Roissy France

Still thinking about the holy grail. Possibly more linearly. But to that in a second.

Newsweek declares everything green and wonders if the Baby Boomers can find new bands. Describes an entire demographic of Whole Foods shopping, Volvo-driving (or Prius), organic yoga sweats-buying (at Sam's Club for those of you in hip neighborhoods who thought the rest of us weren't cool), etc., etc. The one thing these folks don't have? A culture.

They pay through the nose (we pay through the nose) for better, more spiritual, more loving everything, and not a band in sight we can get excited about. Nary a book around. Magazines, sure, but those are so left-brain, so editorial. So consumer. Where are the new producers of these folks (my guess--they followed the money and became self-help gurus. Wayne Dyer calls himself a poet. I've seen him on tv for hours and never heard a poem. Is he a poet who doesn't believe in poetry? No offense Dr. Dyer--god bless you (and I couldn't separate you from the source anyway, right?), I'm just looking for the goods.)

There's no money in culture. Even Puffy doesn't make much for what he does. (And not that he necessarily does a lot, but he is relavant to many folks--and has some good songs). And I will never live like a musician again. Ever. Having done it and found it squalor of the drowned rat in the toilet and silverfish in the kitchen variety. And I will never tour or even play smokey bars to try to get drunk people to love me. It's just not my thing.

But before I get boring, I'll just say that not only is the advent of premium-priced, mass-produced culture what we all want, but it will cure more of the world's ills faster than anything in existence. What if all the corporate hustlers and dogged managers ran off chasing their dreams? For money? What if being an real, loving, sober, happy, adult artist paid for braces and health insurance? (Haven't seen that in a few.) Dental insurance?! What if being an adult without your ^%$# in the machine paid? And I mean paid, paid!? What if courage paid? What if knowing love paid? What if being a true cultural and spiritual leader paid?

First off, a couple hundred thousand of the best and brightest would leave the corporate heirarchy. Allowing for those traditionally affected by downward economic pressure their first opportunity in years/decades/generations--at all levels of the economy. I know you think this is trickle-down nonsense, but it's more like the whole top leaves and leverages itself massively to do something real. There's no reason the top of the pyramid can't resemble a huge expanding orb as more educated and spirituallly attuned folks make AND PAY FOR the goods and services and inspiration for which they're starving. We do have a heirarchical social structure--but only because we've made it that way.

Because we haven't been in the position to pay for anything else. The question is: do we have the guts to make it another? A way we want? Do we have the guts to make it real one emotion, one product, one interaction, one transaction at a time?

The question is: will we pay for it? That's the bottom line hoo-do-dad: Will we pay more for what we want, what we want, what we really, really want? Will we work harder and relax more. Will we breathe more and medicate less?

But first, there's a certain amount of guilt to be dealt with. A lot actually. No big. It's happening anyway. Just breathe in. There's no rush (expect for folks like me--and even that's just the old paradigm stallking me). But remember, these products are green, inspired, require proper nutrition, relaxation and inspiration to make. Require extended sushi lunches and fearless Friday afternoon swimming sessions. And horseplay. If you can stare down the machine, you win automatically. Whether it pays or not.

When you wake up in the middle of the night and the farthest thing from your mind is robbers and the dark, or when Monday morning feels as bouyant as Saturday--you're already done, my friends. And then it's just a matter of getting some.

Which leads me to the holy grail.

Interesting reading in my church yesterday about thorns and I realized with all this talk of grails--the symbol for which is the rose, which represent a woman--women, there's been nary a peep about thorny thorns.

The reading was from one of the "C" books (Corinthians--E)--about how you're a better person when you have a weakness. A thorn in your side. You're not supposed to take it out (what? -- is this Old Testament?), but use it to keep you from getting so elated you'll float away. Or just becoming a jerk.

Then the French lost the World Cup, and I met a very attractive French woman, and I realized how much of a certain kind of clarity I have without that kind of love in my life. (Not to mention time). Are you still with me? I did just switch gears. The holy grail--our bodies, it's symbol--the rose, it's inevitable companion--the thorn. What if love is the thorn inserted to keep us all human. To preserve our humble holiness?

I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels like they sleep with the wrong people. But here's my question--do you--CAN YOU--try to avoid it? Do you have any control at all over who you're attracted to? (The Love Artist is largely about this question--and it's a pretty good one btw.) Is it something to fix or something to submit to--accept? Love.

I know I must be on to something because I'm a bit scared. I havent' been scared in a long time (except when that guy with the dogs on Friday told me he was going to beat me).

But that's my whole question: do we do what we like or what we're supposed to do? And where do these become the same thing? How the hell can art, can fucking--excuse me, making love--be holy? How can they not be?

I gave this idea to a friend but I don't believe he'll be the first one so here it is again--why not have movies with real sex in them? Why have a culture divided straight and porn? Why does every porno have total shit plot. And why is sex in regular movies so corny, or political, or Hallmark? (The price point, but that's a separate issue).

Even from an economic point of view, in a massively fragmented culture, with 1000s of tv channels, where's the truth? Where's the real? Not because it's good, but just because we get to it eventually? 100,000 monkeys on supercomputers and not one Shakespeare?

Doesn't it have to be?

And, more importantly, should I hit it?

Sorry if I sound a little crazed, I'm trying to pull the veil off this mo-fo. I think about all this stuff, like I think most people think about stuff, because it relates directly to how I love. How I come together with people. And since we find it hard and are told it's inappropriate to talk about, it comes out in other ways.

What's interesting about Christianity, is that it chose one of the oldest symbols in the world for it's own. The cross is, at it's core, about relationships. Which are, at their core, about union. It's the X in sex turned straight. The point where two individual lines meet. A representation of how they meet. A discussion of why. A declaration that they do. (An assertion that they already are?)