Friday, April 25, 2008

After show Atlanta: Hotel Room Art Show

Feeling deflated. 3 performances thru the day before the real show even started. We sang. We danced. And now it’s time to steal things. I’ll take every piece of soap from this Ritz Carlton Hotel visit and stock my own house with the finest French milled facial soap.

The bus moves on tonight to Illinois while Toca & I fly to Denver tomorrow for more mini in-between shows. I can no longer think ahead in time further than a day. The future doesn’t exist, I tell myself. The only time and place is now.

I try not to say I have a million places to be or lots of shit to do. Instead I say, “I have a full life” and instantly I welcome abundance. It’s not that I HAVE to do all these things. It’s that I GET to do all these things.

Tonight’s show at the Variety Playhouse in Little 5 Points, a suburb of Atlanta, was a fun showcase of new material with a few teasers of old favorites. Music, Magic, & Make-Peace carries on. I regretfully had to leave the late night parking lot crowd due to sudden overwhelming requests for pictures, though for a moment we were thoroughly entertained as a group by a back alley card spitting magician who’s magic word was “Mu’Fuckah.”

So I split, but not before I snatched a box of movie popcorn from the classic concession counter. I enter my hotel room and drop my bags with circus dramatics only a veteran traveler knows. I am finally not going to use my computer or brain for that matter. I’m going to watch a movie and put the popcorn and clenched fist to good use.

At first I try a DVD I got from a friend in Australia but it’s the wrong region code so I can’t play it. Then I try to order a movie on hotel-a-vision but no credit card has been left for incidentals. I’m too tired and too naked to bother visiting the front desk after the midnight hour. I collapse. Too tired to laugh. Too goofy to try. And I eat the popcorn.

Here are some corresponding doodles courtesy of Right Brain performed while Left Brain was determining the nutritional & emotionally uplifting value of the popcorn.



"Popcorn's Big Night"
This one represents the “not right now” aspect of the given night. No access to Region Code 4, No Credit Card, No Desire to talk on the phone, No Pussy, No Herb, No interesting lady bugs to observe, No Time left in the day, etc. Just Popcorn without a film.

"It's Alien Fresh"
Fresh is a favorite word. It means new; recently harvested, clean, showing no signs of previous use, not changed by the passage of time, natural, pure, wholesome, alert and full of energy, cooler than usual, pleasantly bright, light, lacking experience, AND also means to have recently calved and are able to give milk. To be Alien Fresh must be even fresher than all that stuff combined.

"The GreeNerds"
The Green Sparkly Duo; This may be their debut as well their grand exit. They’re green in more ways than one. Their heads may be in space but their hearts are earth conscious. This point is hard to convey with only a black pen.

"Things to Do"

"Splash Remake"
Based on reoccurring dreams of Manatees. Please make them go away. But save them. They are endangered.

I am deflated no more. Art is my air hose.

81 comments:

Nicola said...

very fresh ;)
lovely paintings
I've enjoyed reading
thank you

Sophia said...

Mraz Productions present: Dream Sequence... "the hypnotic adventure of a man and his fight to rule over his dreams."
Starring:
A man called Jason.
An un-named manatee.
Another manatee.
Popcorn.

(We need to work on the story, but the outline was great, thanks a lot!)

Now the manatees... Have no clue what Freud would say about this... Just remember... dreams are wish-fulfilments, so let's face it, you want those manatees...
Manateeeees........................................................ x

The End.

The Mary said...

Ah, Five Points. Went there for the first time ever last month. Junkman's Daughter isn't a bad place. :)

Love the art. Amazing the things you can become inspired with.

Have a great night, Jason! Live here and right now. Life is fantastic, isn't it?!

Laurie Ann said...

I believe the Manatee story would be Rated X, or NC-17 at the very least, what with the money shot and all.

Tina said...

nice doodles! that last one is framable. :D

2 days!!!!!!


xoxo

Akanksha said...

lovely doodles.

andiecates said...

