Flight of the Phoenix

Laala is approaching the Dervish's record for the most consecutive mentions on this blog. But as my mind is all Left Coast right now, it makes sense. Over the course of my career, collabos have been a double-edged sword. In one sense they've served as an opportunity for me to pool ideas and resources with like-minded individuals. But sometimes there were problems, in terms of the workload, in terms of getting the credit, and sometimes in terms of money. But when you have a really good partner, one who has just as much to offer as you do, it can be a beautiful thing.

There are only three men in the world who you'll find me on the phone with at four in the morning: Ralph, Big Rob J and Glass. But now that Ralph is all engaged and shit, and Rob is generally as jaded as I am, it was Glass who I had this particular chop-up with.

If there's one thing a Black writer in New York on his way to LA and a Jewish writer in LA from New York can talk about is prejudice, and how that prejudice paired with capitalism can play into the green-blooded monster that is Hollywood. Fortunes go up and down like elevators. Stars fall out of the sky. You can go from selling million dollar pitches to hocking oranges on street corners in the blink of an eye. It's all about Carpe Diem, riding the wave until it crashes and then having the fortitude to get on the next one. It's not for everyone. In truth, it's only for a very chosen few, of which I will be one.

But none of this is what had us up so early in the morning. What we talk about most are all the things that come with being men. As his kids grow every day is a lesson in fatherhood. As I grow and dream of being a father I come to understand the intricacies of who my Dad is and why our relationship is so beneficial to the both of us. As only a dusting of my friends are even cool with their Dads, Glass and I look at the issue from both sides of the coin. What comes out of it is this mutual elevation that's worth losing the sleep.

As that mechanical bird carries me into the skies it's he and Roberto, the B-Man, Laala and Kaypri who make it clear to me that I'm not traveling to a plastic land full of plastic people, but to my third home. Out.

P.S. Laura you were right ;)