This Omnibus is brought to you by The Soaring Twenties Social Club. Everything you want to know about our community and why you should join is contained within this post ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Letter From The Founder
Slowly but surely we’re moving towards phase two of the masterplan here.
Phase one was to start the Soaring Twenties Social Club community and grow it to its capacity of 300 members. (I am not interested in scale for scales sake, I am interested in gathering the ideal number of the right people, of the people who get it and who want to be a part of something with a long term vision). We are getting nearer and nearer to that, with the primer I sent out on Friday bringing in some new recruits.
But phase two will be where things get really interesting. Because at that point we will have the foundation in place and can build upwards- collaborations, individual books, podcasts, fiction, art- whatever we can dream of. The emphasis will be on tangibility and community and being a positive example of true art in a world bogged down in content and metrics.
Every one of these Omnibus emails is a brick in this wall that will take years and years to build. Every Omnibus is a showcase of the depth and breadth of artistic talent the community has on offer. This weeks edition is further proof of that.
We hope you enjoy it and we hope you stick around to see what we build in the coming months and years. We are only just getting started. Up only.
Until next week,
Live well,
Tom.
Essays
A Return to Earth by Tony
Tony does it again- italics, parenthetical aside, commonplace observations, sports metaphors, degeneracy, the works. To quote the man himself: ‘we’re currently well over 1200 words in just over 45 minutes of full court press, balls to the wall, nonstop typing. Is it any good? Fucking beats me.’
Mesmerize Me by Luke Burgis
The subtitle reads ‘Franz Anton Mesmer and the Mimetics of Attraction (and Sex)’ and this piece really delivers on the promise of its premise. I always find Luke consistency inspiring. He never phones it in and you always end up learning something. Genuinely thought provoking work as always.
Your Problems Are Your Problems by Pr0ph3t
Funnily enough Scruton’s Green Philosophy has been working its way up my ‘to read’ stack for some time now. This excellent piece from the ever-dependable Pr0ph3t may have just nudged it to the front of the queue. Outstanding work as always here.
Inflated Truth by Paul Publisher
‘So what’s next for this New World of ours? Are we building a future—or breaking down?’
Another fascinating birds eye view of the current landscape from our resident astrologer Paul, an utterly unique voice in a group full of unique voices. His use of language and metaphor is always enlightening and this weeks deep dive is no exception. Read it and you’ll see what I mean.
bookmark #428 by Deepansh
When I wake up each morning I can be pretty much sure of two things 1) that the sun will have risen and it will be daytime and 2) Deepansh will have written a new bookmark and it will be great. Thought there are literally hundreds and hundreds to compare it to, this may be one of the best bookmarks yet. An incredible body of work growing in real time.
Who you working for? by Simon
A short piece on why pixels are an undervalued resource with reference to lazy piracy and corporations syphoning our creativity. A much needed reminder. I’m hoping Simon digs deeper into this topic as people still aren’t connecting the dots when it comes to NFTs and creativity.
we were teenagers (cause = time) by Yuelian Hong
I didn’t know whether to put this as a story or an essay but either way it is a beautiful meditation on nostalgia. Which reminds me our second Symposium will be out on July 1st. The topic is nostalgia and if all of the entries are as good as this one it will be a very special edition indeed.
Abstracted Practice of Body Transfiguration by Trilety
New Social Club members (and new Substacker) Trilety comes out of the gate strong with this piece. If the opening sentence ‘An old friend once described me as an erotic David Cronenberg’ doesn’t intrigue you, then I don’t know what to say.
The Moth and I: Death of a Companion by Thomas Kiely
I really, really enjoyed this. Excuse the pun but I think Thomas really got the chance to spread his wings on this one. Wonderfully observed and executed.
Movie Recommendation: Mad God by D.B.
I love D.B.s approach to recommendation and I love that he has brought this weeks film to my attention. As someone who grew up on Ray Harryhausen films, Mad God sounds right up my alley. And I highly doubt I would have discovered Mad God without D.B. bring it to my attention. Human enthusiasts > recommendation algorithms.
Revisiting The Pulp Work Ethic by Frank
Of course life can often get in the way of our plans but Frank is back on the pulp beat and this new discussion of a classic Erle Stanley Gardner essay has most definitely been worth the wait. Plus he has some fiction in the works too. Can’t wait.