Your art is fantastic. And you are beautiful.

Michael J Charles said...

Some great art in there but even better advice. It's wedding shooting season for me and I can often get overwhelmed when I think of everything that lies ahead. But like you said, take it a day at a time and appreciate the fact that we GET to do these great things. This perspective takes over my consciousness the day of the wedding - I get in the zone! But it's important to remember this when looking ahead at all the dates that are coming up. Take it one gem at a time and appreciate it in all it's glory. Very cool! Thanks so much for the inspirational thoughts!

Also, the Green Sparkly Duo....you may have a Saturday morning show there! Pitch that snizzel to NBC and get the new generation on board. Give them something educational and fun to watch! I had no idea you had the doodling gene - your talent is ever-fresh!

Keep rockin' it! Obama '08!

-Michael
Your wedding photog. friend from Boston, MA

Sanya said...

those doodles are beautiful, and i am sort of even more in love with you at this point! i am seeing you this sunday in toronto. sooo excited.

Horsey Lover said...

Speaking of air hose.....hahaha! Apparently the second tubular device also needed a little attention. That's so wrong. Careful, the Manatee might mistake it for bait.
Love the doodles. So when ya gonna draw Leo a picture to hang on his wall? He's looking forward in seeing his guitar straps in action someday:-)
Get some rest! I think you're beyond numb as you're dreamland and real time seem to me melting together. Makes for some totally cool blogs, but your brain needs some down time once in awhile.

isabel said...

the variety playhouse show was pretty amazing. Too bad i missed your southern magician encounter. Your drawings were cool. The rest of my day is full so off i go .... :)


come back soon!

SkidVis said...

Wait.. Denver? When? Where?

SkidVis said...

Wait.. Denver? When? Where?!
I'm in Omaha.. but I'll fly there in a heartbeat!

Chucka Stone Designs said...

:~( Amongst the No's on "Popcorn's Big Night" is that No Love too? Bummer man.

This point is hard to convey with only a black pen

No, I think we get it. Well some of us probably get it others may not be able to dream in color.

Um, I spell my name with 2 n's...

My dream last night was pretty weird as well. A tall Asian girl with glasses was throwing tubes of Old Spice body wash at my head. I told her that was mean and she ran away but not before I could tell her that all I wanted to do was get to know her and now I had. I frowned, well pouted, that we would not be friends. Tube weilding, visually impaired Asian ladies are just endangered although not gentle giants.

meg.k said...

hahaaaaaaaaahahahhahahahahahhahaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha
you crack me up, jason.

i hope you got rest and you stay well--see you in toronto!

Priscilla Insauralde said...

Hi Jason!:)
That text could even become one more of your songs.:)
I guess we all become tired once in a while, even when life seems to be great. But yeah, we gotta try living the present without worring about what´s next. Live taking one step at a time. Then we probably would stumble less.:)
The popcorn and the movie you didn´t watch were really worthed in my opinion, cuz it brought to life some very nice cartoons./ Talking about movies, don´t forget to watch "Ps: I love you". This is probably the best one I´ve watched in these past few years./ Talking about cartoons. If you have the time, check this one I did a while ago (it´s you and your beloved forgotten hat): http://picasaweb.google.com/priscillartwork/Cartoons/photo#5185492309807341410
God bless!:):*
Priscilla.

Priscilla Insauralde said...

The site is incomplete, I don´t know why. But anyway, the continuation is "priscillartwork"
The drawing is among the cartoons.:)

k. mason said...

hahahaha. your pictures just brightened a dreary week for me :)

Wendy said...

Driving 100 miles to a mraz concert $75....staying overnite in a really nice hotel $200....seeing a piece of authentic mraz artwork:priceless. Have a great weekend!!!

draagonfly said...

I try not to say I have a million places to be or lots of shit to do. Instead I say, “I have a full life” and instantly I welcome abundance. It’s not that I HAVE to do all these things. It’s that I GET to do all these things.

