I’ve always been attracted to the eccentrics of the world. I’ve always been fascinated, even infatuated, with the artists and the poets and the musicians, those who don’t take cues from established societal norms. I see these people as visionaries. Growing up in a small town of about 2,000 people, I didn’t get much exposure to these kinds of people. I knew they existed… I had read books by Jack Kerouac and Henry David Thoreau, I had seen films and heard music from the counterculture movement of the early 1960s, I had seen old pictures of family members in their prime and wondered why their compelling eccentricities had vanished. I had very few opportunities for first-hand exposure in my tiny town, but there were a few exceptions. Over the years I’ve had encounters with some incredibly inspiring people.. well… inspiring to me, as someone who has a deep affection for those who deviate from the norms. To others, these people may be viewed as lost souls. These are people who live in caves, people who actively practice Chinese medicine, people who write constant poetry. To me, these people ARE poetry. Poetry leaks out of their pores. They can’t help it. The way that they speak is rhythmic, frantic, prophetic, musical. One of the most influential of these eccentric visionaries, so far in my life, is a wild-haired man named Bob Israel. He’s one of the craziest people I’ve ever known, in the best way imaginable. I used to see him almost every day, roaming the streets in a way that seemed aimless, but for all I know, he could have had some greater purpose that far exceeded anyone else’s understanding. He probably did. He seemed to be in a deep meditative state while he was walking. He walked incredibly slow, slower than anyone else I’ve ever seen. It probably took him at least an hour to walk one block. At frequent intervals, he would suddenly stop walking and turn his head to the sky, dreamily pondering the clouds. Bob Israel played piano. That’s how he made enough money to live comfortably (sort of). I don’t remember how I met Bob Israel. I’ve known him since I was very young. He knew that I loved music, and he knew that I played music. Every time I ran into him on the street, he would talk to me about the beauty and the importance of music. He was overwhelmingly passionate. And his passion was overwhelmingly contagious. After our conversations, I would walk home, stealing constant glances at the clouds, humming and listening to the music of the world. To me, Bob Israel is the definitive eccentric artist. He doesn’t live according to anyone else’s standards. He spends his life inspiring those who are open to what he has to say. His life is poetic and passionate. It was Bob Israel that made me realize that I want to live the life of a passionate artist/poet/musician/writer. More than anything, I want to inspire others with the copious amounts of inspiration that I get from the world around me.