The singer/songwriter genre is the most esteemed category of ‘popular’ music. Continue reading
Archive for the Observation Category
Billy Joel – ‘She’s Always A Woman To Me.’
Posted in Music, Observation, Real Men with tags Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, easy-listening, Piano Man, She's Always a Woman To Me, The Stranger on August 28, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
Congratulations, Mick and Josina
Posted in Observation with tags A Midsummer Night's Dream, Josina Murray, marriage, Mick Valentine, Puck, Shakespeare, wedding on August 24, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
Mick Valentine married Josina Murray on Saturday. He’s a lucky man; she’s a wonderful woman. I’m sure they deserve each other. I wish for them all the very best.
“If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended –
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ‘scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call.
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.”
-Shakespeare,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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Hard Hank: My Hero
Posted in Observation, Real Men with tags Henry Rollins, Robin Williams, suicide on August 24, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
Henry Rollins has always been one of my heroes. I was disturbed to read the following piece, published in the LA Weekly in reaction to Robin Williams’ tragic suicide.
I was deeply impressed to read his public apology posted on his personal website shortly after.
The man has the courage of his convictions.
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The Dark Side of Unconditional Love
Posted in Observation, Reading with tags Bill Sikes, Charles Dickens, Nancy, Oliver Twist on August 12, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
It is said that unconditional love is the kind of love we should aspire to; it’s the state of loving in which you love someone, regardless of whether they love you in return, or even treat you well. It is to achieve a state of selflessness as a result of your feelings.
It has occurred to me that this is not always a good thing. Continue reading
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Kafka’s Mouse and Bukowski’s Bluebird
Posted in Fiction, Observation, Reading, Real Men with tags A Little Fable, bull, bullfight, Charles Bukowski, eagle, Goodlife Gyms, Ham on Rye, Henry Chinaski, K, matador, Post Office, Proverbs of Hell, Snoop Dogg, Street's ice cream, The Trial, There's a Bluebird in my Heart, William Blake on July 7, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
I read Kafka’s The Trial earlier in the year, and it was a boring read that paid off in a big way by the end. Continue reading
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Autobiography of a Loser
Posted in Observation, Reading, Real Men with tags acne, alcoholism, Angela's Ashes, Charles Bukowski, Elephant Man, Frank McCourt, Ham on Rye, Henry Chinaski, Hermann Hesse, Los Angeles, Post Office, Steppenwolf, Women on June 26, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
Fighting Words
Posted in Kickboxing, Observation, Real Men, Statement of intention with tags A Clocowork Orange, angel, Anthony Burgess, Genesis, Henry Handel-Richardson, Jacob, James Joyce, Kick boxing, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Kerr, Thai boxing, The Smashing Machine, Ulysses, War and Peace, Wilbur Smith on June 8, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
First published in Island Magazine, Issue 136.
There are two things I am driven to do: write and fight. Continue reading
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Hagiography
Posted in Ben Edwards, Journalism, Kickboxing, Observation, Peter Graham, Real Men, Statement of intention with tags art, Badr hari, Ben Edwards, BJJ, Boxing, facebook, Glory 16, IMC Prospect, International Kickboxer Magazine, Karate, Kempo, Kickboxing, Kyokushin, Peter Graham, Ralph Waldo Emerson, sport on May 31, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
“What a night. What can I say? Badr Hari is an animal. I was just too banged up to keep going. To my loving wife Silvia, my now-two little girls; you keep me strong.
“To my friends who have always been there for me, thank-you as you are all awesome. To my students at IMC Prospect: train hard and always do your best.
“Last, but not least, my fans; from the Kyokushin and Kempo karate people and the BJJ, MMA, Boxing And kickboxing fans who follow me and even the ones who do not or cannot, thank-you from the bottom of my heart.
“You are all part of who I am.”
Post-fight dedication from Peter Graham, taken from facebook, 30/05/14
***
I logged a post about Ben Edwards previously to this one. I was assigned to interview him for the most recent International Kickboxer Magazine and, towards the end of our conversation, he came out with something profound. Continue reading
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Down These Mean Streets a Man Must Go
Posted in Kickboxing, Observation, Real Men with tags Ben Edwards, fight or flight, Fighting, Glory 16, Kickboxing, Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler, self esteem on May 30, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
Ben Edwards with his trainer jamie McCuaig, behind the scenes at Glory 16.
“Why do I fight? I had a great childhood; I’m not an angry person, but I love fighting. Maybe it’s genetic. As a kid, I had big self-esteem problems, connected to my weight. Sure, that’s part of it. But there’s more to it than that. Continue reading
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‘Sometimes… you cannot win. But that has nothing to do with losing.”
Posted in Observation, Real Men, Statement of intention with tags awareness, capacity, focus, jiu jitsu, losing, problem solving, Rickson Gracie, winning on April 26, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
“Where there’s discomfort there’s fear… in these very tough positions, you’re in a little piece of hell. And through this daily suffering you learn to survive in these situations. You have to find comfort in uncomfortable situations. You have to be able to live in your worst nightmare.
“Jiu Jitsu puts you completely in the moment where you must have complete focus on finding a solution to the problem. This trains the mind to build that focus, to increase your awareness, your capacity to solve problems. Sometimes, you don’t have to win. You cannot win. But that has nothing to do with losing.”
– Rickson Gracie.
Theme Park at its Darkest 