I Something God from Aleks Degtyarev on Vimeo.

What we did:  We externalized the spiritual journey into a days walk through the city.

We got up at 5am and took a train from Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY to Inwood NY in NYC. We began our walk from Inwood and ended our journey entirely by foot in Battery Park. We recorded the journey on video and audio and constructed a montage condensed narrative. A narrative of the inner work as represented throughout the journey.

LSD Yes Coke NO. Why?

We traversed mainly through parks and “organic environments” in the city, to see if we can reconnect/reconcile the man made and the nature/god made within us in one of the most bustling metropolises (The city that never sleeps) and to explore if that separation actually exists.

Snakes in the city.

We paid close attention to our language shift and noticed how patterns work. We observed that a hawk followed us through out the city in both actual physical form and symbolically. Somehow it became evident that the city parks are likened to organs and that the city is truly a marvelous organism. Most importantly, we observed how easy it was to be honest with a person who one knows less than old friends or family members. We observed ourselves sharing stories we never told our closest of friends and relatives. Then we reflected on this…

You must believe.

Why: It relates to every persons own spiritual journey and it fits into the canon of other cultures established rites, be it a hallucinogenic “trip”, vision quest, meditation, breathing, spinning, sun or moon dance, or communing with nature, gods and spirits alike. All these elements are reflexive and reflective. Doing a spiritual trip in a cosmopolitan area appears to be difficult. How does one focus her attention? We didn’t want to wait, we decided to use what was available to us now.

on

June 19-20, 2012

The Lab Gallery is located on the corner of 47th St. & Lexington Ave. New York, NY.

Performance will commence at:

5:30-7pm

Jewish Lightnin’ (pilot) Promo from Aleks Degtyarev on Vimeo.

About the Project: 

These are stories about the coming of age of one Jewish boy who was brought to the USA by his family from Soviet Ukraine when he was eight years old. These are specific stories about what it means to explore ones identity and the challenges that await along the way.

First day in America.

The story begins on August 11, 1989 in my great uncle, Moti’s, Glen Cove house and spans all the way to February 22, 2012, when the same boy now a man proposes to his sweetheart, Lucinda a Chinese American woman in Camp Hero, Montauk NY.

We got engaged.

These stories address what it means to be Jewish and a Soviet immigrant in suburban Long Island. What did “Jewishness” mean to me. The family dynamics that go along with these implication and what it takes to transform an all together confusing identity experience into one that may not be limited by labels, comparisons, and hierarchies.

My Grandma and her mom reunited.

At its core this appears to be a story about growing up, about transcendence, and the broadening of awareness. Beyond the core it could be a continuation of the oral story telling tradition. This may be my attempt at  purposeful communication; stories placed within a context.

Island Trees HS bathroom, my first outings with my camera.

What I’ll be doing at the Lab:

 I will be telling this personal non-linear narrative from 5:30-7pm.  All guests are invited to participate by picking the stories they want to hear off a menu and then asking questions as they see fit during the telling of the stories.

Menu Specials

Please select what you would like to hear.

The Arrival

Our family arrives in the USA, 1989 from  Soviet Ukraine to live at my great Uncles house. This is the story about promise: the promise of opportunity in a new land, the promise of one big, happy, family. The American dream as it seems to immigrants. The continuation of the long tradition of the wandering Jew. The continuation of a Diaspora.

The Last Temptation of the Bris

When I am around 11 years old my parents come to pose a question. Would I consider a religious circumcision? This is my first indoctrination into this idea of “Jewishness”. I am brought up without a religion in the house. Faithless? This story relates to tradition (Jewish tradition) vs. conformity (fitting in). Unto whom does my body belong to?

Jewish Camp in Summertime 

My parents give me the opportunity to go to a lavish Jewish American Summer camp. The experience leaves me feeling alienated and upset. I feel that I am not accepted by my peers. My ideas about being different than the rest are here reinforced once again. This story speaks to an overall question, haunting me, “if these jews are not my people then which jews are, if any?”

Hanukah Celebration of Light and Puke 

My family and I visit friends in Boston, for Hanukah, where I have my first real taste of the forbidden fruits of alcohol and marijuana. This story relates to an almost farcical isolation from Jewish tradition, and about pageantry, in the sense of how the holiday Hanukah is used and also the way that I try to fit in with the slightly older and seemingly cooler family friends.

