John Rouse's Groups
for the rock star that has everything....Create Culture
Profile Information
- My Role
- Visual Artist, Photographer, Literary Artist, Artist
- My Discipline(s)
- Visual Arts, Literary Arts
- My Specialties
- Collage; Woodworking
- About Me And My Work
- I’ve tried working with the system and system wanted to work with me. In fact the system tried to swallow me whole. Not in one gulp, but in tiny, tiny, minuscule bites. My middle finger went first right when I was getting ready to give the bird to the system. CHOMP! It was gone. But I still had my fists thrust in the air. Then CHOMP, CHOMP they were gone too. The system was hungry. But that was all right for as long as I had my ears. I could listen and hear. Then the system ate my ears. And right before it ate my ears it whispered softly to me and convinced me to close my eyes. Now, I cannot see. But the system has not ate everything yet. It is afraid to come for my mouth. Because, it knows that I also am hungry and ready to take a bite of my own, and chew, and spit words that know no system.
- Artistic Experiences I Have Had On My Travels
- Grew up being dragged during summer vaca to folk festivals in places like Johnstown, PA and Lowell, Mass (birthplace of Jack Kerouac). At the time, I just wanted to go to Disneyland or a baseball game....But slowly, I started to love it all....Listening to Mongolian throat singing or to John Cephus and Phil Wiggins because their music was great and my brother and I were also John & Phil.
During college I spent a summer working on the Glaser ranch in Halleck, Nevada. Spent lots of time listening to country western, writing, and taking in cowboy poetry. Returned years later to Elko, Nevada for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the Western Folklife Center.
I graduated College at the University of the West Indies - Barbados studying Caribbean Carnival and Literature. Developed an appreciation for rhythm, Soca, Calypso, Raggae, steel drums, and poetry. Wrote this, for example:
Ramajay, Ramajay
Sweet water passion today,
Girl we are separated but soon you will forever here my Ramajay.
Drove around the U.S. and Canada after graduation writing more.......until my car was totaled by an out of control motorcycle on highway 1 along cali coast (nice view).....
Still wanted to write more so spent some time in Bangkok, then Mumbai with my distant cousin and his band "Indus Creed." It was wonderful hanging with these Rock and Roll Renegades.
Traveled to Fiesta del Fuego in Santiago, Cuba. Enjoyed music, cigars, and more music and cigars.
Enjoyed several trips to New Orleans with my father to listen to jazz. He was always out later than me. I could not hang.
Also, love to travel wherever my Dad's band was playing (Sunshine Skiffle Band) or is playing (Razz'm Jazz'm). Because Momma don't allow no clarinet playing around here. But, Don don't care what Momma don't allow, he is going to play that clarinet any ol how...Ladies and Gentleman, Don Rouse on the clarinet.
- Places I Would Like To Visit
- I would love to visit Senegal (so trendy these days), start an art commune in Buenos Aires (on my second visit, I loved the first), road trip the southern U.S.A., and hike the Appalachian Trial - all the while writing the first ten chapters of of my novel - then cross over to the Pacific Coast Trail and finish up the novel on the hike down into Mexico.
- Art Forms And Cultures I Would Like To Engage With
- I'm interested in visiting Italy and learning more about my family roots. While there I'd love to learn more about the history of Italian opera and take in a performance or two. (I love the opera - my dark secret now released to the world of Create Culture).
- My Creative Influences & Favorite Artists
- Evri Kwong; "Bunny Cancer" and "Beck's Cocoa" by Linda Beck; found objects, Mao's Mangos, Dwell Magazine, MOMA's B Movies postcard series, my amulet from Thailand, my 90 year old Aunt Ruth in Ohio-a writer and lover of poetry; Mom-another lover of poetry and the road less traveled by; Annie Hagert - an explorer and teacher http://www.annestanfield.com, Don Rouse-my father and the best clarinet player i know; Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
- My Artistic Affiliations
- Create Culture, Razz'm Jazz'm fanclub, Linda, Sean, and John Art Extravaganza
Share your words-Poetry and Writing from my Travles
Elvis Lives in Hong Kong, I Saw Him In Thailand
Well, on summer soon after college graduation-
I found myself in a Thai train station.
I had on a heavy pack and stood a long time-all alone-
here in SouthEast Asia I was far, far away from home.
