World For All People

Last month I put a listing on Craigslist trying to encourage people to join the Guerrilla Poetry Organisation. I got no interest from poets but I did receive an email from Rick, an extremely naive Canadian with a grand plan. I think you will find the email dialogue interesting.

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Hello. :-) "Fight Club For The Pain Averse Poetry" gotta like that.I am not a poet but I am reaching out to people around th world to - perhaps you and/or your group would help with this:----I am writing to you from Vancouver Canada. This is a very unusual, but sincere, request. Please take a moment to read it - you will like it :-)I am wanting to make a friend in every country, who will do a small thing to help with a good-hearted project. And it is fun! I went to craigslist to look, and saw your post there, and that is how I chose to ask you. It is just a youtube music video project ... about making a better world. It is a small thing really, but it is the right time in the world to try such things. I have found someone in China, Mexico, Bahamas, the US, Peru, and several other countries that are going to help me with this. It is easy: Each of them will get a small group of people, all smiling, and holding a up a banner or sign, and it will say; " World For All People " That's it! They will hold it up with some friends, probably outside showing the local background there, ( a landmark perhaps?) and have a picture taken, all smiling, and then send the picture to me ... to be included with the others in the video, with the nice song. I wonder if you would consider doing this with me .. sincerely, it is a small, peaceful, well meaning gesture, and project about bringing the people of the world together. Idealistic I know, but it can't hurt to try. It is not what you posted for but it is a sweet, happy thing. What do you think? :-)Sincerely Rick Vancouver
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Thanks for inviting us Rick. That sounds like an awesome plan!

I have spoken to a number of our members and they are up for it. In discussing the idea someone put up the suggestion that we do the photo in the state that god intended us. We have quite a mix of shapes, sizes and skin tones so I think the "world for all people" message would come across stronger if we were to disrobe. It may also garner a lot more attention on Youtube! Obviously it would have to be done tastefully - maybe we could put the sign across our private parts. A couple of our members used to be cheerleaders and they also suggested we do a human pyramid but maybe that is making things to complicated.

Let me know what you think.

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Hi! :-) That's a great idea! :-) I think it really would have to be a situation where, for the broadest viewing audience possible, all 'private parts' were covered with the sign or banner. But I LOVE the idea of having some of the pictures with people who have disrobed, it will surprise people when they appear among the others. :-)Creative is good! Even the ones that thought a pyramid idea would be cool have a pretty good point ... if it can be done without problems. :-) If all of your group is in one country .. then one pic will do - however you want to do it. :-) If you can help with getting these pictures in more than one country ...I have some more , slightly different suggestions for each suggestions... :-) And thanks in a bigger way ! It is very very cool to get help with this!Looking forward to your pic and/or hearing more from you. :-) Rick

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I think your project has so many possibilities! I was really keen on the naked pyramid thing but a friend pointed out that Lindy England has already done that Abu Grahib so it might be a bit passe now.

Our group is only small but there are plenty of other people who I am sure would be interested. There was a picture in the paper today of Australia's basketball team for the dwarf Olympics (I think they prefer to be called people of shorter stature but I guess that is a bit too much to inscribe on the medals). I know someone who knows one of them so maybe I could get them involved also.

Would it just be limited to photos or could we take some video and maybe choreograph a dance? (maybe something like Thriller or the bit in Ferris Bueller's Day Off where he is in the parade and the people on the steps do that awesome synchronised bit). I think if you got the Mexicans and Chinese and Peruvians all doing the same thing it could make a top video.

What is the song like? If it is like Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistable we could perhaps all dress alike and do that thing where we all sway at the same time. In fact I guess we could still do the dance moves even if it didn't sound the same.

