There’s the saying that laughter is the best medicine.If that’s the case, then why are there more medical facilities than comedy clubs?
Rock n’ roll friend, concert season is slowly approaching and I’m making my list and checking it twice for budgeting purposes. And while I look forward to seeing some great bands on the stage this summer, I never expected to find myself on a stage…..doing comedy. A couple of weeks ago, I completed a comedy improv class in a tiny black box theater in front of a packed audience. You might be thinking if I’m going to start a career in either stand up comedy or audition for SNL. The answer is no. Like music, I believe all art forms are beneficial in so many ways. But I knew I needed to get out of normal creative routine and try something different. I learned so much more from improv beyond just creating comedy scenes. One: I didn’t expect that an improv class would teach me to quit thinking about the future. Two: The improv instructor shared a story that the comedy club’s first location was in a gritty basement located downtown. The now famous comedian, Nate Bargatze, once referred to the comedy club as “The Chuckle Dungeon.” (this is just a funny story I had to share) Three: I learned that the only thing you need to be prepared for is to Have Fun. Why so serious? During a class exercise, I realized that if I thought too far ahead on what might be funny in the scene (and I’m talking, like literally seconds) it typically didn’t land. When I improved in the moment and didn’t think about what might get a laugh, the crowd roars. And it’s such an amazing feeling when laughter echoes through the room and you made it happen. It’s the kind of dopamine I had never experienced before. As someone who has dealt with a lot of anxiety, I’ve read a hoopla of books on ways to deal with it. From meditation to breathwork to Buddhists teachings. Hell, I was even convinced that my anxiety could be soothes by reading those damn little yogi-like messages typed on tea bag tags. I was always thinking too far ahead. I sometimes forgot about the fun. How many times have I thought way too far into the future on a project, relationship or situation? Or worse, replay a moment in my head and wish I said something else. Plenty of times! In all my “research” when it came to relieving anxiety, I rarely saw a message that discussed the benefits of laughter. (Maybe I was reading the wrong things?) One night in class, the group had to share why we are taking the class. Most of the responses were to have more fun or seeking community! I don’t think comedy is the cure for cancer, but it can certainly help with one’s health. We need more comedy clubs and art spaces in communities for more fun to be had! 
That's a wrap! Round of applause for my improv class - photo by my friend
The Trick is to Keep Laughing A while ago, I watched the documentary, Momentum Generation, about the rise to fame of teenage surf boarders who started competing professionally in national competition. (Remember Kelly Slater? Those blue eyes of his are hard to forget. Huzzah!) Aside from the hella talented, cute surfer beau troupe, there was something that really stuck with me about the documentary. If you fall off the surf board after riding a wave, surfers are encouraged to laugh when they come up for air. Why? Because laughter releases tension in the body and eases anxiety. I’ve never surfed before (and nor do I care to) but I can see how laughing would be beneficial if a big wave is approaching. Yipe! I mean, Ha! Ha! Haahhaaaahhaaaaaahhhaaa! Lose Yourself When it comes to my creative and life endeavors, I have future goals and know where I want to be. But life is a lot like an improv scene, you really don’t know where it’s going to go but I know it turns out so much better than you think. After taking the improv class, I got to thinking that maybe thinking too much about future goals isn’t always the right strategy? Maybe the answer is just to have more fun along the way. Maybe that’s the real secret to success. Reminds of the lyrics You Better Lose Yourself in the music 
Just Riffin’ I’ve been teasing you for a couple months now about my new special radio series, Coffee and Cassettes. Think of it as a conversation of going record shopping with a friend. It’s like Amoeba’s What’s in My Bag? mixed with Desert Island Discs. In this first episode, I’m talking about cigar box guitars, Black Sabbath covers and drinking the Deadhead Kool-Aid with Herizon Newsletter writer/Recording Academy Member/TedX Speaker/Editor/Founder, Thea Wood! It’s available to stream for free on Mixcloud. Coffee and Cassettes is produced by me and is free of ads! I’d love to know what you think about this series. I got a batch of more great conversations coming at cha every month! Hey there friend, you wild one, you! How ya doing? Something about the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse has sparked my interest. (No pun intended) After work, I’ve been reaching for a book from my shelf rather than my phone. I’m mindlessly flipping through pages to see if inspiration jumps out at me. It’s my new way of decompressing. I reached for a book of horse paintings and drawings.  