Included Below: Sparking Joy / Moon / Tig / No Pictures! / Stories We Don’t Tell. Click HERE for further information about this newsletter. To those from before and those who are new-
I. WELCOME
Sparking joy.
This seems odd coming from me, after all, usually I come off as pretty grumpy. That’s just part of my charm and personality. Maybe I’m getting older, or maybe I’ve just learned a thing or two, but I’m trying to get better at appreciating the things around me. I mean, if you look around, the world is a pretty spectacular place with all kinds of small and hidden mysteries.
There are a few things that I really enjoy. Simple things. Small things. And you know, I was going to write about some of these, but not every aspect of our lives needs to be put into the public consciousness. In fact, now that I think about it, there are some things that should only exist for us. Things that spark joy for us because they actually do. They are not performative, not for anyone else, only for you. Places that no one else can access.
I will share one thing that brings me joy. In Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It - the tv show based on his movie - there’s a scene that closes season one that made me stop in my tracks. I’m not going to say anything about it, it should be experienced. And I’m not going to clip it out because I feel that you need to get to know the characters, follow them, and earn this scene. The characters, and by extension me, embraced a specific kind of euphoric joy and seemed to, for at least some time, be unburdened by the world and each other, and just allowed ourselves to truly accept and share in this moment. This version of the Prince song Raspberry Beret was used during this scene, and whenever I listen to it, it brings me right back there:
Q - Is there a song or something that instantly brings a smile to your face? Actually, don’t tell me - just think about it to yourself.
II. TALES FROM THE DREAM ROOM
Each month welcomes an exclusive story from a parallel world.
The Dream Room is a place that where everything is interconnected. The sights and sounds and people that inhabit this world feel familiar. The tales pulled from the Dream Room are sometimes true and sometimes fiction, they may scare you or make you laugh. The Dream Room is a place not to be taken lightly and if you’re ready to enter, read the excerpt below and click on the link for the full story.
Over the last year of writing stories for this section, I’ve been working at pulling them together and building a book from this. One of the main characters driving the story is Jazmine Moon, someone that, in some ways, I have been developing for many years. Below is an excerpt from where she starts out in the story.
MOON: She opened her eyes. Stood up, a little weak at the knees still. She looked at herself - almost all navy blue: shirt, sweater, jacket past her knees with a hood, and black pants. She felt the inside of her pockets - empty. She paused at her right hip. Concealed along the seam of her pants was a slot with a handle. She lifted the handled and a staff about 30 cm slid out of a holster. Again, through instinct, she snapped the staff with her wrist the way a whip cracked. It extended out about three times the original length. There was a small button on the side, which she pushed, and the staff extended even further in both directions, making it almost as tall as her.
Jazmine looked around, listened for any reason that she might have needed this staff at that moment in time. There was nothing around her, only silence. She reversed her actions - pushed the button to retract the staff, snapped it the opposite direction, and placed it back into the holster.
Taking a few steps to through the clouds, she sat down on the edge of the cliff. She understood that there were times for stillness and times for action, you just needed to tell the difference and act appropriately. This was a time for stillness, so she waited.
Read the whole story at this link.
Q - When you’re stressed out, what helps you get through it?
III. PAUL’S PICKS.
A recommendation of something watched, read, or listened to.
For this month, this section is just basically a Tig Notaro appreciation post. To me, she is just one of the most charming and hilarious performers working today. A few years ago, she made a show called One Mississippi and in my humble opinion, it is some of the most perfect and delightful episodes of television ever made. It’s a story about love, grief, relationships, death, and on top of all that, it’s just hilarious at times. This show brings me so much joy that I re-watch it at least once or twice a year.
Check out her latest show - which is an animated stand-up special - called Tig Notaro: Drawn. Oh, and I strongly recommend her show from a while ago called Live, which is available on Spotify. She starts the special with the line: “Hello! I have cancer!” and it just gets more wild from there. Plus, there’s a great documentary about her journey called Tig. I’m just trying to say go watch her stuff, she’s the best.
[Being asked what she would say to herself as a teenager] I would say: You’re not going to believe this, but you are going to be on what seems like the absolute wrong path for about 25 years. And you’re going to find that that wrong path was exactly the right path to drop you off in the perfect spot to begin a life that you cannot even believe that you have. That you get to have: you won’t believe it! — Tig Notaro / From the Metaphysical Milkshake Podcast.
Q - What is a show that you can watch over and over?
IV. FROM THE ARCHIVES.
An old story brought to you in a new way.
David Sedaris has been on my mind because I’m almost done reading his latest book, A Carnival of Snackery. Something that always brings a smile to my face is this experience from a few years ago where I saw Sedaris in person, promptly ran away, and hid in a washroom stall for a while. From what I could see, I still have not been included in any of his stories.
NO PICTURES PLEASE (NOVEMBER 2017): It wasn’t until another woman tried to take a photograph and he playfully hid his face behind a book when I saw the sign on the table that said, No Photographs Please! Then I remembered that Sedaris doesn’t like people to take his picture. Something about how he enjoys interacting with fans by talking with them, not through random snapping of pictures.
Like I just did.
So, then I ran away.
Oh, and for better or worse, this appearance on David Letterman was basically the start of me thinking I could do something similar. And yes, if you’ve ever seen me perform a story, I totally ripped off his delivery (and made it my own, I’d like to think):
Q - Have you ever met one of your heroes?
V. WATCH, LISTEN, READ, OR DO.
Something to take with you.
Sometimes you really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. We had to give up, put on pause, sacrifice - however you want to put it - many things over the last couple years. For myself and my colleagues, one of those things has been the live storytelling show Stories We Don’t Tell. If we’re talking about joy, gosh, putting on this event every month was a privilege and an honour. I deeply miss the ability to gather with other people, share stories, and commune.
We tried to keep going and did some experimenting with podcasting and online workshops. And we did one Zoom event that went very well. However, a big part of the point of SWDT is that analogue feeling of being crammed into an apartment or house together. It is hard to get that same feeling online.
As things have been opening up, we have waited patiently for things to settle. We also wanted to be able to put on a live event that was as close to the ‘before times’ as we could, while creating a safe and comfortable space. The wait is over.
In January 2022, Stories We Don’t Tell is back live and in-person. More information is forthcoming and if you happen to have a story you’d like to tell, respond directly to this email.
Q - What is an event you have missed?
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve included a question at the end of each section. No, this isn’t required homework. However, if you are compelled to write to me with your thoughts, I would love to hear from you. Who knows, I might even share some of the answers in future newsletters (anonymously, of course). Email me here: jpd@pauldore.com.
November 2021 Edition: Body of Work / Forest of Speculation / The Broken Earth / Awful Sound / Post.