Live at Burning Man 2013 | Interview w/ Rich Doyle | New GRC Embroidered Flatbill | New Pins & Custom Hats | Life In The Glass Age

“The zen tradition has this great saying, ‘Here comes the hearth god, looking for the fire.’ You’re looking everywhere for the fire, and it’s in you. and when you start to find it in yourself, others find you.”

– Richard Doyle

I turned 30 this year on January 8th – sharing a birthday with Elvis Presley, David Bowie, and Stephen Hawking, among others.  Big shoes to fill – which is why this year I'm focused on bigger and more meaningful projects than ever before.

Here are the first preliminary echoes of those great works to come.  Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

I Miss You And It's Okay: Live at Burning Man 2013

Free/Pay-What-You-Like Digital Download

55 minutes of dreamy, compelling electronic guitar improvisations inspired by and infused with playa magic. Recorded at Burning Man's Center Camp Café and Fractal Planet Village , this hour of multi-channel looping improvisations on guitar, voice, and hardware effects is the alchemical transmutation of enthusiasm, playa dust, and sheer PATHOS into the angelic psychofluid captured here as a trace fossil for your appreciation.

Recommended listening environment: sprawled out on carpet, couch, or bare earth while making love or waiting for inspiration to strike.  Dedicated to the dream woman for whom I spent long years searching, a fantasy I finally released by fire in this year's Temple.

Download it here and enjoy the ride...

My Chat with Sci-Fi Professor Richard Doyle

Stream/Download Here

Richard Doyle is now Professor of Information Science, Rhetoric, and Science Fiction at Penn State and author of a trilogy on emergent forms of knowledge, the latest and most acclaimed of which is the epic treatise, Darwin’s Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noösphere – probably the finest example yet of 21st Century “psychedelic” writing.

The latest in my SolPurpose.com series of visionary-yet-personal dialogues with various inspirational thinkers, we focused on how human exploration is turning once again to the inner frontiers of consciousness.  Doyle's love for language shone through for our whole conversation.  Here are a few clips:

“Our brains have been the frontier of capitalism for the last twenty years, of which the internet is just one manifestation, and the pharmaceuticalization of everything is the other. It’s like we’re on the border of Oklahoma in the 19th century and the gunshot goes, and everybody goes to stake their claim – it’s like the inner realm is that space, now.”

“We don’t need to create another identity politics around evolving consciousness. Because that’s how we won’t evolve consciousness. But we do need other like-minded souls…to help us by verifying, and debugging, and debunking all the stuff we’re working through as all this stuff continues to unfold.”

Read more & listen at SolPurpose.

"Compass Mandala" Pins by MG x KolorSpun

Order yours here | View/Share on FB

1.8", gold-plated, double-posted enamel pins based on my live painting, "Compass Mandala #1" – each colorway (warm and cool) is laser-engraved in a numbered series of 250.  Preorders ship by January 24th.

MG x Herbivore x GRC Embroidered Flatbill

I think my new Grassroots California signature flatbill for Herbivore Designs must be the coolest hat I've ever made – and it damn well better be, because it took almost an entire year to get this most-complicated-design-ever prototyped and ready for sale!  I'm sure you can tell how much work went into this, from the original painted concept to the fully embroidered and sublimation-printed final product (which you can order here):

View on Instagram

View on Instagram

Limited series of 420 – grab yours while supplies last at Herbivore Designs.

I'm also still going strong with the custom painted hats.  Here are the latest – email me if you'd like details on getting one of your own:

View/Share on FB

View/Share on FB

Join The Discussion: Technology, Art, & Consciousness

I also want you to join me in one of the most important conversations of our times.  Join Life in the Glass Age: Technology, Art, & Consciousness, my new social bookmarking club and discussion group:

We live in an age of accelerating change - not just of our technologies, but of our selves and societies. We define ourselves in relationship to our tools and each other – and as one of us changes, so do we all.  This group is for the exploration of the new worlds coming into being as powerful new knowledge technologies are born and we experience new permutations of old struggles: between privacy and accountability; freedom and security; access and permission.