You are SO right! You rock for reminding me to shift my own consciousness this morning. Perspective is important.

Your schedule sounds off the hook. All this flying around to radio appearances and snippets of shows... you handle it so gracefully. And you'll be able to skip the soap and shampoo aisle at the store for, ummm, ever. Just recycle those little plastic bottles. lol

You are so talented in so many ways, Jason. I greatly admire your Beingness. :) Thank you for sharing it with us.

Andi said...

You should watch the movie, Stay. There are manatees in it, and it's beautiful

jean said...

hillarious doodles.

i love that you are taking up self portraits. i was shown a pic of "you as a crab" i can bareley draw a stick figure.

i am glad to hear you are having fun. take care and keep up the freshness.

:)

nontra said...

you sing. you play. you dance. you juggle. you surf. AND you draw?
there is some serious skill in your doodling. it isn't fair that one person can be so good at so many things...

and don't wear yourself out now. your fans love you.
keep on keepin' on.

Andrea said...

You posted this too late. Wasn't your denver show yesterday? My heart just sank...
:(

rvega said...

My heart also sank... :( Denver ♥ you! You must come back.

Kelley Markl said...

are you seriously coming to denver tomorrow? I am there. when, where? please please please let me know and I will do whatever i have to do. I am in Boulder, and have been waiting for you to come this way for a loooong time. I hope I can figure this out... :)

Very excited,

Kelley

P. J. said...

Mr. Mraz,

when Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) was cruisin it near Florida and had his close encounter with manatees, he thought manatees where the infamous mermaids of sailor tales. he later wrote in his diary

"they are not so beautiful as they are painted, though to some extent they have the form of a human face"


maybe your trying to tell yourself something ... perhaps you have lived more than once?

-PJ

p.s. thanks for sharing.

Jessica said...

Jason, let's join forces sometime and create true art. I'm loving it. Here's to hoping the manatees disappear in your dreams...

mrazluv said...

I'm impressed and intrigued by all of your drawings...especially the last one! Ha ha...I hope you get to enjoy popcorn AND a movie soon.

be_brilliant said...

ok so this is the reason i keep reading this blog; not because i care what Jason Mraz is up to, but because he's effing crazy and his comments are invaluably entertaining. I'm fond of his brand of thought.

taiaja said...

i think your last drawing should be accompanied by your song, "Butterfly"...though different animal...close enough:P

Mollie said...

re-duce
re-use
re-cycle

reefer! haha

i love your very subtle marijuana references. i too, have no herb. :[

Bridgete said...

I have to say, reading the comment from Chucka Stone Designs was amusing because I know her (well, we read each other's blogs...we were actually brought together by reading each other's comments from this blog) and when I read the things to do list I also thought "she spells her name with two Ns!"

On another note...my new favorite quote is "just popcorn without a film."

A Million Paths said...

I have a confession to make. I am a lady bug murderer. I don't mean to be, but they are abundant in my sweet little cabin in the woods and I often accidentally smoosh them as they linger in unsuspecting places (my book bag, my yoga mat, my underwear drawer, the bags containing my spring/summer/fall but definitely not winter tires...I even found one in the pot of wild rice I was making (mhhhh protein). I'm going to use that "I have an abundant life/I GET to do things" meme as I approach the end of my graduate school semester and instead of buckling down to do work I'm heading to Montreal to go to your concert. merci buckets.

Kim said...

"Instead I say, “I have a full life” and instantly I welcome abundance. It’s not that I HAVE to do all these things. It’s that I GET to do all these things."

Greatest quote of all time.

And you have nice handwriting.

PS: I admit that I first typed "hand-righting." Then I thought to myself "That so doesn't look right."

lindSAY said...

you are fucking hilarious. i love those pictures. i have now shared them with the entire internet. a second time, since you shared them first. you must be ridiculous to smoke with. hahaha

cristina said...

hahaha. what a refresher before i get back to studying... *sigh*

can't wait for the new album!

draagonfly said...

and when I read the things to do list I also thought "she spells her name with two Ns!"

