upcoming SOUTHSIDE shows include

LOUISVILLE poem project

friday September 26th 5 to 9pm unveiling release of Ron's new city of Louisville commissioned LOUISVILLE poem project which is gonna be huge. 14 artists included in this massive project. the unveiling will include Ron reading, exhibit of work by all 14 artists, plus DJ. event happening @ Gill Holland's The Green Building, East Marktet.

Side Notes

near death on The Viking Mountain and SOUTHSIDE Lives

hello family and friends!!! my most amazing Iceland visit yet!!! solo climbed 
The Viking Mountain. wind was howling at the bottom. snow ice mudslides steep 
climbs then it started raining. when i reached the top the wind got 20 times 
stronger and the rain began to pour. drenched to the bone. the giant boulders 
at the top were slippery. i could barely hold on. and the wind was pulling on 
my backpack. i felt like a toothpick with a parachute on my back. i could see 
myself being pulled hundreds of feet out into the air and the long fall. several 
climbers have fallen from here to their deaths. 3 times it nearly happened to 
me. then i crawled behind a boulder which blocked some of the wind. i rested 
there for 15 minutes. i had epiphanies. then i took my 1.5 liter red wine bottle 
out of my backpack and stood up facing the wind. i raised a toast to the fierce 
Norse Gods thanking them for embracing and accepting me. i took a long drink 
emptying half the bottle. i embraced the wind which blew all sorrow all Sarah 
right out of me. i said God bless Sarah and Wes and their baby. i let go of them. 
i let go self suffering. i claimed complete freedom, at all levels of being, 
for myself and everyone. 
i was healed. i made my descent.
so. entire trip amazing. climbing lava black snow capped mountains, hiking 
beside crystal clear blue water rapids mountains rivers ocean, swimming outside 
in geothermally heated pools, wanderings thru Thingvellir (sacred nature and Viking site), 
inspired performances, healings, visits with old and new friends. road warrior 
friend and fellow SOUTHSIDE member Scott Mertz was with me for over a week then 
he headed on to The Netherlands. this was Scottīs first visit to Iceland. he got 
to experience all the natural beauty (land and people) iīve described to him 
and others) for long time. we stayed (iīm still here) with Olafur Gunnarsson 
(Icelandīs leading writer, world class writer and storyteller, his work worthy 
of Nobel Prize in Literature) and his beautiful wife Elsa and sons Peter and 
Kolpee (great singers musicians). they are some of the most beautifully wonderful 
people on the planet. and their home (the house and its location out in Iceland nature) 
are inspiringly gorgeous. iīve loved every minute of it. and i also got to spend 
weekend visiting with my old friend fellow road warrior, and co-founder with 
me of The Viking Hillbilly Apocalypse Revue, Michael Dean Odin Pollock who 
happens to be one of the best musicians on the planet. Michael and i got caught 
up on all fronts plus we had long visit with his son Marlon who is one of the 
best rap/hip hop artists anywhere. we also visited with Marlonīs friend Poetrix, 
himself a new rap/hip hop star here in Iceland. i also got to visit and reconcile 
friendship with my old friend poet activist Birgitta Jonsdottir, and visited 
with her handsome sons Neptunus and Delphin. I went read and spoke with her at 
Free Tibet protest in front of Chinese Embassy. The Beat Festival at Stora 
Klopp/Big Rock received publicity from all Icelandīs top newspapers and radio. 
Icelandīs leading poets writers filmmakers publisher and cultural figures were 
in attendance. we were all lifted up and inspired. It was one of the best Beat 
Festivals iīve ever participated in. and because of its success there is talk 
that there will be another even bigger festival next year. 
Scott and I performed with Michael Pollock and Birgitta and Dean Ferrell and 
others. Thor, Icelandīs leading poet, gave a hilarious and poetically genius 
presentation. Olafur, who translated Kerouacīs On the Road into Icelandic, gave 
an inspired talk and his sons Peter and Kolpee sang one of their own songs which 
i guarantee you will become a #1 hit, plus they performed with Michael, Scott, 
and me. everyone sang Happy Birthday to Johan, Olafurīs publisher and Icelandīs 
leading publisher. a gigantic bonefire was built. hundreds of hot dogs were 
served. songs were sung. talks visits went on deep 
into the night. 
a few days later Michael, Scott, and I tore it up for packed house at BabaLu. 
Oli Palli, voted Icelandīs #1 dj and program manager for Radio Iceland, was there. 
he is now playing our new SOUTHSIDE LOUNGE cd on Radio Iceland. Oli Palli is a 
great guy. he has played Michaelīs work for years, with UTANGARDSMENN (voted 
Icelandīs Best Rock Group of the 20th Century) and all the other bands and 
musicians Michael has worked with for over 30 years. heīs also consistently 
played my cds, including the ones iīve done with Michael. 
hm. way too much to tell. oh. Olafur picked Scott and me up at airport in 
his baby blue 1968 Cadillac. what a sight!!! pure beauty. in coming weeks 
iīll write the entire experience down, probably in the new book iīve started 
which will be titled I AM THE FUCKING STORM: Godīs Open Nerve, The Storm Generation 
which yes will mention the Insomniacathons but will not be the official INSOMNIACATHON book. 
what i had hoped and prayed for has come true. i have been reborn into new inspired life.
thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!
i hope to visit with all of you soon!!!
your friend always
Ron
Stora Klopp/Big Rock
Iceland
p.s. Scott Mertz and I had many long talks including talks bout SOUTHSIDE. the good 
news for us is that SOUTHSIDE Lives. soon as we both get back to Kentucky weīre going 
to Powwow and dive into booking non-stop SOUTHSIDE shows and tours and shipping 
copies of the new SOUTHSIDE LOUNGE cd out for airtime and review. we are sending 
energies out for new female lead singer but in mean time weīre gonna continue 
booking and performing shows. yeeefuckinhaw!!!!!!! 
p.p.s. many Iceland photos and other photos and new film footage plus exciting 
announcements on the way.
Thanks for staying tuned.

the ART ECOLOGY/ART ECO Movement is the most exciting
arts movement since Edvard Munch painted "The Scream" and
birthed the Expressionist Movement since Marcel Duchamp's
"Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" and "Fountain" helped
birth Dadaism and Surrealism. I bring The Storm Generation
to the Art Eco Movement. I am The Fucking Storm. I will leave
nothing to the imagination save the imagination itself. All else
will be swept away.
                             Ron Whitehead, august 2008, AHA

Book Ron Whitehead and SOUTHSIDE for 2008!
Booking, Purchases & more information:
email ron@tappingmyownphone.com



archives: August 2008 January 2008 February 2008 2007 Archives

copyright Đ 2008 Ron Whitehead