The Baby and the Bathwater by Cody Clarke
The ultra-prolific Cody is knocking out Substack pieces at his usual impressive pace. And they are all excellent and inspiring for creators of all stripes and in all mediums. This piece is no exception. Heed its lesson and your creative work will surely improve as a result.
Discovering A Memory by Charles Schifano
‘Monotony is a dreadful reason to forget the days: when morning bleeds into night, month into year, without any notes of punctuation between, there’s little purpose in memories. April becomes May; May becomes June. In many ways, the clock has already stopped once this happens, as the present is both the past and the future.’
I say it every week (because Charles never misses a week) but my word can the man turn a phrase. His incredible skills and light touch are on full display in this one. Enjoy.
On Retirement by Thomas J Bevan
A sensible discussion of work and purpose or sour grapes from someone who probably wouldn’t be able to retire in the conventional way even if he wanted to? You decide.
Fiction/Poetry
Bewildering Wilderness by Ivan
Deathly cold, booze, spots of French and absolute typographical madness in this one. Ivan is really stretching his creative wings in this one. Fantastic and utterly unique.
Lost and Found by A.J.
It’s been a few weeks now but A.J. is back with another signature slice of creative writing. Loved the US vs Philippines juxtaposition theme that ran through it. Understated elegance.
Your Best by David
Your best is an act of God
Far be it for man to claim his
The eternal out of sight
Peeking into reality
Like sun behind clouds
Moving our hearts closer to right
The rarity of this act
Is it a tragedy?
God wants ever to bring more to be
More unreal pursuits
More joyful excellence
And glory to those whom agree
But like that which is glorious
Glory too is divine
And men are wise to relinquish claim
Not to skulk in shadow
Feeling owed their prize
But to stand in light and conduce the same
Your best is a fractal at worst
A dance worth iterating
For the untrained eye to see
And if nothing else
You are inspired yet
Lungs full of future breath to free
Interview
Transcending the Transactional by Luke Burgis
I was given the honour of being interviewed by Luke for his fantastic Anti-Mimetic newsletter. As a Girardian blue belt is was great fun to chat with a certified master. I hope you find this as enjoyable to read as I did to feature in.
Podcasts
Spice Up Your Life (The Wednesday Audio #57) by Craig Burgess
The always innovative Craig adds another feature- blatant copyright theft- to his podcasting repertoire. Enjoy this one before Sporty, Posh and the gang make moves to have it taken down.
Teaching Unteachable Lessons To People Who Don’t Want To Learn by Madspace
The title alone is reason enough to listen to this one. Another great entry to the growing Madspace canon. I guess veering from existentialism to nostalgia to food talk is what talking while commuting will do to you. Always a pleasure to listen to these.
TJB Film Recommendation
Hard Eight (1996)
D. Paul Thomas Anderson
W. Paul Thomas Anderson
S. Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow
The start of an incredible run from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson. Sure, I could have opted to discuss one of his better know films such as Boogie Nights or There Will Be Blood (as I write this I realise that I might have to go back and watch the full filmography in chronological order over the next several weeks) but I felt drawn to his debut feature Hard Eight.
Why? Well you’ve got career best performances from Hall and Reilly, you’ve got the casino nightlife setting which always seems to work well cinematically, you’ve got got dialogue, sharp storytelling and assured but low key cinematography and filmmaking on display. The pace is languid and deliberate as it pulls you into the seedy night time world of the gamblers and the hookers. The choices show a steely self confidence and understanding of the story being told. PTA knew what he was about and knew what his aesthetic and vision was straight out of the gate, which is a remarkable thing in and of itself.
Hard Eight uses noir tropes and imagery without falling into pastiche or cliche. It somehow captures its mid 90’s moment and feels timeless too. A great update of film noir and an excellent film in its own right. Give it a watch.
Thanks as always for reading/listening and thanks in advance for pressing all of those various buttons at the bottom which help the Omnibus spread further.
Given Craig and I’s current track record I am hesitant to even mention The Tragedies of Modernity podcast. However after 2 cancelled weeks in a row we will be recording an episode tonight at 8pm GMT. We’ll host it and record it live from the STSC community and then post it onto this Substack tomorrow.
If you want to join us live and listen in and post questions/comments/heckles in the podcast channel chat you are more than welcome. You simply have to sign up to the community first.
I look forward to seeing you over at the Social Club.
Cheers!