Coffee and Cigarettes, two things I was easily able to avoid throughout my formative years. It wasn’t until I was whisked away to University that I was afforded the option of enjoying coffee. Prior to this point in my life coffee wasn’t something I associated with flavor. It was a necessary evil, one my father used to wake up and one his co-worker, Kenny, used throughout the day to “make it through”.
Starbucks introduced me to espresso and because I am a man of no frills I quickly opted to enjoy my new favorite beverage in the following manner; over ice with half and half and two packets of Sugar In The Raw. As higher education helped to develop my brain I too strove to develop my palette. This of course prompted me to explore coffee houses and alternative venues to obtain my fix. It was throughout this exploration that I was not only exposed to espresso blends from across the globe but individuals, events and invitations to happenings I never knew existed. Having explored these urges I slowly progressed my taste for pastries and it was questionable whether I was drinking espresso daily because I had become a caffeine junkie or whether the drink I consistently ordered was my excuse to enjoy an accompanying pastry.
After years of drinking espresso and enjoying various sweets and pastries from across the globe I can say that to some extent I believe the high associated with caffeine can be exclusively mental.
How else could I explain the fact that I can drink a coffee or espresso up until right before I go to sleep an fall asleep no problem? I would like to think that the caffeine helped me to dream – bigger, stronger and faster. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, my dreams were just whizzing by like the light of the cameras attempting to capture the Indy 500. I was using caffeine as a vice – a means to push my tired body through the proper motions, those associated with doing what I was supposed to be doing. Whether it was caffeine to “wake up” or “rejuvenate” it had become a guilty pleasure.
After a brief reprieve, what I liked to call and “exercise in moderation”, I was back. The bold flavor of a premium espresso roast and the creamy goodness of half and half or whole milk coupled together were not only something I thoroughly enjoyed, together they’re a glimmer of hope amongst the burned out streetlights and broken dreams. It is something that makes me truly happy. I can imagine it’s somewhat similar to having a smoke after a meal. As far as I’m concerned it makes me dream faster.
Watch Bill Murray, GZA and RZA of Wu-Tang Clan in Delirium – one of 11 short stories which share the coffee and cigarettes theme and comprise the Coffee and Cigarettes film which was completed over a seventeen year period.
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.” Jim Jarmusch
Night on Earth (1991) Trailer
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) Trailer
Broken Flowers (2005) Trailer
Quote via STE△L EVERYTHING
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