"That's so weird..."

I walked into a cafe today and bumped into an old friend. She looked at me kinda freaked out and said...

"That's so weird..."

I had to know...

"What's so weird?"

She was silent. Then she said...

"I was just looking at your picture on your blog a second ago and then you walked in. Whoa..."

I just replied "Cool!" at the time, but maybe the proper reply would have been:

"Sorry for interrupting, I'll leave you to be alone with my blog."

Blog etiquette... such a complicated thing.

Either way, keep enjoying the blog, folks. And if I saunter into the room, don't be freaked out... It's the very same me.

Ez

Shuffle It Up

("Smorga's Bored", 2002, Chicago, Ezra Soiferman)

Anyone who's used iTunes knows the power of the Shuffle feature. It basically randomizes all the songs on your computer.

Just wanted to thank whomever invented this function. It really adds that great 'buffet feeling' to another important part of life: musicalization.

Here's to mixing things up in the world and having a soundtrack to go along with it.

Ez

Fresh thought...

("Mass Confucian", c. 1997, NYC)

YOU BETTER HOPE
(1/11/07, MTL, Ezra Soiferman)

Encourage the down to the up
The dark to the light
The backwards to the forwards
Watch as it drives you
Towards growth, inspiration...
And hope
And you better hope
Cuz if doing all that leads to a bad place...
Something ain't right.

Thanks to all for droving by the Ez Sez Blog yesterday.

What a launch, what comments, what an experience to launch something new again.

Always an honour, friends. Keep launching and lunching there too.

Ez

Good News From Ez...

("Foamboothe", 3/06, London, Ezra Soiferman)

There's good news: You and I are connecting through this new site, The Ez Sez Blog.

I hope all's been well for you. Things have been zipping along busily on my side:

A trip to visit friends and shoot documentary photo series in NY, Paris, Montpellier and Barcelona a few weeks ago.

My new documentary "Posthumous Pickle Party" on Simcha's Grocery in Montreal will screen at the Rendez-Vous Québecois film fest in Montreal on February 22nd at 7:15pm at the NFB Cinema on St. Denis corner de Maisonneuve in Montreal. A TV broadcast for this wild film is in the works too. (This site will have more details on PPP as it happens.)

New doc films in the works.

New music projects underway.

Poetry flowing like a melting icecap.

And other surprises you'll learn about here in the coming months, years, lifetimes.

Please read on, or just call it a day and go out to play. (I leave it up to you to decide which of these to choose.)

Feel free to leave comments for me and others to see using the link below any of the blogs below. Or just yell your thoughts out the window to the world.

In short: Welcome, friend.

Ez


To contact me anytime: ezra at pressuredrop dot com.

Montreal Mirror Article

(Photo of Val and Ezra at Cinema du Parc by Rachel Granofsky)

The Montreal Film Group which I co-run with writer and filmmaker Val Lonergan was honoured by being called a "Noisemaker of 2007" on the cover of this week's issue of the Montreal Mirror.

The MFG brings together members of the Montreal film and TV community for networking events, workshops and parties. The group, started back in July 2004, had 50 members when we launched our website a year ago... we now have over 800 members.

And yes, that is indeed a Scrabble 'E' pin on my green hemp hoody in the photo there. One point for noticing. Nice goin'!

Mirror cover: Click here.

Full article: Click here.

Do you work in film or TV? Consider joining the MFG.

Hemp For The Homeless - UPDATE

All is advancing well with my Hemp For The Homeless project. Within the month I'll be distributing approximately 50 nutritious and functional 'hemp help kits' to homeless people on the streets of Montreal.

Many thanks to all those individuals and companies who have contributed to the project to date:

-Abaka Hemp - Recycled hemp clothing fabric for the hemp paper used in the help kits. This great hemp clothing co. is based in Shawinigan, Quebec, and their products are available at Co-op La Maison Verte in NDG and other stores throughout the province.
-ALPSNACK - Delicious, nutritious and organic hemp energy bars
-Bonnie Harnden + Syd Apel - Fresh-baked oatmeal, chocolate-chip, raisin and hemp cookie recipe
-Bernard Artisanal Bakery - Fresh-baked oatmeal, chocolate-chip, raisin and hemp cookies. Bernard's delicious organic sourdough breads and cookies are available at Co-op La Maison Verte in NDG and other locations in Montreal.
-Chana Goodfriend - Help in packing the kits and readying them for delivery
-Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps - 18-in-one all-purpose fair trade organic liquid soap bottles. "All-one!", as Ralph Bronner, the company's VP says.
-EcoLips - Tasty hemp-vanilla lip conditioner
-HT Naturals - Gorgeous long sleeve hemp/cotton T-shirts, Hemp/cotton tote bags
-La Ferme Communautaire Mange-Tout - Organic vegetables for the salads Rumi made (see below).
-Manitoba Harvest - Snack-packs of fresh hulled hemp seeds from the fields of Manitoba.
-The Montreal Film Group - Web site hosting by the MFG
-Papeterie St-Armand - One-of-a-kind recycled hemp/cotton paper for the custom note-pads I added to the bags.
-Penny Idol - Startup funds courtesy of this unique contest I won. The contest is part of Montreal filmmaker Raphael Levy's upcoming short film The Hermitian Penny. My lucky 2006 penny, Juan Redscent, will be starring in this film.
-Sun Dog Hemp - Organic hemp lip balm in peppermint and orange.
-Rumi Restaurant - Delicious cole slaw, potato salad and Jerusalem artichoke salads made with organic Ferme Communautaire Mange-Tout vegetables and Manitoba Harvest fresh hemp seeds


