The There There Letter: Busking, Blogging, and Biros
Three things from DAH.
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week: Busking …
My singer-songwriter friend Dan dreams of busking. Finding a spot where enough people stroll by or sit to dine and drink. Having a set of songs to directly connect with potential listeners. Performing word or song out-of-doors is very appealing to me, too. The audience isn't captive like it is in a music hall or theater. The performer needs to catch and hold attention in spite of the many open-air distractions. It's a real test of both the performer and their material. When it works, you create a surprising bond between performer and listener. When it doesn't work, you know right away because nobody's listening.
12 Golden Rules of Busking (in the UK)
Second up this week: Blogging …
Thinking about nobody listening, I wonder that about my blogging. Over the years I've had up to five blogs going at a time. Currently, I'm down to two, and one of those isn't very active. It can be draining, putting your words out over and over with only a slight sense of whether or not they're read. With the itinerant theater troupe my pal Devin and I operated, at least we could see our audience if there was one. Posting missives from my glowing laptop screen, I'm actually surprised when I find that someone's read my words.
I'm about to begin a rather prolonged and demanding blogging project (I'm still not sure if this will be blog-site three or not). Wish me readers! Or, at least, the satisfaction of writing well.
The History of Blogging
Third up this week: Biros …
I've tried all sorts of pens, from fountain to felt. I always come back to my favorite ballpoint, or biro as the Brits say (Laszlo Biro invented the ballpoint pen). My favorite ballpoint pen is the retractable Lamy Safari. I have several styles and colors, and I'd always like another. They just suit me. They feel right in my hand and even righter writing. I'm making a gentle effort to do more writing by hand, to realize the visceral connection of pen and paper. I'm stymied by a sense of urgency, eagerness to get the words out. When that sense strikes I'm back to the keyboard. Digital corrections and revisions are so clear and clean. Yet I'm seduced by the more human feeling performance of putting pen to paper, even if I'm the only reader.
Inventor Laszlo Biro and the Battle of the Ballpoint Pens
And a little bit extra …
Oh give me a pen and some paper
Give me a chisel or a camera
A piano and a box of rubber bands
I need room for choreography
And a darkroom for photography
Tie the brush into my hands
Excerpted from "Have You Got a Biro I Can Borrow?" by Clive James
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week: Busking …
My singer-songwriter friend Dan dreams of busking. Finding a spot where enough people stroll by or sit to dine and drink. Having a set of songs to directly connect with potential listeners. Performing word or song out-of-doors is very appealing to me, too. The audience isn't captive like it is in a music hall or theater. The performer needs to catch and hold attention in spite of the many open-air distractions. It's a real test of both the performer and their material. When it works, you create a surprising bond between performer and listener. When it doesn't work, you know right away because nobody's listening.
12 Golden Rules of Busking (in the UK)
Second up this week: Blogging …
Thinking about nobody listening, I wonder that about my blogging. Over the years I've had up to five blogs going at a time. Currently, I'm down to two, and one of those isn't very active. It can be draining, putting your words out over and over with only a slight sense of whether or not they're read. With the itinerant theater troupe my pal Devin and I operated, at least we could see our audience if there was one. Posting missives from my glowing laptop screen, I'm actually surprised when I find that someone's read my words.
I'm about to begin a rather prolonged and demanding blogging project (I'm still not sure if this will be blog-site three or not). Wish me readers! Or, at least, the satisfaction of writing well.
The History of Blogging
Third up this week: Biros …
I've tried all sorts of pens, from fountain to felt. I always come back to my favorite ballpoint, or biro as the Brits say (Laszlo Biro invented the ballpoint pen). My favorite ballpoint pen is the retractable Lamy Safari. I have several styles and colors, and I'd always like another. They just suit me. They feel right in my hand and even righter writing. I'm making a gentle effort to do more writing by hand, to realize the visceral connection of pen and paper. I'm stymied by a sense of urgency, eagerness to get the words out. When that sense strikes I'm back to the keyboard. Digital corrections and revisions are so clear and clean. Yet I'm seduced by the more human feeling performance of putting pen to paper, even if I'm the only reader.
Inventor Laszlo Biro and the Battle of the Ballpoint Pens
And a little bit extra …
Oh give me a pen and some paper
Give me a chisel or a camera
A piano and a box of rubber bands
I need room for choreography
And a darkroom for photography
Tie the brush into my hands
Excerpted from "Have You Got a Biro I Can Borrow?" by Clive James
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
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