Kyke Comes Full Circle

Now in high school, I still am having a hard time fitting in. There are but a few Jewish kids around, and neither I, nor them are seeking each other out for companionship. I get into a fight in which I gain the upper hand, then facing suspension, I ibrand the other boy an anti-semite. This story appears to be about the abuses of racial/religious power. This may be a subversion of tolerance in a country that prides on political correctness.

Everyone Knows, The Greeks are Anti-Semites

In College I fall in love for the first time with a Greek girl. We date for several years. Our independent family dynamics begins to wear on our “love” and relationship. Unfortunately I can only bring you one side of the story for now. This seems to be a story about the age old myth about blood being thicker than water, about old world values vs. the new cultural context.

The Mitzvah of Being the Boss

My first real professional 9-5 job. My boss and the owner of the establishment for which I work happens to be a religious Jewish man. A few months into the job he finds out that I too am Jewish, but not Bar Mitzvahed. He inquires what else I may not be. Then he tells his wife and his sons, all of whom work at the same job. Looking to do good according to his faith he gives the greatest mitzvah of all, I quit, and go on to pursue my dreams. God works in mysterious ways…

Birthwrong

Birthright  is a sponsored program for Jews to travel free to Israel, for those who have never been. I go and happen to truly connect to the Holy land as well as the doctrine, “blood is thicker than water.”  I get romantically involved with a girl on the trip. Finally I’m a good Jew, making my parents and all other Jews proud. I am with my own kind and may one day make a Jewish baby. Except, there is one problem. I have to breakup with my Chinese American girlfriend who I have been living with for the past 2 years.

Spiritual Journey Recap  

I am back together with my Chinese American girlfriend and it seems that if we can survive what has happened we can do anything. We plan an indefinite trip around the USA and even possibly the world in our new truck. We spend 7 months on the road traveling the USA and Canada. When we return a few months down the road, I have another self-assessment and again break-up with my girlfriend. This story seems to be the wandering, pondering, wondering Jew, looking for resolve in the lost land of paradoxes.

A 30th Birthday Surprise 

After an arduous journey to a realization of what love is, I arrive at the decision that it’s time to take responsibility into my own hands and to give credit where due. I tell my parents that I will be asking my long time Asian American girlfriend to marry my. I also ask her mom and sister for permission. On my 30th birthday I plan a surprise never to be forgotten. She says… This story appears to be about the age old Jewish tradition of defying convention, asking questions, and not settling for just any answers.

Aleks Degtyarev appears to be at times a multi media artist, poet, and healer. He believes that art should have poetic, constructive functions, that help people resolve internal conflict.

  A BluePrint Fellowship Project of COJECO funded by the UJA-Federation of NY and Genesis Philanthropy Group.

Cool Art!

One day I was on assignment at the Parish Art museum. I had accomplished my aspiration; I was an art commentator, although some call us critics. On that particular day I could not explain the compassion that radiated from somewhere deep within me. As hyperbolical beams shot out of every pore in my body, I was left to wonder if this is what enlightenment feels like? I looked at all the abstract art pieces, the ones I would just walk by before. For the first time The art captivated me, extended itself into a timeless dialogue that was never before rendered with such lucidity. Immediately I felt like sharing these timeless revelations with someone.  The room was empty, a grandiose vacancy that punctuated the privacy of that moment.  Everything became simple, well timed, and somehow a bit humorous.

Like a bathtub filled with warm water, the plug was pulled and along with my blood from my head the liquid started to drain. –Into the room walked not one, but two devastatingly well dressed men. They looked around the room as if they owned everything, and as it turned out, they did, including me.

The alarm was ringing…the alarm of waking up to the realization that you were adopted. Soon I would be in class presenting my paper on Racial and Gender inequality in the art world. With utter impatience I waited to get into the shower room. I missed them. I missed them so much, their tenderness and affection. After all, they had raised me, had afforded me this opportunity to achieve my dreams, they even groomed me. And now as always, I was going to show them how much I missed them, right there in the showers. Show that I had real love for my parents, my two hot-gay dads.

My Dads

Insert this into post…

When you can fuse two friend collaborators together to create something even more elaborate and magnificent, all prior wishes are shattered and only the promise of total surprise remains. In this case I reference my dear friend Jaime Segui.

What I am talking about is Sorcery Music or Sourcery Music as my fingers tend to spell it. This seems to be a show that lacks genre and confinement as many a spectacle do these days. The above link will provide the blog entry by my closest of friends Sara Mascara explaining how this show was conceived or channeled.