Encouraged: Posts about the personal and social dimensions of sur- and sous-veillance, Big Data, augmented reality, wearable computing, the Internet of Things, etc. How are we changing - and how are we staying the same? How are we learning to make art out of our increasingly intelligent and responsive environments?  Critical perspectives welcome.

Everyone into the pool!  And thanks again for your support.

New Painting | New Ravenectar Tees | My Talk From Fractal Planet | Year-End Art Sale!

“The gift turns toward the empty place.”

– Lewis Hyde

"The stagnant pond breeds malaria, the flowing stream is always fresh and cool."

– Gerald Rogers

Hello, everyone!  As my search for a booking agent continues (as well as my work on not one but two books, and a studio album of my percussive guitar songs), I'm still somehow managing to crank out an entirely unwholesome amount of art, music, and writing that I hope will inspire you this holiday season.  Here it is, followed by a note about my year-end sale on original art.

Thank you for your support and have a wonderful week!

Optimus De Los Muertos

Buy 11"x17" Prints | Like, Comment, Share

Paint markers on stretched canvas – 20"x30" – Original painting sold.

Painted live at the following concerts:

• 2013 11 01 The Parish •Random Rab, Happy Happy James
• 2013 11 09 Fun Fun Fun Fest •Miami Improv Machine, Jenny Slate, Doug Benson, Tenacious D, Quasi, Sparks• 2013 11 10 Fun Fun Fun Fest •Sarah Silverman, Wild Child, Daniel Johnston, The Dismemberment Plan, Washed Out, MGMT

Working during comedians at an uncomfortably-small festival venue packed with sweaty hipsters was a new experience for me.  But I liked it, for the most part!  Thanks to FYounK Clothing for having me and the Third Coast Visions Collective out to paint at Fun Fun Fun Fest.  

I filmed some of each layer through my Google Glass (the painting was a perk for my crowdfunding campaign) and will post the video soon...stay tuned!

Click below for a detailed view of the process:

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New Ravenectar Tees!

Buy 'Em Here

My friends Ravenectar in Montreal, Quebec have the coolest t-shirt company in the world and I'm delighted to have two new shirts in their winter line!  And in a world full of exploited artists, I'm happy to say that they're not just putting out the best shirts I can find; they're also giving us designers a great percentage on the sales.  Go pick up "his" or "hers" editions on their website and know that you're supporting the same people who brought you this awesome social network.

Cosmic Perspectives From A Fractal Planet

Free Download | Like/Comment/Share on FB

Recorded on 29 August 2013 as part of Burning Man's Fractal Planet Village Speaker Series. This hour of ecodelic philosophy explores the shifting boundaries between human and machine, past and future, self and society...one of Michael's noteworthy performances, energized by an excellent venue and audience. Appearances by Jonathan Zap and Mitch Mignano round out the discussion.

Topics include:

• The evolutionary imperative of taking a "cosmic" perspective;
• Why you don't need to fear a killer robot uprising;
• How an internet for dolphins will help with humanity's coming of age;
• The importance of absurdity and play in 21st Century society;
• And other "required" listening for post-millenial existence.

In related news, you can find links to free downloads of my entire archive of Burning Man recordings – both music and talks – right here.  The archive starts in 2009 with my first public speech at a festival, and continues through this year's inspiring music/dance collaboration with the Center Camp Aerial Fabric Showcase.  Enjoy!

Follow Me On Instagram

Because as great as these newsletters are, you and I would like to also be in constant superficial contact.  Follow me on Instagram and you'll see a bunch of cool stuff that won't make it into this newsletter, including shots of work in progress and pics from stage at festivals...also, wildlife adventure!  Yes.

Here are a few recent highlights – clickable links:

The Year-End Painting Sale Continues!

I know this is no way to talk about fine art – art that I labored over for hours and hours, carried with me across the country, shared in some of the best festival galleries in the world...but seriously, folks:

Get this art out of my apartment.  I'm happy to negotiate with you if 30% off still isn't enough.

