At long last, work on Episode 2 is really picking up steam, and the infrastructure of the wider Phoenix And Phriends Universe is beginning to fall into place. Our hot weather uniforms were finally finished today. Tracy’s Sewing Service at 828 E Olive in Fresno did an absolutely incredible job altering the uniforms and sewing on the patches. I highly recommend them for any clothing repairs or alterations. Several scenes have been shot already, and now that we have the summertime jumpsuits, we can begin to shoot some outdoor action scenes. Without giving too many spoilers, I will reveal that Phoenix and Dada will actually spend some time on our very own Planet Earth…saving it from destruction, of course. Work is also well underway on the Phoenixologica Etsy Store. We will begin by offering our vintage Soviet watch collection and soon gradually introduce a line of handmade jewelery. Everything in the store will be thematically related to the show. In the words of the immortal Brian Kenny Fresno, moron this later. Last week, The Commander, his Mother, Sister and I took a pilgrimage of sorts to Post Falls, Idaho. There we had a very enjoyable vacation, spending time with Phoenix’s Grandma Mary Jo, and many other wonderful family members and friends. Profound homage was paid to the memory of the Earthly Incarnation of the Immortal Queen Nana Bettina. To say that it was not the same without Nana there in the flesh would be the most massive of understatements, however the ostensibly irrational sensation that Her Majesty’s presence is helping to guide our creative process going forward has only grown stronger. One of the many highlights of the vacation was a morning spent rockhounding by the Spokane River with Phoenix and his Sister Maddy. We currently have these Idaho rocks in our new tumbler, and plan to incorporate some of them into our new jewelry line, which will be available in time for the holiday season. I would like to close this stream of consciousness run on paragraph by circling back to our new uniforms, both the indoor and outdoor manifestations. Prominently and proudly emblazoned on both the front and back of these jumpsuits are the critically important words “Natural Guard,” a concept originated by the ingenious shamanic futurist Jim Channon. I briefly referenced the Intergalactic Natural Guard, to which Dada and Phoenix belong, in Episode 1. Mr Channon was given credit at the end of the show for originating the Natural Guard idea, however I had not yet asked his permission for its use. After completion and initial airing of the episode, I somewhat timidly approached this great man, from whom I have drawn tremendous inspiration, on Facebook, and told him of my intention to more comprehensively weave the Natural Guard mythology into the fabric of the show. I was deeply honored and incredibly pleased that Jim Channon granted me full permission to run with the Natural Guard concept, and in Episode 2 we begin the work of doing exactly that. In our brief but seemingly profound virtual interaction, I found Mr Channon to be every bit as warm, friendly and nurturing as his body of work had always appeared to indicate. Our use of the Natural Guard idea will always attempt to remain respectfully true to the vision that this brilliant thinker introduced to our world. I spent the beginning of the summer re reading Jim Channon’s book Go Planet! The book effected me even more deeply the second time, and helped me to clarify the higher purpose of Phoenix And Phriends, and my life more generally. I will be discussing this book in detail in a future post, hopefully next week, providing I can make the time to do it justice. I do not profit in any way by promoting Mr Channon’s work, and do not seek to do so. If Phoenix and I are able to introduce even a few more Earthlings to the incredibly positive vision of the future presented in Jim Channon’s work, this Planet will certainly become a better place, indeed in time even perhaps, as Jim would say…a Paradise.