I know Jenn too and the same thing crossed my mind as I read the list of names! LOL

Diane said...

A simple thank you in cases like this is pathetic but it is a start...thank you so much for Love For A Child in San Fran, it moved me. Thank you, thank you, thank you...
Sorry I couldn't say hi but I had to run soon after the show was over.
Add a date in Oregon soon, I'd love to meet you here in the trees.

francine said...

fly drawings.

Ginger said...

okay, i'm still laughing at that last sketch....and...okay.

denver tomorrow? the 26th? you were just here yesterday, the 24th!
OMG jason! you do, indeed have a full and abundant life. and um, i don't know what commitments you have for the lovely, cold and wet day in denver this saturday, but i'll be at the museum of art in the afternoon. (wink) hah!

i'm also curious to know if that was you i saw on thursday in that chauffeur driven, ritz carlton rolls royce....

manatees...the real mermaids. the mythical mermaids were said to be the rescuers of men (or so i've heard). manatees get killed or injured by boat propellers and need rescuing. a very strange dream indeed. perhaps you're just dreaming that we're all in this together and we just need a little looooove.

i also had the same thought that jenn (chuckastone) spells her name with 2 n's! okay, there's a trend here j. now i'm curious to see if you're going to call her. then again, can't do that if you don't have her number or know what day it is on your tour.

yes, rambling now. i know...but seriously. where in denver saturday? i gotta know!!

peace~

Christina said...

Thanks. You made coffee come of my nose. I'm totally gonna call you out on it Tuesday.

2bcris said...

YAY for doodles that make me giggle. I doodled a little pig one day...he looks quirky with his crooked smile.

isa said...

Thank you for this blog, it always leaves me smiling... :-)

And thank you for keeping up to this crazy schedule of yours!
For me, your time table comes close to perfect timing: I am defending my BBA thesis on the 20th of June near Berlin and I start working in Brussels on the 1st of July. So for the one special week of "nothing to do" in between, I planned a kind of celebration week in Berlin with some of my best friends. Just when I made the reservation for an appartement in Berlin, I got the newsletter with your German tour dates - it happens that you are in Berlin during the exact same week!

Your concert will definitely be the highlight of celebration week! :-)

Take care and see you in Berlin!
Isa

redhead said...
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redhead said...

I was just watching VH1 and saw that "I'm Yours" debuted at number 11. That's awesome. Congratulations. I hope it's straight to number 1 for you. You deserve it.

Atlanta was just wonderful. Come back South soon.

i am p. said...

do you remember the

"Master of my Domain"

Seinfeld episode?

that's what i thought about upon completion of this illustrated post.

Danielle said...

I'm not sure it could be said enough. You were brilliant at your show last night.

Thanks for everything.
-Just Danielle

‹(•¿•)› meep said...

ooooohhhh i just discovered your music and you mr. mraz

booty shakin' happiness ensued

Kelly said...

i'm in love with this man

Cami said...

i bet you sign a lot of autographs, you have great handwriting.

wait, did that sound like a pick up line?

.ashley.bliss. said...

your boredom is hilarious.

i hope you're being good to yourself-- staying hydrated and mineraled and multivitamined. next time you're bored and naked in a hotel, you should shimmy down to the in-house spa and get yourself a massage. you musicians are rough on your calves, hamstrings, and forearms, not to mention your wee neck flexors and your pecs and your traps and your rotator cuffs. besides, massage has been proven to enhance creativity. so then you can return to your room for tea and more merry artmaking.

nik said...

haha..love it

the combination of a naughty drawing on Ritz Carlton paper makes me giggle

a beating heart said...

Art and creativity is oxygen.

Your freshness is inspiring :)

Melodie said...

