Me and Bas and the Tortoise riding around sobe on Sunday, top down, hot sun beating down. I'm cranking Beyonce and Jay Z. Bas is hating it. Tortoise is hating it. I'm loving it. “Man those fucking sluts,” Bas mumbles to no one. “who dog?” “those sluts from sex and the city.” “Well dude you know its not real you know. it’s a book. It’s a TV show.” “ I know that. but it doesn’t matter. Its still having an influence. and I don't like it. why do they have to act like that?” “I don't know man. But its gross. I agree with you.” “But it’s a catch 22 though, cause its cool that they're talking about all this stuff because girls should be allowed to talk about sex too. But I'm torn by it. Cause why do they have to be so slutty about it...” “we don't want our girls to be slutty like that. we want them to be princesses.” “Hey man, the good ones still are bro...” “Yea but not if they keep watching all this stuff. These TV shows try to make it cool for chicks to be whores. What kind of a world are we living in?” “Easy for us to say. We’re the biggest sluts there are. like all men.” “Yea but that's just it. We’re men. Its different. Like I said man. I don't like it....” We drove silently down the causeway. I made a mental note to write about our conversation when I got home. And the rest of the way to the beach I thought about what we were saying. Bas is right. God by the time the media and the entertainment world is done with us, are there going to be any decent women left in the world? Any decent people for that matter? Will there be anything remotely moral or ethical or pure or righteous left in us by the time we’re all done selling to each other and exploiting each other and profiting from each other in any way we can regardless of the cost? “We are becoming slaves to the dollar! That's what's fucking happening! And the possibility of celebrity. That's what reality TV is fucking all about man! Selling our souls for anything. For fame or money or anything that even remotely resembles it.” he stared out his own window. He never even turned to face us as he rambled on and on. 

“Hollywood is the new church. That's our religion now. People don't care about their souls anymore. People don't care about God. What they care about is money. and fame. And feeling like somebody. And they don't care what they have to do to even get close to that.” I joined in. “The crass commercialization of all things is making nothing sacred in this world and rendering everything there is fair game to profaning. That's the problem.” “Where the fuck do you guys come up with this stuff?” The Tortoise asked us poking his head up from the back seat. “Would you guys just shut the fuck up?! Sp we can enjoy our Sunday?! And turn up the music.” Bas continued: “Girls wonder why we cycle through them so fast not even giving them a chance. Maybe if we could find one who doesn’t think that its alright to say the word cock in public just because some fucking slut actress does it on TV every week, then maybe they’d get a chance! Where are all the decent girls now in this world?!” “I couldn’t agree with you more. I can’t believe the way girls talk now. Its gross. You don't want to hear some girl using curse words.” “You guys are whacked,” The Tortoise said and leaned back in his seat. “I like it when a girl says cock. You guys sound like old ladies. From another generation. From another world.” Tortoise chimes in. “That's gross. You may like it when some girl your banging says cock in the privacy of your bedroom... or the bathroom stall....” “haha! What's up?” “But that doesn’t mean you want your wife ever saying that word. Or maybe you do, but that's your business. But that's what we’re talking about man. Its different.” “Whatever dog. I don't mind if my wife says cock.” I looked over at Bas in the passenger seat. Maybe it really was just he and I. Just the way we were raised. Are we that old-fashioned? For me, I couldn’t imagine spending any time with a girl who would even think about saying the word. In public or private. Why would she? That's not what we want from our girlfriends or wives. You know there are still some guys who want girls to be girls.  

Current read: Bryson’s dictionary of troublesome words, by Bill Bryson.

And of course still reading PEAK EVOLUTION. Just a few paragraphs a day. savoring it. 

Last screening: Blues by Martin Scorsese. He has made this ten hour documentary by seven different directors chronicling the blues. Featured great scenes with one of my all time musical heroes, Ali farka toure in his hometown of niafunke, Mali in Africa. It was great to see him play and speak like that so casually. Learned a lot about the early blues. 

“When does it stop being about me and turn into literature? Can it hint at it? Does it? Should it?”

“Man when does it stop being literature and show the real you is what is important here. You have to push it beyond just literature. Head into the world of literature, but keep it real man. We get enough literature out there... reality is where its at man...”

“But goddamn man. Its my fucking life.”

“Yea man. And that's what makes it cool. Keep it real bro. Keep it real...”