‘Twould appear this Sunday morning that March is wrestling with whether to remain a Lion, or to become a Lamb. Perhaps there is a little Lamb in the Lion, and a bit of Lion in the Lamb? Storm within calm? Calm within storm?
Public within private, private within public. The visible within the invisible. The invisible within the visible. Silence within sound. Sound within silence. The known within the unknown. The unknown within the known.
These past few years on G+ in which HangOuts have become “the thing,” I’m all too aware that I am not good at hanging out. If someone were to call me up and ask me if I wanted to hang out, chances are I’d say I have something else to do.
But ask me to go for a walk in a botanical garden? Yes! Ask me to join you for a long chat over dinner? Yes! Ask me to be your safety pilot? Yes! Ask me to join you at the ballet? Yes! I will do most anything to get to know someone with whom I feel a connection – except a video hangout. All those years as an actor, when what I looked like – my “type,” my “age,” my “casting potential,” wearied me of the physical word when it comes to communicating, and beckoned me back to the world of words and music and art, and sound…and voices.
I love voices…people’s voices, the voices of birds, animals, the voices of nature – the wind and the sea. If we listen carefully to them, we can hear within those voices so much that we would miss if we just used our eyes.
In instrument flight training, you spend a lot of time under a hood or foggles, so that you cannot see the horizon, the sky, the ground. You have no sense of where you really are. You can only see the instrument panel and have to train yourself to scan quickly…to listen carefully. Take sight away and another sensory world opens up for exploration.
James Barraford and Randy Resnick invited me to “sit down for a chat” with them on their PodCast show called Leave the Bottle. I wanted to do it as audio…because I like the sound of human voices.
On Friday morning, long before the sun came up (6:45), I sat down and talked with these two men, both of whom I’ve known for a long time on G+. They always seem to show up when I post something socially or politically provocative. We’ve been sharing words online for a while now, so it seemed time to listen to one another’s voices.
The material within the mystery. The mystery within the material…
Because behind every face, there is a voice that is, IMHO, far more important than the face.
P.P.S. The article about the “older brain” about which I speak in the PodCast is titled The Older Mind May Just Be A Fuller Mind, from the New York Times:
http://flighttraining.aopa.org/magazine/2010/December/ifrtraining.html
The book by Dr. Mark Epstein to which I refer is called *Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart.” His prior book, which is how I came to know about him, is titled: *Thoughts Without a Thinker.” His most recent books is “The Trauma of Every Day LIfe” I recommend his books to everyone. His website is: http://markepsteinmd.com/
The transgendered artist couple, Rhys Ernst and Zackary Drucker, to whose exhibition exploring the realm of “relationsihps” that I refer, can be read about here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/fashion/the-growing-transgender-presence-in-pop-culture.html?hpw&rref=fashion
A taste of Mali Music, to which I refer, can be heard on YouTube here: Mali Music – Beautiful. The official web site is http://www.malimusicofficial.com/
#LeavetheBottle #MaliMusic #RhysErnstZackaryDrucker #DrMarkEpstein #JournalforSocialEraKnowledge
Originally shared by James Barraford
We all know Giselle Minoli is brilliant within G+ threads. Now you can listen to Giselle as she joined myself and Randy Resnick this morning discussing gender issues on the latest podcast of Leave the Bottle .
Meg Tufano
https://soundcloud.com/voipusers/episode-011-once-is-not-enough
March 16, 2014 at 3:17 pm
I, too, like phone-in radio Randy Resnick. No surprise to you, I’m sure, that I’m an NPR fan. Ah for the days of radio. Some things should never die. Thank you, once again, for being such a gracious and welcoming host!
March 16, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Wonderful, Giselle Minoli 😀
One day, we should hangout 😀
March 16, 2014 at 3:22 pm
Giselle Minoli Sitting in my home on a chilly March morning at 6:45 am with coffee in hand seemed like a perfectly lovely time to have a chat.
Listening and learning is something that I’ve tried to incorporate more into my life, so that morning was important to me. For several years the two of us have bantered back and forth on the serious and the mundane.
Your physical voice matched your writers voice…. intelligent, compassionate, thoughtful, and kind.
