Method
Hey, y’all.
I just wanted to check in real quick because I’m about to dive into a project that could keep me occupied and out of view for a while. I won’t vanish completely but this thing is definitely going to make it more difficult for me to find time to post and whatnot.
Real quick - in case you missed it - Punk Rock B-Boy is now available on pretty much all streaming platforms. Stream away. As for physical copies of the album, I’m sorry that’s been such a slow grind. It’s my fault for being anxious about sharing the album as soon as it was completed. A sane person would have waited to get their ducks in a row first. Hang with me. I just heard that we’re expecting the cassettes very soon. They’re coming. The vinyl is still in the oven. Just waiting for that bell to ding.
Also - I set up a new Instagram account a few weeks ago. I got locked out of my old one and can’t get back in. So find me here. I was a little overzealous when I first set it up and started posting and following people like crazy. I guess that got me flagged by Instagram for being spam-like. So they’ve put limits on how much I can post and follow and do other stuff. I’ve tried to chill a bit and hopefully the constraints will be lifted soon enough. It’s really cool to see y’all there though.
You know how for a while now I’ve said that I haven’t made the leap to paid subscriptions here at Vertices because I’ve felt like I didn’t have an idea good enough to justify it? Well, I recently came up with a million-dollar idea (that someone is probably already doing on this platform). I want to try it out soon (for free) and if it goes over well, maybe we’ll be onto something special. Stay tuned for that (if I can find the friggin’ time).
And! I’ve been scrambling to finish some new music before I turn this corner because I’m going to want to trickle some things out to y’all over the next while because I’m not sure when/if I’ll be able to sit down and bang out another album. So I finished one album on January 1 and other on February 25th. I’m going to sit on them for a while. You’ll probably hear one of them before this year ends. Possibly both. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted on that.
As I’m about to go into this new phase, I’ve been thinking about these last few years and the work I’ve done after taking the better part of ten years off. I considered a different perspective on it the other day after watching an interview with the actor Daniel Day-Lewis. You know how you hear stories of Method actors going deep into character, usually after doing some intense research and whatnot? Looking back, before I made the King Of Drums album and stuff, I became something of a Method actor and the role I was preparing for was that of my true self. That preparation took years and a lot of skin shedding. And having found my way back to where I need to be, I’m going to be very protective of my ground and the roles I take on from here on out. Blah blah blah…
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Finally, I want to leave you with this (for now). You know how it seems like some people are durable and others not so much (physically speaking)? I always thought of myself as one of the durable ones. As far as I know, I’ve never broken a bone in my life (knock on wood). I pretty much never get sick. I’ve had a high tolerance for pain. As you know, I’ve played baseball my whole life. Baseball can take quite a toll on your body. Through all my years of playing - going back to when I was seven or eight years old - I think I only ever missed one game because of injury (at that was just a super-severe sunburn). Because I’ve always felt pretty indestructible, I think I took certain things about my health for granted (I also had a bit of a messed up outlook on life and mortality and whatnot but that’s a whole other can of worms).
Back in October, I was blindsided by a kidney stone and it really sent me for a loop. It was like getting punched in the head by Mike Tyson. That experience was so stressful on my body and as you know, stress takes a toll. It has a way of feeding off itself. Now I’m in a situation where I feel like I have to be much more conscientious about what goes into my body and other decisions I make. Granted, I’m not a kid anymore. I figure things slow down for everyone after the age of 50 or whatever.
Anyway. I say all of this because I want you to take care of yourself. Don’t take your health for granted. Don’t assume you’re one of the durable ones. And even if your outlook on life is a bit low right now, I’m telling you that a day will almost certainly come when it begins to feel precious to you. We can’t eat like we’re 12 years old forever. Our bodies need a lot of water. Keep moving. Be strong and flexible. Walk. Run. Swim. Get some fresh air. Get some sun in your eyes. Get out amongst the trees. And exercise your brain too. I want everyone reading this to live to the age of 90 at least. Be the 90 year-old that looks 25 years younger. Okay? I’m serious. Be good to yourself. Seems to me that when you get old, it happens very quickly.
Long may we all run!