Pheroze

Damn. My psychic powers are on a roll! Schwarzenegger is confirmed to appear in Stallone’s who’s who of 80′s kickassery.

Arnold will be stretching his acting chops by playing the governor of California.

Stallone and Arnold BFF

I kind of called this when I first heard of this flick. Now as for Van Damme, it seems he was offered the role but turned it down because Stallone wouldn’t tell him about the character. What the shit? It’s a movie directed and written by Sylvester Stallone, starring Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Forest Whitaker and Eric Roberts and he’s expecting a fleshed out character? I think JCVD’s art flick feel went to his head.

Van Damme, all we want you to do is kick people, then jump in the air and kick people some more. Maybe pull off a one-liner like “want to play footsie” or some shit. But we don’t need to see you emote. On the other hand, you are making Bloodsport 2, so all is mostly forgiven.

Damn am I good or what? Remember when I wrote about the absolute necessity of teaching your baby to swim because Namor and Aquaman just might decide to fuck our land lubbing selves up?

Well, shit. I hope you started weaning your little ones off the floaters because according to Google Maps, Atlantis is fo’  teh realz.

Atlantis as Seen By Google Maps

Sure Google might say these are “boat mapping lines” – but I know they’re just covering it up until negotiations to move their new marketing team’s HQ into the Sub Mariner’s old laundry room reach a conclusion. I, for one, welcome our aquatic overlords and I encourage you to as well. Our aquatic baby army doesn’t stand a chance. The real lesson in all this is to listen to me always and unconditionally. For I am right.

We're Screwed

I straddle a borderline obsession with exploring the creative process on both a grand and minuscule scale. This often leads me to pour through writings by artists, scientists, authors and musicians who share their creative rituals, habits, and techniques. Everyone who creates seems to have their methods (predominantly of madness I like to think) of bringing their creations to life- meditation, obsession, objects they keep around, binging, purging, dipping their genitals in sparrow feces.

I recently had a quite a few of my own observations and explorations of my creative process confirmed and thrown back my way as not just being central to my own purpose, but as general guidelines applicable to all.

My good friend Asa invited me to a lecture by noted Theoretical Quantum Physicist and Nuclear Physicist, Amit Goswami. To anyone who has a chance to hear him speak, do so. He has a great ability to convey topics based on quantum physics to a broader audience. I was first introduced to quantum physics in high school – so hearing Dr. Goswami speak was a real treat.

Dr. Amit Goswami

Quantum physics, for those asking, is essentially the study of the mechanics of things at the atomic level. It’s controversial because many of the resulting discoveries and theories fly in the face of widely accepted classical physics like Newton’s laws of motion. It also spurs controversy because there are intrinsic interpretative ties between what quantum mechanics shows and what mystics throughout the ages have described as a “universal consciousness”; fundamentally dismissing the classic science versus religion argument by doing away with the duality of what both sides try to explain. But fuck, that’s all shit to discuss another time when you can all throw your crosses/beakers/jelly beans my way at will.

Back to topic! The creative process is the concern here and Dr. Goswami had a section of his lecture where he outlined what quantum mechanics means for that process. Here are the steps he discussed:

1. Preparation
2. Incubation
3. Sudden Insight
4. Manifestation

Damn, he had just described what I’ve observed over the past 12 years about how I write music.

Over the weekend, I’ll post about each of those steps and how they relate to music writing.

Have a happy snuggly Friday the 13th and a hauntingly cursed Valentine’s day.