THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
There are no hard distinctions between what is real & what is unreal, nor btwn what is true & what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true & false-Harold Pinter
Are you always hearing that current month happens to be a national celebratory month of one kind or another? With thousands of interest groups attempting to use the concept of a month of time to focus on their subject…and since there are only 12 months of the year, it comes to reason that each month of the year hosts dozens of months celebrating a host of things. This month of October alone is Bat Appreciation Month, Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month, Church Library Month, National Apple (and Apple Jack) Month, National Cookie (and Carmel) month and so on and so on (National Pickled Peppers Month, National Sarcastic Awareness Month, Right Brainer’s Rule Month….it just goes on and on and on). And to be clear, there are GREAT reasons to have these months. LGBT History Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month—like poetry, these months are designed for us to stop and give focus, amplification and understanding of the issue at hand. That is generally a really good thing.
THE SIGNAL attempts to always amplify: art has the power to change the world for the better…artistic voice and vision allow us to see the world in a new way and digest our reality giving us the nutrients required to better our reality. That is why today, a quarter of the way into October, it might be a good moment to acknowledge that October is both National Book Month and National Arts and Humanities Month. With all the chaos of normal life, it took my friend Gretchen Davidson to remind me that these national months are upon us.
National Arts and Humanities Month was established by President Bill Clinton in 1993, which grew out of the Arts and Humanities Week that was established in 1985 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Americans for the Arts. The point of the month is “to encourage all Americans to begin a lifelong habit of participation in the arts and humanities.” And that can be all types of participation: doing art, supporting art, taking time to learn about an artist or artistic movement…there is actually a plethora of opportunities setup on-line and in-person this year to give easy access to amazing artistic achievements so we can, as Pres. Biden states, use arts and humanities to “help America heal and grow.” Art brings people together; it is one of the most universal instruments of togetherness we have. This should always be remembered…but having a month to properly focus on it is excellent.
I am not sure when the National Book Month started. I actually called organization that started it, the National Book Foundation, to ask and the person who answered did not know and was going to ask her fellow staff members. We do know that the Foundation has been around since the 50s and their National Book Award has become one of the most prestigious Book Awards out there. It seems pretty easy to figure out the best way to celebrate the month: read a book! But given the nature of the internet…of social media…newsletters (gulp)…and amazing magazines like The New York Review Of Books or The Sun…our reading time gets ransacked by randomness daily and it really can be hard to find time to dig into a book. The National Endowment for the Arts (second mention today) did a study on the general decline of reading and the truth is, people do not read as much, even though reading a book is linked to so many positive outcomes: “it improves your focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills. It can reduce stress, improve your mental health, and help you live longer. Reading also allows you to learn new things to help you succeed in your work and relationships.” And since this month is also Emotional Wellness Month, it seems like reading can kill two national celebrations with one novel.
I am going to celebrate National Book Month by starting to read the newest translation of Don Quixote with my friend Mike, who also read Les Misérables with me recently (reading can bring people together as well). And as far as the arts go: I will use the book-reading-distraction of the newsletter to provide a platform to celebrate the greatest art the world has to offer.
Happy weekend!
Muhammad Ali’s Little-Known Art Becomes a Hit at Auction
File this under: you can still find out secret attributes of the world’s most famous people. While the article only displays the above drawing, it seems like Ali examined racism and other subjects in his drawings and paintings….
Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes) :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
There was a day in the mid-nineties at Warner Bros Records where there was suddenly a buzz in the air: after decades of being out, The Violent Femme’s first record had officially gone gold. It might be up there with the longest time it took a gold record to reach its mark, but it was a tribute to the lasting impact of their debut, which for many (myself included) is a soundtrack to our youth. Anna Statman: your A&R chops were like no others…thank you for signing them!
William Shatner has been doing a lot of press lately, much inspired by his forthcoming trip into space. And then there is this new series looking at the history of the Star Trek franchise. I am not even a fan of some of the later incarnations…but I am in.
The unheralded artists of book covers need to be saluted more. This is a great piece on Rodrigo Corral.
Displaced: Graham Pruss On Why More People Are Living In Cars And RVs
Good weekend reading. Talk about art informing us: the success of Nomadland has really propelled the conversation around people who choose to live off the grid. The Sun, as usual, does a fantastic job finding the right person to talk to about this development and gives space for a deep deep interview around it.
WEEKEND LISTEN: Hallowed Ground (The Violent Femmes)
For their follow-up record to their beloved debut whap-a-dang, the Violent Femmes went in an unexpected artistic direction that confounded many of their fans. Instead of sing-a-long fest, the Femmes released a dark group of stories that channel Faulkner in their subject matter (starting with the fantastic Country Death Song). And while I actually was off-put by upon first hearing the record, I soon realized that if I put aside my assumptions of what I THOUGHT the second Violent Femmes record should sound like, it became clear that Hallowed Ground was a stupendous piece of songwriting and musicality. Gordon Gano is a profound storyteller, acting as narrator for the tragic stories that unfold. Turn off the lights, light a candle and listen to Never Tell: in seven minutes a Hollywood epic unfolds of secrets and deception..all the while the band, with bassist Brian Ritchie showcasing his unorthodox, genius chops, in top form as they jam towards the climax. A great record.
Like Rousseau
By: Amiri Baraka
She stands beside me, stands away,
the vague indifference
of her dreams. Dreaming, to go on,
and go on there, like animals fleeing
the rise of the earth. But standing
intangible, my lust a worked anger
a sweating close covering, for the crudely salty soul.
Then back off, and where you go? Box of words
and pictures. Steel balloons tied to our mouths.
The room fills up, and the house. Street tilts.
City slides, and buildings slide into the river.
What is there left, to destroy? That is not close,
or closer. Leaning away in the angle of language.
Pumping and pumping, all our eyes criss cross
and flash. It is the lovers pulling down empty structures.
They wait and touch and watch their dreams
eat the morning.
