Monthly Archives: June 2015

When I was a younger man, I lived a life of a lie. Living my life for the comfort of others, not being true to myself. This created much internal conflict and was a main factor driving my addiction. Eventually this charade became too unbearable to continue and I began to truly live my life for who I am…who I was born to be. I identify with this song so much…

An Easier Affair – George Michael

Here comes one for the ladies

For the ones who love me
To think I thought I could be some kind of family man
I told myself I was straight
But I shouldn’t have worried
‘Cos my Maker had a better plan for me

And I’m dancing with the freaks now
I’m havin’, I’m havin’ so much fun
What you sow is what you reap now
I’ll do my dance with everyone
I’ve been getting too much Sun
(Yes I’m dancin’ with the freaks now)
We’re havin’, we’re havin’ too much fun for them
Look who’s talking Guilty feet now’

Well let me tell you people
It’s an easier affair
Not living my life with other people on my mind
No, got nothing to hide from anyone
Yes, I’m walking on new air
Just living my life
Better believe I’m gonna get what’s mine
See I don’t have the time
For the haters

And all the time that I wasted
How careless of me
Too young and stupid to see
I put my life in their hands
(Gonna look for Cupid, man)
Oh, and I know that they want me to hate them
There’s no hurry
I’ll just have to be the bigger man

Dancin’ with the freaks now
I’m havin’, I’m havin’ so much fun
What you sow is what you reap now
I’ll do my dance with everyone
I’ve been getting too much Sun
If I turn the other cheek now
Would that be, would that be too much fun for them’
Look who’s talking
Guilty feet now’

Well let me tell you people
It’s an easier affair
Not livin’ my life with other people on my mind
No, got nothing to hide from anyone
‘Cos I’m walking on new air
Just living my life
Better believe I’m gonna get what’s mine
See I don’t have the time for the haters

Don’t let them tell you who you are is not enough
Don’t let them tell you that it’s wrong
Or that you won’t find love

Don’t let them use my life to put your future down
Don’t let them tell you that happiness can’t be found

For my life

Take it to the streets
There are stories you can keep
They’re just passing you by

Don’t let them tell you who you are is not enough
Don’t let them tell you that it’s wrong
Or that you won’t find love

Don’t let them use my life to put your future down
Don’t let them tell you that happiness can’t be found.

In January of 2015, I was contacted by a producer with the Digital Discovery Networks out of San Francisco CA, inquiring if I would be willing to be a part of a documentary they were gearing up to produce on Leonard Knight’s Salvation Mountain in Niland CA. They were reaching out to me after coming across images on my Flickr account of Leonard and Salvation Mountain that I took when visited there Sept. of 2009.

Digital Discovery Networks is a multi-channel Internet television and digital cable network that creates, produces and distributes Web television shows on niche topics. The documentary was for their Seeker network and was to be featured in the This Happened Here series.

They sent me a link to another documentary they had produced and I felt it would be a cool project to be involved in.

They emailed all the release forms, along with a series of questions they wanted me to answer which would be used in the episode.

I wrote out a script which at first was challenging, because at times, I tend to be long winded.  I realized I couldn’t go through every detail of the day in the story telling, so I had to edit it down.

Once I was comfortable with the script, I then had to record it. The producers were keen on me just speaking into my cellphone and they would edit it from there once I sent them the files.

This whole process was an exercise in just letting go. I must have attempted to record the script at least 30 times. After first, I would stumble a few words in, then I would stumble half way through, towards the the end,  it was just as I was about finished.  I was getting sick of the whole process!!  Knowing that there were stumbles in the recording, I thought ‘oh fuck it” and just sent the recording in.

Last week, I was looking over my Flickr stats and I saw that Laughing Squid out of NYC was linking to my page, I clicked the link and found the video and article about the episode.

Later that day, I received an email from from the producer informing me the episode had been released and where I could find it on YouTube, where it currently has just over 6,900 views.

Here is the original episode of This Happened Here

The episode has been featured on Laughing Squid,   DesignTaxi,  The Omaha-Advertising Agency,

API-Nuzzel,  Gizmodo,  and Museperk.

I still think I sound like a knob and my stumbles are all too obvious. Still, I like the way the folks at Discovery Digital Networks wove their narration, together with my telling of the storyline along with my photographs to create this.

I guess if/when there is a next time, I’ll try to minimize the fuck it’s and work on a smoother delivery of my narration.