Last time I was in the Chicago area, I heard about this demon ghost posing as a fairy godmother. She's known as Scary Martha. She usually comes to visit you in the late evening when the lights are low giving you some baked goodies and warm milk to make you feel better the next day. Now, here's the rub...if you don't manage to burp or fart really quick when her tiny fairy wings start to glow, you might lose a nose or an ear. And, you must hope that your burp or fart is slightly odiferous to make her moist nostrils quiver. Because, my friends, out of nowhere she produces a rusty hacksaw and starts hacking away at your face. Remember, only a smelly fart or a burp keeps her appeased. Timing is absolutely crucial. So beware!

"My face set to a grim and determined expression. I speak in all modesty as I say this, but I discovered at that moment that I have a fierce will to live. It's not something evident, in my experience. Some of us give up on life with only a resigned sigh. Others fight a little, then lose hope. Still others--and I am one of those--never give up. We fight and fight and fight. We fight no matter the cost of battle, the losses we take, the improbability of success. We fight to the very end. It's not a question of courage. It's something constitutional, an inablity to let go. It may be nothing more than life-hungry stupidity."

from Yann Martel's Life of Pi

My wife just found this picture in her office. She wondered what the hell I was doing. I remembered. You see, I was really into mixing art forms. I called it, "Equal Art Synthesis". And I was rather radical about it. One summer, when I was living behind my grandmother's house, I felt the art mixing urge. I had my artist friend Craig Klyver paint a huge avant-garde mural in my grandmother's backyard. I got one of my younger brother's high school buddies and co-struggling actor Crispin Glover to do a surreal dance in front of it. I shot it with my Bolex, doing all the editing in camera. I wrote some music for piano and reverb environment with Crispin saying funny sounding words like "loquacious". I called the mixed art piece "Lightly". I lent it to Mr. Glover in 1985 for his own personal screenings and it was unfortunately lost. My memory of it is all I have, but that's enough for me.


CRC sitting on top of a ladder giving Crispin some surreal direction.

CRC says...

Bailey Wisdom:

"Never use too much spirit gum"

"Lets make a deal and we'll talk about the money later".

"Great idea. But, we're not doing it, because I didn't hear anything you said
due to my perpetual soundtrack "

CRC says...

CRC says...

I've always had a thing for Til Eulenspiegel, the merry prankster. I love Richard Strauss's tone poem about him. Mr. Eulenspiegel was sort of a one man circus that moved from village to village shaking up the stodgy status quo. He was eventually hung for his pranks, but even as he was choking to death he still managed to laugh at all the shortsighted foolishness he saw all around him. We should all cultivate a little "Eulenspiegel" inside of us, so we don't get stuck in our ways. As far as I am concerned, "Eulenspiegel" is a hell of a lot more important than "Farfegnugen" if you know what I mean.

Til Eulenspiegel. Brunswick has many famous citizens in German history, but none so colorful as Til Eulenspiegel, a half-historic, half-mythical prankster who was supposed to have been born about 1300 in a town nearby, Schoppenstedt (14 miles southeast). During the 16th century, many tales began to circulate about the tricks and jokes Til played on townspeople, and Richard Strauss immortalized him in the symphonic poem, Til Eulenspiegel. Legend has it that Til was finally hanged for his pranks, but that even with a noose around his neck, he never stopped joking or lost the impish glint in his eye. Brunswick honors him with a statue, showing him sitting nonchalantly on a wall, chatting with monkeys and owls (monkey = prankishness, owl - wisdom; Til was regarded as a sage as well as a prankster). His feet are dangling, and one of his slippers has fallen off.

CRC says...



Bob and his motorcycle co-pilot Socks.

Socks gettin' in his cruisin' box.

We rode up to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. It was absolutely beautiful. Colored leaves were like fireworks.

Biker Chef handled the cold just fine.

The beauty all around you matches the beauty of your heart.

CRC

I was going through security at SJO when one of the attendants told me (not asked) that I must know Joker. She didn't let me answer. She rattled off that he was her cousin from Los Gatos and hoped he was well, being a member of HAMC and all. I popped a pepto tablet as I told her Joker was just fine. Everyone needs a good laugh now and then. But, I wouldn't know for sure due to the fact that I was a member of BC, not HAMC. What's that? Biker Chef. She just looked at me funny as I smiled, gathered my stuff and walked away.

