Waste Books - "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass

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Join Phil, Wendy, Eric, Dan, and Jordan this month as they talk about the trip that is Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass. 

Overview

In 1967, a disillusioned Harvard professor named Richard Alpert journeyed to the foothills of the Himalayas to seek a spiritual solace the West failed to provide. Originally a lecturer in the field of psychology, Alpert travelled to Mexico with fellow professor Timothy Leary, (of LSD fame) experimenting with then unacknowledged psilocybin mushrooms and aided Leary in testing and assessing the value of the psychedelic drug LSD. Never satisfied and eventually rejected by the faculty at Harvard, Alpert found a lasting state of peace not through recreational drug use but the religion, philosophy, and mysticism of the East. His name change to Ram Dass is a tribute both to his guru’s influence and the importance of meditative practices in uniting with the immediacy of the universe.

Be Here Now is a record of this journey and the point of arrival, ripe with illustrated thoughts and mind-clearing guidance that feels more akin to free-verse poetry than religious cant. It is a guide for the perplexed and a stabilizing raft for those caught adrift in any psychological or existential tempests. Dass’ approach is a difficult one to explain and to fully understand one must partake in the experience, much like transcendental meditation itself. The book is structured to facilitate the mental trip, beginning with Dass’ backstory and displeasure with the West’s treatment of value and success, easing into the second section: a series of illustrations paired with words that can read as either prayers, aphorisms, or poems. The third section elaborates on the practices, some technical others playful, in living a way of life that can be more astral than material.

Dass’ handling of the subject matter oscillates between the rigid and the blithe, like the topics he handles. It’s for this reason that the reader has leeway in exploring the topics herein; one has the freedom to either dip in a toe or two from the shoreline or select total submersion. The text reads as an amalgam of everything from Daoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, psychedelic drug use, communal living, western literature, and more. Dass’ ultimate purpose envisions the reader to discover their own path to spiritual unity with the universe, allowing for a personalized definition for transcending the material. From the outside the book may sound like a jumble of religious foofaraw, but within the landscape changes in ways that surprises the most dismissive. Be Here Now is a definite recommendation that will at worst introduce foreign concepts not given credence, and at best change your perception forever. Turn on and tune in.

-Jordan Finn

 

Show Notes

Music in this episode is "Invested" from Bull Market's upcoming album, Broker.

Produced by Phillip Griffin.

 

Next episode we'll be talking about White Noise by Don DeLillo! To catch up on the rest of our episodes and delve into some more great books click here!

Richard Dreyfest Interviews Mark Dawson

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Transcription of In-Person Interview with Comic Mark Dawson

Phil: Alright, we’re on. So I’m with Mark Dawson here, and just have a couple questions to kind of warm him up and get people excited for him at Dreyfest Comedy Night, which is August 12th at Art House Cinema and Pub from 10:30 to like 1 o’clock in the morning. Mark will be there performing and I’m just here to ask him some questions.

Mark, I was kind of curious how long you’ve been doing comedy.

Mark: Oh yeah, man, it started in 2011. I’ve been a wise-ass my whole life, but that was my first time with a microphone.

Phil: Okay, so you’re kind of a late bloomer.

Mark: Yeah. I was in my 40s when I started.

Phil: Why did you decide to start?

Mark: Funny, I met a friend right here, actually, at the Highlands, and he was — my day being a disaster — he was making fun of me and just being like ‘oh my god, if you were just honest about your life you could be a stand-up comic.’ And I was like, ‘Well, I need to say something nice to him now,’ right, so: ‘I think your wife is hot.’

I didn’t think much about it, either, and then Lucas Seely had a poster for the Lucas and Wayne Cox comedy contest, and I thought, ‘that sounds like fun,’ so I entered that, and I had a lot of friends come out, and I thought if it was funny it would be funny, and if it wasn’t, it would be even funnier. Like sure, this guy might get mauled, it would just be…so.

And I won the contest. It was cool.

Phil: You won it?

Mark: Yeah, then you win a trip to LA, but you have to sleep on Lucas’s couch.

Phil: Really?

Mark: Yeah, perform at the Comedy Store and all that.

Phil: Oh wow, that’s awesome.

Mark: Yeah, he treats the comics around here great. He does really great things for the scene.

Phil: Cool, so that was 2011.

Mark: Yeah.

Phil: So how long before that competition were you working on bits and stuff?

Mark: Maybe that day. I remember actually the thing was at seven or something and I came home at 4:30 or 5 and thought, okay, what can I talk about that’s funny.

Phil: No kidding.

Mark: Life is funny, you know.

Phil: That’s awesome. Had you been into it before?

Mark: The really funny thing about it is I used to love to watch stand-up comedians, and since I started, I don’t like it at all. It kind of ruined it. Except for if it’s like your friends, then you want to see them and see them do well. But you end up with stage envy, you’re like “I should be up there instead of that bastard.”

[Laughs]

I stayed at Jim Gaffigan for about 15 minutes.

Phil: Well, I was going to ask you if you had any favorite comics, or maybe that’s not really relevant.

