some odds and ends.

this blog is suppose to be concerned with my notes. and as much as I try and resist putting up material other than my own I feel a pull to share the things that make my skin jump. the people that get my heart pounding. the things that come across my mind's eye which reminds me to attack life not just live it. some points of recent interest are as follows.

William Burroughs has to be one of the most interesting people to walk the earth. He also happened to be an insanely talented writer. There is a new documentary called A Man Within which chronicles his life. Certainly his life was one few could ever pull off or want to pull off for that matter but I find such people fascinating in their ability to embody a supreme sense of self regardless of consequences or concern for the status quo. Maybe because it is so far from how I live that I find this take on life endlessly fascinating. I have yet to watch the documentary but the trailer is below, and it looks to be a pretty crazy cross-section of people who knew him personally. But without even watching it I know it will be missing a great interview from George Whitman, the owner of Shakespeare and Co. (as in the bookstore where Burroughs wrote and researched his most famous work Naked Lunch)

Not to say Joe Purdy is a new discovery by any means. He's been playing great music for several years, it's just I only happened upon him the other day. Something about his voice, something in the way he plays the guitar makes me feel a little more connected to life, which is never a bad thing. His song worn out shoes (below) has played very loud on Ruth's CD player more times than I'd like to admit.


And then there's Greg Hill. This guy is passionate about backcountry skiing. So much so he climbed two million vertical feet in one year. The only way to really understand that feat is to put on some skis yourself, and walk up a mountain for a day. I think his level of intensity and determination allowed him to achieve this goal. I am impressed and astonished at his mental and physical strength. I was hoping to interview him while up at the backcountry festival in Nelson this past weekend but he didn't make the event. Below is a short video of his quest to give you an idea of what he did.

2 Million With Greg Hill from FD Productions on Vimeo.