery of utmost suspense, but I will openly promise to dedicate myself and my passion to this creative endeavor more thoroughly for the next 31536000 seconds.

I would like to also thank YOU for taking the time and having the interest to see what I shoot, hear what I play, and read what I write here. I am truly grateful to host you on this web site and hope that this can serve as some bit of entertainment and inspiration for you in your own life. It certainly has that effect for me. I used to write privately in journals but my blog has taken that place in my life. It fulfills me personally as well as giving me an outlet to an audience larger than myself. Thank you for getting to know me through this decidedly one-way conversation. I hope to someday break through the anonymity of the internet to know you too.

Be Good in 2008.

12.20.07

Loser

The Supergood entry in the Sufjan contest was not chosen as winner. Check out the excellent selection at www.asthmatickitty.com. They received over 600 entries, which staggers my mind and proves that the power of audio recording has truly moved into the hands of the people. This is a heartwarming revolution. While I could bitterly dwell on the fact that my piece was not picked, I would rather be inspired by the sheer quantity of music that was produced by this internet event. This is Supergood.

Another Loser

Al Gore could have bitterly dwelled on being a loser* to George W. Bush in 2000. Instead, he went on to win an Oscar, A Nobel Peace Prize and to write numerous prize winning books, including his most recent, The Assault On Reason, which describes the war The Bush Administration has waged on our Constitution, our Environment, our Reason, and our Psyches. It is infuriatingly evil what they have done with their manipulations and lies. This book is The Truth, and that is what we need to reconnect with. Reason. Bush has created reason based on untruths, both subtle and blatant, and has done everything possible to amass and fortify power. He has sold himself to the most powerful lobbies with complete disregard for the greater good. He has brought us into a dark time in American history, and we must seek the truth and the light.

*actual winner

12.11.07

Foxboro

I went up to see my first Patriots game of the season on Sunday, to watch them dismantle the Steelers 34-13, giving them a 13-0 record and inching them closer to the undefeated season we are all salivating for. Man, are they good. Maybe the best ever; truly inspiring to watch and see what it means to strive for perfection.

Things We Want

The New Group presents this hilarious dark drama revolving around three brothers, their depression and alcoholism, and one young lady. Directed by Ethan Hawke, the cast includes Paul Dano, the depressed teen from "Little Miss Sunshine", Peter Dinklage, the midget from "Living in Oblivion" and Josh Hamilton from the movie I've obsessed over more than any other, "Kicking and Screaming" (As in the Noah Baumbach movie, not the Will Ferrell one). The play takes place over a year in the family living room and transforms the characters in ways that defy realism slightly, but makes for an entertaining evening of theatre. The show was a special $10 at 10pm performance, which makes it even better. This is what we pay for a movie-- but to have the actors breathing in the same space as us makes it feel vital.

12.01.07

December

And here comes December! My favorite month. Birthday, Christmas and New Years all packed in to 2 1/2 weeks. Just one long winter party, and opportunity to reflect on the year we've had and imagine the year we'd like to have. It is a renewal of our life cycle and I relish the opportunity to ponder the possibilities. This birthday is a big one for me-- 30 on the 15th-- and as I step out of my third and into my fourth decade, I am thinking not just about the year ahead, but the next 10 years. The past ten years of my life have been wonderful, from Middlebury to married, with much of my creativity channelled into this web site. Here is the past seven years.

Today is also the official deadline for submissions to Sufjan Stevens' Xmas Song Exchange. My entry is above. Pick Me, Sufjan! Pick Me!

In my November Blog, I said that his show at BAM was the best I'd ever seen. Now that the initial shock of seeing it has worn off, I've had time to reflect on other great shows and perform what I think is an exhaustive search of my memory bank to conclusively confirm that it is, in fact, the best performance I have ever seen. And in the spirit of musical competition, I have compiled my top 10 ever.

10. Jackson Browne, Great Woods, MA. 1988. First concert ever with my parents. Mom: "Smell that? That's marijuana..."

9. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Sanders Theatre, Cambridge, MA. 1994. Bela is the best banjo player alive, Victor Wooten is the best bass player alive, and Future Man is the only synth-axe drumitar player alive.

8. Dave Matthews Band, The Orpheum, Boston. 1994. Completely blown away by my newest idol and his band of kick-ass musicians.

7. Kraftwerk, Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC. 6.1.05. Legends of electronic music perform with subtlety and beautiful projections.

6. Sigur Ros, Beacon Theater, NYC. 2005. Ethereal sounds escaping the stage. At one point, the band and projections stopped mid-song and froze; time stopped and the audience sat in stunned silence as the moment seemed to last an eternity...

5. Steve Reich, Middlebury, VT. 2000. I had been introduced to his music a few months earlier and connected to it as I never had with any music before. The show was an ear-opener in terms of composition and performance and gave my own music a new context.

4. Phish, Great Woods, MA. 1995. The night began with a spectacular lightning display then Phish came on and played the Gamehenge Saga, a rarest of rare Phish events.

3. Bill Frisell, Village Vanguard, NYC. 2003. I have never felt so overwhelmed and entranced by a guitar sound. I was sitting about 3 feet away from Frisell and his magic strings and wept at the beauty he and his trio produced.

2. Philip Glass and The Kronos Quartet, The Orpheum, Boston, 2001. They performed Glass' score to Dracula behind a 30 foot tall scrim onto which the movie was projected. This seemed to be the best brain stimulation I could ever imagine and inspired me to create my Supergood Reality series. I actually went to see the same show at the band shell in Prospect Park in the summer of 2006, but (appropriately) lightning was crashing directly overhead and the performance was cancelled after 15 minutes.

1. Sufjan Stevens, BAM, Brooklyn, NY 11.01.07. He had everything Glass had, plus hula hoop dancers, a movie about my home, and a better score. No contest.

Will this list be amended? I hope so. I would like to see another "best show ever" in my lifetime. What is your favorite show ever? Email me and let me know.