Inspir | §240906

Where the wild things are is precisely where I recommend you place yourself.

Spent the last week or so traveling a good bit, down to an Odawara art gallery then to the beaches of Shizuoka, then up into the mountains of Nagano, and then back to Tokyo for 2 concerts I put on last weekend. And, like, I’m excited for Tokyo stuff, but comparatively speaking, it’s not so inspiring, you know? Getting out there into the wild is the stuff that makes things interesting, generates new thought patterns, puts even a little bit of fear into you that gets yr heart moving more than it does in the city except when you’re forcing it at the gym.

Like, all that creativity comes from somewhere, and I can’t imagine its the city; the city’s for where its meant to be expressed, or at least expressed well, because the city is precisely where “it” can’t happen, in full at least. Inspiration comes from adventure, from getting lost, from pain and worry and getting yourself through it. That’s why movies exist, or what music explores, or what the narratives of the best books out there are about: going out, to come back.

That’s where all the recommendations here come from: the unknown. And I highly suggest you explore it a bit yourself!

Movies: Stalker

This isn’t the easiest movie and Tarkovsky’s not the easiest director. Russian cinema is notoriously dense. So yeah, viewer be warned for a plodding, atmospheric, heavy-handed good time with 3 nameless characters in a strange land where anything goes, or does it?

Books: Okinawa

You long-time readers may remember my scuba trip to Ishigaki in Okinawa last year, and ever since I must admit that the well-known tropical island kingdom pops into my mind. Great fun, but also with a very complex history, which this book - written by Okinawa’s own best known author, Susumu Higa - creatively explores.

Music: Angel’in Heavy Syrup

I hate saying it every time I do, but I completely forgot about this band. That has nothing to do with their quality or whether or not I like them - high quality, and I do - but just with, you know, how life pans out. For whatever reason, I just lost access to their tunes and got involved with other artists, but they’ve always been there, being great and spacey and groovy.

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