Throughout my life, I’ve created a small collection of horse tchotchkes, books and jewelry. I’m not sure where this interest all began. It may have been the sullen country-western-flare in my grandparents’ midcentury modern basement or the opening credits of TriStar films of a galloping horse turning into a Pegasus. However it all started, I think horses are pretty magical creatures. Little did I know, horse do not like being alone. They thrive on being with other horses. A sad sight is a horse alone, for horses like to be with other horses. As in life, so it is in art. -Lorraine Harrison, author of Horse: From Noble Steeds to Beasts of Burden Through recent conversations with friends and random complaints from strangers about social media, I think most people are tired of riding the scrolling carousel. And like horses, they are looking for others to run with. The Year of the Horse is the year of speed. It’s about not second-guessing your decisions and focusing on the future, not the past. Reminds me of the lyrics from this week’s upbeat playlist; “Don’t Waste Your Time or Time Will Waste You.” Knights of Cydonia by Muse  I recently submitted a video collage piece to a local film festival. We will see if it gets accepted. Here is a screenshot of a film still from my recent piece called Prism Cell.When I was making this piece, I thought about how our attention is captured in our phones and that our imagination is locked up. I wanted to submerge subjects like flowers under dark layers footage to show the juxtaposition of needing light and escaping the technicolor layers within our phones. More to come on this.  As an artist, I’ve had people try to tame or control what I’m creating. Hell, I’ve even had people try to tame how I express myself, fashionably speaking. Comments like “Why are you so dressed up?” “Wear less makeup and jewelry.” Me? Less? (the girl laughed in her throat) Like a wild horse, I ignored these suggestions. This documentary about the street fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham New York, reminds me of the freedom of self-expression. For decades, Cunningham captured street style in New York City. It wasn’t about the celebrities or the rich and famous; it was about anyone who freely expressed themselves. People who were influencing looks on the catwalk long before it became a hashtag trend on Instagram. "You see, if you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do, kid… Money’s the cheapest thing. Liberty, freedom is the most expensive." --Bill Cunningham If fashion is not your thing, it’s still a great film if you love stories about artists who were residents in Carnegie Hall. This artist literally lived in his work and while he is a bit of a lone horse, he united so many clotheshorses through his photography. When I started my radio show, Electric Radio Club, I wanted to create a community for music fans who were looking for a little bit of relatability amidst music discovery. This week’s Radio show is an upbeat playlist to help you gallop into exciting new beginnings and not second guessing prompt decisions! You can listen to it here. It’s free to listen and free of ads!  In my last newsletter,I promoted a new mini-radio series which I said would debut this month. Due to some technical difficulties (again) and a couple of days out sick, I am behind schedule. So while you wait for this exciting new monthly feature, here is a list of some other cool horses I’ve been collaborating with. Like with author and PhD Researcher of American Protest Music and Socio-musicology,(coolest job title ever) Sintija Brence of Grunge Included, invited me to share some of my favorite political songs. In this collab, I tied in personal stories that led me to some iconic political songs. Like how I discovered punk rock music in my high school history class. Check it out! Brad Kyle of Front Row & Backstage brings on music friends to play a game of Tune Tag and asked me to play! I had no idea what I was in for but it sure was fun! Check out the story here. Back in the fall, I created the intro video for my friend’s music YouTube channel, The Dark Stuff for a special series called Rock of Aging about 80s Heavy Metal bands. I loved making this video intro! So much concert memorabilia! And a lovely shout out from A Good Time with Casey Barber and one of her amazing ukulele sessions which was inspired the quote by RuPaul. If you need a little motivational pep in your step, this video is for you. Hey Paid Subscribers: I’m going to start linking playlists and such here. I’m hoping this will be more organized and accessible for you. If you are interested in becoming a paid subscriber but not through SubStack, don’t worry, I’m currently working on an option through Patreon. Thanks for your patience as I’ve got so many exciting things in the works and appreciate you all supporting The Radio Room! Stay inspired! 
photo by Joi
I’ve been reading about the making of the peace sign.
While I love basking in the laziness of a winter evening, January’s bitter temperatures have limited my outdoor walks with the dog and he has left no stuffed animal toy unturned. The month of January flew by and I have been keeping busy with plenty of projects. I’ve been indulging in lots of comfort food and books from my personal library. I used to scour the Borders clearance section for discounted books on art and music. Over time, I’ve curated quite a little collection of coffee table books. It’s like I have my own little bookstore with an endless supply of coffee. 
film still from recent video collage
30 seconds is a long time.