When I climbed aboard the midnight train to travel to the town of Chiang Mai-
I must admit sleep weighed heavily upon my eyes-
I was looking forward to a quiet ride and peaceful sleep-
tonight, there would be no need to count those jumping sheep.
Then that plan quickly changed when I dropped into my seat-
For when I got a look at the man across from me - my heart skipped a beat.
There he sat, 70's suited my eyebrows jumped, he was dressed to the nine-
the fabric he wore, was covered with stones best described as rhine.
A V gracefully opened to a butterfly collar-
around his neck hung a gold medallion shaped like a flower.
His sideburns reached for his chest hair in an impressive manner-
then his lip curled and I began to stammer.
"Elvis lives, he's live two feet from me"-
people my age had only gotten to view this man on repeats of Ed Sullivan T.V.
"Are you the King?" - the words gyrated from my mouth-
"No," he answered, "the king stays at the palace, ten miles south."
"I mean are you Elvis Presley? C'mon be on the level-
are those the hips that drove teenage girls straight towards the devil?"
No answer this time-the man remained silent while from my mouth poured-
questions and statements followed by obnoxious comments galore.
"Did you give hound dogs a bad name-
while chasing women, drinking, singing and dancing with fame."
"Love Me Tender"-that song makes my heart melt-
in your later work sire, you were looking none to svelt."
With those words this man had had just enough-
When he poked my ribs it seemed rather quite rought.
"I'm not Elvis" he said, "I'm Cantonese, born in Hong Kong-
I admire the man's ballads, though they don't compare to my songs-
but, don't worry friend you can rest assure Elvis is alive-
I saw him on a train that rock-n-rolled from the station a quarter before five."
MORTGAGE PAYMENTS:
He spends all his time thinking about his future,
Resume-what does that job pay? Wall Street, hire me-
I’ve got to work hard-shoot at that golden parachute,
Jump-make sure both feet land firmly on the ground,
Shhhhhhhh-dreams don’t make a sound,
I’ve got to touch up this resume.
WRESTLING MATCH:
So, there I was applying for jobs. On one side of the ring were those big, bad, fearsome societal expectations roaring for me to chase the money and straining to be let loose. On the other side of the ring lil’ ol dreams whispered “yeah” occasionally. To the victor went the spoils, unfortunately the winner was not always the peoples’ champion. I was spending all my time planning my future and I began to wonder if I would miss out on living my life. The questions I wrestled with were, did I want to be a human being? Or did I want to be a human doing?” The answer I needed to find, but didn't seem to consider, was that I could be both.
AN E-MAIL FROM MY BROTHER TO MCDONALD'S CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND THEIR RESPONSE:
I am writing to inquire about Mayor McCheese. I was curious to know if he was elected into ofFice or was that a title he gave himself. If he was elected when are the elections? I am interested in running for mayor. My platform would be a greater deterrent for hamburger thieving. Make the Hamburglar think twice before he tries to get his hands on Ronald's burgers. Thank you for your time. I am eager for your response.
Sincerely,
Phil Rouse
P.S. What is the mayor's stance on the Hamburglar?
Hello Phil:
Thanks for writing and asking about our favorite public official, Mayor McCheese. You may be interested to know that Mayor McCheese is alive and well and still presiding over McDonaldland. He was elected by the inhabitants of McDonaldland. You may not see him as often because he stepped aside for awhile so that Ronald McDonald could introduce some of his newer friends -- Birdie the Early Bird, CosMc, the McNugget Buddies, and the Happy Meal Guys.
He thinks that Hamburglar is a fun-loving prankster who absolutely loves McDonald's hamburgers and cheeseburgers so much that he'll do almost anything to get one. Although Hamburglar causes all sorts of problems for Ronald and the other McDonaldland characters, Ronald is always around to stop him.
Mayor McCheese sends a big "hello" to you! He said that he won't be retiring anytime soon, but he hopes to see you at McDonald's sometime soon.
Yoko
McDonald's Customer Satisfaction Department
Well, on summer soon after college graduation-
I found myself in a Thai train station.
I had on a heavy pack and stood a long time-all alone-
here in SouthEast Asia I was far, far away from home.