Thank you.  That is all.  :)

Crowdfunding my Google Glass | Reflections on a Shift | New SCI Pin | New GRC Flatbill

NOTE:  If you subscribe to this blog by GMail, please note that they just changed their settings and even though you signed up for it, you are likely to miss future updates from me unless you drag this email from the "promotional" to "primary" folder in their new tab format.  (Sheesh.)

"Art is the opposite of war. Artists wage peace with their creations."

– Alex Grey

"When everyone realizes they are an artist, we will have world peace."

– Roman Villagrana

The big news continues.  Here's the best of what I've been up to for the last few weeks:

Help Support My Google Glass Video & Essay Series!

Google selected me on the basis of this tweet to be one of the first 2000 people with access to their game-changing new smart glasses, which allow me to share my work more fluidly than ever before.  Even though the opportunity is kind of overwhelming, I feel a profound responsibility to take it up so that I can continue my work to inspire and empower as many people as possible by making my life a work of art.

My plan for Glass is to share as much as I can about my own creative process and the amazing community of artists with whom I work through a video record of my transformational festival tour and an ongoing video time capsule project for people to leave messages to their future selves.  You'll be funding an ongoing series of intimate views into the work I do as an acoustic-electronic musician, live painter, public speaker, writer, and awestruck traveler – with plenty of windows into the work of other artists, inventors, and inspiring people.

I am also going to write a series of short essays on the promise and risk inherent in this new technology, and others like it.  It's a Golden Ticket to the Chocolate Factory...but most of those kids got eaten by machines.  It's a Lightsaber...but with great power comes great responsibility.  Hopefully these writings will help a generation of digital natives navigate their world with more care, discernment, wonder, and respect.

Please support this project however you can – in small ways or large – by donating to this campaign and sharing it with your friends, family, and anyone who is interested to see what Glass can do to empower someone in service to the creative commons and the evolution of our planet.

Here are pics of the brass pin and vinyl stickers I'm offering as perks:

The World's First POV Video Projection Onto Stage! (?)

Watch in HD

Huge thanks to Morphis Art for taking these four short videos of my set at Gratifly Festival, where I streamed live video from my face back onto the stage, where members of the audience could see themselves up there with me – as well as the fire dancers and live flower arrangement by the legendary Anthony Ward – and get an up-close look at what I'm doing with all of those guitar pedals.

My talk from Om Vibrations 2013: Reflections on a Shift

Free Download Here

New Live Album: This Never Happened

Stream for free on Bandcamp

For real, guys.  I don't know what you're talking about.  ;)  But Magnetic Eye Records does.  They made this album #007 in their catalog; given all the spy talk surrounding my appointment as a Glass Explorer, I'm tickled.

Official SCI Hornings Hideout Pin [Sold Out]

After years of flirting with The String Cheese Incident to make some official merchandise for them, I was approached by Sales & Shenanigans to make this pin for their Hornings Hideout shows this year.  The limited series of 220 sold out in ten minutes.  D'oh!  We should have made more.  I suspect we will be working together again soon...

The New MG x Herbivore Designs x GRC Flatbill

The SE Festival Tour Continues

Michael Goes To Burning Man, Part Five

This time as a Glass Explorer.  A big part of the work I'm hoping you'll support with my Indiegogo campaign is to get out there to record as much awesome and inspiring work as possible – both my own and other people's. My full Burning Man speaking and music schedule is here (on the left sidebar).

Speaker Series Lineup on FB

Fractal Planet is also taking a quantum leap and powering their camp with a RevAir vertical mag-lev wind turbine – clean, quiet energy that will turn the desert winds into the electrical life of celebration. Support their crowdfunding campaign and help usher in a new era for transformational festivals...

Palenque Norte Speaker Series Lineup on FB

You might already know as the "TED Talks for Psychedelics," but it's a lot more than that – over the years it has featured such luminaries as Alex & Allyson Grey, Alexander & Ann Shulgin, John Perry Barlow, Bruce Damer, and more.  They're running yet another donation-worthy campaign, which you can read about and donate to by clicking the pic above.

That's "all" for now!  Deep gratitude from me to you for your time and attention.  I'm always available to respond to your questions and feedback.  Stay in touch and have a beautiful weekend!