Sunday Share

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Hi All!

Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.

What I’m watching —
The Rise of Jordan Peterson

When I told a good friend I was reading The 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson my friend became very alarmed indeed. I was cautioned to think twice about publicizing my admiration for the book. Well, I knew nothing about Jordan Peterson before finally listening to his book on audio so approached him with a clean slate. 12 Rules had been recommended to me by an artistic, soulful lady after she went through a wrenching alcoholic relapse and had found the book immensely helpful in her recovery.

I will discuss the 12 Rules further next week, however for now I will just say that the biggest word I associate with it is “integrity.”

After reading 12 Rules, I saw a recommendation from Tim Ferriss to check out this recent documentary about Peterson and I found it fascinating. What stands out most to me is that Peterson is anti-ideology, whether it be from the far right or the far left. His greatest caution is that we slip back into the kind of blind totalitarianism that resulted in the tens of millions of innocent people murdered by fascists and communists alike.

If you have been put off by his stand against certain elements of political correctness then I would recommend you check this out for a balanced portrait of a very complex and deep thinker.

What I’m listening to —
The Best of U-Roy, Super Boss

Quick quiz for you: Who is considered the “father of rap”—and why? I’ll bet dollars to donuts that hardly one of you would name the Jamaican Reggae legend U Roy. Was I correct? Hard to say for sure, but his toasting had a big impact on the early hip-hop pioneers also.

In my early twenties in London, Reggae became essentially the only music I would listen to. Well, some African, but really it was Reggae, Reggae, Reggae. Because Reggae’s combo of raw sensuality, hypnotic rhythms and passionate spirituality resonated more deeply with me than any other music on the planet. And before Burning Spear came to my attention, the singer who I found myself listening to more than anyone else was U-Roy.

Have a listen on Spotify or wherever and let me know what you think.

What I’m reading —

The Light Years: A Memoir by Chris Rush

John Waters recommended The Light Years on his Amazon page as one of the best books he had read last year and I am so glad I followed up on his recommendation. The poetic prose in this book often almost defies belief for its subtle, evocative beauty. Over and over, I found myself pausing and asking myself “did he really just write something that skillfully beautiful?” And the answer was invariably “yes.”

What is all the more amazing is that this is artist Rush’s first book. I am both deeply envious of his achievement as a writer — while thoroughly thrilled and entertained by his masterly memoir.

What I am putting into my body —
Golden Seal

As a wave of fresh paranoia about a new “killer” virus sweeps through the internet, I am reminded about an old standby of mine that I have used on and off for around forty years. That would be the ancient Native American remedy, Golden Seal. Originally I would glug it in tincture form and I am sure would overdo it, being the compulsive type I am. In fact, I remember getting fairly high on it in a spacey, yinnified kind of way…

While I am not sure how much Golden Seal would truly help against the coronavirus, I have turned to it frequently if I feel a cold coming on and it helps reduce symptoms very quickly.

Here’s a couple of customer reviews from Amazon that I would agree with, based on my overall experience with it over the years:

“I take it 5 days a week and 2 days off. Goldenseal should not be taken every day for very long. It’s a great antibiotic type herb. I take it for inflammation and respiratory, but it’s been helpful for many health issues: Goldenseal is also used for the common cold and other upper respiratory tract infections, as well as stuffy nose and hay fever. Some people use goldenseal for digestive disorders including stomach pain and swelling (gastritis), peptic ulcers, colitis, diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, and intestinal gas.”

“This actually does clear up mild infections for me, such as UTI or an ear infection. Pretty amazing what our forebears knew.”

So, if it looks like the coronavirus is going to go nuclear on us, perhaps a bottle or two of Gold Seal may help stack the immune deck in your favor…

Have you checked out my new book The Illustrated Wild Boy yet? Here’s a nice review about it from a reputable source:

“An absorbing memoir perfectly complemented by exquisite art.” — Kirkus Reviews

Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com

It’s free. No spam. Unsubscribe whenever you want.

Hi All!

Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.

What I’m watching —
Pressure Cooker

I just love gritty, soulful, searing, moving, inspiring documentaries about hyper-real people triumphing against all odds in their struggle to make something of themselves in their lives. Pressure Cooker checked all of those boxes for me.

