Starving artists

I have this ongoing discussion, which is usually only in my head but often includes my wife, Sandra. It’s about striving for the utmost you can do with your art. Not perfection (what fun is that?) but to be as creative as possible and not be swayed by the market or whatever other forces might alter your vision.

Saturday night we went to a hip-hop/rap/indie music event at a little place in town called the Starving Artist. Really enjoyed a spoken-word/poetry slam/genre-bending performance set to music by Listener. Then was absolutely blown away by rapper Adeem, who happens to be from our little New England city but has traveled far and wide and is the only two-time winner of ScribbleJam, which is a big deal. Check him out on youtube. His new album is called The Volume in the Ground and you can try it on itunes and elsewhere. How to describe him? I can’t except that he fits the criteria I mentioned in the first paragraph. Great performer. Great lyricist. Unblemished creativity. Absolute energy. Enjoyed every second of it.

Also, thanks to all of the bloggers out there who are giving such great attention to my new novel, War and Watermelon. Much appreciated. Anyone who’s interested can find some of the blogs here: tlcbooktours.com

Another thing: I've had a few comments about my top 50 Dylan songs (mostly from my son Jeremy). How did I leave off Desolation Row, Tweeter and the Monkey Man, Maggie's Farm, or (especially) Subterranean Homesick Blues? Let's squeeze them in somewhere. The list is getting bloated, but this is Dylan we're talking about.