“At the heart of pornography is sexuality haunted by its own disappearance” – Jean Baudrillard Dear Porn, Where do I draw the line between you and art? How do I know the difference? You are so subtle and enticing…confusing. You don’t care if I’m male or female. You just want my body. You don’t give [...]
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Letters From A Devastated Artist (9)
“I got rhythm, I got music…Who could ask for anything more?” – George & Ira Gershwin Dear Rhythm, You’d think of all people I would get you. I’m a musician, an artist. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4…but oh no, I seem called to march to the beat of a different drum. An [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist (8)
“Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” – Auntie Mame Dear Life, You really suck sometimes. But then again, yesterday, as I experienced the Easter celebration, you seemed less sucky and even somewhat hopeful and vibrant. To the artist in me, Easter represents an extraordinary banquet of magic, wonder, incarnation, love, [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist (7)
“Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open? – Jalal ad-Din Rumi Dear Depression, It’s five o’clock somewhere, isn’t it? And when you don’t have anywhere to turn, then dammit, bring on the medicine. I suppose I’m just tired, but then again I’m too numb to feel tired. I feel [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist (6)
“There’s no doubt about it, show business lures the people who didn’t get enough love, attention, or approval early in life and have grown up to become bottomless, gaping vessels of terrifying, abject need. Please laugh.” – Dennis Miller Dear Approval, Oh how I long for you. Your words are like honey on my tongue. [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist (5)
“Clearly the person who accepts a pastor or priest as an infallible guide will believe whatever they teach.” – a paraphrase of St. Thomas Aquinas Dear Pastor, For misunderstanding artists and using them for your own ambition, historically and unfortunately, you are the most culpable. From the Pope’s mistreatment of the artistic genius Michelangelo, the [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist (4)
“Clearly the person who accepts the church as an infallible guide will believe whatever the church teaches” – St. Thomas Aquinas Dear Church, You have not loved me well. In fact, throughout our time together, I’ve felt used and abused. You use my talents to get people in the seats, but then you twist and [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist (3)
“The true artist sees through friends, prayers, doubts and wine.” -Randy Elrod Dear Friends, To Sam, thanks so much for opening my eyes, albeit in a raw and shocking way, to the birds and the bees. By pulling out your penis in the back of the school bus in sixth grade and showing it to [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist (2)
“Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality” -Beatrix Potter Dear Teacher, Why does our school reward mediocrity? Teacher, do you even know what that word means? By the way, I learned that word and many more at home at the age of six from a [...]
Letters From A Devastated Artist
“I didn’t become an artist. As long as I can remember I always have been one.” Dear Mom, I don’t like school. I don’t fit in. The rest of the kids make fun of me. Why am I always left standing by myself when they choose teams for sports? Why do the captains argue in [...]
Join Me Friday At Book Launch Party & Tasting (Signing) For Sex, Lies & Religion
I will be personally signing books on March 19 from 6-8pm at what I call a “book tasting.” The book launch party and tasting will be held at my favorite hometown bookstore, Landmark Booksellers in historic downtown Franklin. There will be complimentary wine and cheese served for all who attend. It is a come and [...]
What Does The Word Sacrament Mean To You?
Growing up in an evangelical world, the word sacrament was rarely used, and if so, with a negative connotation. It was not until the past three years, attending our neighborhood Episcopal parish and researching my book Sex, Lies & Religion that the enormous implications of this word came to light. I began to realize the [...]
An Introduction To Wine (Part 6): “The Earth’s Erogenous Zones”
As we have seen in the previous five posts, great wines don’t come from just anywhere. The earth has her own erogenous zones. There are a few places of harmonic convergence where every facet of the vineyard and every nuance of the grape fit together perfectly. In those rare places, both grapes and ground transform [...]
An Introduction To Wine (Part 5): “Where It All Begins”
The third aspect where wine begins (the grape) is: 3. Tannin – is perhaps the most intellectually intriguing aspect of wine, especially red wine. It can significantly add to a wine’s greatness. To best understand the concept of tannin, think about the bitter, astringent (sour), taste of tea brewed too long. That same harshness can [...]
An Introduction To Wine (Part 4): “Where It All Begins”
The Aspect of Agriculture Let’s start with my favorite wine quote of all-time: “Winemaking is agriculture’s highest art form” -Anonymous For all its complexity, wine is born of something utterly simple – a GRAPE. A grape is by weight: 75% pulp / 20% skin / 5% seeds (usually 2-4 of them) PULP is the soft [...]
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Amy Neftzger: Great post. Love is the only thing that will last...
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Beverly Rogers: Great post - got me thinking.I completely agree th...
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ken: Randy, Is that you on the left with both guns draw...
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per: perhaps 'play' and 'progress' are not-too-distant ...
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