Mark: The ones I appreciate — Jeff Dye, I think he’s here this year. I like him because he’s — a lot of comics are really self-deprecating, and it can really be part of your life, too - and he’s often positive.. And Louie Anderson is a total mentor, and really lucky I got to know him, and he’s helped me a lot.

Phil: So you’ve gotten to know him?

Mark: Yeah, he’s awesome, actually. Great guy.

Phil: How did that happen?

Mark: I lucked out. So Lucas was opening for Louie and said he could bring guests back, and you know, Louie’s clean, and I am, too - not as much any more - but Lucas comes in and says “Louie’s gonna want your set, don’t fuck it …don’t choke. And he was just a nice guy, and said he liked me because I was kind to me wife, and I’m like, ‘who wouldn’t be kind to their wife?’

Phil: Yeah, right? So there’s a lot of assholes in comedy?

Mark: There are a few, I suppose.

Phil: Let’s see, so… Louis Anderson..

Mark: And Mike Birbiglia, too, I love that guy.

Phil: Yeah, he’s great. Oh! I was going to ask you what you liked about clean comedy, and how that’s changed now, or if that was on purpose …

Mark: Oh yeah, I think my life just got a little darker. You know honestly, comedy, I think a lot of people who do comedy, it’s for some reason that they  — if you have a perfect life, you’re not going to — why would you risk that? There’s some pretty screwed up stories behind what comedians do. And my wife got really sick, so I started more… Then I realized —  in fact Louie told me — you’ve just gotta be yourself. And, you now, obviously.

Oggie Smith, who’s from here, who’s successful, he says that same thing: ‘Live and die as yourself.” And I realized that I don’t say the ‘F’ word and I don’t say mean things in a professional setting, but to my best friend I sure do. So, I think, Louie always says: “If you’re likeable and interesting, and if you’re not genuine, who gives a shit?”

Phil: So you’re kind of a big figure in the Billings business community, as owner of Century 21. Do many people in the professional realm know about your comedy life?

Mark: I don’t think I’m a big figure, exactly. This is a small town, right? Everybody knows everybody. And people are like ‘why the hell would you do that?’ And other people are like ‘that’s so cool,’ and the other people are like, ‘You’ll be good at something, eventually. Keep trying!’

That’s more what my wife thinks.

Phil: How long do you think you’ll do it? Is it something that you want to do for a long time now?

Mark: You know, I think that, unless I got really old and had marbles in my head and couldn’t feel like I was sharp... Once you develop a skill, you don’t want to lose the skill. And it’s something you can do your whole life. And, yeah, I think I would.

Phil: Yeah, you see videos of Carlin when he’s old and he’s still tearing it up.

Mark: I think so, too. And, I mean, you do get better and better because it’s a skill thing, more than a talent thing.

Phil. Right, right. Yup, work it. I’m not sure that I have that much more, but if you have anything to add.

Mark: You should really try it some time.

Phil: Yeah?

Mark: Oh yeah, you’d love it. It’s really exhilarating.

 

Mark will be at the Art House Cinema and Pub for late night comedy, 10:30-1:00.

 

 

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Dreyfest Poetry Jam: Montana performers join in word and song

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Poets and musicians from across Montana are bringing spoken word and live music to downtown Billings Friday, August 11th at 7pm for the Dreyfest Poetry Jam. In a first for Craft Local, Billings’ newest art gallery and performance venue, local musicians join seasoned performance poets for a lively evening of collaboration, expression, and good tunes. The event is part of the 5th Annual Richard Dreyfest, Billings’ premier all-ages DIY music and arts festival.

“Imagine the excitement and energy of a poetry slam with an added rhythm and melody,” Pete Tolton, event organizer, said. “There’s a great interplay of sound, texture, and voice unlike anything else.” Tolton and co-organizers, James Hickman and Anna Paige, have produced and performed spoken word events around Billings since 2011.

Longtime collaborators Dave Caserio and Parker Brown headline the event, Caserio delivering his potent, animated verse and Brown accompanying with equal vigor on guitar and bass. “I'm really interested in how sound moves through poetry,” Caserio said. “A poem can't literally get up and dance, yet it has something of a dance and music in it.”

Additional duo performances include Anna Paige with Matt Taggart, Nate Petterson with Josh Carter, and Pete Tolton with Carolyn Tolton. The event will also feature solo performances by Molly Ouellette, Cooper Malin, Kelly Mullins, John Christenson, and Jawney Love.

Richard Dreyfest spans the weekend of August 11th and 12th with more than sixty musical acts, comedians, poets, and visual artists descending upon eight all-ages venues throughout downtown Billings, presented by Waste Division and the Beatnik City Council. For lineup info, artist interviews, and tickets, visit waste-division.org/richarddreyfest/v

 Craft Local is located at 2413 Montana Ave., the original home of the Yellowstone Hotel. The nonprofit art gallery and performance venue features Montana-made beer and wine, twenty visual artists’ work, and excellent air conditioning. More info at craftlocal.org or (406) 702-1458.

For interviews and media inquiries regarding the Poetry Jam, please contact:

Peter Tolton

petertolton@gmail.com

(406) 672-0396

For interviews and media inquiries regarding Dreyfest, please contact:

Phil Griffin

richarddreyfest@gmail.com

(406) 860-5487