Gonzoriffic at 20, aka WE FUCKING MADE IT
2020-21 was everything you've heard or read that it was. From April to April, ten people that I knew (in real life) died. Don't ever say you don't know how much more you can take, because you'll find out.
The rest of us are here. We've been fully vaccinated against COVID, we're continuing to distance in public and wear our masks. And we're finding our way back to surviving again as artists.
Despite all the problems we faced last year, Gonzoriffic was able to release the "Arreola Jones" mixtape DVD and put together a live streaming Underground Movie Show that we prerecorded inside Ciné theater in Athens. By the end of January, we'd already shot a new movie, and more are on the way.
At least once a day for the past 20 years, I've imagined what I'd do if nobody wanted to make movies with me anymore. I've been the archivist for all my creative ventures, so I'm sure I'd get all of that in order. But compared to where Gonzoriffic was at 10, back in 2011, things are far more optimistic, even in a global motherfucking pandemic.
I'm not the one holding it all together anymore, and I think that's the big difference between the first decade and the second. People that have supported me from 2012 forward are still here doing it, and are bursting with ideas and encouragement. I don't think they'd let me quit if I wanted to, and I DO NOT fucking want to.
If the losses have taught me anything, it's that we are lucky to know one another. We are lucky for the time we have together, and we should never lose sight of that. From the beginning, I knew this was a limited time offer, and I took no one for granted. 20 years later, Gonzoriffic is still a dream come true for me.
I hope you've had fun so far. I definitely have.