happy birthday to world
hey everybody. it’s my birthday. i’m 38. here is what i would love.
i’m headed into NYC with neil to take a break from book-writing and to see the new broadway production of hedwig and the angry inch, and then we’re going to have a nice late raw vegan dinner with john cameron mitchell (the original hedwig…and for those who were wondering, he thinks neil patrick harris-as-hedwig is Great.)
i’ve been going through some interesting – and sometimes painful – themes and variations these past few weeks and have been deeply grateful, in ways that defy explanation, for my friends and intimates…for those who listen, talk, care, love, connect with me on a deep level.
meanwhile, some of these friends have been hit with frightening news and life and our existences all feel so fragile around me.
i feel very lost and found.
i’ve been finding that the strongest thing i’ve been able to do is just practice an awestruck gratitude for the abundance around me, whatever it happens to be…a tree in the rain, a warm blanket, a twelve-year old girl singing and playing lenka’s “the show” (the “i’m just a little bit caught in the middle” song) on the ukulele…it’s overwhelming what i do have, what i’ve experienced, and what i’ve been given.
i was working on a fancy new launch for my birthday – it was going to be a new way or sharing music and content with you – but because of the book being insanely waylaid and other factors…it’s been postponed.
two years ago, on my birthday, i launched my Kickstarter for “theatre is evil” and i asked you all, as a gift to me, to support it and share it.
today, given my recent overwhelmtion and gratitude at the things and people and art around me, i’d like to ask you for something, if you’re game.
if you’re feeling abundant, or lost, or bewildered, or generous, or disconnected…please go to Kickstarter and back something crazy and random. here, i’ll get you started:
a lil vermont incubator for music, art, and community is trying to expand (the creative director on the KS is ruebie, who’s done design and video stuff for us before)…
ten different washington bands, creating original music based around the theme of tides…
an all night art festival, hoping to light up minneapolis this summer…
stairwell believers:”A filmmaking endeavor that seeks to deepen our understanding of internet culture, and possibly ourselves, through myth.”…sounds pretty unique, a topic many of us are interested in…
a film about satire about sex, technology, and obsession. plus REGGIE WATTS is involved, and as we know, reggie is awesome (seriously)!!
or go to indiegogo.
or gofundme.
or crowdrise (our old friend carson daly is doing something great there).
just go out and do a spontaneous act of back-age, even a teeny one.
back a dollar to a random metal band in Croatia trying to make their first record.
back five dollars to a little community in Helsinki trying to start a film festival.
back ten dollars to your friend’s boyfriend’s ex-boyfriend’s drive to pay off his wife’s dental surgery.
back something like rabbit rabbit radio, a subscription-style “monthly musical offering” by Carla Kihlstedt & Matthias Bossi, my old pals from sleepytime gorilla museum.
or…back writers and journalist on the beacon reader for $5 a month (a site for sustaining writers who want to produce regular content).
or subscribe to kim boekbinder’s mission control.
just go out and…back anything. help an artist. connect your wallet directly to some sort of positive creation out there.
Kickstarter has a really lovely function, HERE, that allows you to find and filter types of projects in your area, or anywhere you choose. you can search specifically for music in your zip code, or for film projects in England. or concptual art in poland. or whatever.
but no matter what you do, whether it’s crowdfunding via Kickstarter or any other platform – TELL THE WORLD, and me. post it here in the comments, post to twitter, tell me and everybody else what you’ve found and what you’ve done. and hell, share this blog link with people on facebook, twitter, gchat, whatever – have them take a peek at the suggestions and contribute their own: http://bit.ly/bdayblog2014
and that is the biggest gift you can give me today, and that is what i would love for my birthday.
and that’s all. thanks everybody.
i love you.
p.s. some bonus suggestions on kickstarter projects to have a peek at, from our girl hayley (who works there now)…
MUSIC
• Punk Island 2014 (only 20 hours left and SO close to reaching its goal…a punk festival in NYC!!): MORE INFO!
• The Brooklyn Rider Almanac is a celebration of an artistic community, explored through music, dance, essays, fashion and photography: MORE INFO!
DESIGN/TECH
• Imogen Heap and Mi.Mu Gloves – very cool, about half funded and ending soon: MORE INFO!
• Chicago Design Museum – 2014 Summer Exhibition: MORE INFO!
• OINKY – a “whimsical” Piggy Bank: MORE INFO!
ART/COMICS
• The H.M.S. Bad Idea, An Anti-Self-Help Comic Collection: MORE INFO!
• Then it Was Dark, a collection of paranormal experiences, true ghost stories, friend-of-friend tales and brushes with the unknown: MORE INFO!
• Suspect Device 4, an anthology of collage based comics dedicated to linking comics history with its future. Cover by Raymond Pettibon: MORE INFO!
WRITING
• The 4th Annual NYC Poetry Festival: MORE INFO!
FILM/THEATER
• A Lady Must Live: MORE INFO!
• GOLD BALLS Ultra Senior tennis documentary – Every year, thousands of people compete to be U.S. National Tennis Champion. But only a few are doing it at age 80: MORE INFO!
• Globe to Globe – To celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday we’re visiting EVERY country in the world! Please back our project and be part of our journey: MORE INFO!
GAMES/TOYS/WEIRDNESS
• Austin Toy Museum – The collection already exists, they just need a place to put it…TOYS: MORE INFO!
• The Spaceteam Admiral’s Club is a community of friends and fans making Spaceteam better and continuing to bring free games to the world, by supporting me directly as a developer for a whole year: MORE INFO!