A hardass disciplinarian teacher at a Philadelphia school in a disadvantaged neighborhood administers tough love to a disparate group of chef-wannabees in her culinary arts class. I have been feeling stressed and sorry for myself more than is healthy recently but when it comes down to it my problems involve a threat to my usual comfort more than an existential struggle for making it in a world that is stacked against me. So Pressure Cooker was a loving slap in the face for me to stop with the self-pity and go be wonderful instead.

What I’m publishing —
The Illustrated Wild Boy by John Du Cane

Well, yes, this is by me and I am actually fairly bashful when it comes to plugging my own stuff. Instead I will leave you with a couple of review excerpts and a fun endorsement from a fellow author:

“Well I am jealous — the blending of your text with the vibrant, comic book motif illustrations struck me as fabulous — stylistically Judit is more Crumb than Steadman – still, the perfect blending of radical images with sparse text hit me like HS Thompson and Ralph Steadman back in the prime days of Rolling Stone — it was a perfect melding — she amped-up your tales and your words gave context to her abstractions — synergy personified.” — Marty Gallagher, The Purposeful Primitive

The Illustrated Wild Boy features Judit Tondora’s beautiful color drawings which embellish a literary story collection that captures different memories and experiences. The surprising blends of autobiography, philosophy, spirituality, and cultural investments in wild times, wild feelings, and different forms of horror and growth are wound into a story of media explorations and artistic investments to create a unique graphic novel-style memoir.

Unlike typical graphic stories, this collection blends a healthy degree of literary writings with colorful visual backgrounds. Where graphic productions typically promote brevity over explorations, John Du Cane centers his adventures firmly in written observations that embrace metaphor and reflection with equal depth and insight.

Irony, critical observation, artistic expression, counterculture trends, and social and family influences craft a series of thought-provoking, lively, engrossing short works that are not just about Du Cane’s world, but about how readers interpret these visions and revelations.

It’s rare to find a multifaceted short story collection of vignettes whose tales are equally well rooted in artistic, personal, and social observation.

Hungarian illustrator Judit Tondora’s lovely backgrounds bring Du Cane’s adventures to life. The result is a creative and involving work of art, language, and social inspection that will delight readers looking for literary works strong in spiritual and social revelations. — D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“An absorbing memoir perfectly complemented by exquisite art.” — Kirkus Reviews

What I am putting into my body —
Keto Genius

Haha, when I was browsing the nutrition aisles searching for a quick keto fix, this container called Keto Genius leapt at my eyeballs, drilled into my brain and found whatever pleasure center was waiting to have its craving fulfilled. What can I say other than to admit the choice to marry Keto with the word genius was… marketing genius… at least when it comes to psychically vulnerable ketoists like me?

Now truth be told, after my first enthusiastic dosing (“yay, I can feel the buzz!”) I now tread lightly with Keto Genius because it does pack a punch.

If you are intrigued then here’s some information from the product’s page on Amazon:

• Elite Keto Brain Booster – This is the perfect ketogenic supplement for individuals looking to live in a state of peak performance. Sustain ketosis & ignite elite cognitive function with research verified exogeneous ketones (BHB Salts) and synergistic nootropics (alpha GPC, TeaCrine & Dynamine)
• The Next Evolution Of The Keto Diet (Live In Superhero State) – When people get in ketosis, they often experience another level of mental clarity & a dramatic reduction in brain fog. The keto diet is a focus factor in its own right but we’ve supercharged the entire concept with our ground-breaking formula
• Zero Carb, Zero Problem – Hack the Keto Diet and avoid all of the drawbacks of low carb. Beta hydroxybutyrate (BHB) Salts have been shown to lessen appetite while dynamine has been shown to improve mood & focus by activating dopamine receptors
• Results You Can See & Feel – Yes, it works and you will notice that when you consume your first drink. This is a max strength formula for true biohackers to drive productivity and establish a new base for neuro & physical performance

Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com

It’s free. No spam. Unsubscribe whenever you want.

Hi All!

Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.

