Everybody is a Star

Over the summer, July to be more precise, I participated as an exhibitor in my zine/comix show ever. It was SĀBRS Festival here in sunny Riga, Latvia, which will be another blog post (the news and topics for posts has piled up!). As part of the festival, a local vinyl fanatic and online radio personality, Micheal Holland organized a series of radio shows, hosted by tirkultūra, featuring some of the artists, and I was one of the lucky ones to get my hands on the mic. This was my third radio show collaboration with Micheal, so I’m getting more comfortable with the format, assembling a playlist and running my mouth (something I rarely have a problem with). Coming up with an idea for the show usually hinges on one song title or lyric and this time it was Sly and the Family Stone providing the spark with their beautiful tune, “Everybody is a Star”.

Tīrkultūra · Sabrs Radio 2024 With Hal Weaver - Everybody is A Star

I connected the theme of the show with zine and comix artist’s desire to be a star in their own way; to share their creative life with the world and tell their story. Many of the tunes I included carry the spirit of story-telling or aspirations of “making it big” or living a big life.

Here is the playlist; a mix of eclectic tunes, a few movie samples, run through with musings and guffaws.

 
1 – “Hello Hooray!” – Alice Cooper
>> Introduction and general jaw-jacking – Hal and Micheal
2 – Sample from the movie “Zandalee” > “Electric Chair” – Prince
3 – “Don’t No Body Move, This is Heist” – Tony Powers
>> Hal and Micheal chat
4 – Sample from the movie Mad Max – “God in an Alcove” – Bauhaus
5 – “On Broadway” – George Benson
6 – Sample from the movie “Barfly” – “Nobody” – David Baerwald
>> Random chit chat with Richard Thompson (Liminal Noise/Lost Harbors)
7 – “A World of Our Own” – Pater Noster soundtrack – Chris Bickell
8 – “Everybody is a Star” – Sly and the Family Stone
>> Richard Thompson holds forth with more thought-like things.
9 – “Isumas, mi daj” – Pēteris Leimanis (1949)
10 – “L’Estasi Dell’oro (The Ecstasy Of Gold)” – Ennio Morricone, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
11 – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” – Royal Fingerbowl
>> Outro and credits with Richard and Micheal.
12 – “Shining Star” – Earth, Wind and Fire

Let me know what you think. Hopefully I introduced you to some hidden treasures or dusted off some old friends.

Keep smiling,

OK HW

2023 – Once More Into the Fray…

I have not been a big fan of the 2020’s on a global and historical level. It’s been a bit of a scary shitshow of a decade so far. On a personal level however, it’s been an invigorating period. In 2023 I managed to get closer to the kind of creative life that I prefer to live, but was elusive to me for some years. There had been flashes of projects here and there through the years; the random art exhibition or acting gig, but I was too occupied with the “rat race” to be fully engaged in my creative life until now. Settling into a new life in Riga, Latvia, I have found the time and space I need to circle back around to unfinished creative pursuits. Maybe this is just a bit of a middle-life crisis playing out to re-embrace the comix, movies and art I was obsessed with as a teenager or maybe it’s a proper second (third?, fourth?) chance to once more live that creative life I had in my twenties, whatever it is I am grateful for the opportunity.

So the year that was 2023 and what did I accomplish? First big achievement was designing a new Weaverwerx logo and website, something that had been on my mind for an embarrassingly long time. I have more plans for the logo; animation, stickers, and more. To go with this new virtual space, I also secured a dedicated physical office/studio, something I haven’t had (outside of regular jobs) in a very long time. The coffee shop or kitchen table was no longer cutting it for a workspace. I need to spread my stuff out. It’s working for me.

COMIX
I finally got back into making comix again after a thirteen year absence. I wrote and drew three new comix stories; “Burls & Gnarls”, “THAT HAT” and “RESPECTO!” and submitted them to various publishers. A British annual anthology called “UGLY MUG” included “RESPECTO!” in their seventh issue, which has also been reviewed and mentioned in a variety of podcasts and blogs. The other stories will be part of the next issue of my own zine “RELUCTANT SADIST”, which was last published in 1989 (no, really), so look for that soon!

ACTING

I registered with a few of the local casting agencies and picked up my first three paid European acting gigs this year including my first bit of ADR work on the feature film “Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie” and a great role as an 18th century professor for an upcoming episode of the German TV show “Terra X” about Laura Bassi, the the first woman to have a doctorate in science. I also had the lead role in a student film called “The Road” that I have yet to see.

ART

My artistic output last year was focused on drawing, lots of drawing, more than I’ve done in years. I also was hired to paint two murals. The first one was at an annual international art exhibition in Riga called "SurvivalKit" and the second was at the National Library of Latvia (Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēka), both for the Latvian alternative comics publisher kuš! komikss.

FILM

I completed one music video project called “Space and Darkness” in collaboration with my friend Neil Bruce (Light B4 Sound). We have another project in the works, so stay tuned.

One final note, this post’s title is a quote from the film “The Grey” and was written by the director Joe Carnahan. Here’s the full quote that the protagonist played by Liam Neeson uses a mantra to keep going despite a bleak future, “Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day, live and die on this day”. That is on the wall next to my desk and will be my mantra for 2024. Never stop fighting for your creative soul.

OK HW

52 Fridays - A Case Study in Good Collaboration

I've been creatively collaborating with my friend Neil Bruce for over fifteen years. Our first project together was on my short animated film, "ZANK", back in 2005 for which he wrote a fittingly zany music score. (Catch up on "ZANK"'s history here). Our next project was a few years later when I created a music video for one of his songs "A dream of life". Neil is an idea  and creative machine, and always has several projects going on, including a podcast called "There is Another Way" aimed at anyone pursuing a creative life, multiple YouTube channels and album projects. Check out his website for more information. 

I'm grateful for Neil's friendship and particularly enjoy the creative sparks that fly whenever we get a good chat on. Through the years, we have generated more movie, art and music ideas than we could ever possibly finish in our lifetimes. Finding a good creative collaboration partner is as rare as finding a good romantic partner, both contain an element of mystery and chemistry that can't be explained or quantified. Collaborating is a tricky dance as there are egos involved, so care must be taken to honor each other's point-of-view, while talking honestly about the value of the ideas and whether they support the overall vision. Beyond the alchemy of idea creation, then there's the practicalities of crafting the ideas into a coherent plan and finally accomplishing something. For all of this to happen, all parties involved have to maintain communication and enthusiasm for the project until the end. I've seen too many projects die-on-the-vine because one person or another starts "ghosting" the thread and the project sinks beneath the waves of day-to-day life. If you want to get something done, you either make it happen or make excuses. The best of creative partners can help keep your creative life going, particularly when the well runs dry. Just as it is with a running or exercise buddy, it's easier to stay on track when you have someone to answer to and share each other's struggles.

Which brings us to my latest collaboration with Neil, his weekly music video project called "52 Fridays", found on his "Light Before Sound" channel. 

I have contributed four videos for his music on this project so far and will likely have a couple more before it is finished. 

If you find your creative life is stuck in a rut, then think through your circle of friends or people in your network who might be good to collaborate with and reach out to them and give it a try. You might be surprised where it might lead. Remember, you can go faster alone, but further together.

Thank's Neil!

OK HW