Year's End... Story Sessions and the Ghostlight Cabaret

The year is coming to a close. In many ways, it’s nice to be reaching that divide, where we can leave the past behind in a manner of speaking. Humans mark the year with all kinds of symbolic moments like this, metaphorical milestones delineating instances without tangible markers. Personally, I’ve always been fond of New Year’s Eve. Things have to end so that new beginnings have a chance to take root, and this is one of the few conclusions people tend to merrily celebrate.

This month kicked-off with a few live shows. The first was Story Sessions where I performed a piece of nonfiction about my family’s holiday traditions. It was nice getting nostalgic about the Giftmas season, and while it still featured a touch of my usual cynicism, I tried to keep spirits high with humor. I’d say I succeeded. Below is art by Jules Darling, who not only told a fabulous tale of their own, but also provided creative interpretations of the stories that night. 

Next up, I had the privilege of performing at the Ghostlight Ensemble Holiday Cabaret. This was a magical evening of poitin, marvelous acts by a variety of talented folks, and my own contribution. I’ve told this strange tale on other occasions, but it’s nice to know I have a holiday hit of sorts. Since I’ve done it before, here’s a link to one rendition from a few years back. Honestly, I think it’s funny any old time.

The good folks at 25YL Media have seen fit to branch their site in specific directions. My articles for them have mostly been focusing on film. As such, I’ll be moving my efforts over to their new site Film Obsessive. One of the first articles I contributed to in that regard was essentially a discussion of the 2022 Sight & Sound Greatest Films Poll. In particular, zeroing in on the cinema shake up wherein a French film entitled Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles dethroned Hitchcock’s Vertigo as the best movie ever made. My thoughts as well as other contributors are recorded in the article linked below. It’s an interesting discussion well worth perusing.

Film Obsessive Takes on the 2022 Sight & Sound Greatest Films Poll - Film Obsessive

It's safe to say 2022 finished on a higher note than I anticipated. Although nerve pain sidetracked my efforts to finish a fresh Beerfinger album before year’s end, I was able to complete several tracks. More than I thought I would when this complication first arose. Back when I initially mentioned a new album was incoming, I never expected to lose two months to crippling pain. Let that be a lesson in the unpredictable. Still, the frustration of not being able to work on things made me more committed to rehab which appears to be correcting the problem. It also made me more appreciative of the things I did complete. For instance, the big book I’ve been working on “Killing Lake Michigan” which I plan to spend considerable effort shopping around next year.

The point is that time keeps on moving regardless of circumstances. There’s no way to get back yesterday and the future is unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean one needs to stop. Missteps of any kind are a part of existence. With any luck, they won’t shut a person down, and maybe a stumble is a good way to get tripped out of a rut.

For now, I’m off to celebrate the end of things. Next year promises to have some big events, so stay tuned. “Lessens” the fifth album by Beerfinger is inching closer to completion. “Killing Lake Michigan” is ready to be read, it just needs a publisher daring enough for its dark comedic romance. And more live shows are definitely on the horizon. Not to mention future articles for Film Obsessive as well as its sibling site Horror Obsessive.

So, stay weird, stay safe, and cheers!