I recently finished up a video art collage project and boy, do my eyes hurt from staring at the screen for hours. The best way I can explain my video editing process is there are multiple layers of video footage like a Crunch wrap Supreme collage. There’s a lot of stuff inside. It’s such a thrill when people respond positively to my art. It just makes me want to keep creating magic. Sometimes, I wish making art was like following a recipe. If you serve a dish, you know immediately if it’s successful or not by how much is consumed. If people love it, they ask you to make it again! “Can you bring that dip you made from so-and-so’s party? So delicious!”
But unlike a recipe, I can’t always repeat the same process with my art.
I understand why some artists take their time to create a follow-up project, album or novel. It took author, Harper Lee, over 50 years to write her second novel after To A Mockingbird. I can’t imagine the pressure of creating a new piece after writing such an impactful story with iconic character names that are still referenced to this day. These lyrics from the song feel like how art is consumed by the audience. It’s nice but some may not necessarily like it. Now I've heard there was a secret chord
I’ve learned to let go of perfectionism and just serve up what I’ve created.
Unlike musician, Leonard Cohen, where I just learned had over 100 drafts of the song, Hallelujah. I can’t keep a project in the creative oven for too long. But damn, can you imagine that song any other way?! Maybe I should return to my perfectionist self. 
from film, Coffee & Cigarettes, photo courtesy Asmik Ace Entertainment
Coffee and Cassettes
As someone who grew up in the time of cafe culture, I’ve been craving the endless lingering in coffee shops, record stores and bookstores. What I miss is the pleasant conversations that randomly took place in these spaces. A time when people would engage with each other, not their computer screens. Currently, I’m creating a new mini-radio series called Coffee and Cassettes; a play on the wording coffee and cigarettes. (Former smoker in the house. I am my father’s daughter.) Coffee and Cassettes is a monthly radio episode that’s like Amoeba What’s In My Bag. The only difference is these conversations are with women and femme music enthusiasts. Whether they work in the industry or not, its about music sharing with playlists curated by the guests. I’m having a ball chatting it up with music friends and discovering some new gems along the way! The first episode drops later this month! 
photo by Joi
Happy Birthday to the Peace Sign
An artist creates feelings not products. Art moves you and helps you express feelings that you don’t have the words for. With all the heaviness going on in the news, I reached for one of my books titled Peace: 50 Years of Protest. As someone who used to doodle the peace sign on my notebooks in school, I never really knew anything about the history of this little symbol. The peace sign was created in February 1958, by graphic designer and textile designer, Gerald Holtom. It was part of the Nuclear Disarmament campaign that would become a universal symbol for all. There’s much more meaning within the making of art. You can read more about the making of the peace sign here. I also particularly enjoyed this keynote by punk rock singer, Iggy Pop, about how music is not a product, it’s a feeling.
Let's Go Skate
A new episode of Electric Radio Club will air next week, a Valentine’s Day Special! My Valentine’s Roller Skating Party episode last year was one of my top played episodes. Until the next episode drops, enjoy this playlist that includes tracks by Soul For Real, Robyn, The Bangles, The Cure, TLC, The Replacements, The Vaccines, The White Stripes and more! 
Is This Love Worth Pursuing?
Roy Orbison’s In Dreams is playing on the internet radio.
What a voice. It instantly transports me into a daydream, and I’m sure that if tested by science, it could make rocks move. In that moment of Roy’s brief serenade, I dreamed what it would be like to have an audio producer. It’s not that I don’t like audio producing and editing, it’s just sometimes it would be nice to have someone else do it for a change. 
Ground Control This is not the first time I’ve (cough) shared about the technological woes I face while recording my radio show. But here I sit hunched over and brow furrowed, scouring YouTube on how to troubleshoot sound issues, all the while thinking, Why did I start a radio show? Test. Silence. Why do technical glitches occur? Is this really a reminder from the universe to not get too comfortable and to always be on top of my game? Silence. Even the dog could tell I was stressed. He barked at me until I finally got up and stepped away from my desk. Always trust the dog. I poured myself a glass and watched an episode of The Sopranos with the dog curled up by my side. It really took the edge off. 
photo by Joi
Remember the Reason
When it comes to acts of care, some people make soup or offer rides to airports in the early morning hours. I make mixtapes. I remember watching this David Bowie interview about advice to artists. He made a statement in the interview to always remember why you began a project. When a problem occurs while working on a project, I have to remind myself of the spark that ignited the desire to even begin in the first place. That is one of the reasons why I have a radio show. Electric Radio Club was born out of the love of making mixtapes and sharing music with others. This week’s radio show playlist of Electric Radio Club, I based the track list around the spark of starting a project and remembering to keep going, even if there are technical glitches. I included a track by Ron Gallo called Poor Traits of the Artist. These lyrics stood out to me after my audio editing debacle. “What am I even doing? Is this love worth pursuing?”