What’s of importance to you the reader is the opportunity  to participate. This will not be another show of separations, where hypothetical artists do pretentious things off a stage while you are left with a pondering feeling of why you have come. No, on the contrary!  You have come to create the possibility of “The Other Third”. The one that walks besides us. In fact only this union can generate the proper circumstances for something truly awe inspiring.

No longer will you need to use the word, Awesome out of context. For you, my friend will truly be that!

Sourcery Musik

The beer muse is, Velvet produced by the Staropramen Pivoray (Brewing Company). It is “A bottom-fermented beer, 5.3% alcohol, with a remarkable visual appearance and taste, whose development was inspired by a traditional English recipe.”

Truly, the beer does live up to it’s name. And somehow the Original Hooligan Tribe is inspired to infuse the beers plush moniker with a diverse array… Well, anyway it’s all explained in the letter.

What started as nothing more than mention of a Czech lager prominently named, Velvet, leads to a Hooligan skit inspired universe? We are not sure if the beer comes from Czech Republic but is a British beer or if it is a Czech Beer made in Britain. Somehow thee Majesties royal country is involved and we proceed to first, carpet bombing all of the Bond films: The most memorable and somehow more hysterical appropriation being, License to Velvet, funnier even than both Dr. Velvet and Octavelvet. Die Another Velvet or Velvet Another Day are not bad choices but sadly disappointing when put next to Velvet Pussy! GoldVelvet offers its funnier counterpart in Velveteye or Velvetfinger. From Russia with Velvet  seems too decadent and deprived. You Only Live Velvet sucks. It just doesn’t cut it, not in any rearrangement including and limited to: You Velvet Live Twice, Velvet Only Live Twice and You Only Velvet twice (perhaps the best arrangement from this bunch). Diamonds Are Velvet is too much of an inquiry rather than a statement.  Without proper punctuation and when reversed, Velvet are Forever, sounds like a new post-rock band, rightly consisting of members from older better bands.

The Man With the Golden Velvet is mysterious and plush, only to be rivaled by, The Velvet with the Golden Gun as well as, The Man with The Velvet Gun, no matter how predictable.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Velvet is a bit implicative, causing a raised brow, but not so much a giggle. This is also attributed to this being not a memorable film in the Bond series. In fact, no suitable alteration of this title injected with velvet, will give the desired effect so, let’s keep moving.

The Spy Who Loved Velvet reminds me too much of Peter Sellers or Austin Powers, which could lead to a slapstick funny. Velvetracker though, is just plain vulture-like, primal and congenial at once!

Velvet Your Eyes Only, okay. A View to a Velvet, The Living Velvet in so far as these are poetic gestures… The Velvet Day Lights, dangerous and dreamy. Velvet Never Dies, too much infomercial-like. Where as, Tomorrow Never Velvet and The World is not Velvet are just too somber thoughts. For if the world was truly velvet we wouldn’t need houses or food or clothing.

“like deer antlers” muttered Pipe half awake.

Snacking Last New Years

If you are not familiar with the follies and adventurous forays into the never-lands  of my dear friend Pipe, then I am at a loss. It’s as if you haven’t payed attention to anything we’ve been telling you.

Trust no one. Especially not yourself.

He has traveled on a prized Honda CB500T  motorbicycle all the way from Bethpage New York, turning a page in Alaska and then miraculously down into Mexico and beyond. Even though I too have traveled this great land extensively, this is still hard to fathom. Some have sited that this loner spirit is unhealthy or dangerous. What would they know? Most people dream of such feats, but do everything within their power to eclipse every opportunity to take this journey.

BFF's (last new years)

Life is but a game! One must play for keeps. Listen to Bon Senor Jovi that motha fucka knew what he was talkin about, that whole bit about riding into the night on his steel pony with a six string on his back. Ryder Strong aka Pipe Adams may not have a six string on his back, but what he does have is way less cumbersome, nothing. Just sweat and grease, I would imagine.

There are few, if any iconoclasts left on this planet. Trust me when I tell you that this manboy has no motivation to do what he does. He just does!

as Pipe will tell you, vivre sa vie!

We love you friend.

ukulele and me.

Yes, as is almost always the case, it was all my parents fault. Had this happened a few years later, perhaps I would have rebelled, just for the sheer pleasure of rebelling against my beloved family, and subsequently, society at large. But, that didn’t happen and I was forced, for years, to live in denial, in repression, in the shadows of my unrealized dreams. However, all that was about to change in the month of April of 2011.

