December Happenings

Update. December already, wild. The play was incredible, packed houses 7 of 8 nights, sold loads of CDs and made some great new friends. On the last night of the run, some pretty wild things went down. Waiting for a bus going to the cast party, a drunk prostitute took a strong liking to me. She repeatedly offered me her services and showed me a preview of her wares. Aboard the bus, I performed some banjo breakdowns for a group of drunk girls from New Brunswick. I initiated a group sing along of the theme song from “fresh prince of bel-air”. Good times were had by all.

The party was organized for the ending of another play that was going on at Arts Court. It was a contemporary play by an Irish playwright. It received glowing reviews but the directory told something along the lines of “I’d rather have shit reviews and full houses like you guys.” I discussed this with a few actors and everyone agreed. We got pretty poor reviews, but had over capacity houses most nights. In one review, the writer complained that all the characters are stereotypical, especially the cop who “came right out of american television”. A real live police officer came to the play and he said the character was “perfectly on point”.

So the party was going along smoothly, Matt and I were discussing the new magazine and themes were presenting themselves. It’s looking like a big part of the magazine will discuss the transition away from traditional organized religions into what ever the next phases is of personal spirituality. Chelsea came over to bring me an end of run gift, and things didn’t go so well. There was some wild drama and we are no longer an official couple, but we are still very close. I’ll be acting in a music video she’s making and she’ll continue to join me on stage on Saturdays and at the Tuesday Open mikes.

I certainly did drink that night. Annie from the play came by as the party was ending and Matt and I went to her house. All I really remember is doing some unconventional break dancing then trying to sleep and puking multiple times. As the sun came up, I went to sleep on Annie’s fuzzy green couch. Started to wake up around 1pm and read the book “Queer” by William Burrows, while letting the hangover slowly recede. Around 4 pm I found my way to Chelsea’s; we enjoyed a fire and each others company.

I hung out at home for a few hours before heading downtown to Bob Primo’s house. The sick sick sicks are moving along well. The band is going to perform all of my solo folk/blues stuff. We’ve invested in a PA and an old Gretch guitar is coming my way. Bob is a professional drummer and it’s a pleasure to be working with him. We’ll have the whole band coming out on Saturday’s. Having Danny Devil back is pleasure as well. He's been living in London Ontario for the last year and has picked up quite a few cool tricks since he's been gone. Welcome back dude! The Sicks will be playing on Saturday December 11 with rockalilly. I’m also playing with billy boon on Friday the fourth and with the Sin Sisters, on december 16th .

I’m currently seeking a band name. The band is the merging of my solo folk/blues/swing career and my old psychobilly band, the Sick Sick Sicks. Right now we’re going for Maxim & the..... Using a french name might be cool, but keeping the “and the”.
I write about traveling, maybe rambling, wandering, drifting, movement, nocturnal, nomadic, nymph, trees, earth, action, movement, fluidity, wave, vibration, nutrients, spirituality, spirituality, recognition of personal holiness. Maybe Maxim & the mystics, mystiques, or mistycos (greek). The possibilities are being created in order to express my sound in countless ways, while making it marketable and assessable. The punk/metal feel has been worn out, and a new, eery, louisiana-sleazy-greasy-jazz-bluesabilly sound has emerged. My voice and the bass are no longer overpowered by the drums and guitar.

Good cover’s are a guaranteed way to make a lot of money. Learning three hours of recognizable material means playing casino’s and private corporate gigs. I’ve realized I need to treat my music like any other trade. Having as much material as possible will improve my chances of furthering my original material and being able to put money in the pockets of other cool musicians. I’ve got the band coming on Saturday to the Rainbow, I’ve got a good feeling about it.

To get off on an alternate tangent. The somewhat reactionary approach to my life is started wear thin. My good friend Josh told me about his morning routine and it offered me some real perspective. His ritual of stretching and praying in the morning instilled a sense of direction, purpose and centeredness. I think it’s time to better design the way I live. Kurt Vonnegut said “ I love sleeping”, Mark Twain spent all his day in bed, where he wrote his best work; I’m happy my literary friends enjoy it as much as I do. It's really a matter of school. I have to good reason to work hard at it, grades are meaningless to me. But I should be able to pass my classes without the usual last ditch effort. To approach it like a well played game of tetris, align the pieces in advance and let them fall into place.

So, the ideal thing to do when waking up is, probably break dancing. Taking the time to make myself happy and moving forward on the goals that are important to me. I’m thinking, wake up, wash, drink water, eat an apple or something small to cut the hunger pains and get some energy, then light a candle, meditate, do yoga and then a serious of break dance maneuvers which I would record and improve upon. I think it’s time to challenge myself. The trickiest part is waking up and doing it. I love sleeping and spending hours in bed. This will sound strange, but I love being hungover one and a while, not the puking part, but everything else. Drifting in and out of conciseness, being wrapped in warmth, having time to read because anything else is impossible, gradually feeling better, trying to eat, drinking water and watching the sun set through your window as the last filaments of headache and nausea fade, mentally preparing yourself for another night of partying.