To contribute to the Hemp Help Kits as I ready them for distribution, please contact me at ezra at pressuredrop dot com. All contributions are graciously welcome. Your name will be added to the list above.

Stay tuned for more Hemp For The Homeless updates...

Read the wild backstory about the creation of thr HFTH project here.

Be well and thanks for your interest!

Ez
Chief hemp hamper handler
Hemp For The Homeless

Pot Roast Fumes

My downstairs neighbours seem to be cooking up a serious pot roast this winter's eve. I can smell it through the floorboards something fierce.

Makes me want to barge in there and take a huge bite of it.

Not sure if that makes me a worse vegetarian or neighbour.

Something to ponder as I tuck into my tofu-burger.

Ez


("Murray's Pastrami", 2/04, Chicago, Ezra Soiferman)

Ezra's Favourite Songs of 2006: "Filmmaker's Dozen"

("Rock n' Roll Over Me", 2001, L.A., Ezra Soiferman)

Here's my list of the best songs of 2006 in case you were curious about what I was feeding my ears on this past year...

Ezra’s “Filmmaker’s Dozen”
(New Classics You May Have Missed In 2006)

(in no particular order)

-"Square One" by Tom Petty www.tompetty.com
-"The Underground" by Kat Goldman www.katgoldman.com
-"Where I Live" by Leeroy Stagger and The Sinking Hearts www.leeroystagger.com/
-"Empty" by Ray Lamontagne www.raylamontagne.com
-"Ash Wednesday" by Elvis Perkins www.elvisperkins.net
-"O Mary Don’t You Weep No More" by Bruce Springsteen www.brucespringsteen.net
-"Janka" by Amadou & Mariam www.amadou-mariam.com
-"Heart Attack Feeling" by Socalled www.myspace.com/socalled
-"The Death Of Johnny Cash" by Emily Carr www.myspace.com/emilycarrmusic
-"Workingman's Blues #2" by Bob Dylan www.bobdylan.com
-"What Does It Mean Now?" by World Party www.worldparty.net
-"On The Radio" by Regina Spektor www.reginaspektor.com
-"Thin Blue Flame" by Josh Ritter www.joshritter.com
-"Don't You Be So Mean (Jellybean)" by Justin Rutledge www.justinrutledge.com

I'm jealous of your ears if they are about to hear any of these wonderful songs for the first time. Some (songs, not ears) might be available on iTunes if you're in any kind of rush whatsoever.

Ez

Ezra's 'Vintage' MySpace Blogs

For those with access to MySpace, here's the link to read any of my 2006 MySpace blog postings you may have missed (a wholly different blog than Ez Sez).

Lots of cool stuff to see there if you've got time to kill and an interest in this guy they call Ez.

www.myspace.com/ezrasoiferman

Here's a couple of samples from that there MySpace blog trove:


Friday, November 17, 2006, 5:24PM

More From my pocket pad...

Here's another culled from my last pocket pad. A bit steamy...

TEA TOGETHER
3/25/06, Ezra Soiferman, MTL,

Talk together
Walk together
Eat together
Sleep together
Dream together
Tea together

*****

Sunday, November 05, 2006, 2:20PM

Good News / Old Hat:

Good news... you are pretty much able to do anything. First step is to figure out what you want to do and then find those who can help you do it. Third step is to do it.

That's what just occurred to me.

Thought I'd share it.

If this is news to you, cool! If it's a good reminder, even better. If this sounds like old hat, wear it.

Old hats are cool.


Ez

****

More at:
www.myspace.com/ezrasoiferman

Like A Bump On a Blog - (The first Ez Sez post)

("Self Portrait With Menagerie", 1/02, Montreal)

Oh, hello.

I must be Ezra.

You must be you.

This is my first blog ever. Prior to this, I was just sittin' around mindin' my own bidness like a bump on a blog.

Now I'm a bona fide blogger in mine own right.

Keepin' it short, keepin' it sweet:

What would you like out of this blog? Open to all ideas. Send them in anytime you like. We'll see where it gets us...

Ez

Ezra Soiferman
Filmmaker, Friend, etc...
Montreal, Canada

About me.