Dancing with my daughter is one of the highlights of my life -- and I get a few chances now and then. She comes to my parties (see photo). So do a lot of people who have become her friends -- and some other people, too. I write poetry (Duggan's Poetry page on FB), work with songwriters and musicians and artists and poets and such like, dabble in libertarianism, love Chicago and Napa and kinda St. Louis ... and celebrate life by living it to the hilt. And that, of course, means having an open door for travelers and those in transition. Just ask any of the myriad of people (some travelers, some temporary settlers) who have slept and created here.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because sometimes ...

Interests

Life and living so as to encourage others to live well. Good music and other art that shows care and hard work and especially revelation in its making. Days at the beach, good wine and good food which might just be crackers and cheese or hummus and pita or whatever sustains real person to person communication. So much peace energy to generate -- so little time.

• arts
• poetry
• performing arts
• festivals
• dancing
• dining
• wine
• cheese
• partying
• music
• teaching
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Classic -- Sixties (Airplane, Fish, Zappa, Dead, Jimi, and a bunch of Brits)
Current -- Authentic music - Leon, Gary Jr., Kissy (look her up), Leah Zeger (amazing!), Kat E (she played her first solo show at my house), The O'My's (Chicago's center of gravity and levity), The Soil and the Sun, Rubblebucket and Alexander F, Man Man and Landlady, Max Frost and Ruby Jane, and a host of others -- notably my roommate Amanda Cevallos ... As to movies, I only go to a few any more, preferring living people to images (but Hunger Games rules). Books I rarely read any more, as I read and write for a living. These days, I read a lot of shorter stories .. and Facebook posts and blogs.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Well, iin 2011 during South by Southwest (SXSW), I worked with others to produce a 3-day music festival at the (now - defunct) Iguana Grill on Lake Travis that featured 35 bands and acoustic acts from as far away as New Zealand -- recording audio and video of each performer -- and also booked the music for SXSW at House Wine, Waterloo Ice House (two locations), the Lakeline Farmer's Market, and a full day at The Hyde Park Bar & Grille, West Gate location -- an event which closed down with a performance by Chicago's Midwest Hype who had driven from Alabama in a rented van (after theirs broke down) to play an 11 pm show -- their only SXSW event that year. They were AWESOME!

Teach, Learn, Share

As my protege and teacher Amanda Awethu says, we have to shed the old mind (that which others have imposed on us that we do not really agree to) and allow our new mind (our true selves) to develop, explore and grow. Or as I recently wrote --
We used to think people we loved
Were stars
Until
We watched them
Played with them
Danced with them
Laughed with them
Cried with them
Almost died with them
Took a long ride with them
Allied with them
In the big battle for our own souls.
As we grow we begin to know
These friends are not mere stars
But infinite galaxies

What I Can Share with Hosts

A home filled with genuine love with at the very least a great air mattress, at the best a comfy couch or even a real room -- and of course excellent showers and even a bath in Epsom salts; a grill and a great backyard with a 12x10 (plus 4x6 pm the side) stage, another 12x10 deck and did I mention the live oak trees, a large living room where we hold late night (thanks to replacement windows) shows. Convenient to buslines, downtown, and out of town. And very likely shared repasts and snacks and such.