Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The Influencers

My dad and I are taking off for Barcelona in a few hours. He's gargling in the bathroom right now...somebody sneezed on him last week and he's recovering from a bad cold.

We've been invited to attend a festival in Spain called The Influencers. It's a three-day event "devoted to surreal, controversial and visionary examples of mutation in media and entertainment, modified digital technologies, and radical experiments with the public of global communication." Where does my dad fit into this crazy description? Somewhere between infiltration and manipulation of the media with a healthy dose of satire (and sometimes toilet humor) mixed with performance art.

Past years have included guests such as the Yes Men, Joey Skaggs, DJ Spooky, and the Reverend Billy. It should be cool, interesting, weird and fun. ABEL RAISES CAIN is screening with Spanish subtitles!

I never imagined that we would one day travel to Spain together, let alone as a result of a movie that I would spend close to a decade toiling away on about his life. This documentary is somewhere between a wounded horse that keeps running the race and a wandering prostitute. We can't stop it, it just keeps going and going, and it gets around. I just told my friends in New York recently that we should enjoy the ride while it lasts. I know that my dad is having the time of his life. I can't help but to think this is all leading somewhere positive. And along the way, my dad's story is spreading to corners of the world I never thought possible.