Plus, there’s nothing that says I can’t go back to sleep after my morning rituals. Although I think I’d be energized to tackle whichever project that lay before me. Then it’s time spend maybe 30 to 45 minutes eating and reading the paper. Then greet the day, feel the world while going on a jog with rufus. Upon return, bathing, then do the business of the day, e.i. spend an hour doing homework or writing for the magazine. Conceivably, If I did do that hour of homework a day, (not including reading) I could easily get straight As and possibly contribute to the fields which I’m studying. After that, eat again and read a novel. The next move would be an hour of practicing and furthering my music career. At that point, it probably wouldn’t be much past 1pm, ( the time I’ve woken up the past few days). And I would have already focused on the growth of my physical, intellectual, spiritual and emotional sides.

By doing that, I can better support myself and others and best of all, I have the late afternoon to do the stuff I love, (and do anyway) like getting stoned, going to the gym, engaging cool people, winter cycling, urban snowboarding (that should be an article in the new magazine) writing this in this journal and about spiritual stuff, going to museums, playing organized sports, going on dates, and generally having fun. The only down side to this whole operation is that I’ll give up my great joy of sleeping in. Maybe that’s my person sacrifice in order to better know the divine. And it’s not such a bad price to pay, and there’s always naps.

Since my spiritual rebirth a year and half ago, I’ve been experimenting with broad notions of maximalism as a lifestyle and I’ve lived out some my greatest dreams. I’ve became a professional model, supported myself with my art, toured the country and lived downtown with an incredible girl. I’m on the verge of graduating from university, but as usual in regards to school, I’m enjoying it but barely scrapping by. I've said this to myself many times before, I should engage it fully. By this I mean start working on projects as they are assigned and not moments before they are due (or not at all). I won't be able to accomplish this feat without rearranging my lifestyle. To properly engage a project, I should fully engage the day.

To do that, I need to reduce the clutter and uncertainty of my life, starting with my immediate surroundings . Time to create my own personal temple, like much of in the Indian population has. A place where the strongest vibes can flow. A place to celebrate the marvelous things and recover from the low points. Having room to breathe and stretch is the most important thing, because the body is the temple. I want my temple to fly and radiate like I know it can.

My friend Bashu was asking me a serious of personal question for purposes unknown. Question like what were the major turning points of your life. He noted that most people talked about things that happened to them, where as mine were mostly things I did or that I set into motion. My plans were broad enough to incorporate life altering events, such as “being in BC without a plan”. Now I’ll attempt another turning point, starting with the organization of my room. I’ve lived with no real structure, but didn't get a lot done. In Parcsville BC, I was living in a luscious estuary by the ocean, where food and shelter came extremely easy. The result was that I had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted. I stashed my gear under a tarp and spent days doing every wonderful thing under the sun. Eventually I stumbled upon a hot yoga studio, a temple which I moved into. Doing yoga three times I day, I transformed my body and my consciousness. I slept on the floor of a shower stall on two yoga mats with my comfy horse blanket. It was a business, so we kept it clean and useful for others. I want my temple to be like that.

I’m having visions about the possibilities of my room. It’s a decent sized room with clean walls and good pressed wood floors. My own personal maxim, is to always be expanding mind and body. The universe is expanding, might as well go with it. The way I’ve been doing this, is through yoga, breakdancing, reading, writing, performing and exploring my body and music. The temple of Maxim should propel and reflect a devotion to those activities. I think mirrors are a start, to view my body as I attempt those physical practices and to hone my performance abilities. I’ll be able to check my yoga postures, work my standup routine, model breakdancing gear while bringing in light and space.

Perhaps I should sacrifice further. Since my sister moved away, a big bedroom upstairs has opened up. I could make downstairs a studio, open to my parents, teach them yoga, and sleep upstairs. Although the privacy of the basement room is a bonus. We do own a futon, I think that’s the ticket. Time to sell or give my bed away. It sleep quite comfortably, even when it’s in couch form. From there, I see the books and a media/work space in a corner, maybe an alter and empty everywhere else. I think I’m onto something. Having it as an open space mean’s it’s available to transform into anything that could into that space. With adequate storage place, the room can become a DIY dream. Recording, broadcasting, silkscreening, meetings, partying, crafting, creating and hosting art jams. Every house in the western world has good space that’s going to waste, my room will no longer be among them

I think the underlying notion of this exercise is the importance of praising yourself. To look at yourself as an incredible being, capable of endless possibilities and to not accept bad destructive habits. It’s utterly important to examine, cherish, nourish and propel your talents. It’s about giving yourself the opportunity and encouragement to know and understand yourself. Achieving a a goal is less about planning then attacking and more about entering into a lifestyle which propagates and sustains your goals. When we treat ourselves like the spiritual beings we are, we remove all opposition to excellence and propel ourselves into greatness. Do it, but stay grounded. Always breath slowly and maintain balance.

Love you all,

-Maxim