Joe Nolan's Insomnia » 1942

Bruce + Jimi Forever

Joe Nolan — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 16:21:19 +0000

Given the stuff I post here at Insomnia it’s not surprising that my social media feeds and suggestions on November 27 were full of notices about Jimi Hendrix’ birthday on that day in 1942. What was surprising is that I was also alerted to lots of notices about Bruce Lee’s birthday on the same day in 1940. I had no idea these two heroes shared that special day, and a bit more snooping revealed that they both attended the same high school in Seattle. Jimi and Bruce combine to represent the perfect embodiment of the characteristics that we’ve been talking about on the Art Fight Club podcast: the fight to make great art and the great art that can inform fighting. Both were revolutionary innovators who defied artistic traditions and racial barriers to become bold and vibrant pioneers who continue to inspire and motivate artists and warriors across a spectra of disciplines.

Happy birthday, boys!

Here’s a fun fan video that rather remarkably highlights the parallels between their two paths…

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Baby Jimi

Joe Nolan — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 06:33:10 +0000

This week we celebrate the birthday of Jimi Hendrix on November 27, 1942. Here’s a post from just a few months back marking the end of the genius. The first cut is the deepest…

Over the weekend Open Culture pointed back to one of its own posts to remember Jimi Hendrix’ death in London on September 17, 1970.

Here are a couple of great acoustic performances with some words from Open Culture…

Solo acoustic recordings of Hendrix—film and audio—are incredibly rare. In fact, the only other footage may be the short clip above of Hendrix at a party playing a partial blues rendition of “Hound Dog.” If like me you’re a fan of Hendrix, acoustic blues, or both, these videos will make you hunger for more Jimi unplugged. While Hendrix did more than anyone before him to turn guitar amps into instruments with his squalls of electric feedback and distorted wah-wah squeals, when you strip his playing down to basics, he’s still pretty much as good as it gets.

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Huey’s Day

Joe Nolan — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 06:38:36 +0000

On February 17 we celebrate the 1942 birthday of the founder of the Black Panther Party, Huey P. Newton. Anyone paying attention to Black Lives Matter can’t help but see parallels to the same challenges that faced the Black Panthers way back in the 1960′s. Here’s a 1968 documentary film made by the Panthers: Huey! honors the group’s celebrated leader, advocating for his release from prison…

Documentary film produced by American Documentary Films and the Black Panther Party from 1968, honoring Huey P. Newton’s struggle for Afrikan human rights in AmeriKKKa, advocating for his release from jail and addressing issues of racism in AmeriKKKan society. Features scenes from the funeral of Bobby Hutton and the Huey P. Newton Birthday Rally in the Oakland Auditorium on February 17th 1968, with speeches by: Bobby Seale (who explains the Black Panther Party’s 10 Point Program in detail); Ron Dellums; James Foreman; Charles R. Garry; Eldridge Cleaver; Bob Avakian; H. Rap Brown and Stokely Carmichael. Also includes views of KKKops showing the weapons and armor they carry in patrol cars and of Afrikans discussing racism in AmeriKKKan society. This film was scripted and directed by Sally Pugh.

Here’s Huey!…

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Henry Ford’s Hempmobile

Joe Nolan — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 04:36:48 +0000

Henry Ford filed a patent for a plastic car on January 13, 1942. At first glance, this fact struck me a curiosity — an interesting development that could’ve been. In truth, Ford had been working with the his plastic prototypes for at least a year before filing and the “plastic” aspect of the car was only half the story.

While the actual recipe for Ford’s plastic is lost to history, it’s likely that the main ingredients were soybeans and hemp — the vehicles are also said to have run on fuel made from the hemp plant. The car was incredibly light compared with steel, but, conversely, ten times as strong. Ford was definitely looking for a way to bypass steel shortages during the war, but he was also interested in combining manufacturing with agriculture stating:

“Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the fields?”

As we look to the future for solutions to sustainable transportation it often proves more wise to look to the past. Here’s a short video compilation that tells the story of Henry Ford’s Hempmobile…

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Woody Guthrie’s New Year’s Resolutions

Joe Nolan — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 22:51:04 +0000

Not only was Woody Guthrie the father of folk music, he also knew how to make a New Year’s resolution. The Brain Pickings site explains:

As a lover and maker of lists, I often agree with Umberto Eco that “the list is the origin of culture.” But, more than that, it can also be a priceless map of personal aspiration, as is the case of the kinds of lists we make this time of year — resolution lists. This particular one, penned by the great Woody Guthrie in 1942 at the tender-but-just-wise-enough age of 30, is an absolute gem of humor, earnestness, and pure humanity.

Here is Woody Guthrie’s Resolution List, 1942:

1. Work more and better
2. Work by a schedule
3. Wash teeth if any
4. Shave
5. Take bath
6. Eat good — fruit — vegetables — milk
7. Drink very scant if any
8. Write a song a day
9. Wear clean clothes — look good
10. Shine shoes
11. Change socks
12. Change bed cloths often
13. Read lots good books
14. Listen to radio a lot
15. Learn people better
16. Keep rancho clean
17. Dont get lonesome
18. Stay glad
19. Keep hoping machine running
20. Dream good
21. Bank all extra money
22. Save dough
23. Have company but dont waste time
24. Send Mary and kids money
25. Play and sing good
26. Dance better
27. Help win war — beat fascism
28. Love mama
29. Love papa
30. Love Pete
31. Love everybody
32. Make up your mind
33. Wake up and fight

Thanks for reading the blog this year! Here is a special New Year’s gift: David Carradine starring as Woody Guthrie in the Academy-Award-winning film Bound for Glory. Happy New Year!

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