What am I doing here?
Inspiration at the Père-Lachaise CemeteryThis is an excerpt from a diary entry I wrote on January 22, 2014:
What am I doing here? I know I’m in the right place — I can feel it, somehow — but being in the right place doesn’t necessarily mean feeling comfortable there. I know I don’t want a regular nine-to-five — I honestly don’t think I’d make it — but I need something more. Even with an idea for a third novel [The Requisitions] and query letters for a second novel to stay motivated about…that’s what I’ll work on, the second novel, Slim and The Beast … the imperfect work for an imperfect time. But what time is perfect? Who wants perfection?
Fast forward 11 years and 286 days, and I’m sitting on my sofa in my bathrobe in the most homely Parisian apartment I’ve ever known (my eighth home in 15+ years in this fine city), at the precipice of re-publishing that “imperfect novel for an imperfect time,” asking myself the question once again, what am I doing here, by harnessing the wisdom of Kurt Vonnegut’s famous dictum about the entire point of making art in the first place:
November 8So what am I doing here? Putting my faith where my purpose is by sharing my work in a way that is meaningful to me. From November 8 onwards and forever more, whenever a reader buys Slim and The Beast, it will forever be the 10th Anniversary Edition published by Kingdom Anywhere, which means I’ll actually make a few bucks off of my own writing—and it also means I can play harmonica in a bathrobe and read the text out-loud, which is exactly what I do on Sunday nights on Substack live at 10 pm Paris time, and also how I recorded Chapter 1 of the Substack-exclusive audiobook, complete with harmonica:
November 9Twenty-four hours after publication, I’ll be retreating to the French countryside to record a solo EP (piano/vocals/harmonica) with a dear friend who came all the way from New York City to help conjure this dream.
So what am I doing here? Owning up to myself as a solo pianist and vocalist. Many of you know I’m a member of the indie rock band Slim & The Beast (yes, it was named after the novel; this is my favorite song we’ve yet written), but it’s time for me to honor and explore a much more individual style of music that I’ve been playing since I was a child. The inspirations range from Debussy to Billy Joel to Tom Waits to Chopin, all of it borne from a feeling that the most fundamental truths about love can only ever, really, be communicated through music.
If you’re curious what that might sound like, here’s an early recording of some of those songs in a Parisian basement:
November 15On November 15, , the anglophone arts & literature magazine co-founded by & , is going to change the literary game in Paris, and there’s going to be a badass launch party. SOUVENIR is a non-profit artist collective, not just a magazine, which means it will foster a thriving space for international artists who work, live, and hold the city of Paris dear to their creative hearts. I’ll be sharing a dedicated piece about the magazine/collective next week, but suffice to say as a board member, fiction editor, and contributor for Issue #1—not to mention an extremely proud husband and friend—SOUVENIR is going to make a big splash, and if you don’t get your hands on one of the 1,500 first copies, you’ll regret it long before you’re old and grey.
So what am I doing here? Helping in any way I can, and enjoying the ride. My essay in the magazine, “Raëlian Bodies: A UFO cult shows you the City of Light,” is the best thing I’ve ever written about my early years in Paris, and the magazine only gets better with pieces by , , , a killer translation by , artwork by , and contributions by dozens of other supremely talented artists, editors, and contributors who make Paris the most inspiring city in the world—inspiring in the literal sense of the word, by the way: SOUVENIR Magazine will breathe life into the city.
November 20 - A Parisian Art ShowThe illustrator, painter, and graphic designer , who also happens to be my twin brother, has his first solo show in Paris, and if you’re in town, you’ll want to be there:
“ALL OF ME explores abstract, cellular, and organic forms through a stream-of-consciousness process — organized chaos rendered in line, color, and shape. My goal is to create an immersive dialogue between structure and spontaneity, inviting viewers to experience the tension between order and disorder in visual form.”
RSVP to ALL OF MEAnd that’s about the long and short of it. November is a bountiful month, and I wholeheartedly agree with Kurt Vonnegut: “Go into the arts. They make life more bearable.”So if you appreciate my work, or ’ work, or ’s work, or ’s work—in short, if you believe the world could use fewer tech bros and crypto fascists and more living, working artists who are doing the work—consider supporting those who inspire breathe life into you.1
You are the reason all of the aforementioned projects exist, and whichever artists you decide to support on Substack, just know that your support really does make a world of difference.
And now a friendly reminder to free subscribers who have a few extra dollars in their pocket:
If you sign up for the year, before November 8—that’s in 3 days—you’ll not only receive a free print/digital copy of Slim and The Beast: 10th Anniversary Edition, but also a postcard from Paris with a signature to put in the book, because the tariffs haven’t yet affected letter writing. After that date, you can buy the book wherever books are sold, and the offer shan’t remain on the table. 2
1It’s only thanks to paying subscribers that I’m able to afford equipment to record audiobooks or publish independently, or dedicate time to go into the countryside to record a solo EP. SOUVENIR Magazine is an entirely reader-supported publication. There is great power in the boldness of community. Begin it now.
2To those who are already paying subscribers: comment on this post or send me an email & I will gladly send you a postcard from Paris, too, to use as a bookmark, perhaps, in whichever book you so choose. Boldness has genius and power in it. Give me a shout.
