Fart jokes and heartbeats
Tips, tricks, inspiration, and encouragement for storytellers of all stripes
Greetings from Sarasota—
After a whirlwind trip to Harbor Beach, Michigan, this week has been one of those “what the heck day is it??” kinda weeks. Recovering and catching up.
One of the worst parts of going on a trip is dropping Gaia and Odin off at K9 Korral. Now, the pups love it. Odin wags his tail so hard his entire butt flings side-to-side. They scamper in with nary a glance back.
K9 Korral, by the way, is the best boarding in Sarasota. Shout out to Mark and his team!
But of course, this means one of the best parts of returning from a trip is picking Gaia and Odin up. Whenever I pick up our pups by myself, I send a mini-pack selfie to beloved Rebecca-mama.
I’ve taken dozens of these over the years. I should make a slide show.
This is a lengthy way of apologizing for not having the bandwidth to create a from-scratch newsletter this week! I’m sending puppy pics and pasting in a chapter from my book, This Above All.
But let me tell you why I chose this particular chapter.
In my Storytellers Bootcamp class and on an In Your Bones storytelling zoom call this week, several of my students talked about feeling imposter syndrome.
I had a nightmare about reading first.
I’m always so intimidated after everyone else reads.
Why would anyone care about my story?
As I assured everyone their story mattered, and reminded them that anyone authentically engaged with the work was guaranteed to feel imposter syndrome, I was reminded of the chapter I’m about to share.
Imposter syndrome feeds off the idea that art and writing and stories have to be all highfalutin and fancy and erudite and “important.”
Nonsense.
As the brilliant art critic Robert Hughes said, “The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.”
ART IS NOT PRECIOUS
(from THIS ABOVE ALL: How to Live an Artistic Life, by yours truly)
Though it is essential, art is not precious. Art does not reside in an ivory tower, surrounded by a moat, with a heavy iron gate that opens only if you know the secret password. It is not esoteric. It does not belong to the enlightened few.
Art is not a riddle to be figured out. Art does not require pinched brows and knowing, nodding “hmmmms.”
Chaucer. Big-time literary heavyweight, right? Well, if you haven’t yet, check out The Summoner’s Tale. One of the most epic fart jokes in all of storytelling history. Not merely a fart directly into a friar’s face, but then a serious discussion of how to divvy that fart up into twelve equal parts, so as to share it with others. Scout’s honor, that joke lives in (ahem ahem ahem) pinky-sticking-out literature. It’s awesome.
Shakespeare. Needs no introduction. Get this. Shakespeare was popular. The Netflix of his time. Hot romance. Kick-ass fight scenes. You ever seen Hamlet done well? That dude is hilarious. Tragic, sure, that’s in the title, but he’s also the wittiest guy in the room.
Keep digging into the Bard, Stratford’s own Billy Wigglestick. Cross-dressing. Mistaken identities. Twin siblings causing Parent Trap-esque plot machinations. Clowns. Music. Songs. Magic. Like literal magic. Heck, one guy even has his noggin turned into a donkey head and the “ass” jokes come so fast you can’t keep count.
Shakespeare wrote for everyone. Elevated and insightful in one scene, ribald and bawdy in the next. Not because some of us are elevated and others of us are bawdy, but because all of us are both.
It’s vital to entertain. In fact, entertainment comes first. Entertainment is not a dirty word. Art must entertain and delight the senses, or no one will pay attention. Art is not about “message” or “theme.” Those are by-products. If the audience ain’t paying attention, your “message” ain’t gettin’ through. Spoonful of sugar, baby. And it doesn’t matter if your spoon is silver-plated or carved from wood.
Art belongs to all.
Just remember this. Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter. That’s a fancy poetry term for a line of verse that rhythmically goes like this:
duh DUM duh DUM duh DUM duh DUM duh DUM.
You know what else goes like that?
duh DUM duh DUM duh DUM duh DUM duh DUM.
Your heart.
100 Plays
The next episode of 100 PLAYS will hit your inboxes first thing Monday!
In this episode, I talk about the importance of lyrical analysis, how to balance a stage, and the costs of cutting a phone booth.
You can listen on the Substack App, and all episodes are also available on Apple or Spotify.
Or, if you want to put a face with a voice, the video version will be available on YouTube.
The Page&Stage Podcast
A reminder to check out P&S EPISODE FROM LAST MONDAY
Talent agent and author Dr. Albert Bramante joins me to explore the emotional and psychological terrain of the acting world. From his early love of theatre to his PhD research on self-sabotage, Albert shares powerful insights on rejection, resilience, and mental health in the industry. We discuss ethical representation, relationship-building, and how actors can leave lasting impressions. A must-listen for anyone navigating showbiz or chasing creative goals—with practical advice drawn from Albert’s book, Rise Above the Script.
You can listen on the Substack App, Apple, or Spotify.
Or, if you want to put faces with voices, you can watch the video version of this podcast over on YouTube.
Thanks as always for reading, and have a great weekend!
Jason “Fartface” Cannon