The answer is yes.
Make Goosebumps There’s all this talk about the movie, Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackson and Kate Hudson. Little did I know, it is not about the musician, Neil Diamond. It’s about real-life artists. I was intrigued and the Google Gods led me to a wonderful blog post by the director, Greg Kohs, who made the documentary Song Sung Blue, about a husband and wife duo who sing Neil Diamond songs. Kohs shares in the essay that he passed up a million-dollar movie opportunity because the script didn’t align with the kind of films he wanted to direct. Instead he created a documentary about these musicians, hoping it would help their career. This essay is a real “page turner.” I kept thinking, Wait. What?! That happened!?! I couldn’t pry my eyes away from his words. 
segment from Greg Kohs blog post, Reel as Dirt
After reading the roller coaster of an essay, I made it a point to watch the documentary later than evening. It’s about the unexpected hardship, taking risks and incredible determination to be full time artists. I’m curious how this documentary will be translated to the silver screen as it’s created by the same director of Hustle & Flow For Your Ears The new episode of Electric Radio Club is inspired by the spark that inspires one to take creative and artistic action. Whether that be making a movie, volunteering at an animal shelter or finding a cure for cancer, the playlist is themed around the reason why we begin a project or a task and to not use faith in it. Listen here to the new episode of Electric Radio Club on Mixcloud. Reminder, it is free to listen and my radio show is Ad-Free. Filled with creative commentary and a great playlist. Listen here. 
the dog is not convinced I've fixed the audio problem
If you love the episode track list, I’ve included it here on Qobuz and Spotify for you to save. Use a different streaming service? Try Soundiiz to transfer playlists:) I've included some more behind-the-themes video diaries as I prep for this week's episode of Electric Radio Club. Today it’s a stingingly cold and blustery day with gusts that cause my bird feeder to hang horizontally. But I’m in good spirits because I do not need to leave the house today. My dog is curled up by my side as I drink a day-old cup of expensive coffee while listening to a brilliant cover of Metallica’s The Unforgiven by Elisapie. It soundtracks the weather perfectly. The holiday season moves at strange speeds. Between gatherings, shopping, prepping, wrapping, long lines and loafing, I know the holidays can be a hard time of year for many. Hope you have been in good spirits and in good company. Speaking of good spiritsWhile most reflect on the year, I’m far too excited about my future and happy to report that I have a new name for my newsletter. I’m calling it an upgrade! 
Drum roll please. My newsletter is now called The Radio Room! I even made a trailer for it, I’m that excited! Why call it The Radio Room? I consider my newsletter a space to get inspired through song lyrics, art, movies, books, poems and culture. I knew my newsletter needed a new name to reflect the hub of creative recommendations and personal essays I share with you. You’ll get the same great, thoughtful essays and of course, updates on my art and radio projects, music playlists and creative recommendations. Oh! And I’m also adding some new features for my paid subscribers. Such as…..
I’m literally bringing you into The Radio Room where I record all my radio episodes. In this clip, I’m talking about one of the resources that I’ll include in the first radio episode. I’m so excited about the theme! In my art world, I’m working on some new video work, and well, I have a lot of work to do for future entry deadlines. Sometimes I just need to play around and work on a completely different project to get the creative cogs turning. I created this video collage inspired by snow. In the Midwest, we have gotten plenty of winter weather and I thought about all the dimensions inside of a tiny snowflake. Also, I watched The Grinch with Jim Carrey and in the opening scene, Anthony Hopkins narrates the description of Whoville takes place inside a snowflake. Some of the footage is of local neighborhoods at dawn and was captured on a snowy morning while driving to work a few years ago. I’m criticizing my own work here as I think the video is very simple but I guess that’s a reflection of what I currently need during these winter months, something simple and sparkly. I’m excited about the newsletter name change. In time, you’ll eventually start seeing messages from The Radio Room in your inbox rather than my name. Thank you for reading and supporting my work! Can’t wait to share the next newsletter and playlist. It’s perfect for the new year. Stay Inspired! Joi |
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The Radio Room! This is my newsletter where I share my artist journey, behind-the-scenes of my radio show, Electric Radio Club and a curation of creative recommendations |
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