What I’m watching —
Better Call Saul

I don’t watch TV as such, so it takes some insistent jostling from friends and relatives to persuade me to buy or rent a show. Madmen was a case in point. Hugely up my street and I adored every minute, but it wasn’t until the show was well-finished that I watched its entirety. Then came Breaking Bad. Equally astounding…

And now I am immersed in the brilliant shenanigans of Better Call Saul. I just love the nuanced complexity of the character development and am amazed over and over again by the creativity and skill of the writing. I oscillate in mood while watching between grim despair, chuckling appreciation and agape shock. Not going to say more or give anything away, other than to recommend it to you without reservation…

What I’m reading —
How to Draw Without Talent by Danny Gregory

How could I not want to immediately buy and read a book with such a great title?

I envy two other kinds of artists greatly: musicians and cartoonists/illustrators. I envy musicians because of their ability to create immediate beauty and pleasure for both their fellow musicians and their audience. It’s love making in sound. Believe me, I’ve tried: saxophone (inspired by John Coltrane), drums including the djembe and even the didgeridoo. The results were not pretty or pleasing, damn it…

And God, I wish I had a dollar for every time I have imagined myself drawing some maniacally cutting/witty cartoon or painting a brilliant illustration. But no in-born talent I have had myself believe… The closest I have come is to work with artists who can help translate some of those imaginings for me into brilliant art. You will see that with the work Judit Tondora did in my upcoming The Illustrated Wild Boy…

Danny Gregory’s great book — and by extension his online Sketch Book Skool — puts the lie to those like me who have avoided creating in an artform by hiding behind the “No Talent” umbrella. It’s also a kind of coda for how to build any skill in life the way it always does need to be built: piece by little piece and with dedicated persistence.

What I am putting into my body —
Dynamine

If you have been reading my Sunday Share for a while you will have noticed that I am an avid consumer of nootropics. In fact, I have been for oh, at least the last thirty years. You can scoff at me if you like for the insecurity that has me scurrying to load up on cognitive enhancers whenever I am called to be creative — but I’ll take that ridicule while I enjoy the neural fireworks and language-play those nootropics reward me with.

And just when I think the researchers must have exhausted the trove of possible cognition boosters, I discover a new one to experiment with. Now it’s Dynamine, which is being touted for stronger workouts along with enhance focus. I have been using it intermittently now for a couple of weeks and feel that, yes, Dynamine lives up to the buzz.

YMMV, but here’s a summary of potential benefits:

Dynamine has made big splashes as a key component of pre workout stacks for elite athletes and weightlifters. It can help you power through grueling workouts with more focus and energy and it lasts up to 3 hours long, which is great for long training sessions or competitions. Unlike most pre workout products, it doesn’t cause jitters or stimulant elevations in blood pressure. It doesn’t have the dreaded crash of caffeine, sugar and other supplements, thus making it a good option for any time of day.

Many people report elevated feelings of happiness and contentment while supplementing with Dynamine. It activates dopamine receptors (D1 and D2) in the brain. Dopamine is known as the “feel good hormone” and influences feelings of satisfaction, drive, motivation and number of other sensations and positive emotions. Dynamine starts working very quickly after oral ingestion and is generally taken just before physical activity or when you need a cognitive boost or more mental focus.

Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com

It’s free. No spam. Unsubscribe whenever you want.

Hi All!

Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.

What I’m watching —
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator by Eva Orner

There are some things that really push my buttons: fakery, sexual predation, verbal abuse, boorishness, coarseness, racism, and charlatanism are some that spring to mind right now. Mr. Bikram Choudhury managed to push all those of those buttons for me and then some. From the very first frame I experienced him as repellent, repugnant, revolting — a sleezeball of the first magnitude. And that impression was only reinforced as the film unfolded. What a creep!

However, despite my revulsion for Bikram, the film itself is a must-see for its insights into the human propensity to turn a blind eye to abusive power-mongery and corruption when the apparent product/service benefits are perceived to outweigh the deficits. Bikram was a canny enough marketer to hijack his original yoga teacher’s 26-posture format, add high temperatures and deliver it with a bullying bootcamp smackdown approach. Parading his body around in nothing but a bulging speedo and throwing in outlandish claims was the icing on the cake. Folks flocked to his packed classes — and the teacher trainings which would garner him up to five million dollars a pop.

Charismatic serial-liars can have surprising staying power, as this doc well illustrates. And while Bikram finally had to flee the US, he’s back at it in countries like Mexico and Spain, with a whole new crop of acolytes willingly subjecting themselves to his antics in return for apparent progress on the yogic path…

There is no question that tens if not hundreds of thousands have benefited greatly from the Bikram program. Because, yes, it flat out got and gets results. It’s just sad to see the collateral damage Bikram inflicted in the process of delivering his product.

