What now?

[The Pretty Good]

With the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon sinking in. We all know that at least 10,000 lives have been lost. Will people in America ever be the same again? Will they be just a little bit harder than they already were? Is it our job to get out there this weekend and try to make people laugh again? Or will we just end up getting punched in the face by someone who lost a family member or a friend. I do know that the festival that I was going to work at this weekend has been cancled. This has hit every one very hard. Its going to be a tough time ahead.

[This message has been edited by the pretty good (edited 09-13-2001).]

[Peter Voice]

I know one thing for sure. The New York "Fuck you! Get out of my way" attitude to their neighbours and any-one else, is dead and buried. The city will never be the same again.
Perhaps, from the ashes of disaster, a phoenix of humanity and humility may rise.
I doubt if New Yorkers have ever experienced the scenes of care, bravery and community concern that are being beamed by the minute around the world.
My great fear is that this will be used by many to propogate more ignorant religious and racial prejudice, the single most significant contributing factor to yesterday's events.

[Chance]

America: The Good Neighbor.

Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted
out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts.

None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions
of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10?

If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy,
and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times - and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they
are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose.
Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those."

[Lynneski]

"My great fear is that this will be used by many to propogate more ignorant religious and racial prejudice, the single most significant contributing factor to yesterday's events." Peter Voice

On top of the horror we've all watched unfold since Tuesday morning, we now have exactly that ignorant, knee-jerk response to cope with. I was shattered to see on last night's news that a mosque in Montreal was firebombed yesterday, another in the US had bullets fired through a front window.

Muslim communities across this country cancelled gatherings and closed schools in fear of reprisals just such as this.

I am deeply saddened to see evidence that we are doomed to repeat the most egregious errors of our history by blaming the group for the sins of the individuals.

We must find a way to show our support of our Muslim friends and neighbours. May our Gods help us all.

Lynne

[Jim]

Hi Everybody,

I have not performed in Boston since Sunday. I decided, after Tuesday's tragedy, that this week is a week off. I really don't know when it will be appropriate to go out and do comedy on the streets again. However, I have a spot this Saturday afternoon and I really want to do something. I think it's important to get back out there and try to bring some normalcy back to my life and other peoples' lives. (Obviously with great sensitivity to the situation.)

I know I want to perform, but I don't know how I'll feel about passing the hat. I'm thinking that if I do, it would be important to donate the money to the Red Cross or some other help organization. I haven't decided yet... But I think I'm going to do something on Saturday.

I received the following email this morning from a local Boston musician. It is a copy of an email HE received from a friend of his in NY. I thought it was important for everyone to see it...

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
My friend Lach, who runs the music at the Sidewalk Cafe in NYC, writes (9.12):

"I'd be lying if I was to say we weren't scared. But so far New Yorkers are being New Yorkers and trying to cope graciously and with a sense of outrage and ultimately acceptance. Tonight's show at the club was canceled, not enough of a staff to operate things. But we plan to reopen tomorrow night. Times like these need the artists, poets and clowns of the world. People are looking for meaning, clues, anything."

Indeed, on the face of it, it seems pointless to talk about music after yesterday but Lach is right, times like these need artists, poets and clowns.

Go out this weekend and find some, people.

Cheers,
Shaun

http://slide.com/wolf/shows.html

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Another message I received from Tim at Magic Coach included a link to some more wise words of advice:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What Do We Do?

http://www.sheckymagazine.com/do.htm

Thanks to Bryan Dean at Magic Talk
who passed this on. Shecky is a magazine
for Stand Up comedians, but their point of
view may be relevant for your jobs in the
next few weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.
.
.
.
Good luck folks... be sensitive, be safe, and thanks for visiting,

Jim

[martin ewen]

American culture contains one of the most defiantly joyful mourning rituals, the New Orleans funeral march.
The scale is beyond me but still imagine masses of brass instruments, drums, stilts and color winding its way through the streets of new york.

[This message has been edited by martin ewen (edited 09-13-2001).]

[Rich Potter]

The Gordon Sinclair article was actually a broadcast on June 5, 1973.

Not to say it's irrelevant, but it is not a recent broadcast.

