Usual Pets

Today, we are honored to be speaking with musician and professor Dong-Won Kim. Our discussion begins with his formative days, forged from the turmoil of 20th century Korea, onward to his realization of the depth of meaning found at the heart of traditional commoner’s music; and entryways to his creative space. We also discuss the chemistry of creation, intention, emptiness, the act of re-booting oneself, and the serendipity found in the flow of time and events. The twists and turns of this uncommon path blazed by Dong-Won Kim leave us with no other way to sum up this inspiring personage than alchemical. Join us on this adventure of transmutation.

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If you like what we do, please support your Usual Pets on Patreon: https://patreon.com/usualpets.You can also find us at https://usualpets.com and visit us on Instagram, Facebook, or at Podbean. Please let us know what you think of our independent production.

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Dong-Won Kim—Links

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FILMrIntangible Asset Number 82 ( Emma Franz, Dir., 2009). Trailer; Film on-demand ($8.00 USD): 

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SILKROAD ENSEMBLE (with Yo-Yo Ma) https://www.silkroad.org/about

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Bio: “Since 1984, Dong-Won Kim has studied various forms of traditional music, such as farmer’s drumming and dance, and shamanic music. His main instrument is Janggu (aka Jang-go, janggo, changgo, seyogo (slim waist drum), the most representative drum in traditional Korean music), Vocals, Composer. He is a practitioner of Pansori accompaniment, and expositor of music theory inspired by great Korean music masters. By participating in many intercultural projects, he is committed to sharing the profound beauty of traditional Korean culture and music with the world. Kim currently teaches music online as a professor at Wonkwang Digital University. He has also written several fairytales for children and was featured in the documentary film, Intangible Asset Number 82 (2009).” https://www.silkroad.org/artists-dong-won-kim

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MUSIC

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Performance: Chuncheon Arts Festival (2021) https://youtu.be/NVhu_yqHJhU

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Live Performance CD: “Over the Mountain,” Dong-Won Kim and James McGowen (2018)rhttps://amzn.to/3BUfFXsrLive Performance CD: Trio CaBiKi “Wild Silence” (2016) https://bit.ly/304Kig8 r(Jeff Cairns, Jeff Bird, Dong-Won Kim. Mixed by: Jeff Cairns / Richard Gilbert, BigFish Studio, Kumamoto, Japan, mastered by Richard Gilbert)

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SOCIAL

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Facebook: Dong-Won Kimrr

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Today, we are honored to be speaking with Grandmaster Don Baird (American School of Martial Arts; Chang Moo Kwan Kung Fu). Though martial arts are rarely thought of as being imbued with artistic process, our discussion sheds light on the more refined realm of the practice, as developed though several decades in Don’s advanced levels of Black Belt training. “Rounding off the angular” refers to an expansion of being through engagement with the arts. This process is traditionally known as “The Five Excellences”: fighting, healing, musicianship, painting, and writing.  In contemporary life, the five excellencies may refer to any number of art forms, though with the personal challenge to develop one’s craft, in at least five different arts, to a high degree of skill. This interdependence with creative practices in everyday life facilitates a “rounding off,” which deepens one’s life experience, and is reflected in all things attempted in life, including the martial arts. The focus of our discussion is centered on the feeling of freedom as an entryway into creative space. Along the way, we also discuss desire, limitation, privacy, and secrecy, as aspects of an holistic approach to achievement not only in fighting but in human potential. Don himself is an exemplar of the approach he teaches, as you will hear in the conversation. How round are you?

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If you like what we do, please support your Usual Pets on Patreon: https://patreon.com/usualpets.You can also find us at https://usualpets.com and visit us on Instagram, Facebook, or at Podbean. Please let us know what you think of our independent production.

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Don Baird—Links

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MARTIAL ARTSrAmerican School of Martial Arts/Kung Fu: kungfukarate.comrSuh Do Kwan / Chang Moo Kwan (history & lineage): https://amzn.to/2Wbejcd  r”Faces and Places” (view online; haiku anthology/photography): https://bit.ly/3z1RwOkrAmazon: https://amzn.to/3AWfGKB

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HAIKUrHaiku at The Living Haiku Anthology (LHA): livinghaikuanthology.comrDon’s LHA Haiku Page: https://bit.ly/2WdOiZErUnder the Basho, Haiku Journal: underthebasho.comrThe Haiku Foundation: https://thehaikufoundation.org/poet-details/?IDclient=175

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Music and Haiku: https://bit.ly/3z3RQfq  (“Haiku — The Interior and Exterior of Being”)

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MUSICrThe Wandering Clarinet: https://bit.ly/3z3RiWU rThoughtscape: https://music.apple.com/us/album/thoughtscape/378345758rSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/donbairdrSite: clarinetpro.com

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PHOTOGRAPHYrFlikr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/donbaird/r Getty: https://bit.ly/3sJZp8R

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PASTORrDon Baird: https://bit.ly/3svv5OSrr

Today, we at Usual Pets will be horsing around! We’ll jam on the never-ending fullness of zeros, entryways to artful process through tension and release, how to write a first word, creative spaces in virtual worlds–and, does capitalism foster creativity? To kick it off, Richard offers the four-minute “Test Pattern,” a poem set to music, our WTF (wonderous-transmogrified-filament) for this episode. We also offer the music to “Pollinators,” an accompaniment to this episode’s video, available to our Patreon listeners. If you like what we do, please support your Usual Pets on Patreon: https://patreon.com/usualpets.You can also find us at https://usualpets.com and visit us on Instagram, Facebook, or at Podbean. Please let us know what you think of our independent production.

We at Usual Pets are very pleased to talk with Okinawan singer, sanshin player and creative being, Aragaki Mutsumi. Following the paths of Okinawan music maestros Fukuhara Chōki and Fukuhara Kyōko, she is noted for transferring the soul of Okinawan music into a modern milieu, incorporating eletronica and environmental music into her unique compositions, she was recently invited to perform at the prestigious World Music Festival WOMEX, in Portugal. At minute 45, we introduce “Layers,” an  original piece from her latest CD, “Another World of Okinawan Music. we hope you enjoy our talk with her.r

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If you like what we do, please support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/usualpets

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By subscribing, you gain access to a variety of additional benefits! You can also visit us at Usual Pets on Facebook, or at Podbean. Please let us know what you think of our independent production.

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Aragaki Mutsumi—Links

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Wiki: https://en.aragakimutsumi.com

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aragakimutsumi

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aragaki_mutsumi/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHfduNrLeWGu9dsj3h7pVg

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ZRTGawp6Bsn7gzI4y8FDg

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Apple: https://music.apple.com/jp/album/another-world-of-okinawan-music/1510630716

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In Episode 3: “Hey MA!” at Usual Pets, we first present a WTF (Wondrous Transmogrified Elements), a sonic cognition featuring Jeff’s shakuhachi playing. Following this, we discuss the fractal arrangement of worlds, the Japanese concept of MA with respect to space and silence, darkness and the intrigue of dreams, finding the musician within, pragmatic impracticality, tunnels to love, fearlessness and peace in improvisation, and, nonsense. Our conversation is also sprinkled with quotes from Jung.

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If you like what we do, please support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/usualpets

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By subscribing, you gain access to a variety of additional benefits! You can also visit us at Usual Pets on Facebook, or at Podbean. Please let us know what you think of our independent production.