CRC says...

CRC says...

If we are to cope successfully with our revolutions in science, in the economy, in social areas, we must prepare for the revolution in education that will be required to meet, to understand, and to master the new conditions. Without a totally new approach to education our young people are not going to be equipped to cope with the world of the future.

Eleanor Roosevelt
just before her death in 1962

CRC says...

Tomorrow I'm going to cook an organic goose. I have this insatiable desire to cook a goose for some reason. Maybe because I need some inspiration for my rewrite of Duck, Duck, Goose. I'm going to massage wild honey into its skin after it has soaked in grappa for an hour. I'm going to stuff it with dates and some leechee tea leafs, then I'm gonna smoke the goose with plum wood. I'm going to take real special care as I cook my goose. This is absolutely necessary for my sanity,

Have a meaningful Yom Kippur.

For some reason I thought of Hemmingway's three word definition of guts;

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE

I've always been blessed with wonderful people that have believed in me and supported me in my life and I am truly grateful for that. But, now, I am at a major chaotic, creative path blur. I clearly know what it is I can offer and do in this world. I also deeply know what my reasons for doing it are. This takes time, but I've always been a persistant S.O.B. and have always finished what I have started. However, there are aspects of this journey that I have actively chosen and was also born into that are just like "Pissing in the Wind". Life isn't just about money or fame or security, you have to be willing to do without all of this to find your true path and calling. I've never felt this way before, but now I need a sign to show me the way.

or if you want, you can think of some good tag lines; i.e. "That squirrel's got balls".

CRC says...





Maloof Birthday Party at The Palms in Vegas.

Suppose a pupil asks his teacher: 'What is this?' If the teacher scolds him and says: 'Do you mean to say you still don't know what it is?' he is definitely confusing the processes of cognition and evaluation. The pupil who asked the question was not asking for a judgement on his own competence. He was seeking information. The teacher who does not answer the pupil's real question but diverts his attention to something else is intimidating the child. If he thinks he is helping the child's comprehension he is mistaken...With a teacher of this kind, a poor pupil cannot help becoming an even poorer pupil. This kind of confusion-- in governmental offices, trading companies, and the factories of minor enterprises....In actuality, the confusion of cognition and evaluation has been forcing the world into various chaotic conditions."

Makiguchi, great Japanese educator
from Dayle M. Bethel's The Value Creator

ALBUQUERQUE'S BALLOON FIESTA ALWAYS DOES THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT PROUD. AND IT WAS INDEED A SPIRITUAL MASS ASCENSION AS WELL WITH ALL SHAPES AND SIZES COMING TOGETHER AND RISING INTO THE SUBLIME.



A very hearty thank you to the great ballooning family, The Abruzzos.

Congratulations to our Post Team for helping to create a great PlasterCITY HD post facility that can help the little guy tell their stories as well as help the big boys embrace new technology and digital post techniques to save money. Tonight's Open House for the PlasterCITY Post Team at our building on Sunset Blvd. We are all very proud of our expert Post Team. AOL has a sign right next door looming over our building, but PlasterCITY will always remain an important beacon in the digital revolution/evolution. I'd like to think that "WOW" is for us.

CRC says...

CRC%20Gym%20FINAL3.mov
I wouldn't call this Cell Phone Art. I have good trainer though.

This picture reminded me how sometimes we get lost both inside and outside. Though it can painful, it can also be exciting. It's a chance to discover something randomly, both inside and out. No matter how dark the storm gets, I realized in Germany how fortunate I am to have a wonderful little family and a good friend. I also found an awesome German steakhouse. Life is good.

I was able to find the time to whip up another podcast. You will be able to download it on mp3 players from I-Tunes or from the EarsXXI web page. Let me know what you think. I'm going to try to finish CRC show #4 which took place in Germany during the next few days.

CRC%20Show%20%233.mov

It is only with the heart that one could see clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

--the fox's secret for the little prince.

I thought I'd start work on my gloomy little opera that I'm writing for my son to perform as a one man show...

clown%20boy.mov