When I climbed aboard the midnight train to travel to the town of Chiang Mai-
I must admit sleep weighed heavily upon my eyes-
I was looking forward to a quiet ride and peaceful sleep-
tonight, there would be no need to count those jumping sheep.
Then that plan quickly changed when I dropped into my seat-
For when I got a look at the man across from me - my heart skipped a beat.
There he sat, 70's suited my eyebrows jumped, he was dressed to the nine-
the fabric he wore, was covered with stones best described as rhine.
A V gracefully opened to a butterfly collar-
around his neck hung a gold medallion shaped like a flower.
His sideburns reached for his chest hair in an impressive manner-
then his lip curled and I began to stammer.
"Elvis lives, he's live two feet from me"-
people my age had only gotten to view this man on repeats of Ed Sullivan T.V.
"Are you the King?" - the words gyrated from my mouth-
"No," he answered, "the king stays at the palace, ten miles south."
"I mean are you Elvis Presley? C'mon be on the level-
are those the hips that drove teenage girls straight towards the devil?"
No answer this time-the man remained silent while from my mouth poured-
questions and statements followed by obnoxious comments galore.
"Did you give hound dogs a bad name-
while chasing women, drinking, singing and dancing with fame."
"Love Me Tender"-that song makes my heart melt-
in your later work sire, you were looking none to svelt."
With those words this man had had just enough-
When he poked my ribs it seemed rather quite rought.
"I'm not Elvis" he said, "I'm Cantonese, born in Hong Kong-
I admire the man's ballads, though they don't compare to my songs-
but, don't worry friend you can rest assure Elvis is alive-
I saw him on a train that rock-n-rolled from the station a quarter before five."
MORTGAGE PAYMENTS:
He spends all his time thinking about his future,
Resume-what does that job pay? Wall Street, hire me-
I’ve got to work hard-shoot at that golden parachute,
Jump-make sure both feet land firmly on the ground,
Shhhhhhhh-dreams don’t make a sound,
I’ve got to touch up this resume.
WRESTLING MATCH:
So, there I was applying for jobs. On one side of the ring were those big, bad, fearsome societal expectations roaring for me to chase the money and straining to be let loose. On the other side of the ring lil’ ol dreams whispered “yeah” occasionally. To the victor went the spoils, unfortunately the winner was not always the peoples’ champion. I was spending all my time planning my future and I began to wonder if I would miss out on living my life. The questions I wrestled with were, did I want to be a human being? Or did I want to be a human doing?” The answer I needed to find, but didn't seem to consider, was that I could be both.
AN E-MAIL FROM MY BROTHER TO MCDONALD'S CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND THEIR RESPONSE:
I am writing to inquire about Mayor McCheese. I was curious to know if he was elected into ofFice or was that a title he gave himself. If he was elected when are the elections? I am interested in running for mayor. My platform would be a greater deterrent for hamburger thieving. Make the Hamburglar think twice before he tries to get his hands on Ronald's burgers. Thank you for your time. I am eager for your response.
Sincerely,
Phil Rouse
P.S. What is the mayor's stance on the Hamburglar?
Hello Phil:
Thanks for writing and asking about our favorite public official, Mayor McCheese. You may be interested to know that Mayor McCheese is alive and well and still presiding over McDonaldland. He was elected by the inhabitants of McDonaldland. You may not see him as often because he stepped aside for awhile so that Ronald McDonald could introduce some of his newer friends -- Birdie the Early Bird, CosMc, the McNugget Buddies, and the Happy Meal Guys.
He thinks that Hamburglar is a fun-loving prankster who absolutely loves McDonald's hamburgers and cheeseburgers so much that he'll do almost anything to get one. Although Hamburglar causes all sorts of problems for Ronald and the other McDonaldland characters, Ronald is always around to stop him.
Mayor McCheese sends a big "hello" to you! He said that he won't be retiring anytime soon, but he hopes to see you at McDonald's sometime soon.
Yoko
McDonald's Customer Satisfaction Department
John Rouse's Images
Latest Activity
Wayne Harjula commented on the group 'Technology and Art'"thankyou Jeff, all positive commentary helps!"