What I’m reading —
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

I got turned on to Brandon Stanton when listening to the excellent Creative Calling by Chase Jarvis. Stanton is a flat-out brilliant photographer with a fabulous sense of composition and an uncanny ability to pose his subjects in a striking manner. But what sets him apart is his engaged love for those he portrays and the brief commentaries he gleans from these unique characters. The result is an inspirational meditation on and celebration of humanity’s glorious diversity.

What I am putting into my body —
CoQ-10

When my dad was in his late seventies I introduced him to CoQ-10. He liked the consistent energy boost he got from it so much that he would have me ship four bottles of it at a time over to him in the UK. He continued to swear by it until pretty much the time of his death at the age of 91.

I take note of what supplements I seem to have stuck with over the long haul and CoQ-10 is clearly a favored companion. Here’s some of the claimed benefits:

• Improves cardiovascular function
• Boosts energy and stamina
• Supports cognitive function
• Fights free radical damage
• Supports healthy vision and hearing
• Improves oral health
• Promotes smooth, supple skin

Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com

It’s free. No spam. Unsubscribe whenever you want.

Hi All!

Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.

What I’m reading —
The Psoas Book by Liz Koch

“Do you know where your lats are and can you engage them?” is a battle cry I’ve heard ringing from the ramparts of not only the kettlebell and bodyweight castles but also from the ramparts of dance — in my case, Brazilian Zouk. But how often do we hear a battle cry to pay attention to our psoas? And in fact, how many of us can even come up with a cogent explanation for the importance of the psoas? Crickets. Crickets. Crickets…

But truth be told, it’s just possible that the psoas is the single most important muscle in our body. The correct functioning of the psoas is key to correct movement, optimal health and a sense of deep well-being. But a dry, tight psoas acts like an insidious wrecking ball, creating an energy-sapping level of dysfunction throughout our systems. Strong words, but if you don’t believe me, I invite you to check out Koch’s book.

My interest in and understanding of the psoas was greatly enhanced by my exposure to TRE (Tension Release Exercise). The Psoas Book — with its accessible explanations and wealth of research, plus its set of protocols for healing the psoas — has added vital new information and given me an expectation that I can further refine my movement skills and be that much more resilient in the future.

What I am putting into my body —
Stamets 7 Mushroom Mycelium Powder

On a flight back from Denver recently, I sat next to this gentleman whose wooly-looking, professorial demeanor turned out to be masking a decidedly eclectic if not downright radical set of past life experiences. Besides being a licensed physician with a particular interest in neurology, he had a deep background in indigenous America healing arts and a particular taste for hallucinogens of every kind and potency. The discussion turned to psilocybin and the current interest in all things mushroom…

My mysterious flight mate was a big fan of the mushroom guru Paul Stamets and regaled me with some stories in his regard. He also suggested I try the Stamets 7 product which I dutifully ordered. It’s a combo of Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga, Reishi, Royal Sun Blazei, Maitake, and Mesima. So far so good — it is feeling like another worthwhile immune protector to keep in my arsenal. Perhaps it will work for you too.

There are a lot of strong reviews on Amazon for the product. Here’s a fairly typical one that caught my eye:

“These were recommended to me by my homeopathic/naturopathic doctor about 90 days ago. I am seeing him due to major stomach issues/GERD/gastroparesis that plagued me for months and years. Since he was able to completely cure me of the aforementioned issues when other “western/regular” style doctors couldn’t even diagnose the problem I thought I would give these a go since I always seem to get sick during cold/flu season due to my job having me traveling a lot. I will say this, not only have I stayed 100% healthy this year (oh, and did I mention I have 2 children under the age of 4 who are sick all the time), but these also help with my energy levels (I don’t get the 2 o’clock crash I used to) and my overall feeling of health. These are an absolute must for anyone wanting to get healthier, but more importantly stay healthy despite being around sick people. Yes, they are a bit pricy ($360/yr), but if I don’t have to pay for my medical co-pays and antibiotics or other meds the trade off is the exact same. Pay now or pay later…up to you!”

Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com