Henry Thoreau as Performance Art

 Far from being a hermit and a recluse in the woods, Henry Thoreau actually lived a very public life, and he was every bit a citizen of his Concord community. As I've noted before, if Thoreau truly hated people and wanted to go off and live in the woods somewhere secluded, he easily could have and would have. Instead, as Laura Dassow Wells notes in her esteemed biography, "... the circumstances meant it [his journey] would be performed on a very public stage. His two years living at Walden Pond became and remain an iconic work of performance art."

Thoreau's experiment at the pond was meant to be seen and talked about, for he intended to be "a rooster crowing to bring in the dawn." He had a strong message to deliver to his neighbors, whom he feared lived "lives of quiet desperation," and he wanted to be asked about his work, his thoughts, his realizations, and his insights. The economic argument in which he grounds - and introduces - his performance was enthusiastic social commentary, calling out and even mocking the drab, dour existence of the Puritans as well as the work-driven existence promoted by Adam Smith.

Because the market economy and the rise of consumer culture treated people inhumanely as simple cogs in a machine, and because writers like Smith promoted well-being and self-worth solely through material wealth and the exchange of labor for money, Thoreau saw people diminished to an inauthentic human experience. He sought to explore and model a life lived for experience and knowledge. And, in many ways, the philosopher in him took the action of living his performance as a test of whether man could live as he believed.

Wild & Free

Here's the final Thoreau mixed media piece I recently put together last weekend. This uses a shadow print of Felix Edouard Vallotton’s portrait over selections from Thoreau essays “Walking” and “Civil Disobedience.” While Thoreau is obviously known first and foremost for Walden, and as a nature writer, he was also an ardent advocate for individual liberty. Civil Disobedience is perhaps his second best known piece, while "Walking" is known mostly to Thoreau scholars and fans for its discussion on his "case for the Wild."

Wild Heart

 Another Thoreau-inspired mixed media piece. This piece draws from the Lynchian theme "Wild at Heart and Weird on Top," and works in some Thoreau quotes on "the Wild." While many know Thoreau as an early environmentalist and nature writer, many of his passages are often misquoted as talking about "wilderness" rather than "wildness."

Thoreauvian Wild

 I've been meaning to do some Thoreau-inspired mixed media art that emphasizes the Thoreauvian Punk vibe I've been writing about. So, when a local gallery put out a show call centered on David Lynch and his film Wild at Heart, I figured it was the perfect time. 

I'm decently happy with this piece, though I'm still learning the technique.

These Are the Best Music Venues in Fort Collins

Home to the Fort Collins Musicians Association, FoCo, or Fort Collins, CO, is a town that is overflowing with live music from local and touring musicians. Home to the heart of Colorado's craft beer industry and a legendary punk rock recording studio The Blasting Room, Fort Collins is a dream location for musical artists, young and old. In fact, I loved the music scene so much after visiting for FoCoMX, the local music festival, that I moved here. I just published a feature on the best places to see live music in town:

Fort Collins, home to FoCoMX, the "biggest little music festival in America," is a genuine music town that can rival the best in the country for its support of the local scene. Anchored by a tight-knit community of musicians and artists through the Fort Collins Musicians Association, the area is always vibing to great music across every imaginable genre. Fort Collins residents simply love to go out for live music, many doing so several nights a week, and there's no lack of opportunities.

Just a drive up I-25 from Denver, FoCo's thriving music scene is supported by a seemingly endless network of bars, breweries, restaurants and venues that showcase the best in both local and national touring music. Discover your next favorite music venue in Fort Collins below:

For the complete list, check out the rest of the story at Westword.com

What is Punk & Who is Thoreau?

In a video clip asking What is Punk?, former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins explains that punk in his view is “everything from the Velvet Underground to Occupy Wall Street and everything in between.” In that regard, then, Rollins, like many other punk musicians and artists, moves the term beyond simply a descriptor for a musical genre and into the realm of an idea, an attitude, a philosophy, a subculture, and even a socio-political movement. A similar board stroke could be used to characterize the life, identity, persona, and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, who defied simple explanations and encompassed a universe of ideas during his brief forty-four year life. Henry was a brilliant young man who lived, studied, worked, and wrote at the time of the New England Renaissance. Punk is a musical style that originated in New York and London in the early to mid 1970s with the rise of bands like Television, the Ramones, the Clash, and the Sex Pistols. Henry was a Harvard graduate who worked as a surveyor while also writing essays and poetry. Punk is a anti-authoritarian subculture that coalesced around alternative styles which rejected and challenged mainstream institutions. Thoreau was “simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.” Punk is three chords and aggressive beats. Thoreau was an abolitionist who developed and articulated ideas of civil disobedience to challenge the abuse and overreach of government. Punk is an attitude that rejects oppression by societal institutions that are unresponsive to the margins of society. Thoreau was a man who “lived deliberately … front[ing] only the essential facts of life.” Punk is a way of life boiled down to the essentials.

Groundhog Day — “An Existential New Year”

It’s not about monotony — it’s about re-birth.

Twenty-six years ago, an unassuming little film about a cantankerous weatherman on the most random of holidays became a pop culture phenomenon that ingrained itself in our consciousness. The title became a metaphor for reluctantly acknowledging the dailiness of life. With the silly story of Phil Connors waking up everyday in Punxsutawney, PA, with Sonny and Cher singing “I’ve Got You Babe” on an endless string of February seconds, Groundhog Day entered the lexicon as a way to describe the drudgery and repetition of daily life. But the movie was never simply about the mundane nature of existence. It was always about self-awareness and second chances and reinvention and hope.

Let’s face it, by February 2 the New Year’s resolutions are fading, the fitness centers are back to the regulars, and we’re all bogged down in the drudgery of winter. These moments are ripe for a bit of pop culture existentialism, and the quirky film from Harold Ramis and Danny Rubin puts that long cold winter, the odd little holiday, and the repetitiveness of daily life in perspective. Watching the story of a disgruntled weatherman pondering the absurdity of a weather-forecasting rodent provides a second chance at mid-winter self-reflection and re-invention. The conceit of the film is not only the ridiculous holiday but also the inexplicable weirdness of Phil Connors’ predicament.

The film Groundhog Day is actually a wonderful primer for the wisdom of existentialism, and when I taught the philosophy in my college literature class, I would often lead or conclude with a viewing of Bill Murray’s brilliant portrayal of a man trying to bring some sense of meaning to a life that seems nothing short of absurd ....

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