it is an interesting thought: facebook friends i have never met have offered emotional support -- in both positive and negative circumstances -- over the years and part of me has always thought it was (to a certain degree) benign kindness, politeness. until the tables were turned. a facebook friend i know only by what is posted posted about a difficult situation recently and my heart gushed. this is a superficial digital connection (remember, this is facebook -- it is mostly pictures of cats and dinners) that suggests intimacy. conversely, friends i have known personally, some for many years, have suddenly, in many cases inexplicably, turned hostile in the same digital environment... or worse, have had no understanding, sympathy, compassion, or kindness whatsoever. i am not a people person, i know this, and i am a challenge to most people's sensibilities... so it always surprises me when someone cares to spend real or digital time with me. but when the world of my facebook becomes a more human experience than real life, one has to reconsider the boundaries of the conversation of love.

facebook post

if you have watched my posts for more than a minute, you know i believe that religion is an absurd hoax. that anyone could follow a monotheistic god-in-the-image-of-man religion is an intellectual disconnect from reality. especially with the hoops that kind of god expects you to jump through... the hindus are more entertaining at least with their multitudes of gods... but honestly, taoism is the only sustainable spiritual philosophy. and it, like buddhism, is atheistic.christians, muslims, and jews who so control the god-world do nothing but create separation and conflict.

on the other hand, i have also always believed that atheism is a vocabulary problem. mostly, atheists are people who have come to the obvious conclusion that the god of the christians, muslims, and jews is a farce. and so they deny the existence of god entirely. it is a short-sighted conclusion. it is also contains the theoretical problem of allowing that which you deny define the parameters of the discourse.

if, on the other hand, you remove the ridiculousness of the idea of THE ONE TRUE GOD (especially the idea of separation from god) from the discourse and focus instead on the actuality of god... you will come to the conclusion that everything is god. everything. i am god. (most especially me, of course!) the chair you are sitting on is god. my fucking computer which refuses to behave correctly is god. the sunset is god. the act of abortion is itself god. jesus is god just as much as i am (see how generous i am!) and john his lover and their lovemaking is god. hitler is god (think kali) and yes, even george bush. (or, if you are on the idiot side of intelligence, even obama!)

next time you slam your car door, remember, you are disrespecting god (and thus, yourself!)

you can go and find a blog i wrote about this sometime ago, if you look.

or if you want more information, get my book, eating God.

art and poetry and music

saturday, january 10th.

as i was leaving town for a new years eve trip, the lax terminal was exhibiting a piece of digital art that was a ripoff of my short film, test patterns. the day before i left, i sent an internet link for that short film to rex bruce of the los angeles center for digital art. coincidence? the universe was telling me something in that airport terminal! when i returned home, i found emails from rex saying he wanted to show my short film, i am the president, in his next exhibit... with posters already listing my name! i am the president is a short film with digital manipulation of every piece of american currency from colonial times to the present, my voiceover reciting a deconstructed poem about the current state of america, and saxophone improvisations by alexander vogel. the opening is saturday, january 10, from 6 to 9 pm.

before that opening, there is another: downey museum of art is launching an important exhibit, vic joachim smith ~ early work. he was a california contemporary of pollack, rothko, kline, dekooning and exhibited with them around the world. during the opening, the other theater company will premier the short play, off kilter, by barry slater. it is a fiery conversation about modern art. i was asked to design the set piece for the play, an abstract sculpture that is the subject of the conversation. this will be the debut of that artwork.

also during this opening, isaac takeuchi will perform bach and original compositions for the cello.

south gate museum and art galleries will host this downey museum of art exhibit. the opening is saturday, january 10, 1 to 5 pm.

come see my work and the great work of others, past and present.

for more information:

roytube.com (art and poetry films)

lacda ~ los angeles center for digital art (facebook)

royanthonyshabla.com (books of poetry)

alexander vogel (facebook)

dmoa ~ downey museum of art (facebook)

the other theater company (facebook)

barry slater (facebook)

galleRoy.com (large abstract art)

isaac takeuchi (facebook)

thank you for your love and support. happy new year.

roy anthony shabla, director of collections, downey museum of art

ps: on tuesday, january 13th at 7 pm, i will speak at the epic lounge before the downey arts coalition about the green salon, a monthly gathering of poets, artists, musicians, and other creative people. located in downey, the green salon is open to everyone.

for more information:

epic lounge (facebook)

downey arts coalition (facebook)

the green salon (facebook)