-Rich

here's a web link to the
"original" web article.

http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/ccf/news/unique/am_text.html

News Broadcasting - "Unique Stories"

"The Americans" - Original Script
(Listen to the original audio) 

"LET'S BE PERSONAL"    Broadcast June 5, 1973     CFRB,
Toronto, Ontario

Topic: "The Americans"
By Gordon SInclair
Radio Station CFRB 1010
2 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

[Byron Bertram]

How many people think this could be the start of WW3? Let's pray it's not. Hopefully it's more just my paranoia. Right now the States needs as much support as it can get. Even though it's not a very liked country in the eyes of many other nations, I think everybody needs to stand behind them at a time like this. I pray Bush handles this right and in time life can get back to normal.

Everybody is effected by this. People on the streets are talking to each other who would normally never give each other the time of day. It makes you appreciate your loved ones more and recognize that life is so fragile, and not to take it for granted.

I have no idea how this is going to effect street performing, but I don't even give it much thought right now because everything seems so secondary.

The fact is though that everybody needs and wants entertainment even in the darkest of times. Sometimes especially in the darkest times.


Good luck to everyone

PS. Beautiful poem Robert.

[Todd]

I dont know how I'm going to handle this weekend.
I'm performing at the Ohio Ren Fest, and as of now, the owner is going to open, dispite the events of the past week and the news that a raid on Afganistan this weekend. Its going to be tough. Not because no one in thier right mind will show up (not that it matters) but those who do come will be as "emotionally double parked" as I am.
I think it was Master Lee who said, after a guy had a heartattack in his audience and was carried out with 15 minitues left in his show "well, all this time I've been trying to create the fantasy of Drama, and we have had real drama happen right here." This was at the Maryland Ren Fest.
I hope you are all safe.

[This message has been edited by Todd (edited 09-13-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Todd (edited 09-13-2001).]

[Jim]

All steet performers at Quincy Market, Boston this weekend will be donating their hats (in full) to disaster relief.

I had no idea what I would do, but this seems like the right thing. Quincy Market was going to cancel all performing this weekend, but I suggested letting the performers perform and then donating the money. So they're letting us do that.

I think it will be nice. I'm really itching to get out and DO something. This will get us back into the swing of things AND have a benefit for the people affected by Tuesday's tragedy.

Anyone in the Boston area who can get to Quincy Market and who wants to do a show and donate the proceeds to disaster relief, contact me Saturday or Sunday. 617-776-1111

This may also be something for people to do in other cities....

Jim

[Frisbee]

Performing this week has been really weird...a nice thing that some performers are doing is donating part half or all of any money made in our hats this week to relief efforts in New York...
I am feeling as Byron wrote that this could be the start of WWIII...I REALLY HOPE NOT!!!, but the way I am thinking is the terrorists must have known what the U.S. would be thinking and what our probable actions would be...This act according to what we have seen and read is an event 5 years or so in the making...don't you think they thought of the outcomes of their actions!!! I dont know...I hope I am also just being super paranoid...but I do believe in predestiny and fortelling the future...here is a Quote from a book on Nostradamus I have:

"In the City of God there will be a great thunder, Two brothers torn
apart by Chaos, while the fortress
endures, the great leader will succumb, The third big
war will begin when the big city is burning"
Nostradamus 1654

-Peace to all-
-Frisbee

[Byron Bertram]

That's freaky Frisbee. Shit, I'm a paranoid guy like you myself. Good thing we're not hanging out right now. We'd drive each other to hysteria.

I'm also organizing a group show with myself and Fred Anderson up in Vancouver at Granville Island this weekend for the proceeds to go to The Red Cross. I think as street performers this is the best thing we could possibly do.

[Prof Willie B]

The supposed Nostradamus quatrain quoted below is a fake. It was written in 1997 by a Brock University (Canada) academic, Neil Marshall, as an example of the ambiguity of both Nostradamus' writings and the interpretations of them.

[This message has been edited by Prof Willie B (edited 10-19-2001).]

[Jim]

Still waiting on totals, but it looks like the performers in Boston raised over $5000.00 for the 'United Way September 11th' fund.

It felt REALLY good to go out and do something. And it will feel really good getting that check in the mail off to NY. I urge all performers to do a show or two for the cause.

And Yes, that Nostradamus quote is a fake...

Jim

[Frisbee]

Sorry about the misquote...Someone sent it to me and said it was a quote from the complete prophecies of Nostradamus...which I have on my shelf...oops...should have cross referenced to make sure it was acurate before I quoted it here. Sorry. (

-Frisbee