Tripe Hunting

Should a man be defined as the sum total of his passions or should he be defined by his singularity of approach in appearing to satisfy those passions? To wit, are we what we need or are we how we go about getting what we need? As an amateur archeologist of sound and images, I have been fascinated with the tension between these two existential definitions of humanity. One of the most fruitful avenues for exploring our basic essence is to be found in how we regard tripe. (see above illustration)

Simply put, most of us are not hunger artists. Mostly everyone is sated by that fatty, warm & salty substrate of cow's stomach...empty of nutrients but overwhelming to the senses. Not unlike a widescreenteevee stuck on MSNBC. But the real Hungerkünstler desires not to eat precisely because he has not found anything tangible that is worthy of consumption. This might be the moral of that story.

This notion presupposes that there are two types of tripe: i.e., the physical food type (plain ol' tripe) & the metaphysical "nourishment" type (sublime tripe). The "blog" is intended to praise the later at the expense of the former.

But like Robert Mitchem said, "half the people in America are just faking it." Those that aren't faking it are dreaming of the metaphysical tripe: deeply felt music, profound art, dance, literature. Those that Mitchem has on his mind as fakers are likely dreaming of the physical tripe: the racecars, the dizzying flashy lights, noises & gadgets that attract fakers and non-feral children alike. Maybe Mitchem & Salinger are discrete doppelgängers.

But there is redemption in the inexhaustible plurality of non-tripe interests among us. We can find engagement and captivation in meaningful conversation even if we don't share the same interests: it is the notion that we are interested that makes conversation transcendent. Like the good book says, "If ye be hot or if he be cold, I will keep ye in me. But if ye be luke warm I will spew ye out of my mouth."

Up next in future blogging:

A Vacation From Tripe: "Un voyage au sud de la France"

Savouring Istanbul.

Ne Moquez Pas Le Blessé!

Bitter Tripe

I Smells An N.P.R. Rat

Susan Archie the Sublime

Saura's "Blood Wedding" & Jarmuch's "Limits Of Control

Aimer et Perdre

Saunder's "Good Luck Whiskey" Sign

Why I Love Stuff

The Pilot On The C & O