I’m truly thankful you joined Randy and myself for the podcast. People who listen will hear a conversation more in tune with a shady porch on a summer day than a studio talking head show.
March 16, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Ayoub Khote Let’s! Let’s do a radio show! I want to know if the way I “hear” your voice in my head matches what you sound like! And I will bet it does! (I’m pretty good at that…)
March 16, 2014 at 3:27 pm
Giselle Minoli You SHOULD have been in the podcast recording yesterday with Ayoub Khote that we are putting out Monday. An hour of politics and current events tied into that. Perhaps a future four-person show is in order.
BTW…. my wife loved, loved, loved your comments. As a women in the corporate world who is a “boss” as well, she identified with so much of what you had to say. Her only regret is that she wasn’t part of the discussion. (You make everyone want to chime in :P)
March 16, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Giselle Minoli There were times Ayoub’s voice reminded me of Idris Elba when he played John Luther in “Luther.”
March 16, 2014 at 3:29 pm
I would love to do something with Ayoub Khote James Barraford. And I have an idea. When I can better flesh it out in my mind I will PM both of you… Meanwhile, I look forward to Ayoub Khote Podcast!
March 16, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Well, James Barraford you have to tell your wife to join us on G+. I believe the discussion we had is going to be a big part of the 2016 election debate! There I go again…saying what I shouldn’t say, writing what I shouldn’t write, expressing what I shouldn’t express. When will I ever learn? Oh, when will I ever learn? Never. That’s when. 😉
March 16, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Giselle Minoli Don’t ever learn the art of unexpressing yourself. Far too many do that already.
March 16, 2014 at 3:36 pm
Giselle Minoli My wife wants nothing to do with G+. No amount of cajoling will do it. However, she will appear in the future on the podcast. She is one smart and funny chick.
March 16, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Luther, James Barraford? Thank you 😀
That sounds wonderful, Giselle Minoli 😀
March 16, 2014 at 4:03 pm
Eve A …The Awesome within the Audio!!!!
March 16, 2014 at 4:13 pm
edit: the show is available for streaming or downloading on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud.
March 16, 2014 at 4:20 pm
I subscribed on iTunes James Barraford…
March 16, 2014 at 5:01 pm
Giselle Minoli being of an age where growing up in a home with radio was more the norm then growing up with television; and then because my mom was in theatre (as a dancer) i grew up backstage as it were; people’s voices were always important to me. Your voice is the you I always imagined you to be. Having had my stage lighting career where my cues and my design impetus were based on hearing what was said (with the exception of dance) versus an emoticon; voice, even without my synesthesia, has played a special place in my life and this post from you has reminded me of the special-ness of voice. Thank you for sharing.
March 16, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Ah…. you (once again) kind man stuart richman. I have a feeling that your “spoken” voice would be as I imagine it in my head, too. It’s a fun game to play, isn’t it? But sometimes…it’s nice to keep certain things a total mystery. Although…I love, love, love radio. Always have. Always will.
March 16, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Giselle Minoli as a submariner, since there are no windows, all “piloting” is the equivalent of “IFR” so listening to command instructions is hyper critical and resposes are rule specific precise. Tonal inflections are Everything. Voice is king and listening is queen to make a poor analogy. Sadly there is no radio for entertainment or education as we maintain radio silence but luckily for those purposes there is a ships library so it is a plus for those who love good books and an open mind 🙂
March 16, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Fifty percent of what I listen to are old radio programs and newer recreations via podcasts from sites like Radiotopia.
March 16, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Gosh stuart richman the thought of being in a submarine makes me claustrophobia crazy…although I enjoy watching movies about them! It is the same thing – the piloting aspect of it – but there is a big difference for me being above ground and below ground. For some reason I don’t get claustrophobic in a plane…even in IFR conditions. Maybe it’s that I “know” I’m not underwater? Maybe I would feel differently about using “just” the voice if I were blind. I am in awe of unsighted persons (like Andrea Bocelli) who move, without sight, so fluidly through life. In awe.