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Hey J W, My hot mail seems messed up so I switched over to my gmail. You know, I had started out looking for people who would make video portions of the video!! ... and then I switched to simply requesting pictures. But! if you and yours want to go to the effort of making video, that will be very cool, and probably be at least three! And they will mix really well with the still shots and the other components I am gathering. So, JW, if this becomes too much, revert to the still shot(s) any time you like - but a video contribution would be very cool. I have thought of dozens of concepts for video passages. Just as a for instance, we might combine the banners or signs with videos in a multitude of ways. Say, by taking a part of the chorus, (this one), : There Will Be .(pause)....There Will Be .(pause)....There Will Be. A. World For All PeopleTo those words, you could have someone near camera with a sign with the word 'There' on it, and then someone jump out from behind him or her, and in front, with a sign with the word "Will" on it, and then someone with a sign with the word 'Be' on it, and cycle all the way through that passage. Clothed or Unclothed - although again if unclothed caution would be required. ;-)I would edit that so it was timed with the music track.Honestly I don't think its my best idea - just an easy one to explain.That could be done downtown early morning or something where it is definitely not allowed for shock value, or on a beach, or in front of a landmark, or just a nice outdoor setting. But I wager I wager you and your group can come up with lots of other different concepts - with the goal of being visually captivating. Now, to your dance idea, At first I thought well this song is too slow for that. .... ( It has a sort of a pop ballad pace to it) But, actually, I think that comes down to choreography concepts - perhaps something amazing could happen at that pace. People choreographed and like-dressed, or painted, or who-knows-what, slowly dancing ( and smiling! this is a happy concept!). A slow dance thing could be amazing.I am so happy to be finding enthusiasm all over the world for this. :-) ! One thing occurs to me at this moment, if your group does go all out and make some video - fabulous ... and then I would ask that you still do a still shot - with that one sign - for me to put your city and country on the screen with. You could even look like different people (from the video stuff) if you like. I think that component of stills and world-wide locations will help add this up to a great message.Sunday dinner time .. looking forward to hearing from you again :-) Rick

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Hi Rick!

I was watching some old family movies over the weekend and it gave me a great idea for the video. I grew up in the country and we had a pet kangaroo called Hoppy who was really cool. When I was really little dad used to tuck me in to Hoppy's pouch and she would jump around the backyard. It was so fun! I was really devestated when dad told me I'd got too big to ride in Hoppy. Watching the old film of me jumping around the backyard with a big smile on my face made me think perhaps I could get a few of my friends' kids to do the same while holding the sign. It would be really cute. Hopefuly we can also get the kangaroos to hop along to the beat -although this may be difficult as in my experience kangaroos generally don't take direction very well. Maybe you could also find someone from New Zealand to ride a sheep. They have lots of those.

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Hey J W, I love that idea :-) And I am pretty good at video editing,so I could finagle it a bit ... and and probably get the hopping edited in time with the music. And, you are definitely welcome to do more than one thing. I was thinking about that suggestion I made with people jumping out from behind with signs with a word or two on them - and then I got an image of them dropping in front from something above, just off camera...... and I thought something similar, or different, would do very well with four lines from the 3rd chorus:No More Violence for Religion ...No More Government for Greed ...No More Poisons Where the Winds BlowNo More Children Left In Need Better idea: I am going to paste in the entire lyric below fyi ... it's good to be working with you. :-) Rick-----

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And you say you're not a poet - those are lovely lyrics!

Unfortunately there has been a bit of a hiccup with the kangaroo idea as I've been told that it is now considered child abuse to put your child in a kangaroo's pouch. Damn nanny state! Apparently there was a little girl in Western Australia who went for a pouch ride and the kangaroo hopped away and couldn't be found for two days. Fortunately the little girl suckled on the kangaroo and was fine - kangaroo milk is very rich in vitamins. She became rather traumatised however when the authorities shot the kangaroo.

Anyway I was thinking maybe we could do something with hula hoops and have "world for all people" written on our chests. One of our members wants to get it tatooed but I told him it probably wouldn't look very good on the video if it is all fresh and scabby for the shoot. What do you think?

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Hey J W :-)Thank you very much about the lyrics. :-) I agree with you, if it is tattoo it would probably be best to wait until all the healing was done. Hula Hoops is cool, anything visually captivating is cool! :-) So the setting can help too .... a landmark near you? or something :-) We never talked about the mechanics of it all... cell phone vdeos shoot in various formats but I can probably convert almost anything... camcorder videos shoot in various too but JVC and Sony etc major brands are easily convertible to .avi files ..which are probably best. What are you planning to film with? It doesn't matter really I am sure we can probably learn to convert anything to anything. I am going to send a second email, a forward that will bring you the draft ...draft=unfinished recording :-) ... it has the lead vocal ... but no background vocals or musicianship added yet... just some hokey guitar i did to help guide the singer .. hearing it might help you decide on what you want to do you might want to sing along as you do something ... I will be able to leave the audio in or out depending on how it goes with everything else ... I am hoping your video is about 12 - 15 seconds .. and then that you do a second - very different looking still shot - with just the sign ... ...we are going to make something of this! :-) Rick