Jeff Lindeman commented on the group 'Technology and Art'"Nicely done little video Wayne! Particularly because one SHOULD be bored to tears with three minutes of one-camera, even considering the time-lapse aspect, yet the soundtrack brings the whole thing together acting as the carrot on a stick! I…"
Wayne Harjula commented on the group 'Technology and Art'"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5KwrUhq_jw&context=C42af9b8ADvjVQa1PpcFMVjDT_lQy8bYhzZRQ2Ow-VpaRiAvuMq4g=
stop animation video of schools visit to my studio using mostly ipad2 apps"
John Rouse's Blog
Faces of New York: A Minute With..... Musician Siobhan O'Malley
Posted on April 27, 2011 at 2:00am 3 Comments 0 Favorites
I filmed this song with Siobhan at one of her favorite places in New York. Black Bear Brooklyn is a vintage store in Prospect Heights where she felt right at home singing her heart out.
Hope you enjoy and visit Siobhan's site to pick up… Continue
Faces of New York: A Minute With... Graffiti Tours New York founder Gabe Schoenberg
Posted on April 11, 2011 at 12:00am 0 Comments 0 Favorites
In this "A Minute With...." segment, we filmed the founder of Graffiti Tours New York in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Visit Gabe's site to experience the tour yourself and watch this video to learn more about Gabe.
Comment Wall (180 comments)
- At 9:23am on August 9, 2011,
Amy Goldsmith Charmatz said… John
book on Kindle and Nook. I can send email if you don't have machines!
ac
- At 9:19am on August 9, 2011, Amy Goldsmith Charmatz said…
- John
> ------------this is the forum I started in CreateCulture.org I have encouraged them to get in touch with you regarding the show as well as the possibility of a feature article (The cu-founder, John Rouse, lives in Brooklyn)
"Disabled people are a big part of our society and I think disabled artists have a big influence on our culture as a whole. Different countries have different ways of dealing with disability and art/artists, and I'd like to encourage discussion on how this issue is dealt with in other countries, as well as my own."
John, send your email address again, am having trouble sending you mail!
amy
amy charmatz
ac
Amy Goldsmith Charmatz
Art Saves Lives
>
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- At 10:27am on July 8, 2011, Amy Goldsmith Charmatz said…
John
don't know if you got my recent email _ how are Amy and John Jr?
I'm back! I'm sorry i stopped participating for awhile. Felt somewhat intiimidated and
not a true "culturalista" because I don't really travel and honestly don't know much about art - just what appeals to me `! my new "resolve" is to involved again and primarily to listen..Still am involved in"art and it's positive impact on phsical and mental" and reently did a show for a cable TV station. Should eventually be on youtube. I'll let you know. Probably will post another discussion once i figure out how. memory is definitel not my strongpoint. Say hi to Nico
amy charmatz
- At 4:26am on June 24, 2011,
Alaine Handa said… Hey John,
The event is from 6-9:30 pm on June 29th. Performance starts at 7:15 pm. Its about an hour for the performance.
Here's more details: Chameleon Benefit in NYC
Would love to see you there!
- Alaine
- At 8:17pm on June 18, 2011, Alaine Handa said…
The Walking Tours sound super cool John! Unfortunately, I will be out of town for most of them in Canada. :-(
btw- We're doing a preview Informal performance with the full cast of Chameleon in Sunset Park, Brooklyn on the evening of the 29th. If you're free, I'll send you the details. :-)
- At 12:03pm on April 17, 2011,
sara jecko said… - Thanks John!
- At 3:48am on April 8, 2011,
paul wairoma said… dear john rouse.
sorry for comming to you late.iam currently in johannesburg south south africa. i hope we can connect face to face.i invite you my festival/dream-where i want the whole world to meet in latin america-chile in dance theatre arts encountet 2012.
see www.lakevictoriainternationaldancetheatrefestival.wordpress.com
peace and life to you.
yours
paul wairoma
lake victoria arts centre
tel+27 780 775 727
RSA
- At 8:44am on March 15, 2011,
Elsie Apacible said… - soon! maybe i'll post it when it's done!
- At 11:22pm on February 5, 2011, Alaine Handa said…
- Thanks so much for coming John! Glad you liked it. :-)
- At 1:05pm on February 3, 2011,
Brooke McGowen said… Hello John,
I may have one with my new black light paintings at the end of Feb. but I'm not sure yet.
I will let you know!
Thanks,
Brooke
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