#171

Hello, rock and rollers.
Here's the art…

As some of you already know, I'm working on a music video for my band, Paperhand Lincoln. Normally, when I start to tell people my idea about puppets, and a parody of the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, my voice ends up trailing off pitifully with a sentence like, "it's gonna be kinda cool, I guess." It's really hard to explain, but it's getting to a point where I can just show people this set I have growing in my garage. It's not done yet, but has taken shape enough to share some pictures with you. (Just click to enlarge)






The drums are made of wood and license plates, the audience (in my twisted version) is made up of skeleton dolls that sway back and forth, and the overhead stage light are made of soup cans.
I'm not sure when I'll be done with the whole project, but I keep telling the kids, "I can't wait to be a rock star…puppet." That always gets their eyes rolling.
If you've never seen the original event, here's a link to a YouTube clip of The Who playing under that original circus tent in 1968. The idea for that one probably started in a garage too. Makes you wonder what's going on behind your neighbor's garage door, doesn't it?

-Dylan

#170

Hiya,
Here’s the art…


We’re doing quite well so far in our efforts to simplify our lives, but things haven’t gone exactly according to script. We canceled our telephone land lines, since the only two things it ever produced has been telemarketers and bills. I attempted to cancel our cable TV and just keep the internet service, but the cable company slashed my bill and let me keep basic cable for almost nothing. Actually, they still haven’t cut off the extra channels, so the result has been half the price for the same service. But the area we’ve done the best in is cutting out fast food. We live a block away from the devil’s golden arches, and have managed to sever all ties. Just in time too…they were going to be naming a value meal after us soon, I think.
Instead, I’ve been feeding my mind. (like that segue, did ya?) I discovered this immense library of lectures online of some of the world’s greatest minds, inventors, scientists of all types, and entertainers. It’s called TED, and I’m sure some of you have heard of it before. Our thirteen year old son has also begun watching these videos in his spare time, so the two of us have just been in awe all week listening to these geniuses. Unfortunately, it also makes me feel that I’m intellectually mediocre. If I could just shave off a couple IQ points, I’d be blissfully unaware of that fact.

-Dylan

# 169

Hello, campers.
Here’s what we worked on this week…


We had a fine time earlier this week “sleeping” in a yurt for a little one night get away. When you’re camping far from your TV and computer, it seems very late at night just as soon as the sun goes down, so you end up going to bed for the night sooner than your body is used to. I think I woke up every fifteen minutes or so, sometimes hallucinating in a dreamlike state about where I was. At one point, I was sure I had collapsed the bed and had crashed through the floorboards.
We came home from this trip smelling like a campfire, but more importantly, keenly aware that we should simply our lives yet again. We’re taking steps to conserve our money, food, water, and electricity. I have to admit, our new “one shower a day” rule is the hardest. Is a hot shower not the height of luxury? When you’re in there, you’re not even expected to answer the phone. It’s a perfect world behind that curtain, and I will miss it 23 ½ hours a day.

-Dylan

#168

Hello, friends.

This is just a quick note to let you know that Jo and I are on the run from the law and will be unable to make contact with the outside world until the coast is clear. Well, not really. But we are pulling the kids out of school and heading to a scenic campground to get ourselves away from our routine. Jo won’t stop working without such an intervention. It’s one of the few curses about working at home…you’re always at work. So if you don’t hear from us next week, it means we decided to stay lost… and we will change the format of these newsletters to smoke signals.
-Dylan