Mill Avenue Nights: Saturday, April 5th 2008

This Saturday was freaking amazing!

I will have to break this apart into various sub-segments outlining my anthropological research and the Mill Ave Marauders (the atheists, as I’ll call them) and other weird events.

First, I’d like to start with a pre-announcement for Volume 8 of Mill Avenue Vexations: The Rule of Lwa which was released on Saturday, but not fully announced. Take a click and gaze upon the gorgeous artwork. Also, if thou want a copy, they’re available until the 19^th of April out here on the Ave.

EXTREMELY PROPHETIC

Fredd took over writing the sign because Kazz happened to fail rather badly at writing things like, “THERE ARE NO GODS” on the sign. Intermittently, people did pause to see what was being written on the whiteboard, but few actually paused to say anything. Then, out of the blue, a small group paused and Kazz distractedly handed one of them one of his tracts.

Gazing at the man from the boots up (blue jeans over brown boots) I noticed suddenly that he had a belt buckle that was Jesus. And by Jesus, I mean clasp metal, arms extended, gloriole surrounding his head, belt-buckle-of-certain-doom. This was a savior-belt. Next: bright yellow jacket – and, sure enough, the words “Jesus Freak” emblazoned in bold bumble-bee black across the breast. And me, staring on in awe.

Oh wow, I thought, this is going to be an interesting reaction. Just about when Kazz noticed him and stood up.

I hovered around for a little while to get as many notes as I could. It seems that this group hit Mill after going to a conference for Evangelicals where they had learned to hear the “voice of god.” They are a sect punctuated by the belief that they can prophesize things—like vaguely guessing the health conditions of individuals who have obvious signs of them. The group is called “Extremely Prophetic Ministry.”

I spent a little while talking to a Dutch fellow in their group. A transplant from Miami, Florida where he spent his days making hundreds of thousands of dollars a week as a male model. Between quick-talk and sporadic gesticulations he told me all about sleeping with hundreds of women, making beaucoup bucks, slotting 8-balls, and generally living the high-“high”-life. Unfortunately for him, he’s one of those people who likes to bring up the etymology of every word. And he ran into an anthropological linguist.

No. Harder alcohols are not called spirits because they cause people to act crazily and the argument of this origin is hardly compelling because – non-spirit alcohols have the same effect, furthermore a multitude of other substances that also cause inebriation are not called spirits. Alcohols which are called spirits are the distilled alcohols, which, by the way distillations of other substances are also called spirits. There are multiple possible origins, mostly alchemical. (1) They’re called spirits because distillation is a process by which the essence of a product is left behind (i.e. the alcohol) and (2) they’re called spirits because spirit etymologically comes from a word that means “breath” and distillation is a process of vaporization.

“Did you know that craft means to twist.” (I made the mistake of saying that Vexations was about witchcraft.) Well, no, it doesn’t. Literally craft means “skill.” And etymologically it also meant skill. Yes, a definition for “craft” in the dictionary does involve lying. Of course, someone who is good at lying would be skilled at it, thus the usage of “crafty.” This is not the intrinsic definition.

“Do you know what witch comes from?” Yes. It comes from a German word that meant wizard. Witchcraft, etymologically, would just refer to a skill in wizardry. Yes, I saw what you were trying to do there.

I offered him a book. He gave it back, saying, “He didn’t want to have to read it.”

I guess he was a bit broadly outside my audience anyway.

MARAUDERS

We lacked some of our larger players like Todd and Ben, but we did have Kevin, Punk Rock Atheist, Kazz, Fredd, Omar, Jim, and a few additional situational players joining the Marauders.

During the whole circus that erupted – between the Extremely Prophetic people – some discussion did get had. Mostly Omar with his bullhorn turning up the volume on the one-voice of the preachers and adding his own important insights.

We did end up wandering down to Denny’s where we tucked ourselves into a table and blustered bawdy delights about the dimming night.

I haven’t talked to the people who run Urban Outfitters but it realize that they tolerate a lot with these groups setting up on the sidewalk corner outside. The crowds that gather are a nuisance to say the least and certainly noisy. Although they try hard not to block the entrance, there have been times that some have come to ask that people move.

THE DRUM CIRCLE

Sparse. I did get to see Osiris, but he wasn’t at the circle when I did. A few people took booklets – sadly, I did find three left behind when they moved along which means that a lot of people forgot them. Ah well, it is a danger of the type of advertising that I do when I hand them out. We’ll see if anyone else is interested next weekend while I get more passed out the more willing crowds.