Wow J,

Your having heart palpitating slap-it happy dreams about manatees and I'm having reoccurring sexy dreams about you.

Well, at least we're both getting some sleep.

Please please please come to omaha.

Millie

Melodie said...

J,

These lovely drawings should be put on a t-shirt!

Love it
Millie

Sally said...
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Sally said...
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Sally said...

grrr stupid computer!


1. Manitees are called Dugongs in Australia. And why do you get off on them? How strangely arousing.
2. I love little 5 points. The community there is so eclectic. I was there in the height of a georgia summer in 2001, feeding the homeless and being a sound tech at Georgia tech.
3. I dreamt last night we walked along a beach on a balmy night then you rescued a big breasted girl from drowning. They were huge, like floatation devices. If you didn't save them, I would have.

artjewl said...

Every once in a while, I am relieved when I can't find anything worth watching on TV or otherwise. Likewise, I secretly wish for the electric to go out, to keep me from the computer, TV, radio... I am "forced" to revisit my sketchbook and to hand-write my words.

It's so refreshing.

...

As for Chucka, looks like she's almost as famous as you are around these parts. I mean, seriously, I thought the exact same thing (that you forgot an N) when I saw your to do list...

...

I dreamt last night that you were back in the Charlotte area for an informal party-esque performance. It was a happy dream, a much needed escape -- for me at least. Maybe you wouldn't be so thrilled to know if another show just popped up on your tour...

Peace,
Julie

Chucka Stone Designs said...

I hope all your peeps in VA are ok after the tornados.

Merri said...

every time you reveal yet another ability of yours, i am even more amazed. i didn't know it was possible for one person to be so talented at so many things! your way with words is enchanting and your live shows are absolutely mesmerizing, but you also use your talents to just be witty and hilarious and fun. i'm sure this tour schedule is taxing, but it must be amazing to think about the number of people you are making so ridiculously happy every time you play a show. i saw you at davidson a couple weeks ago and am still happy as a result of that one night. thank you for putting together the most incredible tour i've ever seen. you are so inspiring!

Teresa said...

your list of things to do is the same as mine, and those drawings are album-artwork worthy.

amanda said...

oh my... i loved your drawings :)
great to-do list
what exactly happened with that manatees? muy interesante...

Wendy said...

For all you Mraz fans out there...go to VH1 and vote for Jason's "I'm Your's video and make him number 1.

Ulfie the Black Cat Baby said...
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lovely ulfie said...

ahh. the manatess.
they're also called the "sea cows" aren't they?

anyway, i hope you come to Indonesia. no? what if i say PLEASE?

a beating heart said...

What is it with my reading....?

I read it first at your space and read it as Fart Air.
That made a whole different thought about what's the blog about.

kam*yu said...

You got tagged!

We call them dugongs in Malaysia too. And we live on trees.

a lukewarm midget fully submersed in icecubes said...

......heh, heh?

i am p. said...

jason mraz, would you like to be a fearless free rider (writer)? pants are optional and manatees are welcome.

http://talknsmack.wordpress.com/

.ashley.bliss. said...

hey, nice fashion. this version of 1000 things is completely unreal. way to break hearts. or heal them. or feel them. you know, either way.

Lindsay Tennessee said...

:)

jazz said...

awesome!

Chucka Stone Designs said...

Don't know if you're still there but May 10-11 at the Barbican Centre is London Aware 08 -- all kinds of ideas on how to "green" your life. Hope you get to go & report back to all of us here in the US & other countries how it was!

Being the Change said...

hilarity.

Julie Mc. said...
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Julie Mc. said...
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Julie Mc. said...
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Eve said...

u r simply a gift fr above to us :)

mckay said...

lol


if you're gonna steal something, let it be at the ritz.

my sister stole a bottle of ritz hand soap from the ladies' room and gave it to me for my birthday.

cracked me up, as do you. you're feee nomm in allll.