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Online & Amusing
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Link of the day
- Hits: 844
A few links to some things that amused me online recently.
#1) A breakdown of why Patagonia's Non-Profit Donation was more about power than Charity, courtesy of Adam Conover (Adam ruins everything) - to summarize, money wasn't charitably given away, it was merely exchanged for power. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cu6EbELZ6I
#2) An amusing go-deep episode on "Cracked" that shows 10 Conservative messages hidden in "Con-Air". I never got it when I watched it, found it a generally mindless action flick, but - upon watching their analysis I have to concede Jerry Bruckheimer did a pretty good job of getting his message out to his target audience: Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MyTkIK4wn8
And, finally, a little less political - although it's hard to look away, given the state of the nation/world...
Art Without Intent - an online gallery of found art. I'm finding this stuff all the time, but still it's inspiring... Link: https://artwithoutintent.com/
The Play
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 846
Off to see a play. By which I mean "A Play, A Play, What Could Be More Boring Than a PLAY!!", read in the voice of Homer Simpson.
Now, community theatre, the best of intentions, the What, this play, a suspense/horror? In the vein of Agatha Christie supposedly. And the Who - well, local community thespians, all of whom turn in a fine job; this town is filled with talent, the Where - at the theatre, of course, the When, showtimes as advertised, but what eludes me is the "Why". I mean, suspenseful it is not, not at all, and looking up the play, it's not locally written, it's not particularly good, it seems to be a staple of the "dinner theatre" crowd, which is an artform that constantly eludes me. Mindless entertainment, of the ilk you might find on any TV set, done live in front of you, suspenseful not in the least, and I'm perplexed as to why it was written (to fill seats in empty theatres, presumably, but - no other reason??), and why it was chosen (and a good time was had by all...or maybe it demanded no royalties?), and were I a little less considerate I would have taken the lead of the people next to me and vanished during the intermission. There's the real mystery, where did they go? And why were they here? Why am I here? Maybe that's the point of it, to bring me to an existential crisis...
Anyways, short of burning the script and starting completely over - and shooting the playwright - I was at a loss as to how to improve it when it occurred to me that it could be greatly improved with a little - a lot - of "Audience Participation". By which I mean perhaps the audience could be involved, prompted, to give loud gasps of shock-horror-surprise - at all the right moments, prime them, and then, really, maybe then a good time could have been had by all.
Otherwise I was just watching the thespians having a great time while I myself felt that any reaction would have been so over the top - act surprised, gasp? Clearly your faking this Mr. Boyle, you should have seen that coming a mile away - you did, in fact, didn't you?
Anyways, all about supporting the local community theatre, but maybe we have to get them some better scripts...
Nick 2
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
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...and in a curious synchronicity I discover that another Nick, whom I worked with a few years ago at the D&D, has passed away. He was a nice guy, classic laid back local hippy/waiter, and I am starting to realize that I've known more people to pass away out here than anywhere else. Which is partly a function of aging, partly of being a little better connected to the community. Still, the reaper awaits and it's time too move forward with other projects...
Mark
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 683
Rather inspired by Murakami's "First Person Singular" and so I'll take the time to tell you about Mark.
Now Mark was an odd one, I met him via a friend who I squatted with briefly. Tall - 6'3" or 6'4", with a long black braided ponytail that hung to his waist, square chin, dark swart features, clothing to match, fashionable trench coat and knee-high leather boots.
I'm 21 and in London and to go for a walk with Mark was to be the wingman - and I'm not particularly used to being the second fiddle, but it was apparent as the ladies visibly swooned when we passed that it wasn't over me.
If you imagined the best version of Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights", or the "hot" English Seducer in a Penny Dreadful, it would be Mark.
Mark was Australian, from somewhere small town in the bush, he didn't like to talk about his family or his childhood. He didn't like or get along with his father. He worked as a waiter in "Le Pelican" down in the West End. Fancy. His interests were largely occult, he claimed to be in constant communion with the dead, and so we had a few lively conversations around what that must have been like, first impressions in London and all, especially considering how the dead so outnumber the living.
A curious thing, he had married - on paper, for immigration reasons - this friend from Australia with dual citizenship. She had a young child - 2 or 3, not his. I think her name was Leona. And they lived together - as man and wife in most regards, except for the most intimate, which he passed on because he was currently involved with Kate Bush. It was an Astral Relationship, they never met in person, but at night when they were dreaming...well, spicy, spicy. It would stay on the Astral Plane because she didn't want to mess up her successful recording career with rumors and everything.
They lived with me for a time, in the squat, it got pretty tiresome, Mark & his Wizardry, the child, an undisciplined mess, and his wife constantly on the prowl for some sort of satisfaction...
After he moved out I didn't hear of him for a few years, then word came he was working as a model, in such and such avant-garde film, he was dating so-and-so supermodel.
I never doubted it, he was a larger than life figure, and his dating - I suspect, as with a lot of larger-than-life people, was sexless, he, despite his superstar good looks seemed oblivious to that aspect of his being...
I'd be curious to know where he is now...
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