John T. Elson, former religion editor of Time Magazine and author of the famous 1966 cover article "Is God Dead?", died on September 7th at the age of 78.

The controversial issue was introduced to a shocked public a couple of months before I was born. Here I am one year later after carefully reading the article and considering its momentous implications:

Kidding! I probably wouldn't have looked that happy after reading it. But the article was destined to resurface later in my life. The cover has been featured for many years at the end of our video The Madman, a treatment of Nietzsche's well-known parable by that name, in which he announced to his equally shocked 1880's contemporaries that "God is dead, and we have killed him."

It is, in my opinion, to Nietzsche's and Elson's credit that their musings on the loss of spiritual faith in our technologized, consumerist world continue to piss off some yet inspire others who share their lament and struggle to achieve a genuine experience of the sacred amidst the Spectacle's continuous assault on the conditions and sensibilities that make true spirituality possible.

Mike and I encounter this struggle and engage in this debate every time we perform The Madman, and are indebted to Nietzsche and people like Elson who seriously address what we consider to be one of the most important issues of our time.

For information on Elson and a link to his article, see his New York Times obituary notice. Special thanks to Dina Nadelhaft for bringing it to my attention.

How do you get to Lincoln Center? Practice, practice, practice...

How do you get to Fordham University, Lincoln Center? Get invited to perform at the International Conference of the Institute of General Semantics:

The performance will be part of a three-day event from September 11-13 exploring and celebrating the world of general semantics, a system/discipline created by Alfred Korzybski that sets its sights on the renewal of sanity within our society. Friday night September 11th will feature the 57th Annual Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lecture, presented by cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson. And following our show on Saturday the 12th will be a special performance by John Watts, formerly of the band Fischer-Z.

Registration for the conference is $25, but if you wish to attend only the performances on Saturday night send us an RSVP from the contact form on our home page and we'll put you on the guest list to get in free.

This show will cap off a string of Thus Spoke The Spectacle events including screenings and performances in Providence Rhode Island, St. Louis Missouri, Columbus Ohio, Denver Colorado, Clinton New York and Belfast Maine, as well as New York City events at Hunter College, Pratt University, Bluestockings Books and The Living Theatre. If you're around the New York area, we hope to see you at the conference and the show. If not, please pass the word along to friends you think may be interested, and check out our Facebook page for more information and updates.

TSTS rocked the Clinton Art and Music Festival in upstate New York on Saturday, August 29th:

Severe weather wasn't enough to dampen the atmosphere created by visionary music promoter Nick Katona and his wife Jennifer, who worked ceaselessly to make all the participating musicians and artists feel welcome in an environment of intense creative collaboration.

Our show at the Kirkland Art Center was well attended and well received, thanks in no small part to Nick and Jennifer's promotion and support of our work and meticulous attention to the technical logistics required for our performance. Many thanks to them, the KAC, and the good people of Clinton for making this upstate gig a memorable one. We hope to participate again in this excellent festival next year.