by Ben Spatz
The bard is highly physically skilled and graceful, but not violent.
The bard feels suspended between the earth and the sky.
The bard has the humility of Pierrot.
The bard acts as custodian on behalf of the earth.
The bard is one of the trustees of the old stories.
The bard has no name, because he could be me or anyone.
The bard is male because I need him to be a positive male archetype.
The bard can handle himself in a fight only because he is in good shape and knows how to use his body, and not because he's been trained. The bard therefore doesn't have to have had a rough (traditionally male) childhood.
The bard is useful during the Revolution for leadership, passion, and love.
The bard would also make an excellent spy.
The bard exempts himself from physical violence on the grounds of art.
The bard engages in ideological conflict whenever necessary.
The bard is highly skilled in verbal conflict and has both knowledge and charisma.
The bard walks barefoot and is protected by Dionysus.
The bard throws himself on the thorns of life.
The bard trusts in his vocation.
The bard brings joy and sweet pain with him, wherever he goes.
The bard wears multicolored clothing.
The bard owns many books and a saxaphone.
The bard is most definitely polos.
The bard has integrity and courage.
The bard doesn't have to be perfect, he could be stubborn and self-centered.
The bard has tricks up his sleeve.
The bard does not feel validated by possessing women.
The bard never decides his sexuality.
The bard plays with cultural stereotypes and teases false consciousness.
The bard listens to everyone and is interested in all stories and perspectives.
The bard is like L'abel because he judges people only by their courage and integrity.
The bard is like Margaret because his favorite animal is people.
The bard is like Ben because he believes that you can figure stuff out.
The bard is like Chery because he refuses to surrender.
The bard is like Gerry because he does the work.
The bard is like Roger Guenvere Smith because he is possessed by the truth.
The bard is like Charles Ullmann because he isn't afraid of being disliked.
The bard is like Erin Hazard and also probably like Rael.
The bard is like Ani Difranco because he refuses to sell out.
The bard is like Peter Schumann because he doesn't care to be famous.
The bard is like Michael Stipe because he speaks unsense in the room of birds.
The bard is like Bill Irwin because he carries his show with him always.
The bard is like Julia Kristeva because he is capable of incisive thought.
The bard is like Buster Keaton because he moves like an angel.
The bard is like Anna Deveare Smith because he wants to talk about art and politics.
The tool of the bard is his body.
The bard often asks the sky for guidance, and isn't exactly sure of the reply.
The bard is "masculine" in that he is somewhat unaffected, i.e. he stands in the river.
The bard is "masculine" in that he is capable of grim determination and stoicism.
The bard is "masculine" in that he gets a kick out of the warrior archetype.
THE BARD IS NOT THE WARRIOR ARCHETYPE.
The bard is idealistic in that he loves abstract myths and images.
The bard is realistic in that he knows what it is for lots of people to live.
The bard is excited about working on the world during his time period.
THE BARD BELONGS TO THE MODERN TIME PERIOD.
The bard is excited about the milennium and technology.
The bard does not remove himself from a fucked up society.
The bard is not convinced that our society is overall worse than anarchy.
The bard does not give up all the luxuries of his society.
The bard tries to make things better from within his society.
The bard tries to tweak cultural mythology towards freshness.
The bard can be extremely competitive.
The bard is a good loser because he tried his best and he works for the sky.
The bard is a good winner because it was just the sky acting through him.
The bard is very tender and warm.
The bard is often goon.
The bard is a lot like a basketball player.
The bard wears freedom rings on behalf of the continuum.
The bard doesn't have his ego at stake because he works for the sky.
The bard cries "Represent!" in many situations.
The bard cries "Represent!" with respect to many different groups.
The bard's necklace still says "Seek Hope."
The bard follows the path of the sunbird without hesitation.
The bard talks to strangers.
The bard is only scared of dangerous things.
The bard knows that only actions are good or bad, not people.
The bard locates inexplicability in the "fresh" adjective rather than a "god" noun.
The bard can be of any race or sex.
The bard gets no credit for suffering and is not shamed by pleasure.
The bard gets credit for integral actions and is shamed by cowardly ones.
The bard knows, like the Lobster Man, that you do whatever your thread is supposed to do in the tapestry. There is no question of danger. Whenever you know what resonance your thread is supposed to be obeying, you do it, just like Russian Roulette.
The bard is not afraid of death.
The bard doesn't risk danger because he has a family that needs him.
The bard doesn't need to oversimplify and look for Good Guys and Bad Guys.