This is the place, the space, loyal reader, where I shall reveal the most formal, all encompassing, intrinsic truth about all of the 6.8 billion inhabitants of this world. I hope you are ready to confront yourself because here it is – EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A ROCK STAR! Everyone! Even your toothless grandma, your gay uncle, and that terrorist next door, Osama Bin Laden. Especially your Gay Uncle. Everything you do in life is just a compensation because you are not a Rock Star. Trust me. I meditate for 12 minutes a day. I’m giving you the facts. Here is how I confronted my own self deception and how you can too.

All those bongos, ukuleles, flutes, pianos, and such just weren’t for me. They required formal musical training and time, which I had squandered because my parents didn’t believe in me. From high school on I wanted to be a DJ. I envied those that could mix music live, that could scratch, and make mixtapes. But all that equipment was pricey and my parents just laughed at me. I tried to make them believe by making mixtapes using an old dual cassette tape JVC boom box, but that just added more resentment towards me. No immigrant son of theirs was going to do something so preposterous.
Later when I had a chance to practice on some decks, I discovered how hard it was and realized that I had squandered the time it takes to become a DJ. Such is life, huh bub?

my parents, or should I say, dream crushers.

No, if I was to make music it had to be with something I could understand, something cerebral and self-organizing, something with it’s own computing power. Flash forward to present day. I had heard of these things called,”apps” and as luck would have it I inherited a machine called the, “Ipad” that utilized these apps to run all sorts of tasks.

the present and the past. my future

Searching through the musical apps, I came across The Electribe by Korg. For only $9.99 I could have a digital version of The Korg Electribe R released in 1999 as a dedicated electronic drum machine. What does it do I wondered? As I manipulated the Ipad’s touch screen, I discovered in no time this explanation which magically entered my mind: the sound is generated by digital signal processor circuits but can be manipulated in realtime (analog modeling synthesizer principle). No shit. Needless to say, in one fell swoop I had entered the music making arena. For the first time ever, I felt confident that time was relative and that dreams do come true for little manboys who dare to dream.

Adventures in the Electric Tribe pt1 by freakcast

Thanks to Panman Productions and FreestyleLife.com everyone can enjoy the antics of the Original Hooligans.

It didn't look any closer but it felt right on top of us.

I don’t know where you were on Saturday, March 19th. 2011, but I bet it wasn’t Santos Party House. By the time the moon was out the OH crew was well underway to certain intoxication via less then memorable Chinese and Vietnames Lagers. Rice beers suck, and it was noted by all, however much Lulu wanted to defend her country’s brew.

We had spent most of the day on the shores of the TB-ridden Island of Roosevelt; watching young children coughing and the paraplegic whizzing around on their motorized wheelchairs.  Of note, we found what may or may not have been a community garden where they use the corpses of the deceased for their bone meal (fertilizer). Also, there was a young black kid playing with a young white kid, “something you only see in school books,” chimed Pipe.

Dr. Pipe's memento

Indeed.

Lucky to have gotten off that Island, and I won’t even mention the food or the architecture, we headed towards downtown. The infamous SALEM were to play the Party House of one, Santos. A show Lulu and myself had been looking forward to for months…

Pipe and Lulu. Pipe wearing Traditional Columbian Mask.

We met up with young, Yakov Grinburgerhill, an O. Hooligan coming up in the ranks of certain, http://www.griph.net/ fame.  Between sets of opening bands he regaled us with stories of job hunts,  man hunts, and the forgotten pleasures of a well tailored suit.

And so we stood, listened, drank, and waited for the revered band to take the stage.  Pipe, jumping for joy, had mistook another opening act for that of SALEM themselves and for no reason at all other than his joy and confusion, received an alarming knee to the groin from a feminine stranger. Pondering his options and combing his beer soaked brain for a resolution, he took to violent whimsy, whereby shoving the strange lady clear across the dance floor…

Young Y.Grinburgerhill true identity to be disguised.

A slight tussle broke loose and as if a bunch of anamatronic bears spurred by a strangers quarter, the OH crew jumped into action.

Besting all that took part on the dancefloor, the Hooligan chapter was forced to flee… that is after cracking skulls and being pointed out by some wimpy white kid to the security staff.

Lulu, in all her super heroine fashion, nimbly  recovered Pipe’s most expensive glasses from the chaos. Bravo!

charming as always.

A “supre’moon” had turned men into animals and maybe even vice versa. One thing is for certain, “a black kid would never have ratted us out, it’s just not in their nature,” said Pipe, as he kissed my prized right hand now ballooning from a possible fracture.

I guess we will have to wait for the next Supre’moon to see our SALEM.

SALEM

SALEM MIXTAPE!