March 16, 2014 at 6:02 pm
Giselle Minoli when I was taking flight training my instructor had a difficult time getting me to understand the importance of looking out the windows because I had only recently come from the submarine world of no windows and I was so much more at ease with relying on instrumentation. I can laugh at it now but of course at the time it wasn’t funny. Oddly because the subs are so mind bogglingly large claustrophobia was never an issue. I too am in awe of blind people. I once did lighting for a children’s play (“Are there really alligators in the sewers of NYC”) for a group of blind children. I have never known such joy as that experience.
March 16, 2014 at 6:25 pm
What an interesting, stimulating and diverse life you have led stuart richman. I wonder if there is one other single man in the US with the particular combination of training/skills/interests as sailing, submariner(ing), flying, theatre, dance and stage lighting? What are the odds? Slim, I’ll bet…
March 16, 2014 at 7:26 pm
Giselle Minoli that you with the amazing life you have / have had should think my life interesting pleases me greatly and I thank you. As for the diversity of my life skills if you take submariner out of the equation I suspect there are many more then either of us might think.
March 16, 2014 at 8:27 pm
Giselle Minoli I think Hangouts perfectly illustrates that Google+ was originally very much intended to be used with close friends and family. The name alone says a lot. In the true sense of the word, to hangout with someone is an intimate experience where you let loose and just enjoy the company without ulterior goals. Which most of us rarely do with people we don’t have a closer relation with than shared interests. I greatly enjoy using Hangouts with my kids but I always feel dorky and uncomfortable using Hangouts with people I haven’t met in real life
March 16, 2014 at 9:37 pm
Jannik Lindquist I feel very much the same way. Although I do understand why so many people are attracted to HangOuts and therefore I don’t have anything against them. I think it is a personal thing. And I suspect that in my case I have never been able to get past the word “HangOut.” It’s just an awfully weird, unappealing word to me. On the other hand…I love the word “interview.”
March 17, 2014 at 9:57 am
No…it’s most certainly not a generational thing Randy Resnick. In terms of group ensemble gatherings there isn’t much I haven’t done. The only thing that would entice me to do it would be the specific people and topic. I would never cancel flying for a hangout. Or writing for a hangout. Or being in the garden for a hangout. Or watching a documentary for a hangout…too many other things I want to do… It’s rather the creative mood I’m in and the way I want to spend my time. This, in fact, might well be a gender issue!
March 17, 2014 at 10:26 am
I don’t agree with you at all about this Randy Resnick. In my life I am surrounded not only by creative people but by doctors, scientists and every other ilk of every age and I know hardly anyone who does them. They are just busy doing other things. Forgive me, but there is tremendous arrogance and self-reference in the social media world. Many, many assumptions are made in it about people that are far from the mark. I don’t know anyone who works full time that has time to do hangouts. And their lack of time determines how they want to spend the time they do have. There is a zeitgeist on social media that you have to post constantly, comment constantly, hangout constantly and be visible constantly in order to be of the moment, hip, relevant, with it.
I don’t “hang out” in real life either and I didn’t when I was 30. I was always in a theatre rehearsing something or in my design studio designing something. I have always been very particular about how I spend my time. I also am not selling anything on G+, so again…as I type these words I look forward to getting back to the essay I’m currently writing and only a very particular magnetic pull could lure me away from that.
No… It most certainly is not generational…it’s availability of time and how one wants to spend it.
Beyond that I think people are getting very good at destroying the mystery about themselves…too much information…so much sharing.
If anything it’s cultural. The young painters I know? They are in the studio painting. That’s where their main energy is focused…it’s how they want to live their life and what they want to do with their energy every day. You know…that chi energy thing…
March 17, 2014 at 10:51 am
Giselle Minoli I work 55 hours a week at my two jobs and I do hangouts. Do I do them every week… no. But I do them enough. I also write, so the podcast, read, play with my dogs, go to the movies, a ballgame, and have a pretty full life.
it’s not about time, it’s about desire and how you want to parcel out your time. But It’s getting tiresome listening to far too many Americans complaint about a lack of time. (not saying you, it’s a generalization of the society we live in).
