Suicide By Profit

More than 400,000 people in the streets of NYC. Wow! What a day! I was managing one of the stages at the end of the march and there was an incredible number of people in the area in front of the Javitz Center from 38th to 36th streets on 11th ave.

It was a zoo. Lots of confusion. Lots of chaos getting performers on and off the stage because many of them were trapped in the march itself. There were so many people that the march couldn’t move at times. Chris was with the Music Bloc in the march and kept me up to date via text as to their location and movement. At a certain point I had to ask her to pull some if the musicians out of the march and get them to the stage ASAP because we were running out of performers. Hell, I even grabbed a couple who weren’t scheduled to perform and put them on the stage to buy time. It’s was a good experience for them (http://www.scattertheirown.com) and they helped keep me in programming.

All of the artists were very easy to work with. Flexible and patient and fun. They helped turn a madcap day into a huge success.

The Chapin Sisters (http://www.thechapinsisters.com)  gave us an extra long set which we really appreciated and Clearwater Walkabout (http://www.walkaboutclearwater.org) was in good spirits in spite of being dragged through the subway by Chris because I needed them on the stage. They were tired, but glad to be able to perform and were good sports as the sound engineers and I set them up.

At the end of the day, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame (http://www.peterpaulandmary.com), arrived for his set which closed our stage. A kind, gentle man and an honor to meet. When I introduced myself to him as the stage manager he have me a big, warm hug which took me totally by surprise. It made my day.

His closing song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” was particularly poignant allowing for the theme of the march. We are in serious trouble and have already done enough damage to the environment that the song choked me up several times.

So, it was a success and we’ll see if the world leaders gathering at the UN tomorrow will listen to the tenor of what happened in the street today.

I expect that we still have a long, difficult fight ahead of us in spite of the day’s success. The people making money from the sale of fossil fuels aren’t going to give up easily and to that point, I attended the launch of a new app that allows one to track the fracking activity and infrastructure proliferating in NYS, some of which is headed into NJ not far from where we live.

The app is called NYS Shale Gas Infrastructure and can be accessed for free at this link: http://www.youareherenymap.org/. Check it out and find out if concerned people in your state have such an app and if they don’t, talk to the great people at the Sane Energy Project (http://saneenergyproject.org) about using their code to start one for yourself.

So with all of this (and much, much more), we have a massive, wildly successful start. The largest climate march in history and it happened in Americas most influential city.

And, it’s already producing results. This morning even Fox News is reporting that 400,000 people were in the streets yesterday. Other news outlets put the number slightly higher. Whichever the case, it’s already producing results. The Rockefeller Brothers Foundation has announced that they will divest from fossil fuel holdings. Hundreds of companies are following suit.

But, the battle isn’t over and I expect that it will become more intense as fossil fuel companies see their “assets” stranded by divestment and the first attempts at carbon taxes and strict EPA regulation. They will fight back and there will be set backs, but we must keep our eyes fixed on the endgame:

A livable climate for our children and grandchildren. We have struck quite a blow, but we cannot rest on our laurels. This fight has only started.

One of our efforts in the fight will be getting our show to the stage where it can urge as many people as possible into action. To that end, I will be attending a networking event in NYC tomorrow night for Broadway producers and investors. After the march and the growing reaction to it, I can clearly state a case for the importance and the level of interest in the show. This battle isn’t over by any stretch of the imagination. It’s only just begun in earnest.

But, for the moment, we have the advantage and we must press forward. That work continues today with the brave people of Flood Wall Street:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/22/flood-wall-street-photos_n_5861848.html

God Speed

MAD

I’ve never done anything like this before, but since the stakes are so high I felt it my responsibility to get involved. A rock opera is one thing, but getting into the streets and down and dirty with the thing is quite another.

I am really impressed by what I see around me. These people are incredibly hard working, incredibly dedicated and incredibly hopeful against what could seem to anyone an insurmountable task.

I am in awe of them. From my point of view as a total noob, they are doing the impossible under extremely difficult circumstances. Coordinating hundreds of workers divided up in blocs of expertise and interest is not for the faint of heart. Hell, we move fifteen or so people and a ton of gear in and out of a venue and think that’s a big deal. That’s nothing compared to this.

The thing that really gets me about them is their passion. They know it’s a tough fight. The press usually looks the other way. The mainstream media points their cameras in any other direction so they don’t have to show what they’re doing. The police are constantly whittling away the allowed spaces at installations and staging points and events and even the path of the march itself. One could say that the cops are only looking out for public safety, and in some sense that might be the case, but other times it seems they are deliberately trying to make it all as difficult as possible. Let’s call it “constructive interference.”

The climate march organizers are very welcoming of people new to this part of the effort. If you’re there and ask for something to do or how you can help, they’ll give you a job to do and feed you as a bonus. They are also open to any ideas that you might come up with. If you’re idea is a little too far out, they might ask you to dial it back a little but they are pretty much open to anything that will actually work. Being constructive here is the key.

Is it chaotic at times? Is there confusion and episodes of frustration and stress? The occasional bone-headed move (mine) that deserves a mild reprimand? Absolutely, but they get around them and keep moving. When you finish a task, shake it all off and move into the next.

People like these display the very best of human nature. This cooperation is the hallmark trait that made us successful as a species. Altruism pays off in spades. It ensures that you and I both survive and that our children and grandchildren have a chance at a good life. These people exemplify these traits at every turn.

We need more of them. Come and be a part of it. Come and make your voice heard.

The May Day Space is in Brooklyn and open pretty much any time of the day or night. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.704985,-73.9229048,17z

God speed

MAD

Busy week for yours truly. The Climate March in NYC is this Sunday and I’m involved with the music bloc. Lots to do before the march steps off.

Organizing it has been fun and a little chaotic, as these large efforts always are. The people I’ve met have all been very cool and fun to work with. Everyone is focused on the goal of getting this vital issue front and center in the national conversation as well as letting the world leaders gathering at the UN know that we cannot prevaricate any longer.

On the climate front here with Madmen and Dreamers, the new project, The Nature of Man, is almost ready to go up on Kickstarter. Getting it ready has been quite a job but the last of the numbers are in and the multimedia is almost complete. It’s sure to get a lot of attention, which is very good.

Two days after the climate march, there is a producers and investors networking event in the city which I’ve been invited to because I’m in the LinkedIn Broadway Producers group. This should be really interesting. Two days after more than a hundred thousand people march in the streets of New York City demanding action on the climate, I’m going to this event with a climate change rock opera in my hip pocket.

Finally, here in the northeast of the US, our summer has been unusually cold and dry. The nights have been in the fifties and sixties and most days didn’t get much over eighty degrees. Sure, there were a few days that actually felt like summer, but not many.

It’s been very dry as well. Not as dry as the western part of the US–and our prayers go out to the people of California and other afflicted western states–but still unusually dry. Chris and I hike nearly every weekend and we cross many stream that are bone dry. This is very unusual for this area. The landscape is dotted with lakes and ponds and the rivers that either feed or drain them.

The science of climate change tells us that droughts will become commonplace in all areas of the globe. We must act. Now.

Come to the march and let your voice be heard. All the inhabitants of this pale blue dot need you now more than ever.

God Speed

MAD