FUN FUN FUN FEST 2009
How in the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 8:30 a.m. by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so?
―Charles Bukowski
The right to use public spaces without fear of discrimination or harassment by law enforcement.
The right to vote on legislation.
The right to non-obstructively seek shelter, social services, legal aid, and education.
The right to privacy of property in public spaces.
The right to feel safe.
—Homeless Bill Of Rights, (CA, DE, MN, MS, OR, TN & VT)
The new American dream is the dream of the immigrant. It's about what you been through to stay where you're at.
—Adrian Davila
Good morning America, how are you? You makin it? You reading this you making it. You can't get a Google account without a phone number, but can't get a phone without a job—and you can't traipse the corporate wasteland, paved and curated as it is to a quickly shifting ecological model, without getting shot. It's hot out there, or cold, depending on which side of the teet you suckin.
My heat's on, though I got the doors open to smoke. Got cigarettes, obv. Got coffee, though the word "coffee" should be best left to interpretation. Got food in the fridge and when I creatively hit a wall I'm bound to hop up from this makeshift desk in the wind, fry up some kale and eggs and crack open an Elecrolit™, have breakfast with NPR to see who crying now. Got gas in my Japanese car and I'm booked and bound to go, out into the rain and mud and to my new place of employ. Davila was right. It's getting harder and harder to make it here.
As we collectively wake up from the American dream I am excited to be at the helm of a great change led by the least of us. As such I am thrilled to share that I'm starting a new position as Staff Writer at The Other Ones Foundation.
RADIO VOLTA 88.1FM PHILADELPHIA 2000
The Homeless Bill Of Rights is alright. But how many of those boxes can you check, Google Client, without first taking your place as a cog and anyway throwing your weight around for the bloody cause of capitalism? How many boxes can the state of Texas check is the question, because besides being a bastion of what THEY want for us and veritable ground-zero for intolerance of homelessness and safety only if you're packing—it's where I live. I'm making it—and subsidizing my work with bartending and bass-playing gigs, caregiving, liquor promos and dog-grooming. Lucky I got healthcare that's provided by a non-profit and with said Japanese car I got options.
I worked for a time at the ARCH—Austin's Resource Center for the Homeless. That's where I discovered you need a phone number for a Gmail account, and why Google's texted me more than I'd like them to. Not to worry, those verification texts are buried and anyway lost in a barrage of spam calls I get from the hungry and waiting world. It's capitalism, baby. The calls interrupt my daily music listening which is no bueno, it makes me mad and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry. I've a right to be angry but nothing's guaranteed in the final century. I've a home, and as mentioned a car and am hoping to get audience with people like Davila, Graham, Abbott and Baker.
When our rights are so enmeshed with business and corporatism poses an existential threat well then it starts to feel like war and even a pacifist like me can get behind that battle. I'll sign off on this first of many missives from the front with a no simpler sentiment than those sung by that working class pisan and hardest working Italian-American in show business, Mr. "Born In The USA" himself, Bruce Springsteen. Everybody got to have a home. See you on the frontlines, Google Client!
KINDA TROPICAL AUSTIN 2023
PISSING IN THE PRESS POOL, 3 YEARS OF SAMIZDAT FOR INTO THE VOID
INFAMY AND GLORIES FROM THE COLUMNIST DESK, JIM TRAINER REPORTING FOR INTO THE VOID 2018-2021
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