We have time to do virtually anything that we want to do. My wife works 60-65 hours a week at her three jobs. AND THEN…. she goes to school 4 hours on Tuesday night and 9 hours on Friday during the day. And there is 15-20 hrs a week studying time (more with exams) AND a long commute time. And a home life with me.
She still parcels out time for ordinary activities. It’s not easy but she manages.
To me its a combination of gender/generation. I know that again I’m generalizing, but women are more reticent to do hangouts and the vast majority of people in hangouts are younger, mainly men under 40, depending on the topic. You don’t do hangouts so you don’t see it. I’m 52 and in many hangouts I’m the old guy.
The reasons certainly include what you mentioned about the arrogance and self-reference that I don’t care for in the social media world either. There is a “herd” mentality that often is very unbecoming.
Just go to one of Elgan’s threads here and see the herd at work as they destroy anyone who dares not take every last thing he has to say as gospel. He does nothing to stop them and it fact joins in on being nasty to those who disagree with him.
Doing social media is no different that any other area of life. It’s what I want to make of it. There are times I love it, there are times I hate it.
March 17, 2014 at 11:09 am
Giselle Minoli to jump in here with my 3 cents worth of opinion and what the fark do i know as to hangouts – I don’t do them online or IRL; I did one for a few minutes when u got a new phone only ti see if it was capable of doing it so I would know how not to do them. I didn’t / don’t hangout in bars IRL except for a opening night cast party and then only long enough to have one drink and congratulate the cast. I am not a very social person notwithstanding my G+ posts. U thunk it us partly gender partly generational and partly what one expects from using social media.
March 17, 2014 at 11:22 am
But James Barraford forgive me (again) but you did say on our PodCast that you “didn’t have time” to learn anything new (when we were speaking about continuing to learn as a lifelong exercise…at that moment you used the example of learning a language) because of the two jobs you are doing. So this is more than a bit of a contradiction. Yes, it is a time issue. If you are doing all of the things that you say you are doing and you want to spend your extra time doing PodCasts that is the way that you, as an individual choose to spend that time. There are only 24 hours in anyone’s day. With the 24 allotted to me, I want to spend mine being creative, not hanging out online. It isn’t generational. It is a choice of how to spend the time that one has.
Randy Resnick I find that interesting because I think it is many people who are transitioning to other work, redefining themselves, using social media in what I think are truly innovative ways (I did say that I understand why people dig them…and I do) that are using HangOuts. I could give you a list of ways that I would be interested in using them if I had the time and wasn’t pulled to do these other things. In education, I think they are fantastic, for instance.
It isn’t worth arguing about, I just wanted to stress that for me as an individual it is time issue, not a generational issue…that’s really all.
March 17, 2014 at 11:30 am
I was being more or less facetious about the no time for learning in the podcast.
Learning to me is spending vast amounts of time to do it right. I don’t have the capability to learn very quickly. Do I have the time to spend 30 hours a week to learn Greek. Yes, if I want to sacrifice all the other areas of my life. Again, it’s choice on the parcelling out of time.
March 17, 2014 at 11:44 am
For what it’s worth James Barraford it didn’t come off as more or less facetious in the PodCast…it came off as the reality of your life. HangOuts to me are the spending of “vast amounts of time to do (them) right.” Later…but not now.
March 17, 2014 at 12:20 pm
I wasn’t using “most of all I know” as an argument Randy Resnick. I used it to point out that the circles of people we each know and travel in are different and people have different habits. It was a response to your saying that the use/not use of HangOuts is generational and I was only pointing out that in my life (not in anyone else’s life) that is not the case…that in the circles in which I travel, no matter the generation, I don’t know very many people who do HangOuts. That is really all I was saying, aside from pointing out that I am spending my time in other ways at the moment.
Paul Newman said that he prefers women clothed…there is more to imagine… 😉
March 17, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Giselle Minoli You have a new fan…… my mom. She listened this morning and loved you on the show.
Someday I’ll have her write a story for Medium under my account on what she had to experience as a single mother in the 1960’s. You know bits of the story from private convos but if you knew more…..
April 18, 2014 at 3:47 am
It is really wonderful to hear your voice Giselle Minoli , thanks James Barraford for this…