Dear Cherished Reader:
As I mentioned in my singing newsletter of a few weeks ago, over the next several months I’ll be sending you my best and favorite content from the Dance Archives.
Think of it as a long-running “oldies but goodies” show.
In some cases, it’s content I created over a decade ago, such as my very first Dance podcast interview from 2014.
Yep. I’m searching for buried treasure and diggin’ it up for you!
To hear what I thought and cared about in days gone by has been a curious exercise for me, kind of like looking at myself in scratchy 8mm home movies or old paper photos tossed in a moldy shoebox.
Oh my god, did you really ask that in an interview? Awkward!
And what’s with the hair? Hahaha! You look like Edward Scissorhands! Embarrassing!
But hey!!! At least I had hair back then… my famous coif of madness.
My hair might be gone, but my passion for some of that old content remains, so I want to share it with you. My purpose with this letter is to show you how I plan to organize the mummified bodies.
That sounds horribly boring, I know, but I’ll try to keep this letter interesting with clever quips, Dad jokes, and saucy anecdotes.
Not really.
Well, I might.
The Baby and the Bathwater
Question: Brant, why should I care how you organize things?
Answer: Because through the marvel of technology, you can unsubscribe from some Dance stuff without losing access to the other stuff.
Heavens to Murgatroyd! What will they think of next?
Look. I get it. Not everyone has the time or interest to drag themselves through every piece of flim-flam I produce. Life is short, and there are reruns of Matlock to watch.
Because I care about you, I want to give you the power to be choosy. Pick some Dance stuff and unsubscribe from what you don’t want. Keep the meat and throw away the bones.
I truly hope I don’t lose any of you, but in any case, I wouldn’t want you to throw the baby out with the bathwater by accidentally unsubscribing from everything. That would make me sad.
So onward, upward with a brief explanation. Pay attention.
How It’s Done
Dance content will be organized into three sections, or shelves: those horizontal wooden planks we humans use to keep things neat and tidy.
But these shelves are (wait for it)… digital!
The three sections are:
1. Dance Past Sunset
This is the main section where I post stories and images from our travels. This is and shall remain free. Going forward, I’ll be posting stories and photos from our prior trips to Jordan, Egypt, Türkiye, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Mexico, Azerbaijan, the United States, and other places around the world.
If the winds blow fair, I may also write about our upcoming travels to the green fields of Ireland, the frozen seas of Antarctica, the roasting sands of Mauritania, the salt flats of Bolivia, and the big skies of Montana. They’re all coming up in 2026 and 2027.
To continue receiving Dance Past Sunset newsletters in your email, do nothing.
2. The Dance Podcast
This is a brand new section where I’ll post episodes of the Dance Past Sunset podcast. Every show features an expert guest, including:
One of the leading experts on the Beatles, who taught me how death shaped the lives and music of the Fab Four;
A Wiccan mortician who taught me why we cannot be destroyed when we die;
A university-trained linguist who taught “Spock” from Star Trek how to say death proverbs in Klingon;
A man who experienced three near-death experiences with out-of-body journeys into the afterlife;
The founder of the green burial movement who instructed me on the greenest, most environmentally sensitive way to handle remains;
I understand death and dying is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I am so confident you’ll find the shows of interest that I have taken the liberty of subscribing you for them. If you don’t want to get these posts, just unsubscribe from The Dance Podcast and don’t worry: You’ll still get the travel posts.
3. Mad Musings
This is a paid-only section where I post my most personal and often radical thoughts, including my “letters to the future.” I tuck this content behind the paywall, not because I need the money (I don’t, and everything gets donated to charity anyway) but because the content is precious to me, deserving of a protected space, and not to be tossed about on the web like digital chicken feed.
If you want to read my Mad Musings, sign up for a paid subscription.
That’s a Wrap!
That wasn’t so bad, was it?
Wait.
Isn’t that what the dentist says after drilling into my teeth with a sharp instrument, leaving me traumatized and in need of therapy, Xanax, vodka, or maybe all three?
Yeah. Well, anyway, orientation is over, and you’ve earned your certificate. Class dismissed!
Coming up next, I’ll post my first interview from the Dance Past Sunset Podcast Archives, featuring Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D., an acclaimed social scientist, award-winning author, and master teacher.
I spoke with Dr. Schlitz in 2014 just as she was wrapping up this film project with Deepak Chopra. I know you are really going to enjoy meeting her!
A few weeks after that podcast post (requires listening), I’ll share a letter from the Dance archives, including photos of our 2023 trip to the Wadi Rum desert in Jordon, and the story of a boy I met there who was an absolute hoot. You won’t believe the things he said!
Until then, I’ll see you… on the road!
.
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