Movember newsletter- Mustaches, giant rabbits, and free music

Hello,

Welcome to the semi- regular, almost monthly, Mark Cool newsletter for November 2010.


I just finished Eric Weiner's book, The Geography of Bliss and I highly recommend it!
The NPR correspondant and self-described grump travels the globe, visiting the happiest and un-happiest places on earth in search of the keys to "subjective well-being.".

Some key ideas:
People who regularly engage in acts of service or are in service professions are happier in general.
Envy is a happiness killer.
Money does not bring happiness. after basic needs are taken care of, the correlation between money and happiness is minimal to nonexistent.

The Thais believe in smiling, and that thinking makes one unhappy.

And on the subject of the tendency to seek happiness by moving from place to place, a quote from and Icelandic film maker was poignant and intriguing to me: "If you want to know where your true home in the world is, ask yourself where it is that you want to die."


Moustache news:
Movember's almost over, I have a week to achieve my modest fundraising goal of $100. Team Cool has raised $55 to date.

I have been sporting a moustache for the month to raise awareness and help to "change the face of men's health." Lord knows it ain't pretty, but I am willing to accept the ridicule and the bread crumb, soup, and beverage retention because I care!

Seriously though, my Grandpa Cool had prostate cancer, and his birthday was 11/1, the first day of Movember. My uncle is living with prostate cancer, and my dad died of cancer when I was 16. That's why I wear the whiskers that my girlfriend calls "creepy."

If you're moved or affected by men's cancers, especially prostate cancer, please consider making a donation to the cause @ http://us.movember.com/mospace/208985/ The site's really fun too, moustache facts and photo galleries, etc.



Cool-Champagne train @ Lilac lounge 11/11, me with creepy moustache.

Thanks to Pete Pawsey, impresario of the Lilac Lounge in Hillsborough for having me and Art out for a cozy show with a great audience on 11/ 11. The Lilac is like a home away from home.

The Cool-Champagne train rides again on 11/27, with me and guitarist extraordinaire Art Champagne playing a house concert in North Durham. The last one at Dave and Joanna's house, also in D-town, was a blast, with a sing-along and audience percussion orchestra on a rendition of Honky Tonk Women that brought the house down, as well as other touching and funny moments. Invitation is here for logistics and to RSVP.

Here is a FREE downloadable raw bootleg of a new song that we've been playing live, I actually debuted it at a house concert in Morpeth, UK, call Crows are Yellin'. It was inspired by a text message my brother sent from New york, standing in a blizzard in a cemetary. It'll make it's way onto my next cd I'm pretty sure.



Thanks to Gerrit Caspers for giving me some radio play on his Good No(i)se radio program in the Netherlands, http://goodnoiseradio.blogspot.com/. If you're looking for new alt-country/ americana artists, his playlists might point you to some.

"GoodNo(i)se is a music-program that's loaded with 'honest, pure' music. The program that pays attention to: Americana, (Alt)Country, Roots, Blues, Folk en Singer-Songwriters.
We play music recorded in cold garage boxes and squeaky attics. Music recorded in professional studios and intimate concerthalls. We pay our respects to the godfathers of these types of music, like Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, Guy Clark..."


I recently wrote an article here on my blog on how to host a house concert, if you've been thinking about hosting one.


Thanksgiving:

Turkey Day is upon us here in the US, and writing this, I was reminded of a moment at a gig in the Scottish Highlands. I'd driven 5 hours from Edinburgh through fog and rain, on the wrong side of the road, scared to death every time a lorry topped a hill in front of me because they seemed to be on a collision course with me, until I remembered that I was on the other side of the road. I arrived at the hotel and set up quickly. I was late due in part to coming across a guy who'd flipped his car upside down on a narrow bridge that we had to cross, but that's another story.
The hotel people had me set up in a side room that was the dining room, but all of the patrons were in the bar area, adjacent. I made some crack about feeling like I was at the kids' table at Thanksgiving, expecting at least a mild snigger or a smile or two. Nothing.
Oops, there's no Thanksgiving in Scotland, egocentric American!

Anyway, I moved the PA and myself out into the bar area, and we had a fun time playing and singing music together, and I was joined by a local guitarist who was a whiz on his instrument.

My other faux pas was asking for a "scotch" when someone offered to buy me a drink. The bartender informed me that I was in Scotland, so it was just "whisky", and what kind did I want?

The drive back to Edinburgh in the wee hours after catching a couple of hours' sleep (I had an a.m. flight and poor tour planning,) was foggy and rainy also, and surreal on account of the hundreds of giant rabbits all over the highway shoulders, as if I'd driven into a scene from the book Watership Down. Seriously, the rabbits were bigger than many dogs I've known! Hundreds of them!

Happy Thanksgiving!