Childhood, Kung Fu and Epiphany

On a whim, I began netflixing the old TV series “Kung Fu” with David Carradine. As I’ve been ticking off the seasons and the episodes, they all had this feeling of familiarity. Then it dawned on me that I used to watch it all the time when I was like 7 or 8. As Kwai Chang Kane’s master started quoting passages from the Tao Te Ching it hit me. The roots of my philosophical and spiritual inklings were sooo influenced by this show. It’s scary.

Then I wondered why they couldn’t have an actual Chinese actor to play Kane. Ah, the 70’s.

Tribute to George Carlin

Rat shit, bat shit, dirty old twat
69 assholes tied in a knot
Hooray
Lizard shit
Fuck!

He was just here a minute ago.

Thanks George, you shaped my foul and depraved sense of humor only a little more than my family.

Old Poetry

The Forge
And in it’s dreams
It heard a roar
A bellows beckoning
The roar of a forge
And when at dawn
It did awake
It saw the sea
The sea forging stone.

Its full of stars
Looking upward
Seeing sky awash
With stars
Awe and possibility
Dancing in the blackness
Between scattered sparkles
Then eyes drop
Back to earth
A gaze across
Still waters
There again
A depth of stars
The reflection deepens
Something hints
What is without
Also within

Whisper
Something should be said
For the sensual qualities
Of a whisper.
A delicate breath of air
Like a shiver,
The passage of petals
On a breeze
Between lips.
The loam of body
Dedicating itself to the scene.
A movement behind
The eyes,
Leading to a softer place.
Where the realms
Of flesh
And Dream
Entwine.

College Bureaucracy

Now begins the grand arranging of the thesis defense.

For the uninitiated, a thesis defense consists of you presenting your research and findings (via your thesis) to a committee of 3 professors (who have all presumably read your thesis) along with any of the public who attend. There is a break when the public is excused, and then you have a private question and answer session with your committee. Then you leave while they talk, and you come back to find out if you get your Masters, and if they want you to make revisions to your thesis.

The bureaucracy comes in when you have to start working with the grad studies office. Although, I do have to say that Maureen, who oversees the interdisciplinary masters program, totally rocks. I’ve never had anything but positive experiences with her. I’m just getting some deadline anxiety, and the grad studies people are the deadline police. Thankfully, they don’t wear uniforms. Because my thesis adviser is going to be out of town, I am missing a deadline to defend and still graduate this summer. However, once I defend and make any corrections, I’m done. The diploma can catch up late, I guess.

One of the other idiosyncrasies of getting this degree is that the Grad Studies office is having me go through their pilot program for online submission for my thesis. It’s great because it’s going to save me a ton in printing. Since this thesis is like 113 pages long, the cost of printing out 4 copies on heavy bond thesis paper is daunting to someone who is struggling on low income. Keep your fingers crossed that someone wants to hire me soon. Baby needs new shoes,

Take a peak at the thesis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

Page

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………..     iii

 

 

I.          Introduction……………………………………………………………………..      1

                        The Setting and Subjects………………………………………………      6

                        Methods……………………………………………………………….     10

                        Summary………………………………………………………………    14

II.        History of the Art and Research of Improvised Theater………………….    17

                        History and Background of Improvisational Theater…………………….    17

                        Studies of Chicago Improvisation and Useful Social Theories.………    21

III.       Performers: The Background of Performing Improv………………………   29

                        Training: Learning a New Social and Cultural System………………..   29

The Path to Communitas………………………………………………    33

                        Shared Lives and References………………………………………….    50

                        Threats to Communitas: Rule Breaking and Poor Listening Skills……   54

IV.       Performance………………………………………..……………………..…..   65

                        Liminality and Joking in Performance…………………………………    65

                        Uniting the Viewer and the Viewed……………………………………    69

Sensing Connection and Understanding the Audience…………………..    74

V.        The Audience………………………………………………..………………..    87

                        From ‘Macro’ to ‘Micro’ Joking Cultures…………………………….    87

                        The Demographics of Rochester’s Long-form Audiences……………    92

                        The Audience’s Engagement: Establishing a ‘Micro’ Joking Culture..    94

VI.       Conclusions: Shared Myths, Shared Lives and Community……………… 100

                        Agreement and Heightening with Further Research…………………..  103

 

APPENDICES

            Appendix A Questions for Performers and Audiences………………………..  105

            Appendix B Audience Paper Survey………………………………………….. 107

            Appendix C Online Performer Survey…………………………………………  109

 

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….. 112

Here comes the thesis.

After about 5+ months of writing work, I’m fast approaching a submittable edit of my thesis. If anyone is interested in reading an anthropological study focused on looking at the social effects of long-form improvised theater, shout out. It would be nice to get some feedback from folks. It’s 95 pages long, but it documents the ups and downs of two different groups in Rochester NY as well as the thoughts of their audiences on the long form shows.

I’m hoping to be defending this work in a few weeks. Cross your fingers for me.

Arrivals

I was awaken by the sounds of the Italian, Antonio, and the other American, Tom arriving a couple of hours after the cock crowed (Yann has chickens and a rooster who gets zealous at about 630). The Russian, Eugen, and the German, Wolfgang, arrived soon after.

After a light breakfast and coffee, everyone is off to nap, and I’m going to hit the pool. Here comes the opening BBQ. Woohoo! 

Learning new things in Antwerp

 So I learned a colorful new phrase in french, which has delighted my foul mind to no end. “Bouffe ma moule”, which essentially means “eat my snatch”. The story that phrase caùe from is even funnier,but too long for livejournal.

I was shown a place near the old part of the city where they would lock prisoners as the river was reaching flood stage in order to execute them by drowning. It was also downhill from a huge abbatoire of the time. So they would drown in a mixture of river water and animal blood/filth. Europeans have such colorful ways to end things for people. 

On the Farm and in the city

So I’ve arrived in Antwerp. Yann’s place is huge and great. I awoke to a rooster crowing this morning because Yann has a lot of chicken’s on his little estate on the west side of the Schelde River. Pictures will be uploaded when I get back.

I survived 22 hours of flying.  This was largely due to my pal, Dave, picking me up from my layover in Chicago and taking me to this awesome vegan place for lunch. I had some spicy veggie and nut combo that rocked my palate with a ginger tea finish. I needed it for the two other flights I had after Chicago.

The festival doesn’t start until Wednesday. I figure that I’ll have mastered this new keyboard configuration by then. Yann is also schooling me in sword play. We’ve been going through combat routines with shinai (bamboo kendo swords). So I’ll hopefully have mastered that as well. More later, off to photograph the chickens.